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THE BOOK *
THE TWELVE i ceca
MINOR PROPHETS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW.
WITH
A COMMENTARY,
CRITICAL, PHILOLOGICAL, AND EXEGETICAL.
BY
Ἐ HENDERSON, D.D.
WITH
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR,
By E. P. BARROWS,
HITCHCOCK PROFESSOR IN ANDOVER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.
Andover :
WARREN F. DRAPER.
BOSTON: GOULD & LINCOLN. NEW YORK: HURD & HOUGHTON.
PHILADELPHIA: SMITH, ENGLISH, AND COMPANY.
CINCINNATI: G. 8. BLANCHARD
1866,
ἣ
᾿
Entered according to Act of Congress, jn.the year 1859,
ΑΝ
BY W. Hh. DRAPER,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
ELECTROTYPED AND PRINTED
BY W. F. DRAPER, ANDOVER, MASS.
“vy
PUBLISHER’S NOTE.
THE increasing demand for the English edition of Dr. Henderson’s Com-
mentary on the Minor Prophets, suggested an application to the author for
permission to reprint it in this country. The following note contains his
very kind aggmgurieous consent :
€ }\
Mr. DRAPER:
Dear Sir, — ;
Impressed with a sense of your honorable conduct in con-
sulting me prior to the reprinting of a cheaper edition of my Commentary on The
Minor Prophets, I feel no hesitation in granting you the sanction you desire, on the
terms specified in your letter of November 4, 1856.
I remain, dear Sir,
Yours truly,
E. HENDERSON, D. D.
MortLake, Surrey, Nov’r 20, 1856.
1Datsy Enclosed you will find a list of corrections, copied from my husband’s
memoranda. 5... ἘΠ
Not only have the corrections referred to been made in the present edition,
but it was found desirable, also, to verify all the quotations in the Oriental
languages, so that the whole work has now been thoroughly revised. This,
with other causes, has contributed to delay the publication till the present
time. We have to regret that, meanwhile, the venerable author has ceased
from his labors, and passed to his reward.
It seems fitting that a short biographical sketch of his useful and event-
ful life should accompany this volume, as a tribute to his memory among
those who will receive the benefits of his studies and labors, but who may not
have access to the full biography prepared by his friends.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR.
Tue lamented death of the author of the present Commentary occurred
while the plates were in process of preparation for an American edition
of the work. It seems highly proper, therefore, that a brief sketch of
his life and character be prefixed to it. The writer of this, not having
access to original sources of information, has drawn his materials from
the “Memoir of the Rev. E. Henderson,” by his daughter, Thulia S.
Henderson, which has lately been published in London.
EBENEZER HENDERSON was born on the 17th day of November,
1784, at Dunfermline, an ancient borough in the eastern part of Scot-
land, situated in the county of Fife, a little north of the Firth of Forth,
and well known as the residence of Anne of Denmark, and the birth-
place of King Charles the First. He was the youngest son of George
and Jean Henderson. His father was an agricultural laborer, and be-
longed to the Secession-body of Scotch Presbyterians. “Two years at
Dunfermline,” the memoir tells us, “and one year and a half at Dun-
duff, formed the sum-total of his schooling” in the days of his boyhood.+
Then, at twelve years old, it was resolved that he should be initiated
into some trade. But it happened to him, as it has to others whom
Providence had foreordained to fill religious and literary spheres, that
one attempt after another proved abortive. First he was: placed with
an elder brother to learn the trade of a clock-and-watch-maker. But
here he staid only long enough to gain such an insight into the craft
as was afterwards of no little use to him in his missionary wanderings,
where recourse to a professed artisan for the rectification of his time-
piece was impossible. He was next placed as an apprentice to a boot-
and-shoe-maker for the space of three years. Of his progress in this
business nothing is known. Only it is certain that “he had not yet
found the niche in which he was to take his stand.”
1 Memoir, p. 13.
VI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
For this a spiritual preparation was needed. This, through the grace
of the Holy Spirit, he received in the deep religious awakening that
took place in connection with the labors of Robert and James Haldane,
the latter of whom visited Dunfermline in company with Mr. Aikman.
“A saw-pit at the top of Chalmers’ Street, and an open place in
Woodhead Street, are remembered in connection with various out-door
preachings to an assembled multitude. Many of the ungodly were awak-
ened, and the godly were stirred up to works of good-doing. Sunday
Schools were established, and they rapidly flourished. Of the ‘six’
that are recorded as having been in a prosperous state within the par-
ishes of Dunfermline as early as 1798, there was one in which were
enrolled the names of Ebenezer Henderson and Douglas Cusine (pro-
nounced Cousin),—the two who are remembered as having borne the
palm for diligence and attention.”
This little incident shows the original aptitude of our author for the
pursuits of a scholar. The precise time of his first open profession of
religion is not known. But there is abundant evidence that from this
period he devoted himself with all his soul to the service of Christ. The
needful preparation for future duty was freely granted him in the Sem-
inary in Edinburgh, which had been originated, and was still supported,
by the generosity of Mr. Robert Haldane. The course of instruction
was brief, extending only through two years. But this was then thought
to be the utmost that was compatible with the urgent demand for home
and foreign laborers. “Dr. Henderson always urged the importance of
a prolonged collegiate course; and doubtless felt that had his own pre-
paratory studies been of longer continuance, he might have gone forth
better equipped for his work.”2 So speaks the memoir; to which may be
added, that it was only by a severe and long process of self-training,
continued after he left the Seminary, that he was enabled to qualify
himself for the work of a translator of the holy Scriptures, and a com-
mentator on their contents, in which he became so distinguished. The
class of 1803—the fifth in order of institution— was the one which he
joined. We need not be surprised when we find one of his surviving
* fellow-students bearing testimony that he was at that time “more of a
linguist than a theologian; more given to literature than to divinity.” ὃ
No one can read his commentaries, so rich in oriental lore, without per-
ceiving at a glance that it was the side of sacred literature rather than of
systematic theology to which he was drawn by the natural affinities of his
mind. ‘To him the memoir justly applies the remark made of one of his con-
temporaries, the late Rev. Alexander Dewar: “ He could comprehend and
1 Memoir, p. 17. 2 P. 23. 8 Rey. James Kennedy, of Inverness.
OF THE AUTHOR. Vil
seize the leading features of a complicated question, though he rarely, if
ever, dealt in barren abstractions; strong, broad good sense was a distin-
guishing element of his mind; he was a man of facts and fundamental
principles.” ?
In the vacations the seminary students were sent out on preaching-
tours. We find him in the summer recess of 1804 appointed to visit
the Orkney Islands, which lie off the northern extremity of Scotland.
Thus was inaugurated that remarkable series of northern missions to
which the providence of God, contrary to his own original intentions,
had appointed him.
In the second year of his seminary life he was called to the foreign
service, in the following way: The Rev. John Paterson, pastor of a
church at Cambuslang, and the Rev. Archibald McLaey, pastor at Kir-
caldy, having been invited by the two Congregational churches in Edin-
burgh to go forth as missionary agents, resigned their charges, and came
to Edinburgh for a brief course of preparatory study with special refer-
ence to the service to which they had devoted themselves. Their desti-
nation was India. But Mr. McLaey being by the circumstances of his
family detained at home, Mr. Paterson’s friends urged him to select from
among the seminary students a man for his colleague. As he surveyed
the assembled class, he said of Mr. Henderson, then but twenty-one years
of age, and with whom he had no previous acquaintance, “This is the
man for me.” Thus commenced between the two missionaries a life-
long friendship. As soon as’ Mr. Henderson made known his willingness
to embark in this cause, his services were accepted, and the missionaries
elect were set apart by the imposition of hands, with prayer and fasting,
at an evening service in the Tabernacle, Leith Walk, on August 27,
1805.
But God, who understood perfectly the sphere in which these his two
servants could best labor, had destined both to a northern instead of a
tropical field. Here the following extract from a letter which he wrote
on the subject some twelve years later, is perfectly in place:
“When I originally devoted myself to the Redeemer’s service, and
entered on a course of study preparatory to engaging in it, I had no’
specific station or sphere of labor in view; but was determined, in re-
liance on his promised grace, cheerfully to proceed to whatever place
he should be pleased to point out to me, whether at home in my native
country, or among the heathen in a distant land. Accordingly, when our
dear brother Paterson requested me to accompany him to India, it was
a matter of no great difficulty for me to give my consent to his proposal.” *
"1 Memoir, p. 25. 2 P, 87.
Vill BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
This delightful passage shows that he was willing to be guided. And
let it be said, for the encouragement of all youthful candidates, that God
will certainly guide all who are willing to be guided, into the field in
whith they can serve him to the best advantage. The two missionary
brethren had marked out India for their field, but God sent them into
northern Europe.
The directors of the East India Company were at that time, as is
well known, hostile to missionary labors among the people whom they
ruled. Messrs. Carey and Marshman, with some coadjutors, were indeed
carrying on their good work without molestation, but with no open sanc-
tion on the part of the directors. Such a sanction the Messrs. Haldane
openly sought for themselves and others, and were decidedly refused,
and the door was thus closed to their intended enterprise. “The British
possessions,” says the memoir, “ were not approachable by a Christian
missionary in a British vessel. But there were Danish ships in which
such men could embark; there were Danish settlements where they could
effect a landing, and whence they could proceed to some neighboring dis-
tricts, whose governors might be disposed, if not to sanction, at least to
ignore the efforts that might be made.”1 They accordingly repaired to
Copenhagen, in the hope of securing a passage thence to Serampore.
But here disappointment awaited them. One vessel only was to sail
that season, and every berth was preéngaged. They offered to go in
the steerage; even that was full.
Meanwhile they found all around them a field white for the harvest.
Although as yet ignorant of the Danish language, they had already
commenced a service in the English tongue the second Sabbath after
their arrival. Next they procured the translation into Danish of a tract
entitled “The One Thing Needful,” and forthwith set it in active cir-
culation. Their English congregation increased, and they had secured,
early in November, the translation and printing of one thousand copies
of the “ Great Question Answered.” Still hoping to be able the ensuing
spring to embark for Serampore, they earnestly urged upon their friends
at home the importance of not leaving their present field unoccupied when
they should be withdrawn from it. In reply they received a letter inform-
ing them that but one of the two fields, India or Denmark, could be at
present occupied, and urging that they should consent to remain. in their
present position. They complied; and thus they found themselves, without
any planning of their own, inaugurated into the Danish field. The two
friends soon separated, Mr. Paterson remaining in Copenhagen, and Mr.
Henderson going to Elsineur.
1 Memoir, p. 41.
OP THE AUTHOR: IX
At Elsineur he gave lessons, in private families and classes, in the English
language, while at the same time he sedulously devoted himself to the
acquisition of the Danish, and the other northern languages, which, when
once mastered, would greatly enlarge the circle of his influence. As the
sphere of his vision widened, he turned his thoughts towards Sweden, and
he and his companion determined to gain satisfactory information concerning
the spiritual condition of this kingdom, as well as of 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
through Skonen, leaving tracts at Lund and Malmé, in the hands of such
as were likely to translate them into Swedish. After this they undertook
an exploring tour in Denmark. Crossing the Great Belt and the Little
Belt, they advanced as far as the Moravian settlement at Christiansfeld, in
Schleswig. In one respect this journey was of striking importance, by
bringing them personally into connection with the British and Foreign Bible
Society, and also turning their attention towards Iceland. Learning that
the Fiinen Evangelical Society was purposing to print two thousand copies
of the New Testament for their long-neglected fellow-subjects in Iceland,
they ventured to suggest that five thousand instead of two thousand should
be the number struck off for the first instalment. The Danes not having
courage for this, it was determined that assistance should be sought from
London. The two friends accordingly wrote directly to the managers of
the Bible Society in the British metropolis, who agreed to defray the cost
of the additional three thousand copies.
The war which took place in 1807 between England and Denmark, com-
pelled the two missionaries to withdraw to Sweden. Mr. Henderson took
up his residence at Gottenburgh, while Mr. Paterson proceeded to Stockholm,
where he was eminently successful in organizing systematic efforts for the
circulation of Swedish Bibles and tracts. The ensuing summer.of 1808, the
two friends travelled in Sweden and Lapland, inquiring into the state of the
parishes, and scattering the seeds of divine truth. Having reached Tornea,
at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, they entered Finland, and, turning around
the gulf, proceeded till they were close upon Wasa, when the approach of a
Russian army compelled them to a hasty retreat back around the head of
the same gulf. In October they reached their respective stations, after a
journey of two thousand three hundred miles. This tour gave them an
- affecting insight into the spiritual wants of the people. In many parishes
there was on an average only one Bible in every eighth house,—the wealthy
and middle classes only. being able to possess a copy, while the cottagers
remained, from poverty, destitute of this treasure.
During all Mr. Henderson’s residence in Denmark and Sweden, he was,
2
x BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
along with his missionary labors, busily prosecuting his studies in Hebrew and
Greek, as well as in German, Danish, and Swedish. We have already seen
how he first became interested in the enterprise for furnishing Iceland with
the word of God. Of the five thousand copies of the Icelandic New Tes-
tament that had been printed, as noticed above, fifteen hundred had been
sent off before the breaking out of the war between England and Denmark.
The remaining three thousand five hundred were lying in store, ready for
shipment. For some time the prosecution of the enterprise was unavoidably
interrupted. But at last, in 1810, it seemed possible to resume it. The
Bible Society having authorized one of the two missionaries to visit Iceland
in person, while the other should forward the printing of the Bibles that were
to follow, Mr. Henderson was designated for the tour in Iceland. This
occasioned a preliminary visit to England, where he spent the summer
of 1810 among ‘his old friends. He returned to Sweden in October, but
varius circumstances delayed his visit to Iceland, so that he was at liberty
to spend two years more at Gottenburgh.
‘Tt was early in the year 1811, and probably as the result of arrangements
made with the Edinburgh publisher, or with some Edinburgh friend, when in
Scotland during the fi summer, that Mr. Henderson’s earliest literary
production, the first fruits of his German studies, left the press ; viz., a trans-
lation of Roos’s ‘ Exposition of Daniel.’”! The rules laid down by Roos as
canons for the interpretation of prophecy were adopted and adhered to by
Dr. Henderson to the last; and thus this initial work seems to have exerted
an important influence upon him as an expounder of prophecy.
But to return to the Icelandic Bible. Mr. Paterson was about to start for
Russia on a Bible mission, and it became necessary, to expedite the work,
that Mr. Henderson should obtain leave of entrance into Denmark, and then
repair to Copenhagen, where he could urge on the printer and the reviser of
the press in their daily work. His application the King of Denmark referred
to the Chancery. The Chancery, after some delay, sent the petition back to
his majesty, with a strong recommendation that it should be granted, and the
royal assent was accordingly given. But annoying delays occurred in con-
nection with the printing that remained to be done, as well as heavy expenses
arising from the depreciation of the Danish currency, and the exorbitant
war prices charged upon every article of food.
“The two years which were thus spent by him in the Danish capital, would
have been tedious, had-there not been great facilities in that city for the con-
tinuance of other labors. The translation of ‘The Warning Voice, and
‘The End of Time’ into Icelandic, was effected beneath his eye, as also that
of the tract entitled ‘ Serious Considerations’ into Danish. In preparation for
1 Memoir, p. 84.
᾿
Me,
Gk a Wr Ok. ΧΙ
his contemplated journey, he was studying the language and ecclesiastical
history of Iceland.” 1
So the memoir; and in addition to this, it adds that he was also prosecuting
vigorously the study of Hebrew. ‘A Morocco Jew,” says he, in a letter
dated Dec. 1, 1812, “who has a beautiful pronunciation, reads a Hebrew
chapter with me the one day, and I read an English chapter with him the
2
other. I begin to speak a little with him in Hebrew.”? Having received a
suggestion from his friend Mr. Paterson, when on a visit to him in Sweden
in March 1814, that when his Icelandic mission was completed he “ might find
bible-work to do in the regions to the north and west of Russia,” he imme-
diately began to turn his attention to the languages of those regions. About
the same time, also, we find that he began the study of Arabic. He speaks
of it as ‘remarkably easy, the structure being so much like the Hebrew, and
there being so many Hebrew words in 10. “The Grammar,” he says, “ will
be an easy task. Its richness in words will be the principal difficulty.” ὃ
An object which Mr. Henderson earnestly desired to see effected before
leaving the country was the organization of the earliest Bible Society in Den-
mark. This good work he was permitted to see accomplished under very
favorable auspices, one of the rooms of the episcopal palace being offered
for the purpose, and the meeting being attended by several men of high
eminence. Soon after “this launching of Denmark’s life-ark,” all the need-
ful preparations having been at last made, Mr. Henderson embarked for
Iceland on the eighth of June, 1814. ‘The freight of Bibles,” says the
memoir, “had been subdivided, and the several packages forwarded during
the spring to seven of the principal Icelandic ports,— an arrangement
adopted by reason of the difficulty that would have attended their trans-
mission across the interior of the island. The treaty of Kiel, in January
1814, had effectually done away with the restrictions and risks incident to
the late war; and the Icelandic ship-owners had displayed a patriotic lib-
erality in conveying the books free of expense.”4 After a five weeks’ pas-
sage, he arrived in safety at Reykiavik, on the south-western coast of Iceland,
and was well received by Bishop Vidalin, by his step-son, Sysselmand Thor-
grimson, by Mr. Knudsen the Danish merchant, and several men of note in
the Icelandic metropolis.
Mr. Henderson’s printed account, entitled “Iceland, or the Journal of a
Residence in that Island,” δ is so copious, and so well known to the public,
that it is not necessary to enter into the details of his journeyings. Sutflice
it to say, that in three journeys, each from Reykiavik as a point of departure,
he explored the whole island, travelling not less than two thousand six hun-
1 Memoir, p. 117. 8 P. 182. 5 In two vols. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1818.
2P. 118. 4P. 1387.
XII BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
dred miles, ascertaining the spiritual condition of the people, and everywhere
making efficient arrangements for the distribution of the word of God.
“Tn almost every hamlet there was new proof that such effort was needed ;
in each hamlet, proof also that the effort would meet with response on the
part of willing purchasers. Here was a parish in which a folio Bible, greatly
injured by use, had all its defective pages accurately supplied by the pen of a
common peasant; and there another, whose lent copy had so long been
retained by the islanders of Grimsey, that the right of its possession had
become a disputed point. One copy in an island; two in a parish; twelve
among two hundred people; six among two hundred and fifty; a clergyman
seeking for seventeen long years to possess a copy of his own, and hitherto
unable to secure the treasure; peasants who had offered, but offered in vain,
to the amount of five-and-twenty shillings for a copy ;—such are the inci-
dents that crowd upon the page. The Testaments sent over in 1807 and 1812,
were traced to their destination, but were found to have gone a very little
way towards meeting the extensive demand. * * * The general intelligence
of the people rendered their need of Scripture the more obvious. In a par-
ish of four hundred, where all who were above eight years old had been
taught to read, there might well be a universal desire for the Book of books.’’!
In the month of July, 1815, the initial steps were taken at Reykiavik which
resulted in the formation of the Icelandic Bible Society, an institution which
still exists, and, according to the latest communications, received several
years since, had issued in all above ten thousand Bibles and Testaments.
Having finished his work of exploration, Mr. Henderson sailed for Copenha-
gen, where he arrived Sept. 6, 1815. In bringing to a close the notice of
this visit to Iceland, it is pertinent to add, that, while zealously and energeti-
cally executing his commission as agent of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, he improved every opportunity to make himself acquainted with the
remarkable natural phenomena of that wonderful island.
“Te, in consequence, visited and inspected with ardent and indefatigable
zeal the awfully sublime, yea, often terrific scenes, which abound in that land
of volcanoes, in which often a strange conflict is seen between the elements
of fire and water — between boiling hot springs and all the cold and freezing
changes of snow and ice. There we find our traveller climbing up and
descending mountains, standing between thundering masses of melting lava
and rushing floods, and exhibiting an indomitable courage, amounting, in the
opinion of his hardy Icelandic guides, to almost a provocation of dangers so
immediate and threatening, that even a spectator at a distance could scarcely
refrain from mingled feelings of admiration of his courage and calm self-
possession, amidst surrounding scenes of horror, and of disapproval and
1 Memoir, p. 155.
ὈΣΤΈΟΙΣ XIII
condemnation of a spirit of presumption, exposing health and life to needless
risk and sacrifice. * * * Yet this very boldness, nay, rashness, enabled him
to witness and describe scenes which few, if any, of his predecessors in
travel had dared to approach so near, and to observe so closely.”?
It should be added that Mr. Henderson, being a good Icelandic scholar, was
thus enabled freely to converse with all classes of the native population, from
the learned clergy and gentry to the illiterate farmer and day-laborer. ‘“ Thus
joyfully and manfully proceeding on his errand of mercy, he was treated by
high and low, by the clergy and the laity, in the most respectful manner. He
was most kindly and hospitably entertained, often accompanied part of the
way by those who had afforded him in their houses every accommodation and
comfort in their power; or provided with safe guides, and dismissed with
prayers, benedictions, and other affecting marks of the liveliest gratitude and
Christian affection, by our Icelandic brethren, — and which they desired to
evince to one who had been sent to them from a far distant nation as a mes-
senger of peace, and an angel of mercy, with the gift of that Holy Book,
which had already proved to millions, and would in time to come prove to
generations yet unborn, an inexhaustible source of the purest instruction,
and the most solid consolation.” 7
From his return to Copenhagen in September 1815, to October of the fol-
lowing year, Mr. Henderson was assiduously employed in journeying through
Denmark and the adjacent regions of Pomerania and northern Germany,
being, as he expressed it, “constantly on the wing.” Wishing for a season
of rest, he had already bespoken his passage to Leith, in Scotland, with the
hope of spending some time among his friends at home, when he received
notice of an appointment to visit St. Petersburgh, on an agency for the Brit-
ish and Foreign Bible Society. A letter written to Mr. Paterson under date
of October 22, 1816, gives a delightful revelation of his feelings in view οἵ.
this sudden change in his plans, and of his whole-hearted devotion to the
cause of Christ. He says:
“‘ What a complete change has instantaneously been effected in my plans!
IT imagined my continental labors were at a close for this season; had spent
about eight days with my friends here in Altona; bespoke my passage on
board one of the smacks for Leith; made every needful preparation for my
departure, and was fondly dreaming of domestic enjoyments, when all at
once I heard a voice behind me saying, ‘ This is the way, walk ye in it.’ I
‘turned to the voice that spake unto me,’ and behold, my path was plain be-
fore me. Instead of Edinburgh, I was to regard St. Petersburgh as the place
of my destination. On Sabbath last, after preaching my first sermon on
1 Rey. Dr. Steinkopff, as quoted in memoir, p. 105.
2 Dr. Steinkopff, as quoted above, p. 106.
XIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Lot’s wife, I received two letters from London, one five, the other only six
days old, urging the necessity of my repairing without a moment’s delay to
St. Petersburgh, with the view of strengthening your hands in the work of
the Lord.”
Of course he complied without hesitation, and wrote to the committee in
London: “ Had I not come to the determination instantly to comply with
your request, how could I have borne the cutting reflection, ‘Demas hath
forsaken me, having loved the present world ?’ ”?
In the middle of December we find him in the Russian capital, where his
labors, after he had been duly initiated by Mr. Paterson (who was preparing
for a teraporary absence), date from about the commencement of the year
1817. Here he entered upon “ another man’s line of things made ready to
his hand,” for Mr. Paterson was an efficient Bible agent.
“The task was multiform. It consisted in seeing to the corrections of the
proofs as they left the press, and in superintending the town-issue of those
Scriptures, or portions of Scripture, that were already in stock; in trans-
mitting copies, when needful, to the associations already formed in various
parts of the empire, and in corresponding with the Astrachan and other mis-
sionaries about the translations or reéditions that were yet needed. French,
Greek, Moldavian, Georgian, Calmuc, and other Bibles were in progress.
Archimandrites and princes had to be consulted; translators had to be con-
ferred with; paper, types, and binding had to be cared for; the depot to be
looked after; and committee-meetings, of several hours in duration, to be
attended.”
How efficient was the Russian Bible Society at this period, may be inferred
from the fact, that in a letter dated St. Petersburgh, June 8, 1817, Dr. Hen-
derson states that from the establishment of the society, to the present time,
its committee had “ either published, or engaged in publishing, no fewer than .
forty-three editions of the sacred Scriptures, in seventeen different languages,
forming a grand total of one hundred and ninety-six thousand copies.”*
Much of the success of the good cause he attributes to the warm patronage
then extended by the Emperor Alexander to the Bible cause.
An incident that occurred during this visit to St. Petersburgh deserves a
passing notice, as a further illustration of his self-denying missionary spirit.
He received in January 1817 a very urgent and unexpected call to join the
mission which had been projected by the London Missionary Society to the
town of Irkutsk, in Siberia. Immediately he set apart a day for solemn self-
examination and prayer with reference to his duty. The record he has left
of this, shows how deep down into his soul the true spirit of Christianity had
penetrated. The result of this prayerful deliberation was a decision to go on
1 Memoir, p. 205. 2 P. 205. 3 P. 208. 4 Ῥ. 219.
OF THE AUTHOR. XV
the mission, though he thereby renounced the fondly-cherished hope of a
visit to his native country. But scarcely was this determination formed
before he was called to reconsider it, on account of the strenuous efforts of
the Bible Society to retain him in their employment; and this cost him a
severer struggle than the first. But, with the same simplicity of purpose with
which he had formed the resolve to go on the Irkutsk mission, he renounced
it, and continued his labors in the service of the Bible Society.
During the residence in St. Petersburgh that has just been noticed, he re-
ceived from Copenhagen a document, sealed with the triangle and the seven-
stringed lyre of the Scandinavian Literary Society, nominating him one of
its corresponding members. In the month of June following, a diploma was
forwarded from Kiel, conferring upon him the title of Doctor in Philosophy.
The return of Dr. Paterson, in August, left him at liberty to revisit his
native land, where he arrived in December, taking Stockholm, Copenhagen,
and other places belonging to the field of his former labors, on his route.
The earliest news that reached Dr. Henderson upon his return to England
was the tidings of his mother’s death. His father’s decease had occurred
during his Icelandic explorations. Repairing to Edinburgh, he wrote the
concluding part of his work on Iceland} and superintended the printing of the
same. In the end of April, 1818, his volumes left the press, bearing a dedi-
cation to Prince Christian Frederic, of Denmark. So favorably were they
received, that a second edition was soon called for, and an abridgment was
published at a later date in the United States.
Soon afterwards (May 19) he was united in marriage to Miss Susannah
Kennion, the daughter of Mr. John Kennion, in whom he found a compan-
ion of cultivated 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, Sept. 28, he, with his companion, set
sail from Leith, on his third continental journey. It was intended that after
revisiting the Hanoverian and Holstein auxiliaries, he should winter at Co-
penhagen, then pass, vid Norway, to St. Petersburgh, and finally take up his
abode at Astrachan, on the Caspian Sea, where rooms were already assigned
him in the Mission House, and whither the bulk of his luggage was at once
forwarded, to await his expected arrival. Such was the plan. He was now
in the zenith of his popularity and influence as a Bible agent, and to human
appearance everything promised a favorable issue. But, as in the beginning
of his missionary career, so now he had to learn once more that God’s ways
are not man’s ways. To him it happened, as it has to many other eminent
servants of God, that, in the full tide of success, a series of reverses was to be
encountered, by which his Christian activity should be turned into another
channel, where, doubtless, God saw that his labors could best subserve the
XVI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
cause of his kingdom. When, in carrying out the plan above sketched, the
time had arrived for his long-planned journey to Norway, he started from
Gottenburgh on this expedition “in a small country conveyance, so low built
that its structure naturally suggested a notion of perfect security. “It is
hardly bigger than a wheelbarrow; if it were upset, you could scarcely be
hurt, was the remark casually made.”! But he had that very day to learn that
“ Safety consists not in escape
From dangers of a frightful shape.’?
About mid-day, the little vehicle was upset, and the traveller’s shoulder and
the radius of the fore-arm were dislocated and otherwise injured. Unable to
bear the motion of a carriage, he was conveyed to the river near by, and
taken back along the Gotha Elf. Eventually, the bones in the fore-arm lost
their power of flexion and rotation, and the delay which the accident had
occasioned left no time for the journey to Norway.
Dr. Henderson proceeded to St. Petersburgh, which place was reached on
the 11th of September, 1819. The studies which occupied the closing months
of 1819, like those of the preceding winter at Copenhagen, consisted in the
mastering of the Turkish, Tatar, and, Persic languages, all of which would
be needed for his anticipated Astrachan labors, upon which he hoped to enter
the ensuing season. But a delay of a whole year was occasioned by the
death of Dr. Paterson’s wife, which made it necessary that the bereaved hus-
band should have a temporary respite from his services at the Russian capi-
tal. It was not till March 1821 that Drs. Paterson and Henderson could
arrange to start with Mr. Seroff, one of the committee, on their projected
visit of exploration. Leaving St. Petersburgh, they proceeded, by Novgorod
and Tver, to Moscow; thence, by Kalouga and Koursk, to Pultawa, the field
so fatal to the Swedish hero; thence, by Tchernigov and Kiev, to Odessa, on
the Black Sea. After this they made an eight days’ Crimean trip, spending
the Sabbath at Akhtiar, the modern Sevastopol. Thence they journeyed
eastward to Taganrog, on the Sea of Azof, where Dr. Henderson was seized
with an ague which clung to him with pertinacity during all the remainder
of his journey. Crossing the Don, they entered Asia, and finally reached
the long-looked-for Astrachan on the 13th of August, where a great part of
Dr. Henderson’s furniture and library were awaiting his permanent residence.
Starting again from Astrachan, on the first of October, on their way
towards Persia, they crossed the Caucasian mountains; but, when they had
advanced as far as Tiflis, their expedition was brought to a elose by a differ-
ence of opinion between them and the Bible Society, which resulted in their
tendering their resignation as its accredited agents. This had respect to Ali
1 Memoir, p. 239,
a
OF THE AUTHOR. XVII
Bey’s Turkish version of the New Testament, with which the two friends
were dissatisfied on grounds the validity of which was afterwards recognized,
at least in a practical way, by the managers of the Bible Society. Recross-
ing the Caucasus, and ordering the goods which had arrived at Astrachan to
be repacked and sent to St. Petersburgh, they hastened back to the Russian
capital, which they reached early in February 1822. Here they were imme-
diately retained in the service of the Russian Bible Society. To this Dr.
Henderson devoted the last three years of his residence in Russia. It was
not long before symptoms of a deep-laid scheme of opposition to the Bible
cause began to manifest themselves. The plot, according to Dr. Paterson,
embraced not only Greek ecclesiastics, but others of high eminence, among
whom he names Metternich, the great Austrian diplomatist. To trace
the history of this conspiracy against the word of truth, would be out
of place in the present brief notice. How successful it was in the end, we
all know. The Emperor Alexander remained personally friendly to the
agents; but so limited had become the operations of the society, with no
prospect of any enlargement in the future, that, in the spring of 1825, Dr.
Henderson sought and obtained, through Prince Galitzin, the emperor's per-
mission to resign his office. No time was Jost in making arrangements for the
homeward voyage, and on the the 5th of July, 1825, he and his were safely
landed in the British metropolis. Dr. Paterson tarried a little longer, but he
too was compelled to withdraw; and upon the accession of the Emperor
Nicholas, all operations at the Bible House were speedily suspended, at least
so far as concerned the distribution of the Scriptures to Russian subjects.
“Tt only remains to be hoped,” adds the memoir, “that the day may come
when the second Alexander shall emulate the Christian graces and religious
benevolence of the imperial relative whose name he bears; and that the
house of Romanoff may yet be linked with Russia’s highest and best pros-
perity.”+
It ought to be added that, during his last three years’ residence in St. Peters-
burgh, the Ethiopic was the language to which Dr. Henderson particularly
devoted himself.
« Among his papers, and dated April, 1823, is a neatly-executed collation
of St. John’s Gospel, in the Ethiopic, as preserved in manuscript in the Pub-
lic Imperial Library. His standard of comparison was the Ethiopic of the
London Polyglott, and each instance of a various reading appears to be
noted down in its order.” 3
But he did not content himself with being simply a student of God’s word,
and an agent for its distribution. He sought opportunity to preach it also.
Turning his attention to the English sailors at Cronstadt, he began to preach
1 Memoir, pp. 299, 300. : 2 P. 276.
,
XVIII BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
there regularly beneath the Bethel flag, going out on Saturday and returning
on the Monday’s boat. The interest which he thus felt in seamen was cher-
ished after his return to his native land, and he was often employed ip advo-
cating their cause on the platform or from the pulpit.
With Dr. Henderson’s return to England, his missionary labors, extending
over a term of twenty years, were brought to a close. We are now to con-
template him in the character of a teacher and an author. The decease of
Rey. Dr. Bogue, in October 1826, left vacant the Theological Tutorship of
the Missionary College at Hoxton, which was under the supervision of the
Directors of the London Missionary Society. On the recommendation of
several friends, Dr. Henderson was invited to take provisional charge of the
missionary students, until some permanent arrangement could be made. Here
he so approved himself to the Directors, that, in the following spring, they
agreed on inviting him to accept the permanent tutorship in that institution.
Thus, by one of those easy movements which are so characteristic of God’s
providential government, he was quietly inducted into an office for the fulfil-
ling of whose duties he had been for years unconsciously qualifying himself.
It was not, however, without hesitation, that he consented to occupy this re-
sponsible situation. In a letter addressed to the treasurer of the society,
while the question of his acceptance was still pending, he says:
“ Though I can truly say that nothing would give me greater delight than
to be in any way instrumental in preparing missionary candidates for the
great and weighty office towards which their attention is directed, I do feel
the duties and responsibilities attaching to the Theological Tutorship to be of
so very serious a nature, that I should consider it the height of presumption
in a mere stripling like myself to think of undertaking the task.
“ Surely, my dear sir, the Directors are not aware that the course of study
which I enjoyed before leaving Scotland was extremely limited; and that
during the twenty years I have spent in foreign parts, my time has been so
completely occupied with business of an altogether desultory kind, as to pré-
clude the possibility of my giving any attention to the study of systematic
theology.” + ἯΙ
That the objection thus ingenuously stated by him was in ,itself weighty,
need not be denied. The fact, however, that he so felt its weight, is the best
evidence that the Directors acted wisely in disregarding it. Had he been one
of those men who are always boasting of their limited advantages in early life,
instead of assiduously occupying themselves, as he did, in making amends for
what was then deficient by the diligent improvement of all the means at their
disposal, he would not have merited the confidence of the Directors. But,
understanding that he was one who could master any subject to which he gave
1 Memoir, pp. 807, 308.
ie te AU THOR. XIX
close attention, and who would spare no pains to fit himself for the conscien-
tious discharge of any duty he might be prevailed on to undertake, they, by
their deputation, overcame his scruples, and induced his consent. He brought
to his work not only a true missionary spirit, but also a rich fund of experi-
ence. Hence he was able to enrich his lectures with apposite and forci-
ble illustrations, which gave pointedness and weight to the maxims that he
inculcated. First of all he sought to elevate the standard of piety among
the missionary students. ‘“ The business,” said he, “on which you go forth is
of so unearthly a nature, — it has so immediately to do with God, the souls
of men, and the eternal world, —that except you are influenced by motives
drawn from these sources, you must inevitably fail of becoming efficient
laborers in the missionary field. It is not to learn languages, translate books,
or introduce the arts and sciences of civilized life, that you go to the heathen.
Whatever of this description may engage your attention, is merely subordi-
nate and accessory. You go to instruct, to win, to save souls. To this
everything must bend; to this everything must be laid under contribution.
* * * And can you possibly expect to prove successful in such an enterprise,
to enter heartily into it, or prosecute it with enthusiasm, vigor, and persever-
ance, if your spirit be worldly, and your affections low and grovelling ?”?
While thus giving, as was meet, the foremost place to the culture of the
heart, he assiduously strove to foster a taste for theological and linguistic
acquirements. The following extracts, from the pen of one who had access to
Dr. Henderson’s class-room, will best illustrate his characteristics as a teacher:
“ As a teacher, he brought nothing into the class-room which had not been
carefully and even elaborately prepared. * * * It was rather his intense
application and indomitable industry, than any extraordinary talent, that
distinguished him. If by genius is meant the undoubted possession of the
creative or inventive faculty, then genius was not the property of my friend.
If anything, he was rather wanting in imagination. * * * He never indulged
much in illustration, and his illustrations never partook of the daring of
genius. But if, on the other hand, ‘ genius is the instinct of enterprise,’ and
if the instinct of enterprise is labor, then, in this sense, my honored friend
was the possessor of this mighty gift. * * * As Dr. Henderson was not a
man who lived without a purpose, so neither was he a man to spend his hours
without a plan. His time was faithfully divided ; and in each division he had
his self-appointed round of duties and engagements, to which he devoted
himself with unwearied and strenuous perseverance. His lectures were the
result of extensive reading and careful investigation. * * * He excelled in
weighing evidence, and impressing upon it its relative value. His discrimi-
nation was clear, and his judgment was sound. He was wholly free from
1 Memoir, p. 319.
XXII BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
the date of this re-issue. Abbott’s “Corner Stone” underwent revision at
his hand, and the English editions of Prof. Stewart’s Commentaries also
passed under his eye. In 1836 appeared his well-known treatise on “ Divine
Inspiration,” which has passed through several editions. Ata later period,
after his labors at Highbury had been brought to a 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 Commentaries on the
books of Job and Revelation. The other works were, “ Notes on the Book
of Daniel,” “The Way of Salvation,” and “ Essays on Science and The-
ology.”
Passing by other works of minor importance published or edited by him,
we come to his Commentaries. The first of these, on the Prophet Isaiah,
appeared in the year 1840, when the author was now fifty-six years of age. »
It was the result of long, patient, earnest study. This book had sometimes
formed the basis of his readings with the fourth year’s class at college, and he
justly felt that something further was needed in the way of elucidating it.
Vitringa was too prolix; Lowth far from satisfactory, and abounding in
many needless and conjectural emendations of the text. The modern Ger-
man commentaries were all more or less tainted with neology; and the com-
mentaries of Barnes and Alexander, in this country, had not yet appeared.
It is stated by the biographer that ‘some four or five years seem to. have
been occupied in the actual compiling of the volume.”! This commentary,
like all the succeeding, he terms, “ critical, philological, and exegetical.” In
the first of these departments, criticism of the sacred text, he steadfastly
abides by the ordinary text, where there is no overwhelming amount of man-
uscript evidence in favor of some other reading. In his philological remarks
he makes an abundant yet sober use of the cognate languages, relying, first
of all, on a collation of the several passages in which a given word occurs in
the sacred text, and having recourse to the cognate tongues only as a supple-
mentary aid. In the exegetical department it is his aim to evolve the exact
scope and force of the prophetic declarations as at first uttered, and under a
full view of the circumstances that attended their utterance.
The same general characteristics belong to the present commentary on
the “Minor Prophets,” which appeared next in order, in the year 1845.
This is the most learned and elaborate of all his works. In the wonderful
diversity of style and manner by which each of the twelve Minor Prophets
is so Clearly distinguished from all the rest,—a diversity very apparent in
the English version, but displaying itself in its full beauty only to him who:
reads them in the original,— Dr. Henderson’s pen found a fine field of ex-
ercise, which it did not fail to improve in a very thorough way. It is stated
1 Memoir, p. 890.
OF THE AUTHOR. XXII
by the biographer that the popularity of this work among the students of the
sacred text ‘‘ has been fully as great as was that of his ‘ Isaiah, — among the
Americans even greater.”! This is due partly, perhaps, to its greater in-
trinsic merit, but still more to the paucity of commentaries on the Minor
Prophets, that unite rich and varied learning with the pure evangelical spirit.
It was after his retirement from Highbury that his commentaries on Jere-
miah and Ezekiel appeared — the former in 1851, the latter in 1855. These
are of a less elaborate character.
“The Commentary on Jeremiah contained, as it required, a proportion-
ately smaller number of notes than had been needful in the preceding vol-
umes. But the notes which it did thus contain have been deemed by no
means inferior to those of an earlier date, either in thought or expression.
* * * The five lamentations, or elegies, of the prophet, are appropriately in-
cluded in the work.” 5
Of the book of the prophet Ezekiel it can hardly be said that for its
full illustration it required fewer notes than Isaiah or the Minor Prophets.
The brevity of Dr. Henderson’s commentary on this book is ascribed in the
biography to the fact that “the tide of life was receding, and the fulness of
life’s labors was diminishing.”* It must not be supposed, however, that the
matter which it contains is of an inferior quality. It embodies the results
mainly of his previous investigations, stated in a clear and perspicuous
manner, though the biblical student could wish for fuller discussions of some
points.
To the above sketch, drawn from the materials furnished by the biography,
with only here and there the addition of a passing reflection, it may be proper
to add, by way of independent judgment, a single general criticism on Dr.
Henderson as an expounder of prophecy. In perusing his commentaries, not
a few will feel that he carries to an unwarrantable extent the principle of
restricting the prophetic declarations and delineations to specific events. This
makes necessary the assumption of very abrupt transitions backwards and for-
wards, where it would seem that the principle of a progressive fulfilment —
“ first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear ” — would have
the double advantage of being in harmony with all that we know of the plan
of God’s government, and also of carrying the interpreter consistently through
1 Memoir, p. 417. The present is a reprint from the English edition, with the exception
of some few corrections furnished by Dr. Henderson himself. With the exception of the
Ethiopic, the quotations from the cognate languages with which the commentary abounds,
as also those from the Greek and Latin, have been corrected by a comparison with the
original sources.
2 Memoir, pp. 488, 484.
8 P. 454.
XXIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
passages in which the near and more remote future are manifestly blended.
For example, in Isa. 4: 1, the reference is undeniably to judgments near at
hand; in the verses that follow, the future glory and safety of the church are
exhibited as following and effected by the mighty judgments of Jehovah
codperating with the efficacions working of his Spirit. Both passages are
closely connected by the introductory words of verse 2: Jn that day.1 Dr.
Henderson, in his commentary, makes a distinct chapter to begin with verse
2, remarking that, “having depicted the wickedness of the Jews, and the
awful judgments with which it would be punished, the prophet devotes this
short chapter (chap. 4: 2—6) to an announcement of the glory and felicity
of the Church in the time of the Messiah.” His note on the two introductory
words is the following: “2. sinm 0493, at or after that period. The prep.
2 does not always strictly express what is contained within any given time or
space ; it also points out nearness, society, or accompaniment, that which is
in connection with, or which follows upon something else. In prophetic vis-
ion, the two states of adversity and prosperity were so closely connected,
that one period might be said to comprehend them both.” The meaning of
the last clause, taken in connection with what precedes, seems to be that the
two states of prosperity and adversity are connected to the prophet’s vision,
because he does not discern the wide interval of time which actually sepa-
rates them. Would it not be a more exact statement to say that the prophet
sees the two states of prosperity and adversity in connection, because they
are thus connected in their inmost nature, being both parts of one indivisible
whole, viz., the progress of God’s people through severe discipline, to peace
and universal victory ; that, therefore, the predicted calamities which should
befall the Jews in connection with their first captivity, though having a true
historic fulfilment, yet stand as the representatives of like calamities to be
repeated in their history, and that of the Christian Church, which is their
true heir, as often as their sins shall make it necessary; and that the prom-
ised future glory of God’s people, though having its perfect accomplishment
only in the latter days of the Christian dispensation, yet includes in 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 take another example: Dr. Henderson rightly regards Ezekiel’s temple-
vision as a symbolic representation, the model presented being ideal, not that
of an actual structure to be literally realized in all its details in the coming
future. But for limiting its direct reference to the resettlement of the Jews
in their own land, and the literal restoration of their sanctuary privileges
1 ΠΏ pha.
OF THE AUTHOR. XXV
and sacrificial institutes in the metropolis of Canaan, he seems to have no
good warrant. The resettlement of the land of Canaan, and the rebuilding
of the city and temple after the captivity, were only a part, and a very small
part, of the “good things to come” which the vision shadowed forth. Its
fulfilment belongs to the whole history of the church from Ezekiel’s day
onward, and it will be completed only in that yet future day when God shall
make good to the uttermost his ancient promise: “ Ὁ thou afflicted, tossed
with tempest, and not comforted! behold I will lay thy stones with fair col-
ors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows
of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of precious stones.
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the
peace of thy children.”! Then shall the name of that spiritual city of God
be called, in the fullest sense of the words, “" THe LorpD 15 THERE.”
Such would be the general criticism which we should offer on Dr. Hendér-
son’s commentaries. At the same time we should warmly commend them to
the diligent study of the Biblical scholar, as rich sources of instruction and
profit.
1 Isaiah 64: 11—18.
4
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a
GENERAL PREFACE.
THE Minor Prophets are first mentioned as the Twelve by Jesus the Son
of Sirach. 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.2 Melito, who is the first of the Greek
Fathers that has leftus a catalogue of these books, uses precisely the same
language. That they were regarded as forming one collective body of writ-
ings at a still earlier period, appears from the reference made by the proto-
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, Ezek-
iel, 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, and by whom they were collected, cannot be determined
with certainty. According to Jewish tradition, the collection of the sacred
books generally 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-
ence till the time of Simon the Just, who flourished early in the third century
before Christ. In the opinion of many, Nehemiah completed this collection,
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 Malachi 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
Kal τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ ἀναϑάλοι ex τοῦ τόπου αὐτῶν. Ecclus. xlix. 10.
“wy Caw.
“OF ΠΩ ; or, as it is generally contracted, Ὁ.
τῶν δώδεκα ἐν μονοβίβλιῳ.
Καϑὼς γέγραπται ἐν Βίβλῳ τῶν προφητῶν, Acts vii. 42.
E 2s ΡΝ 59 WPAN.
7 Μίαν μέν εἰσιν ἐς γραφὴν οἱ Δώδεκα"
None κ᾽ ᾿Αμὼς, καὶ Μιχαίας 6 τρίτος,
Ἔπεῖϑ᾽ Ἰωὴλ, εἶτ᾽ Ἰωνᾶς, ᾿Αβδίας,
Ναούμ τε; ᾿Αββακούκ τε καὶ Zopovias,
᾿Αγγαῖος, εἶτα Zaxapatas, Μαλαχίας,
Μία μὲν οἷδε. Carmen xxx. iii.
- Kal ὡς καταβαλλόμενος βιβλωδήκην, ἐπισυνήγαγε τὰ περὶ τῶν βασιλέων καὶ
προφητῶν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἐπιστολὰς βασιλέων περὶ ἀναϑεμάτων. 2 Mace. ii. 18,
Oo
an fF ὦ
XX VII GENERAL PREFACE.
sanction of Divine approbation. 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 these 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 their 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 Septu-
agint 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 :
HEBREW. LXX. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
1. Hosea 1. Hosea. Li JOC] seek ia) her τος OND BES BG.
2. Joel 2. Amos. 2. ἈΠΟΠΒΝ re ee adie = ee 510)
8. Amos. 8. Micah. Oe EAMOSN. | elite. ce πο se RO
4. Obadiah. 4. Joel. 4. ELOSCR: αὐλοῦ ὦ πὴ. Ὁ ΕΝ
5. Jonah. 5. Obadiah. Bat εἰν eshte cn tte emer ner
6. Micah. 6. Jonah. Ga το die meee
7. Nahum. 7. Nahum. ie Zephaniah | aden my τὴν ὍΝ
8. Habakkuk. 8. Habakkuk. 8:Habakkule uc Ἀν te ee ΚΟ ΝΒ
9. Zephaniah. 9. Zephaniah. Obadiah yo. 5. 928s) ee oD
10. Haggai. 10. Haggai. 10. Hag gay i a et he ae DAD
11. Zechariah. 11. Zechariah. ll. Zechariah ον 2... κα 520
12. Malachi. 12. Malachi. 12. Malachi sitet ots ves ote ddd
Newcome, Boothroyd, and some other translators, have adopted the order
which appeared to them to be chronologically correct; but in the present
work that is retained which is found in the Hebrew Bible, and followed in the
Vulgate, in all the authorized European versions, and in those of Michaelis,
Dathe, De Wette, and others, simply on the ground of the facility of refer-
ence, which the other arrangement does not afford, but which is practically
of greater importance than any advantage derivable from the change.
The Minor Prophets have generally been considered more obscure and
difficult of interpretation than any of the other prophetical books of the Old
Testament. Besides the avoidance of a minute and particular style of de-
scription, and the exhibition of the more general aspects of events only,
which are justly regarded as essentially characteristic of prophecy, and the
exuberance of imagery, which was so admirably calculated to give effect to
the oracles delivered by the inspired Seers, but which to us does not possess
the vividness and perspicuity which it did to those to whom it was originally
exhibited, there are peculiarities attaching more or less to each of the writers,
arising either from his matter, or from the manner of its treatment, which
present difficulties of no ordinary magnitude to common readers, and many
that are calculated to exercise the ingenuity, and, in no small degree, to per-
plex the mind of the more experienced interpreter. We are frequently left
to guess historical circumstances from what we otherwise know of the features
of the times, and sometimes we have no other means of ascertaining their
character than what are furnished by the descriptive terms employed in the
predictions themselves. Though in such cases general ideas may be collected
x
GENERAL PREFACE. XXIX
respecting the persons or things which are presented to view in the text, yet
we want the historical commentary which would elucidate and give point to
its various particulars. The accounts contained in the books of Kings and
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, mere compendia, or condensed notes of what he
publicly delivered, though preserving, to a considerable extent, the logical
and verbal forms which characterized his discourses. Besides a profusion of
metaphors, many of which are derived from sources little accordant with the
dictates of occidental taste, we find in his 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
other prophets. The visions of Zechariah also are not without their difficul-
ties; but these arise, not from the language, which is remarkably simple in its
character, but from the symbols which represent certain historical scenes and
events.
The period of time within which the authors of the books flourished, in-
cludes the entire prophetic cycle of more than four hundred years — Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, having also lived in it. It is unquestionably
the most eventful in the history of the Hebrews. It embraces the introduc-
tion of image-worship, and that of Phcenician idolatry, with all its attendant
evils, among the Israelites; the regicidal murders and civil wars which shook
their kingdom to its centre; the corruptions of the Jewish state in conse-
quence 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 ;
the Persian conquests ; the release of the Jews, and their restoration to their
own land; and the state of affairs at Jerusalem during the governorship of
Nehemiah. Upon all these various events and circumstances, the predictions,
warnings, threatenings, promises, and moral lessons, have, in a multiplicity of
aspects, a more or less pointed and important bearing. Events subsequent
to this period likewise form the subjects of prophetic announcement -—such
as the progress of Alexander the Great; the successes of the Maccabees; the
corruptions which prevailed in the last times of the Jewish state; the de-
struction of Jerusalem by the Romans; the dispersion, future conversion, and
restoration of the Jews; 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 all-
conquering character that are to be found in the Old Testament.
XXX GENERAL PREFACE.
It is impossible seriously to peruse this collection of prophetical writings
without discovering the Omniscient Eye to which all future events, with the
most minute of their attendant circumstances, are present; the Omnipotent
Arm, which, in the most difficult cases, secures the accomplishment of the
Divine purposes; the glorious attributes of Jehovah as the Moral Governor
of the universe, and the special Friend and Protector of his people ; the deep
depravity of the human heart; the multiform phases of moral evil ; and the
just retributions which befall mankind in the present state of existence.
These, and numerous subjects of a kindred nature, furnish abundance of
matter “ profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness,” which, while it is able to make “men wise unto salvation,
through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” is also admirably fitted to “make the
man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim.
iii. 15—17.
The principles on which the Author has proceeded in preparing the pres-
ent work are the same by which he was guided in composing his Commentary
on the Prophet Isaiah. It has been his great aim to present to the view of
his readers the mind of the Spirit as expressed in the written dictates of
inspiration. With the view of determining this, he has laid under contribu-
tion all the means 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
conducted the whole under the influence of a disposition to place himself in
the times of the sacred writers—surrounded by the scenery which they
exhibit, and impressed by the different associations, both of a political and a
spiritual character, which they embody. In all his investigations he has en-
deavored 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
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 influence on his expositions. The Author is firmly convinced, that the
more this theory is impartially examined, the more it will be found that it
goes to unsettle the foundations of Divine Truth, unhinge the mind of the
biblical student, invite the sneer and ridicule of unbelievers, and open the
door to the extravagant vagaries of a wild and unbridled imagination. Hap-
pily the number of those who adhere to the multiform method of interpreta-
tion is rapidly diminishing; and there cannot be a doubt, that, in proportion
as the principles of sacred hermeneutics come to be more severely studied,
and perversions of the word of God, hereditarily kept up under the specious
garb of spirituality and a more profound understanding of Scripture, are
discovered and exposed, the necessity of abandoning such slippery and un-
tenable ground will be recognized, and the plain, simple, grammatical and
natural species of interpretation, adopted and followed.
HOSEA .
JOEL
AMOS
OBADIAH
JONAH
MICAH
NAHUM .
HABAKKUK .
ZEPHANIAH
HAGGAI
ZECHARIAH
MALACHI
CONTENTS.
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HOSEA.
PREFACE,
RESPECTING the origin of this prophet nothing is known beyond what is
stated in the title, ver. 1. If, as is now generally agreed, Jeroboam II. 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 em-
braced, at the very least, fifty-six years. To some this has seemed incredible,
chiefly on the ground that his prophecies are comprised within the compass of
fourteen brief chapters. It must be remembered, however, that the prophets
were not uninterruptedly occupied with the delivery of oracular matter.
Sometimes considerable intervals elapsed between their communications, al-
though there can be no doubt that, having once been called to the office of
public teachers, they devoted much of their time to the instruction of the
people among whom they lived. Besides, there is no reason for believing
the contents of the book are all that he ever uttered. They constitute only
such portions of his inspired communications respecting the Israelites, as the
Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve for the benefit of the Jews, among whose sacred
writings they were incorporated. .
Hosea was contemporary with Isaiah, Micah, and Amos, and, like the last-
mentioned 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 con-
tained in the Books of Kings, he manifestly lived in a very corrupt age.
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. :
Though he occasionally mentions Judah, yet the entire scene is laid in the
land of Israel, where, there can be little doubt, he lived and taught.
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 sim-
iles and metaphors are frequently so intermixed, that no small degree of at-
tention is required in order to discover their exact bearing and force. He is
more scanty in his use of the particles than the other prophets, which adds
not a little to the difficulty of interpreting his prophecies. In many instances
he is highly animated, energetic, and sublime. Of all the prophets he is, in
point of language, the most obscure and hard to be understood.
CHAPTER
1.
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 proye 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 con-
dition in the land of their fathers, subsequent to the Babylonish captivity.
1 Tue word 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,
king of Israel.
2 The beginning of the word of Jehovah by Hosea.
1. Thekings here mentioned are those
specified in the inscription to the prophe-
cies of Isaiah, with the addition of Jero-
boam, the son of Joash, commonly called
Jeroboam the Second, to distinguish him
from the son of Nebat. This monarch
carried on very successful wars with his
northern neighbors, and recovered out of
their hands the territories of which they
had taken possession; but though thus
signally prospered, as an instrument in
the hand of Jehovah, he was a wicked
character, and greatly promoted idolatry
in Israel. See 2 Kings xiy. 23-28.
By 72%, word, is meant the prophetic
matter contained in the book. Thus the
Targ. pNaza DAE.— 77 is commonly
rendered “came” in Pe connection, but
it seems preferable to retain its usual sig-
nification, only adding another verb, as
communicated, imparted, or such like, to
suit the English idiom.
2. "27 is s equivalent to 37 and is ren-
dered as anoun in the LXX.} Targ., and
Syr. It occurs in the absolute form
270, Jer. v. 13, with a similar reference
to inspired matter. Some have attempted
to show from the words mim} "23 monn
sina that Hosea was the first ‘of the
prophets employed to convey Jehovah’s
messages to his ancient people; but con-
trary to the import of the words, which
Jehovah said
merely refer to the commencement of the
prophecies of Hosea. For the use of the
preposition 2 in such connection, see
Numb. xii. 2; 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. Comp,
ἐν προφήταις, Heb. Bite
The transaction here described, and
that narrated chap. iii. 1, are: clogged
with almost insuperable difficulties ; and,
as may be expected, have given rise to
very different modes of interpretation.
By most commentators, the things speci-
fied are considered to have actually taken
place in the outward history of the
prophet. Others, as Abarbanel, Kimchi,
Maimonides, Ruffinus, Cicolampadius,
Marckius, Pococke, and recently Heng-
stenberg, regard the whole in the light
of internal prophetic vision; while Cal-
vin, Luther, Osiander, Rivetus, Danzeus,
Rosenmiiller, Hitzig, and others, treat it
as a species of paxabolical representation,
in which the prophet appropriates to him-
self imaginary circumstances, aptly fitted
to impress the minds of those whom he
addressed with a sense of their wicked-
ness, and the punishment to which it
exposed them.
To the last of these opinions it may
justly be objected that the language,
« And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go,” ete.
is identical with that used Is. vii. 3, viii.
1, xx. 2; Jer. xiii. 1-7, xviii. 1, 2, xix.;
fuar. I.
HOSEA. 3
to Hosea: Go, take thee a lewd woman, and lewd children, for
the land hath committed great lewdness, in a state of separation
from Jehovah.
Ezek. iv. y. xii. xxiv.; and in many
other passages, which cannot without
violence be understood parabolically.
Not the slightest hint is given, in the
present case, that the, circumstances are
fictitious. Besides, it has been observed,
that there is no instance of any of the
prophets ever making himself the subject
of a parable.
The same objection lies with equal
force against the assumption, that the
things described were merely exhibited
internally to the mind of the prophet.
The Divine mandate was doubtless in-
ternal; but there is no intimation that
what follows was in vision, any more
than in the instances above quoted. On
the contrary, it is set forth as real matter
of fact. When internal scenic represen-
tations were granted, the verbs sim or
msn, fo see, are always employed to de-
scribe the experience of the person who
viewed them, which is not the case here.
See Is. vi.; Jer. xxiv. 1; Ezek. ii. 9 —
the phraseology of the Apocalypse.
_ We are, therefore, shut up to the literal
interpretation, according to which the
transactions, though symbolical, were
real, and outward in the history of Hosea.
Those, however, who adopt this view,
are not agreed on the subject of the
females specified : — some being of opinion
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 unchaste; some,
as Thomas Aquinas, that he did not
marry her at all, but merely lived with
her asa concubine! Lyra and Newcome
think that nothing more is meant by “a
wife of lewdness,” than an Israelitess —
one of those who had become guilty of
spiritual fornication or idolatry. The
position that Hosea was commanded to
marry an impure female cannot be sus-
tained, for two reasons. First, the chil-
dren were clearly those afterwards de-
scribed as born to the prophet, and are
spoken of as lewd as well as their mother.
Secondly, on the supposition that Gomer
had been guilty of acts of impurity pre-
vious to her connection with the prophet,
there would be no congruity in consti-
tuting her a type of Israel, who is repre-
sented as lewd because she had lapsed
into idolatry, in violation of the marriage
contract entered into at Sinai. See
Gesen. Lex. p. 306, 2. Consistency of
interpretation absolutely requires the
adoption of this view of the subject, as is
admitted both by Hengstenberg and Hit-
zig. ὙΠῸ objections otherwise produced
by the former of these authors against the
literal character of the transactions are
more specious than real. Besides being
the most obvious and natural, it has
much to recommend it on the ground of
the public notoriety which infidelity on
the part of the wife of a prophet must
have created, and its aptness to typify
the conduct of the Israelites towards Je-
hovah. It may indeed be said, that his
marrying a notoriously lewd character
must have produced a much greater sen-
sation. True, but besides the encour-
agement which it must have been calcu-
lated to give to the formation of un-
hallowed and irreligious connections, it
would not, as was just observed, have
been in accordance with the design of the
transaction, which was, not to represent
the character of the Hebrews before the
period of their national reception into
alliance with Jehovah, but their conduct
as exhibited in the pages of their subse-
quent history. The phrases ὩΣ Mer,
mossy 07527 @ lewd woman and lewd chil-
dren, have the same import, and are not
to be interpreted as if the mother alone
were guilty, and the children merely the
product of her guilty conduct. Comp.
the phrase »δϑ 153, children of trans-
gression, i. 6. transgressors. Thus as to
OF ca ee
sense the Targ.; and the Syr. πο
7
eye? and children that commit lewd-
ness. 'Thus also Rosenmiiller. Both are
4 HOSEA.
Cuap. L
3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and
4 she conceived, and bare him a son.
And Jehovah said unto
him, Call his name JezreeL; for yet a little while, and I will
avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will
5 cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.
And it shall
come to pass in that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in -
the valley of Jezreel.
anticipative as to the relation of the
prophet, though typical of what had
already taken place on the part of the
ten tribes. Viewed as a kingdom they
are represented as a mother ; and as indi-
vidual subjects of that kingdom, they are
spoken of as her children. The plural
"2227 is emphatic, as Dv. in ts
D727, etc. Comp. 873537 man; chap. iv.
12, and ii. 4. That they are otherwise
to be identified appears from the use of
np» take, which properly applies only to
the female, but here governs both nouns,
as Jerome observes, ἀπὸ κοινοῦ. The
reason of the symbolic action is assigned
at the close of the verse — the atrocious
conduct of the Israelites in renouncing
the pure worship of Jehovah, and ad-
dicting themselves to idolatry. Comp.
Tevs Vil. 0s yew. -5,) ΟΣ ΝΕ οϑν: Ὁ:
yusn, the land, is put, by metonymy, for
ie inhabitants. 'The preposition 4:2 has
here the force of a negative, which
strongly expresses the state of separation
which had taken place.
8. That the names Gomer and Diblaim
are to be taken symbolically, as Heng-
stenberg interprets, does not appear.
His exposition of them is fanciful, as is
that of Jerome, who takes pretty much
the same view. The use of 15, to him,
i. e. to Hosea, proves that the child was
not of spurious origin. The word is
wanting, indeed, in three of Kennicott’s
MSS., and one of De Rossi’s, the Com-
plut. edition of the LXX., the Itala, and
the Arab.; but the omission in all prob-
ability originated in an attempt to render
the phraseology comformable to that of
verses 6 and 8.
4,5. Στοῦ, Jezreel, i. 6. God will
scatter, from ΣΤ, to scatter, disperse, as in
Zech. x. 9; Targ. s117202. It was
otherwise the proper name of a city in
the tribe of Issachar, on the brow of the
central yalley 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 x. 11, 14,17. These acts were
speedily to be avenged in the extinction
of the royal family, and the entire ces-
sation of the Israelitish state. It had
been announced to Jehu that his sons
should: occupy the throne till the fourth
generation, 2 Kings x. 30. Two of these
generations had passed away by the time
of the prophet—Jeroboam being the
great grand-son. In the following gene-
ration, the prediction received its accom-
plishment. By the “ bow of Israel’ is
meant her military prowess, which was
completely subdued by the Assyrian
army. The valley here mentioned, after-
wards called Esdraelon, was famous for
the battles fought there from the most
ancient times. It consists of the broad
elevated plain which stretches from the
Jordan to the Mediterranean, near Mount
Carmel, and is well adapted to military
operations. Accordingly, Dr. E. D.
Clarke observes, “‘ Jews, Gentiles, Sara-
cens, Christian Crusaders, and Anti-
Christian Frenchmen, Egyptians, Per-
sians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors
out of every nation which is under heaven,
have pitched their tents upon the plains
of Esdraelon, and have beheld the vari-
ous banners of their nations wet with the
dews of Tabor and Hermon.” — It was,
therefore, natural that the Israelites
should endeavor to make a stand against
the Assyrians in this valley; but being
overpowered by numbers were obliged to
succumb to the enemy. Of this discom-
fiture, and the consequent dispersion of
the ten tribes, the name of the prophet’s
son was symbolical.
Cuap. I.
HOSEA. 5
6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter; and He said
to him, Call her name Lo-Ruuamau; for I will no more haye
mercy upon the house of Israel, but will utterly take them
away. 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
And she weaned Lo-Runaman, and conceived, and bare a
son. And He said, Call his name Lo-Ammr; for ye are not my
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 in-
stead of its having been said to them, Ye are not my people,
it shall be said to them, Ye are the children of the living God.
7"
horsemen, .
8
9
10 people, and I will not be yours.
11
Then shall the children of Judah, and the children of Israel, be
6, 7. mann Nd, Lo-Runaman, i. 6.
unpitied. > s'y) elsewhere signifies to
forgive ; and were the verb preceded by
the copulative 1, it might be so rendered
here, only supplying the negative x>
from the preceding clause ; but as »5, but,
excludes such repetition, the phrase must
be rendered as in the translation. LXX.
ἀντιτασσόμενος ἀντιτάξομαι αὐτοῖς. Syr.
> o ο ν mn
(Oo δι. Nioatds. Vulg.
oblivione obliviscor eorum — reading δὰ 13,
which is found in De Rossi's MS. 596,
at first hand, instead of sw2. The king-
dom of Israel was never more to be re-
stored, though, in conjunction with the
Jews, the scattered Israelites were to
return to Canaan after the Babylonish
captivity, ver. 11. It was to be very
different with the Jewish power. Though
likewise 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, which was not the case with
the Israelites. mab, war, stands ellip-
tically for amd “Woy, warriors.
8. The mention here made of the
weaning of Lo-Ruhamah, seems designed
rather to fill up the narrative, than to
describe figuratively any distinct treat-
ment of the Israelites.
9. “ay Nb, Lo-Ammy, i. 6. not my peo-
ple, further sets forth the rejection of the
ten tribes by Jehovah. Nothing could
have been better calculated to make an
impression upon the minds of his country-
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 p55 mans Nd, Twill not be yours, 1. 6.
your God, Houbigant and Newcome
would read E=*mbs sd, 7 am not your
God: but though the antithesis is com-
mon, it admits of an ellipsis, just as in
Ezek. xvi. 8, there is an ellipsis of
mend. Comp. Ps. cxviii. 6. The MSS.
and versions exhibit no variation.
10, 11. These verses contain a gra-
cious 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,
and afterwards be reinstated in the priv-
ileges of adoption, as members of the
theocracy. The eleventh verse teaches
the reunion of all the tribes, and their
return under Zerubbabel to their own
land. That this prince is meant by the
“πὰ Wx, one head, must be maintained,
θ HOSEA.
Cuap. IT.
gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one
12 head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the
day of Jezreel.
your sisters, Runaman.
since the Messiah, who is by many sup-
posed to be intended, is nowhere spoken
of as appointed by men, but always as
the choice and appointment of God,
vas, land, signifies, in this connection
the country of Babylon, not excluding
those other regions of the East in which
the descendants of the different tribes
were found. dszrts, Jezreel, is obvi-
ously used here in a different acceptation
from that in which it is taken ver. 4.
That of sowing is alone appropriate. Tl-
lustrious should be the period when the
Say ye unto spe brethren, ἄμμι; and to
tribes should again be sown in their own
country. Comp. chap. ii. 22, 23; Jer.
xxxl, 27.
The principle on which part of ver. 10,
and chap. ii. 23, are quoted, Rom. ix.
25, 26, and 1 Pet. ii. 10, seems to be
that of analogy. As God had taken
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 cir-
cumstances. What was said of the one
class was equally descriptive of the other.
΄
CHARTER .f1.
The prophet proceeds in this chapter to apply the symbolical relation described in the pre-
ceding. He calls the Israelites to reform their wicked conduct, 1,2; threatens them with a
series of calamities, the effect of which should be their repentance and return to the service
of Jehovah, 3-15; and promises a gracious restoration to his favor, and the enjoyment of
security and prosperity in their own land, 16-23.
1 Conrenp with your mother, contend ;
2 For she is not my wife,
Neither am 1 her husband:
That she may remove her lewdness from her face,
And her adulteries from between her breasts.
1, 2. The individual members of the
Israclitish 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
ten tribes was the ts, mother. Cocceius,
Dathe, Kuinoel, and Riickert, render 55,
that, and interpret: Argue the point
with your nation, and show her that in
consequence of her wicked conduct all
relations between us have ceased. The
casual signification of the conjunction,
however, seems preferable. The words
which it introduces form a parenthesis ;
and "ΌΤΙ, which, though future, is to be
rendered potentially : that she may remove
connects with 32°, contend ye. The
is, as frequently to be taken τελικῶς:
The repetition of 33°" is emphatic, as
ducite in Virgil : —
«Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina,
ducite Daphnin.”
By ἘΠ ΒΒ 9) 02521, fornications and
adulteries, are meant ‘the tokens or indi-
cations of lewd character : — boldness of
Cuap. II.
3. Lest I strip her naked,
HOSEA, Ἷ
And set her as in the day when she was born,
And make her as the desert,
And make her like a dry land,
And cause her to die with thirst.
4 Upon her children I will have no mercy,
For they are lewd children.
5 Because their mother hath committed lewdness,
Their parent hath aeted shamefully ;
For she said: I will follow my lovers,
That give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my flax, my oil and my wine,
countenance, and an immodest exposure
of the breasts. Both forms are redupli-
cate, to express the enormity of the evil.
What the prophet has in view is the
reckless and unblushing manner in which
the Israelitish nation practised idolatry.
The LXX. have read *325%, “from my
face;”’ improperly in this connection,
though a similar phrase occurs elsewhere.
3. A striking accumulation of synony-
mous denunciations for the purpose of
describing the state of complete desti-
tution 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
in Egypt. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 4; xxii.
25, 26, 28, 29. For “Ξ 2 comp. Jer.
ii. 6. ἧ
4. Individuals might 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 5:3
rsast comp. orn 7b:, ch.i.2. The
second noun is, as ‘frequently, used ad-
“aaa”
5. 53, since or because, and ἼΞ 5, there-
Sore, ver. 8, correspond to one other,
the former marking the protasis, the
latter the apodosis. The second => in-
troduces parenthetically an illustration
of the statement made at the beginning
of the verse. 51m is the feminine par-
ticiple of nan to conceive, be pregnant,
Comp. nin , Song iii. 4. According to
the Jewish exegesis, "445, Gen. xlix. 26,
is used of male progenitors. The Targ.
and Jarchi suppose teachers to be here
meant; but the term is merely a syno-
nyme of px, mother, in the preceding
hemistich. Interpreters are not agreed
respecting the rendering of sy7a7m. In
most instances in w hich the word occurs
it certainly has the transitive significa-
tion; but here the intransitive seems
more appropriate. Comp. Jer. vi. 15,
where it is explained by sw mayin 7D.
Comp. also 3.15 τ» YA, ΞῸΣ ΠΤ, as Hiph.
intransitives. “The paragogic min n>dy,
elongating the future, is expressive of a
decided purpose, desire, or bent of mind ;
it is my settled determination to follow
those who richly supply my wants in
return for my religious services. ΠΤ
lovers, which is “here employed meta-
phorically to denote idols, is seldom used
except ina bad sense. This interpretation,
which is that of Joseph Kimchi and
Abarbanel, is more in keeping with the
symbolical character of the prophecy,
than that suggested by the Targ. 723
BS Os, which takes the w ord in the
sense of “idolaters, or idolatrous nations,
such as Assyria, ete. Comp. as strictly
parallel, Jer. xliv. 17-19. The lan-
guage indicates complete alienation of
heart from Jehovah, the only giver of
all good, and a blind confidence in, and
devotion to the service of idols. The
articles: specified comprehend both the
necessaries and the luxuries of ancient
Hebrew life. 7233, o’/, is much in use
among the Orientals, both in its simple
8 HOSEA.
6 Therefore, behold!
Cuap. 11.
I will hedge up thy way with thorns,
And will raise a wall, that she may not find her paths.
“τ
take them;
And she shall eagerly pursue her lovers, but she shall not over-
And shall seek them, but shall not find them:
Then shall she say: I will go and return to my first husband,
For it was better with me then than now.
8 Because she knew not that it was I that gave her
The corn, and the new wine, and the oil;
And furnished her abundantly with silver and gold,
Which they made into images of Baal:
9 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,
Designed to cover her nakedness.
state, and as compounded with other in-
gredients. It is specially applied as
ointment to the body after bathing.
Cate. Psalm xxiii. 5; Prov. xxi. 17.
> denotes here all eae of artificial
es being used in distinction from
water. The. Aldine edition of the LXX.
reads 6 οἶνός μου; but the usual reading
is πάντα boa μοι καδήκει, with which
the ‘larg. and Syr. agree. The word
occurs, Ps. cii. 10; Prov. iii. 8 ; and 5 oul
Cane ;
Eth. ripe * to make to drink, to water.
6. For in 5297 the LXX. Arab. and
Syr. read =+, but most likely in order to
produce uniformity in the use of the
affix. The metaphor here employed is
borrowed from the condition of a tray-
eller whose 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
to straits and difficulties. Tumed out
of his accustomed course, he is bewil-
dered, and strives in vain to extricate
himself. Comp. Job xix. 8; Lam. iii.
7,9. m1, α wall, is pointed #4714, in
the editions of J. H. Michaelis, and Jahn,
and this punctuation Hengstenberg at-
tempts, without success, to defend. The
wall means the external hindrances which
the captivity interposed between the ten
dently derived from ppg. Arab
tribes and the objects of their idolatrous
attachment.
7. Convinced by bitter experience of
the folly of idolatry, the Israelites would
renounce it, and return to the service of
Jehovah. τῷ πον is intensive, and expresses
the salad of the pursuit. The Vau in
πππ Ὁ 1, marking the apodosis, points out
the ‘Consequence or result of the failure
— a resolution to turn from idols to serve
the living God. It might be rendered
so that, but not in order that, as Manger
proposes. Τὰ, then, designates the period
previous to the apostasy ‘of the ten tribes,
when in reward for external obedience,
they enjoyed temporal blessings. Thus
the Targ. xndbp snvin 72 75 au “RS
ἘΠῚ ΣῸΣ nies xb ἼΣΞῸ π sl
8, 9. Ὁ and ξὸ at the beginning of
these yerses stand’ in the same relation
to each other as *> and 42%, verses 5th
and 6th. Before sw aneis TEN: By
tyo, Baal, the prophet means “ images
of Baal,” the singular being used col-
lectively for the plural. Comp. ch. viii.
4, where D2 3, ¢dols, correspond to $32
in the present case. Hitzig would re-
strict "ZN; understood, to an, gold, sup-
posing the golden calves’ set up at
Bethel and Dan to be meant; but, as it
does not appear that the name of Baal
was ever applied to them, his interpre-
tation is groundless. See chap. viii. 43
which also clearly proves that by ον
Cuap. II.
HOSEA. 9
10 And now I will expose her vileness before her lovers,
And none shall deliver her out of my hand,
11 And I will cause all her joy to cease ;
Syn we are not to understand the conse-
cration of the silver 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 plating with which
to cover such as were made of wood.
2 Chron, xxiy. 7, to which Secker appeals
in favor of the former meaning of the
phrase, is also to be so understood. The
rendering of Gesenius, “which they
offered to Baal,” is equally objectionable ;
the phrase }r'v2, when thus used, being
referred to sacrificial victims. Targ.
xnizud itay ma. Hengstenberg at-
tempts to support the position that conse-
cration is meant; but his reasons are al-
together futile. The very passage which
he quotes as parallel (Ezek. xvi. 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-
presentative of the sun, the generative
power in the eastern mythology, and
had associated with him Astarte, the
female power, which was viewed as rep-
resenting the moon. Gesenius, however,
is of opinion, that under these names the
planets Jupiter and Venus were wor-
shipped. See on Isaiah xvii. 8. From
the frequency with which his name oc-
curs in compound Pheenician names,
as Hannibal, Hasdrubal, etc., the wor-
ship of Baal appears to have been com-
mon among that people; and from them,
especially the Tyrians, it was borrowed
by the Israelites. Mention is made of
this idolatry in the time of the Judges,
see chap. ii. 11, 13; iii. 7; vi. 25; it
became prevalent even in Judah in the
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 wor-
ship of the golden calves by Jeroboam,
and reached its height in the reigns of
Ahab and Hosea. The verb a3, to return,
turn back, is frequently used adverbially.
So here "ΠΡ Ὶ asds, 7 will again take
aac
away, or take back, i. e. deprive of. The
2
meaning is, that instead of reaping the
fruits of the earth, ete. as they expected
at the usual season, they should be trod-
den down, consumed, or taken away by
the Assyrian army under Shalmaneser,
Jehovah vindicates his right to the vari-
ous articles specified, because they had
been bestowed by his providence; calling
them fis, with obvious reference to ver. 5,
in which Israel had called them hers.
The land and all it contained were spe-
cially his. $x3; Arab. Quias, liberatus
Suit, expresses the idea of rescuing or re-
covering what was unjustly held. The
in nid=> denotes end or purpose, and is
quite in its place; so that there is no ne-
cessity, with Houbigant, Dathe, Horsley,
Newcome, Boothroyd, and others, to
change it into "2, out of deference to the
LXX. who render τοῦ μὴ καλύπτειν.
10. nsba3 occurs only in this place,
but is obviously equivalent to 533, atro-
cious, shameful, detestable wickedness. Targ.
mibp, her shame, LXX. τὴν ἀκαϑαρσίαν
= 2 Ῥ-: >
αὐτῆς; Syr. σι..205.9, nudatio in ma-
Zum, pudenda. Castel.; Arab. ks) “3
her nakedness. Occuring in immediate
connection with the preceding 7inz,
nudity, it conyeys the superadded idea
of obscenity, 7. e. by metonomy, the re-
sults or consequences of idolatrous con-
duct, a complete destitution of all the
necessaries of life. Comp. Jer. xili. 26;
Nah. iii. 5. This exposure 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 prosopopeeia, the idols are first endowed
with the faculty of vision, and then their
utter imbecility is strikingly set forth.
wen, not only signifies man, but any one,
and is frequently used of inanimate ob-
jects. In connection with s}, it signifies
none.
11, 12, explain- the denouncement
made ver. 10. The country was to be
desolated by the invading armies, and all
10
HOSEA.
Cian ake
Her festivals,. her new moons, and her sabbaths,
And all her appointed assemblies.
12 I will also lay waste her vines and her fig-trees,
Of which she said: They are my hire
Which my lovers have given me:
I will turn them into a forest,
And the beasts of the field shall devour them.
13 I will avenge upon her the days of the Baals,
On which she burned incense to them ;
And decked herself with nose-rings and trinkets,
And followed her lovers,
And forgat me, saith Jehovah.
the festivities and seasons of religious
observance were to cease. The different
terms here employed are those by which
the seasons of worship, etc. appointed
by Jehovah in the Mosaic law, are des-
ignated; but it is not hence to be inferred
that such were observed according to his
appointment. The Israelites professed
to worship him, but, at the same time,
served other gods. While from habit
they continued to keep them as portions
of time unappropriated to the ordinary
occupations of life, they were doubtless
converted into seasons of carnal indul-
gence. ‘The nouns are those of mul-
titude, and must be rendered in the plu-
ral. 423, and F2xn, are likewise to be
taken as collectives, or rather, as Horsley
suggests, plantations of vines and fig-
trees. These should be left uncultivated
on the removal of the inhabitants into
foreign regions. Comp. Is. v. 6; vil. 23,
24, ποτὰ, like 42x, is used only of the
hire of a harlot, and is peculiarly appro-
priate in this connection. Thus Tan-
chum on chap. viii. 9 s—JSduo lo
det ns mst. Comp. Is. xxiii.
17, 18. ‘The wild beast is here to be
taken literally, and not figuratively, as
Abarbanel does,— supposing the heathen
invaders to be meant.
13. pxbyan, the Baals, i. 6. the idols
which they had set up to Baal in the
cities and different parts of the country,
as well as in their private houses. Hence
the names Baal-Gad, Baal-Hermon, Baal-
meon, ete. By prbyan "τ, are
meant the days specially devoted to the
celebration of idolatrous rites. ΤῸ cause
grateful odors to ascend from the altars,
was considered peculiarly acceptable to
the objects of worship. It appears to
have originated partly in the gratification
afforded by agreeable smells, and partly
in the custom of burning perfumes in
rooms, ete. with a view to purify them
from noxious vapors. pr; and π 5 Π
appear to be employed here to denote
female ornaments generally; though
strictly taken, the former commonly sig-
nifies such rings as the oriental females
wear in the nostril. See on Is. iii. 21.
nibh, from nbn, to be smooth, polished ;
Arab. > ornavit monilibus mundove
suo (mulierem, ) Rs, mundo ornata,
denotes a trinket, necklace, or the like.
According to Firuzabad: x5 ωϑ le
s La=3f 9} quodcunque ornamentum
vel e metallis conflatum, vel e lapidibus pre-
tiosis confectum. TRosenm.; the Syr. and
Targ. have pearls. That courtesans
decked themselves with the most costly
ornaments they could command is men-
tioned by Juyenal, Sat. vi. :—
“ Moechis foliata parantur ;
Emitur his quicquid gracilis hue mit-
titis Indi.”
The prophet has in view the gay orna-
ments in which the Israelites decked
Cuap. II.
14 Nevertheless, behold!
HOSEA.
11
I will allure her,
And, though I lead her into the desert,
Yet I will speak soothingly to her.
15 And I will grant her her vineyards from thence,
And the valley of Achor for a door of hope:
themselves on idolatrous holidays. Their
entirely abandoning themselves to the
service of idols, and their dereliction of
the God of their fathers, are brought
forward at the conclusion of this de-
scription of their conduct, in order to
heighten the aggravation of their guilt,
and render the announcement of the
kindly disposition of Jehovah towards
them, at the beginning of the following
ve a more surprising.
ἼΞ5 cannot with any propriety be
ἰὸς ἐπὶ “therefore” in this connection,
if the followiug words are to be regarded
as promissory of good, and not as con-
taining a further threatening of punish-
ment. And that they are to be so
regarded, the subsequent context suffi-
ciently shows. ‘This particle must there-
fore possess the force of the Arab.
verumtamen, but yet, notwithstanding, never-
theless. It thus marks the unexpected
transition from threats to promises, as
Is: yi. 14; x. 24; xxvii. 9; xxx. 18,
et freg.— rns, of which mne%s is the
Piel participle, signifies to open, be open,
easily persuasible; hence in Piel, both in
a good and a bad sense, to persuade, al-
lure, prevail upon by suitable induce-
ments. It is here necessarily to be taken
in the sense of inducing or gaining over
to that which is good, by the use of
soothing and persuasive means, as the
concluding words of the verse "7274
mah—by abundantly prove. As the Is:
raelites were to be forcibly removed from
their land by the king of Assyria, there
is a singular want of propriety in assign-
ing to 4, in ;-n=bh4, its usual copulative
power. It is obviously to be understood
exceptively, or as introducing a kind of
parenthetical sentence, expressive of what
was to take place in the history of the
ten tribes previously to their conversion
from idolatry; and which, though it
might seem severe, was indispensable for
the attainment of that object. For this
signification of 1, See Ruth ii. 13; 1 Sam.
i. 5; Eccles. ix. 16; Mal. ii 14; and
other instances in Noldius, No. 46.
Bauer thinks the desert between Assyria
and Judea is meant, through which the
Israelites were to be conducted on their
release; Doderlein, Theol. Biblioth. ex-
plains it of Judea itself, at that time
desolate and waste. I imagine the
country of Babylon is intended. Jehovah
is here said to do what he would employ
the Assyrians in doing. For the phrase
3> dy “57, see Is. ἘΠ 2. When re-
duced to circumstances of affliction in the
countries of the East, whither they were
to be carried, Jehoyah declares that he
would administer consolation to them;
holding out to them the cheering pros-
pect of restoration, on their repentance
to their native land.
15. The Israelites had altogether for-
feited their possessions ; 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
fathers when in the wilderness. nOwva,
thence, means, returning from the wilder-
ness; just as 72w indicates the home-
ward direction of the exiles. To take
pwr as a particle of time, which Gese-
nius proposes, is less suitable. ‘*The val-
ley of Achor” lay in the vicinity of
Jericho, and was noted in the sacred
history for the judgment inflicted upon
Achan. From Is. lxv. 10, it appears to
have been a fertile and pleasant region ;
and on this account alone it is thought
by Calvin, Zanchius, Rivetus, and others,
to be referred to by our prophet. Most
of the Rabbins, however, and after them,
many Christian interpreters, consider al-
lusion to be made to the name, which
signifies trouble or molestation, and to this
Tincline. This valley had proved very
inauspicious to the Hebrews on their
former entrance into Canaan. They had
been forced to turn their backs before
12
HOSEA.
Cuar. IL
And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth,
Even as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah,
That thou shalt call me, 1581;
And shalt no more call me, Baatt.
17 For I will take away the names of the Baals from her mouth,
And they shall no more be remembered by their name,
18 And I will make a covenant for them in that day
With the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven,
And with the reptiles of the ground ;
the native inhabitants, and their hearts
melted, and became as water, Josh. vii.
5, 8, 12, 24, 26. But on their return
from the captivity, the exiles would pass
through it with the undisturbed expec-
tation of a peaceable and joyful occu-
pation of the country. By mipm nine,
a door of hope, is meant a hopeful entrance
into the holy land.—n:3, the LXX.
Syr. Arab. and Symm. take in the sig-
nification to be humbled or afflicted; and
this idea is adhered to by Grotius, who
combines it with that of singing: ‘ In-
tellige autem carmen fletiis et precum ; ”
but that of celebrating the Divine good-
ness in songs of gratitude and joy, better
suits the connection. The πὶ in 712%, as
before observed, indicates the homeward
direction of the exiles — yet not without
special reference to their approach to
the valley of Achor. The point of
comparison, as it respects the singing,
seems to be the Song of Moses at the
Red Sea. As the people then united
in celebrating the goodness of Jehovah
displayed in their deliverance, so should
the returning Israelites do, on again
taking possession of their native land.
16, 17. The word $y, Baal, had orig-
inally been used in its unexceptionable
acceptation of husband, and is thus ap-
plied to Jehovah, Is. liv. 5; but as it
had become common in its application
by the Israelites to the heathen deities
which they had worshipped, and besides,
conveyed the idea of possession and rule,
rather than that of affection, God here
declares that in future he would be
called ws, /sh, the name more usually
employed to express the relation of hus-
band, and which was not liable to the
same objections : —
«‘ Sic mihi servitium video, dominamque
paratam, :
Jam mihi libertas illa paterna vale.”
Tibullus, lib. ii. Eleg. 4.
Before "s-x, two MSS. the LXX. Aq.
Syr. insert 55; while two MSS., and
originally seven, more, and four riited
editions, omit it after ἘΝ Γ τι. τ Ὁ" S33,
is not here to be taken as a plural of ex-
cellency, but is used, according to its
strict import, to denote the different im-
ages of Baal worshipped by the Israelites,
such as Baal-Gad, Baal-Ammon, ete.
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 under the immediate
care and protection of Jehovah, that
every thing capable of injuring them
should be rendered perfectly harmless.
The irrational animals should be re-
strained, as if under the bond of an
inviolable compact; and the Assyrian
armies should no more attack them.
Some understand the former part of the
verse figuratively — the different creatures
there specified denoting men correspond-
ing to them in disposition; but the
language is rather to be regarded as
hyperbolical, being merely intended to
heighten the effect. Comp. Job ν. 23;
Ezek, xxxiy. 25. Before*m2m ba, supply
“2, or "Wa, as in chap. i. 7. ‘Targ. 0129
ἈΞ τ ya Siaws is a pregnant phrase,
meaning, J will ‘break and remove away
οι. 32% is here expressive of the
Cuap. II.
HOSEA.
13
The bow, and the sword, and the battle, I will break and remove
from the land,
-
And will cause them to recline securely.
19 I will also betroth thee to myself forever ;
I will even betroth thee to myself with righteousness and with
justice,
And with kindness, and with tender compassion.
20 Yea, I will betroth thee to myself with faithfulness :
And thou shalt know Jehovah.
21 And it shall be in that day,
I will respond, saith Jehovah,
reclining posture in which the orientals
indulge whenever they are released from
active exertion. At the time predicted
there would be no enemy or danger to
break in upon their repose.
“Ips lacte domum referent distenta
capellee
Ubera, nec magnos metuent armenta
leones.
Ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula
flores.
Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba
veneni
Occidet, Assyrium vulgo_nascetur
amomum.” Virgil, Eclog. iv.
19, 20. wns signifies to contract a
matrimonial alliance, and is here spe-
cially selected in order to impress the
minds of the Israelites with a sense of
the distinguished character of the Divine
benignity. Though they had rendered
themselves totally unworthy of his re-
gard, he declares that he would treat
them as if they had never apostatized to
idolatry. He would form a new con-
jugal relation, as with a female 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
cbiv>, for ever, is to be taken as Gen,
xiii. 15; Exod. xxxii. 13; Is. xxxv. 10.
The several particulars here enumerated
further discover, by the amplification
winch they form, the great kindness of
Jchovah to his people. By “righteous-
ness’’ and ‘justice,’ is meant every
equitable obligation which God could
be expected to place himself under in
the new conjugal relation all that the
Israelites could possibly expect in the
way of supply from their Divine pro-
tector. To these, however, are added
‘“‘kindness,’”’” and ‘tender compassion,”
which express the strong internal affec-
tion from which the former should pro- ,
ceed, and the high degree of interest‘
which God would take in his recovered
people. To remove every doubt ΠΌΤ"
their minds, he crowns the whole by a
gracious assurance that his engagements
should be ‘faithfully’ performed. Ὁ. Γι»
τὰ σπλάγχνα, lit. the bowels, but com-
monly employed figuratively to denote
tender affection or love. Horsley’s in-
terpretation of the terms in application
to our Saviour, is, like most of his
exegesis, in the highest degree fanciful,
being totally unsupported by the scope
and connection of the passage. The
knowledge of Jehovah here predicated
is not speculative, or a bare intellectual
acquaintance with his character, but ex-
perimental, or that which results from
the actual enjoyment of his love. Instead
of πῆ ποτῶν, twenty-six MSS., originally
thirteen more, now two, and perhaps
other two, two editions, supported by the
Vulg., read Gir 228 ἈΞ), ἢ. 6. they shall
know that I am Jehovah.
21, 22. One of the most beautiful
instances of prosopopeeia to be found in
Scripture. Comp. the address to the Nile
in Tibullus, lib. i. Eleg. vii. ver. 25 : —
“Te propter nullos tellus tua postulat
imbres,
Arida nec pluvio supplicat herba Jovi.”
While second causes have here their
14
I will respond to the heavens,
HOSEA.
Cuap. III.
And they shall respond to the earth,
22 And the earth shall respond to the corn, and the new wine, and
the oil,
And they shall respond to Jezreel.
23 For I will sow her for myself in the land,
And will have werey upon Lo-Runaman,
‘And will say to Lo-Aann, Thou art my people;
And they shall say, My God!
appropriate place allotted to them, as so
many connected links in the chain: of
Divine Providence, the sovereign in-
fluence of the Great First Cause is
strongly asserted by the emphatic repe-
tition of m22s, Zwill respond to, or answer.
It must, however, be observed, that this
verb does not occur the first time in one
of Kennicott’s MSS.; it has originally
been wanting in another of De Rossi’s;
and is omitted in the LXX. Syr. and
Arab. One of De Rossi’s MSS, omits
min? ἘΝ entirely ; and another,
mere
τι δὰ
v
the second 73 ZN originally. — Ss357
Jezreel, here means that which God’ Tah
sown, i. e. his people whom he had scat-
tered, but whom he would again restore
to their native soil. Comp. chap. i. ver.
4, and 11.
23. ἢ is causal, introducing a decla-
ration which is designed to account for
the appropriation of the name Jezreel at
the end of the preceding verse. The
metaphor is agricultural. ‘lhe rest of
the verse contains a repetition of what
is promised, chap. i, 10.
CHAPTER III.
This chapter contains a new symbolical representation of the regard of Jehovah for his peo-
ple, 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 Gomer,
though 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 rights, 2,3. In the two last verses, the symbolical pro-
ceeding is explained ofa long period during which the Hebrews were to live without the
celebration of their ancient rites, and at the same time be free from all idolatrous practices.
The direct prediction respecting their conversion to the Messiah, ver. 5, clearly proves, that
their condition during the present dispersion is intended. :
1 <Awnp Jehovah said unto me:
1. “49, again, obviously refers back to
chap. i. 2. The transaction here com-
manded, bearing so near a resemblance
to what is enjoined in that chapter, has
Go again, love a woman beloved
occasioned nearly the same diversity of
interpretation. ‘To me there appears no
consistent method of explaining it but
that which assumes an identity of the
Cuap. III.
HOSEA.
15
by a friend, yet an adulteress, according as Jehovah loveth the
children of Israel, though they have turned to other gods, and
2 love grape cakes.
female here specified with Gomer, whom
the prophet had previously married.
For, first, such construction is absolutely
required by the analogy. It was Israel
that stood in the relation of wife to
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 unfaithful ;
which was precisely the case with Israel.
Thirdly, except she had been the proph-
et’s own wife, who had become un-
faithful 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
infidelity was still attached to her, would
be totally repugnant to every idea of
moral justice and propriety. Lastly, the
command is not mp, take, as in the for-
mer instance, chap. i. 2, the usual formu-
la by which marriage is expressed; but
ans, love, i, e. renew thy kindness to
her; receive her back into thy house
and make kind provision for her. This
view of the passage is decidedly adopted
by. Ewald in his Propheten des Alten
Bundes, recently published.
The words 37 MANN WN ans af
NEN221, are equivalent to, “: “Go, love thy
wife, to whom, though an adulteress, thou
art attached;” but the indefinite form
ns, a wife, is purposely selected, instead
οὗ TAS thy wife, in order to intimate
the state of separation in which they -
lived. ¢ For the same purpose 34, a friend
or companion, is used, and not syns, her
husband ; it being here employed not so
much as a term of endearment, as indi-
cating that, whatever might be his dispo- ;
sition towards her, they were not living on ¥*
the same terms as formerly. - Comp. for
this acceptation of y+, Jer. iii. 26. The
LXX. mistaking the word for 5, evil,
and taking nan for the Benon. nak,
render, ἀγαπῶσαν πονηρὰ; for which the
0.0m
Syr. _has [oud Ἰώρως j2aay
So I bought her to myself for fifteen pieces
ορ
{Anic, an adulterous woman who lov-
eth evil things. The words nanmss
“a1 mim, are to be connected with
sa nan Ss and not with Ane: The kind
feeling of the prophet towards his faithless
wife corresponded, as a type, to the love
of God towards the idolatrous Israelites.
The sentence just quoted in part, as
well as the words pts $y D135
guage of the Pentateuch, as Hivernick
has shown in his Handbuch der histor-
crit. Hinleit. in das A. T.1 Theil. 2 Ab-
theil. p. 608. 7°22» "ww, have been
variously interpreted. LXX. πέμματα
μετὰ σταφίδος or σταφίδων, baked meats
with raisins. Aq. renders the former
word by παλαιὰ, evidently reading "$703.
According to the Hexap. Syr. Theod.
é adopts the same rendering: coASSaN
Lois\s.
O Deem Ὡς ἄν
vinacia uvarum ; Syr. 1Δ...99 Lions
placenta uvis passis condita. Junius,
Tremellius, and others, have Jflagons of
wine, aS in our common yersion. The
word ἡ 15 employed by Jonathan in
his Targ. on Exod. xvi. 31, to express
the meaning of ΠΌΤ ΞῈ, a flat cake. The
most probable derivation is from yx, to
press, compress; and the meaning will
be, pressed cakes of dried gr grapes. Such
cakes are highly esteemed in the East,
on account of their sweet taste, and
doubtless formed part of the offerings
presented to idols, and afterwards eaten
at idolatrous feasts.
2. Because the purchase of wives was
not uncommon, as it still is, in eastern
countries, (See Michaelis on the Laws of
Moses, Art. LXXXY. Grant’s Nesto-
rians, p. 214; Perkins’s Eight Years in
Persia, p. 236,) most expositors have
supposed that such a transaction is in-
tended in this place. The fact, however,
that the price here specified, one half in
Symm. ἀκάρτους ; Vulg.
10
8. of silver, and for an homer and an half of barley.
unto her:
HOSEA.
Cuap. III.
And I said
Thou shalt remain for me many days; thou shalt not
commit lewdness, nor become any man’s; and I also will remain
4 for thee.
money, and the other half in grain, was
the exact amount of what was allowed
for a female slave, Exod. xxi. 32, induces
the belief that the payment was made
by the prophet for the liberation of his
own wife, who had become the property
of the person with whom she had been
living in adultery. The sum was too
parsimonious to have been given as a
dowery. The signification of buying as
attaching to >, is sufficiently estab-
lished by Deut. ii. 6, and Job xl. 30,
and the use of the Arab. {
and viii., conduait rem, “LXX. ἐμισ-
Swodunv. Hengstenberg’s attempt to
explain it here of digging, in the sense
of boring the ear in token of a state of
slavery, is unsuccessful. A 5m, Jethek,
aceording to the Rabbins, contained
fifteen seahs, or half an homer. Theod.
γομὸρ ἀλφιτῶν ; Symm. ϑύλακος κριδῶν;
but the other Greek versions, ἤμίκορον,
half a cor, which was equal to an
homer. The LXX. unaccountably have
véBed οἴνου. The repetition of py, is
not unusual in Hebrew, but the abbrevi-
ated form of expression is better English.
3. 23> properly signifies fo sit, but
likewise ‘to dwell, remain, ete. ἜΤ ND
explains its meaning here to be a re-
fraining from all cohabitation with others.
nb, and 77>s, are correlates ; and “IS E33
forms an antithesis; ‘while I, on the
other hand,” ete. As the wife of the
prophet was to continue for a long time
in a state of separation equally from
paramours and from her husband, and
he was likewise to form no connection
with any other woman, so the Israelites
should long live without serving either
false gods or Jehovah; while, on his
part, he would enter into no national
relationship to any other people. This
application of the symbol is distinctly
marked by »5, and by the resumption of
=31, ver. 4. The choice of the fuller
preposition Ὁ by, in grb, i in preference to
4, seems designed to express the strength
:
» Conj. vi.
For the children of Israel shall remain many days
\
of affection with which the symbolical
female was still to be regarded ; conse-
quently the powerful inclination of the
Lord towards his unfaithful people.
4, This verse describes a period of
great length, during which the Israelites
were to have no civil polity, either under
regal or princely rule; no sacred sacri-
fice; no idolatrous statue; no mediating
priest ; and no images or tutelary deities,
This period cannot be that of their dis-
persion previous to the return from
Babylon; for the restoration of the wife
of the prophet prefigured the restoration
which took place on that return, agree-
ably to chap. ii. 19, 20,23. It is true
that when they were brought back along
with the Jewish exiles, the Israelites had
no more any civil or ecclesiastical polity
of their own; neither did they relapse
into idolatry: but still, as in common
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 succeeded to
the times of the Asmonean dynasty, or
the dispersion consequent upon the final
destruction of Jerusalem. During the
protracted period of more than eighteen
centuries, (Ὡ "5 =*%05) they have been
precisely in the circumstances here pre-
dicted —separated from idolaters, and
professedly belonging to Jehovah, yet
never acknowledged by him in a church
relationship. They have neither had
2 civil ruler, nor any of the consecrated
offices and rites of their ancient econ-
omy. Thus Kimchi on the passage,
he pears midan wo ἘΠῚ nbs
mons Ὁ ΝΘ aw ἈΒῚ 7b Nb 15d
onne pasta mvs: AN oan
— “And: these are the days of our pres-
ent captivity, for we have neither king
nor prince of Israel, but are under the
rule of the nations, even under the rule
of their kings and their princes.”’ This
interpretation, which alone suits the
views furnished of the subject by the
Cuapr. III.
HOSEA.
1
without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice,
and without a statue, and without an ephod, and without images.
5 Afterwards the ΒΕ ΣΝ of Israel shall return, and shall seek Je-
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
continued 5725 O23, in a state of sepa-
ration from God, for they received the
gospel in the earliest ages of Christianity.
Some explain paz, both of legitimate
sacrifices and of such as were offered to
false gous ; but the grouping of this term
with 7231, a statue, as 745x, ephod, fol-
lowing, i is with ors boy teraphim, clearly
shows that the prophet meant the former
restrictively. Kimchi briefly explains :
13> awa pw beb nar ps, “ without
sacrifice to God, and without an image
for idolatrous worship.” From the pro-
hibition Ley. xxvi. 1; Deut. xvi. 22, and
the history, 2 Kings iii. 2; xvii. 10; x.
6, 27, it is manifest that mas does not
stand for altar, as the ancient versions
render it, but denotes a statue or image
of some false deity. Comp. Micah v. 13.
12x, the ephod, was that part of the
high priest’s dress which was worn above
the tunic and robe. It consisted of two
pieces which hung down, the one in front
over the breast, and the other covering
the back, and both reaching to the mid-
dle of the thigh. They were joined to-
gether on the shoulders by golden clasps,
set in precious stones, and fastened round
the waist by a girdle. In the breast part
was the ἽΣ Π, or pectoral, containing the
Urim and Thummim, by which divine
responses were vouchsafed to the Hebrews.
According to the Jews, the ephod in its
complete state ceased with the captivity :
for they specify the Urim and Thummim
among the five things with respect to
which the first temple differed from the
second. LXX. ἱερατεία, priesthood,
which I doubt not the Hebrew term was
intended metonymically to denote in this
place. p-54N, the teraphim, were penates,
or household gods. They were used at
a very early period, as appears from the
history of Rachel, Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32,
34, 35. Comp. 1 Sam. xix. 13; 2
Kings xxiii. 24; Ezek. xxi. 21; Zech.
3
x. 2. That they were not only kept as
tutelary deities, but also consulted for
the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of
future events, appears from several of the
passages just quoted. Hence the render-
ing of the LAX. δήλων. The etymology
of the word is altogether uncertain.
5. At a period still subsequent to that
of their existence in the state just de-
scribed, the Israelites (now amalgamated
with the Jews,) are to be converted to
the true worship and service of Jehovah,
under the spiritual reign of our Saviour,
the promised Messiah. To him they
will then submit themselves, and richly
enjoy the blessings of divine grace,
communicated through his mediation.
That s7in, David, here means neither
the royal house of David, nor any human
monarch of that name who is yet to
reign over the Jews, as some haye im-
agined, but the great Messiah himself,
appears evident from Scripture usage.
See Is. lv. 3, 4; Jer. xxx. 9; Ezek.
XxXxiv. 23, 24; xxxvil. 24,25. As the
name properly signifies The Beloved, it
quite accords with 6 ἀγαπητὸς, Matt. iii.
17, and 6 ἠγαπημένος, Eph. i. 6. Thus
the Targ. 777 52 ἈΠΟ 25. jamenssy
«And they shall obey Messiah the Son
of David.”’ The following i is the Rabbin-
ical interpretation : — x=br TAR POG
7A ἘΝῚ HY TAT SAH PA PS xmve
mew mit sin [mses]. “The Rabbins
say, that Heis the king Messiah; 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, Fol. 277. See also
the Rabbinical Commentaries on the
above passages in Ezekiel. The use of
by, in the phrase Fin sty sans, and
not 7a, OF “35%, the usual form, is in-
tended to show that the fear here speci-
fied is not of the kind which “ hath tor-
ment,” and which causes those who are
under its influence to recede from its
object, but such fear as attracts or in-
duces them to approach to it. This the
addition iz x1 “and to his good-
18 HOSEA.
Cuap. III.
hovah their God, and David their king; and they shall trem-
blingly hasten to Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter day.
ness,” clearly shows. Comp. Micah
vii. 17. As, however, the idea of fleeing
or hastening from danger is also im-
plied in verbs signifying to fear, I have
rendered the words so as to include
both. In this way Rabbi Tanchum:
εὐἰπο dS po a ΟΣ Ὁ)
«They shall flee to him for help from all
that may be feared.’” Comp. Jer. xxxi.
12. LXX. ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ
καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαϑοῖς αὐτοῦ. Ewald
renders, und werden beben zu Jahve und
zu seinem Gute, u. 5. W.3 and Hitzig
explains, bebend in freudiger Erwartung
werden sie herbeieilen. While on the
one hand the Jews, under the infiuence
of alarm, 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
Him for all the blessings of salvation.
buen mans, the last of the days, i. 6.
the days of the Messiah, as the Rabbins
interpret the phrase. See on Is. ii. 2,
where Kimchi says expressly, ἘΠΡῸ >>
Pw nA Fi Oa MAAS. ΝΣ Ὁ
“‘-whereyer it is said, ‘In the last of the
days,’ it means the days of the Mes-
siah.”
© HAP a ai
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, Menahem, and Pekahiah.
He calls the attention of his countrymen to the divine indignation, and the causes of it, 1,
2; denounces 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 idolatrous 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.
1 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 initiatory words are those
of Hosea, summoning attention to the
divine message which he was commis-
sioned to deliver. Ἐπ Ὁ Ἔ2Ξ is equivalent
to ἘΝῚ 90 moa, ch. v. 1; ; ten. “uy,
ch. v. δ᾽; and Aina to tse and
ees; and all these different ‘epithets
are used of the kingdom of the ten tribes
in contradistinction to mam and m3
ms which designate the tribes of
Judah and Benjamin. 5." signifies here
ground of complaint, or “judicial pro-
ceeding. LXX. κρίσις. The wickedness
which abounded is first set forth nega-
tively, and then positively, under certain
items; and the infinitive absolute is em-
ployed with great effect, as expressing
more emphatically, by its abstract form,
-Ὡ ΝΥ διιννι ....
Cuar. IV.
HOSEA.
Ss lee
2 There is nothing but swearing and lying,
And murder, and theft, and adultery ;
They have burst forth,
And blood reacheth to blood.
8 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.
4 Yet let no man contend with, nor reprove another ;
For thy people are like those that contend with the priest.
5 Therefore thou shalt fall by day,
And the prophet also shall fall with thee by nies
And I will destroy thy mother.
the heinousness of the evils described.
The force of this I have given in a free
translation. Ewald improperly limits
the signification of the verb v5 in this
place to the act of breaking into houses ;
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 525, blood, has also a degree
of emphasis, signifying much bloodshed.
What the prophet means is, that murder
was so common, that no space was left
as it were between its acts. LXX,
αἵματα ἐφ᾽ αἵμασι μίσγουσι. Coverdale,
one bloudgiltynes foloweth another. And
Ritterhusius powerfully in his poetical
metaphrase : —
«¢ sic sanguine sanguis
Truditur, et scelerum nullus finisye
modusve est.”
See 2 Kings xy.; Micah vii. 2.
3. Comp. Is. xix. 8; xxiv. 4; Joel i.
10, 12, dx, in he Pulal. Cane is
usually employed after $x, in order more
forcibly to describe the calamitous state
of a country. 3 here signifies with, ex-
tending to, accompanied by, and includes
what follows in the general predicate.
Comp. Gen. vii. 21. Ox, is cognate
with 910, and signifies to gather up,
away, back, take away, as well as simply
to collect together, Zeph. i. 2, 3. LXX.
>>
ἐκλέιφουσιν ; Syr. (St Seed: Targ.
VIA ΣἘ).5- 8", signifies not only what we
call ‘the sea, but any lesser collection of
water, as pools, and even rivers. See Is.
xix. 5.
4, Ἐπ᾿ is here prohibitory, and not
simply negative, as some have rendered
it. The introduction of the sentence by
“x, 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
prove fruitless, seeing they had reached
a degree of hardihood, which 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,
and requires no transposition or emen-
dation of the words as adopted by Houbi-
gant, 2 Newcome, and Boothroyd. *a7-%
ia) is the same as if it were nx Ora"
jmzn, Comp. 51233 73°89, chap. v. 10:
All the ancient versions, except the LX X.
and Aq. read "35. ‘The Hexap. Syr. has
ya? qs? [ad
5. By a sudden transition to the sec-
ond person, the prophet addresses himself
directly to his guilty people, and predicts
their utter destruction. i425, Kimchi,
Drusius, Ecolamp. Grotius, and Ewald,
improperly render “to-day.” As con-
trasted here with m3, night, it is equiv-
alent to Θ555, by day. Comp. Neh. iv.
16. That the article is not repeated be-
fore 53", may be owing to the common
adyerbial use of this noun without it.
20
HOSEA.
CHAP: WV:
6 My people is destroyed for lack of 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.
7 According to their increase, so they sinned against me ;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They devour the sin-offering of my people,
And long for their iniquity.
The false prophets by whom the Israelites
had been encouraged in wicked practices
should render them no assistance in the
season of calamity, but should be them-
selves involved in the same common ruin.
“nv, the LXX. renders ὁμοίωσα ; and
several translate, “I have reduced to
silence;”’ but the verb is obviously used
in the sense of destroying, as 37273 is,
ver. 6. Comp. Zeph. i. 11. By 5 sx,
thy mother, the Israelitish state is meant,
of which the citizens were the children.
See chap. ii. 1. Thus Kimchi, Jerome,
Grotius, Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, and
Maurer. Others, as Cornelius 4 Lapide,
Houbigant, Capellus, Pococke, Bauer,
and Newcome, suppose the metropolis
to be intended.
6. ngar*>2%, having here the article
before the noun, and occurring in con-
nection with nz, immediately follow-
ing, is not to be taken in the sense of un-
Ls Em as nyt °>2 is, Is. v. 13, but
strictly means that destitution of the
true knowledge of God which was the
source of the sins now about to be pun-
ished. This ignorance is principally
charged upon the religious teachers of
the nation, each of whom is directly
addressed in AoNansin mAs. Thus
Pagninus, O sacerdos ; 3; Ww hich Dathe also
inserts in his text. The persons addressed
pretended to be priests of Jehovah, though
they taught the people to combine with
his worship that of pagan deities, or at
least that of the golden calves, which, no
doubt, paved the way for the universal
spread of idolatry in Israel. The position
adopted by Horsley, that the Jewish
high-priest is intended, does not suit the
connection. The third » in ΝΘ ΘΝ, is
not found in a great number of Kenni-
cott’s and De Rossi’s MSS., nor in some
of the earlier printed editions ; in others
it is marked as redundant, and some few
have "4p joNxx. The antitheses in this
verse are pointed and forcible. *> is
understood as repeated in ΓΞ ΤΑ", and 3
before H=ox. f
7. As the priests are obviously the
nominative to the verbs in the three fol-
lowing 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 was in number, or in wealth,
power, etc. Michaelis thinks the latter
is meant? still the former may be in-
cluded, in harmony with the mention
made of their children, ver. 6. In pro-
portion as they multiplied in numbers
and grew in influence, they promoted the
increase of idolatry: but the wealth and
dignity (7422) which they acquired, and
which they thus prostituted, should be
destroyed by foreigners, by whom they
would be carried into captivity. ran,
and ©7433, form a slight paronomasiil.
8. rNen here signifies sin-offering, as
it frequently does in the Levitical code.
So Kimchi; and it is thus rendered in
Pococke’s Arab. Ms. slbs
ωϑ
yrs SP and Castalio, vn
culo. The priests greedily devoured what
the people brought for the expiation of
their sins; and instead of endeavoring to
put a stop to abounding iniquity, only
wished it to increase, in order that they
might profit by the multitude of the me
tims presented for sacrifice. ΦῈ2 8&2,
lift up the animal soul for any soe
means to Just after it, long, or have a
strong desire for it, Deut. xxiy. 15; Jer.
Cuap. LV.
HOSEA. pal
9 Therefore it shall be, like people, like priest ;
I will punish them according to their ways,
And requite them for their deeds.
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.
1
Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.
12 My people consult their stock ;
Their staff announceth to them:
xxii, 27. 4 in 2955, is used distributively
to express the fact that such was the
character of each of the priests. The
reading DY2:, found in ten MSS., origi-
nally in seven more, and perhaps in one,
and supported by the LXX. Syr. Targ.
Vulg. and Arab., most probably origi-
nated in emendation. Not unfrequently
a proposition commences with the plural,
and ends with the singular, and vice
versa.
4): τοῖς Is. xxiv. 2. The rank and
wealth of the priests would not exempt
them from sharing the same fate with the
rest of the nation.
10. s5=x7 is a resumption of "5 Ξ δ",
ver. 8.—; main is here used intransitively
as in ver. 18, v. 3, and is to be under-
stood literally of the sensual indulgences
of the Israelitish teachers, as the. verb
axq5> shows. For the signification to
abound in children, as ἢ to this
verb, see Gen. xxvill. 14. fopndiae,
Arnold, (Blumen althebraisch. Dichtk.)
and Horsley, disjoin =": from the pre-
ceding verb, and connect it with the fol-
lowing nouns, thus : —
«“ They have forsaken Jehovah,
Giving heed to fornication,” etc.
But, notwithstanding the apparent force
of the bishop’s remarks, there is some-
thing so repugnant to Hebrew usage in
the combination w44en3 4721 7937 κὐρθς,
to observe fornication, and wine, and new
wine, that it is altogether inadmissible.
Though the verb nia may in no other
passage take τὴ τὸ for its object, yet it
takes τὰ τ “ban, lying vanities, i. e. idols,
Ps. xxxi. 7; Jonah ii. 9; in which latter
passage it is connected ‘with 31¥, as in
the present case. The division of the
words found in our common version is that
of the Hexap. Syr. 2.2... fagdors
pea aban and the Slavonic; and is ap-
proved by Michaelis, Tingstadius, New-
come, Dathe, Boothroyd, De Wette,
Hitzig, and Ewald.
11. This verse has the appearance of
amoral adage. The influence of habits
of impurity and intoxication in blunting
the moral feelings, and weakening the
intellectual powers, is a well-established
fact in the history of man.
‘s Nox et amor vinumque nihil modera-
bile suadent ;
Illa pudore vacat, liber amorque metu.”
Ovid.
‘Nox, vinum, mulier; nihil perniciosus
adolescentulo.”’ Plaut.
There can be little doubt that the prophet
has specially in view the impure and
bacchanalian orgies which were con-
nected with the Syrian idolatry. For
the prevalence of drunkenness in Ephraim
ie ΕΝ xxviii. 1; Amos iv. 1.
«The ie, and most versions
σι follow them, connect 32 with 23,
at the end of the preceding verse; ἃ
mode of construction adopted by Mi-
chaelis and Dathe, but otherwise dis-
approved by modern translators. ‘The
Syr. 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
use of rhabdomancy or divination by
bo
bo
HOSEA.
Cuap. IV.
For a Jewd spirit hath caused them to err;
They have lewdly departed from under their God.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains,
And offer incense upon the hills;
Under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant :
Therefore your daughters commit lewdness,
And your daughters-in-law adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit lewdness,
Nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery ;
For they themselves go aside with harlots,
rods. Leo Juda: ‘Jigno suo oracula
querit.” That by 2, wood, is here
meant an idol made of such material,
the connection shows. Comp. Jer. ii.
27: x.8; Hab. ii. 19. ἘΞ is properly
a shoot or twig, then a rod, walking staff,
etc. Occurring as it does here, in refer-
ence to an idolatrous or superstitious
practice, it denotes such a staff employed
tor purposes of divination. 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
carved upon it; but the use of the phrase
55. s"a1, announceth, pointeth out, shows
that a divining rod is meant. Rhabdo-
mancy (ῥαβδομαντεία) was very common
among 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,
on one of which was inscribed God bids,
and on the other God forbids, and drawing
them out of the case into which they were
put, acted agreeably to the direction
which first came forth. See Pococke,
Specimen. Hist. Arab. p. 327. Mai-
monides quotes an ancient book entitled
Siphri, in which a diviner is defined to
be one who takes his staff, and inquires,
Shall I go? or, Shall I not go? The
Runic wands of the Scandinavian nations,
on which were inscribed mysterious char-
acters, and which were used for magical
purposes, appear to have originated in
et, more ancient divination of Asia.
p35 an, lit. ἃ spirit of whoredoms,
ie a ῬΙᾺ erful impetus to commit acts
of idolatry. Instead of the simple form
mynm, some few MSS. the Babyl. Tal-
mud, the Syr. Vulg. and Targ. read
tenn; Ww hile the LXNX. and Arab. read
wnn. For Ἐπ ἐς mins, comp.
Numb. v. 19, 20; Ezek. xxiii. 5; and
ὕπανδρος, Rom. vii. 2.
13. Mountains and hills were selected
by idolaters on which to erect their altars,
and offer their sacrifices, on account of
their supposed proximity to the host of
heaven, which they worshipped. Theat
this custom was very ancient, appears
from the prohibition, Deut. xii. 2. For
imitating it, the Hebrews are frequently
reproved, Is. Ixv. 7; Jer. iii. 6; Ezek.
xviii, 11. sm2%%, being in Piel, ex-
presses the eagerness and frequency with
which the Israelites offered their idola-
trous sacrifices. They also selected groves
of oak, terebinth, etc., for purposes of
superstition and idolatry, under whore
umbraceous cover they might at once be
screened from the heat of the sun, and
indulge in lascivious practices. The
sacrifice of female virtue which was re-
quired in the religious service of the
Pheenician goddess Astarte, seems clearly
to be referred to in this and the following
verse. n>, LXX. Actin, the white
poplar, from 25, to be white.
14. Kuinoel, and others, taking x3, as
standing for stm, read the first part of
the verse interrogatively, which is not
unsupported by examples in Hebrew
usage. It seems better, however, to under-
stand it here as a simple negative, and
the meaning to be that, as the parents
and husbands indulged in the flagitious
practices here described, Jehovah would
not make examples of the females, or suf-
fer them to be punished, as if they alone
Cuar. IV.
And sacrifice with prostitutes :
HOSEA.
25
And as for the undiscerning people, they shall be overthrown.
15
Though thou, O Israel, art lewd,
Yet let not Judah be found guilty ;
Come ye not to Gilgal,
Neither go ye up to Beth-aven,
Nor use the oath, ‘ Jehovah liveth.”
were guilty; but would punish with
condign punishment their natural pro-
tectors, who not only abandoned them to
seduction, but themselves rioted in the
same wickedness. ‘Thus Munster: ‘ Du-
rissimé animadvertam in parentes et
sponsos, ut filize et sponse eorum punitze
videantur esse extra pcenam.” ‘The
transition from the second to the third
person, for the purpose of more graphi-
cally exhibiting the subject of discourse,
is not without examples. See Is. xxii.
16. The use of the separate pronoun tx,
also adds to the emphasis of the language.
“75, in Piel, strongly marks the studied
withdrawment of the Israelites from the
assembled throngs, to such places as were
devoted to scenes of impurity; while
mai, in the same conjugation, significs
in this connection, to commit lew Ee as
an act of idolatrous deyotion. Between
naz, and mya p> there seems to be this
difference, that the former were ordinary
females who prostituted themselves for
gain, but the latter those who devoted
themselves to the service of Astarte, by
offering their persons to be violated in her
pone at the sacred festivals. See Sel-
en de Diis Syris, Synt. ii. cap. 2; Her-
ne lib. i. cap. 199; Euseb. Vit. Con-
stantin. lib. iii. cap. 35; Spencer de Leg.
Heb. lib. ii. cap. 22 and 23; Lucian de
Dea Syra. Of this latter term, the mas.
DIP catamites, occurs, 1 Kings xiv.
24; xv. 12: xxil. 47; and in the ancient
boat of Job, chap. xxxvi. 14, which
shows at how very early a period such
abominations obtained. It likewise occurs
in both genders in the prohibition, Deut.
xxill. 18. To these practices the LAX.
doubtless had respect in rendering the
word τετελεσμένων, initiated. Its deri-
vation from % ap, to be sacred, consecrated,
or destined to the service of the temple,
confirms our interpretation.—wv2d ; Syr.
——— coneitavit ; Arab. ha , conyjecit
in terram aliquem, in Niph. ¢o be cast
down, overthrown, or the like. ὙΠῸ verb
occurs only here, and Proy. x. 8, 10,
where see Schultens.
15. A solemn warning to the Jewish
kingdom to beware of mixing itself up
with that of Israel in the practice of
idolatry. Here 7:4, to enans lewdness,
is again used figuratively. Eis, properly
signifies to contract guilt, oe hecome sub-
ject to its consequences. %3ba, 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
Joshua, chap. v. 15; and sacrifices were
offered there to Jehovah in those of Sam-
Welle παν. S 9. χνο 1, 99.-. mlm
process of time, however, it came to be
converted into a place of idolatrous wor-
ship, Amos iv. 4, 5; Hos. ix. 15; xii.
11. 428 m73, Beth-aven, i. 6. the house
of vanity or idols, aname given by the
minor prophets, by way of contempt, to
Bethel, i. e. the house of God, a place
sacred to true religion in the time of the
patriarchs, and the judges; but after-
wards selected by Jeroboam as the princi-
pal seat of the worship of the golden
calves, 1 Kings xii. 29, 32, 33; xii. 1;
Amos ili. 14; vil. 10,13; Jer. xlvii. 13.
It originally belonged to the tribe of Ben-
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. vil. 2, which may
have suggested the appropriation of the
name to the latter. LXX. οἶκον Ων,
reading 34s, the native name of Heli-
opolis, Aq. and Symm. οἶκον ἀνωφελῆ ;
Theod. οἶκον. ἀδικίας ; and with this the
Arab. agrees pAb λον the house
24
HOSEA.
Cuap. IV.
16 Since Israel is refractory, like a refractory heifer ;
Jehovah will now feed them, like a lamb in a large place.
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
Leave him to himself.
18 When their carousal is over they indulge in lewdness ;
Her shields are enamored of infamy.
of iniquity. Comp. Amos iy. 4; v. 5.
From the warning here given to the
Jews not to participate with the Israelites
in their idolatry, it is evident the proph-
ecy was delivered at a time when they
were comparatively free from that evil.
The prohibition not to swear by the for-
mula min? 7, respects the combination
of the divine name with those of idols, or
the profession of attachment to Jehovah,
if the persons addressed were guilty of
idolatry. Comp. Zeph. i. 5. That it
was 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
a »
yoked. Thus the Syr. -3 A225
ρ
᾿:ω. For the force of 455, comp.
Deut. xxi. 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
would be separated from those with
whom they associated in idolatrous wor-
ship, and thus be left solitary and ex-
ae as in a wilderness. The phrase
τι 3Ξ mz, to feed in a large place, is
ales here used i in a good sense, Is. xxx.
23.
17. E945 δ, Ephraim, as the most nu-
merous and powerful of the tribes, and
that in which the kingdom was estab-
lished, is put for all the ten. "5 τι, from
ἜΞΠ, to be joined, closely united, adhere
to, to be allied to by voluntary choice,
Gen. xiv. 3. In this last sense the term
is here used. The Israelites had volun-
tarily addicted themselves to the service
of idols, and thus identified themselves
with their interests. While the word
tax, tdols, suggests the idea of their
being merely the fabrication of human
labor, it also intimates the pain or sorrow
resulting from idolatry. The root has
both significations. 4t—nhan strongly
implies the obstinacy and incorrigible
character of the ten tribes, and indig-
nantly abandons them to their fate.
They are irreclaimably devoted to the
gods of the heathen: let them take their
own way, and reap the consequences of
their perverse choice. Their case is des-
perate. Comp. Jer. vii. 16; Ezek. xx,
39. Thus Tanchum, Jarchi, Kimchi.
Calvin, Tarnovius, Zanchius, Coverdale,
Drusius, Lively, Leo Juda, Pococke,
Kuinoel, Michaelis, Tingstadius, New-
come, Stuck, and Ewald. Others, as
the Targ. Jerome, Mercer, Diodati,
Grotius, Rosenmiiller, Maurer, ete., re-
gard the words as simply containing a
warning to the inhabitants of Judah to
keep aloof from, and take no part in the
idolatries of the Ephraimites. ‘The LXX.
ἔϑηκεν ἑαυτῷ σκάνδαλα, reading A325 in
the preterite, and supplying the idea of
idols from the preceding part of the
verse.
18. Before =, the particle ἘΝ, when,
is to be supplied, which in poetry, for
the sake of conciseness and energy, is
frequently omitted. For the acceptation
past, passed away, over, etc. comp. 1 Sam.
xv. 32, vem Ὁ "Ὁ. Horsley, Ewald,
and some others, are of opinion that =>
means vapid, degenerated, sour, ete., but
less aptly. The meaning is, that no
sooner were their compotations over than
they indulged in excessive lewdness.
Instead of ἘΝΞΌ, their drink, drinking
bout, one of De Rossi's MSS. has originally
read D-s34d, drunkards ; another DNS:,
their host ; and one of Kennicott’s o- NDD,
Sabeans ; but none of these variations
suits the entire construction of the verse,
The LXX. strangely, ἡρέτισε xavavatous,
which the Arab, as usual, follows. The
impurity in which, when inflamed with
Cuap. V.
HOSEA. 95
19 The wind hath bound her up in its wings,
That they may be ashamed of their sacrifices.
liquor, they indulged, was most probably
that connected with the worship of Ve-
nus. ΤῸ express the excess to which it
was carried, the verb is first put in the
infinitive absolute, and then repeated in
the finite form. 427 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, how-
ever, in three of Kennicott’s MSS. If it
did not originate in some copyist having
written the two last syllables of the pre-
ceding word over again, it must be re-
garded as having originally formed part
of that word in the reduplicate form
WAM in which, not only is the second
syllable’ ‘of the verb repeated (12n27 ms),
but the pronominal sufformative is ‘re-
tained in the middle of the word, and the
first radical (s) rejected on that account
in the reduplication. Such form is of
extremely rare occurrence: "ΉΤΟ,
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
by the ancient Jewish grammarian Abu-
walid Ibn Jannahi, as quoted by Pococke.
What confirms this view of the redupli-
cate form is the use of D-an2n, ἃ gemi-
nation somewhat resembling ‘it, by our
prophet, chap. viii. 13. The rendering
give ye, as if it were the imperative of
am, proposed by Abenezra and Kimchi,
and adopted by our transiators, is not so
suitable to the connection. Maurer;
mirifice amant ignominiam: Ewald; es
lieben lieben schmach seine Schilde.
Kuinoel very unjustifiably omits :25 in
his Heb. Text. 44>, shame, a collective
abstract noun, expressive of the infamous
acts connected with idolatrous worship.
Dr25%, shields, are tropically used for
princes, as the natural protectors of their
people, here and Ps. xlvii. 10. The femi-
nine suffix x, refers to πὸ understood ;
.the inhabitants being meant.
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 com-
bination M17 “B23, wings of the wind, is
too firmly established in Hebrew usage,
see Ps. xviii. 11; civ. 3, to allow either
of the acceptations spirit or vanity being
given to man, or that of borders to 5°33
in this place. min being of both genders,
accounts for the masculine of the verb,
and the feminine pron. affix. For mn4x,
two of De Rossi’s MSS., and the Vat.
and Alex. copies of the LXX. read πῶς,
which gives no suitable sense. In the
distant countries of the Medes, by whom
all image-worship was held in abomi-
nation, the exiles would be brought to a
due sense of the wickedness and absurd-
ity of their conduct. 4, in "03", is
used τελικῶς. Jer. xlviii. 13. Sacrvfices
are here put by synecdoche for the whole
system of idolatry in which they in-
dulged. For the reading ennayiea, of
their altars, adopted by ‘New come, there
is no authority except the Targ. and Syr.
CHAE TERN.
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 un-
blushing wickedness of the people, interspersed with denunciations of impending punish-
ment, 3-7.
The approach of the divine judgments is ordered to be proclaimed, and their
certainty declared, 8,9. The prophet then abruptly turns to the two tribes and a half
4
20
whose guilt and punishment he denounces;
HOSEA.
Cuap. V.
yet so as to show that his predictions were
chiefly directed against the northern kingdom, the rulers of which, like those of Judah,
instead of looking to Jehovah for deliverance from civil calamities, applied in vain for
foreign assistance, 10-14.
of the divine judgments.
1 Hear this, O ye priests!
The 15th verse sets forth the certainty and the beneficial effects
And hearken, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king
For the sentence is against you,
Because ye are a snare at Mispah,
And a net spread upon Tabor.
2 The apostates slaughter to excess,
But I will inflict chastisement on them all.
1. ΒΝ 55 na, house of Israel, i. 6. the
ten tribes. ° ΠΕΣ ΤΣ nv2, house of the king,
i. e, the king and his court. From the
references made to the idolatry and
punishment of Judah in this and the
following chapter; it would appear that
the king whom Hosea had specifically
in view was Pekah, the son of Remaliah ;
since it was in the reign of Ahaz, who
was contemporary with him, that idol wor-
ship was carried to such a height in that
kingdom as to call for the calamities in-
flicted upon it by the confederate forces
of Israel and Syria, as well as by the
king of Assyria. By vst ἘΞ5 is not
meant, as the Targ. interprets, followed
by Abenezra, Kimchi, Abarbanel, Pag-
ninus, Junius, Tremellius, and other:
that it belonged to them to know and
execute justice, but that the judgment
or punishment was directed against them.
They had merited it, and it was now
coming upon them. LXX. πρὸς ὑμᾶς
ἐστὶ τὸ Kpiua. Thus most Christian
expositors. m=x%, Mispah. As there
were several places of this name, some
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 tribes to idolatry, it is more
probable that he had in his eye Mispah
of Gilead, on the east of the Jordan, just
as he specifies mount Tabor to the west
of that rivere See Judges x. 17; xi. 29.
On both of these elevated positions false
worship had been established for the pur-
pose of ensnaring the inhabitants of the
adjacent regions. The means employed
to bring them over to it are compared to
the snares and nets used for catching
birds and wild beasts upon the mountains.
By metonymy, the leaders of the people
are spoken of as such nets and snares,
because of their bad example, and the
influence which they otherwise exerted
for evil.
2. mune, slaughteri ing, the infinitive
absolute, with 7 paragogic, of und, to
kill, for food or sacrifice. Here, from its
close connection with the preceding verse,
it has the latter signification. Some
think murder is meant; but this is less
likely, though the verb is also used in
this sense in other places. ἡ ΠῺΣ
lit. they deepen to slaughter, Ἶ Le. by a
peculiar idiom, they slaughter to excess,
kill an immense number of sacrificial
victims. Comp. nyo spur; Is. xxxi.
6. Bruty, apostates, the Beiioni participle
of un, to turn aside, decline from the
right way, apostatize ; as Drs, scoffers,
from ‘yb, to scoff. Comp. Ps. xl. 5,
ΞτΞ "ty, those that turn aside to false-
hood; and mrvo—nvy, Ps. ci. 3. Two or
three MSS., the edit. of Soncin., and a few
others, have Ὁ instead of Ὁ, in our text.
o> O
Syr. wader}, seduxit, ora dors
declinatio, apostasia. The idolatrous
καὶ no ms,
Cuap. V.
3 I know Ephraim,
Israel is not hid from me;
HOSEA. QT
Surely now thou committest lewdness, O Ephraim!
Israel is defiled.
4 They frame not their deeds
To return to their God ;
For a lewd spirit is within them,
And they regard not Jehovah,
5 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face ;
Therefore Israel and Ephraim shall fall through their iniquity ;
Judah also shall fall with them.
Israelites multiplied their sacrifices in
order that they might enjoy prosperity
under the protection of the deities to
whom they offered them; but Jehovah
here declares that none of them should
escape the punishment which he was
about to inflict upon them. Before "Ὁ 5}
supply nny. The ancient versions are
here greatly at fault, from their authors
haying supposed that the reference to
hunters is still continued in this verse.
3. Ephraim, as distinguished from
Israel, means the tribe of Ephraim,
from which most of the apostate kings
sprang, and in which idolatry most
abounded. By Israel the other nine
tribes are meant. As having incurred
the more aggravated guilt, the former is
here addressed in the second person.
Two of Kennicott’s MSS. indeed, and
one of De Rossi’s, originally read s275 5
and one of Kennicott’s has mon) “for
s7202, but both are, in all probability,
from the hand of correctors. ποὺ is
here used figuratively. The polluting
influence of the Ephraimites 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. nny,
now, is not without emphasis ; pointing
out the undeniable fact that they had
been the cause of the spread of idolatry.
4. The language now changes to the
plural, to express the character of the
people generally. By some Ἐπ’ ἘΣ is
construed as the nominative to 5:5, and
rendered, their deeds do not permit them,
etc. Thus the Syr. Abenezra, Drusius,
etc.; and among the moderns, Horsley,
Tingstadius. Manger, Kuinoel, Stuck,
Maurer, and Ewald. But in order to
establish this construction, we should
have to read Pasm7 or ENS 325, “ per-
mitted them,’ the accusative of the per-
son always following the verb in such
case. See Gen. xx. 6; Exod. iii. 19.
In the present instance jn2 is used in
the sense of placing, ordering, Sraming,
like psy and nw, as it is given in the
common version, and rendered by Tan-
chum, Leo Juda, Mercer, Tarnovius,
Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, Noyes, and
Hitzig. The meaning is, that the Is-
raelites did not reform, did not so regard
their wicked practices as to abandon
them and return to the pure worship of
Jehovah.
5. That 3 52% means to testify for or
against any person or thing, is obvious
from its use, Gen. xxx. 33; Job. xvi. 8.
It is properly a Judicial phrase, and re-
fers to the testimony given by a witness,
either for or against vanother, according
to circumstances. The rendering ἕο 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
17252, to his face, gives emphasis to the
phrase, openly, publicly, in such a manner
that he himself may see it, without the
adduction of further evidence. That
ἬΝ signifies pride, insolence, notwith-_
standing what Horsley asserts to the con-
trary, is sufficiently apparent from Prov.
xvi. 18, and Is, xvi. 6. I should rather
think, however, that by the term as here
used, we are to understand the objects of
which the ten tribes were proud, their
28 POS EA.
6 With their flocks and their herds,
They may go to seek Jehovah,
But they shall not find him:
He hath withdrawn from them.
7 They have proved false to Jehovah;
For they have begotten strange SE: :
Now shall a month destroy them and their portions,
splendid or magnificent idols, ete. As
Jehovah is spoken of as apn jisa, the
excellency, or boast of Jacob, Amos Viii-
7, so the idols might be called 3433
tem, the excelleney y, or proud boast of
Israci. They gloried in them as the
objects of their confidence and attach-
ment. These very gods, by their utter
impotence, bear open Ww. itness that they
could afford no help to those who trusted
in them; so that their worshippers could
not but have been convinced of their
folly, if their hearts had not become mor-
ally obscured by the practice of iniquity.
The religion itself (E253, their iniquity,)
from which they expected safety, would
prove the cause of their ruin. The words
are repeated with a similar reference
chap. vii. 10.
The concluding line of the verse con-
tains an abrupt and unexpected appli-
cation of the threatening to the Jews.
As they had suffered themselves to be
influenced by the example of the Israel-
ites, they should also share in their
punishment. The respective captivities
of both are here threatened. On com-
paring this threatening with chap. iv. 16,
it appears to have been delivered at a
period considerably subsequent to that
which is there spoken of, when the evils
of idolatry had made some progress in the
southern kingdom. To express more
strongly the certainty of the event, the
verb $¢> is put in the preterite; whereas
it had simply been used in the future
ἘΞ 9.2.5, in reference to the Israelites.
6. ‘The idolaters are here told that
though in the hour of calamity they
might bring their flocks and herds as
propitiatory sacrifices to Jehovah in order
to avert the punishment, it would be
altogether in vain. 4$h signifies to draw
or put off any person or thing, to
withdraw one’s self. Comp. the Arab,
vedas, salvus evasit, progressus est,
and s, extraxit, exuit. Pococke’s
Arab. MS. ‘has XS yn0 ol> xh}
» God hath withdrawn his help
JSrom them. The Israelites and Jews
could 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 ἘΠῚ Στ ob, and
Dr252T 23, lewd children, chap. i. 2'9/iis
4. ott, strange, foreign, is selected in
order to show that the idolatry was the
result of intercourse with foreigners. The
verb 733, to act unfaithfully, is also used
of the breach of the matrimonial cove-
nant, Jer. iii. 20. This idea is expressed
in the Arab. MS. of Pococke,
| 3) avs x |, they have broken the cove-
nant of God. "55 has here the signifi-
cation of itague, and marks the conse-
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
infideles sunt, propterea liberos peregrinos
habent.” sx, now, is here to be taken
not as determining the exact point of
present time, but the speedy and certain
arrival’of the event. The term win,
month, has greatly, and, in my opinion,
very unnecessarily perplexed interpreters,
Houbigant at once cuts the knot by an
arbitrary emendation: t7nm th=s mrs,
omnino est legendum temm tes" mrss,
nune igitur absumet rubigo. We appeals
to the ἐρυσίβη of the LXX. as his author-
ity ; but ἐρυσίβη signifies mildew, with
which ΒΡ, a locust, the word he pro-
poses to substitute for τὶ in, has no manner
of affinity. That the same word which
Cuar- V.., -
_—— ee
Cuap. Υ.
8 Blow ye the horn in Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah ;
Raise a shout at Beth-aven ;
He is behind thee, O Benjamin!
9 Ephraim shall become desolate
In the day of punishment;
Among the tribes of Israel
HOSEA.
29
I have made known that which is sure,
is now in the Hebrew text was found in
it in the time of Aquila, is evident from
his rendering it veounvia. Symm. and
Theod. have μήν. Michaelis, Dathe,
Kuinoel, and Stiudlin, give to the word
the signification of the Arab. Cocks
what is new and unexpected, and explain
it of a sudden calamity. Most moderns
take it in the sense of new-moon. i. 6.
either at the feast of the new moon,
when the Israelites were assembled to
worship; or, at that time their calamities
should commence. It seems most natu-
ral to abide by the usual meaning of the
term, and consider the prophet as an-
nouncing, that within the space of one
month they should be visited with merit-
ed punishment. The calamity pre-
dicted seems to have been that occasioned
by the invasion of Tiglath-pileser, who
ravaged the country, and carried into
captivity the tribes of Reuben and Gad,
the half-tribe of Manasseh, and that of
Naphtali, besides the inhabitants of
several cities in other parts of the
country, 2 Kings xv. 29; 1 Chron. v. 26.
That Judah also suffered on this occasion,
see 2 Chron. xxviii. 19-21. Ἐπ Ἐπ
their portions, are commonly interpreted
to mean their possessions or property }
but I should rather think the prophet
has in view their idols, whom they re-
garded as the authors of their possessions
and enjoyments. See Is. lvii. 6, and my
Comm. on that verse.
8. An alarm is ordered to be given to
the southern kingdom of the approach of
theenemy. The yerse intimately coheres
with the foregoing, and is not to be taken
for the commencement of a new proph-
ecy. as Jerome, Abarbanel, Michaelis,
Dathe, Manger, and others, suppose.
The difference between the “54% and the
ma ssh seems to be, that the former was
the: same as the 4p, orn, being made
of the curved horn Sf anna eae vi.
5,6, 8: Arab:
nibus instructus; whereas, the latter
was made of metal, such as the two silver
trumpets which were employed for con-
voking the congregation, Numb. x. 2;
from τ Π, Arab.
, Uituus forami-
, in angustiam
redegit ; angusto pectore preditus fuit.
Gesenius considers the word to be an
onomatopoetic, imitating the broken
pulse-like sound of the trumpet, (d¢zot-
zérah,) like the Latin taratantara, and
the German ¢trarara. Their shape and
size may be seen in the representations
of the arch of Titus. Comp. Jer. iv. 5;
Joel ii. 1; Hos. viii. 1. The LXX. ren-
der nya, Gibeah, and 725, Ramah,
τοὺς βουνοὺς and τῶν ὑψηλῶν, as if heights
or elevated places in general were meant 5
but they are to be taken as proper names,
just as Beth-aven and Benjamin are.
They both lay in the tribe of Benjamin,
see on Is. x. 29, as did also Bethel, here
called Beth-aven. See on chap. iv. 15.
Before πὰ subaud. aréx, the enemy
“εἷς behind thee,” i. 6. close upon thee.
The fifth Greek version has κατὰ νότου
σοῦ, to the south of thee ; but if the local
signification were at all admissible, the
west is the only sense in which the word
could be understood.
9. Having apprised the Jews of the
danger with which they were threatened,
the prophet returns to describe the ca-
lamity which was to be inflicted upon
the ten tribes; and in the course of the
following verses directs his discourse to
the two kingdoms alternately. The
nominative to mn is y7s, implied in
pres: —rnsin, ‘primarily means proof
80
HOSEA.
σαν Vo
10 The rulers of Judah are like those who remove the boundary;
I will pour out my wrath upon them like water,
11. Ephraim is oppressed,
' He is crushed in judgment ;
Because he consented,
He followed the order.
12 I am as a moth to Ephraim,
And as rottenness to the house of Judah.
13 And Ephraim saw his gckness,
And Judah his wound;
or demonstration, from 3, to be before
one, be clear, obvious ; in Hiph. to place
before one in the way of evidence, con-
vince, convict, and then rebuke, chastise,
punish. The word is synonymous with
θη, ver. 2. The latter hemistich of
the verse shows that the ten tribes were
the scene of the prophet’s ministry.
TIEN, the feminine used for the neuter.
“10: ‘By the “princes” or ‘rulers of
Judah,” king Ahaz and his courtiers are
intended. For bang "ΔΓ Θ25, comp.
Deut. xxvii. 17; "τι bros 37072 ANNs
Proy. xxii. 28; xxiii. 10; Job xxiv. 2.
It was reckoned a flagrant offence to re-
move the marks by which the divisions
of property were defined. The language
seems to have become proverbial to desig
nate unprincipled conduct. What the
prophet here reprobates appears to be the
means adopted by Ahaz and his sup-
porters to introduce idolatry into Judah.
See 2 Kings xvi. 10-18. If the > be
regarded as the Caph veritatis, it will
“ strongly express the fact that these
princes had actually removed the bound-
aries which separated the true religion
from the false. Divine judgments | are
frequently compared to the overflowing
of water irom a river. , to pour out,
expresses the fulness of their infliction.
Comp. Zeph. ili. 8. 429, prop. effer-
vescence, flowing over, also denotes the
greatness of the punishment.
11, Dew 2 vise, the genitive of cause,
broken in pieces by the judgment, or pun-
ishment inflicted. 4: refers not to any
divine commandment, but to the order
issued by Jeroboam to worship the golden
calves, 1 Kings xii. 28-33. Such an
order his subjects were bound by higher
FEW
authority to have resisted; but they
readily complied with it, and thus became
prepared to indulge in all the gross idol-
atries to which this worship proved the
introduction. From the circumstance
that the LXX. have rendered the pas-
sage ὀπίσω τῶν ματαίων, after vanities,
it has been conjectured that they read
sig instead of +3 5 but it is more likely
they intended to give the sense of the
whole, rather fee the signification of
this particular word. They are followed
by both the Syriac 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 renders sordes,
pointing the word 4x, and regarding it
as merely a contracted form of Nis
or ANS, filthiness.
12. The reference ἴῃ ὃν, Arab. Xie»
moth, is to the consumption of garments,
Ps, xxxix. 12; Is. 1.9; in ap >, rotten-
ness, to that of wood. See Job xiii. 28,
where both words occur together as here.
The LXX. freely render the former by
ταραχή, the latter by κέντρον. The
meaning is not that God was regarded
as the moth and rottenness, ὃν e. with
disgust; but that he was the author of
those judgments by which the idolaters
should be consumed.
13. msn, ἕο see, has here the sense of
feeling, experiencing, as in the phrases
to see life, death, good, evil, etc. “572, lit.
a bandage, from “33, to compress, bind as
a wound, see Is. i. 6; hence, as here, ὦ
bandaged wound, corresponding to "Ἐπ,
sickness, disease, in the other member of
the parallelism. For the use of such
metaphors in application to the state of
Car. V.
HOSEA.
31
Then Ephraim went to Assyria;
He sent to the hostile king ;
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 rescue.
15 I will depart, I will return to my place,
Till they suffer punishment ;
political affairs, comp. Is. i. 5, 6, iti. 7;
Hos. vi. 1, vi. 1. After moves, Saqntes
as its nominative, "1:71: Judah, from
the preceding part of the verse, which
forms an alternate quatrain; the third
line connecting with the first, and the
fourth with the. second. 277 is not a
proper name, but an appellative, signi-
fying one who contends, is contentious,
hostile ; from a>, fo strive with, quarrel,
contend. The form is the apocopated
future, and is contracted for 535} "ws,
he that acts hostilely. Tanchum (Xe
lx, the king that
Comp. 299259, Jovartb, Neh. xi. ὅ. Aq.
δικαζόμενον: Symm. ἔκδικον, Or ἐκδικη-
τήν; Theod. κρίτην. Jerome, ad regem
ultorem. De Wette, Der kénig der
vachen soll. That the king of Assyria is
meant there can be no doubt. Seechap.
x. 6. He was ever ready to mix himself
up with the affairs of neighboring states,
in order to extend or consolidate his
gigantic empire, and was justly regarded
by the Hebrews as their most powerful
adversary. The application made by the
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 purpose of en-
gaging him on his behalf, 2 Kings xv.
19. But this alliance proved.of no real
value; for the subsidy was raised by op-
pression, and in the course of the fol-
lowing reign, Tiglath-pileser invaded and
depopulated great part of the country,
ver. 29. The embassy from the king-
dom of Judah was that sent by Ahaz to
Tiglath-pileser, when attacked by the
united kings of Syria and Israel, 2 Kings
contended.
xvi. 7,8; 2 Chron. xxvii. 21. mma as
a verb, occurs only in this place; but a
noun derived from it is used Proy. vii.
22, in the sense of healing. If we may
-
judge from the Syr. Jon, recedere,
Sugere, Aph. liberare, it properly signifies
to remove, relieve, and so with respect to
a wound, to heal. LXX. ov μή διαπαύσῃ 5
m v °
Syr. Seta) to, neque sanabit.
14. No effort to recover a state of pros-
perity while the anger of Jehovah was
excited against them, could possibly suc-
ceed. Su, the black lion, and 72>,
the young lion, are frequently employed
to convey the ideas of strength and feroc-
ity, Ps. xci. 13. The reduplication 3s
"28 is, as usual, emphatic. Comp. Is,
xliti. 25; xlviii. 15. rey, prey, is un-
derstood τες Ὁ and ἈΏ3-
15. As God’s coming to a people, and
being with them, implies their experi-
encing efficient protection and aid, so his
withdrawment of his presence implies the
deprivation of these blessings. tw, like
many other verbs, has a sensus pregnans ;
conveying not only the idea of contracting
guilt, but of suffering tts consequences.
The latter idea seems clearly to be con-
veyed in this passage. The Rabbins, in-
deed, and after them, Glassius, and many
others, attempt to attach to the verb the
superadded signification of acknowledging,
which is that ‘adopted by our translators ;
but it is by no means supported by Lev.
iv. 22; v.5; Zech. xi. 5; the passages
nsually adduced in proof. “p25 Ups,
to seek the face of any one, means to
strive to obtain his favor. See 1 Kings
92
Then will they seek my face:
HOSEA.
Cuar. VI.
When they are in trouble, they will’seek me early.
x. 24; Prov. xxix. 26. The phrase
occurs very frequently in the Psalms, in
reference to application to Jehovah in
prayer. Comp. Dan. ix. 3. “hv. is
synonymous with tps, but is only used
in poetic diction.
CHAPTER VI.
The nation, in both its divisions, is here introduced as taking up language suitable to the cir-
cumstances 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 de-
nunciation of punishment is directed against the Jews, who flattered themselves with the
hope that whatever might befall the northern tribes, no calamity would happen to them.
Com, let us return to Jehovah,
For he hath torn, but he will heal us;
He hath smitten, but he will bind us up.
1, 2. It has been disputed whether
these words be those of the prophet ex-
horting his countrymen to repent and
turn to God, or whether they are to be
regarded as employed by themselves to
give expression to their feelings of peni-
tence, their confidence in God for de-
liverance from punishment, and their
resolutions of amendment for the future.
The latter appears, from the bearing οὔ"
ver. 5, to be the preferable interpretation.
The intimate connection of the words
with the preceding context, and the repe-
tition, in part, of 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 inserting a
He will restore us to life after two days:
word corresponding to siex; though it
is not found in any Heb. MSS. From
the apparent agreement of the language
of ver. 2, with the circumstances of time
connected with the death and resurrection
of our Saviour, many interpreters, as
Lactantius, Tertullian, Origen, Jerome,
Augustine, Luther, Gcolampadius, Mer-
cer, Riberus, Tarnovius, Hammond, ete.,
have maintained that it is to these respect
is had in the prophecy. I fully concur,
however, in the judicious remarks of
Calvin on this interpretation, “ Sed sensus
ille videtur mihi nimium argutus. Et
semper hoc spectandum est nobis, ne
volitemus in aére; placent arguts specu-
lationes primo intuitu, sed postea evanes-
cunt. Ergo quisquis volet proficere in
Scripturis, semper hane regulam teneat,
ut solidum sit quicquid colligit sive in
Guar. Vi,
HOSEA. 33
On the third day he will raise us up,
And we shall live before him.
8. Then we shall know, we shall strive to know Jehovah:
Like the dawn, his going forth is fixed.
Yea, he will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter rain, which watereth the earth.
prophetis, sive in Apostolis.” The exe-
gesis of Grotius, Horsley, and many
others, who regard the words as primarily
applicable to the Jews, and secondarily,
or allusively, to the resurrection of Christ,
is equally unsatisfactory. The simple
meaning of the passage is, that on their
conversion from the service of idols to
that of Jehovah, the Hebrews should ex-
perience the removal of the national
calamities with which they had been
visited ; the nation which had been re-
duced to a state of political death would
be resuscitated, and enjoy a renewal of
its former prosperity. From the meta-
phor 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-
pated condition in a more striking light.
For the use of the latter metaphor in
application to the national affairs of the
Jews, see Is. xxvi. 19; Ezek. xxxvii. 1-
14. *g-ben bea, on the third day, is
expletive of 21251, after days, i. e. two
days; LXX. μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας. That a
short period is meant, appears from two
and two three being used to denote a few,
or very few, 1 Kings xvii. 12; Is. vii. 21,
xvii. 6. Comp. Luke xiii. 32, 88. The
afflicted Hebrews confidently hoped that
their punishment would be of brief dura-
tion, and that God would assuredly
restore them to the enjoyment of his
favor. Such enjoyment is expressed by
living 1°2£5, before him, experiencing
his presence and blessing. The phrase
contrasts with that employed chap. v. 15,
and indicates the result of “25 pz,
there predicted.
8. In meth HET Στ: there is a
rise from a resolution simply to acquire a
true knowledge of Jehovah, to a determi-
nation to make such knowledge the
object of earnest and unwearied pursuit.
ὄ
The = of the elongated futures marks
this bent or inclination of mind. To
separate the verbs, and connect the former
with the preceding verse, as Horsley
does, would quite destroy the force of the
prophet’s language. At the same time
the ἡ at the beginning of the verse is
inferential, intimating that what follows
would be the result of the divine inter-
position on behalf of the Hebrew people.
Some few MSS. insert ἡ" before -=353.
“122, to be fixed, established, certain.
As certain and delightful as the dawn of
the morning would be the coming forth
of the favor of Jehovah after the dark
night of adversity. This beautiful meta-
phor is taken from the sunrise. See, fer
such application of ssi, Ps. xix. 7.
The other images were peculiarly appro-
priate in Palestine, where rain falls sel-
dom, except in spring and autumn. At
these seasons it is heavy, and” greatly
contributes to the fertility of the soil, on
which account its bestowment was re-
garded as among the most necessary of
temporal blessings, and its absence a
source of awful calamity. The former,
commonly called m59, or min, the
darting rain, from the root τινι 175 to dart,
cast, etc.; here pxinm, the rain, by way
of eminence; the hea, violent rain, as
the word properly signifies. It falls
from the middle of Getsher till about the
middle of December, and is called the
early or former rain. LXX. ὑετὸς
mpéiuos, because the Jews commenced
their year at that time. It prepares the
ground for the reception of the seed.
ΓΝ ΤῸ» the datter rain, LXX. ὑετὸς
ὄψιμος, falls in the latter half of February
and during the months of March and
April, just before the harvest; from
which circumstance it receives its name
—r, signifying to gather or collect, the
late fruit. Comp. uz, to collect, Syr.
91
HOSEA.
Cuap. VL
4 What shall I do to thee, Ὁ Ephraim!
What shall I do to thee, O Judah!
For your goodness is like the morning cloud,
And like the dew which early departeth.
5 For this cause I have hewed them by the prophets,
I have slain them by the words of my mouth:
Thy judgments went forth like the lightning.
6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice ;
And the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.
°
Lach, serotinus. Before m34° supply
“ER.
“4. That the declarations contained in
the preceding verses are not to be viewed
as divine promises, but express the hopes
and resolutions of the afflicted Hebrews,
appears from the affecting expostulations
here addressed to them, and the descrip-
tion of the temporary and evanescent
character of their boasted reformation.
Like a tender parent who is anxious, if
possible, to reclaim a wayward child, Je-
hovah asks what other means could possi-
bly be employed for the recovery of his
rebellious people. They had been tried
both with mercies and judgments, but
without effect. Comp. Is. v. 4-7. 705
properly means kindness, benignity, mer-
cy; here piety, religion, as Is. xl. 6.
> > Ρ
Syr. encased, your goodness ; Po-
cocke’s Arab. MS. id, your relig-
ton. Theodoret not inaptly gives the
meaning thus: ἡἣ map’ ὑμῶν γενομένη
μεταμέλεια πρόσκαιρος ἐστι, καὶ οὐ διαρκής.
In Palestine, and other countries of the
same latitude, the dense clouds which
cover the heavens during the morning are
all gone by nine or ten o'clock; and the
dews, however copious, early disappear.
Ὁ Ξ,52 is here, as frequently, to be taken
adverbially ; early, in the morning. -As
the cognate Ethiop. Mn: signifies
to carry ὦ burden, and beasts of burden
are usually loaded in the morning, the
Hebrew t=% came in Hiphil to signify
the doing of any thing at an early hour.
5h is not to be construed with ἘΞ Ὁ ΤΊ,
but with bx. ἣν ὦ
5. The severity of the threatenings
communicated through the instrumen-
tality 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 "masn supply Ὁ or Dnk-
To make the pronominal affixes agree,
the LXX. Syr. and Targ. read "ve,
“my judgments,” and so likewise Dathe,
Kuinoel, Boeckel, Newcome, Boothroyd,
and Ewald, instead of J Ez, “thy
judgments.” Vulg. judicia tua. Hexap.
Syr. ~~ jasc. There is no variety
in the MSS., except that one of Kenni-
cott’s, and originally one of De Rossi’s,
have usw, “thy judgment,” in the
singular.’ "The reference of the affix is
to 33, ver. 4; and the meaning is, the
judgments which belong to thee, which
thou deservedst, and which were inflicted
upon thee. The genitive is that of object.
Comp. Fue%%, 1 Kings xx. 40; muEdn,
Jer. li. 9; and especially j~uEz%2, Zeph.
iii, 15. Thus Lyranus: “pone tibi
inferende.”” wsx>, though future, is
modified by the preceding preterite, and
is to be rendered accordingly. 4s has
here the sense of dightning, as in Job
xxxvii. 8, 15. The LXX. Syr. Targ.
and Arab. supply > before sss. Sudden
and awful as the lightning were the in-
flictions of merited punishment upon the
idolatrous Hebrews.
6. "ohm means here ἔγχε piety, of which
mercy or charity is only a branch. ΤΣ Ἢ
prrts corresponding to it in the second
member of the verse, likewise means ὦ
practical knowledge of God, in opposition
to that which is merely speculative.
Comp. Jer, xxii. 16. The present is one
Cuap. VI.
HOSEA.
30
7 But they are like men that break a covenant :
There they proved false to me.
8 As for Gilead, it is a city of evil-doers;
Marked with footsteps of blood.
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, 1. 8-23;
Mic. vi. 6-8. Comp. Matt. ix. 13.
xii. 7.
7. Translators and commentators have
been greatly divided respecting the pre-
cise meaning of ἘΠ as occurring in this
passage. Some, as Jarchi, Jerome, Leo
Juda, Castalio, Grotius, Clarius, Manger,
Tingstadius, Newcome, Rosenmiller,
Boothroyd, and Stuck, regard it as a
proper name, and suppose the reference
to be to the conduct of Adam in trans-
gressing the divine commandment ; while
Kimchi, Munster, Vatablus, Tremellius,
Beza, Drusius, Lively, Calvin, Rivetus,
Piscator, Zanchius, Gcolampadius, Mer-
cer, Lowth, De Wette, Maurer, Hitzig,
Ewald, etc., take it to be an appellative,
and interpret the passage of the treach-
erous violation of contracts among man-
kind. In favor of the former view, it is
alleged, that it places the guilt of the Is-
raelites in a much more aggravated light ;
and Job xxxi. 33, Ps. Ixxxii. 7, are ap-
pealed to in proof of a similar allusion.
It is, however, very doubtful whether
there be any such allusion in these pas-
sages; and as to the force of the com-
parison, it seems sufficiently supplied by
supposing men in general to be under-
stood, who break the engagements into
which they have entered with each other.
The Israelites had treated God as if he
had been one of themselves, and as if the
sanctions of his covenant were as little
to be regarded as those of ordinary con-
tracts were by men of unprincipled char-
acter. If we except the three passages
in question, it is universally admitted
that there is no other, after the first chap-
ters of Genesis, in which ἘΠῚ is used as
a proper name, or in which any reference
is made to our first parent. The abso-
lute and indefinite form too in which
m=" occurs, (comp. on the other hand
sna, “my covenant,” chap. viii. 1,)
shows, that both this noun and the pre-
ceding verb ἈΞ 5» stand in immediate
relation to Das, which, as very frequently,
is a collective, and is thus used instead
of a plural, which it nowhere exhibits.
It may also be objected to the first men-
tioned interpretation, that nowhere in
Scripture is God said to have entered
into a τ 3, or covenant with Adam.
The obligations under which he was
placed are represented as those of a
13%, command or interdict, rather than
any of a federal nature. Ὁ TN3, like
Edom, the reading proposed by Michaelis,
has found no supporters. Before s27,
supply “ts, of which there is Cane
an ellipsis in Hebrew poetry. See Nol-
dius, p. 103.— ty, there, points graphi-
cally to the northern or Israelitish king-
dom as the principal scene of idolatrous
defection, and anticipates the regions
more specifically referred to in the two
following verses.
8. nba, Gilead, is the nominative ab-
solute, ‘and is here the designation of a
city, in all probability Ramoth-Gilead,
the metropolis of the mountainous region
beyond Jordan, and south of the river
Jabbok, known by the name of Gilead,
Josh. xxi. 38; 1 Kings iv. 13. It was
here that Jacob and Laban entered into
a solemn covenant with each other, Gen-
xxxi»21, 23, 25. Burckhardt found
ruins of cities on two mountains in that
region, still known by the names of
Djebel, Djelaid, and Djelatid, one or
other of which may have been that here
mentioned. It was one of the cities of
refuge, Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 8; but
appears from the present passage to have
afterwards become notorious for idolatry
and bloodshed. Some would restrict
728 “bz 5 to idolaters, in imitation of the
LXX. who render ἐργαζομένη μάταια:
but it seems better to take the phrase in
its more enlarged meaning, as including
all manner ag wickedness. Of this
indeed, idolatry has ever Been found to
be the fruitful parent. Various expla-
9
6 : HOSEA.
Cuar. VI.
9 As troops of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So is the association of priests:
They commit murder in the way to Shechem ;
Yea, they practise deliberate crime.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen what is horrifying ;
There is the lewdness of Ephraim ;
Israel is polluted :
11
nations of 37 Σ have been advanced ; but
the simplest is that which regards it as
signifying traced, from 273, the heel, step,
print of the foot, and describing the marks
or traces of blood left by the feet of the
murderers who resided there. Syr.
2 tot ρ οι
[ora Usdrso, stained with blood.
Jewish Span. immunda de sangre. To
what historical facts the prophet refers
we have no information, except perhaps
that contained in 2 Kings xv. 25, from
which it appears that fifty of the inhab-
itants of Gilead were implicated in the
regicidal conspiracy against Pekahiah.
9. mow, Shechem, was another city of
refuge, situated between Ebal and Ge-
rizim. It still exists under the name of
1.91.5, Nabloos, and has, from v
(Uys ery
ancient times been the seat of the
religious community of the Samaritans.
Having been for a time the residence of
Jeroboam, 1 Kings xii. 25, its inhabitants
becam@ so corrupted, that the priests
resident there banded together, waylaid,
and murdered With impunity the persons
who were fleeing to the asylum for refuge.
The 5 in πεν is that of direction, and
connects in sense with 47. The inter-
position of the verb ἘΠῚ Ὁ between these
two nouns occasions no difficulty, since
we have instances of nouns in construction
being separated. See Gen. vii. 6; Is.
xix. 8; Hos. xiv. 8. Our common ver-
sion, and many others, following the
Targ. tn 4m, one shoulder, translate
mas, with one consent, which well suits
the connection; but is not borne out by
Hebrew usage — the term occurring but
once, Zeph. iii. 7, in this metaphorical
acceptation, and then not m2 as here,
but tmx ἘΞ. 72M is generally consid-
Also for thee, O Judah! a harvest is appointed,
ered to be an imitation of the Chaldee
form of the Infin. in Piel, from =5n, to
wait, lie in wait for ; but it seems more
likely to be the abbreviated form of the
Piel Participle "5 12, the x being dropped,
as in 23%, Eccles. iv. 2, and in several
instances of the Pual Participles. See
Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 316. wx "5. will
thus form the genitive of object. ‘Three
MSS. substitute π for 5; and instead of
the prepositive >, three MSS. and three
printed editions read 3.. Before -2an
pe: there is an ellipsis of 42, corres-
ponding to 5 in *=2.— 757 is used to
denote presumptuous or deliberate wicked-
ness, from ἘῸΤ; Arab. » proposuit
sibi, to form a purpose, lay a deliberate
plan of action; chiefly employed in a bad
sense. LXX. ἀνομία. Hitzig, Unthat.
10. maqansy, LXX. φρικώδη, occurs
under the forms τι}. Ὁ and ΣΡ Σ Ὁ,
Jer. v. 30, xxiii. 14, xviii. 18. It is ex-
plained immediately after of the atrocious
idolatry which, through the influence of
the tribe of Ephraim, had spread itself
over the whole kingdom of Israel.
11. For the various interpretations
which have been given of this verse see
Tarnovius or Pococke. Ewald is the
only modern that adopts branch as the
rendering of ὍΣ Ὁ» as Kimchi proposed,
and explains it of the introduction of
idolatry into Judah. How Horsley could
assert that Aarvest is used in a good
sense, as an image of the ingathering of
the people of God, is inconceivable. See
Jer. li. 33; Joel iii. 13; Rev. xiv. 15-20.
Nowhere in prophecy does it appear to
be used in this sense. In all probability,
the punishment predicted is that recorded,
2 Chron, xxviii. 6-8. nd is here used
impersonally. Instead of 5, four MSS.
originally two more, the Targ. and two
Cuap. VII.
old editions, read md. The words "3:5
“ay ranw have no meaning, if con-
nected with the preceding, which form a
concise apostrophical warning to the
Jewish kingdom. They must, therefore,
HOSEA. t
37
be transferred to the following context,
with which they will be found to be in
harmony. Thus Moerlius, Michaelis,
Jahn, Eichhorn, Kuinoel, Stuck, De
Wette, and Boothroyd, divide.
CHAPTER VII.
The prophet continues his description of the wickedness of the ten tribes.
Regardless of Je-
hovah, 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
licenticusness, 4-7. The murder of their kings successively is predicted, and their hardi-
hood and folly are 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,
1 Wuen I reversed the captivity of my people,
When 1 healed Israel,
Tien was the iniquity of Ephraim revealed,
And the wicked deeds of Samaria ;
For they practised deceit ;
The thief entered,
And the banditti plundered in the street.
2 And they considered not in their heart,
1. Some would render mag awa
"ay, “When I again lead my people
into captivity ;” but altogether contrary
to the established usage of the language.
See Deut. xxx. 3; Ps. xiv. 7; Jer. xxxi.
23; Zeph. iii. 20. The words are ex-
plained by the following ty4v75 "ΑΞ 5,
when I heal Israel. 5 and > frequently
alternate with each other, when used of
the time at which any thing is done.
The restoration here mentioned is in all
probability that of the two hundred
thousand Jewish captives, to which refer-
ence is made 2 Chron. xxviii. 8-15. The
conduct of the Israelitish rulers upon that
occasion held out some hope of improve-
ment in the character of the nation, and
a consequent change in the Divine con-
duct towards it; and this expectation
was confirmed by a temporary cessation
of the judgments of God, during which
they might be said to have been healed ;
but it was soon entirely frustrated by
the open increase of wickedness among
them. 553321 has the force of then, on
the contrar ‘Ys ‘become more manifest, ete.
For Samaria, see on Is. xxviii. 1. Being
the metropolis of the ten tribes, it was
the head spring of that corruption of
manners which overspread the kingdom.
ΝΞ" and yan <= describe the acts of
violence that were committed by breaking
into and plundering private houses, and
those which were perpetrated on persons
in the streets. The reference is not to
foreign enemies, as Horsley and others
expound, but to lawless Israelites.
2. For the phrase 353-728, comp. the
98
HOSEA.
Cuar. VIL
That I remembered all their wickedness:
Now their deeds encompass them ;
They are before my face.
3 With their wickedness they cheer the king,
And with their falsehoods the princes.
4 They are all adulterers ;
They are like an oven, heated by the baker ;
Who resteth from heating it,
From the time he kneadeth the dough,
Until it be leavened.
5 On the day of our king,
Jk, and = Jb
χυκὰδι and our, say to one’s self. Ps.
xiv. 1, ef freg. Instead of pasts, the
form exhibited in the printed text, “to
their heart,” ten MSS., originally seven
more, now one, perhaps another, and the
Complut. Bible, read t2ad3, “in their
heart.” One of De Rossi’s MSS. states
in the margin that the latter reading is
found in other copies. It is also sup-
ported by the Syr. Vulg. Targ. and
Arab. versions. Both forms describe in-
ternal or mental conversation, only Ὁ
indicates an endeavor to persuade. So
far were the persons spoken of from
bringing themselves to act on the con-
viction, that God was privy to their
wicked deeds, that, they evinced the con-
trary disposition. Still, however, the
phrase may best be rendered by think,
consider, or the like. To the words
Ἐπ᾿ ΟΣ biaao, two interpretations
have been given. They either mean,
that the evil practices of the Israelites
crowded round them as so many causes
of punishment, as enemies surround and
shut up the object of their attack; or,
that they crowded about them as so
many witnesses to reveal the wickedness
of their character. The latter would
seem, from the following words, to be the
true meaning.
8. Their rulers, instead of repressing,
took delight in the immoral and irre-
ligious conduct of the people.
4. In this connection, ἘΠ Ὲ δ ΣῚ2 is to be
taken in its literal signification. Comp.
Jer. ix. 1, xxiii. 10. For the conjecture
of Stuck, that the word was originally
Arab. x3
npr, baked or cooked, there is no
foundation. To place the violent and
incontinent character of their lust in
the strongest light, thé prophet compares
it to a baker’s oven, which he raises to
such a degree of heat, that he only re-
quires to omit feeding it during the short
period of the fermentation of the bread.
Such was the libidinous character of the
Israelites, that their impure indulgences
were subject to but slight interruptions.
Comp. ἀκαταπαύστους ἁμαρτίας, 2 Pet. ii.
14. 5495, in the feminine agrees with
sham, which is of common gender. The
latter word Gesenius derives from the
Aram, ἡ, "ἕο smoke, and "13, jire.
o> Mm
Comp. the Arab. yg43 and Syr. [301.2
Sfornaz, clibanus. The oven here referred
to is not the pitcher-oven of the Arabs,
but the larger kind, pretty much like our
own, which was, as it still is, used in
public bake-houses. "pS ΠΣΞ is
elliptical for burning, having been kindled
by the baker. Before nt2u> supply vs.
The meaning is, who eae ceaseth from
heating, ete. Most interpreters take
ΠΣ in the sense of stirring, rousing up,
etc., and apply it to the stirring of the
fire in the oyen; but it is preferable to
regard it as the part. of n>», Arab. le
?
to be hot, burning; hence in Hiph. to
cause to burn, heat, ete. Thus the LXX.
ἀπὸ τῆς φλογὸς. The interpretation from
the city, given in the Syr. Targ. and
Vulg. is altogether inappropriate. For
the feminine form of the Infin. ΣΧ ὉΠ,
Comp. brn, Ezek. xvi: 5.
5. By ΕἸ" is meant a festal day ;
either that of the king’s birth, or, as the
Cuar. VII.
HOSEA. 99
The princes are sick with the fever of wine ;
He stretcheth out his hand with the scoffers.
6 For though they approach with their heart warm as an oven,
Yet it is in their plot;
Their baker sleepeth all the night ;
In the morning it burneth like a blazing fire.
Targ. Jarchi and Kimchi give it, that of
his inauguration. The preposition 3 is
understood. Michaelis thinks the refer-
ence is to the accession of a new king to
the throne. Instead of 32>%va, our king,
twenty-two MSS. and the Syr. read
2 ΞῈ Ὁ ow kings; UXX. ἡμέραι τῶν
βασιλέων ὑμῶν. atmm is used intransi-
tively. ‘The 0p. ‘Syr. Targ. Vulg.
Abarbanel, Leo Juda, Newcome, Machines
lis, and Boothroyd, refer this verb to the
root 4m; but, not to insist on its re-
quiring in such case to be read 357 on
there is something so intolerably tame in
the rendering, “ The princes began to be
heated with wine,” that it cannot be
admitted as the language of the prophet.
Besides, nam would likewise require to
be changed into niah, which would pro-
duce an anomalous infinitive. rn, dot-
tle, less agrees with Ὁ following than
nian, heat. Comp, Arab. Res Krag.
47272 man is an instance of the construct
state with a preposition intervening be-
tween the nouns. Comp. rab ANTS,
_ Ezek. xiii. 25 Ἴλ 52 83 rmsd, igor.
and see Gesen. ee p. 679. Thew ords
mean the heat or fever produced by in-
toxication. While the courtiers thus
indulged to excess, the monarch, for-
getting his dignity, participated in their
cups, and joined in their scoffs. Because
ἘΠΕ Σ 5. occurs nowhere else, Houbigant
would have it changed into the usual
form ἘΠῚ Ὁ, most uncritically. Comp.
vp and yap. Ag. χλευαστῶν; LXX.
ce properly, λοιμῶν. The reduplicate
form is intensive, and expresses the
awfuliy profligate character of the per-
sons described.
6. I consider the prophet to be con- "
tinuing in this verse his description of
the abandoned courtiers, in imagery
borrowed from that introduced ver. 4.
In their intercourse with the monarch,
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 exe-
cution: and speedily they effected the
nefarious purpose. Were it not that all
the ancient versions render 4247 as a
verb, 1 should have been inclined to point
it 1277 r, and translate, ‘For their inward
part is like an oven; their heart is in
their plot.” Comp. $298 E°w 429733,
Jer. ix. 7. The rendering I have given,
however, equally suits the connection.
Though there is no word in the text
corresponding to ‘ warm,’’ its insertion
in the translation is fully justified by the
comparison in 4125, “ke an oven, and
the intensitive force of 25p in Piel. That
this verb ever signifies to make ready or
prepare, 1 do not find. All attempts to
justify the rendering of the LXX. and
v
Syr. ἀνεκαύϑηραν, Saws, by the con-
jectural readings sa4n, 1243, and
imp» have proved abortive. According
to the Hexapla, Symm. (Fy CD pS),
Aq. and Theod. (e509 δ -ἀδο),
read as we now do; as did likewise the
Targ. ΞΡ ΩΝ. — Ἐπὶ ‘EN, their baker,
(many MSS. and various printed editions
have © "58, which may also be regarded
as a singular form, » taking the place of
the third radical =, as in other nouns or
participles derived from verbs in “7>,)
the Tange and Syr. render 45n7537
>
OAKS}, a as if the reading were EEx,
their anger. Ἐφραὶμ, 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. "M"=s,
which Dathe proposes, and Kuinoel
40 HOSEA.
7 They all glow as an oven,
They devour their judges ;
All their kings have fallen:
Cuar. VIL
None among them calleth unto me.
8 Ephraim mixeth himself up with the nations;
Ephraim is a cake unturned.
9 Strangers devour his strength,
But he knoweth it not ;
Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon hin,
‘Yet he knoweth it not.
t
adopts into his Heb. text, nowhere occurs
in the sense, ira, furor, eorum. By
“their baker” seems to be meant the
leader of the conspiracy, whom some
suppose to be Menahem, others Shallum,
2 Kings xv. 10-15; but I should rather
infer from what is stated ver. 7, that the
prophet includes all the conspiracies which
took place in Israel. Having prepared
the rest of the conspirators, he, like the
baker, abided his time, when, of a sudden,
the plot burst forth like a flame.
7. Comp. 2 Kings xv. 053, all of
them, corresponds to £52, ver. 4: NOPD,
is the future in Kal of man, to be warm,
hot, etc. The prophet still ‘continues the
comparison, As the fire in the oven
devours the fuel, so the persons spoken
of destroyed those who were in authority.
$22 is not to be taken in the sense of fal-
ing off or apostatizing from God, as Jer-
ome, Ribera, Menochius, Tirinius, and
some others interpret, but in that of fall-
ing by the hands of murderers. This,
shox, they devour, in the preceding hemi-
stitch, shows. ‘The source of the evil,
however, lay in apostasy from Jehovah,
which had reached such a height, that
none implored the Divine aid even when
in calamity.
8. Ewald renders bbiams, veraltet,
‘‘hath become old,” which might seem
to derive some support from the latter
part of ver 9; but the verb can, with no
propriety, be referred to any other root
than dba, Arab. hits, madefecit, com-
n~ ‘4
mistus fuit, ϑγτ. Yas confudit, to
mix by pouring, mix, confound. LXX,
‘
συνεμίγνυτο. Syr. ous “δ, Targ.
JINN. Comp. Psalm cyi. 35, where
ἘΠᾺΣΞ s47N2 is similarly used of promis.
cuous intercourse with idolaters. That
such intercourse generally, including the
‘adoption of their idolatrous practices, and
not specifically the entering into leagues
with them, is meant, appears from the
following clause, in which, to express the
worthlessness of the Ephraimitish char-
acter, the people are compared to a cake,
which, from not having been turned, is
burnt, and good for nothing. The Arabs
bake their bread on the ground or hearth,
covering it with hot embers, and turning
it every ten minutes or quarter of an hour,
to prevent its being burnt. When neg-
lected it is unfit for food, and is thrown
away. Such was the state of the apos-
tate Israelites. They had corrupted
themselves, and were only fit for rejec-
tion. LXX. ἐγκρυφίας, bread baked in
hot ashes, Cyril, τῶν ἐπὶ λίϑοις ὀπτομέ-
νων ἄρτων.
9. ont, strangers, foreigners, i. 6. the
Syrians, ‘Assyrians, etc. See 2 Kings
xiii, 7; xv. 19, 20; xvi. 3-6. The
state, drawing to its close, without the
fact being observed by its citizens, is com-
pared to a person.on whose head gray
hairs begin to make their appearance,
without his becoming sensible of the ap-
proach of age.
“ Sparserit et nigras alba senecta co-
mas.” Propertius.
10-12. <A repetition of part of chap.
v. 5, which see. Though the apostate
Israelites had abundant proof of the
2 ee aEeEEEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEyEeeeeEE EEE ewe
Cuap. VII.
HOSEA.
41
10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face,
Yet they turn not to Jehovah their God,
Nor seek him for all this.
11 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:
I will chastise them,
As it hath been heard in their assembly.
13 Woe 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.
14 They cry not to me with their heart,
But howl upon their beds:
inefficieficy of their idols, yet they re-
turned not in the exercise of true repent-
ance to God, who alone could deliver
them in the hour of trouble, but formed
alliances with foreign powers in the de-
lusive hope of protection. The simplicity
of the dove is Bare tee | Thus the
baw there ts sation more ἘΉΡΙΣ
sa the dove. The word πῦρ is here,
however, used: in a bad sense, “as ab PN
without heart, i. e. without understand-
ing, shows. The point of comparison is
the inconsiderate flight of the dove from
one danger into another; from the alarm
which makes her leave her abode for the
net of the fowler. Such would be the
case with the Israelites. Jehovah had
distinctly announced to them, that for-
eign alliances would prove their ruin ;
yet they heedlessly rushed into destruc-
tion. “azy stands either for nm 9 or
“wsxb. The spreading of the net refers
to the taking of birds that are on the
ground; the bringing down, to those
that are in the air, by the use of missile
weapons. Instead of the Hiphil n-"o"s,
which occurs only here, the Soncin. edit.
of the Prophets and some few MSS.
read ©45°s_ in Piel, which may also be
interpreted “causatively. chs> says
lit. according to the report to their eer
6
bly, i. 6. the public congregations, to
which the Divine messages were delivered.
God had given them sufficient warning
by Moses and the prophets. ‘The versions
vary in rendering the last word, which
has given rise to the Eongecimiet readings
tn ass, mnbyd, and nns2d. Aq.,
however, renders, κατὰ ΠΣ τῆς συνα-
γωγῆς.
13. That 3 Ὁ ἰβ᾽ ἀοπυποίατίνο and not
plaintive, the following wz plainly shows.
7712 is often used of the flight of bird’
that wander from their nest, see Proy.
xxvii. 8; Is. xvi. 2; Jer. iv. 25; and is
here employed with reference to the silly
dove, ver. 12. The redemption from
Egypt, and that which, in numerous in-
instances, they afterwards experienced,
Jehovah adduces in aggravation of their
guilt. ‘Their preferring the service of
idols to that of the true God, was not
merely a practical denial of his all-suffi-
ciency, but a violation of the solemn
pledge which they had given of undi-
vided obedience to his law, when, as
stated, chap. vi. 1-3, they professed to
return to him.
14. When pressed down by the calam-
ities which their sins had brought upon
them, they cried to God for deliverance,
but without any genuine repentance or
sincere resolution to obey him in future.
Ἐπ ines $y, upon their beds, i. e. in the
night- season, when their anxiety pre-
42
HOSEA.
Vil.
Cuar.
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. ΡΩΝ,
the LXX. reading 31743, render κατε-
τέμνοντο, they cut themselves, supposing
that in token of grief, or like the mad-
dened priests of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 28,
they inflicted wounds upon their bodies.
This is also, in all probability, what the Syr,
7
πολϑδὸὸ
But though sttians is found in six
MSS. has been in | eight more originally,
and is the reading of two early editions,
one of which is the Soncin. of 1486, it
is not sufficiently supported to warrant
its adoption into the text. The Targ,
Abul-walid, Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi,
Munster, Piscator, Leo Juda, Junius,
Tremellius, Boothroyd, Resenmiiller,
Maurer, and Gesenius, support the text-
ual reading, and render congregate. This
decidedly agrees better with the follow-
ing “2.37207. Instead of returning to
Jehovah, the Israelites assembled before
their idols to propitiate them by sacri-
fices, in order to obtain a fruitful harvest.
Lee renders, they become withdrawn,
withdraw themselves, i. e. for idolatrous
purposes. To mark more strongly the
atrociousness of their apostasy, *2, “against
me,” is employed, instead spiova, of “from
me,” the preposition that otherwise fol-
lows "Ὁ, which is frequently used of
apostasy from God to idolatrous practices.
The whole phrase is in this case best ren-
dered by rebel against, as in our common
version.
15. “Ὁ does not signify to bind, but
to chastise or instruct, The LXX, in-
stead of rendering the last words of the
preceding verse, have ἐπαιδεύδησαν. Po-
cocke’s Arab. MSS. wool LI,. Those
whose character is here eA οἷς had
been instructed not only by words, but
translator intended by
also in a more severe manner, by the
judgments which had been inflicted upon
them; but that the former kind of in-
struction is meant, seems clear from the
phrase Bint Pin, to strengthen the arm,
i.e. toimpart strength or power for the
performance of any undertaking. Comp.
Ezek. xxx. 24, 25, where both the im-
partation and the deprivation of such
power are mentioned. What the >, evil,
or wickedness was, which they epg gitated,
is not specified; but it most likely con-
sisted in some new idolatrous alliance,
such as that with Egypt, referred to in
the next verse. LXX. πονηρὰ; Targ.
Ἴ9᾽5, evil things.
16. ΠΣ 359)» “ὁ convertunt se ad non-
summum, i. e. ad non-deum, collect. non-
deos, i. 6. ad deos fictos, vanos.’”’ Maurer.
Thus also Gesen. in voc. ἘΣ. Comp. for
the use of this idiom, Is. x. 15, note.
Hosea, who is fond of brevity, uses here
and chap. xi. 7, $y, instead of the longer
form 35*by, Most High. Kametz is used
instead of Pattach, on account of the
accent. Arab. altus, excelsus futt,
to be high in dignity. (Jl, adtus,
Pococke’s Arab. MS. in chap. xi. 7.
ee Syr- Jou} > God ;
De Rossi's MSS. ty. What the apos-
tate Israelites worshipped, so far from
being the Most High, was the direct
opposite — wood or stone, the produce of
the earth, The LXX. ᾿ἀκεῤπραξωσον
εἰς οὐδὲν, and Syr. at ἋΣ ansaid]
Sopho to the same effect, though giving
the sense rather than an exact translation.
The Latin translation of the Syr. nudla
de causa, is quite erroneous. Most mod-
erns, less aptly, take $y in its adverbial
one of
Cuar. VIL
HOSEA.
On account of the insolence of their language:
This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
acceptation, and render, they return not
upwards ; which yields, however, nearly
the same meaning. Thus Rosenmiiller,
Winer, Manger, Stuck, and others. New-
come’s conjectural emendation, S-34> xs
that which cannot profit, has not -been
approved ; while the translation of Dathe,
Penitentiam agunt, sed non sinceram,
though approved by Kuinoel, Tingstadius,
and others, is not borne out by Hebrew
usage. 17709 ΡΤ some render @ slack
bow, supposing that its inutility, owing to
the absence of elasticity, is what is in-
tended ; but false or deceitful better suits
the connection, and Ps. lxxviii. 57; and
the reference is to something faulty in
the construction of the bow, which causes
it to shoot or throw out the arrow wide
of the mark. Root na, Arab. is
jecit, projecit ; to throw, shoot, etc. “There
seems no ground for the opinion of Ge-
senius, that the phrase is used poetically
for treacherous bowmen, who feign fight
in order to deceive. The Israelites hypo-
critically pretended to turn to Jehovah,
but their actions took a different direction.
Comp. ποδὶ sb, a deceitful tongue,
Ps. cxx. 2, 3. The insolence (Aq. and
Symm. ἐμβρίμησιν,) of their language
doubtless consisted in their proud boast
of Egypt as a source of protection from
the Assyrian invasion, which God was
about to bring upon them. ts2, their
derision, i. 6. the subject of derision to
the Egyptians, to whom they should in
vain apply for help. Comp. 2 Kings
xvii. 4; Is. xxx. 1-7, though the latter
passage is immediately directed against
a contemporaneous application on the
part of the Jews,
OHAPTER ’ VIII.
The prophet announces the sudden irruption of the Assyrians, 1; by whom the Israelites
were to be punished, on account of their hypocrisy and apostasy, 2, 8; their illegitimate
government, and their idolatry, 4. He then exposes the folly of their idolatrous confi-
dence, and predicts their captivity, 5-10; remonstrates with them for their devotion to
the worship of idols,
in opposition to the express and numercus
prohibitions of the evil
contained in the divine law, 11, 12; and insists that their pretended service of Jehovah,
while in reality they forgot him, so far from being of any avail to them, would only bring
destruction upon them, 13, 14.
1 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 sB% Zon—>x, to thy palate
the trumpet! are singularly abrupt, and
indicate the suddenness of the threatened
invasion. ‘4n, palate, is here, as Job
xxxi. 30, Prov. viii. 7, put for the mouth,
Comp. chap. v. 8. The LXX. (εἰς κόλ-
πον αὐτῶν, ὡς γῆ) appear to have read
44 HOSEA. Cuar. VIII.
For they have transgressed"my covenant,
They have rebelled against my law.
2 They may cry to me: “O my God;
We — Israel — acknowledge thee.”
3 Israel hath rejected what is good ;
The enemy shall pursue him.
4 They made kings, but it was not from me;
“Ey> tpn ts, which makes no sense.
The following words n47? moa7by “822,
which contain the announcement, are
equally abrupt. The point of compari-
son is the rapidity of flight for which the
eagle is celebrated, and which is fre-
quently employed to denote the speedy
approach of an enemy. Comp. Deut.
xxviii. 49; Jer. iv. 13, xlvii. 40; Lam.
iv. 19. mim nea, the house of Jehovah,
cannot here mean the temple at Jerusa-
lem, which is otherwise so designated,
since the threatenings are specially de-
nounced against the kingdom of the ten
tribes. 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.
7; Heb. iii. 2; just as the christian
church is called the house of God. 1 Tim.
iii. 15, and of Christ, Heb. iii. 6. For
‘m3 2723, comp. chap. vi. 7. The
nominative to an ay they have trans-
gressed, is rin) m3, the family, 1. 6.
the members of ‘the church, of Jehovah.
The Israelites had violated the obligations
of the theocracy. m3 and πη τ are
synonymous. ‘
2. apy isthe future used potentially
and not withirony. ὅπ Ἔν, “Ὁ my God,”
is construed as a distyibutive with the
plural verb — each of the persons spoken
of being regarded as using the language.
Inattention to this has led the Syrian
4 Ἂν»
ss O our God.
Sano, Israel, is ᾿. Sodan with
woe we acknowledge thee, and not
the nominative to we es from which it is
too far removed. It is entirely omitted
in the LXX. Syr. and Arab. as it is in
one of Kennicott’s MSS., and originally
in one of-De Rossi's bene) “7 EN O God
oP eee
translator to render,
of Israel, the conjecture of Houbigant, is
unnecessary. ‘The present position of the
word is more in keeping with the style
of Hosea, and the use of it well agrees
with the vain confidence which the un-
believing Israelites were ever prone to
place in their relation to the patriarchs.
3. mt, Arabs 33 35, corruptum fuit
et faetuit, to be corrupt, loathsome, and to
reject as such. ‘To treat as loathsome
what was truly excellent, such as the
worship of God and the practice of re-
ligion, argued an awfully depraved state
of moral feeling. The use of xy,
Israel, finely contrasts with that made
of it in the preceding verse. =t, good,
is, by Jerome, Abenezra, anche and
others, taken for God himself, who is
described as Ξ 22} 240, good and doing
good, Ps. exix. 68. Deum summum
bonum, CEcolampadius. It seems, how-
ever, to be used in a more general accep-
tation. Before 374s there is an ellipsis
of the illative y= δ, Forty-seven of De
Rossi’s MSS. and'two more by correec-
tion; eight of the most ancient, and
sixty-two other editions; the Syr. Vulg.
and Targ. read 35 πον" instead of 1575,
exhibited in the Textus Receptus. See
De Rossi’s Scholia Critica.
4. Some think the kings and princes
here referred to were Shallum, Menahem,
Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea, and such of
their partisans as were invested with au-
thority ; but from the allusions made in
the following verses to the origination of
image worship in Israel, it is more prob-
able that the entire series of Israclitish
kings and rulers is intended. Though in
the providence of God, and agreeable to
the declaration of Ahiah the prophet,
the ten tribes revolted from the house of
David, and set up a separate and inde-
Cuarv. VIII.
HOSEA.
45
They set up 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 off.
5 Thy calf, O Samaria! is abominable;
Mine anger burneth against them:
How long shall they be incapable of purity ?
6 For it came from Israel,
pendent kingdom, yet they were actuated
merely by rebellious motives, and had no
regard to a divine sanction, 1 Kings xi.
31-39, xii. 20. 977, signifies not only
to know, but also to approve of that
which is known, regard, allow, own.
Job. ix. 21, xxxiv. 4; Ps. i. 6, et freg.
ο
LXX. καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώρισαν μοι. Syr. lo
ν᾽
ies 30| and did not acquaint me, i. e.
held no communications with me upon
the subject. The Heb. however, wil not
bear this interpretation. ἢ in both cases
before s+, has the force of a relative,
which must either be adopted in transla-
tion, or the personal pronoun must be
supplied. For their conversion of their
silver and gold into idols, comp. chap.
ii. 8. 43725 does not appear ever to
be taken in a retrospective sense, and
so to be referred to what goes before, but
is always used with direct reference to
what follows. mx 422% is, therefore,
to be rendered, in order that they may be
cut off ; not so that they shall, ete. Comp.
Jer. vii. 10, xliv. 8. In all such cases
the preposition is employed to give pecu-
liar emphasis to the subject. The Israel-
ites could not seriously, or in reality, have
intended their own destruction, but they
acted as if they had; and it would as-
suredly overtake them. The nominative
to m=,>° may either be Israel, understood ;
or it may have respect to the people col-
lectively. :
5. The calf of Samaria was not any
set up in that city, but that set up at
Bethel with another at Dan, or both, if
we take the noun as a collective, which
its inhabitants, and those of the country
generally, worshipped. The metropolis
appears to be used here by synecdoche for
the whole land occupied by the ten tribes ;
but, at the same time, there can be little
doubt that its inhabitants were pre-emi-
nent in their devotion to idolatry. 1,
is used in its primary acceptation, ἕο be
loathsome, abominable. See on yer. ὃ.
Such construction is preferable to that
which would make 53» the accusative
to m2t, assuming 45> understood to be
the nominative, or that in our common
version, which makes it the nominative,
and Samaria in its pronominal reference
the accusative. The introduction of the
worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam,
in imitation of Apis, at Memphis, and
Mneyvis, at Heliopolis, which he must
have seen during his residence in Egypt,
paved the way for the imitation and
adoption of the gross idolatries practised
by the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Chal-
deans. Fin? Fs on, the anger of Je-
hovah burneth, is an anthropopathic mode
of expression of frequent occurrence in
the Hebrew Scriptures, denoting the un-
conquerable opposition of God to all moral
evil, and the severity of the punishment
with which it is visited. ἘΞ, against
them, i. e. the Israelites who worshipped
the golden calves. "8:3" Nd ὙΠ 79
“iopa, how long shall they be incapable of .
purity? i, 6. how long shall they be ob-
stinately attached_to the impure service
of idols, and reject the means by which
they might be recovered from its stain
and punishment.
6. The golden calf had its origin in Israel:
it was not made by any of the surround-
ing idolaters. The ἢ in 8171 is emphatic.
mye ΞΞῸ» shall be or become flames,
i. e. shall be burnt. ἘΠΞΞ9 is a ἅπαξ
Aey. and has no root in Heb. ; but comp.
““
the Arab λυ, accendit ignems paddies
ardor, flamma. As the calf was made
by man, so it should by man be conyerted
40
The carpenter made it ;
It is not God:
HOSEA.
Cuap.
Surely the calf of Samaria shall become flames,
7 Because they have sown wind,
They shall reap the whirlwind.
They shall have no stalk ;
The growth shall produce no grain ;
Should it peradventure produce it,
Strangers shall swallow it up.
8 Israel is swallowed up ;
They are now among the nations,
Like a vessel in which is no delight.
9 For they went up to Assyria,
Like a solitary wild ass;
Ephraim hath given the hire of love.
into fuel for the flames. It consisted, in
all probability, of wood, thickly overlaid
with gold. When taken as a present to
the king of Assyria, (see chap. x. 6,) in-
stead of being worshipped or held in
respect, it would be stripped of the gold,
and consigned to the flames. The LXX.
followed by the Arab. Horsley, and New-
combe, improperly translate "2 ts,
ἐν τῷ ᾿Ισραήλ, dof ὁ im Israel,
and join the words to those of the preced-
ing verse.
7. mne;0 is the emphatic form of
MEA, ὦ “tornado, whirlwinds Leo Juda,
magnumturbinem. Comp. ; mas, Exod.
v.16: nA, Ps, iii. 3. The nomina-
tive to “5 is Sy, understood ; but it
is best to take it collectively, in harmony
with the plural of the preceding verbs.
Observe the paronomasia in ™>2 ΠῺΣ
natn 3. The Israelites should be
unsuccessful in all their undertakings ;
and whatever partial gains they might
acquire, would be eagerly seized by the
Assyrians.
8. What Hosea had just foretold is
here realized in prophetic vision. He
sees them in a state of exile — the objects
of contempt to their oppressors. Comp.
Jer. xxii. 28.
9, 10. τὸν, to go wy, is elsewhere used
of foreigners coming to the land of Israel;
but is here employed with singular pro-
priety of the Israelites going to Assyria,
to intimate their depressed condition, and
their acknowledgment of the superiority
of the Assyrian power. ‘The reference is
not to their going into captivity, but to
the embassy which they sent for the pur-
pose of obtaining aid from that quarter.
“aos stands for m4 aux, the τι of direction
being omitted. The point of comparison
in the * wild ass” is his untractableness,
and his disposition to take his own way,
in consequence of which he forsakes the
society of others, and loves the solitari-
ness of the desert. See Job xxxix. 5-8.
Thus it was with Israel. Despite of all
the councils and warnings given them
by the prophets, they persisted in enter-
ing into foreign alliances. 2m, to give
presents, hire, ete. is purposely chosen, to
convey the idea οὗ a violation of the
marriage contract by unlawful commerce
with another party—the derivatives
7208 and mans, properly denoting a gift
or reward given to a whore. See on |
chap. ii. 12, The aggravation of the
evil is signified by representing the female
as offering these rewards to her paramours
to induce them to commit lewdness, in-
stead of her being prevailed upon by
presents made hy them. Comp. Ezek.
xvi. 33, 34. Though in Hiphil, the
verb has here the same signification as in
,.
Cuap. VIII.
HOSEA,
AT
10 Yet though they have hired among the nations,
I will now gather them ;
And they shall suffer in a little
By reason of the tribute of the king of princes. ᾿
ΤΙ
Kal. ἘΠΞπ δ, lit. Zoves, a plural not in
use in English. Jerome, who renders,
numera ΕΣ amatoribus, either read
pans which is found in one of De
Rossi’s MSS., or he took Doan SN ina
concrete sense, aS our translators appear
to have done, for which there is no neces-
sity. Instead of 2m» at the beginning
of ver. 10, two of De Rossi’s MSS. the
LXX. Syr. Vulg. Targ. and Arab, read
ams, as if from 1.23; according to which,
the Israelites are represented as delivered
over to, or placed in the power of the
nations. The fifth Greek-yersion, how-
ever, has ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν μισϑώσηται ἔϑνη,
which is preferable, as it is most likely
that the prophet repeated the verb he had
just used, and as the other rendering is
less suited to the connection. ΤΙΣ, now,
i. e. shortly. Comp. bp =) immediately
after. The suffix in DEAS s, 41 will
collect them,” belongs to pian, the na-
tions, and not to the nominative to aan,
or the Israelites. ‘yap is used in Piel in
a bad as well as in a good sense. Comp.
Ezek. xvi. 87. Thus Kimchi and Abar-
banel. 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 suffering, 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. py jb New ὭΣ adn
has been Saray interpreted. ‘Gesenius
renders, ‘and they (the hostile nations, )
shall presently set them free from the
burden of the king, i. e. from his oppres-
sive yoke;” but without any suitable sense
— the whole passage being of a commin-
atory nature, and not promissory of good.
$nn, the Hiph. of $4n, 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-
When Ephraim multiplied altars to sin,
struing it with wy, as if the latter word
were the infinitive of the verb D3, to
be diminished. 'The ancient versions refer
to sn, as the root, in the sense of wait-
ing, desisting from, etc. LXX. κοπά-
Theod. δια-
σουσι. Symm. μενοῦσιν.
λείψουσι. Syr. ΣΝ “Δ Vulg. quies-
cent. And in this reference I concur,
especially as ten MSS. and forty-four
editions, read 335 155 without the Dagesh
in the Lamed ; only I would abide Ἐς the
signification, fo be in pain, affliction,
which is that given to the verb in our
common yersion. Such construction alone
suits the connection. By some Ὡ" "ἢ Σ
132 are considered to be an instance of
asyndeton; and twenty-one MSS. and
originally ten more, the LXX. Aq. Syr.
Vulg. Targ. and Talm. Babl. supply the
copulative ἢ before my. So Kimchi,
Mercer, Piscator. Grotius, Houbigant,
Dathe, Michaelis, Kuinoel, Newcome,
Tingstadius. It has been doubted, how-
ever, whether, according to this 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 " 5151, and make
the sense end with wz, the burden or
tribute, supposing the heavy taxes imposed
by the Israelitish rulers to be intended.
The best sense is brought out by reading
tomw $2 in construction, the hing of
princes, and applying the phrase to the
king of Assyria, who had many kings
and princes subject to his sway. Comp.
Is. x. 8. Thus Pococke’s Arabic MS.,
Leo Juda, Drusius, Jun. and Tremel.,
Piscator, Eichhorn, Boeckel, Goldwitzer,
Hitzig, and Ewald. The δ’ 12, burden,
was the tribute exacted by’ Menahem,
and paid to Pul, amounting to a thousand
talents of silver, 2 Kings xv. 19-22. Comp.
srr TOS, or ibute money, 2 Chron. xvii. 11.
“11 By multiplying altars, in opposi-
48 HOSEA. Cuar. VII.
They became to him altars to sin, «
12 I may prescribe for him the numerous things of my law;
They are treated as a strange thing.
13 As for my sacrificial offerings,
They sacrifice flesh and eat it;
Jehovah accepteth them not:
He will speedily remember their iniquity,
And will punish their sin:
They shall return to Egypt.
tion to the express prohibition, Deut. xii.
13, 14, the Ephraimites not only con-
tracted great guilt, but paved the way
for the introduction of other sins. Syr.
any 00 y
Lo3 Jou, ad crimen ingens.
There is an easy but beautiful variation
in the repetition of the words. As used
the second time, su possesses consider-
able emphasis. Comp. for a similar in-
stance of varied repetition, Is. xxvii, 5.
It shows how much the mind of the
prophet was affected by the wickedness
of his people. Some suppose that there
is a play upon the double meaning of
sb as signifying to sin, and to be pun-
ished for sin, just as our Lord uses νέκροι
in two senses, Matt. viii. 22; but the
second signification cannot attach to the
verb in this connection.
12. a1n38; Keri anse, is continuative
and potential, and is equivalent to, I have
prescribed, I still prescribe by my proph-
ets, and I may go on prescribing ; ; it will
be of no avail. Keri “a>, in many MSS,
s21n, the plural of 34, which is properly
the infinitive of 22%, to be great, numer-
ous, ete. Here the idea of number is
evidently designed to express the abun-
dant provisions God had made in his
written law, and its enforcement by the
prophets, against the commission of idol-
atry. According to the Chethiv 43,
we should render, “I may prescribe to
him my laws by myriads ;" Ewald, by
thousands ;”’ Hitzig, by ten thousands,
Poh O
»
The Syr- 49 asody iow. Targ.
ΡΝ Pawsao. Vulg. multiplices leges
meas. Pococke’s Arab. MS. Bie
Ke 3 Aq. πληϑυμένους νόμους.
Symm. πλῆϑος νόμων μου. nbn, statutes,
are understood. =n signifies not only ¢o
think, regard, etc., but also to treat ina
manner corresponding to the estimation
in which a person or thing is held. ‘Tan-
chum, <0 aly See
x cape) Δ they reject them like a
strange thing to which no regard is paid.
13. "3027 "nar, form the nominative
absolute. “anon my gifts, or offerings,
i. e. such as they professedly offer to me,
The word is contracted for "aman, and
is derived from 273, to give. “tt ‘seems
preferable to abide by this usual signifi-
cation of the verb, which it has likewise
in Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, than
to follow Kimchi, who refers the noun
to a root aman, to which he assigns the
signification to burn, scorch, roast; or
Ewald, who, appealing to the Chald.
37137, and the Arab. _,9 and AGae
renders, raw offerings. ἡ "27737 is a more
choice term for m4h3%a, or naomi. For
the reduplicate form, comp. sarsON,
chap. iv. 18; which word the LXX.
Syr. and Targ. appear to have followed
in this place; of which Hitzig stems to
approve. Aq., observant of the gemina-
tion, renders, ϑυσίας φέρε φέρε ϑυσιάζουσιν.
Symm. ϑυσίας ἐπαλλήλους. Theod. ϑυσίαν
μεταφορῶν ἐδυσίασαν. Jehovah rejected
the sacrifices that were offered, not ac-
cording to his own appointment, but to
gratify the carnal appetite of the wor-
shippers. Reference is had to the sacri-
fices offered to him, as represented by
the golden calf. In ὩΣ x} is a meiosis.
Cuap. IX.
HOSEA.
49
14 Because Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and built temples,
And Judah hath multiplied fortified cities ;
Therefore will I send a fire into his cities;
And it shall consume the palaces of each.
my, now, is here used in the sense of
speedily, shortly. From the references
made 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 Egypt, whither, in all prob-
ability, they fled when the kingdom was
broken up by the Assyrians. The threat-
ening pointedly reminded them of the
depressed condition in which their ances-
tors had been in that country. Comp.
Deut. xxvii. 68. The LXX. add, καὶ
ἐν ᾿Ασσυρίοις ἀκάϑαρτα φάγονται ; but the
words are wanting in the Aldine edition,
ἌΠΙ 59. the apodosis. The "ἘΞ were
doubtless édolatrous temples erected after
the models of those in use among the
Syrians and Pheenicians. See, for the
word, my note on Is. vi. 1. Though
idolatry had not made the same progress
in Judah, the inhabitants nevertheless
evinced a want of confidence in Jehovah
by fortifying a number of cities, to which
they trusted for defence. The masculine
suffix in 1492 refers to Judah; the fem-
inine in mines to each of ane cities,
taken singly. Ewald strangely asserts,
that the words of this verse appear to
have been inserted from some book of
Amos no longer in existence! Compare,
however, for the latter distich, Jer. xlix.
27; pAmosiis, 4,675 10, ἀν elie) ὩΣ
and see note on Amos i. 4.
andin seven MSS. They have evidently
found their way into the text from chap.
ix. 3, where they stand in accordance
with the reading of all the Heb. MSS.
14, ἢ in 453931 marks the protasis ; in
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 be-
hind, 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.
1 Carry not thy joy, O, Israel! to exultation, like the nations,
1. S-3—bx3—newnda, lit. rejoice not Vulg. read S~3 dx, exult not; but con-
to exultation. The LXX. Syr. Targ. and trary to the wsus doguendi, which requires
7
σι
ΦΡ
-
HOSEA.
Cuar. LX,
For thou hast lewdly departed from thy God;
Thou hast loved the hire, ἢ
On all the corn floors.
2 Neither the floor nor the vat shall nourish them ;
And the new wine shall fail therein.
3 They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah,
But Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
And in Assyria, they shall eat what is unclean.
the verb following 5x to be in the future
tense, as Secker properly observes. Some
find in the comparison “ like the nations,”
an imitation of their idolatrous festivi-
ties; but the language is rather predictive
of the joyless condition to which the Is-
raelites were to be reduced. ‘While those
by whom they were surrounded and
especially their Assyrian invaders, should
indulgein unrestrained mirth, they shouid
experience affliction and sorrow. There
is most probably a reference to the joy
occasioned by the league entered into
with Pul, by which peace seemed to be
secured. Their joy was to be of short
duration, and therefore required to be
moderate. Instead of Erzz>, thirteen
MSS., originally five more, one by cor-
rection, and five editions, read ἘΠῚ2ΣΞ»
“among the nations,’ of which Rosen-
miiller, following Abarbanel, approves.
The prophet adds the reason why they
should have no cause for exultation —
their abounding idolatries, by which they
incurred the judgments of God. These
idolatries they carried to such a pitch,
that they erected shrines at their thresh-
ing floors, in order to offer at them the
oblations of their grain. The crops were
considered to have been bestowed by the
idols in compensation for the worship
rendered to them, (see chap. ii. 5, 12, 13;)
and are therefore spoken of as ἡ: τὰ, @
meretricious reward. ΝΥ
2. For ὁ ΓΞ, in reference to the failure of
the productions of the earth, see Hab. iii.
17. The verb properly signifies to lie, de-
ceive, etc. ; figuratively, to fail. Twenty-
six MSS., originally sixteen more, and
perhaps two, three editions, with the
support of the LXX. Syr. Targ. and
Vulg. read ba, in them, i. e. them, the
Israelites, instead of m2, in her, the re-
ceived reading. It is, however, too plainly
an emendation to entitle it to adoption.
Nothing is more common than for our
prophets to use first a plural, and then a
singular suffix of the same subject: ac-
cording to the rule laid down by Tan-
chum, that when in a continued discourse
a nation or people is spoken of, either in
the feminine affix agreeing with 77>, con-
gregation, or the masculine agreeing with
ty, people, may be used; as also, that
the singular may be used of them, viewed
as a body, and the plural, when they are
regarded as consisting of distinct individ-
uals. See in Pococke. At the same
time it is better in a translation to render
them alike, as in the ancient versions just
quoted.
3. Canaan was called min. ys, the
land of Jehovah, because he had appro-
priated it for an inheritance to those whom
he had chosen to be his peculiar people.
It was his gift to Abraham and his pos-
terity, to be enjoyed by them on condition
of their fidelity in his service. For this
end he attached to it his special blessing,
Deut. xi. 10-12. Comp. Jer. ii. 7, xvi.
18; Ezek, xxxvi. 20. The return to
Egypt being here mentioned in connec-
tion with an exile in Assyria, proves that
it is to be taken literally, and that it is
not designed to express a servitude similar
to that of Egypt. See on chap. viii. 13.
The fulfilment of this prediction in the
history of the ten tribes, is nowhere
mentioned in Scripture. No doubt the
number that fled to Egypt was small,
compared with the body of the nation
carried into the Assyrian exile. By 3120
is meant prohibited food, meats pro-
nounced unclean by the Mosaic law,
Comp. Ezek. iv. 13. To such necessity
should they be reduced as captives.
Cuapr. IX. HOSEA.
ol
4 They shall not pour out wine to Jehovah,
Neither shall their sacrifices please him ;
They shail 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.
5 What will ye do on the day
of assembly ?
On the day of Jehovah’s festival ?
6 For, behold! they go away from destruction,
But Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them ;
As for their coveted treasuries of money, nettles shall possess them:
Thorns shall be in their tents.
4. 5D2 is used of the pouring out of
wine for a libation, Gr. σπένδειν. Exod.
Xxx. 9. any, properly to mix, mingle,
came to signify, sweet, agreeable, pleasing,
from the circumstance, that what was
pleasant to the taste, often consisted of
mixed ingredients. ὉΠ: End>, bread,
or food of sorrows, i. 6. such as was eaten
by mourners for the dead, and conse-
quently regarded as unclean, on account
of the contact in which they were sup-
posed to come with the dead body. See
Numb. xix. 14, 15, 22; Jer. xvi. 7, 8;
Ezek. xxiv. 17; Hagg. ii. 12,13. In-
stead 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 circum-
stances in which no such sacrifices could
be offered, and no such feasts enjoyed.
Their food should all be common —
bwEsd, for their soul, or life, i. 6. merely
for its sustenance ; not fit to be presented
to the Lord. Thus Schmidius, Grotius,
and others.
5. In captivity they would find it im-
possible to observe their solemn feasts—
a great aggravation of their punishment.
Comp. chap. ii. 11. The exposition of
Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, Mercer, Capito,
and others, according to which, the day
of punishment, represented under the
idea of sacrifice, is meant, cannot be sus-
tained.
6. The prophet here specially describes
those Israelites who should take alarm at
the invasion of the country by the As-
syrians, and flee for safety into Egypt.
They imagined that their stay there would
only be temporary ; but it is predicted
that they 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 Egypt. For Memphis as
the great necropolis of that country, see
my note on Isaiah xix, 13. yap, to
gather, is here used in reference to the
removal of the soul at death, into the
world of spirits, and is equivalent to
OND Numb. xx. 26, or the full phrases
‘eo—be HON2, and ὙΠ το FON3, fo
be gathered to one’s people or fathers,
which is always spoken of as something
different from death and burial. Comp.
Jer. viii. 2; Ezek. xxix. 5, in which latter
passage SDs, and yap, are used as syn-
onymes. According to the signification
of the cognate Arab. verb. (yA45 cepit,
apprehendit manu rem, it conveys the
idea of God’s taking away the soul.
Hence the, phrase AS fxrdas, mortuus
est, literally, God took him; and Vans
simply, mortuus est (ad Dei misericordiam
delatus). Freytag. When it is said that
Egypt should gather and Memphis bury
the Israelitish fugitives, the meaning is
that they should be removed out of this
world, and that their bodies should be
buried there. The personification is em-
ployed, as usual, for the sake of effect.
svar, desire, covetousness ; that which
is the object of desire, what is covetable,
coveted, from "af, to desire, covet. AS
52
HOSEA.
Cuapr. IX.
7 The days of punishment are come,
The days of retribution are come ;
Israel shall know it:
The prophet is foolish,
The man of the spirit is frantic,
Because of the greatness of thy punishment,
And because the provocation is great.
the verb en" “has a plural suffix, this
noun is here to be taken as a collective,
and rendered in the plural. The idea of
treasury is supplied by the connection.
τ ΞΞ is used generally of money, as in most
other places, when 2731, gold, is not com-
bined with it. Targ. ἭΠΕΌΞ nwsn m3,
the house of their desirable mone γ. Symm.
τὰ ἐπιδυμήματα τοῦ ἀργυρίου αὐτῶν.
Others, less aptly, explain the words of
houses, palaces, ete. adorned with silver.
On leaying those treasures which they
could not carry with them, the Israelites
would naturally bury them in the earth,
which accounts for the very significant
phrase, ‘the nettles shall inherit them.”
For the combination 412"p or S47 and
min, comp. Is. xxxiv. 13. The whole
verse is miserably translated by the LXX.
7. MIRE, visitation, ee Comp.
Is. x. 3; 1 Pet. ii.12. sys, shall know
experimentally. By the Soe} 3 is obviously
to be understood in this place, the false
prophet or prophets by whom the people
of the ten tribes were seduced from the
right worship of Jehovah, who taught
them to worship the golden calves, and
otherwise encouraged them in their idol-
atrous practices. Thus Pococke’s Arab.
MS. Seas sto Nf he that pretends
to prophesy ; and Kimchi, sro sta,
lying prophets. With this, the phrase
masmwx, the man of the spirit, is syn-
onymous; one pretending to inspiration,
or professing to deliver oracles under the
influence of a divine efflatus. rmeney
ἄνδϑρωπος ὃ πνευματοφόρος. Syr. ἸΣ cot
tans σι Lawns the man that is
clothed, or endued with the spirit, only
adding by ey of explanation, but er-
usly, WR Ὁ
roneo pL oewey of folly. Comp.
Mic. ii, 11. pan 555 So; 1 Cor. xiv. 87.
εἴ τις δοκεῖ προφήτης εἶναι ἢ πνευματικὸς ;
2 Pet. i. 21, ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι;
and see my Lectures on Divine Inspira-
tion, p. 25. yaw insane , frantic ; Arab,
a, locutus “Pit rhythmice, to speak
Ἐπ an impassioned manner, like an in-
spired poet ; hence, from the violence of
the gesticulations, tones. etc., to act like
a madman, to be mad, insane. Comp.
Jer. xxix. 26, where ΣᾺΣ wx and
Sain are synonymous. “The meaning
is, that the pretenders to inspiration, by
whose false predictions of uninterrupted
prosperity the people had been deluded,
should be convicted of folly, and reduced
to a state of absolute frenzy by the inflic-
tion of the divine judgments upon the
nation. Hosea introduces this declaration
respecting the Israelitish prophets paren-
thetically, thereby giving force to his
own prediction of impending calamity.
The affix in 7252 refers to dew, to
whom the prophet turns jn the way of
direct address. 449 means here, not the
crime, but its punishment, Comp. for
this signification of the term, Is. y. 18,
and my note there. In 737; subaud.
“>, because. The adjective ἘΞ is here
placed before its substantive for the sake
of emphasis. See on Is. liii. 11. From
the use of gv Ὁ in the sense of hating,
evincing hostility y, ete., there can be little
doubt that the derivative > au Ὁ 2, W hich
occurs only in this and the ‘following
verse, has the signification of hostility,
provoking conduct, provocation. 'That of
snare or trap, which Gesenius assigns to
it, is not borne out, even by the Syriac
Sa Ao which signifies vinxit, compe-
᾽
divit, but not to ensnare. Comp. the
Arab. plan, acies gladii ; acutiores et
Caap. IX.
HOSEA.
53
8 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.
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves,
As in the days of Gibeah ;
He will remember their iniquity,
He will punish their sins.
10
I found Israel, like grapes in the desert ;
Like the first early fruit of the fig tree, at its commencement,
Fervidiores hominum. LXX. μανία; Aq.
ἐγκόσησις ; AAA ἔκστασις ; all of which
convey the idea of great excitement, and
yield support to the interpretation I have
given. The idolatrous practices of the
Israelites are meant, by which they pro-
voked the righteous indignation of Jeho-
yah.
8. BOSE Dds, arenot in construction,
and to be rendered as in most versions,
“the watchman of Ephraim,” to justify
which construction various modes of
exegesis have been resorted to; among
others that of Horsley, who would have
the watchman to be Elijah. Nor can
the rendering of Ewald be sustained,
who gives the passage, Ein Spiher ist
Ephr aim gegen mein Gott. ““ Ephraim
is a spy against my God.’”’ When gy
signifies against, it follows verbs of more
active import. LE. schaut nach Weissa-
gungen aus neben meinem Gott; ““ Eph-
raim looks for prophecies besides my
God,” — the rendering of Hitzig, is
equally objectionable. τ quite agree swith
Gesenius and Lee, in assigning to mfx
in this place the signification of looking
out, expecting, as in Ps. v. 4; Lam. iv.
17, in Piel. py, with, is used lliptically
for nya, from with, i. 6. from. A sim-
ilar ellipsis undeniably occurs Job xxvii.
13. bymey 399 pis pon mt, this is
the portion of the wicked man fr om (ὩΣ,
with,) God, as appears, not only from the '
synonymous phrase »3'3%, ‘“FRoM the
Almighty,’ in the corresponding hemi-
stich, but from the actual use of 7a, from,
in the parallel passage, chap. 2.0.6. 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
legitimate forms, and their adoption of
the idolatrous practices of the heathen
around them. In this they were encour-
aged by the false prophets, who caught
them by their ensnaring doctrines, as is
declared immediately after. τ ΣῊ is
here used in the same acceptation ‘as in
the preceding verse, only there is a me-
tonymy of the effect for the cause. ve
wbts mea, “the house of his god,”
not rieant the temple or people of da
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. ΠΤ ap srr, an instance of the
constructio asyndeta, The former of the
two verbs is to be rendered adverbially,
For its use before infinitives, see on chap.
vy. 2" Mercer, “ Quam corruptissimi
sunt.” 4smnmy may either be taken in-
transitively, or ὉΠ 5. » ἘΠ 5.8 5. or
the like, must be sanplted. So great ‘was
the depravity evinced by those whose
conduct the prophet here describes, that
it could only be paralleled by the atroc-
ity of the inhabitants of Gibeah, specified
Judges xix. 22-30.
10. beni wy, Israel, here means the
ancestors of the Hebrew nation. It has
been asked, “συν could God be said to
find the Hebrews in the wilderness, since
he conducted them into it from Egypt?”
To remove the difficulty, some very un-
warrantably explain the wilderness of
Egypt itself; but others connect 722 ¥>
“a3, like grapes in the desert, and
explain ἘΣ of finding by experience,
trial, etc. ‘Such they were, proved them-
selves to be, in my judgment. And this
seems to be the proper division and inter-
pretation of the words At the same
δ4
I regarded your fathers ;
But they came to Baal-peor,
HOSEA.
CuHap.
And separated themselves to the object of shame ;
They became abominable, like the object of their love.
11 As 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.
time =2772 YYN3 N72 occurs in reference
to the same ‘subject, Deut. xxxii. 10,
where the verb must be taken in the
sense of reaching with sufficient aid.
Comp. the Eth. {1} R Δ! venit ; Arab.
Liaw, perduxit, tractavit, negotium ; and
chap. xiii. 5; Jer, xxxi. 2. The point
of comparison in the verse is the delight
with which a traveller enjoys grapes found
in a desert, in which they were unex-
pected, and where they served most op-
portunely to quench his thirst; or the
early fig, which is accounted a great del-
icacy in the East. When Jehovah entered
into covenant with the people of Israel
at Sinai, they were regarded by him with
delight, being free from idolatry, and
engaging me adhere to his service. mp.
chap. xi. 1; Jer. xxxi. 3. The scene,
however, was soon changed. > 27, illi,
these very persons. At ‘Baal- -peor, they
proved faithless, and indulged in the very
atrocities of which their ‘posterity were
guilty in the days of the prophet. For
the transactions referred to, see Numb.
xxv. 1-5. Priapism, which Hosea justly
characterizes as in the highest degree
abominable, was the worship peculiarly
acceptable to the god of Peor. Sce Cal-
met and Winer in voc. — 13 signifies
to separate one’s self from ΑΥ̓͂ ‘person or
thing, and also, followed by 5, to separate
Or devote one’s self to some religious object.
Hence the substantive ποτ, @ Nazarite,
ΤΣ consecration. mya is the abstract
for the concrete, and denotes the obscene
or shameful idol which the Moabites
worshipped. ΠΣ τὸ, lit. abominations,
but used here adjectiv ely, Ioatiivome,
capes τὸ rans is properly the sub-
stantive, ans — ‘the points being changed
on account of the suffix. Vulg. facti sunt
abominabiles sicut ea, que dilexerunt.
The Hebrews became as abominable as
the impure idol whose rites they cele-
brated. apy xin yapw 32197, he that
serveth an abomination, is himself an
abomination. Kimchi’s MS. note in Po-
cocke.
11, 12. p»4Bs, Ephraim, is of the
nominative absolute, which gives promi-
nence to the name, and τω signification.
As for Ephraim, (2-728, from MIE, to
be fruitful Gen. xii. 53) such may be
his name, but, etc. “n>, glory, is in
contrast with mya, shame, in the preced-
ing verse. The lewd and idolatrous con-
duet of the Israelites should meet with a
fit retribution. Instead of having an
increase of children, that might grow up
and become the glory of the land, those
who might now be accounted such should
speedily be removed into Assyria, and
there would be nothing but sterility to
characterize the nation. The preposition
ya, prefixed to the three last substantives,
is privative in signification. ju2, womb,
stands here for pregnancy, or for the fetus
in the womb. The order of the words
presents an instance of the gradatio in-
versa, Ὁ ΠΝ), among men, as ἘΞ τι Pree
ἘΠ 52, “thy mother shall be childless
among women,” 1 Sam. xy. 33. Ewald
and Hitzig translate “saea, when I look
away from them, contending that we
should read y instead of ἢ ; bad no MS,
is thus pointed, and the present punctu-
oe is so far supported by the LXX.
(ἡ σάρξ μοῦ, i. 6 05), Aq. Vulg. and
‘larg. Three MSS.'and one edit. have
"9152, to which *=sya is doubtless here
equivalent. Many instances occur of
the substitution of Ὁ for Ὁ, and vice versds
Cuap. IX.
HOSEA. 50
13 I see Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place ;
But Ephraim shall bring out his children to the murderer,
14
Give them, O Jehovah! — what wilt thou give?
Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.
15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal;
Surely I have hated them there:
On account of the wickedness of their deeds,
have driven them out of my house ;
I will love them no more:
All their princes are rebels,
16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up;
They shall produce no fruit :
The meaning is, when I withdraw my
protection from them ; no longer showing
them any favor, but delivering them over
to their enemies. For the abortive at-
tempt of Lyra to prove a corruption of
the passage by the Jews, and to palm
upon the rendering of the LXX. ἡ σάρξ
pod ἐξ αὐτῶν, the doctrine of the incar-
nation of the Messiah, see Pococke.
13. After E-4=53 supply " Ἢ, from
the following 44x S Sree "ZN2. Though
ms commonly governs the ‘accusative,
yet, in Ps. lxiv. 6, it is followed as here
by the dative, without any difference of
signification. LXX. εἰς ϑήραν, reading,
siz, instead of "ἧς. Ag. Symm. ἀκρό-
τομον ; Theod. πέτραν ; Arnoldi, and
after him Hitzig, would derive ἢ: from
the Arab. , as signifying the Palm ;
but it only signifies the root of that tree,
or describes it as small in size, an accep-
tation which would ill suit the present
connection. Ewald renders, Bild, image
or likeness. 'The point of comparison is
the beautiful situation of Tyre. See
Ezek, xxvii. 3, xxvii. 12,13. The no-
tion of planting seems to have been sug-
gested by the name of Ephraim. See on
the preceding verse. The territory occu-
pied by that tribe, and several of the
other nine, was distinguished for its beauty
and fertility; and the prosperity of its
inhabitants, who traded extensively with
the Pheenician ports, was only surpassed
by Tyre herself. Yet the fruit of this
lovely region was only to be produced in
order to its being destroyed. The inhab-
itants were to be slain in great numbers
with the sword. The Ὁ before the infin-
itive in xos4m5, is future in signification,
indicating what was about to be, or would
be done.
14. These words strongly mark the
effect produced upon the mind of the
prophet by the contemplation of the wick-
edness of his people. In holy ardor of
soul, he feels himself excited to impre-
cate what he had predicted ver. 11.
Some, less appropriately, render 772, not
as an interrogative, but as signifying that
which, i. e. give them whatever thou
wilt. Barrenness was accounted a great
misfortune among the Jews.
15. For Gilgal, see on chap. iv. 15.
Being one of the chief places of idolatrous
worship, the τς ΤῊ. of the nation
might be said to be concentrated in it.
When God is represented as hating the
wicked, it must be understood in regard
to the odiousness of their moral character.
and his infliction of positive punishment
upon them on account of it. Hitzig
considers x2w to be here used inchoa-
tively. For the sense in which rea,
house, is to be taken, see on chap. viii. 1-
Hatred and love are contrasted as here,
Mal. i. 2, 3. In px» 4d ὉΠ’ ὦ is ἃ
paronomasia. ᾿ ;
16, The figurative language here em-
ployed is suggested by the meaning of
the name Ephraim, as in verses, 11, 13.
255 is in the future, while s=n and
25 are in the preterite, to mark the
state of unfruitfulness as following upon
HOSEA.
CHar.iXs
Yea, though they should beget children,
I will kill the beloved of their womb.
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 resolu-
tion of the figure in the latter half of the
verse possesses much force. Most of the
MSS. and some few editions read, with
the Keri, ἘΞ instead of "$2, which occurs,
however, before a verb, Job xli. 18. For
D722, comp. on "23, ver. 6.
17. Though the pronominal affix in
“ibs is omitted by the LXX. and Arab.
and one of Kennicott’s MSS., it is, in
such connection, more in the style of
Hosea than Θὰ. The dispersion of
the ten tribes is here expressly predicted.
CHAPTER’ X.
¢
In this chapter the prophet continues to charge the Israelites with idolatry, anarchy, and
want of fidelity, 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 direct 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 experience which they had already had of the disastrous consequences of their wicked
conduct.
1 Israxt is a luxuriant vine ;
He putteth forth his fruit ;
According to the increase of his fruit,
He increased altars ;
According to the excellence of his land,
They prepared goodly statues.
1, The wickedness which manifested
itself in idolatry, etc. is here traced to the
abuse of the prosperity which God had
conferred on the Israelites, Instead of
spending the bounties of providence for
the glory of God, they appropriated them
to idolatrous uses, and that in proportion
to the abundance of their bestowment.
ῬῊΞ» be, multus fudit, facundus fuit,
multum pluviam’ demisit, florere capit
planta, is here used to express the luxu-
riance of the vine, and not, as in our
common version and some others, its un-
fruitfulness. The idea of emptying, which
the verb also has, derived from that of
pouring out entirely or abundantly the
contents of a vessel, does not suit the
present connection. LXX. εὐκληματοῦσα,
.
Cuar. Χ. HOSEA.
5T
2 Their heart. is divided, they shall now be punished:
He will cut off their altars, he will destroy their statues,
3 Surely now shall they say: We have no king ;
For we fear not Jehovah:
As for the king then, what can he do for us?
4 They utter empty speeches;
Swearing falsely, making covenants ;
Therefore judgment blossoms like the poppy
On the ridges of the field.
or, as in other copies, ἐγκληματοῦσα. Aq. place thus struck; and ¢o drop generally.
ἄνυδρος. Symm. ὑλομανοῦσα. Vulg. fron- It is here, with much force, used metony-
doso. Comp. Gen. xlix. 22; Ps. lxxx. mically, in application to the destruction
9-11; Ezek. xvii. 6. In every other of the altars on which the animals were
instance 753 is construed as a feminine; offered. Ewald renders, Er wird ihre
but here the masculine name teow 3 altéire enthaupten; ‘he will decapitate
Israel, required it to be taken as of that their altars.” For the distinction between
gender. 1, to resemble, be equal to, ninsya and méaz%, seeon chap. 111. 4.
: eee moh ay now, in this and the following verse,
sufficjent ; me Piel, like the Eth. NOP, has the signification of soon, Ἐν ΚΝ
to bring, ἕο ΠΕ ΜΉ. produce fruit. ΠΣ 3. The language of desperation is here
in the phrase 45-7397, is pleonastic, as put into the mouth of the apostate Israel-
in {>—5 57, ete., but may here berendered ites, at the time of the infliction of divine
Se ce : _ judgment. Their king, to whom they
_ 2. 7>n is here to be taken intransi- ‘had naturally looked for protection, was
tively, as in our common version, and _ remoyed; they had forfeited the favor of
refers, not to any difference of opinion ® God, who was now become their enemy ;
among the Israelites respecting the claims aq, therefore, it was vain to expect help
of their numerous idols, but to their in- - ¢.5m an earthly monarch. Some think
sincerity in the service of Jehovah, — the prophet refers to the time of anarchy
professing to worship him, while they during the interregnum, between the
ikewice addicted themselves, to the j.arder of Pekah and the accession of
worship of idols. Thus Tanchum : — Hoshea.
ot galys g hits , gh prow 4, "a5 "27, lit. to speak a word, or
speech, 1. e. what is merely such; empty,
“their mind false pretences. Comp. the Lat. verba
Brat Ls ᾿γ5 4],
and their understanding, and their opin-
ton are divided, while they associate
others with God.” 'The acceptation to be
smooth, which some propose, is to be re-
jected, on the ground that, though the
verb is used in this signification of the
tongue, it nowhere is of the heart. For
the meaning of Des, see on chap. v. 15.
The nominative to xan, He, is ests,
dare. 'The prophet begins with the finite
form of the verb,.and then, for the sake
of more specific description, changes it
for the infinitive. Comp. Is. lix. 13.
For réts, as an absolute infinitive, in-
stead of sts, comp. ning, Is, xxii. 13;
r4nq, chap. xlii. 20. m3, covenant,
is here used as a collective noun, and is
to be rendered in the plural. Whether
the false swearing and the entering into
God, in “FSS, chap. ix. 17. Jehovahis covenants refer to the conduct of the
here said to do, what he would effect by Israelites in regard to each other, or
means of the Assyrians. Ὁ" is properly whether they respect their conduct in
a sacrificial term, signifying to cut off reference to foreign powers, has been dis-
the head of a victim, by striking it on the puted. The latter would seem to be the
neck; hence, to drop as blood from the more probable, since it is the making of
8
58 HOSEA. Cuar. X.
5 For the calves of Beth-aven,
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 account of its glory,
Because it hath departed from it.
5 It shall itself also be carried to Assyria,
A present to the hostile king:
Ephraim shall take disgrace,
And Israel shall blush for his own counsel,
΄
covenants and not the breaking of them, from the rest.. νῷ, zs people, those
of which the prophet speaks as something devoted to its worship. Comp. Numb.
criminal. He seems to have in his eye xxi. 29. "525 is only used in Hebrew
the historical circumstances narrated 2 to designate idolatrous priests, and occurs
Kings xvii. 4. By vv is meant the but twice besides, viz. 2 Kings xxiii. δ;
divine judgment which was to be inflicted 44% Ε a Pe
upon the people of Israel. So Jarchi, Pen a ΣΡ ee ee Ἰρέοα,
ΡΣ sbi V1 WS Ὁ Ὁ. This he com- kumro, signifies a priest of the true God.
pares to the rapid and luxuriant growth as well as one engaged in the service of
of the poppy, which overruns the fields, idols. Gesenius derives the noun from
and is destructive as a poison. Celsius, 23, to burn, be scorched, black, suppos-
in his Hierobot. supports the tommon ing the reference to be to the black dress
rendering hemlock, as the signification of of monks or ecclesiastics; but this seems
tix; but that of poppy, proposed by too modern to be entitled to adoption.
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 (Edmann, orthatof Persic sacrum magorum ignicolarum
lolium or darnel suggested by Michaelis. 3
The term is usually rendered poison in cinguium, of which frequent mention is
our common version; sometimes gall. made in the Sadder of Zoroaster, is much
LXX. &ypworts. ἘΠ rather signify MOFe natural. Comp. the Chald. SVE
the ridges between the furrows than the Ὁ’ @ belt or g irdle. Some think the
furrows themselves. See Pococke. Lat. camitlus, an inferior order of priests,
5, 6. In these verses the object of idol- who attended upon and assisted the fla-
atrous worship is spoken of, now in the ™? 15 derived from this root. Ewald
plural, and now in the singular number, renders the word by Pfaffen, which ba
which Hitzig accounts for on the ground, used of priests by way of contempt, in
that though the Israclites might have German. Those who render 5553", they
multiplied golden calves, that set up by rejoiced, which is the usual’ signification
Jeroboam would still be held in peculiar of the verb, supply “wx before it; but
honor. Four MSS. have nbs¥, calf, in the Vau conversive connects it so closely
the singular, which is also the rendering with 3s , as to render such supplement
of the LXX. Syr. and an anonymous inconsistent with the construction. It is,
Greek version in the Hexapla. This therefore, better to revert to the primary
reading is very uncritically adopted by signification of 272, to move about, leap,
Kuinoel, Dathe, Newcome, and some dance, or the like. Comp. the Arab.
other moderns. For ἽΝ m3, Beth- JL. circumivit. Such would be the
aven, see on chap. iv. 16. j=v isacol- excitement of the idolatrous priests at the
lective. The nominative to the pronom- capture of their God, that they would
inal affixes in 152, Sz, 14722, etc. is leap about in a state of desperation, like
the ἘΣ», calf of Jeroboam, singled out those of Baal, 1 Kings xviii, 26. The
Cuap. X.
HOSEA.
59
7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off;
He is like a chip upon the surface of the water.
8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, are destroyed;
Thorns and thistles shall grow upon their altars: Lg
They shall say to the mountains, Cover us;
And to the hills, Fall upon us.
9 Since the days of Gilead, thou hast sinned, O Israel!
There they remain:
Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gilead ὃ
glory of the idol consisted in its ornaments,
wealth, etc. {nik EA is emphatic: itself
also, i. 6. the idol or golden calf. For
the meaning of 357, Jareb, see on chap.
Wowie The worshippers of the golden
calf would be ashamed of him, when
they found that, instead of protecting
them, he was himself carried into cap-
tivity. That πρ 95 is not to be changed
into m3¥5, and rendered in a sound sleep,
as Honey does, nor into 7282, wm this
year, with Michaelis, the parallelism suf-
ficiently shows,
7. For the sake of emphasis, 35523 is
put absolutely. The whole phrase is
equivalent to the king of Samaria, etc.
That 77272 agrees with ms, and not
with -4$-12'3, “the gender shows. ΣΡ
has nowhere the signification of foam or
scum. It is derived from >=, Arab.
nes Fregit, to cut, cut off, and signi-
fies any chip or small fragment of wood.
Comp. isp, a fragment, Joel 1. 7.
Arab. ς ὁλιϑ fractus aboris ramus,
“ ᾽
Kaas tenwitas arboris, LXX. φρύ-
ed
Aavoy. Syr. ey Jestucam. The com-
parison of the king to a small chip of
wood, which cannot resist the force of the
current, is very beautiful and forcible.
Spuma, which is the rendering of the
Targ. Jerome, Symm. Abulwalid, Tan-
chum, and many moderns, is less apt,
even if it could be philologically sus-
tained.
8, ἽΝ Aven, is an abbreviation of the
full form, TINTM3 Beth-aven, or Bethel.
PNEn , the occasion of sin to Israel. See
ver. *10. In the midst of the calamities
that should come upon the people, death
would be preferable to life.
vi. 15, 16.
9. That reference is here made to the
transactions recorded Jud. xix. xx., there
can be no doubt. The prophet declares
that as a nation his people had all along,
from the period referred to, evinced a
disposition to act in the same rebellious
and unjust manner as the Gibeonites had
done. Comp. chap. ix. 9. _The words
ΠΩΣ ἘΦ, there they remain, continue,
persist, graphically express the character
of the inhabitants in his day. The Gib-
eonites are still, what they have ever been,
a wicked and abandoned people. They
are here singled out as a fit specimen of the
whole nation; and are called 73$3—"23,
sons of wickedness, to mark the’ enormity
of their conduct. Instead of πὶ», the
Brixian edition, thirty-nine MSS. origi-
nally seventeen, and perhaps a few more,
have nd19, the common form, which is
supposed to have been changed by a
simple transposition of the letters. Albert
Schultens, however, in his notes ad Harir.
i. p. 15, justifies the present reading by
deriving it from the Arab. Us, modum
excessit, extulit se; and Michaelis, in his
Suplem. by referring it to the Syriac,
as] and the Eth. ΓΛ Ὁ } jidem
’
Sefellit, perfidus fuit. Comp. 44}
Ula: Rex
U AoOT: transgressio @qui et boni,
scelus, perversitas. That the Targumist
read the text as it now stands is clear
from his rendering the word alc , they
went up. The words ΠΣ ΞΙΣ 2 CWA SRS
miby c2a—by manda are somewhat
Comp. Rey.
tyrannus, scelestus.
60
10 My desire is to punish them;
HOSEA.
Cuap.
The nations shall be collected against them,
When they are bound for their two iniquities.
11¢Ephraim is a well-trained heifer, loving to thresh;
But I will pass on beside her fair neck ;
I will place a rider on Ephraim :
Judah shall plough,
+ And Jacob shall break the clods.
involyed, but the meaning is obvious.
Destruction should ΦΉΣ overtake the
vere Israelites. ©, the verbal suffix in
tacwn, is anticipative of πὶ» 83. N>
i Se for sbr, the interrogatory ‘nega-
tive.
10. "nasa, the LXX. have read "ns ;
rendering it ἦλϑε; Or, according to the
Alexandrian MS. and the editions of
Aldus and Breitinger, 7ASev. ΟΥ̓ this
Houbigant, Dimock, Newcome, Tings-
tadius, and Boothroyd, approve, and adopt
it as an emendation ; but contrary to all
other authority, ancient or modern, and
without necessity. 3 prefixed is the Beth
Essentie, indicating the substantive char-
acter of the affection. See my note on
Is. xxvi. 4. mas, to bestrongly propense,
desire greatly, expresses the irresistible
inclination of infinite purity to punish
sin. ὈΠῸΝ is the future in Kal of p>,
to chastise, punish, compensation having
been made for the first radical >, by in-
serting Dagesh in the Ὁ BION, the
infinitive of “on, to bind, bind as a pris-
oner or captive, which is the sense in
which the word is here to be taken,
ΓΟ; has occasioned great variety of
interpretation. Michaelis translates it
plough-shares, attempting to, derive it
from the Arabic. Jarchi, Lively, and,
among the moderns, Ewald, render eyes,
“‘ before their two eyes,” i. 6. openly ; but
the word is always written Ἐ 255 when
applied to real eyes, and only ον:
when applied to ‘fountains or artificial
eyes. Some translate habitations ; but
most, furrows, which is the rendering
adopted by Abenezra, Kimchi, Abulwalid,
Tanchum, Munster, Vatablus, Zanchius,
ete., after the Targum — some expound-
ing the passage one way, and some
another. The only satisfactory exegesis
is that founded on the Keri, pity “ms,
Sor their two iniquities, i. 6. the two golden
calves which Jeroboam had erected, and
which proved the source of all the evils
which they had afterwards committed.
They had many other idols, but these
were the principal; and they are called
iniquities by a metonymy of the cause
for the effect. Comp. ver. 8, where
mNon, sin, is similarly applied. This
reading is in the text of a great many
MSS. and is expressed in all the ancient
versions.
11. The general meaning of this verse
seems to be, that the Ephraimites had
been accustomed in the plenitude of their
power to crush and oppress others, espec-
ially their brethren of the two tribes;
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
foreign countries. The metaphors are
agricultural. For Ἐηπ, to tread or beat
out the corn, partly by the feet of oxen,
and partly by sledges with instruments
adapted to the purpose, see on Is, xxviii.
aoe one Sean. ἌΞΙΑ, is paragogic,
as "mayo and smspp, Jer. xxii. 28;
ἈΩΣΞ, ‘chap. li. 13, ‘though i in these pas-
sages it has been left unpointed by the
Masoretes. See Ewald, ὁ 406. The “form
is otherwise the participle rans. by 729
signifies here to pass on beside one, as the
driver does beside an ox in. the yoke.
Thus Jehovah would, in his providence,
lead forth the Israelites, from the midst
of their prosperity, to the toils and hard-
ships of captivity. En SES =7>78 lit.
I will cause to ride Ephraim, meaning I
will place a rider upon him —a conqueror,
who shall lead him forth from his find.
Thus Calvin, Zanchius, Lyra Tarnovius,
CuHap. X.
13
Reap according to piety ;
HOSEA.
61
Sow to yourselves for righteousness :
Break up for yourselves the fallow ground :
For it is time to seek Jehovah,
Till he come, and teach you righteousness.
13 Ye have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity ;
Ye have eaten the fruit of falsehood:
Because thou trustedst in thy way —
In the multitude of thy mighty ones.
Rosenmiiller, and Ewald. The judgments ἡ
of God were not, however, to be confined
to the northern kingdom: the southern
should also be involved in them. In
short, they should overtake the whole pos-
terity of Jacob. The prediction was ful-
filled during the two captivities. 45, in
45 117, is pleonastic.
12. Continuing his agricultural meta-
phors, the prophet here abruptly calls
upon the nation to reform its manners.
n> is the Dat. commodi. ὃ in + np
po:ts out the end or object to be obtained
by sowing. Sow what will produce the
fruits of righteousness. The second im-
perative is here equivalent to the future :
«“ Sow, and ye shall reap;”’ or the sub-
junctive, “Sow, so that ye may reap.”
That stom, piety or goodness, is to be
referred, not to God, but to man, its being
parallel with mp1, 7éghteousness, man-
ifestly proves. ‘To change mz) into ὈΣπν
and join this word with -"2, preceding,
as Newcome, following the LXX. eral
Arab., does, is eed 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 in seeking him, in the assur-
ance that he would be gracious to them.
Such is the force of 7», wntil. This favor
was to be manifested by his coming and
communicating to them instruction re-
specting the only righteousness which
could avail the guilty at his bar. That
the words 525 p3x 7475 are not to be
rendered he will grant you 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
other interpreters. In support of the
rendering, He will teach you righteousness,
may be adduced the Syr. { 2) ἐς,
» ay ἊΣ »
ass ousoo till he
SS ᾽
come and show to you his righteousness ;
Pococke’s Arab. MS. c=) wy! σ᾽
Sars} pSOuainss, till he come ind
guide you to righteousness. The Targ.
to the same effect, "551 “ban? ἼΣΞ
155 1131.) now he shail be revealed, and
shall br ing righteousness to you; Vulg. cum
venerit qui docebit vos justitiam. ‘Thus
also Dathe, Hitzig, Winer, and others,
Kimchi remarks, 5 rs neath ἘΝ 47
ESOS TAM NS Son ase ἼΓ ΣΙ rs}
pus, there are those (of the Rabbins) who
expound, If ye seck the Lord, to know his
law and his commandments, he will come
and teach you righteousness. And Aben-
ezra asserts the same, in nearly the same
words. Such construction of the passage
seems, from the preceding use of πῦρ 72
to be more apt, than to take prs a ae
lutely for mpi} , in due proportion, ad-
equately y, fully, according to the claims or
necessities of your condition. See on
Joel ii. 23.
13. Instead of following such a course
as that to which they had just been ex-
horted, the Israelites had pursued one
directly opposite, and now reaped the
disastrous consequences. ‘The same met-
aphors are here continued. “nmz—"78,;
Fruit of falsehood, seems rather to mean
the effects of their false and hypocritical
conduct in professing attachment to the
true God, while they addicted themselves
to the worship of other deities, than fal-
σι.25.5..9]
62
HOSEA.
Cuap. X
14 Therefore a tumult shall arise among thy people, xT?
And all thy fortresses shall be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle:
When the mother was dashed in pieces with her children,
lacious and disappointing results. Sec-
ker would read J2272> in thy chariots,
instead of J2T712, im thy way, on the
LXX. ἐν ἅρμασί cov, which reading is
found in Compl. Ald. Barb. Reg. Laud.
Cyrill. Ital. Ambros. Arab. Slay. Hexap.
Syr. and a Copt. MS.; and Kuinoel has
actually adopted it into his Hebrew text.
It is, however, unsupported by any Heb.
MSS., or any of the ancient versions, and
is justly to be rejected. Four MSS.,
originally = ae ΕἾΝ and Targ. read
= The way of the
Isr aelites was the w icked course of con-
duct which they had adopted in opposi-
tion to the will of God. Kimchi:
SUIT τη ΝΑ mean an, the way of
wickedness and bad reli gion. The Vat.
copy of the LXX. has ἐν ἁμαρτήμασί σου.
Comp. Is. lvii. 10; Jer. ii. 23.
14. ‘he prophet now denounces a
severe threatening against his rebellious
countrymen, foreshowing that they should
be inyolved in all the horrors of war.
DSP}, with s epenthetic, after the man-
ner of the Arab. ml; or it may be
regarded as merely a mater lectionis,
Some few MSS. and some others in the
margin, read ¢p1. ‘Twenty-four MSS§.,
one originally, four of the early editions,
and all the ancient versions, read 315,
thy people, instead of 5-223, thy peo-
ples. ¥or minor varieties in the readings,
see Kennicott and’De Rossi. The nom-
inative to 729" is S>, taken as a collec-
tive, comprehending the whole. That
ya >, Shalman, and beats ma, Beth-
Arbel, are proper names, is now univer-
sally admitted. The best interpretation
of them is that given by Tanchum:
yobe Lif, TUN ἜΣΝΣ ΣΕ Ὁ
da
“=N3 ΜῊ 5 ms}
Lashol bawls ake
a
beau ἘΝΞῚΝ el 3. “ As for
Shalman, it is a proper name, and is said
to stand for Shalmanassar, king of As-
syria, only it is abbreviated ; and perhaps
Sha/manssar is compounded of two names,
one of which is omitted because it was
well known: and Ardel is the name of a
city, and is said to be that which is called
Arbel at the present day.”” The abbrevi-
ation of proper names is not uncommon
in Scripture, as in 122, Coniah, for
ypecin, Jéhoiaehivs: “etc. It was this
monarch that besieged Samaria for the
space of three years, and took it in the
ninth of Hoshea, Β. c. 722, carrying the
king and most of his subjects into exile.
2 Kings xvii. 1-6. To this interpreta-
tion it has been objected that our prophet
wrote before the time of Shalmaneser,
and therefore could not speak of his des-
troying Arbel as something that had
already happened. It must, however, be
recollected, that though Hosea prophesied
before the time of that king, he contin-
ued to deliver his predictions as far down
as the time of his successor Sennacherib,
and must, therefore, have been well ac-
quainted with the previous Assyrian
invasions. With respect to tans moa,
or, as some MSS. read, tansy, Beth-Ar-
bel, commentators are divided in opinion.
Some think that the Assyrian city Arbela,
situated between the Lycus and the Tigris,
celebrated for the victory obtained there
by Alexander the Great over Darius, is
meant; but it is far more probable that
the prophet refers to the ᾿Αρβήλα of 1
Mace. ix. 2, which Josephus places near
Sephoris in Galilee; Eusebius, in the
plain of Esdraclon. Of the battle here
mentioned, no account indeed is given
either in sacred or profane history; but
as the contemporaries of Hosea are sup-
posed to have been acquainted with it,
there is reason to believe that it took place
on the invasion of the kingdom of Israel
by the Assyrian army. ‘The ancient
Caap. ΧΙ,
HOSEA.
63
15 Tims shall he act towards you at Bethel,
On account of your flagrant wickedness:
In the morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.
versions of this clause of the verse are
more or less at fault; but have afforded
abundant scope for the exercise of emen-
datorial criticism. See Newcome, who
renders, Like the destruction of Zalmunna
by the hand of Jerubbaal ; and supposes
the reference to be to Jud. viii. ἘΞ here
signifies with, in the sense of being super-
added. See Gen. xxviii. 9. xxxi. 50.
15. The nominative to rv» is Shalman
in the preceding verse, or perhaps m4n7,
Jehovah, understood, but not ty~nms,
Bethel, as in our common version, since
this does not so well agree with what fol-
‘lows. The words contain a special pre-
diction against Bethel, where the wick-
edness of the Israelites had been most
conspicuously exhibited. ponzn rzn,
lit. the wickedness of your ‘wickedness,
i, 6. your excessive, or most flagrant wick-
edness. A rare example of a noun put
in construction with itself repeated in
the singular, in order to form the super-
lative degree. There is no necessity with
Newcome, to resort to emendation. In-
stead of -nwa, “im the morning,” fif-
teen MSS., and perhaps one more, six
originally, the Proph. of Soncin. 1486,
the Venet. edit..of 1818, in the margin,
and the Vulg. read snus, “dike the
morning.” Were the following verb
7721 to be taken in the sense of resem-
bling, being like, etc., the latter reading
might possess some claim on our atten-
tion; but as the idea of being destroyed
best comports with the connection, that
of the Textus Receptus is preferable.
The difference of reading has arisen from
the similarity of the letters 2 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
to the regal dignity. See 2 Kings xvii.
4. The doing of anything early or soon
is frequently expressed by its being done
in the morning.
CHAPTER XL
To aggravate his representations of the guilt of the Israelites, the prophet adduces the divine
benefits conferred upon them from the earliest period of their history, 1—4. He then
threatens 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, 7—11.
1 WuaeEn Israel was a child, I loved him,
And called my son out of Egypt.
1. That these words relate to the na- no person who impartially examines the
tion of Israel— being a description of
what Jehovah had done for it ages before
the prophet wrote, and not a prophecy
of any future event, is so evident, that
preceding and following context, can for
a moment call it in question. Nor but
for their having been applied by the Evan-
gelist Matthew (ch. ii. 15.) to our Lord’s
64
HOSEA.
Cuapr. XI,
2 According as they called them, they went from their presence,
They sacrificed unto Baals,
And burned incense to graven images,
3 Though I taught Ephraim to walk,
Taking them by their arms,
Yet they knew not that I healed them,
return from Egypt, would it ever have
been imagined that they had or could
have had any other reference. It is only,
therefore, with respect to such application
that any difficulty can exist respecting
their exegesis; and, in my judgment,
there appears to be nothing in the N. T.
application beyond the mere appropria-
tion of the language of the prophet, for
the purpose of giving to Jewish readers
a more vivid impression of the strikingly
analogous circumstances of the sojourn
of our Saviour in Egypt, and his return
from it, to those of the ancient Israelites.
The Evangelist docs not affirm, that the
words as used by Hosea were a prophecy
of Christ; he only adduces them, to
show how aptly they described the his-
torical eyent which he was narrating,
just as he does Jer. xxxi. 15, in applica-
tion to the murder of the infants at Beth-
lehem, and Ps. lxxyiii. 2, in application
to our Lord’s teaching in parables. ‘He
must be a stranger to the Hebrew writers,
that does not know, that nothing is more
common among them than such accom-
modations of the text upon all occasions.
They abound in such applications ; I may
say their Midrashim do very much ez-
ceedin them.”’ Kidder’s Demon. of the
Messiah, Pt. II. p. 216. ‘ Parodiarum
in N. T. omnia sunt plena, e. g. Matt.
li. 15 and 23, ubi impleta dicuntur Scrip-
ture tum etiam, cum nulla historica aut
typica est impletio, sed analogica tan-
tum.” Hottinger in Primit. Heidelberg,
p- 80. See Surenhusii. βιβλος καταλλής,
p- 338. Horne’s Introd. vol. ii. pp. 341,
342. Robinson’s Greck Lex. in ἵνα, C.
2,d. Instead of "53:5, the LXX. appears
to have read "" 2nh; ; but instead of τὰ
τέκνα αὑτοῦ, his children, which is their
reading, that of Aq. Symm. Theod. the
Slavon. and Matthew, agree with the
Hebrew text. The Hebrew people are
also called the son of God in the same
figurative sense, Exod. iv. 22, 23. The
early period of their existence is frequently
represented as their youth. See Is. liv.
13; Jer. ii. 2, iii, 24, 25, xxii. 21; Hos.
ii. 15.
2. The use of the verb sp, ¢o call,
in the preceding verse, suggested the idea
of the subsequent messages which had
been delivered to the Israelites by the
prophets, to which Hosea now appeals,
in order to contrast with the means which
had been employed for their reformation,
the obstinate character of their rebellion.
Before sx7p. subaud. sv3y.2 , to corres-
pond to;5. Thus the TX. Kad’ ase
The nominative is the prophets, under-
stood. The very presence of the proph-
ets being an annoyance to them, they
withdrew from it, that, unmolested, they
ἐς δ indulge in idolatry.
3. ΔΈ τι, an instance of the Tiphit
conjugation, equivalent to Hiphil in sig-
nification, and, in all probability, formed
by hardening the preformative = into pn.
Indeed, one of De Rossi’s MSS. reads
Nb 39 There
ag, only two other poe Sy in the
Hebrew Bible, viz. pannn, Jer. xii. 5,
and ; nn, xxi, 15, if ἘΞ ΕΒ Εν
xxv. 34, is not to be so taken. Compare
the Shaphel Conjugation in Syriac, in
which language this very verb occurs in
ie See Kniés Chrest.
Syr. p. 112. Itis a denominative from
ban, the foot, and signifies to cause, or
teach to use the feet, or walk. Syr. and
- v
Targ. apo? mo 21> I led, only the
latter paraphrases, 972 Md ἪΝ 325 SINT
mat wip,» and I led, etc. by an
angel sent from my presence. The use
of the personal pronoun *>}s before the
verb gives additional force to the lan-
guage. > in ἘΠῚ is the infinitive used
as a gerund, asin Ezek. xvii. 5. Both
the form
Caar ΧΙ.
HOSEA.
4 I drew them with the bands of man,
With the cords of love;
I was also to them as those who lift up the yoke from their neck,
1 held out meat to them, I made them eat.
5
Assyria shall be their king:
They shall not return to the land of Egypt;
Because they would not be converted.
6 The sword shall be whirled in their cities,
It shall destroy their barriers, and devour,
Because of their devices,
the suffixes ἢ and 4 refer to Ephraim.
See on chap. ix. 2. Four MSS. for
wns =, “his arms,” read *ny3, “my
arms,” ‘which is also in another originally,
and now in another, and in the Soncin.
edition of 1486. It is also supported by
the LXX. Syr. Vulg.. Another MS.
reads Eniy4t, but they are all correc-
tions of the original, and are only to be
tolerated in translation. 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 beauti-
fully expresses the condescension of God
to the circumstances of his people, and
the kind care which he exercised over
them. Comp. Deut. i. 31, xxxii. 11.
His healing them, refers to his recovering
them from the calamities which they had
brought upon themselves by their sins.
4. tas stan, the bands of man, are
explaincd by the parallel phrase nina»
MSM, cor ds of love, i. e. humane, gentle,
persuasive methods, such as men gencr-
ally employ when they would induce to
action. Thereseems 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,
are led about, or drawn in a gentle man-
ner by those who have the care of them.
The terms, however, naturally suggesting
the idea of the ropes by which oxen are
bound and led about, the metaphor is
immediately changed into one borrowed
from agricultural life. “ix Ὁ 5252
does not mean to remove the yoke en-
tirely, but to raise it from the neck and
cheeks of the animal, so as to allow it
freely to eat its food. This bettc. suits
9
the following connection than the idea
of taking the yoke off any place that
may have been galled by it, in order to
afford relief. The 53, yoke, not only
included the piece of wood upon the neck,
by which the animal was fastened to the
pole, but also the whole of the harness
about the head, which was connected
with it. The yokes used in the East are
very heavy, and press so much upon the
animals, that they are unable to bend
their necks. θὰ ws1. Ewald renders,
und sanft gegen thn, “ and gently towards
him,” etc.; but it is preferable to take
wx as the apocopated future in Hiph. of
mu2, to stretch out, extend, reach any
thing to another. The verse sets forth
the kind relief afforded to the Hebrew
nation in Egypt, and the provision with
which they were miraculously supplied
in the wilderness.
5. ὩΣ, 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 inclined to migrate for a
time to Egypt, in order to enjoy the pro-
tection of its monarch; the prophet as-
sures them that they should not carry
their purpose into effect, but that they
should be subject to the Assyrian rule, as
a punishment for refusing to listen to the
calls given them to repent and turn from
their idolatries.
6. Most of the Rabbins take δ: πὸ 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 down the enemy.
00
HOSEA.
Cuar. XL
7 For my people are bent upon defection from me ;
Though they call them to the Most High,
Yet none of them will exalt him.
8 How shall I give thee up, O Ephraim?
Tlow
How
Tlow
shall I deliver thee over, O Israel ?
shall I make thee as Admah ?
shall I make thee as Zeboim ?
My heart is turned within me;
All my feelings of compassion are kindled.
9 I will not execute the fierceness of my anger ;
I will no more destroy Ephraim ;
Comp. the Arab. he. conversa fuit
res. V. se convertit ; versus mutatusque
fuit. 0°72, barriers, Gesenius and Lee
take metaphorically, as denoting chiefs
or princes.
7. poxidm—=—oratn, which one of De
Rossi’s MSS. reads originally, the Pahul
Par? of mtn, to hang, used here meta-
phorically in the sense of bending, or
bewng propense to anything. The idea of
doubt or suspense, which some attach to
the word in this connection, ill agrees
with the character of the Israelites as
otherwise depicted in this book. τΞΉ 2
is always used in a bad sense, defection
apostasy, etc. Comp. chap. xiv.5. The
suffix in "pay is to be taken passively ;
defection which has me for its object, and
cannot with any propriety be rendered
as by Horsley, “my returning.” For
ἘΣπες,, ad summum, see on chap. Vii.
16; and for ἡ.» on ver. 2. After
pins, supply τὰν Aim, from bz, the
Supreme, preceding. Jehovah had been
degraded by his being worshipped through
the medium of images, and having idols
associated with him; yet none of his
apostate people were inclined to raise him
from this degradation, by rejecting them
and celebrating His praise, as the sole
and glorious object of adoration. Po-
cocke’s Arab. MS. hs ωἷϑ oe
t re .
not one of them that glorified the name
of God. 7m: with a negative is to be
rendered not one; without it, all alto-
gether, wholly, as in the following verse.
, there was
8, 9. Now follows one of the most
affecting instances of the infinite tender-
ness of the divine compassion to be found
in Scripture; the point of which is en-
hanced by its being introduced immedi-
ately after a description of the odious
conduct of the Israelites. It is, as Bishop
Lowth characterizes it, exquisitely pa-
thetic. The repetitions and synonymous
features of the parallelism greatly add to
the effect. The words belong to the
period after the subjugation of Samaria, ἡ
and the carrying away of the Israelites
by Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. 5, 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-
ance. ‘522728, the LXX. render ὑπερ-
ασπιῶ cov; AQ. ὅπλω κυκλώσα σε; Vulg.
protegam te; deriving the idea from the
signification of the substantive 4372, @
shield; but it is used of delivering over
enemies, Gen. xiv. 20. Symm. ἐκδώσω
σε. Before ὩΣ is an ellipsis of F>s,
which had already been twice repeated.
The destruction of Admah and Zeboim
is only referred to as an example in one
other case, viz. Deut. xxix. 23, and then
in connection with Sodom and Gomorrah.
To the awful catastrophe recorded Gen.
xix. the sacred writers frequently appeal.
in order to produce a sense of the evil of
sin, and the severity with which it de-
serves to be punished; or when they
would convey the idea of complete and
irretrievable ruin. Comp. Is. i. 9, xiii.
19; Jer. xlix. 18; Lam. iv. 6; Amos,
iv. 11, Matt. x. 15; 2 Pet. ii. 6; Jude
7. Some would render "Ξ Ὁ “$2 ἼΞΤΙΣ,»
Cuap. XI.
For I am God and not man,
HOSEA.
67
The Holy One in the midst of thee ;
I will not come in wrath.
10 They shall follow Jehovah, when he roareth like a lion ;
When he roareth, the children shall hasten from the sea.
«“‘my heart is turned against me,” i. 6.
my pity rises in overpowering opposition
to the determination to which I had come
to inflict punishments; but the phrase-
ology will scarcely bear such construction,
though it cannot be questioned, that it is
designed to express a powerful. inward
revolution. Comp. °>2 ~anmn-n "2 τ
xlii. 6, 12, xlili. 5; “Aa ty τ πΞΏΣΣ
ΧΙ. 4; "93, "25 by, Jer. viii. era in
all which passages the preposition con-
veys the idea of mental contiguity, near-
ness, in, within, as "3773 Bok) FENR, my
heart is turned WITHIN me, Lam. i. 20,
incontestably shows. From the connec-
tion in which it occurs, in the last cited
passage, it is obvious the phrase is there
designed to express great mental distress.
“725 is used in Niphal, of the stirrings of
natural affection, Gen. xliii. 30; 1 Kings
iii, 26. The idea seems to be derived
from the commotion produced by the
kindling of a fire, and the heat or warmth
in which it results. ‘Tanchum explains
the word by , Ls concitatus fuit. LXX.
συνεταράχϑη, or, as in the Complut.
διεταράχϑη. ἘΠ 2"Γ15 » the same in effect
as Dam, compassion, feelings of tender
pity and affection. Targ. “ann, my
compassions. It is derived from ! pm, fo
be inwardly affected, whether with grief,
pity, consolation, or anger. In the idea of
displeasure with one’s self, has originated
the signification, ἐο repent, which accounts
for the renderings, μεταμέλεια, panitudo,
repentings, etc. See my note on Is, i.
24. The language is in the highest de-
gree anthropopathical. The 9th verse
contains a declaration of the purpose of
God founded upon his compassion, and
quite in keeping with the manner in
which expression had just been given to
it. aid in nnd saws Nd is, as fre-
quently to be taken adverbially. The
captivity was the last judgment that was
to come upon the ten tribes as a pun-
ishment for their idolatry. The render-
ing, “I will not enter into the city,”
affords no suitable sense, and would re-
quire the article -"73 , as indeed, one of
De Rossi’s MSS. reads. Bishop Lowth’s
translation, ‘though I inhabit not thy
cities,” (Lectures, vol. ii. p: 38.) is equally
unsatisfactory with the interpretation of
Jerome and Castalio: I am not like those
who dwell in cities; living after human
laws, and: deeming cruelty to be justice.
Such construction Maurer states to be
in his opinion “artificiosior quam ele-
gantior. I, therefore, adopt the interpre-
tation hinted at by Jarchi, and since ap-
proved by Schroeder, Secker, Dathe, Man-
* ger, Tingstadius, Eichhorn, De Wette,
Noyes, Boothroyd, Gesenius, Maurer, and
Ewald, which takes ="» not in the sense
of city, but of anger or wrath ; compar-
ing the Arab. le, ferbuit estu dies.
Comp. Jer. xv. 8; Hos. vii. 7; and =»,
an enemy, 1 Sam. xxviii. 16; Ps. cxxxix,
20. The words are thus strictly parallel,
and synonymous to gx 851, and not
man. The derivation from , to
which Michaelis assigns the signification
angry. ὃ , wa in Deo, Orient. Bib.
Pt. XIX. p. 9, is less appropriate, though
the sense which he gives is the same.
10, 11. These verses contain gracious
promises of the return 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 during the captivity. 7>n
min “yn, to walk after Gana, is
always used in the religious sense of ad-
dicting one’s self to his worship, and keep-
ing his commandments, and is not to be
interpreted, as Hitzig does, of a mere fol-
lowing of providence by taking advan-
tage of the opportunity that would be
afforded of returning from Babylon. So
the Targ. "11 sambis ns, after the
68
HOSEA.
Cuar. ΧΤΕ
11 They shall hasten, like a sparrow, from Egypt,
And like a dove, from the land of Assyria:
And I will cause them to dwell in their own houses,
Saith Jehovah.
worship of Jehovah. For the contrary,
see yer. 2. As sya, to roar, like the
lion, always conveys the idea of terror or
awe, it cannot be here applied either to
any invitation to the Jews as a people,
or to the preaching of the gospel gen-
erally ; but must be referred to the awful
judgments which God executed upon
Babylon, Egypt, ete. through the instru-
mentality of Cyrus and his successors ;
thereby opening the way for the libera-
tion of the Israelites who were found
in these countries. Comp. Is. xxxi. 4;
Jer. xxv. 30; Joel iv. 16; Amos i. 2, iii.
8. By D232, sons, or children, are meant
the Israelites, who had been for a time
rejected, but were again acknowledged
in that character, because they were to
be reinstated in the privileges of adoption.
Comp. chap. i. 10. πη is here preg-
nant with meaning — signifying to come
or hasten under the influence of great
agitation. The idea of trepidation, though
implied, and connecting well with that
of the roaring previously mentioned, is
not so prominent as that of quick or nim-
ble motion. Excited to the utmost by
the revolutions of empires, which allowed
them to take possession of their native
country, they would use all haste in re-
pairing thither. LXX. ἐκστήσονται; but
in the following verse ἐκπέτεσονται. Syr.
>
>
esol, they shall move or be moved.
«Sic Lat. trepidare etiam sumitur pro-
JSestinare, observantibus Bocharto in Hie-
roz, et Schultensio in Animadverss, philol.
ad. Is. xix. 17. Winer, in voc. The
same idea of velocity is further carried
out by comparing the return of the Is-
raelites to the flight of birds remarkable
for their swiftness. “45x is here used
not in its generic sense of bird, but spe-
cifically of the sparrow, as the use of
m4, dove, immediately after, shows.
The D>, sea, is the Mediterranean, or
the islands and other maritime regions in
the west. Kimchi, πο» πο, the west;
Pococke’s Arab. MS. > wy
Ι, Srom the isles of the sea. Comp.
Is. xi. 11-16 ; a passage strictly parallel,
only including the Jews as well as the
Israelites. The three quarters of the
globe here specified embrace all the coun-
tries mentioned by Isaiah; and as the
ten tribes form the subject of Hosea’s
discourse, the present prophecy furnishes
an: additional proof of their return also,
after the Babylonish captivity. To argue,
therefore, from this passage, that they
are still in existence, and are yet to be
restored in their tribal capacity, is her-
meneutically unwarranted. ἘΣ in the
phrase tm*na—ty, instead of 3, seems
to have special reference to the custom
of the Orientals, who enjoy their time
upon, rather than zm their houses.
CHAPTER XII.
This chapter commences with renewed complaints against both Ephraim and Judah, more
especially against the former, 1,2. The conduct of their progenitor Jacob is then adduced
in order to excite them to apply, as he did, for the blessings which they required, 8, 4; to
copy which they are further encouraged by the unchangeable character of Jehovah, 5, 6.
The prophet next reverts to the deceitful and hypocritical character of the ten tribes, not-
withstanding the numerous means that had been employed to promote true piety, 7—10;
renews his castigation of their idolatrous practices, 11; again appeals to the kindness of
Guar. ΧΙ.
HOSEA.
69
God to the nation in its obscure origin in the person of Jacob, 12, 18; and denounces anew
the judgments that were to be inflicted upon it, 14.
1 Eruram hath encompassed me with falsehood,
And the house of Israel with deceit ;
And as for Judah, he is still inconstant with God,
Even with the Holy Ones.
1. The LXX. Vulg. Targ. and our
common yersion join this verse to the
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
cohere. The proper exegesis of this verse
depends upon the signification assigned
to “πη, and the consequent application
of ἼΩΝ). That the former cannot gram-
matically be referred either to 774 or
m7, ἴο subdue, bear rule, or to 373, to
descend, as Jerome renders it, is now
agreed on all hands; and there is no
alternative left but to derive it from 435,
which occurs only in three other passages,
viz. one in Kal, Jer. ii. 31, and twice in
Hiph. Gen. xxvii. 40, and Ps. lv. 3. In
the two first, the ideas of becoming or
being unfaithful, rebelling, wandering at
large, are obviously conveyed. In the
third, the verb is applied figuratively to
an agitated or unsettled state of mind, to
which the notion of wandering seems
much more natural, than that of mourn-
ing, whicl: is that expressed by our trans-
lators. Thus also the derivative 144%
may best be rendered circwmvagatio,
erratio, Lam. i. 7, 11. 19. Compare the
Arabic Os 3 Os , quesivit pabulum ;
uliro citroque ivit ; mobile fuit ; discurrit
huc illuc mulier apud vicinas suas. (δ {
locus, quo in pascuis cameli modo prode-
unt modo retrocedunt. Eth. AP θυ: 3
persequi, insurrexit, ete The significa-
tion dominatur, which has been given to
“15, is altogether gratuitous. The mean-
ing of the prophet will, therefore, be, that
Judah or the inhabitants of the southern
kingdom acted with vacillancy in regard
to Jehovah. So far were they from ad-
hering steadfastly to his covenant, and
seeking their happiness in obedience to his
will, that they resembled animals that
are dissatisfied with their pasture, break
loose, and run wildly up and down in
search of what is more agreeable to their
appetite; or like a female who, discon-
tent at home, seeks for satisfaction by
gaddirfg about among her neighbors. The
description applies to the state of things
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 re-
nounced his service. Hence the force
of sy, yet, sti? Though the idea of
hostility implied in the verb would not
justify the use of the preposition, ©», with,
a as in the phrases ἘΣ ἘΠῚ 82, ty 4,
to fight with, contend with ; yet it well
agrees with its use after verbs of acting
towards, or in reference to any one, such
as ἘΞ FS, DY sin myy, etc. Thus
Schroeder, ‘Dathe, Eichhorn, De Wette,
Boothroyd, Kuinoel, Gesenius, Noyes,
Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald. Such con-
struction of the passage is fully bome
out by ver. 3, which cannot be consist-
ently interpreted, if Judah were here
represented as faithfully maintaining the
principles of the theocracy. But if the
signification which has been given to 74
be alone justifiable, then it is evident
Vans » faithful cannot apply to Judah, but
must be taken as qualifying E»v‘n7p , the
adjective noun immediately πεν Ἐπ
‘o 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-
ilar combination in prs Dontsy, the
70
2 Ephraim feedeth upon wind,
He pursueth the east wind ;
HOSEA.
Cuapr. XII.
Every day he multiplieth falsehood and violence ;
Yea, he maketh a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is carried into Egypt.
3 Jehovah hath also a controversy with Judah,
And he will punish Jacob, according to his ways;
According to his deeds, he will recompense him.
4 Inthe womb he took his brother by the heel,
And by his strength he strove with God ;
righteous God, Ps. vii. 10. That o»winp,
the Holy Ones, cannot here be applied
either to human saints, or to angels, but
must be interpreted of God himself, the
law of parallelism clearly requires. Comp.
Josh xxiv. 19, δ 7 τ ἘΡΠΒΝ; ; Prov.
ix. 10, πὴ Ee wp ὩΣ PSAs) Eee Beret 71
sis merap. Kimchi himself allows that
Dienr must be so understood in this
place. Between the inconstancy of the
Jews, and the faithfulness of God, the
contrast was placed in a very striking
point of view. They had never known
him to fail in giving effect to any of his
promises ; while they, on the contrary,
had all along shown more or less of a
fickle and roving disposition. The ancient
versions exhibit considerable diversity of
rendering in this place ; but none of them
suggests a meaning preferable to that
just given, or warrants any alteration in
the reading of the Hebrew.
2. By “the wind,” and “the east
wind,” are meant empty, unsatisfying
and pernicious objects. Such were the
idolatrous confidence and foreign alliances
of the Israclites. t-7p, the LXX. ren-
\, the
Samoom, or scorching wind, called the
‘east wind,” because it blows from the
desert to the east of Palestine. See on
Is. xxvii. 8. In proportion to the insin-
cerity and faithless conduct of the nation
was the destruction which it brought
upon itself. Such eonduct was specially
exhibited in the leagues that were formed,
and the friendships that were entered into
with the two most powerful of the an-
cient monarchies. 25» οὐξ, was one of
the most valuable productions of Canaan,
der καύσων, the Arab.
and formed a profitable article of export-
ation. It is here spoken of as a present
sent to the king of Egypt, doubtless
among other costly articles, with a view
to obtain a favorable hearing to the em-
bassy which was despatched to secure
zs aid against the Assyrians.
3. “Judah” and “Jacob” stand for
the two kingdoms respectively, the latter
name denoting the'ten tribes, as Is. xvii. 4.
The declaration here made manifestly
shows, that in ver. 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 re-
specting Israel.
4, 5. Having introduced the name of
Jacob in reference to his posterity, Hosea
adverts to three interesting incidents in
his personal history, with the view of
encouraging his countrymen to apply
themselves with all assiduity to the ser-
vice of God, who alone could, and would
extricate them from the calamitous cir-
cumstances into which their sins had
brought them. Though Ξ}3» from which
the name 2727, Jacob, is derived, Arab.
κοκᾶς, e vestigio sequutus fuit, a calce
venit, οἷο. signifies to come behind any
one, take him by the heel, trip, circumvent,
etc., it is obviously used here in a good
sense, to denote the supernatural indica-
tion which his taking his brother Esau
by the heel afforded of the superiority,
which, in the course of divine providence,
he and his posterity were to obtain. Gen..
xxy. 22, 23,26. To this effect the Targ.
“gorT aves Tone ebay 5.95 Ron
“ri an Wa, was it not said of Jacob before
Cusp. ΧΙ.
HOSEA.
“1
5 Yea, he strove with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept and made supplication to him ;
He found him at Bethel, and there he spake with us;
he was born, that he should be greater
than his brother? ὙΠῸ Israelites were
reminded of the promise, ‘The one peo-
ple shall be greater than the other peo-
ple;’’ and had they acted on the faith
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
power having thus been suggested to the
mind of the prophet, he was reminded
of the remarkable occurrence which took
place at Peniel, when Jacob wrestled with
the divine messenger of the covenant,
and prevailed. nw, to put forth power,
exercise rule as a prince, or commander,
the verb from which Ἐπ τ ὩΣ, Israel, the
other name of Jacob, is derived, is that
employed Gen. xxxii. 29, where the lan-
guage is nearly identical with that used
in these two verses. In the resumption
of the subject, ver, 5. “y> is employ ed,
which, though equivalent to Ὁ m1 In sig-
nification, must be referred to the root
“aw. Comp. Jud. ix. 22, and Hos. viii.
4. ἽΝ properly signifies manly vigor.
Here ΝΕ, the Angel, corresponds to
mrids, God, ver. 4, and designates the
Uncriarep ANGEL, of Shoe we read
so frequently in the Old Testament, to
whom, as here, names distinctive of Deity
are ascribed, and who is represented as
possessing the divine attributes. See on
Is. lxiii. 9, and Dr. M‘Caul’s Observa-
tions appended to his translation of Kim-
chi on Zechariah, chap. i. > specially
points to the Angel as the object towards
whom the conflicting efforts of the pa-
triarch were directed. Of the eircum-
stances of his weeping and making sup-
plication, no particular mention is made
in 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. The prophet, as in the former
reference, leaves the Israelites to make
the application. If they would only now
redeem their character as descendants of
Israel, and show that they were entitled
to the name, by sincerely and earnestly
engaging in supplication to the God of
their ancestor, they too should prevail,
and obtain every necessary blessing. ‘The
third satan is to the narrative Gen.
Xxvili. 11-22, which contains an account
of the scene at Bethel, and the promises
which God then made, not to the patri-
arch only, but also to his posterity. The
nominative to xxv, he found, is God,
and not Jacob, as “Abenezra, Tanchum,
and several others have attempted to
maintain. The meaning is, that Jehovah
afforded to the solitary traveller the gra-
cious aid which his exposed situation ren-
dered desirable. ty—n-3, Bethel, is here
the accusative of place, and is used with
singular effect, in reference to the con-
trasted appropriation of it by the patri-
arch, and by his apostate posterity. ‘The
LXX. not perceiving this, have rendered
it οἶκος Ὧν, the house of On, as elsewhere
in this book. 5525), ‘wth us,” Aq.
Symm. Theod. Syr. Tanchum, Abul-
walid, and several moderns, render as if
it were yey, “with him;” but there is
no variety of reading in the MSS., and
39> is nowhere used of the third person
singular. The LXX. have πρὸς αὐτοὺς,
to them, as if they had read px, which
so far as pronunciation is concerned, goes
to confirm the Masoretic punctuation.
That the prophet here speaks per κοινώσιν,
identifying himself and his contempora-
ries with their progenitor, in whose loins
they may be said to have been, when he
received the gracious promises which re-
lated not to himself only, but also to his
posterity, is the interpretation advocated
by Manger, Horsley, Hitzig, Maurer, and
Rosenmiiller. Comp. Ps. Ixvi. 6; Heb.
vii. 9, 10. Onthe other hand, Ewald,
following Jarchi and Joseph Kimchi, ren-
ders the words 13:23 7297, he will speak
with us, in the future, onal considers the
prophet to be announcing, that God would
renew his communications at Bethel, pro-
vided the Israelites returned to obedience.
72 HOSEA.
Cuar. XIL
6 Even Jehovah the God of hosts:
Jehovah is his memorial.
But though this scems less entitled to
adoption, it cannot be denied that his
design in the adduction of this instance
was to lead his people to repentance, in
order that they might inherit the prom-
ised blessings.
6. 1 in τοῦτο is expletive. Ewald
strangely gives to the combination the
form of an oath: “bei Jahve,” explain-
ing it in his note, “wahr ist das bei
Jahve,’” By Jchovah it is true! The
incommunicable name is here introduced
for the express purpose of showing that
He who had made promises respecting
the posterity of Jacob, would not prove
unfaithful to his word. While “bs
minasi, the God of hosts, LXX. Tlayro-
κράτωρ, conveys the idea of supreme and
infinite power by which he is able to
carry all his purposes into effect, his pe-
culiarly distinctive name min, conveys
that of immutable constancy Ys and, by
implication, fidelity to his promises. Some
refer the word to the root min, fo exist,
be; but that it is to be derived from the
cognate and more ordinary verb of exist-
ence τη, appears evident from Exod.
iii. 14, W here, in the explanation of the
name, the form of the future is not s-7,
but poms. But as 4 is nevertheless
inserted in 4m, 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
min, He was, min, He #8, and si,
He will be. What confirms this hypothe-
sis, is the peculiar designation of God,
Rey. i. 4, 8. ‘'O dv καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ epydue-
vos, Ie that is, and that was, and that is
to come, which is merely a translation
into Greek of these different forms of the
verb. See Pococke on Joel i. 19. In
this derivation Abenezra and other Rab-
bins concur; and, accordingly the second
article of the Jewish creed concludes with
the words min mn went 1135 1m)
som, “And he alone is our God; He
was, Hr 1s, and He suatu ze.” It is
a coincidence in no small degree remark-
able, that this threefold description of the
divine existence obtained both among the
ancient Egyptians and Brahmins. On
the Saitic temple of Isis was the inscrip-
tion, ᾿Εγώ εἰμι πᾶν τὸ γεγονὸν καὶ ὃν καὶ
ἐσόμενον, καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν πέπλον οὐδείς πω
δινητὸς ἀνεκάλυψε, 441 am all THAT was,
AND IS, AND SHALL BE, and no mortal
hath ever uncovered my veil.’’ Plutarch
de Iside. In the Bhagavat the Supreme
Being thus addresses Brahma : — « Even
I was at first, not any other being; THaT
WHICH EXISTS unperceived; Supreme:
afterwards I AM THAT WHICH Is; and
He wo must REMAIN am I.” Asiat.
Researches, vol. i. p. 245. Comp. Ζεὺς ἦν"
Ζεὺς ἐστί" Ζεὺς ἔσσεται: ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ-
“Zeus was ; Zeus is; Zeus shall be; O great
Zeus!"’ Pausan. Phoc. x. 12. Whether
the name $7 was in use before the time
of Moses, has *been, and still is matter of
dispute. ‘That the patriarchs were un-
acquainted with it, has been concluded
from Exod. vi. 8, where God declares,
that the name under which he revealed
himself to them was "πὸ ts, Gop
Aumicuty, but that he was not known
to them by his name Fini, JeHovAH,
Since, however, we meet with this name
not only in the history of the patriarchs,
but also expressly employed by them-
selves, as in Gen. xv. 2, xvi. 2, xxii. 14,
Xxiv. 3, xxvii. 7, Xxiil. 20, 21, etc. it seems
undeniable that they were acquainted with
it; so that what is meant by the words
end “HET Nb mony wows, is, that God
had not caused ert to experience the im-
port of his name mins, Jenovan. For
this signification of ‘the phrase DY S71",
to know aname, or, to know, comp. Ts.
lii. 6, Ixiv. 1; ΤΣ: xvi. 21. It had
special weference to something future —
the fulfilment of the promises which he
had given them; and as these promises
began to be fulfilled when he interposed
for their deliverance from Egypt, there
was singular propriety in its being selected
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 contin-
ued to attach to it all along till the advent
of Messiah, in whom all the promises are
—_— ΗΝ Ἰπτν
Cuap. XIL
HOSEA.
7 Thou, therefore, return to thy God;
Observe mercy and judgment,
And wait continually on thy God.
8
He loveth to oppress.
As for Canaan, deceitful balances are in his hand;
9 Ephraim saith, Surely I am rich,
I have acquired wealth ;
In none of my labors am I chargeable with guilt.
yea and amen, 2 Cor. i. 20; just as it is
still prominently exhibited in‘O ἐρχόμενος,
THz cominc 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
pasion made in the text of our prophet,
sist mint, >, compared with Exod. iii. 15,
SS 55 5 “357 mh, in which the Most
High declares, that this name was to
be employed for the purpose of perpetu-
atimg the knowledge of his character with
respect to promised blessings. Comp.
also Ps. exxxv. 13. That it should have
come into oral disuse among the Jews,
could only have originated in a feeling
of superstitious veneration, which led
them to regard it as too sacred to be pro-
nounced without profanation. The ear-
liest trace of such superstition is thought
to be found in the words, Ecclesiasticus
Xxili. 9, ὀνομασίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου μὴ συνεϑισϑῆς,
“use not thyself to the naming of the
Holy One; ” but Philo de Nomin. mutet.
makes express mention of it. Whenever
the Jews meet with it in the text, they
read =358, Lorp, instead of it, except
when it follows Ἔ 4s, in which case
they point it min>, and read 5°7 DNs
Gop. Some are ‘of opinion, that the
present punctuation τοῦ ττῦ is merely that
of "2", the simple Sheva taking the
place of Hateph-Patach, which only
occurs in connection with gutturals ; but
the employment of the two first syllables
with precisely the same points in the
formation of compound proper names
manifestly goes to show that our present
pronunciation is correct. Compare 934m»
Tinian, ymin, ete. The changé of
the Segol into Kametz may be accounted
for on the ground of the grave manner
10
in which the fina} syMable required to be
accented, if it was not intended to stand
for the second vowel of the preterite 5-7.
7. An exhortation to duty derived from
what God had been, and would still, in
accordance with the significant aspect of
his name, in continuance be, to those who
served him in sincerity.
8. 5225, Canaan, is the nominative
absolute, introduced abruptly for the pur-
pose of graphically describing the real
character of the Ephraimites. The word
may, indeed, be rendered merchant, but
then ux, man, must be supplied; u-»
ἼΣ2Ξ.» aman of Canaan, meaning a mer-
chant — the inhabitants of that country
being the celebrated merchants of antiq-
uity. The prophet seems rather to place
the names of Canaan and Israel in an-
tithesis ; in which there is great point, as
the Israelites were accustomed to hold
the Canaanites in the utmost contempt.
Comp. Ezek. xvi. 8. Horsley renders
a trafficker of Canaan, which weakens
rather than strengthens the antithesis.
The fraudulent practices of merchants
were quite proverbial among the Jews.
“As anail sticketh fast in ‘the joinings
of the stones, so doth sin stick close be-
tween buying and selling.” “Ecclesiasti-
cus xxvii. 2.
9. The character assumed in the pre-
ceding verse is here directly applied, only
the ten tribes are represented as flattering
themselves that they had employed no
illegal means in acquiring their affluence.
asz7a",, they shall find, is used imperson-
ally. 44» is employed to denote the act
of distortion or iniquity, son its guilt
or culpability. The words literally ren-
dered are, with respect to all my efforts,
they shall not find attaching to me inig-
uity which is sin; and the meaning is,
τε
HOSEA.
Cuar. Xi
10 Yet I, Jehovah, am thy God from the land of Egypt;
I will still cause thee to dwell in tents as on feast days.
11 I have spoken to the prophets,
I have multiplied visions ;
And through the prophets I have used similitudes.
might be punished. ‘The merchant
imagines that it is not possible to get
through business without some deceit ;
but he takes care not to commit any gross
or deadly act of delinquency, hoping that
God will not be strict in regard to the
rest.”” — Michaelis.
10. Commentators have been greatly
divided in opinion as to whether these
words are to be taken as a promise, or as
athreatening. Those who take the latter
view interpret the living in tabernacles
of such a life as those lead who have no
settled habitations, like the Israelites in
the wilderness, or like those who assem-
bled at the annual festivals, and who
could only be accommodated in tents
without the city. But, though such ex-
egesis might at first sight seem to suit
the connection, yet there is something so
forced in, comparing a state of captivity
to that of the Hebrew nation during the
celebration of the most joyful of all their.
festivals, that 1 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
who are familiar with the sudden and
abrupt transitions which abound in Hosea,
and the frequency with which he inter-
mingles promises with threatenings, will
not be surprised at this unexpected assur-
ance of the divine clemency. The argu-
ment is this: the Israelites have indeed
acted a most wicked and deceitful part,
and justly deserve to be forever cast off
from all participation in my favor ; but I
am still, what I have been from the begin-
ning 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
the captivity.
11. Jehovah adduces a further proof of
the kindness of his disposition towards
the nation—the abundant means of
instruction which he had afforded them ;
while at the same time, the language is
so worded as to draw their attention to
the messages which the prophets had
delivered. These messages contained the
most powerful dissuasives from idolatry,
and the greatest encouragements to
cleave unto the Lord. ἘΣ in τη
cwsaenty, following a τέ of an-
nouncement, is equivalent to ty, ¢o, and
is not to be pressed so as to ade it sig-
nify the coming down or resting of inspir-
ation upon the prophets. Comp. Job
xxxvi. 33. LXX. πρὸς προφήτας. If
Hosea was one of the earliest of the He-
brew prophets, whose books are now in
our hands, reference must here be had,to
those who had flourished before his time,
such as Ahijah the Shilonite, Shemaiah,
Iddo, Azariah, Hanani, Jehu, Jahaziel,
Eliezer, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Joel, and
Amoz, not to include the hundred proph-
ets of the Lord whom Obadiah hid in a
cave, after Jezebel had put a number to
death. Not only had Jehovah made
numerous communications of his will
through the instrumentality of these
messengers, but he had employ ed such
modes in making these communications
as were calculated at once to gain and
secure attention. For 4531, see on Is. i.
1. mets from mat, to be like, resemble ;
in Piel, to liken, emplor y, similes, or com-
parisons ; or, in general, to use figura-
tive language. In such language, includ-
ing metaphor, allegory, comparison, pros-
opopceia, apostrophe, hyperbole, etc., the
prophets abound. They accommodated
themselves to the capacity and under-
standing of their hearers by couching the
high and important subjects of which
they treated under the imagery of sensi-
ble objects, and invested them with a
degree of life and energy which could
only be resisted by an obstinate determi-
nation not to listen to religious instruc-.
tion. Though 273 is in the future, it
borrows its temporal signification from
-«ἱ
"1 σ
Cuap. XII.
12 Verily Gilead is iniquitous,
Surely they are false :
In Gilgal they sacrifice oxen ;
.Their altars are like the heaps
On the ridges of the field.
13
Israel served for a wife ;
HOSEA.
τὸ
Jacob fled to the country of Syria;
And for a wife he kept the flocks.
14
*
the two preceding verbs, "M727 and
°n-aq7, which are in the preterite.
12. px is not used here as a particle
expressing doubt : it rather expresses the
certainty of what is affirmed, as πὰ fol-
lowing, evidently shows. The two places
here mentioned were celebrated in the
history of the Hebrews : — Gilead, on
account of the solemn 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 pass-
over when they had passed over Jordan.
They are adduced by the prophet to re-
mind the Israelites of the sacred obliga-
tions 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 iniq-
uity? Are its inhabitants actually wor-
shippers of idols? And then he fear-
lessly charges them with idolatry. Both
ἽΝ and s$w are specially used of idols,
in order to express their nothingness and
vanity. The abstract stands for the con-
erete. By s253, Gilead, is meant not
merely the place, but its inhabitants.
Comp. for the wickedness of the Gilead-
ites, chap. vi. 8. tata, 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
ἘΠ53, heaps, comp. Josh. vii. 26, there is
an obvious reference to the name 5353,
By a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was kept.
Both are derived from $3, éo roll, roll
stones, ete. For "πὶ "25m, comp. chap.
x. 4. \
18, 14. The argument of both these
verses is the same, though it is only in
the latter that it is expressly stated, viz.
the divine goodness in preserving Jacob
and his posterity. God was with the
patriarch, according to his promise, and
protected and prospered him all the time
he was in servitude in Padan-aram ; and
he likewise delivered his descendants from
Egyptian bondage, and conducted them
safely to the land of Canaan. max,
Aramea, Syria, the high country, from.
can, to be high ; here specially the region
between the Euphrates and the Tigris,
called on this account, 674752 Eos Aram
of the two rivers, Be: 'Μεσοποταμία,
Mesopotamia. Being lower than the
rest of Syria on the west, it is here called
mi, field, which corresponds to 425, ὦ
level or plain, Gen. xlvili. 7; hence
Padan-aram. “123, to keep, is used
without 48%, sheep, in the sense of keep-
ing a flock. See Gen. xxx. 31; 1 Sam.
xvii. 20. To the verb as thus employed
in its literal acceptation, ver. 13, the fig-
urative use in 9733 » ver. 14, corresponds,
The church of God is frequently com-
pared to a flock. The ΝΞ, prophet,
here referred to was Moses, who was so
κατ᾽ ἐξοχήν. See Exod. iv. 15, 16;
Numb. xii. 6-8; Is. Ixiii. 11, 12, The
repeated reference to the Hebrew legisla-
tor in this character, was evidently in-
tended to impress the minds of the Israel-
ites with a conviction of the necessity of
attending to the messages which the Lord
sent to them by his prophets.
"ὍΣ, HOSEA.
Cuap. XIIL
15 Ephraim hath given most: bitter provocation,
Therefore will his Lord leave his blood upon him ;
And bring back upon him his reproach,
15. Ean, lit. bitterness, 1. e. most
Litter, or bitterly. The object of provo-
cation is not expressed, but that it is
Jehovah is clear from the following clause.
The blood of Ephraim was, in all prob-
ability, that of human victims which had
been shed in the service of Moloch. 17:53,
his Lord, is improperly applied by Hors-
ley to the king of Assyria. By "ΓΞ" Πν
CHAPTER
΄
his reproach, is meant the disgraceful
conduct of the ten tribes in abandoning the
true God, as unworthy of their service,
and transferring it to idols. 7378 is the
nominative to S** as well as to Ξ 35,
and in our language the τ ἘΣ τ δ
term Lord requires to be used before the
former, and understood before the latter
of the two verbs.
LTT.
After contrasting the prosperity of the tribe of Ephraim, during the period of its, obedience
to the divine laws, with the adversity which it had suffered in consequence of idolatry, 1,
the prophet proceeds in the same manner, as in the preceding chapter, to intermingle
brief descriptions of sin and guilt, 2, 6, 9,12; denouncements of punishment, 3, 7, 8, 13,
15, 16; and promises of mercy, 4, 9, 14.
1 πεν Ephraim spake, there was tremor ;
He was exalted in Israel ;
But he offended through Baal,
1. Ephraim means here the tribe prop-
erly so called, in distinction from the
other tribes of Israel, mentioned imme-
diately after. Such was the power and
influence which it originally exercised
over the rest, that they showed it the
utmost deference. mn, a ἅπαξ λεγό-
μενον, but corigualy cognate with bun,
Jer. xlix. 24, § Syr Ἰ2...25, Targ. 8°77,
fear, trembling. In Pococke’s Arab.
MS. the words are rendered (hac
83 δ. "9" Libs
ees) Le, when Ephraim spake,
trembling feul upon men, And so Tan-
chum, syle ust δ) girs!
and died,
oS ue Af ys, the mean~
ing is, that men revered him, and trem-
bled at his word. 'The same construction
is adopted by Jerome, Kimchi, Abarbanel,
Munster, Vatablus, Clarius, Drusius,
Lively, Grotius, Rivetus, Tingstadius,
Dathe, Kuinoel, Horsley, De Wette,
Maurer, Noyes, and Hitzig. It is im-
possible to approve the translation of
Ewald: “Wie Efraim redete Empé-
rung, es aufruhr machte in Israel,”
When Ephraim gave utterance to sedi-
tion, tt produced rebellion in Israel.
Neither mn> nor xv admit of being so
translated. ΤῸ take mn4 adverbially,
and -render it trembling? ys OF trembling,
as in our common version, though it
affords an apt sense in itself, is less suited
Caar. XIII.
2 And now they continue to sin,
HOSEA.
ae
And make for themselves molten images,
Idols of their silver according to their skill;
All of them the work of artificers ;
The men that sacrifice, say of them,
Let them kiss the calves.
to the connection. 3 occurs in the
sense of elevating one’s self, Ps. lxxxix. 10;
Nah. i. 5, or being exalted. Hence sw,
@ prince. 2 in ty23, has the force of,
in union with, in the matter of, and
marks the participation of the Ephraim-
ites in the service of Baal. nay, to die,
is here to be taken in a civil or political
sense; to lose one’s influence, become
subject to misery, punishment, etc. It
forms an antithesis to Sv, to be exalted.
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
last became entirely extinct — ‘‘ex quo
peccavit, nulla jam est autoritate in pop-
ulo Dei.” GEcolampadius. ‘ Vita erum-
nosa et tristis pro morte censetur ; idcirco
exules mortui dicuntur, et exilium sep-
ulchri nomine notatur, Ezech. cap. 37.”
Rivetus.
2. This verse sets forth their persever-
ance in idolatrous practices, notwith-
standing the chastisements with which
they had been visited. tix “M24, the
LXX. Vulg. Jarchi, Abenezra, Abavba-
nel, Tanchum, Calvin, Piscator, Leo Juda,
and among the moderns, Schmid, J. H.
Michaelis, Horsley, Hitzig, Stuck, and J.
Fr. Schroder, render sacrifice, or sacrifi-
cers of men, on the principle, that the
presentation of human sacrifices is meant.
‘This, however, was called in question by
Kimchi, who explains, b-s25 E78 732
nats, the men who come to sacrifice. 'To
the same effect Munster, Piscator, Junius
and Tremelius, Rivetus, Mercer, Glassius,
Lively, Drusius, Bochart, our own and
most of the authorized versions, Lowth,
Newcome, Boothroyd, Noyes, De Wette,
Gesenius, Maurer, and Ewald. The rule
of syntax laid down by Gesenius respect-
ing this mode of construction, Lehrgeb.
p. 678, is, that when a genitive following
an adjective is a noun of multitude, or
of the plural number, such adjective is
particularly used in poetry for the pur-
pose of designating those of the mul-
titude to which the specified quality
belongs. Instances are Isaiah xxix. 19,
ἘΠῚ (338; the poor of men, i. 6.
those of men who are poor; Micah
v. 5, Etsy "E702, the anointed of men,
i. e. such of men as are anointed. So
in the present case, DIN "M23, sacri-
Jicers of men, i. 6. those of, or among
men that sacrifice, which is merely a
periphrasis for priests. Although, there-
fore, 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 pres-
ent passage, especially as the prophet men-
tions the calves, of whose worship human
sacrifices, so far as we know, formed no
part. 773° πο 2}, let them kiss the calves.
It was customary for idolaters to give
the kiss of adoration to the objects of
their worship. This was sometimes done
by merely touching the lips with the
hand, to which reference is made Job
xxxi. 27, Comp. Lucian περὶ Ορχήσεως
i. p. 918, edit. Bened. Minutius Felix,
cap. 2, ad fin. Apuleius Apol. p. 496.
At other times the idol itself was kissed
by the worshippers. Comp. 1 Kings xix.
18. Thus Cicero tells us, that at Agri-
gentum in Sicily there was a brazen
image of the Tyrian Hercules whose
mouth and chin were worn by the kisses
of his worshippers — ‘* non solum id ven-
erari, verum etiam oscwlar? solebant.”
Act. ii. in Verrem, lib. iv. cap. 43. Noth-
ing 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 Em tr
(apa? Eceae SoS “nay Gc is some-
what difficult. As usually divided they
are interpreted thus: they, ¢. 6. the Eph-
raimites, say of them, the images, let the
sacrificers kiss the calves; but it is better
to take Pay ἼΠΞΤν che sacrifecrs, as in
78
HOSEA.
Cuapr. XI.
3 Therefore shall they be like the morning cloud,
And like the dew which early departeth,
Like chaff blown by a whirlwind from the threshing-floor,
And like smoke from the window.
4 Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy,God from the land of Egypt,
Thou knewest no God besides me ;
Nor was there any Saviour bearded me,
σι
In the land of burning thirst.
fon)
I regarded thee in the wilderness,
As they were fed, so were they satiated ;
They were satiated, and their heart was lifted up;
Therefore they forgat me:
“τ
So that I became to them as a lion,
I watched for them as a leopard by the way.
ie 2)
apposition with and exegetical of on
Dk, they say, i. 6. they, the men that
sacrifice, say to the people, let them kiss
the calves. While the priests presented
the sacrifices; they encouraged the wor-
shippers to come forward and kiss the
objects of their adoration.
3. Comp. chap. vi. 4. et the thresh-
ing floor, being an open area, generally
on an eminence, was peculiarly exposed
to the wind, which carried off the chaff,
on its being trodden out, or separated
from the grain. MEIN, Aq. ἀπὸ καταῤ-
ῥάκτου, which Jerome explains, ‘ foramen
in pariecte fabricatum per quod fumas
egreditur;”” Symm. ὀπῆς, ὀπὴ, an orifice ;
Theod. καπουδόχην, a hole for the passage
of smoke. It is very common in the
Fast for the light to be admitted, and the
smoke to make its escape by the same
passage or orifice in the wall. The idea
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-
ported, and was most probably inserted
in that version by some scholiast.
5. Here "ὩΣ πο, I knew, contrasts with
2am in the prec ceding verse, only it is to
be taken in the sense of knowing effect-
ively, taking notice of, caring for. Comp.
Amos iii, 2. miaisdn, lit. thirstiness,
great thirst, extreme drought, from axb,
Arab. wy, sitivit, Comp. 5113. to burn,
I met them as a bear bereaved of her cubs,
Arab. es, arsit, sitivit, siti, arsit.
Munster renders, ‘‘ terra siti ardente.”
Comp. Deut. viii. 15.
6. ἘΠ Σ 55, according to their feed-
ing, i. 6. in proportion to their enjoyment
of the provision which I made for them,
feeding them with manna from heaven,
and afterwards abundantly supplying
their wants. It is equivalent to, “as
they were fed.’”’ For the rest of the verse
comp. Deut. xxxii. 13-15.
7, 8. 1 in "m1 is inferential, showing
that what follows was the result of w hat
is stated in the preceding verse. The
context requires the verb to be taken in
the past time. The images here employed
are of frequent occurrence. Comp. Job
x. 16; Ps. vii. 2; Is. xxxviii. 13; Lam.
ili. 10. “122, the leopard, so called from
his spots or streaks. Arab. re macul-
osus fuit, maculis punetisve respersus
Suit; pardus. See Jer. xiii. 23, SE
ἽΝ ὨΡΞΉΒΙ “3. The leopard is noted
for his” sw iftness, ferocity, and especially
his cruelty to man. He lurks in the
dense thicket of the wood, and springs
with great velocity on his victim. With
respect to the bear, Jerome remarks,
** Aiunt, qui, de bestiarum scripsere na-
turis, inter omnes feras nihil esse ursa
seevius, quum perdiderit catulos vel in-
dignerit cibis.” 5 being of common
gender, the participle $:23 is put in the
Crap SAT,
HOSEA. 79
And rent the caul of their heart;
I devoured them there, as a lioness;
The wild beast rent them in pieces.
9 O/Israel! Thou hast destroyed thyself,
Nevertheless in me truly is thine help.
10 Where is thy king now ?
That he may save thee in all thy cities;
And thy judges, of whom thou saidst,
Give me a king and princes,
11 I gave thee a king in mine anger,
And took him away in my wrath.
masculine, though the female bear is
meant. Comp. prxsadi 1375258, Ps.
exliy. 14. 4430 is the’ pericardium, or
membrane which contains the heart in
its cavity, and is thus fitly called its
‘enclosure. For δὲς, I watched, sixteen
of De Rossi’s MSS. ‘and one in the mar-
gin, three ancient editions, and twenty-
four others, the LXX. Syr. Vulg. and
Arab. read "θῖν, Assyria, which some
prefer, on account of the number of lions,
panthers, tigers, etc. with which the re-
gions of southern Asia abound. The
text would then read, as a leopard, in
the way to Assyria; but the common
reading is more in accordance with the
spirit of the passage.
9. qnny, I take to be a noun with
the suflix, thy destruction! i. e. the de-
struction is thine own; thou hast brought
it upon thyself by thy sins. It is, there-
fore, equivalent to ‘‘ thou hast destroyed
thyself,” and cannot be better rendered.
Thus the Vulg. Perditio tua, Israel.
Dathe, Ips? estis o Israelite! exitit vestri
causa. Some, however, as Kimchi, sup-
ply basn, the calf; others, 525%, thy
king, from the following verse; others,
some other noun; and take mnw ta be
the third person eogulae of Piel: Comp.
for the form 59, Deut. xxxii. 35; -27,
Jer. v. 135 nan, Hos. 1. 2; up, Jer.
xliv. 21. N ewcome uniwarrantebly, adopts
the rendering of the Syriac, «I have de-
stroyed thee.” Most of the moderns
give a hostile sense to the 3 in the fol-
lowing 57172 °2, against me, against
thy help ; but, eae how frequently
declarations of kindness are mixed up
with charges of eyil, and that some verb
denoting rebellion would be required ta
support such construction, it seems pre-
ferable to give to »> the common adver-
sative signification of yet, nevertheless,
and to ποτοῦ the 3 in 33773 as the Beth
Essentie, 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 ex-
pected, and in me it is to be found. So
our translators. See on Is. xxvi. 4.
This exegesis is strongly supported, if not
rendered absolutely necessary, by the
pointed interrogations in the following
verse. The LXX. tis BonSjoet; turn-
ing "2 into "a, and omitting the second
3 altogether. Thus also the. Syr.
10, 11. "πᾷ is in all probability a me-
tathesis nk my , where? It is thus ren-
dered by the LXX. Syr. Vulg. Targ.
Abulwalid, Tanchum, Luther, Pee
Mercer, Osiander, Rivetus, Castalio, and
hy most modern expositors. It is also so
taken by Gesenius, Lee, Winer, and
Fiirst ; and alone suits the connection.
Comp. in support of this interpretation,
the combination sib mes, Jud. ix. 38 ;
Job xvii. 15; Is. xix 12. One of Ken-
nicott’s MSS. and perhaps another, one
of De Rossi’s in the margin, read 7>3
instead of "mx, though probably by cor-
rection. ‘ Another of De Rossi’s has a
note in the margin, stating that the word
is so explained. The 1 527425"4 is pleo-
nastic, except it be etd as introduc-
ing the apodosis. 4x is so intimately
connected w with the past transactions im-
80
12
HOSEA.
Cuap. ΠΕ
The guilt of Ephraim is bound up,
His punishment is laid up in store,
13 The pangs of a woman 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 "ξτσπὸ nx, thou saidst, give
me, that, though future in form, it can-
not with any propricty be rendered oth-
erwise than in the preterite. Some refer
the circumstances here mentioned to the
selection and removal of Saul; but it is
more in keeping with the specialty of the
prophet’s address to consider the king to
be Jeroboam and his successors in the
regal dignity ; and that the removal re-
gards the frequent changes which took
place in the history of the Israelitish
kings, which proved a source of great
calamity to the nation. See 2 Kings xv.
12. The metaphors are here borrowed
from the custom of tying up money in
bags, and depositing it in some secret
place, in order that it 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.
xxxil. 34, Job xxi. 19.
13. Another instance of two metaphors
closely connected, the transition from the
one to the other of which is, in the man-
ner of the Orientals, rapid and unexpected,
See Dathe’s ‘very judicious note. It is
not unusual in Scripture to compare the
calamities of a people to the sorrows of
childbirth. In addition to this the dan-
ger and folly of Ephraim in protracting
repentance, in the midst of the afflictive
circumstances in which he was 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.
The LXX. οὗτος ὁ vids σου ὃ φρόνιμος has
doubtless originally been οὗτος ὁ υἱός οὐ
φρόνιμος. “> introduces the contrary of
the preceding proposition, and is used
elliptically for the sentence, “ For if it
were not so,” etc. It may best be ren-
dered into English by otherwise, else, or
the like. my, time, is here to be taken
adverbially, in ‘the sense of for a time,
long, ete. Winer, aliquod tempus, ali-
quamdiu. Comp. the Arab. wm”), when
used in opposition to κτλ 5. 730%, the
os uteri, Comp. 2 Kings xix. 3; Is.
xxxvi. 3, lxvi. 9. Without a national
παλιγγενεσία, no prosperity could be ex-
pected. It was for the Israelites by true
repentance to accelerate and ensure their
deliverance from threatened destruction,
and their enjoyment of a new period of
peace and happiness.
14. The ideas of Sheol and Death were
naturally suggested by the perilous cir-
cumstances described in the preceding
verse. Extinction as a people is there ap-
prehended. Here it is viewed as having
already taken place; and a gracious prom-
ise is given of the restoration of the Is-
raelites, and the complete destruction of
the enemies by whom they had been car-
ried into captivity. 7592, from the hand,
a common Hebraism for from the power.
7B properly signifies to redeem, or buy
loose, by the payment of a price; bya,
to avenge the murder of a relative, and
also to recover or redeem property by re-
payment. Both verbs, however, are used
in a more extended signification, and
especially in reference to the deliverance
of the Hebrews from Egypt; and from
the captivity in Babylon. That dirs,
Sheol, and m2, Death, are here to be
taken in a figurative sense, with applica-
tion to the state of the Israelites in the
Assyrian and Babylonish captivity, de-
prived as they were of all political exist
ence, and subject to the most grievous
Cuar. XU,
HOSEA.
81
Where is thy destruction, O Death ?
Where is thine excision, O Sheol?
Repentance is hid from mine eyes.
calamities, the exigency of the passage
imperatively demands. Comp. Is. xxvi.
19. Respecting *mt3 interpreters are far
from being agreed. Symm. the Vulg.
Coverdale, eee Tingstadius, Horsley,
Dathe, Kuinoel, De Wette, Noyes, Ros-
enmiller, Hesselberg, and Maurer, take
it to be the first person future of the sub-
stantive verb mam, to be; whereas the
LXX. Aq. the fifth edition, (Paul, 1
Cor.. xv. 55,) Syr. Arab. Abulwalid,
Tanchum, Junius and Tremellius, Mer-
cer, Newcome, Boothroyd, Ewald, and
Hitzig, consider it to be used as in ver.
10, for => ποῦ, where? With the latter
authorities I concur, partly on the ground
that it is not likely the prophet would
employ the same word in the same form
in two different acceptations in verses 10
and 14; and partly because I find "πὸ
nowhere used absolutely as an apocopated
future; but always with the Vau con-
versive prefixed. See for the full form
mins, chap. xiv. 6. To which add, that
the interrogation is more in keeping with
the animated style of the passage. In-
stead of the plural 4725, thy destruc-
tions, one hundred and twenty-two MSS,
originally five more, now two, and four
of the early editions read " F237 thy de-
struction in the singular. Cee Arab.
ὦ, death ; specially the plague, pesti-
lence; the awful destruction of human
life effected by it. Hence the LXX.
mostly render it Sdvaros; here δίκη, but
in all probability originally νίκη, for which
Paul reads νίκος, only transposing νίκος
and κέντρον, by which latter term the
LXX. render au, excision, cutting off,
destruction. The cause of this transpo-
sition is obyious. The apostle had just
quoted the passage in Isaiah, agreeably
to the version of Theodotion, in which
νίκος occurs, whereby he was reminded
of the same words as occurring in Hosea,
and, under the influence of strong emo-
tion, he commences his quotation with
νίκος prominently in his mind, Olshau-
sen thinks νίκος is a later form for νίκη.
11
Root ave, Arab. ιν, to cut, cut off,
destroy. That 437 is the genuine read-
ing, and that 2713 , ὦ goad, which some
would substitute for it, in order to make
the Hebrew correspond to κέντρον, is to
be rejected, may very conclusively be
gathered from the similar occurrence of
the words -23 and ΞῸ together, Ps.
xci. 6. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 24. The
import of this animated apostrophe, 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 them-
selves as it were in the period after the
resurrection : the former in that after the
restoration from Babylon; the other in
that after the literal restoration of the
dead to life at the last day. Both look
back, and triumphantly exult over the
conquerors. With respect to the appro-
priation of the words by the apostle in
reference to the doctrine of the final res-
urrection, it appears to be made, not in
the way of proof, but merely to give ex-
pression, in the triumphant language of
the prophet, to the animated feelings
which had taken possession of his breast.
His direct quotation in the way of argu-
ment is made from Is. xxv. 8, and con-
sists of the words κατεπόϑη 6 ϑάνατος eis
νίκος. It would, therefore, be improper
to identify the subject of which he treats
with that treated of by our prophet.
«‘ Neque enim 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 sen-
tentiam per similitudinem, aliquando
abhibent testimonia. — Atqui satis con-
stat, Paulum illo 15 cap. 1 ad Corinth
non citasse prophetz testimoniam ad con-
firmandum illam doctrinam de qua dis-
serit.” Calvin in loc. See also Horsley’s
critical note. tris, LXX. παράκλησις,
82
15
HOSEA.
Cuar. XIIL
Though 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:
He shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels,
16 Samaria shall be punished,
Because she hath rebelled against her God:
They shall fall by the sword ;
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant women shall be ripped up.
Syr. ἴα. Vulg. consolatio; but re-
pentance better suits the connection. It
expresses the immutability of the divine
purpose, which had the deliverance of
his people for its object. Comp. Rom.
xi, 29. Horsley strangely refers the re-
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. While the promise
was designed to afford consolation to the
pious, and encouragement to the penitent,
the threatening was equally necessary for
the refractory and profane. wan, he,
refers to Ephraim, ver. 12. x57 an
ἅπαξ Aey. but obviously equivalent to
752, the Hiphil of 448, ¢o be fruitful.
It is here used with cal reference to
the name of n> px, being the root whence
it is derived, and not improbably exhibits
τὸ instead of -., because it forms the first
letter of the noun. The tribe of Eph-
raim was the most numerous in regard to
population, and was for a time in the
most flourishing circumstances. That
such is the signification of the verb, and
that it is not to be rendered divide or
separate, as in the ancient and several of
the modern versions, nor act like a wild
ass, Which others exhibit, appears from
the mention of a spring and a fountain,
which naturally suggests the idea of a
tree, the roots of which are plentifully
supplied by their water. For ὩΣ.» see
on chap. xii, 2, and Is, xxvii. 8. man
mim, like orn ts tx, Job. i. 19, is the
genitive of cause, a wind caused, sent by
or proceeding from Jehovah; not “a great
wind,” us some interpret. The Assyrian
army is meant. row? Nin, He, 1. 6;
the Assyrian, couched under the meta-
phor of the destructive wind, shall plun-
der every valuable article belonging to
the Israelites.
16. [Chap. xiv. 1.] This verse begins
the following chapter in the Hebrew
Bible, but it more intimately coheres with
the preceding context. nyan, LXX.
ἀφανισϑήσεται, Vulg. pereat. The word
signifies to be guilty of crime, and to be
treated as guilty, to suffer punishment, be
punished. Samaria as the metropolis,
and the source of all the calamities which
were coming upon the Israelites, is put
as representing the whole nation; but
not to the exclusion of the peculiarly
severe punishment which the inhabitants
of that city had to expect. "72, some
render to embitter, provoke bitterly; but
rebelling, resisting, striking against any
one, are the ideas more properly conveyed
by the verb. Thus the LXX. ἀντέστη
πρὸς Tov ϑεὸν αὐτῆς. The addition of
the affix in m*mbs, “her God,” gives
great emphasis in such connection. Comp.
chap. xii. 10, xiii. 4. The aggravations
of sin are increased by the relations sus-
tained by the sinner. For the conclud-
ing portion of the verse, comp. 2 Kings
viii. 12, xv. 16; Amosi. 13. That such
cruelties were not unknown among other
nations, see Lliad vi. 58 ; —
μηδ᾽ ὅντινα γαστέρι μήτηρ
Κοῦρον ἐόντα φέροι, μηδ᾽ ὅς φύγοι" ; ---
Cuar. XIV.
and Horace, Carm. iv. Ode 6. The con-
HOSEA.
83
grammar, and may have been occasioned
struction ἡ 93 mieqm 15 ad sensum, by the form of wer? immediately pre-
though not ΠΥ τας to the strict rule of
ceding.
CHAPTER XIV.
This chapter contains an urgent call to repentance, the supplication and confession expres-
sive of which are put in a set form of words into the mouths of the penitents, 1—3. To
encourage them thus to return te 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.
Rervry, O Israel! to Jehovah thy God:
For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
2 Take with you words, and return to Jehovah ;
Say to him,
Forgive all iniquity, and graciously receive us,
Then we will render to thee the calves of our lips.
1,2. The = of direction in the im-
perative τ|ϑ 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 F>73,
«ἰ thy God,” see on chap. xii. 16. δ
752 isa phrase of such frequent occur-
rence with the meaning to pardon inig-
wity, that it is surprising how Horsley
could insist upon its meaning to ‘ take
away the sinful principle within us — the
carnal heart of the old Adam.” His
construction of 340 hp, “ accept as good,
what, so regenerate, we shall be enabled
to perform,” though sound divinity, is
equally indefensible on the ground of
philology. ‘wu is used adverbially, be-
nigne, in bonam partem; and the mean-
ing is, graciously receive us back into thy
favor. With respect to the interposition
of the verb xwn, between 55 and y+»,
it may be observed, that it is not a soli-
tary instance of such construction. See
on 15, xix. 8, and comp. Job xv. 10.
pens, calves or bullocks, used here met-
aphorically for victims, sacrifices. The
word occurring in the absolute form,
some render s3°rBw DMB, dullocks our
lips, as if the two nouns were in apposi-
tion; but there are instances of nouns
thus put, which cannot be explained
otherwise than in the construct, as to
sense. Thus Deut. xxxiii. 11, prin
wap , the loins of those who oppose him;
is v. 13,59 πε, the princes of
the people ; Proy. xxii. 2s nes DS
words of truth. Gesenius supposes the },
governing noun to be mentally repeated,
and that the full form would be Ὁ".
anne “Bp, bullocks, the bullocks of our
lips. Such construction in full he ad-
duces in the instance Exod. xxxviii. 21,
naayn j207 jan, the tabernacle, the
tabernacle of testimony. Some would
changen™5 into »45, Fruit, on the ground
of the reading found in the LX X. ἀνταπ-
οδῶμεν καρπὸν χειλέων ἡμῶν, Which is fol-
lowed by the Syr. and Arab. and is sup-
posed to have been borrowed by the apostle,
84
3 Assyria shall not save us;
We will not ride upon horses 5
HOSEA.
Cuar. XIV.
Neither will we say any more, “ Our gods,”
To the work of our hands:
For by thee the destitute is pitied.
4 J will heal their apostasy ;
I will love them freely ;
For my anger is turned away from them.
5 I will be as the dew to Israel ;
Heb. xiii. 15. There is, however, no
variety in the flebrew MSS. ; while the
Targum and all the other authorities sup-
port the textual reading. The LXX.
have committed a similar mistake in ren-
dering TI", her bullocks, τοὺς kapmovs -
αὐτῆς, her tr uits, Jer. 1. 27. The con-
jecture of Pococke, that they used καρ-
avs in the sense of κάρπωμα, which they
employ to express SACRIFICE, ob/ation,
etc., is less probable. See the important
note of Horsley. The prophet’s meaning
is, We will render, in grateful return for
thy forgiving and restoring mercy, the
only sacrifices worthy of it — our tribute
of thanksgiving and praise. For such
use of E513, to requite, render back, comp.
Ps, lvi. 12, πὸῷ Γι obzs, 1 will ren-
der thanks unto thee: so that the con-
struction proposed by some, “we will
offer the sacrifices which our lips have
vowed,” cannot be regarded as unexcep-
tionable, even if it were in keeping with
the spirit of the passage. The only par-
allels fully corresponding to it are Ps. li.
15-17, lxix. 31, 32.
3. Three of the sins to which the ten
tribes were specially prone are here im-
plied: dependence upon the aid of the
Assyrians ; application to Egypt for horses
in direct violation of the divine command,
Deut. xvii. 16; Is. xxxi. 1; and idol-
atry. These they now forever renounce,
and avow their determination henceforth
to trust in Jehovah alone; adding as the
reason of such deteemmatinn, the ex
rience which they had had of the divine
favor in time of need. “wy is here used
in a causal sense, because for, forasmuch
as. Comp. Gen. xxxi. 29; Eccles. iy.
9. ὉΠ, orphan is applied in this place
metaphorically to the unprotected and
destitute circtimstances in which the Is-
raelites had been, while in a state of
separation from the Lord.
4. Bn39¥8% is not, with Horsley, to
be rendered ‘their. conversion,’ ’ but their
apostasy. See on chap. xi. 7. mat,
lit. spontaneousness, willingness, is used
adverbially for willingly, hberally, freely.
It is derived from 273, Arab. Ws,
instigavit, impulit, ad aliquid ; agilis in
conficienda re promptusque vir; genero-
sus; and is expressive of the free, un-»
merited, and abundant love of God
towards repentant sinners. 329292, “ from
him,” i. e. Israel, the caliente noun,
ver. 2, resolved by the Syr. Lat. and
other translators into a plural.
5, 6. The love of God to his people,
and its effects in their happy experience,
are here couched in similes borrowed
from the vegetable kingdom. The dew
is very copious in the East, and, by its
refreshing and quickening virtue, sup-
plies the 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 divine blessing is com-
pared. 72243, “ilies, abound in Palestine,
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 Syrians
call Lads ewe
the stem of which is about the size of a
finger in thickness, and which grows to
the height of three and four feet, spread-
ing its flowers in the most beautiful and
engaging manner. Comp. Matt. vi. 29.
‘o these productions the moral beauty
of regenerated Israel is yery aptly com-
the royal lily,
ΒΑ». XIV.
He shall blossom as the lily,
HOSEA.
85
And strike his roots like Lebanon.
6 His suckers,shall spread forth,
And his beauty shall be as the olive tree,
And his fragrance as Lebanon.
7 They that dwell under his shade shall revive as the corn,
And shoot forth as the vine:
Their fame shall be as the wine of Lebanon,
8 Ephraim shall say,
What have I any more to do with idols?
pared. For Lebanon, see on Is. x. 34.
The mountain stands here by metonymy
for the trees which grow upon it, such as
the celebrated cedars, whose roots striking
far in depth and length into the ground,
give them a firmness which no storms can
shake. The ideas of strength and sta-
bility are those conveyed by the simile,
whether we refer the roots to the trees,
or, metaphorically, to the mountain it-
self; but the amplification in the follow-
ing verse renders the former the prefer-
able construction. 5m isoften used, not
merely of continued, but of increased
action, and here denotes fo spread out as
the suckers or small branches of trees.
The olive is frequently referred to, on
account of its beautiful green, and the
pleasing ideas associated with its produce.
Though the former only is expressed, yet
the idea of fragrance is implied, only it
is with the strictest propriety extended
in the following clause to the whole of
Lebanon, on account of the number of
odoriferous trees and plants with which
it abounds. In these verses, the render-
ing frankincense, which Newcome prefers
to Lebanon, is not to be admitted. The
stability, extension, glory, and loveliness
of the church of God are forcibly set
forth.
7. The Israelites are represented as
again enjoying the protection of the Most
High, and affording the most convincing
proofs of prosperity. 25%) is used as aux-
iliary to 524 ; both verbs, in such connec-
tion, signifying nothing more than revive,
thrive again, or the like. The pronomi-
nal affix in 43x, his shade, refers to Je-
hovah; but in 4731, his celebrity, fame,
to Israel, understood, as before, collec-
tively, but best rendered in the plural.
433 au, the construct with the pre-
position, as in 42 “o4n, Ps. ii. 12. Mod-
ern travellers concur in their high com-
mendations of the excellence of the wines
of Lebanon. Von Troil, in particular,
says, “ΟἹ this mountain are very valu-
able vineyards, in which thé most excel-
lent wine is produced; such as I have
never drunk in any country, though in
the course of fourteen years I have tray-
elled through many, and tasted many
good wines,’
8. Several interpreters take po5x to
be in the vocative sense, but, as it seems
harsh to refer the words immediately fol-
lowing to Jehovah, it is better to regard
it as a nominative absolute, and to supply
=728> thus :— As for Ephraim — the tribe
distinguished above all the rest for its
addictedness to idolatry, and the fit rep-
resentative of the whole people — his
language in future shall be, etc. For "5,
to me, the LXX. read 4%, to him, which
facilitates the construction, and is adopted
by Ewald, but without sufficient author-
ity. 2x, J, is not without emphasis in
this connection, in which mention is
made of idols. “ny signifies to view with
regard and care, care for, watch over.
Every provision should henceforth be
made for the protection and prosperity
of restored Israel. wina, the cypress,
with all its tall and fair ever-green ap-
pearance, not being a fruit-bearing tree,
it is added with singular effect, that in
this respect there existed a difference be-
tween the 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
80
HOSEA.
Cuap. XIV.
I have answered him, and will regard him;
I am like a green cypress 5
From me thy fruit is found.
9 Who is wise, that he may understand these things;
«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
in God alone. Manger thinks there is
here a dialogistic parallelism, which he
exhibits thus : —
Erxuram. What have I further to do
with idols?
Gop. I have answered him, and will
regard him.
Eruram. I am like a green cypress.
Gop. From me is thy fruit found.
9. These words form an epilogue or
conclusion to the whole book. The in-
terrogation is employed for the purpose
of excitement and to give energy to the
truths conveyed. It is worthy of remark
that this is the only verse in which the
prophet uses ὉΠ ΤΣ» the righteous, or
any synonymous term, in the course of
his recorded prophecies. So awfully de-
praved were the times in which he lived,
that the very character had disappeared.
The contrasted characters and states of
the godly and the wicked are pointed and
affecting. ‘$m, to walk, signifies here to
go forward pr osperously ; bB5, to stumble,
So as to fall to one’s injury and utter ruin.
“----- anfractu et liberam ab omni
Hance justus teret, hoc semper se in calle
tenebit,
Felicique gradu ad requiem contendat
amicam.
At defectores yideas impingere in iiss
dem,
Exitiumque sibi factis properare scelestis.”
— Rittershusius.
΄
JOEL.
PREFACE.
WE possess no further knowledge of Joel than what is furnished by the
title of his book, or may be gathered from circumstances incidentally men-
tioned in it. That he lived in Judah, and, in all probability, at Jerusalem, we
may infer from his not making the most distant reference to the kingdom of
Israel ; while, on the other hand, he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, priests,
ceremonies, etc. with a familiarity which proves them to have been before his
eyes.
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,
Eichhorn, Holzhausen, Theiner, Rosenmiiller, Knobel, Hengstenberg, Gesen-
ius, and De Wette, in that of Uzziah; Steudel and Bertholdt in that of Hez-
ekiah; Tarnovius and Eckermann assign the period of his activity to the days
of Josiah; while the author of Sedar Olam, 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
of Joash; that is, according to Credner, B. c. 870 — 865. No reference being
made to the Babylonian, the Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion, and the .
only enemies of whom mention is made being the Pheenicians, 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,
since they not only invaded the land, but took Jerusalem, destroyed the
princes, and carried away immense spoil to Damascus, 2 Chron. xxiv. 23, 24.
The state of religious affairs as presented to view in the book is altogether in
favor of this position. No mention is made of idolatrous practices; while, on
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; the priests and people are repre-
sented as being harmoniously occupied with the services of religion; and
Jerusalem, the temple and its worship, appear in a flourishing condition. Now
this 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
xi. 17, 18, xii. 2-16 ; 2 Chron. xxiv. 4-14. It will follow that Joel is the oldest
of all the Hebrew prophets whose 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
the country, and threatened the inhabitants with utter destruction. This
88 PREFACE TO JOEL.
calamity, however, was merely symbolical of another, and a more dreadful
scourge — the invasion of the land by foreign enemies, on which the prophet
expatiates in the second chapter. In order that such calamity might be re-
moved, he is commissioned to order an universal fast, and call all to repent-
ance and humiliation before God; to announce as consequent upon such
repentance and humiliation, a period of great temporal prosperity ; to predict
the effusion of the Holy Spirit at a future period of the history of his people ;
to denounce judgments against their enemies; and to foretell their restoration
from the final dispersion.
In point of style Joel stands preéminent among the Hebrew prophets. He
not only possesses a singular degree of purity, but is distinguished by his
smoothness and fluency; the animated and rapid character of his rhythmus;
the perfect regularity of his parallelisms; and the degree of roundness which
he gives to his sentences. He has no abrupt transitions, is everywhere con-
nected, and finishes whatever he takes up. In description he is graphic and
perspicuous ; in arrangement lucid ; in imagery original, copious, and varied.
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 improb-
able: 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, 18, 14; and bewails, by anticipation, a
more awful visitation from Jehovah, 15, while he further describes the tremendous effects
of the calamity under which the country was suffering, 16—20.
¥
1 Tux word of Jehovah which was communicated to Joel, the son
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 let your children tell their children,
And their children another generation.
1. by min gy mint nat, the usual
introductory 9 formula employed to express
the communication of divine revelations
to the prophets, or the divinely inspired
matter which they were commissioned to
teach. Comp. Hos. i. 1; Mic.i.1; Zeph.
i.1; Mal. 1.1. The name tx‘, Joel,
Jerome interprets ἀρχόμενος, id est incip-
iens, referring it to the verb $37, which
signifies to begin ; but that he ‘was not
ignorant of another derivation is evident
Po his commentary, in which, after
giving incipiens, he adds, vel est Deus.
It is, however, beyond all doubt com-
pounded of mim, in one of its more con-
eS forms, and tx, and signifies, Je-
hovah is God. Wio tsins, LXX.
Βαϑουὴλ, Pethuel, the father of our
prophet was, we are not informed. The
introduction of his name was necessary
in order to distinguish the present Joel
from others of the same name, and can-
not be admitted in proof of his having
been a prophet or some person of emi-
nence. It was common among the
Hebrews, as it still is among the Orient-
als, to add the name of the father to that
of the son.
12
2, 8. These verses contain an animated
introduction to the following subject.
Nt, properly zhzs, the feminine accord-
ing tothe Hebrew idiom being used for
the neuter, -but it occurs here elliptically
for ΓΞ, like this, such, the like, and
refers to the astounding calamity of the
locusts about to be described. ay and
TINT frequently occur as parallel ‘initi-
atives in Hebrew poetry. See Gen. iv.
23; Deut. xxxii. 1; Is. i. 2. For the
latter verb, UPA k sometimes used.
See 15. xxviii. 23; Mic. i. 2. ppt is
here to be understood, not in the official
sense of elders, but in that of aged men,
as the connection shows. Those who
were most advanced in years, and might
be expected to have their memories stored
with ancient occurrences, are appealed to
for a parallel to the case referred to.
Comp. Deut. xxxii. 7; Job. xxxil. 7.
fiax is often used in the sense of ances-
tors, forefathers. in 77by, like πιᾶτ,
refers to the plague of locusts. 2 “3,
children’s children, is not unfrequent, ee
the language here employed by Joel is
cumulative beyond example.
«Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur
90
JOEL.
Cuap. L
4 That which the gnawing locust hath left,
The swarming locust hath devoured:
And that which the swarming locust hath left,
ab illis.” JEneid iii. 98.
καί παῖδες παίδων, τοί κεν μετόπισϑε
γένωνται. Iliad, xx. 308.
4, The plague, which occasioned the
following discourses of the prophet, is
now described in terse, though repetitious
terms. This verse may be considered as
the text on which he afterwards expati-
ates. Interpreters have found great diffi-
culty both in determining the precise
signification of the several terms employed
to describe the scourge, and the light in
which it was designed to be understood.
While some are of opinion that different
kinds of insects are meant, most are
agreed in considering locusts to be in-
tended. Yet here again discordant views
obtain : some insisting on different species
of locusts, and others on different states
of the same species. Credner, for in-
stance, in a work on our prophet, full of
erudition, considers Dra to be the migra-
tory locust ; πξ ἢ the young brood ; Ῥὸ
the young locust’ in the last state of trans-
formation ; and S-on the perfect locust.
The locust belongs to the genus of insects
known among entomologists by the name
of grylli, witch includes the different
species, from the common grasshopper to
the devouring locust of the East. The
largest of the latter is about three inches
in length; has two antennz, or horns,
about an inch long, and two wings,
which, with their cases, are applied ob-
liquely to the sides of the body when in
repose. The fect 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, brown, gray and spot-
ted. In all stages, from the larve to the
perfect insect, the locusts are herbivorous,
and do immense injury to vegetation.
The subject so far as it occurs in Scripture,
may be said to have been almost exhausted
by the learned Bochart, in his Hierozoi-
con, Pars Post. Lib. iv. cap. i. — viii.
The fourth chapter he specially devotes
to the explanation of the passages in
Joel, See also GEdmann’s Vermischte
Sammlungen, and Credner’s Joel. The
first name, £12, Occurs only here and
Amos iy. 9, and is rendered by the LXX.
κάμπη; and by the Vulg. eruca, cater-
pillar. ‘This interpretation is supported
by the Targ.* xdnz, the crawling insect,
by which, however, may be meant the
locust in its wingless state. The Syr.
o>} Oo
renders the word by LJawSo Jocusta
’
It is evidently derived from
the same root with the Arab. οἱ res-
"ΡΞ.
non alata.
ecuit, amputavit, eye, pecans ; Eth.
QHR : excidit, abscidit ; Syr. Shy
incidit ; Talmud. £33, amputavit ; and
expresses the knawing or cutting action
of the sharp teeth of the locusts on the
leaves, and even the bark of trees. Comp.
Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. ii. cap. 29: omnia
vero morsu erodentes. 398 is the gen-
eric name of the aseust, so called from
the almost incredible numbers which breed
in different parts of the East; being de-
rived from 737, ¢o multiply, be numerous,
etc. Comp. Jer. xlvi. 23, many 324,
more numerous than the locusts. From
its migrating in swarms it is called by
Forskial gryllus gregarius, and by Lin-
nus, gryllus migratorius, By the LXX.
the word is rendered seventeen times
by ἀκρὶς, the common locust ; thrice by
βροῦχος, the unwinged locust, which
browses on the grass; once by ἐρυσιβη»ν
mildew ; and once by ἀττέλαβος, the
young or small locust. That m4 is
generic, appears from Ley. xi. 22, where
we read, $2.2 mansm, the locust accord=
ing to its species. The third name, Ὁ Ὁ»
from pbs , equivalent to pz, ἐο dick, des-
ignates the locust as licking off the leaves,
and whatever is green on the trees, grass,
ete. This derivation is preferable to that
proposed by Michaelis, who refers the word
to the Arab. Bs, properavit, volubilis
Cuap. I.
JOEL.
91
The licking locust hath devoured ;
And that which the licking locust hath left,
The consuming locust hath devoured,
Suit, or ba, albus fuit, and thinks
that the chaferis meant. In Nah. iii.
16, it is represented as winged, and in
Jer. li. 27, it is described as -720 , rough,
bristly, terrific. LXX. βροῦχος four
times; ἀκρὶς thrice. Ὁ ΓΤ», the remain-
ing term comes from bon, to consume,
devour. LXX, βροῦχος, or Bpovkos-
BRO
Vulg. rubigo, mildew. Syr. | 30,5 Rae
which Risius, the Archbishop of ae
cus, describes as resembling the locust,
only differing from it, inasmuch as it
never migrates, and confines its ravages
to the fruits and herbs, but leaves the
trees untouched. It is also noted for the
noise which it makes at night. A com-
parison of the different passages in which
these names occur, renders it more than
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 cer-
tain destructive qualities, by which, as a
genus of insects, they are distinguished,
and thereby to heighten the terror which
his description was intended to produce.
Just as Job accumulates the terms
mas, bag, mwas, 31> and wad,
chap. iv. 10, 11, with a similar view.
They are rather poctical synonymes, than
distinctive of different species. At all
events, that locusts are meant, may be
inferred from the facts, that wherever poo
vecurs, with the exception of a sine
passage, it occurs along with many; and
that m2", which Moses uses in describ-
ing one of the plagues of Egypt, Exod.
x. 10-20, is not only employed by the
Psalmist, Ixxviii. 46, cv. 34, but also
S-on and Ὁ", as synonymous terms, for
the sake οἱ variety. Add to which that
the verb Son from which 557 is derived,
is employed to express the action of the
mans, Deut. xxviii. 38, naqsn aston,
“the locust shall consume it.” In the
translation I have given the meaning of
the several names in terms expressive of
the qualities suggested by each. The
passage might otherwise be rendered with
Noyes :—
«¢ 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.”
It is a question of greater importance:
Are the statements of 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 con-
sulted, and Abarbanel; and is, with vari-
ous modifications, adopted by the follow-
ing christian interpreters: Jerome, Eph-
raim Syrus, Theodoret, Cyril of Alexan-
dria, Hugo de St. Vincent, Ribera, San-
chez, a Lapide, Luther, Grotius, Markius,
Bertholdt, Theiner, Steudel, and Hengs-
tenberg. On the other hand, Abenezra,
Jarchi, Kimchi, Lyranus, Vatablus, Joh,
Schmidius, Jahn, Eichhorn, Rosenmiiller,
von Coelln, Justi, Credner, and Hitzig,
maintain that the language is to be un-
derstood literally of locusts. This inter-
pretation has certainly much in its favor,
and if it could without violence be ap-
plied 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 country of the enemy,
ii. 20; present insuperable obstacles to its
adoption. See on these verses. There
seems no possibility of effecting a consist-
ent interpretation on any other principle
than that laid down and defended by
Cramer, Eckermann, and Holzhausen,
viz: that in the first chapter, Joel describes
a devastation of the country which had
been effected by natural locusts; but
predicts in the second its devastation by
99
JOEL.
Cuap. L
5 Awake, ye drunkards! and weep;
Howl, all ye drinkers of wine!
On account of the sweet wine,
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.
political enemies, in highly-wrought met-
aphorical language, borrowed from the
scene which he had just depicted.
5. yorn the Hiph. of jp, is here
used, ike the cognate root 3» Gen. ix.
24, in the sense of awaking from a sleep
occasioned by wine. Since, however, the
persons addressed had been deprived of
the means of intoxication, the prophet
is rather to be understood as borrowing
the term from the state in which they
had too often been found. p™‘>% being
parallel with 47> ἘΠ, drinkers of wine,
does not here mean persons actually in-
toxicated, but such as were in the habit
of using intoxicating liquors, and by
implication, to excess. Thus Kimchi:
3 nsnend ὈΠΒλ πὶ ems, ye who are
accustomed to make yourselves drunk with
wine. It is derived from “2%, to drink
to the full. Arab.
ebrius fuit. Hence 3%, strong, or in-
toxicating drink, whether wine itself, or,
more commonly, liquor resembling wine,
which is distilled from barley, honey, or
dates, and sometimes mingled with spices,
By o-cz, is meant the fresh wine, or
juice of the grape, or other fruit, which
has just been pressed out, and is remark-
able for its sweet flavor, and its freedom
from intoxicating qualities. R. tex, to
tread, tread down, or out. Targ. ay lal
m7, pure wine. It differs from wiarn,
inasmuch as the latter term is confined
to the juice of the grape; and being
derived from v7, to take possession of,
indicates that however new, it had already
obtained an inebriating quality. The
locusts are here represented as specially
attacking and destroying the vines and
other fruit-trees, from the produce of
which these wines were prepared. To
. implevit, vas,
such they are known to. be very destruc-
tive. Comp. Theocrit. Idyll. 5, 108, in
which a shepherd beseeches them not to
injure his vines :
᾿Ακρίδες, ἃς τὸν φραγμὸν ὑπερπεδῆτε τὸν
ἀμόν,
Μή μευ λωβάσεσϑε τὰς ἀμπέλα-" ἐντὶ yap
ἅβαι.
n> properly signifies to cut, cut off, but
here, as wine is ‘the subject spoken of, it
must be taken in the sense of destroying,
or causing to cease.
6. “43, nation, especially used of for-
eign, barbarous 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
these insects in chap. ii. If it had not
been for some such end, the prophet might
have adopted the term ἘΣ, people, which
Solomon applies to the ants, Proy. xxx.
25, 26, and which would equally have
conveyed the idea of multitude. Comp.
chap. ii. 2. This metaphorical use of
the term is common in the classics. See
instances in Bochart and Gesen. Heb,
Lex. in voc. %43. The Arabs employ
Xo} ina similar way. ἘΣ ΤῈΣ is used
in a hostile sense of an army, Is. vii. 1;
but here figuratively of the locusts. In
"sox, “my land,” the pronominal affix
belongs to Jehovah, not to the prophet,
Comp. Is. xiv, 25; Jer. xvi. 18; Ezek,
xxxvi. 6, xxxvili. 16. Joelii. 18. psy,
strong, powerful. The strength of the
locust consists in the immense numbers,
which, forming themselves into compact
bodies, darken the air, and advance for-
ward, one swarm after another, attacking
whatever comes in their way. They may
well be described as "ΞΘ 4-31, innue
Cuar. I.
7 They have laid waste my vine,
And broken down my fig-tree ;
JOEL.
93
They have completely stripped it, and thrown it down;
Its branches they have left white.
merable. All who refer to them, both
in ancient and modern times, speak of
them in the same language.
᾿Ακρίδων πλῆϑος ἀμύϑητον.
Agathare. vy. 27.
«Immense locustarum multitudines.”
Orosius, ν. 11. Shaw speaks of ‘infi-
nite swarms following each other,’ Bar-
row states that those which he saw in
South Africa, might literally be said to
cover the ground for an area of 2000
square miles. A later writer in the Cape
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
millions perished in consequence of at-
tempts made to destroy them, their num-
ber appeared nothing decreased. And
Dr. Bowring 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 ma5s! What is innumerable
is frequently compared to them by the
sacred writers. See Jud. vi. 5, vii. 12;
Ps. ev. 34; Jer. xlvi. 23; Nah. iii. 15.
ΤΟΣ ΒΩ, teeth, Gesenius considers as
standing by transposition for nisnbna,
and derives the noun from an obsolete
root 21>, ¢o bite ; but it may more prop-
erly bereferred tothe Arab. a3, longum
Fuit, and denotes the grinders or jaw-
teeth of animals. The metaphor, how-
ever, has no respect to the size of the
teeth of lions, but only to the terrible and
complete destruction which they effect.
Pliny, speaking of the locust, says: —
«*‘ Omnia morsu erodentes et fores quoque
tectorum.” According to Fabricius, in
his Genera Insectorum, p. 96, the teeth
of the locust are three-forked and sharp.
The same metaphor is used Rey. ix. 8,
ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ds λεόντων ἦσαν.
7. For the pronominal reference in
"254 and sn:sn, see on Ἐπ "δὶ in the pre-
ceding 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
grapes of corresponding bulk. Schulz
describes one at Beitshin, near Ptolemais,
the stem of which was about a foot and
a half in diameter, its height was about
thirty feet, and by its branches and branch-
lets, which had to be supported, it formed
a hut upwards of thirty feet broad and
long. The clusters of these vines are
so large, that they 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
themselves about it to eat the grapes,
Rosenmiiller, In Bib. Cab. vol. xxvii. p.
223. Comp. Numb. xiii. 23, 24. Pal-
estine was equally celebrated for its fig-
trees, which are not reared in gardens, as
with us, but grow spontaneously in the
open country. The figs were not only
eaten fresh, but also preserved for food.
tnw, to put, is often used with nouns
instead of the simple forms of the verbs
to which the nouns are related. r5:p,
breakage, Arab. gas fregit. Sera ϑ,
a branch broken off from a tree. See on
Hos. x. 7. LUXX. συγκλασμός, Compl.
0 Oo >
κλασμός. Syr. [eats concissio, di-
᾽
vulsio. ὙΠῸ locusts not only consume
the fruit and leaves of the trees, but strip
them of the very bark.—‘ Nec culmus, -
nec gramen ullum remaneat, et arbores
frontibus et cortice tanquam vestibus nu-
datz, instar truncorum alborum conspici-
antur.”” Judolf, Comment. p. 178.
j7>2n is here taken in its proper causa-
tive signification. What they do not
94
JOEL.
CHAP. 1,
8 Lament, as a virgin girded with sackcloth,
On account of the husband of her youth,
9 The offering and the libation,
Are cut off from the house of Jehovah:
The priests howl, the ministers of Jehovah.
10 The field is laid waste,
The ground mourneth ;
For the corn is laid waste,
devour, they so injure that it falls off the
tree. brary, branches, properly the
intertwining tendrils of the vine, from
sv, to interweave. The vine, being the
more valuable of the two kinds of trees,
the suffix refers back to it; and the fig-
tree is treated as subordinate.
they have made or left white.
8. The land, under the metaphor of a
female, is here addressed. "διὰ is the
second person feminine of the Imperative
in Kal of =$s, which usually means
to swear, call’ on God as witness; but
here it takes the signification of the Syr-
ciao
= ᾽
is we ululatus, lamentum. The deri-
᾽
abn,
ο
jac {| wlulavit, deploravit.
᾽
vation from $x, God, in the sense God
have mercy, is less natural. Oneof Ken-
nicott’s MSS. reads "bax. LXX. ϑρη-
νήσον. A country is frequently said to
mourn, when it is subject to devastation.
See Is. xxiv. 3; Jer. iv. 28, xii. 4 ; Hos.
iv. 3. mbana,@ virgin, a young woman,
attisniced to a husband, and, in this sense,
viewed as 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 affec-
tion, would be the excessive degree of
grief for his loss. Holzhausen thinks
that she would also grieve την ἘΞ $y,
on account of her virginity, and compares
Jud. xi. 38; but this the text does not
suggest. LXX. νύμφη. Compl. rapSévos.
Wrapping oneself in sackcloth was atoken
of deep mourning. %22, properly Jord,
master, possessor ; and secondarily hus-
band, because in the East, wives were,
and still are, considered as the property
rather than the companions of their hus-
bands, Comp. the Greek κύριος γυναι-
xés; and for the application of ἀνὴρ to
one only betrothed, Matt.i.19. Accord-
ing to the Roman law, consensus facit
nuptias.
9. To a pious mind the gloomiest view
of external calamities will be taken from
their influence upon the cause of God.
The cessation of the usual solemnities of
the temple worship, occasioned by the
destruction of the fruits of the earth,
must have occasioned great grief to the
religious Jew. Jerome and others think
that as the priests would be deprived of
their regular support, by the cessation of
the offerings, they mourned on that ac-
count; but of this I should say with
Maurer, ‘“ Vates hic non videtur cogi-
tasse.” =13%, stands here for offerings
in general, whether bloody or unbloody,
—comp. Gen. iv. 4; LXX. ϑύσια, ---
even when restricted ‘a its signification
to meat offering, such as consisted of
meal, salt, oil, and incense, the proper
sacrifices. p°M2t, are understood, as
they were always connected with them,
except in the case of the sin and trespass-
offerings. The libation, or drink-offering,
was called 553, on account of its being
poured out, from the root 02, ἕο pour.
From the circumstance that J oel prefixes
the article to E275, priests, but not to
ms, husbandmen, and t- "3, vine=-
dressers, Credner argues that he must
either have been personally related to
them, or that prophets and priests must
have been more closely united at the time
hewrotethan afterwards. Comp. =*:75h,
ver. 18, il. 17. mn, ministers, is
a more dignified official term than ἘΞ»
servants, which is employed to denote
common slaves, as well as persons in
more elevated situations about a king.
10-12. The prophet enters here more
minutcly into a description of the devas-
Cuap. I.
The new wine is dried up,
The oil languisheth.
11
Howl, ye vine-dressers !
JOEL.
95
Be ashamed, ye husbandmen !
On account of the wheat and the barley ;
For the harvest of the field. hath perished.
12 The vine is dried up,
And the fig-tree languisheth ;
tation occasioned by the locusts. worn,
new wine, which is already in a state of
fermentation, and so intoxicating; from
47, to take possession of anything. See
on ver. 5, where it is distinguished from
“ Syr. ἵ Δαδὶ τό, sic dictum,
quod se possessorem hominis facit, ejus
cerebrum. occupondo, ut 1116 non amplius
sui compos sit. Sic Arab. vinwm dicitur
Rw, a captivando, et ys, a tenendo
ΘΓΌ5:
et vinctum habendo.” Winer in voc.
mie, field, and m7, ground, are syn-
onymes ; but differ in this respect, that
the former denotes the open, free, unin-
closed part of a country, Arab. Qua,
extendit, dilatavit ; the latter, the rich
red soil which is particularly fit for cul-
tivation. Hence mitn dos, @ man of
the field, means a hunter, Gen. xxv. 27;
MINT WN, aman of the ground, an ag-
riculturist. Root ens, to be red. The
land is here, as frequently in the He-
brew prophets, made the subject of per-
sonification. Some would render j~a4n,
as applied to the new wine, ἕο be
ashamed: but occurring as it does in
parallelism with bb, to droop, lan-
guish like plants, it is better to retain
the primary motion of a7, to become
dry, dry up. Both wen and ss stand
for the vine and the olive tree, from
which the wine and oil are obtained. In
the second instance "3 ἢ takes the sig-
nification of g4a, to be ashamed, being
another form of the Hiphil for tan.
Both are used intransitively. The LXX.
retaining the signification of v3, im-
properly. render ἐξηράνϑησαν γεωργοί.
jim, the pomegranate tree, is indigen-
ous in Palestine in Syria, and is reck-
oned one of its noblest botanical produc-
tions. It grows to the height of twenty
feet, has a straight stem, spreading
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 delici-
ous and cooling juice. It is also planted
in gardens, and in the courts of the
houses; and its fruit is greatly improved
by cultivation. It is still one of the
trees most frequently seen in those coun-
tries. So celebrated. were the dates of
Palestine, that Pliny, speaking of the
“en, date, or palm-tree, says, “ Judea
vero inclyta est vel magis palmis.” It
was adopted as ἃ symbol of the country
in coins struck under Vespasian and
Domitian ; and is frequently referred
to in the Old Testament. It sometimes
reaches the height of an hundred feet,
is remarkable for its straight, upright
growth, and forms one of the most
beautiful trees in the vegetable king-
dom. The fruit, which grows in clust-
ters under the large leaves, is of an ex-
ceedingly sweet and agreeable taste, and,
as an article both of sustenance and
traffic, is of great value to the inhabi-
tants. In Abyssinia, the natives extract
a juice from it which they manufacture
into a spirituous liquor resembling cham-
pagne. Its importance is here signifi-
cantly expressed by the particle Da be-
ing used intensively before it. mim,
Arab. Las, the apple-tree. Rosen-
miiller derives the word from 53, fo
breathe, and in this Gesenius concurs,
supposing the fragrant breath, i, e. smell
90
JOEL.
Cuap. I.
The pomegranate, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree,
All the trees of the field are withered ;
Yea, joy is withered away from the children of men.
13
Gird ye, and mourn, O ye priests!
Howl, ye ministers of the altar!
Enter, spend the night in sackcloth,
Ye ministers of my God!
For the offering and the libation
Are withholden from the house of your God.
14 Appoint a sacred fast, proclaim a day of restraint ;
Assemble the elders —all the inhabitants of the land,
or scent, to have originated the name.
The former of these writers adopts the
opinion of Celsius, that the quince tree
is specially intended ; but as the Arabs
include under cs oranges, lemons,
peaches, apricots, etc., the Hebrew term
is likewise in all probability generic in
its signification. To give to his de-
scription the utmost latitude, Joel adds,
mit csy—b>, all the trees of the field,
i. e. as Jerome explains “omnia ligna,
vel infructuosa, vel fructifera ;’’ and, to
bring it more home to the feelings of his
countrymen, he represents the conse-
quence to be, the entire removal of their
joy. Some improperly limit ἡ to
the joy of harvest. The construction
“7% dain, to dry away from, is what
is usually termed pregnant, and more
forcibly expresses the removal of the ob-
ject on which the verb terminates.
13. The prophet now addresses him-
self to the priests, and calls them first
to personal mourning, and then, in the
following verse, to institute a sacred fast,
in order that such mourning might be
general, After 243m supply with the
Syr. Κ᾿ Ὁ, as in one of Kennicott’s MSS.,
or ὩΣ Ὦ as in one of De Rossi's. Both
forms occur in connection with the verb,
which is not here to be restricted to mere
girding, but rather signifies to wrap
round one. Comp. Jer. iv. 8; Is. xxii.
12. 40, primarily ἐο smite, strike, then
to strike the breast, in token of mourning.
See on Is, xxxii, 12. The LXX. always
render it by κόπτεσϑαι, except in two
instances, in which they give it by
κλαίειν, to weep. For 433% “nt,
comp. of νῷ ϑυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρύοντες,
1 Cor. ix. 13. Some think that 4:3,
come, is to be taken idiomatically as a
particle of exhortation, like :=$ 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 under-
stood in that passage, and as mention
is made of the altar, immediately before,
it appears more proper to take it in the
sense of entering, i. 6. into the court of
the temple, where, in the more imme-
diate presence of Jehovah, the priests
were to bewail their sins, and those of
the people. Thus the LXX. εἰσέλϑετε,
and Kimchi, "Ὁ pwi"7 ma 383, en-
ter ye the house of God, and there mourn. »
> or 45, signifies to spend, or remain
over the night, and retains this signi-
fication in the present passage, though,
from the connection, it is obvious not
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
night. Ahab is said to have lain in
sackcloth, when he humbled himself
before God, 1 Kings xxi. 27. LXX.
ὑπνώσατε.
14. δ᾽, to hallow, consecrate; to
keep holy ; to appoint sacred or religious
services ; here, to institute a sacred fast
by fixing the time and circumstances,
and preparing the people for its proper
Cuap. I.
JOEL.
97
To the house of Jehovah your God,
And cry unto Jehovah.
16 Alas for the day !
For the day of Jehovah is near,
And cometh as a mighty destruction
From the Almighty.
16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes ?
Are not joy and gladness from the house of our God ?
17 The seeds are become dry beneath their clods ;
observance. The Pual participle is used
even of warriors; see on Is. xiii. 3. The
interpretations of the Rabbins, Jarchi
and Kimchi, η5" 1π, and Abenezra,
43°Dm, are defective, by leaving out the
idea of sacredness, which the verb al-
ways conveys. "S25 restraint, or be-
ing held back or prevented from labor :
ni», day, or period, understood. See on
Is. i. 13. The Jews were to abstain 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-2p1, edders, in this connection, might
be taken in an official sense, denoting
those holding office among the people,
who were expected to take the lead, and,
by their example, to excite others to en-
gage in the religious solemnities ; but a
comparison of this verse with chap. ii.
15, in which “children” and “suck-
lings are mentioned, would rather require
us to understand the term as referring to
age. The central point of convocation
was the temple—the special theocratic
residence of Him whose wrath was to
be deprecated, and his mercy implored.
y2t, Arab. (55. Sed, to cry out,
ery earnestly for help. UXX. κεκράξετε
ἐκτενῶς. ‘ Ardentissimas fundite pre-
ces.”” Rosenmiiller.
15. Joel now exclaims, p4>> AMS»
alas! for the day! ‘QO infaustum et
tristissimum illum diem!” Rosen-
miiller. To give intensity to the ex-
clamation, the LXX. have the triple
οἴμοι, οἴμοι, οἴμοι. That the πὲ πὸ Ὁ",
day, of Jehovah, i. e. the period ‘of pun-
13
ishment, does not mean that of the
plague of the locusts, but a more awful
period still future, the term amp, near,
at hand, which is 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 dread-
ful calamities. For "πὸ 7w>, which
forms an elegant paronomasia, see on Is.
xiii. 6, where the same form occurs.
The » is, as there, the Caph veritatis,
and expresses the greatness of the evil.
16. The verb m > is understood in
the latter hemistich, The annual fes-
tivals were occasions of great rejoic-
ing. See Ley. xxiii. 40; Deut. xii.
12, 18.
17. This, and the three following
verses, describe the drought which was
simultaneous with the judgment of the
locusts. It exhibits the singular phe-
nomenon of four ἅπαξ λεγόμενα within
the short space which it occupies. For
the elucidation of v2», some compare
the Chaldee ws», to rot, but it is with
more propriety referred to the Arab.
Ums; siccus fuit; and so is of the
same signification with 3", ¢o be dry,
dried up. Thus Abulwalid. By the
desiccating influence of the heat, the
seeds that had been sown in the ground
would lose all their moisture, and perish,
That mi>5 mean seeds or grains of
corn, etc. seems a ek determined
by the use of the Syr. ᾿ς 2 15; granum,
Matt. xiii. 31; John xii. 24; 1 Cor. xv.
98
JOEL.
Cuarp. 1.
The granaries are desolate, the store-houses are destroyed,
Because the.corn is withered.
18 How the cattle mourn!
How the herds of oxen are perplexed!
Because they have no pasture ;
Yea, the flocks of sheep are destroyed.
19 To thee, O Jehovah! 1 ery,
For fire hath consumed the pastures of the desert,
And a flame hath burnt all the trees of the field.
37, in the Peshito; and the signification
of “5, to separate, an action which
takes place when, in sowing, the hus-
bandman scatters the seed in distinct
grains. ‘To the same effect Tanchum,
Rely δ Δα." Cyst
Ue) I Θ᾽ .5) 23 | ζλ ν, grains
prepared for sowing, so called because
they are scattered in the ground. ne Δ»
clods, or lumps of earth. Comp. the
Arab. a) οὐ)!
Thus also
gleba terre ;
oe terra diversa varia,
Χϑ..5.. :
fen) ἢ = signifies a mark on the body,
occasioned by the contracting or drying
up of the skin, and resembling a round
lump of earth or dung. nin3%072 is
synonymous with niaxN, granaries ;
and, according to the force of the local
Ὁ prefixed, signifies places or houses
containing store rooms, or granaries, in
which grain was deposited. The Dagesh
in the second Ὁ is euphonic. The
simpler form 773292, occurs Hag. ii. 19 ;
and both are to be referred to the root
saa, to gather, collect. For the diver-
sitied and unsatisfactory renderings of
the ancient versions, see Pococke in loc,
The verbs ty and 047 are here to be
taken in the sense of being left or neg-
lected like places that have been laid
waste or destroyed.
18. ‘pa, in Niphal, expresses the per-
plexity to which any one is reduced who
does not know how to extricate himself
from difliculty. The brute creation are
graphically represented as being in this
condition from the total failure of pas-
turage. The ἘΔ before 82-2473 is in-
tensive; even the sheep, which subsist
on herbage unsuitable for the oxen, are
deprived of food. As the idea of pun-
ishment is conveyed by the verb ἘΦ, it
was in all probability used by the pro-
phet, in order to teach the Jews that
innocent creatures are involved in the
consequences of guilt incurred by trans-
gressors. Comp. Exod. xii. 29; Jonah
111: ἧς
19. It isnot unusual for the Hebrew
prophets to give expression to their own
feelings, while describing the judgments
that were brought upon their country.
Comp. Is. xv. 5, xvi. 11, xxi. 3, 4, xxii.
4; Jer. xxiii. 9. It has been questioned
whether the “fire” and “flame” are
here to be taken literally of the actual
burning of the grass, which often hap-
pens in extreme heat, or whether they
are used figuratively of the heat itself.
The former is more probably the mean-
ing. nis, Kimchi explains, mip
swrn, grassy places, places of pastur-
age; hence pasturage itself. It is de-
saved from 713, to be pleasant, (comp.
πὰ} to dwell: but signifying in this
connection the green, grassy spots, so
eagerly desired by the cattle, and pleas-
ant both to man and beast. From the
circumstance that such places would
naturally be selected for occupancy by
tents, dwellings, etc. the word came also
to signify habitations. Comp. the Arab.
% \, diversatus fuit, hospitio excipit:
lL, mansio, sedes commorationis.
S
Cuap. IL.
JUEL.
99
20 The very beasts of the field look up to thee,
Because the streams of water are dried up,
And fire hath devoured the pastures of the desert.
20. 99, Arab. hme Eth. UC):
ascendit : to look up with panting or
earnest desire. Arab. ἅς... inclinatio,
propensioinrem. The word beautifully
expresses the natural 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. ἀνέ-
βλεψαν. Comp. Ps. xlii. 2, where the
force of pra "p"Es—>y is lost by the
rendering of our common version, “after
the water-brooks.” It should be αὐ or
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
dry. To their pitiable condition he com-
pares his own circumstances when de-
prived of the usual means of spiritual
refreshment. The idea of their crying
to God, which the Syr. 9 and the
Rabbins attach to the word, ,is derived
from such passages as Job. xxxviii. 41 ;
Ps. οἷν. 21, exlvii. 9, rather than from
anything expressed by the word itself.
CLAP TER 11.
THE prophet reiterates his announcement of the approach of a divine judgment more
terrific in its 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 humilia-
tion 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 tem-
poral 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-
perience deliverance, 32.
1 ‘Brow ye the trumpet in Zion!
And sound the alarm in my holy mountain !
1. To give the greater effect to the ing. The persons addressed are the
alarm here commanded to be sounded, priests, on whom it devolved to blow
Jehovah himself is introduced as speak- with trumpets. 4 σάλπιγξ ὄργανον ἔστι
100
JOEL.
Cuape. 11.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble ;
For the day of Jehovah cometh ; it is near.
2 A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and dense obscurity ;
Like the dawn spread over the mountains
A numerous and mighty people:
None such have ever been,
Neither shall there ever be after them,
During the years of successive generations.
πολέμου. Philo de Septenario. They
were to warn all of the threatened judg-
ment. Comp. chap. i. 15, where the
prophet anticipates what is now about
to be the subject of a special descrip-
tion.
2. Synonymes are here accumulated
to give intensity to the expression of the
thought. The awful calamity which
was to come upon the Jews is set forth
under the metaphor of darkness, which
is of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew
Scriptures, when sufferings and misery
are the subjects of discourse. Comp.
sev. 2.2; Σ᾿ 2. Jer: xii. 16) ‘Amos
v. 18; Zeph. i. 15. In the present
instance, however, there was a singular
propriety in adopting the language, since
the prophet was just going to introduce
an allegory founded upon the fact, that
swarms of locusts had come over the
land, and intercepting, by their density,
the light of the sun, had occasioned an
universal darkness. See on ver. 10.
Some interpreters have stumbled at the
apparent incongruity of comparing the
coming affliction with the -py, aurora,
since the idea usually suggested by the
figurative use of that term is joy, or
prosperity ; but as this idea is not ex-
clusively conveyed by the use of it, as
it is also employed to express the cer-
tainty, Hos. vi. 3, and suddenness of
anything, Hos. x. 15, so here the ob-
vious points of comparison are merely
the suddenness 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
describe the hostile army of the Assy-
rians in the same terms in which he had
metaphorically described the locusts,
chap. i. 6; only exchanging 58, nation,
fer ty, people, which is also used of
foreign and idolatrous nations, Numb.
xxi. 29; 1 Chron. xvi. 20; Jer. xviii. 42.
In this description, he not only transfers
the metaphor back to the proper subject
from which it was taken, but converts it
into an allegory, and at considerable
length, and in the most minute manner,
exhibits the invasion, the formidable
character, and the ravages of the bar-
barian foe. So perfectly is the allegorical
veil woven throughout, that most com-
mentators 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 taken from the scene
by which both he and his hearers were
surrounded. And, accustomed as they
had been to the parabolic style of pro-
phecy, they could have been at no loss
to discover, that when in this part of
his discourse he appeared to speak of
locusts, it was not natural but political
locusts he had in view. While the de-
cidedly future aspect of the calamity,
chap. i. 15, ii. 1, proves that it had not
taken place at the time the words were
delivered, a comparison of the language
in the concluding part of verse 2, with
Cuap, Π.
3 Before them fire devoureth,
JOEL.
101
And behind them a flame burneth ;
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
But behind them a desolate wilderness :
And there is no escape from them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
And they run like horsemen.
that employed chap. i. 2, equally proves
that a plague of locusts could not have
been intended. We must, therefore,
with the alteration of a single word,
adopt the language of Jerome, “ dum
lecustas legimus, Assyrios cogitamus.”
That the Assyrian invasion under Sen-
nacherib, and not that of the Chaldeans
under Nebuchadnezzar, is meant, ap-
pears from the emmense number of the
army, its entire destruction in the land
of Palestine, and there being no refer-
ence whatever to the captivity in Baby-
lon, the omission of which is unimag-
inable, on the supposition that the lat-
ter of the two invasions was intended.
The army of Sennacherib must have
been the largest that ever entered Pa-
lestine, since only that division of it
which invested Jerusalem, amounted to
nearly 200,000 men, Is. xxxvii. 36. It
was marching forward to the conquest
of Egypt, and, like a swarm of locusts,
covered the whole land. All the fortified
tities of Judah were taken, Is. xxxvi. 1;
the cultivated fields and vineyards were
trodden down or consumed, xxxvii. 30;
and nothing short of utter destruction
seemed to await the inhabitants. The
design of the Divine Spirit, to whose
infinite mind the future event was
present, in dictating the prediction in
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
secure to the Jews the continuance of
their national blessings.
3. A description of the desolate state
to which Judea was to be reduced, in
language borrowed from that given of
the drought, chap. i. 19. 725%, before
him, and 3x, behind him, are used to
express universality ; whicungue. Comp.
1 Chron. xix. 10. This construction is
confirmed by what follows: πο Ξ ἘΔ
43 anna Ns, and there is no escape from
them, or, more literally, in reference to
them. τ ἘΞ properly signifies those
who have escaped in the war; who have
not been killed, or taken prisoners; but
it is also used of fruits of the earth
which have not been destroyed, Exod,
x. 5. The contrast between the beauty
of Paradise and the desolation of a des-
ert, is exquisitely forcible and affect-
ing.
4. The allegory now becomes special
and minute in its features, which are
selected from the phenomena and opera-
tions of an invading army, the subject
of which it is to be understood ; but
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. On this principle
there is no difficulty in accounting for
the particle of comparison, so liberally
used 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 cavalettes by
the Italians. This feature Theodoret
thus notices : εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς κατίδοι τὴν
κεφαλὴν τῆς ἀκρίδος, σφόδρα τῇ τοῦ
ἵππου ἐοικυῖαν εὑρήσει. In Rev. ix. 7,
the locusts are compared to horses har-
nessed for battle: τὰ ὁμοιώατα τῶν
ἀκρίδων ὅμοια ἵπποις ἡτοιμασμένοις εἰς
πόλεμον. Such comparison is very com-
mon among the Arabs. The point of
comparison in the second member of
the parallelism, is the swiftness with
which cavalary advance to the attack.
109
JOEL.
Cuap. IL
5 They bound hke the rattle of chariots on the tops of the mountains;
Like the crackling of the flame of fire devouring the stubble ;
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
6 Before them the people 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.
8 They press not each other:
They march on, each in his path ;
Though they fall among the missiles,
They break not up.
9 They run eagerly through the city ;
They run upon the wall ;
5. =p. is used of the rapid and bound-
ing course of chariots over a rough sur-
face, Nah. 111. 2. See also Rev. ix. 9.
«* — per purum tonantes
Egit equos volucremque currum.”
Horace, Carm. i. 34, (lc
[1
vacuos dat in aéra saltus
Succubiturque alte, similisque est cur-
rus inani.”’
Ovid. Metam. ti. 165.
Speaking of the noise made by a swarm
of locusts, Forskiil says: ‘‘ Transeuntes
grylli super verticem nostrum sono
magne cataracte ferebant.”” To the
same effect Morier; “On the 11th of
June, while seated in our tents about
noon, we heard a very. unusual noise,
that sounded like the rustling of a great
wind at a distance. On looking up, we
perceived an immense cloud, here and
there transparent, in other parts quite
black, that spread itself all over the sky,
and at intervals shadowed the sun.” It
is however, not improbable, that the
sound here referred to is that produced
by the large hind legs of the locust in
leaping. ‘The comparison at the end of
the verse, is to the clashing of arms, and
the shouting of an army on the point of
engaging in battle.
6. 555π, they tremble, from bah, to
turn round, twist one’s self, writhe with
pain; then ‘to tremble. Arab. JL,
med. Wau, ἐο be turned. -7NB, warmth»
ruddiness of countenance. Arab. ys
estuavit, efferbuit. —mNB yap, to with-
draw their ruddiness, or color, i. 6. to
change color, grow pale with terror.
Nah. ii. 11. Comp. 55, ἕο turn pale.
The ancient versions concur in rendering
the words, every face like the blackness of
a pot; deriving the last word from “55;
hence =:2, pot, without x. Of the
terror inspired by locusts, we cannot
have a better proof than the Arabic
proverb : ols wf oye, more
terrible than the locusts.
7-9. Here the description quite excels
inthe graphic. The comparison to war-
riors is admirably carried out. First,
their rapid advance upon the city is
specified ; next, their scaling the walls
in the most regular order; then their
consentaneous encounter with the troops
of defence, their invulnerability, their
progress through the streets, their climb-
ing the walls, and entering the win-
dows of the houses, are set forth in terms
Cuap. ἢ.
They go up into the houses ;
They enter the windows like
of singular and appropriate beauty.
way, Arab. bars, fidit, vulneravit,
hous, jissus, has here the significa-
tion of breaking up the order or regu-
larity with which a body of troops pro-
ceed when marching to the attack.
Abenezra and Kimchi compare σὴ», to
to pervert, turn aside which comes nearly
to the same thing. LXX. ἐκκλίνωσι.
Syr. . Gesenius thinks the
J coe
verb is here used in a sense cognate with
the significations in Kal and Hiphil, ¢o
give or take a pledge; but’ the idea of
exchange, change, is not clearly brought
out. The regular military order with
which the locusts advance, has been fre-
quently described. ᾿Αβασίλευτον γὰρ
n ἀκρὶς, ἐστρατεύει μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἑνὸς
εὐτάκτως κελεύσματος" φασὶ δὲ αὐτὰς
στοιχηδὸν ἰέναι, καὶ ὡς ἐν τάξει ditrrac-
Sau, καὶ ἥκιστα μὲν ἀπονοσφίζεσϑαι, περ-
ιέπει δὲ οὕτως ἀλλήλας, ὡσανεὶ καὶ
ἀδελφαὶ, φύσεως αὐτῆς βραβευούσης τὸ
φιλάλληλον. Cyril. The testimony of
Jerome, as an eye-witness in Palestine, is
peculiarly valuable: ‘Hoc nuper in hac
provincia vidimus. Quum enim locus-
tarum agmina venirent, et aerem, quo
inter coelum et terram est, occuparent
tanto ordine ex dispositione jubentis Dei
volitant, ut instar tesserularum, que in
pavimentis artificis figuntur manu, suum
tocum teneant, et ne puncto quidem, ut
ita dicam, ungueve transverso declinent
ad alteram.” Morier also remarks on
those which he saw: ‘“ ‘They seemed to
be impelled by one common instinct,
and moved in one body, which had the
appearance of being organized Py, a
leader.’”” Comp. mies xxx. 27, 7x 7373
Shp ys sxni mans, there is no ΠΣ to
the pasts yet they y go "forth, all of them
dividing, i. e. themselves into regular
companies or swarms, with all the dis-
cipline of a well-ordered army. [m7,
signifies so to press upon one as to com-
pel him to move from his place. Not-
JOEL.
103
a thief.
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
forces his fellow from his rank. Their
watchword may be said to be onward ;
for they never turn back.. If they enter
houses, they go straight through them,
and out at the opposite side. Thus
Abulphargius relates in his Chron. Syr.
p- 134: * postquam a latere meridionale
domos intraverant, a latere septemtri-
onale egrediebantur. ">, properly means
any missile weapon thrown at an en-
emy, from dw, ¢o send or cast forth ;
but it is also frequently used of the
sword. Comp. the Arab. et arma.
“za, is of somewhat difficult determi-
nation. The ground idea seems to be
that of mediation, a being, or doing any-
thing between two ; hence “£2 bbenn, ;
to make supplication for any one, i. e. by
interposing between him and the party
to whom the supplication is addressed.
To this the signification derived from the
Arab. (has, post, nearly approximates,
as occurring in the Hebrew. Between, or
among, will suit most of the passages in
which the word occurs. See Winer and
Credner. Taking pty as a collective
noun, the meaning of Risa "¥3 ἘΞ), will
be to fall among the missiles, i. e. to Tight,
or come down among them; and referring
ΕΞ. to the whole swarm, what it ex-
presses is, that they are not broken up,
or interrupted in their course. Compare
a similar use of 42%, to break, Dan. xi.
22. “p32, in the city, i. 6. any city or
town that may lie in their way. Cred-
ner’s appeal to chap. iv. [ili.] 17, in proof
that Jerusalem is specifically meant, can-
not be sustained, since that part of the
prophecy relates to a totally different sub-
ject. The scene is rather the land of
Judah, with its fortified cities, which
were overrun and plundered by the As-
syrian troops.
101
JOEL.
Cuar. IL
10 Before them the earth trembleth,
The heavens shake,
The sun and the moon are darkened,
And the stars withdraw their shine.
11 Jehovah uttereth his voice before his 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 can endure it ?
1τ
Now, therefore, saith Jehovah,
Turn ye to me with all your heart,
And with fasting and weeping and mourning ;
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments,
And turn to Jehovah your God ;
For he is pitiful and compassionate,
10,11. Though the language here
employed may in part 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
wrought hyperbolical, which forms one
of the more distinguishing features of
Hebrew poetry. min? ben, the voice of
Jehovah, is here, as frequently, thunder,
and not any word of command, as some
have imagined. Com. Exod. ix
29, 33; Ps. xviii. 14; Ps. lxxvii. 18, 19.
The locusts are called the $m, army of
Jehovah, with further reference to the
numbers and power of an army. One of
the laws of Mohammed is thus expressed :
Ge Lele οἱ» 5} fas Y,
plas x}, Ye shall not kill the
locusts, for they are the army of God
Almighty. Damir. And ὟΣ -»
Lord of the locusts, is one of the names
of God among the Mohammedans. The
entire description closes with the brief
but pointed interrogation,
Who can endure it? to which the im-
plied answer is, None. Comp. Mal. iii.
2, txta oor toto ox, and Jer.
x. 10, St ΝΗ γξτπν Nb.
12. Jehovah himself is here intro-
apbo5. 5
duced, urging the necessity of immediate
humiliation. τι τ Δ.» is intensive. The
ἡ is that of consequence, deducing an
argument from what had preceded; ἘΔ
is augmentative and emphatic, as usually
in Joel; and ny, has special reference
to the existing circumstances of the
persons addressed, and the instant atten-
tion which the divine 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 ὅπ m2, and
not with min ἘΝ.
13. The ‘prophet resumes his address,
and founds upon the call of Jehovah,
contained in the preceding verse, an
exhortation to sincere inward repentance,
which he supports by encouragements
deduced from the benignity of the divine
character. Rending the garments was
usual on occasions of great mourning,
see Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34; 1 Sam. iv. 12;
1 Kings xxi. 27; Ezra ix. 3, 5; Is.
xxxvii- 1. This custom obtained not
only among the Hebrews, but also among
the Babylonians, Persians, Egyptians,
Greeks and Romans. m3 7, is neither
the plague of locusts, nor the invasion of
the Assyrians, but the calamities in gen-
eral which God brings upon mankind.
This interpretation the preceding con-
text requires.
Cuap. Π.
JOEL.
105
Long-suffering, and of great mercy,
And repenteth of the evil.
14 Who knoweth? He may turn and repent,
And leave a blessing behind him —
An offering and a libation,
For Jehovah your God.
15
Appoint a sacred fast ;
Proclaim a day of restraint.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,
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 334» »7a, who knoweth,
while it suggests the idea of the great-
ness of the sin to be pardoned, also con-
veys that of the possibility of such par-
don,
{ς
ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι καὶ νῦν,
Ταῦτ᾽ εἴποις ᾿Αχιλῆϊ δάϊφρονι, αἴκε
πίϑηται.
Tis δ᾽ οἰδ᾽ εἴ κέν of, σὺν δαίμονι, ϑυμὸν
ὀρίναις,
Παρειπών ;᾿
Iliad. xi. 789.
God’s leaving a blessing behind him,
presupposes his return to visit his people
in mercy. The first-fruits of prosperity
are due to Him through whose blessing
it is conferred.
15, 16. Comp. ver. i. and chap. i. 14.
Here the distribution into classes is more
minute than in the latter of these pas-
sages. The mourning was to be uni-
versal. The m=n, was the bridal couch,
richly provided with a canopy, curtains,
etc. Root 52n, to cover, protect. See
for the force of the reference to the last
class mentioned, Deut. xxiv. 5.
17. pbax, Arab. J, Ἰ prior, anterior ;
the mpovdos, or porch, before the temple,
more strictly taken. It was an hundred
14
and twenty cubits high, twenty broad
from north to south, and ten long from
east to west. The mat, 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, and their faces directed towards
the residence of the Shekinah, they were
to weep, and make supplication on be-
half of the people. 5" ὩΞ 9.25, Jar-
chi, Secker, Michzlis, Rosenmiiller, Justi,
Credner, Winer, Gesenius, Maurer, Noyes,
Hitzig, and Ewald, render, that the na-
tions should make a proverb of them ; but
such construction is totally unauthor-
ized by Hebrew usage. In upwards of
fifty instances, in which 3 by occurs
in the Hebrew Bible, it is never once used
in the sense of employing derision, or
satirical language, but uniformly in that
of likening, or of exercising rule or do-
minion. In fact, the verb is nowhere
used either with or without the prepo-
sition in the signification of deriding. It
is the noun alone that is thus employed
in the forms *y105 yma, mn, Ci, ΔῸΣ ΤΙ»
to be, set, give, etc. to a derision. Ezek.
xvi. 44, forms no exception. The ancient
versions all agree in the translation, that
the heathen should rule over them. LXX.
τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν evn. ‘Targ. ΝΘ
100
JOEL.
Cuap. Π,
And deliver not thine heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the people,
Where is their God ?
18
Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land,
And take compassion upon his people :
19 Yea, Jehovah will answer, and say unto his people,
Behold! I will send you the corn,
And the new wine, and the oil,
And ye shall have abundance thereof:
And 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 ;
ρ > τὴ
nomz ying. Sy [aSaade
we
ων .
λοι "9 Vulg. ut dominentur eis na-
tiones. Hexap. Syr. ors «ϑοσιο
[Saka $ [Lad Thus also Kimchi,
Abenezra, Leo Juda, Junius and Tre-
mellius, Jewish-Spanish, Lyranus, Dru-
sius, Calvin, Newcome, Dathe, Booth-
royd, and Hengstenberg ; and there
does not appear to be any reason why it
could ever have been rendered other-
wise, but for the influence of the hypo-
thesis, that the preceding part of the
prophecy relates to locusts, and not to
political enemies. ‘Ideo ridiculum est
quod multi putant contexti sermonem
de locustis: illud prorsus alienum est a
Prophet mente.” Calvin, in Joc.
18. sap, Arab. Lis, valde rubuit ; in
Piel sop , ¢o be jealous, from the redness
or flush by which the face is suffused,
when a person is under the influence of
ion.
19, 20. In the former of these verses,
respect is had to the removal of the
calamity, from which the Jews were
suffering at the time the prophecy was
delivered ; in the latter, that of the
foreign enemy by whom the country was
to be invaded. The article is placed
before 437 wian, and “mx, to give
them prominence, as the principal objects
which had suffered from the locusts, and
which were now to be restored. The
term "3537, the Northern, Northlander,
or, as Coverdale renders, Him of the
North, is of prime importance in the
interpretation of the prophecy. It has
been urged against its having any refer-
ence to the locusts, that they visit Pales-
tine from the south, and not from the
north ; but this objection can scarcely be
regarded as valid, since, though they do
not usually come from that quarter, yet
they may be carried by a south wind
across Arabia Deserta, and then, when
to the north of Palestine, be driven south,
or south-west into that country. That,
however, which determines the question,
is the addition of the patronymic » to
ΕΣ, indicating that the North was not
merely the quarter whence the subject of
discourse came, but that its native country
lay to the north of Palestine: just as
syaomn , the Temanite, means. the South-
ern, or he who dwells to the right of Pal-
estine ; "3%, @ native Egyptian; in
Arabic οἷ»; a Meccite, shu, a
Medinite, i. e. a native or inhabitant of
Mecca and Medina. Now it is agreed
on all hands, that the native country of
the locusts is the regions of Arabia, the
Lybian deserts, and the Sahara of Egypt ;
so that according to the usus loguendi,
they cannot be meant by the term here
employed. Indeed, so much has this
Cuap. II.
JOEL.
107
His van towards the Eastern sea,
And his rear towards the Western sea ;
And his odor shall come up,
And his stench ascend,
Because he hath done great things.
been felt by some of those who have ad-
vocated the hypothesis, that locusts are
intended, that they have been under the
necessity of having recourse to far-fetched
expedients, in order to support it. Justi,
contrary to all analogy, proposes to ren-
der, ‘‘ the locusts that march northwards.”
or to explain the term north of what is
dark, hostile, or barbarous; which con-
struction of the meaning is, in part,
adopted by Hitzig. Maurer, on the other
hand, setting aside these and other me-
.
thods, has recourse to the Arab.
deposuit excrementum, and thence deduces
for 34x, the signification of stercoreus,
or, in case this derivation should not be
approved, to cpr, decorticare radendo,
and considers the reference to be either
to the injurious influence of their dung
on the trees, herbage, etc., or to their
stripping them of their verdure.
On the supposition that by "25: πιν the
Northern, the Assyrians are meant, every
difficulty vanishes. And that they may
with the strictest propriety be so termed,
is proved by Zeph, ii. 13: ‘ And he
will stretch out his hand 445s—>, upon
the North, and destroy Assyria, and will
make Nineveh a desolation, and dry as a
wilderness.’ The Jews weré accustomed
to call Assyria and Babylonia the North,
and the North country, because they lay in
that direction from Palestine. ‘ Queres,
quisnam hie Aquilonaris? §. Hieron.
Theodor. Remigius, Albertus et Hugo
accipiunt Sennacherib, quem Dominus,
longe fecit a Jerusalem: quia dum eam
obsideret, angelus Domini una nocte per-
cussit centum octuaginta quinque millia
militum, itaque eam fugere compulit. 4
Reg. xix. 85." — A Lapide.
The geographical specification which
follows in the verse is designed to express
the universality of the destruction of the
Assyrians. They were to be dispersed
in every other direction but that from
which they had come. By “43pm ban,
the Eastern Sea, is meant the Asphaltic
lake; by ;4nnsn 057, the Western Sea,
the Mediterranean ; ana by mas VN
τ 28, a dry and desolate land, the
deserts of Arabia. Literally the words
“27h, and “S487, signify what is
before and behind, ‘and are applied geo-
graphically in reference to the Orientals
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
the sandy desert. Jerome refers to a
similar scene, which literally happened
when he was in Palestine. “ Etiam
nostris temporibus,” he says, ‘ vidimus
agmina locustarum terram texisse Ju-
deam, que postea vento surgente in
mare primum et novissimumi precipitata
sunt.” And he immediately adds, what
illustrates the statement of Joel relative
to the ascending of the stench: ‘Cum-
que littora utriusque maris acervis mor-
tuorum locustarum quas aque evomuer-
ant, implerentur, putredo earum et foetor
in tantum noxius fuit, ut aeram quoque
corrumperet, et pestilentia tam jumen-
torum, quam hominum gigneretur. 0°23
and 5‘, face and end are here used in
the military sense of van and rear, and
cannot, without violence, be interpreted
of the swarm of locusts, and a brood
which succeeded them. mins, is a
ἅπαξ Aey. comp. Mix, 40 be foul, putrid,
Arab. KEV, sordes. Giv-
ing an account of the locusts, Thevenot
says, ‘ They live not above six months,
and, when dead, the stench of them so
to stink.
108
JOEL.
Cuap. IL
21 Fear not, O land! rejoice and be glad,
For Jehovah 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 Rejoice, ye sons of Zion! and be glad in Jehovah your God ;
corrupts and infects the air, that it often
occasions dreadful pestilences.” The con-
cluding words of the verse convey the
idea of moral agency, and can with no
propriety be interpreted of the locusts.
ives taan. LXX. ἐμεγάλυνε τὰ
ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Syr. posses Send 2)»
he exalted himself in acting. 'The phrase
is obviously used here in a bad sense, and
indicates the pride of the Assyrians ;
comp. 2 Kings xxi. 6, where n‘zz> ΤΙ τ»
a similar idiom, occurs. As employed in
the following verse of our prophet, it is
placed in antithesis with the sense in
which it is here used, and is to be dif-
ferently understood : viz. of the great
things that God would do for his people,
comp. Ps. exxvi. 2, 3.
21-23. In these verses there is a
beautiful gradation. First, the land,
which had been destroyed by the enemy,
is addressed in a prosopopeeia; then the
irrational animals which had suffered
from the famine ; and lastly, the inhabi-
tants themselves. All are called upon
to cast off their fears, and rejoice in the
happy change which Jehovah would
effect. Desolation, barrenness, and fam-=
ine, would disappear, and times of pros-
perity and happiness return, ws "23,
Sons of Zion, properly the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, but here evidently used to
denote those of the Jand generally, of
which Jerusalem was the metropolis, and
Zion the centre of religious influence.
mpis> mi, is rendered in the Targ.
4572 phe2Bb, your teacher in righteous-
ness ; which Abarbanel explains, 3
ma 55" Join re ΠΡ Ὁ pees sti
Views. Mes ΠΣ msi. And he is
the king Messiah, who shall teach them
the way in which they shall walk, and
the works that they should do. The
same, or a similar construction of the
words is found in the Vulg. Rufinus,
Jarchi, Pagninus, Munster, Leo Juda,
Castalio, the Jewish-Spanish, Remigius,
Rupertus, Vatablus, Ribera, Mercer,
CZcolamp., Luther, and most of the early
Lutheran interpreters; and, among the
modern, Pick and Hengstenberg, the
latter of whom contends for it at con-
siderable length, and decidedly considers
the passage to be one of the Messianic
prophecies. That τι 1}2 signifies teacher,
is beyond all doubt, see 2 Chron. xv. 3 ;
Job xxxvi. 22; Is. ix. 15, xxx. 20; and
from the occurrence of the word in this
place in connection with mp τὸ, righteous-
ness, Which is so frequently referred to
the Messiah 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
mp 1s v3, THe Sun or Ricuteousness,
chap. iv. 4, ὁ, 6. the author of that illu-
mination of knowledge which has right-
eousness for its object. To such interpre-
tation, however, there appear to me to be
the following insuperable objections : —
First, it is repugnant to the circumstances
of the context ; ‘non videtur tamen ferre
hunc sensum circumstantia loci.”’ Calvin;
who says of the reason adduced in support.
of it, that it would be out of place to give
such prominence to merely temporal
blessings: “sed ratio illa est nimis fri-
gida;’’ and goes on to show that, in ac-
cordance with the custom of the pro-
phets, Joel begins with these inferior bless-
ings, and afterwards, in ver. 28, proceeds
to treat of those which are spiritual. Sec-
ondly, the repetition of the same term,
min, immediately after, where, as all
allow, it must be taken in the accepta-
tion of rain. And thirdly, the pecul-
Crise, 11.
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,
iar ee and cee es of the ‘tele
The tne given to m5 7, ne pr sete
not only the article 5, but also the de-
terminating particle nx, shows that the
prophet had some immediate and definite
object in view, which we cannot imagine
to have been any other than the autum-
nal rain, which was indispensable any
year, and more especially after such a
season of drought, to prepare the ground
for nourishing the seed. It must have
been an object of universal and anxious
desire, and has, in consequence, a high
degree of importance and prominence
allotted to it in the text. See on the
force of rs the Lexicons of Lee and
Gesenius. ‘The same consideration will
account for the form, and the particular
signification of πριν in this place,
The Ὁ is to be taken adverbially, as point-
ing out the rule or measure according to
which the rain was to be ; TPT, so that
the meaning will be, im just quantity,
adequately, in the proportion suitable to
the exigency of the case. Τπξ » the root
from which this noun is derived, signifies
to be just, right ; to come up to ee
claims, to be what a person or thing ought
to be. Comp. Lev. xix. 36, where P71
is used of weights and measures that
were exact, or came up to the demands
of the law. Some propose to render
ΤΡ ΞΡ, dountifully, but this would give
tie Chaldee rather than the Hebrew sig-
nification. Ewald translates, the ear hy y
rain for justification, and explains it of
the Jews being again accounted right-
eous by God. To the objection of Hengs-
tenburg, that if πρὸ 12 in the first half of
the verse does not designate a different
divine benefit from τοῦ 5% in the second,
an idle tautology will ensue, it is only
necessary to reply, that the words occur
in parallelism, and that in the second
instance ©3574 is merely a resumption for
the sake of dividing the ἘΠῚ mentioned
immediately before into its two regular
divisions, the former and the datter. ‘The
term elsewhere used for the former or
autumnal rain, which falls from the
middle of October until the middle of
December, is 4757, lit. waterer, being
the Benoni Participle of mar, to dart,
cast, or scatter, as drops of water. τοι",
however, which is the Hiph. Participle
of the same verb, does occur in the same
acceptation, Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. Comp. my
note on Hosea vi. 3, where wipbna , the
latter or vernal rain is also explained.
The reading 45,35, which is found in-
stead of the former π =7 7a, in tw enty -three
MSS., originally i in eleven more, now in
three, in the Jerusalem Talmud, and as
Keri in the margin of two of De Rossi’s
Codices, is in favor of the rendering
rain, which is that of all the early ver-
sions, but may possibly have originated
in emendation, With respect to the
latter occurrence of the word, there is no
variety of reading. ty3, Arab. haan
corpus, et omne id quod longum, largum
et profundum est ; Chald. the body: ap-
plied to such rain as is heavy, or violent,
and pours down as it were in a body.
The verbs 43, and 14352, are prophetic
futures. To render (Na , tn the first
month, would involve a contradiction,
since only one of the two rains could
happen in that month. It seems, there-
fore, necessary to suppose an ellipsis of 5,
the participle of comparison, and read
“JEN 25, as formerly, or as in for mer
times. “Comp. Jer, 1. 225 Jer. xxxiii. 11,
where 73¥x 25 is similarly used; and
for 572879, in the sense of former, 1 ton
xvil. 30; Hagg. 1.3. Thus the LXX.
Syr. Vulg. Arab. One of Kennicott’s
MSS. and perhaps another, reads 73875.
The ellipsis of 5 is not infrequent in the
Hebrew Scriptures.
24. Were the happy results of the
plentiful and scasonalle rains are set
110
JOEL.
Cuar. IL,
And the vats shall run over with new wine and oil.
25
Thus he will make good to you the years
Which the swarming locusts hath devoured,
The licking locust, the consuming locust, and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent against you.
26
And 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.
to
-τ
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 it shall come to pass, afterwards,
That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ;
forth. The ἡ in ss5%3, is consequential.
sp-dr,, comp. the Assh: ie propulit,
vil. Conj. ¢mpulsus fuit, fluxit, to cause
to flow, or run over. For ap>, see on
Tasive2s i
25. That the prophet has here in view
the plague of locusts described in chap. i.
cannot well be doubted. The names,
though placed in a different order, are
identical with those there specified.
They are called God’s great army, a
name still given to them by the Arabs.
See on yer. 11. Though the scourge
lasted only one year, yet as they not
only destroyed the whole produce of
that year, but also what was laid up in
store for future years, there is no im-
propriety in the plural form of tz,
years. ‘The term is used metonymically
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 enjoyments, but affording
them the delightful experience of his
presence and favor as their covenant
God. This promise is amplified in
verses —
26, 27, In which the future prosperity
of the Jewish church is described in
terms, which obviously characterize the
period which succeeded that of the
Babylonish captivity. The divine re-
compense was not merely to cover the
evils sustained by the ravages of the
locusts; it was to extend to those which
both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans
were to inflict upon the nation. This
interpretation is confirmed by what im-
mediately follows respecting the out-
pouring of the Holy Spirit. By God’s
being in the midst of his people, is
meant the special manifestation of his
presence in the communications of his
favor. The resumption of *23 in "2 282,
forms a beautiful anadiplosis. *
28, 29. The prophet now proceeds to
predict the impartation of richer gifts in
future times than those temporal bless-
ings which had just been promised to
the Jews. 45— "ns, afterward, LXX.
μετὰ ταῦτα, Hengstenberg would place
in antithesis with 47843, ver. 23, which
he renders first; but the latter phrase
has reference to what had already taken
place, and was not future to the time of
the prophet. ἼΞ πα, though indefinite,
is nearly equivalent in force to nny
barn, Is. 11, 2, as appears from its hav-
ing been rendered by the apostle Peter
rip ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραι, in the last
days. Jarchi, sab ΠΩΣ Ὁ, in Suturity 5 ‘
Abenezra, mrinizn mst b> saw Ἢ or
3 SS eR Gaon mes “1 ΟΣ Ὁ, won
DAMN. πὶ PA AD MAAN AK med
pan. ‘Rabbi Jeshua saith, All this
is a prophecy of the future; and Rabbi
Moses the priest saith, If so, why does
he say after this? but it is the same as,
Cuar. II.
JOEL.
111
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions ;
29 And even upon the male and the female servants
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
and it shall come to pass in the latter
days ;”’ in which interpretation Kimchi
concurs, adding, "> prt") ἜΝ 75d
sbi ἼΣἼ nny sex wax baw saps
ἜΘ NOAM awn ΠΣ 9 ΠΩ Ὁ τι ΤΊ
ἼΣΩΣ Por Sa mp A MRP mS bag
Nims asin ἈΦῚ ΤῸ my oma
BST van Nbr 1D ΩΝ 5 Ὁ Mee mad
min ms, “ Because it is said, And ye
shall know that I am in the midst of you.
What he says is, Now ye know, but
not with a perfect knowledge, for ye
will again commit sin before me; but
after this 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 Mes-
siah.” That the two phrases are iden-
tical in meaning, clearly appears from
a comparison of Jer. xlviii. 47, with
xlix. 6. See on Is. ii. 2. ΞΘ 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 in-
fluence, which were to be afforded to
the church under the gospel dispensation.
fim, sperit, 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 lan-
guage which shows that they were both
to be more general and more special in
their character. In a more general
point of view, they were to be bestowed
upon “ta—d5, all flesh, i. 6. mankind
generally, without distinction of nation or
country. ‘To restrict this phrase to the
Jews, as is done by Abenezra, Kimchi,
Albo, Hitzig, and others, is irreconcilable
with Scripture usage, according to which
it constantly signifies mankind gener-
ally, or the whole human race; just as in
Arabic, Ui» and Les signify homo,
Saeed Ἵ) 2) Sigaiy,
all
humanum genus, and Adam is called
A ys the father of flesh, i. e. of
mankind. 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 in-
fluences of the Spirit are limited to the
human family. The infiuence, of which
universality is here predicated, is the
saving energy which is exerted by the
Holy Spirit, in commencing, carrying
on, and consummating the work of
grace in the souls of men. It accom-
panies the presentation of divine truth
to the mind, and removes the obstacles
which the force of innate depravity
opposes to the reception of the gospel.
See my Lectures on Divine Inspiration.
pp- 525-530. Besides the influence
which was thus to be vouchsafed for the
purposes of salvation, the prophet spe-
cifies that which should be more limited
in its communication, consisting in the
miraculous endowment of a certain
number of Jews, of different classes
and conditions, with the knowledge of
divine things, and the ability infallibly
to communicate them to,others. The
persons on whom these gifts were to be
conferred are their “sons and daugh-
ters ;”” their “aged men,” and their
“youths ;” their “male” and “ fe-
male servants ;”’ terms which are mani-
festly designed to teach that their
bestowment was to embrace persons of
different classes, ranks, and conditions
of life. sa, Arab. Ls, indicavit, an-
nunciavit, Eth. INN: locutus est,
τὶ ΠΡ = vaticinatus est, predixit, is
used not merely to denote the foretelling
112
JOEL.
Cuap. IL
80 And I will show prodigies in the heavens and in the earth,
Blood and fire, and columns of smoke.
81 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
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 com-
munication, as was the case when the
prophets addressed their hearers, or by
the rehearsal or singing of sacred hymns
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, xix, 20-24. Comp. Acts xix. 6,
xx129); 1 Cor. xi..4, (by xiy011,.5, 6, 225
24, 31, 39 ; which passages furnish strik-
ing illustrative examples of the fulfil-
ment of the prophecy of Joel. See also
1 Chron. xxv. 1-3; and Mede’s works,
Book I. Discourse xvi. That we are
fully warranted to interpret it of the
extraordinary supernatural gifts which
were vouchsafed in the apostolic age, is
placed beyond doubt by its allegation by
Peter, in justification of the phenomenon
which took place on the day of Pente-
cost. τοῦτό ἐστι, this is the fact pre-
dicted by Joel, Acts ii. 16. The quo-
tation was the more apt, since the words
of the prophet had just been read in the
pentecostal service of the Synagogue.
See my Biblical Researches and Travels
in Russia, Ὁ. 326. meth, dreams, and
τότ τιν visions, belonged to the different
modes in which God revealed his will
to the prophets. Numb. xii. 6; 1 Sam.
xxviii. 6, 15; Jer. xxiii. 25-28; Dan.
vii. 1, 2. See my Lectures on Inspi-
ration, pp. 147-165. Though no ex-
.press mention is made of dreams in the
apostolic writings, yet repeated reference
is to visions. See acts ix. 10, 12, x. 3,
17, xi. 5, xvi 9, xviii. 9, xxvi. 19;
2 Cor. xii. 1; Rev. ix.17. ἘΔ, and even,
indicates a rise in the prophecy, which
was intended to exclude none, not even
the lowest and most despised “ servants,”
from a participation in the large bestow-
ment of divine influence. In beautiful
harmony with this feature of the pro-
phecy is the special recognition of of
πτωχοὶ, the poor, in the New Testament.
The repetition*han ny ΠῚΞ ΘΝ 1 will pour
out my Spirit, shows, that the influence
of which, in general, they were to be
partakers, was not merely that which
consisted in the miraculous gifts, but also
that ordinary and saying influence which
is experienced by all believers. What
incontrovertibly proves that the prophecy
includes both a more ordinary, and a
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,” 7. ὁ. the Gentiles,
“even as many as the Lord our God
shall call.”
30, 31. In connection with this period
of the rich enjoyment of divine influence,
Joel introduces one of awful judgment,
called as usual 479 pss, the day of Jeho-
vah, the precursors of which he describes
in very alarming language. That the
destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish
polity is intended, most interpreters are
agreed ; but there exists a diversity of
opinion respecting the character of the
language, some taking it literally, as
setting forth physical prodigies, such as
those which Josephus relates to have
taken place before the destruction of
Jerusalem, and tremendous massacres
and conflagrations in different parts of
the country; while others maintain
that it is symbolical, and consequently
is to be figuratively explained. The
latter position is more in accordance
with the style of prophecy, in which we
not only find a fixed set of symbols, but
also, very frequently, an accumulation
of images is introduced for the purpose
of producing a more powerful effect on
the mind. See on Is. xiii, 10, xxxiv.
3--5. The heavens and the earth,
Cuap. II.
JOEL.
Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
32 And it shall come to pass,
That whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be
delivered :
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be the escaped,
therefore, mean the political world, with
its civil and religious establishments ;
the sun and moon, the higher and supe-
rior ruling 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; Mark 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 mea-
sure parallel. Similar images are used
by pagan writers, when describing the
forerunners of civil wars, as, for instance,
Lucanus, Pharsal. lib. ver. 529 : —
ce
Super igne minaces
Prodigiis terras implerunt, zethera,
pontum.
Ignota obscure viderunt sidera noc-
tes,
Ardentemque polum flammis, cceloque
volantes,
Obliquas per inane faces, crinemque
timendi.
Sideris, et terris mutantem regna
cometen.
Fulgura fallaci micuerunt crebra se-
reno,
Et varias ignis denso dedit aére for-
mas.”
penis, prodigies, whatever objects are
unusual, portentous, or miraculous, in
their character. The word is most prob-
ably a derivative from 75", Arab. Conj. iii,
Sy eminuit, to be conspicuous, admi-
rable, wonderful. LXX. τέρατα. It
cua occurs in combination with
καὶ σημεῖα, signs. ΤΟ ΓΔ ΤΑ » only occurs
once besides, and, as here, in construc-
tion with 72, viz. Song iii. 6; where,
however, nineteen MSS. and originally
another read ninvan, without the Yod,
which is doubtless the more correct or-
thography, the Yod having been inserted
15
as a help to the pronunciation. There
can be little doubt that it is derived from
"727, to be erect, whence "727 the palm-
tree, from its tall and erect growth.
Comp. the Chaldee myn, @ column of
smoke; “2am, Arab. prob and ,
8) ols, turris ; and “yan, to rise like
a column. ‘The phrase will, therefore,
be equivalent to yw» >a, of which we
have the singular yw» s2y, Jud. xx. 40.
LXX. ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ ; but in Song iii. 6,
στελέχη καπνοῦ. Vulg. vaporem fumt.
Targ. 4277 5, ἘΣ τς of smoke, the
singular of which is used Jud. xx. 40.
Tanc.: al ule od] Fchacl,
pillars of smoke ascending up. ‘Those
who are familiar with the account given
by Josephus of the disorders, convulsions,
excesses, and rebellions, which preceded
the subversion of the Jewish state, will
readily admit, that the figurative lan-
guage here employed most appropri-
ately sets forth the awful circumstances
of the inhabitants of Palestine at that
period. To render more prominent the
tremendous nature of the final judg-
ment of the Jews, when their city and
polity were destroyed, it is not merely
called min of, but titan mint oh
Siam the great and fearful “day Ψ of
Jehovah ; terms which are employed
by the prophet Malachi, iv. 5, (Heb.
iii. 23,) reference to the same
event.
32. The phrase m4n> DY3 NIP, usually
means to evoke Jehovah according to his
true character, and designates such as
he would regard in the light of accep-
table worshippers; 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
΄
114
JOEL.
Cuap, 11,
According as Jehovah hath promised,
Together with those that are left,
Whom Jehovah shall call.
to be here employed as a periphrasis for
those Jews who should embrace the faith
of the Messiah, and render to him as
mins, Jehovah, the same supreme worship
which lad been rendered to God by their
pious ancestors. From the passage just
quoted from the Acts, it is clear that the
disciples of Christ were characterized as
invokers of his name, i. e. as his wor-
shippers, before they were cailed Chris-
tians. ‘The prophecy contains a gracious
promise, that, however terrible might be
the final catastrophe in which the un-
believers should perish, provision would
be made for the safety of those who be-
lieved in the Messiah. And church his-
tory records its fulfilment; for, on the
approach of the Roman army, the chris-
tian inhabitants of Jerusalem took to
flight, in compliance with the Saviour’s
warning, and retiring to Pella, on the
eastern side of the river Jordan, found
there a safe asylum, while the devoted
city was being besieged and destroyed.
— οὐ μὲν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς ἐν Ἵερο-
σολύμοις ἐκκλησίας, κατά τινα χρησμὸν
τοῖς αὐτόδι δοκίμοις δι ἀποκαλύψεως
δοϑέντα πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου, μεταναστῆναι
τῆς πόλεως, καί τινα τῆς περαίας πόλιν
οἰκεῖν KekeAevopevov. Πέλλαν αὐτὴν dvo-
μαζουσιν' ἐν ἣ τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πεπι-
στευκότων ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετωκισ-
μένων, k. τ᾿ A. Euseb. lib. iii. cap. v.
mu.be , is a collective noun, signifying
those who have escaped ; in other words,
ἡ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐκκλησία, “ the church
‘a Jerusalem,” as Eusebius phrases it in
the above quotation, who not only made
their escape from the impending calamity,
but from the “ untoward generation ”’ to
which they had belonged, Acts ii. 40;
Is, iv. 8; so that the meaning is, not that
there should continue to be deliverance
for those who remained in Zion and Je-
rusalem 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
inflicted. The words min “78 "Ne,
refer to the promise just made. ὩΣ Ὁ»
together with those that have been left,
from sn, Arab. Ort, aufugit, vaga-
tusque fuit, oy Li, and Ogy%s aufu-
gens, to flee, make one’s escape, survive
a slaughter, or any other calamity. The
reference seems not to be to converted
Gentiles, as Schmidius, Michzelis, Holz-
hausen, and others interpret, but to those
Jews who did not perish in the national
judgments, but were called into the
church of Christ. sp, as employed in
the last clause of the verse, signifies ¢o
call, in the sense of effectually prevailing
upon any one to choose and participate
in the blessings of the divine kingdom.
Comp. Καλέω, as used by Paul, Rom.
viii. 28, 30, ix. 24; 1 Thess, ii, 12.
sip, the Participle here stints -the
future.
Cuapr. Ul. JOEL.
CHAPTER III,
In this chapter the prophet returns from the parenthetic view which he had exhibited of
the commencement of the Christian dispensation, and the overthrow of the Jewish polity,
to deliver predictions respecting events that were to transpire subsequent to the Baby-
lonish captivity, and fill up the space which should intervene between the restoration of
the Jews, and the first advent of Christ. He announces the judgment to be holden on
their enemies after the return to Judea, 1, 2; specifies the reasons why they were to be
punished, and expressly mentions by name the neighboring nations of Tyre, Sidon 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 con-
vulsions 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 denuncia-
tions against Egypt and Idumea, with whose fate is placed in striking contrast the pro-
tracted existence of the Jewish polity, 19-21.
1 For, behold! in those days, and at that time,
When I shall reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 J will gather all the nations,
And bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat,
And will plead with them there,
1, 2. son Nya mann Dea, is 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 con-
nected by the relative conjunction "ws,
with the following words, which relate
to the restoration of the Jewish state.
"5, at the beginning of the verse, is pro-
perly rendered for, and refers back to
chap. ii. 21-27, in which verses times
of great temporal prosperity are prom-
ised to the Jews. With this prosperity
was intimately connected the punishment
of the nations by which they had been
afflicted ; and, accordingly, such punish-
ment forms the subject of the present
chapter. Instead of aziz, the Keri sub-
stitutes af , in which it is supported by
twenty-five of Kennicott’s MSS.; but
the frequent occurrence of niayaAw, in
which the Kal form is to be taken causa-
tively, shows that there was no necessity
for the emendation. See Ps. xiv. 7,
πὰ, 7, exxvi. 7; Is. li. 8. Some in-
terpret the phrase of a general restora-
tion to circumstances of prosperity, with-
out any reference to previous circum-
stances 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 .
refer it to the same event in this place.
That the restoration of the Jews from
their present dispersion is meant, and
that the judgments to be inflicted on the
nations are those which are predicted,
Rey. xvi. 14, 16, is rendered impossible
110
JOEL.
Cuap. ILI.
On account of my people, and Israel mine inheritance,
Whom they have scattered among the nations,
And have divided my land ;
8 And have cast lots for my people,
And given a boy for an harlot,
And sold a girl for wine,
That they might drink.
4 And truly, what are ye to me, O Tyre and Zidon!
by the introduction of the Tyrians, Si-
donians, Philistines, etc. verses 4 and 19,
since these states all received their punish-
ment prior to the advent of Christ. By
DE om prs the valley of Jehoshaphat,
some understand the narrow valley
through which the brook Kedron flows,
between the city of Jerusalem and the
mount of Olives. To this valley or glen,
in which is the celebrated burying-place
of the Jews, the Rabbins have appro-
priated the name, and maintain, that in
it the final judgment of the world is to be
held ; —a conceit in which they have
been followed by many Christian writers,
as well as by the Mohammedans. Others
suppose it to be a designation of the valley,
otherwise called 5373 ΡΣ,» the valley of
blessing, 2 Chron. xx. 26; 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
of any specific locality, but as symbolical
in their import, and designed to charac-
terize the theatre of the bloody wars
that took place after the Babylonish cap.
tivity, by which the hostile nations con-
tiguous to Judea had signal vengeance
inflicted upon them. They literally sig-
nify, the valley where Jehovah judgeth,
and mean the scene of divine judgments.
The term valley appears to have been
selected on account of such locality
being mentioned in Scripture as_ the
usual theatre of military conflict. This
view of the subject is supported by the
Targ. in which the words are not re-
tained, but translated Ἀ55π 3:38 “260,
the plain of the distribution of judgment,
and by the translation of Theodot. τὴν
χώραν τῆς κρίσεως. 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 affect-
ingly set forth. That it was customary
to cast lots for those who were taken
captive, see Obad. ver. 11; Nah. iii. 10.
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
for an act of sensual indulgence ; just as
the selling of a girl for wine, means
giving her in compensation for a draught
of it. Comp. Gen, xxxviii. 17 ; comp.
also Deut. xxii. 18, where 7241 jay, the
hire of awhore, is coupled with ab> ὙΠ,
the price of a dog; and the Arabic proy-
erb, oh ΧΟ. url, the son of a
whore hired with oil. Meid. xciv. Char-
den mentions that when the Tartars came
into Poland, they carried off all the chil-
dren they could, and, finding at length
that they were not redeemed, sold them
at the low price of a crown. In Min-
grelia, he adds, they sell them for pro-
visions, and for wine.
4. Among the nations bordering on
the country of the Jews, which had ren-
dered themselves particularly obnoxious
to the divine wrath, were those on the
west, for which see on Is. xxiii. and
xiv. 28. sb ἘῸΝ πὸ pan, and truly what
are ye to me? Think ye ‘that I make any
account of you? or that ye can success-
fully oppose yourselves to me? The
interrogation is altogether different in
meaning, as it is in form, from the idiom
Cuar. UI,
And all the coasts of Philistia ?
Will ye retaliate upon me ?
If, indeed, ye retaliate upon me,
JOEL.
117
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 ;
To the sons of the Javanites,
And have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem
That they might be removed far from their own border.
Whither ye have sold them ;
tobi "bone, what have we in common?
with which Kimchi compares it. ni>">a,
circuits, districts. Comp. Josh. xiii. 2,
where the word is rendered coasts in our
version. ‘They were properly provinces,
of which there were five in number, each
governed by a 329, prince, or lord. 3,
all, before nid=b3, expresses contempt.
tx, isnot here correlate with τι» ἴῃ 59am,
but puts ἃ fresh case for the sake of ar-
gument. The case supposed, however,
was true in fact. The interrogative τ 85-
sumes here the form of the article, as in
several other places. See on Amos vy. 25,
byaa, signifies to do good or evil to any one;
then to recompense him, either with good
or evil; to reward, retaliate. The mean-
ing here seems to be, that if these bor-
dering states, taking advantage of certain
untoward circumstances in the history of
the Jews, attempted to revenge the vic-
tories gained over them by the latter,
they should be dealt with in the way of
divine retaliation. Jehovah here speaks
of what was done to his people as done
to himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 8; Matt.
xxy. 40. mona dp, is an asyndeton.
Comp. Is. v. 26, where the order of the
words is reversed.
5. As in the preceding verse God had
identified himself with his people, so here
he speaks of their property as his. Some
suppose the precious vessels belonging to
τ temple to be intended by "5218
~2n, but the articles of private property
Behold! I will arouse them from the place
most highly esteemed by the Jews are
more probably meant ; since it does not
appear that ever the enemies specified by
Joel plundered the temple at Jerusalem,
though express mention is made of the
plunder of the royal palace by the Phi-
listines, etc., 2 Chron. xxi. 17. Comp.
Hos. xiii. 15; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 19. It
was customary to hang up or deposit in
the idolatrous temples, as presents dedi-
cated to the gods, certain portions of the
spoils taken in war. Arrian, ii, 24. Cur-
tius, iv. 2.
6. Bo2 4771 2,2, the sons of the Javanites,
Imes the Grecians. Comp. vies ᾿Αχαιῶν»
of Homer; and see on Is. Ixvi. 19.
Credner, Hitzig, and some others, think
that the prophet refers to Javanites of
Arabia Felix, 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 Me-
shech, as trading in the persons of men
with the merchants of Tyre. Slavery
formed an important article of Phcenician
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 aslave mart, that sometimes 10,000
were bought and sold in a single day.
7,8. Ὁ ἈΞ, Sabeans ; Pococke’s Arab.
MSS. url As}, the people of Jemen.
118
JOEL.
Cap.
And bring back your retaliation
Upon your own head ;
8 I will sell 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.
9 Proclaim ye this among the nations ;
Prepare war ; rouse the mighty ;
Let all the warriors approach ; let them come up.
10 Beat your coulters into swords,
And your pruning-hooks into spears ;
Let the feeble say, I am mighty.
11 Hasten and come, all ye nations around,
See on Is. lx. 6. As the Sabeans traded
with India, it is not improbable that
inn, distant, may be designed to include
that part of the East; though it is said
of the Queen of Sheba, that she came
ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς, Matt. xi. 42.
This prophecy was fulfilled before and
during the rule of the Maccabees, when
the Jewish affairs were in so flourishing
astate, and the Pheenician and Philistine
powers were reduced by the Persian
arms under Artaxerxes Mnemon, Darius
Ochus, and especially Alexander and his
successors. On the capture of Tyre by
the Grecian monarch, 13,000 of the in-
habitants were sold into slavery. When
he took Gaza also, he put 10,000 of the
citizens to death, and sold the rest, with
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. mss, this, refers to what immediately
follows: the assembling of the different
nations, in order to engage in the wars
in which, in succession, they were, as
political states, to be subdued and perish.
37D, is not simply to prepare, as Kimchi
explains it, but to prepare by the use of
religious rites and ceremonies, such as the
heathen employed when they undertook
a military enterprise.
10. Here a state of things is presented
to view, directly the opposite of what
was to exist in the days of the Messiah,
Is. ii. 4; Micahiv. 38. Such was to be
the extent of the conflict, that, in the
lack of a sufficient number of arms, the
ordinary implements of husbandry would
be converted into weapons.
“ squalent abductis arva
colonis,
Et curve rigidum falces confiantur in
ensem.”
Virgil. Georg. i. 507.
*‘Sarcula cessabant, versique in pila
ligones,
Factaque de rastri pondere cassis
erat.”
Ovid. Fast. i. 699.
11. tay, a ἅπαξ Aey. in all probability
the same in signification with wap, to
hasten. ‘The ancient versions follow the
LXX., who render, συναϑροίζεσϑε.
Arab. uals, vitam duxit, vixit ; hence
the idea of Ziveliness, activity, agility, ete.
ΣΤ: τιν isthe Imperative in Hiphil of npz,
to descend, go or come down. The place
whither, is the scene of warfare, the
valley of Jehoshaphat, implied in pp,
which with the = is frequently the same
in signification with py. The abrupt
transition to Jehovah has a powerful
effect. Whatever might be the individual
views of those engaged in the conflict,
they were the instruments of Divine
Crap. 17.
VOL.
119
_ And gather yourselves together ;
Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah!
12 Let the nations be roused, let them come up
To the valley of Jehoshaphat ;
For there I will sit to judge all the nations around,
13
Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe:
Come, descend, for the wine-press is full,
The vats run over ;
For their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes! multitudes
In the valley of decision !
For the day of Jehovah is near,
wrath, and are on this account called the
«mighty ones” of Jehovah. Comp, Is.
xX. O-(.
12. To give prominence to the in-
terest which God had in what was to
take place, the metaphor is here changed
into that of a judicial process, in which
he acts as judge, and gives a just deci-
sion against the enemies of his people.
For wbyin” 72%, see on ver. 2. Here,
as in that verse, the nations to be pun-
ished were those 2727 , cireumjacent to
Judea.
13. The prophet now employs meta-
phors taken from the harvest and the
vintage, which strikingly express the
hayoe and destruction effected by war:
the one denoting the slaughter or cutting
down of armies, and the other the effu-
sion of their blood. The same images
are similarly employed, Is. xvii. 5, 6,
lxiii, 2; Lam. 1. 153 and especially
Rey. xiv. 14-20. Sav, @ sickle, Arab.
sre, Sy. te. In Arab. the root,
Oss 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. πὸ, from 4», to
descend, some take to be used here in the
acceptation of the Arab. s®) , calcavit.
Pry
Thus the LXX. ware?re. But as in
order to tread the grapes it was necessary
to go down into the wine-press, it seems
better to abide by the ordinary significa-
tion of the Hebrew verb, and to consider
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, 33 m5 multitudes, multi-
tudes, a Hebraism for immense multitudes.
This rendering is preferable to that of
tumults, In ‘the preceding verses, the
nations are called upon to assemble, and
here the prophet, beholding them con-
gregated in obedience to the summons,
breaks out into an appropriate exclama-
tion in regard to their number. yarn,
Piscator, the Geneva English, Calvin,
Leo Juda, Michelis, Justi, Holzhausen,
and Credner, take in the sense of thresh-
ing. Kimchi, Tanchum, Abulwalid,
Newcome, and some others, render ez-
cision; but the LXX. Theodot. Syr.
Targ. Theodoret, Dathe, Rosenmiiller,
Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald, and
Furst, translate the word by decision or
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 de-
termine, decide, as attaching to the verb
yun, 1 Kings xx. 40; Is. x. 22. The
meaning is the decision or doom of the
nations to which the prophecy refers.
The repetition of inn p%2,, heightens
the effect.
In the valley of decision.
15
JOEL.
Cuap. ΠῚ.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened,
And the stars shall withdraw their shine.
16
For Jehovah shall roar out of Zion,
And utter his voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth shall shake ;
But Jehovah is a refuge for his people,
A stronghold for the sons of Israel.
BY
And 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.
18
And it shall come to pass in that day,
That the mountains shall drop new wine,
And the hills shall flow with milk,
15. A figurative mode of representing
the removal of the political rulers of the
world. Comp. chap. ii. 10, 31.
16. These words, as Chandler properly .
remarks, seem to intimate very plainly,
that at least part of the judgments here
threatened to be exerted upon the
neighboring nations, should be executed
by the Jews themselves. They doubtless
refer to the victories obtained by Matta-
thias, and his sons the Maccabeans. 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 de-
liverance and protection of his people.
Comp. Ps. xviii. 13; Hab. iii. 10, 11.
ΝΣ, 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.
17. >7%, is here, as in Is. 111, 6. lx. 16;
Hos. ii. 20, to be taken in the accep-
tation of experiencing, knowing by ex-
perimental proofs of the divine kindness.
This the Jews did in the deliverances
effected on their behalf, after the return
from the captivity, especially on the
death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and in
the enjoyment of their national and re-
ligious privileges, till the termination of
their polity. That the strong language
at the close of the verse does not imply
a state of immunity from invasion, to
which there was absolutely to be no end,
will appear on comparing Is. lii. 1, and
Nah. i. 15. See my note on the former -
of these passages. From the death of
Antiochus till the coming of the Messiah,
nd hostile power should take possession
of the holy city. To express the perfect
immunity from idolatry, by which Jeru-
salem should be characterized, 377, holi-
ness in the abstract, is used. Comp.
Obad. 17. By ext, strangers, or bar-
barians, foreign enemies are meant.
18. A splendid figurative represen-
tation of the extraordinary prosperity
to be accorded to the Jewish people
after the destruction of their enemies.
Thus Tanchum in Pococke, ¥ sy Lec
ltt, wos] δ για, “ me-
taphorical language, denoting abundance
of plenty and blessings.” Comp. Is.
xxx, 23-25, xliv. 3, and especially Amos
Tee 18,
“ Flumina jam lactis, jam flumina nec-
taris ibant,
Flavaque de viridi stillabant ilice mella.”
Ovid. Metam. i. 111.
Cuar. ITI, A) \O) 10 -
And all the channels of Judah shall flow with water,
And a fountain shall go forth from the house of Jehovah,
And water the valley of Acacias.
191
19
Egypt shall become desolate,
And Edom a desolate wilderness,
For the 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 will regard their blood as innocent,
Καὶ τότε δὴ χαρὰν μεγάλην Seds ἂν-
δράσι δώσει
Καὶ γὰρ γῆ καὶ δένδρα καὶ ἄσπετα
ϑρέμματα γαίης
Δώσουσιν καρπὸν τὸν ἄληδινὸν ἀνϑρώ-
ποισι
Οἴνου καὶ μέλιτος γλυκέως, λευκοῦ τε
γάλακτος
Καὶ σίτου, ὅπερ ἔστι βροτοῖς κάλλιστον
ἀπάντων.
Sibyl. Orac.
meus bra, the valley of Shittim, i.e.
Acacias. ‘There was a place of this name
in the country of Moab, Num. xxv. 1,
xxxilil. 49 ; Josh. ii. 1; but most inter-
preters think that the valley is meant
through which the Kidron flows to the
Dead Sea. Consistency of interpretation
requires us to understand this part of
the verse figuratively of the most desert
and arid spots, such as the acacia is fond
of. Fertility was to go forth from the
presence of Jehovah into the whole land.
Viewed in this light, there is no incon-
gruity in representing the water as ex-
tending even across the Jordan, however
impossible it might be as a physical phe-
nomenon. Comp. Ezek. xlvii. 1-12;
Zech. xiv. 8.
19. The wrongs done to the Jews
by the Egyptians and Idumeans, which
the prophet here declares were to be
avenged, were those committed at dif-
ferent times after the captivity. Pales-
tine suffered greatly during the wars
between the Syrian and Egyptian kings,
especially in the reign of Ptolemy Epi-
phanes, when they exposed themselves
16
to the indignation of that king by
siding with Antiochus the Great. In
the time of Cleopatra also, her son La-
thyrus gained a victory over the army
of Alexander Janneus, in which the Jews
lost upwards of thirty thousand men;
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 for-
midable, never omitted any favorable
opportunity that offered of showing their
hostility to the Jews. The condition to
which both these countries were speedily
reduced, and in which they have re-
mained to the present day, verifies the
prediction here delivered. Instead of
mycnv>s, a number of MSS. exhibit the
synonymous τηλοῦ Ὁ. ---- Fah 523. Ὁ ΓΙ»
the violence of the sons of Judah, is the
Genitive of object, meaning the violence
done to them. Comp. Obad. 10. πὴ} is
spelt x"p2 here and Jonah i. 14; but in
the present text, nine of Kennicott’s
MSS. and four of De Rossi’s, with eight
more originally, read "532. Among these
are four Spanish MSS., two of which
De Rossi characterizes as accuratissimi.
The pronominal affix in ἘΣ ἼΝ,, refers to
the Jews spoken of immediately before.
20. num, is used passively, as in Is.
xiii. 20. pbty and $7174, are to be
limited by the subject to which they are
predicated. Thus the state of desolation
during the seventy years’ captivity in
Babylon, is said to be τ», for ever,
Jer. xviii. 16.
21. Inthewords*n-F3 8b ἘΠ2 on ps:
rma
122
Cuar, 1Π.
Which I have not regarded as innocent ;
And Jehovah shall dwell in Zion.
there is an ellipsis of sz, after ps7, the
affix in which refers to ie Jews, not to
their enemies. Almost all the inter-
preters have stumbled at »npf3, the verb
here employed, but they have generally
got over the difficulty, by giving to it the
signification of "mp3, 1 have avenged —
a signification which nowhere attaches to
it in the Hebrew Bible. For the dif-
ferent explanations see Pococke. π|ρ3,
Arab. Ss purus, mundus fuit, ii. and
iv. mundavit. Syr. in Pael, sacrificavit,
dibavit. In Niph. the Heb, verb. signifies
to be morally pure, to be free from pun-
ishment ; in Piel, as here, to regard, pro-
nounce, or treat as innocent, to pardon.
The words were doubtless suggested by
we ἘΠ in the ‘preceding verse, and are
to be rendered, I will regard their blood
as innocent, which I have not regarded as
innocent ; 1. 6. 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
with favor and love. The affix Ὁ in
Det. arrange to the same in psn,
ver. 19. — 4233, the Participle used With
futurity of signification,
7 AMOS.
PREFACE,
Amos, (Heb. 01%», burden, a word purely Hebrew, and not of Egyptian
origin, and the same as Amasis or Amosis, as Gesenius conjectures,) was,
as we learn from the inscription, a native of Tekoah, a small town in the
tribe of Judah, at the distance of about twelve miles south-east of Jerusalem.
The country round being sandy and barren, was destitute of cultivation,
and fit only to be occupied by those addicted to pastoral life. Among these
our prophet was originally found; and, though it was counted no disgrace
in ancient times, any more than it is at the present day in Arabia, to follow
this occupation, kings themselves being found in it, (2 Kings iii. 4,) yet there
is no reason to suppose that Amos belonged to a family of rank or influence,
but the contrary. No mention is made of his father; but too much stress
is not to be laid upon this circumstance. That he had been in poor circum-
stances, however, appears from the statement made chap. vii. 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 ofa shepherd for that of a
prophet.
Though a native of the kingdom of Judah, he discharged the functions of
his office 7 in that of Israel —a hea) which is to be accounted for, not, as Ber-
tholdt conjectures, on the ground of some personal relations, but by an ex-
press Divine commission to occupy it as the scene of his labors. Eichhorn
ingeniously supposes the reasons of his selection to have been, that the ap-
pearance 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
abounded.
The time at which he prophesied is stated in general terms, chap. i. 1, to
have been in the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam IL, king
of Israel, the former of whom reigned B. c. 811-759, and the latter B. c.
825-784, but in which of these years he was called to the office, and how long
he continued to exercise it, we are not told. Even if any dependence could
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 usurp the sacerdotal functions, we should
still be unable to fix the exact date, since it is uncertain in what year the at-
tempt was made.
That he was contemporary with Hosea, appears not only from the dates
194 PREFACE TO AMOS.
assigned in both their books, but from the identical state of affairs in the
kingdom of the ten tribes, which they so graphically describe. Whether he
flourished also in the days of Isaiah and Micah cannot be determined.
As we have already found, from the prophecy of Hosea, idolatry, with its
concomitant evils, effeminacy, dissoluteness, and immoralities of every des-
cription, reigned with uncontrolled sway among the Israelites in the reign of
Jeroboam the son of Joash. It is chiefly against these evils that the denun-
ciations of Amos are directed.
The book may properly be divided into three parts: First, sentences pro-
nounced against the Syrians, the Philistines, the Pheenicians, the Edomites,
the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Jews, and the Israelites, chapters 1. and ii.
Second, special discourses delivered against Israel, chapters iii—vi. Third,
visions, partly of a consolatory, and partly of a comminatory nature, in
which reference is had both to the times that were to pass over the ten
tribes, previous to the coming of the Messiah, and to what was to take place
under his reign, chapters vii.—ix.
In point of style, Amos holds no mean place among the prophets. The
declaration of Jerome, that he was inperitus sermonie, has not been justified
by modern critics. On the contrary, it is universally allowed that, though
destitute of sublimity, he is distinguished for perspicuity and regularity, em-
bellishment and elegance, energy and fulness. His images are mostly orig-
inal, 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; he excels in the minuteness of his groupings, while the general vivid-
ness of his manner imparts a more intense interest to all that he delivers.
In some few instances, as in chapters iv. vi. and vii. the language approaches .
more to the prose style, or is entirely that of narrative.
From chap. vii. 10-13, it appears that the scene of his ministry was Bethel.
Whether he left that place in consequence of the interdict of Amaziah, the
priest, we know not. According to Pseudo-Epiphanius, he afterwards re-
turned to his native place, where he died, and was buried with his fathers ;
but no dependence can be placed on the statement.
CHAPTER, L.
Aw7reEr a chronological and general introduction, ver. 1, 2, this chapter contains a heavy
charge, accompanied with denunciations, against the Syrians of Damascus, 3-5; the
Philistines, 6-8; the Pheenicians, 9, 10; the Idumeans, 11, 12; and the Ammonites,
13-15.
1 Tne 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, two years before the earthquake.
1. With the exception of the book of
Jeremiah, that of Amos is the only one
of the prophets commencing with “27>
“The words of —.” Comp. however,
Hag. i. 12. The meaning is, the subjects
ΠΟΥ matters of oracular le eee
which he was employed by the prophetic
Spirit to deliver, and which were now,
under the influence of the same Spirit,
committed to writing. Their divine ori-
gin is clearly determined by what is add-
ed, + min ats, “ which hesaw,” ὃ. 6. which
were supernaturally presented to his men-
tal vision. See on Is. i. 1. The preposi-
tion 5 in a p5S » does not denote dis-
tinction, intimating that Amos was great-
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-
dition of life, and followed Cae occu-
pation. The phrase p-~7}2 m7 ex-
presses, in fact, nothing more de aha
“pi. Comp. for similar usage 1 Sam.
xix. 24; Ps. exvili. 7; and the Arabic
ule ee leg. =p3 occurs only
here, and 2 Kings iii. 4, By some it is
supposed to denote the shepherd or keeper
of a species of sheep and goats, distin-
guished by certain marks, and to be de-
rived from “p32, 40 prick, or mark with
punctures, aad so to distinguish by such
marks. By others, it is more properly
referred for illustration to the Arab.
ARS, genus ovium deforme et brevipes,
and OLS, oviwm, hits, wpellatarum
pastor, From the disesteem in which
such animals were held, arose the proverb,
ACFE) uy Jit, more vile than the
Nrxap. At the same time, as their wool
wasvaluable, 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. ἐν ποιμ-
votpégos; Symm. and the fifth edit.
ἐν τοῖς ποιμέσιν. The explanation of
Cyril is not inept : ᾿Αμῶς γέγονεν αἰπόλος
ἀνὴρ καὶ ποιμενικοῖς ἐϑεσί Te δὲ νόμοις
ἐντεϑραμμένος. The LXX. ἐν ᾿Ακκα-
ρείμ, mistaking it for the name of ἃ
place where they supposed the prophet to
have been when he received his Divine
nO AMOS.
2 And he said:
Jehovah roareth from Zion,
Cuap. I.
And uttereth his voice from Jerusalem ;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the summit of Carmel withereth,
8 Thus saith Jehovah:
For three transgressions of Damascus,
communications. The ruins of ‘pn
Arab. ξ 59; Teki’ a, Dr, Robinson
found covering an extent of four or five
acres on an elevated hill, not steep, but
broad at the top, about two hours distant
from Bethlehem. On approaching it, he
describes the landscape as rocky and
sterile, yet rich in pasturage, as was tes-
tified by the multitude of the flocks.
(Palestine, ii. pp. 181, 182.) The sur-
rounding region, especially that in the
direction of the Dead Sea, is called
spr 1272, 2 Chron. xx. 20, and 7 ἔρεμος
pow. 1 Mace. ix. 33. In this pas-
turing district, our prophct originally
tended his flocks, and collected the syca-
more figs. For the dates here specified,
see the Introduction. The prophecy is
specially directed against Israel, or the
kingdom of the ten tribes, though that
of Judah, and likewise several foreign
states, are also expressly denounced. We
possess no data by which to fix the year
in which the earthquake, here mentioned,
occurred. Zechariah, chap. xiv. 5, refers
to it as having happened in the days of
Uzziah, but he does not specify the year.
According to Josephus, it took place on
occasion of the invasion of the sacerdotal
office by that monarch, Antiq. ix. 10, 4.
As earthquakes are by no means un-
common at Palestine, it must have been
unusually severe to entitle it to the spe-
ciality of reference here employed. Some
interpret ¥>> of a civil commotion, but
without sufficient ground, as the connec-
tion Zech. xiy. 4, 5, shows.
2. Zion, or Jerusalem, being the cen-
tral point of the theocracy, was the spe-
cial residence of Jehovah, to whom the
judgments afterwards denounced, are, in
highly figurative language, immediately
referred, aNd, commonly employed to
express the roaring of the lion, is here
used to set forth the awful character of
those judgments. Dathe, stumbling at
the boldness of the figure, renders, Jove
ex Zione dira pronunciat ; thereby de-
stroying the poetical force of the lan-
guage. Comp. Jer. xxv. 30; Job xxxvii.
4, γ in 15283 1, marks the apodosis. For
Dyan miss, comp. No τ δ, Ps. xxiii.
2. bens , Micheelis, Justi, and others take
to be the Carmel, now called by the Arabs
oP Ss Kurmul, which lies near Yutta,
or Juttah, between two and three hours
to the south of Hebron; but though the
mountainous region about that place was
more in the proximity of the prophet,
yet the established scripture reference to
the fertility of the celebrated Mount
Carmel in the tribe of Asher seems to
entitle the latter to the preference. In
fact, there does not appear to be gny
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, wt sup. pp. 193-200. Besides
the identical phrase, tiand msn, the
summit of Carmel, which again occurs
chap. ix. 38, 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, which
extends to chap. ii. 8, where it merges
in a continued denunciation of judg-
ments directed 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 Sy-
rians, and after exposing their wicked-
Cuap. I.
AMOS. 127
And for four, I will not reverse it ;
Because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron ;
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
And it shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
ness, and that of the Philistines, the
Pheenicians, the Edomites, the Ammo-
nites, the Moabites, and the Jews, he
comes to his proper subject, on which he
dwells throughout the rest of the book.
Having roused the indignation of those
among whom he prophesied against sin
as exhibited in others, he charges it
home upon themselves. Each of the
eight predictions is ushered in by the
solemn mint ἼΩΝ mz, thus saith Jehovah ;
and consists in part, in a repetition of
the same symmetrical stanzas, with an
intermixture of matter, varying according
to the nature of the subjects treated of.
Interpreters differ in regard to the precise
meaning of the use made by our prophet
of the numerals ¢hree and four. Similar
formule are frequent in Hebrew. See
Exod. xx. 5; Job v. 19, xxxiii. 14, 29;
Prov. xxx. 15, 18, 21; Eccles. xi. 2;
Is. xvii. 6; Mic. vy. 4. Comp. the τρὶς
καὶ τετράκις of Homer; the terque qua-
terque of Virgil; and the ter et quater of
Horace. The notion, that the two num-
bers are to be added, so as to bring ouf
the perfect number seven, and thus to
express the completeness or full measure
of the iniquity, is not borne 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
act of wickedness. Nor can the con-
struction be admitted, I have not pun-
ished Damascus, etc. on account of three
transgressions, but on account of a fourth
I will punish her; since Ἀν Ξ δ Nb, ob-
viously connects with both numerals,
The only satisfactory mode of explication
is, to regard the phrase as intensively
proverbial, and designed to express mul-
tiplied or repeated delinquencies, of which
the last, as the most atrocious, is uni-
formly described. The noun to which
the suffix in ΡΞ ΘῈ relates, is not ex-
pressed, either before or after the verb,
on the principle, that the subject referred
to would naturally suggest itself to the
mind of the reader. It is anticipative
of the sentence of punishment delivered
in the following verses. Comp. Num.
xxiii, 20, in which is an ellipsis of the
noun >" 3, the idea of which is expressed
by the verb. Bp. Lowth proposes to
render, “1 will not restore it ;’’ but with-
out sufficient authority. many as, “to
reverse the captivity,” is the phrase em-
ployed insuch case. In the phrase, “I
will not reverse,” is a litotes — the mean-
ing being, “I will certainly 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
Hazael and Benhadad, 2 Kings x. 32, 33.
xiii. 3-7, both of which princes Amos
mentions by name, ver. 4. It consisted
in their being thrown before the thresh-
ing sledges, the sharp teeth of iron in
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 punishment inflicted by David, by
the law of retaliation. mispm, the LXX.
render mploot σιδηροῖς, and add unwar~
rantably, τὰς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας ; Symm.
and Theod. τροχοῖς σιδηροῖς. 8 :π, to
thresh, is the very term used in the his-
tory of the transaction, 2 Kings xiii. 7.
Gilead comprehended the whole of the
territory beyond the Jordan, belonging
to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and
the half tribe of Manasseh; and as it
bordered on the kingdom of the Sy-
rians, was particularly exposed to their
attacks.
4, The Benhadad here mentioned was
the son and successor of Hazael, and
not the king of that name whom Hazael
succeeded. Comp. 2 Kings viii. 7, 10,
128
AMOS.
Cuar. L
5 I will also break the barrier of Damascus,
And cut off the ruler from the valley of Aven,
And the sceptre-holder from Beth-Eden,
And the people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,
Saith Jehovah.
6 Thus saith Jehovah ;
For three transgressions of Gaza,
And for four I will not reverse it ;
Because they effected a complete captivity
To deliver it up to Edom,
with xiii. 3, 24. A similar prediction
was afterwards delivered by Jeremiah,
chap. xlix. 27, from which and from
Hos. viii. 14, it is evident that the phra-
seology employed by Amos here, and
verses 7, 10, 12, 14, chap, ii. 2, 5, is not
peculiar to that prophet.
5. According to the testimony of a
native, whom Michaelis consulted, there is
a most delightful valley called Oon, about
four hours distant from Damascus, to-
wards the desert, which has given rise
to a proverb, “Have you ever been in
the valley of Oon?’’ meaning, Have you
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 what is otherwise
called 442255 m373, “the valley of Le-
banon,” or ell, el Buka’a, between
the ridges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon.
Here are the celebrated ruins of the tem-
ple of Baalbee, the Syrian Heliopolis, to
which the LXX. have expressly referred
518 Aven, only pronouncing it δὰ, On
-ἐκ πεδίου Ὧν ; just as they have ren-
dered the latter word when it is employed
to denote the city of the same name in
Egypt, which was dedicated to the sun.
The Hebrews in Palestine, to express
their abhorrence of the idolatrous wor-
ship practised at both places, pronounced
the werd 53s, Aven, which properly sig-
nifies nothingness, vanity, and hence an
idol, on account of its inutility. Comp.
with the present passage Ezek. xxx. 17.
=5*> does not here denote inhabitant, or
inhabitants generally, but as the parallel
Daw pein, sceptre-holder, shows, one who
sits upon, or occupies a throne — a judge,
prince, or king — the person exercising
authority in the district specified, For
the latter phrase, the σκηπτοῦχος of
Homer may becompared. 473 mi3, Beth-
Eden was, in all probability, the locality
in the mountains of Lebanon, which
Ptolemy, v. 15, calls Παράδεισος ; where
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. The
Aram, or Syria, here referred to, is that
of which Damascus was the capital. By
~~ , Kir, is meant the river and region
of the Cyrus in Iberia, now called Kur.
See on Is, xxii. 6; and for the accom-
plishment of the prediction in the suc-
cessful expedition of Tiglathpileser, king
of Assyria, 2 Kings xvi. 9. , The version
of the LXX. is here extremely faulty,
as the slightest compariso. vith the orig-
inal will show.
6. my, Arab. Bye, Ghuzzeh, Gaza,
was the southernmost of the five princi-
pal cities of the Philistines, which formed
the capitals of so many satrapies of the
same names. It was situated at the dis-
tance of about an hour's journey from
the south-east coast of the Mediterranean,
from which it was separated by low hills
and tracts of sand. It was built upon a
hill, and strongly fortified, as the name
imports. The modern city is built partly
on the hill, but mostly on the plain be-
low ; and according to Dr, Robinson, con-
tains a population of about 15,000 souls,
Cuap. I.
AMOS. 129
ἡ But I will send a fire into the wall of Gaza,
And it shall devour her palaces ;
8 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,
Saith the Lord Jehovah.
9 Thus saith Jehovah :
For three transgressions of Tyre,
It must have been a place of high an-
tiquity, for its name occurs in the gene-
alogical table, Gen. x.; and it occupied
so commanding a position, that it formed
the key to Palestine on the south. It
stands here by synecdoche for the whole
of Philistia. By mabw mba, we are nei-
ther to understand, With the LXX. aix-
μαλωσίαν τοῦ Σαλωμών ; nor with Justi,
“ἃ holy or pious captivity; τ᾿ nor with
Grotius and Michaelis, captivitatem pa-
cificam ; but the immense number of cap-
tives which were carried away from Judea
in the reign of Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 18.
The capture was indiscriminate and uni-
versal; none escaped. Comp. for the
phrase Jer. xiii. 19. What aggravated
the guilt of the Philistines, was that they
did not treat the Jews as prisoners of
war, but sold them as slaves to the Edo-
mites, who were their bitterest enemies,
and would treat them with the utmost
cruelty. They were doubtless conveyed
to Petra, the great emporium of com-
merce, and there sold to such as might
purchase them. Comp. Joel iii. 4-6.
7. ws, fire, is here metaphorically used
for war, in carrying on which, however,
it is often employed as one of the most
destructive elements. Comp. Num. xxi.
28; Is. xxvi. 11.
8. For the meaning of 531", see on
ver. 5. Three others of the principal
cities of the Philistines are now threat-
ened, πὸ πον, Ashdod, for which see on
Is, xx. 1; 4>pes, Arab. epliws,
Askelon, occupying a strong position on
the top of a ridge of rock, which encir-
cles it, and terminates at each end in the
17
sea, and distant from Gaza about five
hours in the direction of NN. E.; and
"7Py Ekron, now called by the natives
ils, Akir, the most northerly of the
five, and at some distance inland from
the line of hills which run along the coast
of the Mediterranean. See Dr. Robin-
son’s Palestine, III. 21-25. The reason
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
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
latter of the above passages. It is also
omitted Zeph. ii. 4,5. yx πὸ axtn, to
turn the hand upon, means to exert one’s
power anew, whether in the way of
favor or of hostility. Here it is ob-
viously to be taken in the hostile sense.
No part of Philistia was to remain un-
visited by Divine judgments. Comp.
Jer. xlvii. 4; Ezek. xxv. 16. In which
of the reductions of the Philistines, the
prediction received its fulfilment, we
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 Psam-
meticus, king of Egypt, by Nebuchad-
nezzar, by the Persians, by Alexander,
and ultimately by the Asmoneans.
9. A similar charge is here brought
against the Pheenicians, with the super-
added aggravation of a breach of an-
\
120 AMOS. Cuar. I.
And for four, I will not reverse it ;
Because they delivered up a complete captivity to Edom,
And remembered not the covenant of the brethren,
But I will send a fire into the wall of Tyre,
And it shall devour her palaces.
Thus saith Jehovah:
For three transgressions of Edom,
And for four, I will not reverse it ;
10
11
Because he pursued his brother with the sword,
And did violence to his pity,
And his anger tore continually,
And he retained his wrath for ever.
12
But I will send a fire into Teman,
And it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah,
cient faith. Comp. Joel iii, 4-6. The
poms ΓΞ, covenant of brethren, includes
the terms of friendship and mutual as-
sistance which were agreed upon between
David and Hiram, 2 Sam. y. 11; and
afterwards between Solomon and the
same monarch, 1 Kings vy. See espe-
cially ver. 12, (Heb. ver. 26,) where it
is expressly stated, that ma 39593
prov, “they two made a league,” or
covenant.
10. For Tyre, and the accomplishment
of this prediction, see on Is. xxiii.
11. For Edom, and the fulfilment of
the prophecy here pronounced against it,
see on Is, xxxiv. 5. The guilt of the
cruelties exercised by the Idumeans upon
the Jews was greatly aggravated by the
circumstance of their original relation-
ship, Obad. 10, and the unrelenting per-
petual character of their hatred. mnw
pan, lit. to spoil, or destroy compas-
sions ; ὃ. 86, 80 to repress all the tender
feelings of pity, as to become hardened
against objects of distress. Comp. the
phrase, m72=m% mms, to destroy wisdom,
Ezek. xxviii. 17. The LXX. Ital. Arab.
Diderlein, Dathe, Vater, Justi, and some
others, take Ὁ" ann, in the sense of ὉΠ,
the womb, and explain it either of preg-
nant females, or of the fruit of the womb,
#. ὁ. children; but the plural is never
used in this acceptation. Aq. σπλάγχνα
αὐτοῦ; Symm, σπλάγχνα ἴδια. ‘The root
tri, Arab. >): Syr. ae signifies
to love, in Piel, to regard with tender
affection, to cherish feelings of compas-
sion towards any one. The πὶ in nyo
is generally considered to be an sielutes
of a paragogic in the third person, but
it is preferable to construe it as the pro-
nominal feminine affix, agreeing with
722 in the nominative absolute. The
absence of the Mappic forms no objec-
tion, as there are several instances of
its omission where we might have ex-
pected it. The accent on the penul-
timate favors this construction, being
occasioned solely by the absence of the
Mappic. The verb, to be taken as a
feminine, must be pointed "28 , but this
would require 722 to be the subject i in-
stead of the object, which would be in-
tolerably harsh. Comp. for the senti-
ment, and an elliptical form of the phra-
seology, Jer. iii. 5. The Hebrews speak
of keeping a quality, whether good or bad,
when they would express its φύσις
or continued exercise. See Neh. ix. 92
Dan. ix. 4.
12. That yan, Teman, was a city,
seems evident from its being mentioned
along with nis3, Bozr ah, for which see
on Is, xxxiv. 6. * Though Jerome speaks
of it as a region, he mentions, in his Ono-
masticon, a town of this name, at the
distance of five miles from Petra. On
Cuap. I.
13 Thus saith Jehovah:
AMOS.
131
For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon,
And for four, I will not reverse it ;
Because they ripped up those who were pregnant in Gilead,
That they might enlarge their border.
14 But I will kindle a fire on the wall 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 Wady Masa. It
was doubtless the principal place in the
district inhabited by the descendants of
‘Teman, one of the grandsons of Esau,
_ Gen. xxxvi. 11, 15, who were celebrated
on account of their superior wisdom, Jer.
xliv. 7. Comp. Obad. 8, 9, and Baruch
iii. 22. Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends,
was a Temanite. The reason why no
mention is made of Sela, or Petra, Cred-
ner thinks is to be found in the fact, that
it had already been captured by Ama-
ziah, 2 Kings xiv. 7, of whose conquests
in that direction advantage was taken
by his son Uzziah, ver. 22; 2 Chron.
ἘΌΝ 2.
13. y423 5323, the Ammonites, descend-
ants of Lot, Gen. xix. 3, occupied the
territory on the east of the Jordan, be-
tween the rivers Jabbok and Arnon, 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
to the Amorites, 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 Chal-
deans on their invasion of Judea; and,
even after the captivity, they evinced the
same hostile disposition. They were
severely chastised by Judas Maccabeus,
1 Mace. v. 6, 7. Justin Martyr speaks of
them as still a numerous people in his
day, ᾿Αμμανιτῶν ἔστι viv πολὺ πλῆϑος.
Dial. cum Tryph. p. 347. Ed. Paris, 1615,
The atrocious cruelty here charged upon .
the Ammonites, appears to have formed
no unusual part of the barbarities prac-
tised 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
object of the Ammonites was to effect
an utter extermination of the Israelites
inhabiting the mountainous regions of
Gilead, in order that they might ex-
tend their own territory in that direc-
tion.
14. 35, Rabbah, i. 6. “ the Great,”
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
Motet Amman, which empties itself into
the Jabbok. The full form of the name
was 4422 923 m3, 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 Pafadduava by
Polybius and Stephen of Byzantium ;
but it otherwise went among the Greeks
by the name of Φιλαδέλφια, which it
derived from Ptolemy Philadelphus, It
is now known by that of ees Am-
man, the same given to it by Abulfeda in
his Tab. Syr. p. 91. By τϑὴ τῶ, is meant
the tremendous shout which eastern ar-
mies give at the commencement of battle,
partly to excite their courage, and partly
to strike terror into the enemy. Comp.
Exod. xxxii. 17; Josh. vi. 5, 20. Thus
the Iliad, iii. 1, ete. —
Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κόσμηϑεν bu’ ἡγεμόνεσσιν
ἕκαστοι,
Τρῶες μὲν κλαγγῇ τ᾽, ἐνοπῇ τ᾽ ἴσαν,
ὄρνιϑες ὥς"
Ἠὐτε περ κλαγγὴ γεράνων, Ke τ. A.
182
AMOS.
15 Their king shall go into captivity,
He and his princes together,
Saith Jehovah,
"20 , hurricane, and ΤῈ", storm or temp-
est, mark the resistless force of the onset,
and the utterly destructive consequences
resulting from it. That they are poet-
ically applied to the warlike operations
against Rabbah, is clear from πῖξ Ξ) Ὁ DS,
the day of storm, being parallel with
mardi bi, the day of battle.
15. tadm, their king, the Syr. and
Vulg. have understood of Maleam or Mil-
com, i. e. Moloch, an idol of the Ammon-
ites and Moabites; but the LXX. and
Targ. support the common rendering,
which 15 Ὁ, Ais princes, following, would
seem absolutely to require. It is true, this
term might be taken figuratively to sig-
nify priests, as in Is. xliii. 28; and
such interpretation might appear to be
countenanced by the occurrence of 193735
his priests, in the parallel prophecy of
Jeremiah, chap. xlix. 3; but the use of
iw, Ais princes, immediately after by
that prophet, shows that, if the former
term be not an interpolation, it denotes
the idolatrous priests who were in attend-
ance upon the king, just as the princes
were the chiefs and civil officers about the
court. Οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῶν, which the LXX.
have added in Amos, and which is copied
in the Syr. 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 Β" Ὁ, princes, with ὯΞ Ὁ, judge, chap.
ii. 3, confirms the above interpreta-
tion.
CHAPTER II.
In this chapter we have the continuation of charges and denunciations against different na-
tions, as the Moabites, 1-3; the Jews, 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 experience 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.
1 Tuus saith Jehovah:
For three transgressions of Moab,
And for four, I will not reverse it ;
1 For Moab, see on Is. xv. The par-
ticular act here charged against the Moa-
bites is nowhere recorded. Michaelis
is of opinion, that reference is had to
2 Kings iii. 27; but the prince there
spoken of was the son of the king of
Moab, and not the future heir to
the Idumean throne. The wickedness
appears to have consisted in a wanton
violation of the sanctity of the tomb, by
the disinterment and buming of the
royal remains. It was indicative of an
enmity which was not satisfied with
inflicting every possible injury upon its
Cuapr. II, AMOS.
Because they calcined the bones of the King of Edom,
2 But I will send a fire into Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth ;
And Moab shall die in the tumult,
1.9
At the shout, at the sound of the trumpet,
3 I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof,
And kill all the princes thereof with him,
Saith Jehovah.
4 Thus saith Jehovah:
For three transgressions of Judah,
_ And for four, I will not reverse 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.
5 But I will send a fire into Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
victim while living, but pursued him
even into the regions of the dead. Comp.
15. xxxiii. 12.
2. nap, Kerioth ; LXX. τῶν πόλεων
αὐτῶν; are. N55, the fortress or citadel;
in all probability, the chief city, elsewhere
called ax“ -77 , Kir-Moab, and here put
in the plural, to describe its size, or ap-
pearance, as comprehending more than
one. Comp. Jer. xlviii. 24, and on Is,
xv. 1. Ny, here means the tumult of
battle. Is. xiii. 4; xvii. 12.
3. From the circumstance that ὯΞ "Ὁ,
Judge, and not 7272) 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
to decide. The reference which some
have made’ to Ps. ii. 10, in proof that
judge and king are identical, is not in
point; for, though the terms as there
used are so far synonymous, that they
both designate persons high in office, yet
there is an obvious distinction both as it
respects the degree of their rank, and the
nature of the offices with which they
were invested. The connecting of the
princes with Moab (av) and not with
the judge (177 Ὁ) as in chap. 1. 15, goes
to confirm the view just given.
4, 5. The charges brought against the
Jews differ from any of the preceding,
in the crimes which they involve having
been committed directly against God,
and not against man. They had become
weary of his service, abandoned his
worship, and addicted themselves to
idolatrous practices. Between the syno-
nymes here employed there is this dif-
ference of meaning : min, Jaw, stands
for the institute of Moses generally, of
which the moral code formed the basis ;
ppm, statutes, for the ceremonial and
ἘΞ enactments. By mats, “es, idols
are meant, and the word is so rendered
here in the Vulg. The LXX. have taken
the same view of it, rendering it μάταια,
vanities. Comp. for this acceptation
Ps. xl. 5. Idols were so called because
their pretensions and oracles were found-
ed on falsehood, and because they deluded
with false hopes those who worshipped
them. Instead of being weaned from
124
6 Thus saith Jehovah:
AMOS.
Cuap. 11.
For three transgressions of Israel,
‘And for four, I will not reverse it ;
Because they sold the righteous for money,
And the poor for a pair of sandals :
7 Who pant for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,
And turn aside the way of the afflicted ;
A man and his father go in to the same damsel,
In order to profane my holy name.
8 They stretch themselves upon pledged garments, ©
Close to every altar ;
their attachment to the gods which their
ancestors had, at different times, served,
the Jews became increasingly addicted
to them, and thereby brought upon
themselves the punishment inflicted by
Nebuchadnezzar.
6. The prophet, having secured the
attention of the Israelites by his predic-
tions against those communities which
they regarded with feelings of hostility,
comes now to his proper subject, which
was to charge upon themselves the guilt
which, in various ways, they, as a people,
had contracted. Nal -b) , Israel, i. e. the
Israelites, consisted, after the revolt in
the time of Rehoboam, 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 idolatry. "3%, ¢o sedl, has
no reference, as some have thought, to
the conduct of a corrupt judge, who for
money gives a verdict against the in-
nocent, the term never being used to
express any such act; but describes the
selling of a person into slavery. They
even deprived the poor of their liberty
for the most paltry consideration. Comp.
chap. viii. 6. o->22, sandals, are greatly
inferior in value to shoes, consisting
merely of soles of leather or wood,
fastened by two straps to the feet, one
of which passes over the forepart of the
foot, near the great toe, and the other
round the ankle.
7. δῦ, signifies to breathe hard, to
pant, eagerly to desire, which well suit®
the connection, so that there is no neces-
sity, with Houbigant, Newcome, and
others, to change the verb into τι, ¢o
attack, bruise, etc. ‘The meaning of the
prophet is, that the persons whom he
describes were so avaricious, that, after
having robbed others of ther 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 11. 12. 3, as ints, is
elsewhere used in the acceptation of on
or upon, and is here the more appro-
priately adopted, on account of the more
usual preposition ἘΣ having just been
employed. Comp. chap. viii. 4. 4.3 nun,
to turn, or thrust aside as to the way ;
i. 6. to turn any one out of his right
course, into a trackless region, where he
can expect nothing but inconvenience,
perplexity and danger; here, to render
the afflicted still more miserable. From
the reference made in the following
verse to idolatrous deities and altars, it
is most probable that H-22", the damsel
here spoken of, was not an ordinary or
common strumpet, but one who prosti-
tuted herself in honor of Astarte, at one
of her shrines. LXX. τὴν αὐτὴν παιδίσκην.
Such an act of daring profligacy was the
more atrocious from its having been com-
mitted in a heathen temple, with the ex-
press design, as the prophet st&tes, of do-
ing indignity to Jehovah. See Gesenius,
Lex. in 3379, A) 2.
8. To retain pledged raiment over
night was expressly prohibited by the
»ῇ
Cuap. II,
AMOS.
195
And drink the wine of the amerced
In the house of their gods.
9 Yet it was I that destroyed the Amorite before them,
Whose height was as the height of cedars,
And who was strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above,
And his roots beneath.
10 It was I also that brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you in the desert forty years,
To inherit the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up of your sons to be prophets,
Mosaic law, Exod. xxii. 26, 27, as it
deprived the owner of his covering: to
stretch one’s self upon it in an idol’s temple
Was a great aggravation of the crime.
pda, pledged, lit. bound, held in bon-
dage, from oC to bind. Arab. dis,
Syr. tis cus, debitum. It was not un-
usual for the heathen to sleep near the
altars of their gods, that they might ob-
tain communications in dreams; but as:
it was customary to eat in a recumbent
posture, the stretching here referred to
would rather seem to have respect to par-
ticipation in idolatrous feasts, especially
as the drinking of wine in the temples is
specified in the following line. E>v3>2 477)
the wine of the amerced, means wine
purchased with money exacted by the
imposition of fines. m3, for mi23, as
frequently. Regardless of the sufferings
of those whom they oppressed, the apos-
tate Israelites revelled in sensual indulg-
ences.
9. in "D387, is strongly adversative,
and introduces the contrast between the
Divine conduct and that of the Israelites.
The signal benefits which, as a nation,
they had received from Jehovah, ought
to have attached them for ever to his
service. The conjunction and pronoun
are repeated for like effect, verse 10.
“sort, the Amorites, are here taken in a
wide sense, as including all the inhabi-
tants of Canaan, on account of their be-
ing the largest and most powerful of the
nations which occupied that country.
Comp. Gen. xy. 16, xlviii, 22, In a more
x
special point of view, they inhabited both
sides of the Jordan, and particularly the
mountains afterwards possessed by the
tribe of Judah. Their gigantic height
and extraordinary strength, to which
reference is frequently made in the his-
tory of the Hebrews, are here beauti-
fully compared to cedars and oaks, the
most majestic and sturdy trees of the
forest. The Hebrew as well as the
profane poets, often compare men to
trees. Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 35, xcii. 12-15 ;
Isa. x. 83, 34; Ezek. xvii. 3, xxxi. Six-
teen MSS., originally twelve more, and
now five; five of the oldest editions, and
the Rabboth tread M3251, “ before you,”
instead of ἘΠ Ξ.2, “ before them,” but
these authorities, under all the circum-
stances of the text, are insufficient to
warrant an alteration.
10. Jehovah goes back to still earlier,
but no less remarkable displays of his
kindness to the nation, showing that from
the commencement of its history he a
been its benefactor. Comp. Jer. ii. 6.
85, to come or go up, is always used in
Hebrew in reference to local or political
elevation, and not, as Rosenmiiller as-
serts, to the North. The circumstance
that many of the regions or places to
which persons are said to have gone up,
lay to the north of those from which they
came, is purely accidental ; whereas the
propriety of the use of the term lies in
the fact of the mountainous character of
the land of Canaan, while Egypt and the
intervening regions were low and flat.
11. The prepositive 2 in ἘΞ 53), and
msc-:n2, is partitive, indicating that
vw AMOS.
Cuar. IL
And of your young men to be Nazarites.
Is it not even so, Ὁ ye sons of Israel ἢ
Saith Jehovah.
12 But ye made the Nazarites drink wine,
And ye charged the prophets,
Saying, Prophesy not.
13 Behold, I will press you down,
As the cart presseth which is full of sheaves,
14 And refuge shall fail the swift,
The strong man shall not exert his strength,
some or certain persons out of the num-
ber were selected. The Divine conde-
scension in the selection of any of their
race to fill the offices here specified, laid
them under additional obligatious to de-
vote themselves to the service of the true
God; and not only was thereby a dis-
tinguished honor conferred upon them,
but such institutions furnished them with
the means of religious instruction, and
examples of holy living. For ὉΠ 3535, the
prophets, see on Hos, xii. 11. Donn,
Nazarites, LXX. ἡγιασμένος, εἰς ἁγιασ-
pov, from "12, to separate, set one's self
apart, abstain, were a class of persons
among the Hebrews who ordinarily bound
themselves by a voluntary vow to ab-
stain either for a time, or for the whole
period of life, from wine and all in-
toxicating liquors, and everything made
of the produce of the vine; and not to
shave their head nor touch any dead
body. Sometimes persons were, before
their birth, devoted by their parents to
this abstinence; as in the cases of
Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.
For the law of the Nazarite, see Num. vi.
and Winer’s Realworterb. The object
of the institute appears to have been, to
exhibit to the view of the nation the
power of religious principle operating im
the way of self-control, indifference to
sensual gratification, and an entire con-
secration to the service of God. The
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
prophets. Respecting the undeniable-
ness of the fact a pointed appeal is made
at the close of the verse.
12. What could have been more
flagrant than to tempt the pious to break
their solemn vow, and attempt to induce
the inspired ambassadors of Jehovah to
withhold the communications of his will ?
13. Here commence the denunciations
against the apostate Israelites. The
Participle + pos, after man, is future
in aienitivation. See on 15, vii. 14, pay
occurs only here as a verb; but that it
Signifies ¢o press, oppress, etc., is clear
from the signification of the derivatives
apy, Ps. lv. 4, and mpyar, Ps. lvi. 2, as
well as from the connection in which it
here occurs. Comp. 71», and the Syr.
> 3 °
“2... angustratus est. bos, angus-
Comp. also the Arab.
uk, retinutt, impedivit : eu
accidentia fortune, que impediunt hom-
inem. ‘The verb is used transitively in
both instances, according to the ordin-
ary 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.
ron is to be taken in the sense of down,
as in Job xl. 12. mb is pleonastic. The
renderings of the LXX. and Vulg. ἐγὼ
κυλίω ΓΕΘΤΕΣ: ὑμῶν ; ego stridebo subter
vos, though advocated by some, are less
appropriate. Newcome translates the
latter hemistich thus: “As a loaded
com-wain presseth its sheaves ;” but
“ry is the objective case to nsbyon, and
not to p-yn. As the object of the verb,
supply’ VISITNs
14-16. Every attempt to resist or es-
cape from the evils that were coming
upon the nation, would prove utterly
tia, pressura.
Cxuap. III.
AMOS.
137
15 Neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
He that handleth the bow shall not stand,
And the swift-footed shall not escape:
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
under various forms, which are obviously
accumulated for the sake of effect. 1 at
the beginning of ver. 14, is not merely
conjunctive, but marks the consequence
or result. Verse 15th is wanting in
some of Kennicott and De Rossi’s MSS.
and in the Arab. ; but the omission is no
doubt owing to the homoioteleuton of
_ this and the preceding verse; just as,
for the same reason, the words corres-
ponding to 4352 wd%7—s3 at the end of
ver. 14 are omitted in the Alexandrian
copy of the LXX. ὙΠῸ preposition 3 in
ἘΠῚ Ξ. 5, gives to 425 ">, the force of
the superlative. Comp. m%22 “424,
the ee of beasts, Prov. xxx. 30;
power mB, the most beautiful ὩΣ women,
Sore i. 8, v. 9, vi. 15 εὐλογημένη ἐν γυ-
ne, Luke i i ᾿28.
CHA Prine, 1{1Ὶ1Ὶ-
THE 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.
1 Hear ye this word, which Jehovah speaketh against you, O sons
of Israel,
Against all the at which I brought up out of the land of
Egypt ;
Saying :
1 Instead of tsny> "23, “sons of Is-
rael,” forty-three MSS., one in the mar-
gin, originally seven, and five by correc-
tion, read y= wna,“ house of Israel;”’
which reading i is supported by the LXX.
and Arab. versions. Both forms are em-
ployed in the book of Amos, but the for-
mer is the less frequent ; which awakens
the suspicion that the latter has been in-
troduced here by way of correction, That
18
the phrase is intended to include the
whole Hebrew people, is evident from
the words which follow in apposition,
and describe the distinguished favor
conferred upon the entire race of Jacob.
meen, Eth. ζῇ; to spread out
a tribe, or clan; but here obviously used
in a national sense, as in Jer. Vill. 3, XXv.
9; Micah ii. 3.
198
AMOS.
Cuap. IIL
2 Only you have I known of all the families of the earth,
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Will two walk together
Except they be agreed ?
4 Will the lion roar in the forest
When he has no prey?
Will the young lion ery out from his den,
2. »17, to know, is here employed in
the sense of knowing with the idea of
volition, or goodwill; to acknowledge,
regard, care for, and by implication, to
show favor to. Comp. Ps. i. 6, exliv. 3;
and γινώσκω, John x. 14, xv. 17; 2 Tim.
ii, 19. The Israelites alone were ac-
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 punish-
ment which their ungrateful and rebel-
lious conduct merited.
3. In this and the three following
verses, a series of parabolic interroga-
tions are employed, highly calculated to
produce conviction in the minds of those
to whom they were addressed. They
are familiar indeed, but so much the
more appropriate and forcible. Instead
of γπ2"», the LXX. Arab. and Vulg. read
19142, with apparent reference to the sig-
nification of 5» πὴ in the preceding verse.
The primary signification of 13>, Syr.
me condixit, constituit, Arab. che 9
significavit affecturum alicui guid, is to
point, point out, appoint a time ‘or place,
hence in Niphal, to meet by appointment ;
to do anything by common consent ; to be
agreed. ‘This last seems to be the accep-
tation in which the verb is to be taken in
this place: for to render, How can two
set out upon a journey, except they meet
by appointment ? would express that to
be impossible, which is very often true in
fact. Interpreters are divided in opinion
respecting the persons to whom the num-
ber 73%, two, refers. Munster and
some others think, that the prophets gen-
erally, or Joel and Amos in particular, are
meant; Vatablus, Drusius, Lively, New-
come, Bauer, Rosenmiiller, Ackermann,
and Maurer, explain it of God and the
prophet ; while Clarius, Grotius, Danzus,
Marckius, Lowth, Harenberg, and Dahl,
are of opinion that God and Israel are
intended. The last construction of the
passage best agrees with the bearing
of the other interrogations. Between
Jehovah and his apostate people there
could no longer be any fellowship; 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
the consequences.
4. The lion is quiet till he secs his
prey, but roars at the sight of it, and
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 prey, will lie silent in his den,
till it is brought near, when the smell of
it will rouse him from his quiet. Poiret,
in his Travels in Barbary, Strasb. 1789,
vol. i. p. 283, states, that the lion has
two different modes of hunting his prey.
When not very hungry, he contents
himself with watching behind a bush for
the animal which is the object of his
attack, till it approaches, when, by a
sudden leap, he attacks it, and seldom
misses his aim; but if he is famished he
does not proceed so quietly, but, im-
patient and full of rage, he leaves his
den, and fills, with his terrific roar, the
echoing forest. His voice inspires all
living beings with fear and dread; no
creature deeins itself safe in its retreat ;
all flee, they know not whither, and by
this means, fall into his fangs. mtx,
the lion, and not “b>, the young lion,
is the nominative to tle verb ==%. The
certainty of destruction is the point at
Cuar. IIL.
Except he have taken it ?
AMOS.
139
5 Will the bird fall into an earth-snare,
And 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 Jehovah hath not inflicted it ?
7 Surely the Lord Jehovah inflicteth nothing,
Except he reveal his purpose
To his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear ?
which the prophet aims in the simili-
tude.
5. Between ps and wpiva there is no
essential difference. The sense would
have been the same had the latter word
been omitted, and we had simply read,
mS 77833 but the insertion of the pia
nyme gives more force to the sentence. m>
connects with 745s, as its antecedent,
τ 15 to be taken as the future of Kal,
and regarded as expressing the sudden
spring of an elastic snare, or net, which,
on the bird’s touching it, suddenly rises
and incloses it. Instruments were pre-
pared by the providence of God for the
capture of the Israelites, which would
certainly do their work: there would be
no escape.
6. The prophet here closes his interro-
gatory appeals ;—first by a reference to
the effect produced upon the inhabitants
of a city by the sounding of the trumpet,
as a signal of war; and then, by directly
ascribing the infliction of temporal ca-
lamities to Jehovah, as the punisher of
sin. For 79" in the sense of temporal
evil, or calamity, see Gen. xix. 19, xliv.
34, Exod. xxxii. 14; Ezek. vii. 5. Arab.
Ma, experimentum, calamitas afflic-
tio.
7. Though the infliction of punish-
ment of his guilty people was determined
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
escaping as should repent and return to
his service. He thus mixed mercy with
judgment. 40, Theod. Βουλή, counsel,
purpose, decree ; from 797, Arab. Ow,
posuit, firmiter statuit; to found, lay a
foundation, establish a plan, ordain. It
is rather, I imagine, 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
deliberating on couches; but see Gesenius
in πο. As the Divine plan or purpose
is necessarily secret till it be revealed,
hence the acceptation secret came to be
attached to the word. In this verse a
high honor is vindicated to the pro-
phetical office. The holy men of God
were, by inspiration, entrusted with a
knowledge of the Divine purposes, in so
far as it was necessary for them to divulge
them to the world. sy 2, is the frequent-
ative future, indicating what God is ac-
customed to do, and is best rendered by
our present. For the sentiment, comp.
Gen. xviii. 17.
8. With reference to what he had
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
the communication. The roar of the
lion is loud and terrific, especially in:the
solitary forests which form his proper
domain. See on ver. 4.
140
AMOS.
σεν. III,
The Lord Jehovah hath spoken, who will not prophesy ?
9 Proclaim ye in the palaces of Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
And say :
Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
And behold the great commotions within her,
And the oppressions in the midst of her.
10 For they regard not the practice of rectitude,
Saith Jehovah,
That amass rapine and spoil in their palaces.
11 Therefore thus saith he Lord Jehovah:
9. ay aDM, cause it to be heard, pub-
lish ye! those are addressed who had
intercourse with the places here specitied,
and had thus an opportunity of conveying
the message. Comp. 6 ἀκούων εἰπάτω"
Ἔρχου! Rey. xxii. 17. For Ashdod,
see on chap. i. 8. It is here used syn-
ecdochically for the whole of Philistia.
Instead of 343392, the LXX. have read
"TSN, ἐν ᾿Ασσύριοις, which Secker at-
tempts to justify ! For msn ἘΣ 5 στιν
comp. κηρύξατε ἐπι τῶν δωμάτων, Matt.
x. 27. It was, and is still, custom-
ary in the East to assemble on the
flat roofs of the houses. To the princes
and courtiers thus assembled on their
palaces, as well as to all within hearing,
the invitation was to be conveyed,
There is something exceedingly forcible
in these heathen rulers, ete. being called
to witness the enormities that were prac-
tised 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
foreigners were to occupy. They were
to assemble i> ὅπ ὃ», upon the
mountains of Samaria, η"-}2 ὃν Samaria,
the metropolis of the kingdom of Israel,
was built on a round hill, near the mid-
dle of a large valley, surrounded by moun-
tains on every side, by which it was com-
pletely overlooked. Fram these cleva-
tions persons might distinctly see what
was done in the city, That Τὴ mam
and ἘΣΘ» are intimately connected, and
are both to be referred to the rich and
powerful inhabitants of Samaria, appears
evident from what is stated in the fol-
lowing verse. The latter term is prop-
erly the Pahul Participle, oppressed, but
is here used as a noun, as in Job xxxv. 9;
Eccles. iy. 1. Comp. the forms %33;,
dwelling 2112 , kingdom. ;
10. axq> xb, they know not, is not in-
tended to express simple ignorance, but
that state of mind which is hostile to
the entertainment of knowledge. The
magnates of Samaria had no regard for
the practice of what was just and right,
but the contrary. mn=3, rectitude, that
which is straight, in opposition to what
is crooked, distorted, or morally wrong.
Comp. 1s. πεν 10. xxx. 10, dix ΤῊ
“31 Ὁ Πν violence and desolation, mean,
by ametonymy of the cause for the effect,
what has been obtained by violating the
rights and desolating the property of
others. Such spoils they accumulated
in their palaces, but they should not
enjoy them. On the contrary, as the
prophet shows in the following verses,
they should be plundered and carried
away by the enemy. Dathe well ex-
presses the meaning of the verse: “ Recte
factis nequaquam delectantur, inquit Jo-
va, sed thesauros in xdes suas congerunt
vi atque injuria partos.”’
11. sx,the LXX., who are followed
by Aq. and the Arab., preposterously
render Τύρος, Tyre; one of De Rossi's
MSS, reads "x, and one of Kennicott’s,
s4s. The Syr. Chald. tribulation, which
Cuar. III.
AMOS.
141
There shall be an enemy, and that around the land;
And he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
And thy palaces shall be plundered.
12 Thus saith Jehovah:
As the shepherd rescueth from the mouth of the lion
Two legs, or the portion of an ear,
So shall the sons of Israel be rescued,
Who sit in Samaria on the corner of a bed,
And in Damascus on that of a couch.
has been adopted in many modern wer-
sions. Thus Dathe, Hesselberg, Dahl,
Justi, and Hitzig. But Calvin, New-
come, Michaelis, Struensee, Bauer, Ros-
enmuller, Vater, and Noyes, translate
enemy, which better suits the connection,
as it supplies a proper nominative to the
verb 37-77, immediately following. ‘Com.
w
as to derivation, the Arab. nocutt,
’
noxa affecit, lesit. The words, 2°20; ἜΣ
ὙΠ τ are abrupt and elliptical, but, for
this very reason, possess more point. At
“3, supply han, ἈΞ» or the like. 4 in
2720; has the force of et quidem, or isque.
The reading s»35> , suggested by Houbi-
gant, considered ‘probable by Newcome,
and adopted by Bauer, is altogether un-
sustained by any example of a similar
case in verbs whose second and third radi-
cals are the same. ne 37nd is equiv-
alent to TST? =3, 2 Kings Xvi. 5.
where the invasion by Shalmaneser is
described. τ», strength, denotes what-
ever Samaria confided in, or made her
boast of, such as her treasures, fortifi-
cations, warriors, etc. All was to be
brought down into the valley, and what
was capable of being removed, carried
away by the enemy: 7. 6. Shalmaneser,
the king of Assyria. A just retribution
for the spoliations which her inhabitants
had committed.
12. A very appropriate image is here
borrowed 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,
Is. xxxi. 4; yet if he has almost devoured
it, leaving nothing but what is here spec-
ified, no difficulty would be found in ef-
fecting a rescue. For ym. 7273 5°32,
comp. ἐῤῥύσϑην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, 2
Tim. iv. 17; 1 Sam. xvii. 34,35. $12
occurs only this once, but signifies a paré
or piece; from $73, ¢o separate. There
is a species of goat in the East, the ears
of which are often a foot in length, and
broad in proportion; so that more im-
portance would be attached to them by
the shepherd, than would be the case
with us in the West. The concluding
words of the verse have greatly perplexed
interpreters. Most of the moderns ex-
plain py of the silk manufactured at
Damascus, which from the name of the
place, is called damask, and render
wre peat, in damask couches. What
has been supposed to confirm this ex-
planation of the term is the occurrence
of the same word in Arabic, only with
the letters, or similar letters transposed, as
UAH nod wliod, ete,,
all signifying sz/X. Gesenius has a long
article on the word in his Thesaurus, p.
346; but fails in establishing the point
of identity: Instead of pos past Shin,
upwards of twenty of De Rossi’s MSS.
read, or have read, py Pyset with Sin ;
which reading is also that of eighteen
printed editions, and is the proper ortho-
graphy 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 adverting
to the sumptuousness of the couches or
19
AMOS.
Cuap. IL,
Hear ye, and testify against the house of Jacob,
Saith the Lord, Jehovah, the God of hosts,
14 Surely in the day when I punish the transgressions of Israel,
I will punish the altars of Bethel ;
The horns of the altar shall be cut down,
And they shall fall to the ground.
15 I will also smite the winter-house with the summer-house,
The ivory mansions shall perish,
sofas on which they reclined. But this
idea is totally alien from the bearing of
the passage, which requires something to
correspond to what had been expressed
in the comparison of the fragments left
by the lion. Besides, -~8 signifies the
outer or extreme corner, and not the
inner, which is regarded as the seat of
honor, so that the observations of Har-
mer, chap. vi. Obs. xxx., are totally in-
applicable, even if there were much point
in them. The words are elliptical, and
the parallelism, expressed in full, would
stand thus :
aitenes eget
5 pws py om
The pen Sts to are the sick and
infirm poor, who had nothing left but the
side or part of a couch, and whom the
king of Assyria would not think it worth
his while to be at the trouble of removing,
All the rest, the robust and active, the
opulent 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
many belonging to the ten tribes went
there to reside.
13. The same persons are here ad-
dressed, who were summoned from Phi-
listia and Egypt to witness the enormi-
ties practised in Samaria, ver. 9. They
were now to testify to the facts of the
case, that the punishment to be inflicted
upon the inhabitants might be seen to
have been richly deserved. 3 ποτ, as
frequently means to testify against any
one, Ninasn cbs mins sais, LXX.
Κύριος ὃ Θεὸς ὁ Haprinpirsep 2 an ac-
cumulation of Divine appellatives for the
purpose of striking awe into the minds
of the guilty.
14, Signal vengeance was to be taken
upon the place whence all the evils which
spread through the ten tribes originated.
For Bethel, see on Hos. iv. 15. From
the term m37%en having the determina-
tive article, rendering it emphatic, while
mins in the plural also occurs, it may
be inferred that at Bethel, besides the
great altar erected by Jeroboam, there
was a numbg of lesser ones at which
sacrifices were offered. Comp. Hos. viii.
1S tx. Oe ἘΠΕ np, horns, were four
projecting points in the shape of horns
at the corners of ancient altars. They
may be seen in the representations of
those dug up by Belzoni in Egypt. As
they were ornamental, the action here
described was designed to express the
contempt in which the altar would be
held by the Assyrians.
15. Eastern monarchs and princes, as
well as others of the great, have summer
as well as winter residences. The latter
are in cities and sheltered situations; the
former in forests, or upon mountains.
75, properly zooth, but used specially of
the tusk of the elephant ; ‘very. LXX,
οἶκοι ἐλεφάντινοι. By ivory houses are
not meant houses or palaces composed of
that material, but richly ornamented
with it. The ancients used it for
decorating the ceilings, panels, doors,
ete., of their rooms, by inlaying it with
other costly articles. See 1 Kings xxii,
39; Ps. xlv.9. Odys. iv. 73. Diod. Sic.
iii. 47, Pausan. i. 12.4, Od. ii, 18.1.
All these sumptuous palaces in which
the leaders of the people rioted, and
Cuap. IV.
AMOS.
143
And the great houses shall come to an end,
Saith Jehovah.
indulged in all manner of profaneness,
were to be completely destroyed. Ὁ "Ὁ,
to come to an end, cease. The render-
ing of p35" Ma, by “large houses,”
CHAPTER
is more agreeable to the connection than
that of “many houses,” though this is
equally expressed by the phrase.
ΤΥ,
Tuts chapter contains a continuation of the denunciation pronounced against the Israelites,
at the close of the preceding, 1-8; an ironical call to them to persevere in their will-
worship, 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 reforma-
tion, 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, 18.
1 Hear ye this word, ye kine of Bashan !
That are in the mountain of Samaria;
That oppress the poor; that crush the needy ;
That say to their master,
Bring now, that we may drink.
1, 53, Bashan, was celebrated for the
richness of the pasturage, and its excel-
lent breed both of large and small cattle.
Deut. xxxii. 14; Ps. xxii. 12; Ezek.
xxxix. 18. It lay on the east of the Jor-
dan, between Hermon and the mountains
of Gilead, and extended eastward as far
as the cities of Salchah and Edrei, which
it included. Some are of opinion, that
by ywan ning, the kine, or cows of Ba-
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
Rabbins, Theodoret, Liveley, Grotius,
Michaelis, Vater, Dahl, Justi, Cesenius
and Winer. Others, as the Targ. Jerome,
Munster, Calvin, Vatablus, Clarius,
Drusius, Danzus, Mercer, Marckius,
Se
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 effeminacy, wanton-
ness, and obstinacy of their character.
At first view the former exposition might
appear to recommend itself for adoption ;
but I am induced to give my adhesion
to the latter, chiefly on the ground, that
it is scarcely possible, otherwise, to ac-
count for the repeated intermixture of
masculine forms with the feminine. Thus
we have 1728, B28, MNSn, ἘΞ ἘΣ»
tons, all occurring very closely together.
Now, though it must be admitted that
there are instances in which the gender
is neglected, as in Ruth i., yet none of
them will bear comparison with the
present case. On the principle, that
males are the real, and females the fig-
141
t 5
AMOS.
Cuapr. LV,
2 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness:
Behold, the days are coming upon you,
When ye shall be taken away with hooks,
And your posterity with fish-hooks,
3 And ye shall go out through the breaches,
Each one right before her ;
Ye shall even be thrown out of the palace,
Saith Jehovah.
urative subjects of discourse, it is easy
to perceive how the genders would be
used just as the one or the other were
prominently in the mind of the prophet.
Some translators suppress the figurative
language altogether, as Dathe: Audite
hoe, vos divites et potentes Samaria ; but
such practice is quite unwarrantable, as
it destroys the effect of the prophetic
mode of representation. mixx‘, one of
those onomatopoetic verbs, 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
Arab. >)» conduit, fregit. yim in
tm*27s, though plural in form, is sin-
gular in signification, and means the king
of Israel, whom his courtiers and oth-
ers, indulging in their compotations,
importune for fresh supplies of wine,
reckless of the oppression and rapine by
which it might be procured. Comp.
Hos, vii. 5. τ suffixed in 7727, is the
τ directive, or optative.
2, 3. >> is pleonastic. It is surprising
that so judicious an interpreter as Calvin
should attempt to vindicate the rendering
of iwrp, Ais sanctuary, when that of his
holiness is so natural and proper. Comp.
Ps. Ixxxix. 36, and Ix. 8. Jehovah
appeals to all that is involved in the
infinite excellence of his moral character
for the certainty of his punishing sin.
The Nominative to x2 is the enemy,
understood ; but as the yerb is put in the
impersonal form, it is best rendered
passively. Déderlein and some others
object to the adoption, in this place, of
hooks and fish-hooks, as the signification
of τ and 347 mind, as too violent a
change of the figure; and propose that
we should retain the primary acceptation
of thorns, which they think is more in
keeping with the idea of cows. ‘They
accordingly render the passage: “ Ye
shall be driven into 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 delivered the words,
but the contrary; and as fishing and
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
in this place. See 2 Chron, xxxiii, 11;
Is, xxxxii. 29; Jer. xvi. 16; Ezek. xxix.
4, π|πλ2 MYNX each one right before her,
means, in a captive state, not being
permitted by the enemy to turn to the
right or the left. mansbzn is pointed
ποθι in De Rossi’s ‘Spanish MS,
marked 93, which punctuation has been
adopted in Halin’s small printed edition.
Comp. "b¥n, Dan. viii. 11. It is sup-
ported by the LXX, Syr. Symm. Vulg.
and Arab. all of which versions exhibit
the passive. at the end of the verb is
that of the fuller form of the pronoun
mons, the fragment of which is used as a
suffix. It occurs but seldom in the pre-
terite. Of m3 i975 almost every possi-
ble interpretation has been given, LXX.
τὸ ὄρος τὸ Ῥεμμὰν; Cod. Vat. ‘Poupady ;
in many of the MSS. of Flamin. Nob.
a>
“Apuava. Syr. «1 το] bay ; Chald.
“2-247 "410, the mountains of Armenia,
Vulg. Armon. Arab. after the LXX,
of | duc. Aq. ᾿Αρμανὰ ὄρος.
Symm. Ἑ ρμηνίαν, doubtless for ᾿Αρμενίαν.
ΦΈΡ ee "Ca,
, ech ci Leila > *
ἂν a \
* ob
Cuap. IV. AMO sh 145
ΠΑ Νὰ AG Ὁ ΤΟΝ As
4 Come ye to Bethel, and transgress}~ κεν i, ¢¢ Ne OU
At Gilgal, multiply transgression ;
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every third year.
5 Offer incense of the leavened thank-offering ;
Proclaim the voluntary offerings: publish them abroad ;
For ye love to have it so, O ye sons of Israel,
Saith Jehovah.
6 And though Ihave given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
Theod. ὄρος Μονά. Edit quint. ὑψηλὸν
tpos. Luther and Vater, Hermon. Mi-
chaelis, Stryensee, Dathe, Bauer, De
Wette, Armenia. Justi and Hezel, Ha-
rem. Volborth, Net. Hitzig takes it to
be a corruption of ; mIyetIT, Hadadrim-
mon, which he explains ‘of a place near
Samaria where Adonis was worshipped.
Newcome cuts the knot and renders
‘will utterly destroy it.” The only sat-
isfactory solution of the difficulty pre-
sented by this ἅπαξ Aey. is that of Kim-
chi, which is approved by Gesenius,
Winer, and Lee, viz. that ἡ 1)5- τ, stands
for 72, a palace, or citadel. Comp. the
Arab. preys a lofty edifice, a pyra-
mid, Changes in letters of the same or-
gan are not unfrequent in Hebrew, as 57x,
74 1 “IGN, 7160 5 ’ me, Π me 335 ᾽ “IS; V1 > ;
ete. The πὶ at the end is not the femin-
ms termination, but simply paragogic, as
mas, Job xxxiv. 13, xxxvii. 12; Is.
viii. 23; and roxnn, Judges xiv. 18.
The noun will thus be the accusative ab-
solute, and the construction will be * cast
down as to the palace,” 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.
4,5. The language of these verses is
that of the keenest irony. The Israelites
were addicted to the worship of the
olden calf, and to that of idols, whereby
they ‘contracted guilt before Jehovah,
and exposed themselves to his judg-
ments; at the same time they hypo-
critically professed to keep up the ob-
servance of certain feasts which had
heen appointed by Moses. For Gilgal,
19
as a place of idolatrous worship, see on
Hos. iv. 15. The opinion of Abenezra,
approved by Rosenmiiller and Maurer,
that by "35 ΣΡ, we are to under-
stand every third day, seems forced and
unnatural. That the words by them-
selves might have this meaning is un-
questionable : but the idea of tithes being
brought every third day is inadmissible,
even into a passage so strongly ironical
as the present. I cannot doubt that the
prophet has in view the enactment
recorded Deut. xiy. 29, xxvi. 12. pon",
days, mean, here, as Ley. xxy. 29;
Judges xvii. 10, the fullest complement
of days, i. 6. a year. = uj is most probably
the infinitive, used for the second plural
of the imperative; or it may be the
second singular of the same. There is
no necessity for attaching to yn, the
meaning of violence, though Gesenius
would justify it, on the ground of 573
being used, Ps. xxi. 4, to designate an
oppressor ; and because the rendering of
the Chald. in this place is p2‘x, »apine
or oppression. It is not impossible that
the translator mistook yn for on,
which has this signification. The point
of reference is doubtless the ordinance,
Lev. vii. 13, that, besides the unleavened
cakes, the Hebrews were to offer ‘ Jeav-
ened bread” with the sacrifice of thanks-
giving. What 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 require-
cee For ἘΞ 72, comp. sans %2
, Jer. ¥. 31. 1
sf From this verse to the 11th inclu-
sive, Jehovah describes the different
146
-τ
ΑΜΟ 5.
And want of bread in all your places,
Yet ye have not returned unto me,
Saith Jehovah.
And though 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, withered :
βαρ. IV.
8 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.
9 Ihave smitten you with mildew and much blight ;
Your gardens, your vineyards, and your figs, and your olives,
The locusts hath devoured ;
Yet ye have not returned unto me,
Saith Jehovah,
10
I have sent among you the plague, such as that of Egypt ;
I have slain your young men with the sword,
corrective measures which he had em-
ployed for the purpose of effecting a
change in the Israelites, and at the close
of each mentioned in the series, the ob-
stinate impenitence, under the influence
of which they persisted in their wicked .
courses, is emphatically marked by the
declaration, ἃ nim O82 "πὸ ὩΠΙΞῈ s—Nb-,
yet ye returned not unto me, saith J aia
vah. Such repetition gives great force
to the reprehension. p*335 1.}}3» clean-
ness of teeth, and ond 79h, lack of bread,
are synonymous ; both expressing the
famine with which the nation has been
visited. "πὸ, to me, the Chald. para-
phrases, syribsEd, to my worship, or ser-
vice.
7, 8. The famine was followed by the
judgment of drought, which at once pro-
duced sterility, and cut off the necessary
supply of drink for man and beast. The
rain that had been withheld, was the
ΟΡ ΘΔ.» vernal, or latter rain, which falls
in the latter half of February, the whole
of March and April, and thus precedes
the harvest, as here stated. See on Hos.
vi. 3. Whatever rain fell was exceed-
ingly partial and insufficient. Instead of
“yun, the reading >>u 728 is found in
two MSS. and is supported by the ren-
derings of the LXX. Arab. and Vulg.
The textual reading must be taken im-
personally. Ὁ 2» cities, stands for their
inhabitants. Comp. for a lengthened and
graphic description of the judgment here
specified, Jer. xiv. 1-6.
9. A bad harvest, arising from the
destruction of the corn by the blighting
influence of the east wind (5*£73, scorch-
ing, blasting, from τῷ, to scorch ; Chald.
Arab. Lada, niger,
LXX. πύρωσις. Arab. Ver. Nf,
the Simoom,) and the mildew, or smut.
"ipan, Arab. yep,
the infinitive absolute of pa in /iphil,
with the force of an adjective sr an
adverb. This word some improperly
connect, as a construct noun, with
the following substantives. τὰν 8
name given to the Jocust. See on
Joel i, 4.
10. Though the plague has from time
πῶ, to burn;
rubigo. nian,
Cuap. IV.
AMOS.
14?
Together with your captive horses:
And I have made the stench of your camps to come up into
your nostrils ;
Yet ye have not returned unto me,
Saith Jehovah.
iil
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.
115,
Therefore, thus will I deal with thee, O Israel!
Forasmuch as I will do this to thee,
Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel !
immemorial been endemic in Egypt, and
might.so far be described as 324372 711»
the way of Egypt; yet comparing 15: χ,
26, in which the same phrase is used as
here, it obviously means, as the Egyptians
were treated, or as God punished them
with the plague. See Exod. ix. 3, etc.
ἘΞ ΟὉ 539, lit. the captivity of your
horses: i. 6. those taken and destroyed
by the enemy. See 2 Kings xiii. 7.
ΦΝΞ the LXX. render ἐν πυρὶ, having
read ᾿Ξ, which is the pointing of three
of De Rossi’s MSS., and of three others
originally ; as also of the Brixian edition.
Aq. σαπρίαν. The. in p>ss3:, Houbi-
gant, Dahl, and some others would can-
cel, 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 re-
tained, as an intensive particle, adding
force to the preceding verb. Comp. the
somewhat similar use of the Greek
καὶ.
11, 5 ἴῃ ἘΞ5 is used partitively : inter,
among, or the like; indicating that the
subverting was not total. nssn725
cons, like God’s overthrowing: prop-
ery Hiphil participle, but construed as
a.. icfinite. Comp. Deut. xxix. 22; Is.
xiii. 19; Jer.1.40; 2 Pet. ii.6; Jude 7.
tonbs, which stands for the affix of the
first personal pronoun, Newcome im-
properly converts into a superlative, and
renders, ‘the great overthrow!” His
remark on my, as sometimes the sign of
the genitive case, is likewise totally in-
applicable, as in the present case it can
only mark the accusative. ‘To what
physical phenomena reference is here
specifically made, it is impossible to de-
termine, owing to the absence of all his-
torical data. Some think the earth-
quake, mentioned chap. i. 2, is intended ;
but this is altogether out of the question,
since the prophecy was delivered two
years before that event. From the allu-
sion to fire, it has been deemed probable
that some of the cities of the Israelites
had been burnt, either by lightning from
heaven, or by the army of the king of
Syria. At all events, that the language
is not to be understood figuratively is
evident from 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 re-
prehension of the impenitence by which
88 nation continued to be characterized.
prea bar my, a brand snatched from
the burning, is proverbial, and expresses
the narrow escape from utter extinction
which had been experienced. Comp.
Zech. iii. 2; and 1 Cor. ii. 15: αὔτός
δὲ σωϑήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.
12. All the means that had been em-
ployed to reform the Israelites having
proved ineffectual, they are here sum-
moned to prepare for the final judgment,
which was to put an end to their na-
tional existence. To this judgment re-
148
AMOS.
Cuar. VY.
13 For, behold! it is He that formed the mountains ;
And created the wind ;
And declareth to man what is his thought ;
That maketh the morning darkness, ᾿
And walketh upon the heights of the earth :
Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name.
ference is emphatically made in the
terms mb, thus, and mst, this. There is
a brief resumption of the sentence
livered verses 2 and 3. That by 34257
any such preparation is intended as
would involve genuine and universal
repentance, by which the threatened
judgment might have been averted,
cannot be admitted in consistency with
the bearing both of the preceding and
the following context. The removal of
the Israelites, as a nation, is denounced
as certain, and inevitable. It is rather
to be understood as 5 325, prepare
thee, Jer. xlvi. 14. God is now com-
ing against you as the avenger of your
wickedness. Consider how you shall
meet, or endure the infliction. Comp.
Ezek. xxii. 14; Heb. x. 31. Individ-
uals might by repentance obtain the
forgiveness of their personal transgres-
sions, and thus have their minds brought
into a state in which they would enjoy
support and comfort in the midst of na-
tional calamity; but this was all that
could now be expected.
13. To give full effect to the preced-
ing call, one of the most sublime and
magnificent descriptions of Jehovah, to be
met with in Scripture, is here introduced.
The participial form of the five verbs
employed by the prophet greatly en-
hances the beauty of the passage; but it
cannot be successfully imitated in a
translation. Some have doubted whether
man does not here signify spirit, rather
than wind ; 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
preceding. The rendering of the LXX.
ἀπαγγέλλων εἰς ἀνϑρώπους τὸν χριστὸν
αὐτοῦ, announcing to men his anointed,
has originated in their mistaking ἢ piy—-73
for ποθῶ. Theodoret, in commenting
upon the version, thinks Cyrus is in-
tended, and not Christ, as we may other-
wise imagine the fathers would expound
it. By imw 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 mw and its
derivatives, when applied to intelligent
beings, is used. πῶΣ is 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 up-
wards of twenty of Kennicott’s MSS.
read, or have read, =5*31, which is the
reading of the LXX. and Arab. Accord-
ing to this construction, the passage must
be translated thus: “He that maketh
the aurora and the darkness.”
ΟΡ ΤΉ ον,
Arter giving utterance toa brief elegy over the prostrate and helpless condition of the
kingdom, which had just been predicted, 1-3, the prophet introduces Jehovah still ad-
dressing himself to the inhabitants; calling upon them to relinquish their superstitious
and idolatrous practices, and return to his service, 4-9. He then adverts the picture of
wickedness which the nation exhibited, 10-18; repeats the call to cultivate habits of piety
and righteousness, 14, 15; describes, in plaintive strains, the destruction that was coming
Cuar. V. AM
OSs. 149
upon the land, 16-20; exposes the inutility of ceremonial rites when substituted for moral
rectitude, or combined with unauthorized worship, 21-26; and expressly threatens the Is-
raelites with transportation into the East, 27.
1 Hear ye this word, which I utter concerning you—
A lamentation, O house of Israel!
2 The virgin of Israel is fallen ;
She shall rise no more ;
Prostrate upon her 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 the house of Israel.
1. =5"p is properly an elegy, or song of
mourning and lamentation, from vp in
Piel, to compose or chant such a song. It
consisted of plaintive effusions poured
forth by mourning relatives, or by per-
sons hired for the purpose, at funerals;
and was distinguished for the tender,
pathetic, broken and exclamatory nature
of the expressions of which it was com-
posed, as well as the touching features
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 it into several of his
prophecies, has left us a whole book of
mia-p, elegies, or lamentations. See
Lowth, Lect. xxii. For the introduction
of the present subject, comp. πὴ Sw
be or by, Ezek. xix. 1, xxvii. 2. xxxii.
2, and the common oracular forms sy
nivta, bute, etc. Some are of opinion
that the elegy thus introduced extends
to the end of the chapter, but it is far
more likely that it consists merely of
the plaintive exclamations contained in
verse 2. Compare the beautiful lament
of David on the death of Jonathan, 2
Sam. i. 17-27.
2. The Israelitish state is called stars,
a virgin, because it had neyer been sub-
dued by any foreign prince. See on
Is. xxiii. 12. The passages, Jer. xviii.
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, there-
fore, be regarded as merely synonymous
with ma, daughter, as idiomatically ap-
plied to describe the inhabitants of a city
or state. This brief, but touching elegy
describes the utterly prostrate and help-
less condition to which the Assyrians were
to reduce the kingdom of the ten tribes.
3. The depopulated state of the coun-
try is here affectingly depicted. >»,
the city, stands by metonymy for its in-
habitants. The LXX. ἡ πόλις ἐξ ἧς éte-
πορεύοντο χίλιοι, and so the other an-
cient versions. τὰκ ὅπ, that went out,
is used elliptically for mantzd ΤᾺΣ ΡΠ,
that went forth to war. The population
or size of a city was estimated according
to the number of warriors it could fur-
nish. Thus the Scholiast on Iliad ix.
383, 384: οὐ τὸ πλάτος τῶν πυλῶν ϑέλει
σεμαίνειν, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἅμα πάντας ἐξιέναι
φησίν: ἀλλὰ τὸ μέγεϑος τῆς πόλεως, καὶ
τὸ πλῆϑος τῶν ἀνδρῶν.
150
AMOS.
Cuap. V.
4 For thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel,
Seek ye me, and live.
5 And seek not Bethel ;
And go not to Gilgal ;
. Neither pass through to Beersheba ;
For Gigal shall surely go into captivity,
And 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-
ance and reformation. 12: π, ¢o seek, is
very often used as a religious term, im-
plying application to God, or to a false
deity, for assistance, direction, ete. and
then generally to worship him, and have
respect to his will. Ps. xxiv. 6; Is.
vill. 19, lv. 6. Comp. Heb. xi. 6, ἐκῴγ-
τεῖν τὸν Θεόν. 3 15. similarly used.
37m, deve ye, is employed as a second im-
perative, in order emphatically to ex-
press the certainty of the result that
would ensue from compliance with the
command given by the first.
5. A strong dissuasive from idolatry,
derived from the predicted fall of the
objects and places of false worship.
y23 “83, Beersheba, lit. «the Well of
the Oath; ”” LXX. τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου ;
see Gen, xxi. 22-31. It was situated
about twenty-five geographical miles
south of Hebron, on the frontier of the
Holy Land towards Idumea, and is still
called by the Arabs ! yh Bir-
es-seba’. Dr. Robinson fell in with its
ruins on the north side of a Wady of the
same name, but found nothing bearing
the marks of high antiquity, except two
wells, one of which he ascertained to be
forty-four feet and a half in cepth to
the surface of the water, and the other
forty-two feet. As it lay in the extreme
south of Palestine, the verb a2, to pass
over or through, is most appropriate.
From this verse, and from chap. viii. 14,
it appears to have been a place of idol-
atrous resort, but wherein the idolatry
consisted we are not told. In tatan
mta> ΠῈΣ is a forcible paronomasia,
though the words are from different
roots. ‘Gilgal gallando gallabitur, si
posset fingi aliquod tale verbum; hoc
est, vertetur volubili versione.”’ Calvin,
in loc. There is likewise a play upon
the word 43s, which is used to denote
wickedness, idolatry, idol, nothing, ete.
What had originally been ts—nm3,
Bethel, a house of God, but had by the
Israelites been converted into }33—n73,
Beth-aven, a house of idolatry, see Hes.
iv. 15, x. 5; should be reduced to 518,
aven nothing. y
6. The prophet here repeats, for the
sake of effect, the call which he had in-
troduced, ver.4. mtx, which more com-
monly has the significations attaching to
the Arab. Gace recté se habet res,
aptus fuit, etc. has here that of the Syriac
y.
“a
ay
eral idea of motion, either forward or
downward, seems to be conveyed by it,
only, in certain cases, with the superad-
ded notion of violence or force. Thus
mimo man ὙἘΣ nbxmi, is not improp-
erly ‘rendered in our common version,
«And the Spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon him.” Dahl prefers the
rendering perdidit, which he derives
from the Arab. é she, exitiale malum ;
ΠῚ pala, pen-
etrans, vehemens, might rather be com-
pared. Jehovah is often compared to
Jire. See Is. x. 17; Lam. ii. 8. dy,
being of common gender, is the nom-
inative to so that the object of
descendit, perrupit. The gen-
but the form
meee
pil ν. ᾽
Cuapr. V.
AMOS.
151
And it devour, and there be none in Bethel to quench it.
7 Ye who turn justice into wormwood,
And cast righteousness to the ground,
8 Seek Him that made the ΠΕΣ ἢ relish 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 τοῦ πὸ» who
is the subject, and the proper nominative.
Goin ma, the house of Joseph, is a less
frequent ‘designation of the ten tribes,
the principal of which was that of Eph-
raim, the son of Joseph. It occurs
several times in the historical books, but
only twice besides in the prophets, vz.
Obad. 18; Zech. x. 6. The name 553°,
Joseph, ἘΠ itself, is similarly employed,
Amos v. 15, vi. 6. Comp. Ezek. xxxvii.
16. For ty-m2, Bethel, the LXX.
Arab. and one of De Rossi’s MSS. read
Ἐπ το nea, Beth Yisrael, which reading
is ‘adopted by Newcome. One of ae
cott’s MSS. has taqy Israel, which
Houbigant, Dathe, and Bauer, approve.
Jerome, Rosenmiiller, Dahl, Justi, Stru-
ensee, and others, retain the received
reading, which is supported by the
Targ., Syr., and Vulg. Some would con-
nect $ymn7a with m35%, and render,
«there shall be none to quench Bethel ; ”
but the verb 73> is never poaeacted
with 4, which marks here the Dative of
possession. The true construction is,
mata by—n735 7S The people of
Israel put their trust in the idols which
they worshipped at Bethel, but none of
them could remove the Divine judg-
ments from the land.
7. ovaphnn, ye that turn, is to be re-
ferred to 1347 and Ξ|Θ 5 ΓΞ in the pre-
ceding verse. This construction is more
natural than that which would take r-3
soi> alone as the nominative, in the
third person. Such changes of person
as that presented ΠῚ ΤΙΣ am, are too fre-
quent to occasion any difficulty ; nor is
it always necessary to express them in a
translation. Ewald takes an effectual
method of. removing the supposed dif-
ficulty, by striking out the verse, and in-
serting it at the ‘beginning of verse 10.
Of course, the whole will then read very
smoothly ; but the question still remains,
Did Amos so connect the words? 22>,
Arab. ᾿ abegit, execratus est, is the
Hebrew name of wormwood, and is given
to it on account of its disgustingly bitter
and injurious quality. The LXX. now
read ὁ ποιῶν eis ὕψος κρίμα; but there
can be little doubt that the original read-
ing was ἄψινϑος. The meaning is, that
the persons spoken of so perverted their
judicial proceedings, as to render them
both obnoxious and injurious to those
whom they affected. For y5s5 man,
see on Is, xxviii. 2. ‘
8. Another sublime description of the
Most High, almost verbally identical
with that furnished Job ix. 9. The
participles are to be referred to min>,
Jehovah, ver. 6, as their antecedent.
Newcome, following the Targ, and Syr.,
inserts “ that have forsaken” at the com-
mencement of the verse, but these au-
thorities are not sufficient to warrant the
addition, which, indeed, the text does
not require, The article, used as a re-
lative in s4ifm and a-ba2n, is omitted
before sz ae ΞΞ a, because they are in
ΠΕΣ πάτο Two of the principal con-
stellations as selected from the heavenly
bodies as specimens of the effects of
Omnipotence. τὴ 5, the Pleiades, or
Seven Stars. This word occurs only here
and Job ix. 9, xxxviii. 31. The deriva-
tion from a supposititious root hx=2 , cog-
nate with fan, sen, Ten, to be warm,
hot, adopted by Castellus, Schultens,
152
AMOS.
9 That bringeth destruction suddenly upon the mighty,
And destruction cometh upon the fortress,
Parkhurst, and others, is to be rejected
for that preserved in the Arab. * 55
Conj. II. cumulum fecit ; hence, X0
cumulus ; with which may be compared
pass socius, according to which the
name expresses what is brought or bound
together, especially tz abundance. The
name given to this constellation by the
Arabs is L Sad
an abundance or multi-
tude, from { ὁ » multus ac numerosus
evasit, numerosus reddidit. For the
same reason it was called by the Greeks
Πλειάδες, according to one of the deriva-
tions of Eustathius on Homer, Iliad.
Xvill. 446: Αἱ δὲ πλειάδες ἤτοι ἀπὸ τῆς
μητρὸς αὐτῶν Πληϊόνης ἢ ὅτι πλείους ὁμοῦ
κατὰ μίαν συναγωγήν εἰσι, κι. τ. A. And
most of the ancients express the same
idea; as Seneca, densi pleiadum greges ;
Propertius, pleiadum chorus, ete. Ac-
cording to the Greek mythology, the
Pleiades were seven daughters of Atlas,
who, being pursued by Orion, were
changed by Jupiter into doves, and hay-
ing been transplanted to the heavens,
form the assemblage of the Seven Stars
in the neck of Taurus. In the passage
in the Iliad just referred to, they are por-
trayed on the shield of Achilles along
with Orion, in the same order as in our
prophet :
Πληϊάδας, δ᾽ “γάδας τε, τότε σϑένος ᾿Ωρίω-
vos.
In the mythology of the Sabians or
Mendaites Ladue, the Seven, and
LS DOA Lacas, the Seven Stars,
cut no inconsiderable figure. See Nor-
berg’s Liber Adami. For S92, see on
Is xiii. 10. Both terms have been en-
tirely mistaken by the LX-X. who render
ὃ ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετασκευάζων, Which is
fecal copied by the Arab, "δ"
KAA ging Vo ns weds, the shadow of
death, one of the very few Hebrew com-
pounds. See on Is, ix. 1. % is to be
supplied before > "Ὁ, 88, indeed, it is in
fourteen MSS., primarily i in three more,
and now by correction in one; in both
the Soncin. editions ; in both of Bom-
berg, 1518 in the margin, and in
the appendix to Munster’s, 1536. In
J)wnmn, there is a transition from the
participial to the finite form of the verb.
‘To render the clause uniform, the con-
struction would be, 7375 bis psn.
The passage quoted from Pindar, by
Clemens Alexandrinus, is beautifully
parallel : —
Θεῷ δὲ δυνατὸν ἐκ μελαίνας
Νυκτὸς ἀμίαντον ὥρσαι φῶς"
Κελαινῷ νέφει δὲ σκότου καλύψαι
Καϑαρὸν ἀμέρας σέλας.
The following words are descriptive, not
of rain, as Jerome, Theodoret, Kimchi,
Drusius, Lively, Marckius, Dahl, and
Rosenmiiller maintain, but of a deluge
or inundation, the waters of which may
emphatically be said to be poured over
the earth. Thus Grotius, Clarius, Bauer,
and likewise Lowth, though he admits
the possibility of the other view being
right. ‘The Alex. reading of the LXX.
ὁ δεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ is found in the
Arab., in a Copt. MS., and in the Sla-
von. Bible, has the support of three
MSS., yet it is more likely an addition
from chap. iv. 13, than otherwise.
9. After the prophet had apparently
completed his magnificent description of
the Divine character, with the words
‘xB mim, he appends i in this verse an
additional view of it, in erder to make it
tell more practically on the fears of those
who boasted of the strength of Samaria.
soa, Arab. : nituit, fulgit aurora,
not only conveys the idea of shining, be-
ing bright, cheerful, etc. but also that of
suddenness, suggested by the rapidity
with which the dawning light is diffused
over the horizon. The Hebrews applied
such terms figuratively to the sudden
production of misery, as well as to that
Cuap. VY.
10
AMOS.
They hate him that reproveth in the gate,
And abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11 Wherefore, because ye trample upon the poor,
And take from him the tribute of corn:
Though ye have built houses of hewn stone,
Ye shall not dwell in them ;
’ Though ye have planted pleasant vineyards,
Ye shall not drink of their wine.
12 For I know that your transgressions are many,
And that your sins are great:
Oppressing the righteous,
Taking a bribe,
And turning aside the poor in the gate.
13 Therefore the prudent shall be silent at that time ;
For it is an evil time,
of happiness. See on Joel ii. 2. Winer,
orirt faciens, inducens super potentes
vastationem. ‘The ancient versions are
all at fault here.
10. Ewald thinks that by n>‘ 3233,
the reprover in the gate, Amos himself
is meant ; but, from the recurrence of
sow, and -y23, in connection with
, WED, ver. 15, it is far more natural to
interpret the phrase of a magistrate, sen-
ator, or judge. Comp. also ver. 12, and
see on Is, xxix. 21. In pan, which
is to be taken adverbially, as Judges ix.
9, is an ellipsis of =.
11-13. oz: is, ‘in all probability, a
faulty orthography of to5, the Polal. of
sz, Arab. ore vilipendit rem, to tread
down, trample upon, etc. De Rossi’s co-
dex 380, τοδ άπ Ὁ Ὁ 55 with Sin. mv,
what is raised, as a tax, tribute, ete. from
svi, 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
upon their lusts. But in whatever state
and luxury they might have lived, and
whatever preparations they might be
making for further indulgences, Jehovah
declares that they should not continue
to enjoy them. The enemy would
speedily remove them from all the ob-
jects on which they proudly doated, or
from which they expected πὰ
For the contrary of the threatening, see
Is, Ixv. 21, 22; Amos ix. 14. The ad-
jectives 5.35 and pwasy, are placed be-
fore their substantives, because they are
predicatives, and not qualificatives. Be-
fore both, the conjunction 75 is to be
supplied. The ellipsis was probably oc-
casioned by its having been used at the
beginning of the verse. “55 is most
commonly used in the sense of λύτρον,
ἀντίλυτρον, ransom, or price of redemp-
tion, on which account Ewald and some
others render it so here; but the close
connection in which the whole phrase
stands with the perversion of justice,
specified in the last clause of the verse,
decides in favor of the signification bribe,
bribery, which the word unquestionably
has, 1 Sam. xii. 3. Targ. ἜΘ 77112, the
mammon of falsehood. Syr. 1 pcs,
a bribe. LXX. ἀλλάγματα. The other
Greek versions, ἐξίλασμα. If pax 047s
could be taken to mean, * shutting up, or
imprisoning the righteous,’’ then “55
might mean ransom; but such usage
does 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 recogn'ze in the permission of these
evils, and patiently to abide the issue of
154
14
AMOS.
Cuap.
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live ;
And it shall be so; Jehovah, God of hosts, shall be with you,
According as ye say.
Hate evil and love good,
And establish justice in the gate ;
Perhaps Jehovah, God of hosts, may pity
The residue of Joseph.
16
Therefore thus saith Jehovah, God of hosts, the Lord:
In all the broad places there shall be wailing ;
And in all the streets, they shall say, Oh! Oh!
They shall call the husbandman to mourning ;
_And all who are skilled in elegy to wailing.
events. Any attempt, under these cir-
cumstances, to stem the current, or effect
a reformation, or even to plead for private
or public rights, would only aggravate
their calamities. S->y1am, the intelligent,
prudent, is to be understood, in the best
sense, of one who acts upon the princi-
ples of enlightened piety.
14, 15. Reiterated calls to reformation,
in order to ensure the return of Divine
favor. Both the style and the sen-
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
fall back upon, in case of necessity.
They boasted that he was with them, but
it was an empty pretence while their pro-
fession was insincere, being combined
with the worship of idols. For the
force of the conditional particle ~tax,
perhaps, in such connection, compare
Gen. xvi. 2, and εἰ ἄρα, Acts viii. 22.
Comp. also Joel 11. 18, where the same
idea is expressed by 374 0, who know-
eth? τὴ" nN, the remainder of Jo-
seph, For this use of the patronymic,
see on ver. 6. Numerous as the Israel-
ites still were, they might well be called
a remainder, in consideration of the
havoc made by Hazael, 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,
the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the
Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the
river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.”
2 King x. 32, 33.
16. 454, therefore, refers not to the
contents of verses 14, 15, but to verses
7, 10, and 12. We may suppose a con-—
siderable pause to intervene before ver.
16. Foreseeing that the people would
not repent, Jehovah here declares that the
threatened punishment was inevitable.
The slaughter involved in this punish-
ment would be general. Samaria, how-
ever, and its vicinity, seem specially
intended. The position in which *:-s
is here placed, is altogether unusual.
Indeed, I am not aware that it is so
found in any other passage. Yet I would
not, with Newcome, cancel it, on the
slender authority of seven MSS. the
LXX. 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. nian,
broad, or open places, or wide streets in
a city; and distinguished from nissn,
which signify ordinary or narrow streets,
such as are common in the East. Gr.
πλατεῖα. “ED, Strictly means a smiting
of the breast, (LXX. κοπετὸς,) from
"£0, to beat, smite ; see on Is, xxxii. 12.
Here, however, it is used to denote
wailing or mourning in general. in im,
Oh! Oh! This onomatopoctic I have
rendered by the corresponding English
interjection, which, when prolonged and
swelled in the pronunciation, as it is by
persons giving utterance to excessive
grief, is much more appropriate than
oo
Alas! Alas! Alas! Syr. wre .0 ΟἹ;
Chald. 5. 5; Vulg. ve! ve! in other
Crap. V.
AMOS.
17 In all the vineyards there shall be wailing,
For I will pass through the midst of thee,
Saith Jehovah.
18 Wo unto you that desire the day of Jehovah!
What is the day of Jehovah unto you ?
It shall be darkness and not light.
19 As when one fleeth from a lion,
And a bear meeteth him ;
Or he entereth the Rouse and leaneth his hand on the wall,
And a serpent biteth him.
20 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness and not light ;
Even thick darkness, without any brightness ?
Latin versions, eheu! eheu! The MEN,
husbandmen, were to be called to partici-
pate in the mourning, not as Newcome,
Rosenmiiller, 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 suffi-
cient number would not be left to per-
form the funeral rites. Such construc-
tion of the meaning is required by the
following parallelism: >y33-—$x ἼΞ Ὀ.2)
"m2. There is no necessity for suppos-
ing that the words of this sentence have
been transposed, and that they originally
stood thus: 1=¢%”—ts "m2 °y7i71. The
preposition by is ‘understood before = Ξ Ὁ,
and 3st es as repeated to govern ty,
which it often does, as well as the ac-
cusative.
ο
mma, Syr. lous, to utter lamentable
cries. The persons here spoken of as
«skilled in wailing,” were mourners by
profession, who were hired for the oc-
casion, and sung doleful tunes around
the corpse of a deceased person, which
they preceded when it was carried to
the grave, giving utterance to dismal cries
and howlings, beating their breasts,
throwing ashes on their heads, and
showing every artificial token of ex-
cessive grief. These were the mourn-
ers whom Solomon describes as going
about the streets, Eccles. xii. 5. That
females were especially employed on
"72, wailing, lamentation, from*
such occasions, appears from Jer. ix. 17-
19, where "72 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:
τὸν μὲν ἔπειτα
Tpntois ἐν λεχέεσσι Séoay, παρὰ δὲ εἶσαν
ἀοιδοὺς,
Θρήνων ἐξάρχους, οἵτε στονόεσσαν ἀοιδὴν
Οἱ μὲν ἄρ᾽ eSphveov, ἐπὶ δὲ στενάχοντο
γυναῖκες.
Iliad. xxiv. 720, ete.
See also Horace de Arte Poet. ver. 433.
In his edition of Harmer’s Observations,
vol. iii. p. 42. Dr. A. Clarke gives a de-
scription of the ancient funeral solem-
nities of the Irish, and the translation of
a song of wailing prepared for the occa-
sion, ἘΠΈΩΝ bears a strong resemblance
to those used by the Orientals. Comp.
Wilkinson’s Ancient Egyptians, second
series, vol. ii. pp. 402-407.
17. The vineyards, which usually ex-
hibited scenes of rejoicing, should now
be frequented by disconsolate mourners.
For Jehovah’s passing through the land,
comp. Exod. xii. 12, 23; only in the
latter case the punishment was miracu-
lously inflicted ; in the former, by the
king of Assyria, 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.
I hate, I loathe your festivals ;
Cuap.
Neither do I delight in your days of restraint,
When ye offer to me holocausts and bloodless sacrifices,
I will take no pleasure in them ;
Neither will I regard the thank-offerings of your fatlings.
23
Take away from me the noise of the songs ;
I will not hear the music of thy harps,
to the wish that this day might soon
reach them. It was an, impious daring
of Jehovah to do his worst. Comp. Is. v.
19: Jer. xvii. 15. The prophet tells
them plainly that it would be to them a
day of unmitigated affliction. The fal-
lacy of every hope of escape is illustrated
by two simple, but forcible comparisons,
borrowed from the pastoral life. Bochart
regards the language as proverbial, and
supports his opinion by two Arabic sto-
ries: the one beginning, Quas du
ls5 6bas “© A lion, pursuing
aman, he took refuge in a tree, in the
branches of which a bear having fixed
himself, was plucking its fruit,” etc. ;
and the other, ω»" >, Sy
«A man fled from a lion, and fell into
a well, into which the lion went down
after him. And there was a bear in the
well,” etc. Hierozo. lib. iii. cap. ix. pp.
810, 811. Kimchi tersely expresses the
meaning thus, max $s mos issn, Fe
shall go out of calamity into calamity.
Comp. Job xx. 24; Is. xxiv. 18. The
adjective ἘΞ is explained by the follow-
ing words. It occurs only in this place;
but the substantives stes, bes. dense ob-
scurity, are used in several passages of Job,
the Psalms, and the prophets. τ ἘΝ,
however, in the sense of concealed, occurs
Exod. ix. 32. Comp. the Arab. ΕΝ
occidit sol, etc. Thus in Hariri, Con-
sess, xy. the noun Jest is employed
SpHly Aang dy peball Lat il
Xanga g aL, ‘¢ Extirpatio erudi-
tionis et obliteratio ejus: Lunarumque
ac Solium ejusdem occasus.” 22, on the
contrary, signifies to shine, be light ; and
its derivative 733 is used of the rising of
the sun, Proy. iv. 18, and is contrasted
with mbes, ver. 19.
21-23. The same aversion from the
ceremonial observances of the insincere
and rebellious Israelites which Jehovah
here expresses, he afterwards employed
Isaiah to declare to the Jews, chap. i.
10-15. ‘The two passages are strikingly
parallel; only the latter prophet ampli-
fies 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
substitutes the prayers ; both concluding
with the divine words, *22°s= 31233 Nd
78, I will not hear. The verbs "πα Ὁ
“nowt follow each other immediately, for
the sake of more emphatically expressing
the Divine abhorrence. Com. 8°57 n235n
“S and "£3 myzv in Isaiah. py 8b,
lit. I will not smell; but meaning here,
I will take no delight in. Dinsz, res-
traints, periods, days of restraint, or as-
semblies collected on such days. See on
Is. 1. 13. mb, used here collectively
for the plural p~=}¥.— ἘΣ -on, lit.
remove from upon me; conveying the
idea of a burden which vexes and annoys
the bearer. Isaiah expresses it in full:
maid ἘΣ om, “They are a burden
upon “me.” Comp. further for the force
of the compound preposition, Exod. x.
28. The music here referred to was
that performed at the Hebrew festivals
by the Levites, before and during the
Crary Vv.
24 Let justice roll on like water,
AMOS.
157
And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 Did ye not present sacrifices and offerings to me,
offering of the sacrifices, and on other
public occasions.
24, While no direction is given re-
specting the regulation of the sacrifices,
in order that they might be presented in
an acceptable manner, a special injunc-
tion is 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. ** Nec in
victimis, licet optime sint, auroque prz-
tulzeant, Deorum est honos, sed pia ac
recte mente venerantium.’” Seneca de
Beneiiciis, i. 6. That ἡ αν Arab. ,, 39;
perennis fuit, is to be here rendered per-
ennial, or everflowing, and not mighty,
has been maintained by some interpre-
ters; but a comparison of the several
passages in which it occurs, goes to show
that it is rather to be referred to ) 3 9 Ι,
valida, fuit, multus fuit, and is to be
rendered great or maids. It thus better
corresponds with % ἘΣ; roll, to roll on,
used in the former 2 ΠΕ, LXX. ὡς
χειμάῤῥοις ἄβατοις. Syr. Wass yal
ike uA . .
fAraats Vulg. quasi torrens fortis,
Ν sly chive,
Arab.
lols like a Wady that cannot be
passed. The ideas of abundance and
moral power are those conveyed by the
prophet. I must differ from Prof. Lee,
who (Heb. Lex. in voc. 3n7s) renders,
ἐς for judgment rolleth (away) as the
waters (roll away), and righteousness
(disappears) like the mighty torrent.”
The verse as thus rendered ill suits the
centext, and is not in keeping with pa-
rallel passages in which, after a repre-
hension of hypocritical observances, the
moral qualities of truth and righteous-
ness are required. The construction put
upon 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.
25-27. These verses have not a little
perplexed expositors, both ancient and
modern. The first difficulty lies in what
is said respecting the presentation of
sacrifices. Greve, Dahl, and Maurer, take
the = in D1n35n to be the article, and
not the particle of interrogation, and
render, the sacrifices and offerings ye
presented to me, etc., viz. those pres-
cribed in the law: but now ye bear the
shrine, ete. According to this mode
of construction, the present idolatrous
course of the Israelites is contrasted
with their former obedience to the
Divine will. In order, however, to
justify this interpretation, the: article
must have been repeated before mm:1,
which it is not. The insertion of the
compensative Dagesh in the letter Zain
cannot be pleaded in its favor, since
there are several instances in which the
interrogative = takes the form of the
article, before words beginning with
Sheva, as 3257, Gen. xvii. 17; “a5,
Ezek. xviii. 29; by2am, Joel iv. 4, ete.
The ancient translators have all read in-
terrogatively. LXX. Μὴ σφάγια καὶ
ana RSL ae pol, kK. T. ALS he
moe ™
«ολϑρό Lisseaso buss Ἰδοῦ
A -- Vulg. Numguid hostias et sacri-
facia obtulistis mihi, ete Targ, resin
SIS το MITE PPL TIS BE] TEP.
And so almost all the moderns, some of ©
whom suppose the force of the question
to lie in Io to me, taken emphatically,
ss Was it to ME,’”’ etc. while others think
that an absolute denial of the presenta-
tion of sacrifices in the wilderness is im-
plied in the words. In support of the
latter opinion, it has been attempted to
prove, that the Israelites could not have
offered any sacrifices for want of cattle.
Such a position, however, is contrary to
the express declarations found in Exod.
Xii. 38, xvil. 3. xxxiv. 3; Lev. xvii. 1-9.
Num, vii. passim, xx. 4, 19. The life
which they led in the desert was that of
Nomades, so that there could have been
158
AMOS.
Cuapr. V.
During forty years in the desert, O house of Israel ?
26 And yet ye bare the shrine of your king,
no lack of animals for sacrifice. The
true construction of the passage is found-
ed on the principle, that not untrequently
in Hebrew the interrogation implies,
and calls for an emphatic affirmative,
either expressed or understood; and is
thus equivalent to a negative interroga-
tion in our language, and indeed to ἐξ τ
in Hebrew. See 1 Sam. ii. 27, 28; Job
xx. 4; Jer. xxxi, 20; Ezek. xx. 4. In
the present case, as in these just cited,
the persons addressed are supposed 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:
“ Did ye not present sacrifices and
offerings to me in the wilderness forty
years, Ὁ house of Israel? Yes; and yet
ye bare the shrine,” ete. That the con-
junction 4 is frequently to be rendered
and yet, but yet, or the like, see Gen,
xvil. 21; Judges xvi.15: Ps. 1. 17; Is.
liii. 7. What is here charged upon the
ancient Israelites was their indulging in
idolatrous practices while they pro-
fessedly attended to the ritual obsery-
ances of the Mosaic law — the very sin
which Amos was commissioned to charge
upon their descendants in his day, and on
account of which they were to be carried
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
time of the prophet, is less admissible
than that which refers to their ances-
tors, 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 rendered,
as well as variously interpreted. The
translation of the LXX. is as follows:
Kal ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Μολὺχ,
καὶ τὸ ἄστρον τοῦ ϑεοῦ ὑμῶν ‘Pagar,
τοὺς τύπους αὐτῶν, obs ἐποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς ;
as if the Hebrew had read, rs ὩΣ Ὁ 25
wa. EStriby 5559 nei qh mize
rest ony? vege envcbs. No vestige,
however, of any such order of the words
is found in any Hebrew MS., or in any
other 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. ren-
ders thus: Kal ἤρατε τὴν ὅρασιν τοῦ Ba-
σιλέως ὑμῶν, ἀμαύρωσιν εἰδώλων ὑμῶν,
ἄστρον τοῦ ϑεοῦ ὑμῶν ; 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 Targ., though
their renderings differ from each other in
one or two minor particulars. The re-
mark of Jerome on the discrepancies be-
tween the Hebrew text and the ancient
Greek versions deserves to be quoted
here: ‘Observandum est, apostolos et
apostolicos viros in ponendis testimoniis
de Veteri Testamento, non verba consid-
erare sed sensum, nec eadem sermonum
calcare vestigia, dummodo a sententiis
non recedant.”” Comment. in loc. Most,
interpreters follow the LXX. in giving
masd by σκηνὴ, a tent ; deriving it, like
m2d, and 5%, of the same signification,
from 20, to intertwine, as branches, so as
to form a booth or hut. Others, such as
Jarchi,.Calvin, Mercer, and Rosenmiiller,
take it to mean an image or idol, and
render, Siccuth your king. They explain
it by referring to the Chald. sn5o, a
wooden post, which they suppose formed
the pedestal on which the idol stood,
and so the word might be transferred to
the idol itself. Ewald takes much the
same view. ‘The former derivation is
alone admissible. The text appears to
have had something of the texture, as it
had the design of the σκηνῆς ἱερᾶς,
sacred tent, in the Carthaginian camp,
mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx.
cap. 25, and described as consisting ἐκ
καλάμου καὶ χόρτου, of reeds and grass.
Comp. Wilkinson’s Ancient Egypt, sec-
ond series, 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 may be inferred, that it
was only a small temple or shrine, which
might easily be concealed in the interior
Cuap. V.
AMOS. ; _ 159
And Chiun of your images, the star of your god,
Which ye made for yourselves.
of a tent. Such diminutive temples were
in use among the Egyptians, from whom
no doubt the Hebrews took the idea.
Herodotus, describing an idol worshipped
at Papremis, says, τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα ἐὸν
ἐν ΝΉΩι ΜΙΚΡΩι ξυλίνῳ κατακεχρυσω-
μένῳ προεκκομίζουσι τῇ προτεραίῃ ἐς
ἄλλο οἴκημα ἱρόν, The image, being in
a small temple of gilt wood, they carry
out on the previous day to another sacred
habitation.” Compare the ναοὶ ἀργυροῖ,
shrines, or small temples of Diana,
mentioned Acts xix. 24. That any
connection is to be traced between τ",
Siccuth, and niza nid, Succoth-benoth,
2 Kings xvii. 30, the tents in which the
daughters of the Babylonians prostituted
themselves in worship of Venus, does not
appear. C>>v0, your king, thus Symm.
Theodot. and Leo Juda, and most
moderns ; but the LXX. Moadx, Syr.
Soaa&, Maleum, Aq. Μέλχεμ, Vulg-
Moloch, exhibit the word as the proper
name of the god of the Ammonites, 7. 6.
bia, also called psd, Milcom, 1 Kings
xi. 5, and pad, Malcam, Zeph. i. 5;
and this construction some moderns have
adopted ; but as ‘7572, Aéng, is also em-
ployed by the Hebrews in application to
idols, Is. xxxvii. 13, Zeph. i. 5, it is bet-
ter to retain its usual signification. The
Pheenicians gave the title of tS» 4b",
hing of the world, to the sun, and
map poa=napbn, hing of the city, to
Hercules Comp. Zed ἄνα. liad. ii. 351,
xvi. 233; and *A”vat ASE παρ᾽ ἡμέας
ἱκέτης, Herod. 1. 159. In Ethiopic
Δ ΦΟΩΛ Ὧ : Amiak, the proper name
for God, is derived from (© Ari im-
peravit, rexit, and is applied in the plural
to idols. The learned are generally
agreed, that the Moloch of Scripture
was the image of the planet Saturn, and
thus identical with Chiun, mentioned
by Amos in the following clause of the
verse. The Pheenicians were in the
habit of offering to him human sacrifices,
LS
especially 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.
cexlvii. Suppl. No. 1115; Selden de “
Diis Syris, cap. vi. ; Spencer de Legibus |
Hebreor. lib. ii. cap. 10; Gesenius, in
his Thesaurus, swb voc.; Winer, Real-
worter-buch. p> bs 372, Chiun of
your images, i. 6. represented by them ;
the model after which they were made.
While the idol so called, which the
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
of astrology. Such appears to me to
be the meaning of the words. To this
construction, however, C. B. Michaelis,
Vitringa, Rosenmiiller, Hesselberg, Heng-
stenberg, and others object, that 1t makes 7
ἽΥ̓Ξ ἃ proper name, which, with the
older grammarians, they allege cannot
be put in regimen. But to this rule, it
must be admitted, there are many excep-
tions, as ninney, jie ἘΞ 5.» ἼΔ' 24,
Pag mines aba, mises nim, DP,
ἘΠ 1532» etc. Nor can it justly be object-
ed that as razo is an appellative, 555
being parallel to it. must necessarily be
the same. The necessity of the case
is not obvious. Both are mentioned as
objects which the Hebrews carried about
for idolatrous purposes, —the one, the
portable temple of the idol; the other
the idol itself placed in this temple, of ἃ,
which numerous miniature resemblances
were privately distributed throughout
the camp. The LXX. unquestionably
regarded the word as a proper name,
whatever they may thereby have intend-
ed to designate. And this view of the
subject is confirmed by ΞΞ3, ὦ star, be-
ing put in apposition with 3375, in order
to explain it, an explanation which can-
not apply, if by the latter term we un-
derstand merely the pedestal or stand on
which the idol was placed. It is now
100
AMOS.
Cuap. V.
27 Therefore, I will carry you away captive beyond Damascus,
almost a settled point, that by "5.355, Chiun,
the planet Saturn is meant. If we except
the Syr., which reads ols. Kevon, the
earliest authorities which we have for
this interpretation of the passage are the
rabbins Abenezra and Kimchi; but their
testimony as relating to a matter of
fact is irrefragable, however slightingly
Hengstenberg seems to treat it, Authen.
des Pentat. p. 113. The former thus
comments upon the passage: 1.5 τι 5) 21
asd sim 0D OND Da ἘΣΘ᾽ Fives 501"
pbs id4e7 5 ἼΞῸ sim, “ And as for
the term Chiun, it is known in the Ara-
bic and Persic languages by the name
Kivan, which is Saturn, to which they
made an image.” And the latter, in
nearly the same words: "m5 3595 S175
ἼΞΥΞ obi Seve Jiwds NAP. 151
«ΤΕ is the star Saturn, and thus he is
called Kivan in the Arabic and Persic.”
wis 4S, Keiwan, seems to have been
adopted from the latter into the former
of these languages, in the Lexicons of
which, as a foreign word, it is explained
by oe , the usual name for Saturn in
Arabic. 5 It occurs in the Persian work
entitled Dabistan, the author of which,
describing the temples which the ancient
Persians dedicated to the ee says:
Kin if Ila ead hy
Sliw, that “the image of Kezwan was
of neue ay Lee’s Hebrew Lex. in
voc. ID He speaks, in fact, of the
wl, ie and yee
the planet, just as Amos does of razb
and η:2. According to the Zendavesta
the seven planets are Tir, Behram, Ac-
huma, Anahid, Kewan, Gurtsher, and
Dodidom Mushewer. Bundehesh. V.
In the codex Nasareus, containing the
doctrines of the Sabzeans, which was
published by Norberg, we find a list of
the demons tas rule these a
roe Peatou th
fifth is Kwan, p, 64. It is afterwards
image, of
among whom
jaa3
|Auaso ἜΦΕΡΕ yous uso
ones το {ASsaselo
Ἰδοῦ eo fai} Al
added in the same page :
dias
eSaS 4 5 “The demons of Kivan in-
Sree ας ἢ
ject lamentation, weeping and mourning
into the hearts of men, and rob them of
happiness.” And we farther read, p. 212,
oLltks> |.Zoalo — oe
ἔαςϑο presen lon, “To Kivan is
attributed malice, because from it come
diminution and want.” scribing the
same evil influence to Saturn, the Arabs
likewise give to it the name of if
St, the great disaster; and the idea
frequently occurs in the Latin classics.
See Lucan i. 650 ; Juven. vi. 569 ; Ma-
crob. Saturn. i. 19. If the Hebrew 31-5
be pointed 31°>, the exact pronuncia-
tion of the name of the planet in the other
Oriental dialects will be brought out, and
thus the evidence of identity be complete.
With respect to ‘Paipay, the rendering
of the LXX., or‘ Pégay, as it is to be spelt,
on the authority of the best MSS., Acts
vii. 43, there is every reason to believe
that they mistook 5 for -, as they have
done in other instances; and so have
given Rephan, instead of Kephan. That
PH®@AN should occur in the Arabico-
Coptic table of the planets exhibited by
Kircher in his Ling. Agypt. Restit. p. 49,
by no means proves that this was the
ancient Egyptian name of Saturn; for
as that table is of no great antiquity, and
as the other names are chiefly derived
from the Greek, we may reasonably in-
fer that the one in question was copied
from the Coptic version of this very pas-
sage of the LXX. At all events, no
such name of a deity has yet been found
in the Egyptian pantheon. the
-».-.
-- 2s
Cuap. VI.
AMOS.
161
Saith Tehzvah: God of hosts is his name.
star, is expletive of 4393, in so far as it in-
forms us that the figure of the idol was
that of a star, and thus proves the idola-
trous worship to have been the Sabzean,
with which the Hebrews became ac-
quainted during their stay in the Ara-
bian desert.
27. Instead of pyaid nba, LXX.
ἐπέκεινα Aosta rf beyond Damas-
cus,” with which all the other authori-
ties agree, Stephen has ἐπέκεινα Βαβυ-
λῶνος, “beyond Babylon,” Acts vii. 43,
obviously by way of interpretation. nubn
naturally suggests the idea of remote~
ness, though it is sometimes used in re-
ference to ‘what is at no great distance.
Root spn, Arab. chs, recessit, Syr.
™ V7
\wotdsar, removit, elongavit. The π
added is paragogic. While what Amos
states is included in the statement made
by the proto-martyr, the latter embraces
what was known from fact to be the ful-
filment of the prophecy: the Israelites
having been carried, not merely beyond
Damascus, but beyond Babylon, into the
country of the Medes. The chapter
closes with a vindication of the supre-
macy of Jehovah above all the objects of
Sabean worship: ὑοῦ ΤΑΣ 7 ἜΝ
God of Sabaoth is his nogne ! ;
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, in-
justice, self indulgence, senshality, and total disregard of the divine threatenings, are next
described, 3-6; after which the prophet announces the captivity, and the calamitous cir-
cumstances 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 ruption of an
enemy, that should pervade the whole country, 12-14.
1 Wo to them that are at ease in Zion,
And to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria ;
The distinguished men of the first nations,
1. Though chiefly directed against the
northern of the two kingdoms, the
language of this prophecy is so con-
structed as to apply to both: and in the
present verse express mention is made
of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who
resembled those of Samaria in careless-
ness and carnal security. 5:33 and hua
are similarly connected and applied, Is.
xxx. 9, 11; so that the rendering of the
LXX. τοῖς ἐξουϑενοῦσι Σιὼν, adopted by
21
Dathe, cannot be justified. For the
primary meaning of js», compare the
cognate 492, τῇ Niphal, ¢o lean, lean up-
on, trust. ‘The reduplicate Nwn expresses
intensity. 552 has here the acceptation
of the Arab. nd, rerum gentis ad-
ministrator, princeps gentis : from wd)
perfodit, creatus est ; ereatus fuit ἄμα.
Whence also χοὶ ἃ», prefectura. ‘The
Hebrew phrase tY3 272, ἐο be marked,
AMOS.
Cuar. VL
To whom the house of Israel come !
2 Pass over to Calneh, and see ;
And go thence to Hamath the great ;
Go down also to Gath of the Philistines :
Were they better than these kingdoms ?
Were their boundaries more ample than yours ?
3 Wo to them that put off the day of evil,
distinguished by name, is always used in
reference to persons who had been chosen
or designated for some special service.
Num. 1. 17 ; 1 Chron. xii. 81, xvi. 41;
2 Chron. xxviii. 15, xxxi.19. The term
is here employed for the purpose of speci-
fying more particularly the leading men
in the two kingdoms, whose profligacy
and irreligion preéminently aggravated
the national guilt. By s:iam mods we
are not, with Newcome, to understand
«the chief of the idolatrous nations,’’ and
that the persons spoken of were called
after them, but the Hebrew nation, which
is so called because it was the principal, or
, most distinguished of all the nations of
the earth ; having been constituted the
peculiar people of God, and possessing
laws and privileges unknown to any
other. It might well be said to occupy
the first rank. Comp. ΤΣ Ὁ MeN,
Num. xxiv. 20, where the reference is to
the distinguished place which the Amale-
kites held among the nations of Canaan.
tr is to be construed with t-a7z3, and
not with ovis, or with j93 and i>.
The people of Israel were in the habit of
going up to their princes and leaders for
the decision of differences, ete. They
exerted an influence over the entire
people. Both the LXX. and the Syr.
ave greatly at fault in the translation of
this verse.
2. Three heathen cities are here
selected as specimens of the greatness
and prosperity of the nations to which
they belonged, and the Israelites are
challenged to institute a comparison of
the circumstances 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
which Jehovah had distinguished them,
and the greater punishment to which they
had exposed themselves by their ungrate-
ful returns. For 7355, Calneh, and min,
Hamath, sce on Is. x. 9. Hitzig at-
tempts to prove that by the latter name,
snane, Echatana or Hamedan is meant ;
but there is no reason to believe that the
Hebrews had any knowledge of this city
in the days of Amos. It is here called
ma, great, not to distinguish it from
other cities of the same name, but to ex-
press its size and magnificence. Comp,
m2. its, Sidon the great, Josh. xi. 8.
ra, Gath, was the chief city of one of the
five satrapies of the Philistines, with
whose name it is here associated, to
distinguish it from Gath-Hepher, and
Gath-Rimmon. It had more than once
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 modern tray-
eller. The τ ἴῃ ἘΠ Ξ τι has been regarded
as the Article by the LXX., Syr., and
Vulg. translators, and is thus found in
twelve of De Rossi's MSS. ; but the more
natural construction is that of the Targ.
and most modern versions, which makes
it interrogative. Before the Ἴ)2 of com-
parison is an ellipsis of fim; and
nish, ΠΣ ἈΠ) these kingdoms, must
be understood as designating those of Is-
rael and Judah, with which the prophet
had immediately to do, and to which he
thus emphatically points. In this way
only can an appropriate reference be
found for the distinctive affixes in Ἐ s23
and psdasa. :
3. Supply ‘in, wo to, from ver. 1.
monn, the Targ. not inappropriately
explains by 7" 7,712, remove to a distance.
The root is 7=3, which in the other dia-
Caxrs Vis
AMOS.
163
And bring near the seat of oppression ;
4 That lie upon beds of ivory,
And are stretched upon their couches ;
That eat lambs from the flock,
And calves from the midst of the stall;
ει 5 That strike up songs to the sound of the lyre ;
Like David they invent for themselves instruments of music ;
6 That drink in bowls of wine,
And anoint with the first of oils;
But are not grieved for the destruction of Joseph!
lects signifies ἕο separate, remove as an
object of disgust. Aq. of ἀποκεχωρισμέ-
vo, Symm. ἀφωρισμένοι. The persons
addressed could not bear the idea that
the period of threatened punishment was
impending; they endeavored as much
as possible to keep it out of view. Comp.
Ezek. xii, 21-28. In striking antithesis
to this, they are represented in the fol-
lowing hemistich, as acting in such a
manner as speedily to bring it upon
them.
«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
quod instat
Creditur.”
Claud. Eutrop. lib. ii.
I cannot agree with Jerome, Grotius,
Newcome, Justi, and some others, in
referring d'am N2¥, the seat or throne of
oppression, to the rule of the king of
Assyria: it is more natural to regard
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
rulers and judges. Thus most expositors.
may occurs nowhere else in the sense of
throne; but 33>, of which it is properly
the infinitive, is used in application both
to kings and judges, as is also the par-
ticiple Ξιϑ 1". The term is synonymous
with x5, which is also used both of the
throne and the bench. tam is here
taken by most interpreters to have the
same signification as in Kal, to approach ;
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 Ὁ" π|5}2, which con-
veys 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 putting away
from them all illegal and oppressive
judgment, they encouraged those who
were guilty of them, by assisting in car~
rying them into execution.
4. For 73 niwia, beds of wvory, see on
chap. iii. 15; and comp. lecti eburnei of
Horace, and Jectt eborati of Plautus,
bonne, from 19, Arab. or libere
dismisit, to be thrown negligently along,
is descriptive of the self-indulgent mode
in which the Orientals recline upon their
sofas or couches, being stretched upon
them at full length. The whole verse
sets forth in well chosen expressions the
luxurious habits of the opulent. LXX.
κατασπαταλῶντες5.
5, 6. 03 is ἃ ἅπαξ Aey., and has been
thought by Gesenius, Hitzig, and Ewald,
to have been selected on purpose, instead
of 21, ¢o sing, in order to express the
contempt in which the music deserved
to be held. Such interpretation, how-
ever, does not appear to be philologically
sustained, and ill suits the corresponding
hemistich. According to the LXX.
ἐπικρατοῦντες, presiding over, or at, the
verb is synonymous with hss, in Piel, to
superintend, lead in music. Hence
Hz, the chief musician. Comp. the
Arab. bys, prevertit, precessit. The
164
AMOS.
Cuap. V1.
7 Therefore now they shall go captive at the head of the captives,
And the shouting company of those that recline shall depart.
8 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself,
Thus saith Jehovah, God of hosts,
I abhor the splendor of Jacob,
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 in.one house,
persons reprobated were so passionately
fond of song, that they could not be
content to listen to the performances of
professed musiqians, but took the lead in
striking up songs to the sound of the
lyre. ‘The reference to David, who was
the sweet singer of Israel, and of whose
musical instruments express mention is
made Neh. xii. 36, is mahifestky iron-
ical; implying that, while that monarch
deyoted 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. ἘΠ ΤΊΣ. were properly basins, or
bowls, of a larger size, used for sacrificial
purposes, Exod. xxxviil. 3; Num. vii.
13, 19. The persons referred to, indulged
to such excess, that ordinary cups were
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
suhject, or the still more serious evils
which threatened them. For the mean-
ing of 501%, Joseph, see on chap. v. 6.
ΠΗ 172 Arab, 5 re vox, the shout
or cry, in which the merrymakers in-
dulged over their cups. The persons giv-
ing the shout seem to be intended, and, as
the term is also used in reference to a
ery of lamentation, Jer. xvi. 5, it may
be implied that their joy would be turned
into sorrow. They are spoken of col-
lectively. Symm. ἑταιρεία τρυφητῶν.
Those who had taken the lead in revelry
and all manner of wickedness, were to
be first in the procession of captives. In
such a position, their disgrace would be
more conspicuous.
8. The double form of asseveration
here employed is unusual, and is strongly
emphatic. asm, the Piel participle of
=xn, a root of the same signification with
azn. Compare for a similar interchange
of these letters $y; and $23, sa and
ya. Though the phrase 2 Vina, the
excellency of Jacob, cannot be otherwise
understood than of God himself, as the
only legitimate object of glorying on the
part of his people, chap. viii. 7, yet, in
the prestnt instance, it is to be taken in
application to the country and peculiar
privileges of the Hebrews. It was once
a country piously celebrated in song as
the excellency of Jacob, Ps. xlvii. 5, and
the peculiar object of divine regard; but
now defiled by the wickedness of its in-
habitants, it had become the object of
his abhorrence. By "Ὁ, the city, Amos
had most probably Samaria in his eye.
Hitzig attaches to "m,n, the significa-
tion of Kal, ἐο besiege, shut up, but the
usual Hiphil signification better agrees
with the following connection. sa,
fulness, conveys the idea of multitude,
ox great abundance, and comprehends
here both the numerous inhabitants
themselves, and the wealth and means
of gratification in which they abounded.
Comp. Ps, xxiv. 1. For the accomplish-
ment of the prediction, see 2 Kings xvii.
5, 6. .
9, 10. The scene is not necessarily
laid in the city ; it might also have been
realized in any of the towns or villages
in the country that had been depopu-
lated by the Assyrians. It depicts, in
the most affecting manner, the deplorable
condition of the few that had escaped
the enemy, and had now been attacked
by the plague—a usual attendant on
=p.
Cuar. VI.
They also shall die.
AMOS.
165
10 And one’s relative, even he that burneth him shall take him up,
To remove his 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;
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 he will smite the great house with breaches,
And the small house with fissures.
war in the East. The prophet declares,
that if as many as ten had been left in
one house, which might be regarded as
a rare instance, they should die, one
after another, of this fatal disease. 147
is 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. s-a-np. Vulg.
propinguus. In the present case, such
would be the paucity of hands, that he
would have to perform the whole him-
self. The copulative 5, prefixed to ‘57572,
is epexegetical, and is to be rendered
even, as in Zech. ix. 9. Instead of 5757,
many both of Kennicott’s and De Rossi's
MSS. read correctly 5772. But comp.
=
the Syr. 2 500- Some have attempted
to prove from this, and some other pas-
sages, that it was the practice of the
Hebrews to burn their dead. But what
is said 2 Chron. xvi. 14, xxi. 19; Jer.
xxxiv. 5, obviously refers to the burning
of spices, and not of dead bodies. 1 Sam.
xxxi. 12, and our present text, exhibit
special cases. In the former of these,
the object was so to dispose of the
corpses that it might not be in the
power of the Philistines further to dis-
honor them; while in the latter, it was
either, as Grotius supposes, to prevent
contagion, or to dispose of the body in
the only way of which the circumstances
of the time would allow. That by p~a=3,
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
doubt by a reference to Gen. 1. 25;
Exod. xiii. 19; 2 Kings xiii. 21; Jer.
viii. 1, 2. n=37°M5773, is well rendered
in the Vulg. in penctralibus domus. See
on Is. xiv. 18. Having burnt and re-
moved one body after another, the rela-
tive, discovering a patient in one of the
innermost rooms or corners of the house,
inquires whether he is the only survivor?
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 Divine name was
not to be mentioned. Most probably
the patient had begun to give vent to
his feelings in expressions of praise to
Jehovah, for sparing his life in the midst
of such prevailing mortality ; when the
other, from some superstitious notion, or
from the supposed incongruity of prais-
ing God in such circumstances, inter-
rupted his pious effusions. Eva “7537,
means to mention, or record with appro-
bation, as an object of trust. Comp.
Josh. xxiii. 7; Ps. xx. 8. The phrase
cannot, therefore, be construed into the
language of despair— as if the person
who gave utterance to the words be-
sought God to take him away likewisey
and thus terminate the melancholy scene.
Nor, for the same reason, can it imply,
as Michaelis interprets, that he had
confirmed what he had stated with 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,
166
12 Shall horses run upon a
AMOS.
Cuar. VI.
arock? | :
Will one plough there with oxen?
Yet we have converted justice into poison,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.
13
That say,
Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought,
Have we not by our own strength,
Taken to ourselves horns ?
14
But behold! I will raise up against you, O house of Israel!
A nation, saith Jehovah, God of hosts ;
And they shall oppress you,
From the entrance of Hamath,
To the river of the desert.
and by the “small house”’ that of Judah;
and comp. chap. ix. 8, 9, where the
same participial form 73373 is employed
as here before another verb. ὉΠ Ὁ“,
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 is sprinkled, and is derived
from 997, ¢o spr inkle. E737 pa, are Jis-
sures, or rents in an edifice, which threat-
en its fall. There was to bea markad dif-
ference in the treatment of the two king-
doms; the one was to be utterly de-
stroyed, while the other, though greatly
injured, was still to stand. Rosenmiiller,
however, regards the interpretation as
“arguta magis, quam vera,’ Calvin,
Vatablus, Marckius, Cocceius, Lowth,
Micheelis, and Maurer, likewise take the
words literally, as applying to the houses
both of the rich and the poor. The
destruction, more or less, was to be uni-
versal.
«“Regum turres ac pauperum tabernas.””
Horace.
This construction of the verse is con-
firmed by a comparison with chap. iii,
15.
12. The folly of expecting real pros-
perity while committing acts of injustice,
is forcibly represented by comparing it
to the absurdity of attempting to run
horses upon a rock, or to plough it with
oxen. To add to the strength of the
representation, it is put in the interroga-
tive form. winm? is to be taken im-
personally. /
13. The participles, with the τὸ demon-
strative, are again employed as in verses
3, 4,5, 6. a sd, non-re, what is so
perishable and evanescent, that it may
well be said to have no existence. Horns
are the symbol of power and dominion.
14. Few instances will be found in
Hebrew, in which the object of a verb
is so far removed from it as "Δ here is
from p77%- Some have referred tmz
MAIN, the river of the Desert, to the
Rhinocorura, otherwise called the river of
Egypt; and others to “" the brook of the
willows,” ὈΠΞΌΣ ΤΙ "73, or the Wady εἰ-
Ahsa, which flows into the Dead Sea,
near Zoar; but it is obvious from 2
Kings xiv. 25, in which the limits here
specified are described as constituting
those of the kingdom of the ten tribes,
that it must mean the brook Kidron,
which falls into the Dead Sea to the
south of Jericho. One of the names given
to this sea is manyn 2, the Sea of the
Desert ; M2527, the “desert, forming
what is now commonly called ) 52} ᾿»
El-Ghor, or the low sterile region in
which the valley of the Jordan ter-
minates, and which extends as far as the
Elanitic Gulf.
Ζ
Cuap. VII. 167
VII.—VIII. 3.
TuIs portion of the bOOK ¢;,,,ains four symbolical visions respecting successive judgments
that were to be inflicted on the kingdom of Israel. They were delivered at Bethel, and
in all probability at the commencement of the prophet’s ministry. Each of them, as they
follow in the series, is more 8 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
harvest, 1-3; the second, a fire, which effected an universal conflagration, 4-6; the third,
a plumb-line, ready to be applied to mark 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 the
kingdom, viii. 1-8. The mtervening’ 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.
1 Tavs the Lord Jehovah showed me, and, behold, he formed
locusts at the beginning of the shooting up of the latter grass:
and, behold, it was the latter grass after the king’s mowings.
2 “And it came to pass, W hen they had entirely devoured the
gr ass of the land, I said:
1. All the four visions are introduced
in nearly the same language: *28975 75
mami mim os. The repetition of mam,
behold, is ‘peculiar to this verse. In the
latter of the two instances, it is employed
for the sake of emphasis, instead of the
substantive verb, »25, a name of the lo-
cust, occurring only here, and Nah. iii. 17,
and synonymous with x3, Is. xxxiii. 4,
Comp. the Arab. ole and ol
locusta, from lis, egressus fuit, in
reference to its coming forth out of the
egg, which had been deposited in the
earth to be hatched. The term is, there-
fore, strictly descriptive of the locust in
its caterpillar state, and thus agrees with
the use of the verb “33, ¢o form, which
is here used. Prof. Lee derives it from
«5 Credner on Joel, pp.
299-302, elaborately 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 ὙΞ, is found in
several masculine nouns, as “47, ὋΣ 57.
secuit.
“Enc, etc.; but the anomaly has not yet
been satisfactorily accounted for. See,
however, Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 523. Lee’s
Heb, Gram. Art. 139, 4, 2d edit. wpb,
an after-math, or second crop, which
comes up immediately after the mowing
of grass. tp$, cognate with vps, Arab.
μ a}, legit, collegit, signifies in Piel to
gather the late fruit.
Oo
bao, serotinus, and vipa, the latter
4
rain. The phrase 55:27 572 may either
mean the mowings of the grass which
grew on the roy al domains, or the first
mowings of that belonging to the people,
to which the king tyrannically laid
claim. Considering the character of the
times, there can be little doubt that the
latter are meant.
2. That the locusts here referred to
are not intended to represent a literal
swarm 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
Comp. the Syr.
108
Ο Lord Jehovah! forgive, I Ὁ
Who is Jacob, that he should st
For he is small.
8 Jehovah repented of this:
It shall not be, saith Jehovah.
4 Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me,
“Jehovah called to contend by fire ; and
Cuap. VIL
old, the Lord
sumed the great
abyss, and devoured the portion,
5 Then 1 said:
O Lord Jehovah! desist I beseech thee!
Who is Jacob, that he should stand?
For he is small.
6 Jehovah repented of this:
It also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah.
7 Thus he showed me, and behold the Lord stood upon a per-
character of the two visions, ver. 7, and
chap. vii. 1. Most probably the army
of Pul, king of Assyria, is meant. The
Israelites had been greatly reduced by
repeated invasions on the part of the
Syrian kings, and were on the point of
being attacked by the Assyrians, but
purchased their retreat with the sum of
one thousand talents of silver. See 2
Kings xv. 19, 20. 3559" ἘΠῚ “2, con-
cisely for bap "3 APy2 1, ie is Jacob,
that he sind ἡ ἀπά ? meaning, how can
he possibly sustain the threatened attack,
reduced and weak as he is in resources.
ἘΠῚ signifies to stand fast, continue,
endure, as well as to rise. One of De
Rossi’s MSS., and another originally,
read ἢ» 8ηἃ another nap, and thus
the LXX. Syr. Symm. and Vulg.; but
less appropriately in such context.
3. om, Pick renders, gave consolation,
which is not so suitable here as the
signification, to repent. Such repentance
is to be understood ϑεοπρεπῶς, appear-
ing, as Veil observes, ‘in effectu, citra
mutationem in effectu.”” Comp. 1 Sam.
XV Mie ser, 1111, L105. Tare.
MTA, ‘the Lord turned away his wrath.
rst, the feminine pronoun, stands for the
neuter of other languages.
4. sp corresponds in form to Ἐξ 1",
ver. 1. 24>, an abbreviated form of the
Hiphil infinitive, ayn. Comp. Is. iii.
ssl ane
13. The verb signifies to contend judici-
ally, to treat 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 zwar,
of which it is an appropriate symbol.
See Num. xxi. 28; Judges ix. 15, 20;
Is. Ixvi. 16. To express the extent of
the threatened calamity, the fire, by a
bold figure, is represented as drying up
the ocean (737 O17), and consuming
whatever was found on the dry land.
This acceptation of ron, a division, por-
tion, or allotment of, land, the antithesis
requires; still, however, the term is chosen
with special application to the land of
Canaan, which was divided to the chil-
dren of Israel as their portion. The de-
finite form of the noun p>nn~ns, indi-
cates as much, The invasion of the land
of Israel by Tiglath-Pileser, and the first
captivity of that people seem to be the
subjects of the vision. See 2 Kings xv.
29; 1 Chron. v. 26. That in the former
vision, the calamity had not been in-
flicted, the use of the verb nbs, forgive,
intimates. In this, it had in part, as
the use of ban, desist, obviously im-
plies.
5, 6. In these verses, as in vers. 2 and
8, we have a beautiful instance of the in-
fluence of prayer in averting or mitigat-
ing the judgments of God.
Cuap. VIL
8 pendicular wall; and in his hand was a plumb-line.
AMOS.
169
And
Jehovah said to me, What seest thou, Amos? And I said, A
plumb-line. And the Lord saith :
Behold, I will seta plumb-line
In the midst of my people Israel ;
I will pass by them no more.
9 The high-places of Isaac shall be desolated,
And the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste ;
And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the
sword.
10
7, 8. This vision, and that described
chap. viii. 1-3, differ from the two
preceding, in the distinct and express
application of the symbols to the punish-
ment of the Israelites. The Divine
patience is exhausted. Jehovah takes
active measures for executing his threat-
enings, and at last inflicts the exter-
minating judgment on a people ripe for
destruction. The prophet, in consequence,
intercedes no more, F238 ΤΠ, ὦ per-
pendicular wall, lit. a wall of the plum-
met, so called from the plumb-line being
applied in order to secure its perpen-
dicularity. 32s, which occurs only in
these verses, properly signifies /ead or
tin. Arab. ILI, Syr. 123), plumbum.
Aq. γάνωσις, stannatura, The line and
plummet were used not only when houses
were building, but also when they were
to be destroyed. See 2 Kings xxi. 13;
Is. xxviil. 17, xxxiv. 11; Lam.ii 8. The
LXX. and Symm. ἀδάμαντα, which the
Syr. also exhibits. In the explanation
of the vision, it is expressly stated, that
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-Pileser’s in-
vasion, but that it should reach the very
centre. This took place when Shal-
maneser, the successor of that king, after
a siege of three years, took Samaria, put
an end to the kingdom of the ten tribes,
and carried them away captive into
6
22
Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam, the
Assyria, 2 Kings xvii. 3, 5, 6, 23. “a2,
to pass, pass on or away, means, in ap-
plication to sin, to pass it by, to forgive,
not to punish it. Prov. xix. 11; Micah
vii. 18. See on this latter passage.
9. A definite prediction of the destruc-
tion which was to overtake the places of
idolatrous worship, and the royal house
by which that worship had been estab-
lished and supported. These are spe-
cially mentioned, because to them, as the
procuring causes, the destruction was to
be traced. For the meaning of ni,
high places, see on Is. lxv.7. Op,
the parallel term, denotes the temples, or
structures, consecrated to the worship of
idols. Comp. w7p7a, ver. 13. pny, in-
stead of pns>, is not peculiar to our
prophet ; the same orthography is found
Ps. ev. 9; Jer. xxxiii. 26. There is no
reason whatever to suppose that the word
was purposely so written, or that it was
intended to be taken otherwise than as
a proper name; yet the LXX. have
βωμοὶ τοῦ γέλωτος ; and so the Syr.
Michaelis finds a paronomasia in it ;
Dahl, an instance of irony; and even
Calvin thinks that the name was used
by Amos μιμητικῶς. It is here, and ver.
16, parallel with Ἐπ 195, and denotes the
ten tribes. .
10, 11. Verses 10-17 contain an in-
teresting historical episode. As there
was doubtless a number of priests who
conducted the idolatrous services at
Bethel, ym'> must here be understood
κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν of the chief or high priest,
attached to the royal temple. In the
spirit which has characterized a false
170
AMOS.
Cuap. VIL
king of Israel, saying: Amos hath formed a conspiracy against
thee, in the midst of the house of Israel :
For thus hath Amos said :
the land cannot con-
But pro-
11 tain all his words.
Jeroboam shall die by the sword; «
᾿ And Israel shall surely be led away captive from his land.
12 And Amaziah said to Amos: Seer! Go, flee to the land of
13 Judah, and eat there bread, and prophesy there.
14
royal residence.
phesy no more at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and a
And Amos answered and said to Amaziah :
I am no prophet ; neither am I the son of a prophet ; but I am
4s an herdsman, and a cultivator of sycamores.
priesthood in every age, Amaziah brings
against the prophet the groundless charge
of treason. ‘hat 5-57 is to be rendered
contain, and refers to number and not
to atrocity, appears from $5, all, being
employed before the following noun.
Com. for this signification of the verb in
Hiphil, 1 Kings vii. 26, 37; Ezek. xxiii.
32. In the Syr. in which a verb signify-
ing to endure is used, $= is omitted, as
not suiting the Oriental idiom.
12,13. It does not appear that the
king took any notice of the message that
was sent him, so that Amaziah was left
to try what the interposition of his own
authority would effect. He addressed
the prophet by the title mz}, seer, most
probably with contemptuous reference to
his visions ; though it was adopted in the
later Hebrew, as “equivalent to x72, and
corresponds in signification to mh, which
was anciently used, 1 Sam. ix. 9. Not
imagining that Amos could be actuated
by any higher principle than that of
selfishness, which reigned in his own
heart, the priest advised him to consult
his safety by fleeing across the frontier
into the kingdom of Judah, where he
might obtain his livelihood by the unre-
strained exercise of his prophetical gifts.
The words 34-43 5, though pleonas-
tic are emphatic. At all events, he could
not be permitted any longer to prophesy
in the city of Bethel, which was (lis-
tinguished not only as the principal
seat of the king's religion, but also as be-
ing one of his royal residences. Though
the ordinary residence of the Israel-
itish monarchs was at Samaria, yet as
And Jehovah
they went at certain stated seasons to
Bethel to worship the golden calf, they
had had a palace. built there for their ac-
commodation.
14. Amos modestly but firmly repels
the charge of selfishness, by declaring,
that he was not a prophet by profession ;
that he had not been educated with a
view to such profession; that he was a
person of rustic habits: and that his
Divine mission was altogether of an
extraordinary character. x»22 33, the son,
i.e. pupil or disciple of a pr cnn In
all probability some of the schools of the
prophets, of which we read in the first
book of Samuel, were still in existence,
in which young men were educated, who
devoted themselves to the service of the
theocracy in the capacity of public in-
structors, and to these or to more pri-
vate studies, under the guidance of some
prophet, Amos may be supposed to
refer. “pin, strictly taken, means an
ox-herd; but as ΡΞ came, in a larger
acceptation, to denote cattle in general,
it might signify a keeper of any kind of
eattle. There is, therefore no occasion,
with some, to suppose that the word was Ὁ
originally sp4:, as in chap.i. 1. od45
occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Scrip-
tures; but the Arab. yk, signifies a
white fig, andthe Eth. (\/\ [12 both
the fig-tree and its fruit. As, however,
the participial form of the word is that
which denotes agency, it must mean one
who is occupied with, or cultivates figs.
The particular mode in which the an-
Cuar. VII.
AMOS.
1}
took me from following the flock ; and Jehovah said to me:
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.
And now, hear the word
of Jehovah. Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel; and,
saith Jehovah:
Drop nothing against the house of Isaac.
Therefore thus
Thy wife shall commit lewdness in the city,
And thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sward ;
Thy land, also, shall be divided by line,
And thou shalt die in a polluted land ;
And Israel shall surely be taken away captive from his
land.
cients cultivated fig-trees, the LXX. ap-
pear to have had in their eye, when they
rendered it by κνίζων, a nipper or scratch-
er ; for we are informed by ‘Theophrastus,
that iron nails or prongs were employed
to make incisions or scratches in the tree,
that by letting out some of the sap, the
fruit might be ripened: πέπτειν ov
δύναται ἂν μὴ emivicdi* ἄλλ᾽ ἔχοντες
ὄνυχας σιδηρᾶς ἐπικνίζουσιν᾽ ἃ δ᾽ ἂν ἐπι-
κνισδῇ. τεταρταῖα πέπτεται, iv. 2. See
also Plin. Hist. Nat. xiii. 14; Forskal,
Flor. Egypt. p. 182. ΠΡ 9, sycamores,
a species of tree, abounding in the East,
pretty much resembling the mulberry
tree, the fruit of which is similar to the
fig. It is, however, very inferior in
quality, and is only eaten by the poorest
class of the people. From this circum-
stance it may be inferred that Amos
occupied a humble station in life pre-
vious to his being called to prophesy in
Israel.
15. Sy 822 is used both in a good and
in a bad sense, and is here to be rendered
indefinitely, to prophesy to. The pro-
nominal suffix in “sy, ‘my people,” is
not without emphasis. The Israelites
were Jehovah’s by right ; he still claimed
his propricty in them; and, by the
ministry of his prophet, would have re-
covered them to his service.
16. Instead of listening to the prohibi-
tion of Amaziah, and retiring from his
sphere of duty, Amos continued to dis-
charge the duties of his office at Bethel ;
but before proceeding to give an account
of another vision which he had had, he
directs a pointed prediction against the
idolatrous priest by whom he had been
interrupted. Ὁ 12π, ¢o distil, to cause to
come down in pleasing and flowing dis-
course; here parallel with s23, to pro-
phesy. Comp. Ezek. xxi. 2, 7; Micah
avy
ii 6,11. Sy. aa, Arab. κ 5155,
Eth. INN: stillavit, WA}
percolavit.
17. Between =v: in this verse,
and πὴ my in ver. 16, is a marked
antithesis. 27m is not to be understood
of voluntary acts of infidelity on the part
of the wife of Amaziah, but of the vio-
lence to which she would have to submit
on the part of the enemy. This being
done -">2, in the eity, i.e. openly and
publicly, was a great aggravation of the
evil.
*Od5é σφὶ ἐγκέφαλος χαμμώδις ῥέοι, ὡς
main?
EOL
ὅδε οἴνος
Αὐτῶν, καὶ τεκέων, ἄλοχοι δ᾽ ἄλλοισι
μιγεῖεν. Iliad. b. iii. 800, 301.
Every country, except Canaan, was re-
garded by the Hebrews as revs 7278, @
polluted land, though, at this time, their
own land had become such. Is. xxiv. 5,
where o:mis similarly used ; Jer. li. 7.
The land of Assyria is that to which
Amos points.
172 AMOS. Cuar. VIII.
CH APTA Waa
AFTER giving an account of a fourth vision, in which was represented the ripeness for dew
truction at which the Israelites had arrived, and the certainty of such destruction, 1-3,
the prophet resumes his denunciatory addresses to the avaricious oppressors of the peo-
ple, 4-7; predicts the overthrow of the nation, 8-10; and concludes with threatening a
destitution of the means of religious instruction, 11-14.
1 Tuus the Lord Jehovah showed me, and, behold, a basket of
2 ripe fruit !
A basket of ripe fruit.
Then said Jehovah to me:
And he said, What seest thou, Amos? And I said,
The end is come to my people Israel ;
I will pass by them no more.
3 And the songs of the palace shall howl,
In that day,
The carcasses are many!
Throw them out anywhere!
Hush!
saith the Lord Jehovah ;
4 Hear this! ye that pant after the needy,
1. This vision may be regarded as a
continuation of the subject with which
the last concluded, in the development
of which the prophet had been interrupted
ν Vv
553, Syr. 1Δ. 59. a
cage, or basket; Arab. cals, inseruit
loro inter duas corit partes ; AS; lorum
vel filamentum lignosum palme, quo con-
suitur : what is braided from twigs, such
as wicker work. ‘>>
by Amaziah.
is used both of
summer, and of the fruit which is
gathered in swmmer. It is to the ripe-
ness of the fruit at this season that pro-
minence is here designed to be given.
The verb occurs but once in Heb. viz.
Is. xviii. 6. Arab. bas, media @s-
tas : Lk, admodum ferbuit, estiva ha-
butt.
2. The paronomasia in +> and +> is
marked and forcible. Comp. Ezek. vii. 6:
Fa Ὁ ἐδ οἰ Ee
ΕΞ TAT Tek VR PR 82 82 Ὑ
3. Instead of the pathetic elegies loudly
and continuously poured forth at the
princely funerals, nothing was to be
heard but the frantic howl, announcing,
but instantly checked in announcing, the
greatness of the disaster. Into such
howling the joyous songs of the palace
were to be converted. Symm. ὀλολύ-
ἔουσιν αἱ δαί. The dead bodies were
to be cast forth indiscriminately, without
any regard to the places where they
might lie; and even this was not to be
effected without exposing those who
performed it to the attacks of the ene-
my. Hence silence was to be enjoined.
Some improperly render t=-m, temple.
For π᾿, comp. chap. vi. 10.
4. The prophet resumes his usual
style of direct comminatory address.
Comp. chapters iv. v. and vi. For 5x3,
see on chap. ii. 7, nsayb—mragnt, to
cause to cease, bring toan end, annthilate,
destroy. The ἡ in mad; is to be taken
τελικῶς, aS denoting the end or aim of
Cuar. VIII.
AMOS.
That ye may destroy the poor of the land,
5 Saying, When will the new moon be over,
That we may sell corn?
And the Sabbath,
That we may open out grain ?
Making the ephah small,
And the shekel great,
And falsifying the palates for deceit.
6 That we may purchase the poor for money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals ;
And sell the refuse of the grain.
7 Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob :
I will never forget any of their deeds.
the oppressions practised by the avari-
cious Israelites.
5. From this and other passages it is
obvious that the Israelites, notwithstand-
ing their idolatrous practices, still kept
up the observance of the times and
seasons appointed in the law of Moses.
Nay and 329 “avn, lit. ¢o break a
breaking, but meaning ¢o sell grain, is
supposed to he so named from its being
broken to pieces when ground at the
mill. Some, however, think the name is
derived from its being broken up or
separated by a measure into portions,
with a view to sale; while others are of
opinion that it is so called because it
breaks or puts an end to hunger, com-
paring Ps. civ. 11. By 7a ns, opening
the corn, is meant opening the sacks or
granaries in which it was kept, and
bringing it out for sale. Thus the LXX.
Syr. and Targ. The m5-x, ephah, was a
corn measure, containing three seahs,
and according to Josephus, equal to the
Attic medimnus, or somewhat above three
English pecks., It is uncertain whether
the word be originally, Hebrew, or
whether it be Egyptian, t;3, from Ἐξ,
to weigh, Axab. \ his, ponderosus fwit,
gravitatem et pondus eeplonuvit: is here
used of weights in general. It was
eriginally any piece of metal weighed
as an equivalent for what was bought;
but came afterwards to signify standard
money, and differed in value, according
as it was of silver or gold, and as it was
estimated by the sacred or the royal
tandard, Exod. xxx. 13; 2 Sam. xiv.
26. For the sake of greater emphasis,
instead of saying, to make or to use
deceitful balances, the verb may, to bend,
twist, pervert, is employed, which, in
point of meaning, is pleonastic. LXX.
ποιῆσαι (ζυγὸν ἄδικιμον.
6. See chap. ii. 6.
fall ;
ete.
7. The iniquitous conduct of the Is-
raelites having been minutely described,
the severe punishment which they had
merited is now threatened. 2537 7783,
the excellency of Jacob, has been variously
interpreted. The Targ. Grotius, Dahl,
Newcome, and Bauer, understand the
excellence conferred upon Jacob; Justi
and Ewald, very preposterously, the pride
or haughtiness of the people; the Rab-
bins and some others, the temple; but
the only appropriate construction of the
phrase, in this connection, is that whieh
refers it to Jehovah himself, in whom
alone the Hebrews gloried while they
adhered to the purity of his worship, and
in whom they still ought to glory. Thus
> vy ney. δ Φ
ἴμο Syr- σα ΟΣ..5 σεϑ 2 [309
the Lord, the Mighty One of Jacob;
Munster, Vatablus, Mercer, Drusius.
Lively, Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer. Com.
chap. vi. 8, where W523 Σ ΞΘ 5 occurs
instead of the present phrase, which,
however, is also there used in a bad
ben, from ἘΞ, to
what has fallen off, refuse, chaff,
4 AMOS.
8 Shall not the Jand tremble for this,
10
And every one that dwelleth therein mourn?
Shall not all of it rise like the river ?
Shall it not be driven, and subside,
Like the river of Egypt?
It shall come to pass in that day,
Saith the Lord Jehovah,
That I will cause the sun to go down at noon,
And will darken the land in the clear day.
I will turn your festivals into mourning,
And all your songs into lamentation :
I will bring sackcloth upon all loins,
And baldness upon every head ;
I will make it as the mourning for an only son,
And the end of it a bitter day.
Cuap.
VI.
sense. Mats ἘΝ, 1 forget, is the usual
formula of swearing, implying that it
should not take place. 3, in this con-
nection, implies both totality, and the
singlé items of which that totality is
made up. Comp. Ps. ciii. 2.
8. The guilt of the people was so en-
ormous, that it was sufficient to induce
an entire subversion of the existing
state of things. To express this more
strongly, the land is metaphorically re-
presented as rising and swelling like the
Nile, and again falling like the same
river. Of course, the idea of the heay-
ing and subsiding of the ground during
an earthquake is what is intended, as
the beginning of the verse shows. For
the sake of energy and impression, the
interrogative form is, as frequently, em-
ployed. That -8>, by an elision of the
letter Yod, is a defective form of “ἰδ, 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 "νὴ in full. For the
origin and meaning of the word, see on
Is. xix. 6. ta is used in Niphal, to ex-
press the violent agitation of the sea
when raised by the wind, Is. lvii.” 20.
It here denotes the rise of the Nile,
which is generally above twenty feet.
For E22 the Keri and a great many
MSS. in the text, read ;2pzs, which is
undoubtedly genuine. The root >P9
occurs in a similar connection, chap.
ix. 5. It signities to sink down, or sub-
side.
9. Some think the prophet here pre-
dicts the total eclipse of the sun, which
took place at one of the great festivals
in the year that Jeroboam died, (see
Usher’s Annals, a. M. 3213); but what-
ever there may be in the language bor-
rowed from such an event, consistency
of interpretation requires it to be taken
metaphorically, as descriptive of a change
from circumstances of prosperity to those
of adversity. Comp. Jer. xv. 9; Ezek.
xxxii. 7-10.
10. The Hebrew festivals were occa-
sions of great joy, and were no doubt on
this very account kept up among the ten
tribes after they had lost their religious
importance. The calamitous result of
the Assyrian invasion under Shalma-
neser is here most graphically de-
picted. Comp. Is. xv. 2; Jer. xlviii. 37 ;
Ezek. vii. 18. The death of an only
son was regarded by the Hebrews as the
most mournful of events. Comp. Jer.
vi. 26; Zech. xii. 10. The pronominal
reference in πολ Ὁ and HH Re is YTS
understood. = in "2 0173, is the Caph
veritatis, 4 ν
παν. VII.
11
AMOS.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah,
When I will send a famine into the land ;
Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of Jehovah.
12 And men shall wander from sea to sea,
And shall run up and down, from the North even to the East,
Seeking the word of Jehovah,
But they shall not find it.
13 In that day the fair virgins shall faint,
And the young men also, for thirst ;
14 That swear by the sin of Samaria,
And say, By the life of thy God, O Dan!
‘‘ Nunc et amara dies, et noctis amarior
umbra est ;
Omnia jam tristi tempora felle madens.””
Tibullus, Eleg. lib. ii. Eleg. iv. 11.
11, 12. The Israelites now despised
the messages of the prophets, and by a
just retribution, in addition to all their
other calamities, they should experience
a total withdrawal of all prophetic com-
munications. Comp. Ezek. vii. 26 ;
Micah iii. 7. In whatever direction they
might proceed, and whatever efforts they
might make to obtain information rela-
tive to the issue of their trouble, they
should meet with nothing but disappoint-
ment. τη Τ᾽, swn-rise, is used, where
geographically we should have expected
77727, or 239, the south ; but the term may
have been chosen in order to intimate
the complete alienation of Israel from
Judah, in consequence of which no one
would think of repairing to Jerusalem
for oracular information. That any trans-
position 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 in-
tended to be strictly marked, but that
the object was to indicate generally the
hopelessness of the attempts mentioned.
The Athnach is improperly placed under
mata, instead of under 3:90 zt, as the
Vau prefixed to 7i5x and the form of
the verb show.
13. ΩΣ in this verse, is to be under-
stood of the natural thirst to be expe-
rienced by the inhabitants of Samaria
during the siege predicted in the pre-
ceding verses; 435527, properly means,
they shall feet themselves involved in dark-
ness, Which is physically true of those
who are seized with syncope. The root
soz, Arab. δι, signifies zo cover,
envelop ; here, with darkness, under-
stood. After sanan subaud. “EDD.
14. Vine maw, the sin or crime of
Samaria ; i. 6. the golden calf and other
objects of unlawful “worship which were
the occasion of sin and guilt to the Is-
raelites. Hitzig thinks that Astarte is
specifically meant ; but the term was
doubtless intended to comprehend the
calf at Bethel, the religious veneration
of which led to the grosser forms of
idolatry. At the same time, ms, As-
tarte, is spoken of, 2 Kings xiii. 6, in
distinction from the worship specially
instituted by Jeroboam. See on Is. xvii.
8. The god of Dan was the other gol-
den calf, erected by Jeroboam in Dan,
1 Kings xii. 26-28. By yau—-y2 5727,
Kimchi, Michaelis, and Bauer, under-
stand literally the way or pilgrimage to
Beersheba ; -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 Gj Seds σου.
Strictly speaking, it denotes the way or
mode of worship, or the worship itself,
that was performed at Beersheba. Com.
Ps, cxxxix. 24; Acts ix. 2, xix. 9, 23.
See on chap. y. 5. "πὶ is a formula of
176
swearing: By the life of
sure as such an one lives, and was pe-
AMOS. Cuar. IX.
And, By the life of the way of Beersheba!
They shall fall, and rise no more.
, or, As culiarly absurd and sinful when applied
to inanimate objects.
CHAPTER) LX:
ΤῊΙΒ chapter commences with an account of the fifth and last vision of the prophet, in which
the final ruin of the kingdom of Israel is represented. This ruin was to be complete and
irreparable; and no quarter to which the inhabitants might flee for refuge, would afford
them any shelter from the wrath of the Omnipresent and Almighty Jehovah, 1-6. Asa
sinful nation, it was to be treated as if it had never stood in any covenant relation to him;
yet, in their individual capacity, as the descendants of Abraham, how much soever they
might be scattered and afflicted 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
in their®wn land in the latter day, 13-15.
1 Isaw 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 with the sword ;
None of their fugitives shall make his escape,
Nor shall any that slip away be delivered.
1. By the Targ., Calvin, Drusius, Gro-
tius, Justi, Rosenmiiller, and Hengs-
tenberg, the scene of this vision is laid
at the temple of Jerusalem; by Cyril,
‘Munster, Tarnovius, Schmidius, Lowth,
Michaelis, Dahl, Bauer, Hitzig, and
Ewald, at the idolatrous temple at Be-
thel, and, in my opinion, rightly. Calvin
does not show his usual tact in objecting
to this interpretation, on the ground that
it represents Jehovah as indirectly ap-
proving of superstition ; for, though the
true God was seen beside the idolatrous
altar, it was not for the purpose of re-
cciving homage, but of commanding
that the whole of the erection and wor-
ship at Bethel should be destroyed.
No argument in favor of Jerusalem
can be built on the use of the article in
maran “the 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.
“SMEs, an ornamented head or capital of
a column, in the shape of a sphere, or
bowl surrounded by flowers. It is
usually derived from 7£5, ἐο cover, and
“no, tocrown. LXX. ἱλαστήριον, mis-
taking the word for ms=3. When used
of the omamental part of the golden can-
Cuap, IX.
to
AMOS. 177
Though they break through into Sheol,
Thence shall my hand take them ;
Though they climb up to heaven,
Thence will I bring them down.
3 Though they hide themselves on the summit of Carmel,
There I will search them out and take them;
Though they conceal themselves from mine eyes in the bottom
of the sea,
There [ will command the serpent, and he shall bite them.
4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies,
There I will command the sword, and it shall kill them:
I will set mine eyes upon them for evil,
And not for good.
ὅὄ For it is the Lord Jehovah of hosts,
That toucheth the earth and it melteth;
dlestick, they render it σφαιρωτήρ. For
ἘΠΞΌ, see on 15, vi. 4; the similarity, in
some respects, between which passage
and the present, appears to have sug-
gested the idea that the temple at Jeru-
salem is here meant. The temple was
to be smitten both above and below, to
indicate its entire destruction. ps2,
break them, i. 6. the capitals, etc., upon
the head of all the worshippers. It
does not appear that yx and n= my are
here used antithetically. The latter de-
notes the children of those who perished
in the attack upon the idolatrous temple.
When threatened by the Assyrians, they
would flock in crowds to Bethel, to im-
plore protection from the golden calf,
and, while thus assembled, they should
perish, along with the vain object of their
trust ; they should, in fact, be buried in
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. Sixw and πο Ξ τι, are, as usual,
employed as extreme points of opposition.
Comp. Job xi. 8; Ps. cxxxix. 8; Is. xiv.
13, 14; Matt. xi. 28. Ἐπ ws. 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
twelve hundred feet, afforded the fittest
possible places of concealment. Richter,
in his Pilgrimage, p. 65, says: ** Mount
Carmel is entirely covered with green ;
on its swmmits are pines and oaks, and
further down, olive and laurel trees,
ete. These forests would furnish safe
hiding places, equally with the caves,
which are chiefly on the west side facing
the sea.” ban yap, the bottom of the
Mediterranean Sea, forms a striking con-
trast to the summit of Carmel, which
beetles above it. ζῇ", Arab. Se
terra equabilis ; when spoken of a house,
the foundation or floor ; here the bottom
or basis, on which the sea rests. For
m3, sea-serpent, see on Is, xxvii. 1.
“ Immensis orbibus angues
Incumbant pelago, pariterque ad littora
tendunt.”
JEneid. ii. 204.
The ‘a in DY, in verses ὃ and 4, loses
its proper prepositive signification, as in
77%", ΟΞ, Mims, etc. and merely
denotes position or place.
5, 6. A sublime description of the al-
mighty and uncontrollable power of
Jehovah. For the reference to the
Nile, see on chap. viii. 8. Instead of
anitra, the Keri and not a few MSS.
read 3°ni>3% in full. Comp. "ΡῈ,
Ps. civ. 3, 13.
178
And all that dwell in it mourn ;
AMOS.
Cuar. IX.
It riseth, all of it, like the river,
And subsideth like the river of Egypt.
6 He that buildeth his upper chambers in the heavens,
And foundeth his vaults upon the earth ;
That calleth to the waters of the sea,
And poureth them out on the surface of the earth ;
Jehovah is his name.
7 Are ye not as the Cushites to me,
O sons of Israel? saith Jehovah.
Did 1 not bring Israel from the land of Egypt ?
The Philistines from Caphtor ?
And the Syrians from Kir ?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful king-
dom,
AlSepos οἶκον ὑπέρτατον ναιετάεις.
Oppian. Halieut. i. 490.
Θεοῦ οἰκητήριον τοῦ κόσμου τὸ ἄνω.
Aristot.
m8; a body or mass, the parts of which
are firmly compacted; Arab. Olaf Ρ
fornix firme compaginis et structure 5
an arch or vault ; obviously used of the
2°71, or hemispheric expanse or vault of
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., congregation, and apply
it to the Church, as a body of believers,
firmly united together, is altogether un-
suitable to the connection. The render-
ing of the LXX., Syr., and Arab. would
seem to indicate ‘that ninas min orig-
inally stood in the text, at the end of
ver, 8; but only one of De Rossi’s MSS.
has fis reading at first hand.
7. By appealing to the fact, that, in
his providence, he had removed different
nations from their original abodes, and
settled them elsewhere, Jehovah repels
the idea, which the israclites were so
prone to entertain, that, because he had
brought them out of Egypt, and given
them the land of Canaan, they were pe-
culiarly the objects of his regard, and
could never be subdued or destroyed.
He now regarded, and would treat them
as the Cushites, who had been trans-
planted from their primary location
in Arabia, into the midst of the bar-
barous nations of Africa. Dep, Cush-
ttes, are here the inhabitants ‘of the
African Cush, or Ethiopia. See on Is,
xviii. 2. Arab. yas sts Abys-
sinians.
Αἰϑίοπας, τοὶ διχϑὰ ἀπ με ἔσχατοι
ἀνδρῶν,
Οἱ μὲν δυσομένου ὑπερίονος, οἱ δ᾽ ἂνι-
OvTOS-
Odyss. 1. 23, 24.
For p->nw>s, see on Is. xiv. 28. Gese-
nius hesitates between Crete and Cap-
padocia, as designated by the Hebrew
Caphtor, but inclines to the former.
Thesaurus, p. 709. LXX. Καππαδοκία.
Eqs, Aram, or Syria, put for the Syrians,
i, 6. the inhabitants of the countries
about Damascus. They are here repre-
sented as having migrated from -~p, Kir,
the country lying on the river Aw, or
Cyrus. See on Is. xxii.6,
8, 9. 3 Bray, the eyes of a person are
said to be én any one, when he keeps
him steadily in view, in order either to
do him good, or to punish him. In
the present instance, the phrase conveys
the idea of hostility. Though the king-
dom of the ten tribes was to be utterly
and forever destroyed, yet, as descend-
ants of their patriarchal ancestors, they
should not become extinct. In the midst
Orarsirx.
AMOS. 179
And I will destroy it from the face of the earth ;
Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,
Saith Jehovah.
9 For, behold, I will command,
And will sift the house of Israel among all the nations,
As one sifteth corn in a sieve,
And not a grain falleth to the ground.
10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
That say, The evil shall not reach nor overtake us.
11
In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is falling,
And will close up its breaches ;
of the wrath which their sinfulness should
bring upon them, God would remember
mercy. 5 DDN is strongly adversative.
πῆ, a sieve, which is used to separate
the chaff and other refuse from. the pure
grain, is most probably derived from
-22, to be many, from the number of
small holes in it. LXX. λικμὸς. Aq. and
Symm. Κόσκινον. “nx is used as a di-
minutive of "Ὥξ, the smallest stone, 2
Sam. xvii. 13; here it signifies the small-
est grain or particle of com. While the
figurative language here employed ex-
presses the violence of the sifting process
to which the Israelites should be sub-
jected in order that their idolatry and
other sins might be removed from them ;
it likewise sets forth the great care that
would be exercised for their preserva-
tion. The universal character of their
dispersion is likewise strongly marked.
10. Those are here specially intended,
who scoffingly denied the possibility of
the Assyrian conquest, namely, the
dissipated magnates of Samaria. Such
should perish in the war. “32 ὈΠπΡ τ
is unusual. Perhaps the meaning is,
Shall not come forward, or advance
in our rear, so as to cut off our re-
treat.
11. The Israelites now disappear from
the scene, in order to give place to a
brief but prominent exhibition of the
restoration of the Jews from their de-
pressed condition, during the anticipated
captivity in Babylon, and the great
design of that restoration — the intro-
duction of the Messianic dispensation,
during which the blessings of the cov-
enant 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 quo-
tation is made from the version of the
LXX.; but as regards verbality, differs
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 further be observed that, though he
quotes the entire passage, consisting of
the 11th and 12th-verses, his obvious
design was to give prominence to what
is contained in the latter, viz. the con-
version of the Gentiles, the very point
required by his argument; so that all
attempts to apply what is said respect-
ing the booth of David to the Christian
church, are unwarranted and futile.
s>i1, David, is used by the prophet, not
in its figurative, but in its proper mean-
ing, as denoting the Hebrew monarch of
that name. By sann 55°, that day, for
which James has, quite indefinitely, μετὰ
ταῦτα, we are to understand the period of
the dispersion of the Israelites among the
nations, subsequent to the fall of their
kingdom. Though that kingdom would
never be restored, yet the Jewish polity
would be re-established at Jerusalem.
This polity is here called πλλπτ Ὁ, the
booth, or hut of David, to denote the
reduced state of his family, and the
affairs of the people. Comp. Is. xi. 1,
and my note there. When the prosnerty
of that family is spoken of, the more
180
And I will raise up its ruins,
AMOS.
Cuap. IX
And build it as in the days of old,
12 That the remnant of Edom may be possessed,
And all the nations upon which my name shall be called,
Saith Jehovah that doeth this.
dignified phrase, 1712 rma, the house of
David, is employed. See 2 Sam. iii. 1;
1 Kings xi. 38 ; Is. vii. 2, 18. 1913 Sak,
the tent, or tabernacle of David, Is. xvi. 5,
would seem to express an intermediate
state of things. That ποῦ π|, David, is here
to be understood of the Messiah, I cannot
find. m=, tugurium, a hut, or booth, so
called from its being constructed by
interweaving the boughs and branches
of trees with each ihe and its thus
forming ἃ rude shelter from the storm.
It was in such booths the Hebrews were to
dwel]l during the seven days of ΞΘ. 5h,
the feast of booths, commonly ‘called
«the feast of tabernacles.” See Levit.
xxiii. 40-43. Root 550, to weave, in-
terweave, protect, Still more definitely
to mark the depressed condition of the
Jewish kingdom, is described as rt=:,
falling. The present participle is here:
as frequently, used to denote an action
which was happening at the time of
narration, and which would be continued,
About the time of Amos the Jewish af-
fairs had begun to decline; and, though
they occasionally and partially revived,
yet, 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 Rabbins derived one of the
names which they give to the Messiah :
"ἘΞ. 42 the son of the fallen. Thus in the
Talmud, Sanhed. fol. 96, 2: «*R. Nach-
man said to R. Isaac: Hast thou heard
when Bar-naphli comes? To whom he
said, Who is Bar-naphli. He replied,
The Messiah : you may call the Messiah
Bar-naphli ; for is it not written, In that
day I will raise up, οἵα. δ᾿ quoting the
present verse of Amos. For other
passages to the same effect, see Schoet-
genii Hore Hebraice et Talmud. The
feminine suffix in y7°s78 is to be re-
ferred to the different parts or cities of
the kingdom, understood. The mas-
culine in 3°n547, has 771 for its antece-
dent, and the feminine in m3 refers
to neo.
12. The grand end of the restoration
from the captivity in Babylon is now
stated, viz. the introduction of the
universal economy of the gospel. The
church of God had formerly consisted of
persons belonging to a particular nation :
henceforth it was to comprehend those
of all nations, even such as had been
most hostile to its interests, whom God
would call to be his people. 27, ¢o take
possession of, inherit, is here used figura-
tively of the influence for good which the
church should exert over the Gentiles,
bringing them within her pale, and using
them for her holy and benevolent pur-
poses. In the words, m1" bia 5
‘thy seed shall possess,” ΟΥ̓“ inherit the
nations,” Is. liv. 3, we have a strictly
parallel prophecy, couched in the same
language. Comp. also Is. xlix. 8, and
Rom. iv. 13, where, in reference to the
blessing of the Gentiles with faithful
Abraham, that patriarch is called “ the
heir of the world.” Among the first of
the foreign nations that were to experi-
ence his beneficent influence, the Idu-
means are expressly mentioned. Owing
to the enmity which had existed between
them and the Jews, they had mutually
harassed and wasted each other, in con-
sequence of which, and of invasions and
wars on the part of other powers, nothing
but m=, @ remnant, of the former was
left. Of this remnant, a portion was pro-
selytized to the Jewish faith in the time
of John Hyrcanus, and the remainder
amalgamated with the tribes of Arabia,
which embraced the Christian faith. It
is to these last that specific reference
Cuap. IX.
13
AMOS.
Behold, the days are coming,
181
saith Jehovah,
That the ploughman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him that soweth the seed ;
And the mountains shall drop with new wine;
And all the hills shall melt.
is here made. sw" is to be taken
impersonally, and rendered passively ;
and the power of its future must be
carried forward to x72. The calling of
aname upon any person or thing, nde
notes the assertion of the claims of the
individual whose name is mentioned
upon the person or thing specified.
ΠῚ πὸ is the accusative, ms being
understood as repeated. ΠΝ ἼΣ29
Eins τόσσον the ΤΧΧ, have ren-
dered ὅπως ἐκζητήσωσιν of κατώλοιποι
τῶν ἀνθρώπων, or, as some MSS. read,
ἐκζητήσωσι με, aS if their Hebrew ἐπὶ
had been pax τη Ὁ ons 977 Ww,
that the residue of men ma Ψ seek me.
Newcome supposes that the reading
ΣΝ is a contraction for mim? ms; but
though τὸν Κύριον, which we find in
~ the quotation, Acts xv. 17, might seem
to favor this supposition, there is no
evidence to prove that the contraction
" ms, SO common in Rabbinical writ-
ings, is of such antiquity. Τὸν Κύριον
I consider to be merely an interpreta-
tion of we. No Hebrew MSS. afford
any countenance to the Greek transla-
tion, nor do any of the versions, except
the Arabic, which, as usual, follows the
LXX. For this reason, and regarding
the latitude used by the writers of the
New Testament when quoting from the
Old, I cannot perceive how the passage
can justly be charged with corruption.
To which 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 exhibits as
sufficiently expressive of the fact which
he had in view.
13. Comp. Levit. xxvi. 5. The lan-
guage imports the greatest abundance ;
and this verse, with the two following,
refer to a period subsequent to that of
the calling of the Gentiles. This the in-
troductory phraseb-~a £21 737, Behold,
the days are coming, distinguished as it
is from Sinn ΠῚ 9a, In that day, ver. 11,
the position of the prophecy, and other
features which characterize it, sufficiently
show. The verses are parallel with Is.
lxi. 4, lxii. 8, 9, Ixv. 21-23; and are to
be interpreted of the future restoration
of the Jews to their own land, and their
abundant prosperity in the latter day.
For sain 22, to draw out the seed,
comp. 2137 v2, Ps. exxvi. 6. The
idea seems to be that of conveying the
seed with the hand from the sack or ves-
sel in which it was carried, yet not to the
exclusion of the act of sowing. Comp.
the Eth. TAY Jaculatus est sagit-
tas. For ots, fresh or sweet wine,
see on Joel i. 5. ‘The metaphorical
language here employed is at once, in
the highest degree, bold and pleasing.
The Hebrews were accustomed to con-
struct 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
be such, that the eminences themselves
would appear to be converted into the
juice of the grape.
6
Subitis messor gaudebit aristis :
Rorabunt querceta favis, stagnantia pas-
sim
Vina fluent, oleique lacus.”
Claudian, in Rujin. lib. i. 382.
How striking the contrast between the
scene here depicted, and that which
the face of Palestine has presented
during the long period of the disper-
sion !
182
AMOS.
Cuap. IX.
14 I will reverse the captivity of my people Israel,
And they shall build the desolate cities, and inhabit them ;
And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them ;
They shall also 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 land
Which I have given them,
Saith Jehovah thy God.
14, 15. It is impossible to conceive
of prophecy more distinctly or positively
asserting the future and final restoration
of the Jews to Canaan than that con-
tained in these verses. Once and again
they have been removed from that fa-
vored land, on account of their wicked-
ness ; but still it is theirs by Divine dona-
tion to their great progenitor. And when
they return to the faith of Abraham, be-
holding in retrospection the day of the
Messiah, which he saw and was glad, but
deeply bewailing their guilt in having
crucified him, and persevered for so many
centuries in the rejection of his gospel,
they shall regain possession of it, and re-
main its happy occupants till the end of
time.
OBADIAH.
PREFACE.
THE prophecy of Obadiah, consisting only of twenty-one verses, is the
shortest 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
by the Rabbins and Fathers: — some identifying him with the pious Oba-
diah who lived at the court of Ahab; some, with the overseer of the work-
men, mentioned 2 Chron. xxxiv. 12; and some, with others of the same
name; while there is no lack of legendary notices respecting the place of
his birth, sepulchre, ete. See Carpzovii Introd. tom. il. 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 pro-
phetical anticipations of the future. He must, therefore, have lived after,
or been contemporary with Jeremiah, and not with Hosea, Joel, and Amos,
as Grotius, Huet, and Lightfoot, maintain. Suflicient proof of his having
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
in the parallel prophecy, Jeremiah xlix.; it being assumed that he must
have borrowed from him. This opinion, however, though held by Luther,
Bertholdt, Von Coelln, Credner, Hitzig, and Von Knobel, is less probable
than the contrary hypothesis, which has been advocated by Tarnovius,
Schmidius, Du Veil, Drusius, Newcome, Eichhorn, Jahn, Schnurrer, Rosen-
miiller, Holzapfel, Hendework, Hiivernick, and Maurer. Indeed, a com-
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
Disputatio philologica in Obadiam, Tubing. 1787, 4to. Add to which, that
Jeremiah appears to have been in the habit of partially quoting from preced-
ing prophets. Comp. Is. xv. xvi. with Jerem. xlviii. This view is confirmed
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 con-
dition, the more energetic and unusual manner of the original than Jeremiah.
In brief, the portion in question is so entirely in keeping with the remainder
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 poet.
In all probability the prophecy was delivered between the year B. C. 588,
when Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans, and the termination of the
184 PREFACE TO OBADIAH.
siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. During this interval, that monarch sub-
dued the Idumeans, and other neighboring nations.
Of the composition of Obadiah, little, as Bishop Lowth observes, can be
said, owing to its extreme brevity. Its principal features are animation,
regularity, and perspicuity. —
The subjects Of the prophecy are the judgments to be inflicted upon the
Jdumeans on account of their wanton and cruel conduct towards the Jews at
the time of the Chaldean invasion; and the restoration of the latter from
captivity. The book may, therefore, be fitly divided into two parts: the
first comprising verses 1-16, which contain a reprehension of the pride, self-
confidence, and unfeeling cruelty of the former people, and definite predic-
tions of their destruction ; the latter, verses 17-21, in which it is promised
that the Jews should not only be restored to their own land, but possess the
territories of the surrounding nations, especially Idumea.
The reason why the book occupies its present unchronological position in
the Hebrew Bible, is supposed to be the connection between the subject of
which it treats, and the mention made of “ the residue of Edom,” at the con-
clusion of the preceding book of Amos. ,
OBADIAH. 185
GB ASD AGE.
Tux 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 deserted and fallen condition, 6-9; specifies its cause — their unnatural cruelty to-
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.
1 Tue Vision of Obadiah.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom :
We have heard a report from Jehovah,
And a messenger is sent among the nations :
“Up! let us rise against her to battle ! ”
2 Behold, I have made thee small among the nations ;
1. Eichhorn, Rosenmiiller, Jaeger,
and Hendewerk, have raised unneces-
sary doubt respecting the genuineness
of the title and introduction contained
in this verse, which have been fully
obviated by Schnurrer, Maurer, and Hit-
zig. For 737m, see on Is, i. 1. 42725,
Obadiah, “the servant of Jehovah,”
equivalent to xan», Addeel, Jer. xxxvi.
26; Arab. x} Quc, Abd-allah; Ger.
Gottschalck. For ois, Edom, see on
Is. xxxiv. 5. The words yd nye
min? mya, we have heard a report from
Jehovah, are not to be regarded as de-
signed to describe the reception of the
Divine message by the prophet, but ex-
press the communication made to the
nations by the ambassador sent to sum-
mon them to the attack upon Idumea, as
the following clause shows. The mn,
yeport, or communication itself, is con-
tained in the last line of the verse. The
plural form %39733, ‘“‘we have heard,”
for which Jeremiah has τ ον, “ I have
heard,” is so qualified by the passive
verb 5x in the second member of the
parallelism, that it is equivalent to the
passive form 731302, hath been heard.
24
There is, therefore, no necessity to in-
quire whether Obadiah meant himself
and other prophets, or whether he iden-
tified himself with his countrymen.
All that is intended is the circulation of
the hostile message in regard to Idumea ;
and the tracing of the movement to the
overruling providence of God, by which
Nebuchadnezzar and his allies were led
to turn their arms against that country.
See Calvin, in loc. “>x, a messenger, or
ambassador; Arab. pie: yee tvit, pro-
fectus est. LXX. περιοχὴν, but in Jer.
ἀγγέλους ; Symm. here ἀγγελίαν. Com.
Is. xviii. 2, and my note there. sp,
arise! up! like 155, come! go! etc., is
frequently used as a term of excitement.
With it the address of the herald com-
mences; who, identifying himself with
the nations which he summons, pro-
ceeds to employ the plural of the same
verb in its strictly hostile sense, followed
by the preposition $y. cits, though
properly masculine, is here viewed as
vas, @ country; hence the feminine
suffix in 4759.
2. Here the masculine gender is
adopted, which is continued througho.t
186
Thou art exceedingly despised.
OBADIAH,.
3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,
Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high !
That saith in his heart,
Who shall bring me down to the ground ?
4 Though thou shouldest soar like the eagle,
And shouldest set thy nest among the stars,
Thence I will bring thee down,
the prophecy — ἘΣ, people, being under-
stood. The past time of the verbs ex-
presses the certainty of the events ; and
Ἵν small, and 5:13, despised, are not
designed to mark the comparatively
limited and despicable character of
Idumea, geographically considered, as
Newcome interprets, but describe the
miserable condition to which it was to.
be reduced by its enemies.
3. The Idumeans are taunted with the
proud confidence which they placed in
their lofty and precipitous mountain
fastnesses, and the insolence with which
they scouted every attempt to subdue
them. These positions, strong by nature,
and many of them rendered still more
so by art, they deemed absolutely im-
pregnable. Such inaccessible places are
appropriately called s45~131, cliffs of
the rock, Syr. the Arab.
lau, confugit ; and hence the idea of
refuge, which is secondary, and less
proper to be adopted here. LXX. ἐν
ο >
Syr. [Ives
ρ oe
Lowoms in fortissima rupe. Some in-
=
rupes ;
?
ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῶν πετρῶν.
terpreters are of opinion that by xb»,
Sela, we are to understand the city of
that name, otherwise called Petra, situ-
ated in Wady Misa, and celebrated as
the capital of Idumea. See on 15. xvi.
1. ὙΠΟ Δ Π|, cliffs, would, on this in-
terpretation, ‘be the high and inaccessible
rocks which beetled over that metropolis.
I prefer taking the word in its literal
acceptation, and view it as a collective,
equivalent to the plural of the LXX,
and other ancient versions, and thus
saith Jehovah.
describing the rocky character of the
country generally, as well as that about
Petra in particular. Instead of Syn,
hath deceived thee, four of De Rossi’s
MSS. and originally two more, read
TST 5 but though this reading is sup-
ported by the TK Arab., Vulg., and
Hexaplar Syr. it is inferior to that of the
Textus Receptus, which has the suffrages
of the Syr. and the Targ., especially as
there are no other instances in which
s"wr is used in the sense of raising, or
elevating, The > in 555 Ὁ is simply a po-
etic paragogic, of which several examples
occur in the Benoni participle. See. Gen.
xlix. 11; Deut. xxxiii. 16; Is. xxii. 16;
Micah vii. 14. In ima there is a transi-
tion from the second person to the third,
for the sake of more graphically pointing
out the proud position of Edom. Comp.
Is. xxii. 16.
4. By a bold but beautiful hyperbole,
the Idumeans are told, that, to what
height soever they might remove, and
how entirely they might imagine them-
selves to be beyond 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:
"O2 F332 JETSST πὰ
᾿ spp mess “53
925m. 19207 rts
mass ‘shoe
“Ts it at thy command the eagle soars,
And erects his nest on high ?
The rock he inhabits, and makes his
abode
On the point of the rock, and the fast-
ness.”
OBADIAH.
ὅ If thieves had come to thee,
187
Or robbers by night (how art thou destroyed !)
Would they not have stolen what was sufficient for them?
If vintagers had come to thee,
Would they not have left some gleanings ?
6 How is Esau explored!
pw Ewald and Hitzig take to be a passive
participle; but that it is the infinitive
construct, is rendered certain by its
having the preposition ya before it, Job
xx. 4. In the present instance, and in
Num. xxv. 21, in which, as here, it is
followed by 527, it stands elliptically for
teem ow; which sufficiently accounts for
the rendering of the LXX., Syr., Targ.
and Vulg., ancl exhibit the second
person singular of the verb. The term
ἘΠΞΞῚΞ is to be understood literally of
the stars, as the highest objects which
present themselves to the eye, and not
of the tops of the highest rocks, or even
heaven itself, as some have maintained,
τ ΠΝ is a direct reply to the vaunting
Fee 270777 a, ver. 8. Theodoret
well expresses the sense thus: Ἐπειδὴ
τοίνυν, φησὶ ταύταις Sappav ἀλαζονεύῃ
καὶ μέγα φρονεῖς Gs ἀχείρωτος, εὐάλωτόν
σε καταστήσω καὶ εὐχείρωτον τοῖς ἐχ-
Spots, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων οὐ διαφεύξῃ
τὰς χεῖρας, οὐδὲ εἰ δίκην ἀετοῦ μετέωρος
ἀρϑείης, κ- τ. λ..
5. ‘The Idumeans are here taught, that
ae devastation would be complete.
This prophetic intelligence is com-
municated in the form of interrogative
illustrations, derived from customs with
which 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 maraud-
ing 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-
miah the order of the illustrations is
reversed, the vintagers being taken first.
mb-b -475, night-robbers. In such a
country as Idumea, a predatory attack
could only have been attempted in the
night, especially on such places as were
most strongly fortified by nature, and
commanded 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-
stead of τι Ὁ “I70 tx Ab wa Eras,
Jeremiah has only ; aire pena: ἘΝ,
which is less forcible, He also substitutes
ancmen for anz37. The position of the
words + mn. "ἢν How thou art des-
troyed, has offended some fastidious crit-
ics, some of whom would remove them
to the beginning of the verse, and others
to the commencement of the following.
What might be accounted their natural
place would be the end of the present
verse; but the prophet, struggling to
give expression to the feeling which agi-
tated his mind, breaks in upon his illus-
trations with the interjected exclama-
tion, and then carries them on to a close,
The words are omitted by Jeremiah.
m3 has two leading significations: ¢o
be like; and, according with the Arab.
ὃ; vulneravit, perdidit, to cause to
cease, destroy, etc. LXX. ποῦ ἂν ἀπεῤ-
pions ; having read =n~7073, a verb,
which now here occurs in Niphal. Det,
their sufficiency, 1. e. What was requisite
for supplying their present wants, or
such a quantity as they had sufficient
strength to remove. LXX. τὰ ἱκανὰ
> Me σι
ἑαυτοῖς. Syr. om d.stho» sufficentia
eorum. The apodosis is omitted; but
there is a beautiful propriety in leaving
it to be supplied by those to whom the
appeal was made.
6. The prophet here resumes his strain
of sarcastic plaint over the fal! of Idumea,
which he had abruptly adopted in the
188
OBADIAH.
And his hidden places searched !
7 All thine allies have driven thee to the frontier ;
Those who were at peacé 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 !
preceding verse, repeating the 57s there
employed, which is again understood
before 3722. The patronymic 123 is con-
strued as a collective noun with the
plural of the verb, and, at the same
time, with the singular pronominal affix.
In the translation I have been obliged to
employ the singular in both cases.
D25372, like p°2%90, may either signify
places where treasures are hidden, or the
treasures themselves; or the term may
be explained of hiding places, to which
men resort in order to elude an enemy.
I prefer the last of these significations,
as better agreeing with the persons of the
Edomites, mentioned in the former
hemistich ; though the hiding of their
treasures is also naturally implied. The
form is that of the Arabic passive
phate. Such places abound in Idu-
mea. “ Revera,” says Jerome, “ ut dica-
mus aliquid de natura loci, omnis aus-
tralis regio Idumeorum de Eleuthero-
poli usque Petram et Ailam (hee est
enim possessio Esau) in specubus habi-
tatiunculas habet. Et propter nimios
calores solis, quia meridiana provincia
est, subterraneis tuguriis utitur.” In-
stead of the exclamatory form here
employed, Jeremiah adopts that of
direct personal assertion : "ΤΕ ΣΙ "IN—"D
{Hoe My Nba ἸΣ στα ; changing,
at the same time, vn into hyn, and
ὙΞ ΕΣ into Ἴλη τοῦ.
7. nba, which in Kal has the signi-
fication to send, send away, signifies in
Piel, to dismiss, eject, expel, conveying
the superadded idea of compulsion or
violence. Connected, as here, with +,
the verb implies expulsion beyond the
frontier specified; and the whole sen-
tence is descriptive of transportation into
a state of captivity. Thus the Targ.
qrbas NaI Wo, they shall lead thee
captive from the border. By 3n273 "B28,
the men of thy covenant, are meant those
who had formally pledged assistance to
the Edomites; confederates, allies; by
abu czy, the men of thy peace, neigh-
boring states, which were cn terms of
peace and friendship with them. LXX.
ἄνδρες εἰρηνικοί, those who were peace-
ably inclined towards them. Before
an supply ~g2s from the preceding
— the men of thy bread ; or ">=, may
be understood, those who eat thy bread ;
and thus the phrase will be descriptive
of dependents ; some of the poorer
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 yan> b= with
site wes occurs ; though there the idea
of familiarity, rather than that of de-
pendence, seems intended to be ex-
pressed. Five of De Rossi’s MSS. and
originally two more, read pN*en, instead
of 55x72 7, as also one of the early editions,
the LXX. and Arab. ; but the common
reading is to be preferred. To >>, thirty
MSS.. originally eleven more, four by
emendation, the Soncin. and Complut.
editions, the Soncin. Prophets, and the
Syr., prefix the copulative, which the dif-
ference of sense in the two verbs re-
quires. There is some difficulty in de-
termining the meaning of -i72. LXX.
Ou
ἔνεδρα; Syr. i) Sas, insidie, Vulg.
insidie ; Targ. xbpn, offendiculum — all
agreeing in the idea of treachery, or the
employment of means by which one
might be subverted or ensnared. This
seems to be the only suitable meaning
in this place, as the signification of
wound, which attaches to the word,
Jer. xxx. 13, Hos, y. 13, the other pas-
OBADIAH.
189
8 Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah,
Cause the wise men to perish from Edom ?
And the men of understanding from Mount Esau ?
sages in which it occurs, will not, with
any tolerable degree of propriety, apply.
Two derivations have been proposed,
the Arab. »» distendit, equaliter, dis-
tendit, to which Tingstadius appeals 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
ty, mentitus fuit, ..., fallum, mendac-
IP "»»
tum, with which the Hebrew 43}, ¢o
decline from the way of truth, has been
compared. The use of JAMIN wow, they
place under thee, most naturally suggests
the idea of a gin or trap, which may be
said to deceive or act falsely by those
who tread upon it; so that the notions
of treacher Ys plot, net, snare, may be
combined in furnishing the true sig-
nification. First, who derives the word
from "τ, gives the significations thus:
* circumligare, obligatio vulneris, fascia,
hine medicina; moraliter: Jaguweorum
connexio, perfidia fallax, insidiosa, frau-
dulenta.” ‘To no quarter could the Idu-
means look for aid. Their allies, their
neighbors, their very dependents, so far
from assisting them, would act treach-
erously 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
totally unworthy of it. It would be
highly uncritical, with the Targ., Hougi-
bant, and Newcome, to change 4a, in
him, into 53, i thee.
8. The Idumeans confided, not only
in the natural strength of their country,
but in the superiority of their intel-
lectual talent. That they excelled in
the arts and sciences, is abundantly
proved by the numerous traces of them
in the book of Job, which was undoubt-
edly written in their country. They
were, indeed, proverbial for their 7:==n,
philosophy, for the cultivation of which,
their intercourse with Babylon and Egypt
was exceedingly favorable, as were like-
wise their means of acquiring informa-
tion from the numerous caravans whose
route lay through their country, thus
forming a chain of communication be-
tween Europe and India. Speaking
of wisdom, the author of the book of
Baruch says, in reference to their celeb-
rity as sages of antiquity, chap. iii. 22,
23:
“Τὸ hath not been heard of in Canaan,
Neither hath it been seen in Teman.
The Hagarenes that seek wisdom upon
earth,
The merchants of Meran and of Teman,
The mythologists, and investigators of
intelligence,
None of these have known the ways of
wisdom,
Nor remembered her paths.”
These sages are here called Desh, and
their accumulated stores of wisdom are
expressed by 7:32, intelligence, the term
which had just been employed at the
close of the preceding verse. The inter-
rogative xb is here strongly affirmative ;
and ἢ in "ΛΞ ΑΙ is merely conversive.
"wy “mn, the mount of Esau, is the moun-
tainous region of Seir, to the south of
Palestine, now called yxfUg t dhs,
Jebel Sherah, and ΝΙΝ Sf, esh-Sherah,
extending as far south as Akabah. It
was originally inhabited by the Horites,
or Troglodytz, so called because they
dwelt in the caves of the mountains,
whom the posterity of Esau expelled, and
taking possession of the country, 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 , lu >, Jebel, or
Gebalene, was given. "nm, mountain,
190
9 Thy mighty men, O Teman!
OBADIAH.
shall be dismayed,
That every one may be cut off from mount Esau,
10 For the slaughter, for the injury of thy brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever,
ΓΝ 1 In the day when thou didst take a hostile position,
In the day when foreigners took captive his forces,
And strangers entered _his.gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem,
Even thou wast as one of them
being here, and verse 9th, obviously used
in a collective sense I have translated it
in the plural.
9. For ya-m, Teman, see on Amos i.
12. dup has been variously construed.
Ewald unnaturally renders it, without
battle, Schnurrer treats it as a participle
in Pael or Poel, pointing it tupr or
Subv, and regarding it as equivalent to
the Arab. JsLin, vir prelio aptus. He
would thus make it parallel with £>4 42
mighty men, in the preceding rir σιν
Rosenmiiller, De Wette, and some others,
translate, by slaughter. Leo Juda, most
οἵ the older modern translators, followed
by Jager, Hesselberg, Hendewerk, and
Maurer, render, propter cedem, and
suppose the prophet to be here assign-
ing the cause of the destruction of the
Idumeans which he had just predicted,
intending more fully to dilate on the
subject in the following verse. To this
construction, however, it must be ob-
jected, that it clogs the parallelism,
which properly ends with "zz 4m, as in
the verse preceding ; and also that the
words p22 ΤΟ 779 are too closely allied,
both in form and reference, to admit of
such a pause as that which is introduced
by the Soph-Pasuk. I, therefore, do not
hesitate to follow the division of the
verses adopted by the LXX., Syr., Hex-
aplar Syr., Vulg., Dathe, Lively, New-
come, and Boothroyd, by which bu py
is removed from verse 9th, and pines ‘at
the beginning of verse 10th.
10. πὸ Dn typ. Both nouns
are in construction with 77nMs, and the
genitive thus formed is that of object:
the slaughter of, and the violence done to,
thy brother. The Edomites had not only
slain the Hebrews, but injured them in
every possible way; and their crueltics
were highly aggravated by the considera-
tion, that those who were the objects of
them were descended from the same com-
mon parent. Comp. Amos i. 11. Ja-
cob is used as a patronymic to denote
the Jews. Two distinct periods in the
future history of the Idumeans are here
pointed out: that during which they
should be the subjects of ignominy as‘a
conquered people: and that during which
they were to be entirely extinct. From
the former they recovered about a cen-
tury before the Christian era; but they
were reduced by John Hyrcanus, and
afterwards lost every vestige of their
separate existence.
11. This and the three following verses
contain a series of pointed expostulations,
which, while they inculpate the Idu-
means, describe the various modes in
which they had manifested their malice
towards the Jews. Some have thought
that 1322 722 means here to stand aloof,
to assume a neutral position, whence one
may observe the movements of two op-
posing parties; but the declaration at
the end of the verse, as well as what is
stated in verses 13th and 14th, clearly
shows that the phrase i is to be taken in a
hostile sense, as in 2 Sam. xviii. 13 ; Dan.
x. 13. That tm is not to be sendared
wealth or riches in this passage, but forces,
army, or the like may be inferred from re-
ference being made to the division of the
substance of the citizens of Jerusalem by
lot in the following hemistich, Bir
and e>>3 describe the Chaldeans, by
whom Jerusalem was taken. hm is in
Piel, contracted for 5πῈὲ". Comp. 4791,
Lam, iii, 63. Instead of 142%, the read-
OBAD
12
LAH, 191
Thou shouldest not have looked on in the day of thy brother,
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 :
Neither shouldest thou have spoken insolently
In the day of distress,
13
In the day of their calamity ;
Thou shouldest not have entered the gate of my people,
Thou, even thou, shouldest not have looked on their affliction,
In the day of their calamity ;
Nor stretched forth thy hand to their wealth,
In the day of their calamity.
ing of the text, many MSS., four of the
earliest printed editions, and some more
recent ones, exhibit 75 BU, the full form,
as proposed by the Keri. That the word
may originally have been read as the sin-
gular, is clear from its occurrence in this
number, ver. 13; but then, in both
cases, it is to be taken as a collec-
tive.
12. The future forms myn— x,
Ἐξ nevn—tsy, ΜΊΞΙΣ,
mntun-te, sigga—by, and ngon—by,
are all qualified in signification, ‘by the
circumstance, that the speaker has a past
event prominently in view, in reference
to which he places himself and those
whom he addresses in the time of its
passing, and points out what was their
duty in reference to it. They are prop-
erly subjunctives of negation, expressive
of what should not have been done, and
therefore have the usual force of the im-
perative. ‘ Verba Hebreorum szepe non
actum, sed debitum vel officium signi-
ficat.” Glassii Philolog. Sacr. lib. iii.
tract. 8, can. 6. WNicholson’s Ewald,
ὁ 264. 3 m4, means here ἕο look upon
with malignant pleasure, to feast one’s
eyes with the calamity of another,
πὸ wir, the day of thy brother, is
afterward explained by in33, piss,
MAY, DTN, which describe the calamit-
ous circumstances in which the Jews
were placed. tis, day, is often used to
express a disastrous or calamitous period. '
πΞ:, which is taken actively to denote
ἀρ,
-.
Pag
severe treatment, punishment, Job xxxi.
3, is here used passively of the experience
of such treatment. Comp. the Arab.
5, difficilis ac durus fuit ; gravis ac
difficilis ; improbavit. The idea radically
inherent in the term is that of treating
any one as a Stranger, 2. 6. an alien or
enemy. bssan, to enlarge, or make
great the mouth, Ger. den Mund voll
nehmen : to use insolent or contumelious
language, such as those employ who
—s
Tee
exult over a fallen foe. Comp. Ezek.
ΧΧΧΥ. 13.
13. τὰ in snxcp, is emphatic,
mindwn, some take to be the third plu-
ral feminine, having for its object =>;
but the entire construction of the pas-
sage requires the second person singular
masculine, ΓΦ. The syllable =3 is
added with a view to give intensity to
the verb, as in Jud. v. 26; thus express-
ing the eagerness with whicli the Idu-
means seized upon the spoil. Rosen-
miiller is of opinion that the = is pa-
ragogic, and the 3 epenthetic; but
Gesenius is rather inclined to compare
it with the energetic Future of the
Arabs. Lehrgeb. Ὁ. 801. LXX. μὴ
= ᾽ 2
συνεπιϑδῇ ; ὅγτ. «ασιαο tl;
Vulg. non emitteris ; Targ. ῬΑτλτο Ὁ ἽΝ πὴ.
See for more instances of this intensive
form Job xvii. 16; Is. xxviii. 3; Exod.
i. 10. For the omission of eg hie see
2 Sam. vi. 6: Ps. xviii. 17.
192
OBADIAH,
14 Neither shouldest thou have stood at the pass,
To cut off those of his that. escaped ;
Neither shouldest thou have delivered 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 shall drink and swallow greedily,
And shall be as though they had not been.
14. ps 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
in p18, that it signifies a break or dis-
ruption in a rock or mountain, through
which a passage might be effected into
the region beyond. Comp. n-47 7757,
1 Kings xix. 11. LXX. διεκβολαί. Syr.
ο ΠΝ Δ
Ἰδιϑασο, a narrow passage between
two mountains. In all probability, the
reference is to the means employed to
cut off the retreat of those Jews who at-
tempted to pass through Idumea on
their way to Egypt, whither they fied
from the Chaldeans. Pp Bm ἘΣ "23, to
stand at the ravine or pass, graphically
describes the attitude of those who are
watching in order to intercept a caravan,
or a body of travellers, especially in the
rugged mountainous regions to the south
of Judea. The Idumeans not only in
this way prevented the escape of the
fugitives ; they carried them back as
prisoners, and delivered them up to the
enemy.
15. In this verse, the conquest of Idu-
mea and all the neighboring nations
by Nebuchadnezzar is declared to be
at hand. In the war which he was to
carry on against them, due retribution
would be rendered to the Edomites,
Comp. Ps. exxxvii. 7,8. For the phrase
son? pi", the day of Jehovah, see on Is.
ii, 12.
16. The Targ., Kimchi, Munster, Vata-
blus, Calvin, Michaelis, Hendewerk, and
Hitzig, consider the Idumeans to be still
addressed, and most of them explain
their drinking on Mount Zion of the fes-
tivities with which they celebrated the
victory gained over the Jews. Grotius
refers the words to the same people,
only he takes the verb nv in the bad
sense, as denoting the drinking of the
cup of divine wrath, and renders -n—>3,
"wp, on account of my holy mountain,
which he explains thus: “ propter Ju-
dzeam a vobis lacessitam.”’ But it seems
more natural to regard the words as di-
rected, by a sudden apostrophe, to the
Jews, assuring them, that, though the
sufferings to which they had been sub-
jected were great, still greater punish-
ment would be inflicted upon the hostile
nations by which they had been attacked.
The punishment which they suffered was
only temporary; that of their enemies
would be perpetual. 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 construc-
tion put upon the words, Jer. xlix. 12.
Compare also chap. xxy. 15-29. In
_ this manner the verse is interpreted by
Abenezra, Mercer, Tremellius, Drusius,
Lively, Rosenmiiller, Schnurrer, De
Wette, Hesselberg, and Maurer. In-
stead of πο, continually, the reading
a°25, around, is exhibited in not fewer
than seventy-eight MSS. ; in seventeen
more originally ; in three others in the
margin; in seven of the earliest printed
editions ; and a few other authorities: but
all the ancient versions support that of
the Textus Receptus, which, according
OBADIAH.
17
And it shall be holy:
195
But in Mount Zion shall be the escaped,
And the house of Jacob shall enjoy their possessions.
18
And the house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame ;
And the house of Esau shall become stubble,
And 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.
19
And they of the south shall possess Mount Esau,
And they of the plain, the Philistines ;
They shall also possess the country of Ephraim,
to De Rossi, is found in all the most
accurate and best MSS., both Spanish
and German. In all probability ax»,
was substituted by some copyist from
Jer. xxv. 9. What proves that the LXX.
had the word ποτ in their Hebrew text,
is their having mistaken it for + abel ain
rendering it Pie wine. 31>, to swal-
low or etek down with greediness. Arab.
25 and se) avidus; lg oh
multum Te bibit. Comp. 2d the
throat ; 332, to swallow, etc. The idea
intended to be conveyed by the use of
the verb here is that of drinking com-
pletely off the cup of wrath, asa ‘thirsty
person would a vessel of water.
17. Obadiah here commences his pre-
dictions respecting the restoration of the
Jews from the Babylonish captivity ;
their re-occupancy of Canaan; and the
reign of the Messiah. While the sur-
rounding nations were to disappear, the
Jews should regain possession of their
holy city, and the land of their fathers.
τ "ἘΞ means such as had survived the
captivity. wip, holiness, i. e. holy, re-
fers to Mount vom which had been pol-
luted by the idolatrous Chaldeans. See
on Joel iv. 17. Jeger and Hesselberg
refer the suffix in mmo in, their pos-
sessions, to the hostile nations Spoken of
in the preceding verse; but less natur-
ally.
18. Though the houses of Jacob and
Jeseph are here spoken of separately, it
was not the intention of the prophet
25
to teach that the two kingdoms of
Judah and Israel would be re-estab-
lished; yet the special mention of Jo-
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 incorporated them with the Jews,
that they henceforward formed part of
the nation. See Joseph. Antiquities,
book xiii. chap. ix. 1. For the meta-
phorical language, comp. Num. xxi. 28 ;
Is. x. 17; and, for the ground of it, Is.
ν. 24.
19. By Ξ15, the south, or the southern
part of Palestine, is meant those who
should occupy it; and by mbswn, the
plain, those who should occupy the low
country along the shore of the Medi-
tetranean. LXX. Of ἐν NayéB; οἱ ἐν
τῇ Zepadd. According to the relative
positions of those who should take pos-
session of the different parts of the holy
land, was to be the enlargement of
their territory by the annexation of the
adjoining regions, which had formerly
been occupied by alien or hostile powers.
As there is no subject specified before
Vines Ὑπὸ rei CMEN Ὑπὸ rs, it would
seem to ἘΞ intimated that the regions
of Ephraim and Samaria were to be oc-
cupied by the Jews and Israelites jointly,
10.
And the country of Samaria;
And Benjamin, Gilead.
OBADIAH.
»
20 And the captives of this host of the sons of Israel,
That are among the Canaanites,
As far as Zarephath,
And the captives of Jerusalem,
That are in Sepharad,
Shall possess the cities of the south,
without any regard to tribal distinctions:
and the reason why the tribe of Benja-
min is mentioned, is merely on account
of the proximity of Gilead to the terri-
tory which it originally possessed. That
miwv is here employed to denote, not a
plain or level country, but a region or
district in general, is obvious ae the
nature of the territory to which refer-
ence is made. The mountainous country
of Idumea is called pis iS Tv, Gen.
xn.) δ
20. $n, i.e. 85, an army, host, etc.,
is here used to express the number of
Israelitish captives which were found in
Pheenicia, into which they had been sold
at different times as slaves, and thence
into Greece. See Joel 111, 6,7. trazz5
is elliptical for ἘΠῚΣΣ 223, aie is the
reading of three MSS. Before FEDS ἜΣ,
supply s257 from the following. ΓΞῚΣ,
Zarephath, or Sarepta, now called
ity, Surafend, a town belonging to
Sidon, and situated between that city
and Tyre, close to the shore of the Medi-
terranean. According to the etymology
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 ven to this ancient
city. Palestine, vol. Ῥ. 414. The
name is still given oi a Pad village on
a hill at some little distance. What
city or country is meant by ππξ Ὁ, it has
been hitherto found impossible’ to de-
termine. The LXX. ’Eppadd, which in
all probability is a corruption of Séppa-
Sd. Agq., Symm. and Theod. σαφαράδ.
Hexap. Syr. 95-2 [00 but the Peshito
ἴω" Spain, with which agrees
NESS of the Targ.: an interpretation
unaniinously adopted by the Rabbins,
who in like manner concur in interpret-
ing rpe"x of France. Jcrome, as in-
structed by his Jewish teacher, renders
it the Bosphorus. Some refer it to
Sipphara in Mesopotamia, some to
Sparta, in support of which hypothesis
they appeal to 1 Mace. xii. 21; while
others propose τι 1 Ὁ; Sephara, Gen, x.
80, or the town of Sampap,. mentioned
by Ptolemy, as lying between the terri-
tory of the Homerites and Sabeans. To
judge from the other geographical rela-
tions stated in this and the preceding
verse, we should conjecture, that some
place to the south or east of Judea is
intended. The following list of cities
and places in the possession of the Jews
in the time of Alexander Janneeus is
given by Josephus: κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν
καιρὸν ἤδη τῶν Σύρων καὶ ᾿Ιδουμαίων
καὶ Φοινίκων πόλεις εἶχον ᾿Ιουδαῖοι" πρὸς
ϑαλάσσῃ μὲν Στράτωνος πύργον, ᾿Απολλω-
νίαν, Ἰόππην, ᾿Ιάμνειαν, "Αζωταν, Γάζαν,
᾿Ανϑηδόνα. Ῥαφίαν, Ῥινοκόλουραν" ἐν δὲ τῇ
μεσογείᾳ κατὰ τὴν ᾿Ιδουμαίαν, ἔΑδωρα,
καὶ Μάρισσαν, καὶ Σαμάρειαν, Καρμήλιον
ὄρος, καὶ τὸ ᾿Ιταβύριον ὄρος, Σκυϑόπο-
λιν, Γάδαρα, ΤΓαυλανίτιδα, Σελεύκειαν,
Γάβαλα, Μαωαβίτιδας, ᾿Ἐσσεβὼν, Μή-
δαβα, Λεμβᾶ, ᾽Ορώνος, Γελίϑωνα, Ζῦρα,
Κίλικιον Αὐλῶνα, Πέλλαν --- ἄλλας τε
πόλεις πρωτευούσας τῆς Συρίας, αἱ ἦσαν
κατεσραμμέναι. --- Antig. book. xiy. ch.
iv. 4. @
21. Though forty-four MSS., besides
several others at second hand, and eight
printed editions, read p-w41a instead of
= da jn, there is no difference in the
meaning, the former reading being
OBADIAH.
195
21 And deliverers shall come up in Mount Zion.
To judge Mount Esau ;
And the kingdom shall be Jehovah’s.
merely defective in orthography. The
LXX., Aq., Theod., Syr., and Arab., ap-
pear to have read p»yyis or ἘΣ 5)2 in
the passive, which is unsuitable to the
connection. Jerome observes that the
word is active. Such saviors, or de-
liverers are meant, as those who were
raised up in the time of the Judges.
There can be little doubt that the ccle-
brated family of the Maccabees are in-
tended, whose valiant princes governed
the Jews for the period of an hundred
and twenty-six years, during which
time signal victories were guined over
the Idumeans, as narrated 2 Macc. x.
15-23. Joseph. Antiq. book. xiii. chap.
ix. 1. wed is here used in the sense
of punishing, as in 1 Sam. iii. 13; and
ὯΞ 9 in the phrase 3 ΘΒ Ὁ ney, Exod,
xii. 12; Num. xxxiii. 4. Comp. κρίνω,
Acts vii. 7. The concluding words of
the prophecy, masb:en mint AAW, ΤΟ
fer to he reign of the Messiah, called so
frequently in the N. T. ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ
Θεοῦ. Comp. Dan, ii. 44, vii. 27. But
for the introduction of this kingdom, no
restoration of the Jews would have taken
place; the temple would have remained
jn ruins, and the land a scene of desola«
tion.
δ χι 2 = leo
IS Oa ae
PREFACE.
AGatnsT no book of Scripture have the shafts of infidelity and the sap-
ping arts of anti-supernaturalism been more strenuously directed than against
that of the Prophet Jonah. As early as the days of Julian and Porphyry
it was made the subject of banter and ridicule by the pagans, who accused
the Christians of credulity for believing the story of the deliverance by
means of a fish; and, in modern times, while the enemies of revelation have
evinced the same spirit, many of its pretended friends have had recourse
to methods of interpretation, which would not only remove the book from
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
to wander in the regions of conjecture and fable. Blasche, Grimm, and
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 nar-
rative that would suggest such an idea; and, besides, whenever any account
is given of a dream in Scripture, the fact that such is the case, is always in-
timated by the writer. The manner in which the book commences and
closes, is also objected to this hypothesis, which J. G. A. Miiller ¢ scruples
not to assert we are on no ground whatever (durch gar nichts,) warranted
to adopt. The theory of an historical allegory was advanced and maintained
with great learning, but, at the same time, with the most extravagant license
of imagination, by the eccentric Herman von der Hardt, Professor of the
Oriental languages at the university of Helmstedt.{ According to this
author, 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 ship, Zadok the high-priest; the great fish, the city of Lybon
on the Orontes, where Manasseh was detained as a prisoner, ete. Semler
Michaelis, Herder, Hezel, Stiudlin, Paulus, Meyer, Eichhorn, Niemeyer,
etc. have attempted to vindicate to the book the character of a parable, a
fable, an apologue, or a moral fiction; while Dereser, 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
it might answer didactic purposes. On the other hand, Rosenmiiller, Ge-
* Einleit. Band iv. § 575. + Palus Memorabilien. Stuck vi. p. 154.
τ Anigmata prisci Orbis. Jonas in Luce, etc. Helmstedt. 1723, fol. For the full title of
his remarkable book, see Rosenmiiller’s Prolegom.
PREFACE 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
monster, by Perseus, Apollod. ii. 4, 3; Ovid, Metamorph. iv. 662, ete. ; and
some, to that of Hercules, who sprang into the jaws of an immense fish, and
was three days in its belly, when he undertook to save Hesione, Iliad, xx.
145, xxi. 442; Diod. Sic. iv. 42; Tzetz. ad Lycophr. Cassand. 33 ; Cyril
Alex. in Jon. ii.
Much as some of these writers may have in common with each other, there
are some essential points on which they are totally at variance ; while all
frankly acknowledge the difficulties which clog the subject.
The opinion which has been most generally entertained, is that which ac-
cords to the book a strictly historical character; in other words, which af-
firms 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 compos-
ing the canon of the Old Testament, and place implicit reliance on the au-
thority of the Son of God. 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,
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
the son of Amittai (Ἰωνᾶ τοῦ προφήτου), just as he does that of Elisha, Isaiah,
and Daniel, but represents his being in the belly of the fish as a real miracle
(τὸ σημεῖον) ; grounds upon it, as a fact, the certainty of the future analogous
fact in his own history ; assumes the actual execution of the commission οἷ
the prophet at Nineveh; positively asserts that the inhabitants of that city
repented at his preaching; and concludes by declaring respecting himself,
“ Behold! a greater than Jonah is here.” Matt. xii. 39-41, xvi. 4. Now,
is it conceivable, that all these historical circumstances would have been
placed in this prominent light, if the person of the prophet, and the brief
details of his narrative, had been purely fictitious? On the same principle
that the historical bearing of the reference in this case is rejected, may not
that to the Queen of Sheba, which follows in the connection, be set aside,
and the portion of the first book of Kings, in which the circumstances of her
visit to Solomon are recorded, be converted into an allegory, a moral fiction,
or a popular tradition ? The two cases, as adduced by our Lord, are al-
together parallel; and the same may be affirmed of the allusion to Tyre and
Sidon, and that to Sodom in the preceding chapter.
It may be said, indeed, that a fictitious narrative of the moral kind would
answer the purpose of our Saviour equally well with one which contained
a statement of real “transactions; just as it has been maintained, that the
reference made by the Apostle James to the patience of Job, suited his pur-
* Divine Inspiration, pp. 450-488.
103 PREFACE TO JONAH.
pose, irrespective of the actual existence of that patriarch; but, as in the
one case, a fictitious example of patience would prove only a tame and
frigid motive to induge to the endurance of actual suffering, so, in the other,
a merely imaginary repentance must be regarded as little calculated to en
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 doc-
trines, can it be shown, that any point or circumstance is thus employed
which is not historically true. He uniformly quotes and reasons upon them
as containing accounts of universally admitted facts; stamps them as such
with the high sanction of his divine authority ; and transmits them forthe
confident belief of mankind in all future ages.
It is only necessary further to add, that if the book had contained a para-
ble, the name of some unknown person would have been selected, and not
that of a prophet to whom a definite historical existence is assigned in the
Old Testament. On perusing the first sentence, every unprejudiced reader
must conclude that there had existed such a prophet, and that what follows
is a simple narrative of facts. The formula -%s} mina ont is so
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 principles of interpretation. Comp. 2 Chron. xi. 2; Is. xxxviii.
4; Jer. i. 4, 11, ii. 1, xiv. 1, xvi. 1, xxviii. 12, xxix. 30; Ezek. ii. 16; Hag.
i. 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; but, referring for an investi-
gation of these transactions to the commentary, and taking for granted an
interposition of miraculous agency in the deliverance of the prophet, when
cast into the sea, may it not be fairly asked whether there is nothing in the
circumstances of the case to justify such interposition? The commission
was most important in its own nature, but likewise most unusual, and con-
fessedly most hazardous in its execution; one from which it was 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 furnishing him with this evidence, however extra-
ordinary 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 xvii; and of
Christ and his apostles. And it is undeniable, that most of the writers
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
to set aside one, will, if fully carried out, go to set aside all.
That our prophet is the same who predicted the restofation 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 re-
ceived its accomplishment in the reign of Jeroboam IL., it is obvious he must
PREFACE TO JONAH. 199
at least have been contemporary with 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.
Whether Jonah composed the book himself, or whether it was written at
a more recent period, has been matter of dispute. Of the circumstance, that
he is spoken of in the third person, no account is to be made, since it is a
style of writing frequently adopted by the sacred penmen, as it also is by
profane authors. Nor can the occurrence of two or three Chaldee words, as
το ἘΌ͵ a ship, ΤΩΣ to think, ἘΣ, command, be justly objected against the early
Baliga: for the prophet must have had considerable intercourse with
persons who spoke foreign languages, which could not but exert some in-
fluence on his style. With respect to πὸ ΞΘ, as it is also the Syriac
Δ σου, and Arabic xiratw, there is every reason to conclude that it
Sees Δ
was the nautical term in use among the Phenicians, and so might have been
adopted at an early period into all the cognate dialects, though they had
other words by which to express the same thing. The use of the compound
particles “232 and >532 does not necessarily argue a late date, since there
was nothing to prevent their being appropriated under the circumstances of
the ponte just as they came to be adopted, under somewhat similar cir-
cumstances, by other writers. The employment of Ὁ, the abbreviated form
of =2x, in Judges v. 7, is an undeniable example of its adoption at an early
period ; and 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 Scrip-
tures and not in others!* It has also been alleged against the antiquity of
the book, that the writer uses the substantive verb in the past tense, when
describing the size of Nineveh, n>i73—-79 ΠᾺΡ 7722724, chap. 111. 3; as if
the city had been destroyed before his time ; but the ‘past tense is ΠΕ
employed for the simple purpose of preserving uniformity in the style of the
narrative, and, as De Wette acknowledges, bedeutet nichts.t
In point of style, the book is remarkable for the simplicity of itssprose : 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 sen-
tences in the Psalms of David, with which the prophet appears to have been
familiar.
Of the numerous traditions, both Jewish and Christian, which profess to
give us information respecting Jonah, I would say with Luther, Das glaube
wer da will, ich glaube es nicht. All that we learn from Scripture is, that his
father’s name was Amittai, and that his birth-place was Gath-hepher (m3
senn, 2 Kings xiv. 25; £m nna, Josh. xix. 13), a city in the tribe of Ze-
bulon, from which latter circumstance it appears that he was an Israelite,
and not a Jew.
In this book the patience and clemency of God are strikingly contrasted
* See Holden on Ecclesiastes, Introd. Dissert. pp. 10-18. + Lehrbuch, § 287.
900 PREFACE TO JONAH.
with the selfishness and unbelief of man; and, as inserted in the canon of
Scripture, it was no doubt primarily designed to teach the Jews the moral
lessons, that the Divine regard was not confined to them alone, but was
extended to other subjects of the general government of God; that wicked-
ness, if persisted in, will meet with condign punishment; that God has no
pleasure in inflicting such punishment, but delights in the repentance of the
guilty; and that if pagans yielded so prompt a compliance with a single
prophetic message, it behooved those who were continually instructed by the
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
the blessed character of the latter: whereas, there is nothing more in the
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 readers, before Christ made the reference, the subject in the anticipative
illustration ‘of which he applies it.
* See the excellent remarks of the Rev, W. Lindsay Alexander, M. A. on types, in his
Congregational Lectures, Lect. VIII.
CHAPTER
WE have here an account of the prophet’s commission to preach at Nineveh, and his attempt
to evade it by embarking for Spain, 1-3; an extraordinary storm by which he was bafiled
in his 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 in the
belly of a fish, 4-17.
1 Tue word of Jehovah was communicated to Jonah, the son of
2 Amittai, saying: Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and
proclaim against it; for their wickedness is come up before me,
1. From the circumstance that the
book commences with the conjunction
ἢ». commonly rendered and, some have
inferred that it is merely the fragment
of a larger work, written by the same
hand; but though this particle is most
commonly used to connect the following
sentence with something which precedes
it, and is placed at the beginning of his-
torical books to mark their connection
with a foregoing narrative, as Exod. 1.1;
1 Kings i, 1; Ezra i. 1; yet it is also
employed inchoatively where there is no
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
main, Jonah, and nay, Amittai, signify
a “dove, and veracious or truthful, but
why they were given to the prophet and
his father we are not informed.
2. By an emphatic idiom, tp, arise,
is used before another verb, as a term
of excitement. 71373 Nurveven, the
ancient capital of the Assyrian empire,
was situated on the eastern bank of the
Tigris, opposite to the modern town of
Mosul. The name is generally allowed
to signify “the residence of Ninus,”’
from 473, Ninus, and 743, @ dwelling ;
but, 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 Nivos,
26
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 “72, 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 descen-
dant of Shem, and not of Ham. The
omission of the local π, which might
have been expected to form τ "δὰ, can-
not be brought as an objection, since it
is frequently omitted. See Num. xxxiv.
4; Deut. iii. 1. In point of size, it might
well be designated τι ἢ 737 ST, that
great city, having been as stated, chap.
iii. 3, “ three days’ journey ” in circum-
ference. If we reckon.a day’s journey
at about twenty miles, which is the
average rate of travelling in the East, it
will give us sixty miles; which, how
immense soever it may appear, quite
agrees with the estimate stated by
Diodorus Siculus, ii. 3: viz. 480 sta-
dia in circuit, 150 stadia in length,
and 90 stadia in breadth. He further
calls it Nivos μεγάλη, and adds, τηλί-
καύτην δὲ πόλιν οὐδεὶς ὕστερον ἔκτισε
κατά τε τὸ μεγεδος τοῦ περιβολοῦ, καὶ
τὴν περὶ τὸ τεῖχος μεγαλοπρέπειαν.
Making every allowance for the large
spaces occupied by gardens, etc., it must,
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
JONAH.
Cuar. i¢
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish, from the presence of
Jehovah}; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going
to egetich. and paid the fare thereof, and went down into her,
to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.
Paris. As it had long been the mistress
of the East, and its situation was favor-
able for commerce, it possessed immense
wealth, but was, at the same time, no-
torious for the most flagrant corruption
of manners. After a siege of three years,
it was taken by Arbaces the Mede,
about the seventh year of Uzziah; and a
second time by the united forces of
Cyaxares the Mede, and Nabopolassar,
viceroy of Babylon, B. c. 626. me SIP»
make a proclamation against it. This
proclamation consisted in the announce-
ment, that, within the space of forty
days, the city should be destroyed. ty
the LXX. and Vulg. render in; and
some would assign to the word the sig-
nification to, which Ἐπ has, chap. iii. 3 ;
but it better agrees with the flight of
Jonah to retain that of against. The
idea of his going to so great a city for
the purpose of denouncing punishment
against its wicked population so appalled
him 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 747 9355 m2, Zo go,
or come up before Jehovah, is expressive of
whatever is supposed specially to attract
his notice, and require his interference.
Comp. *:55 ἈΞ, Gen. vi. 13 ;
xix. 21. Βαβυλὼν 4 μεγάλη duthaSs
ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Rev. xvi. 19. Aj
ἐλεημοσύναι cov ἀνέβησαν eis μνημόσυνον
ἔμπροσϑεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Acts x. 4.
8. For sown, Tarshish, see on Is,
xxiii, 10. The Rabbins vacillate between
Tarsus and Tunis. Jonathan has δ)",
the sea. Jonah resolved to make his
escape into the most distant regions of
the West. Com. Ps. cxxxix.7. mn7 728,
which strictly means the face, person, or
presence of Jehovah, is* sometimes em-
ployed to denote the special manifestation
of his presence, or certain outward and
visible tokens by which he made himself
locally known, ‘Thus God promised
"Ἐκ mN3,
that his presence (2), ¢, 6. the sensible
tokens of his presence, should accompany
the Hebrews on their march to Canaan.
Exod. xxxiii. 14. Comp. Ps. ix. 3,
Ixviii. 2, 8. It is also employed in
reference to the place or region where
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 5 525,
the face, or manifestation of God, Gen.
xxxii, 31. The interpretation, therefore,
of David Kimchi, y-313 839 exe en "5
ms ts nsw xd ὙΠ Ὁ msind ts nz,
msiz3, he imagined that if he went out
of the land of Israel, the spirit of proph-
ecy would not rest upon him, is perhaps
not wide of the mark. Jarchi to the same
effect, vaxd ΠΣ ΓΞ mv πο 9 δ,
The Shekinah does not dwell out of the
land. Though, as Theodoret observes, he
well knew that the Lord of the universe
was everywhere present, yet he supposed
that it was only at Jerusalem he became
apparent to men ; ὑπολαμβάνων δὲ ὅμως
ἐν μόνῃ ᾿Ιερουσαλὴμ αὐτὸν ποιεῖσϑαι τὴν
ἐπιφάνειαν. For the reason of Jonah’s
flight, see on chap. iv. 2. "πὴ" is used of
going down to the sea-coast from any in-
land place, so that it cannot be inferred
from the use of the term that it was
at Jerusalem Jonah received his com-
mission. “5°, Japho, LXX.Idmmn, Arab.
GL, Yapha, Jaffa, Joppa, a celebrated
harbor on the east coast of the Medi-
terranean, at the distance of ten hours
from Jerusalem, of which it is properly
the seaport. However insecure, it was
used as a harbor as early as the days of
Solomon. 2 Chron, ii. 16. It was like-
wise thus appropriated in the Persian
period, Ezra iii. 7; and was deemed so
Cuapr. 1.
JONAH.
203
4 But Jehovah caused a great wind to come down upon the sea,
and there was a great tempest in the sea, and it was appre-
5 hended 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-
went various fates. Its present population
amounts to about 7000 souls. si, which
usually signifies to come, come into, enter,
is obviously here used in the acceptation
go, go out. Com. Num. xxxii. 6. my,
her hire, 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.
“poms ynv> aynm xinw mm. po, only
what he was obliged to pay as his share.
Abenezra. This fare, it has been thought,
he paid beforehand, that he might secure
his flight from the land of Judea; but it
may have been owing to a prudential
condition on the part of the captain.
The affix in prs» refers to the ship’s
erew, understood. :
4. The force of Ἐπ τι, to cause to come
down at full length, on application to the
storm, will appear on consulting Josephus,
who, speaking of the dangerous naviga-
tion of Joppa, says: κατὰ τοῦτον σαλευ-
οὖσι τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰόππης ὑπὸ τὸν ἕω
πνεῦμα βίαιον ἐπιπίπτει. μελαμβόρειον
ὑπὸ τῶν ταύτῃ πλωϊζομένον καλεῖται.
«As they were driven about here, a
violent wind fell upon them, which is
called by those that sail there, the béack
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.”® maen, the
ship, i. e., by metonymy, the persons on
board, thought she would founder. Thus
Kimchi; but Jarchi, s*m ites > ΓΤ 2:
n-aws, she appeared as if she should be
é ο ἐν ὡς.
Syriac om ἰωϑσιλδο
>
ὁμ5 ΖλεοΣ, was going to be broken,
broken.
or was tossed, etc. LXX. ἐκινδύνευε.
It is best to render the verb imper-
sonally.
5. tomb, mariners, from t473, salt, the
quality of the water which they navigate.
Syr. and Arab. the same. Comp. Ezek,
XXvii. 9, 27,29. Kimchi, ΒΦ τι Εν,
those who handle the oars, with reference
to the ancient mode of propelling vessels
at sea. Being in all probability Phe-
nicians, they had each his tutelary deity,
whose interposition he invoked in the
hour of danger. From the circumstance
that ->> signifies vessels, Benjoin infers,
that the ship had not taken in a regular
cargo, Jonah having paid the entire
freight ; but *>> is used with such lati-
tude of signification in the Hebrew Scrip-
tures, 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 sil-
ver, iron, tin, and lead. That something
more ponderous than a few vessels on
the deck is meant, is evident from what
follows in the verse, ἐκβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο,
the words employed by the LXX. in
translating which are the same which are
used by Luke, Acts xxvii. 18. The dual
form in =3°£87 “N57; the sides or two
sides of the vessel, is not to be pressed ;
the word in this number being adopted
in Hebrew usage to express a recess ΟΥ̓
remote part of any place. Comp. Ps.
exxviii. 3; 1 Sam. xxiv. 4; Is. xiv. 15;
the innermost part, best expresses the
meaning. Kimchi otherwise explains it,
ἘΓΓΞ πὶ ya rms ἘΝ, fo one of the sides,
and appeals to Judges xii. 7, and Zech.
ix. 9, in proof of the plural being
used instead of the singular. See Ge-
senius, Lehrgeb. p. 665. It has been ob-
201
JONAH.
Cuap. I.
6 And the captain went close up to him, and said to him: How
is it, thou art fast asleep ?
Arise, call to thy God; perhaps Gop
will think upon us, that we perish not,
7 And they said to each other:
Come, and let us cast lots, that
we may know on whose account this calamity hath happened to
8 us: and they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah,
And they
said to him: Tell us now on what account this calamity hath
happened to us? What is thine occupation ? And whence com-
9 est thou? What is thy country ? And of what people art thou ὃ
And he said to them: I am an Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the
jected to the historical character of the
book, that it is not to besupposed that the
prophet could possibly have composed
himself to sleep in the circumstances
here described; but nothing was more
natural than for a person after the fa-
tigues of a journey, with a mind wom
out by excessive anxiety, to be thrown
in spite of himself, into such a condi-
tion. E3971, W hich the LX_X. render καὶ
ἔρεγχε. is "designed to qualify the preced-
ing verb, by expressing the profound
stupor into which Jonah had sunk.
There is a singular beauty in putting
ma, the name of the prophet, in the
nominative absolute. “But as for Jo-
nah’’ — while all were full of consterna-
tion, expecting every moment to become
a prey to the raging elements, he lay
perfectly unconscious of what was trans-
piring. For 73"=8, ship, which occurs
only in this place, see the Preface.
6. bainn lit. the master of the rope-
men —bsin being used as a collective.
Com. ΡΞ Ὁ 21, chief of the body-guard,
2 Kings xxv. 8; pod 24, chief of the
eunuchs. Dan. i. 38. Kimchi explains
thus: ΕΡ ἘΛΈΗ Nfs ἘΠΡΞΌΤΙ
ΕΞ Joins bah oar κι ἘΣ 5
Driven, “the ship-men are called rope-
men, because they draw and loosen the
ropes, of the mast, according to their
skill.” LXX. Πρωρεὺς. Vulg. gubern-
ator. nsznn, to show oneself consider-
ate, to think of, set one’s mind upon ; in
Kal, to invent, fabricate, produce splen-
did work; hence the noun ry, artifi-
cial work, Song v.14. The idea of shin-
ing seems to be a secondary mean-
ing; see Jer. v. 28. Comp. ΤΣ ΤΟΣ,
thoughts, Ps. exlvi. 4. The verb has
the signification of thinking, purposing,
etc. both in Chaldee and Syriac. LXX.
y
διασώση. Targ. ἘΠ, Syr- oe,
to deliver. Hitzig prefers the idea of
shining, being friendly, gracious, and the
like. 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 dis-
pleased with the prophet, and required
to be placated. It deserves to be noticed,
that the word for God is here used with
the article p°n‘tyn, which is certainly
designed to give emphasis to it; Gop —
the true God. Comp. Deut. iv. 35,
"sbsm sam mint, and 1 Kings xviii,
39, mond won τὰ πὸ oon Sean nim.
Are we to infer from this circumstance,
that the captain was a worshipper of Je-
hovah?
7-9. The casting of lots was com-
mon among the nations of antiquity,
not only when they -wished to know
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 deseribed in Scrip-
ture, but from the verb ἘΞ5, δ᾿ Ἐπ, to fall,
cause to fall, being commonly employed,
it is probable it was by shaking the lots
in some box or vase, and then causing
them to fall on the ground. Comp.
Proy. xvi. 33, where Ἐπ πι, ἐο throw down,
is used, in connection with pn, the bosom,
Cuar. I.
JONAH. 205
10 God of heaven, who made the sea, and the dry land. And the
men were greatly afraid, and said to him: What is this thou
hast done ?
11
said to him:
from raging
12 tempestuous.
For the men knew that he was fleeing from the
presence of Jehovah, because he had told them. They further
What shall we do to thee, that the sea may cease
against us? for the sea groweth more and more
And he said to them: Take me up, and throw
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
or large fold of the garment in front of
the body ; intimating, that lots were also
mixed there for the sake of secrecy:
2533, lit. for that which ts to whom, i. 6.
"Ὦ Ἴ55; for whose guilt. The words in
ver. 8, > man mean 1b “ZN, are
omitted in two of Kennicott’ s MSS., in
the Soncin. edition of the Prophets, and
in the Vatican copy of the LXX.; and
Kennicott’s MS. 154, omits <>, most
probably both by emendation, in order
to avoid the repetition of what had been
said in ver. 7. We should rather have
expected ; ΤΩ πϑδβ, ‘‘on account of
what ;” but" “a may be taken in a neuter
wig
in Ethiopic, as indeed, it is in the phrase
Fav ~a, “ What is thy name?” Jud.
xiii. 16. Comp. also 1 Sam. xviii. 17,
sense, like the corresponding
"3 "Ὁ, “ What is my life >’ Micah i. 5, -
{πὶ ΠΤ" robber! By ogee » ΘΚ 5, OS What
is the sin of Jacob } ce What are the
high places of Judah?” Hexaplar Syr.
[Ado ido, on account of what. Leo
Juda: ‘ wnde sit nobis hoc malum.”
The seamen were anxious to learn every
particular connected with the history of
Jonah, in order that they might discover
the real cause of the storm. 87>, ἕο fear,
followed by the accusative, signifies to
cherish feelings of reverence, to reverence,
honor, etc., and is not here to be inter-
preted in the sense of being afraid, which
would have required the preposition 47a
before the object in such a case as the
present.
And the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they
10. τῶ» στ, what is this thou
hast done? is not put for the purpose 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 disapproba-
tion in the breast of him to whom it is
addressed, conveying, at the same time,
the idea of surprise that he could have
been guilty of such conduct. Comp.
Gen. iii, 18, xii. 18, xx. 9. The ques-
tion 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
to get rid of him ; but how to dispose of
him they knew not. That they wished,
if possible, to save his life, is clear from
the sequel. +37 -nw conveys the idea of
subsiding, so as no longer to bear down
upon with violence, and graphically de-
scribes the threatening attitude of a tem-
pestuous sea, rising above the ships that
are exposed to it. pnw properly signi-
fies to settle down, be still, cease from rag-
ing. ὍΣ Ὅν 74m, lit. going and 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;
Prov. iv. 18.
13. -mn, to dig, or break forcibly
through anything, is strongly expressive
of the great effort made by the seamen
206
JONAH.
Cuap. IL
could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against
14
them. And they cried to Jehovah, and said: O now Jehovah!
let us not perish, we beseech thee, for this man’s life; and lay
not innocent blood to our charge: for thou, O Jehovah! hast
done as it pleased thee.
him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
And they took up Jonah, and threw
Then the
men feared Jehovah greatly, and offered a sacrifice to Jehovah,
and made vows.
to avoid sacrificing the life of Jonah.
LXX. παρεβιάζοντο. At ard supply
TIENT DN. | .
14. An affecting prayer for pagans
to present to the true God! The words,
miani xav>bs min? mas, are peculiarly
eamest and tender. max, the same as
NBN, which Gesenius takes to be com-
pounded of mx, of! and 83, the usual
particle of entreaty. Comp. the Arab.
ω 4}; obsecro. The Keri marks ws in
s"72 as redundant, and a great number
MSS. read "72. 55}, Zife, means here life
that is taken away, having "53 ἘΠ, in-
nocent blood, corresponding to it in the
following clause. Comp. Deut. xix. 21;
2 Sam. xiv. 7. Coverdale, well as to the
sense, “this man’s death.” The refer-
ence is not to anything that Jonah had
done, but to what they were about to do
to him. $y £2 yn2, to give blood upon,
means to charge with murder. Syr.
yeaa we ἥ, impute not. The sense is,
let us not be found guilty of killing an
innocent person. In the concluding
words of the verse, they refer the whole
affair to the mysterious providence of
God. They had not been brought into
their present circumstances by any con-
duct of their own; nor could they
account for the guilt of Jonah, since
he was chargeable with no act of immo-
rality. Yet he was the object of Divine
displeasure.
15, 16. They now proceed calmly,
though with great reluctance, to act in
accordance with what they had been led
to regard as the will of the Most High.
The calm appears to have taken place
instantaneously. According to the Rab-
bins, Grotius, and some others, they
did not actually offer a sacrifice, but
only purposed to do it before Jehovah,
7. 6. at Jerusalem; but it is more natural
to conclude that they sacrificed some
animal that was on board, and vowed
that they would present greater proofs
of their gratitude when they returned
from their voyage. Michaelis thinks
they intended to perform their vows
when they reached Spain.
“Quin; ubi transmisse steterint trans
zequora classes,
Et positis aris jam vota in litore solves.”
JEneid. iii. 408.
CHAPTER II,
ὙΤΊΤΗ the exception of the first and last verses, which give an historical account of the fate
of Jonah as preserved by a great fish, this chapter contains a brief but beautiful hymn of
deliverance. It was in all probability composed immediately after his reaching the dry
Jand, but embodies some of the leading topics in reference to which he called upon Jeho-
vah during his stay in the deep.
1 (Cnar.1.17.) Now Jehovah had appointed a great fish to
Cuar. II.
swallow Jonah.
days and three nights.
1, (Chap. i. 17, in our common ver-
sion.) It has been supposed by some
that the fish here spoken of was created
at the moment for the purpose of swal-
lowing the prophet, though, according
to Rabbi Tarphon, it was mwwia mai
ΤΟΣ a “6%, prepared for the purpose at
the creation of the world; but there is
nothing in the original word 72% which
at all suggests the idea of creation or
production. Like the Arab.
b)
certa guanitate certogue modo definivit
aliqui rem; decretus fut, it properly
signifies to appoint, order, arrange, and
the like, so that all that can be legiti-
mately inferred from its use in this place,
is, that, in the providence of God, the
animal was brought to the spot at the
precise time when Jonah was thrown
into the sea, and its instrumentality
was wanted for his deliverance. In
other words, it was the result of a special
pre-arrangement in the Divine plan,
according to which the movements
of all creatures are regulated, and
rendered subservient to the purposes
of God’s universal government. LXX,
προσέταξε. Comp. chap. iv. 6-8. On
the subject of the fish itself various opin-
ions have been broached. Mutianus,
and after him Hermann yon 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 pro-
posed the theory of a ship with this
name, which happened to be close by and
rescued the prophet; while Thaddeus
supposed that, on being thrown out of
the vessel, he lighted upon a large fish,
on which he rode for the time specified,
and was at last cast on shore! Till the
time of Bochart it was commonly sup-
posed to have been the balena, or whale
properly so called, owing to a mis-
interpretation of κῆτος, Matt. xii. 40,
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,
JONAH.
207
And Jonah was in the bowels of the fish three
though not the size of a whale, yet has
so large 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. vy.
cap. xii. Others have supposed that it
was a Shark, a species of fish abounding
in the Mediterranean, exceedingly vora-
cious, and in the belly of which whole
men have been found. See Parkhurst’s
Greek Lexicon, swb. voc. Kiros. But
we may well acquiesce in the decision of
Rosenmiiller ; “Tota hzec de pisce Jonze
disquisitio vana videtur atque inutilis.”
The Scriptures leave it entirely undecided
to what species of marine animals the
fish belonged ; merely stating that it was
Sata a3, a great fish, one sufficiently large
for the occasion. Much has been written
to relieve the transaction of the miracu-
lous; but that it is physically possible
for a human subject, which has been
accustomed for years to breathe the vital
air, to exist without respiration, or upon
the foul air in a fish, for the length of
time here specified, has never been
proved. The position of Abenezra is
the only one that can, with any consist-
ency, be maintained : Γιὰ τι casa p> ὙΝ
pa ΕΘ τι mi SD ANI SY ED arn ΝΣ 25
$0 ΣΓΥΣῺΞ, “ 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 was, as Kim-
chi observes, p"D5m 432 “7m, one of the
miracles. As such it is unequivocally
recognized by our Lord, when he calls it
ἃ onuetov, a sign or token of divine inter-
position, a supernatural event, manifes-
tive 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 $$5n>5, comp. ἘΦΞ ΤΑ, 1 Sam.
ii. 1. Some of the Rabbins, Hezel, and
others, would argue from the use of 47,
From, out of, and not 3, im, before "7%,
that the prayer of Jonah was not pre-
908
JONAH.
Cuap, 11.
2 And Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God from the bowels of the
fish, and said :
3 1 cried because of my distress to Jehovah,
And he answered me ;
From the interior of Sheol I cried out:
Thou heardest my voice.
4 Thou didst cast me into the deep,
Into the midst of the seas ;
So that the current surrounded me ;
sented while he was in the belly of the
fish, but after his deliverance; but this
interpretation is justly rejected both by
Abenezra and Kimchi. The preposition
marks the place from which he directed
his thoughts to the Most High. Comp.
Sinw 72, ver. 3; Dopp, Ps. cxxx,
1; ἀκ 32, Ps. exviii. 5. The final πὶ
in ma7m is not feminine, as has been
supposed, and upon which assumption
certain Rabbins have built the theory,
that a still larger female fish swallowed
that in which Jonah was preserved ;
but the = paragogic, which corresponds
to the status emphaticus of the Aramaic,
and is designed to strengthen the termi-
nation. For other instances in which it
is added, at the same time that the noun
takes the article, comp. md Inn, Judges
xiv. 18; nian, Ps. cxvi. 15. The
position of the accent is of no account.
3, 4. The hymn which commences
here is partly descriptive, partly pre-
catory, and partly eucharistical. These
two verses are introductory, as is clear
from the use of "m4 72x *3N%, and give
expression to the feelings and pious
exercise 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 intro-
duction, is in part borrowed from the
Psalms, appears from the following com-
parison :
Jonah ii. 3.
Nb 7H NIE
3929322 nome
Psalm cxx. 1,
"BAAN TA Hn by
ὁ 5555) "NN IP
xlii. 8. ver. 4.
THAI Pape SS Phar asso be
samay by
“ἢν. τ
sassy sy
πες κὶς VAS ver. 5.
“HN VES INT TAMAR "IRL
ὁ ΠΣ THO ΤΣ Fas Tape "My 732
lxix, 2; ver. 6.
ΘΕ 5Σ OM ἢδ 5 E792 "EN
τ NWR
exlii. 4. ver. 8.
S°GE2 Ὁ» Hurnma twee "ἘΣ cen
b.o.0 yy (et ver. 9.
Dp ndn pad
isan rege bon
ill. 9.
mywen mins
τ : τ
ver. 10.
rmimd mnsaw?
On the supposition that Jonah was
familiar with the Psalms, it was very
natural for him to incorporate sentences
taken from them with his own language,
just as we frequently do in extempore
prayer, without thinking of the portion
of Scripture from which they are derived.
Sind us, lit. the belly of Sheol, i. 6. the
vast and hidden receptacle of the de-
parted. Targ. sainn n-y-y%, from the
lowest part of the abyss, but less properly.
The remark of Jerome is: “ Ventrum
inferi alvyum ceti intelligamus, que tan-
te fuit magnitudinis, ut instar obtineret
inferni.” Before την), ver. 4, supply
=. “m3, commonly ‘used of a river, but
here it is to be understood of the strong
current or stream of the sea, which flows
like a river. There is no foundation for
the opinion of Abenezra and Kimchi,
that it was intended to describe the con-
fluence of the waters of a river with those
of the sea.
καὶ ἂν ποταμοῖο peeSpa
᾽Ωκεανοῦ, ὅσπερ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκ-
ται. Iliad, xiv. 2465.
Cuap. II.
JONAH.
209
All thy breakers and thy billows passed over me.
5 Then I said:
I am cast out from before thine eyes,
Yet I will look again towards thy holy temple.
6 The waters press around me to the very life ;
The abyss encompasseth me ;
The weed is bound to my head.
7 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!
Μέσσῳ yap μεγάλοι ποταμοι καὶ δεινὰ
ῥέεϑρα,
᾿Ωκεανὸς μέν πρῶτα. Odyss, xi. 156.
Thy δὲ κατ᾽ ᾿Ωκεανὸν ποταμὸν φέρε κῦμα
ῥόοιο. Ibid, 638.
5. Having described his condition, the
prophet now proceeds to give the words
of his prayer. yim 73°79 733, to be be-
fore 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
the children of men.
abandon himself to despair. He con-
fidently expects to be restored to the
enjoyment of his privileges in the temple
at Jerusalem, and there to render thanks
to God for his deliverance. Green would
supply the negative 8> before Ὡ Ὁ "ΝᾺ,
and Hitzig would point 4x, yx for Fs,
how; but both without any authority.
Such sudden transitions from fear to
hope are frequently expressed in Scrip-
ture.
6. GEI—s2, even to, or to the very soul,
i. e. the animal life; meaning, to the ex-
tinction of life. 5:5, is the alga, or
weed, which abounds at the bottom of
the sea, and from which the Arabian
Gulf takes the name of τ) στ", the sea
of weeds. Kimchi explains it by wis,
the papyrus, or bulrush. Gesenius refines
too much when he attaches to wsan in
this place the idea of binding round the
head like a turban. Assurediy Jonah
27
Still he does not.
had no such idea in his mind. He rather
describes how he felt, as if entangled by
the sedge or weeds through which he
was dragged.
7. Doaxp, sections, cuttings, clefts, from
asp, to cut; Arab, ᾿ς ὦ. abscidit,
resecuit, Thus the LXX. σχισμὰς
ὀρέων. Vulg. extrema montium. Targ.
sasay "py, the roots of the mountains.
The word describes the deep indentations
or clefts made in the roots of mountains
which project into the sea, or those
divisions which are found in the rocks
at its bottom. yusn, the earth, is
emphatically put in the nominative ab-
solute, as the object to which the affec-
tions of the prophet still clung. He
was expelled from it, as from a habi-
tation, and its bars had been shut upon
him, so that he could not return. Ge-
senius takes the bars = be those of Sheol ;
of Sheol, 15. xxxviii. 10, the ‘phrase here
must have been "τ ΓΞ Ὁ ἐπ, and not
m3 YRS, if such had been the
meaning. 72 is put elliptically for
sya E130, the verb, 4: "Ὁ being obvi-
ously implied. Jonah adds, Dbisd, for
ever, to express the impossibility of his
ever again reaching the dry land, by any
effort of his own. Yet, exposed as he
momentarily was to death in the region
of corruption (mm, the pit, or grave,)
he confidently- expresses his hope that
God would restore him. He asserts his
interest in Jehovah by calling him “ his
God.”
210
JONAH.
Cav. IL
§ When my soul was overwhelmed within me,
I remembered Jehovah ;
And my prayer came in unto thee,
Into thy holy temple.
9 They that regard lying vanities
Forsake their Benefactor.
10 But as for me, I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanks-
giving ;
What I have vowed I will perform:
Salvation belongeth to Jehovah.
ΠΤ
And Jehovah commanded the fish, and it vomited forth
Jonah upon the dry land.
8. The prophet here resumes his de-
scription of the circumstances of distress
to which he was reduced, his application
to Jehoyah, and the answer which he
received to his prayer. The composition
of this and the following verses, like that
of verses 3 and 4, belongs to a period
subsequent to his deliverance; yet while
describing his condition, he occasionally
directs his language to Jehovah, towards
whom, as his deliverer, his thoughts nat-
urally rose, 22mm, to be in a state
of faintness, swoon, from Fux, to cover,
to involve in darkness, overwhelm. LXX.
well, as it respects the sense: Ἔν τῷ
ἐκλείπειν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν μου.
9. A striking description of idolaters,
but which may also be extended to all
who prefer created objects, in any shape,
toGod. tron, lit. their mercy or good-
ness ; by metonymy for their Benefactor :
i. e. God, the author and source of all
goodness: the Supreme Good. Comp.
Ps. cxliv. 2, where David calls God his
-on. The word properly signifies kindness
or benignity, and most appropriately desig-
nates Him who is good to all, and whose
tender mercies are over all his works..
id
The Syriac reads, y 2easoanj Sor thy
mercy, Which Green, on this authority
alone, admits into the text !
10. Deeply sensible of the merciful
interposition of Jehovah on his behalf,
Jonah now solemnly engages to give ex-
pression to his feelings of gratitude by
accompanying his presentation of sacri-
fice with a song of praise, and faithfully
performing his vows, of which we may
conclude, the execution of his commission
to go to Nineveh formed none of the
least. The paragogic πὶ in mnsn> is in-
tensive. Comp. Ps. iii. 3. In both pas-
sages, the deliverance is ascribed to Je-
hovah as its author, as the $ in mint}
imports.
On reviewing this prayer, and weigh-
ing 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
his situation. On the contrary, he ap-
pears to have been under the impres-
-sion that he was engulfed in the sea,
now forcibly carried along by its current,
now entangled among its weeds, and
now sinking into the profound ravines
of its rocks.
11. Green and Boothroyd, on mere
conjecture, remove this verse from its
present position, and insert it before the
hymn. Such a transposition Hitzig pro-
nounces to be violent, unnecessary, and
in short, a perversion of the passage.
It is not stated where the prophet was
cast on shore, but in all probability it
was somewhere on the coast of Palestine.
According to some, the fish carried him,
during the three days and three nights,
down 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
Nineveh! Not to mention how the
Rabbins make him reach that city by
the Tigris ! !
Cuavr. III. JONAH. 211
CHARTER, ELE
TuIs chapt. contains an account of the renewal of the prophet’s commission, 1, 2; his preach-
ing to the Ninevites, 3, 4; the universal humiliation and reformation effected by it, 5-9;
and the reversal of the Divine sentence by which the city had been doomed to destruc-
tion, 10.
1. Awnp the word of Jehovah was communicated to Jonah a second
time, saying: Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and make the
3 proclamation to it which I order thee. And Jonah arose, and
went to Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nin-
eveh was a great city even to God, of three days’ journey.
το
4 And Jonah began to enter the city, a journey of one day ; and
he proclaimed, and said: Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
‘overthrown.
5 And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and proclaimed a
fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them, even to the
6 least of them.
And the subject reached the king of Nineveh,
and he arose from his throne, and put off his robe, and covered
7 himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes,
3. Dots mbina ay, ὦ city great to
God. This phrase has been variously ex-
plained. Some, with Kimchi, deem it
merely a superlative form ; Gesenius con-
strues the instrumentally, great through
God, ¢. 6. through his favor. Others con-
sider it to be equivalent to "mts 7255,
before God, Gen. x. 9. Thus the Targ.
"> <onp. Of this last interpretation I
approve, as it was most natural to refer
the size of a city, to which the Hebrews
could form no adequate conception, to
the Divine estimation. I have accord-
ingly rendered the words literally, as our
preposition zo is often used to note opin-
ion or estimate. For the dimensions of
Nineveh, as here given, see on chap. i.
2. The opinion of Abarbanel, that the
diameter of the city is intended, is justly
exploded.
4. It is impossible to determine how
far Jonah penetrated into Nineveh, since
it is provable that in making his an-
And a proclama-
nouncement he would stop at different
places, as the crowds might collect around
him.
5. When Donts3 Ἐπ πι believing in
God, is spoken of in reference to such as
had previously been ignorant of him, it
must be taken as involving the recogni-
tion of his being and character as the
true God, and not simply their giving
credit to the announcements of his mes-
sengers. ΤῸ express the latter, > Ἴ2 Ἐπὶ
is employed. See Gen. xlv. 26; Is. liii.
1. All, without distinction of age or
rank, put on sackcloth, the usual attire
of deep mourning.
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
till 8. c. 769. Some are of opinion that
it was Sardanapalus ; if so, his repent-
ance was the more remarkable, for ac-
cording to the ancients he was pro-
212
10
JONAH. Cuar. HE
tion was made through Nineveh, by order of the king and his
grandees, saying, Let neither man nor beast, ox nor sheep, taste
anything ; let them not feed, neither let them drink water.
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry
mightily unto God; and let them turn every one from his
wicked way, and from the violence which is in their hands.
Who knoweth but that God may turn and repent, and turn
away from the fierceness of his anger, that we perish not ?.
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 on account of his pro-
fligacy.
«Et venere, et coenis, et plumis Sarda-
napali,”’ Juvenal. Sat. iii.
It is said that he composed for his
epitaph, “ Eat, drink, play ; after death
there is no pleasure.” The description of
the mourning here given is very affect-
ing. That the irrational animals should
be represented as partaking in it, is far
from unnatural.
«Non ulli pastos illis egere diebus
Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina: nulla
neque amnem
Libavit quadrupes, nec graminis attigit
herbam.” Virg. Ecl. v. 24.
«Post bellator equus, positis insignibus,
/Ethon
It lacrymans, guttisque humectat gran-
dibus ora.” JEneid. xi. 89.
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 interpreters follow the
construction put upon the words 9757 3,
who knoweth, in the Targum: Στὴ 2
3 3in ma ns7, whoever is conscious
that there are crimes in his hands ; only
Kimchi proposes another, ᾿Ξ πὸ 3777" "73
maiwnn, He who knoweth the ways of
repentance ; but it is obviously a formula
expressive of great guilt, yet involving
the hope of pardon. Comp. Joel ii. 14.
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
reason to expect. The threatening in
the present case having been conditional,
was repealed on the performance of the
implied condition. ‘To what extent the
repentance of the Ninevites was genuine
in its character, and how long the refor-
mation of manners here specified lasted,
we are not informed ; but there is reason
to fear it was of short continuance, for
after their city had been besieged for
three years by Arbaces the Mede, it was
taken and destroyed. Diod. Sic. ii. 26,
etc. Thus fell the ancient Assyrian
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
finally ceased to be an imperial residence,
See Preface to the Book of Nahum.
Cuar. IV.
JONAH.
213
CHAPTER: Hiv.
Tux selfish and repining spirit of the prophet, and the means employed by Jehovah to re-
prove and instruct him, are here set forth.
1 Bur Jonah was exceedingly displeased and vexed. And he
2 prayed to Jehovah, and said: Ah! now, Jehovah! was not this
my word while I was yet in my own country? Wherefore I an-
ticipated it by fleeing to Tarshish ; for I knew that thou art a
gracious and merciful God, long-suffering, and of great kindness,
3 and repentant of the evil.
And now, O Jehovah! take, I pray
thee, my life from me; for my death were better than my life.
4 And Jehovah said to him: Art thou much vexed ?
1. Unwarrantable attempts have been
made to soften down the character of
Jonah, as exhibited in this chapter. The
utmost that can be advanced in extenua-
tion of his conduct, is, the strong tinc-
ture of national prejudice with which his
spirit appears to have been imbued. Com.
Luke ix. 54.¢ mm, however seems to
be here used, not in the sense of being
enraged or angry, but in that of being
the subject of grief or sorrow. Comp.
1 Sam. xv. 11; 2Sam.vi.8. Grief and
anger are passions nearly related; and
in illustration of this application of τ 1,
to burn, the following instances may be
adduced ;
Tis σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυ-
ροῦμαι; 2 Cor. xi, 29.
"AAN ὦ Καλονίκη κάομαι τὴν καρδίαν,
Kal πολλ᾽ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῶν γυναικῶν ἄχϑο-
μαι. Aristoph, Lysist. v. 9.
« Eheu disperii! voltus neutiquam hujus
placet.
Tristis incedit, pectus ardet.”
Plaut. Mercat. Act iii. Se. 4, v. 14,
«ς Tum vero exarsit Juveni dolor ossibus
ingens.” JEneid. v. 172.
And the declaration of Cicero: ‘ Non
angor, sed ardeo dolore.” — Epist. ad
Attic. vi. 9.
2. “27, my word, i. 6. what I spake
within myself, my cogitation. tsp is
here taken in the sense of doing anything
in order to anticipate another. Jonah
acknowledges that he used all despatch
in his attempt to leave Palestine. The
description of the Divine goodness here
given agrees verbally with that exhibited
Joel ii. 18. He recollected the numerous
instances in which, instead of executing
his threatenings, Jehovah had, in the
exercise of his patience, borne with the
guilty, and even interposed with illus-
trious acts of pardon ; and he was afraid
of compromising his character by an-
nouncing what he had reason to expect
might never take place.
4 58 ποτὶ 20°11} most modern versions
improperly render, “ dost thou well,” or,
«is it right in thee to be angry?” their
authors not adverting to the fact that the
Hiph. Infinitive of 207 is often used
adverbially in the acceptation, greatly,
exceedingly, thoroughly, or the like. See
Deut. ix. 21, xiii. 15; 2 Kings xi. 18. In
like manner the finite form ni nnd m20°n,
Jer. i. 12. Thus the LXX. εἰ σφόδρα
ρ
vy mn
λελύπησαι ot; the Syr. Ay Soo }
8
yi and the Targ. 94> 997.7 Siobn
Kimchi explains, sia 45 nnn px, Art
thou much grieved? and adds, 20°"
214
5
JONATI., Cuar. IV.
And Jonah went out of the city, and sat to the east of the
city, and there made a booth for himself, and sat under it in the
shade, till he should see what would happen in the city. And
Jehovah God had appointed 4 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
the ricinus.
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-
5 =. aif?
been
““0} “7?
pan As for 20°, τέ
imports the strengthening of a subject.
The renderings, Will grieving do thee
any good? and, Does beneficence offend
thee? are totally to be rejected.
5. We cannot determine on what day
Jonah abandoned his labors among the
Ninevites ; 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. +y21 I take to be the apocopated
Future of Hiphil, having p*rts min
for its nominative. ἡ 7» the kikaion or
ricinus plant (Ricinus communis, Linn.),
commonly known by the name of Padma
Christi. The word is the same as the
Egyptian KIKI, and the Talmudic Kik,
with the Hebrew termination. In Arabic
it is called 3{, El-Kheroa, which
Cre
is not to be confounded with “ἴα
ΒΕ
El-Karra, the eucurbita, LUXX. Κολο-
κύνϑη. Our English rendering gourd is
equally inappropriate. This plant is in-
digenous in India, Palestine, Arabia, Af-
rica, and the east of Europe, and on ac-
count of its singular beauty is cultivated
in gardens. It is a biannual, and usually
grows to the height of from eight to ten
feet. It is chiefly remarkable on account
of its leaves, which are broad, palmate,
and serrated, and divided into six or
seven lobes. Only one leaf grows on
a branch, but being large, sometimes
measuring more than a foot, and spread
out in the shape of an open hand with
the fingers extended, their collective
shade affords an excellent shelter from
the heat of the sun. It is of exceedingly
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.
p- 273; Michaelis, Supplem. No. 2268 ;
Rosenmiiller, in the Biblical Cabinet,
vol. xxvii. p. 125; Michaelis, Bibel
Ubersetz., note on the passage, where
there is a plate with an excellent repre-
sentation of a ricinus. How much such
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 Nine-
vah, may easily be imagined. His joy
is emphatically described in the last
clause of the verse.
8. The π΄ πῇ Han, or east wind, is the
sultry and oppressive wind which blows
in the summer months across the vast
Arabian desert, and produces universal
languor and relaxation. It resembles
the Sirocco, only is free from its damp-
ness, and consequently more destructive
to vegetation. Superadded, as in the
present instance, to the heat of the
morning sun, it is exceedingly oppres-
sive. According to the versions, το Π
signifies withering ; otherwise, as derived
from Bh, it signifies to be guzet, silent,
etce., which better agrees with the idea of
sultriness,
Cuap. IV.
JONAH.
215
9 ter than my life. And God said unto Jonah: Art thou much
10 vexed on account of the ricinus? And he said: Tam much
vexed, even to death. And Jehovah said: Thou art affected on
account of the ricinus, with which thou hadst no trouble, and
which thou didst not rear, which came in a night, and perished
ni
in a night; and I, should not I be affected on account of Nine-
veh, that great city, in which are more than twelve times ten
thousand human beings who
cannot distinguish between their
right hand and their left, and much cattle!
9. The words nsva—72 "b= =u",
the LXX. translate, Σφόδρα λελύπημαι
ἐγὼ ἕως ϑανάτον, which nearly agree
with those of our Lord, Mark xiv. 34.
10. o5n, properly signifies ¢o be affected
by the sight of anything; hence to
feel concern on account of it, to take
pity or compassion. I have employed
the passive form of our verb to affect,
in order to present in the translation a
word equivalent to that which is here
used in the original. ‘There seems to ne-
cessity for taking the Hebrew verb in two
acceptations. The formula, m>7>-j29
nay πιϑι δ πΊΞη το πα, lit. which was the son
of a night, and perished the son of a night,
is obviously intended to express the extra-
ordinary rapidity with which the ricinus
put forth its leaves and afterwards with-
ered, That the tree itself was instantane-
ously produced, cannot be proved from
this mode of speech, any more than from
the use of the verb =20, ver. 6; other-
wise we should be obliged, for the sake
of consistency, to maintain, that the
whole tree was miraculously destroyed,
and had entirely disappeared during the
night. sm and “33 are strictly anti-
thetical. But, as all that was required
in the one case, was that the broad
spreading 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
produced, such an extraordinary accele-
rated power of germination, that the
leaves which would otherwise have re-
quired some longer time to come to ma-
turity, were brought to perfection in the
course of a night. 43, 4@ son, is used
idiomatically to express what is produced,
or exists, during the time predicated of
it. Thus it is resolved in the Targ. "π,
Tay NDTIS STH hs NIT PTT ἈΠ ἘΛῈΞ
which this night was, and in another
night perished.
11. The peculiar force of the appeal
lies in the immense number of rational
creatures Which must have perished had
Nineveh been destroyed, Estimating
the age of the children at about three
years, and assuming them to have formed
a fifth part of the population, which 15
the allowance generally made, we shall
have six hundred thousand as the num-
ber of inhabitants. In order to enhance
this number, and render it more affect-
ing, that of the irresponsible children is
estimated ; and if this did not produce a
suitable impression upon the mind of the
prophet, the number even of irrational
animals is adverted to, the latter being far
superior in point of mechanism and util-
ity to the shrub for which he was so
much concerned.
There is something in the abrupt man-
ner in which the book closes which is
highly calculated to produce its effect on
the mind of a reflecting reader.
MC A ae
; | PREFACE.
AccorDING to the introductory statement, chap. i. 1, Micah was a native
of Moresheth, which some take to be the same as Mareshah, ver. 15; but it
is rather the town called Moresheth-Gath, ver. 14, which, accordiug to Je-
rome, lay in the vicinity of the city of Eleutheropolis, to the west of Jeru-
salem, and not far from the border of the country of the Philistines.
His name, πιξ 2, Micah, or, as it is given in full in the Chethib, Jer. xxvi.
18, m2", Micaiah, signifies, who is like Jehovah ?
The time at which he flourished is stated in the introduction to have been
that of the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; i. 6. somewhere between
B. Cc. 757 and B. c. 699; in addition to which statement, we have a positive
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 con-
temporary of Isaiah and Hosea, and is not to be confounded with Micaiah
the son of Imlah, 1 Kings xxii. 8, who flourished upwards of a hundred years
before the reign of Jotham.
Hartmann and Eichhorn would refer the period of his ministry to the
region of Manasseh; but their hypothesis is justly rejected by Jahn, Rosen-
miiller, De Wette, and Knobel, on the ground, that all the circumstances
brought to view in his prophecies, perfectly harmonize with the state of
things in the days of the kings whose names are here 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 Ma-
nasseh. 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 be-
lieve 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 cap-
ital; the desolation of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and the consequent cap-
tivity of the Jews; the restoration of the Jewish state ; the successes of the
Maccabees; and the advent and reign of the Messiah. He also administers
reproof to different ranks and conditions of men, and furnishes some striking
representations of the Divine character.
PREFACE TO MICAH. 217
His style is concise, yet perspicuous, nervous, vehement, and energetic;
and in many instances, equals that of Isaiah in boldness and sublimity. He
is rich and beautiful in the varied use of tropical language ; indulges in pa-
ronomasias; preserves a pure and classical diction; is regular in the forma-
tion of his parallelisms; 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
of the character of Jehovah, chap. vii. 18— 20, is unrivalled by any con-
tained elsewhere in Scripture. 4
Several prophecies in Micah and Isaiah are remarkably parallel with each
other; and there is frequently an identity of expression, which can only be
fairly accounted for on the ground of their having been contemporaneous
writers, who were not strangers to each other’s prophecies, and their having,
in a great measure, had the same subjects for the themes of their ministry.
See on Isaiah ii. 2-4.
The book may be divided into two parts; the first consisting of chapters
i—y.; and the second, the two remaining chapters, which are more general
and didactic in their character.
28
CHAPTER
1 ἢ
THE prophet commences by summoning universal attention, while, in sublime language,
he describes the descent of Jehovah to punish the nation, 1-5; he predicts the destruction
of Samaria by the Assyrians, which he pathetically laments, 6-8; and then the advance
of Sennacherib against Jerusalem, 9-12; concluding with an enumeration of certain
towns of Judah, the inhabitants of which had more especially enjoyed his ministry, but
were to share in the desolating effects of the Assyrian invasion, and ultimately, with the
whole land, those of the Babylonian captivity.
1 Tue 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.
2 Hear, all ye people!
Attend, O Earth! and its fulness!
And let the Lord Jehovah testify to you,
The Lord from his holy temple.
3 For, behold! Jehovah is coming forth from his place ;
1. *ngaix, contracted τυ τυ, a gen-
tilic, and not a patronymic, as some have
imagined. See the introduction, and on
ver. 14,
2. It is not a little remarkable, that
Micah should adopt as the first sentence
of his prophecy, that with which his
namesake concluded his denouncement
against Ahab, 1 Kings xxii. 28. Hengs-
tenberg 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 prede-
cessor, who was so zealous for God, and
that he had more in common with him
than the bare name. The words ὩΣ,
peoples, and Ὑπὸ earth, are by many,
and recently by Hitzig, confined to the
tribes and lund of the Hebrews ; but the
sublimity of the style, and the parallel
passages, Deut. xxxii. 28, Xxxiil. 1; and
Is. i. 2, induce to the conclusion, th
the prophet had all the inhabitants of t
globe in his eye. Thus Justi, Maurer,
and Ewald. tp, all of them, is an
instance of irregular construction, in
which the third person is put for the
second, ἘΞ᾿Ὲ 5, all of you. The same con-
struction is repeated in τιν 5, which the
LXX. render according to the sense,
καὶ πάντες of ἐν αὐτῇ. Comp. Amos
νἱ. 8 ; Is. xlii. 10, Instead of min? 7258,
four of Kennicott’s MSS. read 73m}
Dents; and, instead of “37% repeated,
upwards of fifty of his and De Rossi’s
read =4n7; but as the former cannct be
altered on the slight authority by which
it is supported, so it would be unwarrant-
able to adopt the latter reading, since the
second "δ πὰ is manifestly a repetition of
the first. LXX. Κύριος κύριος. Syt
oO v =
| 20 bo lpdo the Lord of lords.
It has been doubted whether by t="n
jo7p, his holy temple, in this place, the
temple at Jerusalem or heaven be meant ;
but the language expressive of descent,
which is employed in the following verse,
would seem to determine the correctness
of the latter interpretation. Comp. 1
Kings viii. 30; Ps. xi. 4. Jehovah
would bear testimony against the He-
brews, not any longer by his prophets, as
he now did, but by the judgments which
ke would inflict upon them.
3, 4. These verses are explanatory of
€rvr. I.
MICAH.
219
He will descend, and tread upon the heights of the earth.
4 he mountains shall be molten under him,
And the valleys shall cleave asunder,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a precipice.
5 By the transgression of Jacob is all this,
An‘ by the sin of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob ?
Ts 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 field,
that which precedes them, and set forth,
in highly figurative language, the course
of the Divine judgment, and the tre-
mendous consequences that would fol-
low. The terrible majesty and resistless
power of Jehovah are expressed in im-
ages chiefly borrowed from earthquakes
and voleanic eruptions. Comp. Amos iv.
13; Ps. 1. 3, xevii. 5; Is. Ixiii. 19, xiv.
2; Hab. iii. 5. Fora 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. Comp.
« Quasi igni
Cera super calido tabescens multa liques-
cat.” Luer, vi. 512.
Some MSS. read nivasn, the hills, in-
stead of D-prarn, the valleys ; but ob-
viously as an emendation: the latter
being the more difficult reading. 715 1%,
a descent or precipice, from 7°, to 90, or
come down. ‘The events referred to were
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 away captive. The
form ἈΞ’ τοῦ τ marks the futurity of the
event, and transmits a future significance
to the following verbs.
5. 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-
flicted was on account of the sins of the
people generally, the prophet, by the
forcible employment of double interrog-
atives, the latter of which, being in the
negative, greatly strengthens the appeal,
traces these sins to their respective sour-
ces — metropolitan corruption. By me-
tonymy the effect is put for the cause,
For "2 used as a neuter, see on Jonah i.
8. For nixon the LXX., Targ., a con-
siderable number of MSS., and four of
the earliest printed editions, have the sin-
gular. The Syr. and Vulg. agree with
the Textus Receptus. nia, the
high places of Judah, were the elevated
spots on mountains and hills on which
the Jews erected chapels and altars for
unlawful, and very often for idolatrous
sacrifice, ete. 1 Kings xii. 3, xiv. 4;
Ezek. vi. 6. That these existed at Jeru-
salem, see Jer, xxxii. 35; and for the
length to which the practice was carried
in the time of Ahaz, see 2 Kings xvi. 4.
Instead of nia, the LXX., Syr., and
Targ. translate, as if nXun, sin, were the
true reading: What is the sin of Judah?
but though the latter word is found in
one of Kennicott’s MSS., and in the mar-
gin of another, it most probably origin-
ated in a desire to render the parallelism
complete, and cannot be allowed to en-
croach upon 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
the prophet an opportunity of afterwards
ey im ty
rr tart.
τ .
220
The plantations of a vineyard :
MICAH.
Cup. £
I will hurl her stones into the valley,
And lay bare her foundations.
“τ
All her images shall be broken to pieces,
All her rewards shall be burnt with fire,
And all her idols will I lay waste ;
For with the reward of a harlot she collected them,
And to the reward of a harlot they shall return.
expatiating more at large on the state of
things in Judah during the approaching
invasion. So complete should be the
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 com-
monly planted on the south sides of
hills or mountains, on account of their
exposure to the sun; and in all pro-
bability that of Samaria had been appro-
priated to this purpose before it was
purchased by Omri, 1 Kings xvi. 24.
The stones of the city are graphically
said to be hurled down into the deep
valley below ; and that such was actually
the case, the present phenomena of the
ruins strongly attest. ‘'The whole face
of this part of the hill suggests the idea
that the buildings of the ancient city
had been thrown down from the brow of
the hill. Ascending to the top, we went
round the whole summit, and found
marks of the same process everywhere.”
— Narrative of the Scottish Mission of
Inquiry, pp. 293,294. "M937, and B39,
ver. 4, are from the root "22, to flow,
pour, or hurl down. For max mb,
comp. Ezek. xiii. 14. The very ’ founda-
tions of the edifices were to be laid bare,
great and ponderous as the stones might
be.
7. The prophet now delivers a special
prediction against the objects and accom-
paniments of the idolatrous worship,
which drew down the judgment of God
upon the devoted city, The >>*>s were
the images or idols, whether carved,
graven or molten, which were erected in
the temples, for the purpose of receiving
religious adoration. LXX. τὰ γλυπτά.
42s, properly means the wages or re=
ward of prostitution ; from τι τι, to give
a present or reward. ‘The word is here,
as elsewhere, employed in application to
idolatry, viewed as spiritual adultery or
fornication. Comp. Is. xxiii. 17, 18;
Ezek. xvi. 31, 34; Hos. ix. 1. Kim-
chi, Abarbanel, Michaelis, Maurer, and
others, are of opinion that the riches, ete.,
of Samaria are thus spoken of, because
her idolatrous inhabitants imagined, that
they were rewards bestowed upon them
by their gods for their zeal and devoted-
ness to their service. It is more likely,
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, 38,34. 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. ὈΠΞῈΣ is synony-
mous with ἘΛΕΠῸΞ ; only Hitzig thinks,
that a more costly kind of idols is meant
by the term, such as were made of silver,
and were of sufficient value to be carried
away as spoil. The entire establishment
of idolatry was to be broken up ; the idois
were to be cut in pieces; such as were of
wood, to be burnt in the fire ; and what-
ever was costly was to be removed by
the enemy to Assyria, there to be again
devoted to idols. Instead of map, three
of De Rossi’s MSS., three more originally,
and perhaps one more, the Brixian and
another ancient edition, without place
or date, read ΠΣΞῈ in Pual, which two
of Kennicott’s exhibit with Vau Shurek
instead of the Kibbutz. The Syr., Targ.,
and Vulg., likewise have the passive, but
Cuap. I.
MICAH.
221
8. Therefore will I wail and howl;
I will 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 ;
He reacheth to the gate of my people,
Even to Jerusalem.
10 Tell it not in Gath ;
in the plural. The LXX. render, συνή-
yaye; which agrees with the common
punctuation.
8. So terrible should be the destruc-
tion with which the northern kingdom
would be visited, that it called for 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. s=5°x, with
Yod, may have been occasioned by the
preceding form =5*>"s; but there are
other verbs which do not reject it in the
future, as “p77, Ps. Ixxii. 14. tq, or, as
the Keri has it, $473, some interpret of
mental bereavement, a state in which the
mind is despoiled of its reasoning powers ;
but, combined as it here is with Biss,
nvked, it must be referred to the body,
and was in all probability designed to
describe the fect as stripped of shoes.
Thus the LXX. ἀνυπόδετος. The Syr.
ete for which compare n°, Is. xx.
2. For Oran, wolves, and mp M525, 08-
triches, see on Is. xiii. 22, and Pococke’s
very elaborate note on the present verse.
The Arab. has here, slid} Jin,
like the wolves, and so! τον λον cca
- ?
like lhe jackals. The former Michaelis
renders crocodiles, but less properly ,on ac-
count of the combination. The ancient
rendering, dragons, is altogether to be
rejected. Both kinds are selected on ac-
count of the piteously howling noice
which they make, especially in the
night.
9. myazy, the Pahul Participle of ¢:x,
to be desperately sick ; spoken of a wound,
to be incurable. ‘There is no necessity,
with Michaelis; to have recourse to 15,
and so to regard the form as the elongated
future of the first person singular. The
following noun, 77m1>3%, being in the
plural, the same number might be ex-
pected in the Participle; but it is a rule
of Hebrew syntax, that when, as in this
instance the predicate precedes the noun,
the number of feminine plurals is fre-
quently neglected. Comp. Jer. iv. 14.
‘What the prophet has in view is the irre-
trievable 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 depend-
encies by the Assyrians; he sees their
invasion of Judah under Sennacherib,
and their investment of Jerusalem. Com,
Is. x. 28-32. The nominative to mya
is the calamity implied in 7"ni>%2 : that
to 5232 is 35, the enemy, understood.
There is the utmost propriety in the dis-
tinctive use of the genders in this place;
for though the inhabitants of Judah suf-
fered from the Assyrian invasion, the
calamity did not reach those of the capi-
tal: it was merely invested by the troops
of Rabshakeh, and was relieved by their
miraculous destruction. See Is. xxxvi.
XXXVil.
10. Comp. 2 Sam. i. 20, where the
words πολ τ δὶ m3 occur, though not
in the same order of arrangement. The
Philistines would hail with joy tidings
of any disaster that might befall the
Hebrews, and especially that occasioned
by the Assyrian attack. Deeply, there-
fore, as the Jews might be afflicted, they
are cautioned by Micah not to give
such public expression to their grief as
would reach the ears of their natural
222
Weep not in Acco:
MICAH.
Cuar, I.
At Beth-aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
11 Pass on, thou inhabitant of Shaphir, naked and ashamed ;
enemies, but to repair to Beth-Aphrah, a
city in the tribe of Benjamin, and there
deplore in secret the calamity which had
overtaken the land. Reland, Harenberg,
Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, take *>3 to
be a contraction of 13:53, which Gesenius
(Lex. swb. voc. 22) is inclined to adopt.
According to this construction, the ren-
dering will be, weep not in Acco, i. e.
Ptolemais, a maritime city in the tribe of
Asher. Other instances of » being drop-
ped, we have in "5 for "5.3, ἘΞ for ἢ
etc. ; and certainly the parallelism with
ra, the continued list of the names of
cities, and the regularity of the paro-
nomasias ἢ ΠΆΤΑ τ ἈΞ} 1DBH— IES; N23
“Ey πΉΣΣ Ὁ, are all in favor of this in-
terpretation, Though Acco was allotted
to the Asherites, they never took posses-
sion of it, Jud. i. 31, and its inhabitants
are, therefore, appositely classed along
with those of Gath, as taking pleasure
in the reverses of the Israelites. The
reading of the LXX. of Ἐνοκεὶμ μὴ», is in
all probability a corruption of of ἐν “Ake
uh, Which quite accords with the preced-
ing of ἐν Γὲϑ ph. The Arabic has
mat i Att, And those who
are in Akim. The name”Axn occurs in
Strabo, xvi. 2, 25. The town is still
called Lice. Akka, by the Arabs, and is
known to Europeans by the name of S¢.
Jean d’ Acre, which it obtained in the
time of the crusades, and is celebrated in
later times by its holding out a siege of
sixty-one days by the French army, and
its destruction by the explosion of a mag-
azine during the bombardment in 1840.
It is situated on the north angle of a
bay of the same name near the foot of
Mount Carmel. ποξΣ Ὁ nna, lit. the
House of Aphrah, or simply TIE Oph-
yah, Josh. xviii. 28; 1 Sam. xiii. 17, a
city in the tribe of Benjamin. The Ὁ is
here merely the sign of the genitive.
The verb $2 which occurs only in Hith-
pael, signifies to wallow or roll, as in dust,
Ὡ 5" 5
Anta
ashes, or the like. See Jer. vi. 26, xxv.
84; Ezek. xxvii. 30, While the He-
brews were not to expose the wretched-
ness of their condition to the contempt
of foreigners, it became them to bewail it
within their own borders. ~2b=nn, rod
thyself, is to be preferred to smstenn, ὦ
roll myself. It is the reading of the
Keri, and many MSS. have it in the
text. The Syr., Targ., and Vulg., have
the third person plural, which is more
easily traceable to "3>Enn than to
sro SENT a. Besides, it seems more nat-
ural ‘to ‘connect this verb with "422 in
the following verse, than to suppose that
the prophet resumes his lamentation ver.
8. Some take the verb to be the second
feminine of the preterite, with the Yod
paragogic; but every difficulty is re-
moved by adopting the imperative.
11. Ines “422, the second singular
feminine of the verb is followed by the
second plural masculine of the pronoun,
on the principle that though the collec-
tive participial noun may4> is feminine,
it was designed to include the inhabitants
of both sexes. ἘΞ is not redundant, as
Justi asserts, but emphatic, as the Dativus
incommodi, “5%, Shaphir, means fair
or beautiful. Dr, Robinson states that
there are still three villages of the name
of Sawdfir, which are noted on the map
as lying nearly halfway between Ashdod
and Eleutheropolis, a position not much
differing from that assigned by Eusebius
and Jerome to Saphir. Palestine, vol.
ii. p. 370. Hitzig and Ewald think that
ποῦ, Shamir, is meant, which is enu-
merated among the cities of Judah, Josh,
xv. 48, which Eusebius calls Ξαφείρ. The
Chald. of the Targ. j-2n>3 wid 359
“Eda isv ery improperly rendered i in the
Latin, “Transite vobis qui habitatis in pul-
chritudine,” though the LXX. had trans-
lated the word by καλῶς. The Syr. has
Yo Pes
ito? [izsehas, inhabitress of Sha-
phir. 'To Samaria there seems no good
reason to refer it, since all the other
Cuapr. I.
MICAH.
223
The inhabitant of Zaanan goeth not forth ;
The wailing of Beth-ezel will take away continuance from you.
12 Surely the inhabitant of Maroth pineth for her goods.
Because evil hath come down from Jehovah,
To the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish!
places specified in the connection were in
Judah. nga-n747, lit. nakedness, shame,
for shamefully naked, ὃ. e. entirely so.
Comp. as to form, PITT, Ps. xlv. 5.
What is here predicted is, that the
inhabitants of Shaphir were to be led
away as captives by the Assyrians ; only
for the sake of effect the Imperative is
used. See on Is. vi. 10. For the naked
condition in which captives were re-
moved, see on Is. xx. 4. 13 SS; Zaanan,
in all probability the same as 43, Zenan,
a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 37.
It properly signifies the place of flocks ;
but to form a paronomasia with it, the
prophet employs the verb ἈΝ"; or the
peculiar orthography of the noun may
have been adopted in order to make it
correspond in appearance and sound with
the verb. Comp. 38x, 82s, and ποῖ,
which are only different modes of express-
ing 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.
10.0 Σενναὰρ. Aq. Σεναάν. ἘΣ ΤΙ m3,
Beth-ezel, in all probability the same as
bun, Azel, Zech. xiv. 5, but where the
town so called was situated, we are not
informed. To judge from the connec-
tion, it must have been in the vicinity
of Shaphir and Zaanan, and not near
Samaria, as Ephraim Syrus conjectured.
The words ἘΞ np? bax nz 7b"
in7ey, have areal ‘perplexed interpre-
ters. Some regard ἼΞῸ3 as the Aramaic
Infinitive, and connect it with the pre-
ceding πῆ; and, supposing 371K, the
enemy, understood, to be the nominative
to Hp, explain τ} Ὁ) of a military post.
But this construction affords no tolerable
sense. Others render m7 Ta, measure,
conjecture, and the like, contrary to all
usage. For other interpretations, see
Pococke, zm Joc. It seems best to abide
by the idea suggested by the root 7123, to
remain, continue, endure, and interpret,
As for the wailing of Beth-ezel, it taketh
away its continuance from you ; i, e. the
inhabitants of that city cease to mourn
on your account. The Shaphirites are
addressed, as having gone at once into
captivity and oblivion. Most likely their
city was larger and more populous, and
on this account was attacked by the
Assyrians, while the smaller towns in
the neighborhood escaped, Gesenius
thinks that in ΣᾺ there is an allusion
to the Arabic etymology ro! , firmly,
or deeply rooted in the earth, as what was
so might be expected to continue ; but
this is very doubtful.
12, Of τι πὸ, Maroth, (bitternesses,)
we have nowhere any account. m7,
Maarath, Josh. xv. 50, to which New-
come refers, appears to have been a dif-
ferent place. From the relation in
which it is here put to Jerusalem, it
probably lay between the afore-men-
tioned towns and the capital, against
which a great army under Rabshakeh
proceeded from Lachish, and doubtless
ae all that came in their way.
aixt mtn, Newcome, after Houbigant,
changes into nm a> mom, and Seiden! is
sick unto death ; 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
Hesselberg. The former ~5 is not causa-
tive, but is used, as frequently at the
beginning of a verse, to express certainty.
For the last clause, compare ver. 9.
18. For Lachish, see on Is. xxxvi. 2.
ton ands, form aparonomasia. 234,
224
MICAH.
Cuap. 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, O inhabitant of
Mareshah !
He shall come to Adullam, the glory of Israel.
signifies a fleet courser. Arab. ass :
cucurrit. => is in the musculine, though
connecting with n234> in the feminine,
because placed first in the order of the
words. The word occurs only here, but
obviously has the signification of the Arab.
μ᾽» ligavit. ΑΒ anoun ἘΠῚ signifies
broom, because this shrub was used
for binding. In the middle clause of
the verse there is a change of person
from the second to the third, but in the
last clause the second is resumed. For
a similar instance, in which, for the sake
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 be-
hooved the inhabitants to use all despatch
in removing their families, and what
property they could take with them, to a
distance. Lachish was besieged by Sen-
nacherib before the threatened attack on
Jerusalem, 2 Kings Xvill. 14.
14. Ὁ πῆ is used of the presents or
dowry sent with a wife, 1 Kings ix. 16,
and of letters of divorce sent with her
when she is dismissed by her husband.
In the acceptation ἐξαποστελλομένους,
messengers, as given by the LXX,, it
nowhere occurs. The term appears to
be here employed metaphorically to de-
note the breaking up, or dissolution of all
connection between Lachish and More-
sheth-Gath ; the former city having
been taken by the Assyrians, was no
longer able to afford protection or support
to the latter. The nominative to "2mm,
is M2¢i> in the preceding verse. Ly is
equivalent, in this connection, to tx.
rims, Moresheth, the birth-place of
Micah, (see Preface) is here said to belong
to Gath, most probably because it was
in its vicinity, and under its jurisdiction,
when in possession of the Philistines,
D158) Achzib. There were two cities of
this name, one on the sea-coast, between
Acco and Tyre, now called by the Arabs
ay, Ez-Zib. Josh. xix. 29 ; Jud. i.
31; and the other in the tribe of Judah,
between Keilah and Mareshah, Josh. xy.
44, That the latter is here intended, 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 on the northern kingdom
is 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
the term can form no objection to this
construction of the passage. It was most
probably the same place that is called
5.15, Chezib, Gen. xxxviii. 5. By an
elegant paronomasia, a*t=s 73, the
houses of Achzib, are said to become
at=x, deceitful. Comp. a1>8 $n, a de-
ceitful torrent, i.e. one which, haying
dried up, disappoints the hope of the trav-
eller. Jobvi. 17-19; Jer. xv. 18. Arab.
οὖσ fefellit, irritus vanusque fecit.
The expectations of further aid from the
families, or inhabitants of that place,
should prove fruitless.
15. “2x is a defective reading of x72,
which many MSS, have in the text. In
ΒΕ II.
MICAH.
225
16 Make bald thy head, and shave it because of thy darling child-
ren 5
Enlarge thy baldness like that of the eagle ;
For they are gone into captivity from thee.
75> and many is another paronomasia,
Mareshah lay in the plains of Judah,
Josh. xv. 44. It was fortified by Reho-
boam, 2 Chron. xi. 8, and was famous
for the victory obtained over the Ethio-
pians by Asa, 2 Chron. xiv. 9,10. Ac-
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, 4. The possessor or occupier here
predicted is Sennacherib, who took Ma-
reshah and the other fortified cities of
Judah, 2 Kings xviii. 14. To point him
out with greater emphasis the article is
used: inion, “ The possessor.” cry,
᾿ Adullam, was another city of Judah in
the same direction, and near the former,
. Josh. xy. 35. It was a royal residence
in the time of the Canaanites, Josh.
xii. 15; was fortified by Rehoboam,
2 Chron. xi. 7; and had villages de-
pendent upon it, Neh. xi. 30. Of 435
tou various interpretations have been
given; such as the wealth or riches of
Israel, their multitude, their nobility,
their weight of calamity, etc. Some take
the words to be in the nominative, some
in the accusative, and some in the
vocative case. The most natural con-
struction is that of our common version,
according to which they are in apposi-
tion with ἘΞ 5, Adullam, and express
the superior situation of the place and
its neighborhood. Thus also Schmidius,
Rosenmiiller, and Hesselberg.
16. The prophet concludes this geo-
graphical part of his denunciations by
addressing himself to the land of Judah,
and calling upon her to put on signs of
deep-felt grief on account of the removal
of her inhabitants. ‘>>, dand, is to be
supplied, rather than er ra, daughter
of Zion. Baldness, and cutting off the
beard, are tokens of mourning in the
East, as they were among the nations
of antiquity. Ezra ix. 3; Job i. 20;
Jer. vii. 21, xvi. 6, xlviii. 37. “ Regulos
quosdam barbam posuisse et uxorem cap-
ita rasisse, ad indicium mazximi luctus.”
Suetonius, in his Life of Caligula, chap. v.
*“ When Khaled ben Walid ben Mogairah
died, there was not a female of the house
of Mogairah, either matron or maiden,
who caused not her hair to be cut off at
his απ σα]. 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. DBM, delights,
from 3:9, Arab. ic
» amatorius, fo-
mine 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 Sen-
nacherib, it is obvious the prophet must
have a much more desolating calamity
in view in this verse, viz., the Babylonish
captivity.
CHART ΤΙ.
HAVING announced the punishments which were to be inflicted upon his people for the
evils in which they indulged, Micah now proceeds to specify some of these evils, 1, 2;
and renews his denunciations, 3--5. He then censures those who could not endure to hear
29
226
MICAH.
Gaar. TE
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.
1 Wo to those who devise wickedness,
And fabricate evil upon their beds ;
In the morning light they effect it,
Because it is in the power of their hand,
2 They covet fields, and take them by force,
And houses, and take them away :
They oppress a man and his house,
A man and his possession.
3 Wherefore thus saith Jehovah:
Behold! I devise an evil against this family,
1. Comp. Is. x. 1, 2. In the verbs
23m, >28, and mz, is evidently a gra-
dation. ‘The first describes the concep-
tion of the evil purpose in the mind; the
second, the preparation or τς of
the scheme; and the third, the carrying
of it into effect. Comp. Ps. lvii. 3; Is.
xli. 4; Hos. xi. 9. The πὶ in πη. is
the feminine used as a neuter, to agree
with the nouns 458 and 34, as forming a
neuter plural accusative. The phrase
“ΒΕ πὸ ds occurs also Gen, xxxi. 29 ; Proy.
iii. 27; and with the negative, Deut.
xxviii. 32; Neh. vy. 5. It is rendered by
the LXX. οὐκ ἦραν πρὸς τὸν ϑεὸν χεῖρας
which the Syr. gives without
Vee
«ὁσιαραὶ τὸ τς ΑΞ ς
Tout ee and lift up their hands to
God. YVulg. quoniam contra Deum est
manus eorum. Some consider the words
to be equivalent to the Dextra mihi Deus
of Virgil, and appeal to Job xii. 6, and
Hab. i. 11, where, however, the phrase-
ology is different; while others take $x
to be the shorter form of the demonstra-
tive pronoun But the true mean-
ing seems to be ‘that given in our com-
mon. version, according to which $y is to
be taken in its literal signification of
power, strength, ete. ‘Thus Pococke,
Rosenmiiller, Bauer, Dathe, De Wette,
Gesenius, Hitzig, and Ewald, after the
αὐτῶν,
the negative:
TON.
Targ. Wine πὴ eben mos “x, and Kim-
chi, O297 priest ἘΠὼῚΞ A> w “5, be-
cause there is power in their hand to
oppress the poor. Just as the LXX.
render, ἰσχύει ἣ χεὶρ, Gen. xxxi. 29, and
Deut. xxviii. 32. That »> is to be taken
causatively, and not conditionally, is
evident from the connection.
2. Before nema repeat san. Fifty-
two MSS., six by correction, two origin-
ally; four ancient and nineteen other
printed editions; the Alex. MS. of the
LXX., the Targ., Vulg., and Arab., omit
ἡ before cox. The parallelisms in this
verse are very elegant.
3. 23m and myn correspond here to
59} and 34 in ver. 1. ἘΠΕ Θ᾽ Rosen-
miiller and Maurer adrenal to signify
“‘certum genus hominum nequam et per-
versum ;”’ as if the prophet intended to
single out such of the people as com-
mitted the atrocious acts specified ver.
2; but it is more likely that the whole
people, viewed as rebellious and corrupt,
ismeant. Seeon Amos iii: 1. The figure
of a yoke is here employed for the purpose
of expressing the heavy and oppressive
nature of the bondage to which the He-
brews were to be subjected. 7,
thence, has the force of a pronoun in
om
LXX. ἐξ ὧν. ὅγε. oLL&S.
1 Kings xvii, 18;
this place.
Comp. Gen, iii. 23;
Cuap. II.
MICAH.
227
From which ye shall not withdraw your necks,
Neither shall 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,
And say:
Weare utterly destroyed.
He hath changed the portion of my people,
How hath he withdrawn it from me!
To an apostate he hath divided our fields !
5 Therefore thou shalt not have one to cast the line by lot,
In the congregation of Jehovah.
Ezek. v. 3. So oppressive should be the
yoke, that it would be impossible for
them to hold themselves erect. LXX.
bpSoi. Targ. + maip3, Test. The term
main is selected with special reference to
the elated and haughty manner in which
they had conducted themselves. It is
properly a substantive, from tan, to be
high, but is here used adverbially.
4. For 5: nwa, see on 15. xiv. 4. The
verb is here used impersonally. That
this Mashal was to be employed by the
Jews themselves, and not by their ene-
mies, is evident from its tenor, as it fol-
lows in the verse. ἘΞ 52), therefore, is
not to be rendered against you, but on
your account. 972 ὅτι} m3, naka, nehi,
nihyah, form an “elegant paronomasia.
There can be no doubt that 73, damenta-
tion, is derived from 772, ἕο lament ; but
whether mm) be likewise derived from it,
and consequently merely the feminine of
“73, or whether it be the Niphal of the
substantive verb m:n, ἐο be, is disputed.
The harshness that would arise from
rendering the words, One shall lament
with a lamentation, it is done! militates
against the latter derivation ; whereas,
by taking all the three words as cognates,
having the same signification, the sentence
is at once easy and forcible. The relative
position of the verbs Xw2, 773, and “ὩΣ
confirms this construction. Thus the
LXX. and Vulg. καὶ ϑρηνηϑήσεται Sphvos
ἐν μέλει, et cantabitur canticum cum
suavitate. And the Arab., employing
for the two first words terms cognate with
the Hebrew, ass cr clk: δ
τοῦ τ 15 the feminine of 513, just as π᾿ ξ
is of "28, and 772% of sou. The femi-
nine is added to the masculine for the
sake of emphasis. Comp. Is. iii. 1,
only there the nouns are joined by the
copulative 1. The three verbs above
specified are used impersonally. The
nominative to the following verbs, “2,
tan, and pi, is Jehovah, understood.
πρῶ, Syr. po, to buy ; in Aphel - α Roll Ξ
to sell, or deliver an article into the hand
of the purchaser ; Arab. ἡ yk: hue illue
mota fuit res, transivit. The verb is
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. 323% is a verbal noun,
from the Pilel of a4, to turn, turn back ;
here used in a bad sense, one who has
turned back, or away from God; apos-
tate, rebel, cdolater. Comp. Is. xivii. 10,
lvii. 17; Jer. xlix. 4. The idolatrous
king of Babylon is meant.
5. => is a repetition of that used at
the beginning of ver. 3, and for the same
purpose. The nominative to 73, thee, is
ty, people, occurring in the preceding
verse; and the denunciation relates to
their being completely at the disposal of
their enemies : none of themselves being
permitted to allot to them portions οἵ,
the land for inheritance. According to
Hitzig the words are addressed by the
ungodly Jews to Micah himself, and
ΕΣ
228
MICAH.
Cuap. II.
6 Prophesy not; those shall prophesy
Who will not prophesy of these things:
Reproaches are incessant.
7 What language, O house of Jacob!
Is the Spirit of Jehovah shortened ?
Are these his operations ?
Do not my words benefit him that walketh uprightly ὃ
intimate that they would put him and
his family to death for prophesying
against them.
6. The words ἼΞ.325 ἸΏ πὸ
mbsb 2p 22-85, which contain a smooth
and elegant paronomasia, are very enig-
matical, but must neither be rendered,
“ Prophesy not, they say to those who
should prophesy : they shall not prophesy
to such.” Or: ‘ Prophesy not; they
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 Iatter,
the language is entirely that of the
people, by which they not merely stop
the mouths of the true prophets, but de-
clare that those only should be permitted
to prophesy to them who abstained from
denunciations of evil. The former re-
quires 3x5 to be supplied before 5.95 ;
the latter, “EN : before 53 τὴ. The
formula δ pon is used ver, 11, both in
reference to the persons to whom the pre-
diction is addressed, and to that which Ἢ
the subject of the prophecy: 95> τα
3724, «I will prophecy ¢o thee of w ine.”
Though contrary to the Masoretic division
of the words, I prefer the second of the
above modes of construction, as being the
easier of the two. The use of the para-
gogic ἡ in ὭΞ. 195 forms no objection ;
for though it is most commonly found at
the end of a sentence, yet there are many
instances in which it occurs at the be-
ginning, or in the middle. See Gen.
28-31; Exod. xviii. 26; Deut.
Vill. 3; 1 Sam. ii. 22 Ps; xi. 2, lxvii.
13; Is. vii. 12, For S>:wn, see on
Amos vii. 16. In the concluding words
of the verse, nivcd> 30° 84, literally, ca-
lumnies depart not, the Jews indignantly
tax the prophets with exposing them to
contempt by incessant castigation and re-
proof. Of this interpretation Maurer
observes, ‘ut facillima et simplissima
per se est, ita ad nexum est aptissima.”
The verb occurring first, is in the mas-
culine singular, though the noun is a
feminine plural. See Gesen. § 144.
Ward's edit.
7. The prophet boldly meets the charge
expressed in the concluding clause of the
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 which Jehovah delighted,
and were not rather procured by the
wickedness of those on whom they were
to be inflicted ? and whether it was not
a fact which experience had ever verified,
that the Divine communications were
productive of good to men of science and
consistent piety? In syn the τῷ is
used as a qualifying demonstrative with
all the force of an indignant exclama-
tion, in order to point out the flagrant
character of the language employed by
the Israclites. =z is the Pahul Part.
signifying what is satd or spoken, and
with the = prefixed, O dictum! Almost
all the versions and Lexicons assign to
this participle the signification of being
called or named ; but tHis notion attaches
to the verb only in Niphal, which, in
such case, is uniformly followed by the
preposition +. See Is. iv. 3, xix. 18;
Hos. ii. 1. The LXX., Aq., Vulg., and
XViil.
εν, iis
MICAH.
229
8 But of old my people hath risen up as an enemy ;
Ye strip off the vestment as well as the robe
From those who walk along securely,
From those who are returning from battle.
9 The women of my people ye thrust out from their darling home;
From their children ye take away my glory for ever.
Targ., have read =a, which is found in
four of Kennicott’s MSS. Ewald: “0
des Wortes!” As 725 "3p, short of
breath or spirit, is contrasted with 72S
ἘΞ, long-suffering, Prov. xiv. 29, and
is ‘obviously equivalent to D7E8 ἘΣ, ver.
17, (comp. Hin ἜΣ Ὁ, Exod. vi. 9 ») most
of the moderns render in the present in-
stance, Is Jehovah prone to anger? but
prophecy being the subject to which re-
ference had just been made, it is more
natural to understand Fin? mim, the
Spirit of Jehovah, in its appropriated
meaning, as designating the Divine Au-
thor of prophetic communications ; and
to take the verb in the sense of weakness
or inability. Comp. πὸ is short of
hand, Is. xxxvii. 27. mx, these, like
mbx, ver. 6, refers to the judgments
which the Lord had threatened to in-
flict. The interrogative form, as fre-
quently, requires a decided negative; such
judgments are not Jehovah’s usual opera-
tions. Comp. Is. iit 21; Lam. iii.
33; Mic. vii. 18. In 9bin wen, the
substantive, which is used adverbially,
is placed first, for the sake of emphasis,
and on this account also it takes the
article, which properly belongs to Sin.
A similar instance of transposition occurs
in halo , Job xxxi. 26, where the sub-
stantive is likewise used adverbially.
For the meaning of the pa comp.
Dh Ἔτι» Prove te 7}. ines goss, 1s.
νι. 2. ;
8. ἢ at the beginning of this verse is
strongly adversative. Very different was
the character of those whom the prophet
was now reproving. baznx, properly
yesterday, is taken by some to signify
lately ; but it is more in keeping with
the spirit of the passage to render it an-
ciently, of old, or the like. See on Is.
xxx. 33. The rebellious conduct of
the Hebrew nation was no new thing,
It had characterized every period of its
history. LXX. gumpooSev. Abulwalid,
contrary to the usage of the language,
divides the word into my and Ἐπ, and
renders, on the contr ary. “Thus also the
Vulg. The in 2>4s% is expressive of
manner; comp. pist, 15: Sesrare 1,
bara is selected to correspond i in allit-
eration with > naps, and is here equiy-
alent to *:£5%3, or ἘΣ. It refers, not to
Ἐπὶ immediately following, but to the
persons of those who were plundered.
Though divided by the accent, mb and
“78 are to be regarded as asyndeta; the
former, signifying the large loose gar-
ment which was worn immediately over
the tunic, and which being indispensable
to the Orientals, is placed first, for the
sake of emphasis; the latter, the costly
robe of fur, or other rich stuff, the rob-
bery of which, under the circumstances
described, was a matter of course. So
great was the rapacity of the lawless
characters spoken of, that they were not
satisfied with the more valuable part of
the dress, but likewise possessed them-
selves of what was less costly. Comp.
Matt. v.40. For προδῷ (by Set
tion of the first two letters of mbm,
which is much more frequently in use,)
comp. the Arab. Li, vestimentum,
pec. totum corpus involvens, from \_ χὺ
circumdedit. Before 29% repeat the pre-
position 4. The passive participle is here
used intransitively to describe those who
were returning after having defeated their
enemy in battle, and who might there-
fore be considered perfectly secure. Even
they were waylaid by their countrymen
and neighbors, and robbed of the spoils
which they had taken in war.
9. In m2 and πο Ὁ >, there is, as
990
MICAH.
Cuap. IL
10 Arise! depart! for this is not the place of your rest ;
Because of pollution it will destroy.
And the destruction shall be grievous.
11 Ifany one, conversant with wind and falsehood, lie, saying :
I will prophesy to thee of wine and strong drink,
Even he shall be the prophet of this people.
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 homes, and robbed of their
property. “37m, my ornament, collec-
tively for the ornamental clothes which
they wore, and with which they had
been provided by Jehovah. The Holy
Land, and everything connected with it,
was his, so that whatever was enjoyed
by its inhabitants, was to be regarded as
peculiarly a Divine gift. Comp. Hos. ii.
8. 4:5, for ever, i. e. never to make
restitution. Some think there is refer-
ence to the command to restore the
pledge before sun-set, Exod. xxii. 25,
but this is doubtful.
10. As the Imperative is frequently
used by the prophets to express more
strongly the certainty of a prediction
than a simple future would have done,
ots s:sp are to be so understood here.
See on Is. vi. 10. Hitzig preposterously
considers the words to be addressed by
the pitiless Jews to the persons whom
they oppressed by expelling them from
their homes. They are obviously to be
viewed as the language of Jehovah,
threatening them with a removal from
their own country, which they had pol-
luted by their crimes, to a foreign and
heathen land. Canaan was conferred
upon the Hebrews as a rest, or place of
quiet enjoy ment, after their fatigues and
troubles in the wilderness, Num. x. 33; :
Deut. xii. 9; Ps. xev. 11. Before rs,
supply ys. The definite article in
is equivalent to the pronominal
Ἐξ, and is to be rendered accord-
srnsen
TAS fare
affix
ingly. A land may be said to destroy
its inhabitants, when it withholds from
them the means of subsistence, and forces
them to leave it. With such reference it
is described as devouring them and spew-
ing them out of it, Lev. xviii. 28, xx. 22,
xxvi. 38; Ezek. xxxvi. 12-14. The
comparison of these passages shows the
propriety of the Piel tann, and renders
unnecessary the passive forms $2mm and
tonn, which some have proposed. For
wed » comp. the Arab. eye morbus
Suit, only its signfications would seem to
be taken from the idea of a violent or
deadly disease. Thus ΤΣ 22 nbbp, a
grievous curse, 1 Kings ii. 8. Gesenius
renders ye. Ὁ 73h corruptio velenieg:
tissima.
11. Micah reverts to the subject of
smooth and flattering predictions, which
he had spoken of ver. 6, and shows that
so corrupt had the people become, that
no prophet might expect to be acceptable
to them who did not sanction their
sinful indulgences. To those who did,
they would give a ready ear. As [3
signifies both wind and spirit, there is
great force in representing those who
pretended to inspiration as walking or
being familiar with the wind : so utterly
worthless was the peeackan which they
communicated. 2 7>F is otherwise
equivalent to man wos, Hos. ix. 7, and
“pe bh to "pga sag, Jer v. 31.
Dathe thinks this verse would better fit
in after ver. 6, but there is no authority
for the transposition ; and, besides, there
is a singular propriety in bringing forward
the crowning sin of the Jews, viz. their
preferring false prophets to the faithful
messengers of Jehovah, just before intro-
ducing | the glorious prediction of their
restoration from captivity in the follow-
ing verse.
Cuapr. II.
.»
12
MICAH. .
a)
Co
μ-
I will surely gather thee entirely, O 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 ;
12, 13. Theodoret, Kimchi, Calvin,
Drusius, De Dieu, Grotius, Tarnovius,
and others, consider these verses to be a
denunciation of punishment, and not a
promise of deliverance; while Struensee,
Hezel, Michaelis, and Forsayeth (in
Newcome) regard them as the language
of the false prophets, continued from
ver. 11. Ewald, who takes the same
view, thinks they were originally written
by Micah on the margin of his manu-
script, and has printed them in Italics,
within brackets. Most modern inter-
preters, however, and among them
Rosenmiiller, Dathe, Justi, Hartmann,
Maurer, and even Hitzig, are unanimous
in’ viewing them as predictive of the
restoration of the Jews after their disper-
sion. The manner in which the prophet
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 recommends itself
as the true. The point most difficult to
determine is the point to which the
prophecy has respect. Most Christian
expositors explain it of the appearance
of Christ, and his collecting of believers
into his church; but this construction is
altogether arbitrary, resting on no other
foundation than the principle of giving
a spiritual interpretation to whatever
“may, by possibility, be so interpreted.
So far is there from being anything in
the phraseology of the text to warrant
such appropriation of it, that the very
terms compel to an adoption of the
literal sense. Kimchi, Jarchi, and the
Jews generally, as also several modern
Christian writers, maintain, that the
prophecy relates to the future literal re-
storation 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
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
in Is. xvii. 4; Hos. xii. 2; and “Israel”
for the kingdom of Judah, as in Obad. 18,
2 Chron. xii. 1, xix. 8, xxi. 2,4. The
two tribes and a half being few com-
pared with the ten, might well be de-
scribed as τσ, the remainder, which
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 col-
lections of sheep in the folds of Bozrah ;
a region celebrated for the abundance of
its flocks. The Targ., Vulg., Gesenius,
Winer, Hitzig, and Ewald, render 422,
sheep-fold, but this signification of the
word is totally unsupported by usage,
and is not allowed by Lee. The
LXX., mistaking 5 for the preposition,
translate, ἐν ϑλίψει. It is seldom we
meet with the article prefixed to a noun
taking the pronominal affix, as in ina973
yet see Josh. vii. 21, viii. 88. By yin,
the 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
term of Jehovah himself, who, through
the instrumentality of that monarch, re-
moved every obstacle which prevented
the return of the Hebrews to their own
land. When his providence so visibly
interposed, it was easy for them to break
232
They go out at it;
MICAH.
Cuap. 1Π.
Their King passeth on before them,
Even Jehovah at their head.
down the minor barriers which had con-
fined them in Babylonia, and triumph-
antly to march out through the gates of
the hostile city. To intimate that they
should suffer molestation from no enemy
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
before his people when they went up
from Egypt, Deut. i. 30. In the illus-
trious Deliverer here exhibited, Rosen-
miiller recognizes the Messiah: ‘ Per-
ruptor, δεικτικῶς, est enim cum πὶ de-
monstrativo. Loquitur ergo de certa
quadam persona, et antonomastice sic
dicta, que mox vocabitur pst, rex
illorum et min>, ut non sit dubium,
Nostrum de Messia cagitasse, seu divino
illo heroe, quo auspice, devictis omnibus
Judeorum hostibus, aureum seculum or-
bem beabit.’’ And to his interpretation
I accede, only restricting the work of the
Messiah, as here predicted, to his leading
forth the Jews from Babylon. Comp.
Exod. xxxiii. 14; Is. lxiii. 9, in which
we are taught that the Divine Logos
delivered, and conducted the Israelites
through the wilderness.
Cr AP Pes “elt.
HAVING inserted in the two preceding verses
a gracious prediction for the comfort of the
few pious who might be living in the midst of the ungodly, the prophet proceeds to ex-
patiate 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. 1-4, 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.
Anp I said: Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob!
And ye judges of the house of Israel!
Is it not yours to know justice ?
Who hate good and love evil;
Who strip their skin from off them,
And their flesh from off their bones,
Who devour the flesh of my people,
And flay their skin from off them ;
Who break their bones in pieces,
1—3. The Ὁ in ἘΠῚ is expressive of
duty or obligation ; what the persons
spoken of were bound to do, and what
might naturally be expected from them
in the station which they filled. y¥=> is
here used, not of merely speculative
knowledge, but of that which is prac-
tical. It was the province of the mag-
istrates to exercise their judicial author-
ity for the protection gf the inioent,
Cuap. III.
MICAH.
233
And separate them as in the pot,
And as flesh in the midst of the kettle.
4 Then they may cry to Jehovah,
But he will not answer them,
But will hide his face from them at that time ;
Because they have corrupted their doings.
5 Thus saith Jehovah respecting the prophets,
Who cause my people to err;
Who bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace ;
But against him that putteth not into their mouth
They prepare war.
6 Surely ye shall have night without vision ;
Ye shall have darkness without divination ;
Yea, the sun shall go down upon the prophets,
And the day shall become black over them.
and the punishment of evil-doers. But
instead of thus discharging the duties of
their office, they were themselves perpe-
trators of the most flagrant acts of op-
pression and cruelty. Their inhuman
conduct is very forcibly described by the
prophet, in language borrowed from the
process of slaying and preparing animals
for food, and the feasting consequent
thereon. Comp. Ps. xiv. 4; Prov. xxx.
14. The pronominal affixes in ver. 2,
refer to the people, understood, and not
to 35% and 724, immediately preceding,
which are obviously employed as cee
neuters. Though many MSS. read >
with the Keri, yet there are others which
exhibit m4, the proper pointing of the
Chethib. No codex supports the emen-
dation -y¥> instead of ngsp. The LXX.
may, or may not, have so read. The
etymology of nip is uncertain, but that
it signifies a ἜῸ for boiling in is clear
from its being here parallel with “7d, and
in 1 Sam, ii. 14 with “it5, “7 and
“1m.
4, τὰ, then, and sonm ny3, at that
time, are anticipative of the period of
divine judgment. The infliction of such
judgment is implied, not expressed. The
more emphatically to convey an impres-
sion of its certainty, the prophet takes it
for granted, God is said to hear or an-
swer prayer, when he grants what is sup-
30
plicated; and to hide his face, when he
disregards or affords no relief to the sup-
pliant. MEN, with the LXX., Syr.,
Justi, Dathe, and others, I take to be
causal, as in Num. xxvii. 14; 1 Sam.
XXxvili. 18; 2 Kings xvii. 26.
δ. Ἐπ οθβ pradin, who bite with their
teeth, the antithesis requires to be under-
stood in the sense of eating the food
supplied by the people. While such
supplies were granted, the false prophets
predicted prosperity ; but if they with-
held them, measures of a hostile nature,
under a religious pretext, were adopted
against them. Thus the Targ. S271 4727
aby onity y2ime neat ye yn,
They prophesy peace to him who feeds
them with dinners of flesh. 'The phrase
is purposely selected in order satirically
to expose the selfishness of the deceivers.
For the meaning of ὦ wap, to sanctify, as
here used, see on Is. xiii. 3; Joel i. 14;
and comp. Jer. vi. 4.
6, 7. So completely should the pre-
dictions of the false prophets be dis-
proved 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
deceptions. Under such circumstances
they could not pretend to deliver any
divine oracle to the people. The words
234
MICAH.
Cuap. III.
7 Then shall the seers be ashamed,
And the diviners confounded ;
They shall all cover their beard ;
For there shall be no response from God.
8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah,
And of judgment and might ;
To declare unto Jacob his transgression,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, I beseech you, ye heads of the house of Jacob!
And judges of the house of Israel!
Who abhor justice,
And pervert all equity ;
10 Building Zion with blood,
do not imply that they ever had really
received any such oracles: they merely
professed to have received them. ‘% is
here to be taken privatively, and not in
the signification of οὗ, propter, etc., as
interpreted by some. The obscuration
of the heavenly bodies, or of the light of
day, is frequently employed by the proph-
ets, as it is by oriental writers generally,
to denote affliction or calamity. Amos
viii. 9. τῶν, LXX,, in 2 Sam. xix. 26,
μύσταξ, the mustache or beard, which is
held in high estimation in the East, and
in exhibiting which, properly grown
and trimmied, the Orientals greatly pride
themselves. To hide it, therefore, by
covering it, was regarded as a striking
mark of shame or sorrow. See Lev.
xiii. 45; 2Sam. xix. 25; Ezek. xxiv.
17, 22.
8. Full of conscious sincerity, and
of his divine commission, in the execu-
tion of which he was sustained by the
supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit,
and zealous for the glory of God, and
the recovery of his people, Micah avows
his readiness, with all boldness, to an-
nounce to them his inspired message re-
specting their sins. His character and
conduct formed a perfect contrast to
those of the false prophets. The com-
pound particle Ἐ Ξη 7, and the pronoun
“ix, are here emphatic. m>, means the
supernatural power necessary for the gen-
eral discharge of the prophetic office ;
comp. dvvauis, Luke i. 17, xxiv. 49 ;
Acts i. 8; wezva, a sense of moral rec-
titude, distinguishing clearly between
right and wrong, and impelling to the
advocacy and maintenance of such ac-
tions, as are conformable to the Divine
law ; and 47223, moral courage, or a bold
and intrepid spirit, inciting its possessor
to throw aside all timidity in defending
the cause of God and truth. Comp. 2
Tim. i. 7. °
9. The prophet now proceeds to de-
liver in full the message which he had
commenced, ver. 1, employing the same
formula, S2—3372'3, as he also does chap.
vi. 1. The remaining verses of the
chapter furnish a noble specimen of that
bold and uncompromising fidelity which
characterized his ministry.
10. 12,5, the LXX., Syr, Targ., and
Vulg., render in the plural, but no He-
brew codex exhibits the variation. The
authors of these versions doubtless re-
garded the participle as a collective,
which mode of construction we must
adopt, or, with Michaelis, we must sup-
pose that the prophet had Shebna, Is,
xxii. 16-18, Jehoiakim, or some other
particular prince in his eye; the former
interpretation is preferable. 23, blood,
used for the wealth obtained by shedding
the blood of its owners. Comp. Jer. xxii.
18; Ezck. xxii. 27; Hab. ii, 12, in the
latter of which passages H™37 and 7512
are used as parallels, with the same par-
ticle, 735.
Cuap. 111.
MICAH.
239
And Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her heads judge for reward,
And her priests teach for hire ;
Her prophets also divine for money ;
Yet they lean upon Jehovah, saying :
Is not Jehovah in the midst of us ?
No calamity shall come upon us.
12 Surely on your account
Sion shall be ploughed as a field,
11. sh, is a gift or bribe given to a
judge to obtain freedom from punish-
ment. Receiving bribes was strictly
prohibited by the Mosaic law, Exod.
<x 8) Weut: xvi, 19. What the
ὈΠ:π|3, priests, were authorized by that
law to act in the capacity of ordinary re-
ligious teachers, does not appear. Their
being thus employed by Jehoshaphat is
narrated as something altogether extra-
ordinary, 2 Chron. xvii. 7-9. Besides
attending to the ceremonial observances,
they had devolved upon them the de-
cision of controversies, Deut. xvii. 8-11,
xxi. 5; Ezek. xliv. 24, cases of leprosy,
divorce, etc. Lev. x. 11. They were to
lay down the law in such cases, and pro-
nounce the final sentence. Comp. Mal.
li. 7; Deut. xxxili. 10; and see Mi-
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 cor-
ruptible. The verb Ftp, to divine, be-
ing only used of false prophets, shows
that those reproved by Micah were of
that description, Comp. Jude1l. With
all their wicked perversion of right, they
hypocritically claimed an interest in the
favor of God, and scouted the idea that
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
epiphonema, in which the destruction of
the metropolis is expressly and _par-
ticularly predicted. The wicked leaders
of the people were now building and
beautifying it, by expending upon it
their unrighteous gains, yer. 10; but
the time was coming when it should be
completely desolated. ‘ Zion” desig-
nates the site of the city of David on
the south ; ‘* Jerusalem,” the houses oc-
cupied by the inhabitants generally in
the centre and the north; and “the
mountain of the house,” Moriah on the
east. Instead of 155», the Chaldee ter-
mination, five MSS., five others origin-
ally, and the Babylonian Talmud, read
ἘΠῚ». man, the house, i, 6. κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν,
the temple. That which was their boast
and confidence, was to be converted into
a wilderness. Σ᾿ signifies not only a
forest, but also a thicket of shrubs, a
rough or rugged locality, from the Arab.
yee asper, salebrosus fuit ; difficilis
incessu, asper locus. The whole verse
contains a description of utter ruin and
desolation. The enunciation of such a
prophecy evinced the greatest intrepidity
on the part of Micah, and is quoted as
an instance of prophetic boldness, Jer.
xxvl. 18, 19. The ploughing of the city
by the enemy, which has its parallel in
Horace, lib, i. Od. 16,
“ὁ Imprimeretque muris
Hostile aratrum exercitus insolens,”
has by some interpreters been referred
to what is recorded in the Talmud,
noticed by Jerome, and repeated by
Maimonides, that Titus Annius Rufus,
an officer in the Roman army, tore up
with a ploughshare the foundations of
the temple; but little or no credit is to
be given to the story. See Deylingii
290
Jerusalem shall become heaps,
MICAH.
Cuap. IV.
And the mountain of the house woody heights.
Observationes Sacr. pt. v. pp. 448, 450.
Robinson’s Palestine, 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
language. Equally inapposite as to the
to the present partially cultivated state
of Mount Zion, since the destruction to
which it points was not the more distant
devastations under Titus and Adrian,
but the more proximate under Nebu-
chadnezzar. For the accomplishment,
see Neh. ii. 17, iv. 2; Lam. v. 18.
fulfilment of the prophecy are the appeals
CHAP TEAR aA Vi
By a sudden transition, as at chap. ii. 13, the prophet passes from his denunciation of pun-
ishment, 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
upon the ruins of idolatry, and the accession of the Gentiles, 1,2; the peaceful nature of
his reign, 3, and the security of his subjects, 4. He then abruptly introduces his captive
countrymen, who, having been recovered to the worship of the true God, declare, that,
however the idolaters around them might adhere to their seyeral systems of creature-
worship, 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 exist-
ence, and reign over them for ever, 6-8. The intermediate invasion of Judea, the cap-
tivity in Babylon, and the liberation of the Jews, are next depicted, 9--11. 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 on the establishment of Herod by
the Roman power.
1 Awnp it shall come to pass in the last of the days,
That the mountain of Jehovah’s house
Shall be established on the summit of the mountains,
And be elevated above the hills,
And the people shall flow to it.
2 Yea, many nations shall go, and say :
Come let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah,
1-3. On the general identity of this
prophecy with Is. ii, 2-4, see the note
on that passage, to which the reader is
also referred forthe interpretation. ‘The
verbal discrepancies, which are few and
trivial, will be best seen on consulting
Newcome, who exhibits the Ilebrew text
of both prophets in parallel columns.
The sense is the same throughout.
Twenty MSS., originally ten more, one
by correction, and the Complut. edition,
read 17> instead of yts. For axe7 xt,
thirty-six MSS., probably another, seven
originally, and six by correction, together
Cc
war. IV. MICATL.
To the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may teach us his ways,
237
And that we may walk in his paths ;
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall arbitrate among many people,
And give decision to many distant nations,
So that they shall beat their swords into coulters,
And their spears into pruning-knives ;
Nation shall not raise a sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war any more.
4 And they shall sit each under his vine, and under his fig-tree,
And none shall make him afraid ;
For the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it.
σι
Each in the name of his god,
Though all the people should walk
Yet we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God,
For ever and ever.
In that day, saith Jehovah,
I will gather the halting,
oO
with four of the early editions, read ἐξ;
and for :s'y> five MSS., four originally,
and now one, read sv.
4. 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. 1 Kings iv. 25; Zech. iii. 10.
For a state of things precisely the re-
verse see my Biblical Researches and
Travels in Russia, ete. Ὁ. 436.
5. Many interpreters have been puz-
zled how to reconcile the statement
made in the beginning of this verse with
the prediction contained in verse 2; and
Hartmann goes so far as to assert, that it
was originally a marginal gloss, written
by a different pen, and afterwards inserted
in the text. The difficulty will be re-
moved, if we consider the words to be
those of the Jews during their dispersion.
«* Hic spectanda est diversitas temporis.”
Calvin, i Joc. They witrfessed the ea-
gerness with which the idolaters around
them devoted themselves to the service
of their gods —an eagerness which led
them to despair of their ever being
reclaimed ; and they nobly resolved that
nothing should ever again move them to
abandon the service of Jehovah; but
that, with equal earnestness, they would
addict themselves to his worship, and
the observance of his laws. “5 is here a
formula of concession: be ἐξ so that,
although, or the like. Comp. for this
use of the particle, Gen. viii. 21; Exod.
xiii. We 2 sets xvii. 18; Deut. xxix. 18.
= = Ov 25 ois to walk in the name of any
one, means to frame one’s conduct accord-
ing to his will, to act by his authority, and
in accordance with his character. ἘΠ,
name, is often used for the person him-
self. Com. the phrases =r ¢ 113 eats
nim “TEN bn, to walk in the way of, to
follow mapas It seems here to be
specially employed in reference to relig-
ious worship. Comp. Zech. x. 12.
6-8. That the subject of these verses
is the restoration from Babylon, and the
reéstablishment of the Jewish state, and
not any spiritual gathering of men gen-
erally to the church of God, is placed
beyond dispute by the prediction that the
scattered and afflicted remnant of Israel
238
And collect the outcasts,
MICAH.
Cuap. IV.
And those whom I have afflicted.
7 And I will make the halting a remnant.
And those that had been far removed a strong nation ;
And Jehovah shall reign over them in Mount Zion,
From henceforth, and for ever.
8 And thou, O tower of the flock !
O hill of the daughter of Zion!
To thee it 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
.
mpwNjn Hogg, the former rule, ver.
8, which can only be interpreted of the
theocratic government at Jerusalem.
When the Hebrews first returned to
their own land, they were few in num-
ber, amounting only to 42,360; but they
rapidly increased, and in the time of the
Maccabees not only became an inde-
pendent state, but acquired such power
that they vanquished the formidable
Syro-Grecian armies. The Asmonzan
family possessed supreme authority from
Mattathias to Herod the Great. To the
above interpretation 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. tbiz,
eternity, or long indefinite duration,
whether applied to the past or the future,
must always be determined by the nature
of the subject. It is very often used of
the Mosaic institutes, Exod. xii. 14, 17,
XXvil. 21, xxviiie43 ; Lev. iii. 17. It is
even employed to denote the period of the
seventy years’ captivity, Jer. xviii. 16. For
ΤΣ ἘΣΤΙ and ΠΡ τ τ, comp. Ezek. xxxiv.
16; Zeph. iii. 19. τ δ πιο τι is the Niphal
pees of xbn, to be removed, Syr.
Ἄν σι San, elongavit, removit. Arabic
Ao Π|, recessit, abstessit. Having
employed metaphors taken from the
treatment of sheep, Micah calls the
Jewish peopls, in their collective capa-
city, “πὶ a flock. Comp. π , the
flock of Jehovah, Ser. xiii. WT; and in
im ser
reference to the strength of Jerusalem,
and the watchful care exercised by the
government, he characterizes her as
sty dana, the tower of the flock. Some,
indeed, think with Jerome, that a place
of this name, to which ieee is made
Gen. xxxy. 21, and which that father
says lay about a mile distant from Beth-
lehem, is intended ; but, from its being
in apposition with 4i»s—na ἘΞ Ὁ, 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
interpretation is inadmissible. For te»,
comp. Is, xxxii, 14; 2 Chron. XXvii. 3,
xxxiil. 14; Neh. iii. 26, 27, in which last
passage bai xem, the tower, is mentioned
along with it, which is doubtless identi-
cal with yn, Is. xxxii. 14. The word is
derived from te», to swell, become tumid.
Arab. as, tumore laboravit, pinguendo
cirea perineum capri, ete. Τὸν ᾿Οφλᾶν
καλούμενον ὑψῆλαν. Joseph. de Bell,
Jud. lib. vi. cap. 6, § 8. The LXX.,
Aquil. Symm., Bars and Vulg.,, confound
the word with by, thick aur brine: The
Targum applies the passage to the Mes-
siah: qe aveon Ἐπ Ὁ ἘΠ, men
“hy Fb ὭΣ NID3 Ὁ sain esp
ist b=) nmis bn, «“ And thou, O Messiah
of Israel, who art hid on account of the
sins of the congregation of Zion, to thee
the kingdom will come ;”’ but there is no
more foundation for this interpretation,
than for that of Jonathan on ==s—bs:%,
Gen. xxxy. 21: snp yen Nore
naghs ἢ 103 NAD nob “bans, “the
Cuap. IV.
9
10
MICAH.
Why, now, dost thou cry aloud ?
Is there no king in thee ?
Have thy counsellors perished ?
That pains should have seized thee
Like a woman in travail ?
Be in pain, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion !
Like a woman in travail ;
For now thou shalt go forth from the city,
And shalt dwell in the field,
Thou shalt even go to Babylon ;
There thou shalt be delivered,
There Jehovah shall redeem thee,
From the hand of thine enemies.
239
11 And now many nations are gathered against thee,
place from which King Messiah is to be
revealed at the end of the days,” whatever
use may be made of it in the way of argu-
mentum an hominem in reasoning with
the Jews. Ὁ in m3} is a periphrasis of
the genitive. i
9. mz is not here used in its temporal
signification, but merely as a particle
designed emphatically to draw attention
to what follows. Five MSS. and another
originally, supported by the LXX. and
Targ., read =m¥7, which is the usual
form. The prophet plunges at once into
the circumstances of consternation in
which the inhabitants of Jerusalem would
be placed on the approach of the Chaldean
army. ‘The questions relative to a king
and his council are put ironically, and
provoke the answer, “ Yes, we have, but
they are nothing worth: they cannot
protect us, nor contrive any means of
escape.” 4917 the LXX. treat as a col-
lective : 7 βουλή σου.
10. "3, instead of "8, for the sake
of euphony. Comp. in reference to
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 Baby-
lonish captivity, and its happy termina-
tion, are predicted in express terms. Both
were likewise expressly foretold by Isaiah,
the contemporary of Micah, chap. xxxix.
7, xliii. 14, xlviii. 20. The repetition of
rw, there, is emphatic. The inhabitants
of Jerusalem, when removed from the
city, should be located in the open coun-
try, till the whole were collected, and
then they should all be conveyed to
Babylon.
11. The nations here referred to were
those which composed the army of
Nebuchadnezzar, or which joined that
army in its attack upon Jerusalem. The
more immediate neighbors of the Jews
are no doubt specially intended. Comp.
Lam. ii. 16; Ezek. xxxv.; Ohad. 12, 18.
These defiled Jerusalem when they shed
the blood of her citizens and profaned
her sacred places. 5 min is used, like
5 mq, Obad. 12, in an emphatic sense, to
denote the malignant delight with which
the enemies of the Jews feasted on their
calamities. For the use of the feminine
singular 7m with the dual masculine,
comp. 2 Sam. x. 9; Jobxx. 11. Nothing
is more common in Arabic than to em-
ploy the feminine form of the verb when
the agent is anything irrational or in-
animate. The singular number is em-
ployed as the simpler form of the verb,
It may be observed, however, that, in-
stead of 5525» in the plural, four MSS.,
two of the most ancient editions, the Syr.
and Targ., read 5::"y in the singular.
The LXX, have the plural. Both 5:54
and tn are optative in force. fh;
240
MICAH.
ὕπαρ. LY.
That say: Let her be profaned !
And: Let our eyes look upon 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 thy hoofs copper,
And thou shalt beat in pieces many nations ;
Thou shalt devote their gains to Jehovah,
And their substance to the Lord of all the earth.
14 Assemble yourselves now, O daughter of troops !
We are besieged !
12, τοῦτ is a nominative absolute, used
for the sake of emphasis. The enemies
of the Jews had not the most distant idea,
that the object of Jehovah in permitting
his people to be so treated was to recover
them from idolatry, and thus prepare
them for a triumphant restoration. The
metaphor taken from the process of
threshing out grain is frequently used
by the prophets to denote the complete
destruction of a people. Comp. Jer. li.
33. For the manner in which this
process is carried on, see on Is, xxviii.
27, 28.
13. A continuation of the metaphor.
Comp. for a real parallel, Is. xli. 15, 16.
There is, however, a very natural instance
of mixed metaphor, derived from the
destructive power lodged in the horn of
the ox, though it is not employed in
threshing, which greatly adds to the force
of the passage. That 377, orn, should
here be employed to signify the horny
substance forming the hoof of the ox,
cannot be admitted. Comp. 1 Kings
xxii. 11. The horn was a symbol of
power exercised in subduing and pun-
ishing enemies. The Orientals give to
Alexander the Great the epithet of 3 Pa
rey 5 bicornis ; and the kings of
Macedon were actually in the habit of
wearing the horns of a ram in their
casques. "2 ΠΤ I take to be the sec-
ond person feminine, the Yod being a
fragment of the old form of the personal
pronoun my, regularly preserved in the
Syriac, Compare, for other instances,
“ney, Ruth iii. 3; ‘nstn, Jer. xxxi. 21,
though they are pointed with a Sheva,
and the Keri directs that they should be
read mizyand ἈΞ ΤΙ. TheLXX., Aquila,
Symm., Theodot., “the Syr., and Vulg.,
all have the second person. ἘΠ nm, Arab,
p> prohibuit ; sacrum, quod non est
promiscue usus ; 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 the triumph-
ant 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 -m3, troop, to be a col-
lective. Jerusalem is called a daughter
of troops, on account of the great body
of military quartered within her walls,
and in the surrounding districts. That
it is Jerusalem, and not the enemy, that
is addressed, the close coherence of the
forms with those of the preceding context
sufficiently shows. For the paronomasia
ia wmy—N3 "17 ANA, comp. Gen, xlix. 19.
The common acceptation of 173, is to cut
or make incisions ; but that it also signi-
fies to assemble as troops, see Jer. v. 7.
ρον»
Syr. | HNN α portion or detachment of
Cuap. V.
MICAH.
241
With arod they have smitten on the cheek
The judge of Israel !
an army. Though at bx the enemy is
understood, it is better to construe it
impersonally, and give it in our language
in the passive. In way and use is
another paronomasia. Most understand
by the v2z, judge, Zedekiah, who was
treated contumeliously by the Baby-
lonians ; but 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
it is selected on purpose to mark a period
during which no king of the house of
David reigned, might be allowed, were
it not for the influence of the foregoing
waz, with which it forms the parono-
masia. Though the LXX. have rendered
the term by φυλὰς, Aq., Symm., and
Theod., have κριτήν. The siege in ques-
tion Michaelis thinks was that by Sosius,
the Roman general, Β. c. 37, when An-
tigonus, the last of the Asmonzan dy-
nasty, was obliged to submit to the su-
perior power. Whether this prince be
specifically intended I shall not determine.
So much is certain, that he “was most
contemptuously treated by Sosius; see
Josephus, Bell, Jud. lib. i. cap. xviii. 2.
“»
Crea Per ΣΕ ΤΥ:
HAVING just adverted to the calamitous circumstances in which the Jews should be placed
at the commencement of the reign of Herod, the prophet foretellsin a very explicit man-
ner, the birth of the Messiah, which was to take place during the lifetime of that king, 1.
A prediction is then introduced respecting the final dealings of God towards the nation
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 threaten-
ings both against the Jews in the time of Micah, and the enemies by whom they were to
be punished, 9-15.
1 Awp thou, Bethlehem Ephratha !
Art small to be among the thousands of Judah,
1. Michaelis remarks, ‘If not even a
word was found in Matt. ii. 5, 6, ex-
planatory of our text, I should believe
the subject to be Christ, who was born
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 made by
the Jewish Sanhedrim, in their official
reply to Herod, Matt. ii. 5, 6; and is
31
admitted both by the Rabbinical and
the rationalistic interpreters, though, as
might be expected, they differ as to the
person of the Messiah. The Targum has,
See ames Pies ἼΒΠΕΣ 138
sey rey ty treet ἘΣ τοῦ
weby coins Ἴ 5 ἼΡ 55, “From thee the
Messiah shall come forth before me, to
exercise dominion over Israel, whose name
was announced long ago, from the days of
242
MICAH.
Cuap. VY.
Yet from thee shall He come forth to me
To be Ruler in Israel,
old.” The position of Theodore of Mop-
suesta, Grotius, Dathe, and some others,
that Zerubbabel was intended, is now
given up by all; and most interpreters
of the German school find their notion
of an ideal Messiah sufficiently con-
venient in explaining this and other
passages, as it relieves them from all in-
vestigation in regard to positive histori-
cal personality. “EnSons, Bethlehem,
literally, the House of Bread, Arab.
SI aes aS Beit Lahm, the House of
Flesh. It was a small town in the tribe
of Judah, built on the slope of a ridge,
about six Roman miles to the west by
south of Jerusalem, and originally cele-
brated as the birth-place of David, the
first of the line of Jewish kings. nm =x.
Ephrath, Gen. xlviii. 7, or, as it is com-
monly written, with the = paragogic,
mn fs, Ephratha, appears from the pas-
sage just cited to have been the original
name of the place. The word has much
the same signification as Beth-lehem,
being derived from 743, to be fruitful ;
and no doubt the place received both
names from the fertility of the region.
Dr. Robinson observes respecting the
present aspects of the town: “The
many olive and fig orchards, and vine-
yards round about are marks of industry
and thrift; and the adjacent fields,
though stony and rough, produce never-
theless good crops of grain.” Biblical
Researches in Palestine, vol. ii. p. 161.
The names occur as parables in the
stanzas, Ruth iv. 11:—
It was δυροδο called Bethlchem Judah,
Judges xvii. 7, xix. 1; Ruthi.1; Matt.
ii. 5, in order, it is ¢hought, to distinguish
it from another place of the same name
in the tribe of Zabulon, Josh. xix. 16.
ΣΧ, as well as Ms, is of the masculine
gender, contrary to rule in Hebrew, but
in accordance with Arabic usage, in
which the names of cities are sometimes
put in the masculine. In the present
instance, however, the change was doubt-
less occasioned by m23, which is of that
gender, being strongly prominent to the
view of the prophet. Pococke, in the
notes to his Porta Mosis, chap. ii., and in
his commentary on the passage, labors
hard to support the opinion of Tanchum
and Abulwalid, that ΡΣ has the two
contrary significations of /ittle and great ;
but the opinion rests upon nothing be-
yond the construction which these writ-
ers have put upon the term as occur-
ring in Jer. xlviii. 4, and Zech. xiii. 7,
which passages, when closely examined,
admit of no other signification being
attached to the word but that of Jittle,
of small note, or esteem, though it may
seem to be supported by the Targumic rer -
dering 717721059 in the former of these
passages, and by ποιμένας the reading of
the Alexandrian MS. of the LXX., and
ο ο
ἔξ ες that of the Syriac, in the latter.
In none of the cognate dialects has the
word the signification of greatness or
dignity. nitmd ΣΝ is literally Wttle
in respect of being, little to exist, or be
reckoned. ‘There is no occasion to resort
to the hypothesis that 5 here forms a
comparative, and is equivalent to 47
What the prophet asserts is, that Beth-
lehem was positively little in “point of
size or population, to rank with the other
subdivisions of the tribe of Judah.
Comp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 25. The tribes
were subdivided into mints, families,
or clans, the chiliads or thousands of
which had heads or princes, to whom,
from this cireumstance, was given the
name of cvEts Ὁ, ΡΞ Ἐπ "uN, princes
and heads of thousands. It is highly
probable that at the time to which the
prophecy refers, if not in that of the pro-
phet, the place might not have been able
to muster a thousand men. No mention
is made of it among the cities of Judah
enumerated Josh. xv., though, with many
others, it is found in the text of the LXX.
Nor does it occur in the list, Neh, xi. 26,
ΘΗΛ V.
MICAH.
243
Whose comings forth have been of old,
_From the ancient days.
etc. It is spoken of in the New Testa-
ment as Kaun, ὦ village, or hamlet, John
vii. 42. In the present day its inhabit-
ants are rated at eight hundred taxable
men. See Dr. Robinson, εὐ sup. Yet,
small and inconsiderable as Bethlehem
was, it was to have the distinguished
honor of giving birth to the Messiah.
“Ὁ sola magnarum urbium
Major Bethlem, cui contigit
Ducem salutis ccelitus
Incorporatum gignere.”
Prudentius, Hymn. Epiph. 77.
Between the former and the latter
half of the verse is a marked antithesis.
In this respect, ἀπ" and "τ 772, corres-
pond; the former, designating the future
coming forth of the Illustrious Ruler
here predicted, when he should actu-
ally assume 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 ex-
pressed by the verb. Abenezra, Abar-
banel, Grotius, Hartmann, Rosenmiiller,
Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald,
give origines as the signification of
ΤᾺΣ ἡ, and regard the term as refer-
ring to the Davidic extraction of the Mes-
siah. ‘This signification is likewise stren-
uously maintained by Hengstenberg ; 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 Mes-
siah. His position, however, is perfectly
untenable, since nothing can be more in-
congruous than the ascription of locality
to eternity, which he expressly does in
the translation, “ his goings forth (in the
sense of places of going forth), are the
ancient times, the days of eternity, ὁ. 6.
the very ancient times.” None of the
passages which he alleges proves the
Jocal signification ; they ‘all describe the
act, not the place or time of egress.
"72 before Ἐπ and in ἘΞ᾿Ὶ» ‘a, is used
in its temporal acceptation, marking the
The LXX. ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ
terminus a quo.
ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ἐξ ἐν πὶ αἰῶνος. eae
π᾿ ρ
.- ρ γ..
[Ses watoau, ‘Whose going forth
is from the beginning, from the days of
the ages.” Vulg. “Et egressus ejus ab in-
itio, a diebus eternitatis.” The Arab.
though unwarrantably free as a ver-
sion, gives pretty much the true sense:
die tye! ob aeylaury
prot eGl, “Whose eae i in
Israel are from the days of the age.” It
is, however, not unlikely, that the words
JL} ol Ss have crept into the text -
from the preceding, clause. Though
tip is used of past duration absolutely
in reference to God, Deut. xxxiii. 27,
yet it is most frequently employed to de-
note past, especially ancient time, and is
synonymous with e+», with which it
occurs in poetic parallelisms. Comp. the
Arab. ncaa . precessit ; tempus anti-
ρ
quum. Syr. So re ante, coram, In
Ps. xliv. 2, Ἐπ’ "2. occurs, just as
Ed i> "Ὁ" does i in the present verse ; and
in Ps. Ixxvii. 6 we have Ἐπ ha ἘΠ25 and
medi nisd ΘΠ ΠΡ ΟΣ to each
other. Comp. also Micah vii. 14, 20;
Mal. iii. 4. That the dogma of eternal
generation or emanation is taught by
our prophet, does not appear; but the
actual preéxistence of our Saviour, and
his active comings forth, in the most an-
cient times, for the accomplishment of
the Divine purposes, he not obscurely
teaches. Thus Piscator: ‘“ Verto egres-
siones, nempe egressiones a Deo Patre
ad sanctos Patres Adamum, Noachum,
Abrahamum, Isaacum, Jacobum, quibus
apparuit seseque familiari sermone pate-
fecit.” For the interpretation of Calvin,
that the eternal decree respecting the
future birth of the Messiah is intended,
there is no foundation whatever. The
244
MICAH.
Cap. V.
2 Nevertheless he will give them up
Till the time when she who is to bear hath brought forth,
And the rest of his brethren
Shall return to the sons of Israel.
term τ 1)2, Ruler, here employed, is that
used by David in his Messianic Ode, 2
Sam. xxiii. 3: —
pong bara byte
τ
ὁ Donte mss » Sy in
Comp. Jer. xxx. 21: —
329972 IAA ATS
REI ABT been
“by darn mSIp7}
33 mI 273
tim? ox “bs nab
Comp. also Is. xi. 1-4. 54, fo me, is not
without emphasis. The Messiah was to
come for the express purpose of carrying
into effect the will of his Father in the
salvation of men; and though Israel is
specially mentioned as the sphere of his
rule, it is not to the exclusion of the
Gentile world, as ver. 8, and numerous
passages in other prophets clearly show.
For the verbal discrepancies between
the Hebrew text of Micah, and the quo-
tation Matt. ii. 6, the reader is referred
to the commentators on the latter pas-
sage. It may suffice to remark here,
that the Hebrew words cannot with any
propriety be rendered interrogatively, as
some have proposed, and that the quo-
tation in question, made by the Sanhe-
drim, and not by the evangelist, is ob-
viously given from memory, and not
with any view to verbal accuracy.
2. Notwithstanding the glorious pros-
pect afforded by the promise of the
Messiah, it was not to supersede the
state of suffering to which the nation
was to be previously reduced on account
of its sins. Into that state it was to be
brought by the Chaldeans, and was not
to be fully restored till about the time
of his birth. The return from Babylon
was only partial at first ; but, encouraged
by the prosperity which attended the re-
establishment of the theocracy, others who
resided in the East were induced to fol-
low, and multitudes returned from Egypt
and other parts, before the Christian era.
The words 7735» 5715, are susceptible of
two interpretations. They may either
be referred to the Jewish church, and
regarded as descriptive of her deliver-
ance from suffering, set forth under the
metaphor of a travailing woman; or,
they strictly and literally apply to the
mother of the Messiah. The former
interpretation is adopted by Lipman,
Munster, Vatablus, Grotius, Drusius,
Dathe, Justi, and others; the latter by
the greater number of expositors— among.
other moderns, by Secker, Michaelis,
Hartmann, Rosenmiiller, Hitzig, Maurer,
and Ewald. ‘This construction of the
passage alone suits the entire connection.
It would appear altogether incongruous
to introduce a tropical designation of the
church, in a verse in which the Jewish
people are more than once spoken of in
language strictly literal. The birth of
the Messiah, in so far as regards its
place, and the preéxistence of his per-
son, had been predicted ver. 1: the
prophet, who, as already noticed, was
contemporary with Isaiah, and in all
probability was acquainted with his cele-
brated prophecy respecting the mb»,
Is. vii. 14, now further adverts to the
interesting fact by a somewhat indefi-
nite, but by no means obscure refer-
ence to his virgin mother. This view
is further confirmed by the use of the
pronominal affix in bat) which un-
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 believers,
which some interpreters have alleged,
referring in proof to Ps. xxii. 22; Heb.
ii. 11; but his brethren according to
the flesh, those who still remained in
foreign parts, but who were to be brought
back to J udea, in order that they might
Cuar. V.
MICAH.
3 And He shall stand, and feed in the strength of Jehovah,
In the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God.
they shall continue ;
or now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth.
4 And This Same shall be the peace.
When the Assyrian shall invade our land,
And tread our palaces,
We will raise against him seven shepherds,
And eight anointed men, 2
5 And they shall afflict the land of Assyria with the sword,
And the land of Nimrod at the entrances thereof:
be there to receive him, when he should
come forth to be ruler in Israel. The
preposition +» conveys here the idea of
superaddition. The foreign Jews were
to be gathered in addition to those who
had already been collected. It is thus
more expressive than $s. That the
phrase $342 723, the children of Israel,
is 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 cap-
tivity, the period to which the prophecy
refers. It is well known that the Mac-
cabeean coins bear the inscription, ¢pw
tsnu-, the Shekel of Israel. Comp. for
this use the term ts Ὁ, ver. 1 of the
present chapter. Ἵ
3. The verb "2 signifies not simply
to stand, but also to stand firm, to endure,
continue. ‘This latter acceptation is ad-
opted here by many, who think it bet-
ter suits the character of the predicted
king, who is otherwise represented as sit-
ting upon his throne, and not standing.
But, as the following verb τι Ἢ, signifies
to feed a flock, there is the greatest
propriety in presenting him to view in
the attitude of the good shepherd, who
stands, that he may survey the whole of
his sheep, and be in readiness to defend
them against all attacks. Comp. Is. 1xi.
5. ‘The pastoral metaphor is beautifully
expressive of royal care and protection.
Comp. Iliad i. 263 :
Οἵον Πειρίϑοόν τε, Δρύαντά τε, ποιμένα
λαῶν,
where the scholiast has, βασιλέα ὄχλων».
See for this use of the Hebrew verb [ΠΣ ,
2 Sam. ν. 2, vii.7. The power and glory
of the Messiah here predicted are those
with which, as Mediator, he is invested.
Comp. Is. xi. 2; Matt. xxviii. 19 ; Heb.
ii. 7-9. Jehovah being called “his
God,” intimates his subordinate official
relation. Comp. John xx. 17. If ἘΦ
mim, the name of Jehovah, be not here
a periphrasis for Jehovah himself, it may
be regarded as descriptive of his attri-
butes, or the character in which he hath
revealed himself to mankind. The nom-
inative to sou7 1 must be the subjects
over whom Messiah reigns, understood.
These were to consist not of believing
Jews only, but likewise of believing Gen-
tiles in the remotest regions of the globe,
as it follows in the verse. Comp. for
VAS (OER, ‘‘the ends of the earth,” in
reference to the amplitude of the nee
dom of Christ, Ps. ii. 8, xxii. 28, Ixxii. 8.
The 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
of my, to feed, two MSS. and some
printed editions read msn, to see, while
the LXX. and Arab. exhibit both read-
ings; and that three MSS. and another
originally, the Syr., Targ., and Vulg.,
read ἼΞ 59} or yawn, they shall return,
or be converted, instead of the current
reading 12071, they shall remain. The
LXX. have ὑπάρξουσι.
4,5. The words Bite πὶ nimi, And
This Same shall be the peace, are inti-
246 MICAH. Car. V-
And there shall be deliverance from the Assyrian,
When he shall invade our land,
And when he shall tread our borders. 4,
mately connected with the preceding
words, but have no relation to those
which follow, except in so far as the
victories there assumed were to pave the
way for that state of the Jewish affairs
during which the Messiah was to appear
in the world. πτ, This, This Same, is
used emphatically, with reference to the
Messiah, who had just been spoken of.
Comp. for a similar use of the pronoun,
Gen. v. 29; Exod. xv. 2. pits, peace,
is put, by metonymy, for the author and
introducer of reconciliation. Comp. Gen.
xlix. 10; Is. ix. 5; Zech. ix. 10; Eph.
ii. 14,17; Col. i. 20. tz, signifies zo
restore things to their former state, to
make restitution ; in Hiph. to restore, or
cause to be at peace. Comp. the Arab.
pres redintegrare, sanare. The sub-
stantive is without the article, as fre-
quently in the prophetic writings, when
the object is to impart energy to the lan-
guage, by condensing the mode of ex-
pression. If saws be taken to signify
the ancient Assyrian empire, the refer-
ence will be to the threatened invasion
in the time of the prophet; but this
construction ill suits the connection, in
which respect is had to the more distant
future ; and what follows, relative to the
resistance of the Jews, does not agree
with any successful events in the history
of that people during the Assyrian rule.
I cannot, therefore, but think, that the
term is employed by our prophet to
denote the empire of the Seleucide,
founded by Seleucus, one of the generals
of Alexander the Great, by whom he
was invested with the government of
Babylonia and Media, and who, under
the title of King of Syria, subjugated
ull the countries from the Hellespont
to India and the Jaxartes. On the
same principle that Darius is called
“six toe, the king of Assyria, Ezra vi.
22, though that empire had long ceased
to exist, the title might be applied to
Seleucus and his successors. ‘To them,
during the period of their reign, belonged
“ the land of Assyria,” which is also here
called «the land of Nimrod,’ becafise,
according to the proper rendering of
Gen. x. 11, that monarch went forth
from Babylon into the country of Assy-
ria, where he built Nineveh and other
cities there named. According to this
interpretation, the prophecy in these two
verses relates to the noble and suc-
cessful opposition which the Maccabees
offered to Antiochus Epiphanes, when
he marched against Jerusalem, pillaged
the temple, and desecrated every object
sacred in the estimation of the Jews.
By rousing a spirit of patriotic piety in
the breasts of their countrymen, they
not only recovered their sacred city from
the enemy, but, after a series of the
most brilliant victories, drove him to the
gates of his own fortified cities, and fin-
ally succeeded in securing the national
independence. It is to this protracted,
but triumphant struggle, the reference
is made, Dan, xi. 32. The assertion of
Hartmann, that NEI ΕΝ is not
Hebrew in its construction, and that,
consequently, πε is to be connected
with πιῶ, is without foundation; for
we meet with the very same construc-
tion in sbE2 ἢ HEN is oes, Numb. vi.
τ
oe ΠΝ also in Arab. ων
dat, hy le Nyaa 101
Lielsl, “ two cities when their inhabit-
ants are of one accord,” Locman, Fable
I. The numbers seven and eight appear
to be used to denote indefinitely a full
and sufficient number, as in Eccles, xi.
2. ‘Give a portion to seven, and also
to eight. Comp. also Job vy. 18; Prov.
vi. 16, xxx. 15, 18, 21; Amos i. 3, 6,
9, ete. So the Greek τρὶς καὶ τετράκις,
and the Latin ter guaterque. Were they
to be taken literally, there would be no
great difficulty in selecting the number
from the Maccabiean period ; but the com-
Cuap. V.
MICAH.
247
6 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.
7@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,
. parison of the above passages shows that
such a process would be unwarranted.
mova, shepherds, and DAN 5509, 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 ΠῸ3
also signifies to pour out a libation,
Michaelis is inclined to render the phrase
Eos "D762, sacrifices of men, and to
interpret it of such as sacrificed their
life in defence of their country. Not
only, however, is the parallelism opposed
to this construction of the meaning, but
also the use of Ὁ" Ξ"Ὁ3 in other ‘passages.
Thus Josh. xiii. 21, ἡ Π Ὁ “D702, princes
(Comp. Ver. dukes) of Sthon ; and Ezek.
Xxxil. 80, [IBS "572 Nev, there are the
princes of the north. The title properly
signifies anointed, those who had been
consecrated to their office by anointing
with oil; and thus is equivalent to
ἘΠ 92. In the present instance it is
used tropically, without any reference to
the ceremony. Syr. ἴω); Liste}.
Targ. S2i8 "2922; Arab. ue Lbs
eit, great men. τὴ, to feel, being
here used in connection with “ the
sword,” must be taken metaphorically,
and means to consume, devastate, or the
like. To refer 495 to 334 as its root, is
altogether inadmissible. The repetition
in these two verses possesses peculiar
elegance. “En is used impersonally,
Instead of 5:53:25 in the singular, "55 8538
in the plural, is the reading of thirty-
four MSS., originally four more; the
Soncin., Brixian, and Complut. editions ;
the Soncin. Prophets, and all the ancient
versions.
6, 7. The former of these verses depicts
the beneficial influence which the re-
mainder of the nation, after its restora-
tion, should exert, by spreading the
knowledge of the true God among the
nations in the midst of which they were
situated; their signal victories against
such formidable armies, attracting atten-
tion to Him whom they worshipped, and
to whom they ascribed their success.
During the existence of the new Jewish
state, the members of the theocracy had
much intercourse with foreigners, multi-
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 tu, the dew, and peanan, the
rain; and the sudden raising up of the
Jews was to be as entirely a work of Di-
vine providence, and independent of
human aid, as the production of the ma-
terial elements. The seventh verse des-
eribes the formidable character of the
Jews in reference to the hostile nations
by which they were attacked. For the
accumulation and the rise in the mean-
ing of the verbs Ὁ 119} ¢7241 722, comp.
Exod. xv. 9: boat Pens a ws Uae.
8. Here the a τοὺς aspect of the
prophecy closes. The words are ad-
248
MICAH.
CuHap . Vv.
And all thine enemies shall be cut off.
9 And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah,
That I will cut off thy horses from the midst of thee ;
And I will destroy thy chariots.
10 I will cut off the cities of thy land,
And raze all thy fortresses,
11 I will cut off the sorceries from thy hand,
And thou shalt have no diviners.
12 I will cut off thy graven images and thy statues from the midst
of thee,
And thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
13 I will break 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
the Jewish church. Comp. Is. xxvi.
11. Her enemies were the enemies of
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 coun-
trymen by the Babylonish conquest and
captivity. They had, contrary to the
express command of the Lord, Deut.:
xvii. 16, kept up a formidable body of
cavalry, and war-chariots; trusted in
their fortified cities ; encouraged sorcery,
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-
ishing his apostate people, they in their
turn should be punished for their obsti-
nate adherence to idol worship, notwith-
standing the testimony borne against
their conduct by the Jews who lived
among them. This portion of the chapter
15 strikingly parallel with Is. xlvii. 6-22.
For c-£2>, seeon Is. xlvii. 9; for 525 Σ᾽,
comp. pun y, Is. ili. 6; and for ots,
see on Is, xvii. 8. As t=» had already
occurred in the acceptation of cities,
ver. 10, we should scarcely expect it to
be again used ver, 13. To remove the
difficulty Michaclis compares the word
arbor semper
a
speluncus ; others propose to read b>" >",
woods, i. 6. groves, supposing the initial
Yod to have been absorbed by that with
which the preceding word terminates ;
while others would change the word into
Dry, witnesses, understanding thereby
the statues etc., belonging to idol-wor-
ship. There seems, however, to be no
absolute necessity for departing from the
signification cities, only we thereby un-
derstand such as were specially appro-
priated to idolatrous uses, as Jerome
suggests. Comp. $y2m ΓΞ ὍΣΣ, the city
of the house, or temple of Baal, 2 Kings
x. 25, by which is meant a separate part
of Samaria, where the temple was situ-
ated. This construction is required in
order to form a parallelism with O->"3x,
images of Astarte, occurring immediately
before in the verse. In all the ancient
versions the word is rendered by cities,
except the Targum, in which it is trans-'
lated enemies. Some refer the relative
=zis at the end of ver. 14 to ἘΠ, and in-
terpret, unheard of vengeance, but it is
more natural to connect it with Ds43,
nations, the immediate antecedent, and
to regard the prophet as describing the
refusal of the pagans, who had enjoyed
opportunities of learning the true religion
with the Arab. ἃ gy
virens ; Arnold, with the Arab.
C'nar. VI.
MICAH.
249
6 - And I will execute vengeance in anger and in wrath,
Upon the nations which have not been obedient.
from the Jews, to listen to the instruc-
tiors which had been tendered to them.
Thus the Targ. 95528 7p wba 8270709
nn ais, “the peoples hae have not re-
ceived the doctrine of the law.” LXX.
ἐν τοῖς ἔϑνεσιν, avd’ ὧν οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν.
Ω ig 2 Qe Ψ' BG Me
yr Sow Hy ode] fotos
the peoples who have not hearkened. In
the same way Michaelis, Hartmann, Justi,
Dathe, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald.
ΘΕΆ ΕἸ
Ir 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, which he does ina
very affecting manner, by calling a public court, in which the inanimate creation is sum-
moned 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. Con-
victed of guilt, the people are represented as deeply anxious to obtain, at any cost, recon-
ciliation with God, 6,7; and are pointed by the prophet to the only source whence it was
to be obtained; while, at the same time, they are reminded of the high properties and ob-
ligations 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, 19; shows the blasting effects of the Divine wrath upon all
their undertakings, 14, 15; and traces the evil to its true souree—the idolatries of the
kingdom of Israel, 16.
1 Hear ye now what Jehovah saith:
Arise! plead in the presence of the mountains,
And let the hills hear thy voice.
2 Hear, O ye mountains! Jehovah’s controversy,
And ye rocks, the foundations of the earth ;
1, 2. It is not unusual with the pro-
phets to make appeals respecting the en-
ormity of human guilt to the inanimate
parts of creation, as if it were impossible
for it not to inspire them with life, and
call them forth as intelligent witnesses of
what hath taken place in their presence.
See Deut. xxxii. 1; Is.i. 2; Jer. ii. 12, 13.
By a similar personification the moun-
tains and durable foundations of the earth
are here summoned to appear in the
court of heaven. Jehovah, however,
instead of bringing forward the charge,
32
abdicates, as it were, his right, and leaves
it 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 no prejudice, and which might
therefore be regarded as quite impartial
judges, there is something inexpressibly
sublime. San mx an, "does not mean,
contend with the mountains, as if they
were the party to be accused, but to
carry on the cause in their presence.
rw is here to be taken in the signification
250 ‘
MICAH.
CHAP. V>
For Jehovah hath a controversy with his people,
And will contend with Israel.
3 O my people! What have I done to thee?
With what have I wearied thee ?
Testify against me.
4 Nay, I brought thee up from the land of Egypt,
And redeemed thee from the house of slaves ;
And sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Midian:
O my people! remember now how Balak the king of Moab/ con-
σι
sulted,
}
!
And how Balaam the son of Beor answered him ;
[Remember what happened |
From Shittim to Gilgal,
That ye may know the benefits of Jehovah.
of apud, coram, and is equivalent to
255, before, just as the forms τξηηη
pnts ms, Gen. v. 24, and ΕἸΣΙ
pnts ἘΣ, xlviii. 15, are ἬΕΙ τὸ ‘in
meaning. ἘΠ, or as it is spelt ΞΌΣ ΓΝ
in a great many MSS., and in four nee
editions, standing absolutely, must be
taken as a substantive, and not as an ad-
jective qualifying yoy 770". Arab.
yb, petra.
up, stetit, consistit ;
pl > est omne td, quod ΕἸ at, et per-
manet sua in sede. Schultens, Origg.
Hebbr. p. 112. Instead of 45x Ὑπὸ 12»,
the en of the Tes ‘the Arabs
call the mountains Ue) JI ob,
the stakes, or posts of the earth.
3,4. The Israelites are asked, in the
kindest and most affecting style, what
ground of complaint they had against
Jchovah, which could have induced them
to act the part they did. Comp. Jer.
ji. 5, 31. He had demanded of them
nothing that was unreasonable. >> at
the beginning of ver. 4, is very expres-
sive, and is equivalent to nay, on the
contrary, or the like. Instead of having
done anything to alienate them, God had
shown the utmost kindness to them from
the beginning; not only rescuing them
from Egyptian bondage, but providing
them with inspired leaders. Miriam is
mentioned, on account of the prominent
part she took in celebrating the Divine
interposition for their deliverance. She
is called -x*227, the prophetess, Exod.
xy. 20, because she Ied the female chorus
which rehearsed the inspired song of
Moses. The Targ. on Micah adds:
sized ma "wb, to instruct the women.
Comp. Numb. xi. 2.
δ. The kindness of Tchowah to his
people was manifested, not only in
furnishing them with inspired teachers,
but also in counteracting the designs of
Balak, who wished to engage the pro-
phetic influence of Balaam against them ;
for that avaricious prophet was compelled,
contrary to the cherished desire of his
heart, to pronounce blessings upon them
instead of curses. See Numb. xxii.
xxiii, xxiv. The words τῷ pen ἼΣ
Saba, from Shittim to Gilgal, are not
io be constructed with those immediately
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 marginal gloss;
but have merely to supply the ellipsis
mim m1, what happened, and repeat >,
remember, from the first clause of the
verse, To this effect the Targ. j4:23 8a
ma 39 yw “pian Ἵ 559 NT -aghe
sbata, “ Were not mighty deeds per-
for med for 4 you from the plain of Shittim
to the house Gilgal?” ‘Thus also Mun-
Cuap. VI.
MICAH.
2ol
6 With what shall I come before Jehovah ?
With what shall I bow to the high God ?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings ?
With calves of a year old ?
7 Will Jehovah be satisfied with thousands of rams ?
With ten thousand rivers of oil ?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression ?
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ?
ster, Vetablus, Grotius, Calvin, Dathe, De
Wette, Michaelis, Hartmann, and others,
‘There was a peculiar propriety in specify-
ing these two ‘places. Shittim was the
name of a valley in the country of Moab,
where on account of the impurities com-
mitted with the Midianitish women,
twenty-four thousand Israelites were de-
stroyed. The evil was so great that it
might have caused the Lord to abandon
them entirely ; but he mercifully spared
them as a people, miraculously divided
the Jordan to afford them a passage,
and gave them actual possession of
Canaan, the land promised to their
fathers. In proof of this last act of the
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 now remains. nin? ΤΡῚΣ, the
benefits of Jehovah. Comp. Jud. v. 11;
1 Sam, xii. 7; Ps. xxiv. 7. In this way
the phrase is interpreted by Tanchum,
Grotius, Drusius, and by most of the
moderns. Calvin observes: ‘Per Jus-
titias intelligit beneficia quemadmodum
multis aliis locis ; and paraphrases thus:
“Ut ipsa experientia tibi demonstret
quam verax, quam beneficus, quam mi-
sericors semper fuerit Deus erga genus
vestrum.”’
6, 7. The Jews convicted of guilt,
are represented as most anxious to pro-
pitiate the 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
universe. The language which they
employ is not such as the prophet would
have taught them, but such as well
accorded with the notions which were
prevalent among them, some of which
had been learned from their heathen
neighbors, How much soever they might
formerly have grudged the expense of
prescribed offerings, they are now will-
ing to bring the most costly and abund-
ant, rams by thousands, and oil sufficient
to fill myriads of rivers; nay, what is
more, human victims, and of these the
most endeared, their own offspring. In
yav—tna ninan, myriads of torrents of
oil, is a double hyperbole, quite in the
style of the Orientals. For mina, as
thus used, comp. 1 Sam. xviii. 7; and for
‘abs Ὁ) ex. 17. \ The fact at
the presentation of humah sacrifices is
fully established in the ancient history
of all nations. This barbarous custom
Was especially prevalent among the Phe:-
nicians, and was by them introduced
into the north of Africa, where it con-
tinued till the proconsulate of Tiberius.
According to Porphyry, the book of
Sanchoniathon was full of examples of
such sacrifices. That they obtained
among the idolatrous Israelites is clear
from Jer. xix. 5, xxxil. 85, who offered
their children to Moloch or Saturn, after
the example of their Pheenician neigh-
bors. Eusebius, in his Praepar. Evangel.
lib. iv. 16, enters at length into the
subject ; and adduces a passage from
Philo Byblius which has a special bear-
ing upon the present text: Ἔϑος ἦν τοῖς
παλαιοῖς, ἐν ταῖς peydAats συμφοραῖς τῶν
κινδύνων, ἀντὶ τῆς πάντων φϑορᾶς TO
HTAMHMENON TON ΤΕΚΝΩΝ τοὺς
κρατοῦντας ἢ πόλεως ἢ ἔϑνους, εἰς σφα-
γὴν ἐπιδιδόναι, λύτρον τοῖς τιμωροῖς δαί-
foot, ‘It was customary among the
ancients, on calamitous or dangerous em-
ergencies, for the rulers of the city or
=P52
MICAH.
Cuar. VI.
8 He hath showed thee, O man! what is good:
And what doth Jehovah require of thee,
But to do justice, and love mercy,
And be diligent in walking with thy God?
the state, to prevent the destruction of
all, to offer up the most dearly beloved of
their children, as a ransom to divine
vengeance.” ὩΞΝ is the future in Niphal
of the root SE, fo bend, bow one’s self
down. Comp. Ps. lvii. 7, exlv. 14. In-
stead of yo3—"bm3, rivers of oil, the
LXX. who have χιμάρων πιόνων, or, as
the Alex. MS. reads, αρνῶν, have read
“2d—tnn, fat sheep ; which rendering
is followed by the Vulg. and Arab., but
is unsupported by any other authority.
The translator was ‘evidently misled by
an improper view of the parallelism.
8. The questions put in the preced-
ing verses do not involve anything like
irony, as Rosenmiiller and Maurer im-
agine, but manifestly argue a deep anxi-
ety 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 fur-
nished with revelations of the mind of
God upon the subject. 55 t-an, He (i.e.
Jehovah) hath shown or manifested it to
thee ; or, the verb may be taken imper-
sonally, and rendered in the passive: I¢
hath been shown thee. No MS. supports
=as, Iwill show, the reading of the Syr.,
Vulg. and Arab. Had they searched
the Divine records they could not have
failed to discover, that, whatever pre-
scriptions relative to sacrifices had been
delivered to them, they had never been
taught to attach to them any moral
efficacy, but the contrary. Both reason
and revelation combined to invest them
with an ulterior reference. What that
xeference really was, the Apostle plainly
teaches us, Heb. x. 1: Σκιὰν yap ἔχων
ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ATAOQN : —
the Ξῖ: τ of the prophet. Comp.
Heb. ix. 23, where the sacrifice of
Christ is, by way of eminence and dis-
tinction, called κρείττοναι δυσίαι.
Of this, the only intrinsically valuable
atonement, the Levitical sacrifices, were
ὑποδείγματα, instructive examples, or
types, which were intended to suggest
and foreshadow it; and, connected as
they were with the progressive develop-
ments, which, from time to time, were
made of the sacerdotal character, and
the personal oblation of the Great De-
liverer 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 reconciliation, with a tacit
intimation of the importance of availing
himself of it, Micah 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 transac-
tions with our fellow men; a heart set
on doing them good, according to the
claims which they have upon us: and
diligent attention to everything belonging
to converse with God. Comp. Deut.
x. 12, 18. See also, as contrasting a
right state of the heart and life with
ceremonial services, 1 Sam. xv. 22; Is,
i. 11-20; Jer. vii. 21-23; Amos vy.
22-24; Hos. vi. 6. Astill more com-
pendious description of genuine religion
is given by our Lord under the three-
fold division of κρίσις, ἔλεος and πίστις,
Matt. xxiii. 23; or, as Luke has for
the last, τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ, chap.
xi. 42; which shows how completely
mistaken Campbell is in referring it to
the social virtues, and rendering it fidel-
ity. There can be little doubt that
Christ had the passage of Micah in his
eye. 525, Arab. cu, fecit, elabora-
vit in re aliqua; paravit ; also, indus-
ρ
trius οὐ solers ; ὅγυ. L149 3 astutus,
callidus ; Eth. X30: validus, constans
Cuap. VI.
MICAH.
9 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 it.
fuit ; to be apt, ready, diligent, to bend
the mind to anything; here, to apply it
earefully and sedulously to devotional
and other spiritual exercises, which are
essential to communion with God. Thus
the LXX, ἕτοιμον εἶναι; Theod. acda-
Algov: the fifth Greek version, φρον-
τίζειν ; the Syr. 5 AS, paratus ; Vulg.
solicitum. The idea of humility, which
is that adopted in our common version,
seems to have been derived from the Arab.
fate eh to train one’s horse, ὃ, 6.
by rendering him submissive and patient
of restraint ; hence eo "γα
bene exercitatus. Sce A. Schultens on
Proy. xi. 2, While this grace is an in-
dispensable attribute of true religion, and
lies indeed at its very foundation, it is
only one of the several important quali-
ties of which it is composed. The term
employed by the prophet, comprehends
them all. Michaelis renders, mit gewis-
senhafter sorgfalt, ** with conscientious
solicitude.”” The comment of Jerome is
not unworthy of notice ; — “Ita preci-
pitur ut preeparati simus ambulare cum
Domino Deo nostro, nulla hora dormire,
nullo tempore securi esse debemus, sed
semper expectare patremfamilias venien-
tem et diem formidare judicii, et in nocte
hujus seculi dicere: ego dormio, et cor
meum vigilat.” »::7 is the Hiphil In-
finitive, used adverbially. Bps. Butler
and Lowth, Mr. Peters, and some others,
are of opinion that the sixth, seventh,
and eighth verses contain a dialogue be-
tween Balak and Balaam; but there
does not appear to be sufficient ground
for it. The connection of these verses
with verse fifth is not so close as they
suppose.
9. On the ground of the foreseen de-
termination of the Jews, notwithstand-
ing their present professions of repent-
ance, to persevere in a line of conduct
diametrically opposite to that required by
the Most High, the prophet proceeds to
summon their attention to the certainty
ee the judgments that were to be inflicted.
55 for ἜΣΤΙ 5» to the city, i. 6. Jeru-
a by w ay of eminence. As she was
preéminent in privilege, so she was also
in regard to wickedness and guilt. n> gal
Gesenius refers to an obsolete root mo"
which he thinks may probably have
meant to stand, stand out, and so ¢o be.
From such a root both this noun, and
Ὁ", being, subsistence, substance, may
most naturally be derived. ‘The signi-
fications will then be, that which reaily
is, something solid or substantial, reat
wisdom, wealth, power, security, deliver-
ance, or whatever else best agrees with
Comp. the Arab. ss:
in the acceptations juvit restituitque wegro-
tum medicina; abundavit opibus vir;
“αἰ ὦ 99 opulentia, abundantia opum ;
sy largitus est.
in parallelisms with mesh, wisdom, τι: Σ᾽»
counsel, ; mT, assistance, 73, strength,
yon, ὦ shield, etc. The LXX., who
render it by ἀληϑὲς, βοήϑδεια, ἰσχὺς,
σωτηρία, ἀσϑάλεια, βουλὴ, give in the
present text the verb σώσει, as if they
had read y-3in, from ye; but they
may, after all, have attached the same
signification to mé:. The Syriac has
= "
Δ 5: ἃ, doctrine ; the Targ. s*=512
teachers. The construction of the word
here will depend upon the reading of the
following verb. If, with seven MSS.,
originally one more, and apparently an-
other, one corrected, and one in the mar-
gin, the LXX., Syr., Targ., Vulg.. and
Arab., we read F733 "377, those who fear
thy name, the passage will best be ren-
dered, there will be safety or deliverance,
i. e. for such. In this case we have to
supply the substantive verb, and the ellip-
sis of Ὁ, fo or for. On the other hand,
if we retain the current reading mes?
the context.
The noun is used
254
MICAH,
Crap. ὟΣ,
10 Are there still in the house of the wicked treasures of wicked-
ness,
And the accursed scanty ephah ?
11 Can I be innocent with wicked balances,
And with a bag of deceitful weights ?
12 Whose rich men are full of violence,
And her inhabitants speak falsehood ;
S722, he shall see thy name, we must,
with our ow n, and other translators, un-
derstand τὶ before mawin, and take
the noun in the signification solid, or
sound wisdom. That zs is frequently
to be thus understood abstract nouns,
comp. Ps. οἷς. 4, mSEn s23, Tam prayer,
for meen αὶ SONS MINS lama man of prayer ;
Prov. xiii. 6, Sun, sin, for rxen ocx,
the man of ἐλ i, 6. the sinner; xix.
15. mbx2, indolence, for mos> ms, the
man of indolence, ete. What ise
favors the reading 3729 "x77? is its occur-
ring only in this place, whereas “29 Ss
ead other forms of δ" with oy, are
of frequent occurrence. It was quite
natural for copyists and punctators to
substitute the former for the latter, but
not the latter for the former. As to the
ancient versions, the LX X. may, as fre-
quently, have translated from hearing,
and thus have mistaken the pronuncia-
tion of την" for that of "ST) which it
ΕΟ nearly resembled. The common read-
ing best suits the connection. Before an-
nouncing his message, the prophet paren-
thetically declares, that, whatever might
be the treatment it would receive from
the bulk of the people, the truly wise
would regard it as God’s message, and
having special respect to his revealed
character as thereby disclosed, would
find in it security and consolation in
the approaching calamities. The name
of the Lord is frequently used to ex-
press the sum total of the Divine attri-
butes, and often stands for God himself.
ms, signifies not merely ἕο see, but to
recognize practically, to experience. 1
Sam. xxiv. 12; Ps. xxxiv, 13, Ixxxix,.
49 ; Lam. iii. 1. Gontrasted with τοι}
Wee, see Is, xxvi. 10; a ats π
1 Pa
ss" tn.
s
my, the LXX., Syr., Vulg., and among
the moderns, Newcome and Ewald, take
to signify ¢zbe, or collectively tribes, and
render in the vocative. ‘The ‘larg. adopts
a metaphorical signification, correspond-
ing to that which attaches to
rendering, ΣΈΟ ἈΞ Έ, O King ‘and
ΓΝ
στ
Prince! The acceptation rod, as em-
blematical of punishment, is best suited
to the connection. Comp. Is. ix. 3, x.
5, 24. ΠΣ" is also variously translated
and explained : some deriving it from
the root to adorn ; some ion “3,
to testify ; some adopt the signification
of the Arab. (hs 9 minatus fuit; while
—o ay
mi,
my, congregation. There is no necessity
for departing from the ordinary signifi-
cation of πξ", to fix, appoint. ‘The only
real difficulty lies in the feminine suffix
=, Which does not grammatically agree
with Fi; but even this may be re-
moved by taking the suffix as a neuter,
or as referring to τιν Ἢ, the calamity, un-
derstood. Comp. Jer. ix. 11. Ewald,
hire Gemeine und wer sie bestellt! * let
the community hear, and he that ap-
points it,” understanding thereby the
king as principal ruler. Hitzig and
Maurer, as in our common version, both
make Jehovah the nominative to the
verb. Comp. Jer. xlvii. 7.
10—12. Several crimes are here speci-
fied as a sample of those which abounded,
and on account of which the Divine
judgments were to be brought upon the
land. For =*» at the beginning of a
sentence, comp. Gen, xix. 12. Forty-
nine MSS., thirteen more originally, and
perhaps one other, with one in the mar-
gin, read ux the man, instead οὔτ ἢ
and this is also the reading of the Son-
Cuap. VI.
MICAH.
259
Their tongue in their mouth is deceitful.
13 I will surely smite thee incurably,
Rendering thee desolate on account of thy sins.
14 Thou mayest 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 ;
cin., the Brixian, and five other printed
editions, and has the approval of Jarchi,
Abenezra, and Abarbanel, but it affords
no suitable sense ; and with 3-7 in Ken-
nicott’s MS. 201, must be regarded as
the result of interpretation. Owing to
the same cause, numerous MSS. and
editions have gun. The LXX., Syr.,
and Vulg., have ead wan, the fire; but
there cannot be any doubt, that it is
only another form of won, there being
merely an omission of the Yod, as there
clearly is, 2 Sam. xiv. 19; and the
Aleph corresponds to the same letter in
the cognate forms: Chald. nes, Syr.
dul; Arab. ual, est, exsistit. The
ellipsis of a before m3 is not unfrequent.
The Hebrews were much given to the
falsification of their weights and mea-
sures, though such conduct was repeat-
edly prohibited by the law, Lev. xix.
35, 36; Deut. xxv. 13-16; and else-
where severely condemned in their sac-
red writings. See Proy. xi. 1, xx. 10;
and for the practice, comp. Ezek. χ]ν,
9,10; Hos. xii. 8 ; Amos viii. 5. mT,
accursed, from txt, to be angry, indig-
nant. This participial form presents the
object as suffering the effects of anger, or
as marked with the Divine displeasure.
mars, ver. 11, the LXX., Syr., and
Targ., have read in the third person
m27, though the two last render it in
the plural. As the MSS. show no va-
riation, the present reading must be re-
tained; 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-
tion, for the sake of effect, into the
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 “EN, whose, ver. 12,
is 4797, city, ver. 9.
13. In this, and the following verses,
seyere judgments are threatened against
the people on account of their iniquitous
practices. The LXX., Syr., Vulg., and
Arab., render »n7>.157, 1 have har, or, I
will begin, as if it were the Hiphil of
tin, but it is that of τι Π, to be in pain,
sick, etc. As here used with the infini-
tive of m2n, ¢o smite, inflict punishment,
it gives intensity to the threatening, and
expresses the incurable nature of the pun-
ishment.
14. mgt, is not to be referred, with
Simonis and Gesenius, to the Arab.
YAS 9 fame exinanitus fuit, but to
eo» sequior, et imbecillis, infirmus ;
and was most likely intended to express
° yo
hat find in the Syr. “Lite BS
what we in the Syr { ee 9,
“ the diarrhea shall be within thee.” The
LXX, ΤΆΕΙΒΒ, W722 for yum, renders,
kal σκοτάσει ἐν σοι. SOT is te apocopated
Hiphil of :93, to remove, 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 Ἀπ with Ὁ, fo seize,
lay hold on, but that conjugation of Δ»
has also the signification, to remove any-
thing. See Job xxiv 2,
15. m%4 am. Oil was expressed
from the olive, by stamping or treading
it out with the foot, in the same way as
256
MICAH.
Cuap. VII.
Thou mayest tread the olive, but thou shalt not pour out the
oil;
And the grape of the new wine, but the wine thou shalt not
drink ;
16 The statutes of Omri are strictly kept,
And all the work of the house of Ahab,
And ye walk in their counsels ;
That 1 may make thee desolate,
And the inhabitants thereof an object of hissing ;
Therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
grapes were trodden. Hence the name
Ἴ29 ma, Gethsemane, or the oil-press,
Matt. xxvi. 36. Oil is indispensable to
oriental comfort, being used for anointing
the body, and perfuming the garments.
It is also a very common ingredient in
food.
16. Hartmann stumbles at the intro-
duction of this verse; but it is quite in
the manner of the prophet, to recur to
the wicked character of his people.
“soma? is best rendered impersonally,
though it refers to Dx, people, understood.
Hithpael i is here intensive of Piel. Omri
is specially mentioned, because he was
the founder of Samaria and the wicked
house of Ahab, and a supporter of the
16-28. 43905, in order that. The He-
brews did not, indeed, commit the wicked-
ness described with the intention of bring-
ing upon themselves divine punishment ;
but the punishment was as certainly con-
nected with the sin, in the purpose of
God, as if its infliction had been the end
at which they aimed. δ ΘΙ ΠΣ ron,
ye shall bear the reproach of my people,
i. €. your own reproach, that which you
have deserved ; only the meaning is so
expressed, in order to derive a high aggra-
vation of their guilt from the relation in
which they stood to Jehovah. The
LXX. have λαῶν, which intimates that
they either read D753, or 2», as a de-
fective masculine plural.
superstitions of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xvi.
CHAPTER VII.
BEFORE concluding, the prophet once more reverts to the wickedness of his people, which
he depicts with the darkest colors, 1-6. He then represents them in their state of cap-
tivity, brought to repentance, and confidently expecting the Divine interposition, which
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 in-
habitants, 13. Turning to Jehovah, he prays for the undisturbed and prosperous con-
dition of the restored nation, 14; to which a gracious response is given, 15. The over-
throw of the nations hostile to the Jews, and their reverence for Jehovah, are then
pointed, out, 16,17; 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 accomplishment of the sacred engagements into which he had entered with their
progenitors, 19, 20.
Cuap. VII.
1 Aas for me!
MICAH.
207
For I am as when they gather the summer fruit.
As when the vintage is gleaned:
There is no cluster to eat,
No early fig which my soul desireth.
2 The pious hath perished from the land.
And there is none upright among men ;
They all lie in wait for blood ;
They hunt each other into the net.
3 For evil their hands are well prepared ;
The prince asketh,
1. In no part of his prophecy does
Micah so fearfully describe the universal
corruption of manners which prevailed
among 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
5 in ΝΞ ΠΡ 59 PIE "Ete, denoting
time as well as comparison, the two
nouns in construction must be rendered
as if they were verbs, though a literal
translation would be, the gatherings of
the summer fruit, and the gleanings of
the vintage. For m5:>3, the early fig,
see on Is. xxviii. 4. The prophet com-
pares the strong desire which he felt
to meet with a single pious man, to that
eagerness with which the traveller looks
in vain for one of those delicious figs
after the summer has advanced.
2. Comps, ῬΒ. χῖϊ 1, xdve 2 ; 15. lyri. 1.
ἘΠῚῚ. rendered in most of the versions
destruction, signifies also a net, which is
so called from its enclosing or shutting
up whatever it catches. Occurring, as
it here does, in connection with the verb
sis, to hunt, it is preferable to take it
in this acceptation. The Orientals em-
ployed the net for hunting, as well as
for fishing. The word is here in the ac-
cusative case.
3. This verse is very differently ren-
dered by translators. The version of it
which I have given appears to express
as literally as possible the ideas, which,
99
it is generally admitted, the prophet in-
tended to convey. Ξ 2" π is frequently
used to express the doing of anything
well, skilfully, aptly, and the like. Here
it is intransitive. Ewald, with Michae-
lis, Vogel and Doéderlein, mistakes the
meaning of the clause altogether, when
he explains it of endeavoring by bribery
to prevail upon the magistrates to pro-
nounce that to be good which in itself is
evil. %s%3, which he is obliged to con-
vert into ποῦ, 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 wicked-
ness of their governors and judges, and
not that of the people themselves, which
the latter clauses of the verse describe.
After ts“ supply 1m‘; and after ὯΒ Ὁ,
ὯΞ 5. Thesubstantive 747, like the Arab.
se , desideravit, voluit, has here the sig-
nification, wish, desire, will. See Schul-
tens on Prov. x. 3; and the Koran ii. 87:
prmnisl srt: “and whenever a
messenger cometh to you with that which
your souls desire not.’ Comp. Ps. lii.
9; Prov. xi. 6; and for the cognate
253 max, Deut. xii. 15, 20. nas, sig-
nifies to intertwine, bind together, as the
branches of trees, ropes, etc. ; here, me-
taphorically, to effect by united effort.
Comp. the Arab. Gynec, miscuit com-
y
miscuit, Syr. as, concordavit.
258 MICAH. Cuar. VIL
And the judge also, for a reward ;
And the great man giveth utterance to the desire of his soul ;
They combine to act perversely.
4 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 ;
Now shall be their perplexity.
5 Place no faith in a companion ;
Trust not a familiar friend ;
From her that lieth in thy bosom
Guard the doors of thy mouth.
6 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.
The princes, judges, and great men, con-
spired to set aside all law and right in
their treatment of the poor of the land.
The suffix τῷ is to be taken as a neuter,
and refers to the injustice practised by
the rulers. Thus Calvin : * Deinde com-
plicant ipsam pravitatem: hoc est hinc
fit ut grassetur furiosa crudelitas, quoniam
conspirant inter se et gubernatores et qui
volunt sibi acquirere peccandi licentiam :
quasi contexerent inter se funes, con-
firmant hoe modo pravitatem.”
4, Both iv, good, and -3>, upright,
are here used superlatively. Comp. for
this use, Gen. xlv. 23; Is. i. 19; Exod.
xv. 4. It frequently occurs in Arabic.
77h is now allowed to designate a species
of thorn, and not a brier. As the 1s now
stands before ;>:072, it must be taken as
an emphatic comparative, which derives
its force, not from any adjective ex-
pressed, but from the noun to which it is
prefixed, as in Ps. lxii. 10; Is. xli. 24;
or it may have originally belonged as a
suffix to the preceding noun "ἰδ", in which
case πΞ3 1 and τ 37 must have corres-
ponded to each other, leaving an ellipsis
of the > which had just been used in
pan>. By “the day of thy watchmen,”
the period of calamity predicted by the
prophets is meant. With this, the fol-
lowing =
ΡΞ, visitation, is explicatively
For pm Dit, a day of per-
plexity, see on Is. xxii. 5. The reference
in Ὁ is 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.
5,6. sad, Arab. was, Samiliaris
socius, from wall, conjuncit, sociavit,
parallel.
etce., a familiar, and, by implication, a
confidential, friend. bana Sex,
ἀτιμάζει. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 15. The
root $23, primarily signifies to wither, fall
off as leaves, and tropically to act wickedly,
trreligiously, as one that has fallen oif
from God. Comp. 83:3, Ps. xiv. 1.
“Ὧν
"9 “ὁ ον
an atrocious deed, Gen. xxxiy. 7; Jud.
xix, 23, 24. The state of things here
described is that of the most wretched
perfidiousness, anarchy, and confusion,
in which the most intimate could have
no confidence in each other, and the
closest ties of relationship were violated
and contemned. Comp. Jer. ix. 2-6,
--ὠοὀλλοτρίους ἀλλήλων εἶναι πάντας τοὺς
μὴ σπουδαίους, καὶ γονεῖς τέκνων, καὶ
ἀδελφοὺς ἀδελφῶν, οἰκείους οἰκείων. Diog.
Laert. vii. 82, In language strikingly
similar, Ovid describes the iron age :
Cuar. VII.
7 But I will look for Jehovah ;
MICAH.
I will wait for the God of my salvation ;
My God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy!
Though I have fallen, I shall rise again ;
Though I sit in darkness, Jehovah’is my light.
9 I will bear the indignation of Jehovah,
Because I have sinned against him ;
Till he plead my cause, and give effect to my sentence;
He will bring me forth to the light ;
I shall behold his righteousness.
10 Mine enemy also shall see it,
And shame shall cover her.
She that said to me, Where is Jehovah thy God ?
Mine eyes shall behold her ;
«“ Vivitur ex rapto; non hospes ab hos-
pite tutus,
Non soror a genero; fratrum quoque
gratia rara est.
Imminet exitio vir conjugis, illa mariti ;
Lurida terribiles miscent aconita no-
verce,
Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in
annos,””
Metamorph, i, 144.
Our Saviour appropriates the words to
the treacherous and cruel treatment which
he taught his disciples to expect from
their nearest relatives, Matt. x. 35, 36;
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 dis-
tance from the land of their fathers, they
are brought to repentance, and the ex-
ercise of true piety; and seeking again
to their covenant God, they express the
fullest confidence that he would in due
time deliver them from banishment.
mps, here used in Piel, signifies to look
out for an answer to prayer, divine aid,
etc. Comp. Ps. v. 4.
8, 9. Who the enemy intended by the
prophet is, cannot be positively decided,
Some interpreters think Babylon ; others,
Edom. For the former, see Jer. 1. 11;
for the latter, Obad. 12; for both, Ps.
exxxviil. 7, 8. taamna, daughter of
Babylon, or p7x—n3, daughter of Edom,
for Babylon and Edom themselves, is
understood in the feminine participle
mais, mine enemy. For the idiom, see
on Is. i. 8. The Jews understand 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. The 9th verse contains a beau-
tiful specimen of submissiveness and pa-
tient endurance of suffering, from a
humbling conviction of the demerit of
sin ; accompanied by the firm persuasion,
that when the chastisement had answered
its end, Jehovah would graciously afford
deliverance. mpix, righteousness, is here
to be understood with reference to the
kindness or favor which God was to
show to his people, in strict accordance
with the tenor of his promises, rather
than to the punishment of their enemies.
10. The deliverance of the Jews was
to be the occasion of the destruction of
their foes, who, because the former had
no visible object of worship, and had
been delivered into their power, taunt-
ingly asked: sry mint tx, where ts
Jehovah thy God? The feminine suffix
refers to 449s—n3, daughter of Zion, un-
derstood.
260
MICAH.
Wak
Cuap.
She shall now be trodden upon as the mire of the streets.
11
In the day when thy walls shall be rebuilt,
In that day the decree shall be extended ;
12 In that day they shall come to thee
From Assyria to Egypt ;
Even from Egypt to the river,
From sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
11, 12. Micah resumes the language
of prophecy, and, addressing Jerusalem,
announces her restoration, and the way
that would be paved for the conversion
of the surrounding hostile nations to the
true religion, Such appears to me to be
the meaning of these verses, which have
been very variously interpreted. fh,
statute, decree, order, appointment, LXX.
νόμιμα, Symm. ἐπιταγὴ, Theod. πρό-
σταγμα, some refer to the tyrannical
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
of the gospel among all nations, of which
last interpretation Calvin says: ‘Sed
locus hic non patitus se ita violenter tor-
queri.”” Secker, New come, Vogel, Déd-
erlein, and others, join ph to p: m7, and
form a reduplicate verb pPrpnn, of the
whole; with whom, as to meaning,
Gesenius agrees, who rejects pm alto-
gether, and renders, dies lle procul abest,
Thesaur. p. 1284. What would seem to
determine the meaning of the term, as
here used, is the light thrown upon fn,
to be distant, remove to a distance, etc.,
by the geographical specifications con-
tained in verse 12th. The subject of
both verses is sufficiently proved to be
identical, by the repetition of ssn 57>,
that day, which indisputably is the Dis,
day, spoken of at the beginning of verse
111. Whatever the decree or command
was, the effect of its promulgation was to
be the coming of foreigners from different
regions to the Jewish people, reassemb-
ling at Jerusalem, sin ΠΣ. The most
natural construction is, that the decree
of God respecting the political changes
that were to take place, was not to be
confined to Babylon, but Was to be ex-
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 5, 7z, before ἘΠ", day, in all
the three instances in which it here oc-
curs. ἢ before 5772 is not pleonastic,
but is used, as in several other instances,
after words which imply condition or time.
See Exod. xvi. 6; 1 Sam. χχυ. 27. sin:
is used impersonally : “one, they shall
come ;”’ it is rendered in the plural in
the LXX., Targ., and Arab., and one of
Kennicott’s MSS. reads "3". That
“321 has originally been ὑπ}, the pa-
rallclism, compared with other instances
of its occurrence, sufficiently shows. The
change of 7 into ", and vice versd, by
transcribers, owing to their great resem-
blance to each other, is very common.
For example in n=>5 and ne", 1 Chron.
1.6; Β55 πη and pati, ver. 7; ExT
and mont, Ps. liv. 5; "ἢ πὸ and ple
Ixxxi. 73 ἼΣ 15 and 33549, Prov. x. 32
and Ἐπ δ as corresponding to sa
present case, 777 and 3772, Ps. exxxix.
20. The latter reading is found in fif-
teen MSS., has been originally i in eleven
more, and τὰ in one printed edition. No
objection can be taken from the preposi-
tion assuming the poetic form *7, while
in the following sentence we have =»;
the same variety appears in “4m and
sns, 1 Sam. xi. 7. It is also worthy of
notice that the LXX. have read "7 ἘΣ at
the beginning of the verse, as if it had
been 572, having rendered it af πόλεις
gov. By ix, I understand Egypt, and
not fortification. Comp. 2 Kings xix,
24, Is, xix. 6, on which see my note.
Cuarv. VII.
MICAH.
13 Nevertheless the land shall be desolate
On account of her inhabitants,
Because of the fruit of their doings,
14
The flock of thine heritage ;
That dwell alone in the wood
Feed thy people with thy crook,
, in the midst of Carmel;
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in ancient days.
15
Upon this construction, Assyria and
Egypt are contrasted, just as they are Is.
xix. 23, where the same subject is treated
of in almost the same language. “1112, the
river, kat’ ἐξοχὴν, t. 6. the Euphrates,
corresponding in the parallelism to >72s.
Assyria. The Syr. and Targ. have mis-
taken 34% in “is, for Tyre ; as the lat-
ter has "3}2, for Armenia. The conclud-
ing» words of the verse, 5: Mra Oats
stand irregularly for τι) pias cis
“a7731. It does not “appear that any
specific mountains are intended; the
prophet describes in general terms 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 ἢ in sn} is used
antithetically to introduce a sentence pre-
dictive of what should take place previous
to the arrival of the events mentioned in
the verses immediately preceding. It
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. Some interpret yosn, the
land, of Babylonia; but this construction
seems less apt.
14. 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
appropriateness of its petition. Like
many other prayers in the Old Testa-
ment, it is prophetic in its aspect. The
Jewish people are frequently spoken of
under the metaphor of a flock, and Je-
As in the days of thy coming forth from Egypt,
hovah as their shepherd. ὅθ Ps. xxx.
1. xev. 7, c. 8. They are also often re-
presented as his special heritage, Deut.
iv. 20, vii. 6, xxxii.9. Some understand
s12$ -:Du, dwelling alone or solitarily, as
descr’ iptive of the condition of the Jews in
captivity, and -35, forest, of the dangers
and annoyances to which they were ex-
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
language in other passages. Thus, in
the celebrated prophecy of Balaam, Num.
Xxill. 9, which, in all probability, Micah
had i in view, we read, 5.9" 7225 09-45
rim? xd 3255» Behold! the people
pee dwell alone, and shall not be reck-
oned among the nations. Comp. Deut.
xxxili. 28; Jer. xlix. 31; and for "ον
as used figuratively for a place of safety
and cool repose, see Ezek. xxxiv. 26.
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 undisturbed tran-
quillity. For instances of the paragogic
Yod affixed to participles, see 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
1. 2. The regions of Bashan and Gilead,
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
tribe of Manasseh, Numb, xxxii.; Deut.
iii. 12-17. Comp. as strictly parallel,
Jer. J, 19.
15. The answer of Jehovah to the
prophet’s prayer, assuring the nation,
262
MICAH.
Cuar. VIL
I will show them marvellous things.
16 The nations shall see it, and be ashamed of all their power;
They shall 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 shall tremble from their hiding”
places ;
They shall turn with fear towards Jehovah ;
They shall be afraid of thee.
18 Who isa God like thee,
Pardoning iniquity, and passing by transgression,
In regard to the remnant of his heritage ἢ
He retaineth not his anger for ever,
Because he delighteth in mercy.
He will again have compassion upon us,
that the same Almighty power which
had interposed in so remarkable a man-
ner for their deliverance from Egypt,
would again wonderfully appear on their
behalf. Comp. Jer. xvi. 14, 15. Such
changes of person as in 7, ¢hy, and 5:,
him, are common.
both is to the people of the Jews.
16. The τη 3» power, 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
when restored, as Junius and Tremellius,
Tarnovius, Stokes, and some others, have
imagined. The latter half of the verse
most graphically describes the silence,
astonishment, and utter consternation,
with which they should be seized. Com.
Jud. xviii. 19; Job xxi. 5; Ps. evii. 42;
Is, lii. 15.
17. An equally graphic description of
the state of degradation and terror to
which the enemies were to be reduced.
Comp. Ps. Ixxii. 9 ; Is. xlix. 23, lxv. 25.
For π΄ Ἐπεὶ, crawlers, or reptiles, comp.
Deut. xxxii. 24. The distinctive use of
ty, to and ys, from or of, as here used,
shows that there is not a change of person
in ‘312%, and that the affix Ἴ refers, not
to Jehovah, but to the people of the Jews.
The fear ultimately produced in the minds
of their enemies was to be a religious fear
or veneration which should attract them
The reference in.
towards Jehovah as its object. Comp
for this construction of $x "m8, to exer
cise reverential regard towards God, Hos.
iii. 5. Combined with the circumstan-
ces under which the nations were to ac-
knowledge the supremacy of Jehovah,
was their standing in awe of the political
power of the Jews. See on Is. xix. 17.
18. Impelled by strong feelings of
gratitude at the anticipated deliverance
of his people, the prophet breaks out
into a strain of the sublimest praise and
admiration, and gives a description of
the gracious character of God, unrivalled
by any contained in the Scriptures. The
phrase 3E—b2 ἘΞ, passing by trans-
gression, is a metaphor, taken from the
conduct of a traveller who passes on
without noticing an object to which he
does not wish to give his attention. The
idea which it communicates is not, that
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 with a view to pun-
ishment; that he does not punish, but
forgive. Comp. Prov. xix, 11, Amos vii.
8, in which lattef passage the verb alone
is used. The opposite is expressed by
432 7123, to watch iniquity, Ps. cxxx. 3,
ἡ. 6. to keep it in view in order to punish
it. moqsz, remnant, does not necessarily
imply a small or inconsiderable number,
Cuar. VII.
19 He will subdue our iniquities ;
MICAH.
263
Yea, thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt grant the truth to Jacob,
The kindness to Abraham,
Which thou didst sware to our fathers
From the days of old.
but merely conveys the general notion of
a surviving body of men: here it means
those of the Jewish nation who should
be alive at the termination of the cap-
tivity. En, ἐο delight, according to the
Arab. (Aas, flexit, inflexit, lignum,
projecit, properly expresses the bent or
propension of the mind, or what we
commonly call its zxcination towards an
object; hence desire, affection, delight.
The combined force of so VEN, bent on
kindness, is inimitable, the primary idea
of ποτὶ being that of eager desire or love
towards an object. It is the term which
is so often rendered loving-kindness in
our common version.
19. This verse may be regarded as
containing a beautiful epiphonema, in
which the people of the Jews exultingly
avow their full confidence in the forgiv-
ing mercy and subduing power of their
God. 73, to turn, in "52 Γ 1 2x5", is,
as usual before another verb, employed
adverbially to signify again. God had
often pitied and delivered his people. It
is here intimated that his compassion
was not exhausted, but should be exer-
cised towards them anew. A1l the mean-
ing found by Rosenmiiller, Gesenius and
Maurer, in Ἴ2 ὩΣ» 9532, is that of dis-
regarding or not avenging, but there is
no ground for rejecting the radical idea
of trampling under foot as enemies. Sin
must ever be regarded as hostile to man.
It is not only contrary to his interests,
but it powerfully opposes and combats
the moral principles of his nature, and
the higher principles implanted by grace;
and but for the counteracting energy of
divine influence, must prove victorious.
Without the subjugation of evil propen-
sities, pardon would not be a blessing.
If the idolatrous and rebellious disposi-
tion of the Jews had not been subdued
during their stay in Babylon, they would
not have been restored. The total and
irrevoeable forgiveness of sins is forcibly
expressed by casting them into the
depths of the sea. What is deposited
there is completely hid from the view,
and cannot in any way affect ust Instead
of enon, their sins, five MSS. read
ἘΣ ΓΙ, our sins, which is the read-
ing of the LXX., Syr., Vulg., and Arab.
It may, however, only be a correction ;
the change of person we have frequently
had occasion to notice.
20. The return from captivity, while
it furnished a striking specimen of the
covenanted fidelity and kindness of Je-
hovah, was only preliminary to the in-
finitely greater display of these attributes
in the mission of the Messiah, the Seed
of Abraham in whom all the families of
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 Him
of whom his son had just been born to
be the forerunner, Luke i. 72, 73. Be-
fore the names of the patriarchs, a verb
signifying to declare, promise, or the like,
is understood.
NAHUM.
PREFACE.
OwrneG to the paucity of information respecting the prophet Nahum,
little can be said in regard to his life and times. All that we know of
him personally is, that he was the native of a town or village called Elkosh,
chap. i. 1.
The only historical data furnished by the book itself with respect to the
period at which he flourished, are the following: the humiliation of the king-
doms of Israel and Judah, by the Assyrian power, chap. ii. 3; the final in-
vasion of Judah by that power, i. 9, 11; and the conquest of Thebes in
Upper Egypt, iii. 8-10. But the removal of the glory of the Hebrew king-
doms, to which reference is made, could only be that which was effected by
Tiglath-pfileser 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 these monarchs. See Is. vii—ix.; 2 Chron. xxviii. Sargon, who appears
to have succeeded Shalmaneser, not satisfied with the reduction of Pheenicia
by that king, and fearing lest Egypt should prevail upon the conquered proy-
inces of the west to join her in a confederacy against him, undertook an ex-
pedition into Africa ; and, though history is silent as to the event, it would
appear from chap. iii. 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
Hezekiah, and the circumstances connected with it are clearly referred to by
Nahum, partly prophetically, and partly as matter of historical notoriety,
chap. i. 9-13, it follows that he must have lived in, or about the year B. c.
714. Jarchi, Abarbanel, Grotius, Junius and Tremelius, and Justi, place
him in the reign of Manasseh, and some, as Ewald, would make him contem-
porary with Josiah; but Bp. Newton, Eichhorn, Bertholdt, Rosenmiiller,
Newcome, Horne, Gesenius, de Wette, Jahn, Gramberg, Winer, Maurer,
and Knobel, unanimously agree with Jerome in referring his ministry to the
latter half of the reign of Hezekiah. Neither the opinion of Josephus, that
he foretold the destruction of Nineveh in the reign of Jotham, nor that of
Clement of Alexandria, that he lived between Daniel and Ezekiel, has met
with any supporters. But if, as is highly probable, he flourished in one of
the latter years of Hezekiah, his prophecy must have been delivered nearly
PREFACE TO NAHUM. 265
one hundred years before its accomplishment ; for Nineveh was overthrown,
and the Assyrian power destroyed, by the joint forces of Cyaxares and Na-
bopolassar, in the reign of Chyniladanus, B. c. 625.
Considerable difference of opinion obtains with respect to the ἐπ ες of
the prophet. That »3psn, the Elkoshite, was designed to point out the place
of his nativity, and not his paternity, as the Targumist interprets, is evident
from a comparison of the form with similar instances of the Yod aflixed,
1 Kings xvii. 1; Jer. xxix. 27; Micahi.1. There are two cities of the name
of Elkosh, each of which has had its advocates, as that which may lay claim
to the honor of having given birth to Nahum. The one, ιὸ it \, Elkosh, is
situated in Koordistan, on the east side of the Tigris, about three hours’ jour-
ney 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 hirth-place and the burial-place of
the prophet, to whose tomb they pay special respect. It is, however, gener-
ally 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 the principal 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
slight vestiges of more ancient buildings.»* Eusebius mentions it in his ac-
count of Hebrew places; and Cyrill (ad cap. i. 1,) is positive as to its
situation being in Palestine.t It has been thought, and not without reason,
by some, that Capernaum, Heb. tin 755, most properly rendered the village
of Nahum, derived its name from our prophet having resided in it, though he
may have been born elsewhere in the vicinity, just as it is said to have been
ἡ ἰδία πόλις of our Lord, though he 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 seem to indicate that he was either in, or very near to Jerusalem
at the time. What goes to confirm this supposition, is the number of terms,
phrases, ete., which he evidently borrowed from the lips of Isaiah. Comp.
mvp. nbs nad 50%, 1. 8, and myssia nd>, ver. 9, with 1291 502, Is. viii. 8,
and πῶ» π nbs, Is. x. 235 nphgis nps np, ii. 11, with mp bin vue pris,
*“ Porro quod additur, Nawm Elcesai, quidam putant Eleceseum patrem esse Naum, et
secundum Hebrxam traditionem etiam ipsum prophetam fuisse; quum Elcesi usque hodie
in Galilza viculus sit, parvus quidem et vix ruinis veterum edificiorum indicans vestigia,
sed tamen notus Judzis, et mihi quoque a circumducente monstratus.” — Hieron. Pref. in
Naum.
ἱ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλκεσὲ' κώμη δὲ αὔτη πάντως ποῦ τῆς Ἰουδαίαν χώρας.
94
266 PREFACE TO NAHUM.
Is. xxiv. 1; prane—d23 nbndim3, ii. 11, with ntntn sme abi, Is. xxi. 35
pity yin san κὰν ΝΗ prance mint, ts with ba Dane Mwy
pity pao Aes, “Is. lii. 7, ete.
The subject of the prophecy is the destruction of Nineveh, which 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, the country of the ten tribes had been reduced by the Assyrian
power; the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib, whose destruction, and that
of his army, he predicts; and the joyful restoration of both the captivities to
their own land, and the enjoyment of their former privileges. His object ob-
viously was, to inspire his countrymen with the assurance, that, however
alarming their circumstances might appear, exposed as they were to the for-
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
taken, and his empire overturned. The book is not to be divided into three
separate parts, or prophecies, composed at different times, as some have im-
agined, but is to be regarded as one entire poem, the unity of which is plainly
discoverable throughout.
The style of Nahum is of a very high order. He 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, fresh-
ness, richness, elegance, and force of his imagery. The rhythm is regular
and singularly beautiful; and with the exception of a few foreign or provin-
cial words, his language possesses the highest degree of classical purity. His
description of the “Divine character at ‘the commencement is truly majestic Ὁ
that of the siege and fall of Nineveh inimitably graphic, vivid and impres-
sive.
—
CoH A ΠΣ ἘΠ οἴ
THE 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.
1 Tae SENTENCE oF NINEVEH:
The Book of the Vision of Nahumethe Elkoshite.
2 Jehovah is a jealous and avenging God;
Jehovah is an avenger and furious ;
Jehovah is an avenger with respect to his adversaries ;
1. For the meaning of sux, see on
Is, xiii, 1; and for the historical cireum-
stances connected with Nineveh, see on
Jonah i, 2. Between the time of the
prophet just referred to and that of Na-
hum, there elapsed a period of about one
hundred and fifty years. The inscrip-
tion consists of two parts; the former of
which is supposed by some to be from a
later hand. If genuine, we should rather
expect the order to have been reversed.
1. The exordium, which begins here
and reaches to ver. 8, is highly magnifi-
cent. The repeated use of the Incom-
municable Name, and of the participle
Crs, avenging or avenger, gives great
force to the commencement. Nothing
can exceed in grandeur and sublimity
the description which the prophet fur-
nishes of the Divine character. The
attributes of infinite purity, inflexible
rectitude, irresistible power and bound-
less 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-
tensive love. How inferior the other-
wise sublime description given of the
anger of Jove by Aischylus:
χϑὼν σεσάλευται"
βρυχία δ᾽ ἠχώ παραμυκᾶται
βροντῆς, ἕλικες δ᾽ ἐκλάμπουσι
στεροπῆς (άπυροι, στρόμβοι δὲ κόνιν
εἱλίσσουσι᾽ σκιρτᾷ 8 ἀνέμων
πνεύματα πάντων, εἰς ἄλληλα
στάσιν ἀντίπνουν ἀποδεικνύμενα.
Prom. vinctus, 1089.
wisp, jealous, from 2p, to be warm,
(nddw, burn with zeal, anger, jealousy.
The term is here used davSPwroradas,
principally in the last of these accepta-
tions, though not to the entire exclusion
of the others. The term describes a keen
feeling of injured right, coupled with a
strong inclination to see justice done to
the parties concerned. ssn 833» lit. a
lord, or master of fury, an idiom by which
the possession of an attribute or quality is
frequently expressed. Com.r}iction ἘΣΞ
a master of dreams, i. 6. a dreamer ; +23,
yivdn, @ master of the tongue, i. 6. elo-
quent. In these verses the prophet ap-
pears to have an eye specially to the judg-
ments 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 the land, and taken the fortified
cities of Judah. “123, properly signifies
to watch, observe, in a bad sense, to mark
for punishment. Arab. ye: oculos con=
208
NAHUM.
Cuar. I,
He keepeth his anger for his enemies.
3 Jehovah is long-suffering, but great in power;
He will by no means treat them as innocent:
Jehoyah hath his way in the whirl-wind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of his feet. :
4 He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry,
He parcheth up all the rivers:
Bashan languisheth, and Carmel,
And the bloom of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him,
And the hills are melted ;
The earth heaves at its presence,
The world and all that inhabit it.
6 Before his indienation who can stand ?
And who can subsist in the heat of his anger ὃ
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are overthrown by him.
7 Jehovah is good, a fortress in the day of distress ;
And knoweth those that trust in him,
8 But with an overflowing inundation
vertit ad rem ; 43, custodem et obser-
vatorem egit. Comp, Ps. ciii, 9; Jer. iii.
5, 12; δῃηᾷ "52, Ps. cxxx. 3.
3. mp2? xb nips, holding pure will not
hold pure, i. e, will not treat as inriocent
those who are guilty, but, on the con-
trary, punish them according to their
demerit. LXX. aSoay οὐκ ἀδοώσι. Com.
Exod. xx. 7, xxxiv. 7. The idea con-
veyed 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 Coa, they are but as
the most minute particles of dust raised by
the feet in walking. [2x, signifies light
dust or powder, what is easily raised.
4, What is here predicated of Jehovah
is attributed to our Saviour, Luke viii.
24: ἐπιτίμησε ---τῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ ὕδατος.
The action involves omnipotence. τ Ξ5Ὶ
is a contracted form of the Piel, for
amigas, as 7393 for macos, Lam. iii. 33,
in both of which the radical Yod gives
its vowel to the preformative letter.
5 There is no authority for rendering
seni, ¢o be burnt up : none of the MSS.
or ancient versions directing us to any
root signifying ¢o burn. The verb is
likewise thus rendered in our common
version, 2 Sam. y. 21, but the marginal
reading is, took them away. The Targ.
indeed has mais, vastata est, but the
LXX. render ἀνεστάλη. Symm., ἐκινήϑη.
The Syr. AS} shaketh. Vulg. con-
tremuit. The root is xw2, to raise, lift
up; intransitively, to lift up one’s self ; and
appropriately expresses here the raising or
heaving of the ground by an earthquake.
6. The pouring out of wrath, like fire,
would seem to be a comparison taken
from volcanoes, which pour out furiously
their streams of liquid fire over the cir-
cumjacent regions. The breaking in
pieces of the rocks, in the following
hemistich, confirms this idea. Comp.
Jer. li. 25, 26.
7, 8. There is a marked antithesis in
these two verses, in the course of which
the prophet arrives at his main topic, the
destruction of Nineveh, Ver. 7 beauti-
Cuap. I.
NAHUM.
269
He will effect a consummation of her place,
And darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What devise ye against Jehovah?
He will effect a consummation ;
Distress shall not twice arise.
fully depicts the safety and happiness of
those who make God their refuge, how
severe soeyer may be the calamity which
threatens or may have overtaken them ;
and was primarily intended to administer
comfort to the pious Jews in the prospect
of the Assyrian attack by Sennacherib.
Στὸ, to know, is here, as frequently, taken
in the sense of knowing with regard,
kindness, or love. Comp. ΕΣ τς Os Gxlive
3; Amos ili. 2. In-2% ἘΞ, the met-
aphor of a river impetuously overflowing
its banks, rushing into the adjacent
country, and passing through, carrying
all before it, is employed to denote the
ruthless invasion of a country by a hos-
tile and powerful army. It is used by
Isaiah, chap. viii. 8, to describe the re-
sistless entrance of the Assyrian army
into Palestine; and here Nahum appro-
priates the language for the purpose of
describing the triumphant progress of
the Medo-Babylonian troops when ad-
vancing towards Nineveh. He not only
beholds, in prophetic vision, their approach
to the devoted city, but announces its
complete destruction. It is usual with the
prophets, as it is with the Oriental poets,
when powerfully affected, to introduce
into their discourse persons or objects as
acting, without having previously named
them. See on Is. xiii. 2; and comp.
Syo"2, ver. 11 of the present chapter. See
Nordheimer’s Heb. Gram., ἡ 867. They,
as it were, take it for granted, that every
one must, like themselves, clearly perceive
the reference. On this principle there can
be no difficulty in accounting for the fem-
inine pronominal affix in mip, “ her
place,” ὁ. e. the place of Nineveh, the
ΟΣ, city, or metropolis of Assyria, the
overthrow of which the prophet was af-
terwards to describe, and which he here
merely touches upon by way of anticipa-
tion. The use of pip, place, is not
without emphasis. Comp. chap. 111. 17.
Those who desire to see the difference of
opinion existing both among ancient and
modern writers respecting the actual site
of Nineveh, may consult Bochart, Phaleg.
lib. iv. cap, xx. Lucian, speaking of it,
says, 7 Nivos μὲν ἀπόλωλεν ἤδη, καὶ οὐδὲν
ἴχνος ἔτι λειπὸν αὐτῆς, οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἴπης ὅπου
ποτ᾽ ἤν. Dialog. entitled ᾿Επισκοποῦντες.
Bochart, referring to the city of the name
mentioned by Ammianus, expresses him-
self thus: Merito dubitatur an restaurata
fuerit eo im loco, in quo prius condita.”
In the Hebrew MSS. there is no various
reading of m2 IP 5 but the rendering of
the LXX., τοὺς ἐπιγειρομένους, and of
Aq., ἀντισταμένων, supported by Theod.
and the fifth Greek version, would indi-
cate, that their authors read TOR or
m8" PN, in favor of which Ἴ5Ξ 8 in
the following hemistich might be ad-
duced. The Syriac, however, Vulg.,
and Symm., read with the received
text.
9. By a sudden apostrophe Nahum
here turns to the invaders, and boldly
challenges them to account for their
temerity in daring to oppose themselves
to Jehovah. On which he repeats what
he had declared in the preceding verse
respecting the total destruction of the As-
syrian power, and adds, for the special en-
couragement of the Jews, that it should
never annoy them again. The parallel
to this brief apostrophe we have more
at length, Is. xxxvii. 23-29. For the
force of D- az, twice, comp. DMN ἘΣΞ
ἐδ mage ἐδ τ, 1 Sam. xxvi. 8. That the
renewal of the affliction does not refer to
any supposable future overthrow of the
Assyrians, as Michaelis, Rosenmiiller,
Hitzig, Ewald, and others maintain, but
to any further calamity to be apprehended
270
NAHUM.
Cuapr. I,
10 For though they are closely interwoven as thorns,
And thoroughly soaked with their wine,
They shall be consumed like stubble fully dry.
11 From thee he came forth,
The deviser of mischief against Jehovah,
The wicked counsellor,
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.
12 to be the true construction of the mean-
ing.
10. However strong and vigorous the
Assyrian army might be, its complete
destruction would easily be effected by
Jehovah. "ἰῷ, to, even to, is here used as
a comparative particle of degree: ¢o the
same degree as, or like thorns. Comp.
1 Chron. iv. 27. Briers and thorns are
employed by the prophets to denote the
soldiers composing a hostile army. See
15. x. 17, xxvii. 4. The metaphor is
here taken from a thicket of thorns, the
prickly branches of which are so closely
intertwined as to present an impenetra-
ble front to those who would enter it.
Such were the celebrated military pha-
lanxes of antiquity, consisting of bodies
of troops armed with long spears, and
arranged in the form of a square. The
other metaphor is taken from drunkards
who drench or saturate themselves with
wine, and denotes the degree of moisture
which those thorny warriors possessed,
and by which they were prepared to re-
sist the action of fire. No account is to
be made of the reading Ey, princes,
which Newcome adopts from the Targ.
and Syr. It is found in no Heb. MS.
tox, do eat, is often used to express con-
sumption by fire. The application of the
language of this and the preceding verse
to the literal inundation of the Tigris,
the drunkenness of the Assyrian camp,
and the burning of the palace, ete., at
Nineveh by Sardanapalus, as related by
Diodorus Siculus, lib. ii, is not justified
either by the import and usage of the
terms, or by chronology, the catastrophe
described by Nahum not having taken
place till long after the time of that
monarch.
11. 512%, from thee, O Nineveh! in the
feminine. Sennacherib, whose machina-
tions against Jehovah had been adverted
to ver. 9, is here intended. The Heb.
Se2ba, frequently rendered in our com-
mon version Belial, properly signifies
worthlessness, tnutility, and by implica-
tion, badness in a moral sense, wickedness,
Hence the idiomatic combinations, Din
tyata, a man of Belial, a wicked man;
Ly-bo-qs, a son of Belial, a bad man;
teata-ra, a daughter of Belial, a wicked
woman. The word is compounded of
“$3, without, and ἘΣ", profit.
12. Another description of the formid-
able appearance of the hostile army, ac-
companied with a prediction of its sud-
den and complete annihilation, the flight
of Sennacherib, and the future immunity
of the Jews from an invasion on the part
of the Assyrians. t-$z, complete, ex-
presses the unbroken condition of the
army of the enemy, and their being fully
provided with everything requisite for
the successful siege of Jerusalem. ‘The
word may also be designed to convey the
idea of mental completeness, 7. 6. in this
connection, security, martial courage.
Thus Kimchi, t> Ὁ =". oshs° Sd
ὙΦΞ5 ΤΊΣ δ, they are not afraid of
man, for they have subdued all the coun-
tries, =, as used the second time, sig-
nifies thus, so, in this state, as thus con-
Cuap. I.
Though I have afflicted thee,
I will afflict thee no more.
NAHUM.
13 For now I will break his yoke from off thee,
And burst thy bands asunder.
And with respect to thee, Jehovah hath commanded :
14
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 image ;
stituted. The change of number from
the plural 3743, ‘‘ they are, or shall be
cut down,” to ἘΞ», “he passeth away,”
is obviously intended to distinguish be-
tween the overthrow of the Assyrian
army, and the immediate departure of
Sennacherib to his own land. The
nominative to na» is by2$2 ὙΣ 70 in the
preceding verse. 7A, to Ae, or mow
down, is a metaphor “derived from the
hay harvest, and forcibly sets forth the
sudden and entire destruction of an army.
See for the historical facts, 2 Kings xix. -
35; Is. xxxvii. 36, 37. At the close of
the verse, Jehovah directs the discourse to
his people, graciously assuring them that,
though he had employed the Assyrian
power to punish them, he would do so
no more. Newcome, almost entirely on
the authority of the Pegi ., improperly
changes 57533 ἽΞῚ D227 752 cvds CN
232° into 451 33 ἼΞ eee pv dyn Bx
“39, “Though the Ruler of many waters
has thus ravaged, and thus passed
through.” That these ancient transla-
tors did, from hearing ἘΣ ὦ tx read
as x2 dx, render, κατάρχων ὑδάτων
πολλῶν, there can be no doubt; but
then, they place the words in apposi-
tion with τάδε λέγει κύριος ; and make
the Lord, and not the king of Assyria,
to be “the ruler of many waters.’’ The
Syr. following the LXX., only changing
the singular into the ot has ἕως,
hw [iso ae
heads of many ΤΕΣ ΠΡ» is merely
a defective reading of 4>m~2», which is
found in a number of MSS., and in some
“ respecting the
editions. The object of the verb is
Judah, understood, which Jehovah here
kindly addresses, and not Nineveh, as
Michaelis and Hitzig suppose. The Jews
are addressed as a female, as they are in
the words 5512. 1258 Hun nt AN,
Celebrate thy Festivals, O Judah ἢ perform
thy vows. Chap. ii. 1. On the introduc-
tion of a predicate without previous men-
tion of the subject, see on ver. 8. The
meaning is, that the Jews were to be no
more afflicted by the Assyrians, and not
that Divine judgments were never af-
terwards to be inflicted upon them by
others.
13. The suffix ἢ has here the same
reference as in the preceding verse, and
nm in ania, “Ais yoke,” to the king of
Assyria. Comp. Is. x. 27; Jer. ii. 20.
For wu %,some think the LXX. and
Vulg. read "το 2, which is the reading
of several MSS.; but they both signify
a staff or pole; only the former denotes
what is placed on the neck, in order to
bear a burden.
14. We have here another apostrophe
to the Assyrian monarch, announcing to
him, that his dynasty should not be per-
petuated, that his favorite idols should
be destroyed, that the very temple in
which he worshipped them should be-
come 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 by Nahum,
the destruction of Nineveh. The Medes
being great enemies to idolatry, those of
them who composed the army of Cyax-
272
I will make it thy grave,
Because thou art worthless.
ares would take singular pleasure in des-
troying the idols which they found in the
chief temple at Nineveh. No mention
is made in history of the sepulture of
Sennacherib, but we are expressly told,
2 Kings xix. 37, Is. xxxvii. 38, that he
was slain by two of his sons while in the
act of worship in the temple of Nisroch
his god ; and there can be no doubt that
it is to this event reference is here made.
tvws stands elliptically for sp-ws, I
will make it, i. 6. the temple of thy gods,
NAHUM.
Cuap. II.
thy grave. Some take n“bp, thou art
light, in the same sense in which the
Chaldee tp is used Dan. vy. 27, but
without sufficient ground in Hebrew
usage. In application to persons it al-
ways signifies to be the object of shame
or disgrace. Though to be buried ina
temple naturally conveys to our minds
the idea of honorable interment, it is
otherwise here, owing to the peculiar
circumstances of the case.
CHART wi ΤΙ.
AFTER 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 He-
brew 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
he had inspired his servant to predict.
1 Benorpd! upon the mountains are the feet of him that an-
nounceth good,
That publisheth peace :
Celebrate thy feasts,O Judah! perform thy vows,
For the wicked shall no more pass through thee ;
He is entirely cut off.
1. Some interpreters refer these words immediate connection to apply them to
to the messengers which should arrive
from the East, announcing to the inhabi-
tants of Judah the joyful intelligence of
the destruction of Nineveh, which had
been briefly hinted at in the course of
the preceding chapter; but it better ac-
cords with the spirit and bearing of the
what took place on the miraculous
deliverance of Jerusalem, recorded Is,
xxxvii. 36. They are almost identical,
so far as they go, with the language of
Isaiah, chap. lii. 7, relative to the return
from Babylon. During the Assyrian in-
vasion, the inhabitants of Judah were cut
Cuaap. II.
NAHUM.
273
2 ‘The disperser hath come up before thee ;
Keep the fortress, watch the way,
Make fast the loins,
Strengthen thee with power to the utmost.
8 For Jehovah will restore the excellency of Jacob,
As he will the excellency of Israel ; ᾿"
Though the emptiers have emptied them,
And destroyed their branches.
4 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. ty2$2, Belial, doubtless
means the same as $3252 ὙΣ ὁ", wicked
counsellor, chap. i. 11; ὁ. e. as there ex-
plained, Sennacherib. Restricted as the
declaration here made must necessarily
be to this monarch, the passage is no-
wise at variance with the fact, that Ma-
nasseh was for a time in the power of the
Assyrians, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11.
2. Most moderns adopt the interpreta-
tion of Jerome, who is of opinion, that the
prophet here turns to Nineveh, and di-°
rects the attention of her monarch to the
approach of the Medo-Babylonish army.
1 rather think with Abarbanel, Kimchi,
Jarchi, Hezel, Dathe, and others, that
the words are addressed to Hezekiah, and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the
purpose of inspiring them with courage
to hold out during the Assyrian attack.
yren, from yrs. Arab. (ans, abiit,
peregrinatus fuit, to scatter, disperse,
properly signifies the Disperser, and is
appropriately applied to the king of As-
syria, 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 2% from 453, to break in pieces,
disperse, etc., rendered in our common
version buttle-axe. The address is beauti-
fully abrupt, and derives great force from
the use of the Infinitive instead of the
35
Imperative of all the four verbs which
here occur. The fuller forms would be
AEM ΠΝ, HELM MBS, etc, masio whs2
form a paronomasia. ‘
3. Further to encourage the inhabi-
tants of Jerusalem, a promise is here
given of the restoration of the Hebrew
people to their former independence and
glory. aby2 718s, etc., is not to be in-
terpreted of the pride of the Hebrews,
nor of the proud and insulting conduct
of their enemies towards them ; but, as
in Ps. xlvii. 5 ; Amos vi. 8, it means the
land of Canaan, as distinguished above
all other countries. This land, as the
prophet ‘immediately adds, had been
spoiled by the Assyrians, who had not
only carried away the ten tribes into
captivity, but taken the fortified cities
of Judah; but it was again to be re-
stored, partly on the destruction of the
Assyrians, and completely on the return
from Babylon. 38, ἐο return, has here
the force of the Hiphil ποτ, éo restore,
as in Numb. x. 36; Ps. Ixxxv. 5. Con-
nected as this verb is with the future,
implied in the abbreviated form ““=:,
etc., in the preceding verse, it is to be
rendered in this tense. Jacob and Israel
are, as frequently, put for the people of
the two kingdoms. The devastation ef-
fected by the Assyrians is described by a
metaphor taken from the pruning of
vines, or the cutting off of the young
twigs or shoots. Parallel to the promise
made in this verse is that given by Isaiah,
chap. xxxvii. 31, 32.
4, The prophet now proceeds to de-
scribe the siege and capture of Nineveh,
274
NAHUM.
Cuap. II,
The warriors are clothed with scarlet ;
The chariots are furnished with fiery scythes,
In the day of his preparation ;
And the cypresses are brandished.
which involved the downfall of the As-
syrian empire. The formidable, terrific,
and invincible appearance of the Me-
do-Babylonish army is first noticed.
ama 3, his heroes, i, 6. the mighty
men of Cyaxares. The suffix is the less
frequent form, instead of 45, but repre-
sents more of the primitive pronoun sm,
of which both are fragments. Ἐπ is
the Pual participle of tx, to be red;
and is applied to the shields, to intimate
that they were dyed red. The bull’s hide
with which they were commonly covered
was easily susceptible of this process ;
and, on being anointed with oil, would
shine brightly. See on Is. xxi. 6. This
interpretation of the word, which is con-
firmed by the meaning of the correspond-
ing principle, in the following hemistich,
is preferable to that which would make
it express the idea of fiery, sparkling, or
the like. ‘ Bloodstained is altogether
to be rejected. The LXX. mistaking
rasa for τ τ )2», preposterously render
ὅπλα δυναστείας αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀνϑρώπων.
corzinn, lit. are erimsoned, is ἃ ἅπαξ
λεγ.» but is the Pual participial form,
and is evidently derived from sbin, the
name specially used to denote the coccus,
or worm which was used in dying, to
give to cloth a deep scarlet color. The
manufacture of such stuffs was chiefly
carried on by the Tyrians and Lydians.
The LXX. have also mistaken this word
for =*b>sn7, ἐμπαίζοντας, in which they
are followed by the Syr. Pollux describes
the Medes as wearing a cloth called Sa-
rages, which was of scarlet color, striped
with white; Sapayns, Mndev τι φορημα,
moppupovs, μεσολευκος χιτων. Lib. 1,
cap. 13. rate 985, with fiery scythes.
That nate stands here by transposition
of the first two letters for r£$, cannot
be admitted ; the plural of s-£5, @ amp,
or torch, being always p:775%, in the
masculine, so that the Syr., Targ., etc.
give an erroneous interpretation.
-
=
matt
7
iron, steel. Syr. } ess the same, ὩΣ
Arab. du, ee in partes conci-
dit. OS 3, ferrum durum, chalybs.
ὧ hie, e chalybe confectus, de gladio,
For the manufactory of swords of the
finest steel, not only Damascus but cer-
tain towns on the east of the Caucasus
have long been celebrated ; and that this
compound metal is of high antiquity, is
universally allowed. Its name, Chalybs,
is derived from the Chalybes, a people
bordering on the Euxine sea. It is
doubtless what the prophet Jeremiah
‘means by ἼΞΕΣ br23, won from the
North, and which he distinguishes from
bina, common tron, chap. xy. 12. Now
there appears to be no part of the war-
chariots entitled to the character of
irons flashing with fire, but the falces or
scythes, which were “fixed at right
angles to the axle, and turned down-
wards, or inserted parallel to the axle
into the felly of the wheel, so as to re-
yvolye, when the chariot was put in mo-
tion, with thrice the velocity of the
chariot itself; and sometimes also pro-
jecting from the extremities of the axle.”
Dr. William Smith’s Dict. of Greek and
Roman Antiquities, art. Falz. The ἅρ-
ματα δρεπανηφόρα were justly reckoned
among the most terrific implements of
ancient warfare, as they mowed down
all that came in their way. The =x fire
of these scythes was the coruscations pro-
duced by their excessive brightness and ,
the rapidity of their motion. Instead of
@xz, “with fire,” seven MSS., origin-
ally one more, and the Soncin. edition
of the Prophets, read wx “ dike fire.”
The suffix in 42°55 may either form an
Cuap. II.
NAHUM.
275
5 The chariots dash madly on the commons,
They run furiously in the open places ;
Their appearance is like that of torches,
They flash like lightnings.
6 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their march ;
accusative to 2557, or the genitive of an
agent not sae oned satel hostile com-
mander. The latter construction is pre-
ferable, as it refers the day of his pre-
paration to the period fixed upon by the
general for commencing the attack. It
would only be then that the scythes
would be fixed in the chariots: it being
not only useless but dangerous to have
them attached at other times. By
Be oin3 2, cypresses, are meant spears or
lances, the staves of which were made of
the branches of the cypress. The LXX.,
followed by the Syr. and Arab., have
taken the word for D°S55, horsemen,
rendering it of ἱππεῖς, which Michaclis
is inclined to prefer, and Newcome has
actually adopted. There is, however, no
just cause for stumbling at the boldness
of the figure. Homer, describing the
spear of Achilles, calls it an ash :
Ἔκ δ᾽ ἄρα σύριγγος πατρώϊον ἐσπάσατ᾽
ἔγχος;
Βριϑδὺ μέγα στιβαρόν" το μὲν οὐ δυνατ᾽
ἄλλος ᾿Αχαιῶν
Πάλλειν, ἄλλά μεν οἷος ἐπίστατο πῆλαι
᾿Αχιλλεὺς,
Πηλιάδα ΜΕΛΙΗΝ, κ. τ. λ.
Iliad, xix. 387—390.
Hesiod also designates the lance ἐλάτη,
a pine, Scut. Herc. 188; and Virgil uses
the jir for the spear of Camilla :
‘¢cujus apertum
Adversi longa transverberat abiete pec-
tus.” JEneid, xi. 667.
sbyan, a ἅπαξ Aey., from the root by5,
ASS, tremuit, to move tremu-
lously, wave, shake; hence ὃ)" and
πεν πῶ, trembling, Zech. xii. 2; Ps. lx.
5. The reference seems to be to the cus-
f
tom of the spear-men to wave their lances
before engaging in battle, for the pur-
pose of evincing their eagerness for the
contest.
5. This verse Ewald δεν μη of the
preparations made by the Ninevites for
the defence of the city; but the war-
chariots could not be used within the
walls : they could only be effective in the
open field. r4z5h signifies not merely
streets, as being without the houses of a
city, but also the οὐδ fields or commons
without the city itself. Comp. Job ¥. 10;
Ps. exliv. 13; Prov. viii. 26. In like
manner niah7, as its parallel, denotes
any wide or open spaces in the suburbs
without the gates. Comp. 2 Chron.
Xxxil.6; Ps, exliv. 14. tbinnn signi-
fies to act the part of a madman, to show
one’s self violent, rage, and the like. The
reduplicate form 4:7¢7m37 is obviously
intended to give great force to the ex-
pression ; on which account, to render
it run up and down is too weak. I have
added furiously, which makes this hemi-
stich better agree with the preceding.
Nor is the reduplication of the third
radical of 5735, to run, in Piel, ἮΝ Ν 7)»
without a baie naeaee degree of energy.
It expresses the rapid zig-zag course of
the chariots, resembling the quick flash-
ing of lightning. As 254 is masculine,
the feminine suffix in pete must be
taken for a neuter, or regarded as an in-
stance of neglected gender.”
6. The king of Nineveh is here repre-
sented as roused from a profound stupor ;
and, contriving the necessary’ means of
defence, as first of all turning his atten-
tion to his principal officers, whom he
summons to their posts. Michaelis,
Maurer, and others, think that by these "
276
They hasten to her wall,
And the defence is prepared.
7 The flood-gates are opened,
And the place is dissolved,
Though firmly established.
NAHUM.
Cuap. 11.
8 She is made bare; she is carried up,
While her handmaids moan like doves,
And smite upon their hearts. ,
officers, the generals commanding in the
provinces are intended; but it is more
likely the prophet means the military
leaders within the city, since it is repre-
sented in the preceding verses as already
invested by the enemy; and they are
spoken of as hastening to the wall, and
not to the city, which the former inter-
pretation would require. =27 is here used,
not in the sense of simply recollecting,
or calling to mind, but with the acces-
sory idea of carrying out or giving effect
to the recollection, in’regard to the object
of remembrance. It therefore implies,
that the monarch ordered them to oc-
cupy each his place in the defence of
Nineveh. On receiving the orders, they
make such haste, that they and their
troops stumble while marching to the
walls. Instead of = in ττῦι}} τι, eight of
De Rossi’s MSS., another originally, the
Brixian, and another ancient edition, ex-
hibit the local τ, which is supported by
the Targ., Syr., and Arab. By the 758,
protector, or protection, here mentioned,
some understand the vinea, or the ἐ68-
tudo, military coverings used by the be-
siegers of a city, under the shelter of
which they might safely carry on their
operations in undermining, or otherwise
destroying the walls. As, however, the
term is here applied to something em-
ployed by those who acted on the defen-
sive, it cannot be so interpreted. In all
probability, some kind of breastwork,
composed of the interwoven boughs and
branches of trees, erected between the
towers upon the walls, is intended. Ac-
cording to Diodorus Siculus, Nineveh had
+ fifteen hundred towers, each of which
was two hundred feet high. 42 sig-
nifies to weave, intertwine, fence, and the
like, and so to protect, shelter. LXX. καὶ
ἑτοιμάσουσι Tas προφυλακὰς αὐτῶν. Syr.
1 ἄλλαν, fortifications. Targ. wds33,
towers.
7. Though it is not unusual in He-
brew to represent invading armies. or
multitudes of people under the image of
floods or waters, an interpretation adopted
here by Rosenmiiller, De Wette, and
others, there does not appear to be suf-
ficient ground to depart from the literal
meaning. By nien 2, rivers, or streams,
are meant the canals dug from the Tigris,
which intersected the city, and more es-
pecially those which afforded a supply
of water for the defence of the palace.
The gates or sluices of these canals were
doubtless strongly constructed, to prevent
a greater influx of water than what was
required ; but having upon the present
occasion been burst open by the besiegers,
the waters of the Tigris rushed in, and,
completely inundating the royal resi-
dence, dissolyed and ruined it. The
verb 34723 describes the physical effects
of the inundation, not metaphorically
those produced by the event upon the
minds of the inhabitants.
8. ΞΕ τ has occasioned a great diver-
sity of interpretations. Gesenius, dissat-
isfied with all those derived from its be-
ing the Hophal of 3:5, ἐο place, settle, fiz,
has recourse to a new root, 32s, which
he borrows from the Arab. λαῷ, flucit,
stillavit, aqua, z 2, fudit, effudit ; and,
Cuapr. II.
NAHUM.
277
9 Though Nineveh hath been like a pool of water,
From the most ancient time,
Yet they are fleeing :
“Stop! stop!” but none looketh back.
10 Plunder the silver, plunder the gold ;
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 loins,
And all faces withdraw their color.
then removing the word to the end of the
preceding verse, reads thus, 3473 ἘΞ ΠΩ
asm, the palace is dissolved and made to
flow away. “That the verb is to be con-
nected with the preceding 3412, the gen-
der at once shows ; but there is no neces-
sity of departing from the usual signifi-
cation of a2, to place, fix, stand firmly ;
in Hiph. to cause to stand, establish.
However strongly the place might have
been constructed, it would not be able to
resist the fury of the water. ἢ has here
the force of though, and though. Comp.
ΡΞ NT Mal. iii. 14. ὙΠῸ nom-
inative to the feminines n>; and mnb2n
is Nineveh understood. The first of these
verbs some render, is carried into cap-
tivity ; but this signification is confined
to the Kal and Hiphil conjugations. It
here describes the ignominy with which
the Ninevites were treated, when, stripped
of everything, they were forced from their
capital. Comp. Is. xlvii. 3. Nineveh is
represented as a queen degraded from
her dignity ; and led away captive by
the enemy; her female slaves following
and deploring her fate. That the queen -
of Nineveh herself, supposed to be here
called Huzzab, is intended, in a position
which cannot be sustained, though adopt-
ed 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 Cy-
rus.
the Arab. ee graviter, continuo an-
helavit, vix interrupto spiritu ;
Syriac
¥.
GL), clamavit, rugiit.
AR
9. The comparison of the population
of Nineveh to a collection of water is
here appropriate. S77 7a" is an anti-
quated mode of expressing the feminine
pronominal affix — the absolute form of
the pronoun being retained instead of the
fragmental τ being attached to the noun,
nm ΩΤ 2 ; lit. from her days,
z. 6. during the whole period of her ex-
istence, or, from the most ancient time.
The prophet compares the royal city to
a reservoir of water, on account of the
confluence of people from the surround-
ing provinces. All who could make
their escape, now took to flight, and no
entreaties could induce them to remain.
10. Nahum here apostrophizes the
victorious enemy. They had now only
to possess themselves of the immense
riches which had been abandoned by the
inhabitants, or which they might plunder
at pleasure. The repetition of the verb
n= gives force to the diction. ma:5n,
from 43>, in Hiphil, to set up, prepare ;
anything Jaid up, prepared, and ready for
use, as costly garments, ornaments, etc.
Comp. Job xxvii.16. LXX. τοῦ κόσμον
αὐτῆς. Vulg. divitiarum. Targ. ἈΝ ὁδὶ.
treasures, 125, followed by 72, is here
- a nominative absolute: as for the abund-
: - ance, it consists of, etc.
For 372, to pant, sigh, moan, comp. —
11. The three synonymes πρὶ ἼΞ2 “E33
mp bar, all from roots signifying to
NAHUM.
Cuar. II.
Where is the den of the lionesses ?
And the feeding-place of the young lions ?
Where the lion and the lioness walked,
The lion’s cub also, and none disturbed them.
13
The lion tore for the supply of his cubs,
And strangled for his lionesses ;
He filled his dens with prey,
And his habitations with rapine,
14
Behold! I am against thee, saith 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.
empty, empty out, are exquisitely chosen,
and from their increase in length, as well
as from their similarity both in sound and
meaning, give great force to the expres-
sion of total desolation —the idea here
intended to be conveyed. Gesenius con-
siders them to be onomatopoetic, imitat-
ing the sound of emptying out a bottle.
Comp. Is. xxiv. 1, for the etymology of
the verbs p72—p12 and pba ; and for
a similar use of words varied in form,
but nearly alike in sound, Is. xxiv, 3, 4,
xxix, 2; Ezek. xxxiii. 29; Zeph. i. 15.
7Sntn,an intensive a from sh,
to be in pain. For "ὮΠΝΞ see on Joel
ii. 6.
12-14. A beautiful allegory, setting
forth the rapacious, irresistible, and lux-
urious character of the king of Assyria,
and the destruction of Nineveh, the seat
of his empire, with all his armies, and
their means of supply. In the last verse
the literal is intermixed with the figura-
tive. Comp. for the metaphor, Is. v. 29;
Jer. ii. 15. san, in ver. 12, has the force
of that which ; “7, ver. 18, a sufficiency,
supply, ete. 57% and mEqY are em-
ployed idiomatically i in the two genders
to express different kinds of prey. Comp.
Is. iii. 1. For 4223 the Targ. has
NHUNI, with fire. The meaning is, that
such should be the number of chariots
consumed, that the smoke arising from
the fire in which they were to be burnt,
should be visible to all. Comp. Ps.
xxxvii. 20. The MSS. and editions dif-
fer in their punctuation of m==>s73, but
there can be little doubt that it is a de-
fective reading, τι ΞΘ 2, for πιϑ ΞΘ.
Comp. ==£3, Ps, exxxix, 5. The Syr.
and LXX. have read ΠΣ ΕΞ, “thy
works.”
CHAPTER IIT.
THE prophet, resuming his description of the siege of Nineveh, 1-8, traces it to her idolatry
as its cause, 4, and repeats the divine denunciations which he had introduced chap. ii. 13,
ver. 5-7.
He then, to aggravate her misery, points her to the once formidable and cele-
brated, but now conquered and desolate Thebes, 8-10, declaring that such should likewise
Cuap. III.
NAHUM.
279
be her fate, 11-18; 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.
1 Wo tothe city of blood!
She is wholly filled with deceit and violence ;
The prey is not removed.
2 The sound of the whip, and the sound of the rattling of the
wheels,
The horses prancing, and the chariots bounding ;
' 3 The mounting of horsemen, the gleaming of swords,
And the lightning of spears ;
The multitude of slain, 4
And the mass of corpses;
There is no end to the carcasses ;
They stumble over their carcasses :
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot,
The very graceful mistress of enchantments ;
1. A portraiture of the atrocious char-
acter of the Ninevites. p >= tm> form
an asyndeton. The non-removal of the
prey refers to the fact, that the Assyrians
had not restored the ten tribes.
2,3. The description which the prophet
here gives of the approach of the enemy,
his attack on the city, and the slaughter
of the besieged, is exquisitely graphic.
Every translator must acknowledge with
Jerome: “Tam pulchra juxta Hebraicum
et pictura similis ad preelium se prepar-
antis exercitus descriptio est, ut omnis
meus sermo sit vilior.” The passage is
unrivalled by any other, either in sacred
or profane literature. Comp. however
Jer. xlvii. 3. τι πὶ occurs only here, but
in Judges v. 22, we find PASS Maw,
the charges of his mighty warriors, in
connection with 93d, the war-horse. It
would seem to have some affinity to the
Arab
μέσον, σε Pa
ao celeriter incessit, and
expresses the coursing or prancing of the
cavalary, when rapidly advancing to the
attack. Their eagerness the LXX. ex-
presses by rendering it διώκοντος.
Syr.
D. Kimchi;
ΓΞ πὶ ΠῚΞΞ d10n ΓΌ 15, the power-
jul trampling or prancing of the horse
and his course. The collectives require
to be rendered in the plural. δ} is not
to be understood as repeated .before Ὁ:Ὁ
and the following substantive, Instead
of 5:5" or τ. 9.5, as it is read in some
of the old editions, the Keri, many MSS.,
and the Soncin., Brix., and Complut.
editions, read 3b51, which is favored by
the renderings of the LXX. and Vulg.
4. The idolatrous practices of the Nine-
vites, and the means which they em-
ployed to seduce others to worship their
gods, are here represented as the princi-
pal cause of their destruction. At the
same time, the commerce, luxury, ete.
which they carried to the greatest height,
are not to be excluded; for in making
contracts and treaties 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 un-
Vo
πριν ebullivit, anhelavit.
280
NAHUM.
Cuap. IIT.
Who sold nations through her fornications,
And tribes through her enchantments.
5 Behold! I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts:
I will throw up thy skirts upon thy face,
And show the nations thy nakedness,
And the kingdoms thy shame.
6 I will cast abominable things upon thee,
And disgrace thee;
And will make thee a gazing-stock.
7 And every one that seeth thee shall flee from thee
And shall say, Nineveh is destroyed !
Who will commiserate her ?
Whence shall I seek comforters for thee ?
8 Art thou better than No-Ammon,
That dwelt in the rivers,
That had water around her ;
able to defend themselves.. Comp. Joel
iii. 8, 6-8 ; Amos i. 6. The metaphor of
an unchaste female, and the seductive
arts which she employs, is not unfre-
quent in the prophets.
5,6. The language of commination
here used, is suggested by the metaphor
of an harlot, employed in the preceding
verse. It would seem to refer to an an-
cient mode of punishing strumpets, by
stripping them of all their gaudy attire,
and exposing them, covered with mud
and filth, to the gaze of insulting spec-
tators. The abhorrent character of the
figure constitutes the very reason of its
selection. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 37-41,
The 5 in ssh is the Caph veritatis.
LXX. εἰς παράδειγμα.
7. ΓΝ carries out the idea implied
in "x4, ver. 6. It is in the plural, but
is followed by a singular verb, to agree
with $5. Comp. for the sentiment Is.
li, 19.
8. jh: 83, No Amon, Egyp. NOZ
AMOXWN, te lon, or portion of
Amon, thus etymologically the LXX,
μερίδα, ᾿Αμμών, though in Ezek. xxx. 15,
they render Διόσπολις, ¢. e. the residence
or possession of the Egyptian deity known
by the name of Jupiter Ammon. The
statement of Macrobius, that he was the
representative of the sun, is confirmed
by the name of Amon-Re, i.e. ‘ Amon,
the Sun,”’ being given to him in Egyp-
tian inscriptions. On Egyptian monu-
ments 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
nova iN, Amon of No, where, as well
as in the present passage in Nahum, our
translators have regarded "1% as equiv-
alent to ἡ 2 π, @ multitude. Bochart,
Schroeder, and some others, have con-
tended that Διόσπολις, near Mendes,
in Lower Egypt, is intended, but all
the later commentators are in favor of
Thebes. The Targum preposterously ren-
ders, ἈΠ ΡΠ ΌΞΌΝ, Alexandria the
Great, which Jerome, deferring to his
Rabbi, has adopted in the Vulg. The
city, which from its being the principal
seat of his worship, was called by the
Greeks Διόσπολις, is the celebrated Thebdes,
the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, sit-
uated on both sides of the Nile, about
two hundred and sixty miles south of
Cairo. It was renowned for its hundred
Cuapr. III.
NAHUM.
281
Whose strength was in the sea ;
Her wall was on the sea?
9 Cush strengthened her, and Egypt,
With countless hosts ;
Put and the Lybians were thine auxiliaries,
gates, and was of such extent, that its
remaining ruins still describe a circuit of
twenty-seven miles :
οὐδ᾽ ὅσα Θήβας
Αἰγυπτίας, 631 πλεῖστα δόμοις ἐν κτήματα
κεῖται, —
Ai ¥ ἑκατόμπυλοί εἶσι, sede δ᾽ ay
ἑκάστην
᾿Ανέρες ἐξοιχνεῦσι σὺν ἵπποισιν καὶ οἴχεσ-
φιν. Iliad, ix. 381.
Of the magnificent ruins, the most re-
markable are the temples of Luxor and
Karnac, 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. The stupendous colon-
ade at Luxor is in the highest degree
imposing ; but the grand hall of the
temple at Karnac is of surpassing inter-
est. Wilkinson, in his Thebes, p. 174,
describes it as ‘‘ one hundred and seventy
feet by three hundred and twenty-nine,
supported, by a central avenue of twelve
massive columns, sixty-six feet high,
(without the pedestal and abacus,) and
twelve in diameter, besides one hun-
dred and twenty-two of smaller or rather
less gigantic dimensions, forty-one feet
nine inches in height, and twenty-seven
fect six inches in circumference, distri-
buted in seven lines on either side of the
former.’’ The walls of the temples are
covered with hieroglyphics, chiefly re-
presenting the victories gained by the
Egyptian kings over their enemies. One
of the walls exhibits the result of the ex-
pedition of Shishak against Jerusalem,
1 Kings xiv. 25, ete. ; 2 Chron. xii. 2-9,
in the leading away of the Jewish cap-
tives.
Of the conquest of this famous city,
here referred to by Nahum, no mention
is made in profane history, but it not
improbably took place on the advance
of the Assyrian army under Sargon, in
the year 8. c. 714. Seeon Is. xx. It was
afterwards taken by Cambyses, B. c. 525,
and its ruin completed by Ptolemy La-
thyrus, B. c. 81. According to the re-
presentation of our prophet, Nineveh,
could not vie with it either in point of
grandeur or of strength. They both
possessed the advantage of mighty rivers
for their defence — a circumstance to
which he gives a special prominence, as
it was that on which the inhabitants
placed great dependence. By 5%, sea, is
meant the Nile; see on Is. xix. 5; by
ἘΠ", streams, the same as nin, Nah.
ii. 7, vize the canals by which the water
of the river was carried round or through
the principal parts of the city. Ewald
proposes to connect 07 with p21, thus,
Ἐ5}2 Ὁ", and renders from sea to sea, which
he attempts to justify by appealing to
Micah vii. 12, but the cases are not pa-
rallel. -r stands elliptically for τι ϑ 1.
The preposition % in p12 expresses “the
material out of which the defence was
made ; and the triple reference to the
Nile as a sea, in this verse, indicates the
great importance which attached to it as
a means of protecting the city.
9. Not only was Thebes strong by
nature and art, and in the number of her
native troops ; she also possessed immense
military resources in her African auxil-
ilaries. For 5:5, Cush, see on Is, xi,
11. wap, Put, Egypt. PRIA
the region immediately to the west of
Lower Egypt, and conterminous with
Lybia Proper, with the inhabitants of
which, it is here mentioned. Gesenius de-
rives the name from ΠῚ Φᾧ oF Ore,
36
282
~ 10 Yet she became an exile,
She went into captivity ;
NAHUM.
Cuap, III.
Her young children also were dashed in pieces,
At the top of all the streets ;
They cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with chains.
1
Thou shalt hide thyself,
Thou also shalt be drunken,
Thou also shalt seek a refuge from the enemy.
All thy fortresses are like fig-trees with early figs ;
If they shake them, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13
Behold! thy people are as women in the midst of thee;
The gates of thy land shall be thrown wide open to thine
enemies ;
Fire shall consume thy barriers,
14 Draw water for the siege ;
a bow, and thinks the people were so
called from their being expert as archers.
That they were descended from Ham,
see Gen. x. 6. Josephus speaks of them
as Mauritanians, Antiqq. i. 6, 2; and
the river of the same name, which he de-
scribes as flowing through their country,
is called Fut by Pliny, v. 1, and Phtuth
by Ptolemy, iv. 1. They are spoken of
as forming part of the Egyptian army,
Jer. xlvi. 9, and as being in the Syrian
marine, Ezek. xxvii. 10, Winer’s Real
W. B..ii. p. 308. trad, Lybdians, the
inhabitants of Africa to the south and
west of the former country, stretching
as far as Numidia. Hitzig, on Is. lxvi. 19,
has endeavored in vain to establish the
hypothesis that the people of Nubia are
meant. Comp. 2 Chron. xii, 3, xvi. 8.
er 27, Egypt, is here taken for Lower
Egypt, as distinguished from the Upper,
of which Thebes was itself the capital.
There is no reason, with some, to change
the 1 in 7nwWys3 into. =, though the
LXX. and Syr. have the third person,
The prophet concludes his description by
apostrophizing Thebes. 5 is the Beth
essenti@. ;
10, 11. If the celebrated metropolis
of Egypt, with all its means of defence,
was captured, and its inhabitants sub-
jected to all the cruelities and indignities
usually inflicted by the victors, what was
there in Nineveh to claim exemption?
Instead of “25, to drink, be intoxicated,
a mode of speech not uncommon in the
prophets, denoting participation in severe
punishment, Newcome, without author-
ity, reads Ἐξ Ὁ, to hire, and renders, thou
shalt become an hireling. In 1 Sam. ii.
5, to which he refers, the latter, and not
the former verb, occurs.
12, 13. Two figures strikingly expres-
sive of the extreme ease with which the
Assyrians should be subdued. For the
former, see on Is. xxviii. 4; and comp. ἢ
Rev. vi. 13; for the latter,-Is. xix. 16;
Jer.1.37. ty, with, in the phrase ΘΛ τι
b-4:D2 ἘΣ denotes accompaniment, ete. ;
the phrase itself is equivalent to D-:xn
ΘΠ pnb ogy. Thus the LXX.
συκαῖ σκοποὺς ἔχοντες. Comp. for this
rare use of the preposition, 1 Sam. xvii.
42. "m3, Michaelis translates thy
fugitives, but as fugitives are always re-
presented as perishing by the sword, and
never by fire, the signification barriers
must be retained.
14. The prophet ironically summons
the Ninevites to make every effort in
Cuap. III.
Strengthen thy fortifications ;
NAHUM.
283
Enter the mire, and tread the clay ;
Repair the brick-kiln.
15 There shall the fire consume thee, ἢ
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 stars of
heaven ;
The licking locusts spread themselves out,
And took their flight.
17 Thy princes were as the swarming locusts,
And 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.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria!
the way of preparing for a long and
vigorous defence of the metropolis itself.
As water is one of the first necessaries,
it behooved them to see to it, that the
cisterns, etc., were well filled. They
were also to put the fortifications in a
perfect state.
15-17. D3, there, points emphatically
to the fortified city. ‘The nominative to
“a2n7 is the masculine noun ἘΣ, people,
the feminine -*» city, understood. In-
stead, however, of 125mm, six MSS.,
originally four more, and one by correc-
monn For the names of
i. 4, and Amos vii. 1. The reduplication
“Ξ Ὁ ria, locust of locusts, is designed to
express the largest or most formidable of
that kind of insect. For the plural form
"275, see on Amos vii. 1. te 415% is a
ἅπαξ λεγ-.» derived from "113, to consecrate,
separate and devote to a high or noble
office; hence "519, prince, “3, consecra-
tion, diadem. Tt denotes here the princes,
crowned with diadems, who formed the
glory of the Assyrian court. Thus Kim-
chi: Emwsn by πο ΣῚ TD AVS Ξε,
« Princes with diadems and crowns on
their heads.” The Arab. din, moni-=
tor, ὦ. 6. counsellor, is less apt, as the
comparison to the locusts shows. Six of
De Rossi’s MSS, and three ancient edi-
tions omit the Dagesh in the Nun. The
parallel term O--5=v_ occurs only here,
and in Jer. li. 27, in the singular -e5u.
It is obviously a foreign word, and is in
all probability compounded of what we
still find in the Persic, “ὦ, or Ok,
strength, power, and χ» chief, captain,
prince. It occurs in the Targum of
Jonathan, Deut. xxviii. 12, as the name
of a superior angel. For other deriva-
tions see Gesen. Thesaur. im voc. Dr.
Lee prefers deriving it from the Chald.
50, egregius, and “wv, dux. Whatever
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. No trace
of them would be found.
18. The masculine suffixes in this and
284
Thy nobles have lain down ;
NAHUM.
4
Cuap. III.
Thy people are dispersed upon the mountains,
And there is none that collected them.
19 Thergis no alleviation of thy ruin;
Thy wound is grievous ;
All that hear the report of thee
Shall clap their hands at thee,
For upon whom did not thy wickedness unceasingly pass ?
the following verse, refer to the king of
Assyria. The πὸ» ἢ, shepherds, were the
satraps or viceroys appointed to govern
the provinces under the king of Assyria;
the ΞΘ τὸ were the nobles, who as
parallel with the ΘῈΣ Ἢ, are to be regarded
under the same image. See Jer. xxv. 34,
where principals would have been better
than principal in our common version.
j=, corresponding to 7,25, they slumber,
is a vox pregnans, implying, not only
that they had lain down, but that they
were taking rest or were asleep. w:5 is
cognate with 5, to scatter, disperse,
Arab. Lis, propagata et multiplicata
sunt pecora, but is not to be substituted
for it, as some propose. Comp. the Arab.
US, pastum noctu incesserunt cameli
aut oves sine pastore. ‘The figure is car-
ried on throughout the verse.
19. mS 7s, lit. nothing of infirmity,
by litotes, for powerful, great is thy
breach. The deliverance of the king
of Nineveh was utterly hopeless. Noth-
ing remained but for the prophet to an-
nounce 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 had been unin-
termitting.
HABAKKUK.
PREFACE.
Or the prophet Habakkuk, we possess no information but what is purely
apocryphal. The position of Delitzsch, founded upon the subscription, chap.
iii. 19, that he was of the tribe of Levi, and engaged in the temple service,
is too precarious to warrant its adoption. The statement made in the inscrip-
tion to Bel and the Dragon in the LXX., which has been preserved from the
Tetrapla of Origen, in the Codex Chisianus, ἐκ προφητείας ᾿Αμβακοὺμ υἱοῦ Ἰη-
σοῦ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Λευί, may be nothing more than conjecture. Considerable
difference of opinion obtains respecting the time at which he flourished —
the Rabbins; Grotius, Kalinsky, Kofod, Jahn, and Wahl, placing him in the
first years of Manasseh; Friedrich, De Wette, Bertholdt, Justi, and Wolf, in
the period of the exile; while Usher, Newcome, Eichhorn, Horne, Winer,
Maurer, and Ewald, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reign of
Jehoiachin, about 608—604 before Christ. This last hypothesis seems best
supported, since the Chaldeans are spoken of chap. i. 5, 6, as being upon
the point of invading Judah, but not as having actually entered it. The
position of Rosenmiiller, that chap. i. was composed under Jehoiakim, chap.
ii, under Jehoiachin, and chap. ili. under Zedekiah, is altogether gratuit-
ous. The whole forms one prophecy, and does not admit of being thus dis-
sected.
The book embraces the wickedness of the Jews which demanded the inflic-
tion of punishment, the infliction of this punishment by the Chaldeans, the
destruction of the latter in their turn, and an ode composed by the prophet
in anticipation of the consequent deliverance of his people. Its position im-
mediately after Nahum is most appropriate, setting forth the judgments of
God inflicted by and upon the Chaldeans, just as the latter treated of those
to be inflicted upon the Assyrians. The two prophets take up separately
what Isaiah had expatiated upon at large.
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. Whatever he may occasionally have
in common with previous writers, he works up in his own peculiar manner,
and is evidently no servile copyist or imitator. His figures are well chosen,
and fully carried out. His expressions are bold and animated ; his descrip-
tions graphic and pointed. The parallelisms are for the most part regular
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
poetry. See the introduction to that chapter.
The words 71237, 1.9 w-u33, ii. 6, and ‘bpp, ii. 16, are peculiar to this
prophet.
CHAPTER
Yue prophet 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, 24.
He then introduces Jehovah summoning attention to that invasion as the awful punish-
ment of such wickedness, 5; describes, in a very graphic manner, the appearance, char-
acter, and operations of the invaders, 6-11; and then, by a sudden transition, expostu-
lates with God, on account of the severity of the judgment, which threatened the anni-
hilation of the Jewish people, 12-17.
1 Tue Sentence, which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2 How long shall I ery, O Jehovah! And thou hearest not ὃ
How long shall I ery to thee of violence, and thou savest not ?
3 Why dost thou permit me to see wickedness,
And beholdest misery ?
1. For the signification of x'z12, see on
Js, xiii. 1; and for the form piPan, com-
pare sanz9, Jer. v. 30, xxiii. 14.
2. The evils complained of in this and
the two following verses, are, by many
interpreters, considered to be those con-
sequent upon the invasion of Judea by
the Chaldeans. Such a construction,
however, breaks up the symmetry of
the connection, as marked by ver. 5, and
leaves out of view the wickedness of the
Jews as the cause of the calamity, con-
trary to the universal custom of the He-
brew prophets, They were the intestine
broils, litigations, and acts of oppression,
which sprang up in the kingdom of Ju-
dah, after the death of the pious reformer
Josiah, and had been long the subject of
complaint on the part of Habakkuk.
That such was the state of things at that
time is evident from Jer. xxii. 2, 13.
The argument in favor of the contrary
hypothesis, derived from the recurrence
of the words din, b%, etc., and the
phrase v5 Ns, etc., in the following
part of the chapter, with undoubted appli-
cation to the Chaldeans, is of no weight,
since they are rather to be regarded as
modes of expression familiar to the
prophet, than indicative of identity of
subject. The influence of -:s—"2, how
long, upon the Preterite and Future ten-
ses 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,
the possibility of its being still carried
forward into the future. Because on,
violence, occurs without a preposition,
Hitzig thinks it was what was done to
the prophet himself; but it is better, with
Kimchi, to suppose an ellipsis of “ADEs
or, to supply ts, on account of, because
of, with the Targum, Comp. Job xix.
7; Jer. xx. 8. sig and ft are syno-
nymes, but the latter is the more expres-
sive of the two.
3. Some, regarding 55 τὶ and ΡΞ
as strictly parallel, understand the suffix
“> to be omitted in the latter verb, and
render : Why dost thou cause me to see
wickedness, and make me look upon
wrong? but wen, though the Hiphil
conjugation, is never used in a causative
sense. Besides, "7325, and not w72n,
is the proper synonyme, corresponding to
Cuar. I.
HABAKKUK.
287
Destruction and violence are before me 5
Contention and strife exalt themselves.
4 On this account the law faileth,
And true judgment goeth not forth ;
Because the wicked circumvent the righteous,
Therefore perverted judgment goeth forth.
":sam. Between the two clauses, the
prophet introduces Jehovah, with whom
he expostulates, as an inactive spectator
of the evil, because his providence did
not interfere for its removal, and it was
allowed, unayenged, to take its course.
The expostulation thus gains in force,
and scope is afforded for the striking
contrast, ver. 5, in which the Most High
is represented as interposing for the pun-
ishment of the wicked. st> 5773 has
been variously explained. The LXX.,
taking 47% for 5-72, render it 6 κριτὴς
λαμβάνει ; which the Syriac explains,
o>
| paso ee Lia the judge taketh
a bribe. Abenezra translates thus; 2774
Dos Ne TEN vives a is and
there are men of strife and contention
who lift up their head. The structure of
the sentence, however, obliges us to re-
gard sz? as parallel to "771, so that it
stands in the same relation to yi, that
the substantive verb does to a4. The
nouns in both cases are nominatives to
the verbs, and xv is here to be taken
intransitively 1 in the sense of exalting or
raising one’s self up. Comp. Ps, 1xxxix.
10; Hos. xiii, 1; Nah. i. 5. Thus Dahl,
combining the two nouns, Und Hader,
und Gezank erheben sich ; and Perschke,
Es gibt Streit, und Zwist erhebet sich.
The language is descriptive of the prev-
alence of a litigious spirit, in consequence
of which no one was permitted quietly to
possess or enjoy his rights. What was
not seized upon by main force, was ob-
tained by perversion of law.
4, 52—>y, therefore, on this account,
refers not to the state of things set forth
in the verse immediately preceding, but
to Jehovah’s forbearing to punish, spoken
?
of ver. 2. Of the law, which ought to
have been maintained in 811 its vital en-
ergy, it is said δῆθτι, tt chilleth, groweth
Frigid, languisheth, faileth ; by which is
meant, that it was not enforced, but left,
as it were, to grow stiff and torpid, from
want of use. The words, maid ἘΣ ta
ws, may either be rendered, * judgment,
i. 6., what is strictly and properly such,
Rehtcous judgment never goeth forth ;
or, fudanent goeth not forth according to
truth ; mph L, signifying ¢o perpetuity, for
ever, and, “with a negative, never, like
Ebisd sb, and truly, edie to truth.
Comp. the Arab. sincerus fidelis
3.)
fuit; and the Eth. Lx (Δ: purus,
mundus fuit. The latter signification of
the word is that adopted by the Syr.
o> A ° = v
{Zosop> .λ.9 woo) tio, and
judgment goeth not forth in purity ; and
is approved by Sheltinga, Hesselberg,
Wolf, Rosenmiiller, De Wette, Winer,
Gesenius, Lee, and Ewald, chiefly on
the ground of tps ws, wrong or
perverted judgment, occurring, as a con-
trasted formula, at the close of the verse,
By the going forth of judgment is meant
the publication of legal decisions delivered
by a judge. In the time of the prophet,
justice was utterly corrupted, in conse-
quence of which there was no security
either for person or property. "MS %,
from =n, to surround, is here used ina
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. Thus Dae
cum impius pium circumvent. ΤΣ,
distorted, perverse, wrong, from ne ‘root
288
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. I.
5 Look among the nations, and behold!
Be ye greatly astonished ;
For I will perform a work in your days,
Which ye will not believe, though it should be told you.
6 For. behold! I will raise up the Chaldeans,
Tht bitter and impetuous nation ;
W hich traverseth the wide regions of the earth,
‘fo seize upon habitations belonging not to it.
tps. Comp. the Syr. Sere pervertit,
Arab. Jés, constrinzit, distortos habuit
pedes ; xiic, distortio lingue in lo-
guendo. LXX. κρίμα διεστραμμένον.
5. By a sudden apostrophe Jehovah
calls 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
the events that were taking place among
the surrounding nations, Nabopolassar
had already destroyed the mighty empire
of Assyria and founded the Chaldeo-
Babylonian rule; he had made himself
so formidable, that Necho found it ne-
cessary to march an army against him,
in order to check his progress; and
though defeated at Megiddo, he had,
in conjunction with his son Nebuchad-
nezzar, gained a complete victory over
the Egyptians at Carchemish. These
events were calculated to alarm the Jews,
whose country lay between the domin-
ions of the two contending powers; but,
accustomed as they were to confide in
Egypt, and in the sacred localities of
their own capital, Is. xxxi.1; Jer. vii. 4,
and being in alliance with the Chaldeans,
they were indisposed to listen to, and
treated with the utmost incredulity, any
predictions which described their over-
throw by that people. Such overthrow
God claims as his work, though he might
employ men as his instruments in effect-
ing it. πη and wszn are frequently
combined as here for the sake of effect.
The phrase 6°22, among the nations, is
translated by the LXX., οἱ καταφονηταὶ,
ye despisers, in which they are followed
by the Syr. and Arab. ; and this render-
ing is adopted by Paul in his quotation of
the verse, Acts xiii. 41. On the other
hand, the Targ. ne s2 “Th, Aquila,
Symm., Theod., and Vulg. aspicite in
gentibus, which is sustained by all the
Heb. MSS. that have been collated, ex-
cept five of Kennicott’s, which have Ὁ" Ἀν
nations, without the preposition. To ac-
count for the rendering of the LXX.,
some are of opinion that instead-of e425,
they must have read "πὸ, E°73°5, or
por i2; others, with Pococke, in his Porta
Mosis, chap. iii., suggest a supposititious
root, saa, the corresponding Arabic
Lins, signifying, zmjustus fuit, superbe,
insolenter se gessit; most unjustifiably
insisting on the preference of some such
reading to that of the Hebrew text.
With respect to the quotation, Acts xiii.
41, it was obviously made by the apostle
on account of the exact similarity of the
case of the Jews in his day, both as re-
gards the destruction of Jerusalem by
the Romans, and the incredulity of the
nation in reference to that event. ‘ Pau-
lus fideliter accommodat in usum suum
Prophetz verba, quia sicutisemel mina-
tus fuerat Deus per prophetam suam
Habacuc, ita etiam semper fuit sui sim-
1115. Calvin, in oc. The double form,
mn smenn, is used for intensity.
mann is ‘the Hithpacl for smmnn.
Comp. sams amomann, Is. xxix. 9, and
my note on that verse, ‘Before $y sub-
aud. "28.
6. Now follows a lengthened and fear-
ful description of the character and op-
Cuap. I.
7 It is terrible and dreadful ;
HABAKKUK.
289
Its judgment and its dignity are from itself,
8 Swifter than leopards are its horses,
And lighter than evening wolves ;
Its horses spread proudly along ;
Yea, its horse that come from afar:
They fly like an eagle hastening to devour.
9 It cometh entirely for violence ;
The aspect of their faces is like the east wind;
It collecteth the captives as sand.
erations of the instrument which Jehovah
would employ in executing his work.
ἘΠ c22m, which has unquestionably
the force of the future, must be referred
to the special raising up of the Chaldeans
to undertake the expedition against Ju-
dea, and not to their organization as a
political power, since they had already
been upwards of twenty years in posses-
sion of such power under Nabopolassar.
On this account, some prefer rendering
the phrase, Behold! I will excite. For
an account of this people, see on Is, xxiii.
23. In =a “197 is a paronomasia.
By “13, better, the fierce and cruel dis-
position of the Chaldeans is expressed ;
comp. Jer. 1.42; by “m3, rash, hasty,
the rapidity or impetuosity of their op-
erations. In the latter part of the verse,
their widely extended conquests under
Nebuchadnezzar are clearly predicted.
le mst, the LXX. render λῆμμα,
Symm. δόγμα, Vulg. onus, Syr. lope,
vision. Targ. 43, decree or sentence, all
deriving it from nwa, in the sense, of
Sip wz, to lift up, or utter anything
with the voice, and regarding it as equiv-
alent to x72, from the same root. The
signification decree, though approved by
Hesselberg, De Wette, Winer, and Ge-
senius, is less appropriate than that of
dignity, which is that of our common ver-
sion, and is adopted by Hitzig, Maurer,
and Ewald. Comp. Gen. xlix. 3; Job
xiii, 11; Ps. lxii.5. Τὰ Ὁ nowhere occurs
in reference to a judicial decree. What
37
the prophet has in view appears to be
the self-assumed political superiority of
the Chaldeans in the Babylonian empire.
As they had raised themselves to this
dignity, so they would permit none to
share in their counsels and determina-
tions, but would act in the most arbitrary
manner.
8. Frequent reference is made in Scrip-
ture to the “evening wolves,” on account
of the sudden ravages which, in the
keenness of their hunger, they commit
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 Afneid, ii. 355, ix. 59.
The LXX. render improperly, λύκους τῆς
᾿Αραβίας. w=, from the root was, having
here the signification of the Arab. | Ls,
superbivit, gloriatus fuit, describes the
proud and spirited mien of the horses
composing the Chaldean cavalry. Comp.
the inimitable description of the Arabian
war-horse, Job xxxix, 19-24, The mean-
ing of the two last lines of the verse is,
that the eagerness of the cavalry to
plunder the Jews should be so great, that
they would make no account of the fa-
tigue occasioned by the length of their
march. ν
9, 10. τὴδξ is the less correct ortho-
graphy of Ὁ » which occurs several times
in the course of the Hebrew Bible. The
affix refers to "2, ver. 6. So great was
to be the invading army, that it would
seem as if it were composed of the entire
Ww
‘S50
10 It maketh a mockery of kings,
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. I.
And princes are a laughter to it ;
It smileth at every fortress ;
It heapeth up earth and taketh it.
11 Then it gaineth fresh spirit ;
nation. Considerable difficulty has been
experienced in the interpretation of the
words, ma°1p ἘΠῺΞ mean. By the
LXX. the ἅπαξ λεγο: τ ‘is rendered
ἀνϑ)εστήκοτας ; by Symm, πρόσοψις ; by
the Syr. Joye aspect ; by the Targ.
tap, front, what is opposite to any-
thing. The Vulg. omits the word al-
together, obviously on the principle of
its being sufficiently expressed by facies
immediately following. With these Aben-
ezra and Kimchi agree; and thus also
generally, Munster, Vatablus, Pagninus,
Castalio, Calvin and others. On the
other hand, Gesenius derives the word
from the supposititious root Ova, Arab.
> to congregate, heap up, and renders
it host, troop ; but, as Lee observes, the
host of their faces is anything but He-
brew phraseology. Rosenmiiller, Lee,
Maurer, Hitzig, and Ewald, derive it
from the same root in the significations,
impetus, desire, a striving after ; Ger. stre-
ben : while our own, and some other mod-
ern translators, adopt the idea of absorp-
tion, supping up. etc. from the signification,
of xa, nah. Considering the marked
and independent coincidence of the an-
cient versions above quoted, borne out,
as they are, by the Arab. Le, adparutt ;
quod de re quavis extrinsicus apparct ;
corpus rei, seu res individua existans et
conspicua, I cannot but regard aspect or
appearance as the term best adapted to
convey the meaning of the prophet.
ma", in every other passage in which
it occurs, has the signification of east-
ward, and it is taken in this acceptation
by Abarbanel, Parkhurst, Dahl, Wolff,
and Hitzig, who explain it either of the
direction in which the Chaldeans would
return home with their booty, or of their
first coming down along the coast of the
Mediterranean, and then turning direct
east upon the Jews. Both constructions
are forced. Gesenius renders forwards,
and gives the whole sentence thus: the
host of their faces is forwards. Tere
again I Pee the rendering of Symm.
ἄνεμος καύσων; the Targ. 5} ποθ
martp, the Vulg. ventus urens, which,
or east wind, its equivalent, is the render-
ing of many of the moderns. It is true,
that the east wind is elsewhere uniformly
expressed by t-77, without the =; but
this letter seems clearly to be here used
paragogically, just as it is in 252, 57>
mies, the primitive forms of which are
75x, 222, 57>. In some instances, in-
deed, it is the πὶ directive, indicating
motion towards the quarter specified,
but in others it has lost all such power.
For the east wind, or samoom, see on
Is. xxvii. 8. Nothing could more ap-
propriately describe the terrific appear-
ance of the destructive Chaldean army,
than this phenomenon, which occasions
awful devastation in the regions over
which it passes. The collecting of the
captives like sand, which the prophet im-
mediately adds, corroborates the opinion
that the samoom is intended, as it is fre-
quently accompanied with whirlwinds
of sand, which is collected and carried
with great rapidity across the desert.
The 10th verse sets forth. the haughty,
fearless, and irresistible character of the
Chaldeans. The last clause of the verse
describes the throwing up of walls or bat-
teries before fortified cities, from which
to attack them. “=» seldom signifies
fine dust; it is more commonly used of
earth generally, including clay, mire, ete.
11. tx, 767 εν usually, rendered then,
Cuap. I.
ae ἘΞ.
291
Τὸ passeth onward, and sonemerah guilt, [saying,]
Is this his power ane his God ?
12 Art not Thou from eternity,
O Jehovah! my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die:
O Jehovah!
thou hast appointed it for judgment.
O Rock! thou hast ordained it for correction.
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to regard evil;
Thou canst not behold injustice.
Why dost thou behold the plunderers ?
Why art thou silent when the wicked destroyeth
Him that is more righteous than he ?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea,
has here the force of thereupon, marking
the transition from what had just been
described to what immediately follows,
and their intimate connection with each
other. [15 is the accusative to 5>n,
which denoting fo succeed, exchange,
change, renew, etc., the phrase means,
to assume, or gain a fresh accession of
courage or military spirit. or this sig-
nification of Han, comp. Josh. ii. 11, v. 1.
Elated by the fortresses they had taken,
and the victories they had won in heathen
countries, the Chaldeans are represented
as passing onwards into Judea; and
treating with contempt the puny resist-
ance made to them by the Jews, asking
sarcastically, «Is this all your boasted
power conceded to you by the God in
whom you confide?” Comp. Is. x. 10,’
11, xxxvi. 19, 20; Ps. lxxix. 10, exv.
2. The aggravated guilt which they
contracted (Os) lay in their vilifying
Jehovah, by speaking of him as incapa-
ble of protecting his people. This simple
construction of the verse at once frees it
from the numerous difficulties with which
it has been clogged by interpreters, and
gives peculiar force to the interrogatory
appea! in that which follows. The ellip-
sis of "ἰδ 5 is of frequent occurrence in
Hebrew. The absence of the interroga-
tive ris more seldom; but comp. Gen,
Xxvii. 24, πὶ oS for πὶ nin; 2 Sam.
vate ats mst, this is, for main; ts this ;
and xvi. 17, 5y5—rs Grom my “ This
is thy kindness to thy friend,” for, Is
this, etc.
12. The contemptuous manner in
which the enemy had treated the Most
High calls forth an impassioned appeal
from the prophet, in which he vindicates
the eternal existence and purity of Je-
hovah, as that God who had formerly
wrought deliverance for his people, and
who was now employing the Chaldeans,
not for their annihilation, but only for
their punishment and correction. Since
“;v, Rock, is elsewhere used metaphori-
cally of God, I have retained it in the
translation. See on Is. xxyvi. 4. It is
here parallel tos$n>. The Tikkun Soph-
erim nvvon Nd is unsupported by any au-
thority.
13. Habakkuk resumes the expostula-
tory mode of address which he had em-
ployed, verses 2,3. The Ὁ"π}ὴ53, plun-
derers, were the Chaldeans who had been
the allies of the Jews, but now treated
them with violence. Comp. Is. xxi. 2,
and xxiv. 16. The LXX., Syr., and
Arab., have nothing corresponding to
439272, but it is expressed in Aquil., Sym.,
Theod., the Targ., and Vulg. Wicked
as the Jews were, they were righteous in
comparison of the Babylonians. Comp.
for the sentiment, Ezek. xvi. 51, 52.
14. God is often said to do what he
permits to be done by others. ‘way is
292
HABAKKUK.
Cuar. IL
As the reptiles which have no ruler?
15 It bringeth up all with its hook,
It gathereth them into its net,
It collecteth them into its drag ;
Therefore it rejoiceth and exulteth.
16 Therefore it sacrificeth to its net, y
And 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
and other shell-fish, Ps. civ. 25, a sense
which the parallelism and connection
here require.
15-17. b> is allowed by all to be
here the accusative, though it was, in
the same position, the nominative, ver. 9.
Converting the simile employed in the
preceding yerse into a metaphor, the
prophet describes the rapacity of the
Chaldeans, the indiscriminate and uni-
versal havoc which they would effect,
and their proud confidence in their own
prowess. =n, an unusual punctuation
for πϑϑ τ. "The hook, the net, and the
drag, are separately mentioned, to indi-
cate that every means would be em-
ployed in taking captives, and whatever
else came in their way. To their arms,
signified by these implements of fishers,
they rendered divine honors, ascribing to
them solely the success which they had
in war. Comp. Justin. 43. 3. “ Ab
origine rerum pro diis immortalibus ve-
teras coluere.” Lucian in Trag. Σκύϑαι
μὲν ἀκινάϑῃ ϑύουσι. By the emptying of
the net, ver. 17, is meant the depositing
of the captives, etc., in Babylon, in order
to go forth to fresh conquest and plunder.
It is strongly implied in the questions
with which the chapter concludes, that
God would not permit the Chaldeans to
proceed in their selfish conquests without
a check, but the answer is reserved for
the sequel.
Ot Aw T ER. iste
Tuts chapter contains an introductory statement respecting the waiting posture in which
the prophet placed himself, in order to obtain a divine revelation in reference to the 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 assur-
ance, that though the prophecy should not be fulfilled immediately, yet it would cer-
tainly be at length accomplished, 3; and a contrasted description of the two different ἡ
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
nvr , sentence, or prophetical denunciation, commences, in the form of a taunt on the
part of the nations, in which they anticipate the downfall of that hostile power, 6-8; and
the punishment of its rapacity, 9-11; of its cruelty and injustice, with a special view to
Cuap. II.
HABAKKUK.
293
the universal spread of true religion, 12-14; of its wanton and sanguinary wars, 15-17,
and of its absurd and fruitless idolatry, 18,19. The last verse of the chapter beautifully
contrasts with the two preceding, by representing Jehovah as the only God, entitled to
universal submission and homage.
1 I wit stand upon my watch-post,
And station myself upon the fortress,
And will look out to see what he will say to me,
And what 1 shall reply in regard to my argument.
1. ΤΡ properly signifies observance,
guard, watch, from =72'5, to watch, observe,
preserve, etc., but here, as a concrete,
the place, or post of observation. Comp.
Is. xxi. 8, where it is similarly used,
with 7279 for its parallel. Thus the Syr.
>
walicos, my place. From the use of
“ΣΧ in the corresponding hemistich, it
is obvious that the post of a sentinel
or watchman appointed to keep an eye
upon what may transpire without a for-
tified city, is that from which the idea
is here borrowed. It has been ques-
tioned whether our prophet has any real
locality in view, or whether the words
are to be understood metaphorically.
The former is advocated by Hitzig, who
after describing it as a 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 col-
lected spirit fixed upon God, he looks
out for revelations.” With the excep-
tion, however, of Wolff, who preceded
him, the hypothesis has met with no ap-
probation. 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 ex-
pectancy as was favorable to the reception
of supernatural communications. 75x,
to look about, from which τπξ ἐν, a spec-
ulator, watchman, is derived, as likewise
here in Piel, to express the looking out
for an answer to prayer, Ps. v. 4. The
paragogic 5 of the Futures, marks the
intensity of his desire. The formula
3.727, which the Syr. and Targ. render
maha VSkaks, vay bbens, in the
sense of speaking or conversing with a
person, the LXX. give by λαλήσει ἐν
ἐμοὶ, “will speak iz me.’ That the
preposition 3 is here purposely used, in
preference to ty, Ὁ, £3, or mx, to denote
the internal mode of the Divine com-
munication which the prophet received,
has been maintained by some who com-
pare 937937 nin? rams “the Spirit of
Jehovah spake in me,” 2 Sam. xxiii. 2;
Num. xii. 6, and particularly Zech. i. 9,
13, 14, ii. 2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 5, v. 5, 10, vi.
4, where the interpreting angel that ad-
dressed him in vision is uniformly styled
"95.77 geben, the Angel that spake in
me, which the LXX. as uniformly ren-
der 6 λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί. This view was an-
ciently expressed by Jerome, who says,
‘«‘Sed et hoc notandum, ex eo quod dix-
erat, ut videam quid loquatur in me,
propheticam visionem et eloquium Dei
non extrinsicus ad Prophetas fieri, sed
intrinsicus et interiori homini respon-
dere.” The same construction is put
upon the phrase by Delitzsch, in his
able commentary on our prophet. But
it seems after all more than doubtful
whether any such construction can fairly
be put upon the phrase in most of the
passages in which it occurs. In 2 Sam.
mes, a watch-tower, is employed, as pi. 2, it may be admitted, though
294
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. 11.
2 And Jehovah answered me and said :
Write the vision and make it plain on tablets,
That he who readeth it may run,
through or by will equally well suit.
The other declarations made Num. xii.
6, show that it cannot there be so un-
derstood, while what Moses states, taken
in connection with 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
regarded as conveying the idea of fa-
miliar or intimate communication. In
*mnzin, the suffix is not to be taken pas-
sively, but actively; z.e.the nmin, ar-
gument, complaint, reproof, or in what
way soever the word may be rendered,
was not any employed by others, but
what the prophet himself hath employed
in the preceding chapter. "What he was
desirous of obtaining, was an answer to
the statement which he had there made
respecting the Divine conduct in permit-
ting the Chaldeans to multiply their con-
quests without end. Maurer: ** causa
querimonie me.”
2. 5771, the vision, or prophetic matter
which was about to be communicated to
the prophet. That the idea of digging,
boring, or graving, is to be attached to
“2, the position of the verb in such con-
nection clearly forbids. Had the cha-
racter of the writing been durability,
such an idea might fitly have been ex-
pressed by a word signifying to grave or
dig deep, into a hard substance, but as it
is unquestionably legibility that is in-
tended, we are compelled to understand
the verb as relative to ar, and that
either as a new Imperative, or as an ad-
verbial Infinitive qualifying it. In the
latter case the clause should be rendered,
Write the vision, and that clearly. Thus
the LXX.: Γράψον ὅρασιν, καὶ σαφῶς.
The Targ. has sy 75.22 ἈΓΒΞ) Nan,
with which the Sy τ. 80 far agrees, ren-
dering the verb by wey to explain.
Comp. —au"h "wa—nand., write —
very plainly, Deut. xxvii. 8. The com-
mand therefore, has respect to the size,
and not to the depth of the writing.
rinbn, tables, having the article, Ewald
thinks the prophet refers to the tables
which were openly exhibited in the mar-
ket-place, on which public announce-
ments were graven in large and clear
characters, in common use among the
people. The article. however, may only
designate the tables which were to be
employed for the purpose. It may
merely indicate these as definite in the
mind of the speaker. This is often the
case in Hebrew, when it cannot be ren-
dered by the definite article in other lan-
guages. For the writing tablets of the
ancients, see on Is. vill. 1. The LXX.
have πυξίον, borwood. The reason why
the prophecy should be easily legible, is
stated to be, that whosoever read it might
run and publish it to all within his reach.
It was a joyful message to the Jews, in-
volving as it did the destruction of their
oppressor, and their own consequent de-
liverance. Compare Dan, xii, 4, soy >
gam mann} a4, “Many shall run
to and fro,” Viz. ‘with the explanation
of the prophecy when unsealed, ‘“ and
knowledge shall be increased.” The two
passages are remarkably parallel as to
their general meaning, though the times
and events to which they refer are to-
tally different. Comp. also Rev. xxii,
17, Kal ὁ ἀκούων εἴπατε' “Epxou! 4735,
to run, is equivalent to 22, to prophesy,
Jer. xxiii. 21, obviously on the principle
that those who were charged with a
divine message were to use all despatch
in making it known. Thé common in-
terpretation, indeed, represents the mean-
ing to consist in the writing being so
large as to be easily read even by persons
who were hasting past it. But in or-
der to bear this construction, the words
must read thus: yan “5 NIP spats
Cuap. II.
HABAKKUK. 295
3 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 runneth, may
read it. Besides, such an addition would
scarcely be requisite after πὰ, and cer-
tainly would not correspond to the force
of 42725, in order that, with which the
hemistich commences.
3. The particles 55, and 4, in ΠΕ",
are correlative. y3%, from 19°, to fiz,
appoint, denotes, in such connection, a
season or period of time definitely fixed
in the purpose of God for the occurrence
of the predicted events. It is frequently
employed by Daniel in this acceptation,
along with >, the end, or termination
of the state of the things comprehended in
the prophecy. Comp. Dan. viii. 17, 19,
xi. 27, 35 ; and somewhat similar phra-
seology, chap. viii. 26, x. 14. The term
obviously implies that the period was
still future, which is also expressed by
the use of πὴ», still, yet. This adverb
is too closely connected in sense with
“viv, to admit of the rendering of Mi-
chaelis : «* There will still come a vision,
which shall determine the time ;”” which
he refers to Jeremiah’s prophecy of the
seventy years. ΓΞ has been variously
translated. LXX. ἀνατελεῖ; Syr. 121;
to come; Vulg. apparebit ; Targ. >n%,
prepared. As, like its cognates n=> and
m2, the root ms, of which ΓΞ is the
future in Hiphil, signifies to breathe,
blow, puff, Michaelis, Bauer, Stiudlin,
De Wette, Hesselberg, Maurer, Winer,
Hitzig, Ewald, and Hengstenberg, in his
Psalms, vol. i. p. 255, contend, that it is
here to be taken in the acceptation of
panting, hasting, eagerly moving forward
to an object, and that the meaning is,
that the prophecy hastened to its accom-
plishment. Such construction, however,
requires us to attach to yp the idea of
the object or objects on which a pro-
phecy terminates, the end or extreme
point beyond which its import does not
extend. But the word nowhere occurs
in this acceptation, but, as Delitzsch has
shown, it always designates, in a pro-
phetico-chronological sense, the time of
the end, whatever may be the compass
of events to which reference may be had.
Besides, +775 and 77935 are so obviously
parallel, that they do not admit of being
differently construed, Ὑ 5 here, is only
an abbreviation of the phrase yp—nz>,
Dan. viii. 17, of which we have again a
varied form in yp ἼΣ "25, ver. 19. I
therefore agree with Abarbanel, Jarchi,
Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius, Ro-
senmiiller, Wolff, and Delitzsch, in as-
signing to N=" in this place the accepta-
tion of speaking, breathing out words, in
which acceptation the verb is used Prov.
xii. 17, xiv. 5, 25, xix. 5,9. This inter-
pretation derives support from the anti-
thetical 3357 $1, in which the idea of
speaking is obviously implied. The
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, and for
the deliverance of the captive Hebrews ;
it was to be an object of confident ex-
pectation, though his arrival might be
somewhat protracted. For msrzn,
see on Is, xxix. 9. ἘΞ" δ 5, is emphatic,
denoting the certainty of the event.
“nk, signifies to stay long, and intimates
that the predicted event would not be
protracted to any great length. Instead
of -ns* xt, upwards of forty of Ken-
nicott and De Rossi’s MSS., four ancient
editions, the LXX., Aquil. Syr., Targ., -
and Vulg., read ams} Ν 85.
296 *
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. II.
4 Behold the proud! his soul is not right within him ;
But the righteous shall live by his faith.
4. Most interpreters apply the former
hemistich of this verse to the Chaldeans,
supposing the denunciation against them
to begin here; but its coherence with
the preceding verse is too close to admit
of this construction, while the latter
hemistich, were such application admit-
ted, would awkwardly interrupt the
prophecy at its very commencement.
On the other hand, the whole verse
most naturally and appropriately applies
to the Jewish people, and contains a des-
cription of those who would proudly re-
ject the prophetic vision, and of those
who would give it a cordial reception :
the two members forming a marked and
striking antithesis. bes, of which nbey
may either be the third feminine singular
of Pual, or a noun formed from that
part of the verb, occurs elsewhere only
in Hiphil, Num. xiv. 44; but it is evi-
dent, from the use of the derivative BE? ΡῈ
as denoting a swelling, tumor, mount,
hill, etc., and the comparison of the con-
text of both passages, that it is employed
metaphorically to express the idea of
mental inflation, elation, pride, presump-
tion, or the like. Such Hebrew usage sup-
ports the relation of the verb to the Arab.
Jas, tumore laboravit, rather than to
wes . neglexit vel omisit rem, per so-
cordiam non curavit, for which Pococke
contends at great length in his Porta
Mosis ; though the rendering of the
LXX., ὑποστείληται, and that of Aquila,
νωχελευόμενου, may both be referred to
the radical notion conveyed by this root.
Its reference to tex, to set, become dark
as proposed by Abarbanel, and approved
by Deutsch and Wolff, cannot be sus-
tained. Nor must it be overlooked, that
though the following words, = 39 8d
42 “WE2, are not to be regarded as epexe-
getical of the term in question, they
nevertheless appear to have been sug-
gested by it. > signifies not only to
be straight or right, in opposition to being
crooked, but also, even, level, plain, smooth,
in opposition to what is rough, rugged,
and difficult. See 1 Kings vi. 35; Ezra
viii. 21; Ps. v. 9; Proy. xxiii. 31, where
ὉΠ ΘΟὩΞ bmn: means, goeth sweetly or
pleasantly down, or as Jerome gives it,
ingreditur blande ; De Dicu, subdit facil-
lime. Com. the Arab. pe Facilis fuit
res; facilitas, lenitas. Of the reading
ἘΞ ἘΣ, found in one of Kennicott’s MSS.,
or mE>s, as it is written in another, no
account is to be made, though in his
Dissert. Gen. § 72, that author prefers
it to that which is attested by all the
other codices. The Syr. tiex, wicked-
ness, is founded upon a mistake of π bey
for ΠΣ. mb=y I consider to be an ΕΝ
stract noun, used elliptically for oN
nbEy, a man of arrogance or pr esumption,
and ‘so to be rendered adjectively, the
proud, presumptuous, etc. For instances
of similar ellipsis, comp. τι Ξ τὸ “23, Iam
prayer, for τιὸξ EM DN 5, ‘Tam aman
of prayer, Ps. cix. 4; V7 arrogance,
for 7173 Sy, man of arrogance, i.e. ar-
rogant, Jer. 1. 31, 32; Dan. ix. 23.
mms ninvgn, thou art delights, for Bor
MAS Miven, thow art a man of delights,
i.e. greatly beloved, as it is expressed in
full, chap. x. 11, 19. See on Micah vi.
9. The term is thus strictly antithetical
to πε, ¢he just, in the following hem-
istich, precisely as the predicate ; mygsoNd
32 his soul is not right within him,
is to mart Sz vaya, by Ais faith he shail
live. With respect to this latter point of
antithesis, it must be evident, that, as
min, the latter predicate, signifies not
merely to live, but to live well, be happy,
the former must convey the idea of its
opposite. This was clearly perceived by
Luther, who often discovers a wonderful
sagacity in seizing upon the meaning of
a passage, though in his translation he
may not adhere to the strict significations
ΠΣ
WES,
Cuap. II.
5 Moreover wine is treacherous ;
of single words. He renders the words
thus: Siehe wer halsstarrig ist, der
wird keine Ruhe in seinem Herzen haben,
*« Behold he who is stubborn shall have
no tranquillity in his heart.” So also
Gesenius: ‘ Lo, the lofty-minded, his
soul is not tranquil within him.” Mau-
rer: ‘Non planus, complanatus, com-
positus, tranquillus, etc., est animus
ejus.” To this interpretation I adhere,
as best meeting the exigency of the pas-
sage. While those Jews who, elated
by false views of security, refused to
listen to the Divine message should
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
exercise of faith in that message, and
others which God might communicate to
them by his prophets. Thus a Lapide:
*‘ Incredulus habet animam, id est vitam,
non rectam, sed distortam, anxiam, mis-
eram, et infelicem; justus autem in fide et
Spe sua agit vitam rectam, puta letam,
quietam, sanctam et felicem.” a, im, or
within him, is added to show that the verb
= is not to be taken here as referring to
anything of an objective character, such
as the Divine estimation, agreeably to
the meaning of the phrase 5353 "25
mim, to be right in the sight of Jehovah,
but must be understood as marking the
subjective sphere of the predicate. For
the fullest view of the various construc-
tions, both logical and philological, that
have been put upon this verse, I refer the
more curious reader to Delitzsch. From
the discrepancy existing between the He-
brew, and the version of the LX X., some
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.
They render, ἐαν ὑποστείληται οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ
ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίσ-
HABAKKUK.
297
Tews μου (ζήσεται. ‘To such rendering, its
quotation by Paul in Heb. x. 38, gives no
sanction, since he not unfrequently quotes
passages from that version containing ren-
derings to which there never could have
been anything corresponding in the He-
brew text. In the present instance he
takes a liberty with the version itself,
placing the latter part of the verse first,
and the former last, and omitting pov
after πίστις. Nor, it must further be ob-
served, is it his intention either here, or
in Rom. i. 17, and Gal. iii. 11, in em-:
ploying the words, ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως
σεται, to maintain, that the doctrine
of justification by faith in Christ is
taught by Habakkuk ; he merely appiies
the principle laid down by the prophet
respecting the instrumentality of faith in
securing the safety and happiness of the
pious portion of the Jewish people to the
subject of which he is treating — the in-
fluence of faith in the gospel scheme of
salvation. As pons is the nominative
inal reference, but must be joined with
mim, as for the righteous, he shall live
by his faith. From the circumstance,
however, that the two former words are,
in most MSS. and editions, joined by the
accents Merca and Tiphca, while the lat-
ter, as a disjunctive, separates the second
from the third, it might seem that the
Rabbins construed the clause thus: but
the just by his faith, shall live. And this
construction would seem to confirm the
hypothesis that in his quotation, Rom. i.
17, Gal, iii. 11, the Apostle connects ἐὶς
πίστεως With ὁ δίκαιος, and not with ζήσε-
ται; but as quoted by him, Heb. x. 38,
the former division of the words alone
suits the connection, in which his object
evidently is to show the necessity of faith
as a means of perseverance under all the
afflictions and persecutions of the chris-
tian life. See Owen on the passage.
5. The two first lines of this verse
partake of the nature of a proverb, being
38
208
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. IL
The haughty man stayeth not at home,
Because he enlargeth his desire as Sheol ;
He is even as death, and cannot be satisfied ;
He gathered for himself all the nations,
And collecteth for himself all the people,
6 Shall not all these utter an ode against him,
A song of derisive taunt against him, and say :
Wo to him that increaseth that which is not his!
How long ?
And ladeth himself with many pledges!
expressed in a short and pithy manner,
and admitting of general application. It
is, however, obvious from the connection
with what follows, that they are intro-
duced with special reference to the Chal-
dean power, the nefarious conduct of
which the prophet immediately proceeds
to describe. The phrase 3342 452m, wine
ts a deceiver, has its parallel, Prov. xxx.
1, 77271 Ὑ 8, wine is a mocker. “777 Occurs
only here, and Proy. xxi. 24, where, from
its connection with πτο proud, as its syn-
onyme, it clearly signifies elated, haughty,
LXX. ἀλαζών. Chald. -n>, as used
by the Rabbins, superdivit. See Buxt.
in woe. Thus also in the Nazarean Syr.
sonia, Ethpa. superbivit. There is, there-
fore, no necessity for recurring to the
Arab., the attempted derivations from
which are very precarious. The intro-
ductory particles *> 51 are designed
to connect the proper prophecy with
what had just been developed of the
vision, as that which formed the most
important part of it. ὯΝ is expressive
of addition, and 55 of certainty. That
the prophet has his eye upon the intem-
perance to which the Babylonians were
greatly addicted, there can be little doubt.
Comp. Dan. v.; with Herod. i, 191;
Xenoph. Cyrop. vii. 5,15. « Babylonii
maxime in vinum et que ebrietatem
sequuntur effusi sunt.’ Curtius, ν. 1.
How strikingly was the deceptive cha-
racter of wine exemplified in the case of
Belshazzar! 132, primarily signifies to
dwell, remain at rest, which signification
better suits the present passage than the
secondary one of being decorous, proper,
etc., adopted by the Vulg., Ewald, and
some others. Still it is aquestion, whether
the not remaining tranquil is to be viewed
as a voluntary or as an inyoluntary act.
The Targ., Rashi, Kimchi, Ben-Melec,
De Wette, Justi, Maurer, and Delitzsch,
refer it to the forcible ejection for the
Babylonians: Abenezra, Abarbanel, Ro-
senmiiller, Wolff, Wahl, Gesenius, and
Hitzig, to their restless disposition, by
which they were continually impelled to
go forth upon new expeditions of con-
quest. The latter seems, from what
follows, to be the preferable interpreta-
tion. For 585 159. aman, see on Is.
v. 14, and comp. Prov. xxvii. 20, xxx. 15.
The insatiable desire of conquest, which
specially showed itself in the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar, is here forcibly pre-
dicted. tr4an—b> and t-ayn—d> must
be restricted to all the nations with which
the Jews were familiar.
6. Comp. Is. xiv. 4, and see my notes
on Sy as there occurring. 3793 oc-
curs only here, and Prov. i. 6, in which
verse also all the three synonymes
bw, murda, and mann are found. It
properly signifies derision, taunt, scorn,
from 471%, to stammer, speak barbarously
or unintelligibly ; hence to mock, deride ;
and thus the substantive obtained the
acceptation, taunt, taunting song. LXX.
σκοτεινὸν λόγον. In the later Hebrew
the word is used to denote poetry in gen-
eral. "Mm means oratio inflexa, per-
Cuaap. II.
HABAKKUK.
299
7 Shall not they rise up suddenly that have lent thee on usury ?
And awake that shall shake thee violently ?
And thou shalt become their prey.
8 Because thou hast plundered many nations,
plexa, an enigma, highly figurative and
difficult language, requiring acuteness
and ingenuity fully to understand it.
Comp. the Arab, ols, ὃ 2.35.9 supera-
υἱέ negotit difficultatem. Delitzsch not
unaptly instances the words u*n23, ver.
6, Ἴ᾽Ξ3, ver. 7, and yep 16,
as enigmata of this description. The
derisive ode or song commences imme-
diately, and occupies the rest of the
chapter. It consists of five stanzas, the
three first of which are composed of
three verses each, the fourth of four
verses, and the last of two. Each stanza
has its distinct and appropriate subject ;
and with the exception of the last, they
all commence with >in, wo, the denuncia-
tive interjection ; and have each a verse
at the close, beginning with "5; thus
forming an organic whole of singular force
and beauty. “7a8™ is to be taken im-
personally or collectively. w-u29 has
been variously interpreted. Several of
the Rabbins, the Syr., Vulg., and after
them Luther, and other translators, take
it to be compounded of ay, dense, and
wu, clay, which ten of Kennicott’s MSS.
read as two words. and most commenta-
tors who follow them suppose riches or
earthly goods to be meant : but it is more
in accordance with the grammatical form
of the word to regard it as a quadriliteral
noun, from the root 123», to exchange,
give a pledge; in Hiph., to lend on a
pledge. ‘The signification of the noun is
thus correctly given by Lee: “an ac-
cumulation of pledges in the hand of an
unfeeling usurer.’”” The form is that of
b-bup as in d9b5n from “7702.
or “"472> from “a5; 9°430 from 5205
“752 from “EW. The reduplication ex-
presses intensity or augmentation. Mau-
rer, copia pignorum captorum, an inter-
pretation already given by Nic, Fuller in
ver.
tsn;
his Miscell. Sac. lib. v. cap. viii. The
Chaldean power is thus represented as a
rapacious and cruel usurer, who had ac-
cumulated the property of others, and
from whom it would again be taken,
Comp. Deut. xxiv. 10-183, for the use of
way, and the law against cruelty in
usurers. The hypothesis of Delitzsch,
that vw. is, as an enigmatical term,
to be understood both as a compound,
and as a quadriliteral, is not in keeping
with his usual good sense.
7. ynms, suddenly, corresponds to
nr, how long? in the preceding
verse, and not improbably refers to the
unexpectedness of the attack made upon
Babylon by the Medes and Persians.
See on Is. xxi. 3,4. "232 properly sig-
nifies ¢o bite, and thus it is rendered in
most versions. Some ‘translate, oppress ;
but, since it likewise signifies to lend on
usury, there can be little doubt the
prophet intended it to be understood in
this acceptation, as a striking antithesis
to w yay at the close of the preceding
Ξ Ψ"
Asa,
Arab. υὸγϑ»
the same. The same mode of speech
was not unknown both to the Greeks
and Romans. Aristoph. Nub. i. 12,
δακνόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν χρεῶν. Lucan. i.
171, usura vorax. The meaning is, that
as the Babylonians had cruelly amassed
the property of others, so other nations,
like devouring usurers, would unmerci-
fully deprive them of all they had ac-
quired. ΣΝ, defective for ASP»
as in Jud. xvi. 20. "ΣῪ Σ ΤῊ, the Phil.
participle of Στ, to shake, agitate. The
reduplicate form conveys the idea of
violent or excessive agitation. The allu-
sion is to the violent seizure of a debtor
by his creditor. See Matt. xviii. 28.
8. The remainder of the nations con-
verse. Comp. the Aram. m=:,
momordit, usuras exegit.
900
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. II.
All the remainder of the people shall plunder thee ;
Because of the blood of men, and of the violence done to the
earth,
To the city and all that dwell in it.
9 Woto him that procureth wicked gain for his house,
That he may establish his nest on high,
To be preserved from the power of calamity.
10 Thou hast devised what is a disgrace to thy house,
Cutting off many people, and sinning against thyself.
11 For the stone crieth out from the wall,
And the brick from the timber answereth it ;
sisted of those who had escaped the de-
vastation of the Chaldeans. The terms
man, earth, and city, are to be understood
generally, and are not to be restricted to
the Jews, with their country and its me-
tropolis. yqN7D727, is the genitive of
object.
9. In the stanza, comprising this and
the two following verses, the avarice
and selfishness of the Chaldeans are de-
nounced. The phrase >s3 3x5 is very
common in Hebrew. The verb denotes
to cut, or break off, as the Orientals,
especially the Chinese do, pieces of silver
and other metals in their money trans-
actions with each other. Hence it came
to be applied, in a bad sense, to such as
were greedily occupied with such transac-
tions, and its derivative >s2, to signify
wicked gain, lucre. To mark it, in the
present instance, as specially atrocious,
on, wicked, is added. 73, house, stands
here for the royal family; +, nest, for the
arz regia, to express its inaccessible
height, the allusion being taken from the
nest of the eagle, which is built on high
rocks, difficult of access. See Job xxxix.
27, and comp. Numb. xxiv. 21; Jer.
xlix. 16.
10. ‘Thou hast devised disgrace to
thy house,’ means thy schemes and
projects shall issue in the infamy of thy
family. Instead of nizp, the infinitive
of πικρὸν the ancient versions have read
risp, the preterite of 5 ἘΠ The infini-
tive may either follow in construction
\
my preceding, or the following xuin.
I have adopted the latter, and rendered
it participially. It properly denotes the
direct aim of the action predicted by the
preceding finite verb. For the last =
comp. Prov. viii. 36, xx. 2.
11. An exquisite instance of bold and
daring personification, by which the ma-
terials used in the construction of the
royal palace, and other sumptuous build-
ings, at Babylon, are introduced as re-
sponsively complaining of the injustice
which they had suffered, either in their
having been taken from their original
owners, or in their being made subser-
vient to the scenes of wickedness that
were enacted in their presence. Comp.
Luke xix. 40. The Targ. adds to the
first line, m-> D287 ἘΣ, because violence
has been done to it. c"E> occurs only
here, but from the signification of the
cognate Syr. eae connexuit, it has
been supposed to mean the eross beam by
which the walls of a building are held
together. Thus Sym., Theod., and the
5th vers., σύνδεσμος, LXX. κάνϑαρος,
scarabeus, but which some think was
originally κανϑήριον, which Vitruvius ex-
plains as signifying a cross-beam, Arab.
\, 8 pss | ω»» the pin from
the wood,” According to the Mishnak,
the word signifies a half brick, which
Parchon also gives as the meaning. He
thus describes it: tssup t=5ad Ὁ ΒῈΞ
Ems p15) oan “SSS jyossa Ὁ»
Crap. II.
12
HABAKKUK.
90]
Wo to him that buildeth a town through bloodshed,
And establisheth a city through injustice.
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 the waters cover the sea.
15
Wo to him that giveth drink to his neighbor,
Pouring out thy wrath, and making him drunk ; :
In order to look upon their nakedness.
essa, small bricks prepared in the
kiln, like pottery, and used in building
’ edifices. This interpretation is copfirmed
' by the rendering of Aquila, μάζα, what
is baked, and by the abundant use of
bricks by the Babylonians, which are still
visible in the ruins of their city. Citing
this passage in the Taanith, Rashi ex-
plains it to be “half a brick which ‘is
usually laid between two layers of wood,”
Delitzsch. That it was not the wood
itself is evident from the following +37,
From or out of the wood, except we take
the preposition as indicating the material
of which the beam consisted. In this
latter case, the words should be rendered,
And the wooden beam answereth itt; but
against such construction the parallel
“pra, out of the wall, is an insuperable
objection.
12, 18. The subject of the third stanza,
which begins here, was naturally sug-
gested by the concluding verse of the
preceding. The riches which enabled
the king of Babylon to rebuild and en-
large the royal city, were procured in
the bloody wars in which he had en-
gaged; and the works themselves were
carried up by people from different parts
of the empire, and by captives from other
nations. The preposition 3:2 prefixed in
min? mx, points out the ultimate cause
of the destruction of the Babylonian em-
pire — the overruling providence of God,
who, in order to give prominence to
his resistless omnipotence, is designated
mixas mint, Jehovah of hosts. For
this epithet, see on Is.i.9. 5:3 is nota
poetic form for 3, but is intensive, "π,
signifying sufficiency, abundance. The
preposition here points out the final issue
or result of the labor and fatigue con-
nected with the erections in question,
the conflagration and depopulation of
the city of Babylon. The last two lines
of verse 13 are found in Jer. li. 58;
only ws and px have exchanged places,
ἘΞ} stands for 1227, and the defective
form ἘΣ Δ} for 5.55, For the destruc-
tion by fire, comp. Jer. li. 30, 58; for
her desolation, ver. 438. Hitzig, from the
mere circumstance of the use of the same
terms Micah vii. 10, applies the prophecy
to Jehoiakim !
14, This verse is clearly predictive of
the gospel dispensation, to the introduc-
tion of which the destruction of the
Babylonian power was indispensable, in-
asmuch as it involved the deliverance
of the Jews from captivity, and their
re-occupation of their own land before
the advent of the Messiah. See on Is.
xi. 9, 11, the former of which verses
contains a similar prediction of the same
event. Ἐ" sea, is used for the bed of the
sea.
15. The commencement of the fourth
stanza. Though the idea of the shame-
less conduct of drunkards, here depicted,
may have been borrowed from the profli-
gate manners of the Babylonian court,
yet the language is not to be taken lit-
302
HABAKKUK.
(ἜΑΡ. IL
16 Thou art filled with shame, not with glory ;
Drink thou also, and show thyself uncireumeized ;
The cup of Jehovah’s right hand shall come round to thee,
And great ignominy shall be upon thy glory.
erally, as if the prophet were describing
such manners, but, as the sequel shows,
is applied allegorically to the state of
stupefaction, prostration, and exposure, to
which the conquered nations were re-
duced by the Chaldeans. See on Is. li.
17, 20; and comp. Ps. lxxy. 8; Jer.
xxv. 15-28, xlix. 12, li. 7; Ezek. xxiii.
os 32; Rev. xiv. 10, xvi. 9, xviii. 6.
mn, is a collective, and thus is equiva-
‘ai to ἡπηϑὴ in the. plural, which is
required to agree with the suffix in
Ἐπ ΔΊΣ. The latter noun is derived
from 4:3 Arab. gle to be naked, as its
synonyme 7273. is from τ». In ἽἼΣ 9
is a change from the third person to the
second, for the sake of effect. There not
being anything in the ancient Greek
versions corresponding to the 4, is no
ground for its rejection, since their au-
thors frequently took liberties even when
professedly most verbal. ram is not
the construct of msn or neti, bottle,
but of man, heat, or wrath. Comp.
"Mel ὈΠΞΘΝῚ, Is. lxiii. 6, and li. 17;
Jer, xxv. 15; Rev. xvi. 19. Delitzsch
attempts in vain to set aside the signifi-
cation of pour, as inhering in the root
ΠΕΡ; Arab. ah effudit. Cognate
seo. Targ. bt. 2g is the infinitive
used instead of the participle. The
language of the concluding clause of
the verse is expressive of the deep-
est humiliation on the one hand, and
of the most haughty wantonness on the
other.
16. The preposition in =‘n>% is nega-
tive, as in ΞΟ 5 Mane, Ps. lii. 6.
The full force of the hemistich is, «Thou
art satiated, but it is with shame, not
with glory.” Kimchi and others, com-
paring bean ofs, Is. li. 17, and 99°
Ἐξ", Zech. xii. 2, suppose that in Ὁ Στ
be thou uncircumcised, there is ἃ trans-
position of the letters » and =, and that
the verb has originally been ty>z, reel
or stagger. And thus the LXX. (καρδίᾳ
σαλεύϑητι καὶ σείσϑητι) have interpreted
it, and have been followed by the Arab.,
Syr., and Vulg. There is, however, such
a manifest agreement with Dy Tis,
pudenda eorum, at the close of the pre-
ceding verse, that the interpretation can-
not be admitted, In the mouth of a He-
brew no term could have expressed more
ineffable contempt. Comp. 1 Sam. xvii.
36. As the Chaldeans had treated the
nations which they conquered in the
most disgusting manner, so they, in their
turn, should be similarly treated. To
express the certainty of the event, the
verbs are ee the imperative. See on Is.
vi. 10. ΞΘ is the future in Niphal,?
and conveys the idea of the cup of suf-
fering being transferred from one nation
to another, each in its turn, being made
to drink of it. Comp. Jer. xxv. 6; Lam.
iv. 21. ἘΠ}. the Vulg. renders, vomi-
tus ignominie, as if compounded of =p
for xvp, vomit, and ΔῈ}, shame. In
nine MSS. it is read as two words, and
this etymology is approved by most Jew-
ish and Christian interpreters. It is,
however, more in accordance with the
genius of the Hebrew language, to regard
it as a reduplicate form of Ἴ:Ξ}, em-
ployed for the sake of intensity, after the
form bby : only instead of yit;tp we
have the softer 4¢*~. Comp. the Syr.
for ἘΣ πος, Thus the LXX. ἀτι-
ame
glory of the Babylonians was to be com-
pletely eclipsed by the deep disgrace in
which they should be involved.
Cuap. II.
ἘΓΑΓΡΕ AGO ΣΕ.
909
17 For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee,
As the destruction of beasts terrifieth them ;
Because of the blood of men,
earth,
and the violence done to the
To the city, and all that dwell in it. ‘
18 What profiteth the graven image which its maker graveth —
The molten image, and the teacher of falsehood ?
‘In which the maker of his work trusteth —
Making dumb idols,
19
“It teach! There it is,
17. yi2ad oan and yaxmoen are
genitives of object. That πδέσον is not
here to be understood literally, but figur-
atively, of Jerusalem, seems fully estab-
lished by the prophetic style in other
passages, especially Jer. xxii. 23; Ezek.
xvii. 8, 12; Zech. xi. 1. The aptness of
the figure consists partly in the circum-
stance, that cedars 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 stateli-
* mess and grandeur as the metropolis.
Against this interpretation, the objections
do not apply which Delitzsch makes to
the opinion of those who maintain that
by Lebanon the land of Palestine is
meant. D>, ἕο cover, is used emphati-
cally to express the completeness of the
destruction which should overtake the
Chaldeans. Similar violence to that
which they had exercised should be
brought upon themselves. The » in
1 is a particle of comparison, retaining,
indeed, its ordinary conjunctive power,
but also introducing a clause designed to
illustrate the preceding. Of this idiom,
the following are instances: baz} tax
Fay W332 Ὁ 9. 553} 57. Man is born
to trouble, AND (4s) birds of prey fly aloft,
Jobv.7. ὩΣ" ΠῚ Wan bn Wk.
bond. For the ear trieth words, AND (As)
the ‘palate tasteth food. This construc-
tion entirely obviates the difficulty which
Woe to him that saith to the wood, Awake !
Wake up! to the dumb stone.
necessarily attaches to the attempts that
have been made.to interpret the nixq3,
beasts, of the inhabitants of Palestine.
The prophet compares the confusion and
destruction 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. mnn signifies to be broken,
broken in pieces, destroyed, confounded,
terrified. In the present form yn"n,
the Yod is substituted for the Dagesh in
the regular form jn, as Ἴ2 "ΠῚ for
VENT, 15. xxxiii. 1. The Nun appended
is not paragogic, but the verbal suffix of
the third feminine plural, agreeing with
ning. There is no sufficient ground
for changing ἡ into Ἢ, though the authors
of some of the ancient versions may have
thus read. For the last clause, see on
verse 8:
18, 19. These verses expose the folly
of idolatry to which the Babylonians
were wholly addicted. It might be sup-
posed, from all the other stanzas having
been introduced by a denunciatory "ὅτ,
wo, that a transposition has here taken
place, and that the nineteenth ought to
be read before the eighteenth: and
Green has thus placed them in his trans-
lation ; but there is a manifest propriety
in anticipating the inutility of idols, in
close connection with what the prophet
had just announced respecting the down-
fall of Babylon, before delivering his
904
Overlaid with gold and silver,
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. III,
But there is no breath at all within it.
‘20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple ;
Keep silence before him all the earth,
denunciation against their worshippers
themselves, 53» in both instances, is used
as a relative pronoun, as in Gen. iii. 19.
iv. 25; Is. lvii. 20. The idol is called
** a teacher of falsehood,”’ on account of
the lying oracles that were connected
with its worship. or these verses, com-
pare Is. xliv. 9-20; Jer. x. In the
latter part of the nineteenth verse, the
language is highly and pointedly ironi-
cal. πὴ nam, ἐξ teach! is an em-
phatic form of putting a question which
requires a negative reply. τ} forms a
paronomasia with τι Δ) in the preceding
verse. NIM 3H, there it is. Such is
place — it not being followed as usual by
the accusative, but for the sake of mak-
ing the idol more prominent, by the
nominative case.
20. In striking contrast with the utter
nihility of idols, Jehovah is here intro-
duced, at the close of the prophecy, as
the invisible Lord of all, occupying his
celestial temple, whence he is ever ready
to interpose his omnipotence for the de-
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-
found silence. Ps, Ixxvi. 8, 9; Zeph.
* the force of the interjection mam in this i.7; Zech. ii, 18.
CB APT π᾿ 71:
TuouGH forming a distinct whole, this chapter is intimately connected with the two pre-
ceding, 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 intro-
duction, 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 Protestants,
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 interpreta-
tion. But the principal point of disagreement relates to the theophania, or Divine inter-
position, so sublimely set forth, ver. 3—15. According to the Targum, Abarbanel, Aben-
ezra, Tarnoyius, Munster, Clarius, Drusius, Schnurrer, Herder, Michaelis, Green, Lowth,
Tingstadius, Eichhorn, Justi, Hesselberg, Ackermann. and Ewald, the prophet adverts to
the wonderful displays of the power and majesty of God during the early history of the
Hebrews. Maurer, Hitzig, and Delitzsch, on the other hand, contend that the future in-
terposition of Jehovah for the destruction of the Chaldeans, is what he exclusively con-
templates. The last-mentioned author has not only gone at great length, and with much
minuteness, into the subject, but appears to have exhausted all his critical and exegetical
Cuap. III. EAN ASE IS Ue, 9052
ingenuity in his attempt to establish his hypothesis. Taking for granted that δὰ sist » ver.
8, 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-
ganic structure of the ode; from the connection of "M272 and 7391, ver. 16; and from
certain features of the picture itself, that what he calls the lyric-prophetical view is alone
to be admitted. I must, however, confess, that after a careful examination. of his argu-
ments, 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 reg-
ular and specific recital of distinct facts is exhibited in the tableau, cannot fairly be
urged against this interpretation, since such a recital would ill accord with the enthusi-
asm and impetuosity which are so characteristic of the ode asa species of poetry. The
abrupt and rapid transitions of the prophet did not admit of more than a slight, though
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 pos-
sible 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
are at once accounted for,
As parallels to this ode, we may adduce Deut. xxxiii. 2—5; Jud. v. 4,5; Ps. Ixviii. 7,
8, Ixxvii. 13—20, exiv.; Is. Ixiii. 11—14. That the Holy Spirit availed himself, so to
speak, of some of these passages in presenting the subject to the view of the prophet,
there can, I think, be little doubt. The agreement in point of phraseology, especially as
it respects Ps. lxxvii. 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.
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 embel-
lishing 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 fora 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 per-
fect 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 mbo, Selah, occurring verses 3, 9, 13.
The chapter begins with the title and introduction, ver. 1,2. Habakkuk then repre-
sents Jehovah as appearing in glorious majesty on Sinai, 8,4; 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,
6—10; 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, 12—15. The pro-
phet concludes by resuming the subject of the introduction, 16; and strongly asserting
his unshaken confidence in God in the midst of anticipated calamity, 17—19.
1 <A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet: with triumphal music.
1. £m, usually rendered prayers, supplications, etc., or not. Hence it is ap-
comprehends all kinds of devotional com- plied to all the Psalms of David collect-
position, whether abounding in petitions, ively, Ps. lxxii. 20; and is otherwise
39
906
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. III.
2 O Jehovah! I heard the report of thee, I was afraid ;
O Jehovah! revive thy work in the midst of the years ;
only used in the inscriptions of Psalms
xvii. Ixxxvi. xc. cii. exlii. The term is
derived from $=, to separate, distin-
guish ; cognate to 758; and so to form
an opinion or judgment, to judge, give a
verdict. In Hithpael the verb signifies
to apply to a judge for a favorable decis-
ion, to supplicate, pray, etc.; and is em-
ployed at the commencement of the song
of Hannah, 1 Sam, ii. 1. Though the
only precatory sentences are those con-
tained in ver. 2, yet there are several in-
stances of direct address to God, which
impart to the ode one of the characteris-
tic feature of prayer. The Lamed pre-
fixed in ppan> is that of authorship.
réstag ty. That this is a musical term
seems beyond dispute, from similar terms
occurring in the titles of the psalms, such
as moran—tz, tbs nit? $9, ete. For
the explanation of the noun, which only
occurs here, and in the singular 7.738, in
the title of Ps. vii., different methods
have been proposed. Bauer, Herder,
Perschke, De Wette, Rosenmiiller, Lee,
Hitzig, and Maurer, have recourse to the
Arabic os, anxius, tristis, mastus
fuit, and render pista 9, after the man-
ner of elegies, but there seems no reason
deducible either from the present ode or
from the Psalm, why they should be
thus characterized, or why they should
be sung to a plaintive tune, but the con-
trary. Others, as Wahl, Justi, Gesenius,
derive the word from the Syriac Le,
9
carmen, cantus, to which it has justly
been objected, that it is too vague and
indefinite to admit of adoption. The
LXX , indeed, have ψάλμος in the Psalm,
and here ὠδῆς ; but without any apparent
reference to the specific meaning of the
term. Other philologists more reason-
ably content themselves with =3%, an in-
Pasa >
in Pael, -- cecinit, whence | dow
digenous Hebrew verb in common use,
signifying to err, wander, reel, etc. This
interpretation Aquila, Symm., and the
fitth Greek version so far support, ren-
dering ἐπὶ ἀγνοημάτων, which Jerome
adopts, on the principle that τιν signi-
fies to sin through ignorance. To this
derivation Hengstenberg has recently
given his adhesion (Comm. on Psalms,
vol. i. p. 144), but most preposterously
affirms, that in our ode the sins cr crimes
of the Chaldeans are intended. There
is nothing either in the Psalm or in the
song of Habakkuk to warrant the ap-
propriation of any such signification of
the term. ‘The most probable explana-
tion is that given by Delitzsch, who is
of opinion that 5"): means a dithyram-
bos, or cantio erratica, a species of rhyth-
mical composition, which, from its enthu-
siastic irregularity, is admirably adapted
for songs of victory or triumph. It
is obvious, however, from the estab
lished use of the preposition $y «pon,
after the manner of, or accompanied with,
in the titles of the Psalms, that the plu-
ral m*>%3z, to which, in like manner, it
is here prefixed, must be understood as
describing a corresponding kind of music
with which the ode was to be accompa-
nied. The translation of Theodotion,
ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑκουσιασμῶν, t.e. as Jerome in-
terprets the words, pro voluntariis, has,
in all probability, some such reference.
2. The yz, report of Jehovah, here
referred to by the prophet, does not
mean what God had communicated to
him, but a report respecting Jehovah, or
the punishment which he had threatened
to inflict upon the Jews for their sins.
The genitive is that of object. That it
cannot refer to what follows in the ode
is certain, since the exhibition there giy-
en of the Divine interposition for the
overthrow of the enemies of his people
was calculated to inspire the prophet
with joy, and not with the fear of which
Cuapr. III.
HABAKKUK.
307
In the midst of the years make it known:
In wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman ;
The Holy One from mount Paran: Pause.
he declares he was conscious. His prayer
also, that while punishment was being
inflicted, 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 predic-
tion chap. i. 6-11. The fear with which
the prophet was seized, he particularly
describes ver. 16. By “5.5, thy work,
Abarbanel, Kimchi ,Schnurrer, Justi, and
some others, understand the Jews, on the
ground that they are designated the ὃ: 3,
work of Jehovah’s hands, Is. xlv. 11; but
the simple occurrence of the same word,
irrespective of the specific claims of the
connection, cannot justify such a con-
struction of the meaning. In chap. i. 5,
the term is used of the Divine judgment
upon the Jews, as it also is Is. v. 12, and
of that upon their enemies, Ps. lxiy. 9.
This latter sense, which involves the ex-
ercise of the power and goodness of God
on behalf of his people, alone suits the
present context. Comp. Ps. xc. 16.
What the prophet prays for is the re-
newal of such interposition. This he
expresses by the strong term FAM, guich-
en, restore to life, which suggests the
idea of a cessation of the avenging and
delivering power of the Most High. It
had been, in regard to its exertion, asif
it had been dead, and required to be
called forth afresh into action. Thus
Jarchi: 3453 anny Pwsin Jeb on
Dw WS AAS aw 2473 15 ΞἼΝΩ 1d
aw ams aid inves. Thy
former work, when thou didst avenge us
of our enemies, in the midst of the years
of the calamity in which we live, revive
ἐξ, 1. 6. rouse it up, cause it to return.
Comp. Is. li. 9, 10. No stress is to be
laid on the phrase p72 57,3, in the
midst of the years, from which Bengel
deduced so much fanciful support to his
chronological calculations; maintaining
that the middle point of the years of
the world is meant. Ὡ 3: are unques-
tionably the years, or period of affliction,
which was to come upon the Jewish peo-
ple. 2773 is not to be taken in the
strict acceptation of the middle point of
any given period of time, but is, as fre-
quently, only a more emphatic preposi-
tive form, instead of 5, 7m. The meaning,
therefore, simply is, During the period
of suffering, or, in the course of our
punishment by the Chaldeans, interpose
for our deliverance. Symm. ἐντὸς τῶν
ἐνιαυτῶν. To give pathos to the lan-
guage, the phrase is repeated ; and ys"4in
is added, as synonymous with 55m,
the suffix of which is to be understood,
though not expressed. The verb 5 Ἴ, ¢o
know, is here used in the sense of expe-
riencing, knowing by experience. En,
the infinitive, is to be regarded as an ac-
cusative. Comp. Ps. xxv. 6: ΤΣ δὰ 1-755
men chive “> Joni nin. It is
merely necessary to exhibit ie 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-
ferent readings, some of them probably
marginal glosses, and that it would be
most unwarrantable to attempt any cor-
rection of the Hebrew text by it: Κύριε,
εἰσακήκοα τὴν ἀκοήν σου, καὶ ἐφοβήϑην,
κατανοήσα τὰ ἔργα σοῦ καὶ ἐξέστην" ἐν
μέσῳ δύο ζώων γνωσϑθήσῃ ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν
τὰ ἔτη emvyypwodyon ἐν τὸ παρεῖναι τὸν
καιρὸν ἄναδειχϑήσῃ, ἐν τῷ ταραχϑῆναι τὴν
ψυχήν μου, ἐν ὀργῆ ἐλέους μνησϑήσῃ.
3. mite is not used by any of the
minor prophets except Habakkuk, and
by him only here, and chap. i. 11. It
occurs four times in Daniel, and once in
Isaiah, but never in Jeremiah or Ezekiel.
There is no foundation whatever for the
908
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. IIL
His splendor covered the heavens,
And the earth was full of his praise.
position assumed by Gesenius and some
others, that this use of the singular be-
longs to the later Hebrew, though it is
allowed to belong to the poetic diction.
It is employed forty times in the book of
Job, one of the most ancient specimens
of Hebrew composition extant, and twice
by Moses, Deut. xxxii. ONE Holy,
which is here parallel to 745s , God, also
occurs in this application to express the
absolute purity of the Divine Being, Job
vi. 10; Is. xl. 25; and in the plural,
Ἐ" wap, Proy.ixsl0;, sxx; ko 3) Os. 9 Sa
1. Delitzsch contends, that, as Nat is
unimfluenced by any preceding preterite,
it cannot possibly be taken otherwise
than as strictly future in signification, as
itisin form. But this is not the only
instance in which the future stands ab-
solutely at the commencement of a sen-
tence or paragraph, yet clearly indicating
a past transaction, Thus Num. spits 7,
ἘΠΕ ye, pba Π:; Jud. ii. 1, nbz
pris. camry; 2 ‘Sam. iii. 33, néy 2271
338 nie San; Job ili, 3, Ds. sas
Samba; Ps, Ixxx. 9, ΣΟ DTS 2 FEA.
The idiom, i in these and similar cases, is
sufficiently accounted for on the princi-
ple that the speaker places himself, in
imagination, anterior to the action ex-
pressed by the verb, and thus, regarding
it as still future, puts the verb in that
tense. 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
their affliction in Egypt, in their deliy-
erance from which that mercy was sig-
nally displayed; and assuming that as
his point of observation, he proceeds at
once to describe the Theophania as fu-
ture in regard to such position. The
past, thus implied, though not expressed,
as completely modifies a future tense, as
if a preterite, or any qualifying particle,
had preceded it. ἡ, Teman, the
LXX. retain as a proper name: the
Targ., Syr., Theod., Vulg., and many
modern versions road: the south. The
word is doubtless to be taken as desig-
nating the country to the south of Judea,
and east of Idumea, in which latter
country Mount Paran (ἼΣΝΞ "m) was
situated. Some, indeed, haye endeavored
to indentify this mountain with Sinai, on
the ground that ων sol 5 Wady
Pheiran, which ae nor Sig est from
Sinai, is the same as TIS ἽΞ 5, the
desert of Paran, mentioned in Scripture.
But although this desert might have
stretched so far towards the south-west as
to touch upon the Wady, and so give it
the name, it is certain, from Paran being
mentioned in connection with Kadesh
and Beersheba, that the wilderness of
that name extended to the southern con-
fines of Palestine, including the moun-
tainous region tothe west of the Ghor,
or great valley stretching from the Dead
Sea to the Elanitic gulf. In 1 Kings xi.
18, it is spoken of as lying between Mi-
dian and Egypt. From Sinai occurring
along with Seir and Paran, Deut. xxxiii.
2, and with Seir and the country of
Edom, Jud. v. 4, 5, it is probable that
Habakkuk here Aone to the regions to
the south of Palestine generally, as the
theatre of the Divine manifestations to
Israel, only, like Moses and Deborah,
specifying the two points nearer to that
country. In this view, his omission of
Sinia, which they notice, is not of mate-
rial moment. The glorious displays of
the power and majesty of Jehovah which
had been made in that quarter occupied
his thoughts, and inspired him with feel-
ings of the most exalted devotion. sto,
Selah. This word, which occurs thrice
in this ode, and seventy-three times in
the Psalms, has been variously inter-
preted. That it is a musical sign is
now almost universally admitted. It is
found at the end of certain sections, or
stropes, and always at the close of a verse,
Caap. III.
HABAKKUK.
909
4 The brightness was like that of the sun,
Rays streamed from his hand,
Yet the concealment of his glory was there.
except Hab. iii. 3,9; Ps. lv. 20, lvii. 4;
where however, as always, it ends the
hemistich. Sometimes it occurs at the
end of a Psalm, as Ps. iii. ix. and xxiv.
The current, and apparently the tradi-
tionary interpretation, is that of the
Targ. ὙΌΣ; Aq. ἀεί; Symm. some-
times εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; Theod. sometimes
eis τέλος; the V. Greek version, διαπαν-
tos; but Symm. and Theod. most com-
monly coincide with the LXX., who
uniformly render, διάψαλμα. This last
translation is decidedly entitled to the
preference, in so far as it confines the idea
to the music, though the exact meaning
even of this Greek term has been matter
of dispute. Suidas, however, seems to
come nearest to the mark, when he gives
as its meaning μέλους ἐναλλαγή, a change
of the modulation, and with him Hesy-
chius agrees, explaining it by μέλους
διαλλαγή. The hypothesis that 7p is
merely an abbreviation, consisting of the
initial letters of three Hebrew words, is
altogether gratuitous, there not being the
least shadow of evidence that the Jews,
in ancient times, ever employed abbrevi-
ations. Pfeiffer, in his work, Die Musik
der Alten Hebr. p. 17, proposes to ex-
plain the term by the Arab iy
membrum, or section; Prof. Lee, by
s she, $YLo, which he renders, Dez
tnvocatio, and derives from bo;
he blessed; but neither of the deriva-
tions will suit all the passages in which
it occurs. Indeed, dless! or praise!
would come in most incongruously in
such connections as Ps. vil. 5, xxxix. 5,
11; hi. 8. Of thetwo Hebrew roots to
which the word has been referred, tbo ᾿
to raise, elevate, and mbo , Which, besides
signifying to raise, has been supposed to
“be equivalent to nb3, to rest, pause, the
latter, on the whole, seems to deserve
the preference. There are several in-
stances in which the letter ὦ has been
softened into Ὁ, as in 34> ak) and T7495 5
“uD and =15 ; just as, in most cases, we
. This
derivation, in which Gesenius finally
acquiesced, has been approved of by
Delitzsch and Hengstenberg. The term
may be regarded as a substantive, signi-
fying silence or pause ; designed, in all
probability, to command a cessation of
the song or chant, while the instruments
either repeated what had just been
played, or introduced an interlude be-
tween the parts. At the end of a psalm
it may have been intended to prevent a
repetition on the part of the singers,
while the instrumental music continued.
Having, by a solemn pause, prepared the
mind for the contemplation of the mani-
fested glory of Jehovah, the prophet pro-
ceeds to describe this glory in the most
sublime and magnificent language. By
min splendor or brightness, as the Targ.,
Kimchi, and Hitzig interpret; nor dees
it here express ἐπε actual praises of the
inhabitants of the earth produced by the
effulgence of Deity, for the effect of this
effulgence is described, ver. 6, to be fear
and trembling; but matter of praise, or
the glory which was calculated to call
forth universal adoration.
4, By 4s we are not here to under-
stand light simply, but the swn as the
source of light. Comp. Job xxxi. 26,
xxxvii. 21. The Kametz of the article
in > renders the noun more definite.
nIIM which Heidenheim would con-
nect with yusn and Hitzig withtntan,
in the BENE ve verse, can have no other
nominative than πιὰ, which, like other
substantives in the Oriental languages,
expressive of fire or light, is conceived
to be of the feminine gender, or it may
be regarded as neuter in signification.
find it expressed in Arabic by
910
5 Before him went the plague ;
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. IIL.
The burning pestilence followed him.
6 He stood, and made the earth to tremble;
Tle looked, and caused the nations to shake ;
The old mountains were shattered in pieces,
The ancient hills sank down —
His ancient ways.
and so taking the feminine of the verb.
That by moan, horns, we are here to
understand rays, is obvious from the
connection, from the comparison of the
rising sun scattering his rays upon the
eatth to the gazelle, Ps. xxii. 1, and
from its being common with the Arabs
to compare them to the horns of that
animal. Thus the Arab. wy cornu
animalis, latus superior pars solis, primi
radiis solis. Kamoos and Djauhari.
Hence, the verb 4p signifies to emit
rays, Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30, 35. Though
in the dual, the noun, like others of that
number which describe objects naturally
existing in pairs, is here expressive of the
plural. Comp. o~$aq vans, Lev. xi.
23; 0720 δ, 1 Sam. 11,18; Dia 72 83,
Ezek. xxi. 12; and see my note on Is,
vi. 2; p1a°y nyse, Zech. iii. 9. The
phrase $5372 from his hand, is equiva-
. lent to 425292 , from him; and a verb of
flowing, streaming, or the like, must be
supplied. 4% is the dative of possession.
nw, there, refers to the scene of splendor
just described, which, though so exces-
sively bright, instead of exhibiting the
Divine glory, only veiled or concealed it.
Comp. Ps. civ. 2. The LXX., Syr., Aq.,
and Symm., have read ty} , and he put,
instead of ew-, and there, and are fol-
lowed by Hitzig and Maurer, but this
rendering is less apt. τῷ, in such con-
nection denotes majesty or glory rather
than power. Comp. Ps. exxxii. 8,
Ixxviil. 61, For =39 many MSS. read
47>, the regular affix. Whether the
substratum of the vivid representation
here furnished of the glorious majesty of
of Jehovah be the symbol of the Divine
presence exhibited upon Mount Sinai,
Exod. xxiv. 17, or the Shekinah which
accompanied the Hebrews through the
desert, chap. xvi. 7,10; Lev. ix. 23, x].
35, etc., cannot be τ κεν. See on
ver. 3.
ὃ. τ , from ἘΣ» to inflame, has
two leading significations, that of light-
ning, or flame, and that of hot, or burn-
ing fever. he latter is required in the
present case to correspond to -27 , plague
in the preceding hemistich: a circum-
stance which forbids the adoption of the
precarious rendering, birds of prey,
though supported by the Syr., Aq.,
Symm., Theod., the V. Greek version,
Michaelis, Schnurrer, Herder, Kofod,
Dahl, Rosenmiiller, and others; as well
as that of lightning, adopted by Kalinsky,
Wahl, Bauer and others; and burning
coals, aS in our common version. ‘Thus
Kimchi: S325 ἼΣΣπὶν sat 25 ses
sini, Fun wands 451, ΤΊΣΙ nidcs
TAs" NP WMVT Ash Sy ΓΤ ἡ Sn
moana, ὅν e. Sw corresponds to -a7,
the same thing being expressed in differ-
ent words. ‘The word has the same sig-
nification. Deut. xxxii. 24, and denotes
the fever, which consists in a burning
heat, and speedily causes death.” The
Vulg. has, “ Et egredietur diabolus ante
pedes ejus!” %a5> xz> or 5m, means
to track or follow any one. Here it is
opposed to 4>: eB, before him. What
the prophet has in view, would seem to
be the plagues with which the enemies
of the Hebrews were visited, of which
we have an instance 1 Sam. y, 9, 11.
6. 374a51 M22, forms an easy and ele-
gant paronomasia, and, at the same time,
exhibits one of the boldest, most abrupt,
Cuap. III.
HABAKKUK.
311
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble ;
The tent-curtains of Midian trembled.
8 Was it against the rivers it burned, O Jehovah ?
and sublime turns to be found in sacred
poetry. While Jehovah is marching
‘forth for the deliverance of his people,
he stops all of a sudden in his progress,
the immediate effects of which are uni-
versal consternation and terror. Nature,
in her strongest and most ancient forma-
tions, is broken in pieces before him.
The inhabitants of the earth tremble at
his look. "πη may either be the Poel
of 17170 , to measure, or the Pilel of 71%,
which, like the Arab. dle, signifies to
be agitated The latter derivation best
suits the connection. LXX. ἐσαλεύϑη
n γῆ: Targ. Seas ΚΟΤΕ. Arab.
δ) masses. Comp. the cog-
nate 12:2. Thus Gesenius, Lee, Maurer,
Ewald, Heidenheim, Hesselberg, Del-
itzsch. The primary idea conveyed by
sna is that of bounding, springing up,
as a person does when overtaken by sud-
den fear. In 5 sBn? we have all the
force of intensive verbs, heightened in
effect by the harsh sound of the redupli-
cated Tzade. ‘58 signifies to break or
dash in pieces, and also to hte dis-
perse. For sy—>-457 and D+» ΓὴΣ
comp. Gen. xlix. 26; Deut. xxxiii. τὰ
55 ΒΒ nis sn, ΗΝ ancient ways, I
consider to be epexegetical of the preced-
ing; and nsx is to be taken in the
same sense as p37 in the sentence
bgmeos mews wa, Job xl. 19, which
describes the hippopotamus as ‘the first
or principal of the ways of God,’’ ὁ, e. his
creative acts, his works. The words may
be resolved into 43 gy Ὁ» nisdn,
or into 4243 rasts . 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-
\
mies of his people, are the ideas conveyed
by the language of the prophet.
ἧ- Woman, “ under aftliction,” is
more pexpressive than 4:82, “im afilic-
tion,” as it suggests the idea of a heavy
load by which those spoken of were op-
pressed. 425, Cushan, is now generally
admitted to be the same as w35, Cush,
as 34>, Lotan, Gen. xxxvi. 20, is only
another form of v4 , Lot ; but whether
it be intended to designate the African
or the Arabian Cush is disputed. Ge-
senius, Maurer, Delitzsch, and others,
contend for the former; but the connec-
tion of the name with that of 4.47,
Midian, is decidedly in favor of the latter.
For 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-
tended, does not appear. Midian appears
to have stretched from the eastern shores
of the Elanitic Gulf to Mount Sinai,
and the frontiers of Moab. Edrisi speaks
of a town called (.»sch0, Madian,
about five days’ journey from Ailah, or °
Akabah, and six from Tubuk. The
“tents” and ‘curtains’ describe the
nomadic mode of life as still found
among the Bedawin of the Arabian des-
erts. τὸ, the coverings of the tents,
so called from their tremulous motion
when hanging down like curtains and
affected by the wind. The word is here
used merely as a synonyme of tthe,
tents ; and both are put by metonymy
for the persons dwelling in them.
8. The prophet rising in his graphic
description of the ancient manifestations
of Jehovah, now by a bold apostrophe
inquires why the rivers were affected by
them? ‘Was it on account of any cause
in the rivers? The implied answer is,
No; and the true cause is assigned at the
919
ἨΑΒΑΚΚΥυκΚκ.
Cuap. III,
Was thine anger against the rivers ?
Was thy wrath against the sea ? -
That thou didst ride upon thy horses,
In thy chariots of victory.
9 Naked and bared was thy bow,
“Sevens of spears” was the word: Pause.
Thou didst cleave the earth into rivers,
close of the verse — the safe and victori-
ous deliverance of the Israelites from
Egypt, and their introduction into Ca-
naan. 77> is in the vocative, and the
subject of the verb nn is Fes, in the
second hemistich. Den, the rivers,
mean the waters of the Red Sea, and the
Jordan, which were dried up to allow
them to pass over on foot. The former
is not indeed a river, but may not in-
aptly be included under the term, on
account of the flowing of the tide, which
is said to rise at Suez to about the height
of seven feet. On the miraculous diyis-
ion of the sea, recorded Exod. Xiv., it
was made to go or flow back the whole
night, ver. 21, For the application of
=m2 tothe stream tide of the Mediter-
ranean, See Jonah ii. 4, That the rivers
of Cush should be intended is altogether
out of the question. Specifically, how-
ever, to mark out the Red Sea, it is after-
wards expressly called => in the third
hemistich. Comp. as parallel with the
present verse, Exod. xv. ; Ps. xxvii. 13,
exiv. 3,5. Jehovah is here, and in the
following verses, represented as a mighty
and victorious warrior, giving orders to
his army, and, in triumphant progress,
carrying all before him. Comp. Exod.
xv. 3, Xiv. 14. oy, anger, and m 32,
wrath, are synonymes, only the latter is
the stronger of the two, signifying unre-
strained indignation ; from “22, to pass
over, or beyond a boundary. By * horses”
and “ chariots,” there is no necessity for
our understanding either the angels, or
thunder and lightning, as some would
interpret. They are merely figurative
expressions, designed to carry out the
metaphor adopted from military opera-
tions. In the phrase meas) PNB,
supply ἘΣ» wpon, before the former word,
and repeat ns" , chariots, before the
latter. Comp. for instances of similar
construction, bon “ys, 2 Sam. xxii,
33. a3 "Om, Ps. Ixxi. 7; Det Font,
Ezek. xvi, 27.—r3537 has in such con-
nection, the specific signification of vic-
tory, though the idea of salvation or
deliverance, as the result, is not to be
lost sight of.
9. The combination aésn ming, which
forms a paronomasia, determines the sig-
nification of "ἢ, as here employed, to
be that of being dare or naked, and not
that of rousing or exciting. For though
the Piel "τὸν is used of the lifting up
of a spear, there would be no propriety
in thus applying it to a bow: whereas
the substantive πον, nakedness, having
just been employed, nothing was more
natural than to add ston, to be bared
— =a» being thus cognate in signification
with maz, from which ΤῊΣ is derived,
and with n42. ΤΣ, is used adjectively,
as in mwa35 phy ms, Ezek. xvi. 7.
~ 42m isnot the second, but the third per-
son singular in Niphal, having for its
nominative mvp, which is of the com-
mon gender, Some of the moderns have
explained nop, of the rainbow, than
which nothing can be conceived more
incongruously out of place in a passage
containing a sublime poetical description
of warlike operations. The making bare
the bow, refers to the removal of the cover
in which it was carefully wrapped, to
prevent its receiving injury, or of such a
leathern case as the ywpurds, κωγρυτὺς
corytus, of the Greeks and Romans. Of
the following words, 438 mya τὴ ΣῸΣ
Cuap. III.
᾿
᾿
HABAKKUK.
313
10 The mountains saw thee, they were in pain ;
The inundation of water overflowed ;
The abyss uttered its voice,
It raised its hands on high.
upwards of one hundred different inter-
pretations have 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 ety-
mological grounds. That mhy2% cannot
signify oaths, is determined by the cir-
cumstance that * the oaths of the tribes,”
the rendering of our common version,
affords no tolerable sense as here intro-
duced, whether we regard the tribes as
the persons swearing, or as those to
whom oaths were sworn. The other sig-
nification of myqaw , is seven, a heptade,
or what is made up of seven. It is else-
where literally applied only to this num-
ber of weeks; but in connection with
language so highly figurative as that of
our prophet in the present chapter, no
objection can reasonably be taken against
its being used otherwise than as a desig-
nation of time. It appears to have been
appropriated by him, to express the per-
fection, fulness, or abundance, of the
number, instead of the usual numeral
229 or F223, when employed symboli-
cally as a “sacred and indefinite number.
mu72 signifies a tribe, but also, as v2¥,
2 Sam. xviii. 14, a lance or spear; and
that the latter signification is that in
which Habakkuk here uses it may be
inferred from his using it in this accep-
oe in the 14th verse. Thus the Syr.
(3 . ‘vas has been variously rendered
by word, promise, epicinium, commander,
ete. I take it in the first of these signi-
fications, as specifically designating the
military order, or Bes of command.
Compare Ps. Ixviii. 12. —gk—\n> τὸ πὶ
“the Lord gave the sere ” ete. Thus,
sys, like the Arab. " signifies to
crder, command. The meaning of the
40
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 and effective instrumentality to bear
against the enemies of his people. The
nominative to s72" is not VS, as some
would construe the words, ne mn un-
derstood from the suffix in ‘Sn Up
Comp. 927923 pons ypas, Ps. Ixxviii.
15. Before nnn ‘supply 5 or 3; to
cleave into rivers. The effect of the Di-
vine command is sublimely represented
under the idea of that which is frequently
produced by earthquakes, when immense
quantities of water gush out of the fis-
sures, and flow like rivers through the
country. The whole verse is distin-
guished for its sublimity and beauty ;
and the sentiment conveyed in the two
first lines was regarded as so weighty that
anbo, Selah, or pause, is added, to give
time for its producing its proper effect be-
fore supplementing the concluding line.
10. The mountains being the most
‘prominent objects on the surface of the
globe, Habakkuk reiterates, in a somewhat
different form, what he had expressed,
ver. 6, in order to preserve the impression
of the tremendous character of the trans-
actions, to illustrate which they had been
figuratively introduced. In the former
case mS4 is used of Jehovah; in this, of
the mountains, which are, by a bold fig-
ure, represented as inspired with life, and
capable of taking sensible cognizance of
the manifestations of Deity. To express
the instantaneous character of the effect,
ib-, they quaked, is put in the future.
The root $45 or ἘΠῚ properly signifies
to twist, writhe, as with pain, and is fre-
quently used of a woman in travail. It
is also employed in the sense of guaking
or trembling, which idea is conveyed by
it in this place.
914
HABAKKUK.
Cuap. III.
11 Sun and moon stood back in their habitation
At the light of thine arrows which flew,
At the glittering brightness of thy lance.
12 Indignant thou didst march through the earth ;
Wrathful thou didst tread down the nations.
13 Thou wentest forth for the deliverance of thy people,
« Silvarum juga coepta moveri
Adventante Deo.” Virgil,
tw. Dar, @ torrent of water, i. 6. an ex-
tremely *heavy rain, in contradistinction
from 743 O77, @ hail storm, 15. xxviii.
2. rin, elevation, is used adverbially,
By snot, the elongated pronominal
form of 3777, ts hands, is meant the
waves of the ocean. ὐπὸ, the ocean,
its antecedent, is of both genders. The
whole of nature is here exhibited as
thrown into consternation at the ap-
proach of God. The mountains tremble ;
the heavens pour down sweeping torrents
of rain; the sea roars, and causes its bil-
lows to “run mountains high.” Comp.
Ps. lxxvir. 17:
11. πρὶ 229 form an asyndeton, and
are probably so put for the sake of effect.
In many MSS., however, the ellipsis
of the ἡ is supplied. The paragogic = in
n ἘΞ τ isthat of direction or motion, and
the ‘idea which it conveys, as here used
with the verb ay, 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
they stood back or withdrew into that
locality. It was usual with the Arabian
astronomers to assign houses or chambers
to the celestial orbs. Thus Sei . man-
sio, domus, is the name of the signs ᾿
the Zodiac; and cat! hs, ¢
circle of the Baie which the sun occu-
pies. Job, likewise, speaks of 53h “471m,
the chambers of the south, antithetically
with the northern constellations, ch. ix.
9; as also of τὴ 2, chap. xxxviii. 32,
the same as myb1a, inns or lodgings,
2 Kings xxiii, 5. That specific reference
is made to what is recorded Josh, x. 12,
is, after the Targ., very generally admit-
ted; but, though it were granted that
the event there described may have sug-
gested the language of the prophet, yet
the point of view in which he presents
the heavenly luminaries is altogether dif-
ferent. In the history, the construction
to be put upon their standing still or
being arrested in their course, is obyi-
ously their continuing to shine, in order
to afford light to Joshua, while following
up his victory over the enemy ; whereas,
in the present connection, they are sub-
limely introduced as retiring into their
abode before the brighter refulgence of
the arrows and lances employed in the
conflict. So completely were they eclipsed
by this refulgence, that it seemed as if
they had set. Schnurrer and Justi inter-
pret the language of their remaining in
their habitation, in the sense of not ris-
- ing, but the = of motion is directly
‘opposed to such construction. The 5 in
mis and = ma3> is the dative of cause, as
in "a> t1n> rtd, “at, or owing to
this, my heart trembled, ” Job xxxvii. 1.
Supply ss before y>5m°, which is put
in Piel for the purpose in marking the
velocity of the motion of the arrows.
The words ἣν and #35, which are else-
where used of the light of the sun and
the moon respectively, are here trans-
ferred to the glitter of the weapons spec-
ified.
12. sy: , to march, is used of the sol-
emn and majestic proceeding of Jehovah
before the Hebrews, Judges v. 4; Ps.
Ixvili. 8. wins, to thresh or tread down,
is applied metaphorically to the destruc-
tion of enemies, Micah iy. 13.
15, Having described, in language of
Cuap. III.
HABAKKUK.
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: Pause.
the most sublime and terrible import, the
manifestations of Jehovah in reference to
his enemies, Habakkuk now proceeds to
specify in express terms the end which
they were designed to answer, viz., the
deliverance and safety of his chosen peo-
ple; and then depicts their fatal effects
in the destruction of every hostile power.
The second y3-4 is employed instead of
the infinitive y> 34-5 , and thus governs
the accusative Fu sdie—nys. These last
words Aq. and the author of the fifth
Greek version render εἰς σωτηρίον σὺν
Χριστῷ cov, and the Vulg. im salutem
|cum Christo tuo, which has led many in-
terpreters, both ancient and modern, to
refer 712, the anointed, to our Sa-
viour. This construction of the passage is
adopted even by Delitzsch, on the prin-
ciple that as the term here designates the
regal office of those who were of the
Davidie dynasty, and Christ is repre-
sented as the greatest king of that family,
consequently THe ANOINTED by way of
eminence, he is to be regarded as included
in the prophetic reference. By the law
of parallelism, however, we are compel-
led to identify πο}, thine anointed,
with 5:22, thy people, in the preceding
hemistich. The noun is thus a collective,
and is rendered in the plural by the
LXX. τοὺς χριστούς σου, or, as in the
Alex. MS., τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς cov. The
plural "ΤΙ" 37 is actually found in two
of Kennicott’s MSS., and apparently in
two more: in one of De Rossi’s and two
more originally. It is denied, indeed, by
Delitzsch, that n>2% , anointed, is ever
used of the people of Israel; and cer-
tainly none of the passages which have
usually been adduced in support of this
application of the term, can be fairly vin-
dicated to it, except, perhaps, Ps. xxviii.
8, where *m>z72 corresponds to 475 or
ΩΣ Β, according to the reading of six
MSS., originally three more, and the
rendering of the LXX., Syr., Vulg.,
Arab. Still, as the Hebrews were
ἘΠ πΞ mobs, ὦ kingdom of priests,
Exod. xix. 6, they may with as much
propriety be said to have been anointed,
as the patriarchs are, 1 Chron. xvi. 22 ;
Ps. cv. 15. The term, as thus applied,
expresses their destination. The Dagesh
forte is found in the initial 4 of 3x5 in
some editions, and is one of the few in-
stances of its occurrence in this letter,
contrary to rule. Comp. 1 Sam. i. 6,
x. 24; 2 Kings vi. 32; Prov. iii. 8, xiv.
10; Song v. 2; Jer. xxxix. 12; Ezek.
xvi. 4. Delitzsch accounts for it on the
principle of the word being short, and
occurring after a Milel. The prepositive
2 in ΓΞ} intimates, that the ruler here
spoken of as the head, was not merely
over the house, which the simple con-
struct form would have expressed, but
that he sprung from it. It is most prob-
able that one or other of the Canaanitish
kings is intended ; perhaps Jabin, whose
city Hazor is said to have been νι, 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
general sense of the concluding hemistich
is apparent; but considerable difficulty
attaches to the interpretation of =s13,
neck, as here connected with s4o> , foun-
dation. ‘This connection is so strongly
marked by the force of the preposition
=z, even to, that the former substantive
cannot be separated from the latter, and
referred to some supposable higher part
of the figurative building. It must, from
the structure of the language, describe
the very lowest part of the foundation,
or that on which the foundation itself
rests ; but how either of these could be
called the neck, it is impossible to con-
ceive. There is, therefore, very great
probability in the conjecture of Cappel-
910
HABAKKUK.
Crap. III.
14 Thou piercedst with his own spears the chief of his captains,
That rushed on like a tempest to scatter me;
Whose joy it was to devour the poor in secret.
15 Thou wentest with thy horses through the sea,
The boiling up of many waters.
16 I heard, and my inward parts trembled,
lus, which has been approved by Herder,
Green, and some others, that instead of
“xis, neck, the text originally read “3,
vock, which makes all plain. Both words
are derived from the same root; and
“Nix occurs with the κα, Neh. iii. 5. All
the MSS. and versions support the pres-
ent reading. r4-» is the infinitive abso-
lute, which is often employed in the
prosecution of a statement, instead of
the finite form of the verb. The histor-
ical facts which the prophet here poeti-
cally describes, appear evidently to be
those narrated Josh. xi. ; Judges iv., in-
volving the complete destruction of the
Canaanitish nations, and more especially
the discomfiture of Sisera, celebrated by
Deborah in her splendid triumphal song,
Judges v.
14. After a solemn pause, marked by
nto, Selah, Habakkuk prosecutes his
subject, which still embraces the discom-
fiture of the enemies of Israel. "512,
his own spears, the same as ΤΟ » ver.
9. Interpreters are divided in regard to
the signification of "τ , or, as it is in the
Keri, and in the text of a great number
of MSS., and of four of the early edi-
tions, "στ Ξ. The traditionary interpre-
tation is that of villagers, or the inhabi-
tants of the country; hence hordes,
which Delitzsch adopts, and explains it
of armies or soldiers. Thus the Vulg.,
capiti bellatorum ejus. Perschke, Ge-
senius, Ewald, and other moderns, how-
ever, derive the word from the Arab.
. segreyavit, discrevit, modum pre-
scripsit, statuit, ete., and explain it of
Judges, captains, ete., which appears to be
the more appropriate meaning. Thus the
ao
LXX., δυνάσται ; the Syr. Lhe.
--»
just as the former in the Vatican codex
render the cognate noun 44;~= , Judges
v. 7, 11, by δυνατοὶ, and the Ὗ ulg. by
Sor tes. The pronominal suffix refers to
von , the wicked, in the preceding verse.
Before 4720" supply zs. In using the
first personal suffix singular in the fol-
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 ensrdy is 148, his captains. In
the last’ ‘hemistich, ‘the object of compar-
ison is the robber who lies in wait for the
poor defenceless traveller, and exults
when he sees him approach. Such was
the exultation of the Canaanitish chiefs
when the Israelites entered the country.
Comp. Ps. x. 8—10.
15. 579: must either be taken as an
αὐδυβδι ἦν absolute, as to thy horses ; or
it must have a 3 supplied before it. The
latter I have adopted as the easier mode
of resolving the form. ‘12h describes
here the boiling up or foaming of the sea
in astorm. The immediate connection,
however, shows, that what the prophet
has in view is not the Red Sea, but the
hostile army of the Canaanites, which
presented a furious and impenetrable as-
pect to the Hebrews. Through this army
Jehovah is represented as walking with
his warriors, as if a general were coolly
to march his cavalry through the thick-
est of a proud and vaunting foe, which
he knew would prove utterly powerless
in the attack. Comp. Ps. ii. 4, where
Jehovah is said to smile at the puny
attempts of his enemies. .
16. Having finished the poetic rehear-
sal of the mighty acts of Jehovah on
behalf of his people in ancient times,
Cuap. IIL.
HABAKKUK.
317
At the sound my 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,
which he had composed in order to inspire
the pious with unshaken confidence in
him as their covenant God, Habakkuk
reverts to the fear which had seized him
on hearing of the judgments that were
inflicted upon his country by the Chal-
deans. “203 73971 "Mz is a varied
repetition of - “ANT? F220 (nny min ᾿
ver. 2. Instead of there entering into a
description of his feelings, he broke out
in an earnest prayer that God would
exercise pity toward Israel, from which
there was an easy transition to the an-
cient Divine interpositions. He now
describes those feelings in very forcible
and affecting language. ἢ, the voice,
is to be referred to the Divine threatening
recorded chap. i. 6. The quivering of
the prophet’s lips is merely expressive
of the effect of the fear with which he
was seized, and has no reference to his
delivery of the threatening. -”nn, lit-
erally wnder me, i. 6. my under parts,
limbs, or the like. Comp. the Arab.
᾿ξ. pars inferior. LXX. ὑποκ-
ἕξις μου. The
Syr. ees my knees. Jarchi and
Kimchi saipea , in my place. pitas “ΞῈ
has been variously rendered, “ That I may
rest ;” ** That I must expect ;” “Ὁ that
I might rest ;” ‘Yet I shall rest,” or
“have rest.” The last construction is
alone suitable. zs, which the LXX.
have entirely omitted, is here a conjunc-
tion, connecting the following clauses
with those which are antecedent to it,
but obviously 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. See Noldius, swb voce. Deep-
dtwsév μου ἐταράχϑη ἡ
ly as the prophet was affected, and over-
powering as were the feelings of appre-
hension with which he anticipated the
awful calamity that was coming upon
his people, he did nog 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. Noth-
ing can be more uncritical than the
emendation of 428 into max , proposed
by Houbigant, the verb mis or πιὸ hav-
ing no such signification as that which
he ascribes to it. The preposition > in
mas pied and nity> is to be taken as
signifying the time when the events were
to happen; in ty it is the sign of the
genitive ; so that ¢ zd nity is equivalent
ἴο ἘΞ nity, the coming up of the people.
‘The infinitive is the infinitive construct.
By the people, the Chaldeans are meant.
They are, as usual, said to come up, be-
cause of the elevated position of Jerusa-
lem, both in a local and a religio-political
point of view. Comp. 2 Kings xxiy. 1.
Before 427339 supply ax. The verb
sry, like its cognate 735 ᾿ signifies to cut,
or break im upon an enemy, attack.
Hence the substantive 7373, a troop or
band of warriors, chiefly used of such as
engage in plundering expeditions. It is
the very term employed in the account
given us of the fulfilment of the proph-
ecy, 2 Kings xxiv. 2; “ And the Lord
sent against him essys5 -1a7a—ns,
the bands of the Chaldeans,” etc. |
17, 18. From a statement of the as-
surance which he possessed of the mental
tranquillity which he should enjoy dur-
ing the anticipated calamity, Habakkuk
rises to a triumphant assertion of the
holy joy and exultation which would be
918
HABAKKUK.
Cuar. III.
And there should be no produce on the vines ;
Though the fruit of the olive should fail,
And the fields should yield no food;
Though the flocks should be cut off from the fold,
And there should be no cattle in the stalls:
18 Yet I will exult in Jehovah ;
I will be joyful in the God of my. salvation.
19 Jehovah the Lord is my strength;
He will make my feet like those of gazelles,
vouchsafed to him amidst all the desola-
tion to which his country might be sub-
jected. The desolation here so graphi-
cally and forcibly described, is that which
was to be effected by the Chaldeans,
whose army would consume or destroy
the best and most necessary productions
of the land; not only seizing upon the
eattle,.and devouring the fruits of the
earth, but so injuring the trees as to ren-
der them incapable of yielding any pro-
duce. The passage contains the most
beautiful exhibition of the power of true
religion to be found in the Bible. The
language is that of a mind weaned from
earthly enjoyments, and habituated to
find the highest fruition of its desires in
God. When every earthly stream is
dried up, it has an infinite supply in his
all-sufficient and exhaustless fulness. No
affliction, however severe or trying, can
cut the believer off from this blessed re-
source. On the contrary, its tendency is
to bring him into closer contact with it.
τι 272 is not the Jabor bestowed upon the
olive-tree, but the Sruit which the tree
produces. Comp. the phrase »—5 nee,
to make or produce fruit. The irregular
construction of the singular masculine
miz2 with the feminine plural τῆ
is to be accounted for on the principle,
that in the mind of the prophet both
number and gender had merged in the
totality and impressiveness of his subject.
Comp. bax ΓΘ 9, Is. xvi. 8. It is
what is commonly called, constructio ad
sensum. Some would refer ΣΙ 9 to
an obsolete root 633, which they take
to be cognate with 13, to burn; but it
seems preferable to regard it as a deriva-
tive like -7z, both signifying a smooth
or level field, such as was prepared for
grain or vines: from “10 , to break, and
“12, to be level, as ground is which is
broken up and levelled by the plough, the
hoe, and the harrow. τὰ is here used in-
transitively, and is equivalent to the Ni-
phal -333. m= stands for xbav , just
as τιτὴ Ὁ for sin, and npn for $ SOP
or mxwp- The root is nba , do shut up,
confine. ΤΑΣ and mb-sx are syno-
nymes in the elongated future— the +
directive expressing the strong bent of the
mind towards the exercise. The words
ἜΣΘ. smtsa are rendered in the Vulg.
in Deo Jesu meo! The LXX. have ἐπὶ
τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρί μου.
19. The formula ss man » instead
of mint "TaN, is of infrequent oceur-
rence, Comp. Ps, Ixviii. 21, exl. 8. The
language of this verse is found in Ps,
Xvili. 33, 34; and in part, Deut. xxxii.
133 Is. ly. 14. Τί expresses the con-
fident hope that Jehovah would prove
the support and defenee of the prophet,
and of all who made Him the object of
their trust, and that he would grant them
complete deliverance from their enemies,
and restore them to the full and undis-
turbed possession of their own land.
mba δ, the gazelle, is so swift-footed, that
grey-hounds are liable to be killed by
over-exertion in the chase. "55, my
high places, stands for “Στ riya, the
heights of my country. Except for
purposes of warfare, the elevated parts
Cuap. III.
HABAKKUK.
319
And cause me to walk on my heights.
To the precentor, with my stringed instruments.
of a land are the last that are occupied.
The present is the only instance in which
a musical direction is placed at the end
of a psalm or ode. m3%%, which oc-
curs fifty-five times in the titles to the
Psalms, is derived from the root 533 , to
overcome, excel, take the lead, direct,super-
intend, preside, etc. It is used in refer-
ence to the prefects or overseers, whom
Solomon appointed over the workmen, 2
Chron. ii. 2, 18; and specially of the
masters or directors of the music em-
ployed in the temple, 1 Chron. xv. 21;
Neh. xii. 42. By the LXX. m2} is
almost always rendered εἰς τὸ τέλος ; Aq.
τῷ γικοποιῷ § Symm. ἐπινίκιον ; Theod.
εἰς τὸ νίκος ; Targ. nnag$. In 2 Chron.
ii. 17, however, the LXX. render the
noun by ἐργοδιώκτης, and ver. 1, and
xxxiv. 13, by ἐπιστάτης. The form is
that of the participle in Piel, the tak-
ing the Patach of the article— a circum-
stance which shows that it cannot be, as
some have supposed, an infinitive. 72733
(from 432, 742, to strike the strings,
play on a stringed instrument, and then,
generally, to perform either vocal or in-
strumental music, but chiefly the latter)
signifies what is thus performed : music,
melody, song, and also the stringed in-
struments with which it was accompan-
ied. The preposition 3 is that of accom-
paniment. Delitzsch infers from the use
of the affix in "njo-a2, my music, that
the prophet himself was to take an
active part in the performance of it ; and
further, from this circumstance, that he
was of the tribe of Levi, and engaged in
carrying on the temple music, But these
inferences cannot be sustained, since, if
the reasoning were valid, it would equally
prove that Hezekiah must have belonged
to that tribe, and been thus officially en-
gaged: for he uses the very same form:
sm42"33 , * my stringed instruments,” Is,
xxxviii. 20. On what ground either the
prophet or the king claimed these instru-
ments, it is impossible to determine. The
conjecture of Schnurrer, that 742742 Was
originally »m3>,>, and that the termina-
tion *n— is merely paragogic asin "m4,
is overturned by the fact, that this para-
gogic form is never found except when
the word in which it appears is in the
construct state,
ZEPHANIAH.
PREFACE.
Au that we know of Zephaniah is furnished by the title to his book, in
which it is stated that he was the son of Cushi, grandson of Gedaliah, great
grandson of Amariah, and great great grandson of Hezekiah. Asin no other
instance do we find the pedigree of a prophet carried so far back, it has not
unfairly been inferred that he belonged to a family of considerable respecta-
bility.* Whether, however, the Hezekiah there mentioned were the king of
that name, or some other person of note so called, cannot be determined
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 is made to any of the Jewish kings; and, what is specially to
the present point, when such reference is made to Hezekiah. See Prov. xxv.
1; Is. xxxvur. 9. The number of generations also forms an objection
against the hypothesis, since it is scarcely possible to make room for them in
the short space of time which elapsed between Hezekiah and Josiah.
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 B. c.
611. This statement is corroborated by certain circumstances in the book
itself, For instance, he predicts the fall of Nineveh, and the overthrow of
the Assyrian empire ; consequently he must have prophesied prior to the year
B. C. 625, when these events took place; i. e., in the former half of the reign
of Josiah. The mention, too, of the destruction of “ the remnant of Baal,”
chap. i. 4, evidently implies, that the abolition of idolatry had been carried
on to a considerable extent, but had not yet been completed. Now this ex-
actly tallies with the state of things in Judah from the twelfth to the eigh-
teenth 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 de-
livered his predictions between these two terms, we shall not be wide of the
mark. To the objection, that no mention is made of him or his labors in the
historical books, which we might expect on the ground of the valuable ser-
vice he must have rendered to the zealous monarch, it is sufficient to reply,
* Οὐκ ἄσημος dv τὸ κατὰ σάρκα γένος. --- Cyril, Pref. ad Zeph,
PREFACE TO ZEPHANIAH. 991
that the same objection would lie against the prophetical existence of Jere-
miah at the same period, though we know that he then flourished at Jerusa-
lem, 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
royal house generally, or such of the royal children as should be alive at the
time of the fulfilment of the prophecy. The connection and manner 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 effect. Hitzig, indeed, has re-
cently revived the opinion advocated by Cramer and Eichhorn, that the inva-
sion of these countries by the Scythians, about the year B. c. 630, whose incur-
sion 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 pro-
gress, that it by no means corresponds to that of the enemy described by
Zephaniah, in the course of which not only Judea, but the adjacent countries
were to be entirely laid waste. His predictions received their accomplish-
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, Zephaniah 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 point of purity it rivals that of any of |
the prophets. He has much in common with his contemporary Jeremiah, and
some, after Isidore, have regarded him as his abbreviator. A careful com-
parison of the two, however, proves the futility of this hypothesis. Occa-
sionally he borrows the language of former prophets. Comp. chap. ii. 14,
with 15. xiii. 21, xxxiv. 11; chap. ii. 15, with Is. xlii. 8,
41
CHAPTER? τς"
᾿
ΤΗῊῈ prophet begins by announcing the universality of the judgments which God was about
to bring upon the land, 2, 3; specifies the different classes of transgressors whose conduct
had merited the infliction of these judgments, 4—6; and calls attention to the speedy ap-
proach, and the features of the period of punishment, which he intermingles with further
descriptions of the character of the ungodly, 7—13. He then dwells upon the awfully
calamitous nature of the visitation, and points out the impossibility of escape, 14—18.
1 ‘xe word of Jehovah which was communicated to Zephaniah
the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the
son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of
Judah :
2 I will utterly take away everything from the face of the land,
Saith Jehovah.
3 I will take away man and beast ;
I will take away the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea,
And the cause of stumbling along with the wicked ;
And I will cut off man from the face of the land,
Saith Jehovah.
4 1 will also stretch forth my hand against Judah,
1. See the Preface. *
2, 3. 958, which is variously em-
ployed in Scripture in the sense of gath-
ering, collecting, etc., is here used, as in
Jud. xviii. 25; 1 Sam. xv. 6; Ps. xxvi.
9; Ezek. xxxiv. 29, to denote the taking
away by death, or other violent means ;
to destroy. Thus Jarchi, 1589 47739,
its signification is destruction.’ What
clearly shows this, is the use of the cog-
nate verb 510, to scrape, or sweep off, in
the form 5°>s=5os , which the Rabbi
just mentioned erroneously takes to be
the Hiphil of 50s, by elision for goss.
The latter verb is never used in Hiphil ;
but the same combination of the two
verbs in the infinitive and finite forms
occurs Jer. viii, 13, Cp"ox gts. Com-
pare for similar usage ywat wiry, Is.
xxviii. 28; ssn S32 , Jer. xlix. 9. The
enumeration of particulars i is designed to
augment the fearful and universal char-
acter of the punishment. => 2273 does
not appear to differ in this connection
from S432, @ stumbling block, cause of
moral offence, what occasions, excites to,
or promotes sin, Syr. tia ees Symm.
τὰ σκάνδαλα. ‘There can be no doubt
that the different objects and rites of idol-
atrous worship are what the prophet has
inview. Thus Jarchi, niny nimay tr.
The repetition of Ὁ πὶ shows the proph-
ecy had special reference to human be-"
ings, as the guilty party. The particle
nx before p>» Ὁ has the signification of
with, together ‘with, thus denoting accom-
paniment. Comp. Jud. i. 16. The idols
and their worshippers were to be involved
in one common destruction. Newcome
improperly renders ms as a sign of the
genitive.
4. To stretch forth the hand against
any one, means not merely to threaten,
but to exert one’s power to his injury.
my Bipan, this place, means Jerusa-
\
Cuap. I.
ZEPHANIAH.
323
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem ;
And will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal,
The name of the idolatrous with that of the other priests;
5 And those that worship the host of heaven on the roofs,
And those that worship and swear to Jehovah,
And swear by their king ;
lem. By yan =sv, the remnant, or
rest of Baal, we are to understand the
statues, images, etc, dedicated to the chief
domestic and tutelary god of the Phceni-
cians, to whose worship the Hebrews were
addicted as early as the time of the Judg-
es (ii. 13), and among whom it afterwards
spread more and more, especially in the
ten tribes. Altars and high places were
reared to this deity by Manasseh, even in
the temple of Jehovah itself, 2 Kings
xxi. 8, 5,7; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3,7. These
Josiah destroyed in the reformation which
he undertook in the twelfth year of his
reign, 2 Chron. xxxiy. 4; but it appears
from this passage of our prophet, com-
pared with 2 Chron. xxxiv. 8, that idols
continued to be worshipped, most prob-
ably in places which were more remote
from public observation, or which had
been formed after the destruction of the
others, and the cessation of the reforma-
tion referred to. Marckius and Gesen-
ius interpret the phrase tyan “ws, of
the people of Baal, but this seems less
probable. The phrase corresponds to
n$z>% in the preceding verse, and is
in like manner immediately followed by
the ns of accompaniment, pointing out
the persons that encouraged ney For
axw the LXX., who have τὰ ὀνόματα,
must have read ΤΑ , or they may have
been misled by the Dw following. ow,
however, is found in two of Kennicott’s
MSS., and in the margin of another.
Upwards of twenty MSS., four ancient
editions, and all the versions read ἘΦ ms
instead of py mx. For pan, the
idolatrous priests, see on Hos. x. 5. Both
in the ancient and in the latter Hebrew,
the term 475 is used of the priests of
idols, as well as of those belonging to
Jehovah. See Gen. xli. 45, 50 ; 1 Kings
ΧΙ, 2, 33; 2 Kings x. 19, xi. 18. It
may to some appear doubtful whether the
former be not here intended ; but as such
are undeniably included in the 525,
it is more probable that in using the term
72", the prophet had in his eye those
who were professedly priests of the true
God, but who, instead of checking, or
endeavoring to eradicate idolatry, encour-
aged it by their indifference, or the incon-
sistency of their conduct in other respects.
Comp. Jer. ii. 8, v.31. The Targ. ren-
ders 7477252 BY amd, their wor-
shippers with their priests. Neither were
he left in the land by the Chaldeans,
Their very names were to be forgotten.
5. Having directed his prophecy against
the priests, the prophet now denounces
those of the people who indulged in idol-
atrous practices. He first takes up those
who were the votaries of Sabiism, or the
worship of the heavenly bodies: a sys-
tem which had, at an early period, be-
come extensively prevalent, and contin-
ued 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, and glory of the Crea-
tor. That it was adopted, and its rites
practise to a great extent by the Jews,
appears from 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 6; Jer.
vii. 17, 18, xliv. 17—19, 25. The nha,
roofs or house-tops, in the East are flat,
and are used for various purposes. The
idolaters may have chosen them for se-
crecy in the time of the prophet, or they
may have selected them for the purpose
of obtaining a fuller view of the plane-
324
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. 1.
6 And those that have turned back from Jehovah,
And that neither seek Jehovah nor apply to him.
7 Keep silence before the Lord Jehovah,
For the day of Jehovah is near;
For Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice,
He hath consecrated those whom he hath invited.
8. And it shall come to pass on the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice,
That I will punish the princes and the king’s sons,
And all that wear foreign apparel.
tary objects of their worship. Jer. xix.
13, xxxii. 29. The planet to which they
specially burnt incense on the roofs of
their houses is supposed to have been the
Moon, or it was more probably Venus,
called pva3 nob, “the Queen of
heaven,” Jer. Vil. 17, 18, 19, 25. The
prophet next instances a mongrel class
of worshippers, such as professed attach-
ment to Jehovah, as the national God,
but, at the same time, were devoted to the
service of Moloch, whom in reality, they
regarded and honored as their king. For
the forms 557, bad, Osta, ἘΞΞΈὩ,
see on ἡ ας v. 26, and Gesenius under
the word 53:2. Instead of immediately
connecting these opposite objects of wor-
ship with the participle p»inmvn , as
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
xviii. 21. 3 323, 20 swear by a deity,
means to acknowledge him in a public,
solemn, and binding manner ; openly to
pledge one’s self to his service.
6. This verse is more comprehensive
in its import, being descriptive of all who
were in any way guilty of defection from
Jehovah, and lived in total neglect of
him and his ways.
7. For 0°28 Om, comp. Hab. ii. 20 ;
Zech. ii, 13. In the symbolical lan-
guage of prophecy, a sacrifice denotes
the slaughter or destruction of an army
or people. In the words xp op,
he hath consecrated his called ones, how-
ever, there is no allusion to guests invited
to partake of a sacrificial feast, as there
unquestionably is Ezek. xxxix. 17—20;
Rev. xix. 17, 18. The orxvp, called
ones, were the Chaldeans, who, as the
Divine army, or the instruments of his
retributive justice, were called into the
field against the enemies of the Most
High. In this sense Cyrus is said to
have been called, Is. xli. 9, xlviii. 15.
Comp. also Is. xiii. 3, and my note there,
in which Jap , ¢o sanctify, consecrate, is
explained of the selection of troops for
war, and the religious rites engaged in
when they set out upon the military ex-
pedition,
8. That by the phrase yb%2n 555»
the sons of the king, we are to ἜΣ Ξ ἢ
the immediate children of Josiah, does
not appear. He could not have had sons
of an age sufficiently mature at the time
the prophet uttered his prediction, to
allow of their contracting guilt to such a
degree as that which the connection nec-
essarily requires; for he could not him-
self have been above seventeen years old.
It may either mean the princes of the
royal house generally, or the children of
the king who should be on the throne at
the time of the accomplishment of the
prophecy. That the latter supposition is
the more probable, appears from 2 Kings
xxv. 7, where it is stated, that the king
of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah
before his eyes. By those that wore for-
eign attire, the prophet means the rich
and great generally, who, in violation of
an express ordinance relative to national
Cuap, J.
ZEPHAN
IAH. 320
91 will also punish all who leap over the threshold in that day,
Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.
10
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah,
That there shall be the sound of crying from the fish-gate,
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 ;
All who are laden with money are cut off.
costume, which was designed to preserve
them distinct from other people, Numb.
xy. 37—40, arrayed themselves in the
more costly and gorgeous garb of idola-
ters, and thus more easily mixed with
them in the performance of their idola-
trous rites.
9. Because the priests of Dagon ab-
stained from treading on the threshold of
his temple, 1 Sam. v. 5, it has been by
some inferred that Zephaniah alludes
here to some such superstitious custom
as Si by the Jews. Thus the Targ.
"ynsde "2525 P2>m7 89. all who
walk in Fhe laws of the Philistines. But
this construction has little to support it
beyond the simple occurrence of the word
WAR, threshold, in both passages; for
in Samuel it is merely said, s2977 Nb —
Wist yn= , “ they tread or walk not over
the threshold of Dagon ;” whereas the lan-
guage of the prophet, yrbwn—by sthan,
‘‘ him that leapeth over the threshold,” is
expressive of a more violent action ; and
as the parallel hemistich shows, charac-
terizes the eagerness with which the ser-
vants of the great rushed out of their
palaces in order to seize upon the property
of others, and thereby increase the wealth
of their masters. If we may apply the
signification of the cognate word in Arab.
ᾧ, principio, or sub finem noctis iter
fecit, we should interpret the term as
denoting their setting out on their pred-
atory expeditions under cloud of night.
Thus, as to the general sense, the Syr.
oo >
7.515 Ἰϑωλὰ oad: all who com-
mit violence and plunder. Kimchi ex-
plains the word of their forcibly entering
the houses of the poor, and robbing them
of their goods.
10, 11. These verses describe the state
of Jerusalem when besieged by Nebu-
chadnezzar. pan ἜΣΘ, the fish-gate,
occurs 2 Chron. xxxiii. 14; Neh, iii. 3,
xii. 39; but there is nothing in these
passages by which we can determine its
exact position. From the name it might
be inferred, that it was situated either on
the north or the north-east side of the
city, that being the direction from which
those would arrive who brought fish from
Tiberias and the Jordan, and corresponded
to what isnow called the Damascus Gate,
or to that of St. Stephen. It was from
this side, being that which was most ac-
cessible, that Jerusalem was attacked by
the enemy. That 3272 , the second, is
not to be referred to’ ΣΦ » gate, as its
antecedent, but to “155, city, understood,
appears from Neh. xi. 9, where we have
in full 53% 270 IT, the second city, i. 6.
the second division of the city. Ewald
renders the word by Neustadt, «« New-
town.” In all probability it was what
was afterwards called Akra, or the lower
city, which lay to the north of the an-
cient city on Mount Zion, and was sep-
’ arated from it by the Tyropccon, a valley
which ran down between them to the
present pool of Siloam. In our common
version the word is improperly rendered
college, 2 Kings xxii. 14, 2 Chron. xxxiv.
22, after the interpretation of the Rab-
bins. The nhyaa , λύζίβ, here mentioned,
were not those around the city, such as
990
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. I.
12 And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lights,
And punish the men who are hardened on their lees,
Who say in their hearts,
Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do eyil.
13 And their wealth shall become a spoil,
And their houses a desolation ;
They may build houses, but they shall not inhabit them,
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 Mount of Evil
Counsel, etc., but Zion, Moriah, Ophel,
and other elevated localities within the
walls, occupied by the temple, the royal
palace, and the houses of the richer por-
tion of the inhabitants. The prophet
graphically represents the progress of the
Chaldeans, from the gate at which they
entered, into the second division of the
city, until they had ultimately taken
possession of the whole, and destroyed
the principal buildings. This destruction
is very appropriately expressed by the
noun “2%, from 7318 , to break, break in
pieces, 2 Kings xxv. 4, 8, 9. ono is
not a proper name, as the article prefixed
shows, but an appellative, signifying mor-
tar, from on>, to bray, pound. See
Proy. xxvii. 22. It appears to have been
applied, from its resemblance to that ves-
sel, to one or other of the valleys in or
about Jerusalem. Theod. ἐν τῷ βάϑει.
Aq. εἰς τὸν ὅλμον. According to the
Targum, 4:97p7 sdm3a, it was that
through which the brook Kidron flows.
Others think it was the Tyropceon, the
locality of the bazaars, where the mer-
chants carried on their business. From
what follows in the verse, the latter is
most probably the true interpretation. It
is thought by some that the term was
purposely chosen by the prophet, on ac-
count of its resemblance in sound to
wap, ὦ holy place, and that Jerusalem
itself is meant ; but this word is exclusive-
ly appropriated to the tabernacle, or tem-
ple, and other sacred places, and never to
the city, though it is called 37m ὍΣ»
the Holy City, just as it is still known
in the East by the names ode],
El-Kuds, and Δ] crag, Beit-
el- Mukeddes, of similar signification. By
4222 pz, the people of Canaan, the
prophet does not mean the inhabitants
of Canaan generally, nor Pheenician mer-
chants in particular, who carried on trade
with those of Jerusalem, but ironically
the Jerusalem merchants themselves, wha
not only resembled the former in their
modes of acquiring gain, but adopted
their idolatrous manners and customs.
See on Hos. xii. 8.
12, The Divine judgments were to
reach those who practised wickedness in
the most hidden places, and in the most
covert manner, This is metaphorically
expressed by searching out with lights
what is concealed in the. dark. The
metaphor following is taken from the
firm crust which is formed on the surface
of fermented liquors when they have
been long left in an undisturbed state.
NEP, signifies, ¢o contract, become con-
erete, hard, etc., and strikingly expresses
the hardened state of the rich who have
settled down into infidelity and atheism.
Comp. Jer. xlviii, 11. Their practical
denial of a superintending and govern-
ing providence is expressed in so many
words at the end of the verse.
It is here implied that those of whom
the prophet speaks would go on building
and planting till the judgment of God
overtook them, and deprived them of all
their property. Comp. Matt. xxiv. 38, 39.
14. πὴ is not the participle in Piel,
Cuap. I.
15
ZEPHANIAH. 327
Tt is near and hasteth greatly ;
The sound of the day of Jehovah:
There the mighty man shrieketh bitterly.
That day is a day of indignation,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of desolation and ruin,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and obscurity ;
16
Against the fortified cities,
And against the lofty towers.
ΤΊ
A day of the trumpet and the war-shout,
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
Shall be able to rescue them
Neither their silver nor their gold
In the day of Jehovah’s indignation ;
But the whole land shall be consumed
By the fire of his jealousy:
For a consummation altogether sudden will he make
.
with the affirmative Mem rejected, but
the infinitive of the same conjugation,
used as an abbreviated form of 4773
—ma2. 2, bitter, is here used adver-
bially. So irresistible should be the at-
tack of the Chaldeans, that the Jewish
warrior would be compelled to abandon
himself to shrieks of hopeless grief.
15, 16. A beautiful amplification, for
the purpose of aggravating the character
of the calamity. Passages somewhat
similar occur in the prophets, but none
equal to this. sp4ys722 ΤΣ » as well as
παρα 9.25. my, are instances of parono-
masia, Comp. Job xy. 24, xxx. 3,
xxxvili, 27. min bani nize form a
Hendiadys, and describe the high towers
or turrets, at the angles of fortified walls,
Gesenius assumes an obsolete root 425,
to separate, divide into classes, as that
from which M25, a turret, is derived ; but
there is no occasion to depart from its
usual derivation from the Piel of mss,
to cause to turn. It thus signifies what
is at the turning, corner, or angle of a
building, and that whether at the top
or the bottom. ‘Tacitus, describing the
walls of Jerusalem, says: “ Per artem
obliquos et introrsum sinuatos, ut latera
oppugnantium ad ictus, patescerent.”
Hist. lib. v. cap. 11, § 5.
17. mind, or, as in some MSS. and
editions, pnd » flesh. Arab. as, caro.
Root pnd, to eat. 550 may, by zeugma,
be made to govern praind as wellas Ὁ)21,
but it is preferable to supply the substan-
tive verb after Ὁ ΓΞ. For the latter
figure, comp. Job xx. 7.
18. ex—t3, also—also, meaning
both the one and the other. As here
with a negative, nevther—nor. “ Fire”
328
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. II.
Of all the inhabitants of the land.
is often used figuratively to denote war,
16, xxvi. 11. ‘53 is to be taken in the
because of its devastating effects. Is. x. sense of wholly, entirely, altogether.
CHAPTER II.
A solemn admonition is now given to the Jewish people to repent during the short space
of time that would be allotted to them 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,
7; the Moabites and
Ammonites, 8—10; parenthetically, the idols of the nations, 11; the Ethiopians, 12; and
the Assyrians, 13—15.
1 Benn yourselves, and be ye bent,
O nation not desired !
2 Before the birth of the decree ;
The day 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.
‘1. aphpa sévipnn , the Hithpolel and
Kal conjugations joined for the sake of
intensity. Comp. Is. xxiv. 19. The
words have been variously rendered.
LXX. συνάχϑητε καὶ συνδέϑητε. Vulg.
convenite et congregamini. De Wette,
priifet euch, ja priifet. Gesenius, collect
yourselves and be ye collected; i. e. col-
lect your thoughts, look into your own
mind, prove yourselves; thus agreeing
with De Wette, after the interpretation
of Pagninus, Vatablus, Cocceius, and
others. Ewald, erbleichet und bleichet.
Most refer to 3¢7 as the root, which sig-
nifies in Poel to collect stubble, wood, etc. ;
but it is never used with respect to human
beings. I prefer deriving it from 4p,
to bend, be bent. Arab. ω» 3. I. incur-
vavit arcus more ; incurvatus fuit senex.
Hence mzp, @ bow, from its being bent.
Bend yourselves, and be ye bent, will then
be the proper rendering. Comp. the use
of Hnw, to bow down, Is. lx. 14. The
prophet calls the Jews to deep humility
before God on account of their manifold
sins. Because 52> signifies to be pale,
Gesenius renders the words xb “435
Fo=2, O nation not ashamed! but 5
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-
ous of any object. The phrase 55> x3,
not desired, is here used by litotes for
abominated, hated.
2. The Divine decree or purpose of
punishment announced in the preceding
chapter, is here tropically represented as
a pregnant female near the time of her
delivery. The words £55 “23 7 }%2>, as
Cuap. II.
ZEPHANIAH.
3 Seek ye Jehovah, all ye humble of the land,
Who perform his judgments ;
Seek righteousness, seek humility,
If perhaps ye may be hid
In the day of the anger of Jehovah.
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.
329
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the line of the sea!
The nation of Kerethites!
The word of Jehovah is against you;
O Canaan! the land of the Philistines,
I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
chaff the day passeth, do not refer to the
coming of the period of calamity, but
the rapid lapse of the time of repentance.
The image of chaff is always used of
that which flies quickly away, never of
what comes to any one. They are in-
troduced parenthetically. The sentence
min? ys Fog ἘΞ» share} equa
is wanting in six of Kennicott’s MSS.,
probably in two more, and originally i τ
eight of De Rossi’s. It is also omitted in
the Arabic version. The declaration, with
the trifling change of a single word, is
properly repeated for the sake of emphasis.
3. The prophet here addresses himself
to the afflicted and humble among his
people, from whom some hope of a better
state of things might be expected.
rendered perhaps, is not intended to ex-
press a doubt respecting the safety of the
pious, but the extreme difficulty of escap-
ing the threatened judgment. The poor
of the land were left by Nebuzar-adan
to be vine-dressers and husbandmen. 2
Kings xxv. 12,
4, The connective force of the particle
“> , for, with which this verse commen-
ces, lies in the universality of the calam-
ity which was about to come, not upon
the Jews only, but upon all the nations
with which they had been brought into
contact. ‘There would be no country to
42
soon,
which they might flee for safety, for all
were to be visited by the Chaldeans. For
the cities of the Philistines here specified,
see on the parallel prophecy, Amos i.
6—8; and Is. xx. 1. prans , the me-
ridian or noon, being the hottest part of
the day, is generally spent by the Orien-
tals in sleep, and is the less likely time
for any military operations to be carried
on. 2 Sam. iv. 5; Jer. vi. 4, xv. 8.
The paronomasias, 73332 773 and PP
“pen, are not to be overlooked.
5. This and the two following verses
contain an amplification of the predic-
tion against the Philistines. Ἐ5π tan,
LXX. τὸ σχοίνισμα τῆς ϑαλάσσης, the line
of the sea, i. e. the region or coast along
the sea-shore, and so called from the
custom of using a cord or line in meas-
uring off or dividing a territory. Comp.
with the same application, B35 Ὁ ΤΙ» the
coast of the sea, Jer. xlvii. 7 ; Ezek. xxv.
16. By oon > “43, nation of Cretians,
we are not to understand the actual in-
habitants of Crete, but the Philistines, 8.
nation descended from those who origi-
nally emigrated from that island, and
took possession of the south-west coast
of Palestine. ὉΠ ἘΞ, the name of
the Philistines, properly signifies the
Eth. AM,
emigrants, from 555.
990
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuapr. I.
6 And the line of the sea shall be pastures,
With cisterns for shepherds,
And folds for sheep.
“τ
Thereupon shall they feed ;
Yea, the line shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah.
In the houses of Askelon shall they lie down at even;
For Jehovah their God shall visit them,
And reverse their captivity.
8 I have heard the reproach of Moab,
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
Who have reviled my people,
And carried themselves haughtily against their border.
9 Wherefore, as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts,
The God of Israel :
Surely Moab shall be as Sodom,
And the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah ;
A region of overrunning brambles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation ;
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
And the residue of my nation shall possess them.
10
This shall happen to them for their pride,
Because they reproached and carried themselves haughtily,
Against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
to rove, migrate. According to Stephen
of Byzantium, Gaza was originally
called Minoa, after Minos, king of
Crete, who, with his two brothers, Ara-
kus and Rhadamanthus, undertook an
expedition to the coast, and gave the city
his own name. Comp. Deut. ii. 23; 1
Sam. xxx. 14; Jer. xlvii. 4; Ezek. xxv.
16; Amos ix. 7. 4235, Canaan, which
is not only employed to designate the
whole country taken possession of by the
Hebrews, but more specially Phcenicia,
is here to be understood as restricted to
the country of the Philistines.
6. It is thought by some that there is
an allusion to S*n>= in the word n> 1D»
which properly signifies wells or cisterns,
from => 2, to dig. Instead of continu-
ing to be a thickly populated and well
cultivated country, the land of the Phil-
istines should be converted into a region
fit only to be occupied by nomades.
7. Instead of being any longer annoyed
by the Philistines, the Jews, restored to
their land, would occupy the territory as
described in the preceding verse.
8—10. Comp. the parallel prophecies
against Moab, Is. xv. xvi. ; Jer. xlviii. ;
Amos ii. 1—3; and Ammon, Jer. xlix,
1—6 ; Amos i. 18—15. ἘΣ Ἐππλτι means
to carry one’s self haughtily against any
one. There is no occasion to supply ==
or any other noun. The suffix in pbysa
has "ὩΣ for its antecedent. The formu-
las “SS "ML, 1 living, or as I live, ver. 9,
and mint on, ota cn, as Jehovah,
as God liveth, are solemn modes of ex-
pression, by which the Divine Existence
is pledged for the certainty of the dec-
larations which they introduce. py,
a drawing, or extending out, from rp ᾽
cognate 7292 , to draw out, extend. As
connected with bramble, it denotes the
overspreading or overrunning of that
ΚΙ
- ᾿ς
he
Cuap. II.
11 Jehovah is to be feared above
ZEPHANIAH.
991
all the gods of the earth,
For he will cause them to waste away ;
And all the inhabitants of the
maritime regions
Shall worship him — each from his place.
12 Also ye, O ye Cushites!
Shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch forth his hand over the north,
And destroy Assyria ;
He will also make Nineveh waste,
An arid region like the desert.
14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her ;
All the wild beasts of the nations;
Both the pelican and the porcupine
Shall take up their abode in her capitals ;
A voice shall sing in the windows,
shrub. pb 45%, @ pit or excavation,
such as are found in the vicinity of the
Dead Sea, in which, when it overflows
in spring, its water is collected, and pure
salt obtained by evaporation. The idea
conveyed by both metaphors is that of
sterility and desolation.
11. This verse connects so slightly
with the preceding, and, as the former
part is usually rendered, affords so little
suitable a sense, that I cannot but regard
the suffix in Ὡπ ἘΞ) as possessing an an-
ticipative pronominal reference to “ats
VIN» the gods of the earth, with re-
spect to whom Jehovah was to show him-
self worthy of exclusive veneration by
effecting their destruction. In Hebrew
poetry the pronoun or pronominal affix
frequently occurs before the noun. See
on Is. xxviii. 26. While announcing
the destruction of the surrounding idol-
atrous nations, the prophet was inspired
to predict the gradual, but certain des-
truction of idolatry universally through-
out the earth. The period predicted
should be one in which all peculiarity of
local worship would cease, and Divine
worship be acceptable wherever presented
in sincerity and truth. Comp. Mal. i.
11; John iv. 21—24; 1 Cor. i. 2. For
3742, comp, Ps. xcvi.
ΟΣ.
" Ω
4. The Ὁ prefixed in 4ya4>ra72, expresses
simply the locality in which the persons
spoken of resided. Compare max,
baa, 770, DTN, etc. mio, Arab.
I, to make thin, lean, diminish, cause
to waste away, and to destroy. LXX.
etoNbSpevoe:. The knowledge and wor-
ship of the true God were to be extended
not only over the vast continental regions
of the globe, but over those which border-
ed on, or existed in the sea. In p> 5 o>,
the isles, or maritime regions, there is, as
usual, a special reference to the West;
though in connection with $5. all, the
universality of such regions is intended.
The passage is strictly Messianic, since
the accomplishment of the prediction has
been, and is being effected by means of
the gospel.
12. For wap, Cush, see on Is. xi. 11,
xviii. 1. The prophecy received its ful-
filment when Nebuchadnezzar invaded
and conquered Egypt, with whose mili-
tary operations and fate the Ethiopians
were more or less mixed up. Jer. xlvi.
9; Ezek. xxx. 5, 9. There is, indeed,
reason to think that Egypt herself is de-
signed to be included in the term as here
employed.
13—15. From the remote South into
=
-
332
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. III.
Desolation shall be in the thresholds,
For the cedar-work is laid bare.
15 This is the exulting city which dwelt securely,
Which said in her heart,
I am, and besides me there is none,
How she is become desolate!
A resting-place for wild beasts !
Every one that passeth by her shall hiss,
He shall shake his hand.
which the prophet had carried his hear-
ers, he turns suddenly back to the North,
where there still existed a mighty em-
pire, which must of necessity be over-
thrown, before the Divine sword, i. e. the
arms of Babylon, could reach the coun-
tries against which he had denounced the
judgments of God. This empire was the
Assyrian, which was drawing towards its
end, and was actually subverted when
Nineveh was taken and destroyed by
Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, B. c. 620.
It is this catastrophe, with its disastrous
consequences, which Zephaniah so graph-
ically describes in these verses. So @om-
pletely was the celebrated metropolis of
the ancient world to be desolated, that
not even the Nomades would seek a tem-
porary shelter among her ruins. They
should only be inhabited by the wild
beasts of the desert. That by p-n7z we
are to understand herds of savage ani-
mals, and not flocks of sheep, goats, etc.,
is apparent from the mention made in the
parallelism of -*a-\n-n—> , every wild
beast of the nation. 43, nation, has by
some been thought to stand poetically for
CHAPTER
a collection of animals, just as gy, peo-
ple, does, Prov. xxx. 25, 26; but it is
rather to be regarded as synonymous with
Vu» land, country ; only restricting it
to the particular ‘country in which Nin-
eveh had been situated; so that the
phrase will be equivalent to ee, n>
Gen. i. 24. The LXX. render πάντα τὰ
Snpla τῆς γῆς. Targ. sna ΤΊ" ΞΕ , alt
the beasts of the jield. "The 4 in τ πὶ
is merely paragogic. For myp Δηα "ΞΡ »
see on Is, xxxiv. 11. Some interpret 54p
of the Arab Joe , the demon of the des-
ert, and et 27h, desolation, into 3-3,
raven, but without sufficient ground. See
Maurer, who, in opposition to Hitzig,
takes both words in their usual accepta-
tion. πὴ, the Piel of πὴ, is here
used impersonally, and is best rendered
in the passive. nina> , chapiter, see on
Amos ix. 1. By ni-s is meant the
wainscoting and fine “carved cedar work
with which the walls, ceiling, etc., of the
houses were ornamented. For the lan-
guage of pride and carnal security ex-
pressed in ver. 15, comp. Is, xlvii. 8.
Tit,
HaAvina digressed to predict the fate of the surrounding nations, Zephaniah returns to his
own countrymen, and specially directs his prophecy against Jerusalem, the leading per-
sons in which had persevered in wickedness in spite of all the warnings which they had
Cuap. III.
“
ZEPHANIAH.
B09
received. 1—7. 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 con-
verted, 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 con-
nected with their return to Palestine after their conversion, 18—20.
1 Wo to the rebellious and polluted,
The oppressing city !
2 She listened not to the voice,
She received not instruction ;
She trusted not in Jehovah,
She drew not near to her God.
8 Her princes in the midst of her
Are roaring lions;
Her judges are evening wolves ;
They gnaw no bones in the morning.
4 Her prophets are vain-glorious,
Hypocritical men ;
Her priests profane what is sacred ;
They do violence to the law.
1. It has been thought by some that
in myn, rebellious, as here applied to
Jerusaiem, there is a play upon the name
of m2>1%2, Moriah, on which the temple
was built. If so, it was calculated to
suggest to the minds of the Jews the
gross inconsistency of their laying claim
to any connection with that sacred place,
while they obstinately refused to obey the
law of God. The root is x77, cognate
with =n, to prove refractory, rebel.
The LXX. rendering the word by ém-
gavys, illustrious, have doubtless mis-
taken it as coming from τον Ἢ», fo see; as
the Syr. likewise has done, rendering
Ὶ ἊΣ. Sh ρας noted, celebrated. 734", the
Benon. participle of m2, to rage, be
cruel, oppressive, etc. What the prophet
has in his eye is the rage and cruelty with
which the idolatrous inhabitants perse-
cuted such as adhered to the worship and
service of Jehovah, as well as their op-
pression of the widows, orphans, etc.
See Jer. xxii. 3.
2—4. Not only did the inhabitants
generally refuse to receive instruction
from the Lord, and alienate their affec-
tions from him and his service, but the
rulers, both civil and_ ecclesiastical,
evinced the grossest dereliction of duty,
and the most flagrant inconsistency of
character. ay “ANT, evening wolves,
i. e. wolves which come forth from the
forests or other lurking places in the even-
ing, and, greedy with hunger, seize or
devour during the night, whatever ani-
mals they fall in with. Comp. Hab. i.
8, λύκοι νυκτερινοὶ, Oppian. Cynoget. 3,
266. The voracious and insatiable cu-
pidity of the judges is further expressed
by “phd ana Nd, nothing is craunched
in the morning ; i. 6. all is devoured in
the night, and not so much as a bone
left to be gnawed in the morning. ta
is here used impersonally. Thus, as to the
dot
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. III.
5 Jehovah, the righteous One, is in the midst of her,
He doeth no injustice
Every morning he bringeth his judgment to light,
It is not lacking ;
But the unjust know no shame.
6 I have cut off the nations ;
Their corner-stones are laid waste ;
I have made their streets desolate,
Without any one passing through them.
Their cities are destroyed ; they are without a man;
There is no inhabitant.
I said: Only fear me ;
Receive instruction ;
~T
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. and Vulg. οὐχ ὑπολίπον-
τοὶ non relinguebant, ‘The prophets, in-
stead of evincing that gravity and humil-
ity which became those who professed to
deliver Divine messages, were p-in4=,
light and vain-glorious persons, trifling
with the most serious subjects, and car-
rying themselves haughtily towards oth-
ers. The verb tm properly signifies to
botl up like water. Comp. Gen. xlix. 4;
Jud. ix. 4 ; Jer. xxiii. 32. Arab. ναι,
superbivit.
rupt. They made no distinction between
the holy and profane, and distorted the
meaning of the law, when expounding
it to the people. Comp. Ezek. xxii. 26,
where similar language is used, and ex-
plained.
5. Jehovah had his residence in the
temple, connected with the daily wor-
ship, in which were those unfailing rev-
elations of the rectitude of his character
that brought to view a glorious pattern,
which it was the duty of the Jews to
imitate; but, hardened in wickedness,
they were conscious of no feelings of
shame. “p32 77,22, i the morn-
ing in the sila i, e. according to
The priests were equally cor--~
acommon Hebrew idiom,
ing.
6. Besides the plentiful instruction
with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem
had been furnished by the public institu-
tions that existed among them, and from
which they might conclude what pun-
ishment they had te expect if they per-
sisted in sin, they had examples from
which to take warning in the desolate
condition to which other nations had
been reduced on account of their wicked-
ness. Under the long and happy reign
of Josiah, the Jews enjoyed rest and tran-
quillity until the last year, while other
neighboring nations were laid waste ; for
it was during his reign that the great
incursion of the Scythians into western
Asia took place, while Judea was spared.
Michaelis. 528 is here to be taken in
its literal acceptation of corner-stone, but
the ruin or desolation of the building
resting upon it is implied. 472 is the
Niphal of mx , to cut down, lay waste.
7. "ΠΛ and spn are both futures
used asimperatives. Ins 2499 and nby
is achange, by no means uncommon, of
the second person to'the third. In $5
there is an ellipsis of > 2, according to
every Tmorn-
σμαρ. III.
8 Nevertheless,
In the day when I rise for the
ZEPHANIAH.
990
wait for me, saith Jehovah,
prey’;
For my determination is to assemble the nations,
To gather the kingdoms ;
To pour out upon them my fury,
All the heat of my anger ;
For by the fire of my jealousy
The whole earth shall be consumed.
9 For then 1 will turn to the nations a pure language,
That they may all invoke the name of Jehovah ;
- That they may serve him with
ἘΣ 778 is not to be here taken in the
sense of punishing, but of appointing for
punishment. Comp. Jer. xv. 3. The ap-
pointed and threatened judgments should
be averted from Jerusalem, if the inhab-
itants 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; but, instead of reforming,
they addicted themselves more sedulously
and entirely to the practice of iniquity.
brawn , fo rise early, is frequently used.
in the Hebrew Scriptures in a tropical
sense, to indicate that a person does any-
thing with preparedness or full purpose of
mind. The primary idea conveyed by
the verb seems to be that of placing the
burdens on the shoulders of camels, etc.,
before setting out on a journey, which,
in the East, is done very early in the
morning. Root psw, shoulder, Eth.
P11) $ dajulavit. ANN® $ onus
imposuit humeris.
8. Most expositors interpret the words
“b sDM, expect or wait for me, as if they
were addressed to the profligate charac-
ters described in the preceding verse, but
this construction is admissible only on
the principle of their being applied iron-
ically, since the phrase is never used
except in a good sense. Yet even this
but ill suits the entire connection. I
consider them to form an apostrophe to
the pious among the Jews, calling upon
them to look forward, amid all the calam-
one accord. νι
ities which were approaching, to the glo-
rious period which these calamities were
designed to usher in, and which the
prophet specially describes in the follow-
ing verses. The LXX., and all the other
Greek versions, as also the Syr., render
=v, by testimony or witness ; a significa-
tion which only attaches to the letters
when pointed =». The signification of
prey is more appropriate here. Compare
for this signification Gen. xlix. 27; Is.
XXxili. 23. What is meant by rising up
to the prey is explained in the following
clause of the verse. Indeed, the very
derivation of the word from =79 , to pass
on in a hostile manner, to rush upon, at-
tack; Arab. {λιν irruit in aliquem ;
crs, mimici, hostes; at once sug-
gests the ideas of conflict and destruc-
tion.
9. From this verse to the end of the
book the prophecy relates exclusively to
Messianic times. The m4553 mb, pu-
rified lip or language, means the "profes-
sion of pure religion, a language freed
from the polluted names of idols, and of
every abomination connected with their
worship. As this was to be realized by
the nations, the p>.» , as distinguished
from the Jews, it follows that the spread
of Christianity, and the consequent sub-
version of idolatry throughout the world,
are here specifically predicted. This pre-
diction, however, has hitherto been only
partially fulfilled. By the gospel, indeed,
idolatry has been dislodged from many
336
ZEPHANIAH.
Cuap. III.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush,
My suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed,
Shall bring my offering.
parts of the globe, but its place has to a
great extent been occupied by the pollu-
tions of antichristian systems of worship,
while vast regions are still the scenes of
varied and most degrading idolatrous
abominations. And, as to the unity so
strikingly expressed by “MS pd, one
shoulder, whatever there may be of that
real substantial unity which binds all
true believers to Christ as their Head,
and to one another as members of the
same family, there is still a deplorable
want of the visible manifestation of one-
ness in obeying the laws of Christ, and
obeying the ordinances of his house.
These laws are spoken of as a burden,
Matt. xi. 20; Acts xv. 28; Rev. ii. 24;
and the metaphor here employed by the
prophet is taken from two persons jointly
carrying a burden between them, shoulder
to shoulder. Compare the use of ὁμοϑυ-
paddy, Acts i. 14; ii. 1, 46; iv. 24; v. 12;
xv. 25; Rom. xv. 6. What -has pre-
vented the outward visibility of the unity
of believers has been, that some of them
have added burdens of their own to that
of the Redeemer, while others have sub-
mitted to those imposed by men profess-
ing to be acting by his authority, but who
have had no Scripture warranty for their
pretensions. Until there is a return to
an unanimous adherence to the simplicity
which is in Christ, there can be no such
unity as that taught in this verse. Yet
for such the Bible teaches us to look;
and it behooves every Christian to do
whatever lies in his power, in order to
bring about so blessed a consummation.
Comp. 2 Cor, vi. 14, Μὴ γίνεσϑε ére-
ροζυγοῦντες ἀπίστοις ; and 1 Cor. i. 10,
ἦτε δὲ κατηρτισμένοι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ vot καὶ
ἐν τῇ αὐτῃ γνώμῃ.
10. Having foretold the conversion of
the Gentiles, the prophet in this verse
predicts that of the Jews; quite in ac-
cordance with other passages of Scrip-
ture, in which they are placed in juxta-
position with each other. " [nv , my
suppliants, from -ny, to burn incense
to a divinity ; pray, " supplicate. Arab.
ye , bonos odores ΕΝ: Syr. ms
Sumavit odore suavi. Comp. Rey. νυ. 8,
where the prayers of saints are called
ϑυμιάματα, odors or incense, and Ps. exli.
2, where David compares his prayer to
nop , the Hebrew synonyme for incense.
Who the worshippers are, the prophet ex-
plains in the following words: *s;5—n3 ,
the daughter of my ᾿ἀιυροῤεοῖ; i.e. by ἃ
common Hebrew idiom, my dispersed
people, the Jews; and ‘the locality in
which we are directed to look for them
is Bs=—-47425 az, beyond the rivers of
Cush, i. 6. Ethiopia or Abyssinia itself,
the rivers of which enclose it on the
north, See on Is, xviii. 1, where the
same phraseology occurs, but where the
Ethiopians, and not the Jews, are the
subjects of the prophecy. It is a well
ascertained fact, though all the historical
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
emigrants (from the Eth. LAr, H
to migrate ; hence EAL: ὁ @ sojourn-
er, stranger, the root from which “mvbs :
Philistine, is derived, and for the same
reason), who maintain that they derived
their origin from Palestine, and all of
whom profess the Jewish religion. They
are identified, as to physical traits, not
with the African races living in Ethio-
pia, but with the tribes of Arabia. They
have their own government conceded to
them by the Negus, or king of Ethiopia.
When Bruce was there they had a Jew-
ish king named Gideon, and his queen,
Judith. Considering how greatly the
Cuap. III.
11
ZEPHANIAH.
337
In that day thou shalt not be ashamed
On account of all thy doings,
By which thou hast transgressed against me ;
For then I will remove from the midst of thee
Thy proud exulters ;
And thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
12
An humble and poor people.
And I will leave in the midst of thee
And they shall trust in the name of Jehovah.
13
᾿ They shall not speak lies ;
The residue of Israel shall not commit injustice ;
Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth ;
But they shall feed and lie down,
And none shall make them afraid.
14
Shout, O Israel!
Rejoice, O daughter of Zion!
Be joyful and exult with all thy heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 Jehovah hath removed thy judgments ;
Christianity of Abyssinia has been mixed
up with Judaism, there is every reason
to believe that most of the early converts
in that country belonged to this very peo-
ple. That the Falashas are part of the
dispersed people whose conversion is here
predicted, I can have no doubt. They
are singled out as a separate portion of
the scattered seed of Abraham, most
probably on account of the peculiar cir-
cumstances in which they have lived
during the dispersion. Their bringing
of Jehovah’s offering does not necessarily
imply that they are, on their conversion,
to come with gifts to Jerusalem ; all that
is intended may only be πη ΠΏ Ann,
the pure offering, which, under the new
dispensation, was to be presented in ev-
ery place. See Mal. i. 11; and comp.
ver. 9.
11—13. These verses contain a des-
cription of restored and regenerated Is-
rael. The not being ashamed of their
sinful practices does not mean their not
feeling a compunctious sense of their
intrinsic odiousness and demerits, but
is expressive of the great change that
43
should take place in the outward con-
dition of the Jews. That condition into
which they have been brought by their
obstinate rebellion against Jehovah and
his Messiah, is one of disgrace. When
recovered out of it, all the marks of
shame and infamy shall be removed.
The Pharisaic spirit of pride, and the
vain confidence in the temple and the
temple worship, which proved the ruin
of the nation, shall be taken away. The
converted residue shall be a people hum-
ble and poor in spirit, Matt. v. 3, xi. 5,
and of a truly righteous and upright
character; and having fled for refuge to
the hope set before them in the gospel,
shall be safe under the protecting care of
their heavenly Father.
14, A call to the converted Israelites,
restored to their own land, and especially
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to exult
in their distinguished experience of the
Divine loving-kindness.
15. This and the following verses fur-
nish the reasons why the Jews should
indulge in exultation. 25, in Kal, to
turn ; in Piel, to cause to turn out of the
998 ZEPHANIAH.
He hath cleared away thine enemies ;
The King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of thee,
Thou shalt see calamity no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not
O Zion! let not thy hands be feeble ;
17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee,
The Mighty One, that will save ;
He will rejoice over thee with gladness,
He will be silent in his love!
He will exult over thee with a shout of joy.
18 I will gather those that are grieved for the festivals,
(They were of thee ;)
Burdened with reproach for her sake.
19 Behold! I will deal with all thine oppressors at that time,
way, remove, destroy. Instead of F278,
thine enemy, thirty-two MSS., originally
six more, and two by correction, read
ΞΊΞ᾽ δὰ, thine enemies, which reading is
also supported by two early editions, the
Babyl. Talmud, and all the versions. For
“xan, sixty-eight MSS., and among
these some of the most accurate
Spanish, read "πο. In the full en-
joyment of the presence of their God,
the converted Jews should have nothing
to fear.
17. A beautiful description of the de-
light which Jehovah shall take in his
recovered people, and of their consequent
and continuous happiness. The phrase
smans2 3-77 has occasioned some dif-
ficulty to interpreters. Houbigant, after
the LXX. and Syr., and following him
Newcome, and recently Ewald, propose
to read 3-7, “he will renew his love ;”
but this verb nowhere occurs in Hiphil,
and the conjectural emendation is wholly
unnecessary. wm, to be dumb, keep
silence, has the same signification in Hi-
phil, 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 his
love, makes no mention of them, having
freely forgiven them for the sake of the
atonement made by his only-begotten
Son. Comp. Ps. xxxii. 2; Jer. xxxi.
84; Ezek. xxxiii. 16.
18. ma, of which p*352 is the Niphal
participle, has two significations, that of
being pained or grieved, and that of be-
ing separated, removed, etc. Both deri-
vations may be supported by the Arab,
Sty doluit, and Conj. iv. procul a se
avovit. The former, which is here most
approved, fully meets the exigency of the
passage, and may be said to imply the
latter. The Jews, in a state which ren-
dered it impossible for them to celebrate
their sacred festivals at Jerusalem, are
represented as filled with grief when they
reflected on the privileges of their ances-
tors. “x41, festival, is here a noun of
multitude. το ἘΣ, on her account, is intro-
duced, for the sake of emphasis, between
the words πξ τ Π ΤᾺ Ὁ 3, the lifting up,
or utterance ‘of reproach, which would
otherwise have appeared in the construct
state. By metonymy, the Jews, who are
ie objects of such reproach, are intended.
Comp. Micah vi. 16. The feminine suf-
fix in mdy refers to Jerusalem or Zion,
understood: the change of person is, as
frequently, for the sake of effect. The
various reading 57>» , though supported
by more than tw vi MSS., the Targ. and
Syr., is most probably an emendation.
19, ms mys, means ¢o deal with, in
-
Cuap. III.
ZEPHANIAH.
999
And will save her that halteth,
And collect the expelled,
And make them a praise and a name,
In every country where they have been put to shame
20 At that time I will bring you in,
Even at the time when I collect you ;
Yea, I will make you a name and a praise
Among all the nations of the earth,
When I reverse your captivity in their sight,
Saith Jehovah.
the way of retribution’ or punishment.
Vulg. interficiam. Targ. s77703, 7729 SIS
ty, 1 will make an end of. The restora-
tion of the Jews is uniformly represented
as taking place in connection with the
destruction of those nations that are hos-
tile to the cause of God, and that shall,
in a special manner, oppose the accom-
plishment of his purpose respecting the
final deliverance of that long depressed
and scattered, yet beloved people. Comp.
Is, lix. 17—21, Ixvi. 15, 16. mods,
halting, and ;m712, driven away, cast
out, express the deplorable circumstances
of the Jews during the dispersion; and
the verbal forms indicate that such shall
be their condition till the time of resto-
ration. The illustrious character of that
restoration, however, shall redound to the
celebrity of the covenant people in all
the countries where they have been the
objects of reproach and ignominy. yx,
land, is used collectively for nis4x,
lands, and pn33 ὙΠ» the land of their
shame, means ‘the harass in which they
have been the objects of contumely and
disgrace. Ezek: xxxiy. 29. The occur-
rence of the article in y4xn , which is in
construction with pn ὃ, is contrary to
rule, but is otherwise not without exam-
ples. See Josh. iii. 17; 1 Sam. ii. 13;
2 Kings vii. 18, In such cases, however,
the article is generally repeated before
the following noun. See Josh. viii. 11;
Jer. xxv. 26. Some would account for
the irregularity by an understood repeti-
tion of the noun, thus, 753 vues ἘΞ Ξ
cna.
20. After ESns 8738 supply Dos4e2.
The 5 in mya is exegetical. The period
of the reintroduction of the Jews into
their own land is here rendered distin-
guishingly prominent by repeated and
pointed reference. So wonderful, how-
ever, Shall be the circumstances connected
with the event, that they shall scarcely
believe it when it happens, how greatly
and how long soever they may have de-
sired it. Jehovah, to remove all doubts,
declares that he will bring it about before
their eyes ; 1. 6. it shall certainly become
the object of their delightful contempla-
tion,
H.-A G-G Andes
PREFACE,
Ir is generally thought that the prophet Haggai was among the Hebrew
exiles who returned with Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, from Baby-
lon in the year B. c. 536, when Cyrus granted them their liberty, and ordered
them to be furnished with what was necessary for the restoration of the
temple at Jerusalem. His book itself vouches for the fact that he proph-
esied in the reign of Darius Hystaspis, who ascended the Persian throne
B. C. 521. Having been interrupted in building the temple by an interdict,
which the Samaritans obtained from Smerdis the usurper, the Jews became
in some measure indifferent to the work; and when Darius came to the
throne, an event which must have deprived the prohibition of all authority,
instead of vigorously recommencing their labors, the more influential persons
among them pretended that, as the 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
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. B. C. 520, to deliver to them rousing appeals from Jehovah. These
appeals had the desired effect, and the work proceeded with vigor.
The book is made up of five messages, which were all delivered, at suc-
cessive 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
or epitome of the original discourses.
‘The style of Haggai is not distinguished by any peculiar excellence; yet
he is not destitute of pathos and vehemence, when reproving his countrymen
for their negligence, and exhorting them to the 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-
tain portions of the book are purely historical ; and the rest, though exhibit-
ing more or less of the parallelism of members which characterizes the
usual prophetic style, are but faintly rhythmical. The phrases, m$n> DN
réxgz ἢ 02225 2", are fr equently repeated. mn? BN? occurs not less than
thrice in a single verse, chap. ii. 4.
WSS AmeD, ii, 3; ὍΣ OMe, 11. 6; O&M poe, ii, 16, are peculiar, and
indicate the Chaldee age.
ΟἿΑ ἘΠΕ RL.
THE prophet calls the attention of the principal civil and ecclesiastical authorities to the
negligence of the people in not building the temple, 1—4; directs that of the people to
this as the cause of their want of outward prosperity, 5—11; and subjoins a notice respect-
ing the success with which the delivery of his message was accompanied.
hi 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 com-
municated through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son
of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of
Josedech, the high priest, saying :
1. The Darius here mentioned is Da-
rius the son of Hystaspis, of the family
of the Acheemenide, who, in consequence
of an oracle, was raised to the throne of
Persia, on the death of the usurper Smer-
dis, n.c. 521, and reigned thirty-six years,
That this must be the monarch intended
is obvious from the facts, that Darius the
Mede, mentioned Dan. v. 31, ix, 1, lived
before the return of the Jews from Baby-
lon ; and that Darius Nothus and Darius
Codomannus flourished, the former nine-
ty-three years after the completion of the
temple, and the latter at a much later
period. Darius Hystaspis is represented by
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
Θηλππ, Daryavesh, or, as it appears in
the cuneiform inscriptions of Persepolis,
Daryawus, is derived by Lassen (Ὁ. d.
Keilform. Inschriften, p. 158), from the
root darh, to preserve, with the affirma-
tive awu, the 8 being the sign of the nom-
inative; and thus signifies conservator.
Comp. Herodotus, vi. 98, where the sig-
nification épfetns, coercer, is given to the
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
in Egypt, and the frontiers of Europe, to
the 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. Zerubbabel, whose Chal-
dee name was Sheshbazzar, Ezra i. 8, v.
14; comp. v. 16, iii. 8, 10, was the grand-
son (73 is used by Haggai in its more
extended signification) of Shealtiel, of
the royal house of David, 1 Chron, iii.
9—19. Cyrus committed to his care the
sacred vessels of the temple, and ap-
pointed him governor of the colony
which returned to Judea. The title of
mnb, prefect or governor, by which he
is designated, is applied to persons bear-
ing rule in provinces or divisions of
the Persian empire of less extent and
importance than satrapies. Comp. the
Pracrit. Pakkha, and the present Turk-
ish Pusha, though the latter word, ἔς :
Basha, is rather to be referred to ul,
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
with Zerubbabel. That S471 Ἵπξπν
the high priest, is to be connected, not
with the more proximate, but with the
more remote noun, ὦ. 6. with yin ,
Joshua, is clear, not only from the sim-
949 HAGGAI.
2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Cuap. I.
This people say, The time is not come,
The time for the house of Jehovah to be built.
3 Yea, the word of Jehovah was communicated through Hag-
gai the prophet, saying
4 Is it time for you, O ye,
To dwell in your wainscoted houses,
And this house lie waste?
5 Now, therefore, thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Consider your ways.
6 Ye haye 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;
ilar coherence of N=, but from all other
instances in which offices and genealogi-
cal statements are blended.
2. Simple as are the words s3 mz Nd
“ΗΔ ΤΣ», the construction is somewhat
difficult, owing to the position of the
infinitive x=. Either we must, with
Hitzig, give to the former ry the points
AZ=TnNy, now, as in Ps, lxxiy. 6; Ezek,
xxiii. 43; or convert sz into sz of the
preterite, as one of De Rossi’s MSS. reads,
and agreeably to the rendering of the
LXX., Syr., Vulg., Targ., and Arab. ;
or, what is preferable, regard sa as put
absolutely for the purpose of more em-
phatically expressing the sentiment that
the time was not yet really come in
which to erect the temple. As two of
the seventy years’ captivity had yet to
elapse, the colony which had arrived at
Jerusalem encouraged themselves in their
neglect of present duty, by assuming that
the building of the temple was included
in the calculation, and that, till the full
time had expired, they were under no
obligation to reeommence the work.
4. Repeating the word ny, time, which
he had employed twice, verse 2, the
prophet makes an appeal full of point
and cogency to those whom he addresses,
The use of ems before r=> adds to the
force of the language. ED signifies to
cover, cover over, wainscot, or overlay
with boards, so that what is predicated of
the houses is not to be confined to the
ceiling, but must be extended to the
walls which were thus covered, at once
for comfort and ornament. How beau-
tifully the feelings of Dayid, 2 Sam. vii.
2, contrast with those of the persons re-
proved by Haggai.
5. The 1 in mm31 is inferential, while
mms is employ ed, not in its temporal
acceptation, but argumentatively, as in
Ps, ii. 10. ὈΞΊΞ τ Σ ὈΞΞΞῚ cw,
lit. place your heart upon your ways, an
idiomatic, but very expressive mode of
speech. Comp. ver. 7, and ii. 18, twice,
in the elliptical form D232 ἡ Ὁ.
6. xan, bss, ing and wish, are
historical infinitives, which carry forward
the force of the finite form in pm>"71 at
the commencement of the verse, and, at
the same time, give a greater degree of
prominence to the actions which they ex-
press. Nothing prospered, and nothing
could be expected to prosper, while the
Jews were living in the flagrant neglect
of their duty. They had brought prop-
erty with them from Babylon, with
which they had erected splendid houses
for themselves, but God blasted their
agricultural and other expectations ; and
they had nothing in prospect but a sea-
-
Cuap. I.
HAGGAT.
343
And he that earneth wages, earneth them
To put them into a purse with holes.
7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood,
And build the house, and I will take pleasure in it,
That I may be glorified, saith Jehovah.
9 Ye looked for much, but, behold ! little ;
And ye brought it home, and I blew upon it.
Wherefore ? saith Jehovah of hosts.
Because of my house which lieth waste,
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.
11 And I have called for drought,
son of scarcity and want. The necessa-
ries of life 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. a2 , bored or perforated.
7. A reiteration of the exhortation
contained in ver. 5.
8. The reason why the Jews are called
to provide wood only is thought by Jer-
ome to be, that the walls of the temple
remained standing; but this hypothesis
is contradicted by repeated statements in
the books of Ezra and Zechariah, as well
as in Haggai ii. 18, in which express
mention is made of laying its founda-
tions. It rather seems to have been on
account of the time which would be nec-
essary to procure the article in question
from Lebanon, since it required first to
be hewn down, and afterwards trans-
ported by sea to Joppa. By "πη, the
mountain, Rosenmiiller thinks Moriah is
meant ; Hitzig, the mountainous country
in the vicinity of Jerusalem; but it is
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 tim-
‘ber; it was conveyed by the Zidonians
and Tyrians, Ezra iii. 7; but persons
are often said to do what they perform
through the instrumentality of others.
For 32531, the textual reading, which
should ‘be pointed 72237, the Keri has
mizasi. The copula marks here the
end to be obtained, or the result that
would follow the performance of the
enjoined duty. In such cases the future
has the force of a potential mood.
9. 758, the infinitive absolute, as in
ver. 6. Even the small crop which was
reaped had no sooner been brought into
the barns or granaries, than it was dis-
sipated. Their running each to his own
house is expressive of the eagerness with
which the Jews pursued their own affairs,
and sought for self-indulgence. "πὺξ
and 4n*5 stand here in striking contrast.
10. t5>>y is not to be referred to the
heavens, and so rendered over you, but
on your account, for your sake. Comp.
pebtaa 72>, Micah iii. 12. The mean-
ing is, on account of your neglecting to
build the temple. The preposition in
bun, following xb5, signifies «with re-
spect to, but does not require to be trans-
lated.
11. In the use of a5, drought, there
is an obvious reference to 244, dry,
waste, desolate, verses 4 and 9. They
form a paronomasia. The lengthened
234
12
19
14
15
HAGGAI. Cuar. IL
Upon the land, and upon the mountains,
Upon the grain, and upon the new wine,
Upon the oil, and upon what the ground bringeth forth,
Upon man and upon beast,
And upon all the labor of the hands.
Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son
of Josedech the high priest, and all the residue of the people,
hearkened to the voice of Jehovah their God, and to the words ©
of Haggai the prophet, according as Jehovah their God had
sent him ; ; and the people feared Je ehovah.
Then spake Haggai, the messenger of Jehovah, in the mes-
sage of Jehovah to the people:
I am with you, saith Jehovah.
And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son
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
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
to the force of the threatening. The
LXX., supposing it to be incongruous to
speak of bringing a drought upon man
and beast, read 355 instead of 347, and
rendered the word by μάχαιραν, a sword,
not adverting to the circumstance that
the latter term was still less applicable
to the other subjects here enumerated.
What the prophet threatens is a univer-
sal drought, the effects of which would
specially be experienced by living crea-
tures.
12. The prophet now describes the
happy effect which was produced by the
message which he had just delivered.
All the people who had returned united
with their rulers in rendering obedience
to the Divine command.
13. To encourage them to proceed in
the path of obedience on which they had
entered, Haggai delivers to them the
brief, but most cheering promise, "ϑὲὲ
nin? ἘΝῚ ESAS, Iam with you, saith
Jehovah.
14. Ran ἜΣΤΙ» to excite, or stir up the
spirit of any one (comp. Ezra i. 1, 5),
means to render him inclined effectively
to undertake the performance of any act,
or to pursue a certain line of conduct.
15. From the date here assigned it
appears, that most of the month elapsed
before the work was fairly undertaken.
Several of the early editions of the He-
brew Bible, as also the London Polyglot,
improperly place this verse at the begin-
ning of the next chapter.
Ob SA PT hh. oe
Tuts chapter contains three different oracles of the prophet.
The first, designed to encour-
age the people and their leaders to proceed with the building of the temple, by considera-
tions derived from the Divine presence, 1—4; from their national covenant continuing in
Cuap. II.
HAGGAI.
345
force, and that of the prophetic and gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, 5; from the
advent of the person and king
m of the Messiah, 6, 7; and from the universal proprie-
torship of Jehovah, the glory of the Messiah, and the reconciliation which he should
effect, 8, 9. The second oracle cautions them against intermission in their labors, by
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, 15—18; and
promises them prosperity, 19. The third is addressed to Zerubbabel individually, to ani-
mate and encourage him in conducting the work.
1 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, 2. This oracle was delivered nearly
a month after the rebuilding of the tem-
ple had commenced, 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
there were many present at the laying of
the foundation of the second temple, who
had seen the first. To such of them as
were still alive, few as they must have
been, Haggai appeals respecting the dis-
parity between the two, in regard to the
rough and unpromising appearance of the
new structure, contrasted with the ele-
gant and splendid aspect of that of Sol-
omon, previous to its destruction by the
Chaldeans. -3337 is not in apposition
44
with p23, but connects with the inter-
rogative "2. The phrase Ἴ" 9 4ri23 is
peculiar, but not difficult of resolution,
the word for temple being understood.
4, The comparison instituted in the
preceding verse, so far from being de-
signed to discourage those to whom the
appeal was made, was on the contrary
intended to inspire them with confidence
in their covenant God, whose prerogative
it is to call things that are not’as though
they were. It is tacitly implied, that
whatever might be the estimate they
might make of the work, it was very
different with respect to his. Comp.
Zech. viii. 6. And what is here only
implied is expressly declared ver. 9.
δ. The government of s22n—ns has
946
HAGGAT.
Cap.
When ye went forth out of Egypt,
And my Spirit remain among you:
Fear not.
6 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Yet once, within a little,
And I will shake the heavens, and the earth,
And the sea, and the dry land,
unnecessarily puzzled interpreters. Ewald
thinks the sentence is incomplete, and
would supply "πΞῚ, emember. Hengs-
tenberg actually supplies the word in a
parenthesis. Maurer endeavors to make
it out to be an accusative modi 5. norma,
and explains, secundum illud verbum:
and connects it with the preceding verse,
thus: I am with you, according to that
word, etc.; and so our own translators,
ec Calvin. Rosenmiiller would supply
vz from the preceding verse. The par-
ficle ny I consider to be prefixed to sa57,
in order to give it a greater degree “of
prominence, and to be equivalent to
that or the same covenant, etc.; while
M2IAKFrs, together with *":", form
the nominative to the participle n7333
only, as separated from it by the inter-
vening predicate “339 [AIS AWS, the
participle is put in the feminine singular,
to agree with =m4, the nearer antece-
dent. For this use of ms before the
nominative, though rare, see Neh. ix. 19.
ΒΏΣ ΤΣ so=Nd Ἴ25π the pillar of
cloud did not depart, ete.; ver. 34,
"29 ἘΞ: Ξ Sherry , And our kings
—have not kept, ete.: Dan. ix. 13,
ἐν mea rita ait ry, All this
evil hath come upon us. “27, word or
matter, is here employed to denote the
Sinaic Covenant, as the accompanying
verb my>, to cut, or make a covenant
obviously shows. Notwithstanding the
flagrant violation of that covenant of
which the Jews had been guilty, on ac-
count of which they had been punished
in Babylon, it still continued in all its
foree. They possessed it in its written
form, and thus had the pledge which
Jehovah had given them, that he was
their covenant God, and would confer
blessings upon the obedient. They also
had his R3-, the spirit of inspiration in
the prophets who were raised up in the
midst of them to declare his will, and
call to the discharge of duty, Ezra, v. 1;
and of efficient influence to induce them
to listen to, 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-
tions, in a brief space, exert his Almighty
power in effecting a great revolution in
the state of the kingdoms of this world,
preparatory to the establishment of the
kingdom of the Messiah. This mighty
change is first described in the usual fig-
urative language of prophecy, as a con-
vulsion of the physical universe, and then
literally as a convulsion of all nations.
In the phrase vy mn 749, it is only
the numeral pmy which occasions any
difficulty. The combination us 73,
yet a little, i. 6. time, occurs: more than
once. See Ps, xxxvii. 10; Is, xxix. 17;
Jer. li. 33. But tha esented be-
ing peculiar to this passage, naturally
suggests some peculiarity in the mean-
ing. Most supply cys, time, after the
LXX. ἔτι ἅπαξ, quoted and reasoned
upon, Heb, xii. 26, 27, and the Syr.
ν᾽ y >
—) τὰ 20.2 Comp. for nny
t=, one time, once, Josh. vi. 3; 1 Sam.
xxvi. 8; and for the ellipsis of ἘΣΞ,
where mms stands by itself, as here,
Exod. xxx. 10; Job. x]. 5; Ps. Ixii. 12,
Ixxxix. 36. And certainly, as wz0 , ζὐέ-
tle, is designed to express brevity of time,
Cuap. 11.
HAGGAT.
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 cénstruction. Hengstenberg labors
hard to bring the idea of brevity of
time out of ns, but fails to produce
any examples to confirm his hypothesis,
What the prophet has in view appears to
be the convulsions which were yet to
take place in the Persian and Greek
empires, 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
previous convulsion, implied in the phrase
yet once, does not appear to be the shak-
‘ing, etc., which took place 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-
tended to the downfall of the Roman
empire, the destruction of Antichrist,
etc., but must be confined to events
which were to happen before the com-
ing of Christ. We have only to call to
mind the wars of the Persians in Asia
Minor, Greece, Egypt, and other parts ;
and those of Alexander and his succes-
sors which followed, till the period when
the establishment of the power of the
Romans at length gave peace to the
world, in order to read, in legible char-
acters, the fulfilment of the present
prophecy. Nor does the comment of
the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews
require 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
Hiis point, he introduces, by way of con-
trast, 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 char-
acter of the elements upon which they
were exerted. That the prophet intended
to include the dissolution of the Jewish
state in his prediction, does not appear ;
indeed, the reference to such an event
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
great political changes which were still
to take place among the nations before
the introduction of the kingdom of the
Messiah, Haggai here repeats his predic-
tion in literal terms, and then at once
announces the arrival of the eagerly ex-
pected blessings of that kingdom. The
passage has long been regarded as one of
the principal prophecies relative to the
time of the Redeemer’s advent. That
it was so applied by some of the early
Jewish Rabbins, is undeniable. Thus in
the chapter of the Talmudic treatise
Sanhedrin, entitled -tn, the following
interpretation is given as that of Rabbi
Akiba, who flourished before the time of
Jerome: $snw7d ἘΠῚ yns mish ww
"sam mba amin omsdo jaan ans>
Awa Na VAN ΠῺΣ wesna, For a
little I will give the kingdom to Israel,
after our desolation, and after the king-
dom, behold I will shake heaven and
earth, and MessiaH SHALL comE. The
rendering of the Vulg. supports the same
view: ‘Et veniet Desideratus cunctis
Gentibus.” Leo Juda: *‘ Et veniet
qui desideratur ab omnibus gentibus.”
Dathe: “ἘΠ deinde veniet gentibus om-
nibus expetendus.”” On the other hand,
Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Ribera, Dru-
sius, Gataker, Vitringa, and others, ren-
der : ** The Gentiles shall come with their
delightful things,” ὁ, e. their silver, gold,
precious stones, ete. Some, violently,
‘Come to the desire,” etc., meaning
thereby Jerusalem. Most of the mod-
erns, rejecting this construction as alto-
gether unwarranted, translate after the
LXX. ἥξει τὰ ἐκλεκτὰ πάντων τῶν ἐδνῶν,
“the choice things,” or ‘the pleas-
945
HAGGAT,.
‘Cuap. IL
And I will fill this house with glory,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
ant things of all nations shall come.”
Ewald: dass die liebsten aller Volker
kommen :” 7. e. “That the most lovely
of all people may come.” Hengsten-
berg, who renders, “the beauty of all
the heathen,” is at great pains in en-
deavoring to make good his translation,
which he interprets of what he says is
always beautiful among them — all their
costly good things. But he fails alike
in his attempt to set aside the idea of
desire as expressed by m7", and in
that to prove that the prophet here fore-
tells the rich contributions which the
heathen would bring into the church.
That the root 2m, primarily and most
commonly signifies to desire or covet, both
in a good and a bad sense, must be evi-’
dent to every one who will take the
trouble to consult the Hebrew concord-
ance ; and that m7", which is derived
from it, signifies eae an object of de-
sire, see the Lexicons of Gesenius and
Lee. This acceptation must be vindi-
eated to 1 Sam. ix. 20. nien-ts “by
ben 25) to 2 Chron. xxi. 20, maven Nba; ;
and to Dan. xi. 37, ἘΠῚ 2 men.
The want of concord in rien asa
rrtsn—ts, the verb expressing the
predicate, being in the plural masculine,
while 767, the subject of the proposi-
tion, is in the singular feminine, occa-
sions no small difficulty, and presents an
insuperable objection to the usual Mes-
sianic interpretation. That ys2 should
have been produced by zeugma with
ἘΠῚ5 π|, is totally unsupported by anal-
ogy, just as a plural of excellence in
verbs is equally without example. The
only practicable solution warranted by
grammatical usage, consists in assuming
mann to be a collective noun, convey-
ing a plural idea, the gender of which
not having yet presented itself to the
mind of the prophet when he enunciated
the verb, he naturally expressed it in the
masculine as the more worthy gender,
The construction in such cases is ad sen-
sum; i, 6, it is not formal, but logical.
The proper translation, therefore, of
prtan—tz mayor 3824 will be, And, or,
And then the things desired by all nations
shall come. The Genitive being the Gen-
itive of object, must be thus expressed.
Now these objects of desire on the part
of all nations, cannot mean their riches,
for no such riches were brought to Jeru-
salem 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 re-
mote future time have operated in the
way of encouragement upon the minds
of those whom the prophet addressed, so
as to induce them to proceed with their
work. The objects in question, there-
fore, must have been of a higher order —
τὰ μελλόντα ayatd, the good things to
come, i, e. the blessings of the 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
could find nothing satisfactory respecting
the Divine Being, pardon, emancipation
from the power of moral evil, and a fu-
ture state of existence; and more or less
earnestly desired to obtain information in
regard to these important and necessary
points. Τὸ adduce only one testimony
from among many to be found in ancient
pagan writers. Socrates, endeavoring to
satisfy the mind of Alcibiades on the
subject of acceptable worship, says: avary-
καῖον οὖν ἐστι περιμένειν ἕως ἄν Tis μάϑῃ
ὡς δεῖ πρὸς ϑεοὺς καὶ πρὸς avSpwmovs δια-
κεῖσϑαι, It is therefore necessary to wait
till some one may teach us how it behooves
us to conduct ourselves, both towards the
gods and men. To which Alcibiades re-
sponds: πότε οὖν παρέσται ὁ χρόνος οὗτος
ὦ Σώκρατες ; καὶ τίς ὃ παιδεύσων ; ἤδιστα
γὰρ ἄν μοι δοκῶ ἰδεῖν τοῦτον τὸν ἄνϑρωπον
Cuap. ILI.
HAGGAI.
910
8 Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the
former,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
τίς ἐστιν; When shall that time arrive,
O Socrates? and who shall that Teacher
be? for most eagerly do I wish to see such
a man. — Plato, Alcibiades, ii. near the
end. And, as the time of the Redeem-
cr’s advent drew near, there was a gen-
eral expectation of a Teacher and Deliv-
erer, not only in the Jewish nation, but
throughout the world. To Christ, as the
Light of the world, and to the spiritual
blessings which flow through his media-
tion, the prophecy strictly applies; and,
with this reference, was admirably cal-
culated to stimulate the Jews to persever-
ance in building the temple, with which
was inseparably connected the restoration
of their ancient polity, during the exist-
ence of which the Messiah was to appear.
The “ glory” with which the temple was
to be filled, was not the rich and splen-
did furniture, etc., but a respiendence,
consisting in the manifestation of Jeho-
vah himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 5, with
Ezek. xiii. 4, 5; Exod. xl. 34, 35; 1
Kings viii, 11.
8. The Jews needed to be under no
concern about the means requisite for the
erection of the temple. The earth is the
Lord’s and the fulness thereof, so that
whatever amount of earthly riches was
wanted, he would in his providence sup-
ply. The declaration contained in this
verse is introduced parenthetically, to re-
lieve their minds from any momentary
anxiety, arising out of the circumstances
in which, as a poor and despised people,
they were placed.
9. The LXX. refer the terms ἡ) ΠΝ τιν
the latter, and 443 san, the former, not
tonin moan, this house, but to 7422,
the glory. And thus Hitzig, Maurer,
and Ewald; but Ezra iii, 12, determines
to the contrary. The glory here pre-
dicted was to be greater than that of the
former temple, not merely in degree, but
in kind. That the second temple, even
as renewed and beautified by Herod, at
all equalled in magnificence that of Sol-
omon, there is no reason to believe. This
must appear on comparing the descrip-
tion given of the former by Josephus,
Antiq. Jud. lib. xv. cap. xi., with that
furnished of the latter, 1 Kings vi. vii.
13—50. In point of size, indeed, the
temple of Hered exceeded the structure
erected by the celebrated Jewish mon-
arch; but this was ali. The statement
made by Josephus, Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap.
iv. 8, that it was the most admirable of
all the works he had seen or heard of,
does not include Solomon’s temple, but
has respect to other erections in different
parts of the world. But if the second
house was inferior in point of sumptu-
ousness to the former, and wanted, as the
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 Di-
vine glory,” Heb. i. 2; whose glory was
beheld as that of the only-begotten of the
Father, John i. 14; who could say of
himself, *‘ that in this place is one greater
than the temple,” Matt. xii. 6; and who
sat in it daily teaching, Matt. xxvi. 50.
In support of this interpretation, and in-
deed of the Messianic character of the
entire prophecy, ver. 7, 9, the declara-
tion made in the concluding clause of the
latter verse may with all propriety be
adduced. When “peace” is spoken of
in an absolute sense, in the prophets, it
390
10
A
12
13
HAGGAI. Cuap. II.
And in this place I will give peace,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year
of Darius, the word of Jehovah was communicated through
Haggai the prophet, saying: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ask
now the priests as to the law, saying: If any one should carry
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
holy ? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said
Haggai: If any one who is unclean on account of a dead body,
should touch any of these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests
14
and said:
answered and said, It shall be unclean.
Then Haggai continued,
Thus hath this people, and thus hath this nation been,
Before me, saith Jehovah ;
denotes the reconciliation between God
and sinful men, to be effected by the
Messiah. Comp. Is. ix. 6, 7, lili. 5, lvii.
19; Micah v. 5; Zech. vi. 13; with
Luke ii. 14; Acts x. 36; Rom. v. 1;
Eph. ii. 14, 17. This peace was to be
granted. ; min Dip, in this place, i. 6.
in Jerusalem, It was there the Messiah
made peace through the blood of his
cross, Col. i. 20. It has with some been
matter of dispute, whether the temple
erected by Zerubbabel, and that built by
Herod, are to be regarded as identical,
or whether the latter is not to be consid-
ered as a third temple. Strictly and
architecturally considered, that of Herod
was entirely new, for he caused that of
Zerubbabel to be taken down to the very
foundations ; but in the popular and re-
ligious language they were identical ; just
as Josephus speaks of those built by Sol-
omon and Zerubbabel as one, Bell. Jud.
lib. vi. cap. iv. 8. Accordingly nothing
is more customary than for Jewish writers
to speak of only the first and the second
temple. In the present verse, Haggai is
to be understood as speaking in an archi-
tectural sense, inasmuch as the second
temple was then being actually built.
10. This prophecy was delivered rather
more than two months after that con-
tained in the preceding verses of the
chapter.
11—13. To convince his countrymen
of the impossibility of their conduct be-
ing well-pleasing to God, and of their
obtaining his blessing, while in any one
point they neglected to comply with his
will, the prophet directs them to consult
the priests on two legal questions; the
one, relative to the communication of
ceremonial sanctity to any object, by its
having been brought in contact with
what had been sanctified; and the oth-
er, respecting the communication of cer-
emonial impurity by one who was him-
self impure. The former was denied;
the latter affirmed. Whatever the Jews
might otherwise nightly perform, would
not compensate for their neglect in build-
ing the temple; on the contrary, their
neglect in this matter would taint or viti-
ate all their other actions. Comp. in
illustration of these questions, Lev. vi.
27; Numb, vi. 6, xix. 13; in which lat-
ter passages the abbreviated form 9 Ὲ3., ὦ
dead body, is expressed in full by TER
nn, or by mame Cnn ὉῈ2.
14. The application of the legal decis-
ions of the priests to the case of the Jews,
who had neglected the building of the
temple, It describes them, not as they
Cuap. II.
HAGGAITI.
And thus hath been every work of their hands,
And what they have offered there hath been unclean.
15
And now consider, I beseech you,
From this day and backward,
Before one stone was laid upon another
In the temple of Jehovah.
16 Since these days were,
One came to a heap of twenty sheaves,
And there were but ten ;
One came to the vat to draw fifty purahs,
And there were but twenty.
17
I smote you with blight, and mildew, and hail,
In all the labors of your hands ;
Yet ye turned not to me,
Saith Jehovah.
Consider, I beseech you,
From this day backward,
18
From the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,
From the day when the temple of Jehovah was founded,
Consider !
19 Is the seed still in the granary ?
now were, engaged in the work, but as
they had been, and is designed to put
them upon their guard against falling
back into the same state. The adverb
Ἐν, there, points graphically to the altar,
which had been erected at Jerusalem, and
which was, in all probability, within view
of the audience which the prophet ad-
dressed. Ezra iii. 3.
15—17. The Jews are earnestly ex-
horted to reflect upon the state of their
affairs during the period in which they
had intermitted the work. God had
frowned upon them, and rendered them
infelicitous. nbz, a substantive, with
the local 5 , used adverbially. Properly
it signifies upward, being derived from
mb», to ascend; but used, as here, of
time, it means back, backwards. In
tninn, the word tx", days, is under-
stood. ἈΞ is to be taken impersonally,
At pty nay, a heap of twenty, sup-
ply nhwabs or ἘΣ», sheaves. ΤῊ Ξ»
which is used for the wine-press itself,
Is. Ixiii. 3, is here employed to denote a
liquid measure in which the wine was
drawn out. LXX. μετρητής. The quan-
tity being unknown, I have retained the
original word. For ver. 17, comp.
Amos ivy. 9, where we have the words
"IZ DAIZ-ND, ye turned not unto me,
instead of “by Tony—7s , used by Hag-
gai, in which there is an ellipsis of the
participle ovag. For this use of nx,
as a nominative, or as indicating the sub-
ject of discourse, see on ver. 5. In ver.
18, the exhortation is once and again re-
iterated for the sake of effect; and to
render it still more definite, the exact date
is added to the formula s3n pin, this
day, which had been employed ver. 15.
ΤΌΣ is here to be taken, as in that verse,
in reference to past time, and not, as the
Vulg., Hitzig, etc., in reference to the -
future.
19. To the question put at the begin-
ning of the verse, a negative is to be
given. The seed was no longer in the
302
HAGGAT.
Cuap. II.
And as yet the vine, and the fig-tree,
And the pomegranate, and the olive have borne nothing ;
From this day will I bestow the blessing. |
20
And the word of Jehovah was communicated a second time
to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying:
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, saying :
I will shake the heavens and the earth,
22
I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms,
I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations,
And overthrow the chariots
and those who ride in them ;
The horses, also, and their riders shall come down,
Each by the sword of another.
23
In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts,
I will take thee, Ὁ Zerubbabel! the son of Shealtiel,
My servant, saith Jehovah,
granary. It had been sown in the course
of the month, and there were no signs
of its springing up any more than there
were of the produce of the fruit-trees.
Jehovah had formerly blasted their har-
vest ; but now that the people were dili-
gently engaged in building his temple,
they might confidently calculate upon
one of plenty. He gives them a positive
promise to this effect. The repetition of
min ΠΡ πτ 12» from this day, which had
been twice used in the preceding verses,
gives emphasis to the declaration. sz,
usually signifying wnti/, is here employed
in the sense of while, or as yet, as in
Judges iii, 26; 2 Kings ix. 22; Job. i.
18, where it corresponds to πὴ» in verses
16 and 17.
20—23. These verses contain a special
message to Zerubbabel, in which there
is a repetition of the prediction, some-
what amplified, respecting the revolutions
that were about to take place, which had
been delivered in verses 6 and 7. In
ver. 22, the verb "τη, to go or come down,
is equvialent to =, to fall. That the
promise made, ver. 23, cannot be viewed
as having respect to Zerubbabel in his in-
dividual 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
Persian throne, and ,subdued the rest of
Asia; but the predicted convulsions did
not commence with the conquests of that
monarch. Many of them took place dur-
ing the reign of Darius, whose arms were
carried not only into Scythia, Asia Mi-
nor, and Greece, but, according to Her-
odotus, into India. It is, therefore, not
at all improbable that Zerubbabel sur-
vived several of these wars, and thus
lived in the beginning of sinn chen,
that day, or the period in the course of
which the prophecy was to be fulfilled ;
and as the Persians occasionally experi-
enced serious reverses, as, for instance, in
the Scythian expedition, it was natural
for the Jews who were under the protec-
tion of Darius, to have their minds un-
settled by apprehensions respecting the
ultimate state of their affairs. To inspire
them with confidence, Jehovah here as-
sures their governor of his regard and
protection amid all the commotions that
might take place in the surrounding na-
tions. pb , to take, is merely employed
for the purpose of introducing the action
expressed by the following verb. For
pnans Ἴ 3 Ὁ, I will place thee as a sig-
net, comp. Song viii. 6; Jer. xxii. 24.
thin, from onn, to seal, or close by
sealing, signifies a ring with the seal or
signet in it, with which the impression
Cuap. II. HeASG GAT: 303
And will make thee as a signet ;
For in thee I take pleasure,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
was made. Seals were commonly made
of silver, but sometimes of the most pre-
cious stones, and, consequently, held in
high estimation by their owners. Being
worn on one of the fingers of the right
hand, they were likewise objects of con-
stant inspection and care. In all these
points of view Zerubbabel was to be re-
garded by God. He was to be an object
of his incessant care and delight. ‘Lhe
latter idea is more definitely expressed
by the addition "Ὁ πΞ 33 —-na, sig-
nifying not only to ¢ry objects, and then
to select what is valuable, but also to take
pleasure in what is thus selected.
45
ZECHARIAH.
PREFACE.
ZECHARIAH was of a sacerdotal family. His father Berechiah was a son
of Iddo, one of the priests who returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua from
Babylon. Neh. xii. 4. When he is said to have been the son of Iddo, Ezra
ν. 1, vi. 14, the word 42 is used, according to a common Hebrew idiom, in the
sense of grandson. He must have been born in Babylonia, and been young,
rather than otherwise, at the time of his arrival in Judea. He was contem-
* porary with Haggai, and, like him, received his prophetic commission 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 Zerubba-
bel and Joshua to carry forward the building of the temple, which had been
intermitted through the selfish and worldly spirit of the returned exiles —a
spirit which they boldly and variously reproved.
The most remarkable portion of the book is that containing the first six
chapters. It consists of a series of visions which were vouchsafed to the
prophet in the course of a single night, in which, by means of symbolical
representations, the dispensations of Divine Providence relative to the na-
tions that had oppressed the Jews, the entire removal of idolatry from the
latter, the re-establishment of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the
certainty of the Messiah’s advent, were strikingly 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-
specting the observance of a certain fast, together with important ethical
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
the Jews during the dispersion; their conversion and restoration; and the
sacred character of their worship, in which the Gentiles shall join, after the
destruction of the wicked confederacy which will be opposed to their final
establishment in Canaan.
The authenticity of this last portion has been, and still is, strongly con-
tested. Not only has it been denied to be the production of Zechariah, but
PREFACE TO ZECHARIAH. Soo
it has been broken up into fragments, the independent authorship of which
has been vindicated to as many anonymous authors. ‘The first who ventured
upon such a denial was Joseph Mede, whose opinion was adopted by Ham-
mond, Kidder, Whiston, and Bridge, and more recently by Secker and New-
come in this country, and on the continent by Fliigge, Déderlein, J. D.
Michaelis, Seiler, Eichhorn, Bauer, Bertholdt, Forberg, Rosenmiiller, Gram-
berg, Hitzig, Credner, Maurer, Ewald, and Knobel. The authenticity, on
the athe hand, has been maintained by Carpzovius, Blaney, Jahn, Beckhaus,
Koester, Hengstenberg, and Burger.
The eS ehjpeuen is τ to the language and character of the
materials, as being very different from those which are found to distinguish
what is universally allowed to have been written by Zechariah. To tig,
however, it 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 any 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 alto-
gether 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 ex-
istence 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
impartially examine into all the circumstances of the case. The mere men-
tion of Judah and Ephraim, upon which so much stress is laid, can yield it no
Teal 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 estab-
lishment in the northern part of Palestine; nor is there any thing, but the
contrary, to induce the conclusion that a ie reigned in Judah in the days
of the author. That Ephraim should be spoken of as existing after the cap-
tivity, cannot be matter of surprise, when it is considered, that a very large,
if 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 applica-
tion of the term “Israel” to all the tribes, chap. xii. 1, just as it is used in the
identical formula Mal. 1. 1. Compare Mal. ii. 11, 12, iii. 6. The few refer-
ences to a return relate to those Jews which were in a state of banishment
or slavery under the Greco-Syrian and Grco-Egyptian kings. The histor-
ical circumstances connected with the Egyptian expedition of Alexander are
so strongly marked in the prophetic announcements, that they cannot without
violence be identified with any previous events. The absence, too, of the
slightest allusion to the Babylonish captivity, either in the way of threatening
or warning, while the prophet minutely describes the character of the Jewish
900 PREFACE TO ZECHARIAH.
rulers, and the condition of the Jewish people, in immediate connection with
the sufferings of the Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the conse-
quent fate of the people, goes convincingly to show that the captivity must
have taken place, and that the whole of this portion of the book has respect
to times future to those in which he flourished. So strongly, indeed, has this
feature of the case presented itself to Eichhorn, and other sharp-sighted crit-
ics, that, rejecting, as their neology compelled them to do, all ideas of actual
prophecy, they scruple not to affirm that the disputed chapters must have
been composed in the days of Alexander, Antiochus, Epiphanes, or Hyreanus
I. It also deserves notice that no reference whatever is made to the exist-
ence 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
that to which it has become so fashionable to appeal. Be it that the intro-
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 dis-
member the Book of Amos, and assign its composition at least to three differ-
ent authors. The first two chapters of that prophet, it may be alleged,
cannot have been written by the same person that wrote the three which fol-
low, 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 princi-
ple, 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 peculiar character of the first six chapters of Zechariah, is such
as to exclude all comparison of any other portion with it, 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
in necessary connection with the events which transpired at the time. With
respect to the titles, chap. ix. 1, and xii. 1, they are precisely such as might
be expected to mark the strictly prophetic matter to which they are prefixed.
The exactly parallel title, Malachi, 1. 1, naturally suggests the idea, that they
belong to a common period, especially as nothing analogous is found in any
of the earlier prophets.
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 attributes chapter xi. 12, 13, to Jeremiah, and
not to Zechariah,* or of a spirit of wanton and unbridled hypercriticism,
* See Comment. on the passage.
PREFACE TO ZECHARIAH. 307
which would unsettle everything, in order to satisfy the claims of certain
favorite principles of interpretation that may happen to be in vogue.
In point of style, our prophet varies, according to the nature of his subjects,
and the manner in which they were presented to his mind. He now expresses
himself in simple conversational prose, now in poetry. At one time he
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 accompany them. His prose resembles most that of
Ezekiel ; it is diffuse, 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 some-
times harsh and unequal, while his parallelisms are destitute of that symmetry
and finish, which form some of the principal beauties of Hebrew poetry.
ΘΟΕ ΕΟ Ht ors
w
In the first six verses, which serve as a general introduction to the whole book, the prophet
is charged to warn the Jews by the consequences which resu!ted from the impenitence
of their forefathers, not to be backward in complying with the Divine will. We have
then the first of the prophetic visions, with which Zechariah was favored, containing ἃ
symbolical representation of the tranquil condition of the world at the time, 7—11; fol-
lowed by an expostulation respecting the desolate state of Judea, 12, 18, and gracious
promises of its restoration, 14—17. The last four verses set forth, by appropriate symbols,
in a second vision, for the encouragement of the Jews, the destruction of the hostile pow-
ers by which they had been attacked, at different periods of their history.
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word
of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of Bere-
chiah, the son of Iddo,) the prophet, saying :
2 Jehovah hath been greatly displeased with your fathers.
3 Say therefore unto them,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts,
And I will return unto you, saith Jehovah cf hosts.
1. See preface, and on Haggai i. 1.
2 The special object which the prophet
has in view in this and the following
verses, is to call those Jews who had re-
turned from Babylon to Jerusalem, to
repent of the selfish negligence which
they evinced in regard to the building
of the temple. Comp. Hag. i. 4, 5, 7.
This repentance is urged upon them by
the consideration of the severe punish-
ment which had overtaken their fathers.
The argument is of the kind called en-
thymeme, in which the antecedent only
is expressed, and the consequent proposi-
tion is left to be supplied by the reader.
«Jehovah hath been very angry with
your fathers, and so he will be with you,
except ye repent and reform your con-
duct.” ὩΣ The construction of
a verb with a noun derived from it, is
found in other languages, as μάχεσϑαι
μαχὴν, gaudere gaudium; but its fre-
quency in the Hebrew is such as to
entitle it to be regarded as one ofits
idioms; and, generally, it expresses aug-
- ao tm
ΞΡ ΣΡ.
“ΡΠ IS
mentation or intensity. Hence the LXX.
render here, ὠργίσϑη --- ὀργὴν μεγάλην ;
and the Syr. {23 ἵμιο- δ. In
ver. 15, the intensity is still more strongly
marked by the addition of $473, great:
-- ΣΡ cay d4ca ἘΣ. The persons
addressed in ps*nias, your fathers, are
the Jews to whom the prophet had been
sent. There is no occasion, with Blay-
ney, to suppose that the text is defective.
3. The ἡ in m-%x1 is not merely con-
tinuative, but argumentative, and infer-
ential. For the defective form emty,
twenty-eight MSS., and three editions
read Ἐπ ὃ Ν in full. The phrase -}n>
ΤΆΞΙΝ , Jehovah of hosts, is of unusually
frequent occurrence in the eight first
chapters of this book, and in that of
Haggai, written about the same time.
In the last six chapters, however, it oc-
curs not fewer than nine times. See on
Is. i. 9, Its use appears to have been
designed to inspire the mind with un-
shaken confidence in the supreme and
Cuap. I.
4 Be not like your fathers,
ZECHARIAH.
309
To whom the former prophets cried, saying,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Turn now from your evil ways,
And from your evil practices ;
But they did not hearken,
Neither did they give heed to me, saith Jehovah.
5 As for your fathers, where are they ?
And as for the prophets, do they live forever ?
'6 But my words, and my decrees,
Which I gave in charge to my servants the prophets,
irresistible power of God. The 4 in
next marks the apodosis, and has the
force of and then, or in that case. Comp.
James iv. 8.
4, The prophets here referred to are
those who lived before the captivity, and
the fathers are those who lived in their
time, whose wicked practices had brought
upon the nation that dire calamity.
The appropriation of the phrase t=x723
t-2hsan, the former prophets, as a des-
ignation of the books of Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, and Kings, is of much later
date. The returned Jews are here re-
minded that the same announcement
which was made to them had been made
to their ancestors, and that they might
have escaped all the evil by a timely
repentance, to which Zechariah now ur-
gently calls them. The former " in
Ds-b"by is marked in the margin as
redundant, and is omitted in the text of
more than twenty MIS. and some print-
ed editions. The plural of Ἐξ 3%, viz.
Spit) 22, is the only form in which the
word occurs. Comp. ver. 6.
5. Jerome refers bp" aim to the false
prophets by whom the Jews who lived
before the captivity 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-
ural construction of the verse, however,
is that which connects it closely with
what goes before, and identifies the
prophets’ here spoken of with “ the for-
mer prophets” there mentioned, just as
the “fathers” in both verses correspond
to each other. The question, TIN
where are they? is equivalent to Ἴ55 5
they are not; i. 6. in the land of the
living. This the following question
clearly shows. In Hebrew, simple inter-
rogatives frequently imply the contrary:
so that the language of the prophet is
equivalent to “ your fathers are no more,
neither do the prophets live forever.”
The latter declaration 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 amplified in the following
verse.
6. "BM, my decrees, i. e. my firm and
determined purposes to punish your fath-
ers, if they did not repent, which I com-
municated to them by the prophets. The
root is prem , to hack, cut, cut letters, etc.,
in stone or other hard substances. Thus
laws were originally written on tablets,
and hung up for public inspection. The
confession made in this verse is that
which the captives were compelled to
make by the sufferings which they en-
dured in Babylon. How far their -25275
conversion, extended we are not informed.
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. L
Did they not overtake your fathers ?
So that they turned and said,
According as Jehovah of hosts proposed to do to us,
According to our ways, and according to our practices,
So hath he dealt with us.
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is
the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word
of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of Bere-
chiah, the son of Iddo), the prophet, saying :
8 Isaw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse,
It is, however, generally admitted that,
as regards the great body of the nation,
it involved the entire abandonment of
idolatry. That av is here to be strictly
taken as signifying to turn, return from
evil to good, and not according to its
idiomatic usage before another verb, as
simply expressing the repetition of the
action described by such verb, is required
by the exigency of the passage. "wN>
and 4> are correlates ; the 2 repeated,
qualifies a subordinate, but important
part of the proposition.
7. From this part of the book to chap.
vi. 8, we have a series of eight symboli-
cal visions, the language of which is
exceedingly simple, but, in many cases,
the interpretation is matter of no small
difficulty. The general plan on which
it is constructed, is, first to present to
view the symbol or hieroglyphic, and
then, on a question being put respecting
its import, to furnish the interpretation,
Though the visions are described as dis-
tinct from each other, the one following
the other in regular succession, yet they
are so closely connected as to form one
grand whole; and, as we learn from ver.
8, were all presented to the mind of the
prophet in the course of a single night.
The period of these nocturnal revelations
was between two and three months after
the prophet first received his commission.
Comp. ver. 1. vas, Shebat, is the
eleventh month of the Jewish year, ex-
tending from the new moon in February
to the new moon in March. Like other
names of the months, the word is Chal-
dee; Syr. ina; Arab. ἰδίων and
bles. The etymology is not certain ;
but the resemblance of the word to the
Hebrew wav, α shoot, rod, staff, sug-
gests the idea of the month being so
called because it was that in which the
trees began to put forth their shoots or
sprouts. As the following statement
does not contain the identical words
merely of the communications made to
the prophet, but an account of the scenes
with all their accompanying circumstan-
ces, the formula -=;2x> must be taken as
signifying, “10 the following effect,”
‘as follows,” or the like.
VISION I.
. It has been doubted whether the
ἘΠῚ m in sn is to be regarded as
definitely marking the particular night
on which the visions were voucheafed! to
the prophet, or whether it is not rather
to be taken as expressing the adverbial
determination of the noun — zn the night,
or, by night, The latter seems prefer-
able, Comp. mbs$2, Job y. 14. The
person here described as riding upon a
red horse, is spoken of as "ὅλ, @ man,
z. e. in the shape or appearance of a man;
for that an angel, and not a human be- -
ing, is intended, is evident from verses
11 and 12, in which he is expressly
called “the angel of Jehovah.” And that
he was no ordinary angel, but the Divine
Mediator, the Angel of the Covenant,
Cuap. I.
ZECHARIAH.
901
and he stood among the myrtles in the shade, and behind him
and of the presence of Jehovah, will not
be denied by any who have rendered
themselves familiar with the attributes
and circumstances in connection with
which the Person so designated is pre-
sented to view, both in our prophet and
in other parts of the Old Testament.
One of the most remarkable of these
circumstances, is his being identified
with Jehovah himself. This Gesenius,
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
sda . Sometimes,” he writes, ‘the
same divine appearance, which at one
time is called m4n> 5xd72, is afterwards
called simply mn, as Gen. xvi. 7, θέ
seq. coll. v. 13; xxii. 11; coll. 12; xxi.
11, coll. 16; Exod. iii, 2, coll. 5; Jud.
vi. 14, coll. 22; xiii. 18, coll. 22. This
is to be so understood, that the Angel of
God is here nothing else than the invisi-
ble Deity itself, which thus unveils itself
to mortal eyes; see J. H. Michaelis de
Angelo Dei, Hal. 1702. Tholuck, Com-
ment. zum Ey. Johannis, p. 36. Hence
Oriental translators, as Saadias, Abusai-
des, and the Chaldee-Samaritan, where-
ever 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 this subject, in his translation of Kim-
chi on Zechariah, pp. 9—27, in which
he has shown that there is but one being
who is called in Scripture m4n7 F352 ,
the Angel of Jehovah ; that the proper
name of this one Being is τ» Jeho-
vah ; that this Being says of himself, dis-
tinctly and unequivocally, that He is the
God whom Jacob worshipped, the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that
some of the Rabbins themselves have
been compelled to admit the facts. See
also Dr. J. Pye Smith’s Scripture Testi-
mony to the Messiah, vol. i. pp. 445—
468; and Stonard on Zechariah, pp. 15
—19. In the Babylonian Talmud, San-
46
hedrin, fol. 93, col. 1, the following brief
exposition is given of the man here re-
ferred to 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 position of this Captain
of the Lord’s host, is stated to be “" among
the myrtles which were in the shady val-
ley.’ Many conjectures have been ad-
vanced respecting both the myrtles and
the valley, but, in my opinion, they are
all gratuitous, since it does not appear
that these objects were designed to be
symbolically understood, but are merely
added as incidental circumstances, to
give vivacity and force to the represen-
tation. sys: being always used, like
nbhsv and mbax, of depth in reference
to water or mire, it is clear from the con-
nection that such cannot be the significa-
tion of = 52.2 , which is a derivative, not
from $13, to sink, be deep, but from $43,
to be shaded, darkened ; hence the shade
or shady place, probably that of a moun-
tain. Such derivation is indicated by
the Dagesh compensative in the Lamed,
and is supported by the renderings of the
LXX. and Syr. κατασκίων, NG Ce
Hitzig and Ewald, comparing the Arab.
xr, umbraculum, tentorium, inter-
pret the word as meaning tent or taber-
nacle, and suppose heaven, as the dwell-
ing-place of Jehovah, to be intended;
but the exegesis is far-fetched and inept.
Equally unsatisfactory is the attempt of
the latter of these writers to palm upon
b-o71n the signification of p45 , moun-
tains, by comparing the term with 4357 1
height, Is. xlv. 2. Τῶν ὀρέων of the
LXX. must have originated in their hay-
ing mistaken ἘΠ τὶ for Ὁ ΤΙ.» or it may
be an interpretation derived from chap.
vi. 1. Behind the rider, who appears as
their leader or captain, follow three com-
panies of horsemen, distinguished from
each other by the color of the horses. It
is not to be inferred, that, because Ὡ" Ὁ 55,
horses, only are mentioned, we are to
362 ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. 1.
9 were horses that were red, bay and white. Then I said, What
are these, my lord? And the angel who spake with me, said
conceive of them as being presented to
view without their riders. This is evi-
dent from the reply given by the riders,
ver. 11. +p, like our English horse, is
sometimes used in a military sense, to
denote cavalry. Still, as the color of the
horses forms an important feature in the
representation, they must have been spe-
cially prominent to the mental vision of
the prophet. On a comparison of the
present verse with chap. vi. 1—8, and
Rey. vi. 2—8, it will appear that horses
with their riders are employed in the
symbolical language of Scripture to de-
note dispensations of divine providence.
The peculiar nature of the dispensations
is indicated by the color of the horses,
and the armor and appearance of the
riders. Red, the color first mentioned,
being that of fire and blood, is the ap-
propriate symbol of war and bloodshed.
That of the second company of horses is
expressed by ποῦ πἰ Ὁ, bay, or brown, per-
haps not differing from what is com-
monly called chestnut. See Bochart,
Hieroz. tom. i. lib. ii, cap. 7. What
induces the belief that this color is meant
is, that =-panw signify vines which bear
purple, or dark colored grapes. Comp.
the Arab. B yi, rufus color ; peal,
valde rubens seu rufus camelus. The
LXX. ψαροὶ ; Vulg. varit. The addi-
tion, καὶ ποικίλοι, in the text of the
LXX. is doubtless a gloss. This color
is symbolical of a middle state of things
—a dispensation neither characterized
by bloodshed, nor by victory and joyous
prosperity, which the white color is uni-
versally allowed to represent. From
what is stated, ver. 11, it is obvious we
cannot interpret the dispensations, thus
emblematically set forth, of events still
future at the time of the vision. The
different cohorts speak of their commis-
sion as already fulfilled. The colors
must, therefore, denote the Medo-Per-
sian war, in which the Babylonian em-
pire was subverted; the mixed or tran-
sition state of affairs which followed ; and
the complete establishment of the new
dynasty in the room of the tyrannical
power by which the Jews had been en-
slaved. In consideration of the awful
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
wrought for them by their Divine Pro-
tector.
9. Marckius, Ch. B. Michaelis, Rosen-
miiller, Maurer, and Ewald, are of opin-
ion, that the angel here spoken of is
identical with the man riding on the
horse mentioned in the preceding verse,
but the contrary is properly maintained
by Vitringa and Hengstenberg, as a com-
parison with ver. 10 is sufficient to show.
Though the angel who made the com-
munications to the prophet had not been
formerly mentioned, he had presented
himself to him, or stood beside him,
ready to discharge the duties of his
office. This angel is uniformly spoken
of as "2 “a=m Astin, the angel that
spake with me. See verses 13, 14, chap.
ii, 2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 8, v. 5, 10, vi. 4.. The
language is peculiar to our prophet ; and
from the office specially assigned to the
angel, he is usually called the angelus
interpres, or the angelus collocutor. That
stress is to be laid upon the use of the
preposition = following the verb -217, ¢o
speak, as if it were designed to mark the
internal character of communications
made by the angel to the prophet—a
position maintained by Jerome, Ewald,
Delitzsch, and some others — cannot be
satisfactorily made out. The utmost that
can be conceded respecting the force of
the preposition, in such connection, is its
expressing the familiarity or intimacy of
the intercourse between the Divine mes-
Cuap. I.
ZECHARIAH.
363
10 to me, I will show thee what these are. And the man that
stood among the myrtles answered and said, These are they
7]
whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
And they answered the Angel of Jehovah that stood among the
myrtles, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth,
and, behold! the whole earth sitteth still and is tranquil.
12
Then the Angel of Jehovah answered and said: O Jehovah
of hosts! how long wilt thou not compassionate Jerusalem, and
the cities of Judah, with which thou hast been angry these
13 seventy years? And Jehovah answered the angel who spake
senger and the prophet. When the angel
says xs, 1 will show, or cause thee to
see these things, the reference is to a men-
tal perception or understanding of their
meaning.
10, 11. m2, signifies to commence or
proceed to speak, as well as to answer.
Comp. the use of ἀποκρίνομαι in the New
Testament. Instead of the requisite in-
formation being communicated by the
interpreting angel, it is imparted by the
Angel of Jehovah himself, and by those
who acted under his command. Because
the phraseology j7482 3>7nnNn is almost
identical with that employed to describe
the roaming of Satan through the earth,
Job. i. 7, ii. 2, it has been inferred that
the horsemen represent celestial spirits
sent forth for the execution of the di-
vine purposes; but the ground is too
precarious to admit of any such theory
being built upon it, as a comparison with
Rey. vi. 2—8, is sufficient to show. The
simple occurrence of the same terms can-
not of itself justify this interpretation.
From the reply being given to the Angel
of Jehovah, we may conclude, that he
had signified to them that they should
make their report for the information of
the prophet. 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
had the vision, in the second year of Da-
rius, universal peace obtained in all the
regions with which the people of God
had any connection. For the use of
ups to denote a state of tranquillity after
war, comp. Jud. v.26. A similar com-
bination of may> with 7152 occurs ch.
vii. 7, and is ‘intended to. express the
profound character of the peace which
was then enjoyed.
12. ny, to answer, is here, as in other
instances, used in the simple acceptation
of speaking, or continuing a discourse.
The language is that of intercessory
expostulation. While all the heathen
nations around Judea enjoyed prosperity,
that country was still much in the same
state in which it had been during the
captivity. Some of the captives had re-
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 pre-
dicted Jer. xxv. 11, xxix. 10. What in
reality were the years of indignation upon
the cities, but the years of the captivity
of their inhabitants? piv ἘΠΣΞΦ AT,
“ these seventy years,” express emphati-
cally the period during which the cap-
tivity had continued. Two of these
years, dating from the destruction of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, had yet
nearly to run before the expiration of
the predicted period, so that the language
of the expostulation is most appropriate,
when viewed as calculated to meet the
feelings of the Jewish people.
13. That it is the same being who is
styled gah» the Angel of Jeho-
-νς
my ἘΕῊῈ
364
14 with me with good and comfortable words.
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. I.
And the angel who
spake with me said to me, Cry, saying,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
I am zealous for Jerusalem,
And for Zion, with great zeal;
15
And I am very greatly displeased
With the nations that are at ease;
Because I was a little displeased,
And they helped forward the affliction.
16
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 Cry again, saying,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity ;
For Jehovah will yet comfort Zion,
And will yet take pleasure in Jerusalem.
vah, that is here designated by the in-
communicable name myn , Jehovah, just
as in the passages quoted by Gesenius,
ver, 8, seems past dispute. As the Di-
vine Mediator, after having made inter-
cession with the Father, who is addressed
by the title ninax mint, Jehovah of
hosts, he communicates to the interpret-
ing angel the consolatory answer which
was to be made to the prophet. p72"
pyanm2, are in apposition: lit. words,
consolations, i. 6. consolatory words.
LXX. λόγους παρακλητικούς. Comp.
Ts 1ν11, 8; Hos. x18,
14, This and the three following verses
contain the consolatory words just refer-
red to, which the prophet is commanded
by the interpreting angel to communicate
to the Jews. s2p construed with 3, or
with the accusative, signifies to envy, be
Jealous, indignant at any person or thing;
with $ as here, it is taken in a good sense,
to be zealous for anything, actively to
interest one’s self on behalf of any one.
Comp. Numb. xxv. 11,13; 2 Sam. xxi.
2; 1 Kings xix. 10.
15. The adjective ἡ: signifies not
merely ἕο be at rest, as the whole earth
is described, ver. 11, but, in a bad sense
to live at ease, be carnally secure. The
enemies of the Jews had not simply
executed the Divine indignation against
that people, but they had done it wan-
tonly. Such seems to be the force of
rank an.
16. The building of the temple had
been begun, but it still lay for the most
part in ruins, and was not finished till
the sixth year of Darius. See Ezra vi.
15. 1p, for which the Keri has, by
emendation, the more usual form “>,
occurs 1 Kings vii. 23 ; Jer. xxxi. 39.
17. Few as were the inhabitants of
Judea at the time of the vision, the land
was speedily re-occupied ; and the popu-
lation had greatly increased by the time
of the Maccabees. Josephus informs us,
that, overflowing with numbers, Jerusa-
lem gradually crept beyond its walls,
till a fourth hill, called Bezetha, was
covered with habitations. ΓΞ, Arab.
yok, AAs, effusus Futt, to overflow.
That the overflowing, however, is to be
interpreted of prosperity, and not of the
Cuap. I.
ZECHARIAH.
365
18 Το] lifted up my eyes and looked, and, behold! four horns.
19 And I said to the angel who spake with me, What are these?
And he answered me, These are the horns which have scat-
20 tered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. And Jehovah showed me
21 four workmen.
Then I said, What are these coming to do?
And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered
inhabitants, appears from the "5, indicat-
ing the subject-matter, being prefixed
to 34.
VISION Il.
18, 19. (Heb. ii. 1, 2.) This vision is
so intimately connected with the preced-
ing that the break in the Hebrew Bible
here, occasioned by the commencement
of a new chapter, is very unhappy. As
usual in these visions, the hieroglyphic
is first presented. yp, ὦ horn, is the
symbol of a kingdom, or political pow-
er, the figure being taken from bulls,
and other horned animals having their
strength in their horns, Thus the ten
horns of the fourth beast in Daniel’s
vision, are symbolical of the ten king-
doms into which the Roman empire was
divided on the overthrow of the imperial
throne, chap. vii. 20; and in the repre-
sentation made of the same subject to
John, the ten horns of the seven-headed
beast are said to have upon them ten
crowns, Rey. xiii. 1, xvii. 3. Comp. ver.
12, where it is expressly stated, that ‘the
ten horns which thou sawest are ten
kings,” ὁ. 6. kingdoms, the ruling power
being put for the whole government. The
powers referred to by Zechariah were
those which had been hostile to the
Jews, and had scattered them abroad
from their own land. Jerome, Kimchi,
Abarbanel, Vatablus, and others, have
been led by the occurrence of the num-
ber four, to interpret the horns of the
Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Ro-
man empires; but to this exegesis it has
justly been objected, that of these powers
two were not yet in existence, and can-
not be prophetically spoken of, because
the hostility described was that which
had already taken place. Neither is it
true that the Jews were scattered by the
Persian power as they had been by.the
Babylonian. What took place under
Darius Ochus cannot be taken into the
account here. The number is rather to
be referred to the four quarters of the
earth in their immediate relation to Pal-
estine. Comp. chap. ii. 6. Thus Theo-
doret, Clarius, Ribera, Sanchez, a Castro,
Munster, Calvin, Newcome, Rosenmiil-
ler, Hitzig, and Maurer. ‘“ Jerusalem” is
added to render the description more
emphatic, being the metropolis, the site
of the temple, and the royal residence.
20, 21. (Heb. ii. 3,4.) Here, again, the
same Divine Person is called 47>, who
was formerly spoken of as τι πὸ ΠΝ .
See on ver. 13. man, workmen in
iron, brass, stone, or wood, from 34h, ἕο
cut, grave, fabricate. From the special
employment assigned to these artificers,
we may not inaptly compare *t35
monwa, workmen of destruction, which
is rendered in our common version, “skil-
ful to destroy,” Ezek. xxi. 36. The at-
tempt of Blaney to justify his rendering
the word by 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
given, which further describes the tyr-
anny exercised over the Hebrew people,
and then states that they were the instru-
ments commissioned to destroy the hostile
powers. By again pressing the number
four, interpreters have involved them-
selves in inextricable difficulties. All
that is meant to be conveyed, is the ad-
equacy of the means employed to effect
the punishment of the nations which
had afflicted the people of God. That
no appeal can be made, in illustration,
900
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. 11.
Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these are come
to terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations, which
raised the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.
to the history of the four great monarch-
ies, is proved by the fact that the work-
men are represented as distinct from the
horns, whereas these monarchies succes-
sively destroyed each other. The rabbin-
ical reference to the days of the Messiah
is altogether aside frdm the point, as is
likewise the reference which some have
made to angels. There can be no doubt
that the several human instrumentali-
ties are intended, which God called into
operation to crush the powers in the
different countries around Palestine, by
which it had been invaded, and its in-
habitants carried away captive. The
conjecture of Blaney, who would read
“"1rn instead of προ πτι, and, changing
the punctuation of κῶν into Ens, ren-
ders, ‘to sharpen their coulter,” has not
been approved. Nor is anything of the
kind necessary. Terror implies a sense
of inferiority, weakness, and exposure to
suffering, and is here appropriately rep-
resented, as a precursor of that overthrow
to which the enemies of the Jews wera
to be subjected. Comp. Jud. viii. 12; 1
Sam, xiv. 15; Ezek. xxx. 9. n> sig-
nifies to throw, cast, stretch, the particu-
lar manner of which is to be determined
by the context. Here that of casting
down, or effecting an overthrow, is the
mode most naturally suggested. The
signification to handle, exercise the hand,
which some have proposed, is less apt,
πὸ, hand, being derived from the verb,
and not the verb from the noun. yx,
land, is here, as frequently, put for its
inhabitants.
CHA P.T EH 1"
Jn a third vision, a man with a measuring line is represented as going forth to take the di-
mensions of Jerusalem with a view to its restoration to its former condition, ver. 1—3;
an act which is virtually declared to be unnecessary, by the prediction that such should
be the increase of the population, and such their prosperity, that the city should extend,
like unwalled towns, into the surrounding localities; and that, under the immediate pro-
tection 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 Babylon, the Jews which remained in that city are sum-
moned to return from their captivity, 6,7; an assurance of Divine protectionfand of the
destruction of their enemies, is given them, 8, 9; and they are cheered by the promises,
that Jehovah would again make Jerusalem his residence, and effect, in connection with
the restoration of his people, the conversion of many nations to the true religion, 10, 12.
A solemn call to universal reverence concludes the scene.
Tuen I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and, behold! a man
VISION III. houses, but of the whole extent of the
1—4. (Heb. ii. 5—7.) The measure- city. Jerusalem is not here considered
ment here specified was not that of the as already rebuilt, as Stonard supposes,
Cuap. II.
2 with a measuring line in his hand.
ZECHARIAH.
367
And I said: Whither art
thou going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see
3 how much is the breadth thereof, and how much is the length
thereof. And, behold! the angel who spake with me went forth,
4 and another angel came forth to meet him. And he said to
him, Run, speak to this young man, saying,
Jerusalem shall be inhabited into the open country,
‘Because of the multitude of men and cattle in the midst of her.
5 And I will be to her, saith Jehovah,
A wall of fire around,
And will be the glory in the midst of her.
The dimensions are those of the city be-
fore its destruction by the Chaldeans, and
were now being taken, in order to ascer-
tain the extent of the work that was to
be effected in its complete restoration.
The symbolical action was calculated to
encourage the Jews to proceed with the
building of the temple which they had
commenced. Who the measurer was has
been disputed. Jarchi, J. H. Michaelis,
Rosenmiiller, are of opinion that the
angelus interpres is intended. Hengs-
tenberg thinks that, in all probability, he
is none other than the Angel of Jehovah
himself. But for neither of these opin-
ions is there sufficient foundation, any
more than there is for the supposition of
Blayney, that he was Nehemiah. He
appears to be merely an additional per-
son introduced in the scenic representa-
tion, for the purpose of calling forth, by
the significant action which he was about
to undertake, the important information
contained in the following part of the
chapter. sx‘, as twice used here, has
reference to two different localities: in
the former instance, in which it is em-
ployed of the interpreting angel, the
presence of the prophet is the terminus
a quo ; in the latter, that of the Angel of
Jehovah. In opposition to the hypoth-
esis of the Rabbins, Vatablus, Ribera, a
Lapide, Drusius, Blayney, Rosenmiiller,
Hengstenberg, and Knobel, who main-
tain that Zechariah himself is meant by
tom ἜΣ πι, this young man, and argue
from it, that the prophet was of youth-
ful age at the time he had the vision, I
cannot but concur with Stonard, Hitzig,
Maurer, and Ewald, in thinking, that
the person intended is the man with the
measuring line, spoken of vers. 1, 2.
The verb 735, run, implies the necessity
of despatch, which could only have been
occasioned by the intended procedure of
the measurer. Heis arrested in his prog-
ress, and virtually told, that the former
dimensions of the city would be totally
inadequate to contain the number of its
inhabitants. ἘἘ 955} avn nore, lit.
Jerusalem shall dwell, or inhabit open
places, i, e. the inhabitants will not con-
fine themselves within her walls, but will
occupy the localities in the open country
around. Thus Symm. ἀτειχίστως ; Jar-
chi and Jerome, m1 77S, absque muro,
Comp. 1 Sam. vi. 18, where 777 753,
the country village, is contrasted with
“sa ΠΣ.» @ fortified city. See also
Esth. ix. 19; Ezek. xxxviii. 11.
5. (Heb. ver. 9.) Though “the wall
of fire,” and ‘the glory,” are doubtless
both to be taken figuratively, the former
denoting certain protection, and the lat-
ter, illustrious displays of the Divine
presence in affording all needful supplies
of grace, strength, and comfort, we: are
not hence to conclude with Stonard, that
more is meant by the city than the literal
Jerusalem, as the centre of the restored
theocracy. The entire connection, and
all the circumstances of the prophecy,
demand this limitation.
908
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. II. ;
6 Ho! ho! flee from the north country, ἡδὺ Jehovah,
Tor as the winds of heaven
Have I spread you abroad, saith Jehovah.
7 Ho! deliver thyself, O Zion!
That dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
6, 7. (Heb. 10, 11.) It is generally
thought that the urgent calls here given
to those Jews who still remained in
Babylon, were designed to induce them
to leave that devoted city before its ap-
proaching siege and capture by Darius.
In all probability many of them had
acquired wealth, and might have been
induced to remain in the enjoyment of
their possessions. It was necessary that
such should take the alarm, and, with
the rest of their countrymen, avail them-
selves without delay of the opportunity
they now had of returning to their own
land. The urgency of the call is ex-
pressed by the repetitious form, *45 "47,
Ho! Wo! which occurs, so far as I am
aware, in no other part of Scripture. The
verbs Eat, arise, visa, hear, or the like,
being readily suggested by the interjec-
tion, will account for the use of the con-
junctive Vau in 5021. The land of the
north is Babylon, and the regions adja-
cent. See Jer. vi. 22, xvi. 15. Between
the former and the latter clause of the
verse there seems, at first sight, a palpa-
ble discrepancy. How, it may be asked,
could the scattering of the Jews like the
four winds of heaven be a reason why
those, in particular, who lived in the
north quarter should return? But this
apparent incoherence has originated in
the supposition that the prophet here
asserts the dispersion of that people into
the four quarters of the globe. Had this,
however, been his meaning, he would
have employed Ὁ after the verb, as in
Ezek. xvii. 21. Nor can such construc-
tion be supported by substituting the
various reading 2, viz. ya-~s2, instead
of >; for the words could then only
properly be rendered, “I have scattered
you by,” and not “ἐπ᾿ or “ into the four
winds.” This reading, though supported
by fifteen MSS., originally by seven more,
and perhaps by another, by thirteen print-
ed editions, and by the Syr. and Vulg., is
inferior in point of authority to that of the
Textus Receptus. The meaning seems to
be, that the scattering of the Hebrew
people had been so violent and extensive,
that it could only be fitly compared to
the force and effect of the combined
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 in
that quarter ; on which account it is de-
scribed with special reference to them.
“> is here used, not as a causative, but
as a concessive participle, as in Gen. viii.
21; Exod. xiii. 17. Nothing can be
more forced, or unsuited to the connec-
tion, than the interpretation, which as-
sumes that "n'y is future in significa-
tion, and that the words contain a pre-
diction of a future spreading abroad of
the Jews as missionaries among the
heathen. "What 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
smallest hint of this as their destination !
By 342%, Zion, are meant the inhabi-
tants of Jerusalem, at that time still in
Babylon. The words baa—na n3349
are not in apposition, but i in ‘construction,
and are equivalent to Hubitatrix Babelis.
For this idomatic use of ma see on Is,
i. 8. Comp. pxyse7ra nasin, Jer.
xlvi. 19. τ κι
8. (IIeb. 12.) Some suppose the proph-
et to be the person who here speaks of
himself as haying been sent; others, the
Cuap. II.
ZECHARIAH.
369
After the glory he hath sent me
To the nations which spoiled you;
Surely he that toucheth you
Toucheth the pupil of his eye.
9 For, behold! I will shake my fist at them,
angel rilintioned ver. 4; but that the
Messiah is intended, must be inferred
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 described in parallel language.
Blayney, Newcome, Gesenius, Hitzig,
Maurer, and Ewald, strangely concur in
rendering ἜΓΙΞῸ 72> ans, He hath
sent me after glory, i in the sense of, with
a view to acquire it. In no other pas-
sage, however, is sms employed, except
as an adverb or preposition of place or
time; nor is it ever connected as a prep-
osition with πξῷ. This verb is not even
here construed with it, but with the prep-
osition +s immediately following. It
can only, therefore, be employed to
denote the posteriority of the mission
specified to the restoration of the glorious
presence of the manifested Jehovah to
his recovered people. Thus the LXX.
ὀπίσω δοξούς. Syr. ΕΝ 3 CS after
the glory, which is falsely rendered in
the London Polyglott, ad prosequendum
honorem. Targ. “81 SIP? na
jiotby mun ad, after the glory which he
hath promised ‘to bring to you. Vulg.
post gloriam. Such exegesis is most
naturally suggested by the use of 425 ,
glory, ver. 5. After what had been there
promised should have been accomplished,
the Divine Legate had a commission to
punish the nations in the immediate
vicinity of the Holy Land, such as the
Moabites, Idumeans, Ammonites, Philis-
tines, and Syrians, by whom the Jews
had been attacked and plundered on va-
rious occasions, and especially on that of
the Chaldean invasion. The Jews in
Babylon needed, therefore, to be under
47
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
vigilantly protected, than the eye, espec-
ially the pupil, or aperture through which
the rays of light pass to the retina. =22,
in the phrase 4~» naa, the pupil of the
eye, Gesenius now derives from 23: , to
bore, make hollow, and considers it to
stand for mani, @ hole gate, like the
Arab. wey ‘but his former etymology
is preferable, according to which it is to
be derived from m2 , Arab. LL, dixit
baba, Gr. aa ep to say papa, spoken
of a child. Hence the Arab. 3, δοο-
b00 (the origin of our English booby), pu-
ellus, boy. The phrase thus corresponds
to the other Hebrew mode of expressing
the same thing, 573 34wr8 , the little man
of the eye, Deut. xxxii. 10; Prov. vii. 2.
Both modes of expression, UME 5
and Bee ὡἷμϑ!, are used in Ara-
bic; and the Arabs say in language quite
parallel to that of the prophet, γε} =
sist Pre eric, He ts
dearer to me than the pupil of mine eye.
Both modes are more expressive than the
Latin of Catullus ; multo quod carius illi
est oculis, or, nt te plus oculis meis ama-
rem. ‘The pronominal affix in ἢ: Σ ’ his
eye, is to be referred to nisas my
Jehovah of hosts, at the beginning of the
verse, the nominative to 53 nd ὌΝ ond not
with Kimchi, Blayney, Stonard, and oth-
ers, to the enemy himself.
9. (Heb. 13.) For the phrase 79 52:2,
comp. Is. xi. 15, xix. 16. It is indica-
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. 11.
And they shall be a spoil to their slaves:
And ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me.
10
For, behold! I come,
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion!
And I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.
11
And shall become my people ;
And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in ee day,
And I will dwell in the midst of thee,
And thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto
thee.
12
In the holy land ;
And Jehovah shall possess Judah his portion,
And shall again take pleasure in Jerusalem.
13
Let all flesh be silent before Jehovah,
For he is roused from his holy habitation.
tive of the threatening attitude of Jeho-
vah when about to inflict vengeance upon
his enemies. By Ὀπ’πΞ»» their slaves,
are meant the Jews, whom the nations,
either by capture or purchase, had
brought into a state of slavery. Comp.
Is. xiv. 2. 311, here and in ver. 11,
signifies, as frequently, to know by expe-
rience.
10, 11. (Heb. 14, 15.) The divine res-
idence here predicted, must be interpreted
of that which took place during the so-
journ of the Son of God in the land of
Judea. The almost entire identity of
the language here employed, with that
used chap. ix. 9, where, in like manner,
the daughter of Zion is called to hail the
advent of her King, compels to this con-
clusion. Comp. Ps. xl. 7; 15, xl. 9, 10.
So evidently is this the only fair con-
struction of the meaning, that Kimchi
himself refers the passage 1523 πο Σ Ὁ
mown, to future events in the times of
the Messiah, The phrases sinn thn,
trim can, that day, those days, fre-
quently point out the period of his man-
ifestation and reign. With this appear-
ance and residence of the Messiah are
connected, as their consequents, the ex-
tensive conversion of the heathen nations
and their being constituted a people de-
voted to his service and glory. The rep-
etition of the prediction relative to his
residence in Zion, is designed to express
the certainty of the event.
12. (Heb. 16.) As mention had just
been made of the adoption of the nations
to be the people of the Messiah, the
prophet, to preclude the idea, that the
Jews were no more to enjoy that privilege,
proceeds to describe a future period, dur-
ing which they should again be the ob-
jects of the Divine favor and delight.
Restored to the Holy Land, they shall
again be the possession of the Lord.
Comp. Exod. xxxiv. 9; Deut. iv. 20, ix.
26, 29, xxxii. 9. The ideas suggested
by their being the possession of Jehovah
are those of their being the objects of his
regard and care. Ps, xxviii. 9.
13. (Heb. 17.) A call to universal
reverence and submission in prospect of
the wonderful interpositions of Jehovah
on behalf of his church, Comp. Ps.
Ixxvi. 8, 9; Zeph. i, 7.
Cuap., III.
ZECHARIAH.
371
CHAPTER, II.
In this chapter a fourth vision is described, in which Joshua the high priest is represented
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 him of being dis-
qualified for the discharge of his functions, ver. 1. The accusation is met by a reprimand,
drawn from 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, 3—5. 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-
duced, 8—10.
1. Awnp 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.
1, The nominative to "3 5) is the
interpreting angel, understood. Comp.
ch. i. 9. As the phrase "255 1%», fo
stand before, is sometimes used of appear-
ing before a judge, Numb. xxxv. 12;
Deut. xix. 17; 1 Kings iii. 16; it has
been inferred that we have here the rep-
resentation of a judicial transaction, an
exegesis which is supposed to derive con-
firmation from the circumstance of an
accuser being mentioned in the following
verse. But as the person here described
is the high priest, and the phrase in ques-
tion is that which is appropriated to ex-
press the position of the priests when
ministering to Jehovah, Deut. x. 8; 2
Chron. xxix. 11; Ezek. xliv. 15; it is
more natural to conclude that Joshua is
here represented as having entered the new
temple which was in the course of erec-
tion, and taken his position in front of
the altar before the holy of holies. The
high priest not only entered the most
sacred place once a year on the day of
atonement, but was authorized to perform
all the duteis of the ordinary priests; so
that he may here be conceived of as about
to offer sacrifice for the people, when he
‘was opposed by Satan. That the altar
of burnt offering was erected before the
building of the temple was proceeded
with, is clear, from Ezra iii. 2, 3, 6, 7.
The sim ysb2, before whom Joshua
stood, was no other than 45> himself, as
ver. 2 evidently shows. It has been
matter of dispute, whether by juwn we
are here to understand the great enemy
of God and man 6 ἀντίδικος, 1 Pet. v. 8;
ὃ κατήγωρ, Rev. xii. 18; or, whether a hu-
man adversary or adversaries are intended.
Those who advocate the latter position
think that Sanballat, or some other ene-
my of the Jews, is meant; but the em-
phatic form of the term, investing it, as
it does, with the nature of a proper name
(Gesen. Heb. Gram. § 107, 2), decidedly
favors the former interpretation. We
find this name given to the chief of the
evil spirits in the book of Job, the most
ancient in the Bible. See chap. i. and
ii. Some have compared Ps. cix. 6, but
the parallel term yq is against such
construction in that passage. From the
identity of the phraseology, however,
which represents the adversary as taking
his place at the right hand of the accused,
it has been concluded, that it was cus-
tomary in the Jewish courts for the accu-
ser to assume this position. What the
ground of opposition on the part of Satan
‘was, we are not here informed; but if
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. πὶ
2 And Jehovah said to the Adversary,
Jehovah rebuke thee, O Adversary!
Even Jehovah that taketh delight in Jerusalem, rebuke thee;
15 not this a brand snatched from the fire ?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and he stood
4 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
the construction put by some eminent
commentators upon Jude 9, which re-
solves ‘* the body of Moses,’”’ there men-
tioned, into the Jewish church, and
supposes the apostle to refer to the
passage before us, be the true one (and
of this I cannot entertain a doubt), it
will follow, that the character of the
Jewish people, as not having been legally
purified from their idolatries, and the
backwardness which they evinced in re-
building 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
here, not in his personal, but in his offi-
cial character, as the representative of
the whole body of the people.
2. Almost all the commentators, even
Maurer and Hitzig, agree in the opinion,
that the incommunicable name τὴ τι,
Jehovah, is here given to the angel spoken
of in the preceding verse. See on ch. i. 8.
So obvious did this appear to the Syriac
translator, from the spirit of the context,
that he renders ois ϊ το Lazio, the
Angel of the Lord, a rendering which
Newcome would, very uncritically, have
admitted into the text. The interpreta-
tion of Rosenmiiller, ‘* vocatur legatus
de nomine principis sui,” is a pure fiction,
and directly opposed to Scripture usage.
The verb =: signifies to chide, rebuke,
so as to silence those who are the objects
of the reproof, and restrain them from
carrying their designs into effect. It is
repeated for the sake of emphasis, to
express the absolute certainty that the
machinations of Satan should prove utter-
‘ly abortive. In the reference to the Divine
choice of Jerusalem, there is a recogni-
tion of the promise, ch. i. 17, ii. 12. The
pointed interrogation has respect to Josh-
ua, and forcibly, though tacitly, conveys
the idea, that his deliverance, and that
of the people whom be represented, from
the destruction which threatened them
in Babylon, was the result of sudden
and efficient interposition on the part of
Jehovah. It was not, therefore, for a
moment to be supposed that he would
now withdraw his favor from them, and
abandon them to their enemies. He had
rescued them, in order that they might
be preserved.
3, 4. Because the Romans used to
clothe persons 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 were symbol-
ical of the guilt and punishment of the
Jews, seems beyond dispute ; just as their
removal, and his investment with splen-
did attire, indicates a state of restoration
to the full enjoyment of their religious
privileges. πρὸς, ἡ δ, is used meta-
phorically to denote the moral pollution
contracted by sin. See Prov. xxx. 12;
Is. iv. 4. He is represented as appearing
in the squalid garments in which he had
returned from a state of captivity in
Babylon, and as having restored to him
the gorgeous dress of the high priest.
ΤῊΣ ἘΠ.» costly or splendid habiliments,
such as were worn on special occasions,
and put off as soon as the occasion was
over. See on Is. iii. 22. Those who are
here commanded to change the dress of
Cuxe: ΤῊ
ZECHARIAH.
979
5 away from thee, and I will invest thee with costly habiliments.
He then said, Let them place a pure mitre upon his head.
And
they placed the pure mitre upon his head, and invested him with
6 the habiliments.
Then the Angel of Jehovah stood up.
And
the Angel of Jehovah protested to Joshua, saying:
Ἷ Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
If thou wilt walk in my ways,
And if thou wilt observe my charge,
Then thou shalt both judge my house,
Joshua are not, as Ewald supposes, atten-
dant priests, but attendant angels. The
nominative to Ἴ5Ξ: and 152 εν is mam",
and not yo4n 2 =22n does. not
mean, as Gesenius interprets, to let in-
iquity or sin pass by, but to remove its
guilt or punishment, and thus effectively
to remit or forgive. This guilt or pun-
ishment is represented as having lain as
a heavy load upon Joshua, and to have
been removed Sy, from upon him.
abn is not to be τὴ {τ into wads,
as in the Targ. and Syr., but is to be re-
garded as a not unusual elliptical form
of the idiomatic aby tabn.
5. The punctuation =72$1 is obviously
incorrect, since it introduces the prophet
as taking a part in the transactions ex-
hibited in the vision, which is altogether
foreign to the position he occupied. The
word should be pointed -7s1, and has
been so read by the Targ., Syr., and
Vulg. translators. 5733, tae or tur-
ban, is used instead of mp;s%, the term
employed in the Pentateuch to denote
this part of the high priest’s dtess. LXX.
kidapis. At O>722 the adjective bane
is to be supplied "from the preceding, or
the article may be understood. 725 is
more appropriately rendered ‘stood up,”
than, as in our common version, ‘stood
by.” The latter rendering presents the
Angel of Jehovah to view as a simple
spectator; the former in the solemn pos-
ture of one who is about to deliver an
important charge. And this, as the fol-
lowing verses show, was precisely the
character in which he appeared. He had
been sitting upon his throne, but now
rises to announce the divine decree re-
specting the responsible duties which
devolved upon Joshua in his sacerdotal .
capacity. Ido not agree with Dr. Ston-
ard, who supposes that the Angel as-
sumed the character and position of a
witness. The participial form of the
verb is adopted for the purpose of vary-
ing the style.
6,7. 71, as here used in Hiphil, sig-
nifies, to make a solemn declaration.
LXX. διεμαρτύρατο. ‘Targ. and Syr.
sonos. Vulg. contestabutur. -m-nsn,
my charge, means the laws, prescriptions,
or rites, which I have given in charge,
namely, the Mosaic Institute. Obedi-
ence to this the high priest was bound to
render himself, and upon him supremely
devolved the obligation to see that it was
obeyed by others, nm av, from "29,
to guard, keep, observe, i is frequently used
by Moses to denote the office, duty, or
charge, to which the priests were to at-
tend. See Lev. viii.35; Numb. i. 53,
iii. 28, 31, 32, 38. By the “house” of
the Lord here, we are not to understand
the temple, as some have imagined, but
the people of Israel, viewed as composing
his household or family. Comp. Numb.
xii. 7; Hos. viii. 1,ix.15. η5π, to judge,
is always employed in reference to per-
sons; never with respect to things.
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 Ἐ5Ξ Ὁτιὴ is the Hiphil par-
ticiple of yon, just as cvctris is of
pon, Jer. xxix, 8; and penis of siz, -
974
And keep my courts,
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. III.
And I will give thee guides among these who are standing by.
Hear now, O Joshua! the high priest,
Thou and thy companions that sit before thee ;
2 Chron. xxviii. 23. It must, therefore,
signify those who cause to go or walk,
leaders, conductors, guides. Who these
were we are not informed, farther than
that they were standing in the pres-
ence of the Angel, and were pointed at
by him. Some have thought that the
subordinate priests who attended upon
Joshua are intended; but such interpre-
tation is altogether unsuitable to the dig-
nified character which, as high priest, he
sustained. As none but superior beings
could be his leaders or conductors, it fol-
lows that the angels must be meant.
This view is confirmed by the circum-
stance of their being represented as
τε standing,’ namely, in the presence of
Jehovah, ready to execute his behests,
whereas the subordinate priests are
spoken of in the following verse as “ sit-
ting’’ before Joshua. The import of the
promise is, that he and his successors in
office should enjoy the care, direction,
and aid of celestial spirits in the manage-
ment of the national affairs. Munster,
Vatablus, Rosenmiiller, Ewald, and Hit-
zig, take ΕΞ to be the plural of the
noun 35 bm, a@ walk, or walking place ;
but this affords no appropriate sense, ex-
cept it be referred to the heavenly state
— a construction put upon the clause by
the Targum, Kimchi, and several Chris-
tian interpreters, but which is little suited
to the language of the connection, and is
a mode of representation otherwise for-
eign to Scripture. ἡ
8. The companions of Joshua were the
ordinary priests, who were associated
with him for the purpose of carrying on
the service of the temple. They are rep-
resented as ‘sitting before’ him, not at
the time the words are addressed to him,
for they are spoken of in the third per-
son, but usually, when consulting to-
gether about religious matters. On such
occasions he occupied a more elevated
seat or throne as their president, while
they sat on chairs or benches before him.
By re‘ 3 men of sign, or portent,
are meant symbolical men, persons pre-
figuring, or foreshadowing some person
or persons still future. Comp. Is. viii.
18, xx. 8: Ezek. xii. 6, xxiv. 27. That
only one person is here referred to as
typified by the Jewish priests, and that
this one person is none other than the
Messiah, the following clause of the verse
incontrovertibly shows. In their sacerdo-
tal character, and in the presentation of
sacrifices before Jehovah, they foreshad-
owed the High Priest of our profession,
Christ Jesus, and the one sacrifice which
he offered for sins, when he presented
himself as a propitiatory victim in the
room of the guilty. For the derivation
of rf}, see on Joel ii. 30. Though
τοῦτ» they are, refers immediately to the
subordinate priests, we are not to suppose
that Joshua is excluded, or that he was
not a symbolical person as well as they. ᾿
This use of the third person of the pro-
noun instead of the second is not with-
out example. See Zeph. ii. 12. The
author of the Targum admits that by
mas, Branch, the Messtan is meant.
His words are, “bones Sig (as Ht,
“ My Servant, the Messiah who shall be
revealed.’’ ‘The same interpretation is
found in other Jewish authorities, as both
Kimchi and Rashi admit. Some few
Christian interpreters, among whom Gro-
tius and Blayney, adopting the opinion of
the two Rabbins just mentioned, suppose
Zerubbabel to be intended; but in my
opinion yery preposterously, for that
prince was already in existence, and in
the full exercise of his official duties;
whereas the person to whom Jehovah
refers had not yet appeared. Even Ges-
enius, Hitzig, and Maurer, make no scru-
Cnar. IIL
(For they are typical persons)
ZECHARIAH.
970
For, behold! I will introduce my servant THE BRANCH.
9 For, behold! the stone which I have laid before Joshua,
Upon the one stone shall be seven eyes:
Behold! I will form the sculpture thereof,
ple in applying the title to the Messiah.
It is that given to him, Is. iv. 2; Jer.
xxiii. 5, xxxiii. 15; and Zech, vi, 12;
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 pos-
terity. The verb mrs, from which the
noun is derived, signifies to spring forth
or up, as plants; but the LXX. have
adopted the word ἀνατολὴ, which ex-
presses the swn-rise. Hence the Saviour
is called ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψους, “the Day-
spring from on high,” Luke i. 78. Comp.
Mal. iv..2, where np 7x gas m1, “the
Sun of righteousness shall arise,” is ren-
dered by the LXX. ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαι-
octvns. The Vulg. adducam servum
meum orientem. For 333, my servant,
as a designation of the Messiah, comp.
Is. xlii, 1—7, xlix. 1—9, 1. 5—10, lii.
13—liii.; and see my Comm. on the first
of these passages.
9. Most interpreters regard this verse
as a continuation of the subject treated
of at the close of the preceding, and ex-
plain the jas, stone, of the Messiah in
accordance with such passages as Ps.
exviii. 22; Is. xxviii. 16. This view is
largely insisted upon by Stonard; but
what, in my judgment, renders it alto-
gether untenable, is the circumstance that
the stone is spoken of as having been laid
before, or in the presence of, Joshua —
language which can with no propriety be
employed with reference to the Messiah.
Neither can the reference be to 42370
S-san, the plummet, spoken of ch. iv.
10, that being represented as in the hand
of Zerubbabel, and not placed or laid be-
fore his associate in the government. I
cannot, therefore, imagine any other stone
to be here intended than the foundation
stone of the temple, which had been laid
‘
by Zerubbabel in the presence of Joshua
and his brethren the priests, who celebra-
ted the joyful event in songs of praise to
Jehovah. Ezra iii. 8—13. When it is
said, that upon this ‘*one stone” were
‘seven eyes,” we are not to conclude
that they were exhibited upon it. ‘The
meaning is, that they were directed
towards it, or intent and fixed upon
it, as an object cf special attention and
care. While with us an eye is the
hieroglyphic of Divine Providence, the
Hebrews, to express the perfection of
knowledge and wisdom in which all its
affairs are conducted, employed the hie-
roglyphic of ‘seven eyes,” — seven, in
the Oriental style, denoting fulness or
perfection. Such symbolic representa-
tions were common among the Persians.
Comp. Rev. i. 4, v. 6. Jehovah here de-
clares, that the erection of the temple,
the commencement of which had been
made, in the course of his providence,
by the laying of the foundation, should
be an object of his special care and re-
gard... For ty ἼΣ.. the eye being upon
any person or thing, as denoting the
exercise of kind and vigilant care, see
Ps. xxxii. 8. The attempt of Vitringa
and Blayney to explain £7373, of foun-
tains, and so apply the passage to liv-
ing waters flowing from Christ as the
antitype of the rock smitten in the wil-
derness is a complete failure. The sin-
gular 4°, signifies, indeed, fountain as
well as eye, but it is a settled principle
of Hebrew grammar than when foun-
tains are intended, the plural feminine
is uniformly employed, just as the dual
ἘΠῚῚΣ is as uniformly and exclusively
used to express eyes. See for the princi-
ple, Gesen. Lehrgeb. pp. 539, 540. That
the dual is employed to express things
that exist in pairs, even when more
376
Saith Jehovah of hosts ;
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. IV.
And I will remove the punishment of that land in one day.
10 In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts,
* Ye shall each invite his neighbor,
Under the vine, and under the fig tree.
than two is intended, see on Is. vi.
2. RMME mea 522:|, Behold! I will
form the sculpture thereof ; lit. «I will
open the opening thereof.” What kind
of architectural ornaments are hereby in-
tended, it is impossible to say; but that
they were cut out or engraven in the
foundation-stone, the exigency of the
place requires, except we regard the stone
as here used by synecdoche for the whole
temple, in which case reference will be
had to the finishing off of the structure,
the foundation of which had been laid
in the presence of Joshua. LXX. ὀρύσσω
. ¥ xe y, °
βόϑρον. Syr. eras 3.2 1] ads Ἶσι,
“Behold, I open the gates of it.”” 972
is here used in Kal, but with a causative
significafion : to remove, cause to depart.
;*2 is to be understood, not of iniquity,
but of the punishment of iniquity —
the troubles and sufferings to which the
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. li. 6,
the same. The land of Judea had borne
its punishment during the captivity, but
was now 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
settlement of the people in their own
land. For their encouragement Jehovah
promises to put an end to their distress,
“rs 452, in one day; i. 6. soon, in the
shortest space of time. sonn y Nn is
specifically the land of Palestine.
10. A promise of the tranquillity and
social enjoyment that were to be experi-
enced by the restored Hebrews.
CAAT Ei Rai
UNDER the symbol of a golden candlestick is represented the pure and flourishing state of
the Jewish church as restored after the captivity, 1—3. The signification of this symbol
the prophet 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 formid-
able 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 subservient to the undertaking, 8—10. Under the additional
symbol of two olive trees, which supplied the candlestick with the necessary Oil, are rep-
resented Joshua and Zerubbabel, the two principal official persons in the new state, 11—14.
1. Awp the angel who spake with me awoke me again, like one
VISION V. this verse, that the communicating angel
1, We are not to conclude from the had removed to a distance from the
use of the verb 3:Ὁ at the beginning of prophet, and now returned to him.
7
Cuap. IV.
2 who is waked out of his sleep.
ZECHARIAH.
377
And he said to me, What dost
thou see? And I sai, I see, and behold! a candlestick wholly
of gold, and its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps
When employed by itself, sw certainly
signifies to return; but, according to a
common Hebrew idiom, when used be-
fore another verb, it merely indicates the
repetition of the action expressed by such
verb. See Gen. xxvi. 18, xxx. 31; 2
Kings i. 11, 18. Connecting the verb in
this manner with *25>9"1, reference will
be had, not to any absence of the angel,
but to his renewed excitement of the
prophet to give his attention to another
vision which was to be presented to his
view. He had become so absorbed in the
contemplation of the preceding vision,
that he required to be roused, as in the
case of a person in profound sleep.
2. Instead of the second “yx, a
vast number of the MSS. read correctly
“cis, as the word is found also in some
‘of the earliest editions. Many MSS.
and several printed editions exhibit mba
without Mappick in the m, and thus
bring the word into accordance with the
feminine form, as occurring in the fol-
lowing verse. It has been thus read by
the LXX. and Syr. ; still it seems prefer-
able to regard it as a masculine noun, and
read 53, with the pronominal affix. It
signifies an oil-cup, bow], or basin, and
was placed at the top of the candlestick
for the purpose of supplying with oil the
small tubes or pipes leading to the sev-
eral lamps. Considerable difficulty has
been found in endeavoring to account for
the double numeral form πϑ 3 πϑ 3»
seven and seven. Some think the num-
ber is to be multiplied by itself, and ren-
dered forty-nine; but this is not only
abhorrent from the representation other-
wise given of the candlestick, but is un-
warranted by Hebrew usage. Others,
as Stonard, take the words in a distribu-
tive sense, and make the number to be
fourteen, understanding by seven and
seven, twice seven. To this hypothesis,
however, the copulative Vau forms an
48
insuperable objection, since it conveys
the idea not of distribution merely, but
also that of diversity or variety. The
instance adduced from 1 Kings viii. 65,
is not exactly parallel, as the noun is
there repeated, which is not the case in
Zechariah ; nor, so far as I can find, do
we meet with any instance parallel to
nips. ΤΙΣΞΙΘῚ ΤΙΣ ΞΘ. Our translators
remove the one seven, and place it before
“lamps ;’’ but such construction is alto-
gether unwarranted, and, indeed, they
appear to have placed only a qualified
reliance upon it, for they render in the
margin, seven several pipes. There is
every reason to suspect that the former
myav is an interpolation which has found ,
its way into some ancient MSS. and been
copied into all the rest. This suspicion
is confirmed by two circumstances. The
word occurs only once both in the LXX.
and the Vulg. The former renders: καὶ
ἑπτὰ ἐπαρυστρίδες τοῖς λύχνοις τοῖς ἐπάνω
αὐτῆς; the latter, ef septem infusoria
lucernis, que erant super caput ejus. The
other circumstance is, that, as in con-
formity to the number of lamps belong-
ing to the candelabrum in the tabernacle,
Exod. xxv. 37, from which the symbol
was evidently borrowed, it is expressly
stated, that there were only ni-3 mya,
seven lamps attached to that presented to
view in the vision, we cannot conceive of
there being to each two pipes or conduc-
tors for the oil. The px2p, reeds or
tubes of Moses, Exod. xxv. "32, 99; B05
Xxxvil. 18, and the nips, pipes or
tubes of Zechariah, both signify the same
objects, viz., those used for conveying the
oil into the lamps. The latter word is
derived from ΤΣ" ¢o pour or flow. Vulg.
infosoria. That the candlestick was sym-
bolical of the Jewish church cannot be
doubted. Comp. Rev. i. 20; xi. 4, where
the same symbol is used in reference to
Christian churches. The idea which it
978
ZECHARIAH. Cuap. IV.
upon it, and seven pipes to the lamps which are upon the top
of it. And two olive trees beside it, one on the right side of
the bowl, and one on the left side of it. And I addressed my-
self farther to the angel who spake with me, saying, What are
these, my lord? And the angel who spake with me answered
and said to me, Dost thou not know what these are? And I
said, No, my lord. And he answered and spake to me, saying,
This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying :
Not by might, nor by power,
But by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain ?
Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain :
conveys is that such churches are placed
in the world for the sake of its illumina-
tion. Thus it was with the Jewish church
in the midst of the surrounding darkness
of Paganism ; and thus it hath been with
Christian churches in every age of their
history.
3. Of what the two olive-trees were
emblematical, we learn from ver. 14.
4, 5. πὸ, like ἀποκρίνομαι in the New
Testament, signifies to proceed or begin to
speak, as well as to answer. It is obvi-
ously thus used at the beginning of ver.
4, Comp. chap. i. 10. While the angel
had it in commission to explain what was
meant by these trees, he was to reserve
the explanation till after he had made
certain communications relative to the
building of the temple, and the advent
of Messiah.
6. From the purport of the message
‘which the prophet was to deliver to Ze-
rubbabel, it may be inferred that he was
laboring under despondency, produced by
the consideration of the powerful opposi-
tion with which he had to contend, the
greatness of the undertaking in which he
had embarked, and the inadequacy of
the human means which he had at his
disposal. Between $m and p> there is
no clearly defined difference of meaning.
They are both used equally of physical
and of mental and moral power ; and are
here employed as synonymes, to express
the idea that human might, of whatever
description, was of no account with the
Almighty; that he can effect his pur-
poses by few as well as by many, by those
whom the world accounts foolish as well
as by those of superior intellect ; and that
it is by the exercise of his own spiritual
agency exciting to action, and sustaining
and giving efficiency to it, that its per-
formance is secured. ‘There seems to be
here a reference to what we read, Hag-
gai, ii. 5: “ My Spirit remaineth among
you: fear ye not.” The truth, however,
is of universal application, and is clearly
taught in the New Testament in refer-
ence to the conversion of sinners, 1 Cor.
iii. 6; 2 Cor. x. 4; Eph. i. 19: Col. i. 12.
7. However lowly the feelings enter-
tained by Zerubbabel, he is here taught
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 "x3, who, sometimes refers
to things, yet so as to include the idea of
the human agency connected with them.
Before -43-195 supply scm or πο Ὁ
The interpretation of Stonard, who ap-
plies the mountain to the Christian
church, is altogether forced and inept.
By mzxnn jax is meant, not any stone
uniting the two sides of a building at the
top, but the Japis angularis, or founda-
tion stone, on which at the angle both
rest, and which, being necessarily much
Cuar. IV.
ZECHARIAH.
And he shall bring forth the Chief Stone,
With shouts of Grace! Grace to it!
8. And the word of Jehovah was communicated to me saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have founded this house,
And his hands shall finish it :
And ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me to you.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things ?
larger and more ponderous, as well as
more serviceable than any other, was
fully entitled to the distinctive character
of the chief or principal stone. The
foundations of the literal temple having
already been laid by Zerubbabel, it must
be obvious, that the language is merely
borrowed from that event, and that his
attention is directed to Him of whom
David had prophesied as 35 ts4 428,
the chief or principal corner stone, Ps.
exviiil. 26, and who is called in the New
Testament, Κεφαλὴ γωνίας, and Λίϑος
ἀκρογωνιαῖος. Symm. renders: τόν λίϑον
τὸν ἄκρον; Theod. τὸν λίϑον τὸν πρῶτον ;
Aq. τὸν λίϑον τὸν πρωτεύωντα ; all con-
veying the idea of the primary or prin-
cipal stone of the building. The LXX.
mistaking TON ων for τϑ render, τὸν ©
λίϑον τῆς κληρονομίας. "The nominative
to xs47 is not Zerubbabel, but Jehovah.
This was perceived by the Targumist,
who puts the same Messianic interpreta-
tion upon the passage, paraphrasing it
thus: ΠΩ “087 ΠΟΤ ΎΖ5 mo 3ba7
ἘΠῚ 952 tsa widen ial bm And he
shall reveal his Messiah, who was named
of old, and he shall rule over all king-
doms. ‘The introduction of this stone
was to be accompanied with acclamations
of « Grace, Grace toit.” nisin, shouts
or acclamations, from τιν ὃ, to make a
noise, shout aloud, cry as a crowd; hence
the noun came to signify the shouting
of a multitude. The repetition of 47,
favor or grace, is for the sake of inten-
sity; and the ascriptions of this favor to
the stone (7) implies that it was pos-
sessed of this ‘quality, and was to be the
medium or means of its conveyance to
others. This prediction was clearly ful-
filled in our Redeemer. ‘* Grace,’ or
favor, “was poured through his lips.”
Ps, xlv. 8. At his birth the alta
acclamations of the heavenly choir, were,
“Glory to God in the highest, on earth
peace, goodwill toward men.” Luke ii.
14. As he approached Jerusalem, the
multitudes were loud in their acclaims
of Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blesssed be he that cometh in the name
of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.”
Nor is the phrase, **The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ,’”’ of unfrequent occur-
rence in the New Testament. The usual
application of the words to the comple-
tion of the work of grace in the soul of
a believer, or to the addition of the last
convert to the church, is quite incongru-
ous. Whatever grace is possessed by the
people of God is altogether derived, and
is not to be ascribed to themselves, but to
him to whom alone they are indebted for
its communication. It may farther be
observed, that perhaps the repetition in
the phrase 4m 34, Grace, Grace, may
have been intended to express the infinite
value of the Corner Stone. In Prov.
xvii. 8, we read that “a gift is 37m jas,
a precious stone in the eyes of him that
hath it;” apd one of the qualities of a
stone laid for a foundation in Zion is,
that it is maps , precious. Is. xxviii. 16.
9, 10. so> is the Preterite of Piel.
ps3 signifies to cut, cut off, bring to an
end, Jinish, in which last acceptation it
is here used. The verse contains a posi-
tive assurance that the temple should be
completed by Zerubbabel. ‘“ The day of
small things” means the short period
which had elapsed since the Jews had
begun to rebuild the temple, and the
950
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. IV.
For those seven eyes of Jehovah
Which run to and fro through-the whole earth rejoiced,
When they saw the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.
bY
Then I proceeded and said to him, What are these two olive-
trees on the right side of the candlestick, and on the left of it ?
12
And I proceeded a second time, and said to him, What are the
two branches of the olive-trees, which, by means of the two
13
14
commencement, which had been incon-
siderable and inauspicious. The efforts
bore no proportion to the magnitude of
the undertaking, and could only provoke
the scorn and contempt of unbelievers.
y2 is derived from 772, as 39 is from
220; only with the signification of F923
and. mia, to despise. 472 otherwise sig-
nifies to plunder, spoil. With the human
estimate of the enterprise, forcibly ex-
pressed in the interrogative form, that of
Jehovah is strikingly contrasted. His
eyes rejoiced when they saw the work
marked out by Zerubbabel with the plum-
met. This instrument was called jas
Sonam, the stone of separation, because
it consisted of the alloy of lead or tin,
which was separated by smelting from
the silver ore with which it was com-
bined. The Vau prefixed in 5855 is to
be rendered when, as in 33» Judges
xix. 1. The nominative to ἢ Soh ial ἢ
is pby~nva¥v, with which 7m ἜΝ»
as expletive, i is in apposition. This, which
appears to me to be the only tenable con-
struction, is that given in the margin by
our Translators. It relieves the passage
from the burden of fancifuleconjectures
which had been advanced in regard to
the meaning, and brings out the simple
but encouraging truth, that, how much
soever men might despise the commence-
ment of the work in which Zerubbabel
ahd his compatriots were engaged, it was
the object of peculiar regard and delight
to Divine Providence, which was ac-
quainted with all human designs, and
from its universal activity could not only
defeat the machinations of enemies, but
tubes of gold, empty the golden liquid out of themselves ? And
he spake to me, saying, Kuowest thou not what.these are? And
command the agency of those who should
help forward the cause of truth and right-
eousness, Comp. chap. iii. 9; 2 Chron,
xvi. 9; Prov. xv. 3.
11, 12. It is not a little remarkable
that the prophet had to put the question
three times respecting the two olive-trees,
tefore he received any reply ; first, ver.
4; a second time ver. 11; and a third
time ver. 12. The question is varied
each time, and becomes at last minute
and particular. The reason seems to be,
that it could scarcely be conceived pos-
sible for him not to understand their
symbolical reference to the two most re-
markable persons with whom he was con-
versant, Joshua and Zerubbabel. r>25,
a branch, LXX. κλάδος, so called from
its resemblance to an ear of grain. “23,
a tube or canal, through which oil or any
other liquid is poured. The etymology
of this quadriliteral is uncertain. LXX.
μυξωτῆρε. With the tubes the two
branches were exhibited as connected, to
indicate the source whence the candle-
stick was supplied with oil. By snan.
the gold, is meant the oil, which is so
called because its purity and brightness
resembled those of gold.
14, ΠΣ 2 720, two sons of oil,
i. e. two "qnbinted ones, Joshua and Ze-
rubbabel, who are so called, because,
when installed into office, they had oil
poured upon their heads as a symbol of
the gifts and influences of the Holy
Spirit, which alone could fit them rightly
to discharge their important functions,
Their services to the new state were of
such yalue that they might well be rep-
Cuap. V.
ZECHARIAH.
981
I said, No, my lord. Then he said, These are the two anointed
ones, that stand before the Lord of the whole earth.
resented as furnishing it instrumentally
with what was necessary for enabling it
to answer the purposes of its establish-
ment. ἘΣ by is elliptical for —
΄
"ssby Ἐπ ϑπι, who stand before. The
phrase expresses the posture of servants
waiting to receive orders from their mas-
ters.
COPA bol ν.
THE two visions exhibited in this chapter are of a very different character from any of the
foregoing, and were designed to furnish striking and instructive warnings to such of the
Jews as might refuse to render obedience to the law of God, and might not have been
thoroughly weaned from idolatry. In verses 1—4, is the description of a flying roll, pre-
sented 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 abandon-
ment to mingle with its native elements in Babylon — the land of graven images.
1. Awnp I again raised my eyes, and looked, and, behold! a fly-
2 ing roll.
And he said to me, What seest thou? And I said, I
see a flying roll, the length of which is twenty cubits, and the
VISION VI.
1. For the adverbial use of 355 see
on chap. iv. 1. 7-527, ὦ volume or roll,
from the root $s, ¢o 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
writing. They also used rolls of papyrus
and of the dressed skins of animals. Aq.
and Theod. render the word by διφϑέρα,
a skin or parchment ; Symm. by κεφαλὶς,
the term by which the LXX. have ren-
dered it, Ps. xl. 8. Mistaking $319 for
bays, they have here translated it δρέπα-
vov, a scythe or sickle.
2. The roll here described was of large
dimensions, more than ten yards in
length, by upwards of five in breadth.
To compose such a roll several skins had
to be sewed together, as we find to be
the case with the Jewish Megillahs, or
rolls containing the Pentateuch and
other portions of the Old Testament,
read in the synagogue at the present
day. One of these synagogue rolls, pre-
served in the British Museum, contains
the Pentateuch, written on forty brown
African skins. In the Rabbinical diyi-
sion of the books of the Old Testament,
the title of the five Megilloth is given
to those of the Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther ;
but in Ps. x1. 8, the term 522 is applied
by way of eminence to the roll or book
of the law. The large size of the roll
seems to have been intended to indicate
the number of the curses which it con-
tained. The circumstance, that the di-
959
3 breadth of it ten cubits.
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. V.
And he said to me, This is the curse
which goeth forth over the face of the whole land; for every
one that stealeth shall be cleared away on this side, according to
it, and every one that sweareth shall be cleared away on that
4 side, according to it.
I bring it forth,
saith Jehovah of hosts,
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
of the porch of the temple, 1 Kings vi.
3, seems rather to be accidental than in-
tended to convey any specific instruction.
The participle sy , flying, expresses the
velocity with which the judgments de-
nounced in the volume would come upon
the wicked.
ae stan mt, this zs, or signifies, rep-
resents the curse, a phrase altogether
parallel with that used by our Lord
when instituting the sacred supper:
τοῦτο ἔστι τὸ σῶμα μου; in Heb. ΓᾺτ
on , this is, i. e. represents my body.
mis, curse, is to be taken as a collective,
comprehending all the curses denounced
against transgressors of the sw law.
After mss}: supply ; nin ΕΞ Ὁ»
«from the presence of Jeliovsh: ” Be-
cause 74731 τιῦ 2, on this side and on that,
is used when fee writing of the law on
both sides of the tables is spoken of,
Exod, xxxii. 15, Abenezra, Kimchi, Ro-
senmiiller, Hengstenberg, and some other
interpreters, have argued in favor of the
position, that the roll, like that of Ezek.
ii. 9, 10, was also written in this man-
ner; but the immediate construction of
the pronoun with m3 in both instances
shows that it cannot be maintained.
Reference is had to the place where the
transgressor may be. From that place,
whether on the right hand or on the left,
he should be swept away by the Divine
judgment. Nowhere should he find pro-
tection. The curse went forth over the
whole land. It has been properly re-
marked, that an individual example of
transgression is selected from each of the
two tables of the law: ξεῖν, he twho
stealeth, standing for those who break the
rule of duty in regard to their neighbor ;
and satan, he who sweareth, for those
who are guilty of a violation of such du-
ties as have immediate reference to God.
mz is not to be taken here in the sense
of treating as innocent, but with the sig-
nification of emptying, clearing, sweeping
clean away. Comp. Is. iii. 26; Jer. xxx.
11. It is in the Niphal conjugation, the
form of which is the same as that of Piel.
The ancient translators are at fault here,
having mistaken =p2 for ἘΠῚ - Thus
the LXX. ἐκδικηϑήσεται ; Symm. δίκην
δώσῃ. Nor can the rendering of Ston-
ard, “yleadeth not guilty,” be sustained.
min » like, or according to it, if fully
expressed, would be 21m > 73s , accord-
ing as it is written, referring to the curse
or threatening inscribed upon the roll.
Thus Jerome, sicut ἐδὲ scriptum est.
4, The pronominal affix in πον πε ἐπ
refers to myn in the preceding verse.
“pzd yada is an aggravation of yav2.
The punctuation of 735 is irregular’ for
mid, the third feminine of the preterite
of an, which one of De Rossi’s MSS.
exhibits. 4:5 not merely signifies to turn
aside and spend the night in any place,
but also to remain permanently. See Ps,
xlix, 13. smb>=snnd>. A like curse
was pronounced by the Delphie oracle
against perjury :
Κραιπνὸς δὲ μετέρχεται,
εἰσόκε πᾶσαν,
Συμμάρψας ὀλέσει
ἅπαντα.
γενεὴν καὶ οἴκον
Herodot. vi. 86.
Cuap. V.
ZECHARIAH.
383
5 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. AndI said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah
that cometh forth.
He said, moreover, This is their appearance
7 in all the land. And, behold! a round piece of lead, and there
8 was a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. And he said,
VISION VII.
5. suai, came forth, i. 6, came again
into view to explain the new vision.
6. The ephah was one of the larger
‘Jewish corn measures, containing about
an English bushel, or seven gallons and
ahalf, The LXX. give it simply by τὸ
μετρόν. Symm. leaves it untranslated,
οἰφὶ, which presents it pretty much in
its Egyptian form, which was (ΠῚ ΠῚ.
Comp. the Arab. x45 9° Some have
supposed that it is not to be specifically
understood of the measure so called, on
the ground that such a measure could
not have contained the woman mentioned
ver. 7; but the assumption is altogether
gratuitous, since there is no necessity for
maintaining that the female represented
was actually in appearance of the ordi-
nary size, There is equally little foun-
dation for the interpretation of the Tar-
gum, that the use of false measures was
intended by this item of the vision.
29», their eye, has been variously re-
garded by different translators and expos-
itors. The LXX., Arab., and Syr., have
read phy , their iniquity, which many
think much more suited to the connec-
tion, but this reading is supported by
only one of De Rossi’s MSS. It is clear
from what Jerome says on the subject,
that the text was the same in his day as
we have it at present. The latter read-
ing is adopted by Houbigant, Newcome,
and others of the same school. That
473, signifies appearance, or that which
presents itself to the eye, is fully estab-
lished by reference to Lev. xiii. 55;
Numb. xi. 7; Ezek. i. 4, 7, x. 9; and
this signification is appropriately appli-
cable in the present passage. Hengsten-
berg, taking the word in its primary
acceptation, considers the 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
measure of divine punishment. "When
it is said that the ephah (for this is the
nominative to the latter my, ¢his is),
was their appearance, the language is
metonymical; the container being used
for the thing contained, ¢. e. nv:
wickedness, or idolatry, as further ex-
plained, ver. 8.
(othe ΞΞ contracted for “DD; what
ts round or globular, from “12 » t0 go
round, was the heaviest weight in use
among the Hebrews, being equal to
3000 shekels, or, according to Jahn, 125
pounds, English troy weight. Luther
renders it here by centner, or hundred-
weight ; but it is obviously to be taken,
not in its strict estimate as a measure,
but in its etymological import, as sig-
nifying a flat, roundish lump or cake of
lead, yet not without some respect to its
heaviness, in consideration of the end it
was designed to serve — the security of
the woman in the vessel over which it
was placed. To express the idea of
weight it is called V28, @ stone, in the
following verse. mxiz2 is the feminine
participle in Niphal. rsx, does not re-
fer to the talent or weight going before,
but to sux immediately following, and
is equivalent to there was. The woman
was placed in the ephah in order to be
conveyed to Babylon.
8. By πρὶ in this place is meant
idolatry, which was the most flagrant
kind of wickedness with respect to God,
and the fruitful pareyt of every other
984
This is wickedness.
ZECHARIAH.
Cnap. V.
And he threw her down in the midst of
the ephah, and threw the weight of lead on the mouth of it.
9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and, behold! two women
came forth, and the wind was in their wings, for they had wings
like the wings of a stork; and they bore away the ephah be-
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, To build for it a house in the land of Shinar ; for it
shall be set up, and placed there on its own base.
species of iniquity. To mark it more
emphatically, the article is prefixed.
s"bemn, 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
ephah; the action here described may
either be carried back to a period pre-
ceding the vision, or it may be intended
to indicate what was further done, in
order to cause her to occupy a lower
position in the vessel, so as to allow of
the leaden cover being thrown over her.
The latter is the more probable inter-
pretation. Jarchi is of opinion that the
feminine suffix in m"E , Aer mouth, refers
to the woman; but it can alone with
propriety be referred to the ephah.
9. The two females here mentioned
are regarded by Maurer and Hengsten-
berg as merely belonging, by way of col-
oring, to the symbol as such, two persons
being required to carry so large a measure
asthe ephah. I should rather, however,
infer that the Assyrian and Babylonian
powers are intended, by which, as instru-
ments, God removed idolatry in the per-
sons of the apostate Hebrews out of the
holy land. By their having the wind in
their wings is conveyed the idea of the
celerity of their motion. s-"on, the
stork, so called from the affection which
both the parent bird and her young show
to each other. Aq., who frequently gives
the etymology of Hebrew words, renders
it ᾿Ἐρωδίος, in which he is followed by
Theod. and Symm. This Greek term is
derived from ἔρως, Jove. The large wings
of the stork greatly accelerate its flight,
when aided by the wind. In τοι στ: is”
an clision of the letter x, the third radi-
eal, for F2swm1, which is found in a
great number of MSS. and some of the
earliest printed editions.
10. Instead of the defective orthogra-
phy r4=$4%, many MSS. and some edi-
tions read in full, m4s-d4y0.
11. -¥23 os, the land of Shinar, is
rendered in the LXX. γῇ Βαβυλῶνος, and
in the Targ. $33 n3772, which is the
proper siteraeteeen: 4210 15 to be con-
strued with n=3, and π 135 with πξ ΛΝ»
including the idea of the woman, or of
idolatry, of which she was the symbol.
To the latter also the affix in ἘΠ}
belongs,
In this striking hieroglyphic we are
taught how idolatry, with ali its accom-
panying atrocities, was removed from the
land of the Hebrews, which it had des-
ecrated, to a country devoted to it, and
where it was to commingle with its
native elements, never to be re-imported
into Canaan. How exactly has the pre-
diction been fulfilled! From the time
of the captivity to the present, a period
of more than two thousand years, the
Hebrew people have never once lapsed
into idolatry! The whole vision was
intended to convince them of the great-
ness of the evil.
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. VI. 385 ,
CHAPTER VI.
HAVING warned 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 ex-
pressed by Munster: ‘‘ Hee 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 Priest 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.
1 Ann I raised my eyes again, and looked, and, behold! four
chariots came forth from between two mountains, and the moun-
2 tains were mountains of copper.
In the first chariot were red
3 horses; and in the second chariot black horses ; and in the third
chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot were piebald
1, For the idiom sexi aus1, see on
ch. iv. 1. Considering that ‘the events
referred to are those of war, it is most
natural to infer that war-chariots are
here intended. By mountains of copper
are meant solid, strong and durable
mountains, such as those in which cop-
per and other metals are ordinarily found.
Comp. Jer. i. 18. Of what these moun-
tains were designed to be the symbols,
or whether they are introduced merely
as an ornamental part of the vision, have
been matters of dispute. Jam strongly
inclined-to regard them as emblems of
the Medes and Persians, and thus cor-
responding to the two horns of the ram
which are employed by Daniel to denote
the same people. See chap. viii. 3, 4.
From between these, or from the power-
ful empire which they formed, the instru-
ments of Divine Providence were to pro-
ceed to execute his purposes in punishing
the nations. That mountains are em-
ployed in the figurative language of
prophecy to signify kingdoms or govern-
ments, see Is, ii. 2, xli. 15; Jer. Ji. 25;
Dan. ii. 35.
2, 3. The red horses are symbolical of
war and bloodshed ; the black, of general
calamity and distress; the white, of vic-
tory and prosperity; and the piebald
grays, of a dispensation, mixed in its
character, partly prosperous, and partly
adverse, The last word, t>x7x, would
seem most naturally to be referrible to
the root 12s , to be strong, active, etc. ;
and this mode of solution would at once
be satisfactory were there no qualifying
circumstances in the immediate context
to require another interpretation. But
as all the other terms here employed in
describing the horses are expressive of
colors, we should expect something of the
same character to be intended by the
49
986
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. VI.
4 gray horses. I then proceeded and said to the angel who spake
5 with me, What are these, my lord ?
And the angel answered
and said to me, These are the four spirits of heaven, coming
6 forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole
earth. That and the black horses in it are going forth into the
north country ; and the white go forth to the west of them; and
word in question. I, therefore, prefer
adopting a derivation from the Arab.
ars leviter splenduit, and regard it
as qualifying t*773 , immediately pre-
ceding. Thus, the Targ. y-22u07 , ash-
colored gray ; so that the most appropri-
ate rendering of the two terms will be
spotted, or piebald grays.
5. Though the phrase τὴ πη vans
rvcin is that employed chap. ii. 10,
(Heb.) to denote the four quarters of the
horizon, yet, that it cannot have this
meaning in the present instance, is evi-
dent from its being added that the nynsn
are such as had taken their station, or
presented themselves before the Lord, in
order to receive their commissions for the
execution of his will. In our common
version, therefore, the words are properly
rendered as to the meaning, spirits of
the heavens ; or, as we now commonly
say, celestial spirits, thereby meaning
angels. These are represented, as in
Job i. 6; 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
of the globe in which the special opera-
tions of Divine Providence are to be car-
ried forward.
6. By ὭΞε yous, the north country,
we are to understand, as usual, the land
of Babylon. Comp. Jer. iii. 18, vi. 22,
x. 22, xlvi. 10; Zech. ii. 10. Though
that empire had been subdued by Cyrus,
yet the Babylonians revolted in the be-
ginning of the fifth year of Darius, on
which that monarch besieged them with
all his forces; and, after much devasta-
tion, completely depopulated it, and re-
duced it to solitude. To set forth sym-
bolically this fearful event, black-colored
horses are represented as conveying into
the country the executioner of the Divine
indignation upon that devoted people.
It is remarkable that the red-colored
horses, which had been introduced into
the vision, ver. 2, are entirely passed
over. The reason may, perhaps, be, that,
disastrous as was the final destruction οἵ"
Babylon, it was unaccompanied with
anything like the quantity of bloodshed
which characterized the battles of con-
flicting armies in the open field, though
at the commencement there was every
appearance of much blood being shed.
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 white
horses, denoting victory and prosperity,
point out the successes of Darius in dif-
ferent parts of Greece, which, though
checked by the battle of Marathon, con-
tributed to the strengthening of his power
in that quarter. The phrase, Ἐπ τη nN=>s;
literally means behind them, but geo-
graphically, to the west of them. That
it is to be so taken here, the use of tx,
to, corresponding with the use of the
same preposition after the verb, both be-
fore and after in the verse, sufficiently
shows. The dappled horses were sym-
bolical of the varied condition of the
Persian affairs, which followed the bat-
tle of Marathon, especially the changes
which took place on the death of Darius,
and the expedition of Xerxes for the re-
duction of Egypt. This last circumstance
is particularly pointed at in the reference,
yann yrs, the country of the South.
That by Ἴ2 ΑΛ, Teman, we are not here
to understand the city or region so called
on the east of Idumea, but a land to the
Cnap. VI.
ZECHARIAH.
387
7 the piebald go forth to the south country. And the grays went
forth, 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.
8 Then he summoned me and said to me, See, those that went
to the north country have appeased my anger in the north
country.
9 And the word of Jehovah was communicated to me, saying:
10 Take from the captivity, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from
south of Palestine, is obvious from the
article being prefixed, and from a com-
parison of the use of the term in such
passages as the following, Job ix. 9; Is.
xliii. 6. It is synonymous with y~2>,
on the right hand, which geographically
means the South, and here specifically
signifies Egypt, to express which Daniel
uses the word 333, chap, xi. 40."
Te VIN the land here referred to, but
not described by any qualifying epithet,
must be understood of the country of
Palestine, the peculiar features of the
dispensation of Providence with respect
to which are marked by two circumstan-
ces: the gray color of the horses, which
indicated the mixed state of the Jewish
affairs till the time of Artaxerxes Mne-
mon; and the form of the verb 537 , ¢o
go or walk, which is in Hithpael, and
signifies to go about, or to walk up and
down, They were not to be molested by
the hostile incursion of foreign armies,
but neither were they to be free from
annoyances. Accordingly, we find them
involved in troubles by Sanballat, and
other chiefs of the Samaritans; and, as
the Persian army marched through Pal-
estine to attack the Egyptians in the
reign of Darius Nothus, the inhabitants
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. On
the other hand, the appointment of Ne-
hemiah to be governor of Judea, and
other favors conferred by the Persian
monarch, were calculated to mitigate
their distress, and inspire them with the
hope of a complete and happy restora-
tion to the enjoyment of their ancient
privileges. ‘These dappled horses supply
the place of the red, specified ver. 2, but
are omitted in the explanation, ver. 6, so
that the number of chariots is still four.
8. The nominative to py»y21 must
either be Jehovah, cr the Angel of Jeho-
vah, understood as the pronominal affix
in man, “my anger,” shows. That
among other significations h1" has that
of anger, see Jud. viii. 8; Eccles. x. 4;
Is, xxxiii. 11. The phrase, p14 Π 37»
to cause anger to rest, is equivalent to
man man, Ezek. v. 18, xvi. 42, xxiv.
13; and means Zo satisfy, pacify. ‘The
final judgment having been inflicted
upon Babylon, the Divine displeasure
should no more be manifested in that
direction.
The tendency of the whole vision was
to assure the Jews of the care and pro-
tection of their covenant God, and thus
lead them to exercise confidence in him,
while prosecuting the restoration of the
temple and their former institutions.
9—11. Here commences a separate
prophecy, calculated, like the preceding
vision, to stimulate the Jews in their
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
put upon it. The infinitive mip}, at
the beginning of the 9th verse, is to be
taken in connection with the finite form
of the same verb at that of the 11th,
both having an11 49> for their object.
388
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. VI.
Jedaiah, who are come from Babylon,.and enter thou on that
11 day, yea, enter the house 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 speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying :
The preposition which is prefixed to
the following nouns is not to be taken
partitively, as if some of the captivity,
and one of each of the families, the heads
of which are supposed to be here speci-
tied, were meant, but is used in its pri-
mary and most common signification.
The persons named appear to have form-
ed a deputation from the 7542, captives
still remaining in Babylon, who had sent
them with contributions in gold and sil-
ver to help forward the building of the
temple at Jerusalem. These deputies
had deposited their gifts in the house of
Josiah, to which the prophet is com-
manded to repair and take what was
necessary for making the two crowns
which were to be placed on the head of
the high priest. It is not improbable
that Josiah was public treasurer at the
time. The language of Zechariah is
here more heavy and verbose than usual,
which has occasioned some difficulty to
interpreters. Instead of ba. sz 7ts,
two of Kennicott’s MSS., the ΠΣ
Syr., and Targ., read x2 in the singular,
and restrict the declaration to Josiah,
mentioned immediately before ; but there
can be little doubt that this various read-
ing is 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 pred-
icate. To remove the ambiguity, our
translators have properly connected the
words immediately with the names of
the persons to whom they belong. Heng-
stenberg contends that only one crown
is intended, and that the plural form
τὴ Ὁ 2, is to be referred to several small
crowns or diadems of which it consisted.
With many other interpreters, he ad-
duces in support of the opinion the δια-
δήματα πολλὰ, many crowns, Which are
described as being upon the head of the
Saviour, Rey. xix. 12; but the reference
there is purely to the crown of a con-
queror, composed of many diadems,
which Christ is represented as wearing,
as a symbol of the numerous victories
he had won over the enemies of his
church. It appears, however, essential
to the thing signified, namely, the priest-
ly and regal offices, that they should
have been distinct crowns, 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 circum-
stance, that the plural ny is construed
with m:n, the singular of the substan-
tive verb, ver. 14. Maurer not inaptly
illustrates this by ἃ reference to the triple
crown or the tiara of the popes, by which
they arrogate to themselves a higher de-
gree of dignity than that of Him whose
servants they profess to be.
12, The symbolical action performed
upon Joshua as representative of the
Messiah is here followed by an explan-
atory prophecy, in which his person,
offices, and work are distinctly set forth.
For the signification of max, BRaNncn, see
on Is. iv. 2, That the Messiah is meant
must be evident to all who will impar-
tially compare Is, iv. 2; Jer. xxiii, 5,
xxxiil. 15 ; Zech. iii. 8. Thus the Targ.
expounds : s*ny ra9 Nw NIA NA
“bam, “Behold the Man, Mrsstan is
his name ; who is to be revealed.” The
same view is taken by Moses Hadarsan :
mon “sy and ps ἘΞῸ ΡΝ oor ἘΝ π
moss nmr: wy mas wx, “The
Redeemer whom I will raise up from
you shall have no father, as it is said ;
Behold the man, whose name is Zemach,
(Β.». VI.
ZECHARIAH.
389
Behold the man whose name is THE BRANCH,
For he shall grow up out of his place,
And he shall build the temple of Jehovah.
13 Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah,
And he shall bear the glory ;
and he shall grow up from his place.’
The Rabbins Jarchi, Abenezra, and Kim-
chi, and after them, Bauer and Ewald,
suppose Zerubbabel to be intended. ~The
last-mentioned writer, after the example
of Eichhorn and Theiner, conjectures
that, instead of yvim> tna, on the
head of Joshua, the text has originally
read, 334n7 ΘΕ" $321 BNIB, on the
head of “Zerubbabel, and on the head of
Joshua. But who does not perceive that
this conjecture is to be traced to the mere
love of hypothesis. Maurer scruples not
to regard it us doing violence to the pas-
sage. The application of the words to
Zerubbabel is decidedly rejected by Abar-
banel, notwithstanding his bigoted hos-
_ tility to the Messianic interpretations.
Ὁ The words of the text can apply to no
one who was not a priest; for it is ex-
pressly declared that such was to be the
official character of him who is the sub-
ject of discourse. And that neither
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. Simon Maccabeus, to whom
‘Michaelis applies the prophecy, never
filled the kingly office; he was merely
commander of the army, and civil gov-
ernor, subject to the kings of Syria. In-
stead of building the temple, as is here
predicted of the Branch, he erected a
splendid palace for himself on the moun-
tain on which the temple stood. Nor
did the work of repairing it, after it had
been pillaged by Antiochus Epiphanes,
devolve upon him, but upon his brother
Judas. Besides, the declaration that the
Branch should be invested with the honor
or glory connected with the building of
the temple, would be at variance with
the uniform ascription of the glory of
all great undertakings to Jehovah and
not to man, wherever in Scripture such
works are represented as carried on under
the special direction of the Most High.
In the phrase, πῶσ avminniss, and he
shall sprout forth from his place, while
there is a direct reference to the name
mas, here given to the Messiah, there
seems to be no very indistinct allusion to
the miraculous conception. vann, his
place, the place which was peculiar to
him. The interpretation, that “ under
him there shall be growth,” which is
adopted by Cyril, Jerome, Luther, Calo-
vius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, apply-
ing 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 $5°5
mint, the temple of Jehovah, which the
Messiah was to build, the material tem-
ple then in the course of erection cannot
be understood, for that was to be carried
on and completed by Zerubbabel, chap.
iv. 9. But, as we have just seen, Zerub-
babel and the Branch are not identical, —
We are, therefore, compelled to interpret
the phrase in application to the New
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 him-
self declares, “ Upon this rock will I build
my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.” Matt. xvi. τ
18. The repetition ἘΞ ποσὰ εξ 845
mine is not, as has been conjectured, to
be ascribed to an error of some tran-
scriber, and on the authority of the
LXX., Arab., and Syr., to be expunged
as superfluous, but is singularly in its
place, as giving a high degree of em-
phasis to the statement made respecting
the personal work of the Messiah. The
390
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. VL
And he shall sit and rule upon his throne,
And shall be a priest upon his throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
14 And the crowns shall be for Helem and for Tobijah, and for
Jedaiah, and for Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in
erection of the spiritual temple was to be
effected exclusively through his media-
tion. With the declaration, that he
should “bear the glory,” compare Ps.
xxi. 5, cii. 16; Is. lii. 18; Heb. ii. 9.
The declaration has reference to the
crowns, the insignia of glory and ma-
jesty, which were to be placed on the
head of Joshua. In the following clauses
of the verse the union of the regal and
sacerdotal offices in the person of the
Messiah is distinctly set forth, thus ex-
hibiting the peculiar feature of the Mel-
chizedekian priesthood, Gen. xiv. 18 ;
Ps. cx. 4; 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 make
intercession for them, he exercises his
mediatorial rule over the world and the
church — that over the former being
rendered subservient to the administra-
tion of that which he exercises over the
latter. Vitringa, Reuss, Dr. McCaul,
and others, refer the pronominal affix in
sxo>, “ his throne,” to Jehovah, or the
Deity absolutely considered, but, in my
opinion, without sufficient ground. The
natural construction requires the person
who is prominently before the reader to
be the object of reference. The render-
ing of Newcome, Hitzig, and Ewald,
‘and a priest shall be upon his throne,”
is forced and unwarranted; the Vau
clearly connecting the substantive verb
with the preceding verbs xv and 22",
the nominative to which is xin, the
Branch, or Messiah. The nominatives
to tr*:3, “them both,” are neither Je-
hovah and the Messiah, as maintained
both by ancient and by many modern
interpreters, among others, Cocceius, De
Dieu, Vitringa, Bengel, Reuss, Dr. Me
Caul, and Dr. J. Pye Smith; nor Jews
and Gentiles, as Dr. Stonard strangely
interprets; but the ΤΡ ΤΙ.» priesthood, and
the bzw, regal dignity, which had just
been mentioned as unitedly exercised by
the Branch. Thus Jerome, Marckius,
Drusius, Lowth, Dathe, Rosenmiiller,
Hengstenberg, and others. The reason
assigned by Dathe forms an insurmount-
able objection to the first opinion : “ Quo-
niam enim Deus in toto hoc loco loqui-
tur, affixum tertiz persone in Ἐπ Σ Ὁ
non potest ad Jovam referre.”” The same
objection lies against the reference of the
afix in ἸΝῸΞ to Jehovah. By nzz
city , the counsel or purpose of peace, is
to be understood the glorious scheme of
reconciliation between God and man,
effected by the joint exercise of the sacer-
dotal and regal offices of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Comp. Is. ix. 6; Micah v. 5;
Eph. ii. 14—17; Col. i. 20, 21; Heb.
xiii, 20.
14. Helem is, in all probability, the
same as Heldia, ver. 10, and Hen another
name of Josiah, there also mentioned.
There seems no ground for rendering
in , favor, and interpreting it of the hos-
pitality shown to the deputies by Josiah ;
the construction adopted by Hengsten-
berg, Maurer and Ewald. The words
end minn nhtgn, the crowns shall
be to Helem, etc., do not mean that they
were to belong to the persons specified,
but that they were to be for a memorial
to them of the symbolical act that had
just taken place, and were for this pur-
pose to be deposited in the temple, where
it is possible they remained till the Mes-
siah, as high priest and king of his peo-
ple, had taken possession of his mediato-
rial throne, when temple, and crowns,
and the whole Jewish polity, were taken
or destroyed by the Romans.
Cuap. VIL.
ZECHARIAH,
391
15 the temple of Jehovah. 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
unfinished, their rejection in consequence
of unbelief is forcibly implied. It is a
striking instance of ἀποσιώπησι.
Jews, in which, the sentence being left
C7 Ady. Fae ND,
TuHIs and the following chapter are occupied with replies to questions which had been pro-
posed 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
this circumstance Zechariah is commanded to take occasion to reprove them for their
selfish 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 rebel-
lious conduct of their fathers, and the punishment with which it had been visited, 11—14.
1 Awnp it came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king,
that the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah on
2 the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chisley; when
Bethel sent Sherezer, Regem-melech and his men, to conciliate
1. The occurrence here described took
place two years later than those described
in the preceding chapters. "ΞΌΞ,, Chis-
lev, the name of the ninth month of the
Hebrews, which corresponds to part of
November and part of December. Some
think it is of Persic origin, but the idea
of torpor, rigidity, stiffness, which is con-
veyed by the Heb. ΞΌΞ, is sufficient to
justify its being referred to this root;
such being the character assumed by na-
ture in the course of this month. The
= prefixed may be regarded as the Beth
essentie.
2. The words Ἐπ movo1 have
occasioned considerable perplexity to in-
terpreters. Some of the earlier Jews
took Bethel to be the name of a person.
Lightfoot supposes that it means the con-
gregation of the Jews who had remained
in Babylon. To the same effect Mich-
aelis, “ὙΠῸ congregation of God at Sha-
rezer,’ though he acknowledges he had
no idea of the geographical position of
the city so called. Hengstenberg and
Maurer think the people of the Jews are
intended. The Vulg., Grotius, Dathe,
Newcome, De Wette, and Arnheim, sup-
ply ts before the word, and render, ‘to
the house of God.” The LXX., Syr.,
Targ., Drusius, Blayney, Hitzig, and
Ewald, regard it as the name of the city
so called, in the tribe of Benjamin; only
the ancient versions just specified repre-
392
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. VII.
3 the regard of Jehovah, speaking to the priests which were in
the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying:
Shall I weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done
these many years ?
4 Then the word of Jehovah of hosts was communicated to me,
saying : Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests,
5 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
6 ye fasted ?
sent it as the place to which the deputa-
tion was sent. Against the interpreta-
tion which explains it of the temple,
there lies the insuperable objection, that
that sacred edifice is uniformly called
mhno non, the house of Jehovah, — never
tsonsa, the house of God; and that it
should have been so designated after the
recovery of the Jews from idolatry is
altogether incredible, considering the in-
famy attached to the city so named, I
entirely concur in the last opinion, which
refers it to the city of Bethel, which is
used by metonymy for its inhabitants.
The word occupies its proper place as the
nominative to the verb, which cannot
here be taken impersonally, as such con-
struction would exclude all reference to
those who sent the deputation, a cir-
cumstance not to be reconciled with the
express specification of the names of the
persons who composed it. στὴ, lit.
to stroke the face, to ingratiate onself with
another, conciliate his regard.
3. The city having been introduced in
the preceding verse as sending the depu-
tation, speaks here in the first person sin-
gular. Comp. 1 Sam. x. 10; 2 Sam.
xx. 19; Zech. viii. 21. The question
related to the continuance of the fast in
the fifth month, which had been insti-
tuted to commemorate the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. As the
city was now being restored, it was pre-
sumed there would no longer be any
necessity for keeping up the humiliating
memorial. =>2x7 is not simply, Shal/
I fast? but, Shall I continue to fast?
The following words indicate, that it
And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not
was felt to be a tedious and irksome per-
formance of duty. The persons speaking
were thoroughly weary of it. =z2", the
infinitive in Niphal of “13, ¢o separate,
consecrate, vow; in Niphal, to abstain
from food, and the ordinary employments
of life.
5, 6. Though the question had been
proposed by the leading men of a single
city only, yet the burden was generally
felt, on which account the prophet is
directed to address the Divine reply to
all the inhabitants of the land, the priests
not excepted, who appear to have been
desirous of getting rid of the fast as well
as others. Their fasts had not been per-
formed from a purely religious motive,
but were relf-righteous and hypocritical.
While they observed them, they neg-
lected the weightier ‘matters of the law.
At s4£5 is an ellipsis of the finite form
of the same verb. In “ss “sms thisn
there is a double idiom, which Yenders 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.
34. ‘28 ἘΔ "s522- The fast in the
seventh month was in commemoration
of the murder of Gedaliah, and those
who were with him at Mispah, See
2 Kings xxv. 25, 26; Jer. xli. 1—3.
Neither in fasting nor in feasting had
the Jews any regard to Jehovah, but did
all from self-interested motives. The
feasting referred to is that which took
place on the festival days, which were
always days of rejoicing.
Cuap. VII.
ZECHARIAH.
393
7 ye that ate, and ye that drank? Are not these the words which
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 ?
8 And the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah,
saying,
9 Thus spake Jehovah of hosts, saying:
Execute true judgment,
And show kindness and mercy one to another ;
10
The stranger and the poor;
Oppress not the widow and the orphan,
And think not in your heart of the injury
Which one hath done to another.
11 But they refused to attend,
And turned their back rebelliously ;
They made their ears heavy,
That they might not hear.
12
They made their heart an adamant,
That they might not hear the law,
Nor the words which Jehovah sent by his Spirit
Through the former prophets ;
And there was great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.
13 And it came to pass,
When he called and they would not hear,
So they called, and I would not hear,
Saith Jehovi.h of hosts,
7. The former prophets had taught the
worthlessness of attention to meats and
drinks while God was forgotten, and the
weightier matters of his law neglected.
If the Jews had listened to, and com-
plied with, the messages of the prophets,
none of the evils which had come upon
them would have been inflicted. For
“the former prophets,” see on chap.
i. 4. By the “south and the plain,” are
meant the southern and western parts of
Judah.
9. ἸῺΝ is here to be taken in the
strictly past tense, as the beginning of
the 11th verse clearly shows.
10. Though ὅπ intervenes between
rz and "πὸ they are to be regarded
as in construction, Comp. Is. xix. 8;
50
Hos. xiv. 8. No one was to harbor any
feelings of resentment against another
for any injury he might have done him.
11. §n> {n3, ¢o give the shoulder, is
equivalent to turning the back upon any
one. The cause of such action is traced
to a refractory, rebellious, and intractable
disposition, The % prefixed in σὴ): 8
is privative. ᾿
12. πο signifies both a thorn and ἃ
diamond, from the Arab. , to pierce,
Here the idea of hardness is that con-
veyed by its use. In e=s"225 313 4nsn3
the double agency by which the Divine
will was communicated is recognized —
that of the inspiring Spirit, and that of
the instruments inspired.
991
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. VIII.
14 But tossed them among all the nations which they knew not,
And the land was desolate after them;
No one passed through or returned,
For they had made the land of delight desolate.
14. eszos is an anomalous form,
after the Aramean manner, according
to which Zére is placed where there
would otherwise be a movable Sheva.
Regularly, it would be ΣΌΝ. It is
of the Piel conjugation. non ὙΠ»
the land of delight, Canaan. Comp. Jer.
ili, 19. Maurer proposes to take ἡ)» "05"
impersonally. Others more properly con-
sider the Jews to be the nominative, who
by their crimes, had brought judgments
upon the land.
CHA Peres Vs
Tuts 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 in heathen countries should be brought
back, and share in the general prosperity, 7—17. The chapter closes with a direct answer
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
the Jews, 18—23.
1 Awnp the word of Jehovah was communicated to me, saying:
2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal,
Yea, with great indignation have I been zealous for her.
3 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 the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain.
4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts :
1, Before six the word "Ἐπ᾿, to me,
is found in thirty-three Heb. MSS.; it
has been in ten more originally, and is
now in three by correction; it is the
reading of the Soncin., Brixian, and
Complutensian editions, and is supported
by the Syr. and Targ.
2. Comp. i. 14, 15.
3. Comp. Is. i. 26, and the remarks
there made on the idiomatic use of xp ,
to call.
4, 5. These verses beautifully depict
the security and happiness of the inhab-
itants of Jerusalem. Longevity and a
Cuap. VIII.
ZECHARIAH.
395
Aged men and aged women shall yet be sitting in the streets
of Jerusalem,
Each man with his staff in his hand for very age;
5 And the streets of the city shall be filled
With boys and girls, playing in the streets of it.
6 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Though it should be wonderful
In the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days,
Should it also be wonderful in my eyes?
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
" Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Behold, I will deliver my people
From the land of the rising,
And from the land of the setting of the sun,
g And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem,
And they shall become my people,
And I will become their God,
Tn truth and in righteousness.
9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
numerous offspring were specially prom-
ised under the old dispensation, but uni-
formly in connection with obedience to
the law. Deut. iv. 40, v. 16, 33, vi. 2,
xxxiii, 6, 24; Is. lxv. 20. The idea
conveyed by ep ΤΙ Ὁ in such connection
is exquisite. What ‘can be more grati-
fying to the uncorrupted simplicity of
human feelings, than to witness a num-
ber of young children enjoying * their
innocent gambols? For a contrary state
of things, see Jer. vi. 11, ix. 21.
6. xbB, though like its cognate mde,
js not used in Kal, yet, from its significa-
tions in Niphal, Piel, Hiphal, and Hith-
pael, it cannot be doubted that it must
have conveyed the idea of separation, dis-
tinction, difficulty ; hence in Niphal, it
signifies to be distinguished, to stand out
prominently, from common events, to be °
impossible to human power, to be mirac-
ulous. +4x>22, the participial noun, is
often used for miraculous occurrences.
tenn 272, in those days, i. 6. at the
time when I fulfil my promise. To jus-
tify the rendering of our common version,
«in these days,” the Hebrew should have
been ms 77023. See ver. 9.
7. The east and west are here put as
parts for the whole. The meaning is, I
will deliver my people from every region
whither they have been scattered. "Were
there any reason to believe that the
prophecy has respect to a restoration of
the Jews yet future, there would be a
singular propriety in the use of sin,
nun, the setting of the sun, the Jews
being now, for the most part, found in
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 delivered.
‘Vast numbers were carried away captive
after the time of Alexander. Not fewer
than 100,000 were carried by Ptolemy
to Egypt, and were settled in Alexan-
dria and Cyrene.
The words mptz23 Τρ Ξ belong to
both the members of the sentence, and
express the reality and sincerity of the
relation on both sides.
9. ὩΞ᾿ τὸ mpi » let your hands be
NG
396
Let your hands be strong,
Ye that hear in these days
ZECHARIAH.
CHapP. VIIl.
These words from the mouth of the prophets,
Which were spoken on the day when the foundation was laid
Of the house of Jehovah of hosts,
The temple, in order to its being built
10 For before those days
There was no hire for man,
Neither was there any hire for beast 5
And to him that went out or came in
There was no peace, because of the enemy:
Yea, I sent all men each against another.
rT
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
10
But now I will not be as in the former days
To the residue of this people,
For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall yield her fruit,
And the earth shall yield her produce,
And the heavens shall yield their dew,
And I will cause the residue of this people
To possess all these things.
13 And it shall come to pass,
As ye have been a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah, and house of Israel,
strong, a figurative mode of expression,
denoting, courage, resolution, effort. Jud.
vii. 11; 2 Sam. xvi. 21. The prophets
here referred to were Haggai and Zech-
ariah. See Ezra v. 1, 2. The words
which the people heard were those of
consolation and encouragement. Haggai
ii. 18,19. After sus subaud. 5437.
10. Such was the ‘danger to which the
Jews were exposed befure the actual
commencement of building the temple,
that all intercourse between the city and
the country was interrupted. The Sa-
maritans pressed sore upon them, and
annoyed them in every possible way.
See Ezra iv. 1—5. By Ἐξ is not meant
affliction, ϑλίψις, tribulatio, as the Eng.,
LXX., and Vulg.; but the enemy, or as
we have it, q-2"3245 HTM SS, the ene-
mies of Judah and Benjamin. Ezra iv. 1
In the last clause of the verse reference
is had to the intestine broils and conten-
tions which prevailed.
11, 12. πΏ Σ᾽) stands forcibly in con-
trast with seb at the beginning of the
preceding verse. The providence of God
brought about a complete change in the
circumstances of the Jews who had re-
turned. As they obeyed his voice and
prosecuted his work, he gave them out-
ward tranquillity, and prospered their
agricultural pursuits. After pide ΣΤ
the seed of prosperity, i. 6. healthy, pros-
perous seed, such as would not fail, sup-
ply mrt» there shall be. Their fields
should not be trodden down by the ene-
my, 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
Cuap. VIII.
ZECHARIAH.
397
So I will deliver you, and ye shall be a blessing :
Fear not, let your hands be strong.
14
15
ΓΟ
17
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 love not the false oath;
For all these are things that I hate, ,
Saith Jehovah.
18 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
themselves experienced either the one
or the other. They were subjects of the
curse and the blessing. ‘The house of
Israel,” or the ten tribes, as distinguished
from “the house of Judah,” shared in
the happy fulfilment of the prophecy.
It follows, that they also returned to
Palestine, 5587 7723 , in the very days
to which it refers. All attempts to dis-
cover them at more recent periods have
proved utterly fruitless; and the idea
that they must still exist somewhere in
the world, and are still to be restored in
their tribal state, has arisen,from a mis-
construction of those prophecies which
refer to the return from Babylon.
14, 15. An amplification of what had
been stated in the preceding verse.
16, 17. These verses contain a virtual
and instructive reply to the question rel-
ative to the celebration of the fast, chap.
vii. 3. Τὸ was not in such merely exter-
nal, ritual, or ceremonial observances that
Jehovah delighted, but in the love and
practice of moral rectitude. The “ gate”
was, and still is, the forum in the East.
pits wes means sound, wholesome
judgment. -is, in ver. 17, is wanting
in three MSS., originally in two more,
and now by correction in one; in the
LXX. Syr. and Arab.
19. Now follows a formal reply to
the question just referred to. The fast
of the fourth month was on account of
the taking of Jerusalem, Jer. xxxix. 2,
lii. 5—7; that of the tenth was in com-
memoration of the commencement of
the siege, Jer. lii. 4. For the other two
fasts, see on chap. vii. 3 and 5. The
Jews are distinctly informed that these
fasts should be turned into festivals of
joy. The ἴῃ ΓΕ is adversative,
having the force of | — but in order that
ye may enjoy the predicted and promised
blessing, see that ye be sincere before me,
and live in harmony among yourselves.
908
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. VIII.
house of Judah, even cheerful festivals; but love ye truth and
20 peace.
21
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
There shall yet come people,
And the inhabitants of many cities,
And 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 1 also.
22
Yea, many people and mighty nations shall come
To seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to conciliate the regard of Jehovah.
23
In those days ten men,
Out of all the nations,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Shall take hold, shall even take hold
20. The prophecy concludes with the
announcement that, in consequence of
the distinguished favor shown to the
Jewish people after their restoration to
their own land, multitudes of Gentiles
should be induced to embrace the worship
of Jehovah. Just before the appearance
of Christ, the heathen began powerfully
to feel the emptiness of their false relig-
ions, and the unsatisfactoriness of their
systems of philosophy, and many of them,
who were lrought 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
other quarter. It is evident, from various
parts of the Acts of the Apostles, that
proselytes were numerous in their day.
Between = and zx, supply mcm.
Two MSS., the LXX. and Arab. read
pan, many, after tee, which in all
probability existed originally in the text.
21. The second nny is equivalent to
mons. Comp. Exod. xvii. 12, xviii. 4.
23. sus is redundant. Ten is put as
a round number, or a definite for an in-
definite, but indicating many rather than
few. Comp. Gen. xxxi. 7; Mic. νυ. 4.
cian mad ba, of all the languages
of the nations, means, of all the nations
speaking different languages. Comp.
rhsvtna puso , all the nations and
the languages, Is. lxvi. 18. See also
Gen. x. 5, 20; Dan. iii. 7; Rey. v. 9,
vii. 9, xiii. 7. To take hold of the skirt,
is not intended to convey the idea of
entreaty, or the gesture of application
for assistance, but is significant of a feel-
ing of inferiority, and a desire to enjoy
the happy privileges possessed by another.
The Gentile nations would be anxious to
participate in the blessings of the theoc-
racy. The repetition of the verb Fin
is emphatic. - 17 tos, @ man, a Jew,
is merely a periphrasis for a Jew. Comp.
ἀνὴρ ᾿Ιουδαῖος, Acts x. 28. The prophecy
is generally regarded as having respect
to something yet future, and is often in-
terpreted of the instrumentality of the
Jews when converted in effecting the
conversion of the world. I can find no
such reference in the passage. ‘* Jerusa-
lem’? cannot be understood otherwise
than literally, just as the term “ Jew”
is to be so understood ; but, according to
our Lord’s doctrine respecting the New
Dispensation, that city is no longer the
place where men are exclusively to wor-
ship the Father, John iv. 21—23. In-
cense and a pure offering are now pre-
sented to his name in every place where
his people assemble in the name of Jesus
Cuap. IX.
Of the skirt of a Jew, saying,
We will go with you;
ZECHARIAH.
399
For we have heard that God is with you.
and with a view to his glory, Mal. i. 10,
11. It was otherwise before the advent
of Christ. Jerusalem was the place
which Jehovah had chosen to put his
name there, and thither all his true wor-
shippers were expected to come to the
great festivals, in whatever country they
might reside. Thus, the treasurer of
Candace went all the way from Abys-
sinia, Acts viii. 27; and thus numbers
from all parts of the Roman empire as-
sembled in that city at the first Pentecost
after our Saviour’s resurrection. As the
Hellenistic Jews and the Gentile prose-
could not but excite the curiosity of the
pagans through whose countries and
cities they passed; and celebrated as
the metropolis of Judea had become for
the favors conferred upon it by some of
the greatest monarchs of the times im-
mediately gone by, and for the prosperity
and warlike prowess of the Jewish peo-
ple, it was impossible that it should not
attract the attention of the surrounding
nations to the character and claims of the
God who was there adored, and who
accorded such blessings to his worship-
pers.
lytes travelled along in companies, they
ΘΟ TYR EX:
For the arguments in opposition to, and those in favor of, the authenticity of that portion
of the book of Zechariah 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, Zechariah now proceeds to predict those which were
to take place under that of the Greeks, during the military expeditions 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 Alex-
ander 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 protect-
ing care of Jehovah, 2—8. He then contrasts with the character and military achieve-
ments of that conqueror the qualities which should distinguish the Messiah and his king-
dom, whom he expressly predicts, 9,10. After which he resumes the thread of his his-
torical discourse, and describes the wars of the Maccabees with Antiochus Epiphanes,
and the victory and prosperity with which they were followed, 11—17.
1 Tue sentence of the word of Jehovah,
Against the land of Hadrach,
1, and Mal. i. 1. As =237 occurs in the
sense of oracle, and xv signifies what
is taken up and uttered by the voice, the
1. For the signification of ww, see
on Is, xiii, 1. The combination xx2
mimcs27, occurs only here, chap, xii.
α
400 ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. IX,
And Damascus shall be its resting place,
When towards Jehovah shall be the eye of man,
And of all the tribes of Israel.
phrase might be rendered, The announce-
ment of the oracle of Jehovah ; but it is
better for the sake of uniformity to re-
tain the term sentence, which I have
adopted in my translation of Isaiah.
With respect to 337", Hadrach, it is
uncertain whether it was intended to
denote a country, a city, ora king. The
last is the most probable, on the ground
that it is not likely that the name either
of a country or its metropolis, in a region
near Damascus, would have entirely dis-
appeared from the pages of history. But
no such name has been found in any
Arabic work either of history or geogra-
phy. Joseph Abassus, indeed, a native
of that country, informed Michaelis that
there was a place so called at the dis-
tance of some miles from Damascus; that
it was now of smalJl consequence, but
had once been a city of great celebrity;
but there is every reason to believe that
if he did not intend to impose upon his
learned interrogator, the place he had in
view was "7-73, in Arabic cole of,
called by Eusebius ᾿Αδραὰ, and by Pto-
lemy *Adpa. It lay about thirty miles
from Damascus. ‘The same remark ap-
plies 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 Hadrach. The Rabbins
consider the term to be a compound appel-
lative of the Messiah, who was to be sn,
sharp or severe towards the Gentiles, but
=, tender towards Israel! Hengsten-
berg, who treats on the subject at large
in his Christology, vol. ii. pp. 69—77,
Keith’s Translation, denies that it is a
proper name at all, and regards it as a
symbolical appellation of the Persian em-
pire, which he thinks Zechariah would
not designate by its proper name for fear
of offending the government under which
he lived. His reasoning in support of
his hypothesis is very unsatisfactory, and
his construction of »27 3, Jer. li. 1, is
perfectly ridiculous. I am compelled to
acquiesce in the opinion, that a king of
this name is meant, as the most probable
of those that have been advanced, es-
pecially as the phrase, ‘the land of a
king,” is not without example in Scrip-
ture; see Neh. ix. 22; and very much
suspect that the word 5271, Hadrach,
is after all only a corruption of “1m, the
common name of the kings of Syria,
though such corruption must have taken
place at a very early period, for it was
found in the copy from which the version
of the LXX. was made. The affix in
inn is 133 in the preceding hemi-
stich, © Damascus was to be the place in
which the Divine word or sentence was
to rest or settle; in other words, where
the threatened punishment would perma-
nently be inflicted. That ancient city
was taken by Alexander the Great after
the battle at Issus, and formed part of
the kingdom of the Seleucidz, from
whom it passed into the hands of the
Romans. The native rule, which thus
ceased on the Greek conquest, was never
afterwards recovered. Several commen-
tators, following the τ saa versions,
render the words, eis Ὁ» mint) “=
tye? “UBD ἘΞΗ Fixe ἫΝ eye of Jeho-
vah is upon men and all the tribes of
Israel, and explain them with reference
to the universal judgments which the
providence of God had brought or would
bring upon the people in and around
Palestine. But it is more natural to
regard 4*» in construction with “131 CIN,
The reference will then be to the effect
produced upon the minds of others as
well as of the Israelites, by the success
and progress of the army of Alexander.
Apprehensive of danger, they should be
compelled to look to Jehovah alone for
deliverance. When Alexander threat-
w@
Cuap. IX.
ZECHARIAH.
401
2 Hamath also which is contiguous to it ;
Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise.
8 Yea, though Tyre hath built a fortress for herself,
And heaped up silver as dust,
And fine gold as the mud of the streets ;
4 Behold, Jehovah will dispossess her,
And strike her wealth into the sea,
And she herself shall be burned with fire.
5 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, and of-
fered many sacrifices and prayers to God
for deliverance. *> is here used as a
particle of time.
2. Hamath was the capital of a king-
dom of the same name, which lay be-
tween Zobah and Rehob, and to the
rorth of Damascus. It was called by
the Greeks Epiphania, but is now known
by its ancient name, which it has all
along retained among the natives. That
the kingdom was conterminous to that
of which Damascus was the metropolis
is here expressed by ra—baan , the fem-
inine affix referring to wos A Zand, in the
preceding verse. The whole of Syria
was subjugated by the Greeks, or sub-
mitted to Alexander. Tyre and Zidon,
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
had Abdolonymus appointed as viceroy.
Though originally the chief of all the
Pheenician cities, and the mother of
many colonies, yet at the time here
referred to, she had become far inferior
to Tyre, and quite sunk in comparison
with her; on which account the predi-
cate "wa MDM, she is very wise, though,
in point of position, it might seem to be-
long to 3472 , Zédon, is nevertheless to
be rohan to =x, Tyre, as the more im-
portant of the two cities. The Tyrians,
51
who had long been celebrated for their
worldly wisdom, Ezek. xxviii. 3, 4, 5,
12, 17, gave a specimen of it on the
approach of the Grecian monarch. On
his intimating that he wished to offer
sacrifice in the temple of Hercules, they
replied that the ancient and true temple
of that god was at Old Tyre on the con-
tinent, and sent him a crown of gold in
testimony of their respect for so great a
conqueror; hoping by these means to
induce kim to pass on without visiting
their island.
8. This verse is graphically descriptive
of the insular and strongly fortified posi-
tion of New Tyre, at the distance of
seven hundred paces from the shore, and
of the immense stores of wealth which
it contained as the great emporium of
Pheenician commerce. Ezek. xxvii.
4. Instead of »3+s , many MSS., and
some of them the best of the Spanish,
read x47, which I have adopted as the
true lection. Here is set forth the con-
quest of Tyre by Alexander, who con-
structed 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
to Carthage, to the sword, sold thirteen
thousand into slavery, crucified two
thousand, and after plundering the city,
burnt it to ashes. Jahn’s Heb. Com-
monwealth, sect. 70.
5. It may easily be imagined what
terror the news of the fall of Tyre must
have struck into the inhabitants of the
409
ZECHARIA.
Cuap. IX.
And Ekron, because her expectation hath made her ashamed ;
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Askelon shall not be inhabited.
6 A foreigner shall sit as ruler in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will remove his blood from his mouth,
And his abominations from between his teeth ;
And he, even he, shall be left for our God,
And shall be as a prince in Judah,
And Ekron shall be as a Jebusite.
cities further along the coast southward,
who knew the destination and route of
the victorious army. ‘The prophet ac-
cordingly precedes the march of the
conqueror from Pheenicia into Philistia.
The principal cities of the Philistines
are here enumerated. Gath only is
omitted, owing, probably, to its being
farther inland, and thus lying somewhat
out of the route of the army. For Ash-
kelon, see on Amosi. 8. For Gaza and
Ekron, on Amos i. 6. Ekron, lying
farthest north of these cities, is repre-
sented as exercising confidence in Tyre.
While that city withstood the attack, she
might expect Alexander to be arrested
in his course, and hope that he would
give up his plan of invading Egypt.
But when it fell, her hopes were gone.
History is silent respecting the fate of
these cities on occasion of the present
expedition, but of Gaza it is recorded,
that it resisted, and was captured after
a siege of two months. Not fewer than
ten thousand of the inhabitants were put
to death, and the rest were sold into sla-
very. Betis, the commander or governor
of the city, was bound to a chariot with
thongs thrust through the soles of his
feet, and in this manner dragged around
the city. It is not improbable, that it is
specially to this circumstance that the
words max 7b Tan, the king shall
perish from Gaza, refer. The title of
king is frequently used in Scripture in a
subordinate sense, to denote any chief
ruler or governor. See Gen, xiv. 2.
6. For Ashdod, see on Amosi. 8. The
word 4712'2 , Which occurs only here and
Deut. xxiii. 2, has been considered of
uncertain etymology. Lee thinks it may
probably be a compound of η)2, from,
ἘΣ, @ people, and “1, @ foreigner ; but
this conjecture, however ingenious, is not
warranted by Hebrew usage. In Deut.
the LXX. render it by ἐκ πόρνης, one
born of a whore, but ἄλλογενεῖς, a differ-
ent race or people, best suits both pas-
sages. See Blayney. According to the
form, it must be regarded as the Hiphil
participle of "102, a root not occurring
in the Hebrew Scriptures, but signifying
in more modern Hebrew, to mix. Comp.
the Arab. ,(\uo, corruptus fuit. Heng-
stenberg renders, rabble. By 44a , the
pride of the Philistines, we are to under-
stand the splendor of their cities, ape
ially of their temples.
7. This verse contains a prediction of
the future conversion of the Philistines
to the knowledge and service of the true
God. The pronominal affix ἢ refers to
“102, the foreign prince, as does s4m,
he, further on in the verse. Their aban-
donment of idolatry, and their embrac-
ing the true religion, is represented by
their no longer drinking blood, and eat-
ing things sacrificed to idols, both of
which were common among the pagans,
but prohibited by the Mosaic law, Numb.
xxv. 2; Lev. vii. 26, xvii. 10, 12; and by
the apostles, Acts xv, 29. It is implied
that what the ruler did, would be done
by the citizens subject to his power. He
was to belong to God, as one who had
Crap. IX.
ZECHARIAH.
403
8 And I will encamp about my house because of the army,
Both when it passeth through, and when it returneth ;
And no oppressor shall pass through them any more.
ΟΝ For now do 1 look with mine eyes.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem !
Behold thy King will come to thee ;
Righteous, and having salvation,
joined himself to him by an act of self- /
dedication. Comp. Is. xliv. 4, lvi. 3.
On his becoming a Jewish proselyte, he
should be regarded as sustaining the dig-
nity of one of the princes of Judah; no
distinction should exist between them.
The same idea is expressed in the paral-
lel clause. The Jebusites were the orig-
inal inhabitants of Jerusalem, who, on
their subjugation by David, were incor-
porated among the Jews, and enjoyed
their privileges. 2 Sam. xxiv. 16, etc.
8. For max, the Keri has the proper
orthography wax, ὦ host, or army. Je-
hovah here promises to afford protection
to the Jews (called, as in Hos. viii. 1,
mint nea, 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 pun-
ished the Samaritans, he showed great
favor to the Jews. Nor was any foreign
opvressor to invade their land, as the
Assyrians and Chaldeans had done, dur-
ing the period which was to intervene
before the advent of the Messiah, pre-
dicted in the verse immediately follow-
ing. They were, indeed, subject to much
suffering, both from the Egyptian and the
Syrian kings, especially from Antiochus
Epiphanes, but their nationality was not
destroyed, and the evils to which they
were exposed only paved the way for the
Maccabean victories, and the establish-
ment of the Asmonean dynasty. For
this preservation they were indebted to
the providence of God which watched
over them for good. This is emphatically
expressed in the last clause of the verse.
9. From the great Grecian conqueror,
and the temporal protection which Je-
hovah would accord to his people, the
prophet abruptly, and in the most sub-
lime and animated strain, calls the atten-
tion of the Jews to a Royal Personage
of a very different character, the Mzs-
SIAH, meek and righteous, the Prince
and pattern of peace, and the Author of
spiritual salvation to all his subjects.
His advent was 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 Mat-
thew, chap. xxi. 4, but has the suffrages
of all the early Jewish authorities. It
was not till the twelfth century that it
was otherwise interpreted. Thus the
Book of Zohar: το by sane τ θ᾽ ΔΒ
sien by spinicsy. “On this account
it is said of Messiah, Lowly and riding
upon an ass;” a statement which is re-
peated 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
reference to them: ‘*Magno consensu
Judei dictum Zachariz de Messia inter-
pretantur.” And Solomon Jarchi has
the ingenuousness to acknowledge, πὰ
men by sts onmips awes, that ‘it
is impossible to interpret it of any other
than the Messiah.” Of Him as the king
of Zion it is predicted that he should be
po1x, righteous, a quality frequently
ascribed to him in the Old Testament.
See Is. xlv. 21, 1111, 11; Jer. xxiii. 6,
494
Lowly, and riding upon an ass,
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. IX.
Even upon a colt the foal of an ass.
xxxiii. 15; Mal. iv. 2. With respect to
5.2.3, OF, as it is pointed in some copies,
yz4:, of which Kimchi approves, on the
ground of its being the preterite con-
verted into the future by the 1 conversive,
most modern commentators construe it
as strictly passive in signification, and
the more orthodox interpret it with ref-
erence to Christ’s deliverance from the
grave, after his sufferings upon the cross,
rendering the passage, “righteous and
saved.”’ But to such construction it
must be objected, first, that the passive
signification does not suit the connection,
If the people had been the nominative
to the verb, this signification would have
been admissible; but it is the king who
is here described, and to speak of him as
saved or delivered without any reference
to previous danger or suffering, would be
most inappropriate. There is, therefore,
a real exigentia loci: the context imper-
atively requires the verb to be understood
in an active sense. Secondly, though the
usual signification of Niphal is passive,
yet there are numerous instances in which
verbs of that conjugation have a reflexive
signification, which represent the agent
as showing himself possessed of the qual-
ity of the action, or in which the signifi-
cation is purely active, especially verbs,
which are not used in Kal. Thus "πὸ,
to show one’s self glorious ; 4443 , to show
one’s self obstinate, to murmur, complain ;
822 , to prophecy ; FiO=2 » to desire great-
dy ; 2772, to approach ; 3353, to swear ;
529 , to obey, show one’s self obedient ;
422, to lean, etc. And thus in the
present case 5.5» showing himself a
Saviour, having salvation, saving, a Sa-
viour. Thirdly, that the verb is so to be
interpreted here the combination of the
term with Ὁ πὸ righteous, clearly shows;
for it occupies the same position in rela-
tion to that adjective, which the active
participle 355, riding, does to "ὩΣ, lowly,
in the following clause of the verse. As
in the latter case the Messiah’s riding
upon an ass was a proof or manifestation
of his humility, so, in the former, his
actually having salvation for others was
a manifestation of his possessing that
righteousness which was indispensable
for the justification of the guilty. See
1 Cor. i. 830; 2 Cor. v. 21; Phil. iii. 8,
9;1Johnii,2. As the one feature con-
trasted with the haughty character of
the Grecian conqueror, so the other con-
trasted with the cruelties that were in-
flicted by him on the cities which he
captured. The Son of Man came not
to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
Fourthly, all the ancient versions render
the verb actively. LXX. σώζων, Targ.
o >
pon» Syr. Loo;s: Vulg. Salvator.
That »:>, is here to be taken in the sense
of meek, lowly, and not in that of poor,
or afflicted, the connection sufficiently
shows. Thus the LXX. xpais. In proof
of the mild and gentle character of the
Messiah’s reign, he is represented as rid-
ing upon an ass, which, though not in
the East the degraded and despised ani-
mal which it is with us, being used by
princes and other persons of rank, is
nevertheless comparatively so as it re-
gards the horse, and specially contrasts
with the war-horse in the following verse.
It was proverbially the symbol of peace,
so that what the prophet here describes
was at once calculated to inspire the
mind with the conviction that the King
of whom he spake was none other than
the Prince of Peace, predicted Is. ix. 6.
The 5 in s*3 $25, “and upon a colt,” is
exegetical of the preceding. Comp. Gen.
xhix 11. niohs, she-usses, does not,
as Michaelis would have it, convey the
idea of the pedigree of the colt, as one
of excellent breed, whose mothers could
be traced back through several genera-
tions, but is merely an idiomatic form,
the plural being used for the singular.
Comp. ὍΔ “a7, mountains, of Ara-
Cuap. IX, ZECHA
10 And I will cut off the chariots
ΤᾺ ἘΠῚ
from Ephraim,
And the horse from Jerusalem ;
The battle-bow also shall be cut off;
And he shall speak peace to the nations ;
And his rule shall be from sea to sea,
And from the river to the ends of the earth.
byl’
I will send forth thy prisoners
raé, 1. 6. one of the mountains, etc., Gen.
viii. 4. πΣῸΔ ὍΣ. cities of Gilead, t. 6.
one of them, Jud: xii. 7. For the ful-
filment of the prophecy, see Matt. xxi.
4, and the Commentators on that pas-
sage.
10. This verse contains a distinct an-
nouncement of the nature and extent of
the Messiah’s reign. Instead of leading
forth the Jews to battle and conquest, as
their Rabbins have long taught them to
believe, he was in his providence com-
pletely to disarm them, and render them
incapable of engaging in hostile conflict.
How literally this was accomplished their
history subsequent to the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans convincingly
shows. The reign of the Messiah was
not to be that of a worldly conqueror,
like Alexander, nor was it to be confined,
as to its boundaries, within the narrow
limits of Palestine; but it was to be that
under which the inestimable blessing of
peace was preéminently to be enjoyed;
it was to embrace the Gentiles, who had
been excluded from the commonwealth
of Israel; and, in point of extent, was
to cover a vastly greater portion of terri-
tory than ever was possessed by the war-
rior of Macedon. On the circumstance
that Ephraim is here mentioned, no valid
argument can be built in favor of the
hypothesis that this prophecy must have
been delivered before the captivity of the
ten tribes, since it is evidently the design
of the prophet merely to describe the
whole land of Canaan, the northern part
of which still went by the ancient name,
in contradistinction from Judah, which
is here designated from Jerusalem, the
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant,
out of the pit
capital pits ax, to speak peace,
means to announce the message of the
reconciliation effected by the Messiah.
From the express inclusion of the τ 53},
nations, among those who were to enjoy
the benefits of the spiritual reign of the
King of Zion, it is manifest that what-
ever may have been the originally re-
stricted sense of τῷ “9 2" ἘΠ Σ E27
VISTOES , 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 con-
nection, that al/ nations should serve the
Messiah.
11. Having been led by his predic-
tions respecting the expedition of Alex-
ander in the direction of Egypt, to
exhibit in boldest contrast the character
and reign of the Prince of Peace, Zecha-
riah returns to the subject which he had
in hand — the state of the Jewish people
in the times succeeding the captivity in
Babylon. 3, also, connects what fol-
lows with verses 6—8. The feminine
pronoun mx refers to j49s—n2, or
pbdavons, ver.9. The covenant here
called yma, thy covenant, means the
covenant made with the Hebrews at
Sinai, and ratified by the sprinkling of
the blood of the victims slain upon the
occasion. By that act the nation was
consecrated as a peculiar people to Jeho-
vah, and taken under his special protec-
tion. The covenant is called theirs,
because it had their government ayd
happiness for its object. In virtue of the
blood then shed, it is here declared that
their covenant God would release such
400
In which there is no water.
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. IX.
12 Return ye to the strong-hold, ye prisoners of hope,
Even to-day I declare I will render to thee double ;
13 For I have bent Judah for myself,
I have filled the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up thy sons, O Zion!
Against thy sons, O Greece !
And made thee as the sword of a hero.
of them as were still captives in foreign
lands. By 5217s is meant, not pris-
oners whom the Jews had taken, but
such of their own nation as were in the
condition just described. After the death
of Alexander many thousands of Jews
were in a state of exile in Egypt, and
many thousands more in that of actual
slavery in Greece and other parts of the
East. Their condition is described as
that of prisoners confined in dungeons,
which were commonly cisterns without
water, See Jer. xxxvili. 6 ; 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
the deepest misery. mm>z is not here
the proper preterite, as some interpreters
construe it, but the prophetic future,
which is thrown into the form of the
preterite to express the certainty of the
event.
12. With the Divine promise of release
is connected the duty of the captives to
embrace the opportunity afforded them
of returning to their own land, where
they should enjoy the protection and
favor of the Most High. 4-2 occurs
only in this place. It is derived from
“2, to cut off, to prevent the approach
of an enemy, to erect an inaccessible
fortification ; hence the signification of
the noun, strong-hold, or fortress. LXX.
ὀχύρωμα. It forcibly contrasts with 443,
the pit, in the preceding verse, and for
this reason is not to be interpreted of
Jerusalem considered as again fortified,
but is used figuratively to express the
security and prosperity which those
should enjoy who returned from captiv-
ity. Though captives, their condition
was not hopeless. They were not to
abandon themselves to despair, but to
exercise confidence in the promise of
God that he would assuredly deliver
them, nor were they to wait for the
arrival of any distant period when they
might return as a body; even then
(42m Ea) they might individually avail
themselves of the invitation, and share
in the blessings. The abundance of
these blessings is expressed by the term
m™2¥% , double, which is elsewhere simi-
larly employed to convey the idea of full
or ample compensation, Is. ]xi. 7. There
is no foundation for the opinion of Mich-
aelis, adopted by Blayney, who takes
7392 to be a noun haying the significa-
tion of πλῷ, something precious, and not
the participle of Hiphil.
13. The declaration here made, that
Jehovah would lead forth the Hebrews
to military operations, and crown these
operations with success, cannot be recon-
ciled with the statement: made ver. 10,
on any other principle but that which
refers them to two totally different peri-
ods of time. The one, as explained
above, is predictive of the condition to
which the nation was to be reduced after
the advent of Messiah, instead of having
become, under his reign, as they vainly
expected, the conquerors of the world;
the other sets forth the successful wars
in which they would engage with the
Grecian rulers of Syria under the com-
mand of the Maccabees. The prophecy
is parallel with that of Daniel, chap. xi.
32. For the fulfilment see 1 Mace. i.
Cuap. IX.
14 And Jehovah shall appear on
ZECHARIAH.
407
their behalf,
And his arrows shall go forth as lightning ;
Yea, the Lord Jehovah shall blow the trumpet,
And march in the storms of the south.
15
Jehovah of hosts shall protect them,
And they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones ;
They shall drink, they shall be noisy, as those who drink wine;
They shall be full as the bow],
As the corners of the altar.
16 And Jehovah their God shall
save his people,
He shall save them as sheep in that day ;
For they shall be as the stones of a crown,
Carrying themselves highly over his land.
62, ii. 41—43, iii. 33, ete. By a bold
and expressive figure, the Hebrews are
represented as the bows and arrows of
Jehovah, the military implements which
he would employ in resisting and over-
coming the Grecians under Antiochus
Epiphanes. By 417-723, the sons of
Greece, we are to understand, not the
Greeks resident in Ionia or Greece, but
those composing the army of the mon-
arch just mentioned. Grotius remarks,
that at the time here referred to, the
Jews were accustomed to call the kings
both of Syria and Egypt, "1" π΄ 332»
kings of Greece, because they were of
Grecian extraction.
14. Here commences a number of
special promises of Divine interposition
and protection. Considering what the
Jews had experienced from hostile ar-
mies, it was necessary to disarm their
fears by such assurances, that God was
on their side. He is represented as ap-
pearing in the thunderstorm, with the
lightnings of which his arrows are com-
pared, and with the noise of its thunders,
the sound of his trumpet, summoning to
the attack. For ‘the storms of the
south,” see on Is. xxi. 1.
15. After stow , they shall eat, supply
“ws, flesh, i. 6, of their enemies; and
aftersm3 supply t=, their blood. This
highly figurative language is frequently
employed in Scripture to express the de-
struction of enemies in battle. 4:7~4y5,
like wine, is elliptical for 7:5 το»
like those who drink wine. Before non ᾿
thirty-two MSS., originally four more,
three by correction, eight printed edi-
tions, and the Rabbins Nathan, Kimchi,
and Abarbanel, supply the conjunctive
5. By stp "228 , sling-stones, the ene-
mies are meant, as clearly appears from
the contrasted form of expression, "5 Ξὰ
=12 , stones of a crown, descriptive of the
Jews, in the following verse. ‘The phrase
conveys the idea of feebleness and con-
tempt. ‘The stones used for slinging are
otherwise of no use or value. Carrying
forward the idea of blood, reference is
made to p43, the bowl, which was
used to receive that of the sacrifices, and
to mez, the corners of the altar, on the
horns of which it was sprinkled. Abun-
dant as was the blood thus shed and
sprinkled should be that of the enemies
of the Hebrews,
16. For tay WNs>, as sheep, his peo-
ple, comp. 7°23. iNxz>. The words are
neither in construction, nor in apposition,
«but are to be separated, so as to connect
soy with sod4m, understood as repeated
from the beginning of the verse. By
“tia "228, crown stones, are meant the
precious stones or gems which were set
in crowns, and were of great value. The
elevation of these, and consequently of
the crown which contained them, was
408
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. X.
17 For how great is his goodness! and how great his beauty!
Corn shall cause the young men to thrive,
And new wine the maids.
strongly indicative of victory. For 93
in the acceptation of being Aigh, comp.
the Arab. x ., elevavit rem; in the
yes
viii. Conj. elatus fuit; (pad, elevatus
thronus.
417. The affix in {230 and 47 is
τοῖν naturally to be associated with that
in γα πῆ at the close of the preceding
verse, “and referred to Jehovah. The
meaning is, the goodness and beauty
which he bestows. Compare Jer. xxxi.
12; Ps. xxv. 7. 23439, though occur-
ring in the latter half, is common to both
parts of the sentence. Piel has here the
causative power of Hiphil. The root is
252, to sprout, germinate, grow up. The
prophet refers to the plenty which there
should be in the land after the destruc-
tion of the enemy. The drinking of
must by young females is peculiar to this
passage; but its being here expressly
sanctioned by Divine authority, furn-
ishes an unanswerable argument against
those who would interdict all use of the
fruit of the vine. s4-7n, new wine or
must, so called from 9.1}, to take posses-
sion of, because when taken to excess, it
gains the mastery over the person who
indulges in it.
CoH APT 2A.
Turs 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,
2,3. Promises are then made of government by rulers of their own nation, and the vic-
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, espec-
ially in the East, and in Egypt, 8—11; and the chapter concludes with an assurance of the
security and happiness which they should enjoy under the divine protection, 12.
1 Asx ye from Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain :
co -
~~. 9
v 7
Jehovah maketh the lightnings,
And giveth them the heavy rain,
To every one grass in the field.
1. This verse stands in the closest tiful rain.
connection with the preceding. trr"im,
lightnings, the precursors of rain.
"0,
lit. rain of heavy rain, i. e. plen-
9
~e
2 Surely the household gods spake vanity,
Comp. Job xxxvii. 6, where
the same words occur, only their order
is inverted,
Db nn,
eh
the teraphim, or house-~
Cuap. X.
And the diviners saw a lie ;
They told false dreams,
They gave vapor for comfort ;
ZECHARIAH.
409
Therefore they wandered as sheep ;
They were afflicted because there was no shepherd.
3 My anger burned against the shepherds,
And I punished the he-goats ;
Nevertheless Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house
of Judah,
.
And made them as his splendid horse in war.
4 From him shall be the corner-stone,
From him the peg,
From him the battle-bow,
hold gods, are opposed to Jehovah in the
preceding verse. The term occurs only
in the plural, and is of uncertain deri-
vation. Gesenius refers it to the Arab.
Ψ
“5 signifying the indicators or givers of
pleasure or happiness; Lee to the Eth.
“EG ἵν ' reliquus, superfuit, and thinks
relics are meant. They appear to have
had the form of the human body, and
to have been consulted as oracles. See
on Hos. iii. 4. The preterites and futures,
which are intermixed, are all to be taken
in the strictly past time, reference being
had to the evils which had prevailed
among the Jews, on account of which
they had been carried away to Babylon,
and against any further indulgence in
which they are here warned. They were
exposed afresh to the influence of idola-
trous practices by their intercourse with
the Syro-Grecian and Egyptian troops,
which repeatedly traversed the land.
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. The verb sp is here used both in a
good and a bad sense; followed by the
preposition ty, it signifies to visit for
evil, to punish ; governing the accusative,
to visit with good. The» in ἘΣ" is prop-
52
3, to live in comfort, and considers
erly the » conversive, so that “472s is to
be rendered in the preterite, to agree with
main. By “he-goats” are meant the
chiefs or leaders of the nation. 5:5" all
_the versions render, as if it had been
4255 in the preterite, which the con-
nection requires. The “shepherds” and
‘“‘he-goats” are used synonymously of the
civil rulers. In the middle of this verse
is a sudden transition from the calami-
tous condition to which the Jews had
been reduced as a punishment for their
sins, 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
battle-horse. The horse selected by the
commander of an army on which to ride
at its head, was stately and richly capar-
isoned. The 5 in Ὀ9ῸΞ is the Caph ver-
itatis.
4. 52%2"2 thrice repeated, possesses much
emphasis. The nominative is main? in
the preceding verse. The Hebrews were
not now to be subject to governors of
foreign extraction or appointment, but
were to be independent, enjoying the ben-
efits of a native rule. By 7-25, corner-
stone, is meant the prince or governor,
on whom the political edifice may be
said metaphorically to rest. The word is
derived from 7:5 , ἐο turn, and primarily
410
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. X.
From him shall go forth each and every ruler.
5 And as heroes shall they trample the enemy
In the mud of the streets in battle ;
They shall fight, for Jehovah is with them,
And put to shame the riders on horses,
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And deliver the house of Joseph,
And will settle them, because I have pitied them ;
And they shall be as if I had not cast them off;
For I Jehovah am their God, and will answer them.
Ly
And Ephraim shall be as a hero,
And their heart shall rejoice, as those who drink wine ;
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. With us a nail would be
an insignificant image, but tn>, the Ori-
ental nail, is 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
the different implements of war. See on
Is, xxii. 23. One of these, the bov, is
mentioned immediately after, and stands
for the whole. ‘a4: is used here simply
in the sense of wer, Compare the Eth.
FH. * king.
5. Supply e-a"N, enemies, as the ob-
ject to mxoha, trampling, and compare
Is, xiv. 25, xiii. 6. proad 2255 refer
to the numerous ‘cavalry which composed
the chief strength of the Syro-Grecian
army (see 1 Mace. iii. 39), but which
were put to the route by a mere handful
of Jews.
6. “The house of Joseph’ stands for
the ten tribes, in contradistinction to
those of Judah and Benjamin, to which
is given the name of “Judah” as the
more important of the two. It is clear
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. p°n$av4n is a mixed
form, supposed by Kimchi, Abarbanel,
and some others, to have been artificially
compounded of pxnartn, the Hiphil
of anv, to return, and ponayin, the
Hiphil of 5:85, to sit or dwell, in order
to express in one word both verbs as used
by Jeremiah, myn pipanmbs on ΞΟ τι
mosd onagni, chap. xxxii. 37; but
it is far more probable that the word
is a corruption of p*nawn , introduced
through inadvertence by some transcri-
ber. Such is, indeed, the reading of
many MSS. and of four printed editions,
and is supported by the LXX. κατοικεῶ.
The reading p*n "tn, has the support
of the Syr., Vulg., and Targ., but is less
suitable to the connection.
7. As the state of things here described
was brought about by the heroic conduct
of Ephraim, it is obvious the return from
the captivity cannot be intended, for the
Hebrews were altogether passive on that
occasion. The reason why special men-
tion is here made of the ten tribes may
be their longer rejection by the Lord,
and the exiled state in which many of
them still were in the days of the prophet.
ἘΠῚ ΞῈ, as a collective noun, is the nom-
inative to ΠῚ. For ysrmc> see on
chap. ix. 15. ὁ ;
8. An express promise of the restora-
tion, settlement, and increase of the ten
Cuap. Χ,
For I have redeemed them,
ZECHARIAH.
411
And they shall increase, as they did increase.
9 Though I have scattered them among the nations,
Yet they shall remember me in the distant regions,
And shall live with their children and return.
10
I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria ;
And I will bring them to the land of Bashan and Lebanon,
And room shall not be found for them. -
11
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 up ;
The pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.
tribes, many of whom were still 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
country. The verb p13 signifies to whis-
tle, or give a shrill sound, as those who
keep bees do, who, by means of a whis--
tle, or pipe, call them out from and back
to their hives. See on Is. v. 26. Jose-
phus informs us, that two hundred years
after the time here referred to, Galilee
was peopled to an amazing extent, stud-
ded 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 thou-
sand inhabitants. Jewish Wars, book
ἯΙ. ch. iii. § 2.
9. The first two Vaus are employed
antithetically, the former having the sig-
nification of though or indeed ; the lat-
ter, that of bué or yet. 3-1 cannot here
mean saved, as Hengstenberg contends,
but must be rendered scattered, which
the verb primarily signifies, and the con-
nection here requires. The last clause of
the verse indicates the settled enjoyment
of chartered privileges as before the dis-
persion, when the Hebrews should return
to their own land.
10. We have no historical account of
any specific removal of any belonging to
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
them betook themselves to that country
for refuge on the invasion of Tiglath-
pileser; and when Ptolemy attempted
to seize the whole of Syria, and carried
away 100,000 captives, whom he settled
in Alexandria and Cyrene, vast numbers
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.
s=702 has here the signification of there
being sufficient or enough, as in Kal,
Numb. xi. 22; Jud. xxi. 14, thpn,
room, or place, is understood. So great
should be the number of inhabitants,
that the territory, however ample and
fertile, would not be able to furnish them
with the necessary supplies. _
11. There is here an allusion to the
original deliverance of the Hebrew peo-
ple at the Red Sea. Comp. Is. xi. 15.
The Divine interposition in behalf of
those who were still in Egypt is not ex-
pressly compared with what then took
place, but such comparison is implied.
mx has been variously rendered. The
LXX. orev, Vulg. freto, Syr. [Sot
angustia, Calvin, afflictio, Hengstenberg,
412
Z ExCilt A R ASE.
Cuap. XL
12 And I will strengthen them through Jehovah,
And they shall walk up and down in his name,
Saith Jehovah.
the distress, Blayney, Tyre, Hitzig, Zara,
by which he understands the Nile. The
difficulty is at once removed by taking
maz as a verb, with the Aramaic signifi-
ρ . .
cation of ΝΣ» 13, cut, cleave, divide,
; >)
Comp. the Arab. Sy resecuit, ampu-
tavit. In which case three verbs, having
Jehovah understood as their nominative,
will follow in regular order: p23 7223
psa pia Rami mis. And he shall
pass over the sea; he shall cleave and
smite the waves of the sea. ‘he last
words are literally, he shall smite the sea
into waves; or, as to the sea, he will
smite its waves. Comp. Exod. xiv. 16,
21; Is. xi. 15, 16. That by “the river,”
the Nile, and not the Euphrates, is
meant, the use of the Egyptian word
-*s> places beyond dispute. See on Is.
xix. 6. With respect to τ τὸν» Ashur,
it may justly be queried whether the
Syro-Greek kingdom be not intended —
that kingdom occupying not only the
territory which belonged to ancient As-
syria, but extending still further towards
the east. The pride of that power, as
well as the Egypto-Greek sceptre, was
to be swept away.
12. The phrase, pva 45mm , to walk
in the name of a deity, is a Hebrew mode
of speech, descriptive of a course of action
pursued in accordance with his character
and will. Comp. Micah iv. 5.
CsA PD Rent ake ie
It is obvious, from the nature of the predictions contained in this and the following chap-
ters, that they must have been delivered at a time subsequent to the erection of the tem-
ple. 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 deliv-
erance of the covenant people, they must have dispirited rather than encouraged those
who were engaged in building the sacred edifice. It may be said, indeed, that there were
many carnal and secure persons among the Jews, 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,
such as we find in the other prophets when addressing themselves to their contemporaries
for their immediate benefit. It may, therefore, be concluded, that they were communi-
cated by Zechariah on some occasion or occasions of which we have no knowledge.
The scenes here depicted lay in the more distant future. In the présent chapter the prophet
furnishes a bold figurative description of the destruction of the temple by the Romans,
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 yision,
by which he personated the Messiah who had been promised as the Shepherd of his peo-
ple, setting forth his commission to teach and rule them, 4; their deplorable condition in
consequence of the rapacious disposition of their leaders, 5; and the judgments that
should overtake them in consequence of their wickedness, 6. Under the emblems of
two staves the relation of the whole nation to God, as their protector, and the relation of
the different tribes among themselves are exhibited, and the cessation of these relations
is pointed out by the act of breaking the staves, 7—14. The three last verses set forth the
character of Herod, and the judgment of God upon him for his wickedness,
Cuap. XI.
1 OrxEn, O Lebanon! thy gates,
ZECHARIAH.
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 interpret this verse literally
of the locality so called; others under-
stand it figuratively, but apply it either
to Jerusalem, or to the whole land of
Palestine. The construction which most
commends itself is that which applies it
to the temple restrictively. Such is the
ancient rabbinical interpretation. To the
same effect is the remarkable declaration
of Rabbi Johanan Ben Zakkai: “«O
sanctuary, sanctuary! why dost thou
trouble thyself? I know of thee that
thine end is to be left desolate, for Zech-
ariah, the son of Iddo, has prophesied
against thee long ago. Open thy doors,
O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy
cedars.” Talmud, Bab. Yoma. fol. 39,
col. 3, This interpretation seems to be
referred to by Josephus, in his Jewish
Wars, bk. vi. ch. v. § 8. 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 be-
cause as J.ebanon was the most stately
and magnificent of all in the vicinity
of Palestine, so the temple was the most
glorious of all objects.in or about Jeru-
salem. Its gates were kept carefully shut
against all who had no right to thread
its courts. Now it was to become a prey
to the flames. The prediction received
its literal fulfilment in spite of the utmost
solicitude of the Roman general to pre-
serve the edifice. In vain did he attempt
to save it from the flames, so that in a
short time it was entirely consumed.
2. Bina, the cypress, was greatly in-
‘1; Luke xxi. 5.
ferior to the cedar, but was employed
for the floor and ceilings of the temple.
‘The 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, its superior and inferior offi-
cers, together with the judges of the
people. "ὐπὸ is used both of animate
and inanimate objects. It is here em-
ployed to denote those who were elevated
in dignity and magnificent in apparel.
Comp. Wks “aS. By sssan ἜΣ",
the fortified or inaccessible forest, is meant
Jerusalem, the houses of which were nu-
merous 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 -3s3, many
MSS., and two early editions, read —"S3,
which is only another form to express the
same thing.
3. The Jewish rulers are called “shep-
herds,” with reference to their office, and
‘‘ young lions,” in regard to their fierce
and rapacious disposition. The m-=x,
was the magnificence of the temple of
which they boasted. Comp. Mark xiii.
[T7207 Us , the pride
of Jordan, i. 6. the thickets which orna-
ment 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. Jer. xii. 5, xlix. 19. The leaders
of the Jews are represented as indulging
in loud wailings of despair, on account of
the destruction of their temple and polity.
414
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap.
4 Thus saith Jehovah my God,
Feed the sheep of slaughter ;
5 Whose possessors kill them, and are not held guilty ;
And each of those who sell them saith,
Blessed be Jehovah, I am enriched ;
And none of whose shepherds spareth them.
4,5. The prophet now proceeds to
point out the cause of the destruction
which he had figuratively described, and
that of the people which was connected
with. it—the obstinate refusal of their
rulers to receive the doctrine of the Mes-
siah. By mannn jes, the sheep of
slaughter, are meant the people devoted
to destruction. Comp. mnav 4s, Ps.
xliv. 23. At the fall of Jerusalem not
fewer than 1,100,000 Jews perished,
and near a million and a half altogether
in the course of the war. It has been
questioned, who is the person directed
in this verse to assume the office of a
shepherd, and who declares, ver. 7, that
he performed the duties of that office?
Frischmuth, Marckius, Michaelis, and
others, are of opinion that it is the Mes-
siah, and, unquestionably, if ultimate
reference be had to him, this is the true
interpretation; but it is equally clear
that the prophet is to be regarded as
having received the commission, and
performed, in vision, what was enjoined
upon him. What proves this, is the
putting into the hands of the same per-
son the instruments of a foolish shep-
herd, ver. 15, an action which can with
no propriety be referred to the Messiah.
On this principle, most of the difficulties
connected with the exegesis of the inter-
vening verses vanish. Zechariah had all
the transactions presented to his view in
prophetic vision, but what he describes
was actually done, not in his own per-
sonal history, or in any outward occur-
rences between him and the Jews of his
time, but inthe personal history and
office of the Messiah whom he person-
ated. He did not really feed or teach
those who were to be slain, but the
Messiah and his apostles did; and had
the Jews believed their message, the
awful calamity would have been averted.
The hypothesis of a prophetic vision was
first advanced by Maimonides, and is
ably supported by Hengstenberg, in his
Christology, and by Dr. McCaul, in his
translation of Kimchi on our prophet.
That by the buyers and sellers of the
Jewish people, we are not to understand
the Romans, but their own unprincipled
teachers and rulers, the facts of the case
show. The corresponding term Ἐπ Σ πν
their shepherds, is merely expletive of
what the same persons were officially.
The avarice of the Pharisees was exces-
sive, yet they had the barefaced hypoc-
risy to thank God for their ill gotten
wealth, and because they were not pun-
ished, they imagined they might perse-
vere with impunity. The construction
of the plural nouns πὸ» Ἵπὴ 38» and
7°35, With the singulars “yas and
Ἐκ πο, cannot, with any propriety, be
accounted for on the principle advanced
by Hengstenberg, that Jehovah himself
was the principal actor, and that the
wicked rulers were merely his instru-
ments. It is only a more emphatic mode
of construction, by which each of the
individuals specified in the plural is rep-
resented as performing the action, see
Gen. xxvii. 29; Exod. xxxi. 14; Prov.
iii. 18. The masculine affix pn refers
to the people, strictly so taken ; the fem-
inine 47, to them considered under the
idea of the sheep that were to be fed,
{Ns being of the common gender. There
is, therefore, no ground for correcting the
text by changing pn*y4 into Ἵππον Ἢ, the
reading of fifteen MSS. and some printed
editions,
Cuap. XI.
ZECHARIAH.
415
6 For I will no more spare the inhabitants of the land, saith
Jehovah,
But behold! I will deliver the men,
Each into the hand of his neighbor, and into the hand of his
king ;
And they shall destroy the land,
And I will not deliver them out of their hand.
7 And I fed the sheep of slaughter, truly miserable sheep!
6. The particle »5, for, connects what
follows with the command, ver. 4. The
Jews were no longer to have Divine pity
extended to them, but were to be aban-
doned to all the evils of civil discord, and
to the oppressions of a foreign rule. That
the king here referred to was the Roman
emperor, is obvious from the acknowl-
edgment of the Jews themselves: «* We
have no king but Cesar.” John xix. 15.
The verb τ, ¢o 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
of the foreign ruler that had just been
spoken of,
7. The prophet declares, in the name
of the Messiah, that he executed the
task committed to him. ‘his was ful-
filled during the personal ministry of
our Lord. 48x77 "22:9 425 have been
variously rendered, LXX. εἷς τὴν
Xavaavitw: Syr. CAS Ἰδάχ δ,
Li» ἴω Vc, the little ones on account
of the collection 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. Michaelis, Newcome, Hit-
zig, and others, propter vos, 0 miseri gre-
gis. Maurer, pavi igitur miserrimus ovi-
um, Arnheim, fitrmahr Die elendesz
tert Der Heerde. Ewald, wirflich die
unglitcflichsten Gchafe. The only
real difficulty lies in the word ;=3. The
LXX. have read it, and the following
word, as one, thus, ἘΣ, and made
Canaanite of it. This rendering is
adopted by Blayney, only he attaches to
the term the idea of merchant, which it
sometimes has (among those who traf-
Jicked with the flock), and explains it of
the buyers and sellers of the flock, de-
scribed ver. 5, The interpretation is so
far specious, and is approved by Jahn,
but cannot be philologically sustained.
Some take j>% for the infinitive in Hi-
phal of 7,5, which furnishes no tolerable
sense; others, for the dative of the sec-
ond personal feminine pronoun, suppos-
ing the Segol to have been changed into
a Tzére, but this is liable to the same
objection. Most regard it as the particle
ἼΞ5 ν» and construe it either with its cau-
sal, or its adversative signification ; but
neither do any of the interpretations thus
brought out satisfactorily meet the exi-
gencies of the case. I cannot help think-
ing that the is here redundant, as it is
in many instances, and that we must
construe 35, as in ver. 11, where it
occurs without the Ὁ. The term is
properly a participial noun, derived from
jn>, in the sense of the Arab. |, 5
esse, and implies reality, certainty, or the
like, but admits of being variously ren-
dered, according to the context in which
it is found. See Lee’s Heb. Lex. in voe,
And thus it is understood by Kimchi,
Jarchi, Castalio, De Dieu, Drusius, Storr,
Dathe, Arnheim, De Wette, and Ewald.
Even were the Ὁ retained, the same result
would be brought out, the rendering in
this case being, with respect to truth, i. e.
truly ; just as in ΠΙΣΣ Ὁ.» with respect to
perpetuity, i, e. forever. The words
ΝΞ πὰ ἜΣ» are the superlative of con-
410
ZECHARIAH.
Cuapr. XI.
And I took to myself two crooks; the one I called Grace, and
8 the other I called Bands, and I fed the sheep.
And I eut off
the three shepherds within one month; and my soul loathed
9 them, and their soul also rejected me. So that I said:
I will not feed you;
That which is dying, let it die;
And that which is being cut off, let it be cut off;
And as for the rest, let them eat each the flesh of another.
struction, as in ἘΠῚ 734, the most
wicked of nations, Ezek. vii. 24; “nan
sein, the choicest of his cypresses,
Jer. xxxvii, 7; or, what is quite parallel
with the present case, ἽΝ ΤΙ [77D , Ten-
dered in our common version, the least
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-
erable sheep. Such was the state to
which the Jewish people were reduced
in the days of our Lord. They were
ἐσκυλμένοι καὶ ἐῤῥιμενοι, ὡσεὶ πρόβατα μὴ
ἔχοντα ποιμένα. Matt. ix. 86. They
were worrted and harassed in every
possible way, πρόβατα ἀπολωλότα, Matt.
x. 6. The two staves were symbolical
of the different modes of treatment which
the Hebrews had experienced under the
guidance and protection of the provi-
dence of God. One of them was called
tz5, Grace, or Favor, to indicate the
kindness of Jehovah to them in restrain-
ing the surrounding nations from over-
powering them, and carrying them again
into captivity. See ver. 10. To the
other was given the name of p>3h,
which Drusius, Marckius, the Dutch
translators, and others, render Binders,
but better, Bands, expressing the ties
which unite parties together. The LXX.,
Aq., Symm., σχοίνισμα ; Vulg. funiculi ;
Maurer, conjuncti, faderati. Reference
is had to the fraternal confederacy into
which the Jews and Israelites had en-
tered with each other after the retum
from Babylon. See ver. 14. The last
clause of the verse is a repetition of the
first, for the sake of emphasis.
8. Who “the three shepherds” here
definitely pointed out were, cannot be
determined with certainty. All kinds
of interpretations have been given, from
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, suggested to
Jerome, by his Hebrew Rabbi, to the
Roman emperors Galbus, Otho, and Vi-
tellius, in Calmet. The only construc-
tion which is at all entitled to any notice,
is that which regards the language as
descriptive of the three orders of rulers
in the Jewish state—the priests, the
teachers of the law, and the civil magis-
trates. These were the persons of influ-
ence by whom the affairs of the nation
were conducted, and to whose wicked-
ness, which reached its culminating
point when they crucified the Lord of
Glory, the destruction of the state is to
be ascribed. thx πριν one month, doubt-
less refers to the last period of the siege
of Jerusalem, when everything was
thrown into confusion, and all authority
came to an end. ἼΠΙΞ » ἕο hide, conceal ;
in Hiphil, as here, ἀφανίζειν, to cause to
disappear, to cause to cease with respect
to office, to remove from it. The last
two lines of the verse point out the
mutual dissatisfaction and disgust with
which the wicked rulers and the Messiah
regarded each other. ma, occurs only
here, and Prov. xx. 21. Comp. the
cognate root $y2, fo reject, and the
Arab. ξεν impulsus valadus, propul-
sio vehemens ; , maledixit, 111. exe-
cratus fuit. Je:
9. The entire abandonment of the
Hebrew people is here most affectingly
set forth. For the threefold destruction
here predicted, comp. Jer. xy. 1, 2,
, ΒΑΡ: ΚΤ:
10
11
ZECHARIAH.
417
I then took my crook Grace, and cut it asunder in order to
break my covenant which 1 had made with all the nations.
And
it was broken in that day, and the miserable sheep that gave
heed to me, knew of a truth that it was the word of Jehovah.
12
13 and if not, forbear.
of silver.
xxxiv. 17; Ezek. vi. 12.
fulfilment, see Josephus.
10. By this symbolical action, the
removal of the restraint which Jehovah
had exercised over the nations, whereby
the destruction of the Jewish people had
been prevented, is strikingly represented:
The exercise of restraint with respect to
hostile forces is elsewhere spoken of under
the idea of a covenant. See Job v. 23;
Ezek. xxxiv. 25; Hos. ii. 18. When
this restraint was removed, the Romans
_invaded ‘Judea, and destroyed the city
and polity of the ancient people οἵ. God.
That by Ἐπ: people or nations, we are
to understand foreign nations, and not
the Hebrew tribes, is now agreed among
the best interpreters.
11. The anticipated accomplishment
of the prediction, and the conviction
wrought in the minds of the pious por-
tion of the Jewish people, that the pre-
diction was indeed divine. For the force
of 52 see on ver. 7. The LXX. again
join the two words, and render, of Xava-
ανοῖοι-
12, 19. On the question of the appli-
cation of these verses to the circumstan-
ces narrated Matt. xxvii. 7—10, a very
decided difference of opinion has ob-
tained. This difference has been occa-
sioned, partly by the fact of certain dis-
crepancies existing between the accounts
whichgfhey furnish of the transactions,
and paftly by the more important con-
sideration that the Evangelist expressly
ascribes the words which he quotes to
Jeremiah, and not to Zechariah. Wit
respect to the former of these points, it
may, to a considerable extent, be obvi-
ated by the general observation, that the
53
And for the
And I said to them, If it be good in your eyes, give my reward ;
So they weighed my reward, thirty pieces
And Jehovah said to me, Cast it to the potter, the
discrepances are not greater than we meet
with in several other quotations made
from the Old Testament by the writers
of the New, and are by no means such
as to affect the end which either the
prophet or the Evangelist had in view.
In producing the citation, the latter had
his eye more intent upon the historical
circumstances which he had just detailed,
than upon the strict grammatical con-
struction 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
as a compensation to the potter for the
possession of his field; and having faith-
fully exhibited these to the view of his
readers, he is less solicitous about the
wording of the prophet. The very
changes which he introduces into the
phraseology are such as his position in
the character of an historian required.
Thus, instead of pry "Ap? TN,
at which I was estimated by y them, Mat-
thew has ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο amd υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ,
at which he was estimated by the sons of
Israel. Instead of Ὡς Ξτ ἘΣ δ
And I took the thirty aa of ‘silver, we
find, καὶ ἔλαβον τὰ τριάκοντα ἄργύρια, aaa
they took the thirty pieces of silver, In-
stead of ων poses , and I threw itt,
the Gospel has, καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτὰ, and they
gave them. The freedom with which the
Evangelist renders 54% by δίδωμι is the
more noticeable, since he employs the
participle ῥίψας in reference to the same
subject in the fifth verse, where, at the
same time, he renders nn na by ἐν
τῷ vag. The conjecture of some that
ssh, potter, is a corruption of “zis,
“TPN
418
splendid price at which I was
treasurer, is worse than gratuitous, as the
latter word nowhere occurs in Hebrew in
reference to such an office, and as the pot-
ter was the most suitable person to whom
to cast the despicable sum, occupying as he
did a workshop in the valley of Hinnom,
Jer. xviii. 1, 3, xix. 2, which was held
in abomination by the Jews. That the
Evangelist should have ascribed the pre-
diction to Jeremiah has proved a source
of great perplexity to critics. No person
who has read the passage in Zechariah
can peruse that in Matthew without
at once being reminded of it. And so
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. The solution of the difficulty
proposed by Hengstenberg, that it was
the object of our prophet to bring forward
to view the predictions contained in Jer.
xviii. xix., in order to point out the de-
struction of Jerusalem by the Romans,
and that on this ground the Evangelist
might, with all propriety, ascribe the
authorship to Jeremiah, is very unsatis-
factory ; and we are shut up to one or
other of the following conclusions : First,
that the one name was substituted for the
other 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 written
by Jeremiah, and by some means or other,
to us unknown, has been appended to
the real prophecies of Zechariah. Third-
ly, that the citation is made from an
apocryphal book of the prophet Jere-
miah. Or lastly, that there is a corrup-
tion of the name in the Greek text of
Matthew. ‘The first of these positions
will not be admitted by any who believe
in the plenary inspiration of the Apos-
tles; a doctrine fully established on
Scripture authority, and which, if de-
nied, would completely annihilate our
confidence in their testimony. If their
ZECHARIAH.
Cap. XI..
estimated by them! And I took
memory 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 which it is shown that there. is no
solid foundation for the opinion, that the
last six chapters of Zechariah were not
written by that prophet. With respect
to the third supposition, it cannot be
denied that there was an apocryphal
book of Jeremiah, containing an analo-
gous passage. Jerome found it among
the Nazarenes, and a portion of it still
exists in a Sahidic Lectionary, in the Co-
“dex Huntingtonianus 5, in the Bodleian
Library, Oxford, and in the Coptic lan-
guage in the MS. 51 fol. in the library
of St. Germain in Paris. The words
are as follows: ‘‘ Jeremiah spake again
to Pashur, Ye and your fathers have
resisted the truth, 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
they will take thirty pieces of silver, the
price which the children of Israel have
given. They have given them for the
potter’s field, as the Lord commanded.
And thus it shall be spoken: The sen-
tence of eternal punishment shall fall
upon them, and upon their children, be-
cause they have shed innocent blood.”
But who does not perceive in this frag-
ment the clumsy attempt of one of the
early Christians to support the cause of
truth by what was deemed a harmless
fraud? Jerome at once rejected it as
spurious, and expresses his belief that
Matthew made his citation from Zecha-
riah. It only remains that ssume
a corruption in the Greek of the
Evangelist. That a variety of reading
exists has long been matter of notoriety.
Augustine mentions, that in his tima
some MSS. omitted the name of Ἱερεμίου.
It is also omitted in the MS. 33, 157; in
the Syriac, which is the most ancient of
Cuap. XI.
ZECHARIAH.
419
the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the house of Je-
hovah, to the potter.
14
Then I cut asunder my second crook Bands, in order to break
the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15
of a foolish shepherd ;
16
And Jehovah said to me, Take to thee yet the instruments
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; in the Polyglott Persic,
and in a Persic MS. in my possession,
bearing date a. Ὁ. 1057; in the modern
Greek ; in the Verona and Vercelli Latin
MSS. and in a Latin MS. of Luc. Brug.
The Greek MS. 22, reads Ζαχαρίου, as
also 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 Matthew did not insert
either name, but simply wrote in his
Hebrew Gospel, s=227 772 , by the proph-
et, just as in chap. i. 22, ii. δ, 15, xiil. 35,
xxi.) 4, παγῇ. o0;.and that his Greek
translator, mistaking 7 iff 172 for 4,
read =:2, which he considered to be a
contraction for :777472, and so rendered
it διὰ Ἱερεμίου του προφήτου ‘This read-
ing having found its way into the first
Greek MS., will account for its all but
universal propagation. Another conjec-
ture supposes Ἴριου to have been written
by some early copyist instead of Zpuov.
. 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 Evangelist, since it is
found to occupy that place in the text
of the LXX. which was formed three
hundred years previously.
14. Forthe meaning of 5"ba% Bands,
see on ver. 7. The circumstances here
predicted were those of the utter breaking
up of the social condition of the Hebrews.
This dissolution was in no small degree
brought about by the internal dissensions
which prevailed among themselves, the
rage of the different parties against each
other, and the barbarities that they prac-
tised, which none could have indulged
in but such as had their hearts steeled
against every feeling of brotherhood or
humanity. ‘Yet by these men,” says
Josephus, ‘ the ancient prediction seemed
rapidly drawing to its fulfilment: That
when civil war should break out in the
city, and the temple be profaned by the
hands of native Jews, the city should be
taken, and the temple burned with fire.”
15. πὸ», again, refers back to what is
recorded ver. 7. The p»b5, here as ἃ
collective in the singular ἘΞ, were the
articles usually belonging to shepherds,
viz. a crook, a bag or wallet containing
food, a pipe or reed, a knife, etc. In-
stead of ">>, one of De Rossi’s MSS.,
the Halle Bible of 1720, the Vatican
copy of the LXX., the Syr., Vulg., and
Arab., read 5, the punctuation of the
plural. chi , foolish, by implication
wicked, as wickedness is often represented
in Scripture as folly.
16. ΒΤ is employed here, like simi-
lar ae in Hiphil, to denote not any
direct moral excitement to action, but
the operation of concurring circumstan-
ces, under the Divine government, in
consequence of which certain events are
brought about by responsible human
agency. n47M>2%, those that are per-
ishing, the Niphal participle of 4m2,
ZECHARIAH.
ΓΕΑ». XL
But he will eat the flesh of the fat,
And will break off their hoofs.
iy
Woe to the worthless shepherd, that leaveth the flock ;
The sword shall be upon his arm,
And upon his right eye ;
His arm shall be utterly palsied,
And his right eye utterly darkened.
which in Hiphal and Niphal signifies ἕο
cut off or be destroyed. 33 is not to be
taken in the sense of young, as it is
interpreted by Kimchi and Hitzig, since
it is never so used, except with reference
to human beings, but signifies expulsion,
that which has been cast out, by impli-
cation, strayed, wandered. Comp. the
Arabic pie repulsus, in fugam versus.
man00> that which standeth still. 33
cea signifies to set or place, in Ni-
phal, ¢o ἘΠΩ͂Ν stand firm, be strong, firm,
sound ; and thus the LXX. here ὁλόκλη-
pov, but this interpretation is quite at
variance with the exigency of the place,
which requires the idea of weakness
rather than strength to be expressed.
And this the verb naturally suggests,
reference being had to the standing, or
standing still of sheep that are obliged,
through weakness or faintness, to lag
behind.
posuit, fixit, and then dolore affecit, las-
sus fuit, laboravit. Such it devolves
upon the shepherd to provide with nec-
essary ners or, as it is here ex-
pressed, ob=, to sustain, furnish with
erieionn: ‘Root S35 n>, Co measure grain,
The words p45" Ἵπ Ὁ Β are expres-
sive of the greatest cruelty, being de-
scriptive of an act which must not
only occasion the most acute pain, but
disable the animals, and prevent their
Comp. the Arabic a3,
going about in quest of pasture. Who
the ruler here depicted is, cannot with
certainty be determined. If taken as
pointing to an individual king, there is
none to whom it will more aptly apply
than to Herod, who was totally regard-
less of the real interest of the Jews, and
whose reign was marked by the perpe-
tration of the most shameful and barba-
rous cruelties. What goes to confirm
this view is the circumstance of his being
said to be raised up “ ἐπ the land.”
17. This denunciation seems to be di-
rected against the wicked rulers of the
Jews who might be in office between the
time of the prophet, and that of the dis-
solution of the Jewish state, rather than
against the person referred to in the pre-
ceding verse. The " in "» ἡ is not the
pronominal affix, but the poetic para-
gogic, as in’ the following »a;y, and
other participles. See Gen. xlix. 11;
Deut. xxxiii. 16; Ps. cxiv. 8, exxiii. 1.
datum seh, the worthless or good-for-
nothing shepherd. Comp. Job xiii. 4.
The root must unquestionably have been
bos. Comp. tba from 333; a.20
from a35. The character described is
that of negligence, arising from the total
absence of a sense of official claims, and
of personal responsibility. The rest of
the verse from 53" onward, is to be
taken optatively. ‘The doom imprecated
is truly awful — an utter deprivation of
power and intelligence.
Cuap. XII. ZECHARIAH. 421
CWA PTE R.- XPT,
Tuts chapter contains a series of predictions, which relate to the future restoration of the
scattered people of the Jews, the destruction of whose national polity, and their conse-
quent 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 Jehoyah, the inhab-
itants shall be protected, 5,6. To prevent the inhabitants of the metropolis from glory-
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, 10—14.
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.
1 Tue Sentence of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel ;
Saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens,
Who layeth the foundations of the earth,
And formeth the spirit of man within him:
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of intoxication
To all the people around ;
1. That stva does not necessarily
involve a sentence of judgment, see on
Is. xiii. 1; and for the entire phrase,’
mim? a7 sw, seeon chap.ix.1. That
it cannot be so taken here is manifest
from the connection. Hengstenberg, in
order to establish the contrary hypothe-
sis, is obliged to have recourse to the des-
perate resort of interpreting Israe/ of the
enemies of God! The term is obviously
employed in its original acceptation, as
designating the whole Hebrew people.
With no other reference could it have
been introduced. To remove all the
doubts which unbelief might suggest
respecting the possibility of the deliver-
ance here predicted, a sublime descrip-
tion is given of the omnipotent Creator
by whom it would be effected, than
which no introduction could have been
more appropriate. For Ἐπ τσ" 134,
compare Πατὴρ τῶν πνευμάτων, Heb, xii.
9, and Numb. ‘xvi. 22, xxvii. 16; and
for the several predicates, Is. xlii. 5.
2. $y 5D, some render a shaking
threshold, in imitation of the LXX..és
πρόδυρα σαλευόμενα, and interpret the
declaration here made of the concussion
which Jerusalem should receive from the
attack of the enemy ; but it is more nat-
ural to regard the phrase as only another
form for ΠΣ ππ pip, Is, li. 17, 22, by
which is meant a cup filled with intoxi-
cating liquors, causing those who drink
it to reed and stagger to their injury.
Root by5, to shake, reel, stagger. The
attempt of Hengstenberg to deny that
52 is ever used to denote a cup, is a com-
ZECHARIAH:
Cuar. XII.
And also with Judah it shall be thus,
In the siege of Jerusalem.
3 And it shall be in that day, I will make Jerusalem
A burdensome stone to all people,
All that lift it shall be cut in pieces :
Yet all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against it.
4 In that day, saith Jehovah,
I will smite every horse with consternation,
And his rider with madness ;
But upon the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open,
While I will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart,
My strength is the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Through Jehovah of hosts their God.
plete failure, as must be obvious to any
one who will take the trouble to consult
the Concordance. The second part of
the verse has occasioned no small per-
plexity to interpreters. The chief diffi-
culty is created by the position of the
preposition Ἐξ in the phrase ἘΔ"
maynr—tz. The Targ., Jerome, Kim-
chi, Drusius, Rosenmiiller, Hitzig, Mau-
rer, and Ewald, suppose the meaning
to be, that the inhabitants of Judah
would be compelled to join the enemies
in the attack upon Jerusalem, and with
them share in the punishment : making
tya-g the nominative to m-n7. But
this interpretation ill suits the context,
in the whole of which Judah is repre-
sented as triumphant, and not as placed
in the degrading position of auxiliaries
in a war against its own capital. I con-
sider the preposition to be here used for
the purpose of conveying the idea of
addition or accompaniment, so that, con-
necting Judah with Jerusalem, it repre-
sents the former, as well as the latter, as
a cup of intoxication to the invaders,
See for this use of ἘΣ, Gen, xxxii. 12;
Exod. xxxy. 22; Job xxxviii. 32. In
support of this interpretation, see espec-
ially ver. 6. The same result will be
brought out, if we take ἘΣ in the accep-
tation in reference to, with respect to;
thus: “And with respect to Judah it
shall also be in the siege;” 7. 6. Judah
shall also be a cup, etc.
3. Another metaphor employed like
the preceding to represent the victory
which the Jews shall obtain over their
enemies, wiose attack will only issue in
their own injury. Jerome mentions it
as a custom, which still obtained in his
time, in Palestine, for young men to try
their strength by lifting enormous stones
so high from the ground, as to place
them upon their heads. It may be from
such an exercise that the metaphor is
borrowed. wu w describes the cuts or
gashes made by the sharp edges or cor-
ners of the stones thus employed. Though
expased to the punishment here predicat-
ed, the nations shall confidently advance
to the attack. The confederacy against
the Jews will be universal in its charac-
ter.
4. While Jehovah will specially inter-
pose for the discomfiture of the enemy
by rendering their cavalry incapable of
performing any effective service, he will
exercise the greatest watchfulness over
his people.
5. ἘΞ is a substantive, but occurs
only this once. The LXX. have read
suv, and render εὑρήσομεν. The suc-
cessful resistance offered to the enemy by
Cuar. XII,
ZECHARIAH.
6 In that day I will make the chiefs of Judah
Like a fire pot among sticks of wood,
And like a torch of fire in a sheaf,
And they shall consume all the people around,
On the right hand and on the left ;
For Jerusalem shall occupy her place in Jerusalem.
7 And Jehovah shall deliver the tents of Judah first,
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 ὩΣ shall be as
David,
And the house of David shall be as God,
As the Angel of Jehovah before them.
the inhabitants of the metropolis, will
inspire those of the country with the
assurance, that, through the Divine aid,
they shall obtain deliverance. ~+ , which
is the Dative of advantage, ΣῈ ΕΝ col-
lectively for 135. Two MSS. and the
Targ. read ~aw75, but no doubt from
correction. In two other MSS. "5. 15
omitted.
6. Jerusalem, in the first instance,
stands for the inhabitants. After the
Jews shall have completely routed their
enemies, they shall dwell in peace in
their own land, and in the city of their
ancient solemnities. Houbigant proposes
to change ESwan7, as occurring the sec-
ond time, into πὴ 83, but, like most of
his other conjectures, the change is not
based upon any authority. One MS.,
the Arab, and the Greek MS. Pachom,
omit the word altogether.
7. The inhabitants of the country
being more exposed to the evils of the
war than those in the fortified city, shall
be the first to experience the Divine
help. Standing in antithesis with the
capital, their comparative helplessness
is clearly implied; and the reason for
the preference being given to them is
assigned to be the prevention of that
spirit of pride and self-exaltation, in
which the inhabitants of a royal metrop-
olis are too prone toindulge. The read-
ing TMIVRAD » ‘as at the first,” which is
found in two MSS., and is the original
reading of three more, and is favored by
the LXX., Arab., Syr., and Vulg., is not
entitled to consideration.
8. A gracious promise of Divine assis-
tance, supported, with admirable effect,
by a beautiful climax. From the cireum-
stance, that the LXX. have in several
instances rendered Ext, by angels,
some interpreters have supposed that the
term is to be so understood here. The
more enlightened moderns, however, dis-
eard this signification altogether. See
Gesenius, Thesaurus Ling. Heb. p. 95,
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, m4m? Δ Ξ2Ξ., as the
Angel of Jehovah, immediately follow-
ing. The house of David was to be as
God, yet not as God in the abstract, of
which no proper conception can be form-
ed, but as God manifested to men in his
glorious forthcomings under the ancient
dispensation, in the Divine Person of the
Son, who went before the children of
Israel as their Almighty leader and Pro-
tector, and to whom are vindicated the
424
9 And it shall be in that day,
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. ΧΗ
I will seek to destroy 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 whom they have pierced,
sum total of the Divine attributes. See
Exod. xxxii. 34; where the words "=x sda
72> 352 form the type of min asta
Ἐπ oe here adopted by Zechariah.
ines also Exod. xxxiil. 15, xxiii.
; Is. lxiii. 9; Mal. iii, 1; and my
cae on Zech. i. re
9. πο τ tpas, I will seek to de-
stroy, is spoken more humano, but con-
veys no idea of weakness in the speaker.
«*«Summo studio ero attentus. Calvin.
10. We have here a clear and definite
prophecy of the future conversion of the
Jews, in consequence of a special and
extraordinary outpouring of the influ-
ences of the Holy Spirit. Nothing that
has hitherto taken place in the history
of that people can be regarded as in any
degree answering to the description here
furnished, not even the numerous con-
versions that accompanied the Apostolic
preaching on the day of Pentecost, and
subsequently as narrated in the Acts.
By nan, 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
will be created. It is called * spirit’
by metonomy of cause for effect. 45 and
D753 are from the same root, 42 n, to
regard with favor, exercise mercy, οἷο.
The verb w23, here used in Hiphil, is
intensive in signification: to look to, or
regard with fixed attention, to contem-
plate with deep interest, and with beliey-
ing expectation. Such is the nature of
that act of the mind which is exerted
by every converted sinner, when the Sa-
viour is spiritually discerned. In the
case of the Jews there will be a special
recognition of him as the Messiah whom
their ancestors crucified, and whose deed
they have appropriated by their personal
unbelief and opposition to the truth of
the Gospel, but whom they will then
regard as all their salvation and all their
desire. The textual reading "Ἐπ, in the
phrase "bx wan, “they shall look to
Mz,” has been the subject of much con-
troversy. It is found in most MSS.,
and among these the best, and is sup-
ported by the LXX., Aq., Symm.,
Theod., Syr., Targ., Vulg., and Arab.
It is the more difficult reading, and one
which has always proved revolting to the
mind of a Jew, as there is no other ante-
cedent to whom it can be referred than
man, JEHOVAH, verses 1 and 4, In
aoe to avoid this reference, Kimchi
gives to the following words, zx rs
ΠΡ Ἢν the interpretation, because ‘they
pierced, leaving it undetermined who
was pierced. But this construction is
altogether inadmissible, as it deprives
the verb of its accusative case, which is
expressed in every other instance in
which it occurs. It has accordingly been
condemned by Abenezra, Abarbanel,
Alschech, and other Rabbins. The ren-
dering given to sp= by the LXX. κατωρ-
χήσαντο, they insulted, has been eagerly
seized upon by some, especially by Thei-
ner, Rosenmiiller, Eichhorn, Gesenius,
De Wette, Winer, and by none more
than Maurer, who is at great pains to
prove that, like a7; and 5355, the verb
“p71 is to be taken in the metaphorical
sense of blaspheming or cursing. Against
such interpretation it is justly objected
that this verb, which occurs in ten other
passages, is never used except in the lit-
eral acceptation of piercing the body, It
Cuap. XII.
ZECHARIAH.
And they shall lament for him,
As one lamenteth for an only son,
And be in bitterness for him,
As one is in bitterness for a first-born.
is thus used in chap. xiii. 3, of this very
book. The same objection lies against
the metaphorical sense of grieving or
provoking, which even Calvin adopted,
though he admits that the prophecy was
literally fulfilled in Christ.
That the passage has a Messianic ref-
erence has been admitted both by the
ancient and the more modern Jews. In
the Gemara of Jerusalem, written some-
time in the third century, we read : Ἴ" Ὁ
mwa Sv Atbon nT OSS IM paws
son as. ἘΦ amon ΠῚ oN ΤΙΝ ὙἸΓΙῚ -
Two opinions are expressed: one states
that they mourned on account of Messiah,
and another that they mourned on account
of corrupt nature. A similar passage
occurs in the Gemara of Babylon, ‘Tract
Succoth, fol. 52, col. 1, in which the
words of Zechariah are cited, after the
declaration respecting the mourning:
Fon ja mwa Sy cent ἽΝ webwa
samnsw. May he be in peace who refers
it to Messiah the son of Joseph, who shall
be slain. See also the commentaries of
Abarbanel and Abenezra, who give the
same interpretation, as also does the Tal-
Καὶ Chasdash, fol. 24: -ps-w ‘nN 7D
Nao "5. CARN ΠΟ "a Awa win’ pan
717 ja Pwa went m4. For after
they have pierced Jonah, who is Messiah
the son of Joseph, then David will come,
Messiah the son of David. WHengsten-
berg’s Christo]. 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, who should
prove victorious and reign forever, was
invented purely with a view to reconcile
those passages which describe the Mes-
siah now as suffering, and now as reign-
ing in glory, and thus to evade the Chris-
tian application of them to our Saviour.
It only remains to inquire how the
Jews, who did not acquiesce in the
54
interpretation adopted by Kimchi, have
endeavored to get rid of the pronominal
reference in "Ἐπ. To this the reply is:
By changing the reading into bx,
which, however, they did not at first
venture to insert into the text, but merely
gave it as the Keri, or corrected reading
in the margin. This Keri, however, is
only found in sixteen of Kennicott’s and
De Rossi’s MSS.; but at length a more
daring step was taken by receiving it
into the text itself, in which it is found
in thirty-four of Kennicott’s MSS., orig-
inally in three more, perhaps in five
others, and now by correction in six; in
six of De Rossi’s own, in two more
originally, now in five others, and in
twenty collated by him in other libra-
ries. Of this insertion a serious com-
plaint is made by Raymundus Martini,
in his Pugio Fidei, p. 411, Leipsic, 1687,
fol. And so ashamed have Lipmann,
Abarbanel, and other Rabbins been of it,
that they pass it entirely by in their con-
troversies with the Christians, or candidly
acknowledge that it is not to be regarded
as forming any part of the sacred text.
It is much to be regretted, that while it
has been rejected by the best Jewish and
Christian critics, the most free-thinking
of the German school not excepted, it
should have been adopted by Newcome
and Boothroyd, who accordingly trans-
late: ‘*They shall look unto Him whom
they have pierced.” It is true, they
may seem to have the sanction of the
Evangelist John, who quotes the passage
thus: “Opovra eis ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν, Xix.
37, and employs the words, καὶ οἵτινες
αὐτόν ἐξεκέντησαν, Rev. i. 7; but it must
be obvious that he gives the prophecy
historically, as having’been literally ful-
filled in Jesus of Nazareth, without de-
signing to exhibit the exact wording of
the prophet. See on Zech. xi, 12, 18.
426
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. XII.
11 In that day there shall be great lamentation in Jerusalem,
As the lamentation of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon,
12
And the land shall lament, every family apart ;
The family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart ;
The family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart ;
19
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart ;
The family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart ;
14 All the families that are leit,
Every family apart, and their wives apart.
It might be supposed that "Ἐπ being the
true reading, "ἘΣ, and not ity, would
be required in the foliowing sentence;
but the use of the expletive phrase rsx
sax, necessarily led to the change of
construction. “on is the infinitive of
Hiphil, which carries forward the de-
scription instead of the finite form. It
is here used intransitively; the root is
“τ - The verb -50 signifies primarily
to beat ; then, as a sign of intense grief,
to smite or beat the breast. There being
usually great wailing and lamentation
connected with such significant action in
the East, it is also used to denote the
noise made by mourners. The instances
selected for illustration are of the most
tender and touching kind.
11. To represent the greatness and
universality of the lamentation which
he describes, the prophet compares it
to the greatest ever known among the
Jews, viz. that which took place on the
death of the excellent king Josiah, the
result of the wound which he received
at Hadad-rimmon. 2 Kings xxiii. 29 ;
2 Chron. xxxv. 23—25. See also the
Lamentations. of Jeremiah, composed on
the occasion. Hadad-rimmon was the
name of a place in the great plain of
Esdraelon, near Megiddo, and was prob-
ably so called after the Syrian idol of
that name. In the time of Jerome it
was called Maximianopolis.
12—14. In these verses the universal
character of the mourning is described,
while, at the same time, its particular
and individual features are likewise set
forth. To show that all will be the sub-
jects of it, the prophet begins with the
descendants of David, and then proceeds
to those of the priests, on account of the
influence which their example would
have on the rest of the people. Instead
of Shimei, the LXX. have Συμεὼν, sup-
posing that a tribal division was in-
tended; and some have thought that
yisy,, Shammua, one of the sons of
David, 2 Sam. v. 14, is meant; but it is
more natural to regard the individual as
one of the sons of Levi, who is classed
along with that patriarch, just as Na-
than, one of the sons of David, is with
him, ver. 12. For sy:23, Shimei, see
Numb. iii. 18, 21, in which latter verse
“viem nme, the family of the Shi-
meites, occurs just as in Zechariah. It
is implied in the last verse, that some
families shall have become extinct at the
period referred to. The men and women
mourning apart has reference to the Jew-
ish custom, according to which not only
did the females dwell in separate apart-
ments from the males, but Ἂν worship-
ped separately.
Cuap. XIII.
CHAPTER
ZECHARIAH. 427
9.45 i
Tus chapter contains a continuation of the prophecy respecting the future conversion of
the Jews, ver. 1; predictions relating to the entire abolition of idolatry and false doctrine,
2—6; a resumption of the subject of the Messiah’s sufferings, 7; and an account of the
destruction of the greater part of the Jews during the Roman war, the preservation of
the rgst, and their ultimate restoration, 8, 9.
1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened
To the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
For guilt and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall 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.
1. This verse is intimately connected
with the subject of the concluding verses
of the preceding chapter. It is designed
to relieve the anxious and troubled minds
of the penitents there described. “p72,
a well, or fountain, from 4p, to dig ;
not, perhaps, without reference to chap.
xii. 10. msun, guilt, from sun, fo
miss a mark or way, to sin; hence the
substantive comes to signify the guilt
contracted by sinning, the punishment
to which it exposes the transgressor, and
a sin offering, for the purpose of making
expiation. That it is here to be taken
in the sense of guz/t, is shown by the
accompanying term 72, wncleanness,
or the impurity contracted by sin. That
moral, and not ceremonial guilt and pol-
lution are intended, the circumstances
of the case evince; and the Jews are
taught, that their deliverance from these
is not to be effected by the Levitical
sacrifices and purifications, but by the
cleansing influence flowing from the
death of the Messiah. See Heb. ix.
13, 14; 1 Johni. 7. The verse exhibits
the two grand doctrines of the gospel :
justification and sanctification. The
fountain here spoken of was opened when
the Redeemer presented his sacrifice on
the cross ; but the Jews, with compara-
tively few exceptions, after the apos-
tolic age, have shut it against them-
selves by their impenitence and unbelief.
When, however, these shall be removed
by the outpouring of Divine influence,
promised, chap. xii. 10, they shall find
it mm: , opened, full, and overflowing
with all spiritual blessings.
2. As no idolatry has existed among
the Jews since their return from Babylon,
and it is in the highest degree improbable
that they will ever fall into it again,
y187 should not be rendered, as in our
common version, the land, but the earth ;
so that this and the following verses de-
scribe the total extinction of that horrible
evil, and all the other systems of supersti-
tion and false religion which now impose
upon the human family, together with
those who teach and defend them. By
meen Ayn, the spirit of impurity, is
meant a person pretending to inspiration,
and in league with Satan, the god of this
world, to whom, in contradistinction to
toFm ran, the spirit of holiness, the
428
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. XIII.
3 So that should any one still prophesy,
His father and his mother — his parents
Shall say to him, Thou shalt not live ;
For thou speakest falsehood in the name of Jehovah;
And his father and his mother — his parents
Shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
4 And it shall be in that day,
That the prophets shall be ashamed, ᾽
Eyery one of his vision, when he prophesieth ;
And they shall not wear a hairy garment to deceive.
5 But each shall say, I am not a prophet,
I am a tiller of the ground ;
For I have been in a state of slavery from my youth.
6 Then shall it be said to him,
What are these wounds in thy hands ?
And he will say,
Those with which I have been wounded in the house of my
friends,
designation may well be applied. Com-
pare πνεῦμα πύϑωνος, Acts xvi. 16; τὸ
πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης, 1 John, iv. 6; and
especially, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ ψευδο-
προφήτου πνεύματα τρία ἀκάϑαρτα, Rev.
xvi. 18.
3. There is in this verse a recognition
of the law against those who seduced
others to idolatry, Deut. xiii. 6—11.
eotba, parents. “>>, signifies both to
beget, and to bear children. The evil
here denounced will not be connived at
even by the nearest relatives. The ten-
derest parental feelings shall give place
to the infliction of merited punishment.
4,5. The shame with which false
teachers shall be covered is here set
forth. The hairy mantle, the garb of
the ancient prophets, and that of certain
orders of monks still, which is assumed
in order to inspire the multitude with
an impression of the superior sanctity
of those by whom they are worn, shall
be thrown aside, as dangerous to appear
in. The false prophets wished to pass
off as those who had really been invested
with a Divine commission. The form
of the infinitive arkaam is according
to the analogy of verbs in “nt. To the
singular "ΩΝ Ἢ.» at the beginning of ver.
5, each of the prophets previously men-
tioned is the nominative. %2377, lit.
one sold me as a slave, but taken in con-
nection with the following, “452%,
from my youth, it signifies to be held in
a state of slavery, to be a slave. The
speaker declares that he had always been
in a condition of life with which the
exercise of the prophetic office was alto-
gether incompatible. tx, which some
translators have preposterously retained
as the proper name, Adam, is here used
impersonally, precisely as the German
man, and is best rendered into English by
the passive of the accompanying verb.
6. This verse is commonly applied to
the sufferings of Christ, but without any
further ground than its mere proximity
to that which follows, in which he and
his sufferings are clearly predicted. In
no tolerable sense could the Jews be
called his ἘΞ πο, lovers, or friends ;
on the contrary, they hated both him
and his Father. The words connect with
the preceding thus: The false prophet,
though he might rid himself of his idol-
Cuap. XIII.
ZECHARIAH.
7 Awake, O sword! against my shepherd,
And against the man who is united to me,
Saith Jehovah of hosts:
atrous vestments, would not be able to
efface the 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
hand, in token of grief for departed rel-
atives, he might hope to escape detection
by attributing his scars to the latter
cause.
7. Various opinions have been formed
respecting the person here referred to.
Calvin thought he was Zechariah him-
self, as representative of all the prophets,
and that the prophecy referred only in-
directly to Christ. Grotius, Eichhorn,
Bauer, and Jahn, apply it to Judas Mac-
cabeus; Maurer to Jehoiakim ; Ewald to
Pekah ; Hitzig to the pretended prophets
spoken of in the preceding verses! The
only satisfactory solution of the question
is that which regards the words as di-
rectly and 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
the manifest identity of the subject
treated with that exhibited chap. xi. 4,
7, 10—14. The same subject there
handled is resumed, and treated, just as
it is there, in connection with the down-
fall of the Jewish state. The prophecy
contained in this and the following verses
has no coherence with what immediately
precedes, and was evidently delivered
upon a different occasion. A new sec-
tion may, therefore, be considered as
commencing here, though it only extends
to chap. xiv. 5. The language employed
is 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 de-
scribed as ἢ ὩΣ 723, the man of his
union; i. e. conjoined or closely united
to him. ‘The term translated man, is
not that usually employed in Hebrew,
which in such construction would merely
be idiomatic, but Ἔξ, @ strong, or
mighty man, one who is such by way of
eminence. 77» is used elsewhere only
in the Pentateuch, namely, in Lev. vy.
Ὁ XV? Os ΧΙΧῚ 11, e LO Silden χαὰν 10.
xxy. 14, 15, 17; in all which passages
it is employed to denote persons who
were united together under common
laws, for the enjoyment of common
rights and privileges. It is derived
from my, cognate with prey, to bind,
bind together, unite in society; Arab.
, communis fit, communem fecit
rem: hence the derivates ἘΣ, a people,
ὃ. 6. those united for their common inter-
terest; may, conjunction, communion,
association ; ὩΣ, the conjunction with,
indicating accompaniment, society. The
renderings of the versions vary. LXX.
ἄνδρα πολίτην μου. Aq. ἄνδρα σύμφυλόν
μου. Symm. ἄνδρα τοῦ λαοῦ μου.
δ cs
Theod. ἄνδρα πλησίον μου. Syr. | 2
ο
«αὐλὸν the man my friend. Targ.
mo> MOTT ΤΙΣ ΛΞ wan Rtuds, the
ruler his companion, his associate who is
like him. Vulg. virum coherentem mihi.
Leo Juda, virwm coequalem mihi. Heng-
stenberg, ὦ man, my nearest relation.
Burger, mon confident. De Wette,
Den Mann meines Gleichen, the
man my equal. Arnheim, Dem Manne,
den ich mir gugesellt, the man whom
I 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 expres-
sed by the latter I conceive to be pre-
cisely what was intended by the Holy
Spirit, by whom the words were indited.
But of whom can this association be
predicated, except of Him whose human
490
ZECHARIAH.
παρ. XIIL
Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered,
But I will turn back my hand upon the little ones.
8 And it shall be that in all the land,
Saith Jehovah,
Two parts therein shall be cut off and expire,
But the third part shall be left in it.
9 And I will cause the third part to go through the fire,
nature was assumed into the most inti-
mate and perfect union with the Divine
—-IMMANUEL, who was one with the
Father, and who could say, “ He that
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. This the use of the
word =23,, man, clearly proves. ‘To the
objection, that the words cannot be ap-
plied to our Saviour, since he was not
cut off by a sword, it has been sufficiently
replied, that 24, sword, is here used
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
called the sword of Jehovah. They are
regarded as in a state of sleep or inac-
tivity, and are summoned to perpetrate
the awful deed. According to an idiom
common in the Hebrew prophets, the
imperative is used instead of the future,
in order to express with greater force the
certainty of the event. See my note on
Is. vi. 10. For a parallel instance of the
personification of the sword, see Jer.
xlvii. 6,7. As a>n is feminine, and 57
masculine, Hitzig would refer the latter
to the human agent handling the sword,
but the irregularity in point of gender is
sufficiently accounted for by the remote-
ness of the antecedent. 5m, smite, is
quoted, Matt. xxvi. 31, asif it were Fx,
I will smite, the first person singular of
the future in Hiphil. There is no diver-
sity of reading in the Hebrew MSS., but
the Ald. and Pachom. MSS. of the
LXX. read πατάξον, instead of πατάξω,
which the Evangelist Matthew and Mark
have copied. The difference is unimpor-
tant, yet there seems to be more propriety
in the reading 57, with reference 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. Com-
paring the present verse with chap. xi.
4, 7, and especially with what is pre-
dicted in the two following verses of the
present chapter, in which the same sub-
ject is continued, it is evident the 33,
sheep, or flock, cannot be restricted to the
disciples of Christ. The circumstances,
however, in reference to which our Sa-
viour appropriated the prophecy, afforded
a striking type of the dispersion of the
Jewish people, which is that intended by
Zechariah. The disciples as Jews formed
part of the flock which the good shep-
herd was commissioned to feed, but they,
together with the Jewish Christians, con-
verted by their ministry, who formed the
first: church at Jerusalem, were the
rons, tittle ones, on whom the Lord
promises to turn back his hand, in
order to protect them in the time of
calamity. That the phrase ἘΣ πὸ a-an,
to turn, or turn back the hand, upon any
one, is used in a good as well as in a bad
sense, see on Is. i. 25.
8, 9. In these verses are predicted the
destruction of two-thirds of the inhabi-
tants of Judea by the Roman arms, and
by the famine and pestilence, the usual
concomitants of war in the East, and
the preservation of the remaining third
part, which, after having been submitted
to very trying and afflictive processes,
should come forth out of the furnace a
regenerated and spiritual people. The
Cuap. XIV.
ZECHARIAH.
; 431
And will refine them as silver is refined,
And will try them as gold is tried;
It shall invoke my name, and I will answer it ,
I will say, It is my people ;
And it shall say, Jehovah is my God,
former was fulfilled not only during what
is commonly called the Jewish war, but
also, to a fearful extent, under more than
one of the succeeding emperors ; the
processes pointed at in the latter have
been more or less carried forward ever
since, but are, it is to be hoped, soon to
terminate in the conversion of the Jews
to God. Then shall they enter into a
new relation to him, according to the
terms of the better covenant, Jer. xxxi.
33; Heb. viii. 10, 11.
CHAPTER XIV.
In the 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
forces composing the hostile army is predicted, 3. A promise of special interposition in
behalf of the people of God is then given, by which effectual provision is made for their
escape, 4,5. The prophet next describes a period of great calamity, which is to give place
to one of 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
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
services, 20, 21.
1. Benorp the day of Jehovah cometh,
And thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will collect all the nations against Jerusalem to battle,
1. For the phraseology τοῦτ Ὁ ἈΞ 64>, meant all that her inhabitants had accu-
comp. Is. xxii. 5. The criticism of Heng-
stenberg, who denies that it is equivalent
tomin= DA ἈΞ» is without any founda-
tion, By the day of Jehovah is meant
the period of the infliction of judgment.
See, in reference to the same event which
is here predicted, Joel ii. 31, iii, 14; Mal.
iy. 1, 5. By the spoil of Jerusalem is
mulated, and which would be fit spoil
for the enemy, especially the treasures of
the temple. Notwithstanding all that
was consumed by fire, the plunder ob-
tained by the Romans was so great, that
gold fell in Syria to half its former value,
2. All the nations here mean soldiers
from all the different nations forming
432
And the city shall be taken,
ZECHARIAH.
‘Cuar. XIV.
And the houses plundered, and the women ravished ;
And half the city shall go forth into captivity,
But the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
And fight with those nations,
As in the day when he fought
In the day of battle.
And Jehovah shall go forth,
And his feet shall stand in that day
On the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east ;
And the mount of Olives shall be split in its midst,
Toward the east and toward the west,
Into a very great valley ;
Half of the mountain shall recede towards the north,
And half of it towards the south.
And ye shall flee to the valley of my mountains,
For the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal ;
Yea, ye shall flee as ye fled from the earthquake,
In the days of Uzziah, king of Judah ;
the Roman empire, which composed the
army of Titus. The verse contains a
fearful description of the capture of
Jerusalem under the command of that
general. After its destruction, the more
distinguished, handsome, and able-bodied
Jews were sold into slavery, or con-
demned to work in the mines; but the
poorer and more contemptible sort were
permitted to remain among the ruins.
As usual, where =352¥7 occurs in the
text the Keri has τὸ 2307 , for the sake
of euphemism. The latter word has
found its way into a great many MSS.
3. The Roman power was doomed in
its turn to destruction. Formidable as
it might appear, Jehovah would in his
providence overthrow it, as he had done
the enemies of his people in former ages.
Comp. Exod, xiv. 14, xv. 3, ete.
4, 5. These verses convey, in language
of the most beautiful poctical imagery,
the assurance of the effectual means ot
escape that should be provided for the
truly pious. We accordingly learn from
Eusebius, that on the breaking out of
the Jewish war, the Christian church at
Jerusalem, in obedience to the warning
of our Saviour, Matt. xxiv. 16, fled to
Pella, a city beyond Jordan, where they
lived in safety. As the mount of Olives
lay in their way, it is represented as
cleaving into two halves, in order to
make a passage for them. Comp. chap.
iv. 7. 5ππ is not to be considered as the
less usual form of the masculine plural,
but as a proper plural with the pronom-
inal affix. Jehovah calls them Ais, be-
cause he had formed them, by cleaving
Olivet into two. The valley lay between
them. xs was the proper name of a
place, close to one of the gates on the
east side of Jerusalem, to which the cleft
cr valley was to extend westward, so as
at once to admit those who should flee
from the enemy. Most commentators
think of some locality to the east of the
mount of Olives, but far less aptly. The
word properly signifies to join or be
Joined to, be at the side, near. Its prox-
imity to the city must have originated
the name. For ene31, ye shall flee, we
find the reading pre: » Shall be stopped
up, in four of De Rossi’s MSS. and in
Cuap. XIV.
For Jehovah my God shall come,
And all the holy ones with thee.
ZECHARIAH.
433
6 And it shall be in that day
That there shall not be the light of the precious orbs,
But condensed darkness.
7 But there shall be one day,
the margin of Bomberg’s Hebrew Bible;
but, though supported by the LXX.,
Arab., Targ., Symm., and the other
Greek interpreters, it is utterly to be re-
jected, as unsuited to the connection.
The very opposite of what would thus be
expressed, is required. Yet it is adopted
by Blayney and Boothroyd! We have
nothing in Scripture relative to the earth-
quake here referred to except as a date,
Amos i. 1. Instead of "122 , with thee,
nearly forty MSS, and all the versions
read $13, with him; and instead of
mun , the holy ones, one MS., the Syr.,
Arab., and Targ., read vnap , his holy
ones. ‘To refer 2», with the Rabbins,
Drusius, and Blayney, to Jerusalem, is
quite inadmissible, since such construc-
tion affords no tolerable sense. The
change of person was occasioned by a
sudden transition in the mind of the
prophet to the Lord, whom he addresses
as present. For the application of this
part of the prophecy, compare the par-
allel prediction of our Lord himself, Matt.
xxiv. 30, 31, where those whom Zecha-
riah designates p-ynp, holy ones, are
called τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ. That a fu-
ture personal and pre-millennial advent
of the Redeemer is here taught, I cannot
find.
6. Now follows the prediction of a
period of unmitigated calamity, which
may be regarded as comprehending the
long centuries of oppression, cruelty,
mockery, and scorn, to which the Jews
haye been subjected ever since the de-
struction of Jerusalem. It has also, for
the most part, been a period during which
the gross darkness of superstition and
delusion has reigned over the land of
their fathers. 4*NEpy méap> have been
δῦ
variously rendered and _ interpreted.
LXX. Pixos καὶ πάγος. Vulg. frigus et
gelu. Syr. 1 ἊΝ 5 EN WWI , cold
and ice. Thus also Maurer, and several
other moderns. But whatever connec-
tion there may be between the absence
of light and the production of cold and
ice in the depth of winter, the contrast
is not so natural as that between light
and darkness. Besides, nape cannot
with any show of truth be rendered cold.
It is an adjective plural from the root
"Eto be precious, valuable, costly. The
idea of cold rests upon no better author-
ity than a mere Rabbinical conjecture
embodied in the Keri of Prov. xvii. Die
which exhibits m5 =>, instead of "Pi
rian, the proper and only term suitable
in such connection. That nin? may
fitly be understood as designating the
celestial luminaries, whence we obtain
what, in common parlance, we call «the
precious light of heaven,” will appear on
comparing Job xxxi. 26, where the moon
is described as 545 “p>, walking pre-
ciously or splendidly across the heavens.
With Prof. Lee, (Heb. Lex. p. 533,) I
read r4h=p> =4x in construction, placing
the accent on the latter of the two words,
instead of retaining it over the former.
JiN=p properly signifies congetation, con-
densation, excessive density, from NED,
to draw together, contract, become thick,
dense, and the like. Blayney renders,
thick fog. The textual reading Ἴ" ΑΞ τ,
they shall withdraw themselves, is inferior
to that of the Keri πε 5", 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
454
(It is known to Jehovah),
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. XIV.
When it shall not be day and night ;
For at the time of the evening there shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day
That living waters shall proceed from Jerusalem,
Half of them to the Eastern sea,
And half of them to the Western sea;
In summer and in winter shall it be.
reckoned the best in the Soncin., Brix-
ian, and Complutensian editions, and in
Machzors of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. None of the ancient versions
employ a verb.
7. Another period is here predicted,
but one entirely different from the pre-
ceding —a day altogether unique, ἘΔ"
“πὶ , one peculiar day, the only one of
its kind. See Gesenius in thx, No. 5.
Its peculiarity is to consist in the absence
of the alternations of day and night.
It is to be all day—a period of entire
freedom from war, oppression and other
outward evils which induce affliction
and wretchedness, interrupt the peace of
the church, and prevent the ee of
truth and righteousness. Νὺξ yap οὐκ
ἔσται ἐκεῖ, Rev. xxii. 25. ΞΏΣΤΩΣ, 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 the very time
when a dark and gloomy day is expected
to give way to a night of still greater
darkness and obscurity, light shall sud-
denly break forth, the light of the one
long day, which is to be interrupted by
no night. ‘That this period is that of the
Millennium, or the thousand years, the
circumstances of which are described
Rev. xx. 3—7, i cannot entertain a
doubt. The time of its commencement
has been variously but fruitlessly caleu-
lated. The knowledge of it the Father
hath reserved in his own power. “It is
known to Jehovah,”’ and, by implication,
to him alone.
8. pwn etn, living, i. 6. running,
perennial, refreshing, and salubrious wa-
ter, in opposition to that which is stag-
nant and noxious. ‘s4o7pm Δ, the
Eastern sea, i. e. the Asphalltitic Lake;
and Vos p:, the Western sea, i. 6.
the Mediterranean ; so called because
when a person resident at Jerusalem
faces the East, which is the primary
point of the horizon with the Orientals,
the Dead Sea is before him, (*34777),
and the Mediterranean (πὸ) behind
him. The more important portions of
the globe lying to the east and west of
Jerusalem, there is an obvious propriety
in the selection of these two directions.
The declaration that these waters are to
flow a maa VP» is expressive of con-
stancy. They shall neither be dried up
by the heat of summer, nor congealed
by the frost of winter. The LXX. have
ἐν ϑέρει καὶ ἐν ἔαρι, “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 country 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
representing the means of spiritual life,
refreshment, and fertility —the doctrines
and ordinances of the gospel. The de-
scendants of Abraham, restored to their
own land, and become his children in the
faith, will go forth, full of zeal and spir-
itual activity, as missionaries to other na-
tions, to promote revivals in the churches
of Christ by rehearsing what great things
God hath done for them, and to carry on
the work of conversion among those na-
tions and tribes that shall not then have
been turned to the Lord,
Chix: XIV.
ZECHARIAH.
435
9 And Jehovah shall become king over all the earth;
In that day Jehovah alone shall be,
And his name alone.
10
And all the earth shall be changed
As 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 the gate of the corners ;
And from the tower of Hananeel
To the king’s wine-vats.
9. In consequence of the universal
spread of the Gospel, the multiplicity of
heathen gods will be swept away from
the face of the earth, the unity of Jeho-
vah universally acknowledged, and the
glorious harmony of those attributes
which constitute his one Divine charac-
ter (1a , Ais name) clearly discovered,
and heartily adored. According to the
ordinary mode of translating the words
“πὸ awa “πὰ nn mim?» chere shall
be one Lord and his name one, they may
seem clogged with little or no difficulty,
as the true God is thus set forth in oppo-
sition to the “gods many and lords
many’ of the heathen; but we have
only to introduce the incommunicable
name JeHovaH into the translation when
the greatest incongruity at once appears.
If we then render, there shall be one Je-
hovah, the conclusion is inevitable, that
previous to the predicted period, there
must have existed more Jehovahs than
one. Or, if we render, Jehovuh shall be
one, we make the passage teach either
that Jehovah was not one before, or, that
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 re-
moved, if smx_be taken adverbially, and
rendered onl; y, alone, or the like. And
thus I conceive it must be rendered in
the primary article of the inspired creed
of the Hebrews: tnx nin asntsnint,
Jenovan is our God, JpHovaH alone.
The doctrine, therefore, taught in the
present verse is simply that Jehovah shall
be the only existing object of religious
worship and obedience, and no charac-
teristics but his be any longer recognized
as divine.
10, 11. These verses intimate that
every obstruction shall be removed which
prevents the free and full flow of the
living waters throughout the world.
What is high shall be levelled, and what
is low shall be elevated.. This idea was
suggested by the natural impossibility of
water flowing in a westerly direction from
Jerusalem to the Mediterranean, owing
to the hilly country which intervenes.
In 35> we have a rather unusual sig-
nification of aad, to be turned, i. 6.
changed. The verb 55 is ordinarily
used to express what is here intended.
23, Geba, was a Levitical city in the
tribe of Benjamin, near to Gibeah, on
the northern border of the kingdom of
Judah. 4325 , Rimmon, was a town in
the tribe of Simeon, in the south of Pal-
estine, and to be distinguished from the
rock Rimmon, to the north-east of Mich-
mash. πϑ Στ, the Arabah, is the level
or plain of the Jordan, extending from
the lake of Tiberias to the Elanitic gulf, -
though in the present day this name is
only applied to that part of it which lies
490
11 And they shall dwell in her,
ZECHARIAH.
Cuap. XIV.
And there shall be no more curse,
And Jerusalem shall dwell in safety.
And this shall be the plague
With which Jehovah will plague all the people
That shall fight against Jerusalem ;
Their flesh shall consume away
While they stand upon their feet,
And their eyes shall consume away in their sockets,
And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall be in that day
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 plague οἵ the horses,
The mules, the camels, and the asses,
And all the cattle which shall be in those camps,
Shall be even as this plague.
16 And it shall be
to the south of the Dead Sea. The nom-
inative to mas4 and F397, isnot yasn,
but nds 3am, immediately Sreaeaini For
the orthography of 7281 , comp. Hos. x.
14, and other passages in which the x is
inserted as a mater lectionis. Great un-
certainty exists relative to the exact posi-
tion of some of the places here mentioned.
pan is used as in Mal. 111. 24, in the ac-
ceptation, curse, LXX. ἀνάϑεμα. Comp.
πᾶν κατανάϑεμα οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, Rev. xxii. 3.
There will be no more any civil or na-
tional punishments inflicted on account
of sin, these having been rendered unnec-
essary by the universal prevalence of
righteousness and truth.
12--15, The hostile powers whose pun-
ishment is here denounced are those which
shall form the great final confederacy.
Com. Is. lix. 18; Ezek. xxxviii., xxxix.;
Rey. xix. The representation of the
punishment is the most horrible that can
be imagined — a living skeleton, rapidly
wasting away! From what is stated
ver, 14, it appears that the Jews (n74=7,
Judah), shall not only defend themselves
at Jerusalem, but make ἃ successful
attack upon the enemy. 3 er>:, when
used in reference to place, signifies to
fight αὐ or in such place. LXX. παρ-
ατάξεται ἐν ᾿ἸἹερουσαλήμ. 72202 το
ΩΓ 52» Jud. v. 19. The collection of
the wealth of the surrounding nations,
refers to the gathering of the rich spoil
of the contingents furnished by them to
compose the hostile army. The entire
encampments of the enemy, including
the cavalry and beasts of burden, were
all to share in the awful catastrophe.
Whether God will employ the plague
and other destructive diseases for the
annihilation of the enemies of his peo-
ple, time must show. The genitive in
myn τ mam, is that of cause, a conster-
nation sent or produced by Jehovah.
16—18. πρὸ md ὑπὸ, lit. from the
Crap. XIV.
ZECHARIAH.
437
That the whole residue of all the nations
That shall come up against Jerusalem,
Shall go up from year to year
To worship the king, Jehovah of hosts,
And to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be that those who go not up
Of the families of the earth to Jerusalem,
sufficiency of a year in a year, i. e.
when time has fully satisfied the claims
of one year and enters upon another. It
is only an idiomatic mode of expressing
Jrom year to year, or annually. What
is here predicted is expressly restricted to
the particular nations which shall have
engaged in the last great attack upon
the Jews. And, though the language
of the following verse may appear to be
more general, yet the circumstances of
the context require the restriction to be
carried forward beyond the limits of the
present. Still, however, even with this
restriction, the prophecy cannot, without
manifest absurdity, be interpreted of the
totality of the inhabitants of the nations
in question. Let steam vessels and rail-
roads be multiplied to any imaginable
extent, the idea of the possibility of con-
veying such immense numbers to Pales-
tine cannot be entertained. Or, suppos-
ing them to have been conveyed thither,
few of them would after all have an
opportunity of worshipping at Jerusalem
during the short period allotted for the
Feast of Tabernacles. Not only would
the country be too small to contain their
encampments, and to furnish them with
necessary provisions, but the pressure,
noise, and bustle of the crowds would be
such as to destroy everything in the
shape of devotional propriety and enjoy-
ment. I cannot, therefore, but take the
meaning to be, that the nations in ques-
tion will go up to Jerusalem in the per-
sons of their representatives, just as in
former times the Jews resident in foreign
countries had those who went to the
annual festivals in their name, or on
their behalf. Why the Egyptians should
be specially introduced. ver. 18, it is diffi-
cult to determine, except it be, that as
their country is watered by the Nile, and
is not dependent for fertility upon rain
falling in the country itself, they might
be considered as exempt from the threat-
ened plague of drought. But, if the
rains fail in Ethiopia, it will in effect be
the same as if they fail in Egypt itself.
After the words t*m~>> xb4, the repe-
tition of ewan, the rain, from the end
of the preceding verse, is understood.
It is worthy of notice, that the Feast
of Tabernacles or Booths is the only one
of all the Jewish festivals which is rep-
resented in this prophecy as being ob-
served at the period therein specified.
No mention is made of the great day of
Atonement, the Passover, the Pentecost,
etc. These have all been superseded by
their fulfilment as types in the substan-
tial blessings of the Christian economy.
Their re-establishment would be a denial
of the reality or efficacy of their anti-
types. It may, however, be asked, Why
should the Feast of Tabernacles form an
exception? To this it may be replied,
first, that such a festival may be observed
without any compromise of the principles
of the New Dispensation. Secondly, it
may be considered as peculiarly adapted
to the retrospections of the converted
Jews, who will have to commemorate
the sojourn of their fathers, not merely
for forty years in the wilderness, but
their sojourn for two thousand years in
the countries of the dispersion. And
thirdly, it may serve as a striking me-
mento to them, that, 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
438
ZECHARIAH.
Cuar. XIV.
To worship the King, Jehovah of hosts,
Upon them there shall be no rain,
18 And if the family of Egypt should not go up, nor come,
Upon them also there shall be none ;
There shall be upon them the plague,
With which Jehovah shall plague the nations,
That will not go up
To celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
19
This shall be the punishment of Egypt,
And the punishment of all the nations
That will not go up
To celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
20
Hotness To JEHOVAH ;
In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses,
And the pots in the house of Jehovah
Shall be as the bowls before the altar.
point of view, believing Gentiles, who
may go up to the festival, can find no
difficulty in celebrating it with them to
their mutual edification. That the sac-
rifices which were offered at that feast,
or any other animal sacrifices, will then
be renewed, is a position, to maintain
which would be to counteract the express
design, and contradict the express decla-
rations of the dispensation of grace.
It may be said, that Ezekiel gives a
full description of the re-establishment
of the sacrificial system and of the whole
of the temple worship. Nothing can be
more certain. But when was this re-
establishment to take place? Any one
who will only cursorily examine the
commencement of the fortieth chapter
of that prophet will at once perceive,
that, though it follows immediately after
chapters relating to the destruction of
Gog and Magog, it was nevertheless de-
livered to the prophet not fewer than
thirteen years afterwards, and may,
therefore, naturally be expected to refer
to a subject altogether different. That
subject I conceive to be the restoration
of the temple and the temple worship
after the return from Babylon — a sub-
ject which cannot but have lain near
the heart of the exiles, and worthy to be
made the theme of prophecy, but which —
is nowhere else referred to in the book
of Ezekiel. Difficulty there may be in
making the measurements there given
agree with those specified by Josephus
as the dimensions of the second temple ;
but far greater difficulties attach to every
attempt to refer them to a temple still
future, or to view them as wholly em-
blematical. ἥ
19. ‘The connection shows that nye
is not here to be taken in the sense of
sin, but of the punishment of sin. Comp.
Lam. iii. 38, iv. 6.
20. The τὴ 5:2 were small metallic
plates, suspended from the necks or
heads of horses and camels, for the sake
of ornament, and making a tinkling
noise by striking against each other like
cymbals. Root t4=, to tingle, tinkle.
As the inscription τῆ το wip, Hotness
ro JEHOVAH, was the sacred symbol en-
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 own
land, there shall be no greater degree of
holiness attaching to what was formerly
accounted most sacred, than what will
attach to the ornamental trappings of
the horses. Devotion of person and
σιν Ἐ αν,
ZECHARIAH.
439
21 Yea every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah
Shall 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.
property to the service of God will be
the only holiness then recognized. Cere-
monial sanctity shall no longer exist.
The same thing is expressed in the sec-
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,
be upon a par with those which had
been destined for the most sacred pur-
pose, namely, the reception of the blood
of the sacrificial victims. All distinction
shall be done away.
21. The same idea is here more fully
carried out. Not only the common uten-
sils used by the priests, but those em-
ployed 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-
tered is to be boiled in the pots, and no
mention is made of the sprinkling of the
blood, it must be inferred that killing for
food, and not for sacrifice, is what the
prophet has in view. Considering what
stumbling-blocks a mercenary and covet-
ous 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
closes: ‘‘There shall no more be a Ca-
naanite in the house of Jehovah!” By
"2222, Canaanite, is meant a merchant ;
the Pheenicians, who inhabited the north-
ern part of Canaan, having been the
most celebrated merchants of antiquity.
See for this acceptation of the term, Job
xl. 30; Prov. xxxi. 24; Is, xxiii, 8. It
is here used metaphorically.
MAD AC
MAtacut (ΟΞ, Messenger), is the last of all the Hebrew prophets, but
we are left in profound ignorance respecting his personal history, and can
only judge of the circumstances of his times from what is contained in his
book. According to the tradition of the synagogue, he lived after the proph-
ets Haggai 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 written 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 Nehe-
-miah, 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. σ. 420. His book is composed of a series of spirited castigations, in
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 and people are unsparingly reprimanded, and
while they are threatened with divine judgments, encouragement is held out
to such as walked in the fear of the Lord. His predictions respecting John
the Baptist, the Messiah, and the destruction of the Jewish polity, are clear
and unequivocal.
Considering the late age in which he lived, the language of Malachi is
pure; his style possesses much in common with the old prophets, but is dis-
tinguished more by its animation, than by its rhythmus or grandeur.
CHAP TE Reis
WITH 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 re-
newed reprimand, and the denunciation of a curse upon those who practised deception
with respect to the offerings, 12—14.
1 Tue Sentence of Jehovah’s oracle to Israel by Malachi.
2 . Ihave loved you, saith Jehovah,
Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?
Was not Esau brother to Jacob? saith Jehovah,
Yet I loved Jacob,
1. For the formula nym "at xen,
see on Zech. ix. 1. That “yb . Mal-
achi, is the proper name of the prophet,
and not a mere official appellative, as the
LXX., Vitringa, and others, interpret,
may safely be inferred from the analogy
of the title with others prefixed to the
prophetical writings. As for the form
of the name, Vitringa, Hiller, Michaelis,
and Gesenius, take it to be compounded
of ΒΞ} and 7, of which they consider
5. to be a contraction, and accordingly
explain the name as meaning The Mes-
senger of Jehovah. To this, however, it
has been objected, that no examples of
an abbreviation of the Divine name to
this extent are to be found; and, there-
fore, it has been deemed more natural to
regard the » as the pronominal affix of
the first person singular, and to render,
My Messenger. This latter solution has
been adopted by Hengstenberg, who
labors in vain to establish a connection
between the name of the prophet, and
the same word as occurring in its official
signification, chap. ili, 1. The form ap-
pears to be really nothing more than an
instance of what Ewald calls “the last
and newest mode of deriving adjectives
from nouns,” and denoting origin or
source. Compare "739, "7%9, "ΓΙΌ »
"THD, "ES, “ban, etc. byqe7, Israel,
is here used to denote the whole of the
twelve tribes, which had returned to their
native land, Jer. 1. 4, 5, 19, 20.
2, 8, The sovereign benevolence of
Jehovah, and the ingratitude of the
Hebrews in the time of the prophet, are
strikingly contrasted. To the petulant
question, ‘Wherein hast thou loved
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 pro-
genitor Jacob, than he had done to his
brother Esau. The temporal advantages
of Palestine were vastly superior to those
of Idumea, which was comparatively a
sterile and desert country ; and the Jews
had, besides, experienced distinguished
favor in having been restored to their
land, and had prosperity conferred upon
them, while the Edomites, who had suf-
fered from the invasion of their country
by the Chaldeans, five years after the
capture of Jerusalem, had not been re-
stored. It is to the desolations occa-
sioned by this invasion that reference is
56
442
3 But I hated Esau,
MALACHI.
Cuap. I.
And made his mountains a desolation,
And his heritage abodes of the desert.
4 Because Edom saith, We are impoverished,
But we will rebuild 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.
5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say,
Let Jehovah be magnified, from the border of Israel.
6 Α βοὴ honoreth his father,
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 ?
made ver. 3. ws7w, ἐο hate, is here used
in a comparative sense, qualifying the
preceding verb ans, ἕο dove. As the
opposite of love is hatred, when there
is only an inferior degree of the former
exhibited, the object of it is regarded as
being hated rather than loved. See for
this idiom, Gen. xxix. 30, 31; Deut.
xxi. 15, 16; Prov. xiii. 24; Matt. vi.
24; Luke xiv. 26, compared with Matt.
x. 37. m4an is considered by some to
be the feminine of Ἐπ τὰ, and is rendered
. serpents, jackals, or the like; but it is
preferable to adopt the derivation from
the Arabic, (43, substitit, habitavit.
Hence 8.5, habitatio, mansio. By
the ‘habitations of the desert,” are
meant deserted, ruined dwellings, such
as are still found in great abundance in
Idumea. The phrase is parallel to my2:2'5
in the preceding hemistich, and corre-
sponds to the njaqn, waste places, or
ruins, ver. 4.
4, 5, Every attempt on the part of the
Idumeans to recover themselves, and en-
joy permanent prosperity, should prove
abortive, and their continually depressed
condition should afford additional proof
to the Israelites of the kindness of God
towards his own people. y2:, bound-*
ary, is here used in the sense of territory,
or the space marked out by the surround-
ing boundaries. Comp. Gen. x. 19;
Numb. xxi. 24. env ἘΞΑ dyn,
according to Rosenmiiller, Hitzig, Mau-
rer, and Ewald, means beyond the He-
brew territory, — construing the words
with 53.35, but it seems more natural to
connect them with ymin ems. Ye
who dwell upon the land of Israel shall
say from the locality you occupy, and to
which, through Divine goodness, ye have
been restored, Jehovah be magnified.
The 4 prefixed to $322, adds nothing to
the force of the preceding preposition.
See Gesen. in ἘΣ.
6. Upon the fact of the respect usually
shown by inferiors to their superiors, Je-
hovah had a right to expect that honor
and reverence which corresponded to the
high position which he occupied as Au-
thor and Moral Governor of the universe.
These having, however, been withheld,
Cuap. I.
MALACHI.
443
7 In offering polluted bread upon my altar ;
But ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee ?
In your saying,
The table of Jehovah is contemptible.
8 When ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?
And when ye offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil?
Present it now to thy governor ;
Will he be satisfied with thee,
Or accept thy person? 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.
10
Who is there even among you that would shut the doors?
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 offering ;
chiefly owing to the irreligious and pro-
fane conduct of the priests, the charge is
ἢ principally laid against them.
7. That on, dread, or food, is here to
be taken as the Arab.
sense of animal flesh, is obvious, from its
being presented on the p17, altar of
sacrifice, to which also the 475 nbs, table,
must be referred, and not to the table
of shew-bread. Contempt of sacred
things involves contempt of Him to
whom they appertain.
8. Another argumentum ad hominem.
The priests had the effrontery to present
to Jehovah what they would not have
dared to offer to their civil governor.
To offer animals with any blemish, was
expressly prohibited in the law. Levy.
xxii. 22, 24; Deut. xv. 21.
9. How much soever the words -n31
aspies Saemase NIT, may at first
sight appear to contain a serious exhorta-
tion to the priests to repent of their
wicked conduct, and to pray for the Di-
vine favor to themselves and the people,
yet the connection requires them to be
, caro, in the
understood ironically. No prayers or
supplications of theirs could avail any-
thing while they presented such unlaw-
ful sacrifices. This is expressly declared
in the form of a pointed interrogation at
the close of the verse. 6°25 ἘΞῚ2 8t17
is a more emphatic form, instead of
ἘΞῚΞΞ Sen.
10, 11. The rendering of the LXX.,
adopted by Newcome, “Surely the doors
shall be closed against you,’”’ cannot be
admitted. The authority for the change ,
of 2, who, into >, surely, is of no
weight ; and the verb 436 is never con-
strued with 2, in order to express the
idea of exclusion. Such was the avari-
cious disposition of the priests, that they
would not perform even the most trivial
services without payment. How could
such expect to be acceptable to God?
These verses contain an explicit predic-
tion of the rejection of the Jewish wor-
ship, and of the reception of the Gen-
tiles to perform spiritual worship in the
Church of the Lord. His name, which
the priests had treated with contempt,
444
For my name shall be great among the nations,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
MALACHI.
Cuap. IL
But ye have profaned it by your saying,
The table of Jehovah is polluted,
And its fruit, even his food, is contemptible.
13
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 flock,
And voweth, and sacrificeth to Jehovah that which is corrupt ;
For 1 am a great king, saith Jehovah of hosts,
And my name shall be feared among the nations.
ver. 6, should receive universal homage
among the nations that had been addicted
to idolatry, and who were now the ob-
jects of abomination on the part of the
Jews. The sacrificial terms are transfer-
red from their original application to
ceremonial objects and acts, to such as
are spiritual, agreeably to the nature of
the new economy. Comp. John iv.
20—24; Heb. xiii. 10, 15, 16; 1 Pet. 11.
5. All that Hitzig can discover in these
verses is, that God was worshipped by all
nations, under the different names of
Jehovah, Ormuzd, Zeus, etc. !! !
12—14. A renewal of the charge
against the priests, nearly in the same
words, my>rv is an abbreviated om
for nxn ma. Comp. τι, Exod. iv. 2
ἘΞ, Ts. iii. 15. anh, ἐξ, after BME A.
refers to 4+ =x in the preceding verse, and
is not to be “changed into "nix, me, as
proposed in the Tikkune Sopherim. The
ἡ in ΠΌΞ ΠΤ ΓΝ is omitted in ninety-
three MSS., in seven printed editions,
and in all the versions except the Syriac.
Though it is not said that the sno,
meat offering, consisted of inferior in-
gredients, yet it is either implied, or the
idea is intended to be conveyed, that the
presentation of the other sacrifices ren-
dered this, however pure in itself, unac-
ceptable to God. MHitzig and Maurer
regard mn to be a contraction of the
feminine Ann 1005 but I should oe
think it ought to be pointed nnwr,
in Lev. xxii. 25, where it occurs, in yt
plication to the same subject, in the mas-
culine gender. Many MSS. and some
of the early editions read -4n>% instead
of *34x%, which has no doubt been sub-
stituted for it by some superstitious Jew-
ish scribe,
CHAPTER TT.
TuE prophet continues to urge 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 obliga-
tions of the priestly office, are then brought forward, with which to contrast the base-
Cuap. II.
MALACHI.
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
diyorce, and marriage with foreign women, and severely reproyes the priests for the evil]
example which they had set in this respect, 10—16.
immoral doctrine, 17.
They are finally charged with teaching
1 AnD now, unto you is this charge, O ye priests!
2 If ye will not hearken, nor lay it to heart,
To give glory to my name, saith Jehovah of hosts ;
I will send the curse among you, and will curse your blessing,
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 upon your faces,
The dung of your festivals ;
And ye shall be taken away with it.
4 And ye shall know 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.
2. mxton is emphatic, and doubtless
has reference to Deut. xxvii. 15, etc.
The feminine suffix in m*n4nx is to be
taken distributively, with reference to
the mi>52 , dlessings, immediately pre-
ceding.
Ὡς The Sin n=> is that of the Dati-
vus incommodi, * to your detriment or
disadvantage.” yy, seed, is not to be
changed into 3477, and rendered shoul-
der, as Houbigant 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. bs in by has
the signification of with, together with,
as in Lam. iii.41. Such usage, however,
israre. svi is to be taken imperson-
ally.
4. »πὸ, to know, has here the signi-
fication, to know by experience, to feel
the consequences of transgression. From
the words which follow, we must infer
that knowledge issuing in reformation of
conduct is meant. On no other condi-
tion could the Levitical covenant con-
tinue in force.
5. In this and the following verses the
prophet forcibly contrasts with the base
and unworthy conduct of the priests, the
noble character of their progenitor, with
whom officially Jehovah had entered into
covenant. The reference, howeyer, is
not to Levi personally, but to Phinehas,
Numb. xxy. 12, 13, where we have an
account of this covenant, there called
city sn4Aa, my covenant of peace, and
ἘΞῈΡ rans n-72, the covenant of an
everlasting priesthood. Both ideas are
expressed in the present verse, and the
meaning is, that the covenant was secured
in perpetuity. Before 59 πὸ ovnn
the word Ὁ" m3 is understood from th?
440
MALACHI.
Cuap. II.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth;
No iniquity was found in his lips;
He walked with me in peace and uprightness,
And turned many from iniquity.
7 For the lips of the priest should preserve knowledge,
And men should seek the law at his mouth,
For he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.
8 But, as for you, ye 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
the people ;
Forasmuch as ye have not observed my ways,
And have acted partially in the law.
10
preceding. sh, fear or reverence, is
here the accusative absolute. mp is the
Niphal of rnn , ¢o be terrified, dismayed.
This verb is here purposely employed to
express the extraordinary degree of pro-
found and holy awe with which Phine-
has was inspired when zealously vindi-
cating the honor of Jehovah.
6, 7. A comprehensive and beautiful
description of the character and spiritual
duties of Phinehas, which ought to have
been realized in the persons and minis-
trations of all his successorssin office, and
which suggests topics of the most serious
self-examination to all who engage in
the work of the Christian ministry. The
higher and more important functions of
the sacerdotal office are here recognized,
to the exclusion of such as were merely
ceremonial. These the priests in the
days of Malachi had neglected, while
they discharged the latter in a perfunc-
tory and niggardly manner. That m>4n
is not here to be rendered doctrine, but is
to be taken in its appropriated sense of
law, appears from the use of the term in
the two following verses. =+» is in the
accusative case, with which xxv, as in
other instances of passive verbs, does not
agree in number. See Gesen. Gram. ᾧ
140, 1b. The priests were the ordinary
Have we not all one Father?
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 5x51 , a messenger, or
interpreter of the Divine will.
8. The character of the priests whom
Malachi was sent to reprove was the
very reverse of that exhibited by Phi-
nehas. Not only did they violate the
law themselves, but, as is universally the
case, induced others by their bad exam-
ple to violate it likewise. They thus
forfeited all right to the sacerdotal im-
munities of the Levitical covenant.
9. "2n“pa is strikingly antithetical
to pms at the beginning of ver. 8. The
priests are here threatened with a retri-
bution corresponding to their base and
contemptible character, an additional and
aggravating feature of which is added,
viz. partiality in the decisions which they
gave on points of law. Instead of pen,
the people, twenty-three MSS., and a few
printed editions, the LXX., Targ., Arab.,
and Hexapl. Syr., read Ὁ ὩΣ τιν the peo~
ples or nations, but much less appropri-
ately.
10. The prophet now proceeds to ad-
minister reproof to the people, and espec-
ially to the priests, for their flagrant
Cuap. II. MALA
Hath not one God created us?
Cli. 417
Wherefore do we act unfaithfully one to another,
Profaning the covenant of our
Judah hath acted unfaithfully ;
And an abominable thing hath
salem ;
11
fathers ?
been done in Israel and in Jeru-
For Judah hath profaned that which was holy to Jehovah,
That which he loved,
And hath married the daughter of a strange god.
12
Jehovah will cut off the man that doeth this,
Him that watcheth, and him that answereth,
From the tents of Jacob,
And him that presenteth an offering to Jehovah of hosts.
violation of the law, which prohibited in-
termarriages with foreigners. See Exod.
xxxiv. 16; Deut. vii. 8. For the his-
torical account of this violation, see Ezra
ix. 1, 2; Neh. xiii. 23—31. That by
“MIN as, one Father, we are to under-
stand Jehovah, and not Abraham, or
Jacob, as some have supposed, is ΤΈΡΕΝ
mined by the force of the parallelism,
in which we have the corresponding and
elucidatory phrase tmx bs, 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 un-
justly by their Maker. But, in addition
to this, they broke the covenant made
with their fathers, which interdicted such
practices. ns , brother, is not here to be
pressed, as if reference were had to the
father of the female who had been re-
pudiated. VMSA ON is the usual idiom,
one against another. Comp. 1 Thess. iv.
6. 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
them the privilege of immortality, but
the Jews universally to this day give
thanks every morning — the man, that
God has not made him a woman; and
_the woman, that God has made her
ἘΣ.» according to his pleasure.
11. The nominative to mia is VU»
understood in πππι5 πὸ. By mai UIDs
the holiness of Jehovah, is meant the
people of the Hebrews, who were sep-
arated to be a people devoted to his ser-
vice. Comp. ¥1>m yay, the holy seed,
Ezra ix. 2; and oe κοῦ 9}, Ts-
rael is holiness, i. 6. holy to Jehovah,
Jer. ii. 8. For ams svi comp. Ps. xlvii.
5. The daughter of a strange god”
means an idolatress, a female addicted to
the worship of a false deity.
12. πο ϑ 99 has been variously ren<
dered. The LXX. mistaking >» for =>,
have ἕως καὶ Tarewwdt. Vulg. magis=
trum et discipulum. ‘arg. δον "2443,
TL σι Vv
son and son’s son. Syt. j-mdso δὶ ἐξ ο
σι;.2. both his son and his son’s son.
Thus also Abarbanel, Sachs, Ewald, and
others. The phrase is obviously, from
its very form, like 9527992, DNTP AIST,
proverbial, and has its parallel i in the Ara-
bic ust Jy clo Lee ums»
There is not in the ἕω a caller, nor is
there aresponder, Life of Timur, quoted
by Gesenius in his Thesaur. p. 1004.
Turkish, alge 9 ὁ 2} re
448
MALACHI.
Cuap. IL
13 And this ye have done a second time,
Covering the altar of Jehovah with tears,
With weeping and groaning,
So that there is no longer any regard paid to the offering,
Nor is it favorably received at your hand,
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore?
Because Jehovah was witness
Between thee and the wife of thy youth;
To whom thou hast acted unfaithfully,
Though she was thy companion and covenanted wife.
Yet did he not make one?
Though he had the residue of the spirit ;
And why the one?
That he might seek a godly seed ;
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That none act unfaithfully to the wife of his youth.
»ελοί, both the watcher, and the an-
swerer. The meaning is, that none should
be left alive; all should be cut off. Ge-
senius thinks that the reference is prob-
ably to the Levites who kept watch in
the temple by night, and who called and
responded to each other at certain inter-
vals; but the mention that is made of
«the tents of Jacob” immediately after,
shows that the words are not to be thus
restricted. -y is the participle of 1,
to wake, be awake.
13. m2¥ is to be taken strictly in the
sense of a second time. Measures had
been adopted to cure the evil in the time
of Ezra, chap. ix. x.; but the Jews had
relapsed into the same sin of marrying
foreign wives in that of Nehemiah, and
it is this latter which the prophet here
reproves. Neh. xiii. 23—31. The lan-
guage implies an aggravation of the
offence. The crying and weeping were
those of the Jewish wives who had been
repudiated by their husbands.
14. The legitimate marriages had been
contracted with special appeal to Jehovah
as witness of the transaction. The phrase
953 ngs, the wife of thy youth, has
reterene to the early marriages among
the Hebrews. In Poland, at the pres-
ent day, they marry at the age of thir-
teen and fourteen, and the females still
younger.
15, 16. Michaelis, Hitzig, Maurer, and
Hengstenberg, concur in the opinion ex-
pressed in the Targum, and adopted by
most of the Rabbins, that by sms, one,
and "Nn > the one, Abraham is intend-
ed; and maintain, that what is here
stated, was designed to repel an objection
raised by the priests, viz., that Abraham
took an Egyptian female in addition to
Sarah. The prophet, according to them,
admits the fact, but denies the conse-
quence, by showing that Abraham still
retained the Spirit of God, because his
object in contracting this alliance was to
obtain the seed which God had promised
him, and not to gratify carnal passion,
to which the evil here condemned was to
be traced. Ewald refers tmx, one, to
God, considering the term to be used
here in the same sense as in ver. 10, but
fails in giving a satisfactory explanation
of the passage. Nor does the other in-
terpretation at all do justice to its claims ;
so that we are shut up to the conclusion,
that by thn , the one, we are to under-
stand “Hy Twa, the one flesh, or conju-
Cuap. III.
MeAniInA CRTs
449
16 For I hate divorce, 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 act not unfaithfully.
17
Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words,
Yet ye 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 ;
Or, Where is the God of justice ?
gal body into which the first couple were
formed, Gen, ii. Instead of forming only
two into one, the Creator might have
given to Adam many wives. There was
no lack of spiritual existence from which
to furnish them with intelligent souls.
When he gave to Eve such an existence,
he did not exhaust the immense fountain
of being. There remained all with which
the human race hath been furnished
throughout its generations. What, then,
the prophet asks, was the design of the
restriction ὃ to this he replies, the secur- *
ing of a pious offspring. Divorces and
polygamy have ever been unfavorable to
the education of children. It is only by
the harmonious and loving attention be-
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
idolatrous wives. In such a connection
there was everything to counteract and
destroy the interests of piety.
16. x» should be pointed δ", with
the personal pronoun *38 understood.
By wand, garment, it is now generally
admitted we are to understand the wife,
who had the most glaring injustice done
to her by giving her a divorce, or by
taking one or more in addition to her.
Thus the Arab. , texit, induit ;
yeu, vestimentum, * conjux tum mu-
lier viri, tum vir mulieris, quod sibi invi-
cem pro tegumento sunt.” Freytag. Ac-
« cordingly we read in the Koran, Sur.
183, respecting the wives : ee p>
urd wus pitt, as, they are
your garment, and you are theirs. In
the ecclesiastical language of the East,
matrimony was called τὸ ϑνητὸν καὶ δου-
λικὸν ἱμάτιον.
17. The old objection taken against
the providence of God from the afflic-
tions of the righteous, and the prosperity
of the wicked.
CHAPTERIII.
THs 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 de-
lightful 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, 2—6. The people are then reproved
for haying withheld the legal tithes and offerings, and are promised a profusion of bless-
ings in case of repentance, 7—12. To the infidel objection that there is no utility in relig-
57
450
MALACHY.
Cuap. III:
ion, seeing the wicked prosper, while the godly are oppressed, the prophet replies by
pointing to the day of retribution, when all should be treated according to their charac-
ter, which would then be fully disclosed, 18—18.
1 Benotp! I will send my messenger,
And he shall prepare the way before me,
And suddenly there shall come to his temple
The Lord whom ye seek,
1. That by *=sd:2, my messenger, we
are to understand John the Baptist, is
placed beyond dispute by the appro-
priation of the words of the prophecy
to him, Mark i. 1. Comp. Is. xl. 3.
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
of the messenger chiefly concentrates in
John. Not one of his five reasons is at
all satisfactory. The office of this mes-
senger is described as preparing the way
for the Messiah. The language is bor-
rowed from the custom of sending pio-
neers before an Eastern monarch, to cut
through rocks, and forests, and remove
every impediment that might obstruct
his course, 725, which in Kal is never
transitive, signifies in Piel to clear, clear
away, put in order, prepare. This John
did by preaching repentance, and an-
nouncing the near approach of the king-
dom of God. Comp. chap. iv. 5. In
this prophecy of the Messiah are three
palpable and incontrovertible proofs of
his divinity. First, he is identified with
Jehovah: ‘he shall prepare the way be-
fore ME’? — “saith Jehovah.’ Second-
ly, He is represented as the Proprietor
of the temple. Thirdly, He is charac-
terized as ἽΛΝΤΙ» Tue Sovereicn, a
title nowhere given in this form to any
except Jehovah. In its anarthrous state
the noun ἡ πὸ is applicable to any
owner, possessor, or ruler, and it is ap-
plied in the construct state to Jehovah as
yrs be jis, the Possessor of the
*
whole earth, Josh. iii. 11, 13 ; but when
it takes the article, as here, it is used
κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν, and exclusively of the Di-
vine Being. See Exod. xxiii. 17, xxxiv.
23.) Is. 1s 24, iis 1) Xe L650 do. oxen eins
See Dr. J. Pye Smith’s Messiah, vol. i.
pp. 442-444. Abenezra thus explains
the term, and identifies the Sovereign
Lord with the Angel spoken of immedi-
ately after: Gud sin 255 Sn PANT
Sipp crum "5 minon, The Lord is both
the Divine Majesty, and the Angel of the
Covenant, for the sentence is doubled. It
is likewise admitted in Mashmiah Je-
shua, fol. 76, 75% $9 raNm wibd ATES
rowan, The Lord may be explained of
the King Messiah ; and Kimchi not only,
with Abenezra, identifies the Lord and
the Angel, but applies both to the Mes-
siah: sam) Rowan 5 sin ΤΙΝ
menan Nt, The Lord is the King
Messiah, he is also the Angel of the Cov-
enant; though, in order to elude the
Christian application of the passage, he
suggests another interpretation, accord-
ing to which Elijah is meant. It has
been questioned, whether the phrase
mean yb, the Messenger of the Cov-
hci is to be viewed retrospectively or
prospectively ; in other words, whether
it be the Old or the New Covenant to
which reference is made. Considering
the fact, that in such parallel forms as
nai nimaid, the tables of the covenant,
nm 437 jams, the ark of the covenant,
niq371 "00, the book of the covenant,
nasn Ἐπ, the blood of the covenant,
etc., the ancient dispensation which Je-
παρ. ΠΙ.
ΜΡΆΒΙ ΟΣ
Even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom ye delight,
Behold! he shall come, saith Jehovah of hosts.
2 But who may endure the day of his coming?
And who may stand when he appeareth ?
For he is like the fire of the refiner,
And like the soap of the fullers ;
3 And he shall sit, refining and purifying the silver ;
He shall purify the sons of Levi,
And refine them like gold and like silver,
That they may present to Jehovah an offering in righteousness,
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Be pleasing to Jehovah,
hovah granted to the Hebrews at Sinai
is intended, it would seem natural to in-
fer that n-727 ἢ ΝΞ 15 to be understood
in the same way. This view of the sub-
ject would seem to be corroborated by
the circumstances, that a 4x51, Angel
or Messenger, who is said to possess the
Divine name, ὃ. 6. whatever is distinctive
of Deity, is frequently spoken of under
that economy; that He is represented
as leading the Israelites out of Egypt,
giving them the law, and superintend-
ing the whole of the theocracy. All the
theophanies or manifestations of the in-
visible Deity were made in his Person.
He was the proper nuncius sent to reveal
the will of the Father. Moses was only
a ϑεράπων, 729, or servant employed by
him, while he was God manifested in
glory. I can put no other consistent
construction upon such passages as the
following: Gen. xlviii. 15, 16; Exod.
iii, 2—15, xxii. 20, 21; Is. Ixiii. 9;
Zech. i. ii. iii. vi.; Acts vii. 38; Heb.
xi. 26, xii. 26. In strict consistency
with the representations of Scripture,
therefore, the Messiah may be called the
Messenger of that ancient economy of
which he was the Founder and Head.
Most interpreters, however, understand
the New Covenant, or the dispensation
of grace, with special reference to Heb.
ix. 15, where our Saviour is called δια-
ϑήκης καινῆς μεσίτης, the Mediator of the
New Covenant ; among others, Grotius,
Rosenmiiller, and Gesenius. The Jews
may be said to have sought 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
enjoy a profusion of temporal blessings.
When it is declared that he should come
* suddenly” to his temple, it is not im-
plied that he was to come in or near the
times of the prophet, but merely that
his coming would be sudden and unex-
pected in the circumstances under which
it took place.
2—4, Employing a strong metallurgic
metaphor, the prophet shows that the
Covenant Messenger would be very dif-
ferent from that which the carnal Jews
expected. Instead of flattering their
prejudices, and gratifying their wishes,
he would, by his pure and heart-search-
ing doctrines, subject their principles and
conduct to the severest test. Those of
the priests should be specially tried. The
object he was to have in view in this
trial, was their purification, that they
might serve him in righteousness. Matt.
ili. 12; John xy. 8. And such was the
result with respect to many of them.
“A great 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 respecting it in
452
As in the days of old,
And as in the former years.
MALACHI.
Cuap. III.
5 But I will draw nigh to you for judgment,
And 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 as to his right,
And fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
6 Because I am Jehovah, I change not ;
Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers
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 ?
8 Will a man defraud God?
Yet ye have defrauded me.
But ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee?
In the tithes and the oblations.
9 Ye are cursed with the curse ;
For ye —the whole nation — have defrauded me.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
the Acts. ‘The religious, services of the
churches composed of Jewish converts in
Jerusalem and throughout Judea, are
represented as peculiarly well-pleasing to
God. For the meaning of τι Γ13}2 , offer-
ing, as here used, comp. chap. i. 10, 11.
5. Malachi here returns to his own
times, and threatens his ungodly con-
temporaries with divine judgment, speed -
ily to be executed upon them. Magic
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, we learn from
the Evangelists and Josephus. The
prophet traces them all back to their
true source — absence of the fear of God.
\ After exyavaa;, the phrase "oda is
‘found in nineteen MSS, in some printed
editions, and in the LXX., Syr., Hexapl.,
and Arab,
6. As the incommunicable name τῆ τι"
Jenovan, implies a futurity of reference
with respect to the communication of
blessings (see on Hos. xii. 5), the Divine
immutability secured the preservation of
the Jewish people from destruction, not-
withstanding their flagrant wickedness,
till he had accomplished all his purposes
of mercy.
7. The in x" is prosthetic, with
somewhat of its temporal signification.
There was still mercy in store for the
Jews, if they only would repent.
8. yap, Which occurs only in our
prophet, and in Prov. xxii. 23, signifies
to cover, do anything covertly, defraud.
Comp. the Arab. raced , retrahit, at:
occultus.
9. Comp. chap. ii. 2.
10. "πο ΞτοΣ, usgue ad defectum
Cuap. III.
MALACHI.
453
That there may be meat in my house,
And try me now with this, saith J ehovah of hosts,
Whether I will not open for you the windows of heaven,
And pour out a blessing for you,
Till there shall be a superabundance.
11
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake,
And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground ;
Neither shall your vine in the field be unfruitful,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
12
And all the nations shall pronounce you happy,
For ye shall be a delightful land,
Saith Jehovah of hosts.
19
Your words against me have been hard, saith Jehovah ;
But ye say, What have we spoken against thee ?
Ye have said:
It is vain to serve God;
14
And what profit is it that we keep his ordinance,
And that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of hosts?
For now we pronounce the proud happy ;
They also that work wickedness are built up ;
They eyen tempt God, yet they are delivered.
16
Then they that feared Jehovah
Conversed one with another ;
And Jehovah hearkened, and heard,
sufficientia, i.e. not as Gesenius explains
it, till my abundance be exhausted,
which being impossible, the phrase is
equivalent to, forever, without end; but
where sufficiency can have no more
place, more than sufficient, superabund-
antly. To this effect Jerome, Winer,
De Wette, Hitzig, and Maurer.
11. By the ts, devourer, noxious
animals and insects are meant, especially
the locusts. ἘΞ properly signifies ¢o
cause abortion, render childless, and met-
aphorically, to make barren or unfruit-
ful, when spoken of trees.
13—15. pin signifies to bind fast,
make firm, and, in a bad sense, to be
hard, obstinate, or the like. Such was
the language of the Jews against Jeho-
yah. Comp. Jude 15, περὶ πάντων τῶν
σκληρῶν ὧν ἐλάλησαν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ. Some
awful specimens of their hard speeches
are here exhibited, in which the usual
objection against the rectitude of Provi-
dence is dressed up in some of its more
taking forms. Comp. Job xxi. 14, 15;
Ps. Ixxiii. 1—14. 4r12 is here used like
πὸ in the bad sense of tempting, or
braving the Most High by presumptuous
speeches and conduct. The walking
mournfully has reference to their going
about in sackcloth and ashes, pretending
to sorrow on account of theirsins. =17,
to be dirty, to go about in filthy gar-
ments, like persons who mourn; such
being universally the custom in the East.
16. ts, then, specially marks the time
in which the impious conversations were
being held. Here ;-273 beautifully con-
trasts with the same term in the thir-
teenth verse. The verb is in Niphal, to
45:1
MALACHI.
Cuar. III.
And a book of remembrance was written before him,
For those that feared Jehovah,
And thought upon his name.
Wy,
hosts,
And they shall be a peculiar treasure to me, saith Jehovah of
In the day which I have appointed ;
And I will be kind to them
As a father is kind to his son who serveth him.
18
Then shall ye again perceive the difference
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between him that serveth God,
And him that serveth him not.
express the reciprocal or conversational
character of the language. As the un-
godly did not confine their hard speeches
to the mere utterance of them to such
individuals as they might happen to
meet, but made their infidel objections
the subject of mutual discussion, so the
pious are here represented as holding
mutual converse respecting the interests
of truth and godliness. “It does not ap-
pear that Niphal ever has the frequenta-
tive signification, expressed in our com-
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 any
who have rendered service to the king,
with an account of the nature of such
service. See Esther vi. 1, 2.
Wf. 7230 is to be construed with ἡ" πὸ
$, and Ἐ Ὁ» is connected by means of
“gs with ἘΝ. The phrase ἢ" mv
to make a day, which occurs chap. iv. ὁ;
Ps. exviii. 24, means to γα, ordain, ap-
point, such a period for the execution of
a special purpose. =>: "Ὁ , signifies pri-
vate, special, or peculiar property. bao ὴ
like the kindred root "πλῷ, has the pri-
mary signification of shutting up, closing,
and then, secondarily, that of getting, or
acquiring, what is shut up, in order to
its being carefully preserved. Hence the
idea of what is peculiarly valuable or
precious. ‘The term is applied to the
people of Israel, Exod. xix. 5; Deut.
vii. 6, xiv. 2,xxvi. 18. It is used of the
choice treasure of kings, etc., Eccles. ii.
8. Itis expressive of the high estima-
tion in which God holds his people, and,
in this connection, of their perfect safety
in the day of judgment.
18. 3y¥ is used idiomatically in con-
nection with mx to express the repeti-
tion of the action, the idea of which is
conveyed by the latter verb. Notwith-
standing the charge brought by the
wicked against the ππ ἢ ΤΩΣ of God,
as if he treated all alike, the righteous
had already had opportunities of perceiv-
ing from observation and experience, that
the position was false, viewed in applica-
tion to the entire state and circumstan-
ces of the different characters; but they
should have another and most convinc-
ing proof in the salvation of all who
loved and feared the Lord, and in the
overthrow and destruction of his ene-
mies,
Cuap. IV.
CHAPTER
MALACHI.
425
rv,
Most editions of the Hebrew Bible, and most of the MSS., exhibit this concluding portion
of the book as a continuation of the third chapter.
blank space before it, and several editions make a separate chapter of it.
Not a few MSS., however, leave a
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 lumi-
nous prophecy of the Messiah, and the prosperity of his people, 2, 8; 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.
1 For, behold! the day cometh, it shall burn as an oven,
And all the proud, and every one that doeth wickedly, shall be
stubble,
And the day that cometh shall burn them up,
Saith Jehovah of hosts;
That it may not leave them either root or branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name,
The Sun of righteousness shall arise,
1, Instead of ποθ mex, nearly
eighty MSS., the most ancient and sev-
eral other editions, the Babylon, Talmud,
the LXX., Syr., and Targ., read zy
mewn in the plural. The phrase 343
35. , root or branch, is proverbial, and
signifies any, the least remnant. The
persons referred to were to be consigned
to utter destruction. The Targhum has
52.522 73, 807) ΟΥ̓ son’s son.
2. The term 725, Sun, is metaphor-
ically applied to God, Ps. Ixxxiv. 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.
xxiii. 4;
SAV=NIT WES NSA,
*«©And as the morning light he shall
arise — ἃ Sun.”
In the present verse there can be no
doubt with respect to the application.
Our Lord is elsewhere called 4s , Light,
which in Hebrew poetry is used of the
sun, as the source of light. See Is. ix.
1, xlix. 6; John i. 9, viii. 12. What
the sun is to the natural world, that the
Messiah is to the moral. The invaluable
spiritual blessings which he dispenses are
. all comprehended under the two heads
here specified — righteousness and moral
health. Comp. Is. lvii. 19. Both of
these are indispensably requisite to the
happiness of our guilty and depraved
race, and from no other quarter can they
be obtained, than from Him, “who of
God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and re-
demption.” 1 Cor, i. 30. By “wings”
we are to understand the beams of the
sun, on account of the velocity and ex-
pansion with which they spread over the
456
MALACHI.
Cuar. IV.
And there shall be healing in his wings;
And ye shall go forth and leap as calves of the stall.
3 And 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,
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant,
Which I gave him in charge in Horeb for all Israel,
The statutes and the judgments.
δ Behold! I will send to you Elijah the prophet,
earth. Comp. Ps. exxxix. 9. Those for
whose immediate benefit the Sun of
righteousness was to arise, were such as
“feared the name” of Jehovah — like
Simeon, who was δίκαιος καὶ εὐλαβὴς,
sighteous and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel. Lukeii. 25. Ἀπ,
to go forth, is here used in the sense of
escaping from the judgment to be in-
flicted upon the unbelieving part of the
Jewish nation. This the Jewish Chris-
tians did when they left Jerusalem, and
proceeded to Pella, where they were pre-
served in safety. wn, signifies to spread,
take α wide range, and is used of the
proud prancing of horses, and as here of
the leaping and sporting of calves. The
simile is designed to convey the ideas of
freedom from outward restraint, and the
enjoyment of self-conscious hilarity.
3. This verse expresses the depressed
condition to which the Jews were to be
reduced after the destruction of their
polity, contrasted with the prosperous
condition of those who embraced Chris-
tianity, and who were no longer subject
to oppression on the part of their unbe-
lieving brethren.
4, As the Jaw and the prophets were
to remain in force till the appearance of
John the Baptist, no prophet intervening
after Malachi to make any further com-
munications 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 the Old
Economy may be inferred, not only from
the nature of the injunction here given,
especially as taken in connection with
the promise of a new messenger in the
following verse, but also from Ecclesias-
ticus xlix. 10, where, after mentioning
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the author closes
with τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν, the twelve
prophets, as the last in the category.
5. The coherence of this verse with
the first clause of chap. iii. is too palpa-
able to be overlooked. Accordingly, the
Jews in the time of Jerome. interpreted
the messenger of Jehovah there predic-
ted, of Elijah the Tishbite, as they ex-
plain the present verse to this day, be-
lieving, that as the ancient prophet as-
cended into heaven both as to body and
soul, he is destined to reappear in the
same upon earth before the advent of
Messiah the Son of David. That Elijah
here presented to view is to be understood
ideally and not historically, and that the
individual personally intended is John
the Baptist, are positions the certainty
of which is rendered indubitable by the
repeated declarations of our Lord. When
John denied that he was Elias, John i.
21, he is to be understood as making the
denial in reference to the personal sense
of the term as employed in the question
that had been proposed to him. The
historical theory is entirely set aside by
the express testimony of the angel, Luke
i. 17, according to which all that is meant
by Malachi is, that the forerunner of the
Messiah was to come ‘in the spirit and
power of Elias.” Like that prophet, he
was to be endowed with extraordinsry
Cuapr. IV.
MALACHI.
457
Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
power and energy, to fit him for the great
work of reformation which his ministry
was designed to effect. Adverting to the
erroneous Jewish notion, which even then
obtained, relative to the appearance of
Elijah in person, our Lord says of John,
«If ye will receive it, αὐτὸς ἐστιν "HAlas
ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσϑαι, he is Elias who was
to come,” Matt. xi. 17. And when the
disciples asked him, ‘* Why do the Scribes
then say that Elias must first come? he
replied, Elias shall, indeed, first come
and restore all things. But I say unto
you that Ἠλίας ἤδη ἦλϑε; Elias is already
come, and they knew him not, but have
done unto him whatsoever they listed.”
Matt. xvii. 10—13. Upon the circum-
stance that our Lord uses the future
tense, ἔρχεται; shall come, some Chris-
tian interpreters have attempted to estab-
lish the hypothesis, that the prophecy is
still to be fulfilled before his second ad-
vent; 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
Scribes, though he immediately corrects
what was erroneous in their notion, de-
claring that the event was no longer
future, but had actually taken place in
the person and ministry of John. It is
truly surprising that any should persist
in giving to the prophecy an aspect still
future, in the very face of an exposition
at once positive and infallible. That
John the Baptist was "32, ὦ prophet,
Christ admits, though he at the same
time declares, that he was ‘‘ more than
a prophet.” Matt. xi. 9. The “great
and terrible day of Jehovah’’ was the
dreadful period of his judgment, effecting
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Ro-
mans. Comp. Joel ii. 31.
6. The design of the ministry of John
is described as consisting in the produc-
tion of universal peace and concord.
Family feuds had increased to an enor-
58
mous extent by the time of John the
Baptist, the removal of which by genu-
ine repentance and reformation of con-
duct might be taken as a specimen of the
ἀποκατάστασις, or restoration of things
to a better state throughout Judea.
Some have proposed to take the preposi-
tion ty, ἕο, as equivalent to ty , with, a
signification which if sometimes has, and
so to explain the passage as simply pre-
dicting the universality of the conver-
sion spoken of; but such an interpreta-
tion would introduce an intolerable tau-
tology into the language of the prophet,
and be at variance with the construction
put upon it by the angel, Luke i. 17, in
which only one member of the sentence
isquoted. With respect to the extent of
the effects produced by John’s ministry,
there can be no doubt it was very great.
Not only did immense multitudes come
to his baptism, confessing their sins, but
the great body of the common people
appear to have been prepared by him
for the labors of our blessed Lord him-
self, and thus the foundation was laid
for the recovery of tens of thousands
from Judaism to the faith of the gospel,
previous to the destruction of Jerusalem.
See Acts xxi. 20.
The prophecy, and with it the entire
Old Testament, closes with the awful
alternative—the denunciation of the
Divine curse, to be realized in the ex-
termination of the impenitent Jews from
their own land. tn signifies uéter de-
struction, from ἘΠ π , to shut or stop up,
exclude from common use, place under
a ban, devote to destruction. It is one
of the most fearful words in use among
the Jews, and was specially applied to
the extermination of the Canaanites,
whose cities were razed to the founda-
tions, and their inhabitants utterly de-
stroyed. Under this ban, the land of
Palestine has lain ever since the capture
458 MALACHI. Cuap. IV.
And the heart of the children to the fathers,
Lest I come and smite the land with a curse.
of Jerusalem; and the sufferings to incomparably more dreadful is the New
which, in consequence, the Jews have Testament esp — ANAOEMA, MAPAN
been subjected are truly appalling; but A@A! 1 Cor. xvi. 22.
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Waittnes oF Pror. B. B. Epwarps. With a Menioir by Pror.
EDWARDS A. PARK. 2vols, 12mo. $2.50.
Brste History oF Prayer. By ©. A. Goodrich. 12mo. pp.
384, $1.25.
The aim of this little volume is to embody an account of the delightful and successful in-
tercourse of believers with heaven for some four thousand years. The author has indulged
a good deal in narrative, opening and explaining the circumstances which gave birth to the
several prayers.
Messtanic PRopHECY AND THE Lire oF Curist. By W. S. Ken-
nedy. 12mo. pp. 484. $1.25.
‘‘ The plan of the author is to collect all the prophecies of the Old Testament referring to
the Messiah, with appropriate comments and reflections, and then to pursue the subject
through the New Testament in the life of Christ as he appeared among men. The reader will
find the results of Hengstenberg and Neander here gathered up, and presented in a readable
shape.” — The Presbyterian. .
Monop’s DiscoursEs ON THE Lire of St. Paut. Translated from
the French, by Rev. J. H. MyEers, D.D. 12mo. pp. 191. 90 cts.
‘‘The aim of the author is to present an estimate of the character, labors, and writings of
the Apostle Paul in the light of an example, and to apply the principles which actuated him,
and which he maintained, to Christians of the present day.’’— Boston Journal.
τ This little volume we regard as avery valuable addition to what may be called the ‘ Lit-
erature of the Apostle Paul.’ The number of books that have been composed upon St. Paul
is one of the many proofs of his greatness, both by nature and grace. But, of them all,
there is not a more vital and appreciating book than thisof Monod. Original and suggestive,
thoughts are continually struck out upon collateral subjects, while yet the the principal aim
of the work is never lost sight of. The account of the physique of the apostle, in its rela-
tions to eloquence (p. 115, seq.), will interest the preacher. The translation is faithful and
Clements reproducing, in no ordinary degree, the finer and more intangible qualities in the
style ofa vivid and commanding orator.”* — Bib. Sacra.
ScHAUFFLER’S MEDITATIONS ON THE Last Days or Curist. 12
mo. pp. 499. $1.25.
The first sixteen chapters of the book consist of Meditations on the last days of Christ,
preached in the midst of plague and death, by Rev. Dr. Schauffler, at Constantinople; the
aoe part, of eight sermons on the 17th chapter of John, is a practical exposition of that
chapter.
Setect Sermons oF Rev. Wortuineton Smita, ἢ. ἢ. With a
Memoir of his Life, by REV. ΦΟΒΕΡΗ Torrey, D. D., Professor in the University of
Yermont. 12mo. pp. 380. $1.25.
“This isa memorial volume of Dr. Smith, late President of Vermont University, and was
pe at the request of many of his friends. Aninteresting Memoir of his Life, edited
ΩΣ Joseph Torrey, D. D., Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, introduces the
ermons.
Venema’s Institutes oF ToEoLocy. Translated by Rev. A. W.
Brown, Edinburgh. 5382pp. 8vo. Fineedition. $3.00.
Pampuuets. A variety of Sermons, Addresses, and Essays ;
some of which have become very rare. Catalogues furnished.
CLASSICAL WORKS AND TEXT-BOOKS.
ῬΟΙΠΙΤΙΟΑΙ, Economy. Designed as a Text-book for Colleges. By
Joun Bascom, A.M., Professor in Williams College. 12mo. pp. 366. $1.50.
“Tt goes over the whole Onto in a logical order. he matter is perspicuously arranged
under distinct chapters and sections; it is acompendious exhibition of the principles of the
science without prolonged disquisitions on particular points, and it is printed in the style for
which the Andover Press has long been deservedly celebrated.” — Princeton Review.
dust Published.
A
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY
THE BOOK OF GENESIS,
WITH A NEW TRANSLATION.
BY JAMES: GG: MURPHY; Gili. D.) "TL. OD.
Professor of Hebrew, Belfast.
WITH A PREFACE BY J. P. THOMPSON, D.D
NEW YORK CITY.
One Vol. Svo. pp. 535. Price $3.50.
We cannot better describe this excellent Commentary than by quoting fromthe Preface
of Rey. Dr. Thompson.
“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 late in England also, rather
than as a complete solution of the many and vexed questions in language, in science, and in
history which pertain to the so-called ““ Books of Moses.” The merits of Dr. Murphy’s work
are a nice critical analysis of the text, a candid consideration of all alleged difficulties, a
common-sense view of the principles of interpretation, and a philosophical clearness and
comprehensiveness in the statement of inference or of doctrine. It consists of an exact
literal translation of such passages as contain either verbal or grammatical difficulties, and
of a critical and exegetical commentary, based upon the grammatical construction of the
text, and framed in view of the best lights cf modern criticism and science. Thus, in the
narratives of the creation and the deluge, our author unfolds step by step the literal meaning
of the sacred writer, and evolves from the Hebrew a sense which well accords with the facts
of astronomical and geological science.....
‘In character, Dr. Murphy has the simplicity of the true scholar, and "ἢ G5 and
humble spirit of the true disciple of Christ.” fe
THE ESSAYS OF THE LATE ARCHBISHOP WHATELY
ON SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN
THE WRITINGS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL,
AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
12mo. pp. 376. Tinted Paper. Extra Cloth, Gilt. Price, $2.00.
Either of the above will be sent by mail, post paid, on receipt of the sum named.
2
W. F. DRAPER, Publisher, \”
Andover, Mass.
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