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'

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THE BOOK
THE TWELVE

-^

"^

''

MINOR PROPHETS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW.

A COMMENTARY,
CEITICAL, PHILOLOGICAL,

AND EXEGETICAL.

BY E.

HENDERSON,

D.D.

A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR,

By E. p. BARROWS, HITCHCOCK PROFESSOR IN ANDOVER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.

WARREN
BOSTON: GOULD & LINCOLN.

F.

DRAPER.
& HOUGHTON.
BLAKCHAED

NEW YORK: HUED

S.

PHILADELPHIA: SMITH, ENGLISH, AND COMPANY.

CINCINNATI: G.

1866.

Entered according to Act of Congre??, in Hie year 1S59,

BY W.

F.

DRAPER,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massacausetts.

BLKOTROTTPED
BY W.
r.

A VH

PRIKTID

DBAPIB, AKDOTEB, UASS.

PUBLISHEE'S NOTE.

The

increasing

demand
it

for the English edition of

Dr. Henderson's Comto the author

for

mentary on the Minor Prophets, suggested an application

permission to reprint
in this country.

The

following note contains his

very kind ap^purteous consent

^
Mr. Draper:
sulting

\ I
Sir,

Dear

Impressed with a sense of your honorable conduct in con-

me

prior to the reprinting of a cheaper edition of

I feel

my Commentary on
desire,

Tlie

Minor Prophets,

no hesitation
letter

in granting
4,

you the sanction you

on the

terms specified in your

of
I

November

1856.
Sir,

remain, dear

Yours

truly,

E.

HENDERSOIT, D. D.

MoRTLAKE,
P. S.

Surrey, Nov'r 20, 1856.

Enclosed you will find a

list

of corrections, copied from

my

husband's
S.

memoranda.

H.

Not only have the corrections referred

but
it

to

been made

in the present edition,

was found desirable,

also, to verify all

the quotations in the Oriental

revised.
till

languages, so that the whole

work has now been thoroughly

This,

with other causes, has contributed to delay the publication

time.

the present

We have
his labors,

to regret that, meanwhile, the venerable author has ceased

from
It

and passed

to his reward.
his useful his

seems

fitting that

a short biographical sketch of

this

and event-

ful life should

accompany

volume, as a tribute to

those

who

will receive the benefits of his studies

and

labors,

memory among but who may not

have access

to the full

biography prepared by his friends.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR.

The

lamented death of the author of the present Commentary occurred

seems highly proper, therefore, that a brief sketch of
to
it.

while the plates were in process of preparation for an American edition

of the work.
his life

It

and character be prefixed

to

The

writer of

this,

not having

access

original

sources of information, has

drawn

his

materials from
S.

the

" ISIemoir

of the Rev. E.

Henderson," by his daughter, Thulia

Henderson, which has lately been published in London.

Ebexezer Henderson was born on

178-4,

the

17th

day of November,

at

Dunfermline, an ancient borough in the eastern part of Scotlittle

land, situated in the county of Fife, a

north of the Firth of Forth,

of Denmark, and the birththe youngest son of George

and well known

place of

as the

residence of
First.

Anne

King Charles the

He was

and Jean Henderson.

longed to the

His father was an agricultural laborer, and be"

Secession-body of Scotch Presbyterians.

tells

Two
his

years at

Dunfermline," the memoir

duff,

us,

" and one year and a half at

Dun-

formed the sum-total of

old,
it

his schooling" in the

it

days of

boyhood.^
initiated

Then, at twelve years

into

was resolved that he should be

to

some

trade.

But

happened
fill

him, as

it

has to
literary

others

whom
that

Providence had foreordained to

religious

and
First

spheres,

one attempt after another proved abortive.

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
to

little

use to him in his missionary wanderings,

where recourse

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.

business

Of

his

progress in this yet

nothing

is

known.

Only

it

is

certain
his

that

"he had not

found the niche in which he was to take

I

stand."

Memoir,

p. 13.

 '

VI
For
this

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
a spiritual preparation was needed.
Spirit,

This, through the

religious

grace

of the Holy

he received

in

the

deep

awakening that

took place in connection with the labors of Robert and James Ilaldane,
the
latter

of

whom
at

visited

Dunfermline
of Chalmers'
in

in

companj' with Mr. Aikman.

"

saw-pit

the top

Street,

and an open place

in

Woodhead

Street,

are

remembered

connection with various

out-tloor

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

1798,

flourished.

Of
in

the

six

that are recorded aa having been in a prosperous state within the parishes

of Dunfermline as early as

there

was one

which wt-re

enrolled the

names of Ebenezcr Henderson and Douglas Cusine (pro-

nounced Cousin),

the
and

two who are remembered as having borne the

attention."
i

palm

for

diligence

This

little

incident shows the original aptitude

of our author for the

pursuits of a scholar.
religion
is

The

precise

time of his
is

first

open profession of
this

not known.

But there

abundant evidence that from

the service of Christ.

period he devoted himself with

all his soul to

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.

was
to
brief,

The
But

course of instruction
this

extending only through two years.

was then thought

for

be the utmost that was compatible with the urgent demand

laborers.

home

and foreign

" Dr.

a prolonged collegiate

Henderson always urged the importance of course; and doubtless felt that had his own pre2

paratory studies been of longer continuance, he might have gone forth

better equipped for his work."

So speaks the memoir

to

which

may be

added, that

it

was only by a severe and long process of

left

self-training,

continued after he

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.

class of

1803

the

The

fifth

in order of institution

was
at

the one which he

his

joined.

We

need not be surprised when we find one of

surviving
of a

fellow-students bearing testimony that he

linguist than

was

that time

"more

a theologian
his

more given

to

literature

than to divinity."

No

one can read

commentaries, so rich in oriental lore, without perit

ceiving at a glance that

was the side of sacred

literature rather tlian 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

Memoir,

Dewar: "He could comprehend and

3

p. 17.

2 r. 23.

Key. James Kennedy, of Inverness.

OFTHEAUTHOR.
seize the leading features of

VH
if

a complicated question, though he rarely,

;

ever, dealt in barren abstractions

strong,

broad good sense was a

distin-

guishing element of his

principles."
^

mind

he was a

man

of facts and fundamental

In the vacations the seminary students were

tours.

sent out on preaching-

We

find

him

in

the

summer
lie

recess

of 1804

appointed to

visit

the

Orkney

Islands,

which
that

off the

northern extremity of Scotland.

series

Thus was inaugurated

had appointed him.

remarkable

of northern

missions

to

which the providence of God, contrary

In the second year of his seminary
service,

to

his

own

original

intentions,

life

he was called

to the foreign

in

the following

way:

The Eev. John

Paterson, pastor

of a

church at Cambuslang, and the Rev. Archibald McLaey, pastor at Kircaldy, having

been invited by the two Congregational churches

in Edin-

burgh
to

to

go forth as missionary agents, resigned their charges, and came

for a brief course of preparatory study with special refer-

Edinburgh

ence to the service to which they had devoted themselves.

nation was India.

Their

desti-

But Mr. McLaey being by the circumstances of

a

his

family detained at home, Mr. Paterson's friends urged him to select from

among

the seminary students

man

for his colleague.

As he surveyed
is

the assembled class, he said of Mr. Henderson, then but twenty-one years

of age, and with

whom

he had no previous acquaintance, " This

the
life-

man
to

for

me."

Thus commenced between the two

missionaries a

long friendship.

As soon
by

as

Mr. Henderson made known

his willingness

embark
were

in this cause, his services

set apart

were accepted, and the missionaries

elect
at

the imposition of hands, with prayer and fasting,

an evening service in the Tabernacle, Leith Walk, on August 27,

1805.

But God, who understood

tropical field.

perfectly the sphere in which these his two

servants could best labor, had destined both to a northern instead of a

Here

the following extract from a letter which he wrote

later,
is

on the subject some twelve years

"

perfectly in

place
service,
it,

When

originally

devoted myself to the Redeemer's

and

entered on a course of study preparatory to engaging in

specific

had no

station or sphere

of labor in view; but was determined, in re-

liance

on

his

promised grace, cheerfully to proceed to whatever place

to

he should be pleased to point out

country, or

me, whether at home

in

my

native

among

the heathen in a distant land.

Accordingly, when our

to India,
it

dear brother Paterson requested

a matter of no great difficulty for
1

me me

to

accompany him

was
'^

to give

my

consent to his proposal."

2

Memoir,

p. 25.

P. 37.

VIII

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
be
said, for the

This delightful passage shows that he was willing to be guided.

let it

encouragement of

all

youthful candidates, that

And God

will certainly guide

all

who

are willing to be guided, into the field in

to

whith they can serve him

the best advantage.

field,

brethren had marked out India for their

but

The two missionary God sent them into

as
is

northern Europe.

The
ruled.

directors

of the

East India

well known, hostile to missionary labors

^lessrs.

Company were at that time, among the people whom

they

Carey and Marshman, with some coadjutors, were indeed

carrying on their good work without molestation, but with no open sanction

on the part of the

directors.

Such a sanction the Messrs. Ilaldane

"

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

to

ships in

which

such

men

could embark; there were Danish settlements where they could

effect a landing,
tricts,

and whence they could proceed

if

some neighboring

dis-

whose governors might be disposed,

not to sanction, at least to

repaired to

ignore the efforts that might be made."^

They accordingly
to

Copenhagen,

In

the

hope of securing a passage thence

Serampore.
to
sail

But here disappointment awaited them.

that

One

vessel

only was
offered to

season,

and every berth was preiingaged. was

all
full.

They

go in

the steerage; even that

Meanwhile they found

Although
as

around them a
of the

field

white for the harvest.

yet

ignorant
in

Danish language, they had already

Sabbath after

commenced a
their arrival.

service

the

English tongue the second

Ne.xt they procured the translation into Danish of a tract

entitled "
culation.

The One Thing Needful," and

forthwith

set

it

in

active cir-

Their English congregation increased, and they had secured,

early in November, the translation

and printing of one thousand copies

Still

of the " Great (Question Answered."

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

it.

when

they should be withdrawn from

In reply they received a letter informfields,

ing them that but one of the two

India or Denmark, could be at

present occupied, and urging that they should consent to remain in their
present position.

They complied
their

and thus they found themselves, without

field.

any planning of
Henderson going

own, inaugurated into the Danish

The two

friends soon separated,

Mr. Paterson remaining

in

Copenhagen, and Mr.

to Elsineur.
1

Memoir,

p. 41.

OFTHEAUTHOR.
At Elsineur he gave
lessons, in private families

IX
classes, in the

and

English

language, -while at the same time he sedulously devoted himself to the

acquisition of the Danish,

and the other northern languages, which, when

circle of his Influence.

once mastered, would greatly enlarge the

As

the

sphere of his vision widened, he turned his thoughts towards Sweden, and

he and
tlie

his

companion determined

to gain satisfactory information

concerning

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
in the

through Skonen, leaving tracts at

as

Lund and Malmo,

hands of such

were

likely to translate in

them

Into Swedish.

After this they undertook

an exploring tour
Belt, they

Denmark.

Crossing the Great Belt and the Little

advanced

as far as the
this

Moravian settlement

at Christlansfeld, in

Schleswig.

In one respect

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

courage for
this,
it

off for the first Instalment.

The Danes

not having

was determined that

assistance should

be sought from managers of

London.

The two

friends accordingly wrote directly to the

the Bible Society In the British metropolis,

who agreed

to defray the cost

of the additional three thousand copies.

The war which took place

up

in 1807

between England and Denmark, comMr. Henderson took

to Stockholm,

pelled the two missionaries to withdraw to Sweden.

his residence at Gottenburgh, while
successfi^il in

Mr. Paterson proceeded

where he was eminently

two friends travelled
parishes,
at the

organizing systematic efforts for the

circulation of Swedish Bibles

in

and

tracts.

The ensuing summer of

1808, the

Sweden and Lapland,

inquiring Into the state of the

and

scattering the seeds of divine truth.

Having reached Tornea,

head of the Gulf of Bothnia, they entered Finland, and, turning around
till

the gulf, proceeded

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

journey of two thousand three hundred miles.

This tour gave them an In

affecting insight into the spiritual wants of the people.

many

parishes

there was on an average only one Bible in every eighth house,

the wealthy
was,

and middle
During

classes only being able to possess a copy, while the cottagers

this treasure.

remained, from poverty, destitute of

all

Mr. Henderson's residence

2

in

Denmark and Sweden, he

X
along with
his

BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH
missionary labors, busily prosecuting his studies in

Hebrew and
already seen

Greek, as well as in German, Danish, and Swedish.

We have

how he
the

first became interested in the enterprise for furnishing Iceland with word of God. Of the five thousand copies of the Icelandic New Testament that had been printed, as noticed above, fifteen hundred had been

sent otF before the breaking out of the

war between England and Denmark.

The remaining
shipment.
interrupted.

three thousand five hundred were lying in store, ready for

For some time the prosecution of the enterprise was unavoidably

But

at last, in 1810,

it

seemed

possible to

resume

it.

The

Bible Society having authorized one of the two missionaries to

in person, while the other should
to
fl)llow,

visit

Iceland

forward the printing of the Bibles that wore

for

Mr. Henderson was designated

visit

the tour in Iceland.

This

ocoagioned a preliminary
of iBlO

to

England, where he spent the summer

returned to Sweden in October, but

among

his old friends.

He

various circumstances delayed his visit to Iceland, so that he was at liberty

to

^pcnd two years more

It

at

Gottenburgh.

was early

in the

y^ar 1811, and probably as the result of arrangements

publisher, or with

j^ade with the Edinburgh

production, the
lation of Roos's

some Edinburgh

friend,

when

in

Scotland during the pr^ious summer, that Mr. Henderson's earliest literary
first fruits
'

of his

German

studies, left the press

^

viz.,

a transas

Exposition of Daniel.' "

The

rules laid

down by Roos
to

canons for the interpretation of prophecy were adopted and adhered to by

Dr. Henderson to the
last
;

and thus

this initial

work seems

have exerted

an important influence upon him as an expounder of prophecy.

But

to return to the Icelandic Bible.

it

Mr. Paterson was about

to start for

Russia on a Bible mission, and

that ^Ir.

became necessary,

to expedite the

work,

Henderson should obtain leave of entrance

into

Denmark, and then

and the
reviser of

repair to Copenhagen, where he could urge on the printer

the press in their daily work.

to the Chancery.
his majesty,

His application the King of

after

Denmark

referred

The Chancery,

some

delay, sent the petition back to

it

with a strong recommendation that

should be granted, and the

in con-

royal assent was accordingly given.

But annoying delays occurred

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
facilities in
'

have been tedious, had- there not been great

tinuance of other labors.
'

that city for the conVoice,'

The

translation of

The Warning

and

The End

of

Time

'

into Icelandic,

was effected beneath

his eye, as also that

of the tract entitled

'

Serious Considerations' into Danish.

I

In preparation for

Memoir,

p. 84.

OFTHEAUTHOR.
his

XI

contemplated journey, he was studying the language and ecclesiastical

^

history of Iceland."

So the memoir
dated Dec.

and

in addition to this,

it

adds that he was also prosecuting

vigorously the study of Hebrew.

1,

"

IMorocco Jew," says he, in a letter

1812,

"who

has a beautiful pronunciation, reads a

Hebrew

chapter with
other.

me

the one day,

and I read an English chapter with him the

with him in Hebrew."
-

I begin to

speak a

little

Having received a

suggestion from his friend Mr. Paterson,

in

when on a

March

1814, that

when

his Icelandic mission

him in Sweden was completed he " might find

visit to

bible-work to do in the regions to the north and west of Russia," he immediately

began

to turn his attention to the languages of those regions.

Aboi^.t

the same time, also,

we

find that he

began the study of Arabic.

like the

He

speaks

of

it

as "

remarkably easy, the structure being so much

Hebrew, and
says, " will
^

there being so

many Hebrew words

Its richness in

in

it."

"

The Grammar," he

be an easy

task.

words

will

be the principal

difficulty."

An
mark.

object which Mr.

Henderson earnestly desired

eai'liest

to see effected before

leaving the country was the organization of the

Bible Society in Den-

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

after " this launching of

eminence.

Soon

Denmark's

life-ark," all the

needfor

ful preparations

having been at

last

made, Mr. Henderson embarked

*'

Iceland on the eighth of June, 1814.

The

freight of Bibles," says the

memoir, "had been subdivided, and the several packages forwarded dm-ing
the spring to seven of the principal Icelandic ports,

an

arrangement
their trans-

adopted by reason of the

difficulty that

would have attended

mission across the interior of the island.

The

treaty of Kiel, in January

1814, had effectually done

the late

away with

the restrictions

and

risks incident to

war

and the Icelandic ship-owners had displayed a

patriotic Hb-

eraUty in conveying the books free of expense." *

sage, he arrived in safety at Reykiavik,

After a five weeks' pas-

on the south-western coast of Iceland,

and was well received by Bishop Vidalin, by his step-son, Sysselmand Thorgrimson, by Mr. Knudsen the Danish merchant, and several men of note in
the Icelandic metropolis.

Mr. Henderson's printed account, entitled " Iceland, or the Journal of a

Residence in that Island,"
that
it
it is

^ is

so copious,

and so well known

to the public,
Suffice

not necessary to enter into the details of his journeyings.

to say, that in three journeys,

each from Reykiavik as a point of departure,

than two thousand
Edinburgh,
six

he explored the whole

1

island, travelling not less

3

hun-

Memoir,

p. 117.

p. 132. p. 137.

In two

vols. 8vo.

1818.

2 P. 118.

XII

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
eflicient

dred miles, ascertaining the spiritual condition of the people, and everywhere

making

arrangements

for the distribution of the

word of God.
effort

" In almost every hamlet there

in

was new proof that such

effort

was needed

each hamlet, proof also that the

would meet with response on the

in

part of willing purchasers.

Here was a parish

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

its

retained by the islanders of Grimsey, that the right of

possession
;

had

become a disputed

One copy in an island two in a parish twelve among two hundred people six among two hundred and fifty a clergjmau
point.
;

seeking for seventeen long years to possess a copy of his own, and hitherto

unable to secure the treasure

to the

peasants

who had

offered, but offered in vain,

;

amount of five-and-twenty

shillings for

a copy

such

are the inci-

dents that crowd upon the page.

Tlie Testaments sent over in 1807 and 1812,

were traced

to their destination, but

were found

to

have gone a very

little

way towards meeting

ish of four

the extensive demand. * * *

The general

intelligence

of the i)eople rendered their need of Scripture the more obvious.

In a par-

hundred, where

all

who were above

initial steps

eight years old

had been
books." ^

taught to read, there might well be a universal desire for the

Book of

In

tlje

month of July, 1815, the

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

all

years since, had issued in

above ten thousand Bibles and Testaments.

sailed for

Having

finished his

work of exploration, Mr. Henderson

6,

Copenha-

gen, where he arrived Sept.

this visit to Iceland,
it is

1815.

In bringing to a close the notice of

pertinent to add, that, while zealously and energeti-

cally executing his commission as agent of the British

and Foreign Bible

the

Society, he improved every opportunity to

make himself acquainted with

island.

remarkable natural phenomena of that wonderful

" He, in consequence, visited

and inspected with ardent and indefatigable

abound
in that

zeal the awfully sublime, yea, often terrific scenes, which

land

of volcanoes, in which often a strange conflict of

fire

is

seen between the elements

all

and water

between boiling hot springs and

ice.

the cold and freezing

changes of snow and

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 coidd scarcely

refrain from mingled feelings of admiration of his courage
possession, amidst

and calm

self-

surrounding scenes of horror, and of disapproval and

1

Memoir,

p. 155.

OF THE AUTHOR.
condemnation of a
risk
spirit

XHl
life to

of presumption, exposing health and

this

needless

and

sacrifice.

* * * Yet

very boldness, nay, rashness, enabled him

if

to witness

and describe scenes which few,

to

any, of his predecessors in

travel

had dared

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
joyfully

and gentry

to the illiterate
his

farmer and day-laborer.

"

Thus

and manfully proceeding on

errand of mercy, he was treated by

the most respectful manner.

high and low, by the clergy and the

laity, in

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
to

Christian affection,

by our Icelandic brethren,

sent to

and which they desired

far distant nation as a
gift

evince to one

who had been

them from a

mes-

senger of peace, and an angel of mercy, with the

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."

'^

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
of
rest,

the adjacent regions of Pomerania

it,

and northern Germany,

Wishing
for a season

being, as he expressed

" constantly
his

on the wing."

he had already bespoken

passage to Leith, in Scotland, with the

his friends at

hope of spending some time among

home, when he received

notice of an appointment to visit St. Petersburgh, on an agency for the British

and Foreign Bible Society.

sudden change in

A letter written to
and of
his

Mr. Paterson under date

of October 22, 1816, gives a delightful revelation of his feelings in view of

this

his plans,
:

whole-hearted devotion to the

cause of Christ. "

I

He

says

What

a complete change has instantaneously been effected in

my

plans

imagined

my

continental labors were at a close for this season

had spent
passage on
for
all
it.'

about eight days with

my

friends here in Altona

;

bespoke

my

board one of the smacks for Leith

made every needful preparation

when
'

my
at

departure, and was fondly dreaming of domestic enjoyments,

once I heard a voice behind

'

me

saying,

This

is

the way, walk ye in

turned to the voice that spake unto me,' and behold,

Instead of Edinburgh, I was to regard
St.

my

path was plain be-

fore me.

Petersburgh as the place

of

my

destination.

On

Sabbath

last,

after preaching

my

first

sermon on

Kev. Dr. Steinkopff, as quoted In memoir,

p. 105.

2 Dr. SteinkopfF, as quoted above, p. 106.

XIV

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
London, one
five,

Lot's wife, I received two letters from

the other only six

days

old,

urging the necessity of

my

repairing without a moment's delay to

St. Petersburgli,

with the view of strengthening your hands in the work of

the Lord."i

Of
your

course he complied without hesitation, and wrote to the committee in

:

London

"

Had

rcciuost,

I not come to the determination instantly to comply with how could I have borne the cutting reflection, Demas hath
'

forsaken me, having loved the present world

'

"

In the middle of December

labors, after he

we

find

him

in the Russian capital,

where

his

had been duly

initiated

by Mr. Paterson (who was preparing

for a

temporary absence), date from about the commencement of the year

1817.
his

Here he entered upon "another man's

was multiform.

line of things

made ready

to

hand," for Mr. Paterson was an efficient Bible agent.

"

The

task

It consisted in

seeing to the corrections of the

proofs as they left the press,

and

in superintending the town-issue of those

Sci'iptures, 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

Astraohan and other misFrench,

sionaries about the translations or reeditlons that

were yet needed.

Greek, Moldavian, Georgian, Calmuc, and other Bibles were in progi-ess.

Archimandrites and princes had to be consulted

ferred with
;

translatoi-s

had

to

be con-

paper,

tj'pes,

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

a letter dated
St.

this period,
8,

may be

Inferred

from the

fact, that in

Petersburgh, June

1817, Dr.

Hen-

derson states that from the establishment of the society, to the present time,
its

committee had " either published, or engaged

in publishing,

no fewer than

fortjj-Oirec editions

of the sacred Scriptures, in seventeen different languages,

total

forming a grand

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
He

incident that occurred during this

visit to St.

Petersburgh deserves a
spirit.

passing notice, as a further illustration of his self-denying missionary

received in January 1817 a very urgent and unexpected call to join the

mission which had been projected

by

the

London Missionary
set apart a

Society to the
for solemn self-

town of Irkutsk,

in Siberia.

Immediately he

day

examination and prayer with reference to

of
this,

his duty.

The record he
was a decision

has

left

shows how deep down into

his soul the true spirit

of Christianity had
to

penetrated.
1

Tlie result of this prayerful deliberation

p. 205.

go on

Memoir,

2 p. 205.

8 P. 208.

4 P. 219.

OFTHEAUTHOR.
visit to

XV

the mission, though he thereby renounced the fondly-cherished hope of a

his

native country.

But scarcely was

it,

this

determination formed
efforts of

before he was called to reconsider

the Bible Society to retain

on account of the strenuous

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 sevenstringed lyre of the Scandinavian Literary Society, nominating
its

him one of

corresponding members.

In the month of June following, a diploma was

title

forwarded from Kiel, conferring upon him the

of Doctor in Philosophy.
at liberty to revisit his

The return of Dr. Paterson,

and other places belonging

in August, left

him

native land, where he arrived In December, taking Stockholm, Copenhagen,

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.
for,

So favorably were they

received, that a second edition

was soon called

and an abridgment was

Susannah

published at a later date in the United States.

Soon afterwards (IMay 19) he was united

In marriage to Miss
in

Kennion, the daughter of Mr. John Kennion,

ion of cultivated

whom

he found a compan-

mind and congenial spirit, every way worthy of himself. The ensuing summer he spent In travelling for the Bible Society through
England and Scotland.

On Monday,

Sept. 28, he, with his companion, set

It

sail

from Leith, on

his third continental journey.

was Intended that

after

revisiting the

Hanoverian and Holstein

pass, via

auxiliaries,

he should winter at Co-

penhagen, then

Norway,

to St. Petersburgh,

and

finally take

up

his

abode at Astrachan, on the Caspian Sea, where rooms were already assigned

him

in the IVIIssIon House,

and whither the bulk of

and Influence

his

luggage was at once

forwarded, to await his expected arrival.

in the zenith of his popularity

Such was the plan.

as a Bible agent,
issue.

He was now
and
to

human

appearance everything promised a favorable

of his missionary career, so
are not man's ways.

But, as in the beginning

now he had to learn once more that God's ways To him It happened, as It has to many other eminent
full tide

servants of God, that, in the

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

SVI

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
AMien, in carrjiug out the plan above sketched, the

cause of his kingdom.

time had arrived for his long-planned journey to Norway, he started from

Gottenburgh on
that
its

this

expedition " in a small country conveyance, so low built

" It
is

structure naturally suggested a notion of perfect security.

;

hardly bigger than a wheelbarrow

hurt,

if it

were upset, you could scarcely be

that very

was the remark casually made." ^

But he had

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
to

the radius of the fore-arm

were dislocated and otherwise injured.

Unable

bear the motion of a carriage, he was conveyed to the river near by, and
taken back along the Gotha Elf.
their

Eventually, the bones in the fore-arm lost

power of
left

flexion

and

rotation,

and the delay which the accident had

occasioned

no time

for the

journey to Norway.
St.

Dr. Henderson proceeded to

the 11th of September, 1819.

Petersburgh, which place was reached on

studies which occupied the closing

The

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
to enter

be needed for his anticipated Astrachan labors, upon which he hojied

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 hushis services at the

band should have a temporary

tal.

respite

from

Russian capi-

It

was not

till

March 1821
Leaving
;

that Drs. Paterson

and Henderson could

arrange to start with Mr. SeroiF, one of the committee, on their projected
visit

of exploration.
to

St.

Petersburgh, they proceeded, by Novgorod

to

and Tver,

Moscow

thence,
;

by Kalouga and Koursk,

Pultawa, the

field

so fatal to the Swcdisli hero

thence, by Tchernigov

and Kiev,
Crimean

to Odessa,
trip,

on

the Black Sea.

After this they

made an

eight days'

spending

the Sabbath at Akhtlar, the

modern

Sevatftopol.

Thence they journeyed

the remainder

eastward

to

Taganrog, on the Sea of Azof, where Dr. Henderson was seized

all

with an ague which clung to him with pertinacity during 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
;

tlielr

way

towards Persia, they crossed the Caucasian mountains

but,

when

they had
dilTer-

advanced

as far as Tiflis, their expedition

was brouglit

to a close

by a

ence of opinion between tliem and the Bible Society, which resulted
tendering their resignation as
its

in their

accredited agents.
Memoir,
p. 239.

This had respect to Ali

OF THE AUTHOR.
Bey's Turkish versiou of the

XVII
which the two friends

New

Testament,

-with

were

dissatisfied

on grounds the

validity of

which was afterwards recognized,

Recross-

at least in a practical

way, by the managers of the Bible Society.

ing the Caucasus, and ordering the goods which had arrived at Astrachan to

be repacked and sent to

capital,

St.

Petersburgh, they hastened back to the Russian

which they reached early in February 1822.

Here they were imme-

diately retained in the service of the Russian Bible Society.

To

this
It

Dr.

Henderson devoted the

last three

years of his residence in Russia.

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
the

he names Metternich, the great Austrian diplomatist.

To

trace

history of this

conspiracy against the word of truth, would be out

of place in the present brief notice.

all

How

successful

it

was

in the end,

we

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

mission to resign his
office.

Galitzin, the emperor's per-

No time was

lost in

making arrangements for the

he and
his

homeward voyage, and on

the. the 5th of July, 1825,

were

safely

landed in the British metropolis.

too was compelled to withdraw Nicholas,
so far as
all
;

Dr. Paterson tarried a

little

longer, but he

and upon the accession of the Emperor

operations at the Bible

House were speedily suspended,

to

at least

concerned the distribution of the Scriptures

Russian subjects.

" It 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

house of
perity."^
It

and that the

Romanoff may yet be linked with

Russia's highest

and best pros-

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.

"
of
lic

Among

his papers,

and dated April, 1823,

is

a neatly-executed collation

St.

John's Gospel, in the Ethiopic, as preserved in manuscript in the Pub-

Imperial Library.
Polyglott,
its

His standard of comparison was the Ethiopic of the

to

London

and each instance of a various reading appears

^

be

noted down in

order."

But he did not content himself with being simply a student of God's word,
and an agent
Turning
for
its

distribution.

He

sought opportunity to preach

it

also.

his attention to the

1

English sailors at Cronstadt, he began to preach

'

Memoir, pp.

299, 300.

P. 276.

XVIII

BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCH
flag,

there regularly beneath the Bethel

going out on Saturday and returning

felt in

on the Monday's

boat.

The

interest

which he thus

seamen was cher-

ished after his return to his native land, and he was often employed ip advocating 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

template him in the character of a teacher and an author.

now to conThe decease of

are

Rev. 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

Societj'.

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 pemianent 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
ling of
It
fulfil-

whose duties he had been

not,

for years unconsciously qualifying himself.

this re-

was

however, without hesitation, that he consented to occupy

sponsible situation.

In a letter addressed to the treasurer of the society,

still

while the question of his acceptance was

"

pending, he says

Though

can truly say that nothing would give

me

greater delight than

to be in

any way instrumental

in preparing missionary candidates for the

is

great and weighty office towards which their attention

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
in a
it

the height of presumption

mere

stripling like

myself to think of undertaking the task.

the Directors are not aware that the course of study
;

" Surely,

my

dear

sir,

which

enjoyed before leaving Scotland was extremely limited

tioenty

and that

during the

years I have spent in foreign parts,

my

time has been so

completely occupied with business of an altogether desultory kind, as to preclude the possibility of
theolog)'."
^

my

giving

any attention

to the study of systematic

That the objection thus ingenuously

need not be denied.

stated

by him was
felt its
it.

in .itself weighty,

The

fact,

however, that he so

weight,

is

the best

evidence that the Directors acted wisely

of those

in disregarding

Had he been one

life,

men who

are always boasting of their limited advantages in early

instead of assiduously occupying themselves, as he did, in

making amends
the

for

what was then

disposal, he

deficient

by the

diligent

improvement of

all

means

at their

would not have merited the confidence of the Directors.

to

But,

understanding that he was one who could master any subject

1

which he gave

Memoir, pp.

307, 308.

OF THE AUTHOR.
<

XIX

close attention,

and who would spare no pains

overcame

to

fit

himself for the consciento undertake, they,

tious discharge of

any duty he might be prevailed on

his scruples,

by

their deputation,

and induced
spirit,

his consent.

He brought
and
forci-

to his

work not only a true missionary

but also a rich fund of experi-

ence.

Hence he was
First of

able to enrich his lectures with apposite

ble illustrations, which gave pointedness

inculcated.

and weight

to the

maxims

that he

aU he sought
"

to elevate the

standard of piety

among
is

the missionary students.

The
it

business," said he, "

on which you go forth

of so unearthly a nature,

has so immediately to do with God, the souls

of men, and the eternal world,

that except you

It
is

are influenced
fail

by motives

drawn from

these sources, you must inevitably

field.

of becoming efficient

laborers in the missionary

not to learn languages, translate books,

life,

or introduce the arts and sciences of civilized

that

you go
is

to the heathen.

Whatever of

this description

may engage your

attention,

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,

it,

to enter heartily into

or prosecute

it

with enthusiasm, vigor, and perseveraffections

ance, if your spirit be worldly,

and your

low and grovelling

? "

While thus
heart,

giving, as

was meet, the foremost place

to foster

to the culture of the

linguistic

he assiduously strove

a taste for theological and

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

his intense
talent,

carefully

and even elaborately prepared. * * *

It

was rather

application

and indomitable industry, than any extraordinary

If

that

distinguished him.

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
if

in illustration,

and

his illustrations
'

never partook of the daring of

is

genius.

But

if,

on the other hand, genius

is

the instinct of enterprise,' and

the instinct of enterprise

this

labor, then, in this sense,

gift.

my
to

honored friend

was the possessor of

mighty

* * * As Dr. Henderson was not a

man who

lived without a purpose, so neither

was he a man
;

spend

his

hours

without a plan.

His time was

faithfi;

Uy divided and

in each division he to

had

his self-appointed

round of duties and engagements,

which he devoted

himself with unwearied and strenuous perseverance.

result of extensive reading

His lectures were the

and

careful investigation.
It its

* * *

He

excelled in

weighing evidence, and Impressing upon

relative value.

His discrimifree

nation was clear, and his judgment was sound.

1

He was whoUy

from

Memoir,

p. 319.

XXII
the date of
his hand,
tliis

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
rc-issue.

Abbott's "

Comer Stone " underwent

Prof.

revision at

and the English edhions of

Stewart's Commentaries also

passed under his eye.

In 1836 appeared his well-known treatise on "Divine

Inspiration," Avhich has passed through several editions.

after his labors at

At a

later period,

Highbury had been brought

to

close,

he superintended

the republication of five works from the pen of the Rev. Albert Barnes,
prefixing prefaces of his

own

to

two of them,

viz.,

the Commentaries on the

books of Tob and Revelation.

of Daniel," "
ology."

The

other works were, " Notes on the

Book

The AVay

of Salvation," and " Essays on Science and The-

Passing by other works of minor importance published or edited by him,

we come
appeared
It

to his in the

Commentaries.

The

first

of these, on the Prophet Isaiah,

year 1840, when the author was

now

fiftj'-six

years of age.

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
it.

justly felt that something further

was needed
far

in the

way of

elucidating

Vitringa was too prolix

Lowth

from

satisfactory,

and abounding

in

many needless and conjectural emendations of the text. The modern German commentaries were all more or less tainted with neology and the com;

mentaries of Barnes and Alexander, in

It
is

this

country, had not yet appeared.

five
^

stated

by the biographer that " some four or

in the actual

years seem to have

been occupied

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

is

abides by the ordinary text, where there

uscript evidence in favor of

no overwhelming amount of manIn his philological remarks

first

some other reading.

he makes an abundant yet sober use of the cognate languages, relying,

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

full

first

uttered,

and under a

view of the circumstances that attended their utterance.

the present

the

The same general characteristics belong to "Minor Prophets," which appeared next
is

commentary on
year 1845.

in order, in the

This

the most learned

and elaborate of
from

all his

works.

In the wonderful

diversity of style
is

and manner by which each of the twelve Minor Prophets

all

so clearly distinguished

the rest,

a
its

diversity very apparent in

the English version, but displaying itself in

full

beauty only to him who

field

reads them in the original,

ercise,

Dr.
1

Henderson's pen found a fine

of ex-

which

it

did not

fail to

improve in a very thorough way.

Memoir,
p. 390.

It is stated

OF THE AUTHOR.
by the biographer
that the popularity of this

XXIH
the students of the

work among
'

sacred text " has been fully as great as was that of his

Isaiah,'

among the

Americans even greater." ^

trinsic merit,

This

is

due partly, perhaps,

to its greater in-

but

still

more

to the paucity of

commentaries on the Minor

Prophets, that unite rich and varied learning with the pure evangehcal 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 proportionnumber of notes than had been needful in the preceding volumes. But the notes which it did thus contain have been deemed by no
ately smaller

means

inferior to those of

an earlier date, either in thought or expression.

of the prophet, are appropriately in-

* * * The

five lamentations, or elegies,

-

cluded in the work."

Of
The
life's

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.

brevity of Dr. Henderson's

commentary on
life

this

book

is

ascribed in the
fulness of

biography to the fact that " the tide of

labors

was receding, and the

was diminishing." *
it

It

must not be supposed, however, that the

It

matter which

contains

is

of an inferior quality.

embodies the results

mainly of

his

previous investigations, stated in a clear and perspicuous

biblical student could wish for fuller discussions of

manner, though the

points.

some

To

the above sketch,

drawn from the

materials furnished

by the biography,
it

with only here and there the addition of a passing reflection,

to add,

may be proper
on Dr.

by way of independent judgment, a

as

single general criticism

his

Henderson

an expounder of prophecy.

In perusing

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
for-

makes necessary the assumption of very abrupt

wards, where
"
first
it

transitions

backwards and

would seem that the principle of a progressive fulfilment

fiiU

the blade, then the ear, after that the

corn in the ear "

all

would have
of the plan

the double advantage of being in

harmony with

that

we know

of God's government, and also of carrying the interpreter consistently through

Memoir,

p. 417.

The present

is

of some few corrections furnished by Dr. Henderson himself.

as also those

a reprint from the English edition, with the exception With the exception of the

Ethiopic, the quotations from the cognate languages with which the

commentary abounds, from the Greek and Latin, have been corrected by a comparison with the
433, 434.

original sources.
2

Memoir, pp.

3 r. 454.

XXIV

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
in Isa.

passages in wliich the near and more remote future are manifestly blended.

For example,
hand
;

4:1, the reference

is

undeniably

to

judgments near at

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

Both passages are
:

cooperating with the efficacions working of his Spirit.

closely connected

by the introductory words of verse

commentary, makes a

In

that daij.

Dr.

Henderson,
2,

in his that,

distinct chapter to begin with verse

remarking

" having depicted the wickedness of the Jews, and the

it

awful judgments with wliich

short chapter (chap. 4
:

would be punished, the prophet devotes

to

this

6)

an announcement of the glory and

felicity

of the Church In the time of the Messiah."

His note on the two introductory

at

words

Is

the following: "2.

strictly

!S?r;ri

ci'a,
is

or after

tliat

period.

The

prep.

s does not always

space
in
;

express what

contained within any given time or

it

also points out nearness, society, or

accompaniment, that which

else.

is

connection with, or which follows upon something

In prophetic

vis-

ion, the

two

states of adversity

and prosperity were

so closely connected,

that one period nilght be said to

comprehend them both."

The meaning
to

of

the last clause, taken in connection with

what precedes, seems

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 separates 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

befall the

that, therefore, the predicted calamities

which should

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

true heir, as often as their sins shall

is

their

make

it

necessary
its

and that the prom-

ised future glory of God's people, though having

perfect accomplishment
Itself all

only in the latter days of the Christian dispensation, yet includes in

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 hterally realized in

future.

all its details In

the coming

But

for limiting

its

direct reference to the resettlement of the

literal restoration

Jews

in their

own

land,

and the

of their sanctuary privileges

Rsinri

CV3'

OF TPIE AUTHOR.
and
sacrificial institutes in the

XXV

metropolis of Canaan, he seems to have no

good warrant.
part, of the "

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

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
ors,

to the uttermost his ancient promise

!

"

thou

afiiicted, tossed

with tempest, and not comforted

behold I

will lay

thy stones with

fair col-

and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

all

And

I will

make

thy windows

of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and

thy borders of precious stones.

;

And

all

thy children shall be taught of the Lord

and great

shall

be the

peace of thy children." ^ be called, in the

Then

shall the

name

of that spiritual city of

is

God

fullest sense

of the words, "

criticism

The Lord

there."
on Dr. Henderto

Such would be the general

son's commentaries.

which we should

offer

At

the same time

we should warmly commend them

the diligent study of the Biblical scholar, as rich sources of instruction

profit.

and

Isaiah 54:

1113.

GENERAL PEEFACE.
Prophets are first mentioned as the Twelve by Jesus the Son Under this designation, they also occur in the Talmudic tract, entitled Baba Bathra;" and Jerome specifies, as the eighth in the second division of the sacred books of the Jews, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, which, he says, they call Thereasar} Melito, who la the first of the Greek
]\Iinor

The

of Sirach.^

Fathers that has

language.''

left,us

a catalogue of these books, uses precisely the same

as forming one collective body of writfrom the reference made by the proto-

That they were regarded

earlier period, appears

ings at a

still

martyr Stephen to the Book of the Prophets,^ when quoting Amos v. 27. The same style is employed by the Rabbins, who call Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve, the Four Latter Prophets. They are also spoken of as one book by Gregory Nazianzen, in his poem, setting forth the component
parts of the sacred volume.'

At what

time,

with certainty.

and by whom they were collected, cannot be determined According to Jewish tradition, the collection of the sacred

is attributed to the men of the Great Synagogue, a body of learned Scribes, said to have been formed by Ezra, and continuing in exist-

books generally

ence

till

the time of

Simon the

Just,

who flourished

early in the third century

this collection,

before Christ,

In the opinion of many, Nehemiah completed

by adding to those books which had already obtained a place in the canon, such as had been written in, or near his own times.^ If this actually was the case, it cannot be doubted that he must have availed himself of the authority of INIalachi in determining what books were really entitled to this distinction and this Prophet, who was the last in the series of inspired writers under the ancient dispensation, may thus be considered to have given to the canon the
;

Kal tSiv Sd)5eKa Kpo(pi]Twv

to. offra

ava^dXoi

e/c

tov r6irov avrwu.

Ecclus. xlix. 10.

' *
^

""
Twv

^~ii

or, as it is

generally contracted, "iDi^n.

SciSeKO, iv ixovofii^Kua.

Kod^ojs yeypaiTTai. iv Bl^Xcji

tuv

irpo(pT]Twy,

Acts

vii. 42.

'

t^j-ins B-'N^aa nyans.

'

Miau n4v
'ncrije

elarii/

is ypa(p^p ol

AdSeKa'

'A/^d)S,

koI M.ixcda.s 6 rphos,

'luvas, 'A)35ioy,

'E7r?f^' 'loi^A., cIt'

'A$$aKOVK re Kal 'S.ocpovlas, 'Ayycuos, eha Zaxapaias, Ma\axias, Mia fieu olSe. Cannen xxx. iii. * Kal ois KaTa$a\X<iij.evos $t0\a)briKr]u, iiricrvvTtyaye to irepl rwv $a(n\4coi/ Kal irpocpTjTaiy, Kal Ta tov Aavl5, Kal eVtcTToAay ^aat\4wv irepl avabmaruv. 2 Mace. ii. 13.
tiaovfj. T,

XXVIII

GENERAL TREFACE.

"Within a century and a half afterwards, they were translated into Greek, along with the rest of the sacred books, and

sanction of Divine approbation.

have ever since obtained an undisputed place among the oracles of God. To those twelve prophetical books the epithet " Minor" has been applied, simply on the ground of their size, compared with those which precede them,

and not with any view of detracting from tlicir value, or of representing them as in any respect inferior in point of authority. The books are not arranged in the same order in the Hebrew and Septuaglnt texts, and in neither is the chronology exactly observed, as may be seen from the following table, in which the mean time is assumed as the basis of
the calculation

GENERAL PREFACE.
we want
the historical

XXIX
j^et

respecting the persons or things which are presented to view in the text,

commentary which wouUl elucidate and give point to The accounts contained in the books of Kings and its various particulars. Chronicles are frequently too brief to furnish us with a key to many of the prophecies which were fulfilled during the period which they embrace while the pages of profane history only slightly touch, if they touch at all, upon events which the scope and bearing of the predictions determine to periods within the range of subjects professedly treated of by its authors. Against none of these prophets has the charge of obscurity been brought
;

with greater appearance of justice than against Hosea, whose prophecies are
obviously, for the most part,

mere compendia, or condensed notes of what he

his discourses.

publicly delivered, though preserving, to a considerable extent, the logical

and verbal forms which characterized

metaphors,

Besides a profusion of
little

many

of which are derived from sources

accordant with the

book a conciseness of expression, an abruptness of transition, a paucity of connecting particles, and changes in person, number, and gender, to which nothing equal occurs in any of the
dictates of occidental taste,

we

find in his

other prophets.
ties
;

The
arise,

visions of Zechariah also are not without their difficulis

but these

not from the language, which

remarkably simple

in

its

character, but from the symbols which represent certain historical scenes
events.

and

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 It embraces the inti-oducthe most eventful in the history of the Hebrews.
tion of image-worship,
evils,

and
;

that of Phoenician idolatry, with all

its

attendant

among

the Israelites

the regicidal murders

;

and

civil

wars which shook

kingdom to its centre the corruptions of the Jewish state in consequence of its adoption of the idolatrous practices of the northern tribes the Assyrian and Egyptian alliances the irruption of the Syrian, Assyrian, and Chaldean armies into Palestine the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities
their
;
; ;

the Persian conquests

the release of the Jews,

and

their restoration to their

own land

and the

state of affairs at

Jerusalem during the governoi-ship of

Nehemiah.
aspects, a

Upon
more or

all

these various events

and circumstances, the

predictions,

warnings, threatenings, promises, and moral lessons, have, in a multiplicity of

less

to this period likewise

pointed and important bearing. Events subsequent such form the subjects of prophetic announcement

as the progress of

Alexander the Great

the successes of the

Maccabees the
; ;

corruptions which prevailed in the last times of the Jewish state

struction of
;

the de-

Jerusalem by the Romans the dispersion, future conversion, and

and the universal establishment of true religion throughout the world. Intermingled with these topics, and giving to each a significance and interest which it could not otherwise have possessed, are some of the clearest and most illustrious predictions respecting the Messiah, in his divine and human, his sacerdotal and suffering, and his regal and allconquering character that are to be found in the Old Testament.
restoration of the
;

Jews

^XX
It
is

GENERAL TREFACE.
impossible seriously to peruse this collection of proplietical writings

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

Governor the deep depravity of the human heart the multilbnn phases of moral evil and the just retributions which befall mankind in the present state of existence. These, and numerous subjects of a kindred natdre, furnish abundance of
Divine purposes
;

the glorious attributes of Jehovah as the Moral

of the universe, and the special Friend and Protector of his people
;

matter " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
righteousness," which, while
it

in

is

able to
is

through

faith

which

is

in Christ Jesus,"

wise unto salvation, also admirably fitted to " make the

all

make "men

man
iii.

of (iod perfect, thoroughly furnished unto

principles on which the

good works."

Tim.

1517.

The

Author has proceeded

in preparinn; the pres-

ent work are the same by which he was guided in composing his

Commentary
view of

on the Prophet
his readers the

Isaiah.

It has

been

his great

aim

to present to the

mind of

the Spirit as expressed in the written dictates of

With the view of determining this, he has laid under contribumeans within his reach, in order to ascertain the original state of the Hebrew text, and the true and unsophisticated meaning of that text. He has constantly had recourse to the collection of various readings made by Kennicott and De Rossi he has compared the renderings of the LXX., the Targum, the Syriac, the Arabic, the Vulgate, and other ancient versions he has availed himself of the results of modern philological research; and has
inspiration. tion all the
; :

conducted the whole under the influence of a disjjosition to place himself in the times of the sacred writers surrounded by the scenery which they

and impressed by the different associations, both of a political and a spiritual character, which they embody. In all his investigations he has endeavored to cherish a deep conviction of the inspired authority of the books which it has been his object to illustrate, and of the heavy responsibility which
exliibit,

attaches to

all who undertake the interpretation of the oracles of God. In no instance has the theory of a double sense been permitted to exert

its

influence on his expositions.

this

The Author

is

firmly convinced, that the

it

more

theory

is

impartially examined, the

more

will

be found that.it

goes to unsettle the foundations of Divine Truth, unhinge the

biblical student, invite the sneer

and

ridicule of unbelievers,

mind of the and open the

door to the extravagant vagaries of a wild and unbridled imagination.

pily the
tion
is

Hap-

number

of those

who adhere
;

to the multiform

method of interpreta-

and there cannot be a doubt, that, in proportion come to be more severelv studied, and perversions of the word of God, hereditarily kept up under tiie specious garb of spirituality and a more profound understanding ot Scripture, are discovered and exjiosed, the necessity of abandoning such slippery and untenable ground will be recognized, and the plain, simple, grammatical and natural species of interpretation, adopted and followed.
rapidly diminishing
as the principles of sacred hermeneutics

CONTENTS.
PAGE

HOSEA
JOEL

87
123

AMOS
OBADIAH

.183
196

JONAH
MICAH

216
264 285 320

NAHUM
HABAKKTJK

ZEPHANIAH

HAGGAI
ZECHARIAH

340
354 440

MALACHI

HO SEA.
PREFACE.
Respecting
stated in the

the origin of this prophet nothing

ver. 1.
If,

is

known beyond what

11.

is

title,

as

is

now

generally agreed, Jeroboam

died

about the year b. c. 784, and Hezekiah began to reign about b. c. 728, it would appear from the same verse that the period of his ministry must have embraced, at the very least, fifty-six years. To some this has seemed incredible,
chiefly

on the ground that

his

fourteen brief chapters.

It

prophecies are comprised within the compass of must be remembered, however, that the prophets

were not uninterruptedly occupied with the delivery of oracular matter. Sometimes considerable intervals elapsed between their communications, although there can be no doubt that, having once been caUed to the office of
public teachers, they devoted

much of

their time to the instruction of the

people among

is no reason for believing he ever uttered. They constitute only such portions of his inspired communications respecting the Israelites, as the

whom

they lived.

Besides, there

the contents of the book are

all that

Holy

Spirit

saw

fit

to preserve for the benefit of the

Jews, among whose sacred

writin;:s

they were incorporated.

Hosea was contemporary with Isaiah, Mcah, and Amos, and, like the lastmentioned prophet, directed his prophecies chiefly against the kingdom of the
ten tribes.

From the general tenor of his book, and from the history of the times contained in the Books of Kings, he manifestly lived in a very corrupt a^e. Idolatry, a fondness for foreign alliances, civil distractions, and vice of every description abounded, the impending judgments on account of which he was
commissioned
to

announce.

occasionally mentions Judah, yet the entire scene is laid in the land of Israel, where, there can be little doubt, he lived and taught.

Though he

With the exception of the first and third chapters, which are in prose, the book is rhythmical, and abounds in highly figurative and metaphorical language. The diction Is exceedingly concise and laconic so much so, that Jerome justly describes him as " commaticus et quasi per sententias loquens." The sentences are in general brief and unconnected the unexpected change of person is of frequent occurrence number and gender are often neglected and the similes and metaphors are frequently so intermixed, that no small degree of at; ;

tention

is

more scanty
not a

required in order to discover their exact bearing and force. He is in his use of the particles than the other prophets, which adda

little to the difliculty of interpreting his prophecies. In many instances highly animated, energetic, and sublime. Of all the prophets he is, in point of language, the most obscure and hard to be understood.

he

is

CHAPTER
;

I.

This chapter contains the inscription, ver. 1 a representation of the idolatrous kingdom of Israel under the image of a female, whom the prophet was ordered to marry, but who should prove false to him, 2, 3; and of the punishment with which it was to be visited, by the symbolical names of the prophet's children, together with a distinct intimation that the kingdom of Judah should not be involved in the same destruction, 4-8. It concludes with a gracious promise of the joint restoration of all the tribes, and their flourishing condition in the laud of their fathers, subsequent to the Babylonish captivity.

The

M'ord of Jehovah which was communicated to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah ; and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash,

The

king of Israel. beo-inning of the word of Jehovah by Hosea.

Jehovah said

The kings

here mentioned are those

specified in the inscription to the prophecies of Isaiah, ^^ith the addition of Jero-

merely refer to the commencement of the For the use of the prophecies of Hosea. preposition 2 in such connection, see

boam, the son of Joash, commonly called

Jerolxjam the Second, to distinguish him from the son of Nebat. This monarch
carried on vcrj- successful wars
As-ith

Numb.
The

xii. 2';

eV irpocpTirats,

2 Sam. Heb. i. 1.

xxiii. 2.

Comp.
and

transaction

here
iii.

described,
1,

his

northern neighbors, and recovered out of their hands the territories of -which they bad taken ^wssession; but though thus signally prospered, as an instrument in
tlie

character,

hand of Jehovah, he -was a wcked and greatly promoted idolatry

151,

in Israel.

See 2 Kings xiv. 23-28. icord, is meant the prophetic matter contained in the book. Thus the

By

Tar"-. r:s523

nsrs.

mti

is

commonly

rendered " came" in such connection, but it seems preferable to retain its usual signification, only adding another verb, as communiratcd, impnrtcil, or such like, to
Buit the English idiom.

clogged with almost insuperable difficulties and, as may be expected, have given rise to very different modes of intcq^rctation. By most commentators, the things specified are considered to have actually taken place in the outward histor}- of the prophet. Others, as Abarbancl, Kimchi, Maimonidca, Ruffinus, Q-lcolampadius, Marckius, Pocockc, and recently Hengstenbcrg, regard the whole in the light of internal prophetic vision wliile Calvin, Luther, Osiander, llivetus, Danajus,
are
; ;

that narrated chap.

Rosenmiiller, Ilitzig,
in

and

others, treat it

as a species of paxabolical representation,

which the prophet appropriates

to

him-

equivalent to -iDn and is rendered as a noun in the LXX., Targ., and Syr. It occurs in the absolute form Jer. v. 13, w'ith a similar reference 12
2.
-12-; is

self imaginan,' circumstances, aptly fitted

T,

to inspired matter. to

Some have attempted

show from the words nin"; -iS-n r?P.ri jrr-.ra that Ilosea was the first of the
prophets employed to convey Jehovah's messages to his ancient people but contrary to the import of the words, which
;

minds of those whom he addressed with a sense of their wickedness, and the pimishment to which it exposed them. To the last of these opuiions it may justly be objected that the language, " And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go," etc.
to impress the
is

identical with that used Is. vii. 3, viii.

1,

XX. 2

Jer. xiii. 1-7, xviii. 1, 2, xix.

^HAF
to

I.

HO SEA,
:

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.

V. xii.

other passages,
violence

xxiv. and in manywhich cannot without

;

be

understood

paraboHcally.

Not the sUghtest hint is given, in the present case, that th^ circumstances are
fictitious.

Besides,
is

it

has been observed,

subject

that there

no instance of any of the

prophets ever of a parable.

Tlie

making himself the

objection
lies

same

with equal

spoken of as lewd as well as their mother. Secondly, on the supposition that Gomer had been guilty of acts of impurity previous to her connection with the prophet, there would be no congruity in constitutiiag her a type of Israel, Avho is represented as lewd because she had lapsed into idolatry, in violation of the marriage contract entered mto at Sinai. See Gesen. Lex. p. 306, 2. Consistency of
absolutely requires the adoption of this view of the subject, as is admitted both by Hengstenberg and Hitinterpretation
zig.

force against the assumption, that

the things described were merely exliibited internally to the mind of the prophet.

The Divine mandate was

ternal
;

doubtless in-

The

objections other\vise produced

no intimation that what follows was in vision, any more than in the instances above quoted. On
but there
is

by the former of these authors more

specious than real.

against the

Uteral character of the transactions are

Besides being

the contrary, it is set forth as real matter of fact. When internal scenic representations were granted, the verbs riTn or
ns"!, to see, are always

employed to de-

scribe the experience of the person "who

and natm-al, it has much to recommend it on the gi-ound of the pubHc notoriety which uifidelity on the part of the wife of a prophet must have created, and its aptness to typify
the most obvious

viewed them, which is not the case here. See Is. vi. Jer. xxiv. 1 Ezek. ii. 9
;
;

Zech. i. 8, ii. iii. etc. Comp. also 3 the phi-aseology of the Apocalypse. are, therefore, shut up to the literal interpretation, according to which the
iii.
;

We

transactions,
real>

though symbolical, were and outward in the history of Hosea.

the conduct of the Israelites towards Jehovah. It may indeed be said, that his marryuig a notoriously lewd character must have produced a much greater sensation. True, but besides the encouragement which it must have been calculated to give to the fonnation of im-

hallowed and

irreligious connections, it

Those, however, who adopt this view, are not agreed on the subject of the som&being of opinion females specified that only one is intended in both passages others, two ; some, that Gomer was not a lewd character before the prophet took her, but became such afterwards others, that she was originally imchaste some, as Thomas Aquinas, that he did not marry her at all, but merely lived with her as a concubine ! Lyra and Newcome think that nothing more is meant by " a wife of lewdness," than an Israehtess one of those who had become guilty of
:

was just observed, have been in accordance with the design of the
not, as

woidd

which was, not to represent the chai-acter of the Hebrews before the period of their national reception into alliance vnth Jehovah, but their conduct as exhibited in the pages of their subsequent history. The phrases D";iiT nt'S*,
transaction,

spiritual

fornication

or

idolatry.

The

Ci'i" *'",'? 11 a lewd woman and lewd chilhave the same import, and are not to be interpreted as if the mother alone were guilty, and the children merely the Comp. product of her guilty conduct. the phrase yrs "'7.^1, children of transThus as to gression, i. e. transgressors.
dren,

position that

Hosea was commanded to marry an impure female cannot be sustained, for two reasons. First, the chilscribed as

sense the Targ. V 7

A

and the Sjt.

"j

ft

TI

fS O

dren were clearly those afterwards debom to the prophet, and are

11

^^

and

children that commit leicd-

ness.

Thus

also Kosenmiiller.

Both

are

no S E A.
3

Chap.

I,

4 she conceived, and bare him a son.

;

So he vrcnt and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblalm, and And Jehovah said \xnto for yet a little Avhile, and I Avill him, Call his name Jezreel avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will And it shall cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.

come

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 pait of the

ten tribes.

Viewed

as a

kingdom they
;

are represented as a

vidual subjects spoken of as her children. The plural C":"'r is emphatic, as n'^^T in -s C->:-!,'etc. Comp. Q-3:iT r:5n, chap. iv. That they are otherwise 12, and ii. 4. to be identified appears from the use of l-ij;, take, which properly apphes only to the female, but here governs both nomas,
as

mother and as indiof that kingdom, they are

the tribe of Issachar, on the brow of the central valley in the great plain of the same name, and the royal residence of Ahab and his successors. It was here Jehu exercised acts of the greatest cruelty,
2

Kings

X. 11, 14, 17.

These

acts

were

speedily to be avenged in the extinction

of the royal family, and the entire cessation of the IsracUtish state. It had

been annoimced to Jehu that his sons should occupy the throne till the fourth
generation, 2 Kings x. 30.

Two

of these

Jerome

obser\-es,

atrh

koivov.

The

reason of the sj-mbolic action is assigned the atrocious at the close of the verse conduct of the IsraeUtes in renouncijig the pure worsliip of Jehovah, and ad-

had passed away by the time Jeroboam being the of the prophet great grand-son. In the following genegenerations

ration, the prediction received its

accom-

dicting themselves to idolatry. Hos. xx. 5, 6 Lev. xvii. 7

; ;

Comp.
iv.

plLshment. Ey the " bow of Israel " is meant her military prowess, which was completely subdued by the Assv-rian

12.
for

V.^"'
its

^^'^

''^"^

P^*'

^y metonymy,
preix)sition -,

inhabitants.

The

has

here the force of a negative, which strongly expresses the state of separation which had taken place. 3. That the names Gomer and Dihlaim are to be taken spnbolically, as Ilengstenberg interjorets, does not appear.

army. The valley here mentioned, afterwards called Esdraclon, was famous for the battles fought there from the most It consists of the broad ancient times. elevated plain which stretches from the Jordan to the^Ieditcrranean, near Mount Cannel, and is well adapted to military Accordmgly, Dr. E. D. operations.
Clarke
cens,
obser^es,

His exposition of them

that of Jerome, the same view.

is

fanciful, as is

Christian

" Jews, Gentiles, SaraCrusaders, and Anti-

who

takes pretty

much

of iV, to him, i. e. to Hosea, proves that the child was The word is not of spurious origin. wanting, indeed, in three of Kcnnicott's MSS., and one of De Rossi's, the Complut. edition of the

The use

Christian Frenchmen, Eg^^3tians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, waniors out of ever)' nation which is under heaven, have pitched their tents upon the plains

LXX., the Itala, and but the omission in all probability origmatcd in an attempt to render the phraseology comformable to that of
the Arab.
;

of Esdraclon, and have beheld the viirious banners of their nations wet with the dews of Tabor and Ilermon." It was, therefore, natural that the Israelites should endeavor to make a stand against the Asspians in this valley but being
;

yerses 6

and

8.
i.

4, 5. Vs^nT"', Jezreel,
scatter,

c.

God
It

will

from
X.

i'-iT,
;

to scatter, flisperse, as
5<;i-t2)2.

overpowered by numbers were obliged to succimib to the enemy. Of this discomfiture, and the consequent dispersion of
the ten
trib(>s,

Zech.

Targ.

was

the

name

of the prophet's

otherwise the projx;r

name

of a city in

son was symbolical.

Chap.

I.

HO SEA.
she conceived again, and bare a daughter
;

And

to him, Call her

name Lo-Ruhamah

for I will

and He said no more have

mercy upon the house of Israel, but will utterly take them But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by
away.
horsemen.
9
son.

And she weaned Lo-Ruhamah, and conceived, and bare a And He said. Call his name Lo-Amjii for ye are not my
;

10

11

Nevertheless the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor numbered ; and it shall be, that instead of its having been said to thena, Ye are not my people, it shall be said to them, Ye are the children of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah, and the childi-en of Israel, be
nV,

people, and I will not be yours.

6, 7. TDsiip

Lo-Ruhamah,

i.

e.

unpitied.

N'aj

elsewhere signifies

to

ple, fuilher sets forth

forgive ; and were the verb preceded by the copulative n, it might be so rendered

only supplj-ing the negative tO? irom the preceding clause but as ';3, but, excludes such repetition, the phrase must
here,
;

i. e. not my peothe rejection of the ten tribes by Jehovah. Nothuig could have been better calculated to make an impression upon the minds of his countiy-

9.

15a? tiV,

Lo-Ammi,

be rendered as in the translation.

avriTaacrdixivvs avrir a^ojxai avro7s-

LXX.
Syr.

^Olli* jjj \-Q-k

Mivione
obliviscor

\-fl-Lk).

Vulg.

men, than for the prophet thus to give to one child after another a name strongly significant of the disastrous circumstances to which they should be reduced. Instead of O ~h r!^_n^!~^jV(, / ivill not be yours, i. e.
God," Houbigant and Newcome would read C="nVs ^h, I am not your God but though the antithesis is common, it admits of an ellipsis, just as in Ezek. xvi. 8, there is an elhpsis of rvs^h. Comp. Ps. cxviii. 6. The MSS. and versions exhibit no variation.
:

eorum

reading snjj,

your

which
at first

is

found in De Rossi's MS. 593, hand, instead of 5{\02. The king-

dom

of Israel

was never more

stored, though,

to be reconjunction with the

Israelites

Babylonish captivity, ver. 11. It was to be very different with the Jewish power. Though lik.e^vise attacked, and threatened with utter extinction by Sennacherib, they were mercifully delivered by a divine interposition, without all human aid. And though they were afterwards carried away to Babylon, their civil polity was
restored,

Jews, the return to

scattered

were to

Canaan

after the

10, 11.

These verses contain a gra-

which was not the

case with

promise of the recovery of the descendants of the Israelites, along with those of their brethren the Jews, at the termination of the Babylonish captivity. Though entirely and for ever broken up as a distinct kingdom, yet, during the period of their residence in the regions of the East, whither they were to be transported, they should greatly multiply,
cious

the Israehtes.

ntth^tt, war, stands ellip-

and afterwards be

reinstated in the priv-

tically for riTan-sTa "^^SS, warriors.

The mention liere made of the weaning of Lo-Ruhamah, seems designed rather to fill up the narrative, than to
8.

as members of the theocracy. The eleventh verse teaches the reunion of all the tribes, and their return under Zenibbabel to their own

ileges of adoption,

describe figuratively

any

distinct treat-

land.

That

this prince

ment of the

Israelites.

"iris ttisn, one head,

is meant by the must be maintained,

HO SEA.
12

Chap.

II.

gathered together, and tliey shall appoint for themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the

day of Jezrecl. Say ye unto your brethren, your sisters, Ruhamah.

who is by many supposed to be intended, is nowhere spoken of as appointed by men, but always as the choice and ajipointmcnt of God, y-is, laud, signifies, in this eoimection the countn- of Babylon, not excluding those other regions of the East in which the descendants of the different tribes were found. Vsy~T", Jezrecl, is obviously used here in a diff'crent acceptation from that in which it is taken ver. 4.
since the Messiah,
tribes

Ammi aud
;

to

countrj'.

should again be sown in their o-wTi Comp. chap. ii. 22, 23; Jer.

xxxi. 27.

That of

soirini/ is

alone appropriate.

Il-

lustrious should be the period

when

the

The principle on which part of ver. 10, and chap. ii. 23, are quoted, Kom. be. 25, 26, and 1 Pet. ii. 10, seems to be As God had taken that of analog}-. pity upon the ten tribes, who had become heathens, as it respects idolatrous and other practices, so he had pitied the Gentiles who had been in the same circumstances. "WTiat was said of the one class was equally descriptive of the other.

CHAPTER
Tlie prophet proceeds in
tliis

II,

ceding.

He

calls the Israelites to

chapter to apply the symbolical relation described in the prereform their wicked conduct, 1,2; threatens them with a

series of calamities, the effect of

which should be their repentance aud return to tlie service of Jeliovah, 3-15; aud promises a gracious restoration to Ms lavor, aud the enjoyment of
security

aud prosperity iu their own laud,

1&-23.

Contend with your mother, coHtend

For she
Neither
is

not

my

wife,

am I her husband That she may remove her lewdness from her face, And her adulteries from between her breasts.
1, 2.

The

indi\'idual

members of the

Israelitish state

are here

summoned

to

urge upon their nation the consideration of its wickedness in having departed from God. Of these the nation of the

which it introduces form a parenthesis and ^5r;i. which, though future, is to be rendered jxrtentiaUy t/uit she may remove connects with !iD''-i, contend ye. The ^
:

is,

as

was the cs, viother. Cocceius, Dathe, Kuinocl, and Riickcrt, render 'S, and interpret: Argue the point t/int, with your nation, and show her that in consequence of her wicked conduct all The relations between us have ceased.
ten
tril)cs

The

rcjK'tition of qa"*"!
:

frequently to be taken Tt\tKus. is emphatic, as

ducite in Virgil

Ducite ab

trrbe

domum, mca

carmina,

ducite Daphnin."

By C"EnSs:i
adulteries, are

casual signification of

tlie

conjunction,
Tlic words

however, seems preferable.

catiuns

D":i2T> fomicntions and meant the tokens or indiboldness of of lewd character

:

Chap.

II.

HO SEA.

Lest I strip her naked, And set her as in tlie day when she was born, And make her as the desert,

And make her hke a dry land, And cause her to die Avith thirst. Upon her children I will have no

mercy,

For they are lewd children. Because their mother hath committed lewdness,
Their parent hath acted shamefully

For she

said

That give me My wool and

I will follow my lovers, my bread and my water, my flax, my oil and my wine.

countenance, and an immodest exposure of the breasts. Both forms are redupUcate, to express the enormity of the evil.

the
is

What

the prophet has in view

is

the

reckless

and unblushing manner in which

the Israclitish nation practised idolatry. The LXX. have read ^asw, " from my face " improperly in this connection, though a similar phrase occurs elsewhere. striking accumulation of synony3. mous denunciations for the purpose of describing the state of complete destitution to which the idolatrous Israelites would be reduced by the infliction of divine judgments. They should be placed in circumstances analogous to those in which they had originally been
;

Jemsh exegesis, '^ii'n, Gen. xlix. 26, used of male progenitors. The Targ. and Jarchi suppose teachers to be here meant but the tenn is merely a synonyme of DS. mother, in the preceding hemistich. Interpreters are not agreed respecting the rendering of n^^mn. In
;

most instances in ^^hich the word occm^

it

certainly has the transitive significa-

tion;

but here the intransitive

appropriate.
it is

seems
15,

more
Avhere

Comp. Jer. vi. explained by vu'J nay "in

^3.

Comp.

also n'U^rj.,

ynn, n^ JTn.'as Hiph.

intransitives.

in rrrVs, elongating the future, is expressive of a decided purpose, desire, or bent of mind
it is

The paragogic' n

my

settled determination to follow

in Egypt.
6.

Comp. Ezek.
For

xvi. 4

xxiii.

those

who

25, 26, 28, 29.

ii.

-i2-tn

comp.

Jer.

return for

richly supply my wants in my religious services. D'ars^

Individuals n^ght expect that they would escape, and not be treated as the nation in its collective capacity; but Jehovah here declares, that he would treat them according to the demerits of their individual wickedness. For -^ra
4.
t:-:!i:T

lovers, which is here employed metaphorically to denote idols, is seldom used except in a bad sense. This interpretation,

which

is that of Joseph Kimchi and Abarbanel, is more iir keeping with the symbolical character of the prophecy, than that suggested by the Targ. yra

comp. d'312T "7.V, ch.

i.

2.

The

second'

noun

is,

as' frequently, used ad-

}13S 1513^, which takes the word in the sense of idolaters, or idolatrous nations,

jectively.
5.

such as Assj-ria,

etc.

Comp.

as strictly

"r, since or because,

and '~h,

there-

fore, ver.

8, con-espond to each' other, the former mai'king the protasis, the latter the apodosis. The second -3 introduces parenthetically an illustration of the statement made at the begimiing of the verse. Iriin is the feminine par-

ticiple

of

nnn

to

conceive, he preqnant,
iii.

Comp.

'rj-n'n.

Song

4.

Accorduig to

17-19. The language indicates complete alienation of heart from Jehovah, the only giver of all good, and a blind confidence in, and devotion to the ser^dce of idols. The articles specified comprehend both the necessaries and the luxuries of ancient Hebrew life, "'rr, oil, is much in use among the Orientals, both in its simple
parallel,

Jer.

xliv.

HO SEA,
Therefore, behold
!

Chap.

II.

I will

hedge up thy way with thorns,

xVnd will raise a wall, that she may not find her paths. And she shall eagerly pursue her lovei's, but she shall not overtake them

And

shall

Then shall For it was The

corn,

seek them, but shall not find them she say I will go and return to my
:

first

husband,

better with

me

then than now.

it was I that gave her and the new wine, and the oil And furnished her abundantly with silver and gold, Which they made into images of Baal Therefore I will take back my corn in its time. And my new wine in its season And I will recover my wool and my flax,
;

Because she knew not that

Dcsijjrned to cover her nakedness.

state,

compounded with other inis specially appUed as ointment to the body after bathing. Comp. Psalm xxiii. 5; Prov. xxi. 17. ""^" denotes here all kinds of artificial
and
as

gredients.

It

diink,
u\ttei:

reads 6

being iised in distinction from The Aldinc edition of the LXX. but the usual reading olfo^ yLov
,-

and the objects of their idolatrous attachment. 7. Convinced by bitter experience of the folly of idolatrj', the Israelites would renounce it, and return to the service of Jehovah. r.B~~\ is intensive, and expresses The Vau in the ardor of the piursuit. r,-iissi, marking the aiX)dosis, points out
tribes

is iravTo.

oaa ixoi ko^tikh, with which The word the Targ. and Syr. agree. occurs, Ps. cii. 10 Prov. iii. 8 and is evi; ;

dently derived from

npa
to

Arab ^iUw

Eth.
6.

ll^P
For
t;

',

to

make

drink, to water.

in r^r^
,

i the

LXX.

Arab, and
of the

the consequence or result of the failure a resolution to turn from idols to serve the living God. It might be rendered so t/iat, but not in order that, as Manger proposes, tj*, then, designates the period previous to the ajx)stasy of the ten tribes, when in reward for external obedience,

SjT. read
affix.

n^ but most

likely in order to

they enjoyed temporal blessings. Thus the Targ. i*nVE *ri^in t3 --V =1; 'i{5
8, 9.
1

produce uniformity

in the use

The metaphor here employed is borrowed from the condition of a traveller whoso progress is interrupted by a hedge thrown across his path, or who can no longer pass through the gap of an enclosure which used to be in his way and who is consequently reduced Turned out to straits and difficulties. of his accustomed course, he is bewil;

and

","'5

at the

these verses stand in the

to each other as "D

bcginnmg of same relation

verses 6th

and

-,::V,

and

6th.

Before

ri\nj

supply nrs.

By

Vy2, Baal, the prophet means "images of Baal," the singular being used collectively for the plural.
4,

Comp.

ch. viii.

where

t3"2^'y, idols, corresj^nd

Ilitzig

dered,
7, 9.

and

strives

in vain

to extricate
;

in the jiresent case.

strict -c-S,

toVya would re(jold,

lumsclf.

Comp. Job xix. 8 Lam. iii. m-ia, a laill, is pointed rr^^^S, in the editions of J. H. Michaelis, and Jahn, and this punctuation Ilengstcnberg at-

understood, to 2nT,

sup-

posing

The tempts, without success, to defend. wall means the cxtcnial hindrances wliich the captivity interposed bet^^ecn the ten

golden calves set up at Bethel and Diui to be meant but, as it does not appear that the name of Baal was ever applied to them, his inteqireSee chap. viii. 4 tation is groundless. wliich also clcaily proves that by vsv
the
; ;

Chap.

II.

HO SEA.
lovers,

10
11

And now I will expose her vileness before her And none shall deliver her out of my hand. And I will cause all her joy to cease
we are not
to understand the conse-

\iT3\

meaning
fruits of

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

is, that instead of reaping the the earth, etc. as they expected at the usual season, they should be trod-

plating with "which

the Assyrian

to cover such as were made of wood. 2 Chron. xxiv. 7, to which Seeker appeals

in favor of the former meaning of the The phrase, is also to be so understood. rendering of Gesenius, "which they offered to Baal," is equally objectionable

den down, consumed, or taken away by army imder Shahnaneser. Jehovah vindicates Ms right to the various articles specified, because they had been bestowed by his providence calling them his, with obAious reference to ver. 5, in which Israel had called them hers. The land and all it contained were spe;

the phrase Vri'uS,

referred
to

when

thus used, being

victims.

cially his.

Vs3

sacrificial

Targ.
fuit, expresses

Arab. tX,oJ

Uheratiis

sr;i_yuV inay rfS^s. Hengstenberg attempts to support the position that consecration is meant but his reasons are alThe very passage which together futile. he quotes as parallel (Ezek. x\-i. 17, 18,) is directly opposed to his exegesis of the phrase. Baal was perhaps the most ancient of all the gods worshipped in the East. He was, according to Dr. Miinter, the re;

the idea of rescuing or reThe V covering what was tmjustly held. in ms^'j denotes end or purpose, and is
its place so that there is no newith Houbigant, Dathe, Horsley, Newcome, Boothroyd, and others, to change it into , out of deference to the

quite in
cessity,

LXX.
10.

Avho render rov

/xt]

KoKvirT^iv.

M5^23 occurs only in

this place,

presentative of the sim, the generative

but

power in the eastern mythology, and had associated -with him Astarte, the female power, which was viewed as representmg the moon. Gesenius, however, is of opinion, that xmder these names the planets Jupiter and Yenus Avere worSee on Isaiah xvii. 8. From shipped. the frequency with which his name occmrs in

obviously equivalent to r;Vi5, atrocious, shameful, detestable wickedness. Targ.

is

SiVj?, her shame,

LXX. tV

aKoSfapa-'iav

auT^s; SjT. <Tla.IC5Q-S, nudatio in malum, pudenda. Castel.

her nakedness.
;

Arab. Lgj\ jX*

Occuring in immediate
the

connection vdih.

preceding

r;^";?.,

compoimd Phcenician names,

wor-

nudity, it conveys the superadded idea

as Hannibal, Hasdrubal, etc., the

ship of Baal appears to have been common among that people and from them, especially the Tyrians, it was borrowed
;

of obscenity, i. e. by metonomy, the results or consequences of idolatrous conduct, a complete destitution of all the
necessaries of

by the

of this idolatry in the time of the Judges, iii. 7; vi. 25; it see chap. ii. 11, 13 became prevalent even in Judah in the
Israelites.
is
;

Mention

made

Nah.

days of Ahaz and, though abolished by the pious king Josiah, was revived by Manasseh. In Israel it rapidly gained ground after the introduction of the worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, and reached its height in the reigns of Ahab and Hosea, The verb nrr, to return, turn back, is frequently used adverbially.
;

Comp. Jer. xiii. 26 This exposvue was to be made in the very presence of the idols which Israel had served, none of which should be able to afford deliverance. By a prosopopoeia, the idols are first endowed with the faculty of vision, and then their
life.
iii.

5.

utter imbecility
t*-S,

is

strikingly set forth.

not only signifies man, but any one, and is frequently used of inanimate objects. In connection with sV, it signifies
none.

So here

"pi-ij;';')

'z'Vii,
i. e.

I will again
deprive
of.

take

made

away, or take hack,

The 2

denoimcement to be desolated by the invading arnucs, and all

11,
12,

explain

the

ver.

10.

The country was

10

HO SEA,
Her
festivals,, her

Chap.
sabbaths,

II.

new moons, and her

Ariel all

her appointed assemblies.

12 I will also lay Avaste her vines and her fig-trees,

Of which she said They are "Which ray lovers have given
:

my
me

hire

I will turn

them

into a forest.

And

the beasts of the field shall devour thera.

13 I will avenge upon her the days of the Baals, On which she burned incense to them

And And And

decked herself with nose-rings and trinkets.

followed her lovers,
forgat me, saith Jehovah.

the festivities and seasons of religious obscn-ancc were to cease. The dilferent terms here employed are those by -which the seasons of Avorsliip, etc. appomted by Jehovah in the Mosaic law, are des-

meant the days

specially devoted to the

celebration of idolatrous rites.

To

cause
to

grateful odors to ascend from the altars,

was considered

peculitu'ly acceptable

the objects of worship.

It

appears to

ignated

but

it is

not hence to be infen-ed

that such were obsei-\'ed according to his The IsraeUtes professed appointment. to worship liim, but, at the same time,

"While fi-om habit gods. they continued to keep them as portions of time imappropriated to the ordinary occupations of life, they were doubtless
sers-ed other

have originated partly in the gratification afforded by agreeable smelLs, and partly in the custom of burning perfumes in rooms, etc. with a view to purify them from noxious vapors. Ct: and rt'Vri.
appear to be employed here to denote though female ornaments generally strictly taken, the former comn^only signifies such rings as the oriental females wear iji the nostril. See on Is. iii. 21.
;

converted into seasons of carnal indulThe nouns ai'e those of mvlgence. titude, and must be rendered in the plural. -,S;., and r;:sp, are likewise to be

frVn, from nVn,

Arab.

to be

smooth, polished

i ~^ , omavit monilibus viundove

taken as
trees.

collectives, or rather, as

Horsley

suggests, plantations of vines

and

fig-

sua (inutierem,)

SjJL^,

rnundo ornata,

These should be left imcultivated on the removal of the inhabitants into

foreign regions.
24.
r; :

denotes a trinket, necklace, or the like.

Comp.
-,:

Is. v. 6

vii.

23,

Accordmg

to Firuzabad

io ,.o">J

Mjs, like

rs,

is

used only of the

hire of a harlot,

and
9

is

peculiarly ajipro-

^Lojjtv^i
j{%
l

^
Rosenm.
;

priatc in this connection.

Thus Tan-

<rv

<\

\\

chum on
Jol4>I

chap.

viii.

J Joo

,j quodcuuque ornamentum the Syr. and courtesans

Lx

vel e metullis coiijlatum, ve! e hipkh'hits pretiosis

aLotwU- Comp.

Is xxiii.

confectum.

Targ.

have

pearls.

Th.at

The wild beast is here to be 17, 18. taken literally, and not figuratively, as supposing the heathen Abarbancl docs, invaders to be meant.

decked themselves with the most costly ornaments they could command is mentioned by Juvenal, Sat.
'

vi.

13. D"V>;2n, the Buals,

i.

e.

the idols

Mrrchis

follata

parantur

which they had set up to Baal in the cities and dLffcrent parts of the countrj',
as well as in their private houses. Ilcnce the names Banl-dnd, Bdul-IIcrmon, Baaltneon,
etc.

Emitur
titis

his (juicquid gracilis

hue mit-

Indi."

The

By cVyari ':-rs,

aic

meuts

prophet has in view the gay omathe Israelites decked ill which

Chap.

II.

HOSEA.
!

11

14

Nevertheless, behold

I will allure her,

And, though I lead her into the desert, Yet I will speak soothingly to her.
15

And And

I will grant her her vineyards

from thence,
:

the valley of Achor for a door of hope

signification of
i.

themselves on idolatrous holidays. Their entirely abandoning themselves to the service of idols, and their derehction of the God of their fathers, are brought forward at the conclusion of this description of their conduct, in order to heighten the aggravation of their guilt, and render the aiuioimcement of the Itindly disposition of Jehovah towards them, at the beginning of the following verse, the more surprising. 14. -p's cannot with any propriety be rendered " therefore " in this connection, if the following words are to be regarded as promissory of good, and not as containing a further threatening of punishAnd that they are to be so ment. regarded, the subsequent context suffiThis particle must thereciently shows.
fore possess the force of the

% See Ruth ii. 13

;

1
;

Eccles. ix. 16

Mai.

ii.

14

Sam. and

mstances in Noldius, No. 46. Bauer thinks the desert between AssjTia and Judea is meant, through which the
other
Israehtes were to be conducted on their
release; Doderlein, Theol. Biblioth. ex-

plams

it

of Judea

itself,

at

that tune

I imagine the and waste. comitry of Babylon is intended. Jehovah is here said to do what he would employ the Assyrians in doing. For the phrase
desolate
::V

\t

"i-.'^>

see Is. xl. 2.

When

re-

duced to circumstances of affliction in the countries of the East, whither they were to be carried, Jehovah declares that he

would administer consolation to them; holding out to them the cheering prospect of restoration, on their repentance
to their native land.
15.

Arab. ,.w3U

The

Israehtes

had
;

altogether for-

verumtamen, but yet, notwithstanding, neverIt thus marks the unexpected theless.
transition
Is. vii.
et

freq.

14

from threats to promises, as x. 24 xxvii. 9 xxx. 18, nns, of which nPS'a is the
;
; ;

Piel participle, signifies

easily

to open, be open,

persuasible; hence in Piel, both in a good and a bad sense, to persuade, allure, prevail upon by suitable inducements. It is here necessarily to be taken in the sense of inducing or gaining over to that which is good, by the use of sootliing and persuasive means, as the concluding words of the verse "ipinaTi

nor could they acquire a new right to them except in the way of a fresh grant from the Lord. This grant he here promises them, as he had of old promised Canaan to their D'iW. fathers when in the wilderness. thence, means, retmning from the wilderness; just as n5aw indicates the homefeited their possessions

To take wai'd direction of the exiles. B'in as a particle of time, which Gesenius proposes, is less suitable. " The valley of Achor" lay in the vicinity of the sacred Jericho, and was noted history for the judgment mfiicted upon Achan. From Is. Ixv. 10, it appears to have been a fertile and pleasant region

SsV Vy
raelites

abmidantly prove. As the Iswere to be forcibly removed from their land by the king of Assyria, there is a smgular want of propriety assign-

ing to 1, in rtTiirVh 1, its usual copulative power. It is obviously to be imderstood exceptively, or as introducmg a kuid of parenthetical sentence, expressive of what was to take place in the history of the
ten tribes previously to their conversion

and on this accoimt alone it is thought by Calvin, Zanchius, Rivetus, and others, Most to be referred to by our prophet. of the Rabbins, however, and after them,

many
lusion

Christian interpreters, consider alto be made to the name, which

signifies trouble or molestation,

and

to this

I incline.

and which, though it from idolatry might seem severe, was indispensable for the attainment of that object. For tliis
;

This valley had proved very inauspicious to the Hebrews on their former entrance into Canaan. They had been forced to tvtm their backs before

12

H
And
Even

EA

Chap. IL

she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in tlie day when she came up from the laud of Egypt.
it

16

And
And

shall

be

in that

day, saith Jehovah,

That thou

me, Ism shalt no more call me, Baali.

shalt call

17 For I will take

away the names of the Baals from her mouth,

they shall no more be remembered by their name. I will make a covenant for them in that day 18 With the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, And with the reptiles of the ground

And And

the native inhabitants, and their hearts melted, and bec-ame as water. Josh. vii. But on their return 5, 8, 12, 24, 26. from the captivity, the exiles would pass through it -with the undisturbed expectation of a peaceable and joyful occupation of the country.

band, and which was not liable to the

same

objections

" Sic mihi ser\itiimi video, dominamque paratam. Jam mihi hbertas ilia patema vale."
Tibullus, lib.
ii.

By ni~P ^^2,
hopeful entrance

Eleg. 4.

a door of hope,

is

meant a

into the holy land.

nri:^,

the

LXX.
and

SjT. Arab, and

Symm.

take in the sig-

nification to be humbled or afflicted;

this idea is adhered to

Before v^j-s, two MSS. the LXX. Aq. while two ilSS., and SjT. insert "h originally seven, more, and four printed
;

by Grotius, who
:

with that of singing " In" tellige autem carmen fletus et precum but that of celebrating the Divine goodcombines
it
;

is

ness in songs of gi-atitude

suits the coimection.

and joy,
in

better
as

The n

r;>2'j,

before obser\-cd, indicates the

direction of the exiles
special reference

yet

homeward

not without

to their approach to The point of the valley of Achor. comparison, as it respects the singing, seems to be the Song of Moses at the Red Sea. As the people then imited in celebrating the goodness of Jehovah displayed in their deliverance, so should the returning Israelites do, on again

omit it after "i^'^p.F]. C'Vys, not here to be taken as a plural of excellency, but is used, according to its strict import, to denote the different images of Baal worshipped by the Israelites, such as Baal- Gad, Baal-Ammon, etc. Comp. Exod. xxiii. 13 Zech. xiii. 2. The prophecy was fully accomplished at the return from the Babylonish captivity. 18. Such should be the security of the returned exiles imder the immediate care and protection of Jehovah, that everj' thing capable of injuring them should be rendered perfectly harmless. The irrational animals should be reeditions,
;

strained,

inviolable

taking possession of their native Jand.

16, 17.

The word

Vj:3,
its

/>W, had

orig-

under the bond of an and the Assyrian compact armies should no more attack them. Some understand the former pait of the
as if
;

inally been used in

unexceptionable acceptation of husUmd, and is thus appHed to Jehovah, Is. Uv. 5 but as it
;

the dificrent creatures verse figm-atively there specified denoting men coiTcspondbut the ing to them in disj^sition
;

had become common in its application by the Israelites to the heathen deities which they had worshipped, and besides, conveyed the idea of jiossession and rule,
rather than that of affection,
declares

language

is

rather to be regarded

as

God

here

that

in

future

he would be

merely intended to Comp. Job v. 23 heighten the efl'ect. Ezck. xxxiv. 25. Before'nKnV^.. supply Vs. or 'icjs, as chap. i. 7. Targ. '7= "13 -liars is a pregnant plirase, t42-ijp.
hyperbolical, being

hh, the name more usually meaiiing, / will break and remove auny z'zjv is here expressive of the cmiJoycd to express the relation of hus- J rum.
called r"S,

Chap.

II.

II

EA
battle, I will

13
break and remove

The

boAV,

and the sword, aud the from the land,

will cause

And
19

them

to recline securely.

I will also betroth thee to

myself forever

I will even betroth thee to myself with righteousness and with

justice,

with kindness, and with tender compassion. 20 Yea, I will betroth thee to myself with faithfulness And thou shalt know Jehovah.
2

And

And

it

shall

be

in that day,

I will respond, saith Jehovah,

reclining posture in -which the orientals
all that the conjugal relation could possibly expect in the -way of supply from their Divme pro-

the

new

indulge Avhcnever they are released from At the time predicted active exertion. there -would he no enemy or danger to break in upon their repose.
"Ipsse lacte
capellse

Israelites

domum

referent

distenta

libera,

nee magnos metuent armenta

blandos
serpens,

leones.

Ipsa

tibi

fundent cunabula
et

flores.

Occidet et veneni
Occidet,

fallax

herba

To these, however, are added "kmdness," and "tender compassion," which express the strong internal affection from -which the fonner should proceed, and the high degree of interest' Avhich God would take in his recovered people. To remove every doubt from their minds, he crowns the -whole by a gracious assurance that his engagements
tector.

Assyrium

vulgo

nascetur

amomum."
19, 20.
'tB-iS

Virgil, Eclog. iv.

a here specially selected in order to impress the minds of the Israelites -with a sense of the distinguished character of the Divine
signifies

to

contract

matrimonial alliance, and

is

Though they had rendered themselves totally imworthy of his regard, he declares that he would treat them as if they had never apostatized to idolatry. He would form a new conjugal relation, as -with a fbmale in her virgin state. The triple repetition of the verb expresses intensity of desire, and gives the strongest assurance to the party to which the promise is made. c'l^yV, for ever, is to be taken as Gen.
benignity.
xiii.

should be "faithfully" perfomied. D">: (j1> TO, a-TrKdyxfC; ht. the bowels, but coinmonly employed figuratively to denote tender affection or love. Horsley's interjDretation of the terms in application to our Saviour, is, hke most of his exegesis, in the highest degree fanciful, being totally imsupported by the scope and connection of the passage. The knoAvledge of Jehovah here predicated is not speculative, or a bare intellectual acquaintance mth his character, but experimental, or that -which results from

the actual enjoyment of his love. Instead of r;':n^~^i<, twenty-six MSS., origmally thirteen more, now two, and perhaps other two, tM'o editions, supported by the

15

Exod. xxxii. 13

Is.

The

several particulars here

xxxv. 10. enumerated

Vulg., read r/rrr "'2N "5, i. e. they shall know that I am Jehovah. 21, 22. One of the most beautiful instances of prosopopoeia to be found in Scripture. Comp. the address to the Nile
in Tibullus, hb.
i.

fmther

discover, by the amplification which they form, the great kindness of

Eleg.

vii. ver.

25

Jehovah to his people. ncbs" and ''justice,"

By
is

" righteous-

"Te

propter nullos

telliis

tua postulat

meant every

imbres,

equitable obligation -which God could be expected to place himself under in

Arida nee

plu-vio supplicat

herba Jovi."
their

While second

causes

have here

;!

14

II

EA

Chap.

III.

I will respond to the heavens,

22

And And

they shall respond to the earth, the earth shall respond to the corn, and the
the
oil.

new

wine, and

And they shall respond to Jczreel. 23 For I will sow her for myself in the land. And will have roercy npon Lo-KuiiAiiAU,

And And
many

Avill

say to Lo-Aimi,

Thou

art

my

people

they shall say,

My God
the second ns.ys originally. VsS"^"*, Jezreel, here means that which G(xl hulk sown, i. e. his people whom he had scattei-ed, but whom he -would again restore to their native soil. Comp. chap. i. ver.
4,

appropriate place allotted to them, as so

connected links in the chain of Divine Providence, the sovereign inliuence of the Great First Cause is strongly asserted by the emphatic repetition of r:ys, I will respond to, or answer. It must, however, be observed, that this verb does not occur the first time in one it has originally of Kennicott's MSS. been -wanting in another of De Rossi's and is omitted in the LXX. Sjt. and Arab. One of De Kossi's MSS, omits
;

and
23.
1

11.
is

causal, introducing a decla-

is designed to account for the appropriation of the name Jezreel at the end of the precedmg verse. The metaphor is agricultural. The rest of

ration

which

n'ln";

CiJ3

r:ys

entirely;

and another,

is

the verse contains a repetition of promised, chap. L 10.

-\\hat

CHAPTER

III.

This chapter contains a new symbolical representation of the regard of Jehovah for his people, and of their condition at a period subsequent to their re-establishment in Canaan at the return from Babylon. The prophet is commanded to become reconciled to Uomer, thoup;h she had proved unfaithful to him, as predicted chap. i. 2, ver. 1. He obeys the command, and purchases her from the individual with whom she was living in adultery, but stipulates that she was to wait for a lengthened period before she could be restored to the enjoyment of her conjugal riglits, 2, 3. In the two last verses, the symbolical proceeding is explained of a long period during which the Hebrews were to live without the
celebration of their ancient
rites,

and

at the

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.

And
1.

Jehovah said unto

me Go
:

again, love a

woman

beloved

nis, again, obviously refers back to The transaction here comi. 2. mandcd, bearing so near a resemblance to what is enjoined in that chapter, has
chap.

occasioned nearly the same diversity of To me there appears lU) interpretation.

consistent

that

method of explaining it but which ass\mics on idaitity of the

Chap.

III.

15

by a friend, yet an adulteress, according as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they have tui-ned to other gods, and
2

love grape cakes.

So

bought her to myself

A A
I

for fifteen pieces

female here specified with Gomer, -whom the prophet had previously married. For, first, such constmction is absolutely reqmred by the analog)'. It was Israel that stood in the relation of wife to

/<>!

^ adulterous ivoman who

things.

lov-

eth
'"Iii

evil

The words nartja

nin^,

are

y-i

pans, and

to be comiected with not with ans. The kind

Jehovah from

first

to

last.

No

other

feeling of the prophet towards his faithless

nation was admitted to the same relation. Secondly, the female is one already married, but who had proved mifaithful

which was
et's

precisely the case with Israel.

wife corresponded, as a type, to the love of God towards the idolatrous IsraeUtes. The sentence just quoted in part, as well as the words D-nVs Vs D'^SB
C1^ri^5,
instaiices in

Thirdly, except she had been the proph-

who had become unfaithful to him, there would be no point in comparing his love to her with that borne by Jehovah to idolatrous Israel. Fourthly, a command to love the wife of another man, who, notwithstanding her
own
wife,

form only two out of numerous which Hosea uses the lan-

guage of the Pentateuch, as Havemick has shovni in his Handbuch der historcrit. Einleit. in das A. T. 1 Theil. 2 Aht'a: V ''^''^^,, have been theil. p. 608.
variously interpreted.

LXX.

irffx/iara

was stiU attached to her, would be totally repugnant to every idea of moral justice and propriety. Lastly, the command is not nji, take, as in the forinfidelity

fiera (TTa(plSos or (rTa(t>iSaiu,

baked meats Aq. renders the former icith raisins. word by TraXata, evidently reading 'O'^^. According to the Hexap. Sj-r. Theod.
adopts the same rendering
:

mer instance, chap. i. 2, the usual formubut la by which marriage is expressed

;

Qja2

Wl\
%

renew thy kindness to her'; receive her back into thy house and make kind pro\'ision for her. This view of the passage is decidedly adopted by Ewald in his Propketen des Alien
ans,
love,
i.

e.

\^.
uvarum
;

Synrni. uKaprovs
^yx.

"Vulg.
>

vinacia

|A.A-S9

o?

placenta

Biindes, recently published.

The words yn ^a^s rris 2nN ^\.

nssitti, are equivalent
wife, to
art attached
;

wis passis condita. Junius, TremeUius, and others, have flagons of

wine, as in our

common

version.

The

to,

" Go, love thy

whom, though an
ivife,

adulteress,

thou

nrs, a
of
t; T^ys

" but the indefinite form is purposely selected, instead

order to intimate

s> thy ivife, in

employed by Jonathan in his Targ. on Exod. x\i, 31, to express the meaning of n^n-SL:, aflat cake. The most probable derivation is from tirs, to press, compress; and the meaning will
i"j-^r:<is

word

the state of separation in which they lived. For the same pvurpose yn, a friend
or companion,
is

be, pressed cakes of dried grapes.

Such

cakes are highly esteemed

the East,

used,

and not s^"N,

her

husband ;

being here employed not so much as a term of endearment, as indicating that, whatever might be his disposition towards her, they were not living on the same terms as formerly. Comp. for
it

on account of their sweet taste, and doubtless formed part of the offerings presented to idols, and afterAvai-ds eaten
at idolatrous feasts.

this acceptation of y-i, Jer.

iii.

26.

The

LXX.

mistaking

the'

word
;

for yn, evil,

and taking nr^ns

render^ ayairoiiTav

for the
iroi'Tiph

Benon. Hani?,
for

2. Because the purchase of ^Aives was not uncommon, as it still is, in eastern countries, (See Michaclis on the Laws of Moses, Art. LXXXV. Grant's Nestorians, p. 214; Perkins's Eight Years in

which the
I-^AJ]

Syr.^has liaJy}

l^j-*^

p. 236,) most expositors have supposed that such a transaction is intended in this place. The fact, however, that the price here specified, one half in

Persia,

16

II

Chap.

III.

of silver, and for an homer and an half of barley. And I said unto her Thou shalt remain for me many days ; thou shalt not commit lewdness, nor become any man's ; and I also will remain For the children of Israel shall remam many days for thee.
:

money, and the other half in gram, was the exact amoiuit of what Avas allowed
for a female slave,

Exod. xxi. 32, induces

the belief that the payment was made by the prophet for the hberation of his ovra wife, who had become the property of the person \\'ith whom she had been
li-ving

which the symboUcal consefemale was still to be regarded quently the powerful incluiation of the Lord towards his mifaithful people. 4. This verse describes a period of great length, during which the Israelites
of affection with
;

in adultcrj'.

The sum was

too

parsimonious to have been given as a dowcry. The signification of buying as attaching to n~iS, is sufficiently established by Deut' li. 6, and Job xl. 30,

under no sacred sacrifice no idolatrous statue no mediating priest and no images or tutelary- deities. were to have no
;

ciA-il

polity, either
;

regal or princely rule

and the use of the Arab. \jf, Conj. and

viii.,

vi.

attempt to explaiia it here of digging, in the sense of boring the ear in token of a state of
^coffafxriv.

conduxit rem, Ilengstenberg's

LXX.

i/xiff-

This period caiuiot be that of their dispersion previous to the return from Babylon for the restoration of the \^ife of the prophet prefigured the restoration which took place on that return, agreeably to chap. ii. 19, 20, 23. It is true that when they were brought back along A^dth the Jewish exiles, the Israelites had
;

slaver}', is unsuccessful.

^cthek,
ti*?.'"?.'

no more any
of their o\mi

civil or ecclesiastical polity

;

the Rabbins, contained Theod. fifteen seahs, or half an homer.

according
to

neither did they relapse

still,

into idolatrj-: but

as in

common

SjTnm. iJuAokos Kpi^Siv ; but the other Greek versions, T)fxiKopov, half a cor, which was equal to an homer. The LXX. unaccountably have
yo/xhp a\<piTiJu
;

The repetition of t.'~\y% is j'e'jSeA otvov. not unusual in Hebrew, but the abbreviated fomi of expression is better EngUsh. 3. 2'i'^ properly signifies to sit, but likewise to dwell, remain, etc. ""iTri i<iV explains its meaning here to be a refraining from all cohabitation with others.

with their brethren, they were subject to the same political rule, and offered their sacrifices to Jehovah at Jerusalem, it follows that the days here predicted must be those which have siiccccdcd to
the times of the Asmoncan dynasty, or the dispersion consequent upon the final destruction of Jerusalem. Diuing the protracted period of more than eighteen centuries, (n^si t'5;') they have been precisely in the circumstances here predicted

and '2S til ''h, and 'n"Vi*, are correlates " while I, on the forms an antithesis As the wife of the other hand," etc. prophet was to continue for a long time
; ;

separated

from

idolaters,

and

a state of separation equally from paramours and from her husband, and he was likewise to fonn no connection with any other woman, so the Israelites

in

Jehovah, yet never acknowledged by him in a church relationship. They have neither had a civil ruler, nor any of the consecrated offices and rites of their ancient economy. Thus Kimchi on the passage,
professedly

belonging to

""SI QT'n ia linssts ^,V.^n '^

rTi"-i2 "z h'^-\V"i2
an""-!!
--2;

should long live witliout serving either while, on his false gods or Jehovah
;

sVi

Cn rVsi "Vm nV i:V

n^isn

part,

he would enter into no national relationship to any other people. This application of the symbol is distinctly marked by "'3, and by the resumption of
'zv'',

" And

nn"*rV>3

rncnai

isnas

these are the days of our pres-

ent captivity, for

wc have

neither king

vcr.

4.

The

choice of the fuller

in preference to

preposition Vs. in

T)"]V>t,

V, seems designed to express the strength

nor prince of Israel, but are under the rule of the nations, even under the rule This of their kings and their princes." interiirctation, which alone suits the vic^^ furnished of the subject by the

Chap.

III.

HO SEA.

17

without a king, and without a i^rince, and without a sacrifice, and without a statue, and without an ephod, and witliout inia"-es. Afterwards the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek JeX. 2.

prophet, overturns the hypothesis of Dr. Grant, that the Nestorian Christians are the remains of the ten tribes. It cannot properly be said of them that they have

That they were not only kept

as

tutelary deities, but also consulted for the pm^Mse of obtaining a knowledge of

continued

n-ai D'>3\

in a state of sepa-

future events, appears from several of the passages just quoted. Hence the render-

ration from God, ibr they received the gospel in the earliest ages of Christianity.

Some
false

explain n^T, both of legitimate

sacrifices

and of such
;

as

were

offered to

ing of the LXX. SrjXwv. The etymology of the word is altogether uncertain. 5. At a period still subsequent to that of their existence in the state just described, the Israehtes

but the grouping of this term vith nasw, a statue, as "liSS, ephod, following, is with CSnp, teraphim, clearly shows that the prophet meant the former
restrictively.

gods

(now amalgamated

Kimchi

briefly explains

tvV ra::a
sacrifice to

tni Vs?

"without God, and without an image

rt2T vs,

with the Jews,) are to be converted to the true worship and service of Jehovah, imdcr the spiritual reign of our Saviour, the promised Messiah. To him they will then submit themselves, and richly
enjoy the
blessings

of

divine

grace,

for idolatrous worship."

From
2
;

the pro22,

hibition Lev. xxvi,

Deut.
iii.

x\-i.

and
;

the

historj', 2
it is

Kings

xvii. 10

x.

26, 27,

manifest that na-,)3 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.

communicated through his mediation. That T'l^, David, here means neither the royal house of David, nor any human monarch of that name who is yet to reign over tlje Jews, as some have imagined, but the great Messiah himself,

appears

evident from

Scripture usage.

Tits, the ephod, was that part of the high priest's dress which was worn above
the tunic and robe.
pieces
It consisted of

two

which hung down, the one in front over the breast, and the other covering the back, and both reaching to the mid-

See Is. Iv. 3, 4 ; Jer. xxx. 9 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24 xxxvii. 24, 25. As the name properly signifies The Beloved, it quite accords %vith 6 ayair-riThs, Matt. iii.
;

17,

and

6 r]yaTrr]ix4vos,

Eph.

i.

6.

Thus

the Targ. t.t -15 sniffi^sV

'*

"jn'ttJ^i '_;,

They were joined together on the shoulders by golden clasps, set in precious stones, and fastened roiuid the waist by a girdle. In the breast part was the Tin, or pectoral, containing the Urim and Thumniim, by which divine responses were vouchsafed to the Hebrews.
dle of the thigh.

And

of David."

they shall obey Messiah the Soil The follo\\'ing is the Rabbin-

ical interpretation:

rn'z\'Q

"j-s

t^ks
i^rj-.tca

ya CXI
say, that

Triz-a t,t

s-'^h -| tax

Triz'a T,T

sin

[n-::5;n].

"The Rabbins
;

According to the Jews, the ephod in

its

complete state ceased vvith the captivity for they specify the Urim and Thummun

among
second.

the five things with respect to

first

which the

temple differed irom the

whether he be of the living, his name is David, and whether he be of the slain, his name is David." Berachoth Jerus. in Raym. Martini Pugio Fidei, Eol. 277. See also the Rabbinical Commentaries on the above passages in Ezekicl. The use of
Vs, in the phrase r;"r;^ Vs snnSfl, and not ^52, or ""^SM, the visual form', is in-

He is the king Messiah

Uparda, jsr/esifAoof?, which I doubt not the Hebrew term was

intended raetonjanically to denote in this
place. D'ntn, the teraphim, yvere'penates,

LXX.

or household gods.

They were used

at

a very early period, as appears from the history of Kachcl, Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32,
34,
35.

Comp.
24
;

Sam.

xix.
;

Kings

xxiii.

Ezek. xxi. 21

13; 2 Zech.

tended to show that the fear here specikuad which " hath torment," and which causes those \^ho are under its influence to recede from its object, but such fear as attracts or induces them to approach to it. This the addition "izTO Vsn " and to his goodfied is not of the

18

II

Chap. IH.

hovah their God, and David their king; and they shall tremblingly hasten to Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter day.
Comp. Micah shows. As, however, the idea of fleeing or hastening from danger is also imclearly
vii.

ness,"

tcerden

sie herheieilen.

"VMiilc

on the

17.

plied in verbs signifying to fear, I have

rendered
both.

the

In

this

words so as to include way Rabbi Tanchum:

one hand the Jews, imder the infiuence of alann, shall be excited to flee from the wrath to come, they shall be attracted by the display of the divine goodness in the mediation of Christ, to confide in Ilim for all the blessings of salvation.
C'52"n rr^nns, the last of the days, i. e. the clays of the Messiah, as the Rabbins See on Is. ii. 2, interpret the phrase. where Kimchi says expressly, c-.pw Vs

" They shall flee to liim for help from all Comp. Jcr. xxxi. that may be feared."
12.
Kol

LXX.
eVt

iKffTT}(TOVTai

eirl

rcji

Kvpica

Ewald aya^o7s avTov. renders, nncl tcerden bebcn zu Jakve und zu schiem Gide, u. s. "W. ; and Hitzig
Tory
c-vplains,

" wherever
days,' it

it is said,

'

In the

last of

the

means the days of the Mes-

bebend in freudi^er Erwartung

siah."

CHAPTER

IV

The prophet now addresses himself more directly to the castigation of the flagrant evils which abounded in the kingdom of Israel during the interregnum which followed upon the death of Jeroboam, and the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum, Menaliem, and Pekahiah. lie. calls the attention of his countrymen to the divine indignation, and the causes of it, 1, 2; deuounces the judgments which were about to be executed upon them, 3; describes their incorrigible character, especially that of the priests, 4-11; and expatiates on the grossness of their idoUitrous practices, 12-14. A solemn warning is then given to the members of the Jewish kingdom not to allow themselves to be influenced by their wicked
example, 15-19.

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land Because there is no truth, nor kindness, nor knowledge of God
in the land.

1, 2.

The

initiator}'

words are those

of Ilosea, summoning attention to the di^^ne message which he was commissioned to deliver. V'S'i'T"; ":2 is equivalent
to Vs-i-oi r"'a, ch.
eh. V. 9
;

min'', wrhich designate the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, a '"i signifies here ground of complaint, or judicial proceeding.

LXX.

Kpitns.

The wickedness

V.'

Vs".^';
to

and frequently
all

"ussi VsiTp"; and

C"~ts; and
in

these different epithets

which abounded is first set forth negatively, and then positively, under certain items and the infinitive absolute is em;

arc used of the

kingdom of the ten tribes contradistinction to r;"in"^ and n-a

ployed with great

effect,
its

as expressing

more emphatically, by

abstract form,

;;

Chap. IV.

HO SEA.

19

There is nothing but swearing and lying, And murder, and theft, and adultery They have burst forth,

And

blood reacheth to blood. Therefore shall the land mourn. And every one that dwelleth in it shall languish With the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven

The fishes of the sea also shall be removed. Yet let no man contend with, nor reprove another For thy people are like those that contend with the
Therefore thou shalt
fall

priest.

by day.
fall

And And

the prophet also shall

with thee by night

I will destroy thy mother.

signifies not only what we but any lesser collection of See Is. water, as pools, and even rivers.

the heinousness of the evils described. The force of this I have given iii a free Ewald improperly limits translation. the signification of the verb yn3 in this place to the act of breaking into houses

Jii-iyn.

a^,

call the sea,

xix. 5.
4. Vs is here prohibitory, and not simply negative, as some have rendered it. The introduction of the sentence by T^S, yet, nevertheless, is designed to show the hopeless character of the persons spoken of. All reproof on the part of their friends or neighbors generally would p-ove fruitless, seeing they had reached a degree of hardihood, wliich was only equalled by the contumacy of those who refused to obey the priest, when he gave judgment in the name of the Lord, Deut. xvii. 12. The passage is thus quite plain,

but the metaphor seems rather to be taken from the bursting forth of a torrent, which, in its progress, spreads wider and wider, and sweeps all before it. The plural form D"ni, blood, has also a degree of emphasis, signifying much bloodshed. What the prophet means is, that miurder

was
as

so
it

common,

that no space
its

was

left

were between

acts.

LXX.

(/)' Coverdale, a'{fj.affi fj.io'yovffi. one bloudgiltynes foloioeth another. And Ritterhusius powerfully in his poetical

aijuara

metaphrase

and

requires

no transposition or emen-

" sic sanguine sanguis Truditur, et scelerum nullus finisve

dation of the words as adopted by Houbigant, Newcome, and Boothroyd. ""a^-iM

jris is

the same as

if it

were ns Q'S'^nw

modusve

est."

^n'sn, Comp. h% aj '^&tt3, chap. v. 10'. All the ancient versions, except the LXX.

See 2 Kings xv.

3.

10,

Micah vii. 2. Comp. Is. xix. 8 xxiv. 4 12, VVws, in the Pulal.
;
;

and Aq. read ^^y. The Hexap. Syr. has

;

Joel

i.

Conj., is
5.

usually employed after Vas, in order more forcibly to describe the calamitous state
of a country, a here signifies loiih, extending to, accompanied by, and includes what follows in the general predicate.

ond

By a sudden transition to the secperson, the prophet addresses himself

and
predicts
Bi-Ti,

directly to his guilty people,

their utter destruction.

Comp. Gen. vii. 21. 516x, is cognate with C)?D, and signifies to gather up, away, back, take away, as well as simply to collect together, Zeph. i. 2, 3. LXX.
iK\4i<^ov<riv
:

Kimchi, Drusius, QScolamp. Grotius, and Ewald, improperly render " to-day." As contrasted here with T^rrh, night, it is equivalent to Din 3, by day. Comp. Neh. iv.
16.
fore

That the
nV'V,
xise

SjT.

^Q-SoaU;

may be owing

Targ.

adverbial

not repeated beto the common of this noun without it.

article is

20
6

HO SEA
My
people
is

Chap. IV.

tlestroyecl 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, 1

According to their increase, so they sinned against I will change their glory into shame. 8 They devour the sin-oftering of my people,

me

And

long for their iniquity.

cott's

The false prophets by whom the Israelites

had been encouraged in wicked practices should render them no assLstance in the season of calanuty, but should be themselves involved in the same common ruin. '?Ti:~, the LXX. renders dfioiccaa; and
several
silence
;

and

De Rossi's MSS.,

nor in some

of the earlier printed editions ; in others it is marked as redundant, and some few

have
verse

"lip

"CS52S.

are pointed

The antitheses and forcible.

in this

"3

is

translate, " I have reduced to " but the verb is obviously used

in the sense of destroying, as "K"]: is> Comp. Zcph. i. 11. By irj^ss, ver. 6.

thy mother, the Israeliti^h state is meant, of which the citizens were the children. See chap. ii. 1. Thus Kimchi, Jerome,
Grotius,
!Michaelis,

understood as repeated in nsiTiT., and i before nriJs. 7. As the priests are obviously the nominative to the verbs in the three following verses, and form the subject of discourse in that which precedes, they must likewise be the persons spoken of in this. It has been queried whether the
increase

Rosenmiiller,

and

was

in number, or in Avealth,

Maurer. Others, as Cornelius a Lapide, Houbigant, CapcUus, Pococke, Bauer,

power,

and Newcome, suppose the metropolis

to be intended.
6.

Michaelis thinks the latter is meant? still the former may be included, in harmony with the mention made of their children, ver. G. In proetc.

ry-n

"Vatt,

having here the

article

portion

before the nouii,

and occurring

in con-

nection with rr'^in, immediately following, is not to be taken in the sense of imexpectedly, as
strictly

ryn '^2^ is, Is. v. 13, but means that destitution of the true knowledge of God which was the
soiirce of the sins

ished.

now about to be punignorance is principally charged upon the religious teachers of the nation, each of whom is directly
This

multipUed in numbers promoted the but the wealth and iiacrease of idolatn,dignity ("::23) which they acquired, and which they thus prostituted, should be destroyed by foreigners, by whom they would be carried into capti^-ity. CSj-r, and Cni:2, form a sUght paronomasia. 8. rst^n here signifies sin-offcriny, as
as they

and grew

in influence, they
:

it

So Kimchi

frequently does in the Levitical code. and it is thus rendered in

;

Thus addressed in nct^tt TV-Ti rp:*. Pagninus, O sacerdos ; which Uathe also inserts in his text. The persons addressed pretended to bo priests of Jehovah, though
they taught the people to combine -w-ith his worship that of pagan deities, or at least that of the golden calves, ^^hich, no doubt, paved the way for the universal
spread of idolatrj- in Israel. The position adopted by Ilorsley, that the Jemsh high-priest is intended, does not suit the
connection.
ITic third
t

Pococke's Arab.

Ms.
;

xl

U^

ivHt*

.-J^Lj
culo.

_xj'

J"^^ Castaho, ^Jta-

The
;

priests greedily

devoured what

the people brought for the expiation of their sins and instead of endeavoring to put a stop to alMunding iniquity, only wished it to increase, in order that they might profit by the multitude of the vic-

tims presented for

lift

sacrifice.

in ':[SSS73S,

is

vp means

the

animal snul
it,

to lust after
it,

rE: sw:, to any thing, long, or have a

for
;

not foimd in a great number of Kciini-

strong desire for

Dcut. xxiv. 15

Jer.

; ;;

Chap. IV.
9 Therefore
it

HO SEA,
shall be, like people, like priest

21

I will punish

And

requite

them according to their ways, 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. Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12

My people consult their stock; Their staff announceth to them

i

xxii. 27.

in

S^'t?., is

used distributively

to express the fact that such was the character of each of the priests. The

the present case. The division of the words fomid our common version is that

reading n^s:, found in ten MSS., originally in seven more, and perhaps in one, and supported by the LXX. Sj-r. Targ. Vulg. and Arab., most probably originated in emendation. Not unfrequently a proposition commences with the plural,

of the Hexap, Sjt. n n

ft.

j-4iJia.^7

I (^

Sn\, and

the Slavonic

and

is

ap-

proved by come, Dathe,

Hitzig,

Michaelis, Tingstadius,

New-

Boothroyd,

De

Wette,

and Ewald.

and ends with the

versd,

singulaj-,

and

vice

The rank and 9. Comp. Is. xxiv. 2. wealth of the priests would not exempt them from sharing the same fate with the
rest of the nation.

11. This verse has the appearance of The influence of habits a moral adage. of impurity and intoxication in blunting the moral feelings, and weakening the intellectual powers, is a well-established fact in the history of man.

10. flVssn
ver. 8.

is is

a resumption of

^iV^S"*,
*

r::Tn
shows.

here used inti-ansitivcly

Nox

et

amor vinumque

nihil

modera-

as in ver. 18, v. 3,

and

is

to be under-

stood literally of the sensual indulgences of the Israelitish teachers, as the verb
5

suadent Ilia pudore vacat, hber amorque metu."

bile

Ovid.

SIS"!

For the

signification to

" Nox, vinum, mulier

adolescentulo."

nihil pemiciosus

verb,

abound in children, as attaching to this Saadius, see Gen. xxviii. 14.

Arnold, (Blumen althebraisch. Dichtk.) and Horsley, disjoin -:: 5 from the preceding verb, and comiect lowing noims, thus
:

Plant.

it

with the

fol-

There can be little doubt that the prophet has specially in view the impure and bacchanalian orgies wliich were connected with the Syrian idolatiy. For
the prevalence of driuikenness in

Ephraim

" They have forsaken Jehovah, Giving heed to fornication," etc.

But, notwithstanding the apparent force of the bishop's remarks^ there is something so repugnant to Hebrew usage in the combination lai-iTi V-l ^^'T "''^?'^>
to observe fornicatioti, and wine, and 7iew wine, that it is altogether inadmissible.

see Is. xxviii.

Amos

iv. 1.

Though the verb

-itt*:;

may

in no other

passage take ni-"' for its object, yet it takes s: 'V^rt, lyinff vanities, i. e. idols, Ps. xxxi. 7 Jonah ii. 9 in which latter
; ;

passage

it

is

connected with ary, as in

12. The LXX., and most versions which follow them, connect ;?sy with nV, a at the end of the preceding verse mode of construction adopted by ^lichaelis and Dathe, but otherwise disapproved by modern translators. The Sjt. Targ. and Vulg. divide properly. Hosea here adduces proofs of the mental hebetude to which the sinful practices of the Israelitish people had reduced them their application to their wooden idols and images for oracular counsel, and their lise of rhabdomancy or divuiation by
;

oo

Chap. IV.

13

For a IcnvJ spirit liath caused ihciu to err; They liave lewdly departed from under their God. They sacriiico on the tops of the mouutaius,

And

offer incense

upon the

hills

Under

the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth,

sliade is pleasant

Because their

Therefore your daughters commit lewdness. And your daughters-in-law adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters Avhen they commit lewdness, Nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery

For they themselves go

rods.
:

aside "with harlots,

quitrit."

" ligno suo oracula Leo Juda That by "?, xcood, is here
idol

mud, the

SjT. Yulg.

tyrn
r.yrn.

wliile the

meant an
: ;

made

of such material,
C'onip.
Jer.
ii.

For
V.
19,

the connection shows.

Numb.
13.

and Targ. read and -Vrab. read c--ris rViViii, comp. 20 Ezek. xxiii. 5 and

LXX.

27 X. 8 Uab. ii. 19. ''r^'C is properly a shoot or twig, then a rod, walking staff, etc. Occurring as it does here, in reference to an idolatrous or superstitious practice, it denotes such a staff employed for pui^x)ses of divmation. Some have been of opinion that it is to be taken as
strictly parallel to y>', and that a staff is meant -which had the image of some god car^'ed upon it but the use of the phrase
;

vtrai^^pos,

Rom.

vii. 2.

Momitains and luUs Avere selected by idolaters on which to erect their altars, and offer their sacrifices, on account of
their supposed proximity to the host of

heaven, which they worshipped.

this

That
appears

custom was
it,

verj-

ancient,

from the
imitating
reproved.
xviii.

proliibition,

Deut.

xii. 2.

For

the Hebrews are frequently

Lxv. 7
; ;

iV ""!>1, announceth, iminteth out, shows that a divining rod is meant. Rhabdo-

mancy among

{^a^'^oy.a.vTua]

was

verj*

common

Jer. iii. 6 Ezek. being in Piel, expresses the eagerness and frequency with which the Israelites offered their idolaIs.

11.

".nsi"',

the ancient idolaters, as it has been in later times in different countries of the East. The ancient Arabs consulted their gods in this way, taking two rods,

trous sacrifices.
superstition

They also selected

etc., for

of oak, terebinth,

groves purposes of

on one of which was inscribed God bids, and on the other Godforbids, and drawing them out of the case into which they were
put,

and idolatrj', under who?e umbraceous cover they might at once be screened from the heat of the sun, and
indulge
in
lasciA-ious

practices.

The

acted
first

agreeably to the

direction

which

came

forth.

See Pococke,

Specimen. Ilist. Arab. p. 327. Maimonidcs quotes an ancient book entitled

Siphri, in wliich a diviner
is

female virtue which was required in the rehgious sers-ice of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, seems clearly to be referred to in this and the following verse, ti:.-''. LXX. XevKTj, the white
sacrifice of

defined to
inquires.

poplar, from "^V, to be white.

14. Kuinocl,

be one

who

takes his
?

staff,

and

Shall I not go ? The Itunic wands of the Scandinavian nations,

or,

Shall I go

standmg

for jiV

and others, taking n^, as - read the first part of

,

on which were inscribed mysterious characters, and wliich were used for magical jjurjioses, apjx-ar to have originated in the more ancient divination of Asia. B"5".:t n*"', lit. a spirit of whoredoms, i. e. a powerful impetus to commit acts of idolatr}'. Instead of the simple form ryrr, some few MSS. the Babyl. Tal-

the verse interrogatively, -which is not imsupported by examples in Hebrew

usage. It seems better, however, to under-

stand it here as a simple negative, and the meaning to \io that, as the parents and husbands indulged in the flagitious practices here described, Jehovah would not make examples of the females, or suffer them to be pmiished, as if they alone

Chap. IV.

E
:

23

And And
15

sacrifice

with prostitutes

as for the undiscerning people, they shall

be overthrown.

Though thou, O Israel, art lewd. Yet let not Judah be found guilty

ye not to Gilgal, Neither go ye up to Beth-aven, Nor use the oath, " Jehovah liveth."
but -n-ould punish with were guilty condign punishment their natural protectors, who not only abandoned them to
;

Come

w-La-ik, concitavit; Arab. i2-*J, conjecit

terrain aliquem, in Niph. to be cast down, overthroicn, or the like. The verb occurs only here, and Prov. x. 8, 10,
iti

seduction, but themselves rioted in the

same wickedness. Thus rissime animadvertam

sponsos, ut
%'ideantur
transition
filiae

Jilunster

"

Duet

in

parentes

where
15.

see Schultens.

et sponsse

corum punitiB

A solemn
to

esse

extra

pccnam."

The

kingdom

warning to the Jewish beware of mixing itself up

from the second to the third

person, for the purpose of

more graphi-

cally exhibiting the subject of discourse,

is

fSce Is. xxii. not without examples. The use of the separate pronoun c ~ also adds to the emphasis of the language. T^S, in Piel, strongly marks the studied withdrawment of the Israelites from the assembled throngs, to such 2:)laces as were devoted to scenes of impurity; while (-i2T, in the same conjugation, signilics in this connection, to commit lewdness as

with that of Israel in the practice of idolatry. Here Tif, to commit lewdness, is again used figuratively. Crs, properly signifies to contract guilt, or become subject to its consequences.

1 3.

Vr^^A, Gilgal,

was a town situated between the Jordan and Jericho, near the confines of the kingdom of Samaria. It was regarded
as a holy place as early as the days of

an act of idolatrous devotion. Between rii:f, and nrjnj^, there seems to be this difference, that the former were ordinary
females
gain,

who

prostituted themselves for

but the latter those

who

devoted

and sacrifices were Joshua, chap. v. 15 offered there to Jehovah in those of SamIn uel, 1 Sam. X. 8, 13; xv. 21, 33. process of time, however, it came to be converted mto a place of idolatrous worxii. ship, Amos iv. 4, 5 ; IIos. ix. 15 11. T"S r"2, Beth-aven, i. e. the house of vanity or idols, a name given by the
; ;

themselves to the service of Astarte, by 'jflfering their persons to be violated in her temples at the sacred festivals. See Selden de Diis Syris, Synt. ii. cap. 2 Iler;

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

odot.

lib.

i.

cap. 199

stantin. lib.

Ilcb. hb.

ii.

Dea
24
;

SjTa. n^'i'ip) catamites, occurs,

Euscb. Yit. Coniii. cap. 35 Spencer de Ler. cap. 22 and 23 Lucian de Of this latter term, the mas.
; ; ;

and the judges; but afterwards selected by Jeroboam as the principatriarchs,

pal seat of the worship of the golden xiii. 1 calves, 1 Kmgs xii. 29, 32, 33
;

Amos

iii.

14

vii. 10,

13

Jer. xlviii. 13.

Kings

xiv.

It originally belonged to the tribe of

Ben-

47 and in the ancient book of Job, chap, xxxvi. 14, which shows at how very early a period such abominations obtamed. It likewise occurs in both genders in the prohibition, Deut.
XV. 12
:

xxii.

jamin, but was taken by that of Ephraim, Judges i. 22-25. That there was a city of the name of Beth-aven near to Bethel,
appears from Josh. vii. 2, which may have suggested the appropriation of the
to the latter.
-,^s,

xxiii. 18.

To
had

these practices the

LXX. name
opolis,

LXX.

oIkov "Civ,

doubtless

respect in rendering the

Its derito he sacred, cojiseerated,

reading

the native

name

of Heli-

word

TeTiXiffixeveev, initiated.

vation from-i'-rp,

Aq. and ^jTnm. oIkov avw(pf\i} ; Theod. oIkov aSiKias and M'ith this the
;

or destined to the service of the temple,

confirms our interpretation.

uq^

Syr.

Arab, agrees

^1

0/-IJ. the house

24
IG Since Israel
is

II

Chap. IV.

refractory, like a refractory heifer;

Jehovah
17 Ephraini

Avill
is

now

feed them, like a lamb in a large place.

joined to idols;

Leave

hiiu to himself.
is

18 "When their carousal

over they indulge in lewdness;

Her

shields are

enamored of infamy.
;

of iniquity.

Prom

Comp. Amos iv. 4 v. 5. the ^\anling here given to tlie Jews not to partiLipate with the IsracUtes
in their idolatn,-,
"Nvas

labor,

it is evident the prophdeUvered at a time when they were comparatively free from that evil. The pi-ohibition not to swear by the formula -'-,'. Ti, respects the combination of the divine name with those of idols, or the profession of attachment to Jehovah, if the i^crsons addressed were guilty of idolatry. Comp. Zcph. i. 5. That it ivas otherwise lawful to use it, appears from Jer. iv. 2. Comp. Deut. x. 20. 16. The metaphor is here taken from a heifer that obstinately refuses to be

ecy

mtlmates the pain or sorrow from idolatrs'. The root has both significations. iV~r;3n strongly implies the obstmacy and incorrigible character of the ten tribes, and indignantly abandons them to their fate.
it

also

resulting

They

are ineclaimably devoted to the gods of the heathen let them take their o^^^l way, and reap the consequences of
:

their perverse choice. perate. 39.

Thcii- case
;

is

des-

Comp. Jer. -s-ii. 16 Ezck. xx, Thus Tanchum, Jarchi, Kimchi.

Cah-in, Tamovius, Zanchius, Coverdale* Drusius, Lively, Leo Juda, Pococke, Kuinocl, MichaeUs, Tingstadius, New-

come, Stuck, and Ewald.

the

Others, as
Diodati,

yoked.
liii^'

Tims the S)T.

For the

Lo

Targ.

Jerome,

Mercer,

^'flo,
comj).

Grotius, lloscnmiiller, Maurer, etc., re-

force of "i-c,

18. The latter hemistich contains the language of irony. As lambs are fond of ranging at large, but are in danger of being lost or devoured, so God threatens to remove the Israelites into a distant and large country-, where they

Deut. xxi.

gard the words as simply containmg a warning to the inhabitants of Judah to keep aloof from, and take no part in the
idolatries of the Ephraimitcs.

The LXX,
h;n in

id-qKiv iavTO) (TKai/oaXa, reading

the preterite, and supplying the idea of idols from the preceding part of the
verse.
18. Before -s, the particle cs, whe^iy
is

would be

whom
ship,

those willi they associated in idolatrous worleft solitary

sejiarated

from

to be supplied,

which

in poetry, for

and thus be

and ex-

jwsed as in a wildcn^ess. The phrae 2rp>i2 r?^, to feed in a large place, is elsewhere used in a good sense. Is. xxx.
23.
17. t:""_ss, Ephraim, as the most numerous and powerful of the tribes, and that in which the kingdom was established, is put for all the ten. "i;i2n, from

the sake of conciseness and energy, ia frequently omitted. For the acceptation
2Mst, passed airay, over, etc.

comp.

Sam.

XV. 32, t^-it-'.'c ID. Ilorsley, Ewald, and some othere, are of opinion that -D means vapid, degenerated, soxtr, etc., but
less

aptly. The meaning is, that no sooner were their conqx)tations over than

~i2n,
to,

to

be joined, closely united, adhere

to be allied to
xiv. 3.

by voluntary
last sense

choice.

the tenn is here used. The Israelites had voluntarily addicted themselves to the sers'ice of idols, and thus identified themselves

Gen.

In this

they indulged in excessive lewdness. Instead of Cs:D, their drink, drinking bout, one of I)e liossi's MSS. has originally read 3-s2",s, drunkards ; another CS21*,
their host;

Saheans

and oneof Kcnnicott's a^:3b, but none of these variations

strangely, r^pfriat
,

suits the entire construction of the verse.

with their

"While the word C-^uv", idoh, suggests the idea of their being merely the fabrication of human
interests.

The liXX.

x<"'<"'"'<"'y>

which the Arab

as usual, follows.

The

impurity in wliich,

when

iniiumcd with

Chap. V.

HO SEA,

25

19

The wind hath bound her up in its wings, That they may be ashamed of their sacrifices.
Heben heben schmach seine Schilde. Kuinoel very unjustifiably omits 5 an in his Heb. Text. "iVp, shame, a collective abstract noun, expressive of the infamous acts connected with idolatrous worship. D"2iW, shields, are tropically used for
2)rinces, as

liquor, they indulged, was most probably that connected with the worship of Ve-

nus.

To

was

carried, the verb is first

express the excess to which it put in the

and then repeated in the finite form, nan is not separately expressed in the LXX. the Arab, or in either of the Syriac versions though it cannot hence be inferred that it was not in the Hebrew text. It is wanting, howIf it ever, in three of Kennicott's MSS.
infinitive absolute,
;

the natural protectors of their and Ps. xlvii. 10. The feminine suffix n, refers to ""^.N, understood; the inhabitants being meant.
people, here
19. By an expressive figure, borrowed from the sudden force with which any thing is carried off by the wind, the prophet announces the suddenness and violence with which the ten tribes should be removed from their land. The combination *32. wings of the wind, is

did not originate in some copyist having written the two last syllables of the preceding word over again, it must be regarded as having origmally formed part of that word in the reduplicate form aan !i3n5t ; in which, not only is the second
syllable 'of the verb repeated

nm

(lanars),

but the pronominal suiformative is retaiijed in the middle of the word, and the first radical (s) rejected on that account Such form is of in the redupUcation. extremely rare occurrence: 'inrn^sa, lit. they destroy, destroy me, Ps. Ixxkviii, 17, being the only other instance of the kind with which I am acquainted. In this way the form is partly accounted for

usage, allow either of the acceptations spirit or vanity bemg given to nnn, or that of borders to C"2:3 in this place, n^ "i being of both genders', accoimts for the masculine of the verb,

too firmly established in

;

Hebrew

see Ps. xviii. 11

civ. 3, to

by the ancient

Je\^ish

wahd Ibn Jamiahi,

as quoted

"What confirms this cate form is thfe use of D'nnnn, a gemination somewhat resembling it, by our
'

grammarian Abuby Pococke. view of the redupli-

and the feminme pron. affix. For t?;n'is, two of De Rossi's MSS., and the Vat. and Alex, copies of the LXX. read nP:<, which gives no suitable sense. In the distant countries of the Medes, by whom all image-worship was held in abomination, the exiles would be brought to a due sense of the wickedness and absurdity

of their conduct,

i,

in

'ttja;'!,

is

prophet, chap.
give ye, as if

viii.

13.

The rendering

it were the imperative of an^, proposed by Abenezra and Kimchi, and adopted by oiu: translators, is not so Maurer suitable to the connection. Ewald es mirifice aniant ignominiam
: ;

used TeKiKoos. Jer. xlviii. 13. Sacrifices are here put by synecdoche for the whole system of idolatry in which they mdulged. For the reading cnhapiW, of their altars, adopted by Newconie, there is no authority except the Targ. and feyr.

CHAPTER

V.

This chapter commences with an objurgation of the priests and the royal family, as the principal seducers of the nation to idolatry, 1, 2. Then follows a description of the unblushing wickedness of the people, interspersed with denunciations of impending punishment, 3-7. The approach of the divine judgments is ordered to be proclaimed, and tlieir certainty declared, 8, 9. The prophet then abruptly turns to the two tribes and a half

;!

26
whose
guilt ar.d puni.liincnt

no SEA.

Chap. V.

he denounces; yet so as to show that his predictions were kingdom, the rulers of which, like those of Judah, instead of looking to Jehovah for deliverance from civil calamities, applied in vain for
chiefly directed ajjaiust tlie northern

foreign assistance, 10-14.

The luth verse

sets forth the certainty

and the

benelicial effects

of the divine judgments.

Hear this, O ye priests And hearken, O house of Israel

Give
ear,

house of the king

is

For the sentence

against you,

Because ye are a snare at Mispah,

And
The But
1.

a net spread upon Tabor. apostates slaughter to excess,

I will inflict chastisement

on them

all.

Vs"i'W fT'a. house of Israel,

'

i. e.

the

ten
i.

tribes.

TiV'^.n f^'r.' ^*''"*^

^^^'^

J^ing,

On both of these elevated positions worship had been estabhshed for the

false piur-

e.

references

the king and his court. From the made to the idolatry and

pose of ensnaring the inhabitants of the adjacent regions. The means employed

pmiishment of Judah in

this and the following chapter? it -would appear that the king whom Ilosea had specifically in view was Pekah, the son of liemaliah

them over to it are compared to the snares and nets used for catching birds and wild beasts upon the moimtains.
to bring

By metonymy,

the leadeis of the people

since

it

was

in the reign of

Ahaz, who

are spoken of as such nets

and

snares,

was contemporary with him, that idol worship was can-icd to such a height in that kingdom as to call for the calamities inflicted upon it by the confederate forces of Israel and Syria, as well as by the king of Assyria. By t:i;i">3n CtV is not
meant, as the Targ. inteiprets, ibllowed by Abenczra, Kimchi, Abarbanel, Pagninus, Junius, TremeUius, and others, that it belonged to them to know and execute justice, but that the judgment or punishment was directed agamst them. They had merited it, and it was now coming upon them. LXX. irphs vnas
ia-rl

because of their bad example, and the influence which they othcr>vise exerted
for evQ.
2.

niJTO, slaughter i7ig, the infinitive

n paragogic, of tir:, to food or saciifice. Here, from its close connection -<>\\Xh. the preceding verse, it has the latter signification. Some
kill, for

absolute, with

think murder

Ls

meant

hkely, though the verb this sense in other places.

lit.

is

but this is less also used in

!ip-5;?r: rirrtr,
'{.

they deepen to slaughter,

e.

by a

pecuhar idiom, they slaughter to excess, kill an immense number of sacrificial

victims.
6.
C"!;::;,,
izr;x},

Th

Kpi^a.

Thus most Christian

Comp. nno
to

!ip->;_J"r:

Is.

xxxi.
the

expositors,

ns::^, Mispah.
this

As

there

apostates, the IknVoiii participle

were several places of

;

name, some

of

turn aside, decline

to scoff.

from

degree of uncertainty attaches to it as occurring here but as the object of the prophet seems to be to set forth the means employed for seducing the whole
of the ten tritjcs to idolatrj', it is more probable that he had in hLs eye Mispah of Gilead, on the east of tlic Jordan, just
as

right way, apostatize; as

W^h,

scoffers,

from 'pi,

Comp.
,

Ps. xl. 5,

::t: "U"* those that tuni aside to false-

hood
three

and cue nt-y Ps. ci. 3. Two or MSS., the edit, of Sonein., and a few
have D instead of
seduxit,
t",

othei-s,

in our text.

he

specifics

of that river.

mount Tabor to the west See Judges x. 17 rA. 29.

;

SjT.

>-*-^|,

|^cJ.A.^LiaLo

dvclinatio,

a^ostasia.

The

idolatrous

Chap. V.
3 I

HO SEA,
is

27

know Ephraim,
not hid from

Israel

me

Surely
Israel

now thou committest

is defiled.

lewdness,

Ephraim

They frame not their deeds To return to their God

;

For

leAV'

spirit is

within them,
testifieth to his face
fall

And
5

they regard not Jehovali.

The pride of Israel

Judah
also shall fall

Therefore Israel and Ephraim shall

through their iniquity

with them.
TingstadiuSj
Maiu-er,
establish

multiplied their sacrifices in order that they might enjoy prosperity tmder the protection of the deities to
Israelites

Manger, and Ewald.

this
Cn:?>''

Kuinoel,

Stuck,

But

in order to

construction,
or

we

should

but Jehovah here declares that none of them should escape the punishment which he Avas about to inflict upon them. Before -.t'ti supply r"~s. The ancient versions are here greatly at fault, from their authors havi:ig supposed that the reference to hunters is still continued in this verse.

n'hom they

offered

them

have to read

crx

?:?}', 'per-

Ephraim, as distinguished from means the tribe of Ephraim, from which most of the apostate kings sprang, and in which idolatry most
3.

Israel,

mitted them," the' accusative of the person always following the verb in such case. See Gen. xx. 6 Exod. iii. 19. In. the present instance -,r: is used in the sense of placing, ordering, framing, like B-/r and t\^'s, as it is given in the common version, and rendered by Tanchum, Leo Juda, Mercer, Tamovius, Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, Noyes, and
;

Hitzig.
their

The meaning

is,

that the Isto

raeHtes did not reform, did not so regard

abounded.
tribes

By

Israel

the

other

nine

wicked practices

as

abandon

are meant.

As having

inciirred

them and return

Jehovah.
5.

to the pure worship of

the more aggravated guilt, the former is here addressed in the second person. Two of Kennicott's ilSS. indeed, and one of Dellossi's, originally read nriTn and one of Kemiicott's has nnssttui'for MKua, but both are, in all probability, froni the hand of correctors. nJtn is here used figuratively. The polluting influence of the Ephrainiites was felt through the whole nation. To express an assertion more strongly the Hebrews put it first in the form of an affirmative, and then in that of a negative, npy, noic, is not without emphasis pointing out the undeniable fact that they had been the cause of the spread of idolatiy. 4. The language now changes to the plural, to express the character of the people generally. By some CrrVVrw is construed as the nominative to ^:n'', and rendered, their deeds do not per in it them, etc. Thus the Syr. Abenezra, Drusius, and among the modems, Horsley, etc.
; ; ;

That 3 ^:y means

to testify
is

for or

against any' person or thing,

ob-vious

from
It
is

its use. Gen. xxx. 33 Job. x-vi. 8. properly a Judicial phrase, and refers to the testimony given by a witness,
;

either

for or against another, according

The rendering to be humbled, which is that of the LXX. Syr. Targ. Jarchi, and recently of Michaelis, Newcome, Noyes, and Maurer, cannot be philologically sustained. The addition 1*5 3, to his face, gives emphasis to the phrase, openly, publicly, in such a manner that he himself may see it, without the That adduction of further evidence. "isj, signifies prV7e, insolence, notwithstanding what Horsley asserts to the contrary, is sufficiently apparent from Prov. I should rather xvi. 18, and Is. x\-i. 6. think, however, that by the term as here used, we are to understand the olijccts of which the ten tribes were proud, their
to circumstances.

28
"With their flocks and

HO SEA.
tlieir lierds,

Chap. V.

They may go to seek Jehovah, But they shall not find him

He

hath withdrawn from them.

;

They have proved false to Jehovah For they liave begotten strange children Now shall a month destroy them and their
splendid or magnificent idols, etc. As Jehovah is spoken of as 2|;>;; V'^^' ^^^ excellency, or boast of Jacob) Amos vui. 7, so the idols might be called -,:sa
'-S':'^^ the excellency, or
Israel.

jiortions.

{jcJ^^t

salvus

evasit,

progressus

est,

and JL^.
Arab.
A,

extraxit, exuit.

Pococke's

proud

boast of
as

MS. has jsJ^yXjO

God hath The

JU^

ioL'l

the objects of their confidence and attachment. These very gods, by their utter impotence, Lear open -witness that they could afford no help to those Avho trusted in them so that their worsliijjpers could not but have been convinced of their
iji
;

They

gloried

them

fll

ifi.

tcithdraicn
Israelites

his help

from them.

and

Jews

coidd no longer reckon on the divine presence, and the effectual aid which that presence implied.
7. The prophet seems here to allude to the mention made of C-;?.:! ""V^. and

folly, if their

hearts

had not become morjDractice of iniquity.

>',

ally obscm-ed

by the

The

rcHgion

itself (t:i

their iniquity,)

from which they expected safety, Avould prove the cause of their ruin. The words
are

2; ii. C""T, strange, foreign, is selected in order to show that the idolatry was the
i."

D":-:t ^:a, lezcd children, cliap.

1.

result of intercourse Avith foreigners.

The
used

repeated
vii.

with a sunilar reference

line of the verse con-

verb

n,^2, to act U7 faithfully , is also

chap.

10.

The concluding
tains an abrupt

of the breach of the matrimonial covenant, Jer. iii. 20. This idea is expressed
in the Arab. ^MS. of Pococke,
I

and unexpected application of the threatening to the Jews. As they had suffered themselves to be
influenced by the example of the Israelites, they should also share in their

(X^jo

tXi iJU I.

iJiey
"^s

have broken the covehas here the signifi-

nant of God.

cation of itaqxie,

and marks the conse-

punishment. The respective captivities of both are here tlu-eatcncd. On comparing this threatening Avith chap. iv. 15, it appears to have been deUvercd at a period considerably subsequent to that wliich is there spoken of, when the evils
of idolatry had made some progress the southern kingdom. To express more strongly the certainty of the event, the verb Vrw is put in the preterite whereas it had simply been used in the future
;

quence of the conjugal infidelity just specified the production of a race of idolaters. The relation of the words is well expressed by Stuck " quoniam Deo

infideles sunt, proptcrea libcros peregrines

habent." npy, note, is here to be taken not as determining the exact point of present time, but the speedy and certain
arrival of the

"VJS'', in reference to the Israehtcs.

(3.

The

idolatei-s

arc

here told that

The term cj^hi event. month, has greatly, and, in my opinion, vcr}' unnecessarily perplexed intcqirctcrs. Iloubigant at once cuts the knot by an arbitrary emendation f- n cV:n tTV,
:

though in the hour of calamity they might bring their flocks and herds as propitiatory sacrifices to Jehovah in order to avert the piniishmcnt, it woidd be altogether in vain. yVn sigiiifies to draw or put off any person or tiling, to withdraw one's self. Comp. the Arab.

omnino

est

Icgendum Venn V-S" rry%

7innc igitur ahsumvt iiibigo.

He

appeals

to the ipvaifir) of the

ity
;

LXX.

as his author-

but

^pva-iprj

signifies tnildeir,

with

the word he proposes to substitute for t "in, has no manner of affinity. That the bame word wliich
V''Cri,

which

locust,

; ;

Chap. V.

29

Blow ye the horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Kamah

;

Raise a shout at Beth-aven

He

is

behind thee,

Benjamin!

Ephraim shall become desolate In the day of punishment;

Among
I have
is
it

the tribes of Israel

that Avhich
in evident from
is

made known
Hebrew
it

sure.

now

in the

text
is

was found

in the time of Aquila,

his rendering

viOfi-nvia.

Symm. and
Dathe,

" rt seems to be, that the former was the same as the "j^i^, korn, being made of the curved horn of animals, Josh. vi.

ni

'::

Theod. have

fi-fiv.

Michaelis,

Kninoel, and Staudlin, give to the word

the
signiiication of the

5,

6,

8.

Arab. .arau.

^, lituus forami.x.w
whereas,

nihiis

histructtis

the

latter

Arab.

c^< {\. ~.^

what
it

is 77ew and tinexpected, and explain Most moderns of a sudden calamity. take it in the sense of Jiew-moon. i. e. either at the feast of the new moon,

was made of metal, such as the two silver trumpets which were employed for convoking the congregation.

Numb.
iti

x.

from "lUn, Arab. yj,c^,

redegit

aixgustiam

when

the Israelites were assanbled to worship or, at that time their calamities should commence. It seems most natural to abide by the usual meaning of the term, and consider the prophet as announcing, that ^\-ithin the space of one month they should be -sisited with meritThe calamity preed punishment. dicted seems to have been that occasioned
;

; angusto pectore preditus fuit. Gesenius considers the word to be an imitating the broken onomatopoetic, pulse-like sound of the trumpet, [hdtzotzerdh,^ like the Latin taratantara, and the German trarara. Their shape and

size

may
ii.

be seen in the representations

of the arch of Titus.

Joel
1
;

Comp.

Jcr. iv. 5

Hos.

viii. 1.

by the invasion of

Tiglath-pileser,

who

der r"2J,

Gibeah,

The LXX. renand r;r"i, Bamah,

ravaged the countr}', and carried into

captivity the tribes of

Reuben and Gad,

Tovs $ovvovs and tuv v\pr]\wv, as if heights or elevated places in general were meant
just

the half-tribe of Jtlanassch, and that of Naphtali, besides the inhabitants of

several
cities

in

other
;

parts

of

the

Kings xv. 29 1 Chron. v. 26. That Judah also suffered on this occasion,
countni', 2

see

Chron. xxviii. 19-21.

tT7/pVri,
interpreted

but they are to be taken as proper names, as Beth-aven and Benjamin are. They both lay in the tribe of Benjamin, see on Is. x. 29, as did also Bethel, here See on chap. iv. 15. called Beth-aven. Before tl'T.ns subaud. avs, the enemy
"is behind thee,"
i.

their portions, are

to

commonly

e.

close

upon

thee.

property but I should rather think the prophet has in view their idols, whom they regarded as the authors of their possessions

mean

their possessions or

The

fifth

Greek version has

KaTo. votov

a-ou, to

signification
icest is

of thee ; but if the local were at all admissible, the the only sense in which the word
the south

and enjojTnents. See Comm. on that verse.

8.

Is. Ivii. 6,

and

my

could be understood.
9. Having apprised the Jews of the danger with which they were threatened, the prophet returns to describe the ca-' lamity \Ahich was to be inflicted upon the ten tribes and in the course of the
;

alarm is ordered to be given to the southern kingdom of the approach of the enemy. The verse intimately coheres with the foregoing, and is not to be taken for the commencement of a new prophecy, as Jerome, Abarbanel, ilichaelis, Dathe, Manger, and others, suppose. The difference between the "^si?; and the

An

following verses directs his discom-se to

the

two

kingdoms

alternately.
is
v~.^'.>

The
proof

nominative to rrrn

implied in

D'"SS.

rn^.iri, primarily

incosis

$0

H
The
I will pour out iny Avrath

Chap. V.

10
11

rulers of Juclah are like those

who remove
like water.

the boundary;

upon them

Ephraim
lie
is

is

oppressed,

crushed in judgment Because he consented,

lie followed the order.

12 I

13

am as a moth to Ej^hraim, And as rottenness to the house And Ephraim saw his ^ckness, And Judah his wound
from n^",
;

of Judah.

or demonstration,
before one in the
vince, convict,

to be before

authority

to

have

resisted
it,

but

they

one, be clear, obvious

in Iliph. to place

readily complied with

and thus became

way
is

of evidence, conchastise,

and then rebuke,

-word

punish.
-0.l5i,

sjiionymous with hemistich of the verse shows that the ten tribes were
ver. 2.

The

The

latter

the

scene of the prophet's minis-trj-. r:^s:_, the feminine used for the neuter.
idV

prepared to indulge in all the gross idolatries to which this worship proved the introduction. From the circumstance that the LXX. have rendered the passage oTTiffw T(it> /xaraioip, after vanities, it has been conjectured that they read but it is more likely Kirj instead of ,:?
;

By

the "princes" or "rulers of

Judah," king Ahaz and his courtiers are For V!)2i ""i-S'cs, comp. Deut. xx\-ii. 17 !iry-i^ Viaj j-b ni-is. Prov. xxii. 28; xxiii. 10; Job xxiv. 2. It was reckoned a flagrant offence to reintended.
;

move the marks by

Avhich the divisions of property were dciined. The language

seems to have become proverbial to designate unprincipled conduct. What the prophet here reprobates appears to be the means adopted by Ahaz and his supporters to introduce idolatrj- into Judah. See 2 Kings x\-i. 10-18. If the 3 be

they intended to give the sense of the whole, rather than the signification of this particular word. They are followed by both the Sp-iac versions, and in part by the Targ. Jerome, on the other hand, has read the same letters which now stand in the text ; for he rendcre sordes, pointing the word 'is, and regarding it as merely a contracted form of Kia
or Tt'i'.'i'itflthiness.
12.

The
is

reference in?j:>, Arab. Xji^j

^regarded as the Caph veritatis, it \\-ill 'strongly express the fact that these
princes
aries

had actually removed the boundwhich separated the true rehgion from the false. Di^ane judgments are frccjucntly compared to the overflowing of water from a river. ^E'r, to pour out,
expresses the fulness of their infliction.

moth, to the consumption of garments, Ps. xxxix. 12 Is. 1. 9 in Sp", rottenness, to that of wood. See Job xiii. 28, where both words occur together as here. The LXX. freely render the former by
; ;

The rapaxv, the latter by Kivrpov. meaning is not that God was regarded as the moth and rottenness, *. e. with disgust but that he was the author of those judgments by which the idolaters
;

Comp. Zeph.

iii.

8.

nnsv, prop,
also

effer-

vescence, floxcing over,

denotes the

should be consumed. 13. ns"), ^0 see, has here the sense of

feeling, experiencing, as
in

greatness of the punishment. 11. t:S'i->: 'p -J-;, the genitive of cause, broken in pieces by thcjudgment, or pun-

the phrijscs
"1772, lit.

to see life, death, good, evil, etc.

ishment
divine

inflicted,

i::

refers

not to any

commandment, but to the order issued by Jeroboam to worship the golden calves, 1 Kings xii. 2S-33. Such an
order
liis

a bandage, from "inT, to compress, bind as a wound, see Is. i. 6 hence, as here, a bandaged ii^nvnd, corresponding to "Vn,
;

sickness, disease, in the other

member

of

the parallelism.

For the use of such

subjects

were boiuid by higher

metaphors in

ajiplication to the state of

;;

; ;

Chap. V.

HO SEA,
to Assyria

31

Then Epliraim went

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
15 I will depart, I will return to
Till

rescue.

my

place,

they suffer punishment

nriJ as xvi. 7, 8; 2 Chron. xx-viii. 21. a verb, occiirs only in this place ; but a

political affairs,

Hos.

vi. 1, vii. 1.

as its

comp. Is. i. 5, 6, iii. 7 After nVD-;:, supplyJudah, from nominative, niin"!

:

noiui derived from

it

is

used Prov.
If

-vdi.

the preceding part of the verse, -which forms an alternate quatrain; the third line connecting with the first, and the n-i^ is not a fourth Avith the. second.
proper name, but an appellative, signifying one who contends, is contentwxis,
hostile
;

22, in the sense of healing.

we may
recedere,

judge from the Syr.

I<'V.

fugere, Aph. liherare, it properly signifies to renwve, relieve, and so -with respect to

a wound,
SyT.

to heal.

from

a-^-i, to

strive with, quarrel,

is

LXX.

oh

jxri Sairoi5(rjj

contend.
future,

The form
is

the apocopated
D^-i;^

/0\*t1

{Jo, neqtie sanabit.

and

contracted for

"irs,
14.

he that acts hostilely.

Tanchimi OCiLo
that

No effort to recover

a state of pros-

perity while the anger of Jehovah

was

^^
Tijj'
;

-is? ,

the

king
Joiarib,

contended.
xi. 5.

Comp.

::^i''i"',
;

Neh.

Aq.

excited against them, could possibly succeed. '^-'J, the black lion, and T'SS,
the
to

iiKa^ifievov

Symm.
Kp'n-nv.

eKSiKOf, or

e/cSi/c-fj-

Jerome, ad regem ultorem. De Wette, Der konig der rdchen soil. That the king of Assyria is meant there can be no doubt. See chap. X. 6. He -was ever ready to mix himself up -with the affairs of neighboring states, in order to extend or consohdate his gigantic empire, and -was justly regarded by the Hebre-ws as their most powerful The application made by the adversary. northern kingdom was that which took place in the reign of Menahem, when that monarch sent to Pul a thousand talents of silver for the piirpose of engaging him on his behalf, 2 Kings xv. 19. But this alliance proved of no real value ; for the subsidy was raised by oppression, and in the course of the folio-wing reign, Tiglath-pileser invaded and depopulated great part of the country, The embassy from the kingver. 29.

Theod.

young lion, are frequently employed convey the ideas of strength and ferocPs. xci. 13.

ity,

The
15.

reduplication ^js

>3N is,
xliii. 2.5

as usual, emphatic.
;

Comp.
prey,
is

Is.

xl-vdii.

r:E":t2,

un-

derstood after z^ja and s3.

15. As God's coming to a people, and being with them, implies their experiencing efficient protection and aid, so his -withdra-wment of his presence impUes the

many
guilt,

C'l'N, like deprivation of these blessings. other verbs, has a sensus pregnans ;

conveying not only the idea oi contracting but of suffering its consequences. The latter idea seems clearly to be conveyed in this passage. The Rabbins, indeed, and after them, Glassius, and many
others, attempt to attach to the verb the

superadded signification of ffA-no!t'fcr)'y/?;y, which is that adopted by our translators but it is by no means supported by Lev.
22 ; V. 5 Zech. xi. 5 the passages usually adduced in proof, "s -js iK^2 to seek the face of any one, means to See 1 Ivings strive to obtain his favor.
iv.
; ;

Judah was that sent by Ahaz to Tiglath-pileser, -when attacked by the tmited kings of Syria and Israel, 2 Kings
of

dom

32

H
Then
will

EA

CiiAr. VI.

they seek

my

face

When
;

they are in trouble, they will'seek

prayer.

me

early.

X. 24 The phrase Prov. xxix. 26. occurs verj' frequently in the Psalms, in

Comp. Dan.
^^ith'ls|^3,

ix.

3.
is

ihs

is

sjTionj-mous

but

only used

reference to application

to

Jehovah in

in poetic diction.

CHAPTER
The

VI.

nation, in both its divisions, is here introduced as taking up language suitable to the circumstances described in the concluding verses of the preceding chapter, 1-3; but however appropriate it was to the condition of the people, that it was not the result of sound and thorough conversion, appears from ver. 4, in which they are expostulated with on the ground of their inconstancy. Notice is then taken of the means, both of a moral and a punitive nature, that had been employed for their recovery, 5, 6 their deceitful and wicked conduct, especially that of the Israelites, is placed in a strong light, 7-10; and a special denunciation of punishment is directed against the Jews, who tlattered themselves with the hope that whatever might befall the northern tribes, no calamity would happen to them.
;

Come, let us return to Jehovah, For he hath torn, but he will heal us

He He
1, 2.

hath smitten, but he

"will

will restore us to life after

bind us up. two days

word corresponding to "isV though it is not foimd in any Heb. ilSS. From
;

It

has been

disputed whether

these words be those of the prophet ex-

horting his countrjTnen to repent and turn to God, or whether they are to be regarded as employed by themselves to
give expression to their feelings of penitence,
their

confidence in

God

for de-

liverance from
resolutions of

punishment, and

their

amendment

for the futm-e.

the apparent agreement of the language of ver. 2, with the circiunstanccs of time connected with the death and resurrection of our Saviour, many interpreters, as Lactantius, Tertullian, Origen, Jerome, Augustine, Luther, OEcolampadius, Mercer, Riberus, TamoA-ius, Hammond, etc.,

The

latter appears,

from the bearing of

of the Avords

ver. 5, to be the preferable interpretation.

have maintained that it is had in the prophecy.

is

to these respect

I fully concur,

The

intimate connection

with the preceding context, and the repeof its language, induces to the conclusion that the same subject is here continued, viz. the castigation of the Hebrew kingdoms on account of idolatry, and the effect produced by it. This connection the ancient versions have endeavored to establish by uiscrting a
tition, in part,

however, in the judicious remarks of Calvin on this interpretation, " Sed sensus Et ille videtur mihi nimium argutus. semper hoc spcctandum est nobis, ne volitemus in aiire placent arguta; speculationes primo intuitu, sed jxistea evancs;

cunt.

Ergo

quisqiiis volet proficerc in

semper banc rcgiilam tcncat, ut solidum sit quicquid colligit sive iu

Scripturis,

Chap. VI.

HO SEA,
us up,

33

On the third day he will raise And we shall live before him.
Then we
shall

Like the dawn,

know, we shall strive to know Jehovah his going forth is fixed.

Yea, he will come to us like the rain, Like the latter rain, which watereth the earth.
The exeHorsley, and manyothers, -who regard the words as primarily
prophetis, sive in Apostolis."
gesis
T, of the elongated futures marks bent or inclination of mind. To separate the verbs, and coimect the former with the preceding verse, as Horsley does, would quite destroy the force of the prophet's language. At the same time the 1 at the beginning of the verse is

The

of

Grotius,

this

applicable to the Jew's, and secondarily, or allusively, to the resurrection of Christ,

is

equally unsatisfactory.
is,

The simple
that on their

meaning of the passage

conversion from the service of idols to

that of Jehovah, the Hebrews should experience the removal of the national
calamities with
visited
;

which they had been the nation which had been re-

what follows would be the result of the divine interposition on behalf of the HebreAv people. Some few MSS. insert i before rTi:.
inferential, intimating that

"i2:,

to

be fixed,

established,

certain.

duced
its

to a state of poHtical death

would

be resuscitated, and enjoy a renewal of former prosperity. From the metaphor of disease, ver. 1, there is in ver. 2, an advance to that of actual death, and a consequent resurrection, in order to
place their present and also their antici-

and dehghtful as the dawn of the morning would be the coming forth of the favor of Jehovah after the dark
certain

As

night of adversity. This beautiful metaphor is taken from the sunrise. See, fcr such application of ssntt, Ps. xix. 7. The other images were peculiarly appropriate in Palestine,

pated condition in a more striking light. For the use of the latter metaphor in
application to the national affairs of the

where rain falls seldom, except in spring and autumn. At

it is

these seasons

heavy, and" greatly

Jews, see
14.

Is.

xxvi. 19

Ezek. xxxvii. 1the third day, is

i. e.

contributes to the fertility of the

"'iJ'Vrri

d'a, on
juera 5uo

expletive of

t:";K;'''tt,

days

LXX.

short period

is

two That a meant, appears from tico

after days,
Tjfj.fpas.
;

soil, on bestowment was regarded as among the most necessary of temporal blessings, and its absence a

which account

its

source of awful calamity.

The
or

former,
the

and

tiro three
1

or very few,
xvii. 6.
afflicted

being used to denote a few, Kings xvii. 12 Is. vii. 21,

commonly
;

called

n"i.'i"',

rr^.iw,

Comp. Luke xiii. 32, 33. The Hebrews confidently hoped that their punishment would be of brief duration, and that God would assuredly restore them to the enjojnnent of his Such enjoyment is expressed by favor.
liviny "I'ith,
his presence

darting rain, from the root -ni',' to dart, cast, etc. here D'iir;, the rain, by way
of eminence the heavy, violent rain, as the word properly signifies. It falls
;

from the middle of October middle of December, and

early

till

about the
called the

is

or

former

rain.

LXX.

verhs

before

Mm,

experiencing

and

blessing.

The phrase
v. 15,

contrasts with that

employed chap.
resvilt

because the Jews commenced their year at that time. It prepares the ground for the reception of the seed.
n-pdi/jLos,

and
3.

indicates

the

of

"'rss

Trp2,

lO'ipV)?,
o\f/ifxos,

the

latter

rain,

LXX.

vfrhs

there predicted.

In rs-rV r;^-)2 -?-:% there is a from a resolution simply to acquire a true knowledge of Jehovah, to a determination to make such knowledge the object of earnest and unwearied pursmt.
rise

the latter half of February and during the months of ilai-ch and from April, just before the harvest
falls in
;

'Cph, signifying
late fruit.

which circumstan-ce
to

it

receives its

name
the
Syr.

gather or

collect,

Comp.

t;);V,

to collect,

84
4

II

CuAP.

VL

Wli:U sliall I do to thee, O Ephraim I AVhat sliall I do to thee, O Judah For your goodness is like the morning cloud,

And
5

like the

dew

Avhich early departeth.

For
I

this cause I
slain

have

have hewed them by the prophets, them by the words of my mouth:

forth like the lightning.

Thy judgments went

6

mercy and not sacrifice And the knowledge of God, rather than burnt
Fur
I

desired

offerings.

6.
)

The

sevcritj'

of

the

thrcatenings

* ''^, serotinus.

Before

Tf^h''

supply

''4' That the declarations contained in the preceding verses are not to be -s-iewed as divine promises, but express the hopes and resolutions of the afflicted Hebrews, appears from the affecting expostulations

communicated through the instrumentahty of the prophets is compared to the incisions made in stone or wood with the axe, and those made in the human body with the sword. Comp. Is. xi. 4 Heb. iv. 12. After 'Pa'^n supply c or cr k*
;

To make

here addressed to them, and the description of the temporary' and evanescent character of their boasted reformation. Like a tender parent Avho is anxious, if
possible, to reclaun a

the pronominal affixes agree, the LXX. SjT. and Targ. read "t:E'f , " my judgments," and so likewise Datlie,

wayward

child, Je-

Newcome, Boothroyd, and Ewald, instead of ""USr?;, "thy judgments." Tulg. judicia tua^ Hexap.
Kuinoel, Bocckel,
SjT.

hovah asks what other means could possibly be employed for the recovery of his They had been tried rebellious people. both with mercies and judgments, but without effect. Comp. Is. v. 4-7. ncn properly means kmcbiess, benignitij, mercy
;

y^'

|-1a?0.

There

is

no variety

in the

MSS., except that one of Kennicott's, and originally one of De Rossi's, have ':]t:Et;, "thy judgment," in the
sing\dar!

The
;

reference of the affix

is

here piety, > >

religion,

as Is. xl.

6.

y
I,

Syr.

.C^^O '^^
MS.

your goodness; Po4>

cocke's Arab.
ion.

(^XJL)

yow

'relig-

and the meaning is, the judgnients which belong to thee, which thou descrvedst, and which were inflicted upon thee. The genitive is that of object. Comp. ':;t3Er>2, 1 Kings XX. 40; :7;::ctt,
to T^, ver. 4
Jer. U. 9
iii.
;

Theodoret not inaptly gives

:

the

arid especially ^t:srtt,

Zeph.
tibi
is

meaning thus

t]

irap'

vfxSiv

yivofxivq
oi) 5(op/f7)s.

15.

Thus LjTanus: "pirnse

Herafi.t\eta Trp6<TKaipos fCTTi, Kol

inferendse."

NS^ though

future,

In Palustinc, and other couiitries of the same latitude, the dense clouds whicli cover the heavens during the morning are and the all gone Vjy nine or ten o'clock dews, however copious, early disappear. C'Stir is here, as frequently, to be taken As early, in the morning. adverbially
; ;

modified by the preceding preterite, and - has is to be rendered accordingly. here the sense of lightning, as in Job xxxvii. 3, 1.5. The LXX. S}t. Targ.

the cognate Ethiop. fl'Tl*^

to

signifies

and Arab, supply a before n'lS. Sudden and awful as the lightning were the inflictions of merited punishment upon the idolatrous Hebrews. 6. ^cn means here true piety, of which

carry a burden, and beasts of burden are usually loaded in the morning, the

Hebrew crw came

in Iliphil to signify

the doing of any thing at an early hour. r^'-r. is not to be construed with C^.^sn,

rsn is only a branch, C"r'Vs coiTCsponding to it in the second member of the verse, like-wise means a 2iractical htoiclcdge of God, in opposition to that which is merely speculative.
mercy or charity

but with

Vtj.

Comp.

Jer. xxii. 16.

The

present

is

one

Chap. VI.
7

HO SEA.
are like

35

Bat they

men

that break a covenant

There they proved

8

false to

me.

As for Gilead, it is a city of evil-doers Marked with footsteps of blood.

shows, that both this noun and the preceding verb 5"i=", stand in immediate relation to t-rs, which, as very frequently, is a collective', and is thus used instead

of several passages in the Old Testament, in which the comparative worthlessness of ceremonial observances is taught.

See Is. i. 11-17; Ps. xl. 7-9, Comp. Matt. Mic. vi. 6-8.
xii. 7.

1.

8-23;
13.

ix.

of a
It

plvural,

which

it

nowhere

exhibits.

may

also

be objected to the

first

men-

7. Translators

and commentators have

been greatly divided respecting the prepassage.

tioned inteipretation, that nowhere in Scripture is God said to have entered

into a ri""ia, or covenant with

meanuig of Cns as occurring in this Some, as Jarchi, Jerome, Leo Juda, Castalio, Grotius, Clarius, Manger,
cise

Adam.
a

The obhgations imder which he was

placed are
represented
as

those of

RosenmiiUer, Boothroyd, and Stuck, regard it as a proper name, and suppose the reference
Tingstadius,
to be to the conduct of
gi-essing the divine

Newcome,

mSM, command or

interdict, rather

than

Adam

in trans;

commandment while

Kimchi, ^Mmister, Vatabliis, TremeUius,

Beza, Drusius, Lively, Cal'vin, Rivetus,
Piscator, Zanchius, Qilcolampadius,
cer,

D'~.!Sr, like any of a federal nature. Edom, the reading proposed by Michaelis, has fomid no supporters. Before li::?, supply "Its, of which there is frequently an ellipsis in Hebrew poetr3% See Nol-

dius, p. 103.

c^,

there, points graphi-

Mer-

Lowth, De Wette, Maurer, Hitzig, Ewald, etc., take it to be an appellative, and interpret the passage of the treacherous violation of contracts among mankind. In favor of the former view, it is alleged, that it places the guilt of the Israelites in a

cally to the northern or Israehtish kingdom as the principal scene of idolatrous

defection,

and

anticipates

the regions

more
8.

specifically referred to in the

two

following verses.
is the nominative abhere the designation of a citj', in all probabihty Bamoth-Gilead, the metropohs of the mountainous region beyond Jordan, and south of the river Jabbok, knoMTi by the name of Gilead,

Ti'Vs, Gilead,

solute,

and

is

much more

aggravated hght

and Job xxxi.

33, Ps. Ixxxii. 7, are ap-

pe^ed
It
is,

to in proof of a similar allusion. however, very doubtful whether there be any such allusion in these passages; and as to the force of the comparison, it seems sufficiently supphed by supposing men in general to be understood, who break the engagements into which they have entered vdth each other.

Josh. xxi. 38

Kings

iv. 13.

It

was

here that Jacob and Laban entered into a solemn covenant with each other. Gen. Burckhardt found xxxi.. 21, 23, 25. ruins of cities on two mountains in that region, still known by the names of
Djebel,
Djelaftd, one or have been that here mentioned. It was one of the cities of but Josh. xx. 8 refuge, Deut. iv. 43 appears from the present passage to have afterwards become notorious for idolatry Some would restrict and bloodshed.

The

IsraeHtes had treated God had been one of themselves, and

as if

he

Djelaad,

and

as if the

other of which

may

sanctions of his covenant were as httle

to be regarded as those of ordinary contracts

were by men of tmprincipled char-

If we except the three passages acter. in question, it is universally admitted that there is no other, after the first chapters of Genesis, in

"ps

"""h

which niX is used as a proper name, or in which any reference

LXX.
but
its
it

in imitation of the >; s to idolaters, who render epyaCofi4pri fxaraia;

seems better to take the phrase in

is

made
and

to our first parent. indefinite

The

abso-

lute
IT'

13

occurs, (comp.

form too in which on the other hand

viii.

more enlarged meaning, as including Of this, all manner of wickedness.

Ti'^na,

"my

covenant," chap.

1,)

indeed, idolatry has ever ^een found to Various explabe the fruitful parent.

HO SEA.
9

Chap. VI.

As
So

troops of robbers
is

lie in

wait for a man,

the association of priests

in the

They commit murder

way

to

Shechem
is

Yea, they practise deliberate crime.

10 In the house of Israel I have seen what There is the lewdness of Ephraim;
Israel is polluted
1

horrifying

Also for thee,

Judah

a harvest

is

appointed.

nations of r:2 j; 5 have been advanced ; but

the simplest

Li

that

which regards

it

as

signifymg traced, from zj:?, the

heel, step,

print of the foot, and describing the marks or traces of blood left by the feet of the Sjt. murderers Avho resided there.

ered to be an imitation of the Chaldee form of the Infin. in Piel, from "sn, to wait, lie in rcaitfor ; but it seems more likely to be the abbreAiated form of the
Piel Participle
as in
'^r n'tt,

har,

Eccles.' iv. 2,

the being dropped, and in several

Participles.

instances of the

Pual

See

p^5^
what
\ve

y^.^iiS.L00, stained with blood.

satigre.

Jewish Span, immunda de

To

historical facts the prophet refers

have no information, except perhaps

that contained in 2 Kings xv. 25, from which it appears that iifty of the inhabitants of Gilcad were implicated in the
rcgicidal conspiracy against Pckahiah. 9. 0=0, Shechem, -was another city of

Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 316. ' "ana will thus form the genitive of object. Three MSS. substitute n for i ; and instead of the prepositive a, three ^ISS. and three printed editions' read 2. - Before -an

C":ra there is an ellipsis of -,2, corresnttT is iised to ponding to 3 in 'rriS. denote presumptuous or deliberate wicked-

ness,

from CKT; Arab,

^^j^

proposuit

refuge, situated between Ebal

rizim.
It still exists

and Ge-

under the name of

has,

sibi, to form a purpose, lay a deliberate plan of action ; chiefly employed in a bad

ujJLjIj. ^'abloos,

and

from very
of

sense.

LXX.

avo/uLia.

Ilitzig,

Unthat.
occurs

10. rr'nn-.yi',

LXX.

(ppiKuSi),

ancient
religious

times

been

the

seat

the

under the fonns r;n?^>; and

Jer. V. 30, xxiii. 14, xviii. 13.

ri?^yc,
It is ex-

commimity of the Samaritans. Having been for a time the residence of

Jeroboam,
1

Kings

xii. 2-5, its

inhabitants

becami

so

conxiptcd,

that

the priests

plained immediately after of the atrocious idolatry which, through the influence of the tribe of Ephraim, had spread itself

resident there

banded together, waylaid, and murdered \vith impunity the persons who were fleeing to the asylum for refuge. The n in rwt^y is that of direction, and
connects in sense with T)*?."- The interposition of the verb ^.tT^:"!': betAveen these

over the whole kingdom of Israel. 11. For the various interpretations which have been given of this verse see Ewald is the TamoAius or Pococke. only modem that adopts branch as the

two nouns

no difficulty, since we have instances of nouns in construction Is. being separated. See Gen. viL 6
occasions
;

xix. 8
sion,

IIos. xiv. 3.

Our common
following

ver-

and many

others,

the

Targ.

one shoulder, translate T11S2C, with one consent, which well suits the connection but is not borne out by the term occurring but Hebrew usage once, Zeph. iii. 7, in this metaphorical

nn "rsi
;

rendering of -i''::;;, as Kimchi proposed, and explains it of the introduction of idolatry into Judah. How Ilorsley could assert that harvest is used in a good sense, as an image of the ingathering of the people of God, is inconceivable. See Ilev. xiv. 15-20Joel iii. 13 Jer. h. 33
; ;

Nowhere

in prophecy docs

it

appear to

acceptation,

and then not r>;r*i

'-TL
is

as here,

but -rns

cr.'B'

generally consid-

be used in this sense. In aU probability, the punishment predicted is that recorded, 2 Chron. xxAiii. G-8. r-f" is here used impersonally. Instead of -^^V, four MSS. originally two more, the Targ. and two

Chap. VII.
old editions, read pV.
""tzV

HOSE A,

37

The words ^2Vr3 have no meaning, if connected with the preceding, which form a concise apostrophical warning to the Jewish kingdom. They must, therefore,
rn:;'^

be transferred to the following context, with which they wUl be foxmd to be in

harmony. Thus ]SIoerhus, !Michaehs, Jahn, Eichhom, Kuinoel, btuck, De Wette, and Boothroyd, divide.

CHAPTER
The prophet continues

YII.

his description of the wickedness of the ten tribes. Eegardless of Jehovah, they persevered in falsehood and violence, 1, 2; flattered their rulers, and thereby obtained their sanction to their nefarious conduct, 3, 5; and indulged to the utmost in licentiousness, 4-7. The murder of their kings successively is predicted, and their hardihood and folly ate further set" forth, 7-10. The prophet next adverts to their fruitless application for assistance to Egypt and Assyria, and their equally fruitless, because false professions of return to the service of God, 11-16.

When I reversed
When
And

the captivity of my people,

I healed Israel,

TImbu was the iniquity of Ephraini revealed, the wicked deeds of Samaria For they practised deceit The thief entered,

And And
1.

the banditti plundered in the street. they considered not in their heart,
render

Some would

^?ntt;

'DTia

I again lead people into captivity " but altogether contrary to the established usage of the language.

''W,

"When

my

See Deut. xxx. 3 Ps. xiv. 7 Jer. xxxi. Zeph. iii. 20. The words are ex23 plained by the following Vsnb'^V "'tiSis, when I heal Israel. 3 and a' frequently alternate with each other, when used of the time at which any thing is done. The restoration here mentioned is in all
; ;
;

was confirmed by a temporary cessation of the judgments of God, durmg which they might be said to have been healed; but it was soon entirely frustrated by the open increase of wickedness among them, n^^ai has the force of then, on
become more manifest, etc. see on Is, xxviii. 1. Being the metropohs of the ten tribes, it was the head spring of that corruption of manners which overspread the kingdom. NTS'' and yin2 I3r2 describe the acts of violence that were committed by breaking into and plundering private houses, and those which were perpetrated on persons
the contrary,

For Samaria,

probability

that

of

the

two himdred

thousand Jewish captives, to which reference is made 2 Chron. xxviii. 8-15. The conduct of the Israehtish rulers upon that occasion held out some hope of improve-

in the streets.

The

reference

is

not to

ment

in the character of the nation,

and

foreign enemies, as Horsley

and others
comp. the

a consequent change in the Divine conduct towards it; and this expectation

expound, but to lawless

2.

Israelites.
""^tji

For the phrase aVa

38 That
I remeniLerecl
all

II

EA

Chap.

VU.

tbeir wickedness:

Kow
They

their deeds eneoraiiass

them

arc before

my

face.

3 "With their wickedness they cheer the king,

And
4

with their flilsehoods the princes.

are
all

They They

adulterers

are like an oven, heated

Who resteth
From
Until
5
it

by the baker; from heating it, the time he kneadeth the dough,
be leavened.

On
'

the day of our king,

Arab,

JU-U
!

JLi*.

and

i JUj
isclf.

t*S, haked
foundation. incontinent

or

cooked,

there

is

To

place the violent

no and

KamJi^
x.iv.
1,

^^'^ '^^t ^^1/ '" 072e's

Ps.

Instead of C2=V^> ^^ form exhibited in the printed text, " to their heart," ten MSS., originally seven more, now one, perhaps another, and the
e(

freq.

Complut. Bible, read cnnVa,

heart."

"m

their
states

One

of

Ue

Rossi's

MSS.

in the margin that the latter readmg is It is also supfovmd in other copies.

ported

by the Sjt. Vulg. Targ. and Arab, versions. Both forms describe internal or mental conversation, only \> So indicates an endeavor to pei-suade. far were the persons spoken of from bringing themselves to act on the conviction,

character of their lust the strongest light, thC prophet compares it to a baker's oven, which he raises to such a degree of heat, that he only reqiiires to omit feeding it during the short period of the fermentation of the bread. Such was the Ubidinous character of the Israelites, that their imp\u:e indulgences were subject to but slight interruptions. Comp. aKaratravaTovs afiaprias, 2 Pet. ii. the feminine agrees with 14. mvis, ^ 5 3P, which is of common gender, llie latter word Gesenius derives from the Aram. ",:n,'<o smoke, and "i?2, Jirr.

that

God was

priv'y

to

their

Comp. the Arab.

\y^

and Syr.

poJ^^

wicked deeds,

conStill, however, the trary disposition. phrase may best be rendered by thinks To the words consider, or the like.

that, they evinced the

Cn"55>l^ Cn33D, have been given.

two

interpretations
cither

They

mean,

that the evil practices of the Israelite crowded round them as so mimy causes

fornax, clibamts. The oven here referred to is not the pitcher-oven of the Arabs, but the larger kind, prettj- much like our own, which was, as it still is, used in public bake-houses. M2S nnyb is elliptical for burning, having been kindled by the baker. Before ri^2i'i supply "t--'*'

The mcanmg
heating,
etc.

is,

who
Most

onlt/

ceaseth froiu

of punishment, as enemies siuround and shut up the object of their attack ; or, that they crowded about them as so

interpreters

l^yw
etc.,

in the sense of

stirriiir/,

take rousing vp,

and
it

api)ly

it
;

to the stirring of the

many

witnesses to reveal the wickedness

fire

in the oven

but

it

is

preferable to

The latter would of their character. seem, from the following words, to be the
true meaning.
3. Their rulers, instead of repressing, took delight in the immorid and irreligious conduct of the people. 4. In this coiuiectinn, t:-E5J:>3 is to bo

regard
to

as the part, of n"y,

Arab.

A^
to

be hot,

burning; hence in

IIi];h.

cause to burn, heat, etc.

ottJ) t7\s <j>\oyhs.

Thus the LXX.

the city,

The interpretation y/ow* given in the Sjt. Targ. and

For

Yidg.

is

altogether inappropriate.

the feminine form of the Infin. 'ir.sttn,

taken in

its literal

signification.

Comp.

Jer. ix. 1, xxiii. 10.

For the conjecture

Comp. rV>3n, Ezck. xvi. 5. 5. By Ci^ is meant a

festal

day

of Stuck, that the word was originally

cither that of the kuig's birth, or, as the

Chap. VII.

HO SEA.

The

princes are sick with the fever of wine

He
6

hand Avith the scoifers. For though they approach with their heart warm Yet it is in their plot
stretcheth out his

as an oven,

Their baker sleei^eth

In the morning
it

all

the night
fire.

burnetii like a blazing

Targ. Jarchi and Kimchi give it, that of The pre^xisition a is his inauguration. ^lichaelis thinks the relcrimderstood.

cnce

is

to the accession of a

new king

to

the throne.

Listead of ;i:rVa, our king,

twenty-two MSS. and the S}t. read ?3"-Vu our klnjs ; LXX. r^/xtpai ruv
fiaa-iKiwu vfibiv.

".Vnn

is

used mtransi-

tively.

The LXXV

Sjt. Targ. Yulg.

Abarbancl, Leo Juda, Newcome, Michaeand Bootlnoyd, refer this verb to the root VVn but, not to insist on its re(juiring in such case to be read 'linn,
lis,
;

they approached him with the warmest professions of loyalty ; but in private they were scheming how to get rid of him. The ringleader waited till he could conveniently carry the plot into execution and speedily they effected the Were it not that all nefarious pui-pose. the ancient versions render "z:"];;, as a verb, I should have been inclined to point it 'la'^p, and translate, " For their inward part is like an oven their heart is in
; ;

their plot."
Jer. ix. 7.

Comp. ians

C"'"i*''^

nan)5an,

The

renderiiig I have g'iven,

there is sometliing so uatolerably tame in the rendering, " The princes began to be heated with wine," that it cannot be admitted as the language of the prophet. Besides, n^n would likewise requne to

however, equally suits the connection.

be changed iiito S^Kri, which would produce an anomalous iiilinitive. rKn, bottle, less agrees with tt following than
n.izt],

heat.

Comp, Arab. \ ~^

'

J^..^:^.

T-i

t^'ifi is

an instance of the construct

Though there is no word in the text corresponding to " warm," its insertion in the translation is fully justified by the comparison in ni3P3, like aft oveii, and the intensitive force of an p^ in Piel. ITiat this verb ever signifies to make ready or prepare, I do not find. All attempts to justify the rendering of the LXX. and V Syr. aviKixib-npav, ^G^, by the conjectural

state with a preposition intervening between the nouns. Comp. caV';: '!?.'2:,

readings

sain,

13"^s

5r;~p, have proved abortive.

to the

and Accorduig

Ezek.

xiii.

-,."^w

tiVn

Tip-^,

Is.

li.

21,

andseeGesen. Lehrgeb. p. 670. The words mean the heat or fever produced by intoxication.

Hexapla,

Symm.

(J-*-ka

-^f^),

While the

courtiers

thus
for-

Aq. and Theod. (QjOfJ? \_^LLo),

read as we now do Targ. iia-^i^ns.

indulged to excess, the monarch,

getting his dignity, participated in their cups, and joined in their scoffs. Because

trEs,
i

as did likewise the

their

baker,

(many MSs. and

have c r"t
N,

various printed editions

also be regarded taking the place of

C'ss'-V occui-s nowhere

else, Houbigant would have it changed into the usual form C^^\, most uncritically. Comp. ysip and V-l)?. Aq. x^^vaa-TwV, LXX.

which may

as a singular form,

less properly,

Xoifxwv.

The

reduplicate

the third radical n, as in other nouns or participles derived from verbs in nV,) the Targ. and Sjt. render "jinTiiinj
'

form

is intensive, and expresses the awfully profligate character of the pcr-

.OCT ^^09, as
their anger.
*

if

the reading were CSS,

6ons described.
I consider the prophet to be continuing in this verse his description of
6.

abandoned courtiers, in imagciy borrowed from that introduced ver. 4. tn their intercoiuse with the monai'ch,
the

found in the LXX. shows that the former must have been the reading of the MS. which they used, as the latter could not have so easily been mistaken for this proper name. >"r:"-:y, which Dathe proposes, and Kuinoel
'Ecppalu,

40

HO SEA,

Chap.

VIL

They all glow as an oven, They devour their judges;

All their kings have fallen

None among them

Ephraim
is

calleth unto

me.
nations;

Ephraim mixeth himself

a cake unturned.

up with the

Strangers devour his strength,

But he knoweth

it

not

Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, Yet he knoweth it not.
adopts into his Ileb. text, nowhere occurs By ira, furor, eorum. "their baker" seems to be meant the
leader of

awefiiyi/vTo.

Syr.

Xa^

y^. 35,

Targ.

in the sense,

!)3i.yns.

Comp. Psalm

c\'i.

where

the conspiracy,

whom

some

suppose to be Menahem, others Shallum, but I should rather 2 Kings XV. 10-15 infer from what is stated ver. 7, that the
;

C-V'3""2^yr?'l is similarly used ofpromis. That cuous intercourse with idolaters.

such intercourse generally, mcluding the adoption of their idolatrous practices, and
not specifically the entering into leagues R-ith them, is meant, appears from the following clause, in which, to express the worthlessness of the Ephraimitish character, the people are

pro^jhet includes all the conspiracies which

took place in Israel. Ha\-uig prepared the rest of the conspirators, he, like the baker, abided his time, when, of a sudden, the plot burst forth like a flame. n^3, all of 7. Comp. 2 Kings xv.
them, corresponds to cVs, ver.
is
4.'

compared

to a cake,

Vizti^^

the future in Kal of

ITie prophet

nn,
still

to be icarin,

hot, etc.

continues the

in the oven devours the fuel, so the persons spoken of destroyed those who were in authority. in the sense of fall'^i:i is not to be taken ing off or apostatizing from God, as Jer-

comparison.

As

the

fire

which, from not having been turned, is The Arabs burnt, and good for nothing. bake their bread on the ground or hearth, covering it with hot embers, and turning it every ten minutes or quarter of an hour, When negto prevent its being burnt.
lected
it is

unfit for food,

and

is

thrown

away.
tate

Such was the

Israelites.

state of the apos-

They had corrupted

ome, Ribera, Menochius, Tirinius, and some others interpret, but in that of falling by the hands of murderers. This, the preceding hcmi5";rs, thexj devour, The source of the evil, stitch, shows. however, lay in apostasy from Jehovah, which had reached such a height, that none implored the Divine aid even when

themselves, and were only fit for rejecLXX. iyKpv<pias, bread baked in tion.
hot ashes, CjTil, rwv
9.
iirl

\idois oirro/tc-

Q''-\y , stranffers, foreiffners,

i.

e.

the

S^Tians,
xiii.

AssjTians, etc.

See 2 Kings
3-6.

7;

xv.'lD, 20;

xvii.

The

state,

drawing

to its close, without the

in calamity.
8.

Ewald

renders

^^San^,

veraltet,

" hath become old," which might seem some support from the latter but the verb can, with no part of ver n propriety, be referred to any other root
to derive
;

fact being obsei"ved by its citizens, Ls compared to a person on whose head gray hairs begin to make their appearance, without hLs becoming sensible of the ap-

proach of age.

thaia '^^3,

Arab.

JuJLj^

madefecit, comv.

" Sparscrit mas."

10-12.

ct nigras alba senecta co-

Propertius.

tnistus fuit, R}T.

n\ -i\^ confudit,to

A repetition

5,

mix by pouring, mix, confound,

LXX.

Israehtcs

which see. hud abundant proof ol the

of part of chap, Though the apostate

;;

Chap. VH.

HO SEA.

41

10 The pride of Israel testifieth to his face. Yet they turn not to Jehovah their God,

Nor seek him for all this. Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding They call in Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12 As they go, I will spread my net upon them, I will bring them down like the fowls of heaven
11 I will chastise them,

13

Woe

hath been heard in their assembly. unto them for they have wandered from me Destruction unto them for they have rebelled against me. Though it was I that redeemed them, Yet have they spoken lies against me.
it
! !

As

14

They

cry not to

me

with their heart,

But howl upon

inefficieftcy

their beds
the public congregations, to

of their idols, yet they returned not in the exercise of true repentance to God, who alone could deliver them in the hour of trouble, but formed alliances with foreign powers in the deThe simpUcity lusive hope of protection
.

hly,

i.

e.

which the Divine messages were delivered. God had given them sufficient warning by Moses and the prophets. The versions vaiy in rendering the last word, which
has given
rise to

of

the dove

is

proverbial.

Thus the

cnnsV,
yuyris.

cnJyV,

the conjectural readings and cr-.^yV. Aq.,

okotjs

Arabs,
1

^
1 1 .

however, renders, /cara

t^s trwa-

,.^0

jJjI

iS^

C^-

<\

there is nothing

more simple

13.

That '"sisdenimciative and not

plaintive, the

foUowmg

n-i

plainly shows.

than the dove. The word nniS is here, however, used in a bad sense, as nV V'?.* without heart, i. e. without understandThe point of comparison is ing, shows. the inconsiderate flight of the dove from one danger into another from the alann which makes her leave her abode for the Such would be the net of the fowler.
;

Ti:

is

often iised of the flight of birds

that wander from their nest, see Prov.

Is. xvi. 2 Jer. iv. 25 ; and is here employed with reference to the silly dove, ver. 12. The redemption from Egj-pt, and that which, in numerous ininstances, they afterwards experienced,

xxvii. 8

Jehovah had distinctly announced to them, that forcase with the Israelites.

eign alliances would prove their ruin yet they heedlessly rushed into destruction. -ii'j-N stands either for n"ii"it< or
r,"i'NV>.

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 DTC'S, which occurs only here, the Soncin. edit.
of the Prophets, and some few MSS. read c-iS'S in Piel, which may also be
interpreted causatively.
lit.

in aggravation of their Their preferring the service of idols to that of the true God, was not merely a practical denial of his all-sufliciency, but a violation of the solenm pledge which they had given of undivided obedience to his law, when, as stated, chap. vi. 1-3, they professed to return to him. 14. When pressed down by the calamities which their sins had brought upon them, they cried to God for deUverance, but without any genuine repentance or sincere resolution to obey him in future.
guilt.

Jehovah adduces

cri^i'V

y^rs
6

C-is:}i"tt~Vy, iipon their beds,

nighi-season,

i.

e.

in the

accordi7ig to the report to their assem-

when

their

anxiety pre-

42

HO SEA.

Cn-vp. VII.

For the sake of corn and new wine they assemble They rebel against me. 15 Though I instructed them, and strengthened their arms, Yet they devised evil against me. 16 They may turn, but it is not to the Most High They are like a deceitful bow Their rulers shall fall by the sword,
vented them from sleeping, iini'iin*, the LXX. reading ?T-iiri';, render Korerffifoi/TO, they cut themselves, supposing that in token of grief, or like the maddened priests of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 28,

they inflicted Avounds upon their bodies. This is also_ in all probabUity^what the Syr.
y
translator intended

by
is

^ ^KKn
"six

But though inniar-;

found in

more severe manner, by the judgments which had been inflicted upon them but that the former kind of instruction is meant, seems clear from the phrase yi-iT pin, to strengthen the arm, i. c. to impart strength or power for the performance of any undertaking. Comp. Ezek. XXX. 24, 25, where both the impartation and the deprivation of such power are mentioned. ^Vhat the j"?, evil,
also in a
;

MSS.
and
is

has been ui eiglit more originally, the reading of two early editions,

or wickedness was,
is

not specified

but

which they cogitated, it most likely conidolatrous alliance,

one of which is the Soncin. of 1486, it is not sufficiently supported to warrant its adoption into the text. The Targ. Abul-wahd, Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimcld, Munster, Piscator, Leo Juda, Junius, Tremellius, Boothroyd, ResenmuUer,
Maiu-er,

sisted in

some new

such as that with Egj-pt, referred to in LXX. vov-npa Targ. the next verse.
;

"i'"2, evil things,

and Gescnius, support the textual reading, and render congregate. This
decidedly agrees better with the following -a !i-nD^. Instead of retmrdng to

Jehovah, the IsracHtes assembled before

their idoLs to propitiate
fices, in

them by

sacri-

^-VS^ , " convertiint se ad nonad non-deum, collect, nondeos, i. e. ad dcos fictos, vanos." Maurer. Thus also Gescn. in voc. Vs.. Comp. for the use of this idiom. Is. x. 15, note. Hosea, who is fond of brevity, uses here and chap. xi. 7, Vs, instead of the longer form "i"Vy, Most High, Kamctz is used
16. V"
vChi
i.

sununtim,

e.

Lee

order to obtain a fruitful harvest. renders, the]/ become withdraini,

i.

instead of Pattach, on account of the

accent. Arab. aJLfr
to
altns,

excelsus fuit,

tcithdraio themselves,
pvurposes.

e.

for idolatrous

strongly the atrociousncss of their apostasy, '2,"agaifist

To mark more

be

high in dignity.

iJL^.
chap.

alius,
xi. 7.

Pococke's Arab.

MS.

in

me," is employed, instead ^i'c'a, of "fron me," the preposition that otherwise follows lie, which is frequently used of apostasy from God to idolatrous practices. The whole phrase is in this case best rendered by rebel against, as in our common
version.
15.

^'IxJI
tate

Syr. la^V.!,

God;

one of

l)e Rossi's

MSS.

Vs.

Israehtcs worshipped, so far

"What the aposfrom

being the Most High, was the direct wood or stone, the produce of opposite

the earth.
to bind,

The LXX.
'

a.tti(npa,<^r\<Tav

-0" docs not signify

but
inis

to chastise or instruct.

The IjXX.

ovbtv,

and Sjt.

jj

C-ClS(J1.^|

stead of rendering the last words of the

preceding verse, have tiraiUvSrnaav.

cocke's Arab.

\i^

Vn

to the

Vo-

same

effect,

though giving

MSS.
is

y;iOt>l

LjL. Those

the sense rather than an exact translation. The I^atin translation of the Syr. nxtlla
de causa,
is

whose character

here described, had

quite enx)neous.

Most modits

been ins-tructcd not only by words, but

cms,

less aptly,

take Vs in

adverbial

Chap. VIIL

HO SEA.

43

account of the insolence of their language: This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

On

acceptation, and render, they return not upwards ; which yields, however, nearly the same meaning. Thus Rosenmiiller, Winer, Manger, Stuck, and others. New-

seems no ground

for the opinion of

Ge-

senius, that the phrase is used poetically for treacherous bowmen, who feign tight

come's conjectural emendation, V'S^"! nV, that lohich cannot profit, has not been approved while the translation of Dathe, Poenitentiam agunt, sed non sinceram,
;

though approved by Kuinoel, Tingstadius, and others, is not borne out by Hebrew n^iS"! n-P some render a slack iisa^e.
bow, supposing that its inutihty, owiiig to the absence of elasticity, is what is in-

The IsraeUtes hypopretended to turn to Jehovah, but their actions took a different direction. Comp. n^Tii "VJVi deceitful tongue, Ps. cxx. 2, 3. The insolence (Aq. and Symni. e>/3piju7)(nv,) of their language
in order to deceive.
critically

doubtless consisted in their proud boast of Egj-pt as a source of protection from

tended; hut false or deceitful better suits the connection, and Ps. Ixxviii. 57 ; arid the reference is to something faulty in the construction of the bow, which causes arrow wide it to shoot or throw out the
of the mark.
jecit, projecit

the Assyrian invasion, which God was t;.y V,, their about to bring upon them. derision, i. e. the subject of derision to the Egj^ptians, to whom they should in

vain apply for help.

xvii. 4
;

Comp.

Kings

Eoot
;

n53-j,

Arab,

^s-^),

xxx. 1-7, though the latter passage is immediately directed against a contemporaneous apphcation on the
Is.

to throw, shoot, etc.

"There

part of the Jews.

CHAPTER

VIII.

Assyrians,!; by whom the Israelites The prophet announces the sudden irruption of the apostasy, 2 3; their illegitimate were to be punished, on account of their hypocrisy and folly of their idolatrous configovernment, and their idolatry, 4. He then exposes the remonstrates with them for their devotion to dence, and predicts their captivity, 5-10; and numerous prohibitions of the evil of idols, in opposition to the express

the worship that their pretended service of Jehovah, contained in the divine law, 11, 12; and insists of any avail to them, would only bring ^hile in reality they forgot him, so far from being destruction upon them, 13, 14.

Put the trumpet to thy mouth "Like an eagle against the house of Jehovah;"
.

1 It is not unusual for the prophets without naming the invading foe, to announce his approach. See Is. xiii. 2. The words lEr 'T^an-Vs., to thy palate the trumpet! are singularly abrupt, and

indicate the suddenness of the threatened here, as Job invasion, tin, palate, is

xxxi. 30, Prov.

viii. 7,

put

for the

mouth.

Comp. chap. v. 8. The LXX. (ds k6\read vov mrwv, ws rh) appear to have

. ;

44

Chai'.

YIU.

For they have transgressecl'my covenant, They luive rebelled against my law. They may cry to me " my God acknowledge thee." "We Israel Israel hath rejected what is good; The enemy shall pursue him. They made kings, but it was not from me

""Sysi

Cp"

Vs, Mhich makes no sense.

The

following words r.rni n"3-Vy ":-??.?> which contain the announcement, arc

Israel, the conjecture of Houbigant, is unnecessary. The present position of the

of

The pomt of compariequally abrupt. son is the rapidity of flight for which the
eagle
is

celebrated,

and which

is

fre-

word is more in keeping with the style of Hosea, and the use of it well agrees with the vain confidence which the mibclieving Israelites were ever prone to
place in their relation to the patriarchs.
3.

quently employed to denote the speedy Comp. Deut. approach of an enemy. Lam. Jcr. iv. 13, xlviii. 40 xxviii. 49 iv. 19. nirr ri"2, the house of Jehovah,
; ;

njT, Arab.

Aj\
To

corritptum ftiit

etfatiiit, to be corrujjf, loathsome,

reject

and

to

cannot here
lem, which

mean
is

the temple at Jerusa-

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. just as the christian 7 ; Heb. iii. 2 church is called the house of God. I Tim.
;
;

loathsome what was truly excellent, such as the worship of God and the practice of religion, argued an awfully depraved state of moral feeling. The use of Vsir'^j
as such.
treat as
Israel,

finely contrasts

with that made

r:*;!:,

of
is,

it

in the preceding verse,

good,

by Jerome, Abenezra, Kimchi, and

others,

taken for God himself, who is described as 3"U^.!i 2it3, good and doing
Ps.
cxix.
68.

iii.

15,

and of

Christ,

Heb.

iii.

6.

For

good,

Deuvi summian

n^na T^25, comp. chap. nominative to !)"i2 thet/

gressed,
is
r.hr.'i

vi.

7.

The
i.

have transe.

fT'3.

the family,

members of the church, of Jehovah. The Israelites had violated the obligations of the theocracy. fT'"i.3 and min are
the

sjmonymous.
the future used potentially and not with irony, ""-js, " O my God,"
2.
is

bonum, Qicolampadius. It seems, however, to be used in a more general acceptation. Before s^/is there is an ellipsis of the illative "^th. Forty-seven of De Rossi's MSS. and two more by correction eight of the most ancient, and sixty-two other editions the Syr. Vulg.
; ;

ipyn

and Targ. read Hf^'^\ instead of

iiE^-i"',

construed as a distributive with the plural verb each of the persons spoken of being regarded as using the language.
is

exhibited in the Tcxtus Receptus. De Rossi's Scholia Critica.

See

4. Some think the kings and princes here referred to were Shallum, !Mcnahem,

Inattention to this has led the Sj-rian

translator to render,
,>w

O oitr

God.

Vs-iB", Israel, is with ^5.'!1> "''' acknowledge thee, and not the nominative to npyT"", from which it is
too far removed.
It is entirely

\i in apposition

Pekahiah, Pckah, Hoshca, and such of their partisans as were invested with authority but from the allusions made in the following verses to the origination of image worship in Israel, it is more probable that the entire scries of Israelitish
;

omitted

in the liXX. Sat. and Arab, as it is in one of Koniiicott's ^ISS., and originally in one ofDe Rossi's Vsnr^ "nis, O God

kings and rulers is intended. Though in the providence of God, and agreeable to the declaration of Ahiah the ])rophet, the ten tribes revolted from the house of David, and set up a separate and inde-

Chap. VIII.

HOSEA

45

They set iip princes, but I acknowledge them not Of their silver and their gold they have made for themselves idols,
In order that they may be cut oif. Thy calf, O Samaria is abominable
!

Mine anger burneth against them

How
For

long shall they be incapable of purity ?

it

came from

Israel,

pendent kingdom, yet they were actuated merely by rebellious motives, and had no regard to a di\'ine sanction, 1 Kings xi.
31-39,
to
xii.

but, at the

20.

knoio,
is

but also

yi', signifies not only to approve of that

allow,
i.

same time, there can be little doubt that its inhabitants were pre-cnunent in their devotion to idolatry. n:T, is used in its primary acceptation, to be See on A'cr. 3. loathsome, ahominahle.

which

known, regard,
;

own.
freq.

Job. Lx. 21, xxxiv. 4

Ps.

6, et

Such construction is preferable to that which would make ifri^. the accusative
to n:T, assuming nini." understood to be

LXX.
A

KoJ ovK

eyvwpiaav
7iot

yLOL.

Syr. |Jo
i. e.

1o V nr'] and did

acquaint me,

the nominative, or that in our common version, which makes it the nominative,

held no communications with me upon the subject. The Hcb. however, will not i in both cases bear this interpretation. before tiV, has the force of a relative, which must either be adopted in translation, or the personal pronoun must be For their conversion of their supplied.
sUver and gold into idols, comp. chap, 8. ii. ) 5-172^ does not appear ever to

and Samaria in its pronominal reference the accusative. The uitroduction of the worship of the golden calves by Jeroboam, in imitation of Apis, at Memphis, and
;Mnevis,
at Heliopolis, which he must have seen dvuring his residence in Egyx^t, paved the way for the imitation and

adoption of the gross idolatries practised by the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Chaldeans, rir-] CjS n-in, the anycr of Je-

be taken in a retrospective sense, and so to be referred to what goes before, but is always used with direct reference to
'

hovah burneth, is an anthropopatliic mode of expression of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew Scriptures, denoting the unconquerable opposition of God to all moral evil, and the severity of the punishment C2, ayainst with which it is visited.
them, i. e. the Israelites who worshipped ly ?V:i'' ti'> ^rw the golden calves.

what

follows,

r-ir-^

",yi:V is, therefore,

to be rendered, in order that they

may

he

cut off ; not so that they shall, etc.

Jer. vii.

Comp.

10,

xliv. 8.

the preposition is The Israelliar emphasis to the subject. ites could not seriously, or in realitj^ have intended their own destruction, but they acted as if they had and it would assuredly overtake them. The nominative to n~. 3'^ may either be Israel, understood
;

In all such cases employed to give pecu-

"iV|f 5,
picrit'y

how
'?

i.

long shall they be i^icajmble of e. how long shall they be ob-

stinately attached to the

impure

service

of idols, and rejcA the means by which they might be recovered from its stain

and punishment.
it

or

it

may have respect

The
calf of

to the people col-

lectively.
5.

Samaria was not any

The golden calf had its origin in Israel: was not made by any of the surrounding idolaters. The n in i^^r i is emphatic.
6. T'T.''
i.

Bet

up

in that city, but that set

up

at

t"::-'", shall be

or become flames,

Bethel -with another at Dan, or both, if we take the noxm as a collective, which its inhabitants, and those of the covmtry generally, worshipped. The metropolis appears to be used here by synecdoche for the whole land occupied by the ten tribes

e.

shall be burnt.

t-22"i

is

a a7ra|

Mj. and has no root in Heb.'; but comp. the Arab vA*i, acccnditigncm, v^^-j^aA^ As the calf was made ardor, flamma.
by man, so
it

should by

man be converted

; ; : ;

46
The carpenter made
It
is

HOSEA.
it

Chap.

VUL

not

God

Surely the calf of Samaria shall become flames. Because they have sown wind,

They shall reap the whirlwind. They shall have no stalk The growth shall produce no grain
Should
Israel
it

peradventure produce
it

it,

Strangers shall swallow

is

up.

swallowed up

They

are

now among

the nations,

Like a vessel in which is no delight. For they went up to Assyria, Like a solitary wild ass Ephraim hath given the hire of love.
into fuel for the flames.
all probability,

It consisted, in

but

is

here employed with singular pro-

with gold. the king of Assyria, (see chap. x. 6,) instead of being worshipped or held in respect, it would be stripped of the gold, and consigiied to the flames. The LXX. followed by the Arab. Ilorsley, and Newcombe, improperly translate ^3 Vsna^n,
ip T(f 'lffp{\\,

of wood, thickly overlaid When taken as a present to

priety of the Israehtes going to Assj-ria,

to intimate their depressed condition,

and

their acknoAvledgmcnt 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 purpose of obtaining aid from that quarter. "1^1 'is stands for nn^'is, the n of direction

\^\yj^\

_i

in Israel,

being omitted. The point of comparison in the " wild ass " is his tmtractableness,

and join the words to those of the preceding verse.

7. nriE!iD Ls the emphatic form of rnO, a tornado, tohirhcindt Leo Juda,

and

his disposition to take his

in consequence of
society of others,

own way, which he forsakes the and loves the solitariSee Job xxxLx. 5-8.

ness of the desert.

inaijnum turhincm.
XV. 16
tive to
is
;

nnntJ^
h\,

Ps.

Comp. nJiW^S, Exod. iii. 3. The nomina;

Thus

is

Vsnio"', imderstood
it

but

it

was with Israel. Despite of all the councils and warnings given them by the prophets, they persisted in enterit

best to take

collectively, in

harmony

with the plural of the preceding verbs. Observe tlie paronomasia in ^Va nws The Israehtes should be (15?;^ nr S^. unsuccessful in all their undertakings and whatever partial gains they might
acquire,

would be eagerly
Ilosea

seized

by the
is

AssjTians.
8.

What
them

had

just foretold

here realized
sees

prophetic vision.
oppressors.

in a state of exile
tlieir

the objects
Comp.

He

of contempt to
Jer. xxii. 28.

9. 10. n^T, to fjo vp, is elsewhere used of foreigners coming to the land of Israel

ing into foreign aUiances. r;:r>, to give is purposely chosen, to convey the idea of a A^olation of the marriage contract by imlawful commerce with another party the derivatives Tirs and nsrs*, properly denoting a gift or reward given to a Avhorc. See on The aggravation of the chap. ii. 12. evil is signified by representing the female as offering these rewards to her jiaramours to induce them to commit lewdness, instead of her being prevailed upon by presents made by them. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 33, 34. Though in Iliphil, the verb has here the same signification as in
presents, hire, etc.

Chap. VIII.

H(5

SE A.
the nations,

4T

10 Yet though they have hired I Avill now gather them

among

And they shall suffer in a little By reason of the ti-ibute of the

1

king of princes.

When Ephraim multiplied

altars to sin,

e^::n J^, lit. loves, a plural not in Jerome, who renders, use in English. numera dederunt atnatoribtis, either read C^a ns which is found in one of De

Kal.

struing

it

with tayw, as

if

the latter word

were the

infinitive of the verb IzTa, to

be diminished.
ing,

TTie ancient versions refer

to Vlfl, as the root, in the sense of waitdesisting

Rossi's

MSS.,

or he took

C"2n s

from,
>

etc.

LXX.

ko-kA.-

concrete sense, as our translators appear to have done, for which there is no neces-

aovffi.
\el\f/ovffi,

Symm.
Syr.

jxivovaiv.

Theod. Zia-

Instead of of ver. 10, two of

sity.

!i3pi";

at the beginning

-C^^AJ

^ulg- quies-

De
;

Rossi's

MSS.

the

cent.

And

LXX.

SjT. Vulg. Targ.

and Arab, read

especially

as ten

in this reference I concur, MSS. and forty-four

!i;P', as if

from

"j^a

according to which,

editions, read tiVrri

the Israelites are represented as delivered over to, or placed in the power of the
nations.
ever, has

in the

Lamed
is

without the Dagesh only I would abide by the

be

signification,

to

in pain,

affliction,

The

fifth

Greek

version,

howtStvri,

aWa

Kol dray niaSraicr-qTai.

it is

most likely that the prophet repeated the verb he had just used, and as the other rendering is

which

is

preferable, as

that given to the verb in our common version. Such construction alone suits the connection. By some D'^l/aJ

which

less suited to
i.

the connection.
suffix in

r:ry, noic,

e.

shortly.

Comp. tasa immediately

ciip.s,
'

after.

The

^^iil

an instance of and twenty-one MSS. and originally ten more, the LXX. Aq. Sjt. Vvdg. Targ. and Talm. Babl. supply the copulative i before D""!/!!;. So Kimchi,
"jjV.'s

are considered to be
;

asyndeton

collect them," belongs to ti";'!5n, the

tions,

na-

Mercer, Piscator.

Grotius, Houbigant,

and not

to the nominative to 55^^,

yap is used in Picl in a bad as well as in a good sense. Comp. Ezek. x\i. 37. Thus Kimchi and Abarbanel. Instead of affording any assistance, the Assyrians would be collected against the apostate Israelites, invade their land, and carry them into captivity. Into that state of siiffering, imposed upon them by the king of Assyria, they were shortly to be brought, as a punishment for their idolatrous desertion of the true worship of God. C"'"ite 'r^Vw N'r^tt t2y '^tt-i
or the Israelites,

Kuinoel, Xewcome, Tingstadius. It has been doubted, howe\'er, whether, according to tliis resolution of the word, they should be referred to the native king and princes, or to those of Assyria. Some, as Maurer, take them to be the nominative to ? 5 fi' \, and make

Dathe,

Michaelis,

the sense end with s'ra, the burdeti or

tribute,

supposing the hcavj' taxes imposed

IsraeUtish rulers to be intended.
is

by the

The best sense t^nb tiV.'R in

princes,

brought out by reading

construction, the king of

has been variously interpreted.

renders,
*^

Gesenius
the

and they

(the hostile nations,)

shall presently set

them free from

burden of the king, i. e. from his oppres; sive yoke " but without any suitable sense the whole passage being of a comminatory nature, and not promissory of good. jnn, the Hiph. of V^n, has nowhere the signification of loosing or setting free. Nor is there any propriety in taking it in the usual sense of beginning, and so con-

and applying the phrase to the who had many kings and princes subject to his sway. Comp. Thus Pococke's Arabic MS., Is. X. 8. Leo Juda, Drusius, Jun. and Trcmel., Piscator, Eichhom, Bocckel, Goldwitzcr, The sr7;, burden, Hitzig, and Ewald. was the tribute exacted by ^Icnahem, and paid to Pul, amounting to a thousand talents of silver, 2 Kings xv. 19-22. Comp. NTM ~Pr tribute money, 2 Chron. x-\'ii. 1
king of AssjTia,
,

'li.

By

multiph-ing

altars, in opposi-

48

HO SEA.
things of

Chap. VHI.

They became to him altars to sin, may prescribe for him the numerous They are treated as a strange thing. 13 As for my sacrificial offerings, They sacrifice flesh and eat it
12 I

my law ;

Jehovah accepteth them not:

He will speedily remember their And will punish their sin

They
shall return to

iniquity,

Egypt.

tion to the express prohibition, Deut. xii.

13, 1-i, the Ephraiinites not only contracted great guilt, but paved the -way

Symm. irKridos y6fjiOi>v fiov. ^'^ h, statutes,

are understood,

for the introduction of other sins.

Syr.

as Pi

signifies

not only to

think, regard, etc., but also to treat in a

Lo?
There

1^ ^ " \
is

ad

crimen

ingens.

an easy but beautiful variation in the repetition of the -words. As used the second time, su n possesses considerable emphasis.
It

in

manner corresponding to the estimation which a person or thing is held. Tan-

chum,
iUJ]

jj| v_>o jjli'

&J^AJ

L^^ Jaj
a

Comp.

for a similar inIs.

stance of varied repetition,

xxvii, 5.

they reject them like

tio

shows how much the mind of the prophet was affected by the -wickedness
of his people.
is

Some suppose that there a play upon the double meaning of

as signifying to
sin, just as

Nbn

regard is paid. 13. ""arian "^naT form the nominative absolute, ^anan ?)/ ^{/i!*, or offerings, i. e. such as they professedly offer to me.

strange thing to which

sm, and

to be

pim-

The word
is

our Lord uses ytKpoi in two senses, IMatt. viii. 22 but the second signification cannot attach to the verb in this connection. 12. mp=s, Keri nnSN, is continuative
;

ishedfor

is contracted for 'anan', and derived from an^, to give. ' It seems

preferable to abide

by

this usual signifiit

cation of the verb, -which

has

like-^-ise

in Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, than to follow Kimchi, who refers the noun
to a root a nan, to
signification to

and potential, and

prescribed, I
still

Ls

equivalent

to,

I have

which he
to

assigns the
;

prescribe

by

my proph;

burn,

scorch, roost

or

and be of no
ets,
'^fln,

may

avail.

go on prescribing it -will Keri 2n in many MSS.

is

Ewald, who, appealing

the
.

Chald.
(

the plural of aS, which

properly

the infinitive of an-i,

ous, etc.

to be great, numerHere the idea of number is

anan, and the Arab. _^ and renders, raw offerings, 'a nan

? ^ to

e-^ddently designed to express the

abvmin his

dant provisions
-written law,

God had made

its

enforcement by the prophets, against the commission of idolAccording to the Chethiv ia-i, atry. we should render, " I may prescribe to him my laws by myriads ; " Ewald, by thotcsands;" Ilitzig, by ten thousands,

and

more choice term for riinjtt, or rri;p>2. For the reduphcate form, comp. panaris, chap. iv. 18 -which word the L!XX. Syr. and Targ. appear to have followed in this place of which Ilitzig stems to
is

approve.

Aq., observant of the gemina-

tion, renders, bwias <pfpf <pfpe bvaii^ovffiv.

fj.fra<popci>y

SjTnm. bvaias iiraX\i)\ovs. Thcod. Stvalav ^^vaiaaav. Jehovah rejected the sacrifices that were offered, not according to his o-wn appointment, but to gratif^' the carnal appetite of the worshippers.

The

Syr.

^ro

r^

v^]

M-^^'

'^^^'

Ti^niK ^^<aD.
tneas.

Vulg.

mtiltiplicea leges

Reference
calf.

is

had

to the sacri-

Pococke's

Arab.

MS.

fices

offered to him, as

g^J^

represented by
tiV is

the golden

In o^n

a meiosis.

; ;

Chap. IX.

II

49

14 Because Israel hatli forgotten liis Maker, and built temples, And Judah hath multiplied fortified cities

Therefore will I send a

fire

into his cities

And
npy, now,
speedily,

it

shaU consume the palaces of each.

here used in the sense of

is

shortly.

From

the references

chap. ix. 3, 6, xi. 11, it is clear that the last clause of the verse predicts the actual return of a number of the
Israelites to

made

The ri 'iV - n were ?} Ii ^w 1 the apodosis. doubtless idolatrous temples erected after the models of those in use among the
*> "^

word,

abihty, they fled

Egypt, whither, in all probwhen the kingdom was

Syrians and Phoenicians. See, for the my note on Is. vi. 1. Though idolatry had not made the same progress Judah, the inhabitants nevertheless
evinced a want of confidence in Jehovah fortifjing a number of cities, to wliich

broken iip by the Assjrrians. The threatening pointedly reminded them of the
tors

by

depressed condition in which their anceshad been in that coimtry. Comp.

they trusted for defence.

suffix in
i"''iy

The mascidine
Judah the fem;

refers to

Deut. xxviii. 68, The LXX. add, Koi iv Affffvplois aKo^apra (fidyovrai but the words are wantmg in the Aldine edition, and in seven MSS. They have e\'idently found their way into the text fi'om chap. ix. 3, where they stand in accordance with the reading of all the Heb. MSS.
'
',

inine in rT'tiiitt'is to each of the

cities,

iEwald strangely asserts, taken singly. that the words of this verse appear to have been inserted from some book of

Amos no
27
;

longer in existence
i.

Compare,
Jcr. xlix.

however, for the latter distich,

Amos

4, 7,

10, 12, 14, iL 2, 5

i.

14.

in

nzv " 1 darks

the protasis

in

and

see note

on

Amos

4.

CHAPTER
;

IX.

The prophet checks the propensity of the Israelites to indulge in excessive joy on account of any partial relief from their troubles, 1 predicts the failure of the crops, etc. in consequence of the Assyrian invasion, 2; their removal to Egypt and Assyria, where they should have no opportunity, even if they were inclined, to serve Jehovah according to their ancient ritual, 3-5; and the hopelessness of their returning to enjoy the property they had left behind, 6. He then announces the certain infliction of the divine judgments, and points out the true character of the false prophets, by whom the people had been led astray to their ruin, 7, 8. Illustrative references are next made to the early history of the Hebrew
nation, accompanied with appropriate comminations couched in varied forms, in order to render them more affecting, 9-17.

Carry not thy joy,

1.

O, Israel

to exultation, like the nations,

Yulg. read
trarj- to
"h'i: hii, exult not; but conthe wstis loquendi, which requires

V"J~V:?.

T:lZT'r\~\ii,1it. rejoice

not

to exultation!

The tXX.

Sjt. Targ.

and

HO SEA.

Chap. JX,

For tliou liast lewcll y cleparted from thy God Thou liast lovotl tlie hire,

On

all

the corn floors.

2 Neither the floor nor the vat shall nourish

them

And
3

the

new wine

shall fail therein.

They shall not dwell in the land of Jehovah, But Ephraim siiall return to Egypt,

And

in Assyria,

they shall eat what

is

unclean.

the verb following Vs to be in the future tense, as Seeker properly observes. Some find in the comparison " like the nations," an imitation of their idolatrous festivities but the language is rather predictive of the joyless condition to which the Is"SVlule those raelites were to be reduced.
;

ceived reading. It is, however, too plainly an emendation to entitle it to adoption.

Nothing

prophets to use

more common than for our first a plural, and then a acsingular suftix of the same subject cordiiig to the nde laid do^^-n by Tanchum, that when in a continued discourse
is
:

by

whom

tlicy

-were

surrounded

and

especially their AssjTian invaders, should

indulge in unrestrained mirth, they should experience affliction and sorrow. There is most proV)ably a reference to the joy occasioned by the league entered into w-ith Pul, by -which peace seemed to be Their joy was to be of short secured. dmation, and therefore retjuired to be Instead of firs, thirteen moderate. MSS., originally five more, one by correction, and five editions, read t"?y2i "among the nations," of which Rosenmiillcr, following Abarbanel, approves. The prophet adds the reason why they should have no caase for exultation their abounding idolatries, by which they

a nation or people is spoken of, either in the feminine aftix agreeing with rry, congregation, or the masculine agreeing with as also, that CS, people, may be used
;

the singular may be iised of them, viewed as a body, and the plural, when they are regarded as consisting of distinct individAt the same See in Pococko. uals. time it is better in a translation to render them alike, as in the ancient versions just
quoted.
3.

Canaan was

called

t.\t.''^

*,"?.,

the

of Jehovah, because he had appropriated it for an inheritance to those whom he had chosen to be his peculiar people.
la7id

It

was

his

gil"t

to

Abraham and

liis

pos-

teritv, to

be enjoyed by them on condition

incurred the judgments of God.

idolatries

These

of their fidelity in his sersice.

they carried to such a pitch,

that they erected shrines at their tlu-eshing floors, in order to offer at them the The crops were oblations of their grain.
idoLs in

considered to have been bestowed by the compensation for the worsliip

rendered to them, (sec chap. ii. 5, 12, 13;) and are therefore spoken of as ":rs, a meretricious reward. 2 For s n 3 in reference to the faDure of the productions of the earth, see Ilab. iii. The verb properly signifies to lie, de17.
. ,

For this end he attached to it his special blessing, Deut. xi. 10-12. Comp. Jer. ii. 7, xvi. 18; Ezck, xxxvi. 20. The retimi to Egj'pt being here mentioned in connection -with an exile in Ass^-ria, proves that it is to be taken literally, and that it is not designed to express a servitude similar Sec on chap. viii. 13. to that of Egj-pt.
'llie

fulfilment of this prediction in the

history of

the ten

tribes,

is

nowhere
doubt the

mentioned in Scripture.

No

number

ceive, etc.

figuratively, to fail.

six

MSS.,

originally

Twentysixteen more, and

that fled to Egj-pt was small, compared with the body of the nation
carried into the Assyrian exile. By st: meant proJiibited food, meats prois

perhaps two, three editions, with the support of the LXX. Sjt. Targ. and Vulg. read Ca, in them, i. e. them, the
Israelites, instead of r>2,

nounced

luiclcan

by the Mosaic law.

in her, the re-

To such necessity should they be reduced as captives.

Comp. Ezek.
iv. 13.

;;

Chap. IX.

A
him
:

51

4 They

shall

not pour out wine to Jehovah,

Neither

shall their sacrifices j^lease

be to them as the bread of mourners, All that eat thereof shall be unclean For their bread shall be for themselves It shall not come unto the house of Jehovah. What will ye do on the day of assembly ? 5 On the day of Jehovah's festival ? 6 For, behold they go away from destruction, But Eg^T^t shall gather them, Mem2:)his shall bury them As for their coveted treasuries of money, nettles shall possess them Thorns shall be in their tents.

They

shall

4.

"r,!Ds

is

used of the poiiring out of

sjTians,

and

flee for safety into

Egypt.

"wine for a libation, Gr. (xirevSeiy.

Exod.

They imagined

that their stay there

;

would

XXX.

9.

3"i3f,

properly to tnix, iningle,

"was

came to

signify, sweet, agreeable, pleasing,

from the circumstance, that what

pleasant to the taste, often consisted of

mixed

ingredients.
i.

or food of sorrows,

e.

D":is ChV. iread, such as was eaten

for the dead, and consequently regarded as unclean, on accoimt of the contact in which they were supposed to come with the dead body. See Numb. xLx. 14, 15, 22 Jer. xvi. 7, 8 Ezek. xxiv. 17 Hagg. ii. 12, 13. Instead of feasting upon the sacrifices as their fathers had been accustomed to do, when they slew them according to the law, which was always an occasion of joy, they should be placed in circumstances in which no such sacrifices could be offered, and no such feasts enjoyed. Their food should all be common tcSiV.ybr their soul, or life, i. e. merely for its sustenance not fit to be presented Thus Schmidius, Grotius, to the Lord.

by mourners

only be temporary but it is predicted that thej' should no more return to their possessions, and be buried in their fathers' sepulchres, but should die in the land, and have their interment among the mummies of Egj^t. For Memphis as the great necropolis of that coimtry, see my note on Isaiah xix, 13. V-^P' ^^ gather, is here used in reference to the removal of the soid at death, into the world of spirits, and is equivalent to SCSS, Numb. XX. 26, or the full phrases
''/2^'~^^^

hCS2, and vrjnss Vs

one's people

hO?5?.> ^o

be gathered" to

or fathers,

always spoken of as something from death and burial. Comp. Jer. viii. 2 Ezek. xxix. 5, in which latter passage y]Dt<, and -,*2|^, are used as synonymes. According to the signification of the cognate Arab. verb. (j>UJ cepit,

which

is

different

apprehendit manu rem, idea of God's taking

it

conveys the
soul.

away the

and
6.

others.

Hence
would find
it

the. phrase

iJU
took

iUOjtJ', 'mortuus

In

captivity they

im-

est,

hterally,

God

him ; and [jaj3

possible to observe their solemn feasts

a great aggravation of their pimishment. Comp. chap. ii. 11. The exposition of
Jarchi, Abenezra, Kimchi, Mercer, Capito,

simply, mortuus est (ad Dei misericordiam Ereytag. When it is said that delatus).

and others, according to which, the day of punishment, represented under the idea of sacrifice, is meant, cannot be sustained.
6.

Egj-pt should gather and Memphis bury the Israehtish fugitives, the meaning is that they shotdd be removed out of this world, and that their bodies should be

The prophet here

specially describes

buried there. The personification is employed, as usual, for the sake of effect. iWhW, desire, covetottsness ; that which
is
tlie

those Israelites

shoidd take alarm at the invasion of the country by the As-

who

object

of

desire,

what

is

covetdble,

coveted,

from

\'a'n,to desire, covet.

As

52
V

II

EA

Chap. IX.

The The

(lays
chiys

of jiun'iNlimcnt are come,

of
ret ributiou
it

are

come

Israel shall

know

The prophet is foolish, The man of the spirit is

frantic,

Because of the greatness of thy punishment,

And
the verb

because the provocation

is

great.
Mic.
ii.

crn"

has a plural suiRx, this

11. >^?n "riVh "j's; 1 Cor. xiv. 37.

;

noun is here and rendered

V|C3
is

to be taken as a collective,

iX Tts 5oKe7 irpo<p7irr]s flvcu ^ -rryevnaTiKls

in the jJural.

The

idea of

2 Pet.

i.

1, virh

TTvevjxaToi ayiov (^fpS/xfvoi

by the coimcction. used generally of mo?iey, as in most other places, vhcn anT, gold, is not combined with it. Targ, ^^insos riKn ria, the house of their desirable motietj. SjTnm. TO iTTi^jjAifxaTa Tov apyvplov avTwvOthers, less aptly, explain the words of
treasurj' is supi^lied

and

see

my

Lectures on Divine Inspirays'i-73 insane, frantic

;

tion, p. 25.

jVrab.

A^AM

locutus fuit rhythmicc, to speak

in an impassioned manner, like an in-

hence, from the violence of sijired poet the gesticulations, tones, etc., to act like
;

houses, palaces, etc. adonied with silver.

On

leaving those treasures which they could not carrj' with them, the IsracUtes

mad, insane. Comp. where y5r>3 w"'S and K23r are symonymous. The meaning
to he

a madman,
xxix.

Jer.

26,

would naturally bury them in the earth, which accounts for the verj- significant
plu-ase,

" the nettles shall inherit them."

that the pretenders to inspiration, by whose false predictions of uninterrupted prosjxrity the people had been deluded,
is,

For the combmation 'i'!):"p or 'i'^ip and The whole nin,. comp. Is. xxxiv. 13. verse is miserably translated by the LXX.
7. Ti'^'r'z, visitation,
Is. X. 3 ;' 1

should be convicted of folly, and reduced to a state of absolute frenzy by the ijifliction of the divine judgments upon the
nation.

2nmishment. Comp.
tiy-r^ shall
is

Ilosca uitroduces this declaration

Pet.

ii.

12.

know

experirtientally.

By the t"23

obviously

to be understood in this place, the false

jyrojihct or

respecting the Israelitish prophets parenthetically, thereby giving force to his own i)rediction of impending calamity.
ITie affix

prophets by

whom

the people

':j:iy

refers to Vs->b"', to

of the ten tribes were seduced from the right Avorship of Jehovah, who taught

whom

them

to worship the golden calvc"s,

and

way of dnect address, yv^ means here, not the crime, but its punishment. Comp. for
the prophet turns ^n the

otherwise encouraged
atrous practices.

them in their idolThus Pococke's Arab.

''^

this signification of the term. Is. v. 18,

and

my

note there.

In r.^l) subaud,

MS.
to

8jO

r L^ __M

that prcte7ids

The adjective ran, is here "3, because. placed before its substantive for the sake
See on Is. hii. 11. From of emphasis. the use of ^'cv in the sense of hating, evincing hostility, etc., there can be little

prophesy

;"di\<\

lyinff prophets.

til~r;'S, the

Kimchi, ^p ""^"25, With this, the phrase man of the spirit, is sjti])retcndiiig to inspiration,

onymous

one

doubt that the derivative

occurs only in
this

r;Ki:t;tt,

w^hich

or professing to deliver oracles imdcr the

and the following

influence of a di\ane efflatus.

.

LXX.
o

y
<-^

if^punros 6
o
).

Try fVfxaTO<t>6pos.

Syr.

V
^

^'
the

1^09

OlS

*
I

*^^

man

that

is

verse, has the signification of hostility, provoking cniiduct, provocation. That of snai-e or trap, which Gcsenius assigns to it, is not borne out, even by the SjTiac
\r\..^ysa

clothed, or

endued with the

adding by
roneously,]

way

only of explanation, but erspirit,

which

signifies

vinxit,

compe-

divit,

but not to ensnare.

1

Comp. the

^q

A A

^>

of f)lhj.

C(omp.

Arab. ^

t-^

, .

acics gladii ; acutiores et

"

CaAP. IX.

HO SEA.

53

Ephraim expecteth help from my God The prophet is a fowler's snare in all his ways The cause of provocation in the house of his god. They have deeply corrupted themselves,

As

in the
will
Avill

days of Gibeah
their iniquity,
sins.

He He
10

remember

punish their
first

I found Israel, like grapes in the desert

Like the
fervidiores
4yK6<Tri(ris
;

early fruit of the fig tree, at

its

commencement,

Aq. which convey the idea of great excitement, and

hominum.

LXX.
;

\i.a.v'i.a. ;

AAA

iKtrraais

all

of

yield support to the interpretation I have given.

The

idolatrous practices of the

meant, by which they provoked the righteous indignation of Jehovah. 8. ClinEs oS'ii:, are not in construction, and to be rendered as in most versions, " the watchman of Ephraim," to justify
Israelites are

which

construction

various

modes of
;

exegesis have been resorted to among others that of Ilorsley, who would have

the watchman to be Elijah. Nor can the rendering of EAvald be sustained, who gives the passage, Ein Spdher ist Ephraim gegen mein Gott. " Ephraim is a spy against my God." When c:> signifies agabist, it follows verbs of more active import. E. schaut nach Weissagungen axis nehen meinem Gott; "Ephraim looks for prophecies besides my God," the rendering of Hitzig, is equally objectionable. I quite agree with Gesenius and Lee, in assigning to r;ts in tliis place the signification of looking

legitimate forms, and their adoption of the idolatroxis practices of the heathen around them. In this they were encoiu'aged by the false prophets, who caught them by their ensnaring doctrmes, as is declared immediately after. r;^i:/3 is here used in tiie same acceptation "as in the preceding verse, only there is a metonjTny of the effect for the cause. By I'^nVs ^"2, "the house of his god," is not riieant the temple or people of the true God, but the temple or temples in which the false worship was performed, which the prophets here reprobated were specially active in promoting. 9. iintTf" ip'Kyr, an instance of the

constructio asynde'ta.

The fonner

of the

two verbs For its use

V. 2.

is

to be rendered adverbially.

before infinitives, see

on chap.

Mercer,
iirn'i

"

Quam

corruptissimi

sunt."

may

either be taken in-

transitively, or Qn'^sn'i, Dv.'t^.'.V'V >;, or

out, expecting, as in Ps. v. 4

Lam.

iv.

17, in Piel. for

d5>,

unth, is used elliptically

i.

from, similar ellipsis imdeniably occurs Job xxvii. 13. Vs cy 5>-i-i b";s~pV.n. "t- t^^^ ^^ the portio7i of the icicked man from (fiy, with,) God, as appears, not only from the
icith,
e.

tyM, from

the like, must be supplied. So great was the depravity evuiccd by those whose conduct the prophet here describes, that it could only be paralleled by the atrocity of the inhabitants of Gibeah, specified Judges xix. 22-30. Israel, here means the 10. Vs'^'D" It has ancestors of the Hebrew nation. been asked, " How could God be said to find the Hebrews in the wilderness, since
,

synonymous phrase

^I'i'a,

"from

the

he conducted them into it from Egj-pt ? To remove the di9icultj% some very imwarrantably explain the wilderness of
itself; but others connect Q"2:>;2 ~i2-)33, like grapes in the desert, and explaiii S2tt of finding by exjierience,

Almighty," in the corresponding hemistich, but from the actual use of ya,from, in the parallel passage, chap. xx. 29. What the prophet asserts is, that the Ephraimites indulged in expectations of good from Jehovah, notwithstanding their dereliction of his worship in its pure and

Egj'pt

trial, etc.

Such they were, proved them-

my judgment. And this seems to be the proper division and interAt the same pretation of the words
selves to be, in

64
I regarded jour futlicrs

no SEA.
But they came
to Baal-peor,

Chap. IX.

And
11

separated themselves to the object of shame; Tliey became abominable, like the object of their love.
for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away, like a bird; There shall be no birth, no womb, no conception. 12 Yea, though they should rear their children, I would take them away from among men But woe to them when I depart from them.
!

As

time i^'Tia
to the

y^ss

ns>3 occurs in reference

on account of the

suffix.

Vulg.
as

facti

sunt

Dcut. xxxii. 10, where the verb must be taken in the

same

sufjjcct,

abominabiles sicut ea, quae

dilexeiamt.

The Hebrews became

sense of reach imj

witli

suthcicnt
^'^nit
;

aid.

Comp. the Eth. |JL/^/\ \

(_,^ljO

Arab.
;

perdaxit, tractavit, nbgotiuni

xiii.

and

abominable as they celebrated. Vr'^ **"" V T "="y~> ''" *^'c^ servetk an abomination, is himself an abomination. Kimchi's MS. note in Pothe impure idol whose
rites

chap.

Jer, xxxi.

2.

The

point

cocke.
11,

of comparison in the verse is the dehght >vith which a traveller enjoys grapes fomid

12.

C''nE^^,

Ejjhraim,

is

of the

which they were unexand where they scr\'ed most opor the portunely to quench hLs thirst early fig, which is accounted a great delicacy in the East. When Jehovah entered
in a desert, in

pected,

into covenant with the people of Israel

they were regarded by him with being free from idolatry, and engaging to adhere to his sei-vice. (i)mp. The scene, Jer. xxxi. 3. chap. xi. 1 however, was soon changed. T^zr,, illi, At Baal-peor, they these very persons. proved faithless, and indulged in the very
at Sinai,
deliglit,
;

nominative absoliite, which gives prominence to the name, and its signification. As for Ephraim, (S'lSs, from r"<?, to be fruitful Gen. xli. 52,) such may be hLs name, but, etc. lis?, fflortj, is in contrast with rra, shame, in the preceding verse. The lewd and idolatrous eonduct of the Israelites should meet with a fit retribution. Listead of having an

might grow up and become the </lori/ of tlie land, those who might now be accounted such should speedily be removed into iVssyria, and there would be nothing but sterility to
increitse of children, that

atrocities of

which

their posterity

were

characterize the nation.

tt,

For guilty in the days of the prophet. the transactions refeiTcd to, see Numb.
XXV. 1-5.
Priapism, which Ilosea jiLstly characterizes as in the highest degree

The preposition prefixed to the three last substantives,

it::;,

is

privative in signification,

womb,

stands here for pre(/nanri/, or for tlieyfl'/ws in the womb. The order of the words
presents an instance of the gradatio inversa.
Ens');, amonr/

abominable, was the worship pccuharly See Calacceptable to the god of Peor.

mct and Winer

its signifies io scparafe one's self from any person or thing, and also, followed by V, to separate

in

voc.

Ctra, "thy mother

amonij women,"
1

men, as Vs'iP '^l^iN shall be childlt^

.33.

Sam. xv.

Ewald
I look

and

ilitzig translate "-iirs, u-hen

some religious object. Hence the substantive tT3, a Nazarite,

Or devote one's self Ut

away from them, contending that wo

shoidd read 'c instead of '^ but no ^IS. is thus pointed, and the present punctuation is so far supported ])y the LXX.
;

r^-3 is the abstract ^T3 consecration. for the concrete, and denotes the obscene
or shameful idol which the Moabites worshipped. C" -"-", lit. aljominatinns, hut used here adjeetively, loathsome, abominable, r^rs is proju'rly the substantive, i~ 84 the iMunts being changed

'I'arg.

i. e ""^ra), Aq. Yulg. and Three MSS.'and one edit, have -ir;32, to which "-Vs;a is doubtless here equivalent. ^lany instances occur of
(?';

(TopI ixov,

the substitution of

for c,

and

vice versa-

Chap. IX.

HO

E A.

13 I see Epliraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place

14

shall bring out his children to the murderer. Give them, O Jehovah! what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.

But Ephraim

15 All their wickedness

is

in Gilgal;

Surely I have hated them there

On

account of the wickedness of their deeds,

I have driven
I will love

them out of them no more

my

house

All their princes are rebels.

16

Ephraim is smitten, their root They shall produce no fruit

:

is

dried up;

The meaning
protection from

is,

when I -vvitlidraw
;

my

them no longer showmg them any favor, hut delivering them over to their enemies. For the abortive attempt of Lyra to prove a corruption of the passage by the Jews, and to palm upon the rendering of the LXX. ^ adp^
i^ aiiTwv, the doctrine of the mearnation of the Messiah, see Pococke. 13. After f^itJ^J supply ^rrxn, from
fj.ov

were to be slain in great numbers with the sword. The V before the uiiinitants
itive in K^'SinV, is future in signification,

indicating

what "was about to be,

or

would

be done.

the following

-i'::'5 'r;":^'!

^:f"SS.

Though

governs the accusative, yet, in Ps. Ixiv. 6, it is followed as here by the dative, without any difference of

nsn commonly

LXX. th ^rjpay, reading, mstead of nSa. Aq. Symm. aKp6Theod. trerpav Amoldi, and TOjxov after him Hitzig, would derive ^'.-j. from
signification.
"1'::,
;

These words strongly mark the produced upon the mind of the prophet by the contemplation of theA\ickedness of his people. In holy ardor of soul, he feels himself excited to imprecate what he had predicted ver. 11. Some, less appropriately, render ntt not as an interrogative, but as signifj'ing that which, i. e. give them whatever thou wilt. Barrenness was accounted a great misfortime among the Jews.
1-i.

effect

15. For Gilgal, see on chap. iv. 15. Eeing one of the chief places of idolatrous

the Arab.

^.o

as signifying the

Palm

but

only signifies the root of that tree, or describes it as small in size, an acceptation which would ill suit the present
it

worship, the \\'ickcdncss of the nation might be said to be concentrated in it.

AVhen God is represented as hating the wicked, it must be understood in regard

to the odiousness of their

connection.
or likeness.

Ewald renders, Bild, image The point of comparison is

situation

moral character,

the

beautiful

of Tyre.

See

and his mfliction of positive pmiishment upon them on accoimt of it. Hitzig
considers SJib to be here used inchoatively.

Ezek. xxvii.
gested by the

3, xxviii.

12, 13.

The no-

tion of planting seems to have been sug-

See on the preceding verse. The territory occupied by that tribe, and several of the other nine, was distinguished for its beauty and fertiUty and the prosperity of its iixhabitants, who traded extensively with the Phoenician ports, was only surpassed by TjTC herself. Yet the fruit of this lovely region was only to be produced in order to its being destroyed. The inhab;

name

of Ephraim.

For the sense in which r^2, to be taken, see on chap. viii. 1Hatred and love are contrasted as here, MaL i. 2, 3. In f^n-iiO D-""^'^ is a
house,
is

paronomasia.
16. Tlie figurative language here employed is suggested by the meaning of the name Ephraim, as in verses, 11, 13. Tiri": is in the future, while rrn and 'ca*' are in the preterite, to mark the

state of imfruitfulness as following

upon

;;

56

HO SEA,

Chap. X.

Tea, though they should beget children, I will kill the beloved of their MOinb. 17 My God will abhor them, Because they have not listened to him They shall be wanderers among the nations.
the injury done to the tree. The resolution of the ligure in the latter half of the verse possesses much force. Most of the
17.

Though
is

'riVs

the pronominal affix in omitted by the LXX. and Arab,

MSS. and some few

editions read,
,

with

the Keri, V2 instead of '52 which occurs, however, before a verb, Job xli. 18. For
C"'"'2r?'3>

and 'one of Kcnnicott's MSS., it is, in such connection, more in the style of Hosca than n'TiVs. The dispersion of
the ten tribes
is

here expressly predicted.

comp. on "tshk,

ver. 6.

CHAPTER
;

X.

In this chapter the prophet continues to charge the Israelites with idolatry, anarchy, and want of litlelity, 1--4. He expatiates with great variety on the judgments that were to come upon them in punishment for these crimes, 5-11 and then abruptly turns to them in a (lii-cct hortatory address, couched in metaphorical language, borrowed from the mode of representation which he had just employed, 12. The section concludes with an appeal to the exi)erience which they had already had of the disastrous consequences of their wicked
conduct.

Israel

He

is a luxuriant vine putteth forth his fruit

According to the increase of

his fruit,

He

increased altars
his land.

According to the excellence of They prepared goodly statues.

1.

The wickedness which manifested

miiUum pluviam
})lanta, is here

demisit,

florere

c<epit

here traced to the abuse of the prosperity ^^luch God had conferred on the IsraeUtes. Instead of spending the iMmnties of providence for the glory of God, thoy ajipiopriated them
to idolatrous uses, and tliat in proportion to the abundance of their bestowment.
T'T-'^'

itself in idolatrj-, etc. is

used to express the luxuriance of the vine, and not, as in our

common

version

and some

others, its

fruitfulncss.

llic idea of emptyuig,

unwhich

pourinrj out

the verb also has, derived from that of entirfly or abundantlij the
contents of a vessel, does not suit the present eoimcction. LXX. tvK\riixaTovcra,

{^^,

rnultxiafudityfoccundtisftnt.

; ;

Chap. X.

HO SEA.
is

57
be punished

Their heart

divided, they shall

now

He

will cut off their altars,

he

will destroy their statues.

they say "We have no king Jehovah As for the king then, what can he do for us ? They utter empty speeches Swearing falsely, making covenants Therefore judgment blossoms like the poppy
Surely
shall
:

now

For we

fear not

On

the ridses of the

field.

or, as in

&vvSpos.
doso.

other copies, tyKXtJixaroxiffa. Aq. SjTnra. v\onavov(ra. Vulg.//-OMComp. Gen. xlix. 22 Ps. Ixxx.
;

place thus struck

It
is

9-11; Ezek.

xvii.

6.

Li every other

drop generally. used metonymically, in apphcation to the destruction of the altars on which the animals were
;

and

to

here,

with

much force,

instance "TSS is construed as a feminine; but here the masculine name Vj^iVI' Israel, required it to be taken as of that

offered.

Ewald

renders,
;

Er wird

ihre

altar e enthatrpten

then- altars."
^i|-;2T)3

" he will decapitate For the distinction between

,

gender,

ni^,

to resemble, be

equal

to,

sufficient; in Piel, like the Eth.

to briiig to

flOP^

npy

and nia::^ see on chap. iii. 4. now, in this and the following verse,

maturity, prodtcce fruit, '^h , in the phrase i? nrj^ , is pleonastic, as in 'iV~':iVri, etc., but may here be rendered
as a possessive pronoun.
2.

pVn

is

here to be taken intransi-

tively,
refers,

as in our

common

version,

and

not to any difference of opinion among the Israehtes respecting the claims of their numerous idols, but to their insincerity in the service of Jehovah, professing to worship him, while they like^vise addicted themselves to the

worship of

idols.

Thus Tanchum

has the signification of soon, speedily. 3. The language of desperation is here put into the mouth of the apostate Israelites, at tte time of the infliction of divine Their king, to whom they judgment. had naturally looked for protection, was removed they had forfeited the favor of ''God, who was now become their enemy and, therefore, it was vain to expect help from an earthly monarch. Some think the prophet refers to the time of anarchy during the interregnum, between the murder of Pekah and the accession of Hoshea.
;

4.

~i2'^

"i2'i,

lit.

speech, their

i. e.

what

is

to speak a word, or merely such; empty,

mind

false pretences.

and

their

understandi7ig, and their opin-

dare.

Comp. the Lat. verba The prophet begins with the finite

ion are divided, while they associate others with God." The acceptation to be smooth, which some propose, is to be rejected,

form of the verb,. and then, for the sake of more specific description, changes it
for

the infinitive.
as

Comp.
,

Is.

lix.

13.

on the groimd
it

that,

though the

For r-Vs,
r:X"i
is
,

used in this signification of the nowhere is of the heart. For the meaning of CiJs , see on chap. v. 15. The nominative to Sin, He, is C^HVs,
verb
is

an absolute stead of nis, comp. n^n'i

chap.
xlii.

infinitive, inIs. xxii.

,

20.

rri-i^

13 covenant,
is

tongue,

here used as a collective lioun, and

Whether to be rendered in the plural. the false swearing and the entering into
covenants refer to the conduct of the in regard to each other, or whether they respect their conduct in reference to foreign powers, has been disThe latter would seem to be the puted. more probable, since it is the making of
Israelites

God, in "riVs, chap.

ix. 17.

Jehovah

is

here said to do, what he would effect by means of the Assyrians, tj-iy is properly a sacrificial term, signifying to cut off the head of a victim, by striking it on the neck ; hence, to drop as blood from the

58

HO SEA.
calves of Betli-aven,

Chap. X.

For the

The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in fear The people thereof shall mourn on account of it; The priests thereof shall leap about on account of

it

On

account of its glory, Because it hath departed from

It shall itself also

it.

be carried to Assyria, present to the hostile king

shall take disgrace,

Ephraim

And

Israel shall blush for his

own

counsel.
rest..

covenants and not the breaking of them, of which the prophet speaks as something crimmal. He seems to have in his eye the historical circumstances narrated 2 Kings x^-ii. i. By t;2c is meant the
divine judgment which was upon the people of Israel.
n-ii'-^TEi v-i";C"'' "i:2rK.

from the
xxi. 29.

^^?,
is

its

people, those

devoted to

its Avorship.

C'nws

Comp. Nimib. only used in Hebrew

and occurs 2 Kings xxiii. 5 5
Sj-riae

to designate idolatrous 2>riests,

but twice besides,

viz.

to be inflicted

Zeph.

i.

So

but in the

Jarchi,

ji^Qj

pares to the rapid

of the ix)ppy,

This he comand luxuriant growth which overruns the fields,

Celsius,

kumro,
idols.

signifies

as well as

a God. one engaged in the ser\-ice of Gesenius derives the noun from
priest of the true

in his Hicrobot. supports the tommon rendering hemhck, as the signification of

;

"^izjz , to burn, be scorched, black, supposing the reference to be to the black chess of monks or ecclesiastics but this seems but that of poppy, proposed by too modem to be entitled to adoption. rti-i Gesenius, is preferable, both to such con- The derivation of Iken, in his Dissert, de struction of the term, and to that of Cemarim, who refers the word to the colocynth advanced by ffidmann, or that of Persic ^.^S sacrum magorum ignicolarum

and

is

destructive as a poison.

loUum
our

or darnel suggested
is

by Michaelis.
gall.

The term

usually rendered poison in

version
;

common

sometimes

made in
more
,

cingulum, of which frequent mention is the Sadder of Zoroaster, is much

natural. Comp. the Chald. tiiKp n '.p a belt or girdle. Some think "the Lat. camillus, an inferior order of priests, who attended upon and assisted the flamens, is derived from this root. Ewald renders the word by faffen, which is

LXX.

&ypwaTis.

f'r"'^'^

rather signify

the ridges lx;twecn the furrows than the furrows themselves. See Pococke. 5, 6. In these verses the object of idolatrous worship is spoken of, now in the

and now in the singxilar number, which Ilitzig accounts for on the ground, that though the Israelites might have multiplied golden calves, that set up by Jeroboam would still be held in pecuhar honor. Four MSS. have nVsy, calf, in the singular, which is ako the rendering of the IjXX. Sjt. and an anonymous Greek version in the Hexapla. Tliis reading is very uncriticaUy adopted by Kuinocl, Dathe, Newcome, and some other modems. For "jis r"a liet/iaven, see on chap. iv. 15. yz'S is a collective. The nominative to the pronominal affixes in vVs, ':^SS, vnrr etc. is
plural,
, ,

used of priests by way of contempt, in German. Those who render l^":^'' they rejoiced, which is the usual signification of the verb, supply ->rx before it but the Vau conversive connects it so closely with Vas as to render such supplement inconsistent with the construction. It is,
,
;

therefore, better to revert to the

signification of V"J
,

to

primary move about, leap,

dance, or the like.

Comp. the Arab.

Such would be the

^JL&. circumivit.

the V:?

calf of Jeroboam, singled out

excitement of the idolatrous priests at the capture of their God, that they would leap about in a state of desperation, lil<e those of Baal, 1 lungs xviii. 26. The

Chap. X.
V

HO SEA.
is

69

As

for Samaria, her king

is like

cut off;

He
8

a chip upon the surface of the water.

places of Aven, the sin of Israel, are destroyed
thistles shall

The high

Thorns and

grow upon
us.

their altars

They

shall say to the

hills,

mountains, Cover us;

And
9

to the

Fall

upon

Since the days of Gilead, thou hast sinned,

Israel

There they remain

Shall not the

war against the unjust overtake them

would be

in Gilead ?

glory of the idol consisted in its ornaments, wealth, etc. 'inis<CJ is emphatic: itself
i. e. the idol or golden calf. For the meaning of m"' Jar eh, see on chap. V. 13. The worshippers of the golden

preferable to hfe.

Comp. Rev.

\\. 15, 16.

also,

9. That reference is here made to the transactions recorded Jud. xix. xx., there

calf

would be ashamed of him, when

they foimd that, instead of protecting them, he was himself carried into captivity. That ra'ia is not to be changed into r;2'i"2 and rendered in a sound sleep, as Horsley does, nor into n3'i2 in this year, with Michaelis, the parallelism sufficiently shows,
, ,

can be no doubt. The prophet declares that as a nation his people had all along, from the period referred to, evinced a

same rebellious and unjust manner as the Gibconites had done. Comp. chap. ix. 9. The words
disposition to act in the
!iitt:J

D'i', there they

remain, continue,

persist, graphically express

the character of the inhabitants in his day. The Gibstill, what they have ever been, a wicked and abandoned people. They are here singled out as a fit specimen of the

7. For the sake of emphasis, "^inttio is put absolutely. The whole phrase is equivalent to the king of Samaria, etc. That riB-: agrees with nsVa, and not with-iS^^-i;, the gender shows. !q^p has nowhere the signification of foam or scum. It is derived from v]tip, Arab.
I

eonites are

whole nation; and

are called ^23, sons of wickedness, to mark the enoiinity of their conduct. Instead of m^?, the Brixian edition, thirty-nine MSS.' origi-

mVy

o v< V

fies

fregit, to cut, cut off, and signiany chip or small fragment of wood.
,

nally seventeen, and perhaps a few more, have n^ y the common ibrm, which is
"1

Comp. nSsp
Arab.

a fragment,

Joel

i.

7.

(_jLv.oJ>

fractus aborts ramus,

X e .^^ V
\avof.

tejiuitas arboris.

LXX.

(ppv-

supposed to have been changed by a simple transposition of the letters. Albert Schultens, however, in his notes ad Ilarir. i. p. 15, justifies the present reading by
deriving
it

from the Arab.

;

Syr.

ji

festucam.

The comexcessit, extulit se

\J^ modum
to the Syriae,

and

^Michaelis, in his

parison of the king to a small chip of wood, which cannot resist the force of the

Suplem. by referring
.

it

very beautiful and forcible. is the rendering of the Targ. Jerome, Symm. AbulwaHd, Tancurrent,
is

.Vv

and the Eth. ^[7/^0

fidem
t

Spuma, which

fefelllt, perfidus fit it.

Comp.

^"^ JJJ

chum, and many modems,

even
8, if it

is

less

apt,

O A(J>i

Bex

tyrannus,

scelestus.

could be philologically sus-

tained.
T":^
'

v7/C\(D'^
^^^w,
is

transgressio

cequi et boni,

an abbreviation of the
,

scelus, perversitas.

That the Targumist

,

full form,

TIN n^2 Beth-aven, or Bethel.

the occasion of sin to Israel. See ver.*10. In the midst of the calamities
,

rsafi

read the text as it now stands is clear from his rendering tlie word ^p-Vo they went up. The words ri'nr.s ci^oP k^

that should

come upon the

people, death

mVv

'33 Va*

TMatiblz

are

somewhat

CO
10 'My desire

A.

CUAP. X.

The

is to punish them; nations shall he collected against them,

"VVlien tliey are

bound

for their

two

iniquities.

llE[)hraim

is a well-trained heifer, loving to thresh;

But

I will pass

on heside her

foir
:

neck

I will place a rider on

Ephraim

Judah
I

shall plough,

And

Jacob

shall

break the clods.

is

the meaning is obvious. Destruction should assureilly overtake the wicked Israelites, t, the verbal suffix in
involved, but

for

that founded on the Kcri, Br;':? "7}.?^, their two iniquities, i. c. the t'vvo golden

Ci'l'P,
tive.

is

anticipative of
,

n"Vy

"'33.

nV

stands for sVrt

10.

the interrogatory 'nega-

^nns2 the
,

LXX. have read -rs2

;

rendering

it

TjA^e

Alexandrian MS. Of this Aldus and Breitinger, ^A.^si/. Iloubigant, Dimock, Ncwcomc, Tingstadius, and Boothroyd, approve, and adopt but contrarj' to all it as an emendation other authority, ancient or modem, and without necessity. 2 prefixed is the Beth
;

according to the and the editions of

or,

had erected, and which proved the source of all the e\Tls which they had afterwards committed. They had many other idols, but these were the principal and they aie called iniquities by a metonymy of the cause Comp. ver. 8, -where for the effect.
calves -which Jeroboam
;

This i-si:n , sin, is similarly applied. reading is in the text of a great many ^ISS. and is expressed in all the ancient
versions.
11.

The

general

meaning of

this verse

Essoitiff; indicating the substantive char-

acter of the affection.

Is.

See

my

note on

seems to be, that the Ephraimitcs had been accustomed in the plenitude of their power to crush and oppress others, especially their brethren of the

xxvi. 4.

T.'^tn

ytohestronghj propcjne,

two

tribes;

desire greatly,

expresses

the in-esistible

inclination of infinite purity to punish

sin.

CiSS

to chastise,

is the future in Kal of -C' punish, compensation having

been made for the

serting

first

radical

"^

by

in-

Dagesh

in the C.
,

D";5'<,

the

"CN to bind, bind as a prisoner or captive, which is the sense in which the ivord is here to be taken. Or;*? has occasioned great variety of
infinitive of

but they were now themselves to be brought into subjection to the king of Assyria, by whom they should be placed in circumstances of great hardship in Tlie metaphors are foreign countries. For Cl^, to tread or beat agricultural. out the corn, partly by the feet of oxen, and partly by sledges with instruments adapted to the purpose, see on
27, 28.
fts

Is. xx^iii.

The

-^

in

^rsnk,

is

paragogie,

interpretation.

^lichaelis

translates

it

plough-shares, attempting to, derive it from the Arabic. Jarchi, Lively, and, among the modems, Ewald, render cgcs, "before their two eyes," i. e. openly but
;

"n:r'i', chap.

pri"'' and ^p::pi:, Jer. xxii. 23; li. 13, though in these pasit

the word

is

applied to real

always written C"2"" vhcn eyes, and only r*:">;

to fountains or artificial

when
eyes.

applied

; but most, furrows, whiih is the rendering adopted by Abcnezra, Kimchi, Abidwalid,

Some

translate habitations

has been left unpointed by the See Ewald, IOC). The form Vv ~2 is otherwise the participle r;i~s. signifies here to pass on beside one, as the driver does beside an ox in the yoke. Thus Jehovah A\ould, in his providence, lead forth the Israelites, from the midst of their prosperity, to the toils and hardsages

Masoretes.

^^

ships of captivity.

C'~tt5

2"r~S

lit.

Tanchum,
etc., after

Minister, Vatablus, Zancbius,

the

Targum

some exix)und-

Ephraim, meaning I a conqueror, will place a rider upon him

/
will cause to ride

ing the another.

passage

one way, and sonic The only satisfactory exegesis

who
Thus

shall lead

him

forth from bis ftmd.

Calvin, Ziuichius, Lyra Taniovius,

:;

Chap. X.

HO SEA.
to yourselves for righteousness

61

li

Sow

Reap according

to piety

; :

Break up for yourselves the follow ground For it is time to seek Jehovah, Till he come, and teach you righteousness.
13

have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; have eaten the fruit of falsehood Because thou trustedst in thy way In the multitude of thy mighty ones.

Ye Ye

Rosenmiiller, and Ewald.

The judgments
:

of

God were

not, however, to be confined

other interpreters. In support of the rendering, He icill teach you righteotisness,

O

kingdom the southern In should also be mvolved in them. short, they should overtalie the whole posto the northern
terity of Jacob.
filled

may

be

adduced the

Sjt.

]^]

^^
he
;

The

prediction
captivities.

was
iV

ful,

iCU:^
come
a?id

AiXi-> r\

till

during the two

,

in

show

to

you his righteousness

<v.^
till

V?

T^.'i"?

is

pleonastic.

Continuing his agiicultural metaphors, the prophet here abinaptly calls upon the nation to reform its manners. h in rpT^"? t~"5 is the Dat. commodi. points out the end or object to be obtauied by sowing. Sow what will produce the The second imfruits of righteousness.
12.

Pococke's Arab.

MS.

\\

Ujotif

[v5LX-<i>-3

he come and

perative

is

here equivalent to the future

;

" Sow, and ye shall reap " or the subjunctive, " Sow, so that ye may reap." That nan, pieti/ or goodness, is to be referred, not to God, but to man, its being parallel with r:p^"i^ righteousness, manifestly proves. To change T"-\ into ryn, and join this word with i": preceding, as Newcome, following the LXX. and Arab., does, is unauthorized and inept. The Israelites had long neglected Jehovah: it was now high time to return to his fear and though they might not meet with immediate tokens of his favor, they were to persevere ur seeking him, in the assurance that he would be gracious to them. Such is the force of -ly imtil. This favor was to be manifested by his coming and
,

guide you to righteousness. The Targ. to the same effect, ''JT'^i "ysji 'V."<^'' ":2V 1T2T, now he shall'be revealed, and shall bring righteotcsness to you; Vulg. Thus venerit qui docebit vos jttstitiam. also Dathe, Hitzig, Winer, and others. Kimchi remarks, h TK llomn Cs 5s' '1

t^rs
pi::
,

TT-irTN^"'
the7-e

sin insK-i

if^^i' fs-j'n

are those (of the Rabbins)

who

exjMund, If ye seek the Lord, to know his law and his commandments, he will come

and teach you

words.
to be

righteousness.

And Aben-

ezra asserts the same, in nearly the

same Such construction of the passage

seems, fi'om the preceding use of rp"r:i, more apt, than to take pi:^ abso-

lutely for npT::^, in due pt-oporti^on, adequately, fiilly, according to the claims or
necessities

of your condition.

See on

Joel

ii.

23.

13. Instead of following such a course

as that to

communicating

to

them

instruction re-

horted, the IsraeHtes

specting the only righteousness

which

could avail the guilty at his bar. That the words crV )^ nni^: are not to be rendered he will grant yoii suitable rain, but, he will teach you righteousness, and that they contain a prophecy of the advent and prophetical office of the Messiah, has been maintained by Jerome, and many
-;_.:_

which they had just been exhad pursued one directly opposite, and now reaped the The same metdisastrous consequences.

"5, aphors are here continued. 'Jns fruit of falsehood, seems rather to mean the effects of their false and hypocritical conduct in professing attachmont to the true God, while they addicted themselves
to the Avorship of other deities, than/a^-

G2

H
And

CUAP. X.

14 Therefore a tumult shall arise

all

among thy people, be destroyed, As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle "When the mother was dashed in pieces with her children.

thy fortresses

sliall

lacious

and disappointing
,

results.

See-

ker would read tJ2ri3

instead of ':\z-\-:i\ in'

Vk=-n Vs=-s
Shalman,
sj-ria,
it is

in thij chariots,
tcai/,

(5-JI

L^.

"As
and
is

for

t/iy

on the
is

a proper name,

said

LXX.
found

iu

dfificuTi

(70V,

Avhieh reading

to stand for Shalmanassar, king of

As-

in Coinpl. Aid. Barb.

Reg. Laud.
Ilexap.

CjTill. Ital.

Ambros.
it

.(Vrab. Slav.
;

SjT. and a Copt.

MS.

and Kuinoel has

actually adopted
It
is,

into his

Hebrew text.

however, unsupixirted by any Heb. MSS., or any of the aneient versions, and
is

justly to

be rejected.

originally two, th^ Sjt.

Foia- MSS., and Targ. read

only it is abbreviated ; aiul perhaps Shahnanssar is compounded of two names, one of which is omitted because it was well known and Ariel is the name of a city, and is said to be that which is called Arbel at the present day." The abbreviation of projier names is not uncommon in Scripture, as ^in'rs , Coniah, for
:

in thy ways. 'Die way of the was the wicked course of conduct which they liad adopted in opposition to the will of God. Kimclii ytjnr; nsiKHrn ny-.r; Tit, (he tcay of wickedness and bad rcUijion. The Vat.
,

^~~;~::

T'S'in^, Jehoiachin,

etc.

It Avas this

Israelites

monarch that besieged Samaiia for the space of three years, and took it in the
nhith of Iloshca, n. c. 722, carrying the king and most of his subjects into exile.
2

copy of the

LXX.

Kings

xvii.

1-6.

To

this interpreta-

has iv

afjiapT7]i.iaal
ii.

aov.

Comp.

Is. Ivii.

10; Jer.

23.

H. The prophet now denounces

severe threatening against his rebellious

countrjnnen, foreshowing that they should

be involved in
DSJ;
;
,

all

the horrors of war.

wth n

epenthetic, after the

manbe

been objected that our pro])het wrote belbre the time of Shalmaneser, and therefore could not sp'?ak of his destroying Arbel as something that had already happened. It must, however, be recollected, that though Ilosea prophesied before the time of that king, he contintion
it h;ts

ner of the Arab.

^Ijj

or

it

may

ued

to deliver his predictions as

iiix

down

regarded as merely a inater Icctionis. Soiue lew MSS. and some others in the margin, read cpi . Twenty-four MSS., one originally, lour of the eaily editions, and all the ancient versions, read "rjttva, thy pcopk, iiLstead of ^'izvjz thy peo,

as the time of his successor Sennacherib,

and must, therefore, have been well acquainted with the previous Assj-rian
invasions.
or, as
bel,

With

respect to Vssnjt
read, Vi-is
,

r^s

some MSS.

Beth- Ar-

ples.

For minor

varieties in the readings,

llossi.

Bce Kennicott

and'De
is

The nom-

in opinion. the Assj-rian city Arbela, situated betAveen the Lycus and the Tigris,

commentators are di\-idcd

Some think that

inative to Tji-*

Vz, taken as a collective, comprehending the whole. That '\yzh'i', Shalman, and Vsa-iS r"3 BcthArbel, are proper names, is now univcr,

celebrated for the victory obtained tliere

by Alexander the Great ovct Darius, is nicant but it is far more probable that
;

."sally

admitted.
is

The

best interpretation
:

of them
tt''''3

that given

Lot*
v>i>>0

by Tanchum iiBs v_jCLo -i::n:V3

XJf

,J-X)

JwO^

the prophet refers to the 'Ap^-fiXa of 1 Mace. L\. 2, which Josephus places near Sephoris in Galilee; Eusebius, in the plain of Esdraelon. Of the battle here mentioned, no accoimt indeed is given
cither in sacred or profane histoiy ; but as tlie contemporaries of Ilosea are supjxised to

|W0|

y^
^\

have been acquainted with

it

it,

there

is

JUb ^'1 L^l

Jyij^ tXL

on tlie by the AssjTian army.

took place invasion of the kingdom of Israel

rciison to believe that

The

ancient

, ,

Chap. XI.

HO SEA.

63

15 Tlnis shall he act towards you at Bethel,

On account of your flagrant wickedness In the morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut
versions of this clause of the verse are
lative degree.

off.

There

is

no necessity with
In-

more or

less at fault

but have afforded

Newcome,

to resort to emendation.

abundant scope

for the exercise of

emen-

datorial criticism.

See Newcome,

who

stead of nn'ia , "in the morning," fifteen MSS., and perhaps one more, six
originally, the Proph. of Soncin.

renders, Like the destruction of Zalmunna by the hand of Jeruhbaal ; and supposes

the reference to be to Jud. viii. Vy here signifies with, in the sense of being superadded. See Gen. xxviii. 9. xxxi. 50. 15. The nominative to nvv is Shalman in the preceding vei-se, or perhaps r;Tn"> Jehovah, understood, but not Vsfrr^i,
Bethel, as in our

1486, the Venet. edit..of 1818, in the margin, and the Vulg. read in "is, "like the morning." Were the following verb nttT to be taken in the sense of resembling, being like, etc., the latter reading

might
tion
;

common

version, since
fol-

this does not so well agree

with what

lows.

contain a special prediction against Bethel, where the wick-

The words

edness of the Israelites had been most conspicuously exhibited. D2 r y n r y-\ lit. the wickedness of your wickedness, i. e. your excessive, or most flagrant wickrare example of a noun put edness.

in construction with itself repeated in the singular, in .order to form the super-

possess some claim on our attenbut as the idea of being destroyed best comports with the comiection, that of the Textus Receptus is preferable. The difference of reading has arisen from, the similarity of the letters 3 and 5. The reference is to the suddenness with which Hoshea was to be seized by the king of Assyria, and an entire end put See 2 Kings xvii. to the regal dignity. The doing of anything early or soon 4. is frequently expressed by its being done in the morning.

CHAPTER XL
To aggravate
threatens
his representations

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 them with unavoidable punishment on account of their obstinacy, 5, 6; but, all of a sudden, introduces 'Jehovah, compassionating his rebellious children, and promising them a restoration from their captivity in foreign lands, 711.

When Israel was a child,

And
1.

I loved him,

called

my

son out of Egypt.

relate to the na-

That these words

tion of Israel

a description of what Jehovah had done for it ages before the prophet WTote, and not a prophecy of any future events is so evident, that

being

no person who impartially examines the preceding and following context, can for
a

moment

for their ha\'ing

gelist

Nor but been applied I y the EvanMatthew (ch. ii. 15.) toovu- Lord's
call it in question.

64
According ns

HO SEA.
tlicy called

Chap. XI,

them, they went from their presence,

They

unto Baals, And burned incense to graven images. Though I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms,
sacrificed

Yet they knew not

retiim from Egj-pt,

that I healed them.

ever have
figurative sense,

would

it

been imagined that they had or could

Exod. iv. 22, 23. Tlie caily period of their existence is frequently
See
Is. liv.
;

have had any other reference. It is only, with respect to such application that any difficulty can exist respecting their exegesis and, in my judgment,
therefore,
;

represented as their youth.

13
ii.

Jer.

ii.

2,

iii.

24, 25, xxii. 21

IIos.

15.
2.

The use of the verb a^p

to

call,

there appears to be nothing in the N. T. application beyond the mere appropriation of the language of the prophet, for the purpose of giving to Jewish readers a more ^'ivid impression of the strikingly analogous circumstances of the sojourn of our Sa\'iour in Egj-jit, and his return from it, to those of the ancient Israehtes.

in the preceding verse, suggested the idea of the subsequent messages which had

been delivered to the Israelites by the

which Hosea now appeals, means which had been employed for their refonnation,
prophets, to
in order to contrast with the

The EvangcEst
words
as used
;

docs not affinn, that the

by Ilosea were a prophecy

of Christ

he only adduces them, to

show how aptly they described the historical event which he was naiTating,
just as

he does

Jcr. xxxi. 15, in applica-

murder of the infants at I3ethlehcm, and Ps. Ixxviii. 2, in application

tion to the

the obstinate character of thcu- rebellion. Before ^S"^p subaud. itrjss , to corresThus the LXX. ko^' us. pond to -,d The nominative is the prophets, understood. The very presence of the prophets being an annoyance to them, they withdi'ew from it, that, unmolested, they might indulge in idolatrj'. 3. ^pV:nr , an instance of the Tiphil conjugation', equivalent to Hiphil in sig.

to our Lord's teaching in parables.

"

He

nification, and, in all probability,

formed
into p.

must be a stranger to the Hebrew \\Titers, that docs not know, that nothing is more common among thon than such accommodations of the text ujxjn all occasions. They abound in such applications I may say their Midrashim do very much exceed in them." Kidder's Demon, of the " Parodiarura Messiah, Pt. 11. p. 216.
;

by hardening the preformative n

Indeed, one of

De

Eossi's

MSS.
.

reads

There "pVi-in , instead of -r^j-iP exist only two other instances in the

Hebrew
and

Bible, \\z.

T.-^.'nX-'^

Jer. xii. 5,

r;"'.!nr73,

xxii. lo,' if

in
ii.

N. T. omnia sunt
1.5

plena,

e.

g.

Matt.

XXV. 34, is not to be so the Shaphel Conjugation in Syriac, in which language this very verb occurs in
the form

"cr-r^i-En, taken. Compare

and 23, ubi implcta dicuTitur Scrip-

turip

tum

ctiam,

cum

nulla historica aut

\--

See Knos Chrest.

fj>..

tjTjit'a

est

impletio, sed analogica tan-

S\T. p. 112.
V;v"i
,

It

is

a denominative from
signifies to cause, or

tum."
p. 80. p. 338.

Hottingcr in Primit. Heidelberg, See Surcnhusii. /3i/3\os KaTa\\r]s,

the foot,

and

teach to use the feet, or walk.

Sjt.

and

Home's

Introd. vol.

342.
2, d.

Robinson's Greek
Instead of '2'zh
1*3::^
; ,

pp. 341, Lex. in ha, C.

ii.

Targ.

^1^9,
'JiTp^.
,

ni"i2i, /

led,

only the

to

have read

the I^XX. appears but instead of ri

latter paraphrases, -, ri"\> 'H'it'^a s:sT.

r-n2T

and I

led,

etc.

by an

TtKva. avTov, his children,

which

is

their

angel sent

from my

presence.

Tlie use

reading, that of

Aq. Symm. llieod. the Rlavon. and Matthew, agree ^vith the Hebrew text. The Hebrew people are also called the son of God iii the same

of the personal pronoun "23s before the

verb gives additional force to the language,

fk

in trip

is

the infinitive used

as a gerund, as in Ezek. xvii. 5.

Both

Chap.

XL

HO SEA.

QS

4 I
I

drew tliem with the bands of man,

the cords of love
also to

With
was

them

as those

who

lift

up the yoke
eat.

fi-om their neck,

I held out meat to them, I

made them

They shall not return to the land of Egypt Assyria shall be their king Because they would not be converted. 6 The sword shall be whirled in their cities, It shall destroy their barriers, and devour,
6

Because of their devices.

the suffixes Q and i refer to Ephraim. See on chap. ix. 2. Four MSS. for ITiy^f, "his arms," read "'ny-ii, "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 ilS. reads tr?".y'-iT, but they are all corrections of the original, and are only to be
the following connection than the idea of taking the yoke off any place that may have been galled by it, in order to
afford rehef. The VV", 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 heaxy, and press so much upon the animals, that they are unable to bend
their necks.

The metaphor taken from teaching children to walk is continued, as those who do so take hold of their arms to keep them from falling while they move their feet. It beautifully expresses the condescension of God to the circumstances of his people, and the kuid care which he exercised over them. Comp. Deut. i. 31, xxxii. 11. His healini] them, refers to his recovering them from the calamities which they had brought upon themselves by their sins. the bands of man, are 4. CIS ^Vsn
tolerated in translation.
,

vVs
but

1:^1.

Ewald

renders,

und sanft gegen ihn,

him,"
etc.
;

"

and gently towai'ds

preferable to take

it is

tas as the apocopated future in

^u:

to

stretch out, extend, reach

Hiph. of any

explained by the parallel phrase

^i^b

vords of love, i. e. humane, gentle, persuasive methods, such as men gener-

r;2~S
ally

employ when they woidd induce to There seems to be still a reference to the case of children, who, when taught to walk, are not only held by the arms but also by soft cords or leading-strings,
action.

a gentle manare led about, or di'aA\Ti ner by those who have the care of them. The terms, however, naturally suggesting the idea of the ropes by which oxen are boimd and led about, the metaphor is immediately changed into one bonowed

thing to another. The verse sets forth the kind rehef afforded to the Hebrew nation in EgT,3)t, and the provision with which they were miraculously supphed the wilderness. 5. rz-ir, to turn, return, which is used at the beginning of the verse in its proper acceptation, is employed at the close metaphorically to express conversion to God. The Israelites seem to have been very generally inchned to migrate for a time to Egypt, in order to enjoy the prothe prophet astection of its monarch sures them that they should not carry their purpose into effect, but that they should be subject to the Assyrian rule, as a pxmishment for refusing to listen to the calls given them to repent and turn from

their idolatries.
6. Most of the Rabbins take V'n in the sense of resting, remaining; but it seems preferable to adopt the signification to turn, be turned, or whirled about, as a sword when it is brandished or when it is employed in cutting doTVTi the enemy.

from agricultural
does not
tirely,

life,

"lii Vi" ^'a^'^'iZ'z

mean

to remove the

but to

raise it

yoke enfrom the neck and

freely to eat its food.

cheeks of the animal, so as to allow it This bettf . suits

; ;

6Q
7

HO SEA.
my
people are bent upon ilefection from

Chap.

XL

For

me

Thougli they call them to the Most High, Yet none of them will exalt liim. How shall I give thee \ip, O Ei)hraim ? 8

How shall I deliver thee over, O Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah ? How shall I make thee as Zeboim ? My heart is turned within me .Ml my feelings of compassion are kindled, I will not execute the lierceness of my anger
I will

no more destroy Ephraim

(JLs
;

C.-,u-i\-,.

die Avab.

conversa fuit

8,

9.

Now

follows one of the most

res.

\'.

sc conierlit

versus mtdatusqne

afTccting instances of the irifinite tender-

J'uit.

C"!2

barriers, Gcsenius

and Lee

ness of the divine compassion to be found the ix)int of which is enill Scripture
;

take metaphorically, as denoting chiefs

or princes.
7.

hanced by
ately

its

being iiitroduccd immediIsraelites.

it,

C"K5Vn

= C^Vp
,

which one of

De

after a description of the odious

It
is,

liossi's

I'ar?

MSS! reads originally, the Pahul of nVn to hawj, used here meta'VL\

conduct of the

as liishop

Lowth
thetic.

characterizes

exquisitely pa-

phorically

the sense of bending, or being prepense to anything. The idea of doubt or suspense, -which some attach to the word in this coimection, ill agrees vith the character of the Israelites as rs^rw othe^^vise depicted in this book,
is

The

repetitions

features of the parallelism greatly

always used in a bad sense, defection

C'onip. chap. xiv. 5.
is

apostasy, etc.
suffix in
defec-tion

The

T^ nftt

to be t;iken passively

which lias me for its objec-t, and affTTiai txov Aq. ottAco KvKKwaa ae ^ ulg. cannot with any propriety be rendered protcgam te ; deriving the idea from the For as by Ilorslcy, "my returning." a signification of the substantive ^;>; Vy Vs ad summum, see on chap. vii. shield; but it is used of delivering over After on ver. 2. 16 and for iis-ip-; Symm. iKSwaw enemies. Gen. xiv. 20. Dr-11 supply -rs, him, from \v, the o-e. Before :j52-ics is an ellipsis of ':i-^t Supreme, preceding. Jehovah had been which had ali-'eadj' been twice repeated. degraded by his being worshipped through The destruction of Admah and Zeboim the medium of images, and ha^'ing idols is only refciTcd to as an example in one yet none of his associated with him other case, viz. Deut. xxLx. 23, and then a]K)state people were inclined to raL-c him in connection with Sodoni and Gomorrah, them rejecting from this degradation, by To the awfid catastrophe recorded Gen. and celebrating His praise, as the sole xLx. the sacred A\Titei's fretjuently appeal, and glorious object of adoration. Po- in order to produce a sense of the evil of rocke's Arab. MS. .jXj aJ sin, and the severity with Avhich it detXj^l
;
',

the effect. period after the subjugation of Samaria, and the caiTj'ing away of the Israelites by Shabnaneser, 2 Kings xvii. o, 6, xviii. 9-12. They were designed to inspire the captives with hope in the mercy of God, and thus lead them to true repent";Ji;s the LXX. render vn^pance.
,

and synonymous add to The words belong to the

ser\-es

xJLM

^\
7iot

v^wmO

to be punished

or

when they

[ (^

^,

there teas

not one of them that glorified the name of God. -tn*. With a negative is to be

rendered

gether, wholly, as

one; without it, all altothe following verse.

would convey the idea of complete and Comp. Is. i. 9, xiii. irretrievable ruin. 19; Jer. xlix. 18; Lam. iv. 6; Amos. Matt. x. 15 2 Pet. ii. 0; Judc iv. 11 Some would render "sV 'hv T\^.~'., 7.
,

CuAP.

XL

HO SEA.
am God and
not man,

6T

Foi- 1

The Holy One in the midst of thee I will not come iu wrath. 10 They shall follow Jehovah, when he roareth

like a lion

When

he roareth, the children

i.

shall hasten

from the

sea.

" my heart is tiimcd against me," e. my pity rises in overpowering opposition

to the determination to

ishment
ing,

for their idolatry.

"I

will not enter

suitable

which I had come

affords

no

The rendermto the city," sense, and would re,

to inflict punishments ; but the phraseology will scarcely bear such construction, though it cannot be questioned, that it is
revolution.

one of Eishop Lowth's translation, "though I inhabit not thy

quire the article n'ya
as indeed,

De Rossi's MSS.

reads.

designed to express a powerful, inward Comp. i^y "iwrtli-nTa Ps.

,

cities," (Lectm-es, vol.

ii.

p. 38.) is equally

unsatisfactory with the interpretation of

5; ^'n'^-\ ^^VriEti.yrn, 4; i?t ^aV '\'J, Jer. viii. l'8;'in all which passages the preposition conveys the idea of mental conticjuity, nearness, in, within, as "^anpa "^"zh "TiSri: my heart is turned yvimi's hie, Lam.'i. 20, From the connecincontestably shows. tion in which it occurs, in the last cited passage, it is obvious the phrase is there designed to express great mental distress. ntta is used in Niphal, of the stirritiys of natural ajfection, Gen. xhii. 30 1 Kings The idea seems to be derived iii. 26. from the commotion produced by the kindling of a fire, and the heat or warmth
xlii. 6, 12, xliii.

Jerome and Castaho

am not like those

after

cxlii.

who
laws,

dwell in

cities

Hving

human

and deeming

cruelty to be justice.

Such construction Maurer states to be in his opinion " artificiosior quam eleI, therefore, adopt the intei-pregantior.
tation hinted at

by

Jarchi,

and since ap-

proved by Schroeder, Seeker, Dathe, !Manger, Tingstadius, Eichhom, De Wette, Noyes, Boothroyd, Gesenius, Maurer, and E^\-ald, which takes -^^y not in the sense of city, but of a7iger or wrath ; comparing the Arab.

A^
;

ferbuit cestu dies.

;

in which

it results.

Tanchum explams

an enemy,

the word by ^,1^6 concitatus fuit.

LXX.

vii. 7 and njj Sam. xxviii. 16 Ps. cxxxix. The words are thus strictly parallel, 20. and sjmonymous to li'^s N^i and not

Comp.

Jer. xv. 8
1

Hos.

crvviTapax^,
ZiiTapdx^i),

or,

as
,

in

the

Complut.

man.

The

derivation from

w/JU,

to

the same in effect as D'ttrri compassion, feelings of tender Targ. "ttrri, my pity and affection. compassions. It is derived from bna to

C^w^n:

which Michaelis
angry.
Pt.

assigns the signification

SyXJ

ira in Deo, Orient. Bib.

XIX.

p. 9, is less appropriate,
is

though

be inwardly affected,
pity,

whether with grief, consolation, or anger. In the idea of

the sense which he gives

displeasure "svith one's self, has originated the signification, to repent, which accounts for the renderings, nftaixikeia, 2}os7iitudo, repetitings, etc. See my note on Is. i. 24. The language is in the highest deThe 9 th verse gi'ee anthropopathical. contains a declaration of the purpose of God founded upon his compassion, and quite in keeping \Aith the manner in which expression had just been given to
it.

the same. 10, 11. These verses contain gTacious promises of the retvim of the Israelites to the true worship and service of God, and their restoration to their own land from the different places in which they had

been scattered
^nn"! '"i.nS

dming
to

the captivity.

"Vn

walk after Jehovah, is always used in the religious sense of addicting one's self to his worship, and keeping his conmiandments, and is not to be

in t^Tj^gh avi'S t<V is, as freThe quently to be taken adverbially. captivity was the last judgment that was

nw

mere following of providence by taking advantage of the opportunity that would be So afforded of returning from Babylon.
interpreted, as Hitzig does, of a

to

come upon the ten

tribes as a

pim-

the Targ. i^n

ssn^B nra

ff/ifer

the

68
11

II

EA

Chap.

XIL

They

shall hast cm, like a

sparrow, from Egypt,

And like a dove, from And I -will cause them

Saith Jehovah.

the land of Assyria:

to dwell in their

own

houses,

toorship
see ver.
lion,

of Jehovah. For the contrarj-, 2. As JS3 to roar, like the always conveys the idea of terror or
,

" Sic Lat. trcpidare etiam sumitiir profestinare, obser\'antibus Bocharto in Hieroz, et Schultensio in Animadverss. pliiloL ad. Is. xix. 17." AViner, in voc. ITie

cannot be here applied either to to the Jews as a people, or to the preaching of the gospel generally but must be referred to the awful judgments which God executed upon Babylon, Egj-pt, etc. through the instruit

awe,

any invitation
;

same idea of velocity is further carried out by comparing the return of the Isthe flight of birds remarkable ni2 is here used not in its generic sense of bird, but specifically of the sparrow, as the use of nsv, dove, immediately after, shows. The sea, is the Mediterranean, or the islands and other maritime regions in the west. Kimchi, 2-j'52ri the west;
raelites to

for their swiftness.

mentahty of Cjtus and

his successors

thereby opening the way for the Hberation of the Israelites who Avere found in these countries. Comp. Is. xxxi. 4 Joel iv. 16 Jer. XXV. 30 Amos i. 2, iii.
; ;

8.

By C':2

so7is,

or children, are

meant

Pococke's
^ -cry
i

Arab.

MS.
isles

\\

-^

,^
Comp.

been for a time rejected, but were again acknowledged in that character, because they Avcre to be reinstated in the privileges of adoption.
the Israelites,

who had

f|

from the
;

of the sea.

Is. xi.

Comp. chap.

i.

10.

nant with meaning signifj-ing to come or hasten under the influence of great agitation. The idea of trepidation, though implied, and connecting avcII with that of the roaring prcAdously mentioned, is not so prominent as that of qiiick or nimble motion. Excited to the utmost by
the revolutions of empires, which allowed them to take possession of their native countr}', they would use all haste in repairing thither.

"rnn

is

here preg-

11-16 a passage strictly parallel, only including the Jews as well as the The tlu-ee quarters of the Israelites. globe here specified embrace all the countries mentioned by Isaiah and as the ten tribes fonn the subject of Hosca's discourse, the present prophecy furnishes an- additional proof of their return also, after the Babylonish captivity. To argue, therefore, from tliis passage, that they are still in existence, and are yet to be
;

restored in their tribal capacity,

is

her-

LXX.

^KcrriiffovTai

but
Sjt.

in the following verse iKnireaovTcii.

nV r\| 1

they shall move or be moved.

mcncutically unwarranted. V? in the phrase CT7,"P2 ~y instead of a , seems to have special reference to the custom of the Orientals, who enjoy their time
,

vjyon, rather

than

m their houses.

CHAPTER

XII.

This chapter commonces with renewed complaints aprainst both Ephraim and Judah, more especially af,'uiiiht tlio fornuT, 1, 2. The conduct of their profjcnitor Jacob is then adduced in order to excite them to apply, as he did, for the blessings which they required, 3, 4; to copy which they are further encouraged by the unchangeable ch"racter of Jehovah, 5, 6.

The prophet next

reverts to the deceitful and hypocritical character of the ten tribes, notwitlistanding the numerous means that had been emiiloyed to promote true piety, 71'^; renews his castigation of their idolatrous practices, 11 again appeals to the kindness of
j

Chap. XII.

HO SEA.
12, 13j

69
and denounces anew

God to the nation in its obscure origin in tiie person of Jacob, the judgments that were to be inflicted upon it, 14.

Epheaim hath encompassed me with

falsehood,

And And

the house of Israel with deceit

as
foi*

Judah, he

is still

inconstant with God,

Even with the Holy Ones.

1.

The LXX. Vulg. Taxg. and our

version join this verse to the

to Jehovah.

common

preceding chapter ; but improperly there being no connection whatever with the previous verses, whereas it is manifest from the renewed reference to Judah,
ver. 3, that the three verses intimately

So far were they from adhering steadfastly to his covenant, and seeking their happiness in obedience to his will, that they resembled animals that are dissatisfied with their pastm-e, break loose, and run wildly up and down in
search of
appetite
;

what

is

more agreeable

to their

The proper exegesis of this verse depends upon the signification assigned
cohere.
to t-i

or like a female who, discon-

and the consequent application of ^KNi. That the former cannot grammatically be referred either to inn or
,

tent at home, seeks for satisfaction by gaddirfg about among her neighbors. The
description applies to the state of things

fTi-i

to subdue, bear rule, or to nn*;

to

Jerome renders it, is now hands and there is no alternative left but to derive it from -i:,-i, which occurs only in three other passages, viz. one in Kal, Jer. ii. 3 1 and twice in Hiph. Gen. xxvii. 40, and Ps. Iv. 3. In the two first, the ideas of becoming or
descend, as

agreed on

all

among the Jews towards the end of the reign of Jotham, and during that of Ahaz, who introduced a Syrian altar, and other idolatrous objects, by which the
people were tempted to infidelity towards Jehovah, but had not yet altogether reHence the force nounced his service. Though the idea of of "i"y, yet, still. hostility implied in the verb would not justify the use of the preposition, c y ^oith, taken as in the phrases CS CnVj, Cs a""i
,

being unfaithful, rebelling, loandering at large, are obviously conveyed. In the third, the verb is applied figuratively to an agitated er unsettled state of mind, to which the notion of wa7idering seems much more natural, than that of mourning, which is that expressed by our transThus also the derivative m-itt lators. may best be rendered circumvagatio,
erratio^

to fight with, eontend with ; yet it well agrees with its use after verbs of acting

towards, or
as c:

^>^

reference to
dJJ

any one, such

etc.

nsn,

2it:

'r.'-uv^,

Thtis

Schroeder, Dathe, Eichhorn, De Wette, Boothroyd, Kuinoel, Gesenius, Noyes,

Hitzig, ilaurer,
sti-uction

and Ewald.
is

Such confully borne

Lam.

i.

7,

iii.

Arabic
tiliro

Ds, 0s
;

Compare the qucesivit pabulum;

19.

of the passage
3,

out by ver.

ently interpreted,

which cannot be consistif Judah were here

citroque ivit

mobile fuit ; discurrit

(^
\

hue illuc muher apud vicinas suas.

locus,

^
\

quo in pascuis cameli modo prode-

represented as faithfully maintaining the But if the principles of the theocracy. signification which has been given to nn

unf modo retrocedunt.

Eth.

.^*^ P'

persequi, insurrexit, etc The signification dominatur, which has been given to

n-i , is altogether gratuitous. The meaning of the prophet will, therefore, be, that Judah or the inhabitants of the southern

be alone justifiable, then it is evident JKNS faithful cannot apply to Judah, but must be taken as qualif^-ing C'f ^np the adjective noun immediately preceding. To this it cannot be objected, that the one is in the plural, while the other is in the singular for we find a precisely sim,
, ;

kingdom acted with vacillancy

in regard

ilar

combination in p^'js C'TiVs, tha

70
2

HO SEA.

Chap. XII.

Ephraim fecdeth upon wind, He pursneth the east wind Every day lie multiplietli falsehood and violence;

Yea, ho inakcth a covenant with Assyria, oil is carried into Egypt. 3 Jehovah hath also a controversy Avith Judah, And he will punish Jacob, according to his ways; According to his deeds, he will recompense him. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, 4 And by his strength he strove with God

And

righteous God, Vs.

vii.

10.

That C^Bi-^;,

and formed a
ation.

profitable article of export-

the llofi/ Ones, cannot here be applied either to human saints, or to angels, but

must be interpreted of God himself, the law of par;dlclism clearly requires. Comp. Josh xxiv. 19, srn c-r-rp ^-rVs Prov. ix. 10, r:-2 ^""i^'P ~<.i'< xxx.'''3vry-i 5"S C"r^p. Kimchi liimsclf allows that nic"~p. must be so understood in this Between the inconstancy of the place. Jews, and the faithfuhiess of God, the contrast was placed in a very striking They had never known point of view. him to fail in gi\'ing effect to any of his while they, on the contrary, pronaisos had all along shown more or less of a fickle and roving disjxjsition. The ancient
; ;

spoken of as a present the king of Egypt, doubtless among other costly articles, with a view to obtam a favorable hearing to the embassy which w;u> despatched to secxu-e his aid against the Assyrians. 3. "Judah" and "Jacob" stand for the two kmgdoms respectively, the latter name denoting the ten tribes, as Is. x\'ii. 4. The declaration here made manifestly shows, that in vcr. 1 the conduct of Judah is to be viewed in an unfavorable light. At the same time the language of both verses in reference to that power is not so strong as that which is employed reIt is here

sent

to

specting Israel.
4, 5. Havuig introduced the name of Jacob in reference to his posterity, Hosea adverts to tliree mteresting incidents in his personal history, with the view of encouraging his countrymen to apply themselves with all assiduity to the scr-

versions exhibit considerable diversity of rendering in this place but none of them suggests a meaning i^rcfcrable to that
;

jast given, or warrants

any

alteration in

the reading of the Hebrew. 2. I5y " the wind," and " the east

wind," are meant empty, unsatisfyijig and pernicious objects. Such were the idolatrous confidence and foreign alliances
of the Israelites.

C'-p

the

LXX.

ren-

der Kavaaiv', the Arab.

A.^A*.'i,

the

who alone could, and would them from the calamitous circumstances into which their sins had brought them. ITiough ::p.y, from which the name :p v^ Jacob, is derived, ^\rab.
\'ice

of God,

extricate

Samoom,

or scorching wind, called the

it

.Jif

e vestigia seqtiutus ftiit, a calce

etc.

" east wind," because

blows from the

renit,

signifies to

come behind any

See on desert to the oast of Palestine. In propf)rtion to the insinLs. xxvii. 8.

conduct of the nation was the destruction which it brought
cerity

one, take
etc., it is

him by the

heel, trip, cirrumvc7it,

obviously used here in a good

and

faithless

sense, to denote the supernatural indica-

upon

itself.

Such

condiict

was

specially

tion which his taking his brother Esau by the heel afforded of the superiority,

exhibited in the leagues that wcrefonncd, and the friendshiiis that were entered into

with the two most powtTful of the an"':r, nil, was one of cient monarchies. the most valuable productions of Canaan,

which, in the course of divine providence, he and his ywstcrity were to obtain. Gen. XXV. 22, 23, 20. To this effect the Targ.
'^,'0'- -i"'cs

""Vr^
it

*'';'^

''?=??.-

*''"^',

"n !iriS

'"C

teas

not said of Jacob be/ore

Chap. XII.
6 Yea, he strove with the

HOSE A.
Angel and prevailed
with us

71

He wept and made supplication to him He found him at Bethel, and there he spake
he was born, that he should be greater than his brother ? The Israelites Avere reminded of the promise, " The one people shall be greater than the other people " and had they acted on the iaith of it, they would have found that, with Jehovah on their side, they were not only stronger than the Edomites, but even than the Assyrian power itself. The idea of jyotoer ha\ang thus been suggested to the mind of the prophet, he was remmded of the remarkable occurrence which took place at Peniel, when Jacob wrestled with the divine messenger of the covenant,
;

redeem
Israel,

their character as descendants of

to

and show that they were entitled the name, by sincerely and earnestly

engaging in supplication to the

God

of

their ancestor, they too should prevail,

and obtain every

third reference

necessai-y blessing.
to tlie narrative

The
Gen.

is

and

prevailed,

exercise rule as

to put forth potver, a prince, or commaiider,

rn'a

the verb from which Vsnb"' , Israel, the other name of Jacob, is derived, is that

employed Gen. xxxii. 29, where the language is nearly identical with that used in these two verses. In the resumption
of the subject, ver, 5. "i-^i is em2:)loycd, which, though equivalent to rrr:; in sig-

xxviii. 11-22, which contains an account of the scene at Bethel, and the promises which God then made, not to the patriarch only, but also to his posterity. The nominative to s::m he found, is God, and not Jacob, as Abenezia, Tanchum, and several others have attempted to maintain. The meaning is, that Jehovah afforded to the solitary traveller the gracious aid which his exposed situation rendered desirable. Vs~^^2i, Bethel, is here the accusative of place, and is used with smgular effect, in reference to the contrasted appropriation of it by the patri,

arch,

and by
,

his apostate posterity.

The

must be referred to the root Corap. Jud. ix. 22, and Hos. A'iii. 4. "^'S properly signifies manly vigor. Here t|i*^'?> the Angel, corresponds to God, ver. 4, and designates the n"'n"^s
nification,
-Vi-:;.
,

not pcrcciA'ing this, have rendered it oIkos "^Ciu the house of On, as elsewhere in this book. :)5?2y, "tcith us," Aq.

LXX.

read so frequently in the Old Testament, to

Uncreated Angel,
as here,

of

whom we

whom,

names distinctive of Dcitv and who is represented as possessing the divine attributes. See on Is. Lxiii. 9, and Dr. M'Caul's Obscn'ations appended to his translation of Kimchi on Zechariah, chap. i. V^5 specially points to the Angel as the object towards
are ascribed,

Thcod. Sjt. Tanchum, Abulseveral modems, render as if " with him " but there is it were \'zv no variety of reading in the MSS., and r,i is nowhere used of the third person The LXX. have irphs ainovs singular. which to them, as if they had read ti:y
walid,

Symm.

and

so far as pronunciation to confirm

is

concerned, goes

the Masoretic punctuation.

whom

the conflicting dforts of the pawere directed. Of the circumstances of his weeping and making suptriarch
plication,

That the prophet here speaks per Koivdxrtv, identifying himself and his contemporaries with their progenitor, in whose loins they may be said to have been, when he received the gi-acious promises which related not to himself only, but also to his posterity, is the interpretation advocated

no particular mention

is

made

Genesis, but they may be regarded as implied in the words, " I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." The struggle was not merely corporeal, it was also mental. The outward conflict was only a sign of that which was internal and
spiritual.

Manger, Horsley, Hitzig, Maurer, and Comp. Ps. Ixvi. 6 Heb. On the other hand, Ewald, vii. 9, 10. following Jarchi and Joseph Kimchi, renders the words la'jry '2"i"'. he will speak with us, in the future, and considers the
bj^

RosGnmiillcr.

The

prophet, as in the former

prophet to be announcing, that

God would

reference, leaves the Israelites to

the application.

make If they woxold only now

renew

his

communications
Israelites

at Bethel, pro-

vided the

returned to obedience.

72
6

HO

E A.

Chap.

XIL

Even Jehovah the Go<;l of Jehovah is liis memoriah

this scenis less

hosts:

But though
adoption,
it

entitled to

cannot be denied that his design in the adduction of this instance

ancient Egyptians and Brahmins. On the Sa'itic temple of Isis was the inscription, 'Eyu> fl/jLi irav rh ycyofhu Kol ov Kcd
(<T6^(vof, Kal rhv ijxhv iriirXov ovStis
irof

was

to lead his people to repentance, in order that they might inherit the prom-

^vr)Ths

di/f/iaAi/ife,

ised blessings.
C.
1

AND
is

IS,

" I am all that was, AND SHALL BE, and no mortal

in

nn"'!
:

e.Kplctive.

Ewald

strangely gives to the combination the form of an oath ' bei Jahvc," explain-

hath ever uncovered my veil." Plutarch do Lside. Li the Bhagavat the Supreme " Even Being thus addresses Brahma
:

ing it in his note, "wahj: ist das bei The Jahvc," By Jehovah it is true incommunicable name is here introduced for the express purpose of sho%\ing that He who had made promises respecting the posterity of Jacob, would not prove While 'riVt* iinfaitliful to his word.
!

WAS at first, not any other being that WHICH EXISTS unperceivcd Supreme afterwards I am that which is and He who must hemaix am I." Asiat.
I
;
;

Researches, vol.
Zei/j
'

i.

p. 245.
tcrcreTcu'
;

Comp. Zeis
S>
;

iiv

iari

'

Zei/j
;

jut-yoAe ZeO.

riiss::"
Kparuip,
iiitinite

the

God of

hosts,

LXX. ITarro-

conveys the idea of supreme and power by which he is able to carry ail his puqxses into effect, his peculiarly distinctive name n^r;;' conveys
,

that

of imrmitahle

constaucij,

and, by

implication, fidelity to his promises.

refer the

Some

word

to the root t,'~ to be derived

to exist,

be

but that

it is

from the

cognate and more ordinary verb of existence nT! appears evident from Exod. iii. l4, where, in the explanation of the name, the form of the future is not r "~ >'
, >

Zeus was Zeus is Zeus shall be O great Zeus " Pausan. Phoc. x. 12. ^Vhether the name n in ^ was in use before the time of Moses, has "been, and still is matter of dLspute. That the patriarchs were imacquainted v^'ith it, has been concluded from Exod. vi. 3, where God declares, that the name under which he revealed himself to them was 'n^ Vs God Almighty, but that he was not kno^^n Jehovah. to them by his name nin Since, however, we meet with this name
!

but r''.ns.

But

as

is

nevertheless
',

inserted in rir:"*,

which

also retains

preformant of the third person singular, it is impossible not to acquiesce in the opinion, that the noun is made up of n"n lie was, T.)p , He is, and r.'r,'_
,

not only in the history of the patriarchs, but also expressly employed by themselves, as in Gen. xv. 2, xvi. 2, xxii. 14, xxiv. 3, xxvii. 7, xxiii. 20, 21, etc it seems undeniable that they ^^ere acquainted vdxh. it ; so that what is meant by the words en's "r""'3 nV ~\~' ''>:'i'3,is, that God

He

will he.

sis, is

hypothethe peculiar designation of God,

this
4, 8.

"What confirms

had not caused them to experience the import of his name r'n', Jehovah. For
this signification of the phrase ^-j
to hioto
Iii.

'O hv koI b jjc koX 6 ^pxiutvos, lie that is, and that was, and that i.i to come, which is merely a translation

Rev.

i.

a name, or,
1
;

to hnotc,

vi' comp. Is.

It

n,

Ixiv.

'Jer.

xvi.

21.

had

speci;d ference to

something future

into
verb.

Greek of these

different forms of the

See I'ococke on Joel i. 19. In Abenezra and other Rabbins concur and, accordingly the second article of the Jewish creed concludes with the words rr.n r.T. ijtVs "inzV N",m He rrrT'i "And he alone is our God WAS, Hk is, and Hr, khai.l nn." It is a coincidence in no small degree remarkable, that this threefold description of the divine existence obtained both among the
this derivation
;

the fulfilment of the promises which he had given them and as tht^c promises began to be fulfilled when he inteqxised for their deliverance from Egyjit, there was singidar propriety in its being sekx-ted as the name by which Moses was to an;

nounce him to his people, on opening his commission to them. The same futurity of reference may be said to have continued to attach to it all along till the advent
of Messiah, in

whom

all

the promises are

Chap.
7

XIL

HOSE A.

73:

Thou, therefore, return to thy God Observe mercy and judgment. And wait continually on thy God.

As

for Canaan, deceitful balances are in

liis

hand

He
9

loveth to oppress.
saith.

Ephraim

Surely I

am

rich,

I have acquired wealth

In none of

my labors am I
;

chargeable with
in

giiilt.

yea and amen, 2 Cor. i, 20 just as it is still prominently exhibited iii 'O ipx^fiei/os, The coming One, of the Apocalypse, which obviously respects the revelation of the Lord from heaven to fulfil the mystery of God. Such interpretation alone goes to fully justify the emphatic statement made in the text of our prophet, rnST nin"' compared with Exod. iii. 15, "i"- -1^^ ^-i5T nt, in which the Most
,

which the

final syllable required to

be

accented, if

it

was not intended

vowel of the
been,

to stand

for the second

7.

preterite

n"n.

An exhortation to duty derived from

and would
stUl, in

what God had

accordance with the significant aspect of his name, in continuance be, to those who served him in sincerity.
8.

"Vrs,

Canaan,

is

the nominative

absolute, introduced abruptly for the pur-

High

declares,

that this

name was

to

be employed for the purpose of perpetuatiilg the knowledge of his character with Comp. respect to promised blessings. That it should have also Ps. cxxxv. 13. come into oral disuse among the Jews, could only have originated in a feeling of superstitious veneration, w'hich led them to regard it as too sacred to be pronomiced without profanation. The earliest trace of such superstition is thought to be found in the words, Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 9, ovofj-aaia rod ayiov /xv cvi'f^ia'brjs, "use not thyself to the naming of the ; Holy One " but Philo de Nomin. mutat. makes express mention of it. Whenever the Jews meet with it in the text, they read "jtSiLord, instead of it, except

pose of graphically describing the real character of the Ephraimites. The word may, indeed, be rendered merchant, but

then "s, man, must be supplied;

"(55.^
,

i'^s

of Canaaji, meaning a merchant the mhabitants of that country being the celebrated merchants of antiquity. The prophet seems rather to place the names of Canaan and Israel in an-

man

in which there is great point, as ; the Israehtes were accustomed to hold the Canaanites in the utmost contempt.
tithesis

Comp. Ezek.
a
trafficker

xvi. 3. Horsley renders of Canaan, which weakens

rather than strengthens the antithesis. The fraudulent practices of merchants were quite proverbial among the Jews.

when
God.

it

follows
it

"j-iN,

in

which case
S^ri ,N-f

" As a nail sticketh fast in the joinings of the stones, so doth sin stick close be-

they point

nin'',

and read

tween buying and

cus xxvii.
2.

selling."

Ecclesiasti-

Some

are of oj^inion, that the

present punctuation r^n"' is merely that of ^:-is, the simple Sheva taldng the

place

of

Hateph-Patach,

which only
;

but the employment of the two first syllables with precisely the same points in the fonnation of compound proper names manifestly goes to show that our present pronunciation is correct. Compare yiini

occurs in connection with gutturals

9. The character assumed in the preceding verse is here directly applied, only the ten tribes are represented as flattering themselves that they had employed no

illegal
flSi^'a';

means
,

acquiring their affluence. they shall find, is used imperson-

ally. "jSy is employed to denote the act of distoHion or iniquity, xun its cjuilt or culpability. The words literally ren-

The change of Tns^ri", ^ri'rr":, etc. the Segol into Kametz may be accounted for on the ground of the grave manner
10

dered are, %cith. respect to all my efforts, they shall not find attaching to me iniquity ichich is sin; and the mfaning is,

II

CllAP. XII.

10 Yet

I,

Jt'liovah,
still

am

thy

God from

the land of

Egypt;

I will

cause thee to dwell in tents as ou feast days.

Ill

have spoken to the prophets,

I have nuiltiplied visions;

And

through the prophets I have used similitudes.

instruction

" llie merchant might be punished. imagines that it is not jxjssilile to get tlux)ugh business without some deceit but he takes care not to commit any gross or deadly act of dehnquency, hoping that God will not be strict in regard to the
rest."

which he had
as to

afTorded

them
is

while at the same time, the language

so

draw their attention to the messages which the prophfts had delivered. These messages contained the
most powerful dissuasives from idolatrj', and the greatest encouragements to cleave unto the Lord. Vy in n-<3"

worded

Mlchaelis.

10.

Commentators have been greatly

divided in opinion as to whether these words arc to be taken as a promise, or as a threatening. Those who take the latter view inteqiret the living in tabernacles

nouncement,
is

C"N"25-"Vy, following a verb of anis equivalent to Vs, to, and

not to be pressed so as to

make

it

sig-

nify the coming

ation

down

or resting of inspir-

of such a

life

as those lead

who have no

settled habitations, like the IsraeUtes in

the wilderness, or like those who assembled at the annual festivals, and who

C'omp. Job If Hosea was one of the earliest of the He-

upon the prophets.

xxxvi. 33.

LXX.

irpbs

irpocprjras.

could only be accommodated in tents without the city. But, though such exegesis

might
.

at first sight

seem

to suit

brew prophets, whose books are now in our hands, reference must here be ha^.to those who had flourished before his time, such as Ahijah the Shilonite, Shcmaiah,
Iddo, Azariah, Hanani, Jehu, Jahaziel, Eliezer, Ehjah, Ehsha, Micaiah, Joel, and

the connection, yet there is something so forced in comparing a state of captivity to that of the Hebrew nation dining the
celebration of the
festivals,

Amoz, not
ets

most joyful of

all their,

to include the hundred prophof the Lord whom Obadiah hid in a

that I am compelled to regard the verse as containing a promise of what God would still do for the Israelites on their repentance and reformation. Those

had put a number to Not only had Jehovah made numerous communications of his will
cave, after Jezebel

death.

through

the

ijistrumentidity

of

thc-se

who

are familiar with the sudden

and

messengers, but he

had employed such

at once to gain

abrupt transitions which abound in Hosea, and the frwiuency ^^ith which he intermingles promises with threatenings, will not be surprised at this unexpected assurance of the divine clemency. The argu-

modes
as

in

making

these comnmnioations

were calculated
r^e/^S

and
Is.
i.
;

secure attention.
1.

For y.xn
,

see

on

from

rs^

to be like,

resemble

in Piel, to liken, employ, similes, or com-

ment
and
from

is this the Israelites have indeed acted a most wicked and deceitful part,
:

justly deserve to be forever cast off

all i)articipation in

pnrisons ; or, in general, to use figurative language. In such language, including metaphor, allegorj-, comparison, pros()i:<)p(eia, ajxjstrophe, hyperbole, etc., the prophets alxjund. They accommodated themselves to the capacity and understanding of their hearers by couching the

my

favor

but I

have been from the beginning of their history, their covenant-God, and will yet cause them to renew their joy before me. That they were not to enjoy any such privilege in their apostate condition Is taken for granted. The promise was fulfilled on the return from
I

am still, what

high and imjx)rtant subjects of which they treated under the imager}' of sensiobjects, and invested them with a degree of Ufe and energy which could only be resisted by an obstinate determination not to listen to religious instruc-

ble

the captivity.
1 1 Jehovah adduces a further proof of the kindness of his disjjosition towards the nation the abundant means of
.

tion.

Though r^s-s
its

is

in the future,

it

borro\\'s

temporal signification from

Chap. XII. 12 Yerily Gilead

is

HO
iniquitous,
false
:

75

Surely they are

In Gilgal they

sacrifice

oxen

.Their altars are like the heaps

On
13

the ridges of the

fled to the

field.

Jacob

country of Syria

Israel sei-ved for a wife

14

And for a wife he kept the flocks. By a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from And by a prophet he was kept.
Both
X. 4.
13, 14.
is

Egypt,

the two preceding verbs, 'P"i2"i and the preterite. Ti"'3in , "which are 12.' DS is not used here as a particle expressing doubt it rather expresses the

are derived from

"hhi,

to roll, roll

stones, etc.

For

"'la;

"

'K^n, " comp. chap.

certainty of what is affirmed, as '^s following, evidently shows. The two places here mentioned were celebrated in the

history of the

Hebrews

Gilead,

of both these the same, though it is only in the latter that it is expressly stated, viz, the divine goodness in preserving Jacob
verses

The argument

on

and

his posterity.

God was with

the

account of the solenui agreement which Laban and Jacob entered into there with each other; and Gilgal, on account of the general circumcision of the people, and the solemn observance of the passover when they had passed over Jordan. They are adduced by the prophet to remind the Israehtes of the sacred obhgations under which they lay, and the sacred character which, as the peculiar people of God, they ought ever to sustain. Pointing, as it were, to the heap of stones which Jacob had erected in testimony of the transaction between him and Laban, Hosea asks. Is Gilead the scene of iniquity ? Are its inhabitants actually worAnd then he fearshippers of idols ? lessly charges them with idolatrj'. Both ^"S and tsvi are specially used of idols, \A order to express their nothingness and vanity. The abstract stands for the conBy -tyVi, Gilead, is meant not crete. merely the place, but its inhabitants. Comp. for the wickedness of the Gdead-

patriarch, according to his promise,

and

him all the time he was in sersdtude iir Padan-arara and he likewise dehvered his descendants from Egyptian bondage, and conducted them safely to the land of Canaan, d'ns , Arajnaa, Syria, the high country, from
protected and prospered
;

C"-i

to be

high

here specially the region

between the Euphrates and the Tigris, called on this account, D'"!r;3 tnx Aram
of the tioo rivers, LXX. MeaoTrora/xia, Mesopotamia. Being lower than the rest of Syria on the west, it is here called T.'jv,.field, which corresponds to -^tts, a
level

or plain,

Gen.
-iK'iJ
,

xlviii.

Padan-aram,
,

to

7 ; hence keep, is used

without T X :: sheep, in the sense of keepSee Gen. xxx. 31 1 Sam. ing a flock. To the verb as thus employed xvii. 20.
;

in

its literal

acceptation, ver. 13, the fig"I'SicS

urative use in

,ver. 14, corresponds.

The church

VsVj Gilgal, had also become desecrated by idolatrous practices, chap. iv. 15, ix. 15, which abounded to such an extent, that the number of the altars was like that of the heaps of stones which have been collected and left in various parts of the ridges of a field. In C'5a, heaps, comp. Josh. vii. 26, there is an obvious reference to the name *'^^.^.
ites,

chap.

vi. 8.

God is frequently compared to a flock. The t-=3 prophet, here referred to was Moses, who was so
of
,

Kar

e^oxvv.
xii.

Numb.

See Exod. 6-8; Is. Ixiii.

iv.

15,

16

11,

12,

The

repeated reference to the

tor in this character,

Hebrew

legisla-

tended to ites with a conviction of the necessity of attending to the messages which the Lord
sent to

was evidently inimpress the minds of the Israel-

them by

his prophets.

H
15 Epliraim hath given

E A.

Chap. XITL

most Litter provocation, Lord leave his blood upon him And bring back upon him his reproach.
Therefore
^vill

his

lo. C*"i?-i:ri,
litter, or bitterly.

lit.

bitterness,

i.

c.

most

^(5 reproach,

The

object of provo-

is meant the disgraceful conduct of the ten tribes in abandoning the

not expressed, but that it is clear from the following clause. The blood of Kplnaim -wa*, in all probability, that of human victims wliich had
cation
is

Jehovah

is

true God, as unworthy of their ser\-icc, and transferring it to idols. ,: '; s is the nominative to j"*;"' as well as tor-r^,

been shed in the service of Moloch, t; -s, his Lord, is improperly applied by HorsBy '.rsin ley to the king of Assyria.
,

and in our language the corrcsjwnding term Lord requires to be used before the former, and understood before the latte/ of the two verbs.

CHAPTER

XIII.

After contrasting the prosperity of the tribe of Ephraim, during the period of its obedience to the divine laws, with tlie adversity wliicli it liad suffered in consequence of idolatry, 1, the i)ro>)het proceeds in the same manner, as in the preceding chapter, to intermingle brief descriptions of sin and guilt, 2, 6, 9, 12; deuouucements of punishment, 3, 7, 8, 13, 15, 16; and promises of mercy, 4, 9, 14.

WiiEX Ephraim

spake, there Avas tremor

in Israel

He

was exalted

But he offended through Baal, and

1.

died.

Ephraim means here the tribe propdistinction

aS^i^
ing
is
is,

from the other tribes of Israel, mentioned immeSuch was the power and diately after.
erly so called, in

^^d^yiy,
revered him,

^fte

mean-

that

men

and trem-

bled at his word.

The same

construction

influence

which
rest,

it

originally exercised
it

over the

that they showed

>

the

adopted by Jerome, Kimchi, Abarbanel, Munster, Vatablus, Clarius, Drusius,

Lively,
Grotius,
Ilivetus,

utmost deference. rP"^ a airaf \ty6fiivov, but obviously cognate with Ui:,

Tingstadius,

Jcr.xlix. 24, Syr. ]2ub.^9 Targ. sr'r-;,

fear,

trembling.

In I'ococke's Arab.
are

MS.

the words

rendered

JuLC-

Dathe, Kuinoel, Ilorslcy, De Wette, Maurer, Noycs, and Ilitzig. It is impossible to approve tlie translation of " "W'ie Efraim rcdete EmpiiEwald rung, cs aufi-uhr machte in Israel," ]\'hcn Ephraim gave utterance to sedition, it produced rebellion in Israel. Neither rrn nor s--: admit of being so
:

LaJI

_Jb

irhtn

Ephraim

spake,

translated.

To
it

take

rri

adverbially,

trembling fcV. vpon men.

And

so

Tan-

and render
as in

tremblinghj, or trembling,

chum, 8-iL^ ,jUJ! (jl

^^AX^!

affords

our common version, though it un ajjt sense in itself, is less suited

Chap. XIII.

HO SEA.
images,

7T

And now they continue to sin, And make for themselves molten

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.

n'vi
self,

to the connection,

occurs in
Ps. Ixxxix.

tVie
1
;

Bense oielevating one's

paiticularly used in poetry for the purpose of designating those of the mul-

Nah.

i.

5, or heiiuj exalted.
,

Hence

S4"*i;:

titude

to

2 in Vyan has the force of, a prince. in union loith, in the matter of, and marks the participation of the Ephraimites
is

belongs.

which the specified quaUty Instances are Isaiah xxLx. 19,

the

C-s
V. 5,
i.

'S'l'as,

those of
e.

men who
,

ri>3 to die, the service of Baah here to be taken in a civil or political

,

to lose one's influence, become ; It subject to misery, punishment, etc. forms an antithesis to ii'j3 , to he exalted.

sense

No

sooner did the Ephraimites forsake the true God and take up -with idols than he inflicted judgments upon them, by

which their power was weakened, and at "ex quo last became entirely extinct

peccavit, nulla

jam est

autoritate in pop-

ulo Dei." Qicolampadius. " Vita a^rumnosa et tristis pro morte censetur idcirco exules mortui dicuntxrr, et exilium sepulchri nomine notatm-, Ezcch. cap. 37."
;

Rivetus.
2. This verse sets forth their perseverance in idolatrous practices, notwithstandmg the chastisements with which they had been visited. Cts "ri.-t, the LXX. Vulg. Jarchi, Abenczra, Abarbanel, Tanchum, Calvin, Piscator, Leo Juda, and among the moderns, Schmid, J. II. Michaelis, Horsley, Hitzig, Stuck, and J. Fr. Schroder, render sacrifice, or sacrificers of men, on the principle, that the presentation of human sacrifices is meant.

Cts '^'DJ So such of men as are anointed. in the present case, n"S "'H-Ttt saq-ificers of men, i. e. those of, or among men that sacrifice, which is merely a periphrasis for priests. Although, therefore, it is a fact, that the ten tribes did sacrifice their children to Moloch, 2 Kings xvii. 17, it would be more than precarious to draw any such inference from the present passage, especially as the prophet mentions the calves, of whose worship human sacrifices, so far as we know, formed no part. T.p'i"' C^V:?., let them kiss the calves. It was customaiy for idolaters to give the kiss of adoration to the objects of This was sometimes done their worship. by merely touching the lips with the hand, to which reference is made Job Comp. Lucian irepi Opxricews xxxi. 27. i. p. 918, edit. Bened. Minutius FelLx, Apuleius Apol. p. 496. cap. 2, ad fin.

of men, i. e. poor; ]Micah the anointed of men,

poor

are

At

other times the idol itself

by the worshippers.

Comp.

was kissed Kings xLx.

This, however,

was

called in question

by
"32

Thus Cicero tells us, that at Agri18. gentum in Sicily there was a brazen image of the Tyrian Hercu-lcs whose mouth and chin were worn by the kisses
" non solum id venof his worshippers crari, verum etiam oscidari solebant."
Act. ii. in Verrem, lib. iv. cap. 43. Nothing is more common in the Russian churches than for the devotees to kiss the picture of the virgin, or of St. Nicholas. The construction of the words c ri C ~h yr,-^'< C"V:.r !:-s 'nz'f D"^'-n is somewhat' difficult. 'As usually divided they are interpreted thus they, i. e. the Ephraimites, say of them, the images, let the
:

Kimchi,
'r\yh
,

who

explains,

csar: tns
to sacrifice.

the

men who come

To

the same effect Mmrster, Piscator, Junius and Tremelius, Rivetus, Mercer, Glassius, Lively, Drusius, Bochart, our oa^ti and most of the authorized versions, LoN\-th,

Newcome, Boothroyd, Noyes, De Wette, Gesenius, ^laurer, and Ewald. The rule of syntax laid down by Gesenius respecting this mode of construction, Lehrgeb. p. 678, is, that when a genitive following an adjective is a noun of multitiide, or
of the plural number, such adjective
is

sacrificers kiss the calves

but

it is

better

to take C-iS "n^."" the sacrificers, as in

'8

HO SEA.

chaj?.

xm.

3 Therefore shall they be like the morning cloud, And liko the dew -which early departeth,

Like

chaft'

And
4

like

blown by a whirlwind from the smoke from the -window.

threshing-floor,

Yet I, Jehovah, have been thy, God from Thou knewest no God besides me Nor Avas there any Saviour besides me.
;

the land of Egypt,

5 I regarded thee in the -wilderness,

In the land of burning thirst. 6 As they were fed, so were they satiated

They were
7

satiated,

and their heart was

lifted

up

Therefore they forgat

I
S

me

So that I became to them as a lion, watched for them as a leopard by the way. I met them as a bear bereaved of her cubs,
and cxcgctical of Qi.

apposition -with
C"-i);s, they say,
sacriiice,

Arab.

e.

they, the

men

._f

'

ff

arsit, sitimt, siti,

arsit.

that

the calves.

say to the people, let them kiss "While the priests presented the sacrifices; they encouraged the Avorshippers to come forward and kiss the
objects of their adoration.
3. Comp. chap. vi. 4. ",-5, the threshing floor, being an open area, generally on an eminence, Avas pecnharly exposed to the Avind, Avhich earned off the chaff, on its being trodden out, or separated

Munster renders, '

tciTa

siti

ardente."

Comp. Dcut. A'iii. 15. 6. cr"yT^3, accordiiiy

iny,
i. c.

to their

feed-

(xxKTou, Avhich

from the grain. r;2"iit, Aq. a-Kh Kara^Jerome explains, " foramen
in
pariete fabricatum

enjoyment of the provision -wluch I made for them, feeding them with manna from heaven, and afterwards abundantly supplying their Avants. It is equivalent to, " as they Avere fed." For the rest of the verse comp. Dcut. xxxii. 13-15. 7, 8. 1 in "^nt^i is inferential, showing
in proportion to their

that Avhat follows Avas the result of Avhat

is

per quod fumas

on^, an orifice Theod. KaTTovZox'nv, a hole for the j)assaf/e It is verj' common in the of smoke.

cgreditur;"

Symm.

oTrfjy,

stated in the prtx-eduig verse. The context rcciuircs the verb to be taken in the past time. The images here employed
are of fre<iuent occurrence.

East

for the light to

smoke

to

make

its

passage or orifice of a speedy removal is that conveyed by all the images here employed. 4. Comp. chap. xii. 10. The long addition in the LXX. is totally unsup-

be admitted, and the escajjc by the same the AvaU. The idea

X. 16
iii.

Ps.

vii.
,

Is.

xxxviii. 13

Comp. Job Lam.

;

10.

ns;

the leopard, so called

from

liis

spots or streaks.
fiiit,

Arab.

'>

7nacul-

osns

macuUs punctisre respcrsus

See
Jer. xiii. 23,

fuit; pardtis.

'^kn'n
is

i"ri-i2-}:ri ";W5.

The

leopard

noted

most probably inserted in that version by some scholiast. 5. Here T?-^ / hneic, contrasts Avith
ported,

and

Avas

for his swiftness, ferocity,

and

especially

man. He lurks in the dense thicket of the Avood, and sjirings

his cruelty to
Avith gi-eat A'clocity

:-? in the preceding verse, only it is to be taken in the sense of hiotriny effectively, taliiny notice of, cariny for.

on

bis victim,

^^'ith

respect

to

the

bear,

Jerome remarks,
esse iirsa

Comp.
rsV bum,
,

" Aiimt, qui, de bestiannn seripserc naturls,

Amos

iii.

2.

riisVp,
s'tivit,

lit.

thirstiness,

inter

omnos

feras nihil

great thirst, extreme chouyht, from

sa^vius,

quum

perdidcrit catulos vel in-

Arab, t^j^

Comp.

zr^h

to

2- being of common dignerit cibis." gender, the participle V?Sa' i^ 1'^' "^ the

Chap. XIII.

H O

S E

A.

79

And

rent the caul of their heai-t

I devoured

them
!

there, as a honess

The wild
9

beast rent

them

in pieces,

Israel

Thou

hast destroyed thyself

10

Nevertheless in me truly is thine help. is thy king now ? That he may save thee in all thy cities

Where

thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give rae a king and princes, 111 gave thee a king in mine anger, And took him away in my wrath.

And

masculine, though the female bear is Comp. ciVaow iis^siis, Ps. meant.
cxliv. 14.
"liiD is the pericardium, or

membrane which
its

contains the heart in

and is thus fitly called its e7iclosure. For -irrs / watched, sixteen of De Rossi's MSS. and one in the margin, three ancient editions, and twentyfour others, the LXX. Sjt. Vulg. and Arab, read nvis, Assyria, which some prefer, on account of the number of lions, panthers, tigers, etc. with which the recavity,
,

The abound. would then read, as a leopard, in the way to Assyria; but the common reading is more in accordance with the
gions of southern Asia

text

the passage. '^rR'i, I take to be a noun with the suffix, thy desfruciion ! i. e. the despirit of

9.

struction
it

is

thine

own thou hast brought

;

denoting rebellion would be required to support such construction, it seems preferable to give to 'S the common adversative signification of yet, nevertheless, and to regard the a in TJi.Tva as the Beth Essentice, which renders the phrase much more emphatic than the pronoun, or the substantive verb would have done. It is equivalent to. In me is thy real help. Other sources may be applied to, and they may promise thee assistance but from me alone efficient aid is to be exSo pected, and in me it is to be found. our translators. See on Is. xxvi. 4. This exegesis is strongly supported, if not rendered absolutely necessary, by the pomted interrogations in the following The LXX. ris ^o-q^riaei ; turnverse. ing '3 into 'U, and omitting the second a altogether. Thiis also the Sjt.
;

It is, theresins. equivalent to " thou hast destroyed thyself," and cannot be better rendered. Thus the Vulg. Perditio tua, Israel.
fore,

upon thyself by thy

10, 11.

tathesis for

Tis is in all probability a men^s where f It is thus ren,

Dathe, Ipsiestis o IsraelitcB! exitii vestri causa. Some, however, as Kimchi, supply "^iVTitthe calf; others, ^JsVw, thy king, from the following verse; others, some other noun and take n fn/i to be
;

dered by the LXX. Sjt. Vulg. Targ. Abulwalid, Tanchum, Luther, Drusius, fiercer, Osiander, Rivetus, Castaho, and

by most
taken
;

modem

expositors.

It is also so

the third person singular of Piel". Comp. for the form B^^, Deut. xxxii. So ^2n
;

Lee, Winer, and and alone suits the connection. Fiirst Comp. in support of this mterpretation, the combination siS n^.i^ Jud. ix. 38 ;

by

Gesenius,

Jer. V.

13;
.

"i2'^,

Hos.

i.

ntjp

Jer.

xHv. 2 1

Newcome unwarrantably adopts

the rendering of the Syriac, " I have deMost of the modems stroyed thee." give a hostile sense to the a in the folagainst me, against loAving tJlTya ""a thy help ; but, "considering how frequently
,

xix 12. One of Kennicott's MSS. and perhaps another, one of De Rossi's in the margin, read n'.J* instead of -rrs though probably by corAnother of De Rossi's has a rection.

Job

xvii.

15

Is.

declarations of kindness are

with charges of

evil,

mixed up and that some verb

note in the mai-gin, stating that the word The i '^jv.-rir ^ is pleoso explained. nastic, except it be regarded as introduc-(-ns is so intimately ing the apodosis.
is

comiected with the past traiasactions im-

80
12

HO SEA.
The
guilt of

CaAT. XIIL

Ephraim

is

bound

up,

His punishment is laid up in store. 13 The pangs of a -svoman in labor shall come upon him He is an unwise son, Otherwise he "would not remain long In the place of the breaking forth of children. 14 I will deliver them from the power of Sheol I will redeem them from death
plied in

<?rtjri

P"is<, thousaidst, give

me, that, though future in form, it cannot vith anj- propriety be rendered otherwise tlian in the preterite. Some refer the circumstances liere mentioned to the
selection

so," etc. It may best be rendered into English by otherwise, else, or the like, riy, time, is here to be taken

were not

adverbially, in the sense oi for

long, etc.

a time,
-when
,

Winer,

aliqtiod temjnis, ali,

and removal of Saul

^^ith

but

it is

quamditt.

Comp. the Arab.

.^-,
-12

the specialty of the prophet's address to consider the king to be Jeroboam and liis successors in the

more

in keeping

used in opposition to
OS titcri.

r
3

the
Is.

and that the removal regards the frequent changes which took l)lace in the history of the Israelitish
regal dignity
;

Comp.

Kings xix.

"Without a national TraKtyyeyecria, no prosperity eoidd be exxxx\-i.

3, Ixvi. 9.

which proved a source of great calamity to the nation. See 2 Kings xv. 12. The metaphors are here borrowed from the custom of tj-ing up money in
kings,
bags,

It was for the IsraeUtcs by true repentance to accelerate and ensure their

pected.

deliverance fi'om tlircatened destruction,

and

their

enjoyment of a new period of

hapjDiness.

and depositing
it

it

in

some

secret

I)eace

and

might be preserved. The certainty of punishment is the idea conveyed by them. Comp. for the former, Job xiv. 17; and for the latter Deut. xxxii. 34, Job xxi. 19. 1 3. ^\jiother instance of two metaphors closely connected, the transition from the one to the other of which is, in the manner of the Orientals, rapid and imcxpccted.
place, in order that

14.

The ideas of Sheol and Death were

naturally suggested by the perilous circumstances described in the preceding verse. Extinction as a people is there ap-

See Dathe's very judicious note. It is not unusual in Scripture to compare the
calamities of a people to the soitows of childbirth. In addition to this the dan-

prehended. Here it is viewed as ha\-ing already taken place and a gracious jromise is given of the restoration of the Israelites, and the complete destruction of the enemies by whom thev had been car:' ,from the hand, ried into captivity.
;

a common Hebraism for from the power. r~3 properly signifies to redeem, or bug
loose,

by the paj-mcnt of a price

Vija

ger and folly of Eplnaini in protracting repentance, in the midst of tlie afflictive

circumstances in which he w:is placed, is fitly compared to the extremely critical condition of a child on the point of being
born, but, owing to the want of strength on the part of the mother, or other causes, is detained in its passage from the womb.

avenge the miu-der of a relative, and also to recover or redeem property by repayment. Both verbs, however, are used
to

in

more extended

signification,

and

especially in reference to the deliverance

of the Hebrews from Eg}-pt, and from the captivity in Babylon. ThatV-N'i, Sheol, and r">t , Death, arc lierc to be

The LXX.

oi/Toj 6 vi6s <tov 6 <pp6:/tfj.os

has

doubtless originally Ix-cn oEtoj 6 vl6i ov "3 introduces the contrary of ippSft/jiOi. the preceding proposition, and is used
oUiptically for the sentence,
'

For

if it

taken in a figurative sense, witli application to the state of the Israelites in the AssjT-ian and Babylonish captivity, dc])rived as they were of all political cxLstence, and subject to the most grievous

Chap.

Xm.
is
is

HOSEA.
thy destruction,
thine excision,
is

81

Where Where

Death

Sheol?

Repentance

hid Irom mine eyes.

Root atap Arab. _ x
,

calamities, the exigency of the passage

f/-)

to cut, cut off,

imperatively demands.
19. Respecting ins from being agreed.

Comp,

Is.

xxvi.
destroy.

interpreters are far

That

-i2n is the genuine read,

Symm.

the Vulg.

ing,

Coverdale, Drusius, Tingstadius, Horsley,

Dathe, Kuinoel,
it to

De

enmiiller, Hesselberg,

Wette, Noyes, Rosand Maurer, take

and that T^-in a goad, which some would substitute for it, in order to make the Hebrew correspond to KtvTpov, is to

be the first person future of the substantive verb n"n to be; whereas the
,

be rejected, may very conclusively be gathered from the similar occurrence of the words n;;n and 2Up together, Ps.

LXX.
Cor.

Aq. the" fifth

5.5,)

edition,

(Paul,

XV.

Syr.

Arab.

Abuhvalid,

Tanchum, Jiuiius and Tremellius, Mercer, ^ewcome, Boothroyd, Ewald, and

Hitzig, consider
1 0, for
it

to be used as in ver.

"With the latter on the groimd that it is not likely the prophet woidd employ the same word in the same form in two different acceptations in verses 10 and 14 ; and partly because I find ttS
TTou,

n"s

cohere ?

authorities I concur, partly

nowhere used absolutely as an apocopated future but always with the Vau con;

versive prefixed.

See for the

full

form

n'ns, chap.

xiv. 6.

To which

add, that

the interrogation is more in keeping with the animated style of the passage. Infh>/ destrucstead of the plural "TJ'^an
,

one hundred and twenty-two ^ISS. originally five more, now two, and four of the early editions read ^^^a", thy destruction in the singidar. lan, Arab.
tio7is,

t^
;

death ; specially the plague, pesti-

the awful destruction of human by it. Hence the LXX. mostly render it bavaros here Siktj, but in all probability originally viki), for which Paul reads vikos, only transposing vUos
lence
life

effected

by which latter term the render nup, excision, cutting off, destruction. The cause of this transpoand
KevTpov,

LXX.

sition is obvious.

The

apostle

had

just

quoted the passage in Isaiah, agreeably

to the version of Theodotion, in

which

Comp. Deut. xxxii. 24. The import of this animated ajwstrophe, as used both by Jehovah in the prophet, and by the apostle, is, "Where are now the effects of the destructive influence which you have exerted ? Your victims are recovered from your dominion they are alive again, and shall no more be subject to your power. The speakers place themselves as it were in the period after the resurrection : the former in that after the the other in restoration from Babylon that after the literal restoration of the dead to life at the last day. Both look back, and triumphantly exult over the "With respect to the approconquerors. priation of the words by the apostle in reference to the doctrine of the final resurrection, it appears to be made, not in the way of proof, but merely to give expression, in the trimnphant language of the prophet, to the animated feelings which had taken possession of his breast. His direct quotation in the way of argument is made from Is. xxv. 8, and consists of the words KareirS^ 6 bdvaros els It would, therefore, be improper j/iKos. to identify the subject of which he treats with that treated of by our prophet. "Neque cnim ex professo semper locos adducunt apostoli, qui toto contextu ad institutum quod tractant pertineant : sed interdum alludunt ad unum verbum duntaxat, aliquando aptant locum ad sententiam per similitudinem, aliquando
xci. 6.
: ;

yUos occurs, whereby he was reminded of the same words as occurring in Hosea, and, under the influence of strong emotion, he commences his quotation with v'lKOi prominently in his mind. Olshausen tliinks t/Uos is a later form for i/Ikt).

Atqui satis conabhibent testimonia. stat, Paulum illo 15 cap. 1 ad Corinth non citasse prophetse testimoniam ad con-

firmandum iUam doctrinam de qua

serit."

dis-

Calvin

foe.

See also Horsley'a

critical note.

Cf'^i

L^X

irapdK\r]ais,

11

82
15

HO SEA.
Tliough he be fruitful among his brethren, Yet an east wind, a wind of Jehovah, Shall come up from the desert, And dry up his fountain And his spring shall become dry

Chap.

XUL

He

shall spoil the treasure

of

all

pleasant vessels.

IG Samaria shall be punished, Because she hath i-ebelled against her

God:

They

shall fall

by the sword

Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women shall be ripped up.
genitive of cause, a -ind caused, sent by or proceeding from Jehovah not " a great
;

SjT.

j3

..o^

>

ulg. consolatio

but re-

peniancc better suits the connection. It expresses the immutability of the divine purjwse, which had the deUvcrance of Comp. Rom. his people for its object. Ilorsley strangely refers the rexi. 29.

wind," as some interpret. The Assjlian army is meant, ro/i"' s^n, He, i. e. the AssjTian, couched under the metaphor of the destructive wind, shall plimdcr ever)' valuable article belonging to the Israelites.
16. [Chap. jiiv. 1.] This verse begins the following chapter in the HebrcAV Bible, but it more intimately coheres with the preceding context. nsN? LXX.
.

pentance to man, and not to God. 15. This and the following verse set forth the devastation and destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes, which was to precede the deliverance promised in that which precedes. "WTiile the promise was designed to afford consolation to the

dc^oj/Kn^Tjo-erai,

Vulg. pereat.

Tlie

word

signifies to be guilty

and encouragement to the penitent, the threatening was equally neccssarj' for the refractorj' and profane. Nin, he, refers to Ephraim, ver. 12. nie;^ an
pious,
oira|

of crime, and to be treated as guilty, to suffer punishment, be punished. Samaria as the metropolis,

\iy. but obviously equivalent to

Hiphil of , to be fruitful. It is here used with special reference to the name of Q '^iBS, beuig the root whence
ri-'B^. the
it is

ms

and the source of all the calamities which were coming upon the Israelites, is put but as representing the whole nation
;

not to the exclusion of the peculiarly severe pimishment which the inhabitants
of that city had to expect. r:~tt , some render to embitter, provoke bitterly ; but

derived,

and not improbably exhibits

,

n because it forms the first the noun. The tribe of Ephraim was the most numerous in regard to population, and was for a time in the
instead of
letter of

most fiourishing circumstances. That such is the signification of the verb, and
that
separate, as in the ancient

not to be rendered divide or and several of the modem versions, nor act like a wild ass, wliich others exhibit, appears from the mention of a spring and a fountain, wliich naturally suggests the idea of a tree, the roots of which are plentifully
it
is

any more properly conveyed by the verb. Thus the LXX. inn-ea-T-q The addition of irphs rhv S>ihv avrtis. the affix in n"nVt<, "her God," gives great emphasis in such connection. Comp.
rebelling, resisting, striking against

one, are the ideas

chap. xii. 10, xiii. 4. The aggravations of sin arc increased by the relations susFor the concludtained by the sinner. ing portion of the verse, comp. 2 Kings That such viii. 12, XV. 16; Amosi. 13. cruelties were not unknown among other
nations, sec Iliad vi. 58
^rj5'
;

Bupphcd by their water. For D'np sec on chap, xii, 2, and Is. xxvii. 8. n^-i nin-, like B"" -5 ^'J' ^'^^' ^* ^^ ^ ^^<^
,

Zmiva. ycurrtpt H'frrvp

fir]S'

Kovpof

i6yTa, <p(pot,

bs

<f>vyoi-

',

Chap. XIV.
and Horace, Carm.
iv.

HO SEA.
Ode
6.

83

The con-

struction 5|^a'' 'i"rv''nn

is

ad sensum,

grammar, and may have been occasioned by the form of sotan^ immediately preceding.

though not according to the strict rule of

CHAPTER XIY.
This chapter contains an urgent call to repentance, the supplication and confession expressive of which are put in a set form of words into the mouths of the penitents, 13. To encourage them thus to return to God, he makes the most gracious promises to them, 4 7; their entire abandonment of idolatry is then predicted, and the divine condescension and goodness are announced, 8; and the whole concludes with a solemn declaration, on the part of the prophet, respecting the opposite consequences that would result from attention or inattention to his message.

Return, O Israel to Jehovah thy God For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and return to Jehovah Say to him,
!

Forgive

all

iniquity,

and graciously receive

us,
lips.

Then we
1, 2.

will

render to thee the calves of our

te^nS
,

The

rr

of direction in the im-

calves or bullocks, used here

met-

ruaiB is, as usual, intensive, marking a strong desire on the part of the speaker that the action expressed by the verb might take place. For the emphasis attaching to the affix in ':;"'nVN,
perative

The word occurring in the absolute form, some render ns^rE'ttJ C-iB, bullocks our lips, as if the two nouns were in apposiaphorically for victims, sacrifices.

"thy

GoA"

see

on chap.

xii.

16.

srs

"}i5 is a phrase of such frequent occurrence with the meaning to pardon miq-

but there are instances of nouns thus put, which cannot be explained otherwise than in the construct, as to sense. Thus Dent, xxxiii. 11, fSMtt
tion
;

uity, that

it

is

surprising
its

how

Horsley
'

could

insist

upon

meaning

to

away the sinful

principle within us

take the

carnal heart of the old

,

Adam."

His

construction of aita nj? " accept as good, what, so regenerate, we shall be enabled
to perform," though soimd divinity,
is

V5ap , the loins of those who oppose him Jud. V. 13, t)3> Qin/ntj, the princes of the people; Prov. xxii. 21, ri52N C'lttg words of truth. Gesenius supposes the governing noun to be mentally repeated, and that the full form would be Q''"iS, aS'ifiS'ir; "'la, bullocks, the bullocks of our
lips.

equally indefensible on the groimd of

used adverbially, benigne, in bonam partem ; and the meaning is, graciously receive us back into thy
philology,
aita is

Such construction in fiill he adduces in the instance Exod. xxxviii. 21, rmnyn n^'in "3T0^n, the tabernacle, the

favor.

With

respect to the interposition

j'ly,

of the verb srin, between Vb and may be observed, that it is not a tary instance of such construction.
it

soli-

See
10.

on

Is.

xix. 8,

and comp. Job xt.

tabernacle of testimony. Some would change C^i 3 into n-i t,, fruit, on the groimd of the reading foimd in the LXX. kv-rairoSw/j-eu Kapirhv x^'^*'<"' vi^<'>Vy which is followed by the Syr. and Arab, and is supposed to have been borrowed by the apostle,

8^
Assyria shall not save
iis;

HO SEA.
will

Chap. XIV.

"We

not ride upon horses

will

Xeither

we

say any more, "

destitute
is

Our gods,"

To

the

work of our hands

pitied.

For by thee the

I will love

I will heal their apostasy;

them

freely

For

anger is turned away from them. I will be as the dew to Israel

15.

my

Ileb. xiii.

There

is,

variety in the ilebrew ;MSS.

however, no while the

;

all the other authorities supThe LXX. the textual reading. have committed a similar mistake in rendering r;"7.s,Aer bullocks, toIs Kupwols The conaiiTTis, her fruits, Jcr. 1. 27. jecture of Pococke, that they used Kapirhs in the sense of KoipTrwfia, which they
jx)rt

Targum and

which the Ishad been, while in a state of separation from the Lord. 4. cnas'ca is not, with Horsley, to
destitute circumstances in

raeUtes

be rendered "their, conversion," but their apostasy. See on chap. xi. 7. r;2~:, lit. spontaneo^isness, willingness, is used
adverbially for loilUnghj, liberally, freely.
It
is

derived from 2":, Arab. (,_)Jo

iinptilit,

employ

to

express sacrifice,
probable.

oblation,

instiijavit,

ad aliquid

aijilis

in

etc., is less

See the important

note of Horsley.
is,

The propliet's meaning

in grateful return for

conficienda re promptusque y\x; gcnero-

We will render,

thy forgiving and restoring mercy, the our tribute only sacrifices worthy of it For such of thanksgiving and praise. use of C*'r to requite, reiider back, comp.

expressive of the free, im-^ abundant love of God towards repentant sinners. 5 :^;ia " from
sxis ;
is

and

merited,

and

him,"
ver.
2,

i.

e.

Israel, the

collective

noun,

resolved

by the Syr. Lat. and

Ivi. 12, '^V r".n:r nV's?^' I loHl render thanks unto thee : so that the construction proposed by some, "we will offer the sacrifices which our lips have

Ps.

other translators into a plural. 5, 6. The love of God to his people,

in their happy experience, here couched in similes borrowed from the vegetable kingdom. The dew is very copious in the East, and, by its
its effects

and
are

vowed," cannot be regarded as unexceptionable, e\'en if it were in keeping -with

the spirit of the passage. The only parallels fullv corresjwnding to it are Ps. li. 15-17, Ixix. 31, 32.

refreshing
plies

Three of the sins to which the ten were specially prone are here implied: dependence ujxin the aid of the
3.

trilxs

and quickening virtue, supthe place of more frequent rains in other countries. Kimchi thinks that the constancy with which the dew falls is the point here more specially referred to, and to which the divuie blessing is comT.yp TO,
lilies,

pared.

abound in Palestine,

Assyrians application to EgA-pt for horses in direct \'iolation of the divine command, Deut. xvii. 16; Is. xxxi. 1; and idolatry. These they now forever renounce, and avow their determination henceforth
;

even apart from cultivation. There are two kinds the common lily, which is perfectly white, consisting of six leaves, opening like bells ; and what the SjTians
;

to trust in Jehovah aloi e; adding as the reason of such determination, the expe-

call
I

^V^w

A.

^
is

A.

the royal

lily,

the stem of which

about the size of a

rience which they had had of the divine favor in time of need, nrs is here used in a causal sense, because for, forastmich
as.
9.

linger in thickness,

and which grows to

the height of three and four feet, spreading its flowers in the most bcautiftil and

Comp. Gen. xxxi. 29

C^r;^
,

orphan

is

Eccles. iv. applied in this place

;

engaging manner.

Comp. Matt.
is

vi.

20.

To

these prodnctimis the moral bcaxity

metaphorically to the luiprotected and

of regenerated Israel

very aptly com-

Chap. XIV.

HO SEA.

85

He shall blossom as the lily, And strike his roots like Lebanon.
6 His suckers, shall spread forth,

And his beauty shall And his fragrance as

7

be as the olive Lebanon.

tree,

They

that dwell under his shade shall revive as the corn,

And
8

shoot forth as the vine

Their fame shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim

shall say,

What
pared.

have I any more to do with idols ?

see

For Lebanon,

on

Is.

x. 34.

tively,

The mountain
for the trees

stands here by

metonymy
it,

'i^sa

''3j'>,

but best rendered in the pluraL the construct with the pre,

which grow upon

such as

the celebrated cedars, whose roots striking far in depth and length into the groimd, give them a firmness which no storms can
shake.

The

ideas of strength

and

sta-

in "Din Ps. ii. 12. Modconcur in their high commendations of the excellence of the wines of Lebanon. Von Trod, in particular, says, " On this mountain are very valuposition, as in

em

travellers

bility are those

conveyed by the

simile,

able vineyards, in
lent

which th^most
;

excel-

whether
or,

we

refer the roots to the trees,

metaphorically, to the mountain itbut the amplification in the following verse renders the former the preferself;

able construction.
action,

"Ti^rj is often

used, not

such as I have never dnmk in any coimtry, though in the com-se of fourteen years I have travelled through many, and tasted many good wines."
is

wine

produced

merely of continued, but of increased

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 accoimt of the number of
to

and here denotes

8. Several interpreters take D'^nss 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

thus As for Ephraim the tribe distinguished above all the rest for its addictedness to idolatry, and the fit representative of the whole people his
"ittN^
:

language in fiitmre shall be, etc. For 'V, to me, the LXX. read i^ to him, which
,

odoriferous trees
it

and plants with which

facilitates

the construction, and

is

adopted

abounds. In these verses, the rendering _/-awAwcew5e, which Newcome prefers to Lebanon, is not to be admitted. The
stability, extension, glory,

by Ewald, but without

ity,
''as, /, is

sufficient author-

not without emphasis in

in

this

comiection,

which mention

is

and

loveliness

of the church of
forth.

God

are forcibly set

7. The Israelites are represented as again enjoying the protection of the Most High, and affording the most convincing proofs of prosperity, anw is used as auxiliary to n-;; n both verbs, in such connection, signifying nothing more than revive, thrive again, or the like. The pronominal affix in i^u , his shade, refers to Je;

view with regard and care, care for, watch over. Every provision should henceforth be made for the protection and prosperity of restored Israel, 'ri-ia, the cypress,
i;i'b

made of idols.

signifies to

with all its tall and fair ever-green appearance, not being a fruit-bearing tree,
it is

added with singular

effect,

that in

this respect there existed a difference be-

tween the

hovah but in SnSt , his celebrity, fanie, to Israel, understood, as before, collec;

object and the subject of the metaphor. The children of Israel should not only enjoy protection and refreshment as the result of the divine favor, but rich

8:
I

HOSE A.
I

Chap. XIV.

have answered liim, and will regard liim; am like a green cypress ; From me thy fruit is found. ^ "Who is wise, that he may understand these things 9 ^Prudent, that he may know them ?

For the ways of Jehovah are right The righteous shall walk in them; But the rebellious shall stumble in them.
supplies of spiritual provision for their support. Such supplies were to be found

his recorded prophecies.

God alone. Manger thinks there is here a dialogistic parallelism, -which he exhibits thus :
in

Ephk.vim. "What have I further to do with idok ? God. I have answered liim, and will regard him. Ephraim. I am like a green cjTpress. God. From me is thy fruit found. 9. These words form an epilogue or conclusion to the whole book. The interrogation is emiiloycd for the purpose of excitement and to give energy to the It is worthy of remark truths conveyed. that this is the only verse in which the prophet uses C^fjn::, the righteous, or

any synonymous term, in the course of So awfully depraved were the times in which he lived, that the verj' character had dLappeared. The contrasted characters and states of the godly aiad the wicked are pointed and
affecting.
'rjVn
,

to icalk, signifies

go forward prosperously ; V^r,

so as to fall to one's injury
'*

to

here to stumble

and utter ruin.

anfractu et liberam ab

onmi

Hanc

Justus teret, hoe semper se in calle

tenebit,

Felicique gradu

ad requiem contendat

amicam.

At

defectores videas impingere in iiafactis

dem, Exitiumque sibi

Eittershusius.

properare scelestis."

JOEL.
PREFACE.

We
title

possess

of his book, or
it.

no further knowledge of Joel than what is furnished by the may be gathered from circumstances incidentally menlived in Judah, and, in all probability, at Jerusalem,

tioned in

That he

we

may

infer from his not

;

making

the most distant reference to the

kingdom of

Israel

while,

ceremonies,
eyes.

etc.

on the other hand, he speaks of Jerusalem, the temple, priests, with a familiarity which proves them to have been before his

With respect to the age in which he flourished, opinions have differed. Bauer places him in the reign of Jehoshaphat Credner, Winer, Krahmer, and Ewald, think he lived in that of Joash Vitringa, Carpzov, Moldenhauer,
; ;

Eichhorn, Holzhausen, Theiner, Rosenmiiller, Knobel, Hengstenberg, Gesen-

and De Wette, in that of Uzziah Steudel and Bertholdt in that of HezTarnovius and Eckermann assign the period of his activity to the days of Josiah while the author of Sedar 01am, Jarchi, Drusius, Newcome, and Jahn, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reign of Manasseh. The most probable hypothesis is, that his predictions were delivered in the early days 865. No reference being of Joash that is, according to Credner, b. c. 870 made to the Babylonian, the Assyrian, or even the Syrian invasion, and the only enemies of whom mention is made being the Phoenicians, Philistines, Edomites, and Egyptians, it seems evident that Joel was unacquainted with any but the latter. Had he lived after the death of Joash, he could scarcely have omitted to notice the Syrians when speaking of hostile powers,
ius,
;

ekiah

since they not only invaded the land, but took Jerusalem, destroyed the
princes,

and carried away immense

spoil to

Damascus,

Chron. xxiv. 23, 24.

is

The

state of religious affairs as presented to

view in the book

altogether in
;

favor of this position.

No

mention

is

made of

idolatrous practices

while,

oa

the contrary, notwithstanding the guilt which attached to the Jews, on account

of which Jehovah brought judgments upon the land, the principles of the
theocracy are supposed to be maintained
Jerusalem, the temple and
this
;

the priests

and people are repre;

sented as being harmoniously occupied with the services of religion

its

end

worship, appear in a flourishing condition.

Now

was precisely the state of things during the high-priesthood of Jehoiada, through whose influence Joash had been placed upon the throne. See 2 Kings 2 Chron. xxiv. 4-14. xi. 17,18, xii. 2-16 It will follow that Joel is the oldest
;

predictions have come down to us. The delivery of his prophecy was occasioned by the devastations produced by successive swarms of locusts, and by an excessive drought which pervaded

of

all

the

Hebrew prophets whose

the country,

and threatened the inhabitants with

utter destruction.

This

88

PREFACE TO JOEL.

calamity, however, was merely s}Tnbolical of another,

scourge

the invasion of the land by foreign

and a more dreadful

enemies, on which the prophet

expatiates in the second chapter.

In onler that such calamity might be re-

moved, he is commissioned to order an universal fast, and call all to repentance and humiliation before God; to announce as consequent upon such
repentance and humiliation, a period of great temporal prosperity the effusion of the Holy Spirit at a future period of the history of
to
; ;

to predict

his

people

denounce judgments against their enemies and to foretell their restoration from the final dispersion. In point of style Joel stands preeminent among the Hebrew prophets. lie
not only possesses a singular degree of purity, but is distinguished by his smoothness and fluency the animated and rapid character of his rliythmus
;

and the degree of roundness which he gives to his sentences. He has no abrupt transitions, is everywhere connected, and finishes whatever he takes up. In description he is graphic and perspicuous in arrangement lucid in imagery original, copious, and varied.
the perfect regularity of his parallelisms
;

In the judgment of Knobel, he most resembles Amos in regularity, Nahum in animation, and in both respects Habakkuk but is surpassed by none of them.
;

That what we now possess is all he ever wrote, is in the highest degree improbable on the contrary, we should conclude from the cultivated character of his language, that he had been accustomed to composition long before he penned these discourses. Whatever degree of obscurity attaches to his book, is attributable to our ignorance of the subjects of which it treats, not to the language which he employs.
:

CHAPTER

I.

After summoning attention to the unexampled plague of locusts with -which the country had been visited, 2 4, the prophet excites to repentance by a description of these insects, 5 7, and of the damage which they had done to the fields and trees, 8 12; calls the priests to institute a solemn season for fasting and prayer, 13, 14; and bewails, by anticipation, a more awful visitation from Jehovah, 15, while he further describes the tremendous elTecta

of the calamity under which the country was

suffering, 16

20.

The 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 And

let

your children

tell

their children,

their children another generation.

contain an animated the following subject. nxT, properly this, the feminine according to the Hebrew idiom being used for the neuter, -but it occurs here elliptically
2, 3. ITiese verses

1- '? f^'rj ">?55 '^I'T! "^^I t^ usual introductory formula employed to express the communication of divine revelations to the prophets, or the divinely inspired

introduction

to

matter which they were commissioned to teach. Comp. Hos. i. 1 ^lic. i. 1 Zeph. The name Vyi"^, Joel, i. 1; Mai. i. 1.
; ;

for l^NTS

lih,e

this, such,

the like,

and

refers to the

Jerome interprets

a.pxi(J-ivos,

id est incipVs*"'
,

iens, referring it to the verb

signifies to begin;

which

but that he was not

ignorant of another derivation is evident from his commentarj% in which, after

giving incipieiis, he adds, vel est Dens.

astomiding calamity of the yiya and locusts about to be described, TTsn frequently occur as parallel initiSee Gen. iv. atives in Hebrew poetrj'. 23 ; Deut. xxxii. 1 Is. i. 2. For the latter verb, s'^rpn is sometimes used.
;

See

Is. xxviii.

23; Mic.

i.

2.

D'ifr.T ^^

however, beyond all doubt compounded of n'm^ , in one of its more conIt
is,

here to be understood, not in the official sense of elders, but in that of aged men,

Jtttacted fonns,

hovah

is

God.

and Vs and signifies, Je"Who Vs"rs, LXX.

,

the father of our Bo/^ourjA., Pethuel, prophet was, we are not informed. The introduction of his name was necessary in order to distmguish the present Joel from others of the same name, and cannot be admitted in proof of his having been a prophet or some person of eminence. It was common among the Hebrews, as it still is among the Orientals, to add the name of the father to that of the son.

Those who as the connection show's. were most advanced in years, and might be expected to have their memories stored with ancient occurrences, are appealed to
for a

parallel

to the case refened to.

Comp. Deut.
H'iZiS is

xxxii.

Job. xxxii. 7.

often used in the sense of ances-

'tors, forefathers.

V^ in m'V.^i ^^^ rST, plague of locusts. C":3 "22, children's children, is not unfrequent, but the language here employed by Joel is ctunulative beyond example. " Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur

refers to the

12

90
4 That
Avliich

JOEL.
the gnawing locust hath
locust hath devoured
:

CaiP.
left,

The swarming

And

that which the

swarmmg
iii.

locust hath left,

See also CEdmann's Termischte Sammlungen, and Credner's Joel. The first name, CTJ, occurs only here and Amos iv. 9, and is rendered by the LXX. and by the Vulg. enica, caterKafiiri]
Joel.
;

ab mis."

^neid

98.

Kol iroISes iralSwy, rol Kev fifT6irt(T^e Jliudf XX. 308. ytpwyrai*
4. llie jjlague, -which occasioned the following discourses of the prophet, is

now

described in terse, though repetitious This verse may be considered as terms.

3)iUar.

This interpretation

is

supported

the text on wliich he afterwards expatiates.

by the Targ. ^Vni., the crmclimj insect, by which, however, may be meant the
locust in its wingless state.

Interpreters have found great

diffi-

The

Sjt.

culty both in dctcrmming tlie precise signification of the several terms employed to describe the scourge, and the hght in Nvhich it was designed to be understood.
"WTiile

renders the

word by LJ>^ aV/i

It
is

locusta

non

alata.

evidently derived from

-

the same root with the Arab. ^

ecuit,

~^ res-

some

are of opinion that different

kinds of insects

are meant,

most are

ampiUavit
*

j^\

^^

seca7ts ;

th

agreed in considermg locusts to be intended. Yet here again discordant views

some insisting on different species of locusts, and others on different states Credner, for inof the same species. stance, in a work on our prophet, fiill of erudition, considers Dra to be the migratorj' locust rsis the yovmg brood; pi^_ the young locust in the last state of transformation and V'Cn the perfect locust.
obtain
: ;
;

H^^
;

excidit, abscidit; Syr. Sol^j,

incidit

Talmud. CTJ, amputavit ; and

expresses the kna^^ing or cuttuig action

of the sharp teeth of the locusts on the

leaves,

and even the bark of

lib.
ii.

trees.

Plin. Nat. Hist.

cap.

29
is

Comp. omnia

vero morsu erodentes.

eric

r:2is

the gen-

The locust belongs to the genus of insects known among entomologists by the name
of
grylli,

of the locust, so called from the ahnost incredible niunbers which breed
in different parts of the East
;

name

being de-

which includes the

different

rived from
etc.

r;m

to multiply, he

mcmerous,

species,

from the

common

grasshopper to

Comp.

Jcr. xlvi. 23, na-istt

locusts.
it is

The the devouring locust of the East. largest of the latter is about three inches
in length

'21,

more tiumerous than the its migrating in swarms

From
by

called

has two antenna;, or horns, about an inch long, and two wings, which, -^-ith their cases, are applied obliquely to the sides of the body when in repose. The feet have only three joints, but are six in number. The two hind ones are much larger than the rest, and are formed for leaping. The locusts are of different colors, broAvn, gray and spotted. In all stages, from the la^^'ae to the perfect insect, the locusts are herbivorous, and do immense injury to vegetation.
;

Forskal gryllus gregaritis, and by Linnajus, gryllus migratoritis. By the LXX. the word is rendered seventeen times

by

iiKpis,

the

common
;

lociist ;

thrice

Ppovxos,

the

umciuged

locust,

by which

browses on the grass once by ipvaifi-q, mildew ; and once by arriKafios, the yoitng or small locust. Tliat r!2"iN is generic, appears firom Lev. xi. 22, where

we read,
ing to
its

^,i^K,h

na^isn the
,

locust accord-

species.
>

The

third
,

name,

p^7.,

The subject so far as

it

occurs in Scripture,

from pV, equivalent to ppV

to lick, des-

xaay be said to have lM?en almost exhausted by the learned Bochart, in his Ilicrozoicon, Pars Post. Lib. iv. cap. i. \\n. The fourth chapter he specially devotes to the explanation of the passages in

ignates the locust as licking off the leaves,

is green on the trees, grass, This derivation is preferable to that proposed by Michaelis, who refers the word

and whatever

etc.

to the Arab,

taj^

propcravit, volubilia

Chap. I.

JOEL.
left,

91

The

licking locust hath devoured

And

that which the licking locust hath

locust hath devoured.

The consuming
fuit, or
I

sjtj

alhus fuit,

and thinks

that the chafer is meant. In Nah. iii. 16, it is represented as winged, and in Jer. li. 27, it is described as nno rough,
,

the several names in terms expressive of The the qualities suggested by each. passage might otherwise be rendered with

Noyes

bristly,

terrific.

LXX.

fipovxos

four

times; oKpJy thrice. V"* on, the remaining term comes from Von , to coiisume, LXX. Ppovxos, or ^povKos. devour.

Vulg. rubigo, mildew.

Syr.
j

50.9.

" That which one swarm of locusts left, a second swarm hath eaten And that which the second left, a third swarm hath eaten And that which the third left, a fourth swarm hath eaten."
;

which

Risius, the Archbishop of

Damas-

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 It is also noted for the trees mitouched.
noise

which

it

makes

at night.

A com-

parison of the different passages in which these names occur, renders it more than

a question of greater importance Joel in the first and second chapters to be understood literally of these insects, or figuratively of enemies that were to invade and lay waste the Holy Land ? The latter is the more ancient opinion. It is that of the Targum, the Jews whom Jerome conIt
is

Are the statements of

sulted,

and Abarbanel and

; :

is,

with vari-

probable that they are here employed by the prophet, not with any reference to the species into which the locusts may be
scientifically

divided, but to

designate

four successive swarms, according to certain destructive quahties, by which, as a genus of insects, they are distinguished,

and thereby
Just
as

to heighten the terror

which
terms

his description

was intended
accumulates

to produce.

Job

the

rr^ns, htvi, tryt'D, t;-^

and K"'aV,

They

chap. iv. 10, 11, with a similar view. are rather poetical synonymes, than distinctive of different species. At all
events, that locusts are meant,
inferred

may

be

from the facts, that wherever p^^ occurs, with the exception of a single passage, it occurs along with nans and that nans, which Moses uses in describing one of the plagues of Egj-pt, Exod. X. 10-20, is not only employed by the
;

Psalmist, Ixxviii. 46, cv. 34, but also V"On and pV.r. as synonymous terms, for the sake of variety. Add to which that
is

the verb Von from which ^^q n is derived, employed to express the action of the na*is, Deut. xxviii. 38 , nansn nsVoi-i;^,

ous modifications, adopted by the following christian interpreters Jerome, Ephraim Syrus, Theodoret, Cj-ril of Alexandria, Hugo de St. Vincent, Ribera, Sanchez, a Lapide, Luther, Grotius, Markius, Bertholdt, Theiner, Steudcl, and Hengstenberg. On the other hand, Abenezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, Lyranus, Vatablus, Joh. Schmidius, Jahn, Eichhom, Rosenmiiller, von Coelln, Justi, Credner, and Hitzig, maintain that the language is to be imderstood hterally of locusts. This interpretation has certainly much in its favor, and if it could without violence be applied throughout, might fairly be adopted. But the announcement of a second and more awful judgment, chap. i. 15, ii. 1, 2 the distinct recognition of a foreign rule, ii. 17 and the assignment of the North as the native countrj' of the enemy, ii. 20 present insuperable obstacles to its There adoption. See on these verses. seems no possibihty of effecting a consistent interpretation on any other principle than that laid down and defended by Cramer, Eckermann, and Holzhausen,
; ; ;

"the

locust shall consiune it."

translation I

In the have given the meaning of

: that in the first chapter, Joel describes a devastation of the coimtry which had been effected by natural locusts but

viz

predicts in the second

its

devastation

by

:!

92
5

JOEL.

Chap.

Awake, ye drnnkarcls! find weep; Howl, all ye drinkers of wine

Oa

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.
poKtical enemies, in highly- wrought metaphorical language, borrowed from the

such they are kno'wn to be very destruc-

scene which he had just depicted. 5. VT-^. *^^ Iliph. of y?,p, is here

Comp. Theocrit. Idyll. 5, 108, in which a shepherd beseeches them not to

tive.

injure his vines

'AKpiSes,
ufiSy,
&.S

the cognate root y]l^. Gen. ix. 24, in the sense of awaking from a sleep Since, however, the occasioned by wine. persons addressed had been deprived of
iised, like

rhy (Ppayfibf

inrcpTrfSrJTf

rhy

M17 /xev Kw^dcrfff^e ras a/xTrtKas' cVri yap

aPai.

the means of intoxication, the prophet rather to be imderstood as borrowing the term from the state in which they had too often been found, c "^"i , 3 'i being parallel -ith ~p^ Tvi , drinkers of wine, does not here mean persons actually intoxicated, but such as were in the habit of using intoxicating hquors, and by imphcation, to excess. Thus ICimchi y^'2. -i-rrr'? fVi-in ^Tif. ye who are accustomed to make yotirselves drtoik with wine. It is derived from "^srs , to drink
is
,

nnS

here, as

properly signifies to cut, cut off, but wine is the subject spoken of, it
in the sense of destroying,

must be taken
6.
*"ii
,

or causing to cease,

nation, especially used of for-

and profane nations, and here selected on purpose to express the number and hostility of the locusts, and at the same time to prepare the minds of the ^Jews for the allegorical use made of If it had not these insects in chap. ii. been for some such end, the prophet might
eign, barbarous

to the full.

Arab. JCvw

implevit, vas,
,

ebrius fuit.

Hence nsw

stronrj,

or inor,

toxicating drink, whether

wine

itself,

more commonly, hquor resembling wine, which Ls distilled from barley, honey, or dates, and sometimes mingled with spices. By CCS is meant the fresh wine, or juice of the grape, or other fruit, which has just been pressed out, and is remarkable for its sweet flavor, and its freedom from intoxicating qualities. R. Ecy to
, ,

have adopted the term ts jjeople, which Solomon appHcs to the ants, Prov. xxx. 25, 2G, and wluch would equally have conveyed the idea of multitude. Comp.
,

This metaphorical use of in the classics. See instances in Bochart and Gescn. Heb. The Arabs employ Lex. in voc. "'ia.
chap. ii. the temi
2.
is

common

Jjjol

in a similar way.

Vy nVs

is

used

in a hostile sense of an army.

Is. vii. 1

tread, tread down, or out.

rinia
,

Targ.

-nn
',

from loiTn term is confined and being to the juice of the grape derived from un' <o take possession of, indicates that however new, it had already obt.iincd an inebriating quality. The
ptire wine.
It differs

but here figuratively of the locusts. In 'S-iN, "my land," the pronominal affix belongs to Jehovah, not to the jirophet.

inasmuch

as the latter

Comp.

Is. xiv. 2.5

Jer. xvi.

18
18.

xxx^'i. 5, xxx\'iii. 16.

Joel

ii.

Ezek. ^viv,

strong, powerful.

locust consisis in the

The strength of the immense numbers,

locusts are here represented as speciallv

attacking and destroying the vines and other fruit-trees, from the produce of

which these wines were

i}rtpared.

To

which, forming themselves into compact bodies, darken the air, and advance forward, one swarm after another, attacking whatever comes in their way. Tliey may well be described as rsc '"W"*
V'*."

Chap.
7

I.

JOEL.

93

laid waste ray vine, broken down my fig-tree They have completely stripped it, and thrown Its branches they have left white.

They have

And

it

down

All ^vho refer to them, both modern times, speak of them in the same language.
merable.

ancient and

Agatharc.

v. 27.

" Immcnsaj locustarum mxiltitudines."

Orosius, V. 11.
nite

Shaw

speaks of "infi-

For the pronominal reference in and ""rrsri see on ^irnsj in the preceding verse. The vines and fig-trees might be called Jehovah's, because, in a special sense, the land on which they grew was his. The vine has, from time immemorial, abounded in Palestine. It often grows to a great size, and produces
7.
^SSi
,

swarms foUowuig each other," Barrow states that those which he saw in South Africa, might hterally be said to
cover the ground for an area of 2000 later vvTiter in the Cape square miles. Town Gazette, describes a cloud of them as passing before him in a train of many millions thick, and about an hour in length and mentions further that, though consequence of atmillions perished

grapes of corresponding bulk.

describes

Schula one at Beitshin, near Ptolemais, the stem of which was about a foot and
thirty feet,
its height was about and by its branches and branchlets, which had to be supported, it formed a hut upwards of thuty feet broad and

a half in diameter,

long.

The

clusters of

these vines are

temjits

made

to destroy

them, their num-

ber appeared nothing decreased.

And

Dr. Bo^^Ting states in his Report, that some years ago the army of Ibrahim Pasha, in the attempt to extirpate an immense swarm, gathered up no less than 65,000 ardebs, equal to 325,000 bushels of English measure How appropriate the name nans What is innumerable
!

weigh ten or twelve pounds, and the berries may be compared with our small plums. When such a cluster is cut off, it is laid upon a board about an ell and a half broad, and three or four ells long, and several persons seat
so large, that they

themselves about

it

to eat the grapes.

Rosenmiiller, In Bib. Cab. vol. xxvii. p. 223. Comp. Numb. xiii. 23, 24. Pal-

is

sacred writers.
;

them by the See Jud. vi. 5, vii. 12 Nah. iii, 15. Ps. cv. 34 Jer. xlvi. 23 ri'ysrw, teeth, Gesenius considers as
frequently compared to
;

was equally celebrated for its Jiffwhich are not reared in gardens, as with us, but grow spontaneously in the open country. The figs were not only
estine
trees,

standing by transposition for T'lynVwi and derives the noun from an obsolete root yri^ , to bite ; but it may more properly be referred to the Arab. JLj

but also preserved for food. used with noima instead of the simple forms of the verbs to which the nouns are related. r:3sj5
eaten
i:-esh,

\zva, to put, is often

hreaharje,

Arab,

o j^ V

fregit,

q a

,trt

'?

longum

a branch broken
Hos. X.
K\a(rfj.6s.

off

from a

tree.

fuit,

and denotes the grinders or jaw-

7.

LXX.
Syr.
?

crvyK\a(rfx6s,
a.

See on Compl.

teeth of animals.
e\'er,

The metaphor, howand

:

^^

ei

concissio, di-

has no respect to the size of the

teeth of lions, but only to the terrible

complete destructipn which they effect. Pliny, speaking of the locust, says

<<

Omnia morsu

erodentes et fores quoque

to Fabricius, in
p. 96,

The locusts not only consume the fruit and leaves of the trees, but strip them of the very bark. " Nee culraus, nee gramen ullum remaneat, et arbores
vulsio.

tectonmi."
his

According Genera Insectorum,

is

frontibus et cortice
datae, instar

the teeth
ix. 8,

tanquam vestibus nutruncorum alborum conspici-

of the locust are three-forked and sharp.

The same metaphor

bh6irTes

used Rev. avruv us KioVTUV ^ffaV'

Ludolf, Comment, p. 178. here taken in its proper causaWhat they do not tive signification. antur."

^"Vrn
'

is

94

JOEL.
Lament, as a virgin girded -with sackcloth, On account of the husband of her youth. The offering and tlie Ubation, Are cut off from tlie house of Jehovah The priests howl, the ministers of Jehovah.

Chap.

1.

10

The Held is laid waste, The ground mourneth For the com is laid waste,
it falls

devour, they so injure that

tree.

off the

k6s

',

and

for the application of av^p to

i.

C^i'ir, branches, properly the inteittcining tendrils of the vine, from

i'i'O, to

one only betrothed, Matt.

7itiptias.

19.

Accord-

ing to the Iloman law, consensus Jacii

9. To a pious mind the gloomiest view of external calamities will be taken from

interweave.

The
tvv'o

vine, being the

kinds of trees, the suffix refers back to it ; and the figtree

is

more valuable of the

treated as subordinate.

",3^2^-

their influence

upon the cause of God.

they have
8.

made

or left white.

The
""Vs
is

cessation of the usual solemnities of

The
Ls

land, under the

metaphor of a

the second person feminine of the Imperative in Kal of nVs, which usually means to swear, call on God as mtness but here it takes the signification of the Sjt;

female,

here addressed.

iac

Ijj

ululavit,

deploravit.

a^

-IS

a'^

ululatzts,

lamentum.

The

deri-

the temple worship, occasioned by the destruction of the fruits of the earth, must have occasioned great grief to the religious Jew. Jerome and othci-s think that as the priests would be deprived of their regular support, by the cessation of the offerings, they mourned on that account but of this I should say with Maurer, " Vates hie non videtur cogitasse." nliJW, stands here ior ojferings in general, whether bloody or unbloody,
;

vation from Vs , God, in the sense God have mercy, is less natvural. One of KenLXX. -dpi)nicott's MSS. reads "'Vas. country is frequently said to trfjffov.

comp.
ei'cn

Gen.

iv.

LXX.

bvaia,

as

when

restricted in its signification

to 7ncat offering, such as consisted of

meal,

salt, oil,

and

incense, the proper

mourn, when
See Is. iv. 3.

it is
;

subject to devastation.
;

sacrifices,

tj-^nat,

are understood,

xxiv. 3
r.h

Jer. iv. 28, xii. 4

Hos.

ma

a virgin, a young woman,

they were always connected with them, except the case of the sin and trespass-

affianced to a husband, and, in this sense,

offerings.

The libation,
,

or drink-offering,
its
,

viewed

married to him. The idea of the strength of youthful affection, is that designed to be conveyed by the passage. In proportion to the force of such affection, would be the excessive degree of Ilolzhausen thinks grief for his loss. that she would also grieve n'Vn^2 Vy on account of her virginity, and compares Jud. xi. 38 but this the text does not
as
;

Avas called '^82

poured

out,

on accomit of from the root "^Ss

being

to potir.

From

the circumstance that Joel prefixes the article to C":r;z, priests, but not to

D^ias, Mishandmen, and C'ttnb,

dressers,

cither

vineCrecbier argues that he miist have been personally related to

suggest.

LXX. vvfKpT].

Compl. irap^fvos.
,

Wrapping oneself in sackcloth was a token of deep moiuiiing. Vya properly lord,
master, possessor band, because in
;

and secondarily A mstlie

them, or that prophets and priests must have been more closely united at the time he wrotethan afterwards. Comp. ';i:n srt, ver. 13, ii. 17. D"n-ifK, ministers, is a more dignified official term than f^-ra?., servants, which is employed to denote

East, wives were,

common

slaves,

as well

as

persons in

and

still

arc,

considered as the ])ropcrty

iciptos

more elevated

situations about a king.

rather than the companions of their hus-

bands.

Comp. the Greek

ywai-

10-12. The prophet enters here more miimtcly into a description of the devas-

Chap. I

JOEL.

95

11

The new wine is dried up, The oil languisheth. Be ashamed, ye husbandmen

Howl, ye vine-dressers On account of the wheat and the barley For the harvest of the field hath perished.
12 The vine
is

dried up,

And

the fig-tree languisheth

pomegranate

by the locusts. wi-i'^P, new wine, which is akeady in a state of fermentation, and so intoxicating; fronx ii/ to take possession of anything. See on ver. 5, where it is distinguished from
tation occasioned
,

)':5a"i,

the

tree, is

indigen-

.7
A^5(i^>
s^c

D'DS.

" Syr.
I

dictum,

quod sc possessorem hominis facit, ejus cerebrum oceupando, ut ille non amplius Sic Arab, viiium dicitur sui compos sit.
'ij,j^, a captivando, et
et
^

ous in Palestine in Syria, and is reckoned one of its noblest botanical producIt grows to the height of twenty tions. has a straight stem, spreading feet, branches, lancet-formed leaves, with large and beautiful red blossoms. The fruit Is of the size of an orange, brown in color, and affording a highly deHcious and cooling juice. It is also planted in gardens, and in the courts of the
houses
;

ljf_f-p

a tcnendo
in von.

and

its fruit is

greatly improved

by

vindum hahendo."
;

Winer

trees

r;ys, field, and rK-^S , grotind, are synbut differ in this respect, that oii'-j-mes the former denotes the open, free, \min-

still one of the most frequently seen in those coimtries. So celebrated were the dates of

cultivation.

It

is

Palestine,
")Kr\
,

that Pliny, speaking of the

date, or palm-tree, says,

" Judsea

cbsed part of a country, Arab.

extendit,
dilatavit
;

Ju*/j

the

latter,

the rich
for cul-

red

soil

which

is

particularly

fit

It vero inclyta est vel magis palmis." was adopted as a symbol of the country in coins struck under Vespasian and Domitian and is frequently referred
;

tivation.

Hence nnten tJ^S, a man of the field, means a hunter, Gen. xxv. 27 riKTKr! 1S''S, a man of the gi-ound, an agRoot Crs to be red. The riculturist. land is here, as frequently in the Hebrew prophets, made the subject of perSome would render a "Sin, sonification.
;
,

to in the

Old Testament.

It sometimes

reaches the height of an hundred feet, is remarkable for its straight, upright

growth,

and forms one of the most

vegetable king-

beautiful trees in the

to the new wine, to be but occurring as it does in parallelism with \jVisn, to droop, lanas

applied
:

ashamed

dom. The fruit, which grows in clustters under the large leaves, is of an exceedingly sweet and agreeable taste, and. as an article both of sustenance and
traffic, is

of great value to the inhabiit

guish like plants, it is better to retain the primary motion of an*;, to become dry, dry up. Both loiTn and "irja"; stand
for the vine and the which the wine and oil
olive
tree,

tants.

In Abyssinia, the natives extract

a juice fixjm

into a spirituous

which they manufactiire Uquor resembling cham-

are obtained.

from In

nification of

the second instance "^ain takes the sigwta, to be ashamed, being

another form of the Hiphil for lan.
are used intransitively.

pagne. Its importance is here significantly expressed by the particle ca being used intensively before it. Ii^isri,

Arab.

.LftJj
and

the apple-tree.

KosenTiti, to

Both

The LXX.
yfwpyoi.

miiller derives breathe,

the word from

i.

retaining the signification of a^, im-

in this Gcsenius concurs,

e.

properly

render

i^ripdvbT)<rav

supposiiig the fragrant breath,

smell

9G

JOEL.
The pomegranate,
All the trees of the field are withered ; Yea, joy is withered away from the children of men.

CuAr.

I.

the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree,

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 tlie offering and the libation

Are withholden from the house of your God.

14 Appoint a sacred fast, proclaim a day of restraint; all the inhabitants of the land, Assemble the elders

or scent, to have originated the name. The former of these ANTiters adopts the

render
K\aiftv,

it

by
to
v<f

instances,

in

opinion of Celsius, that the quince tree is specially intended ; but as the Arabs
include under ^'-^^'j oranges, lemons,
peaches, apricots, etc., the Hebrew term is likewise in all probabihty generic in To give to his deits signitication. scription the utmost latitude, Joel adds,
_._._, i,^
i.
e'.

except in two which they give it by weep. For narw ^rin^M,

K6irTea-^ai,

comp.
1

ol

duaicuTTTjpiu

irapeSpvoyrts,

Cor. ix.
is

13.

come,

to be

that isa, taken idiomatically as a

like
?,rV

Some think

particle of exhortation,

before

another verb, and appeal to chap. iii. 13, for another instance in our prophet. As however, the verb is, to say the least, not necessarily to be so understood in that passage, and as mention
is

as

j~Vs all the trees of the field, Jerome explains "omnia hgna,
,

made of the

altar,

immediately before,

" and, to vel infructuosa, vel fructifera ; biing it more home to the feelings of his
countrj'incn,

it

appears more proper to take it in the sense of e7itering, i. e. into the court of

quence to
joy.

be, the entire

he represents the conseremoval of their

limit
-^S-dv

Some improperly

to

I'he construction the joy of harvest. aioatj from, is what ',-c u-2in, to dry and more Is usually termed pregnant, forcibly expresses the removal of the object

the temple, where, in the more immediate presence of Jehovah, the priests were to bewail their sins, and those of the people. Thus the LXX. fl<xi\^(Tt,

and Kimchi, i-ED ni"^ ^"3 "J^^i <""* tcr ye the house of God, and there mourn.
y'-s

or ^iV, signifies to spend, or remain

on which the verb terminates.

13.

The prophet now

and

addresses
calls

himfirst

self to the priests,

them

over the night, and retains this signithe present passage, though, fication from the connection, it is obvious not

to personal mourning, and then, in the

following verse, to institute a sacred fast, in order that such mourning might be After n-^.jn supply with the general.
S}T.
or

y%

as in
^"^

one of Kcnnicott's MSS.,

" ^^ ^*^ Rossi's. Both forms (x:cur in cormection with the verb, which is not here to be restricted to mere girding, but rather signifies to wrap

cTV"

^"

one night only, but many nights are meant. The priests were not only to wear the habit of mourning during the day, they were also to remain in it all Ahab is said to have lain in night. sackcloth, when he humbled himself LXX. before God, 1 Kings xxi. 27.
vTnxtKTaTf.

li.

^ip,
;

to

halhiD,

consecrate;

to

round one.
12.

Comp.

Jer. iv. 8

Is. xxii.

keep holy
services
;

i(ed

to strike the breast, in

primarily to smite, strike, then token of mouniing.

appoint sacred or religious here, to institute a sacred fast

to

See on

Is.

xxxii. 12.

The LXX. always

by fixing the time and circumstances, and ijrcparing the people for its proper

Chap.

I.

JOEL,

97

To
15

the house of Jehovah your God,

And

cry unto Jehovah. Alas for the day

!

For the day of Jehovah

is

near,

And Cometh as a mighty From the Almighty.

destruction

16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes ? Are not joy and gladness from the house of our
1

God

The

seeds are become dry beneath their clods

observance.

The Pual
;

participle is
Is. xiii. 3.

used

even of warriors

see

on

The

ishment, does not mean that of the plague of the locusts, but a more awful
period
still

interpretations of

and

Kimchi,

i2"'teTn,

the Rabbins, Jarchi and Abenezra,

future, the
is

term a'lip

near,

nS'^sn, are defective, by leaving out the idea of sacredness, -which the verb always conveys, nisy. restraint, or be-

ing held back or prevented from labor See on Oi"!, day, or period, understood.
:

never used to denote the actual presence of anything, but its speedy approach, sufficiently proves. What the Jews were then suffering was only a prelude to still more dreadful calamities.

at hand,

which

For

i"Ta?a

"wjs

which

from their worldly avocations, and spend the portion of their time thus consecrated to the immediate and solemn duties of humiliation, confession, and prayer. b'':pT, elders, in this connection, might be taken in an official sense, denoting
Is.
i.

13.

The Jews were

to abstain

forms an elegant paronomasia, see on Is. xiii. 6, where the same form occurs. The 3 is, as there, the Caph veritatis, and expresses the greatness of the evil. 16. The verb trrs is understood in
the latter hemistich.
tivals

those holding office

among the

people,

ing.
12, 18.

The annual feswere occasions of great rejoicSee Lev. xxiii. 40 Deut. xiL
;

who were

expected to take the lead, and, by their example, to excite others to engage in the rehgious solemnities ; but a comparison of this verse with chap. ii. 15, in which " children " and " sucklings are mentioned,

and the three following drought which was simultaneous with the judgment of the
17.
Tliis,

verses, describe the

locusts.

It exhibits the singular phe-

would

rather require

nomenon of

fom- oTTo^ XeySixeva within

us to understand the term as referring to

The central point of convocation age. the special theocratic was the temple residence of Him whose wrath was to be deprecated, and his mercy implored.

the short space which it occupies. For the elucidation of ay , some compare the Chaldee ?. , to
rot,

but

it is

with
Arab.

more propriety
,

referred

to the
so
is

pS t

Arab.

\^^

..

V
to cry out,

\j

\^J^ <^5

\J

t/A ''-

Af

'

sicnts fuit;

and

of the

LXX. KiKpa^fre cry earnestly for help. " Ardentissimas fundite prefKTfvws.
ces."

same

signification

with rri"

to be dry,

dried up.
desiccating

Thus Abulwalid.

By

the

influence of the heat, the

Rosenmiiller.
Joel

15.

now

alas

for the

exclaims, ci"^ wns , day ! " O infaustum et

seeds that

tristissimum
miiller.

Ulum

diem

"

Rosentriple

To

had been sown in the ground would lose all their moistiu-e, and perish. That rii^a mean seeds or grains of com, etc. seems satisfactorily determined
by the use of the Sjt.
Matt.
xiii.
j

give intensity to the ex-

clamation,
otfioi,
otfioi,

the

LXX,
i.

have the

^ii-S, granum^
24
;

otixoi.

That the
e.

day of Jehovah,

BV* the period of punn'r:^.

31

John

xii.

1 Cor.

xv.

13

98

JOEL.
The

Chap.

granaries are desolate, the store-houses are destroyed. Because the. corn is withered.

18

How

the cattle

mourn

IIow the herds of oxen are perplexed I Because they have no pasture Yea, the flocks of sheep are destroyed. 19 To thee, O Jehovah I cry, For lire hath consumed the pastures of the desert,
;
!

And

a flame hath burnt

all

the trees of the

field.

and the signification 37, in the Peshito of Tir , to separate, an action which takes place when, in sowmg, the hus;

graphically represented as bei:ig in this condition from the total failure of pasturage. tensive
;

The ca

before "su

~~'S, is in-

bandniun
grams.

scatters

the seed in distinct

To

the same effect Tanchuiu,

even the sheep, Avliich subsist on herbage \msuitable lor the oxen, are deprived of food. As the idea of punishnient
is

H^ ';^

'i0^i)<xj\

'y^
grams
because
riSi.ir:
,

conveyed by the verb

C,^^c

it

was

in all probability used

phet, in order to

by the proteach the Jews that

prepared for sowing,

clods,
.fVrab.

so called

they are scattered in the ground.

or

iimocent creatures are involved in the consequences of guilt incurred by transgressors. Comp. Exod. xii, 29 ; Jonah
iii.

lumps of

earth.

Comp. the
;

7.

Oy^
<a

glcba terra

\jd\\
al^o

terra divcrsa varia.

signifies a

Thus

^
lump

unusual for the Hebrew prophets to give expression to their own feelings, while describing the judgments that were brought upon their country.
19, It is not

mark on

the body,

Comp.
4
;

Is.

XV. 5, xvi.

1,

xxi. 3, 4, xxii.

Occasioned by the contraetmg or drying up of the skin, and resembling a round

of earth or

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-

dimg.
,

nn-ij>353

is

synonymous with niiSN

graimries

and, accorduig to the force of the local w pretLxed, signifies places or houses
containing store rooms, or granaries, in

pens in extreme heat, or whether they are used figuratively of the heat itself. The former is more probably the meaning,

The Dagesh The in the second is euphonic. simpler form m, occurs Hag. ii. 19
wliich grain

risa, Ivimchi explains, n'~)3

places, places of pastxu:itself.

was

deposited.

SB"", grassy
rived from
rj*:
)

age; hence pasturage

It is de-

m3i
:

the root For the diver-55, to gather, collect. siticd and unsatisfactorj' renderings of
lx)th are to l)e referred to
loc. the ancient versions, sec Pococke The verbs ca and onn are here to bo

and

to

dwell

(comp. but signifying in this

to be pleasant,

connection the green, grassy sjxits, so eagerly desired by the cattle, and pleas-

taken in the sense of being left or neglected like places that have been laid

waste or destroyed.
18. 'rpa, in Niphal, expresses the pcr-

From the ant both to man and beast. circumstance that such places would natiu'ally be selected for occupancy by tents, dwellings, etc. the word came also Comp. the Arab. to signify habitations.

plcxity to

which any one is reduced who know how to extricate himself from dilficulty. The brute creation are
docs not

divcrsatus fuit, hospitio excipit

Lo

mansio, sedcs commorationU.

Chap.

II.

JOEL.
field

99

20 The very beasts of the

look up to thee,

Because the streams of water are dried up,

And
20.

fire

hath devoured the pastures of the desert.

Ai Arab.
,

^, Eth. ^(^T ;
up with panting or
j^s^

ascendit

to

look

earnest desire.

Arab.

inclinatio.

It should be at or the water-brooks." beside, as the Psalmist evidently intended to represent the deer standing on the brink of the channels in which water usually flowed, but which had become

propensio in rem. The word beautifully expresses the natizral action of animals parched with thirst, and deprived of all supply of water. They hold up their heads, as if their only expectation were from the God of heaven. LXX. i.v4. Comp. Ps. xlii. 2, where the fi\e\f/av. force of n'''3~"'P."'EN Vy is lost by the

dry. To their pitiable condition he compares his own circumstances when deprived of the usual means of spiritual

refreshment.
to

The

idea of their crying

J

God, which the Syr.

,

H'

and the

rendering of our

common

version, "after

Rabbins attach to the word, is derived from such passages as Job. xxxviii. 41 ; Ps. civ. 21, cxlvii. 9, rather than from anything expressed by the word itself.

CHAPTER
The
terrific in its

II.

prophet reiterates his announcement of the approach of a divine judgment more nature than that of the locusts, but employs language borrowed from the appearance and movements of these insects, in order to make a deeper impression upon his hearers, whose minds were full of ideas derived from them as instruments of the calamity under which they were suffering, 1-11. He then summons anew to humiliation and repentance, 12-17 giving assurance that on these taking place, Jehovah would show them pity, destroy their enemy, and restore them to circumstances of great temporal and religious prosperity, 18-27 and the chapter concludes with a glorious promise of the abundant effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit in the apostolic age, 28, 29, and a prediction of the Jewish war, and the final subversion of the Jewish state, 30. 31, in the midst of which such as embraced the worship and service of the Messiah should ex;
;

perience deliverance, 32.

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion And sound the alarm in my holy

1.

mountain
The
on

To

give the greater effect to the

ing.

persons

alarm here commanded to be sounded, Jehovah himself is introduced as speak-

priests,

whom

with trumpets.

addressed are the devolved to blow ^ ffd\iriy^ ipycwov Icti

it

100
Let
all

JOEL.
the inliabitants of the laud tremble
;

Chap.

II,

For the Jay of Jehovah cometh

it is

near.

A (lay of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and dense obscurity

Like the dawn spread over the mountains numerous and mighty people

None

such haA'e ever been,

Neither shall there ever be after them, During the years of successive generations.

They Philo de Scptcnario. voXffxov. were to warn all of the threatened judgComp. chap. i. 15, where the ment. prophet anticipates what is now about
to be the subject of a special
tion.
2.

describe the hostile

rians in the

same terms

army of the Assyin which he had

descrip-

metaphorically described the locusts, chap. i. 6 only exchanging ^'iS, nation, for cs , people, which is also used of
;

foreign

and idolatrous
;

nations,
;

Numb.

SjTionymes are here accumulated

to give intensity to the expression of the

The aA^-ful calamity which come upon the Jews is set forth imder the metaphor of darkness, which is of frequent occurrence in the Hebrew Scriptures, when sufferings and misery Comp. are the subjects of discourse.
thought.

was

to

Chron, xvi. 20 Jer. xlviii. 42. In this description, he not only transfers the metaphor back to the proper subject irom which it was taken, but converts it
xxi. 29
1

into

length,

an allegory, and at considerable and in the most minute manner,

the
invasion,

exhibits
character,

the

formidable

Is.

viii.

22, be. 2

Jer. xiii.

16

Amos

In the present Zeph. i. 15. instance, however, there was a singular propriety in adopting the language, since the prophet was just going to introduce an allegory- founded ujxjn the fact, that
V.

18

and the ravages of the barbarian foe. So perfectly is the allegorical veil woven throughout, that most commentators have been able to discover nothing more than natural locusts in the passage. At the time in which the prophet delivered his message the locusts covered the land they were before his eyes; the idea of them had so taken possession of his mind, that, considering the striking resemblance which they bore to an invading army, nothing was more natural than to exhibit the latter in sensible images ttiken fix)m the scene by which both he and his hearers were And, accustomed as they surrounded. had been to the parabolic style of prophecy, they could have been at no loss to discover, that wlicn in this part of his discourse he appeared to speak of locusts, it was not natural but jx)litiea2 AVhile the delocusts he had in view.
;

swarms of locusts had come over the land, and intercepting, by their density, the light of the sun, had occasioned an See on ver. 10. universal darkness.
interpreters have stumbled at the apparent incongruity of comparing the coming affliction with the "iPTij, aurora, since the idea usually suggested by the figurative use of that tenn is jot/, or prosperity; but as this idea is not exclusively conveyed by the use of it, as
it
is

Some

also

employed
vi.

to express the cer-

and suddenness of anything, IIos. x. 15, so here the obvious points of comparison are merely the sxiddenness and extent of the change produced by the diffusion of the rays of light, without any reference to the nature of the change itself. Joel now proceeds to introduce and
tainty,
IIos.
3,

cidedly future aspect of tlie calamity, chap. i. 15, ii. 1, proves that it had not taken place at the time the words were delivered, a compaiison of the language
in the concluding part of verse 2,

with

Chap.

II.

JOEL,
fire

101

Before them

devoureth,

And

behind them a flame burneth ; Before them the laud is Uke the garden of Eden,

But behind them a

desolate wilderness

And

no escape from them. Their appQarance is like the appearance of horses, And they run like horsemen.
there
is

that employed chap. i. 2, equally proves that a plague of locusts could not have

him, and T^n riS

1

behind him, are used to

;

express universality

ubicutiqtie.

Comp.

"We must, therefore, been intended. with the alteration of a single word, adopt the language of Jerome, *' dum
locustas

Chron. xix. 10. This construction is confirmed by what follows nu-'Vs C4 'ih nM"ri~tiV, aw^ there is no escape from
:

legimus,

Assyrios

cogitamus."

That the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, and not that of the Chaldeans
under Nebuchadnezzar, is meant, appears from the emmense number of the army, its entire destruction in the land of Palestine, and there being no reference whatever to the captivity in Babylon, the omission of which is unimaginable, on the supposition that the latter of the

them, them.

or,

more

literally, in reference

to

r!ti"'V;2

properly signifies those

escaped in the war ; who have not been killed, or taken prisoners but earth it is also used of fruits of the which have not been destroyed, Exod. X. 5. The contrast between the beauty of Paradise and the desolation of a des-

who have

ert,

is

exquisitely

forcible

and

affect-

ing.
4.

two invasions

Avas intended.

The

allegory

now becomes

special

of Sennacherib must have been the largest that ever entered Palestine, since only that division of it which invested Jerusalem, amounted to It nearly 200,000 men, Is. xxxvii. 36.

The army

Was marching forward to the conquest of Egypt, and, like a swarm of locusts, covered the whole land. All the fortified cities of Judah were taken, Is. xxxvi. 1 Ihe cultivated fields and vineyards were trodden down or consumed, xxxvii. 30 and nothing short of utter destruction Beemed to await the inhabitants. Tlie design of the Divine Spirit, to whose
;
;

and ininute in its features, which are selected from the phenomena and operations of an invading army, the subject but of which it is to be imderstood having the invasion by the locusts as its basis, and therefore presenting these prominently to view, and comparing them to the army, which is thus stu;

diously concealed.
there
is

On

this

principle

no

difficulty in accounting for

infinite

mind the

future

event

was
in

present, in dictating the

prediction

the language here employed, appears to have been, to deepen the impressions produced by the plague of locusts, and thereby to excite to that repentance and amendment of life, which alone could seciure to the Jews the continuance of
their national blessings.
3.

the particle of comparison, so liberally \ised in this and the following verses. So strong is the resemblance of the head of the locust to that of a horse, that they are on this account called cavaleites by This feature Theodoret the Italians. thus notices : elf tjs a.Kpt0a>s KarlSoi t^v Kpa\^v Tris oiKplSos, ff<f>68pa rrj rod
'iiTTTOv

foiKvlay

evp^ixet.

In Kev.

ix. 7,

description of the desolate state

to which Judea

was to be reduced, in language borrowed from that given of

the drought, chap.
i.

the locusts are compared to horses harnessed for battle ra dfj-otciifiara twv hxpiSuv ifioia 'iTnroii rjroifiafffifpois (Is Such comparison is very comw6\eixov. mon among the Arabs. The point of comparison in the second member of
:

the parallelism,

is

19.

vjsV,

before

which cavalary advance

the swiftness with to the attack.

; ;;

102
5 Tlicy

JOEL.

Chap. IL

bonml like the rattle of chariots on the topsof the mountains; Like the crackling of the flame of fire devouring the stubble j Like a mighty people arranged for battle. G IJefore them the jicople tremble
All faces withdraw their color.
7

They run like mighty men They scale the wall like warriors They all march in their courses, They break not their ranks. They press not each other They march on, each in his path Though they fall among the missiles, They break not up. They run eagerly through the city They run upon the wall
;

5.

"n*

is

used of the rapid and botmd-

6.

iiViTiN they tremble,

from Vih,

to

ing course of chariots over a rough surSee also Itev. ix. 9. face, Nah. iii. 2.
"

turn round, twist one's

self, lorithe

with

per purum tonantcs

Horace, Carm.
i.

pain; then

to

tremble.

Arab.

UL&.,

Egit equos volucrcmque currum."

34, 7.

mcd. Wau,

to be turned.

nnsB, warmthi
Arab.
,

ruddi)iess of countenance.
cestuavit, efferbuit.

Aj^

" vacuos dat in aera saltus Succubitunjue alto, similisque est currus inaiii."

draio

their

-t-S "SJ* to wiihruddiness, or color, i. e. to

giovv pale
,

change
Ooid. Metam.
ii.

color,

with

terror.

16a.

Speaking of the noise made by a swarm " Transeuntes of locusts, Forskal says grylli super verticem nostrum sono
:

in rendering the words, every face like the blackness of a pot; deriving the last word from -|!)B;

Nah. ii. 11. Comp. tjcs The ancient versions concur

^o <M7t ^Jafe.

hence

magnse cataractac ferebant.!' To the same effect Morier: "On the llth of
June, while seated in our tents about noon, we heard a vcrj'. unusual noise, that sounded like the rustling of a great wind at a distance. On looking up, we jierccivcd an inmiense cloud, here and there trans])aront, in other parts quite black, that spread itself all over the sky, and at iuter\-als shadowed the sim." It is however, not improbable, that the sound here referred to is that produced by the large hind legs of the locust in leaping. Tlio coniparis<in at the end of the verse, is to the clashing of ai'ms, and the shouting of an army on the point of
cnKaerins in battle.

-i!i-s, ])ot, without K. Of the tenor inspired by locusts, we cannot have a better proof than the Arabic

proverb:
terrible

o! wit

,J-^

:> y=^\

more
.,

than the

locusts,

7-9.

Here the

description quite excels

in the graphic,
riors is

llie comparison to war-

their

rapid
;

admirably carried out. First, advance upon the city is

next,
tlicir

specified

scaling the walls

;

then their consentaneous encounter with the troops of defence, their invulnerability, their progress through the streets, tlieir climbing the walls, and entering the windows of the houses, are set forth in terms

in the most regul.ir order

Chap. n.

EL.
;

103

They go np into the houses They enter the windows hke a

of
singular

thief.

and

appropriate
Jidit,

beauty.

tsay,

Arab.

JajLfci

vulneravit,

till r

Jissus,

has here the significa-

up the order or reguwhich a body of troops proceed when marching to the attack. Abenezra and Kimchi compare r? j to to 2iercert, turn aside which comes nearly LXX. iKKKivuxri. to the same thing.
tion of breaking
larity TAdth
,

withstanding the immense crowds of the locusts, not only does none of them break the ranks by deviating from the straight course which they pursue, but none Their forces his fellow from his rank. watchword may be said to be otiward If they enter for they never turn back. houses, they go straight through them, and out at the opposite side. Thus Abulphargius relates in his Chron. Sjt. " postquam a latere meridionale p. 13-1
:

SjT.

ml

Gesenius thinks the

intraverant, a latere septemtrionale egi-ediebantur. nVi, properly means

domos

verb is here used in a sense cognate with the significations in Kal and Iliphil, to give or take a pledge ; but" the idea of exchange, change, is not clearly brought The regulejr military order with out. which the locusts advance, has been fre-

any missile wea^x)n thrown at an enemy, from fhjii, to send or cast forth ;
but
it is

also

frequently used of the

sword.

Comp. the Arab. ^JLmij arma.

of somewhat difficult determi-

quently
ri

described.
i(TTpaTevei

'

A^acriXfVToi/

yap
eyhs

n"3,

is

OLKpls,

jxev

yap

e'|

nation.

The groimd

idea seems to be

fiiraKTUs Ke\i\i(Tjj.aTos'
ffToixV^^" 'f'l')
^at, Kol riKiara
liTret
f<**
fiei/

<pacr\

5e

outos

that of mediation, a being, or doing any-

^s (V Ta|J

SitiTTaff-

thing between two; hence t/:^ V^sSJin,

to

aTrovoff'piCeiT^ai, Trepiicravfl

make

supplication for any one,

i. e.

by

56

ouTus
(pvaeois

aW'fjKas,
avrrjs

Kal
tJ

inteqxjsing between
to

him and
is

the party
addi-essed.

a5i\(pal,

Ppal3evov(T7)s

whom

the supplication

<pi\d\\r]\ov.

Cyril.

The testimony of To

this the signification derived

from the

an eye-witness in Palestine, is peculiarly valuable " Hoc nuper in hac Quiun enim locusprovincia vidimus. tarum agmina venirent, et aerem, quo inter coelum et terrara est, occuparent iajito ordine ex dispositione jubentis Dei
Jerome, as
:

Arab.

Jouj

post, nearly approximates,

as occurring in the

among, will

suit

Hebrew. Between, or most of the passages in

volitant, ut instar tesserularum, quae in

pavimentis artificis figuntur manu, suuin locum teneant, et ne puncto quidem, ut ita dicam, ungueve transverso declinent Morier also remarks on ad alteram." " They seemed to those which he saw
:

which the word occurs. See "Winer and Credner. Taking XvrCO as a collective noim, the meaning of dV-?rL "?3 ^^, will be to fall among the missiles, i. e. to light, or come down among them and referring 3."S2" to the whole swann, what it ex;

presses

is,

that they are not broken up,

by one common instinct, and moved in one body, which had the appearance of being organized by a leader." Comp. Prov. xxx. 27, "]"? '^V.'?. ^Vs ys n ::' i nansV, there is no king to the locusts, yet they go foHh, all of them
be impelled
dividing,
i.

or interrxipted in their course. a similar use of "la'i, to break,

22.
to^^n

n^ya, in the city, i. e. that may He in their way.

[iii.]

Compare Dan. xi. any city or

Cred17, in proof

ner's appeal to chap. iv.

e.

themselves into regular

companies or swarms, with all the dispnn, cipline of a well-ordered army, signifies so to press upon one as to comKotpel him to move from his place.

is specifically meant, cannot be sustained, since that part of the prophecy relates to a totally different subThe scene is rather the land of ject. Judah, with its fortified cities, which were oveiTun and plundered by the As-

that Jerusalem

sjTian troops.

104

JOEL

Chap. IL

10 Before them the earth trembleth,

The heavens shake, The sun and tlie moon

are darkened,

the stars withdraw their shine. 11 Jehovah uttereth his voice before his
;

And

army
;

Surely his camp is very large Surely it is mighty, executing his order Surely the day of Jehovah
is

great,

and very

terrible

Who
12

can endure
to

it ?

Now,
Turn ye

therefore, saith Jehovah,

me

with

all

your heart,

13

And with fasting and weeping and mourning And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn to Jehovah your God
;

For he
10, 11.

is pitiful

and compassionate,
duced, \irging the necessity of immediate humihation. nns~ni";, is intensive. The
is that of consequence, deducing an 1 argument from what had preceded na is augmentative and emphatic, as usually and npy, has special reference in Joel
; ;

the language here admit of a literal application to the obscuration of the air by the locusts, yet it is, as a whole, to be regarded as a specimen of the highly

Though

employed

may

in part

wrought hj-perbolical, which forms one of the more distinguishijig features of

Hebrew

poetrj\ ni~' V'p, the voice of Jehovah, is here, as frequently, thunder, and not any word of command, as some have imagined. Com. Exod. Lx. 23,

29, 33

Ps.

x\'iii.

Ps. Ixxvii. 18, 19.

The

locusts are called the

V'n, armij of

the existing circumstances of the persons addressed, and the instant attention which the di^'ine message required. The combination marks strong feeling in the speaker, and the urgent nature of the subject to which it is introductory. It is to be connected with "^n'J sap, and
to

Jehovah, with further reference to the numbers and power of an anny. One of the laws of Mohammed is thus cxprcssctl

dJ^
^ t^ r

Lgjli

4>lj=lf
^^^

I^JUuu
kill

!^5,

aJUl,

shaU not

the

locusts,

for they are the army of Gol

not with rin"; Csp. 13. The prophet resumes his address, and founds upon the call of Jehovah, contamed in the preceding verse, an exhortation to sincere inward repentance, Avhich he supports by encouragements deduced from the benignity of the divine Rending the garments was character.
usual on occasions of great mourning, 1 Sam. iv. 12 ; see Gen. xxxvii. 29, 34 1 Kings xxi. 27 ; Ezra ix. 3, 5 ; Is. This custom obtained not xxxvii. 1. only among the Hebrews, but also among the Babylonians, Persians, Egj'ptians, Greeks and Ilomans. nynn , Ls neither the plague of locusts, nor the invasion of the Assyrians, but the calamities in general which God brings upon mankind. This intcrjiretation the preceding con;

Almighty.

Damir.

And 4>|^|

^>'5>

Lord of the
of

locusts, is
tlic

one of the names

God among

Mohammedans.
clascs

The

entire description

with the brief

but jjointed interrogation, ssV""'' "''-j Who can endure it f to wliich the imComp. Mai. iii. plied answer is, None.
2,

"S'a
12.

a"'~rN VrVrw
D'i:* !iV-3^

"c^,

and

Jcr.

X. 10,

''.K.vi

nV.
is

Jciiovaii

himself

here

intro-

text requires.

Chap. H.

JOEL,

105

Long-suffering, and of great mercy,

And
14

repenteth of the

evil.

Who

knoweth

He may

turn and repent,

And leave a blessing behind him An offering and a libation,

15

For Jehovah your God. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion,

Appoint a sacred fast Proclaim a day of restraint. 16 Assemble the people convene a sacred assembly; Collect the aged gather the children, And those that suck the breasts Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, And the bride from her nuptial bed. 17 Between the porch and the altar, Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep And let them say. Have pity, O Jehovah upon thy people.
:

14.

The

question j^ni^

'm,

who knoweth,

while it suggests the idea of the great-

and twenty cubits high, twenty broad from north to south, and ten long from
east to west. The naitt, altar, was that of burnt-offering in the court of the priests. Here, with their backs toward the altar, on which they had nothing to
offer,

ness of the sin to be pardoned, also conveys that of the possibility of such pardon, " aAA' T Kol vvv,

Tavr'
Tis
5"

fXirois

'A^'A.^?

hdi^povi,

afee

and

their faces directed

towards

04? it KfV

of, <rhv

Zai/xovi, dvfj.hf

the residence of the Shekinah, they were to weep, and make sujoplication on behalf of the people,

opivais,

napeiirciy

"
;

fij 32 V'i'xV, Jar-

chi, Seeker, Michajlis, Rosenmiiller, Justi,

Iliad, xi. 789.

Credner,"\Viner, Gesenius, Maurer, Noyes,

God's leaving a blessing

behind him,

Hitzdg,

presupposes his return to visit his people in mercy. The first-fruits of prosperity
are due to
it is

tions should

and Ewald, render, that the namake a proverb of them ; but

is

such construction
ized
fifty

totally

unauthor-

Him

through whose blessing

ver.
i.

conferred.

by Hebrew usage. In upwards of instances, in which 3 Vrw occurs

15, 16.

Comp.

and chap.
is

i.

14.

in the

Here the

distribution into classes

more

minute than in the latter of these pasThe mourning was to be unisages. The nsri, was the bridal couch, versal. richly provided with a canopy, curtains, Hoot vlEPi, to cover, protect. See etc.
for the force of the reference to the last
class

mentioned, Deut. xxiv.

5.

never once \iscd derision, or satirical language, but imifomily in that of likening, or of exercising ride or dominion. In fact, the verb is nowhere used either with or without the preposition in the signification of deriding. It is the noun alone that is thus employed in the forms Vr?:^ yri r!;;n , err, -vsn ,
it is

Hebrew Bible,

in the

sense of employing

to be, set, give, etc. to

a derision.

Ezek.

17. dVis, Arab. vjt, prior, anterior

xvi. 44, forms

no exception. The ancient

versions all agree in the translation, that

the wpovdoi, or porch, before the temple,

the heathen should ride over them,

LXX.

more

strictly taken.

It

was an hxmdred

rov Kurdp^ai avruf

t^vT).

Targ. U^i'K^^

106

JOEL.
deliver not thine heritage to reproach,

CuAP. n.

And

That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the people,

Where
18

is

their

God ?
:

will he jealous for his land. upon his people compassion And take 1 9 Yea, Jehovah will answer, and say unto his people, Behold I will send you the corn,

Then Jehovah

wine, and the oil. have abundance thereof: I will no more deliver you to reproach among the nations. 20 I will also remove the Northern from you. And drive him into a dry and barren land ;

And And And

the

new

ye

shall

which had
.

suffered

from the
to

locusts,

and

wliich were

7
2it

|.VnV/sV < Vulg.

tiones.

dominentur

eis

na-

be restored. The term ^SitUn , the Norther7i, Northktnder, or, as Coverdale renders, Him of the

now

Hexaip.

Syr.

.om^ ^OOlJo
also

jVaVr<v^

|X^5 Thus

Kimchi,

prime importance in the It has been urged against its having any referNorth,
is

of

interpretation of the prophecy.

Ahcnezra, Leo Juda, Junius and Tremellius, Jewish-Spanish, Lyranus, DruBoothf^ias, Calvin, Newcome, Dathe,

and Ilcngstenberg ; and there does not appear to be any reason why it could ever have lx;cn rendered otherwise, but for the influence of the hyporoyd,
thesis,

ence to the locusts, that they visit Palesand not from the north but tliis objection can scarcely be regarded as vahd, since, though they do not usually come from that quarter, yet
tine from the south,
;

they

may

be caiTied by a south wind

across Arabia Deserta,

and then, when

Tliat,

to the north of Palcstme, be driven south,

that the preceding part of the

or south-west into that country.

prophecy relates to locusts, and not to political enemies. "Ideo ridiculum est quod multi putant contexti sermonem de lociLStis illud prorsus alienum est a ProphetoD mente." Calvm, in loc.
:

18. N3p^i Arab. vJiJJ, valck ntbuit

,

in

Piel KSJ/ to be jealoKs, fix)m the redness or flush by which the face is suffused, when a person is mider the influence of
passion.

however, which determines the question, is the addition of the patronymic < to indicating that the North was not "I'lE-j merely the quarter whence the subject of discourse came, but that its native country lay to the north of Palestine just as ''5>a"Pri the Tcmanitc, means the Swith6711, or lie who dwells to the right of Pal,
:

estine

""i.^'W,

a native

Effi/jitiati ;

in

Arabic
Ls

respect

In the former of these verses, had to the removal of tlie calamity, from which the Jews were
19, 20.

_jCc, Meccife,
i.

^Lijoo, a

Medinifc,

c.

a native or inhabitant of

Buffering at the time the projjhecy

deliveretl
;

was
tlie

in

the

latter,

that

of

foreign

to

enemy by whom the countrj* was be invaded. The article is phiced

-i'i-i'n,

before ^i^]

and

ir^S"', to give

Now it is agreed hands, that the native country of the locvists is the regions of Arabia, the I-ybian deserts, and the Sahara of Eg}pt so that according to the usits hquendi, they cannot be meant by the term here
Mecca and Medina.
all

on

them prominence,

as the princijial objects

employed.

Indeed, so

much

has this

Chap.

II.

JO EL.

107

And And And

His van towai'ds the Eastern sea, his reax* towards the "Western sea his odor shall come up,
his stench ascend,

Because he hath done great things.

felt by some of those who have advocated 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-

been

Assyrians. They were to be dispersed in every other cliiection but that from

which they had come. By :5in;tri t' n , the Eastern Sea, is meant the Asphaltic
lake; byy-^nri^n C-in, the Western Sea, the Mediterranean ; and by r|ia yns
rKtt'i?,
deserts of Arabia.

march nwthwards." what is dark, hostile, or barbarous which construction of the meaning is, in part, adopted by Hitzig. Maurer, on the other hand, setting aside these and other meor to explain the term nm-th of
;

der, " the locusts that

a dry and desolate land, the Literally the words

,

'iKn^tirLi ^"id ^'.nfisn

signify

what

is

before

and behind,

sxiA are applied geo-

graphically in reference to the Orientals

thods, has recourse to the Arab.

.kA-O

deposuit excremenium, and thence deduces

for 'jiE::
or,
,

the signification of stercoreus,

case this derivation should not be

y

approved, to

Aw

decorticare radendo,

and considers the reference

to be either

reckoning the different quarters according to the positions of front and rear, right and left, while they face the east, which is with them the principal point of the compass. The language of the prophet is figurative, the metaphor being still borrowed from the locusts, which perish when blown by a storm into the sea, or Jerome refers to a the sandy desert.
similar scene,

to the injurious influence of their dung ou the trees, herbage, etc., or to their

which

Hterally

happened

when he was

stripping

them of then* verdure.

,

nostris temporibus,"

On

the supposition that by "^liBsn

the

' Etiam he says, " vidimus agmina locustarum terram texisse JuPalestine.

NoHhcrn, the Assyrians

difficulty vanishes.

are meant, every

daeam, quae postea vento surgente

in

And

that they

may

mare primum
sunt."

et

novissimum precipitata

with the strictest propriety be so termed, " And he proved by Zeph. ii. 13 will stretch out his hand v,b's Vv upon the North, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry as a wilderness." The Jews were accustomed to call Assyria and Babylonia the North, and the North country, because they lay in that direction from Palestine. " Quaeres, quisnam hie Aquilonaris? S. Hieron.
is
: ,

And

he immediately adds, what

illustrates the statement of Joel relative

to the ascending of the stench : " Cumque httora utriusque maris acervis mor-

tuorum locustarum quas aqua; evomuerant, implerentur, putredo earum et fcctor in tantum noxius fuit, ut aeram quoque corrumperet, et pestilentia tam jumentorum,

quam hominum

gigneretur.

C-iqa

Thcodor. llemigius, Albertus ct Hugo accipiunt Sennacherib, quem Dominus, longe fecit a Jerusalem : quia dum eam obsideret, angelus Domini una nocte percussit centum octuaginta quinque millia militum, itaque eam fugere compulit. 4 A Lapide. Reg. xix. 3o."

and end are here used in the military sense of vaii and rear, and cannot, without violence, be intei-preted of the swarm of locusts, and a brood ~=l^^> is a which succeeded them. o7ra| Key. comp. ri5S, to be foul, putrid,

and

~|',t:,yee

to stink.

Arab. jj^JjLo, sordes.

of the locusts,

Giv-

The

geographical specification which

is

follows in the verse

designed to express the universality of the destruction of the

ing an account says, " They live

and,

Thevcnot not above six months,

when

dead, the stench of

them

so

108
21 Fear not,

JOEL.

Chap. IL

O land! rejoice and be glad, For Jeliovab doeth great things 22 Fear not, ye beasts of the field For the pastures of the desert spring up, For the tree beareth its fruit The fig-tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 llejoice, ye sons of Zion and be glad in Jehovah your God
! !
!

corrupts and infects the air, that it often occasions dreadful pestilences." The concluding words of the verse convey the
idea of moral agency, and can with no propriety be interpreted of the locusts.
rV?."i V'sisn.

LXX.
^v\/-^

^fif-ydKvff

rA
^i-

^pyaavTOu. SjT.

\^

^ ; .^

he exalted himself in acliftfj. The phi-ase is obviously used here in a bad sense, and indicates the pride of the Assyrians
;

comp. 2 Kings xxi.

where n^i.yV.na-in, a similar idiom, occurs. As employed in

6,

the icorks that they should do. The same, or a similar construction of the words is found in the Vulg. llufinus, Jarchi, Pagninus, Munster, Leo Juda, Castalio, the Jewish-Spanish, Kemigius, Rupcrtus, Vatablus, Ilibera, Mercer, CEcolamp., Luther, and most of the early Lutheran interpreters and, among the modern. Pick and Ilengstenberg, the latter of whom contends for it at considerable length, and decidedly considers the passage to be one of the Messianic
;

prophecies.
is

That nniw signifies

;

teacher,

the following verse of our prophet, it is placed in antithesis with the sense in which it is here used, and is to be differently understood viz. of the great things that God would do for his people,
:

beautiful

is a the land, which had been destroyed by the enemy, is addressed in a prosopopoeia theti the irrational animals which had suffered from the famine and lastly, the inhabitants themselves. All are called upon

comp. Ps. cxxvi. 2, 3. 21-23. In these verses there

gradation.
First,

beyond all doubt, see 2 Chron. xv. 3 ; Job xxxvi. 22 Is. Lx. 15, xxx. 20 and from the occurrence of the word in this place in connection with nj: -s righteousness, which is so frequently referred to the ^Icssiah both in the Old and New Testaments, there is something very plausible in the application of the term to him who is specially called by Malachi nj^ns i'^ri. The Sun of Righteousness,
; ,

and rejoice in the Jehovah would effect. Dcj^olation, barrenness, and famine, would disappear, and times of prosperity and happiness retiuTi. -,in-j 133,
to cast off their fears,

happy change which

chap. iv. 4, i. e. the author of that illumination of knowledge which has righteousness for its object. To such interpretation, however, there appear to me to be the following insuperable objections First, it is repugnant to the circumstances of the context " non \'idetur tamen ferre
:

Sons of Zion, properly the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but here evidently used to denote those of the land generally, of wluch Jerusalem was the metroiwlis, and Zion the centre of religious influence.
rjr-'jV --r, Ls rendered in the Targ. i-T2 ",it:35, your teacher in riijhteousness ; which Abarbanel explains, Nr:i

hunc sensum cireumstantia loci." Cal^'in; who says of the reason adduced in support of it, that it would be out of place to give
prominence to merely temporal " sed ratio ilia est nimis frigida " and goes on to show that, in accordance with the custom of the prophets, Joel begins with these inferior blesssuch
blessings
; :

and afterwards, in ver. 28, proceeds which are spirituid. Secondly, the repetition of the same term,
ings,

to treat of those

llO'i

-fS nrVttn

rs-..

And

he

is

n-i.ia,

them the way in which they shall walk, and

the king Messiah,
shall teach

who

allow,

it

immediately after, where, as all must be taken in the accepta-

tion of rain.

And

tliirdly,

the pecul-

Chap.

II.

JOEL.

109

For he giveth you the former rain in due measure Yea, he causeth the heavy rain to descend for you The former and the latter rain as before 24 So that the floors shall be full of grain,
:

and coherence of the words, and ic-ipVw!) nniM era. The emphasis given to nn i, by prefixing
iar force

r-^;ttrL-n>;,

not only the article n, but also the determinating particle ns , shows that the

prophet had some immediate and definite object in view, which we cannot imagine to have been any other than the autumnal rain, which
year,

immediately before into its two regular divisions, the former and the latter. The term elsewhere used for the former or autumnal rain, which falls from the middle of October until the middle of December, is TTT,"i"'> lit. icaterer, being
the Benoni Participle of n^"' , to dart, cast, or scatter, as drops of water, r'^. "iw,

was

indispensable

any

and more

especially after such a

It

however, which is the Hiph. Participle of the same verb, does occur in the same
acceptation, Ps. Ixxxiv. 7.

season of drought, to prepare the ground

for noiirishing the seed.

been an object
desire,

must have of xmiversal and anxious

high prominence See on the

note on Hosea

vi. 3,

Comp. my where ripV^, the

latter or vernal rain is also explained.

and

has, in consequence, a

degree of importance and allotted to it in the text. force of rs the Lexicons of Lee and Gesenius. The same consideration will account for the form, and the particular in this place, significatiort of Tj^n^V

The reading nii"', which is found instead of the foimer ""i'm, in twentj'-three
MSS.,
originally in eleven more,

now

in

three, in the Jerusalem

Keri in
Codices,
rain,
sions,

Talmud, and as the margin of two of De Kossi's

is

which
but

in favor of the rendering is that of all the early verpossibly have originated

The

5 is to be taken adverbially, as pointing out the rule or measure according to which the rain was to be r)^n"J, so that

may

in emendation.

With

respect to the

latter occurrence of the

word, there

is

no

the meaning will be, in just quantity, adequately, in the proportion suitable to the exigency of the case, p-".: the root
,

variety of reading,
corpxts, et
et

trj, Arab.

^ah^s*.

from which this noun is derived, signifies to be just, right ; to come up to certain claims, to be what a jierson or thing ought Comp. Lev. xix. 36, where pn-j:^ to be. is used of weights and measures that were exact, or came up to the demands
of the law.

omne id quod longum, largiim profundum est ; Chald. the body ap:

plied to such rain as

is

heavy, or violent,

The

and pours down as it wae in a body. verbs -jrj, and "rni'i, are prophetic

futures.

To

render

-,ri{4-i3

i}i

the first

Some

rpT"^

bountifully, but this

propose to render would give

the Chaldee rather than the

nification.

Hebrew

sig-

Ewald

translates, the early

rain for justification, and explains it of the Jews being again accounted righteous by God. To the objection of Hengstenburg, that if ri/i^: in the first half of

the verse does not designate a different divine benefit from r;"'.';a in the second, an idle tautology will ensue, it is only
nece&sarj' to replj', that the

month, would involve a contradiction, eince only one of the two rains could happen in that month. It seems, therefore, necessary to suppose an ellipsis of 3, the participle of comparison, and read as formerly, or as i7i former ""i;L"Sv"*,2S times. Comp, Jer. i. 22 Jcr. xxxiii, 11, where rjt'Snss is similarly used and " for vi'K-i in the sense offormer, 1 Sam. xvii. 30 ;'Hagg. ii. 3. Thus the LXX. S^iT. Viilg. Arab. One of Kennicott's MSS. and perhaps another, reads ifJs"2.
, ; ; ,

in parallelism,

words occur and that in the second

The ellipsis of 3 is not Hebrew Scriptures.

24. plentiful

infrequent in the
results

instance 'r.-^h'Q is merely a resumption for the sake of dividing the era mentioned

Here the happy and scasonalle

of

the

rains

are set

110

JOEL.
the vats shall run over witli

Chap. II.

And

new wme and

oil.

25 Thus he will

make good

to

you the years

AYhich the swarming locusts hath devoured, The licking locust, the consuming locust, and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent against you. 2G x\ud ye shall eat plentifully and be satisfied, And praise the name of Jehovah your God, Who hath dealt wondrously with you And my people shall never be ashamed. 27 Then shall ye know, that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I, Jehovah, am your God, and none else And my people shall never be ashamed.
28

And
That

it

shall

come
out

to pass, afterwards,

I M-ill 2>our

my

S})irit

upon
evils

all flesh

forth.

The
,

"i

in

!iS5>:!!, is

consequential.
,

^.^^n
^ii.

comp. the Arab.

or"

propulii,

locusts

Conj. impulsus fidt, jluxit, to caxise to fioxo, or run over. For 2)7.", see on
Is. V. 2.

by the ravages of the extend to those which both the Assyrians and the Chaldeans were to uifiict upon the nation. This interpretation is confirmed by what imsustained
;

it

w;is to

mediately follows
poiu-ing of the

resjKJcting
Spirit.

the

out-

25.

That the prophet has here in view

Holy

By

God's

the plague of locusts described in chap. i. cannot well be doubted. The names,

though placed in a different order, ai-c identical with those there specified. They are called God's great army, a name still given to them by the .\rabs. Though the scourge See on ver. 11.
only one year, yet as they not produce of that year, but also what Avas laid up in store for future years, there is no impropriety the plural foiTn of Cri", The tcnn Ls used metonymically years. for the produce and supply of years. The loss of these Jehovah promises to recompense or make good by not only furnishing the Jews with an abundance of temporal enjojTncnts, but affording them the delightful experience of his presence and favor as their covenant This promise is amplified i:i God.
lasted

only

destroyed the whole

being in the midst of his people, is meant the special manifestation of his presence in the communications of his favor. The resimiption of :> in "rsi, fonns a beautiful anadiplosis. 28, 29. The prophet now proceeds to predict the impartation of richer gifts in future times than those temjwral blessings which had just been pronused to ",2 ^nns, o/ifenra^-rf, LXX. the Jews.
juero
raxJTa,

Ilcngstenberg would place

in antithesis

with Tvas-^a
;

ver. 23,

which

he renders

but the latter phrase has reference to what had already taken place, and was not future to the time of the prophet. ins though indefinite,
Jirst

^2

is

nearly equivalent in force to fW^r; Is. ii. 2, as appears from

,

r^^n^
its

having been rendered by the ajwstle Peter

V Taij iffxa-Tats r]fj.fpais, in the last days. Jarchi, N2V TTl'V, in futurity

verses

26, 27, In wliich the future prosperity

of the Jewish church is described terms, which obviously characterize period which succeeded that of The divine Babylonuih captinty. compense was not merely to cover

in

the

the
re-

the

Abcnezra, rNi2in ^NT Vs SVi'"' 'i "ttK -,2 cs -rs -,n2n rir '-n Tr^V s'n ^'nns2 rrr;-! pn -p >-inj< n5;s t'c\> ' Rabbi Jeshua saith. All this d'ls'n. is a prt)phccy of the future and Ilabbi Mosas tlie priest saith, If so, why docs he say after thisf but it is the same as,
;

Chap.

II.

JO EL.
your sons and your daughters
old
shall prophesy,

Ill

And

29

men shall dream dreams, Your Your young men shall see visions And even upon the niale and the female
;

servants

I will pour out

my

Spirit in those days.

and
days

it
;

shall come to jmss in the latter " in which interpretation Kimchi

htimanum genus, and

Adam

is

called
i.

concurs, adding,

K^i n'ln nry ^izh istanm laicn

vJ-i':^'i3

'D ersn^"! "i>3Sia 'SV i53S ."'as Vk-iio"' anpn

\^^S''s r^'&h'v r,'j^-\-i

VMuJI
mankind.

JtJ, the father offlesh,

e.

of

i^iT sn-'

ns'^T^n nsT

'ins Vas

nyn ynsn nsV 'S

nin"'
shall
,

-iKSsa? rrtoTsn rriM^^

it is said.

ns " Because know that I am

And

ye

in the midst of you.

Credner would have the phrase to include the animal creation, than which no construction could be more preposterous in such connection, or more at variance with other passages in which the communication of the influences of the Spirit are limited to the

"What he says is, Now ye know, but not with a perfect knowledge, for ye

commit sin before me but knowledge there shall come a time when ye shall know me with a perfect knowledge, and shall sin no more, namely, in the days of the Messiah." That the two phrases are identical in meaning, clearly appears iixjm a comparison of Jer. xlviii. 47, with xlix. 6. See on Is. ii. 2. ^gs signifies to pour out, to communicate in a plentiful and abundant manner, and is here used with the greatest propriety to denote the larger and richer supplies of divine influence, which were to be afforded to the church under the gospel dispensation. fin, spirit, means here the influences and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as in numerous other passages, in which the Spirit is said to be put, given, etc. and these communications are described in language which shows that they were both to be more general and more special in In a more general their character. point of view, they were to be bestowed upon I'-ra^5 aU flesh, i. e. mankind
will again
after this
;
;

The influence, of which here predicated, is the saving energy which is exerted by the Holy Spirit, in commencing, carrying on, and consummating the work of

human

family.

tmiversality

is

grace in the souls of men. It accompanies the presentation of divine truth to the mind, and removes the obstacles which the force of imiate depravity

opposes to the reception of the gospel. See my Lectures on Divine Inspiration, Besides the influence pp. 525-530. which was thus to be vouchsafed for the purposes of salvation, the prophet specifies that which should be more limited
in
its communication, consisting in the miraculous endo^vment of a certain number of Jews, of different classes and conditions, with the knowledge of divine things, and the ability infallibly

to

communicate them

persons on
ters

whom

The to others. these gifts Avere to be

.

conferred are their " sons and daugh; " their " aged men," and their " youths " their " male " and " fe; ;

male servants " terms which

festly

are

manitheir

designed

to

teach

that

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

bestowment was to embrace persons of difierent classes, ranks, and conditions

of
life,

sas, Arab. Eth.

-

Lo,

indicavit, an*

with Scripture usage, according to which

it

nunciavit,

constantly signifies

mankind

gener-

/H/^

locutus est,
is

ally, or

the whole

human

race; just as in
signify homo.

"t"^

nP

vaiicinatus

est, prcedixit,

Arabic, ,Jio

and Lm;jI

used not merely

to denote the foretelling

112
30
31

JOEL.
I will

CoAP. n.
in the earth,

And

show prodigies
lire,

Blood and

The sun

sliall

in the heavens and and cohunns of smoke. 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 communication, as was the case when the
prophets addressed their hearers, or by the rehearsal or singing of sacred hymns

ment of divine harmony with

phecy
is

influence.

In beautiful

the

this feature of the prospecial recognition of ol

TTTuxol, the poor, in the

New

Testament.
will pour

The
out

repetition-' n 1-1

TNTjisi'S/

my

Spirit, shows, that the influence

under extraordinary divine impulse, as when Miriam sung at the Red Sea, Exod. XV. 20, 21 or when the sons of the prophets and Saul prophesied, 1 Sam. X. 5, 6, xLx. 20-24. Comp. Acts xix. 6,
;

of which, in general, they were to be partakers, was not merely that which consisted in the miraculous gifts, but also that ordinary and sa^ing influence which

experienced by all behevers. What incontrovertibly proves that the prophecy includes both a more ordinarj', and a
is

xxi. 9

Cor. xi. 4, 5, xiv.

;

1, 5, 6,

22,

24, 31, 39

which passages furnish

strikfulfil-

ing illustrative examples of the

ment of the prophecy of Joel. See also 1 Chron. xxv. 1-3 and Mede's works, Book I. Discourse xvi. That we are
;

more extraordinary or miraculous divine agency, is the extension given to it by the apostle Peter, Acts ii. 38, 39 where he teaches that it was to comprehend " all
;

that are afar off," i. e. the Gentiles, ' even as many as the Lord oiu- God
shall call."

fully warranted

to

interpret

it

of the

extraordinary supernatural

gifts

which
is

by phenomenon which took place on the day of Penteits

were vouchsafed in the placed beyond doubt by

apostolic age,

allegation

30, 31. In connection with this period of the rich enjoyment of di^iJle influence, Joel introduces one of awful judgment,

Peter, in justification of the

roih-6

cost.

iiTTt,

this is
ii.

the fact pre16.

I'lie

dicted by Joel, Acts

tation

quo-

n jn'' Cf, the day of Jehovah, the precursors of which he describes in very alarming language. That the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish
called as usual
is intended, most inteqircters are agreed ; but there exists a diversity of opinion respecting the character of the language, some taking it literally, as

was the more apt, since the words of the prophet had just been read in the
Pentecostal
service

polity

of the Synagoguer-7: ;rt

See

my
,

Biblical Researches
,

in Russia, p. 326.
ti''.5"'Tn

and Travels dreams, and

his
;

setting forth physical prodigies, such as

visions,

belonged to the different

modes

in

which God revealed

to the prophets.
xxviii. 6,
vii.
1,

Numb.
Jcr. xxiii.

xii. 6

1
;

wUl Sam.
Dan.

Josephus relates to have taken place b'fore the destruction of Jerusalem, and tremendous massacres

those which

15

2.5-28

See my Lectures oil LispiThough no exration, pp. 147-1 Co.

2.

press mention
to visions.
xi.

is

made

of dreams in the
ix. 10, 12, x. 3,
9,

and conflagrations in difiercnt parts of while others maintain the country that it is symlx)lical, and consequently is to be figuratively explained. Tlie
;

apostolic writings, yet repeated reference

i.s

See acts
9,

17,

5,
1

xvi.
;

xviii.

xxvi.
,

19

C ji and ei-cn, indicates a rise in the prophecy, which was intended to exclude none, not even the lowest and most di-spised ' servants,"
2 Cor. xii.

Rev.

ix. 17.

from a participation

in the large bestow-

position is more in accordance with the style of prophecy, in which we not only find a fixed set of sj-mbols, hut also, very frequently, an accumulation of images is intrmluced for the purpose of producing a more powerful effect on the mind. See on Is. xiii. 10, xxxiv. 35. The heavens and the earth,
latter

Chap.

II.

JOEL.
shall cOine to pass,
shall
call

113

Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.

32

And

it

That Avhosoever
delivered

upon the name of Jehovah

shall

be

For
therefore,
its

in

Mount Zion and

in Jerusalem shall

be the escaped,

mean

the political world, -with

;

and religious establishments the sun and moon, the higher and supecivil

There as a help to the pronunciation. can be little doubt that it is derived from

nrP
tree,

to be erect,

powers while the other images are employed to denote the disastrous prognosticatory changes that were to happen in relation to both. Comp. Matt. xxiv. 29 Maik xiii. 24, 25 Luke XX. 25-27, where the subject is the same as that exhibited by Joel, and the symbolical language in a great meaSimilar images are used sure parallel. by pagan writers, when describing the
rior

ruling

from

its

tall

whence and
Arab.

"ittP

the palm-

erect

growth.

Comp. the Chaldee n-iMn, a column of

smoTie
;

n^'a^n,
turris
;

noIj*

and,

jj.-^lj}

and

^53in, to rise like

a column. The phrase will, therefore, be equivalent to "j-oy "'"ii'sy of which we have the singular yo'S n?5y Jud. xx. 40.
, ,

forerunners of civil wars,

as, for instance,

Lucanus, Pharsal.

lib.

ver.

529

but in Song iii. 6, <rre\exV KaTtvov. Vulg. vai^orem fumi. Targ. pri'n T'^lt:"', columns of smoke, the
ariuSa Kairvov
;

LXX.

Super igne minaces

Prodigiis
teiras

singular of

which

is

used Jud. xx. 40.

implerunt,

sethera,

pontum.
Ignota obscuKB videnmt sidera noctes,

Tanc:
pillars

iOMJ^t

^jLa-jJI sJULtt,

Ardentemque polum flammis, coeloque

volantes,

Obliquas per inane

timendi.
Sideris,
et
terris

faces,

crinemque

mutantem regna
se-

cometen.

Fulgura
rene,

fallaci

micuerunt crebra

Those of smoke ascending up. with the account given by Joscphus of the disorders, convulsions, excesses, and rebeUions, which preceded the subversion of the Jewish state, will readUy admit, that the iigiu-ative language here employed most appropriately sets forth the awful circumstances

who

are familiar

Et

varias ignis denso dedit aere for-

mas."
C^SnSitt, prodigies,

of the inhabitants of Palestine at that period. To render more promment the tremendous nature of the finaL judg-

ment of the Jews, when

whatever objects are
or miraculous, in
polity were destroyed,
called
nin"'.
it

their city
is

and
ci"'

not merely

unusual,

portentous,

nv, but

^n.'jn r;in'^

their character.

The word is most probably a derivative from n E Arab. Conj iii

"^ ,

S-i'arn, the great

Jehovah
iii.

terras

and fearful day oj which are employed

5,

i-

eminuit, to be conspiawus, admi-

by the prophet
23,)

^Malachi, iv.
to

(Heb.

in

reference

the

same

LXX. repara. It wonderfid. frequently occurs in combination with

rable,
riirti (nj/U?a, signs,

event. 32.

The phrase n^n"' 0^3

to

snj^.xisually

^^-|>a^p

only occurs

once besides, and, as here, in construcSong iii. 6 where, tion with yc'J, viz.
;

evoke Jehovah according to his true character, and designates such as he would regard in the hght of acceptable

means

however, nineteen MSS. and originally another read nin'api, without the Yod, which is doubtless' the more correct orthography, the Yod having been inserted

worshippei-s

but

on comparing

the quotation of the words with direct reference to our Saviour, Rom. x. 13, with Acts ix. 14, 1 Cor. i. 2, it appears

15

lU

JOEL.

Chap.

II.

According as Jehovah hath promised, Together with those that are left, AYhom Jehovah shall call.
employed as a periphrasis for those Jews wlio should embrace the faith
to be here

of the Messiah, and render to him as ri", Jehovah, the same supreme worship Avhich had been rendered to God by their From the passage just pious ancestors. quoted from the Acts, it is clear that the

the above quotation, who not only made their escape from the impending calamity, but from the " xmtoward generation " to
Is. iv. 3

which they had belonged, Acts ii. 40 so that the meaning is, not that
;

there should continue to be deliverance

for those

were characterized as invokars of his 7iame, i. e. as his worshippers, before they were called ChrisThe prophecy contains a gracious tians. promise, that, however terrible might be the final catastrophe in which the undisciples of Christ

who remained in Zion and Jerusalem during the infliction of the punishment, but that those who resided there should make their escape from it, having previously been delivered from the condition of those on whom it was
The words
r,'.~'

inflicted.

^Ms

"i'JN2,

believers should perish, pro\'ision

would
be-

be

made

for the safety of those

who

promise just made. C""T''"i'ica!|, together with those that have been left,
refer to the

church history records its fulfilment for, on the approach of the Roman army, the christian inhabitants of Jerusalem took to flight, in compliance -ith the Sa\aour's warnmg, and retiring to Pella, on the eastern side of the river Jordan, found there a safe asylum, while the devoted
lieved in the Messiah.
;

And

from TIC, Arab.

t^*..i.

aufugit, vaga-

tusquefait, 4^.Lij and t>w.*i, atifugens, to

flee,

make

one's escape, sun-ive

city ov

was being besieged and destroyed.

fiLfu

aWa
TTph

koL rov \aov rris iv 'Itpo-

aoXvfxois

eKKATjaias,

Kara tiva
5i

To7s

aiiT6di

SoKifMOis

xpV<^H-^f atroKaKvipfccs

a slaughter, or any other calamity. The reference seems not to be to converted Gentiles, as Schmidius, Michalis, IIolzhausen, and others interpret, but to those Jews who did not perish in the national

So^ffTa
rris

Tov

TToKffjLOv,

fieravaaTr)vai
irfpaias

iroXfws, Kai riva TJjs

ir6\tv

judgments, but were called into the church of Christ. tinj5 as employed in
,

OlKflV K(Ki\iV(TfJifVOV.
fia^ovffiv'

TlfWav
els

avT-^v ovoirein-

iv

rj

twv

Xpicnhv

ffT(VK6rci}V aTth Tris '\ipov(TaK^ix fjifrwKicr-

ixivwv,

K.

r;i3"'V2, is

those
7)

who

X. Euseb. hb. iii. cap. v. a collective noun, signifying have escaped ; in other words,
T.

the last clause of the verse, signifies to call, in the sense of effectually prevailing upon any one to choose and participate in the blessings of the divine kingdom. Comp. KoAeoi, as used by Paul, Rom. 1 Thess. ii. 12. viii. 28, 30, ix. 24
;

iv 'lepo(To\\'ifxoti ^KKKijcria,

" the church

it

K-.p,
future.

the Participle

here denotes -the

in Jerusalem," as Eusebius phrases

in

Chap. HI.

JOEL,

115

CHAPTER
In

III.

this chapter the prophet returns from the parenthetic view which he had exhibited of the commeucement of the Christian dispensation, and the overthrow of the Jewish polity, to deliver predictions respecting events that were to transpire subsequent to the Babylonish captivity, and fill ui^ the space which sliould intervene between the restoration of the Jews, and the first advent of Christ. He announces the judgment to be holdeu on their enemies after the return to Judea, 1, 2 specifics the reasons why they were to be punished, and expressly mentions by name the neighboring nations of Tyre, Sidou and Philistia, 3-6 promises the restoration of those Jews whom these states had sold into slavery, while they are threatened with slavery in return, 7, 8 summons the nations to engage in the wars in which they were to be destroyed, 9-15; shows, that since these convulsions were brought about by the providence of Jehovah, whose earthly throne was at Jerusalem, his people had no ground for alarm, and would experience his protection, 16, 17 predicts times of great prosperity to them, 18 and concludes with special denunciations against Egypt and Idumea, with whose fate is placed in striking contrast the pro; ;
; ; ;

tracted existence of the Jewish polity, 19-21.

For, behold

in those days,

When
And And

I shall reverse the captivity of Judah

and at that time, and Jerusalem,

I will gather all the nations,

bring them
will plead

down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, with them there,

,

is a 1, 2. s-'rin. ^SM ntenn c^a^^a double mode of expression, employed to give greater prominence to the period. That the " days and time " here specified, are not identical with the period spoken of in the last five verses of the preceding chapter, is evident from their being connected by the relative conjunction nja s with the foUovving words, which relate to the restoration of the Jewish state. 1^ , at the begimiing of the verse, is properly rendered for, and refers back to chap. ii. 21-27, in which verses times of great temporal prosperity are promWith this prosperity ised to the Jews. was intimately connected the punishment of the nations by which they had been and, accordingly, such punishafflicted ment forms the subject of the present chapter. Instead of atiis the Keri sub; ,

twenty-five of Kennicott's MSS. ; but the frequent occurrence of nsa'j an'j , in

which the Kal form

tively,
for

is to be taken causashows that there was no necessity

See Ps. xiv. 7, the emendation. Is. lii. 8. Some in7, cxxvi. 7 terpret the phrase of a general restoration to circumstances of prosperitj', without any reference to previous circumstances of actual captivity, as in the case of Job xlii. 10 ; but considering its common application to the return from Babylon, and the express mention of the scattering of the nation among the heathen, ver. 2, it seems more natural to
liii.
;

refer it to the

same event
dispersion
is

in this place.

Jews from meant, and that the judgments to be inflicted on the

That the

restoration of the

their present

stitutes a/liuK

in

which

it is

supported by

nations are those which are predicted, Rev. xvi. 14, 16, is rendered impossible

136

JOEL.
account of my people, and Israel mine inheritance, among the nations,

Chap. IIL

On

"SVlnnu they have scattered

And And And And

have divided my land have cast lots for my people,

;

given a boy for an harlot, sold a girl for wine.

That they might drink. And trnly, what are ye to me,

Tyre and Zidon I

by the introduction of the Tyrians, donians, Philistines, etc. verses 4 and

Si19,

since these states all received their punish-

ment
some

prior to the advent of Christ.

p'2y, the valley

By

tasrvi"

understand through which the brook Kedron flows, between the city of Jerusalem and the

of Jehoshaphat, the narrow valley

mount
in

of Olives.
is

To

this valley or glen,

the celebrated burj-ing-place of the Jews, the Rabbins have appropriated the name, and maintain, that in it the final judgment of the world is to be
a conceit in which they have been followed by many Cluistian A\Titers, as well as by the Mohammedans. Others suppose it to be a designation of the valley,

which

held

X^pcw TTjs Kpiffews. The nations to be punished are restricted, ver. 2, to such as should have scattered the Jews, and occupied their land. Comp. chap. ii. 17. 3. The Jews were frequently treated in the most ignominious manner by their enemies. Such conduct is here afFectingly set forth. That it was customary to cast lots for those who were taken captive, see Obad. ver. 1 1 Nah. iii. 1 0. The giving of a boy for a whore, does not mean the exchange of the one for the other, but the payment of the captive
;

an act of sensual indulgence ; just as the selling of a girl for wine, means giving her in compensation for a draught
for

of

it.

otherwise called r;D"i3

"'??.> the valley

;

of

also

Comp. Gen. xxxviii. 17 comp. Deut. xxii. 18, where riJiT V-^'?.' ^^^
;

blessing, 2 Chron. xx. 2G but as neither of these localities at all comport with the magnitude of the subject treated of by the prophet, we have no alternative but that of considering the words, not as constituting a proper name, or the name

h ire of a whore,

is

coupled with n Vs.

;

"i "

nW

the price of a dog

erb,

and the Arabic prov-

ioO'J 2Uu'\ i.vJl) the son of a

of any specific locality, but as symbohcal in their imjwrt, and designed to characterize

the theatre of the bloody wars that took place after the Babylonish cap-

by which the hostile nations contiguous to Judea had signal vengeance

tivity,

inflicted

upon them.

They

literally sig-

whore hired with oil. Meid. xciv. Charden mentions that when the Tartars came uito Poland, they carried off all the children they could, and, finding at length that they were not redeemed, sold them at the low price of a crown. In Mmgrelia, he adds, they sell them for provisions, and for wine.
4. Among the nations bordering on the countrv- of the Jews, which had rendered themselves particidarly obnoxious to the divine vTath, Axcre those on the west, for wliich see on Is. xxiii. and

nify, the valley

where Jehovah judgeth, and mean the scene of divine judgments. ITie term valley appears to have been selected on account of sucli locality being mentioned in Scrijrture as tlie usual theatre of militar\' conflict. This

xiv. 28.

Tiew of the subject is supjwrtcd by the Targ. in which the words are not retained, but translated n:"^ j"V3 ^^'^ tlie plain of the distribution of judgment, and by the translation of Theodot. t^i/

are ye to

'V Crs rtt C-;" atid truly what me t Thuik ye that I make any
,

account of yotj ? or that yc can successfully op]x>se yomsclvos to me ? llie

interrogation
is it is

altogether
in form,

different

in

meaning, as

from the idiom

, ;

CUAP.

Ill,

JOEL.
the coasts of Philistia
?

117

And

all

Will ye retaliate upon me ? If, indeed, ye retaliate upon me, Speedily and swiftly I will bring your retaliation Back upon your own head. Because ye have taken away my silver and my gold

And my goodly objects of delight Ye have carried into your temples And have sold the sons of Judah and
;

the sons of Jerusalem

To

the sons of the Javanites,

That they might be removed far from their own border. Behold I will arouse them from the place Whither ye have sold them
!

CuVt '^"mW, tchat have tee in common? Kimchi compares it. riiV'^Va cimdts, districts. Comp. Josh. xiii. 2, where the word is rendered coasts in our
vAih. -which

most highly esteemed by the Jews are more probably meant since it does not appear that ever the enemies specified by
;

Joel plundered the temple at Jerusalem,

Tliey were properly provinces, of which there were five in number, each governed by a y^ji, prince, or lord. V's,
version.
all,

though express mention

is

made

of the

before

mV^Vs

expresses contempt.

not here correlate with n , in ^?5;in, but puts a fresh case for the sake of ai-gimient. The case supposed, however, was true in fact. The mterrogative n assumes here the form of the article, as in several other places. See on Amos v. 25. V^i, signifies to do good or evil to any one
Csi, is

plunder of the royal palace by the PhiComp. listines, etc., 2 Chron. xxi. 17. Hos. xiii. 15 2 Chron. xxxvi. 19. It was customary to hang up or deposit in the idolatrous temples, as presents dedicated to the gods, certain portions of the spoils taken in war. Arrian, ii. 24. Cur;

tius, iv. 2.

6
i.

"^

a 1

"

n v2
;

<

Ae sons of the Javanites,

e.

the Grecians.

Comp.

yfes

'AxaiSivt

then to recompense him, either with good or evil to reward, retaliate. The meaning here seems to be, that if these bordering states, takmg advantage of certain imtoward circumstances in the history of the Jews, attempted to revenge the victories gained over them by the latter, they should be dealt with in the way of
;

and see on Is. Ixvi. 19. of Homer Credner, Ilitzig, and some others, think that the prophet refers to Javanites of Arabia FeUx, mentioned Ezek. xxvii. 19 but the reasons they adduce in favor of
their opinion are insufficient to establish the point. In Ezek. xxvii. 13, Javan is mentioned, along -with Tubal and Meshech, as trading in the persons of men Slavery with the merchants of lyre. formed an important article of Phoenician

divine retaliation.

of
to

what was done to his people himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 8

!i"in
Vj5,
is

Jehovah here speaks as done

;

Matt.

XXV. 40.

an asyndeton.

Comp.
words
5.

Is. V. 26,
is

where the order of the

reversed.

As

in the preceding verse

identified himself

God had with his people, so here

he speaks of their property as his. Some suppose the precious vessels belonging to the temple to be intended by ^^Mna
D'2'::n, but the articles of private property

commerce, and equally so of that carried on by the Greeks, to whom the former might easily convey the Jewish captives. So famous did the island of Delos become as a slave mart, that sometimes 10,000 were bought and sold in a single day. 7, 8. D'sns, Saheans ; Pococke's Arab.

MSS. ,^waJ

J^

t ,

^^ peoi>&

ofJem^n.

118

JOEL.
bring back your retaliation
;

Chap.

Ill

And

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. Proclaim ye this among the nations 9 Prepare war rouse the mighty Let all the warriors approach let them come up.
; ;
;

10 Beat your coulters into swords,

your pruning-hooks into speai-s ; Let the feeble say, I am mighty. 11 Hasten and come, all ye nations around.

And

the Sabeans traded not improbable that nn distant, may be designed to include j; that part of the East though it is said of the Queen of Sheba, that she came iK Tuii> TTfpaTwv TTjs 7^s, Matt. XI. 4L.

See on Is. Ix. 6. with India, it

-i

As

was
Is.

to exist in the days of the ^lessiah.

;

is

Such was to be 4 Micah iv. 3. the extent of the conflict, that, in the lack of a sufficient number of arms, the
ii.

ordinary implements of husbandrj' would

be converted into weapons. "

squalent
colonis,

This propliecy v;is fulfilled before and dui-ing the rule of the Maccabees, when the Jewish affairs Avcrc 'u\ no flourishing a state, and the Pha>nician and Philistine powere were reduced by the Persian anixs under Artaxerxes ^Inemon, Darius

abductis

arva

Et

cur%'?e

rigidum falces conflantur in ensem."

Virgil. Georg.
i.

507.

Ochus, and especially Alexander and his

" Sarcula cessabant, versique in pila

ligones,

On the capture of Tyre by the Grecian monarch, 1.3,000 of the in"When habitants -were sold into slavery. he took Gaza also, he put 10,000 of the citizens to death, and sold the rest, with
successors.

Factaque de
erat."

rastri

pondere
i.

cassis

Olid. Fast.
11.
-v^'j,

699.

the women and children, for slaves. Favorable, on the other hand, as he was to the Jews, there can be no doubt that he ordered the liberation of such of them as were captives in Greece.
9. rST, this, refei-s to

otTTol

\iy. in

all

probability

the same in signification with rin, to hasten. The ancient versions follow the

LXX.,
Arab.
.

who

render,

awoApol^ia^e.
;

wiLft, viiam duxit, vixit

hence

what immediately
tlie

follows

the assembling of the different

nations, in order to engage in

in which,
political states, to
,

wars

the idea of liveliness, acticity, atjility, etc. ri n : r , is the Imperative in Hiphil of M-i :

in succession, they were, as

be subdued and perish, is not simply to prcjxirc, as Kimchi i'-p explains it, but to prepare by the use of religious rites and ceremonies, such as the lieathen employed when they undertook

go or come down. The place the .scene of warfare, the valley of Jehoshaphat, imphed in n^ar,
to descend,

whither,

is

which with the n

in
signification

is

frequently the same

a military

entciiirise.

10. llcre a state of things is presented

to view, directly the opposite of A\hat

with ni. Tlie abrupt transition to Jehovah has a powerfid effect. Whatever might be the individuid views of those engaged in the conflict, they were the instruments of Divine

Chap. HI.

JO EL.
;

119

And

gather yourselves together Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down,
12 Let the nations be roused, let

Jehovah I

them come up

To

the valley of Jehoshaphat

For there I will sit to judge all the nations around. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe 13 Come, descend, for the wine-press is full,

The
For

vats run over

their wickedness

is

great.

14 Multitudes! multitudes

In the valley of decision

For the day of Jehovah

is

near,

WTath, and are on this account called the ' mighty ones " of Jehovah. Comp. Is. X. 5-7. 12. To give prominence to the interest

order to tread the grapes it was necessary down into the wine-press, it seems better to abide by the orduiary signification of the Hebrew verb, and to consider
to go

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 decision against the enemies of his people. For 'uE'j-;-"' P'?.V. ^^^ ^^ '^^^- ^* Here,
as in that verse, the nations to be

the action of treading to be implied, rather than expressed. At the close of the verse the metaphor is dropped, and the cause of the thing signified is boldly
presented to view.
14.

D'ibn O'lT^n,
Hebraism
for

multitudes, multi-

pun-

tudes, a

immense multitudes.

ished were those a-'q&w

circumjacent to

Judea.
13. The prophet now employs metaphors taken from the harvest and the vintage, which strikingly express the

tumults.

This rendering is pref(>rable to that of In the preceding verses, the

havoc and destruction effected by war the one denoting the slaughter or cutting dowTi of armies, and the other the effuThe same images sion of their blood. are similarly employed, Is. xvii. 5, 6,
Ixiii.

upon to assemble, and here the prophet, beholchng them congregated in obedience to the summons, breaks out into an appropriate exclam.ation in regard to their number, 'p"^!!, Piscator, the Geneva English, Calvin,
nations are called

Lam.

i.

15

and

especially

Rev. xiv. 14-20. Va, a sickle, Arab. o y \\<\ ,X A Syr. |3 Vfl, In Arab, the root,
iJ[^<A,>

Leo Juda, Michtclis, Justi, Holzhausen, and Credner, take m the sense of thresh~ Kimchi, Tanchum, Abulwahd, ing. Newcome, and some others, render excision
; but the LXX. Theodot. Sjt. Targ. Theodoret, Dathe, Eoscnmiiller, Gesaiius, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald, and Fiirst, translate the word by decision or

signifies to cut.

The

sickles of

the East,

as

represented on Egyptian

monuments, pretty much resembled ours, only some of them were smaller, and had more the appearance of a knife hooked at the end. rri from nn-, to descend, some take to be used here in the
,

judgment, which seems more in keeping with the name of the valley, and the
idea of a judicial process, set forth ver. 12. Comp. for the acceptation to determine, decide, as attaching to the verb The 1 Kmgs XX, 40; Is. x. 22.

Y-_n,

acceptation of the Arab,

t^s, calcavit.

is the decision or doom of the nations to which the prophecy refers. The repetition of '(v-r^- P'^,?.. heightens

meaning

Thus the

LXX.

TraTetTe.

But

as

in

the

effect.

120

JOEL,

Chap.

III.

15

In the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, And the stars shall withdraw their shine.

16

For Jehovah

shall roar

out of Zion, Jerusalem,

earth shall shake

And utter his voice from And the heavens and the
But Jehovah
is

a refuge for his people,

A stronghold
17

for the sons of Israel.

ye shall know that I Jehovah am your God, Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain Then shall Jerusalem be holy Foreigners shall invade her no more.

And

And

it

shall

come

to pass in that day.

shall

That the mountains

drop new wine,

And

the

hills shall

flow with milk,

figurative mode of representing 15. the removal of the political rulers of the world. Comp. chap. ii. 10, 31. 1 G. These words, as Chandler properly remarks, seem to intimate very plainly,

that at least part of the judgments here

That the strong language imply a state of immunity from invasion, to which there was absolutely to be no end, will appear on comparmg Is. Iii. 1, and Nah. i. ] 5. See my note on the former
their polity.
at the close of the verse does not

threatened

to

be

exerted

upon

the

of these passages.

From

the death of

ncighlx)ring nations, should be executed

by the Jews themselves.

thias,

They

doubtless

refer to the victories obtained

by Matta-

and

his sons the ^laccabeans.

As

king of the Jewish nation, Jehovah had his residence in Jerusalem, whence he
caused his power to be exerted to the discomfiture of his enemies, and the deliverance and protection of his people. Comp. Ps. xviii. 13; Ilab. iii. 10, 11. :;K'S , to roar, is properly used of the lion, but is metaphorically applied to God, to express the terrible majesty with which he encounters his foes. Comp. Jer. XXV. 30 Amos i. 2. iii. 8.
;

Antiochus till the eomuig of the Messiah, no hostile power should take possession of the holy city. To express the perfect immunity from idolatry, by which Jerusalem should be characterized, ii'^f,, holiness in the
abstract,
is

used.

Comp.
or bar-

Obad.
18.

17.

By

C""!!, stramjers,

barians, foreign enemies are meant.

splendid figurative representhe extraordmary prasperity to be accorded to the Jewish people after the destruction of their enemies.
tation of

Thus Tanchum
v:i>l5^vxJL

in Pococke,

y'.

"^y f

17.

y^^
ii.

is

here, as in Is.

Iii.

6. Ix.

16

^^v?<VJ|

SjJijG,

"me-

Hos.

20, to be taken in the acceptation of experiencing, knowing by ex-

taphorical language, denoting

abimdance

perimental proofs of the divine kindness. Tliis the Jews did in the deliveranct^s
cficcted

of plenty and blessings."

Comp.

Is.

XXX. 23-25,
ix. 13.

xliv. 3,

and

especially

Amos

on their

behalf, after the return

from

on the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and in the enjoyment of their national and recaptivity,

the

especially

" Flumina

jam

lactis,

jam flumina necilice

i.

taris ibant,

Flavacjuc de viridi stillabant

mcUa."
111.

lipous privileges,

till

the termination of

Ovid. Mctam.

Chap. HI.

JOEL,
the channels of Judah shall flow with water,

121

And And And

19

all

a fountain shall go forth from the house of Jehovah, water the valley of Acacias.
shall

Egypt

become

desolate,

And Edom
For the

a desolate wilderness,

violence done to the sons of Judah, Because they shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited for ever. And Jerusalem to successive generations. 21 And I Avill regard their blood as innocent.

Kai Tore Kal

877

xapay
koI

iJ.eyd\T]y

^ehs

a.v-

Spdffi Btifffi

the indignation of that king siding with Antiochus the Great.

to

yap

yrj

5eV5po

Kol

darirera

^pefifiaTa yaiijs

Adaovffiu Kapvhv rhv aKifbivhv av^pwvouri

the time of Cleopatra also, thjTus gained a victory over the army of Alexander Janneus, in which the Jews lost upwards of thirty thousand men

by In her son La-

Otvov

kolL

fjLiKiTos y\vKfci)s,

\fUKOv re
koXKicttov

ydXaKTos
Kal (riTov, '6irep airdmwv.
etrrt fiporols

Sibyl, Orac.

and who, to increase the terror of his name, massacred the women and children, cut their bodies in pieces, and boiled the flesh. The Idumeans, though less formidable, never omitted any favorable
opportunity that offered of showijig their hostility to the Jews. The condition to

D'^U'in

"htils

the valley

of Shittim,

i.

e.

Acacias. There was a place of this name ia the country of Moab, Num. xxv. 1,
xxxiii. 49
;

Josh.

ii.

but most inter-

preters think that the valley is

meant

which both these countries were speedily reduced, and which they have remained to the present day, verifies the

prediction here

delivered.

through which the Kidron flows to the

Instead of
exhibit the

Dead

riK^'rV

a number of

Sea.

Consistency of interpretation
part of

requires us to understand this

synonymous nwcV.
the violence

the verse figuratively of the most desert and arid spots, such as the acacia is fond Fertihty was to go forth from the of. presence of Jehovah into the whole land. Viewed in this light, there is no incongruity in representing the water as extending even across the Jordan, however impossible it might be as a physical phenomenon. Comp. Ezek. xlvii. 1-12 Zech. xiv. 8, 19. The wrongs done to the Jews

""^nn^ 13 3 Dxn, of the sons of Judah, is the

MSS.

Genitive of object, meaning the violence

done
the

to

them.

spelt t5"p5 here

Comp. Obad. 10. n'j;3 is and Jonah i. 14 but in

;

present

text,

nine of Kennicott's

MSS. and
more

four of

De

Rossi's,

with eight
these

originally, read 'p:.

Among

are four Spanish

MSS., two of which

De

Kossi characterizes as accuratissimi.

The pronominal

by the Egyptians and Idumeans, which

the prophet here declares were to be avenged, were those committed at difPalesferent times after the captivity. tine suffered greatly during the wars between the Syrian and Eg^-ptian kings,
especially in the reign of

affix in B^-is, refers to the Jews spoken of immediately before. 20. 2"ii?|, is used passively, as in Is.

tV':y and nini -ii'^, are to be by the subject to which they are predicated. Thus the state of desolation
xiii.

20.

limited

during the seventy years' captivity in Babylon, is said to be c'^iy, for ever,
Jer. xviii. 16.

Ptolemy Epithemselves

phanes,

when they exposed

21. In the words ^^^:

t^'-

-'-^ T'?:-,

16

122

JOEL
shall

Chap. in.

"Which I have not regarded as innocent

And Jehovah
there
is

dwell in Zion.

affix in

an ellipsis of ntrs after Q>;n the which refers to the Jews, not to
, ,

their

enemies.

Almost

all

preters have stumbled at ^n;^ j

the interthe verb

,

here employed, but they have generally got over the difficulty, by giving to it the signification of ^ri':;;^: , I have avenged

a signification which nowhere attaches to For the difit in the Hebrew Bible. ferent explanations see Pococke. nps,

morally pure, to be free from pnnishment ; in Piel, as here, to regard, pronounce, or treat as innocent, to pardon. The words were doubtless suggested by ts"|".3 C"t in the preceding verse, and are to be rendered, / will regard their blood as iimocent, ichich I have not regarded as innocent ; i. e. I will pardon those whom I have treated as guilty. My people, whom I have punished on account of their apostasies, I will henceforth regard
to he

Arab.
iv.

^3 ^ purus, mundus fuit,

ii.

and

with favor and

^'i^t'l
.

Ubavit.

mundavit. Sjt. in Pael, sacrificavif, Li Niph. the Heb. verb, signifies

love. The affix c in corresponds to the same in Cuns, ver. 19. -,r-j, the Participle used vaih

futurity of signification.

AMOS.
PREFACE.
Amos, (Heb.
origin,

as

oiKSj, burden, a word purely Hebrew, and not of Egyptian and the same as Amasis or Amosis, as Gesenius conjectures,) was, we learn from the inscription, a native of Tekoah, a small town in the

tribe of

Judah,

at the distance of

about twelve miles south-east of Jerusalem.

barren, was destitute of cultivation,
life.

The country round being sandy and

and
fit

only to be occupied by those addicted to pastoral

;

Among

these

our prophet was originally found

in ancient times,
this
is

and, though
at

any more than

it is

was counted no disgrace the present day in Arabia, to follow

it
it,

occupation, kings themselves being found in

to suppose that

(2 Kings

iii.

4,)

yet there

no reason

Amos belonged
is

to a family of
his father
;

but the contrary.

is

No

mention

made of

rank or influence, but too much stress

in

not to be laid upon

this

circumstance.

That he had been

poor circum;

14 from which also it is incontrovertible, that no change of circumstances intervened, which may be supposed to have been more favorable to mental culture, but that he was called at once to exchange the life of a shepherd for that of a
vii.

stances, however,

appears from the statement made chap.

prophet.

Though a

native of the

fact which is to be accounted for, not, as Berground of some personal relations, but by an express Divine commission to occupy it as the scene of his labors. Eichhorn ingeniously supposes the reasons of his selection to have been, that the appearance of a foreign prophet was much more calculated to excite attention than that of a native, and that such a prophet was more likely to command respect than any belonging to a kingdom in which impostors and fanatics
his office in that of Israel

kingdom of Judah, he discharged the functions of

tholdt conjectures, on the

abounded.

The

time at which he prophesied

in the reigns of

is

stated in general terms, chap.

i.

1, to

have been

Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam reigned B.

c.

11.,

king
b.
c.

of Israel, the former of

whom
it,

811-759, and the latter

office,

825-784, but in which of these years he was called to the

and how long

he continued

to exercise

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 usurj? 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 Ilosea, appears not only from the dates

124

PREFACE TO AMOS.
the ten tribes, Avhich they so graphically describe.

assigned in both their books, but from the identical state of affairs in the

kingdom of

"Whether he

and Alicah cannot be determined. As we have already found, from the prophecy of Ilosea, idolatry, with its concomitant evils, efFeminacy, dissoluteness, and immoralities of every description, reigned with uncontrolled sway among the Israelites in the reign of Jeroboam the son of Joash. It is chiefly against these evils that the denunflourished also in the days of Isaiah
ciations of

Amos

arc directed.
into three parts
:

The book may properly be divided

First, sentences pro-

nounced against the Syrians, the Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Jews, and the Israelites, chapters i. and ii.
Second, special discourses delivered against Israel, chapters
visions,
iii.-vi.

Third,
in

partly of a consolatory,
is

and partly of a comminatory nature,

which reference
tribes,

previous to

had both to the times that Avcre to pass over the ten the coming of the Messiah, and to what was to take place

under

his reign, chapters vii.-ix.

style,

In point of

Amos

holds no

mean
it

place

among

the prophets.

The

declaration of Jerome, that he was imperitus seno/i/e, has not been justified

by modern

critics.

On

the contrary,
is

is

universally allowed that, though

destitute of sublimity, he

distinguished for perspicuity

and

regularity,

em-

bellishment and elegance, energy and fulness.

inal,

His images are mostly

orig;

and taken from the natural scenery with which he was familiar his rhythmus is smooth and flowing And his parallelisms are in a high degree natural and complete. In description, he is for the most part special and
;

local

ness of his

he excels in the minuteness of his groupings, while the general vividmanner imparts a more intense interest to all that he delivers.
in chapters iv. vi.
is

In some few instances, as

and

vii.

the language approaches

more

to the prose style, or

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 According to Pseudo-Epiphanius, he afterwards repriest, we know not. turned to his native place, where he died, and was buried with his fathers
but no dependence can be placed on the statement.

CHAPTER
AiTER
a chronological
cliarge,

I.

and general introduction, ver. 1, 2, this chapter contains a heavy accompanied with denunciations, against the Syrians of Damascus, 3-5; the Philistines, 6-8; the Thoenicians, 9, 10; the Idumeans, 11, 12; and the Ammonites,
13-15.

1 TliE

words of Amos, who was among the shepherds, of Tekoah, which he saw concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of
Israel,

two years before the earthquake.

supposed to denote the shepherd or keeper of a species of sheep and goats, distinguished by certain marks, and to be derived from nS3 , to prick, or 7nark with pimctures, and so to distinguish by such

1. With the exception of the book of Jeremiah, that of Amos is the only one of the prophets commencmg with ^^p"^,

." " The words of Comp. however, Hag. i. 12. The meaning is, the subjects or matters of oracular communication which he was employed by the prophetic Spuit to dehver, and which were now, under the influence of the same Spirit, committed to \\Titing. Their divine origin is clearly determined by what is added, ntn Ti'l? " which he saw," i. e. which were supernaturally presented to his mental vision. See on Is. i. 1. The preposition a in a"~ps 2 does not denote distinction, intimating that Amos was great'

marks.
referred
^J^Jij

By
for

others, it is
illustration

more properly
to the Arab.
et brevipes,

genus ovium deforme

4>ljij. ovium,

and

Joijj appellataruvi

pastor.

the disesteem in which such animals were held, arose the proverb,

From

JcA/JI

.wO

wju,

more

vile

than the

er in point of

wealth or respectability

than the rest of the shepherds, as Kimchi would have it, but simply that he was of their number he belonged to their con;

NncAD. At the same time, as their wool was valuable, they were kept in great numbers. In both instances in which
the term occurs, it seems to be used in a more general acceptation. Aq. iu ttoi/j.Sj-mm. and the fifth edit. vorp6<pois The explanation of eV ro7s Trotfieaiv.
;

and followed their occuThe phrase D'"pS3 n'n expation. presses, in fact, nothing more than n'n Comp. for similar usage 1 Sam. -tp:. and the Arabic Ps. cxviii. 7 xix. 24
dition of
life,
; ;

Cpil
av-l]p

is

not inept

'Aixws yeyovei' aliroXos

f^f<Ti T6

Koi TTOijXfVlKois

Sf eV

I'O/J.OIS

ivTebpa'^jxivos.

The LXX.

'A/CKa-

jj^ljt>
here,

^j^
2

Lo^.
iii.

tp.;

occurs only
it

and

Kings

4.

By some

is

peifi, mistaliing it for the name of a place where they supposed the prophet to have been when he received his Divine

i.:g

A .M
And
he said

Chap.

I.

Jehovah roareth from Zion, And uUercth his voice from Jerusalem The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the summit of Carmel withereth. Thus saith Jehovah For throe transgressions of Damascus,
communications.
^Vi-ab.

The
Tekii
a,

ruins of

;p

Dr. Robiiason

express the roaring of the lion, is here used to set forth the awful cluu-actcr of those judgments. Dathe, stumUing at

found covering an extent of four or five acres on an elevated hill, not steep, but

the boldness of the figure, renders, Joi-a ex Zione dira 2^>'onun<;ittt ; thereby de-

from Bethlehem.
sterile,

broad at the top, about two houi-s distant On approachmg it, he describes the landscape as rocky and
yet rich in pasturage, as was tesby the multitude of the flocks.
ii.

stropng the
guage.
4.
1

jxictical

force of the lan;

Comp.

Jcr.

XXV. 30

Job

xxx\'ii.

tified

(Palestine,

pp. 181, 182.)

The
is

sur-

marks the ajwdosis. For C">S-in i--s:i comp x-i--: r'sa, Ps. xxiii. 2. Vtsis ilicha^lis, Justi, and others take to be the Carmel, now called by the Arabs
in iiV^s-,
,

rounding region, especially that in the

direction
'i'r'^.

of
,

the

Dead
ix.

Sea,

called

"i27'2
1

2 Chron. xx. 20,

QeKoie,

Mace.
flocks,

33.

and tj iptixos In tins pas-

JLc)*X

-'^'"''mill,

which

lies

near Yutta,

or Juttah, between
to the south of

turuig

district,

our

prophet originally
collected the syca-

two and three hours Hebron but though the

;

tended his

and

mountainous region about that place was

more

figs.

see the Introduction.

For the dates here specified, The prophecy is

more

specially directed against Israel, or the

in the proximity of the prophet, yet the established scripture reference to the fertility of the celebrated ^lomit

kingdom of the ten tribes, though that of Judah, and likewise several foreign
states, are also expressly
jxjssess

Carmel
fact,

in the tribe of

Asher seems

to

entitle the latter to the preference.

denounced.

We

there

does not appear to

In be yuy

no data by which

to fix the year

in wliich the earthquake, here mentioned,

occurred.
to
it

Zcchariah, chap. xiv.

o, refers

having happened in the days of Uzziah, but he does not specify the year. According to Joscphus, it took place on
as

mountain deserving the name in the hill country of Judah. The hill of Maon, which is close by, is not less than two hundred feet higher than the site of the ruins of the castle of Kurmul. See
Robinson, ut sup. pp. 193-200. Besides the identical phrase, Vtti3 nrs-,, the summit of Carmel, 'which again occurs chap. ix. 3, in immediate connection with the sea, is employed in application to the western Carmel, 1 Kings xviii. 42. 3. Here begins a series of minatory
predictions against different states,

occasion of the invasion of the sacerdotal

office V)y that

monarch, Antiq.

ix. 10, 4.

As earthquakes are by no means uncommon at I'alestiiie, it must have been

unusually severe to entitle it to the speciality of reference here employed. Some interiuct gryn of a ci\Tl commotion, but without sufficient ground, as the connection Zech. xiv. 4, 5, shows.
2.

which

Zion, or Jerusalem, being the cen-

tral point of the theocracy, cial residence of

was the spe-

Jehovah, to whom the judgments afterwards denounced, are, in highly figurative language, immediately
referred.

>iis,

commonly

cmi)loycd to

extends to chap. ii. 8, where it merges in a continued denimciation of judgments du''tcd almost exclusively against the Israelites. Instead of proceeding at once to charge the ten tribes with the flagrant evils of which they had been guilty, Amos commences with the Syrians, and after exposing their wicked-

Ch.vp.

I.

AM
for four, I will not reverse

127

And

it
;

Because they threshed Gilead Avith sledges of iron 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Ilazael, And it shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
ness,

and that of the

Philistines,

the

the suffix in

!!sa''f

relates, is

not ex-

Phoenicians, the Edomites, the

nites,

Ammo-

pressed, either before or after the verb,

the Moabites, and the Jews, he comes to his proper subject, on which he dwells throughout the rest of the book.
prophesied against sin
others,

on the principle, that the subject referred to would naturally suggest itself to the

mind

Having roused the indignation of those

among whom he
as

of the reader. It is anticipative of the sentence of punishment delivered in the following verses. Comp. Num.
xxiii. 20, in vt'hich is

exhibited

in

he charges

it

an

ellipsis

of the

home upon
solemn
n'.n"!

themselves.
is

Each

of the

eight predictions

ushered in by the

noun n^i 2, the idea of which is expressed Bp. Lowth proposes to by the verb.
render, '! will not restore
it
;

"iWS r!3, thus saith Jehovah

" but withav:;,

and

consists in part, in a repetition of

out sufficient authority.

reverse the captivity,"
is

nos3

"to

the same symmetrical stanzas, with an intermbcture of matter, varj-ing according

to the nature of the subjects treated
of.

the phrase

em-

Interpreters differ in regard to the precise

meaning of the use made by our prophet

Similar of the numerals three and/o?<r. formulae are frequent in Hebrew. See

Exod. XX. 5 Job v. 19, xxxiii. 14, 29 Prov. XXX. 15, 18, 21; Eccles. xi. 2;
; ;

ployed in such case. In the phrase, " I will not reverse," is a htotes the meaning being, " I will certauily execute." For Damascus, which, as the metropolis, is put for the kingdom of Syria, see on Is. xvii. 1. The cruel treatment of the inhabitants of Gilead here referred to, is that to which they were subjected by

Is. xvii. 6
Ktti

Mic.

v. 4.
;

Comp. the

rpis

Hazael and Benhadad, 2 Kings x. 32, 33.

3-7, both of which princes Amos mentions by name, ver. 4. It consisted in their being thrown before the threshing sledges, the sharp teeth of iron in
xiii.

the terque quaterque of Virgil and the ter et quater of Horace. The notion, that the two numbers are to be added, so as to bring out
rerpuKis of
;

Homer

the perfect number seven, and thus to express the completeness or full measure of the iniquity, is not bonie out by Hebrew usage. That the numbers' are to be taken literally, as in Prov. xxx. where there is an enumeration of each of the particulars, is equally out of the question ; the specification of the prophet being, in each case, limited to a single Nor can the conact of wickedness. struction be admitted, I have not punished Damascus, etc. on account of three transgressions, but on account of a fourth

the rollers of which tore and mangled their bodies. See on Is. xxviii. 27, and

comp. 2 Sam. xii. 31, where we find the same pimishment inflicted by David, by the law of retaliation, ri::-^, the LXX.
render
izpiotri

<TiSr)po7s,

and add unwar',

rantably, ras iv yaarpX ixovaas

Symm.

I will pimish her; since ?35"rN nV, obviously connects with both numerals.

The only
is,

satisfactory

mode

of explication

rpoxoh triSrjpory. tJ '", to thresh, is the very term used in the history of the transaction, 2 Kings xiii. 7Gilead comprehended the whole of the territory beyond the Jordan, belonging to the tribes of Peuben and Gad, and and as it the half tribe of ^Manassch bordered on the kingdom of the Syrians, was particularly exposed to their
;

and Theod.

to regard the phrase as intensively

attacks.
4. The Benhadad here mentioned was the son and successor of Hazael, and not the king of that name whom Hazael

proverbial,

and designed to express multiphed or repeated delinquencies, of which the last, as the most atrocious, is uniformly described. The noun to which

succeeded.

Comp.

2 Kings

viii.

7,

15,

128
I will also

AMOS.
break the barrier of Damascus,
cut oiFthe ruler from the valley of Aven,

Chjlp.

And And And

the secptre-holder from Beth-Eden, the people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,

Saith Jehovah.

Thus saith Jehovah For three transgressions of Gaza,

;

And

for four I Avill not reverse it Because they effected a complete captivity To deliver it up to Edom,

with
vvas

xiii.

3,

24.

similar prediction

t33 tps/iP. sceptre -holder, shows, one

sits

afterwards delivered by Jeremiah,

xlix.

chap.

27,

from which and from

IIos. viii. 14, it is evident that the phra-

seology employed
verses

by Amos
chap,
ii.

here,
2, 5, is

and
not

7, 10, 12, 14,

peculiar to that prophet.

5.

According to the testimony of a

upon, or occupies a throne a judge, prince, or king the person exercising authority in the district specified. For the latter phrase, the aKr)-movxos of Homer may be compared. -,-:y r-;2, BethEden was, in all probability, the locality in the mountains of Lebanon, which

who

whom Michaelis consulted, there is a most delightful valley called Oon, about four hours distant from Damascus, towards the desert, which has given rise
native, to a proverb, "

Ptolemy,

v. 15, calls XlapiStiaos

where

the valley of

Have you ever been in Oon ? " meaning. Have you

the royal family had a palace, and where one of its members usually resided. The name is still given to a delectable valley to the west of Damascus. ITie

Aram,
,

or Syria, here referred to,

is

that

ever been in a place of delight ? As, however, this has not been confirmed by any traveller, most expositors are inclined
to refer the place to called -ijnjsq ryj;3,

of which

what
^

is

otherwise

"the valley of Le-

banon," or

cUlJ!,

Bukaa, between

n"p of the Cyrus in Iberia, now callctl Kur. See on Is. xxii. 6 and for the accomplishment of the prediction in the successful expedition of Tiglathpilcser, king
;

Damascus was the capital. By Kir, is meant the river and region

of Assyria, 2 Kings xvi. 9.

The

version

the ridges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. Here are the celebrated ruins of the temple of Baalbcc, the Syrian Ilelioixjlis, to which the LXX. have expressly referred

of the LXX. is here extremely faulty, vith the origas the slightest compariso. inal will show.
6.

n"^y,

Arab.

-,:K,

Aven, only pronouncing it "ps, On iK ireSioy 'Civ just as they have ren;

5,^. Ghuzzeh, Gaza,

dered the latter word when it is employed to denote the city of the same name in EgjT^t, which was dedicated to the sun.

pal cities of the Philistines,

was the southernmost of the five princiwhich formed

the capitals of so

many

satrapies of the

The Hebrews

in

P.ilestine,

to

express

was situated at the distance of about an hours journey from

same names.

It

their abhorrence of the idolatrous

wor-

ship practised at both places, pronounced

the word

-,-,s,

Arm, which

properly sig-

nifies 7iothingness, vanity,

and hence an

the south-east coast of the Mediterranean, from which it ^^as separated by low hills and trarts of sand. It was built upon a hill, and strongly fortified, as the name
imports.

idol, on accoimt of its inutility. Comp. with the present passage Ezck. xxx. 17. if'- docs not here denote inhabitant, or

The modem

city

is

built partly

on the hill, but mostly on the plain below and according to Dr. Robinson, con;

inhabitants generally, but as the parallel

tains a population of about 16,000 souls.

Chap.

I.

AMO S.

129

But

I will send a fire into the wall of Gaza,

And it shall devour her palaces And I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, And the sceptre-holder from Ashkelon And will turn back my hand upon Ekron. And the residue of the Philistines shall perish,
Lord Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah For three transgressions of Tyre,
Saith the
:

It

must have been a place of high an-

tiquity, for its

occurs in the genealogical table, Gen. x. ; and it occupied so commanding a position, that it formed

name

sea, and distant from Gaza about five hours in the direction of NN. E. and -pnpv, Ekron, now called by the natives
;

the key to Palestme on the south. It stands here by synecdoche for the whole of Philistia. By n5aV?i riiV.'j we are neither to understand, \vith the LXX. alxnor with Justi, IxaKciiaiav tov 'S,aXw(ji.(ii>i' " a holy or pious captivity " nor with
,

^{Jij J Akir, the most northerly of the

five,

and

at

some distance inland from

Grotius and Michaelis, captivitatem pacificam ; but the immense number of captives

which

Avere carried

away from Judea

along the coast the line of hUls which See Dr. Robinof the Mediterranean. The reason son's Palestine, in. 21-25. why Gath, the remaining city of the five, is not mentioned, is assigned by Kimchi to be, its having been already subdued by David but as it was afterwards occupied
;

nm

in the reign of Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 18.

The

capture was indiscriminate and iminone escaped. Comp. for the phrase Jer. xiii. 19. What aggravated
versal
;

the guilt of the Philistines, was that they did not treat the Jews as prisoners of war, but sold them as slaves to the Edomites, who were their bitterest enemies, and would treat them with the utmost
cruelty.

both by the Syrians, 2 Kings xii. 17, and the Philistines, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6, it seems more natural to refer its omission to the fact of its reduction by Uzziah, in the days of our prophet, as narrated in the It is also latter of the above passages. omitted Zeph. ii. 4, 5. ^y n;; ^^'f'v".* ^
turn the hand upon, means to exert one's power anew, whether in the way of favor or of hostility. Here it is obviously to be taken in the hostile sense. No part of Phihstia was to remain unvisited

They were

doubtless conveyed

emporium of commerce, and there sold to such as might purchase them. Comp. Joel iii. 4-6. 7. 'a^^fire, is here metaphorically used for war, in carrying on which, however,
lo Petra, the great
it is

by Divine judgments.
;

Comp.

Ezek. xxv. 16. In which of the reductions of the Philistines, the

Jer. xlvii. 4

often employed as one of the most

prediction

received

its

fulfilment,

we

destructive elements.

Comp. Num.

xxi.

28

Is.

xxvi. 11.

8.

ver.
cities

For the meaning of awi"', see on Three others of the principal 5.

of the Philistines are

now

threat-

ened, n'.TJS, Ashdod, for which see on

Is.

XX.

1iV;5rs!,

Arab. ^jj^\juy^,

cannot determine. One of these took place during the reign of Uzziah, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6, 7 another in that of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 8 they were afterwards successively reduced by Psammelicus, king of Egypt, by Nebuchadnezzar, by the Persians, by Alexander,
;
;

and ultimately by the Asmoneans.

Askelon, occupying a strong position on the top of a ridge of rock, which encircles it, and terminates at each end in the
9. similar charge is here brought against the Phoenicians, with the superadded aggravation of a breach of an-

17

; ;

ICO

AMOS.
for fo\ir, I will not reverse
it

Chap.

I.

And

Because they delivered up a complete captivity to Edom, And remembered not the covenant of the brethren.
10 But I will send a fire into the wall of Tyre, And it shall devour her palaces.
11

Thus saith Jehovah For three transgressions

of

Edom,
it

And
And And And

for four, I will not reverse

Because he pursued his brother with the sword,

his

did violence to his pity, anger tore continually.

his

he retained
it shall

wrath
into

for ever.

12 But I will send a

fire

Teman,

And

devour the palaces of Bozrah,

cnn
to

Conip. Joel iii. 4-6. The ciu'ut faltli. D" rts r'l 2) covenant ofbrethreti, includes tKe terms of friendship and mutual assistance which were agreed upon between David and Hiram, 2 Sam. v. 11 and afterwards between Solomon and the
;

7
,

Arab. j^^\, Sjt.

V-i

^i

signifies

love,

in Piel, to regard with tender

affection, to cherish feelings

of compasin n"itt,

sion towards any one.

is

The n

same monarch,
cially ver.
is

Kings

v.

See es^-

generally considered to be an instance of a paragogic in the tliird person, but

preferable to construe
affix,

12, (Ileb. ver.

26,)

where

it

it is

expressly stated, that n-^na '^It'II Dri'Vi, "they two made a league," or
covenant.
10. For Tyre, and the accomplishment of this prediction, see on Is. xxiii. 11. For Edo7n, and the fulfilment of the prophecy here pronounced against it,

nominal feminine

it as the proagreeing witli

nn2?. in the nominative absolute.

The

absence of the Mappic forms no objection, as there are several instances of its omission where we might have ex-

pected

see

on

Is.

xxxiv.

5.

The

guilt of the

cruelties exercised
tlie

by the Idumeans upon Jews was greatly aggravated by the

it. The accent on the penultimate favors this construction, being occasioned solely by the absence of the Mappic. The verb, to be taken as a feminine, must be pointed r;ncj but this
,

circumstance of their origmal relationship, Obad. 10. and the mirelenting ix!rpetual character of their hatred,

would

require

nnay

to

the subject in-

rnu

g-Kn">
sion-s
;

lit.

to spoil, or destroy conijxis-

stead of the object, which would be inComp. for the sentitolerably haish. ment, and an elliptical form of the phraseology, Jer.
iii.

t. <?,

so to repress all the tender

6.

The Hebrews speak

feelings of pity, as to

against objects phrase, r.izzr, rrrJ, to destroy wisdom,

become hardened Comp. the of distress.

of keeping a quality, whether good or bad, when they would express its prolonged
or continued exercise.

See Neh.

ix.

'.VI ;

Ezek. xxviii. 17. The LXX. Ital. Arab. Dt)derlein, Dathe, Vater, Justi, and some
others, take

Dan.

ix. 4.

c-nnn,

in the sense of
it

cnn,

the

womb, and explain

;

cither of preg-

nant femnlcs, or of the

t.

fruit of the

womb,

but the phiral is never e. children used in this acceptation. Aq. <nr\d7x'a
a'jTov
;

12. That JWP, Teman, was a city, seems evident from its being mentioned along with nn::3 Bozrah, for whic'h see ' on Is. xxxiv. 6.' Though Jerome speaks of it as a region, he mentions, in his Ouomasticon, a town of this name, at the
,

Symm.

an\iyx>'0'

fSia.

The

root

distance of five miles from Fctra.

On

Chap. 13

I.

AMOS
sons of Ammon,
it

131

Thus saith Jehovah For three transgressions of the

And

for four, I will not reverse

Because they ripped up those who were pregnant That they might enlarge their border. 14 But I will kindle a fire on the Avail of Rabbah, And it shall devour the palaces thereof With a shout in the day of battle, With a tempest in the day of the storm.
the map of Burckhardt and Grimm, it is placed to the south of Wadj-- iliisa. It Avas doubtless the principal place in the district inhabited by the descendants of Teman, one of the grandsons of Esau,

in Gilead,

no unusual part of the barbarities practised by the ancients in war. Comp. 2 Kings viii. 12, xv. 16 Hos. xiii, 16, (Heb. xiv. 1 ;) and my note on the last passage. See also 1 Sam. xi. 2. The
;

Gen. xxxvi. 11, 15, who were celebrated on account of their superior wisdom, Jer. Comp. Obad. 8, 9, and Baruch xliv. 7. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, iii. 22. was a Temanite. The reason why no mention is made of Sela, or Petra, Credner thinks is to be found in the fact, that it had already beon captured by Amaziah, 2 Kings xiv. 7, of whose conquests in that direction advantage was taken by his son Uzziah, ver. 22 ; 2 Chron.
xxvi. 2.
13. -jiKS '33, the

object of the

Ammonites was

to effect

an utter extermination of the Israehtes inhabiting the mountainous regions of Gilead, in order that they might extend their
tion.

own

territory in that direc-

14.

nan, Rabbah,

i.

e.

" 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 Moiet Am7nan, which empties itself into the Jabbok. The full form of the name was -jius '<:3 nan, Deut. iii. 11, by which it was distinguished from Rabbah of Moab, and a city of the same name in the tribe of Judah. It is called Vafia^anava by Polybius and Stephen of Byzantium but it otherwise went among the Greeks by the name of *t\a5A<^(o, which it derived from Ptolemy Philadelphus. It
;

Ammonites, descend-

ants of Lot, Gen. xix. 3, occupied the temtory on the east of the Jordan, be-

tween the rivers Jabbok and Amon, but more in the direction of the Arabian desert. That portion of country which lay along the Jordan, of which they had
possessed themselves, originally belonged

which accounts for its being given to the tribe of Gad, Josh, xiii. 25. They frequently annoyed the Hebrews, but were repelled by David and several of his successors. For the sake of plunder, they joined the Chaldeans on their invasion of Judea and, even after the captivity, they evinced the
to the Amorites,
;

is

now known by

that of
to
it

, 1

f^

Am-

man, the same given

his Tab. Syr. p. 91.

same

They were by Judas Maccabeus, 1 Mace. V. 6, 7. Justin Martyr speaks of them as still a numerous people in his day, 'Pifiixavnwv tan vvv iro\v it\r\bos.
hostile
disposition.

severely chastised

by Abulfeda in is meant the tremendous shout which eastern armies give at the commencement of battle, partly to excite their courage, and partly Comp. to strike terror into the enemy. Exod. xxxii. 17 Josh. \'i. 5, 20. Thus

By

ny^inP,

the Iliad,

iii.

1, etc.

AuTap

^Trel

K6(rfi.7\^iv

it/x'

fiye/J.Si'icra'if

(Kacrroi,

Dial,

cum Tryph. p.

347. Ed. Paris, 1615.

The

atrocious cruelty here charged

upon

opmbfs &s'
'Uvre
TTfp

the Ammonites, appears to have formed

KAa777j yepdyuv,

k. t. A.

182

AMOS
and
his princes together,

Chap. n.

15 Their king shall go into captivity,

He

Saith Jehovah.
*"yo
est,

hurricane, and rfilD, storm or temp-

the resistless force of the onset, and the utterly destructive consequences resulting fiom it. That they are poetically applied to the warlike operations
against Kabbah,
the
is

mark

his priests, in the parallel prophecy of Jeremiah, chap. xlix. 3 but the use of
;

vnc,

his princes, immediately after

by

that' prophet,

shows

that, if the former

clear

from nEEiD

Ci"*,

nn^ Cr,
15.

day of storm, being parallel n'ith the day of battle.

term be not an interpolation, it denotes the idolatrous priests who were in attendance upon the king, just as the princes were the chiefs and civil officers about the
court.

C3^,

their king,

the Sjt. and

0 Upds ainuv, which the

is

LXX.
copied

Vulg. have understood of Malcam or Milcorn, i. e. Moloch, an idol of the Ammonites and Moabites but the LXX. and
;

have added in Amos, and which

in

Targ. support the

common

rendering,

which I""!??, his princes, follo'W'ing, would seem absolutely to require. It is true, this term might be taken figuratively to sigand nify priests, as in Is. xliii. 28 such interpretation might appear to be countenanced by the occurrence of i"'3nb
;

and Arab., was probably borrowed from the passage in Jeremiah or it may have been inserted in the Greek text by some copyist before these other versions were made. The combination of t,''')V, princes, with 'at.h'a,jxtdge, chap,
the
Syr.
;

ii.

3,

confirms

the

above

interpreta-

tion.

CHAPTER
In
this

II.

chapter

we have

tions, as the Moabites, 1-3; the

the continuation of charges and denunciations against different naJews, 4, 5; and finally, the Israelites, who were to form

the principal objects of the prophet's ministry, 6-8. Amos then proceeds to insist on their ungrateful conduct, notwithstanding the exixjrience which they had had of distinguished favors at the hand of God, 9-13; and the futility of all hopes of escape which they might

be led to entertain,

14-16.

Thus

saith

Jehovah
it

For three

transgressions of Moal),

And
1

for four, I will not reverse

For Mnab, see on

is

Is.

xv.

The

par-

ticular act here charged against the

bites
is

Moato

nowhere recorded.
iii.

Michaelis
is

the Idumenn throne. Tlie wickedness appears to have consisted in a Wiuiton violation of the sanctity of the tomb, by the disintcnncnt
royal remains.

of opinion, that reference

had

but ihc prince there spoken of was the son of the king of Moab, and not the future heir to
27
;

2 Kings

and bunung of the was indicative of an enmity which was not satisfied with inflicting every possible injury- upon its
It

Chap.

II.

AM

i;:3

Because they calcined the bones of the King of Edom. I will send a fire into Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth ;

But

And Moab
At

shall die in the tumult,

the shout, at the sound of the trumpet,

kill all

I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof,

And

the princes thereof with him,

Saith Jehovah.

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. But I will send a fire into Judah, And it shall devour the j)alaces of Jerusalem.
victim while living, but pursued him even into the regions of the dead. Comp.
Is. xxxiii. 12.

2.

rvnp, Kerioth ;
;

LXX.

tS>v TroKewv
citadel;

auTuv Targ. t3n3, the fortress or

called

in all probability, the chief city, elsewhere

ns'a

-i^p

Kir-Moab, and here put

its size,

in the plural, to describe one.

or ap-

pearance, as comprehending

Comp.
1.

Jer. xlviii. 24,

more than and on Is.

XV.

-ps'i,

here means the tumult oi

;

battle. Is. xiii. 4

3.

xvii. 12.
tiSJia,

an obvious distinction both as it and the nature of the offices with which they were invested. The connecting of the princes with Moab n "'"i/'o) and not with the judge (t'-i'd) as in chap. i. 15, goes to confirm the view just given. 4, 5. The charges brought against the Jews differ from any of the preceduig, in the crimes which they involve havmg been committed directly against God, and not against man. They had become weary of his service, abandoned his
there
is

respects the degree of their rank,

From

the circumstance that

r^Vtt
,

worship,

and

addicted

themselves

to

judge, and not

king,

is

selected to

describe the chief magistrate of Moab, it has not without reason, been supposed, that, at the time the prophet wrote, or, at least, at the time to which his prophecy refers, a change had taken place in the government of that country but whether it was occasioned by the extinction of the royal house, or the appointment of a ruler by a foreign power, it is impossible
;

Between the synonymes here employed there is this difference of meaning: m'lP, laio, stands for the institute of Moses generally, of which the moral code formed the basis D^I^n, statutes, for the ceremonial and
idolatrous practices.
;

judicial enactments.

By n'^s T 3
is

lies,

idols

are meant,

and the word

it,

so rendered

here in the Vulg. the same view of

vanities.

The LXX. have taken

rendering
this
it

fxaraia,

to

decide.

The

reference

which some

Comp.

for

acceptation

have made "to Ps. ii. 10, in proof that judge and king are identical, is not in pomt for, though the terms as there used are so far synonymous, that they both designate persons high in office, yet
;

Ps. xl. 5.

Idols were so called because

their pretensions

and oracles were founded on falsehood, and because they deluded with false hopes those who worshipped them. Instead of being weaned from

1C4
6

AMOS.
Israel,
it

Chap. IL

Tlr.is saitli Jehovah Fur three transgressions of

"

And

for four, I will not reverse

Because they sold the righteous for money, And the poor for a pair of sandals
:

Who
And

pant for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor. turn aside the way of the afEicted

A man and his father go in to the same damsel.

8

They

In order to profane ray holy name. stretch themselves upon pledged garments, Close to every altar
which
their

their attachment to the gods

ancestors had, at different times, served,

to

sity,

the connection, so that there is no neceswith Iloubigant, Newcome, and

the Jews became increasingly addicted them, and thereby brought upon

themselves the punishment intiicted by

Nebuchadnezzar.
6.

The

prophet, having secured the

attention of the Israehtes by his predictions against those communities which they regarded with feelings of hostihty,

comes now to
Avas to charge

his proper subject, which upon themselves the guilt

A\hich, in various ways, they, as a people,

hud contracted.

Vs-i*i;'

Israel,

i.

e.

the

Israehtes, consisted,

after the revolt in

the time of llehoboam, of the ten tribes, whose capital was Samaria, and whose worship, originally that of Jehovah, under the visible image of the golden
calves, speedily merged in the basest and most licentious idolatrj'. *2 to sell, has no reference, as some have thought, to
,

change the verb into tiTJ, to The meaning of the prophet is, that the persons -whom he describes were so avaricious, that, after having robbed others of their property, and reduced them to a state of poverty, they even begrudged them the small quantity of dust which they had cast on their heads in token of mourning. Comp. 2 Sam. i. 2 Job ii. 12. a, as inrs'-ia, is elsewhere used in the acceptation oi' on or itpon, and is here the more appropriately adopted, on account of the more usual preposition ^y having just been employed. Comp. chap. ym.. 4. 'ri-i-i nur,
others, to
attack, bruise, etc.
;

to turn, or thrust aside as to the

i.

way

e.

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 raider
;

the conduct of a corrupt judge,

who

for

money

gives a verdict against the innocent, the term never being used to express any such act but describes the selling of a person into slavery. They
;

the afflicted still more miserable. From the reference made in the following

even dejjrived the poor of their Hberty for the most paltry consideration. Comp.
chap.
viii. G.

and altars, it most probable that r'^S!n the datnscl here spoken of, was not an ordinary or common strumpet, but one who prostituted herself in honor of Astartc, at one
verse to idolatrous deities
is
,

C"V?3 sandals, are greatly

,

of her slirines.

LXX. tjjj/ outvV irai^laK-nv.

inferior

in

value

to

shoes,

consisting
or

merely of soles
fastened

of

leather

by two

straps to the feet,

wood, one

Such an act of daring profligacy was the more atrocious from its having been committed ui a heathen temple, with the express design, as the prophet states, of doing indignity to Jehovah. Sep Gesenius, Lex. in -prp. A) 2. 8. To retain pledged raiment over
night was expressly prohibited by the

of which passes over the forepart of the foot, near the great toe, and the other round the ankle.
7.
tjStp,

signifies to breathe hard, to

pant, eagerly to desire, which well suit^

Chap. U.

AMO S.
drink
tlie

135

And

wine of

tlie

amerced

In the house of their gods. 9 Yet it was I that destroyed the Araorite before them, Whose height was as the height of cedars.

And who was And And

To
11

strong as the oaks

I destroyed his fruit above,

his roots beneath.

10 It was I also that brought you up from the land of Egypt,

led

you

in the desert forty years,

inherit the land of the Amorite.

I raised

And

up of your sons to be prophets,

it

Mosaic law, Exod. xxii. 26, 27, as

:

special point of view, they inhabited

sides of the Jordan,

both

deprived the owner of his covering to stretch one's self upon it in an idol's temple

and particularly the

was a

great aggravation of the crime.

lit.

mountains afterwards possessed by the Their gigantic height tribe of Judah.

^'<^n~ , pledged,

bound, held in bon-

and extraordinary
reference
is

strength,

to

which

frequently

made

in the his-

dage, from Vrr, to bind.

Syr.

Arab. Jov.^j
It

|3oQ-,

dehitum.

was not un-

tory of the Hebrews, are here beautifully compared to cedars and oaks, the most majestic and sturdy trees of the
forest.

usual for the heathen to sleep near the altars of their gods, that they might obtain communications in dreams but as
;

The Hebrew
poets,

as well

as

the

profane
trees.

compare men to Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 35, xcii. 12-15 ;

olten

it

was customaiy

to eat in a

recumbent
to par-

posture, the stretching here referred to

would rather seem

as the drinking of

to

have respect

ticipation in idolatrous feasts, especially

34 ; Ezek. xvii. 3, xxxi. Sixteen MSS., originally twelve more, and now five five of the oldest editions, and the Rabboth read d^.^:s, " before you,"
Isa. X. 33,
;

wine in the temples is C ^ 'i'l ; ?_ * " the wine of the amerced, means wine purchased with money exacted by the
specified in the following line.
;>,,

instead of

Cn"35K, "before them," but

these authorities, under all the circum-

stances of the text, are iiisufiieient to

imposition of
frequently.

fines,

n'^a, for

m23,

as

Regardless of the sufferings of those "whom they oppressed, the apostate Israelites revelled in sensual indulgences.
9.
1

in

'-ii^'i. is

strongly adversative,

warrant an alteration. 10. Jehovah goes back to still easier, but no less remarkable displays of his kindness to the nation, showing that from the commencement of its historj' he had been its benefactor. Comp. Jer. ii. 6. tS'S, to come or go up, is always used in

and introduces the contrast between the Divine conduct and that of the Israelites.

Hebrew
serts, to

in reference to local or political

elevation,

and

not, as Ro.senmiiller as-

The

signal benefits which, as a nation,

the North.

The circumstance

they had received from Jehovah, ought to have attached them for ever to his The conjunction and pronoun service.
are repeated
'-ibsn
,

of the regions or places to which persons are said to have gone up,
that

many

for

like

effect,

verse

10.

lay to the north of those from which they came, is purely accidental whereas the
;

the Amorites, are here taken in a

wide

sense, as including all the inhabi-

propriety of the use of the term lies in the fact of the mountainous character of

on account of their being the largest and most powerful of the nations which occupied that country.
tants of Canaan,

the land of Canaan, while Egypt and the intervening regions were low and flat. 11. The prepositive "c in cr/:2tt, and
C^.-^iiinau,
is partitive,

Comp. Gen. xv.

16, xlviii. 22.

In a more

indicating that

1U3

AMOS.
of your young

Chaf. IL

And
Is
it

men

not even

so,

to be Xazarites. ye sons of Israel ?

Saitli Jehovali.

12

But ye made the Nazarites drink wine,

And

ye charged the prophets,

Saying, Prophesy not.

13 Behold, I will press you down.

As
14

the cart presseth which refuge shall

foil

is full

of sheaves.

And

the swift.

The strong man

ber were selected.

shall not exert his strength,

12.

some or certain persons out of the num-

"SMiat

could

have

been

more

The Divme conde-

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

scension in the selection of any of their

race to

them
;

the offices here specified, laid under additional obligatious to defill

vote themselves to the ser\'ice of the true God and not only was thereby a distinguished honor confeiTed upon them,

against

the

apostate
after

Israelites.

The
future
pr.v
it

Participle

'p'Viz,

nsn,
;

is

but such institutions furnished them with the means of religious instruction, and examples of holy living. For o'N'^as the
,

See on Is. occurs only here as a verb

in signification.
signifies
to press,

vii. 14.

but that
is

oppress,

etc.,

clear

prophets, see
Nazai'ites,
fioi/,

on
,

IIos.

xii.

11.

C^*iT3,
ayicur-

from the
r;;:3j,

signification of the derivatives

Iv. 4,

LXX.
"1T3

rf/iaafifvos,

th

Ps.

and

np.yitt, Ps. Ivi. 2, as

from

to separate, set one' s self

apart,

abstain,

were a

class of persons

well as from the connection in which it Comp. j;iy, and the Syr. here occurs.
.

among the Hebrews who orcUnarily bound themselves by a volmitary vow to abstain cither for a time, or for the

P'^V

angxtstiatus est.

nV
:
.

angtis-

whole
in-

tia,

pressura.

Comp.

also

the Arab.
v
< |

period of

life,

from wine and

all

'As') retinuit, impedivit

toxicating liquors, and everything made of the produce of the vine ; and not to

accidentia forturue, qu<E impediunt

hom-

shave their head nor touch any dead Sometimes persons were, before body. their birth, devoted by their parents to as in the cases of this abstinence Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. For the law of the Nazaritc, see Xum. vi.
;

The object and "Winer's Ilealworterb. of the institute appears to have been, to exhibit to the view of the nation the power of religious principle operating in
the way of self-control, indifference to sensual gratification, and an entire conThe secration to the service of God. importance which was attached to it in a moral point of view, is evident from those who thus exercised themselves in self-denial being classed along with the Respecting the undcniablcprophets. ness of the fact a pointed appeal is made
t the close of the verse.

inem. The verb is used transitively in both instances, according to the ordinary signification of Hiphil. There is more force in speaking of a fully laden cart pressing the ground under it, than its being itself pressed by its contents. t"riT\ is to be taken in the sense of down, as in Job xl. 12. nV is pleonastic. ITie renderings of the LXX. and Vulg. iyu ego stndebo siibter Kv\l(ji) viroKdro) vfiuv vos, though advocated by some, are less appropriate. Newcome translates the ' As latter hemistich thus a loaded corn-wain presseth its sheaves " but
; : ;

the objective case to rtsVlin and not to p"VP. As the object of the verb,

'oy

is

supply V7.^'l~^'?.* 14-lC. Every attempt to resist or escape from the evils that were coiviing upon the nation, would prove utterly

Chap.

III.

AMOS.

137

15 Neither shall the mighty deliver himself; He that handleth the bow shall not stand,

And

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

for the

same

reason, the

words
5 at the

corres-

irnder various forms,

which

are obviously

ponding

to vi':

t3^r^N

end of

accumulated for the sake of effect. i at the beginning of ver. 14, is not merely

marks the consequence Verse 15th is wanting in or result. some of Kennicott and De Rossi's MSS. and in the Arab. but the omission is jio doubt owing to the homoioteleuton of this and the preceding verse; just as,
conjunctive, but
;

omitted in the Alexandrian copy of the LXX. The preposition a Ci-iiasa, gives to ia^ V"''^^' ^^'^ force of the superlative. Comp. r;7:-aa "liai, the strongest of beasts, Prov. xxx. 30 ; f^i'sa Tt'.~,the most beatdifill of women.
ver. 14 are

Song

i.

8, V. 9, vi. 1
i.

ev\oyr]iJ,4vr)

if yv-

yat^Lv,

Luke

28.

CHAPTER
The

III.

prophet resumes the subject of the Divine goodness towards the Hebrew people, and grounds upon their misimprovement of it, the certainty of their punishment, ver. 1 he then, in a series of pointed and appropriate interrogations, illustrates this certainty, 3-6; which he follows up by a vindication of his commission, 7, 8. Foreign nations are then summoned to witness the execution of judgment upon the kingdom of Israel, which would be signally severe, 9-15.
;

Hear

ye

this

word, Avhich Jehovah speaketh against you,

sons

of Israel,

Against

all

the family which I brought

up out of the land of

Egypt
Saying
1

Instead of Vsn-a"'

':_a,

"sons of Is-

the phrase

is

intended to include the

rael," forty-three gin, originally

tion, read

M$S., one in the mai'seven, and five by correcri^a, "Aoj<seof Israel;"

Vs""'"i""

which reading is supported by the LXX. and Arab, versions. Both forms are employed in the book of Amos, but the former is the less frequent which awakens
;

whole Hebrew people, is evident from the words which follow in apposition, and describe the distinguished favor conferred upon the entire race of Jacob.
nri"i, Eth.

I^_^f|^

fo

spread out

the suspicion that the latter has been introduced here by way of correction. That

a tribe, or clan ; but here obviously used in a national sense, as in Jcr. viii. 3, xxv.
9
;

Micah

ii.

3.

18

; ;

1S8
2

A JI

Chap. IIL

Only you have I known of all the families of the earth, Therefore I will jninLsh you for all your iniquities. 3 Will two walk to^fether Except they be aj^reed
?

4 "Will the lion roar in the forest

When
yi^,

"Will the;

he has no prey ? young lion cry out from his deu,

here employed in

2.

to ktioto, is

the sense of knowing with the idea of vohtion, or goodwill to acknoicledge, regard, care for, and by implication, to
;

prophet while Clarius, Grotius, Dar.jcus, Marckius, Lowth, Harenberg, and Dahl, are of opinion that God and Israel are
;

shoto favor to.

and
ii.

jiinixTKo),

Comp. Ps. i. G, cxliv. 3 John x. 14, xv. 17 2 Tim.

;

The last construction of the passage best agrees with the bearing of the other interrogations. Between
intended.

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 punishment which their ungrateful and rebellious conduct merited.
this and the three following a series of parabolic interrogations are employed, highly calculated to produce conviction in the minds of those to whom they were addressed. They
3.

In

Jehovah and his apostate people there could no longer be any fcllow!^hip and instead of the blessings which accrued to them from such fellowship, they had now nothing to expect but punishment. As they had walked contrary to him, so he would now walk contrary to them. They had broken his covenant, and must take
;

verses,

the consequences.
4.

The

lion

is

quiet

till

he

sees his
it,

prey, but roars at the sight of

and

are familiar indeed,

but so

much

more appropriate and

of ?nyi2, the

forcible.

the Instead

LXX. Arab, and Vulg, read lyni:, with apparent reference to the sigsignification

thereby inspires it with such terror, that it is deprived of the power of escape. In like manner the young lion, which has been weaned, and is just beginning
to

hunt for

prey, will lie silent in his den,

nification of I'T- in the preceding verse.

The primary
;

of

"iv"'

Syr.

Vn

condixit, constUuit, Arab.

/Lc,
is

significavit affecturum alicui quid,

to

point, point

appoint a time or place hence in Niphal, to meet by appointment to do anything by common consent ; to ba agreed. This last seems to be the accepozit,

brought near, when the smell of it will ro\ise him from his quiet. Poiret, in his Travels in Barbar^-, Strasb. 1789, vol. i. p. 283, states, that the lion has two different modes of hunting his prev. When not verj' hungn,% he contents himself with watching behind a bush for the animal which is the object of his
till it is

tation in
set out

which the verb

:

is

to be taken in

this place

for to render, How can two upon a journey, except they meet by appointment ? would express that to be impossible, which is very often true in

approaches, when, by a he attacks it, and seldom misses his aim but if he is famished he does not proceed so quietly, but, impatient and full of rage, he leaves his den, and fills, with his terrific roar, the
attack,
till
it

sudden

leap,

Interpreters are divided in opinion respecting the persons to whom the numfact.

echoing

forest.

Ilis

voice inspires all

ber ;:,

two, refers. Munstcr and some others think, that the prophets generally, or Joel

and

Amos

in particular, are

meant

Vatahhis, Drusius, Lively,

New-

come, Bauer, llosonmiiller, Ackcrmann, and Maurcr, explain it of God and the

with fear and dread; no creature deems itself safe in its retreat all flee, they know not whither, and by this means, fall into his fangs, ^--s, the lion, and not "^"ts, the young lion, Ls the nominative to the verb -rrV. The
living beings

certainty of destruction

is

the point at

Chap. in.

AMOS
it ?

139

Except he have taken

6 Will the bird
fall

into an earth-snare,

there is no gin for it ? Will the snare spring from the ground, When nothing whatever is caught 6 Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, And the people not tremble ?
Shall there be evil in a city,

And

And Jehovah
V Surely the

hath not inflicted

it ?

Lord Jehovah

inflicteth nothing.

Except he reveal his purpose

8

To his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will
iii

not fear ?
escaping as should repent and return to
his service.

which the prophet aims

tude.
5.

the similithere
is

no The sense would essential difference. have been the same had the latter word been omitted, and we had simply read,

Between n3 and

i"J5.'iW

judgment.

He thus mixed mercy with nSo, Theod. Boi/Avj, counsel,

;

purpose, decree

from

-^D^,
;

Arab. ^Xaa/^j
found, lay a
It

posuit, Jirmiter statuit

rather, I imagine,

to

T'h yv^^

',

but the insertion of the .iyno-

foxindation, establish a pla7i, ordain.

is

nyme gives more fozxe to the sentence, p?

connects with -i^sn, as its antecedent. nh'Jl is to be taken as the futiu-e of Kal,

on

this acceptation

of the verb that the idea of purpose or decree is based, than upon that of a divan,
or an assembly of persons, sitting
:

and

sudden spring of an elastic snare, or net, which, on the bird's touching it, suddenly rises and uicloses it. Instruments were prepared by the providence of God for the capture of the Israelites, which would there would be certainly do their work no escape.

and regarded

as expressing the

dehberating on couches but see Gesenius As the Divine plan or purpose in n^O. is necessarily secret till it be revealed,

here closes his interrofirst by a reference to the effect produced upon the inhabitants of a city by the sounding of the trumpet,
6.

The prophet
;

gatory appeals

hence the acceptation secret came to be attached to the word. In this verse a high honor is vindicated to the proThe holy men of God phetical office. were, by inspiration, entrusted with a knowledge of the Divine purposes, in so far as it was necessary for them to divulge

as a signal of

war

and then, by

directly

them to the world. r;s? 1, is the frequentative future, indicating what God is accustomed to do, and is best rendered by
our present.

ascribing

the

iixfliction

of temporal ca-

For the sentiment, comp.

reference to

lamities to Jehovah, as the punisher of

sin.
evil,

Gen.
8.

xviii. 17.

For

r;:>^

in the sense of temporal

With

what he had

or calamity, see Gen. xLx. 19, xhv.

34,

Exod. xxxii. 14

Ezek.

vii. 5.

Arab.
afflic-

^)^
tio.

experimentum,

calamitas

expressed ver. 4. and in keeping with the mode of representation which he had employed chap. i. 2, Amos formally announces the awful character of the

7. Though the infliction of punishment of his guilty people was determined

message he had heard from the Lord, and the impossibility of withholding

in his holy

and righteous counsel, yet Jehovah would not proceed to excute it until he had given them full warning, and afforded such of them an opportunity of

The roar of the the communication. lion is loud and terrific, especially in the sohtary forests which form his proper
domain.
See on
ver. 4.

140

AMOS
Proclaim ye
in the palaces of

Chap.

111.

The Lord Jt-hovah hath spoken,

9

Avho will not prophesy

Ashdod,

And And

in the palaces in the land

of Egypt,

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. Therefore thus saith he Lord Jehovah
:

9. 5y"?2SrT, cait^e it to be heard,

pub-

those are addressed -who had intercourse with the places here specified,
lish ye!

and C'p5s are intimately connected, and are both to be referred to the rich and
powerful inhabitants of Samaria, appears evident from what Ls stated in the fol-

and had thus an opportunity of conveying the message. Comp. 6 blkovcov elttaTW Rev. xxii. 17. For Ashdod, "Epxov see on chap. i. 8. It is here used synecdochically for the whole of Philistia.
!

lowing
erly the
is

verse.

The

latter

term

is

prop-

Pahul

Participle, oppressed, but

Ecclcs. iv.

here used as a noun, as in Job xxxv. 9 i. Comp. the forms V'iT.i

10. ??~" sV' ^^1/

Instead of n:nrs2, the

lTSiJ3, eV 'Acra-vpiots,

LXX.

have read
at-

dwelling

which Seeker

n5lV kingdom. know

,

not, is not in-

tempts to justify

Forri':j-ii<

Vy nyi'^

tended to express simple ignorance, but

that state of mind which is hostile to the entertaiimient of knowledge. The

comp.
X.
27.

KTJpv^are

iiri

twi/ Bafinrui',

Matt.

was, and is still, customarj' in the East to assemble on the To the princes flat roofs of the houses. and courtiers thus assembled on their palaces, as well as to all within hearing, the in\-itation was to be conveyed. There is something exceedingly forcible in these heathen rulers, etc. being called to witness the enormities that were practised in Samaria. If their judgment, pagans as they were, could not but be unfavorable, what must be the judgment of the holy and righteous God ? "What the punishment which he must inflict ? Nothing can be more graphic than the description of the position which these They were foreigners were to occupy. to assemble '^c'-s ""^n Vs, upon the
It

magnates of Samaria had no regard for the practice of what was just and right,
but the contrary.
riRrj, rectitude, that

which
is

is

straight, in opposition to

what
14.

crooked, distorted, or morally \\Tong.

Is.

Comp

xx^-i.

10,

xxx.

10,

lix.

TWI Disn, violence and desolatioti, mean, by a metonymy of the cause for the effect, what has been obtained by violating the rights and desolating the property of Such spoils they accunudated others.
their palaces, but they should not enjoy them. On the contrary, as the prophet shows in the following verses,

in

they should be plundered and carried away by the enemy. Dathe well expresses the meaning of the verse " Recte
:

mountains of Samaria,

"ji-tt'i,

Samaria,

the metropolis of the kingdom of Israel, was built on a round liill, near the middle of a large valley, surrounded by moiuitains

dclcctantur, inquit Jova, sed thcsauros in a>dcs suas congerujit

factis

nequaquam

vi

atque injuria partes."

11.

-i:i,the

LXX., who

are followed

on every

side,

by which

it

was com-

pletely overlooked.

Frcun these eleva-

tions persons mi-jht distinctly see

what

was done in the

city.

ITiat r".2i rinr)a

by Aq. and the Arab., preposterously render Ti'poj, Tyre; one of De Rossi's MSS. reads ns and one of Kcnnicott's, "is The Syr. Chald. tribulation, which
>
.

Chap.

III.

AMOS.

141

There

And And
As
So

shall be an enemy, and that around the land he shall bring down thy strength from thee, thy palaces shall be plundered.
:

12 Thus saith Jehovah

the shepherd rescueth from the

legs, or

mouth of the

lion

Two

the portion of an ear,

shall the sons of Israel

sit in

Who
And

in

be rescued. Samaria on the corner of a bed, Damascus on that of a couch.

Is.
it,

has been adopted in many modem .versions. Thus Uathe, Hesselberg, Dahl,
Justi,

xxxi. 4 yet if he has almost devoured leaving nothing but what is here spec;

and

Ilitzig.

But

Calvin,

New-

ified,

no

difficulty

come, Michaelis, Struensee, Bauer, Rosenmiiller, Yatcr, and Noyes, translate enem'j, which better suits the connection, as it supplies a proper nominative to the verb 1^-1 in, immediately following. Com.
as to derivation, the Arab. ^.,0, nocuit,

fecting a rescue.

would be found in efFor '")Nn vs^q h^'^l,

comp. i^^va^v fK (rT6/j.aTos \iovTos, 2 Tim. iv. 17 1 Sam. xvii. Zi, 35. V"ta
;

occurs only this once, but signifies a part

or piece; from
is

Via,

to separate.

There

noxa

affecif, Icesit.

The words, n"20n IS

and
elliptical, but, for

y-itjr:

are abrupt

this very reason, possess

-la
,

more

point.
l

At
in

a species of goat in the East, the ears of which are often a foot in length, and broad in proportion; so that more importance would be attached to them by the shepherd, than would be the case

supply nsn,

sa"'

or the like,

n^'DD- has the force of et quidem, or isque.

with us in the West. TTie concluding words of the verse have greatly perplexed

The reading a^ao^ suggested by Houbigant, considered probable by Newcome,

>

Most of the modems explain pi'tt'i of the silk manufactured at

interpreters.

and adopted by Bauer,

is

altogether un-

sustained by any example of a similar case in verbs whose second and third radicals are the same,

place,

Damascus, which from the name of the called damask, and render is 'iw^y p'i'^^a, in damask couches. What

""n!*"

a"aa

is

equiv-

alent to

"nsn Vaa,

2 Kings xvii. 5.

where the invasion by Shalmaneser is described, i'j, strength, denotes whatever Samaria confided in, or made her
boast of, such
as her treasures,
etc.
fortifi-

has been supposed to confirm this explanation of the term is the occurrence of the same word in Arabic, only with the letters, or similar letters transposed, as

ijaJjOi^
all

(jjgJwt>

(juL04>,

etc.,

cations, warriors,

All was to be

brought dowai into the valley, and what was capable of being removed, carried away by the enemy i, e. Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria. just retribution for the spoHations which her inhabitants had committed. 12. very appropriate image is here boiTOwed from a scene in pastoral life, such as the prophet himself may have witnessed. Nothing but a mere remnant of the Israelites should with difficulty escape from the enemy. Although a lion may not be induced to quit his prey, if he is hungry and has but just seized it,
:

Gesenius has a iong article on the word in his Thesaurus, p. 346 but fails in establishing the point of identity. Instead of p^wi with Shin,
;

signifying silk.

read,

upwards of twenty of De Rossi's IklSS. or have read, pws-i with Sin ; which reading is also that of eighteen printed editions, and is the proper orthography of the name of Damascus. "What appears to have originated the above view of the word was the idea, that as the wealthy and voluptuous inhabitants of Samaria are supposed to be intended, there was a special propriety in advcrti;ig
to the sumptuousness of the couches or

1['2

AMOS.
Hear
ye,

CUAP.

III.

13

and

testify against the

house of Jacob,
of hosts,

Saith the Loixl, Jehovah, the

God

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

sofas

shall perish.
'nVs
'.

on wliich they reclined. But this totally alien from the bearing of the ijjssagc, wliich requires something to corresixjucl to what had been expressed in the comparison of the fragments left by the Hon. Besides, r;N3 signifies the
idea
is

^li^2::!-l

LXX.

corner, and :iot the regarded as the scat of honor, so that the observations of Ilarmer, chap. vi. Obs xxx., are totally uiapplicable, even if there were much point in them. The words are elliptical, and the parallelism, expressed in full, would stand thus

outer or extreme
is

inner, -which

an ac&(hs 6 HavTOKparwp cumulation of Divine appellatives for the purjjose of striking awe into the mmds of the guilty. 14. Signal vengeance was to be taken upon the place whence all the evils which spread through the ten tribes originated.
Kuptos
6

For Bethel,

see

on

IIos. iv.

15.

From

the term naittn having the detcmiinative article, rendering

it

emphatic, while
it

mr;27:: in the plural

also occurs,

may

be inferred that at Bethel, besides the gixat altar erected by Jeroboam, there was a numb of lesser ones at which
sacrifices

were

offered.

Comp. Hos.

viii.

11, X. 5.

The

r-3-ij;, /joj-s,

were four

The

infirm poor,

persons referred to are the sick and who had nothing left but the

projecting points in the shape of horns

at the corners of ancient altars.

They

side or part of a couch,

and

whom

the

may
those

be seen in the rciwcscntations of

king of AssjTia would not think it worth his while to be at the trouble of removing. All the rest, the robust and active, the opidcnt and powerful, should be carried into captivity. For the fulfilment see 2 Kings xvii. 5, 6, xviii. 9-12. The reason why Damascus is mentioned along with Samaria, is, that, at the time of the Assyrian invasion, that city was in the power of the Israelites, having been conquered by Jeroboam II. See 2 Kings xiv. 28. On the conquest, no doubt

dug up by Bdzoni in Egypt. As they Avere ornamental, the action here described was designed to express the contempt ill which the altar would be held by the Assyrians. 15. Eastern monarchs and princes, as well as others of the great, have summer Tlie latter as well as winter residences.
are in cities and sheltered situations the fonncr in forests, or upon mountains. yd, properly tooth, but used specially of ivory. LXX. the tusk of the elephant By ivoiy houses arc oIkoi i\i<pa.vTivoi. not meant houses or palaces composed of that material, but richly ornamented with it. The ancients used it for decorating the ceilings, panels, doors, etc., of their rooms, by inlaying it with See 1 Kings xxii. other costly articles. 39 Ps. xlv. 9. Odvs. iv. 73. Diod. Sic.
;
;

many
13.

belonging to the ten tribes went

there to reside.
dressed,
listia

The same persons are here adwho were summoned from Phi-

to witness the enonniSamaria, ver. 9. They were now to testify to the facts of the case, that the ]iimishmcnt to be inflicted upon the inhabitants might be seen to
ties practised in

and Egj'pt

have been richly deserved,

frequently

t'',~>

"'^

Pausan. i. i2. 4. Od. ii. IS. 1. 47. All these sumptuous palaces in wliich
iii.

means

to testifi/ against anij

the leaders of

the people rioted,

and

Chap. IV.

AMOS,
come
to an end,

143

And

the great houses shall

Saith Jehovah.
indulged in all manner of profaneness, were to be completely destroyed. t]'Oi
to

more agreeable to the connection than that of " many houses," though this is
is

come

to

an

end, cease.

The

render-

equally expressed by the phrase.

ing of W^'^_ fipa, by "large houses,"

CHAPTER

IV.

This chapter contains a continuation of the denunciation pronounced against the Israelites, at the close of the preceding, 1-3; an ironical call to them to persevere in their willworship, which was the primary cause of their calamities, 4, 5 an enumeration of the different judgments with which they had been visited, but which had effected no reformation, 6-11 and a summons to them to prepare for the last and most awful judgment, which the omnipotent Jehovah was about to inflict upon them, 12, 13.
; ;

this word, ye kine of Bashan That are in the mountain of Samaria That opi^ress the poor that crush the needy That say to their master, Bring now, that we may drink.
!

Hear ye

1.

T^"a,

Bashan, was celebrated

for the

richness of the pasturage, and its excellent breed both of large and small cattle. Deut. xxxii. 14 Ps. xxii. 12 ; Ezek.
;

xxxix. 18. It lay on the east of the Jordan, between Hermon and the mountains of Gilead, and extended eastward as far as the cities of Salchah and Edrei, which
it

Harenberg, Dathe, Rosenmiiller, and Maurer, maintain that the prophet has the princes and rulers in view, whom he describes in this debasing language, in order to set forth the efl'eminacy, wantonness,

At

first

and obstinacy of their character. view the former exposition might

included.

Some

are of opinion, that

by

"^ican triiB, <Ae kine, or coios

of Ba-

appear to recommend itselt for adoption ; but I am induced to give my adhesion to the latter, chiefly on the ground, that
it is

shan, the proud and luxurious females of Samaria are intended and that they are
;

scarcely possible, otherwise, to ac-

introduced on account of the corrupting influence which, through their husbands, they exerted on the state of public affairs. Of these may be mentioned, most of the Babbins, Theodoret, Liveley, Grotius, Michaelis, Vater, Dahl, Justi, Cesenius and Winer. Others, as the Targ. Jerome, Mimster, Calvin, Vatablus, Clarius, Drusius, Danseus, Mercer, Marckius,

count for the repeated intermixture of masctiline forms with the feminine. Thus

we

have

?yi2J,

Cn^sis, ns-^r;,

Cr."^.?

ti^l^5, all occurring

very closely together.

Now, though
is

it

there are instances in

neglected, as in
-will

must be admitted that which the gender

Ruth

i.,

yet none of

them

bear

comparison

with the
that
fig-

present

case.

On
real,

the piinciple,

males are the

and females the

144
2

AMOS,
The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by
his holiness:

Chap. IV.

Behold, the d'ays are coming upon you, When ye shall be taken away with hooks,
3

And And

your j^osterity with fish-hooks. ye shall go out through the breaches, Each one right before her Ye shall even be thrown out of the palace, Saith Jehovah.
it

urative subjects of discourse,

is

easy

change of the figure

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 Hgurative

and propose that should retain the primary acceptation of thorns, which they thmk is more in keeping with the idea of cows. They " Ye accordingly render the passage
;

we

language altogether, as Dathe

hoc, vos divites ct 2J0tentes

Audite Samaria ; but

:

such practice
it

destroys

is quite imw arrant able, as the effect of the prophetic

mode
those

niss-i, one of the very sound of which strongly expresses the character of the action which they are intended to describe. It signifies to break, crush, dash in pieces. Comp. the
of representation.

onomatopoetic

verbs,

Arab.

ijO\,

conduit, fregit.

"jiiN
is

in

Cn"3"is, though plural in form,

of Israel,
ers,

sin-

thorny districts, and among the gloomy thorn bushes." There is, however, no necessity for supposing that the prophet had the alleged idea in his mind when he dehvered the words, and as ^fishing and but the contrary hooks are elsewhere employed figuratively in reference to human beings, there can be no real ground for rejecting such tropical application of the disputed terms See 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1 1 in this place. Jer. xvi. 16 Ezek. xxrx. Is. xxxxii. 29 4. riTJ?. mBS each one right before her,
shall be driven into
; ;

gular in signification, and means the king

whom
for

his courtiers

and oth-

compotations, wine, reckless of the oppression and rapine by Comp. which it might be procured.
in
their

indulging

importune

fresh

supplies of

means, in a captive state, not being permitted by the enemy to turn to the right or the left. nsP^Vr'n ^^ pointed r:iP3.V'rn in De Rossi's Spanish MS.

marked

Hos.

vii. 5.

suffixed in

ns^an,

is

the

23, which punctuation lias been adopted in Hahn's small printed edition. Comp. ^'in, Dan. viii. 11. It is sup-

directive, or optative.
2, 3.
"^3 is

pleonastic.

It is surprising

that so judicious an interpreter as Calvin should attempt to vindicate the rendering

of
Ps.

I'liiTj:,

his saiictuary,
so natural

when

that of his

holiness

is

Ixxxix. 36, appeals to all that is involved in the infinite excellence of his moral character
for the certainty of his punishing sin.

and proper. Comp. and Ix. 8. Jehovah

LXX. Sjt. Symm. Vulg. of which versions exhibit the passive, n at the end of the verb is that of the fuller form of the pronoun n:PS, the fragment of which is used as a suffix. It occurs but seldom in the preterite. Of nsiw-inn almost everj' possiported by the

and Arab,

all

ble interpretation has been given.

tJ)

LXX.

opos rh

in

many

Cod. Yat. 'Pofi/xav of the MSS. of Flamin. Nob.

'Pffj-ixav;

The Nominative
;

to

sr:

is

the enemy,

"Apfiava.

Syr.
"'"I'ta,

tmdcrstood biit as the verb is put in the impersonal form, it is best rendered
passively.

^^p

I'Q-^j Chald.
oj" Armenia.

"S'ttnn

the mountains

Diklcrlcin

and some others

Yulg. Armo7i.
20ot

Arab, after the

LXX.
6pos.

object to the adoption, in this place, of hnohs and fish hoo/is, as the signification

Jt

J>AS'E.pfir]vlay,

M-

'Apfiava

oft;"- and

rjiin

ri-iT, as too violent a

Symm.

doubtless for 'Ap/xevlav.

/
Chap. IV.

AMOS\.
j-

Come ye to Bethel, and transgress AtGilgal, multiply transgression ;

Bring your
sacrifices

*/*-:,..* C^^r-*^ '|^*>* N''''^J^''

every morning,

Your

tithes every third year.

5 Ofiiir 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, And though I have given you cleanness of teeth in all your 6
:

cities,

Tlieod.
tpos.

bpos Moyd. Edit quint.

inpTjXhv

as a place of idolatrous worship, see

IIos. iv.

on

Luther and Vater, Hermon. Mi-

15.

The

opinion of Abenezra,

chaelis, Str;jensee, Dathe, Bauer, De Wette, Armenia. Justi and Hezel, Harem. Volborth, Net. Hitzig takes it to be a corruption of nriK-iTir., Iladadrimmon, which he explains of a place near Samaria where Adonis was worshipped. Newcome cuts the knot and renders " M'ill utterly destroy it." The only sat-

that by C"?3i rrrVrV,

approved by RosenmiiUer and Maurer, we are to understand every third day, seems forced and imnatural. That the words by themselves

might have
:

this

meaning

is

un-

questionable

but the idea of

tithes

being

solution of the difficulty presented by this oTTol Key. is that of Kimchi, which is approved by Gesenius,
isfactorj'

brought every third day is inadmissible, even into a passage so strongly ironical as the present. I cannot doubt that the proj^het has in view the enactment recorded Deut. xiv. 29, xxvi. 12. ts-'W,

"Winer, and Lee, viz. that tIt:-:-, stands

ioT
^\'iZ')^,

a palace, or citadel.

Comp. the
a pyra-

Arab.
mid.

j^yS^.
Changes in

lofty edifice,
letters of the

mean, here, as Lev. xxv. 29 Judges xvii. 10, the fullest complement of days, i. e. a year, ntjji is most probably the infinitive, used for the second plural
days,
;

same organ are not unfrequent in Hebrew, as 'rj"'N,

v''=i*>

^is, -i"in not the feminine termination, but simply paragogic, as in ns-is, Job xxxiv. 13, xxxvii. 12 Is.

^-n;
etc.

V'-n

~^^^>

~~5
is

of the imperative or it may be the second singular of the same. There is no necessity for attaching to y?sn the
;

The n

at the

end

viii.

23; and r;C"inrt, Judges xiv. 18.

will thus be the accusative ab-

meaning of violence, though Gesenius would justify it, on the ground of y^h being used, Ps. Ixxi. 4, to designate an oppressor and because the rendering of
;

The noun
solute,

and the construction will be " cast i. e. from it, over its walls, or the like. The place in which the princes had rioted, and in the strength of which they confided, should afford them no safety.

down

as to the palace,"

the Chald. in this place is Ds/is, rapine or oppression. It is not impossible that the translator mistook y^n for fCn,

which has
Lev.
vii.

of reference
cakes, the

The point doubtless the ordinance. 13, that, besides the unleavened
this signification.
is

4, 5.

The language

of these verses

is

that of the keenest irony. The Israelites were addicted to the worship of the f-"^14en calf, and to that of idols, whereby
tiiej'

contracted guilt

before

Jehovah,

and exposed themselves to his judgat the same time they hypoments critically professed to keep up the obcerv'aiice of certain feasts which had been appointed by Moses. For Gilgal, 19
;

Hebrews were to offer " leavened bread " with the sacrifice of thanksgiving. "\\Tiat the Israelites, therefore, are supposed to be in the habit of doing was, so far as the material of the thing was concerned, not contrary to the law, but in strict accordance with its requirement. For CP2-S -,3, comp. flsriij ^'izz
12, Jer.
6.

V.

3L
this verse to the 11th inclu-

From

sive,

Jehovah

describes

the

different

;:

146

.AMOS.

Chap. IV.

And want

of bread in all your places, Yet ye have not returned unto me,
Saith Jehovah.
7

And thougli I have withholden the rain. Three months before the harvest And have caused it to rain upon one city, But upon another city I have not caused it to rain One portion was rained upon, And the portion upon which it rained not, Avithered And two or three cities wandered to one city, To drink water, but have not been satisfied, Yet ye returned not to me,
Saith Jehovah.
I have smitten you with mildew and much blight Your gardens, your vineyards, and your figs, and your The locusts hath devoured Yet ye have not returned unto me,

olives,

Saith Jehovah.

10
I

I have sent among yau the plague, such as that of Egypt have slain your young men with the sword,
ingly partial and insufficient. n"i37:n, the reading n'USN
Instead of
is

measures which he had employed for the purpose of effecting a change in the Israelites, and at the close of each mentioned in the series, the obstinate impenitence, under the influence of which they persisted in their wicked
corrective
courses,
is

found in

two MSS. and

supported by the renderings of the LXX. Arab, and Vulg. The textual reading must be taken impersonally. C^n", cities, stands for their
is

emphatically marked by the

!

inhabitants.

declaration,

nin^ DX3

''Z'J

Di^.Ti'"^'^"?

yet ye retnrned not unto me, saith Jeho-

Comp. for a lengthened and graphic description of the judgment here specified, Jer. xiv. 1-6.
9.

vah. Such repetition gives great force C"rj ivps. cleanto the reprehension.
ness of teeth,
are

destruction of the corn

influence of the east
iny, blasting,
vj-i-j,

bad harvest, arising from the by the blightiwj

and Dti's "iDn, lack of bread, synonymous both expressing the famine with which the nation has been
;

wind (--i^r,
ta scorch
,

scorch-

from iinr,
Arab.

Chald.
niger,
'

to

burn;

vJLww!,
,

visited,

"ly, to me, the Chald. para-

phrases, "jnV'xV, to
vice.

my

tcorship, or ser-

LXX.
]ipn;i,

irvpuxTis.

Arab. Vcr.

...

f^

the Simoom,)

and the

mildeic, or smut.
^^>o-

7, 8. The famine Avas followed by the judgment of drought, which at once produced sterility, and cut off the necessary supply of drink for man and beast. The rain that liad been Avithheld, was the ti'ipVia, vernal, or latter rain, which falls in the latter half of February, the whole of March and April, and thus precedes

Arab.

^Li'o,

ria^n.

the infinitive absolute of nan ir 7'^iphil, with the force of an adjectivvj ^r an

adverb.
connect,

This word some

as

iniproj)

rlj

the
Joel

a construct noun, witli a following substantives. Ct a

,

name
i.

given
4.

to

the

locust.

See

on

the har\'cst, as here stated.

vi. 3.

AVhatever rain

fell

See on IIos. was exceed-

10.

Though the plague has

fui!. ti-n.

: !

Chap. IV.

AMO S.

147

Together with your captive horses I have made the stench of your camps to come up into your nostrils Yet ye have not returned unto me, Saith Jehovah, 11 I have overthrown some among you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah And ye have been as a brand snatched from the burning Yet ye have not returned unto me, Saith Jehovah.

And

12

Therefore, thus will I deal with thee,

Israel!

Forasmuch

do this to thee. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel

as I will

immemorial been endemic in Egj'pt, and might so far be described as a'JI^'a '^.n the icay of Effijpt ; yet comparing Is. x. 26, in which the same phrase is used as
,

remark on ns,

as sometimes the sign of the genitive case, is likewise totally inapplicable, as in the present case it can

only

mark

the

accusative.

To what
is

here,

it

obviously means, as the Egyptians

physical

phenomena

reference

here

were treated^ or as God punished them with the plague. See Exod. ix. 3, etc. C-.'0!iD '3"j, lit. the captivity of your
horses
:

i.

e.

those taken and destroyed

by the enemy.
t;N2 the
of

LXX.

See 2 Kings xiii. 7. render eu nvpl, having

is

made, it is impossible to determine, owing to the absence of all hLstorical data. Some think the earthquake, mentioned chap. i. 2, is intended but this is altogether out of the question, since the prophecy was deUvered two
specifically

read rsa, which

the pointing of three

years before that event.

sion to
fire, it

From

the allu-

De

Rossi's
;

MSS., and of three others

originally

as also of the Brixian edition.

The i in QSSsai, Houbiand some others would cancel, on the ground of its harshness, and its not having been expressed by the LXX. Arab. Syr. and Vulg. It is translated in the Targ., and is to be retained, as an intensive particle, adding force to the preceding verb. Comp. the somewhat similar use of the Greek
Aq.
aoLTTpiav.

gant, Dahl,

Kat.

11. 3 in C53 is used partitively inter, among, or the like indicating that the subverting was not total. ri35n3
: ;

has been deemed probable that some of the cities of the Israelites had been burnt, either by Hghtning from heaven, or by the army of the king of Sp-ia. At all events, that the language is not to be understood figuratively is evident irom the close connection of the verse with those preceding, each of which describes a separate physical calamity, and closes, as this one does, with a reprehension of the impenitence by which the nation continued to be characterized. rSiieM Vsw niN, a brand snatched from
the imrning, is proverbial, and expresses the narrow escape from utter extinction Comp. which had been experienced. Zech. iii. 2 ; and 1 Cor. ii. lo uvtSs
:

C^nVs,
er'^''

like

God's overthrowing: propparticiple,

but construed as Comp. Deut. xxix. 22 Is. a., nifinite. Jude 7. Jer. 1. 40 2 Pet. ii. 6 xiii. 19 C"n75N, which stands for the affix of the
;
; ; ;

Hiphil

Se &ai^areTai, outws 5e

ois

Sia

wpos-

personal pronoun, Newcome improperly converts into a superlative, and

first

12. AU the means that had been employed to reform the Israelites having proved ineffectual, they are here summoned to prepare for the final judgment, which was to put an end to their na-

renders, " the great overthrow

"

His

tional existence.

To

this

judgment

re-

; :

148
13 For, behold
!

AMOS
it is

Chap. V.

He

that formed the mountains;

And And

created

tlie

wind;

man Nvhat is his thought morning darkness, And walketh upon the heights of the earth Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name.
declareth to
tlie

That maketh

fcrence

is

emphatically

made

in

the
is

terms

riSi tMis,

and

ritJT. this.

There

a brief resumption of the sentence dor

livercd verses 2

and 3. any such preimration

^vould

That by
is

"jisn

intended

as

involve genuine

and universal

repentance,

by which the threatened might have been averted, eamiot be admitted in consistency with the bearing both of the preceding and
judgment

hances the beauty of the passage but it cannot be successfully imitated in a translation. Some have doubted whether docs not here signify spirit, rather C^!)-! than %cind ; but it seems more natural to take the term in the latter acceptation, on account of the close coherence of this clause of the verse with that immediately The rendering of the LXX. preceding. ikirayyiKKoiV ei$ itv^pwrrovs rhv xpi(rT6v
;

The removal of the following context. the Israelites, as a nation, is denounced It is rather as certain, and inevitable.
to be xmderstood
thee, Jer. xlvi.

avTOv, anruruncing to

men

his anointed,

has originated in their mistaking i riVrra Theodoret, in commenting for -in^cw.

as

-^V

l^ri, prepare
is

14,

God

now com-

ing against you as the avenger of your Consider how you shall wickedness. Comp. meet, or endure the infliction. Ezek. xxii. 14; Heb. x. 31. Individuals might by repentance obtain the forgiveness of their personal transgressions, and thus have their minds brought into a state in Avhich they would enjoy support and comfort in the midst of nabut this was all that tional calamity
;

upon the version, thinks Cjtus is intended, and not Christ, as we may otherwise imagine the fathers would expound it. By in'v is not meant God's thought, or his purposes, as some have taken it, but the thoughts or meditations of man, of which alone the verb n""!) and its
derivatives,

when
used.
:

applied to intelligent
n'>" is

could

to the preced13. ing call, one of the most sublime and magnificent descriptions of Jehovah, to be met with in Scripture, is here introduced. Tlie participial form of the five verbs employed by the prophet greatly en-

now be expected. To give full effect

followed by a double accusative that of the material out of which the thing is made, and that of the matter into which it is converted. It must, however, be observed, that upwards of twenty of Kennicott's MSS. read, or have read, riE'Si, which is the reading of the LXX. and Arab. According to this construction, the passage must ' He that maketh be translated thus the aiuora and the darkness."
beings,
is
:

CHAPTER
Aptkr
kingdom, which

V.

the Rivinfj utterance to a brief elegy over the prostrate and lielpless condition of liad just been predicted, 1-3, the prophet introduces Jehovah still adsujiorstitioua dressing himself to the inhabitants; calling upon them to relinquish their

and idolatrous practices, and return to his service, 4-9. He then adverts the jiicture of wickedness which the nation exhibited, 10-13; repeats the cull to cultivate habits of piety and righteousness, 14, 15; describes, in plaintive strains, the destruction that was comiug

Chap. V.

AMOS.

149

upon the land, 16-20; exposes the inutility of ceremonial rites when substituted for moral rectitude, or combined witli unauthorized worship, 21-26; and expressly threatens the Israelites

with transportation into the East,

27.

Hear ye

A
2

word, which I utter concerning you lamentation, O house of Israel

this

The
She

virgin of Israel
shall rise

is fallen
;

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
1.

the house of Israel.

is

ni'p

properly an elegy, or song of

-(ip,

dued by any foreign

Is. xxiii.

prince.

See on

mourning and lamentation, from

Piel, to

in

12.

The

passages, Jer. xviii.

consisted of plamtive
forth

compose or chant such a song. It eifusions poured

relatives, or

by mourning

by per-

sons hired for the purpose, at funerals; and was distinguished for the tender,
pathetic, broken

of the expressions of which

and exclamatory nature 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
elegies,
it

13, and Lam. ii. 13, which Rosenmiiller adduces against this interpretation of the term, are not in point, since both refer to the character which Jerusalem sustained previous to the deplorable condition to which she had been reduced by the violence of the enemy. It cannot, therefore, be regarded as merely synonymous Avith ra, daughter, as idiomatically ap-

phed

to describe the inhabitants of a city

or state.

This

brief,

but touching elegy

describes the utterly prostrate

less condition to

into several of his

prophecies, has left us a

n'i3"'|5,

whole book of
See

to

and helpwhich the Assyrians were reduce the kingdom of the ten tribes.

or

lamentations.

Lowth, Lect.

Fqr the introduction of the present subject, comp. nJ^p Nto Vs or V, Ezek. xix. 1, xxvii. 2. xxxii^ 2, and the common oracular forms sza
xxii.

state of the counhere affectingly depicted, n'y, the city, stands by metonymy for its in3.

The depopulated

try

is

habitants.

ITie

LXX.

i]

irdKis

if, i\s

|e-

srw,

Vrta, etc.

Some

are of opinion

iropevovTo x'^""' ^^^ ^^ ^^^ Other ancient versions. J-SS-'V, that went out,
is

that the elegy thus introduced extends to the end of the chapter, but it is far

used

elliptically for

that went forth to war.

rwnVicV I-N2vrr, The population

more

likely that it consists merely of the plaintive exclamations contained in

or size of a city
to the
nish.

verse 2. Compare the beautiful lament of David on the death of Jonathan, 2 Sam i. 17-27.
2.

was estimated according number of warriors it could furThus the Scholiast on Iliad Lx.
:

383, 384
ffejJLaiveiv,

oh rh vXcltos rSiv tzvXwv i&eAet

ovSe yap

a/JM

iravras

e^Uvai

The Israelitish

state is called

nV?r3,

virgin, because it

had never been sub-

rh /xeye^os t6 Tr\rjdos Twv avSpuy.

<pri<Tiv

aWa

rf/j irjA.6WS, Kal

;;

150
4

AMOS.
For thus
saith

Chap.
Israel,

V.

Jehovah to the house of

live.

Seek ye me, and

5

And seek not Uethel And go not to Gilgal

.

Neither pass through to Beersheba

For Gigal

shall surely

go

into captivity,

Bethel shall come to nought. 6 Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest he rush down, like fire, upon the house of Joseph;
4. "While the divine judgments are not executed, there is still room for repent-

And

ance and reformation,

ii'^.'r, ,

to seek, is

the words are from different " Gilgal gallando gallabitur, si hoc posset fingi aliquod tale verbum

though
roots.

very often used as a reUgious term, implying application to God, or to a false

deity, for assistance, direction, etc.

est,

vertetur volubili versione."

Calvin,

wi he.

There
^

is

and
;

the word

is , which
idolatry,

hkewise a play upon is used to denote

idol,

then generally to worship him, and have

respect
viii.
reii/

wickedness,

nothing,

etc.

to

his will.

Ps.

xxiv.

Is.

"What

had

originally

been

VK~n'^2

19, Iv. 6.

Comp.

Ileb. xi. 6,

ckCv

Bethel, a house of God, but

had by the

rhv

060//.

r*2

is

similarly used,

Israehtes been converted into ;iN~r''a,

n'n, live ye, is

perative,

employed as a second im-

in

press

the

order emphatically to excertainty of the result that

would ensue from compliance with the command given by the first.
5.

A strong
and
,
;

dissutvsive

from idolatry,
fall

derived from the predicted

objects

places

of

false

of the worship,

Beth-aven, a kotise of idolatry, see Hos. 5; should be reduced to ""S, aven nothing. 6. The prophet here repeats, for the sake of effect, the call which he had introduced, ver. 4. n't^; which more commonly has the significations attaching to
iv. 15, X.
>

Beersheba, lit. " the Well of " LXX. tJ> <pp(ap rov opKou It was situated see Gen. xxi. 22-31. about twenty-five geographical miles south of Hebron, on the frontier of the

y^i -nsa the Oath

the Arab.
aptusfuit, V

^JLo,
etc.

recti se habet res,

has here that of the Sj-riac

^^x
cral

descendit, perrupit.

The gen-

Holy Land towaids Idumca, and

called

is still

idea of motion, either forward or

to be

by the Arabs a**J| vJO,

S*'"its

downward, seems

conveyed by

it,

only, in certain cases, with the superad-

es-seha'.

Dr. Robinson fcU in with

ruins on the north side of a

Wady

of the

same name, but found nothing bearing the maaks of high antiquity, except two wells, one of which he ascertained to be

and a half in (^epth to the surface of the water, and the other forty-two feet. As it lay in the extreme south of Palestine, the verb lav' io pass
forty-four feet
,

ded notion of violence or force. Thus n5i v^y riV::Pi,is not improperly rendered in our common version, " And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him." Dahl prefers the rendering perdidit, which he derives
n'n"'

from the Arab.

.JLoj

exitiale

vialum ;

but the form (^.i\JLo ,

etrn7is,

most appropriate. From this verse, and from chap. viii. 14, it appears to have bgen a place of idolatrous resort, but wherein the idolatry In VaVin consisted we are not told.
over or throwjh,
is

a^vJLojO P^^,

vchcmens, might rather he com-

nVi"'

n'?J

is

a forcible

paronomasia.

pared. Jehovah is often compared to See Is. x. 17; Lam. ii. 3. rs, fre. being of common gender, is the nominative to nVrs, so that the object of

Chap. V.

AMOS
quench
it.

ICl

And it devour, and there be none in Bethel to Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness to the ground, Seek Him that made the Pleiades and Orion
;

That turned deathshade into morning That maketh day dark as night That calleth the waters of the sea, And poureth them forth upon the earth Jehovah is his name.
comparison takes the place of nnn'^ who the subject, and the proper nominative.
.

is

vjai^ n^3 the house of Joseph, is a less frequent designation of the ten tribes, the principal of which was that of EphIt occurs raim, the son of Joseph. several times in the historical books, but
,

method of removing the supposed dlfiiculty, by striking out the verse, and inserting it at the bcginnmg of verse 10. Of course, the whole will then read very
smoothly
;

Did Amos
Arab.

but the question still remains, so connect the words ? ri2 ?.^
the

only twice besides in the prophets, viz. Obad. 18 Zech. x. 6. The name qs->, Joseph, by itself, is similarly employed, Amos V. \o, vi. 6. Comp. Ezek. xxxvii. Bethel, the LXX. For Vs n'3 16.
; ,

is .\Jt}, abegit, execratus est,

Hebrew
to
it

on

name of toortnwood, and is given account of its disgustingly bitter

The LXX. now
;

and

injurious quality.

Arab, and one of VsTi"' rT'3 Beth

is

De

Rossi's

Fi'srae/,

read which reading

MSS.

adopted hj Newcome. One of Kennicott's MSS. has Vs"]":^-; Israel, which Houbigant, Dathe, and Bauer, approve.
Jerome, llosenmiiller, L'ahl, Justi, Struensee, and others, retain the received reading, which is supported by the Targ., Syr., and Vulg. Some would connect

but there read 6 iroiiev tls vipos Kpifxa can be little doubt that the original readuig was &.i\iivStos. The meaning is, that the persons spoken of so perverted their judicial proceedings, as to render them both obnoxious and injurious to those

whom
see

Vs rT"3 with ri2^'>3, and render, " " there shall be none to quench Bethel constructed never is verb r;33 but the with h, which marks here the Dative of
;

they affected. For V"?N^ !"!.'?" on Is. xxviii. 2. 8. Another sublime description of the Most High, almost verbally identical The with that furnished Job ix. 9.
to T,\r,1
,

participles are to be referred

Jehovah, ver.
inserts " that

6,

as

their

antccedept.

Newcome, following

possession.

The

:j{ n'^a's

V'*"'*

true construction is, "^^^ people of

IsraeV put their" trust'in the idols which they worshipped at Bethel, but none of

them could remove the Divine judgments from the land.

Q'SShri, ye that turn, is to be referred tOTO-in and tiOi-' r.'3 in the preceding verse! This construction is more natural than that which would take r-a roi"' alone as the nominative, in the
7.

the Targ. and Syr., have forsaken " at the commencement of the verse, but these authorities are not sufficient to warrant the addition, which, indeed, the text does not require. The article, used as a relative in t^-i-ifTi and ^-Vairr. is omitted before r.'sy and TiSn, because they are in
,

construction.

Two

of the principal con-

stellations as selected

from the heavenly

bodies

as specimens of the effects of Omnipotence. r;K^a, the rieiades, or

Such changes of person third person. as that presented in^n'sn ,are too frequent to occasion any difficulty nor is it always necessary to express them in a
;

Seven Stars. This word occurs only here

and Job

ix. 9, xxxviii. 31.

The
,

deriva,

tion from a supposititious root n'ir cognate with >-5n. ti^cr , r?:n to be warm,
hot,

translation.

Ewald

takes an effectual

adopted

by

Castellus,

Schultens,

152
9

AMOS.
clestructloa suddenly

Chap. V.

That brlngoth

upon the mighty,

And

destruction conieth upon the fortress.

is

Parkhurst, and others,

to be rejected

for that preserved in the

Arab.
hence,

**5C
JJjO

death, one of the very few Hebrew compounds. See on Is, ix, 1, *s is to be supplied before r,h^\, as, indeed, it is in

Conj. II,

cumulum
;

fecit

5^

fourteen

cumulus
f^jS\

with which

may
to

be compared

MSS., prirnarily in three more, and now by coiTCction in one; in both

;

socitis,

according

which the

name
name
Arabs
tude,
evasit,

expresses

what

is

brought or bound

the Soncin. editions in both of Bom1518 in the margin, and in the appendix to Munster's, 1536. In
berg,

together, especially in ahundaiice.

The

TiViTin, there

is

a transition from the

given to this constellation by the

is

participial to the finite

Lsw}', ""* ahuiidance or multi-

To

form of the verb. render the clause uniform, the con-

from lyj, multus ac numerosus

twmerosus
it

struction would be, nV'V^ C-ii Ti-t-iTiTS. The passage quoted from Pindar, by

reddidit.

same reason
tions

was

called

For the by the Greeks

Clemens Alexandrinus,
parallel
:

is

beautifully

one of the derivaEustathius on Homer, Iliad, xviii. 44rG A( Se irAetaSes fjToi anh tv/s yuTjTpbs auTwv Tl\r]i6yT]s t) '6ti ir\fious hfxov Kara fj.iau (Tvvayoi-fqv fieri, k. t. A.. And most of the ancients express the same
riAeiaSej, according to

&f^

5e

SwaThu
vi(pii.

^k fitXaivas
<j)us'

of

J^VKrhs afiiavrov wpffai

K\aiv(fi

5e (TKOTOV koXvi^m

K-abaphv ajxtpa^ (TtKas.

The

as Seneca, doisi pleiadum greges ; Propertius, jyleiadam chorus, etc. Ac-

idea

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

cording to the Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven daughters of Atlas, who, being pursued by Orion, were

which may

emphatically be said to be poured over the earth. Thus (irotius, Clarius, Bauer,

changed by Jupiter into doves, and having been transplanted to the heavens, form the assemblage of the Seven Stars in the neck of Taurus. In the passage in the Ihad just rcfeiTcd to, they are jjorti'ayed on the shield of Achilles along with Orion, in the same order as in our prophet
nA.7jiaSas, ^' 'Ta3os t,
vos.

and likewise Lowth, though he admits the possilility of the other view being right. The Alex, reading of the LXX,
6 iTavroKpa.Twp is found in the Arab., in a Copt. MS., and in the Slavon. Bible, has the support of three ^ISS., yet it is more likely an addition 6 iiehs

from chap.
9.

r6 re

a!^fi/os

'Cplu-

iv. 13, than otherwise. After the prophet had apparently completed his magnificent description of the Divine character, with the words

In the mythology of the Sabians or

Mendaites
)

ir'i f^'T.^, he api^ends in this verse an

aV^^ a.
the

the Seven,

and

additional view of
tell

it,

in order to

make

it

more

practically

on the
'nituit,

feais of those

|V~in

A..

|2-3 0iS,

Seven Stars,

who
'"^-

boasted of the strength of Samaria.

See Norberg's Liber Adami. For V'CS, see on Both terms have been enIs xiii. 10. tirely mistaken by the I>XX. who render S woiuu iravra kolI ixfTacTKivd^oov, which is
faithfully copied

cut no inconsiderable figure.

Arab. ^n^JLj

fulgit aurora,

not only conveys the idea of shining, being bright, cheerful, etc. but also that of suddenness, suggested by the rapidity with which the dawning lircht is diffused
over the horizon.

by the Arab.

jLaJl

The Hebrews

ai)plied

y 11

jft

^\5T

Jn^ttV^., the shadow of

such terms figuratively to the sudden production of jnisery, as well as to that

Chap. V.

AMOS.

153

10

And

They hate him that reproveth in the gate, abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
upon the
:

11 Wherefore, because ye trample

poor,

And
Ye Ye
12

take from him the tribute of corn

built houses of
;

Though ye have
shall

hewn

stone,

not dwell in them

Though ye have planted

For
I

pleasant vineyards,

shall not drink of their wine.

know

that your transgressions are many,

And

that your sins are great

Oppressing the righteous.

Taking a bribe.

And
For

turning aside the poor in the gate.

;

13 Therefore the prudent shall be silent at that time

it is

an

evil time.

of happiness.
oriri faciens,

See on Joel ii. 2. Winer, inducens super potentes

For the contrary of the threatening, see

Is. Lxv.

21, 22

vastationem.

The

ancient versions are

jectives n'^an

and

Amos ix. 14. The Casy, are placed

adbe-

aU

at fault here.

fore their substantives," because they are

10.

Ewald

thinks that hy (I'-iw "i^'^a,

predicatives,
fore both,

himself is meant ; but, from the recurrence of NDio, and ny'ia, in connection with

the reprover in the gate,

Amos

and not qualificatives. Bethe conjunction ^s is to be

ellipsis

supplied.

The
by

was probably

oc-

casioned

its havi'.ig

been used at the

tsSrw, ver. 15,

ator, or judge,

it is

far

more natural

to

interpret the phrase of a magistrate, senalso ver. 12, and In C'sn, which is to be taken adverbially, as Judges ix. 9, is an ellipsis of 2.

Comp.

-2 3 is most beginning of the verse. commonly used in the sense of Xirpov, avriXvTpov, ransom, or ptrice of redemption,

see

on

Is.

xxix. 21.

on which account Ewald and some

;

11-13.

D-";b

is,

'in all

probability,

faulty orthography of Cob, the Polal. of

C"2, Arab. LwwuJ, vilipe7idit rem, to tread
dozen, trample tipon, etc.

but the close it so here connection in which the whole phrase stands with the perversion of justice, specified in the last clause of the verse,
others render

decides in favor of the signification bribe,

bribery,

De

Rossi's co-

dex 380, reads ;s c ;a i a with Siii. rsris , what is raised, as a tax, tribute, etc. from
K'rs
,

has, 1

which the word unquestionably Sam. xii. 3. Targ. ^".'i"3 V'ca the
,

mammon
a
bribe.

'^

of falsehood.

Syr.

*^q.^
other
"'i.l.a

to raise.

Instead of remitting to

the poor the tax which they were unable to pay, the rulers and proprietors rigidly exacted it, that they might consume it

LXX.

aWayixara.

The

Greek

versions, f^iKaa-fia.

If p^~2

upon their lusts. But in whatever state and luxurj' they might have lived, and whatever preparations they might be making for further indulgences, Jehovah
declares that they should not continue

to

enjoy

them.

speedily remove
jects

The enemy would them from all the ob-

on which they proudly doated, or from which they expected gratification.

could be taken to mean, " shutting tip. or imprisoning the righteous," then "lEs but such usage might mean ransom docs not obtain. The only course left for the pious to pursue in the midst of such atrocious perversion of order and justice, was that of quietly submitting to the hand of God, which they were taught to recognize in the permission of these evils, and patiently to abide the issue of
;

20

154
14

AMOS.
; ;

Chap.

V.

Sock good, and not evil, that ye may live Jehovah, God of hosts, shall be with you, it shall be so According as ye say. 15 Hate evil and love good,

And

And
The
IG

establish justice in ths gate

Perhaps Jehovah,

God

of hosts,

may
God

pity

residue of Joseph.

Therefore thus saith Jehovah,

In
all

of hosts, the Lord:

the broad j^laces there shall be wailing

And
They
.

in all

the streets, they shall say,

Oh

Oh
;

shall call the

all

husbandman

to

mourning

And

who

are skilled in elegy to wailing.

IG. '^zh, therefore, refers not to the

events.

Any

attempt, under these cir-

stem the current, or effect a reformation, or even to plead for private or public rights, Avould only aggravate their calamities. V'S'JWn the intelligent,
cumstance.-:, to
,

contents of verses
7, 10,

14r,

15,

but to verses

and

12.

"We may suppose a con-

siderable pause to intervene before vcr.

16. Foreseeing that the people would not repent, Jehovah here declares that the threatened punishment was inevitable. The slaughter involved in this punishment would be general. Samaria, however,

prudent,
sense, of

is

to be understood, in the best

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.

and

its

vicinity,

Both the

style

and the sen-

intended.
is

The

position in

seem specially which 'z-s

timents have their parallel in Is. i. 16, 17. Notwithstanding the sad apostasies of the Israelitish people, they still had their profession of the religion of Jehovah to back upon, in case of necessity. fall

here placed, is altogether imusual. Indeed, I am not aware that it is so

not,

found in any other passage. Yet I would with Newcome, cancel it, on the
slender

They
it

boasted that he was with them, but was an empty pretence while their pro-

fession

was

insincere,

being
idols.

combmed
For the
*'^55<,

with the worship of

force of the

conditional particle

authority of seven MSS. the Arab, and Syr. It seems rather to have been purposely added, in order to give greater solemnity to the sentence which was to be pronounced, r'inh", broad, or open 2}l(ices, or wide streets in

LXX.

perhaps, in

such comiection, compare Gen. xvi. 2, and d &pa. Acts viii. 22. Comp. also Joel li. 13, where the same idea is expressed by y-i v "^a, tcho knowethf ~|3"ii ri"'-isr, Me remainder of Joseph.
see

which

a city; and distinguished from r:u5r!, signify ordinary or narrow streets,

such as are
n\aTe7a.

common

in the East.

Gr.

1SC,
breast,

Strictly

means a smiting
KonfThs,)

For

this

use of the patronymic,

of the tEC, to

(LXX.
;

from

beat, smite

see

on

Is.

xxxii, 12.

ites still

Numerous as the Israelwere, they might well be called a remainder, in consideration of the
on
ver. 6,

havoc made by Ilazacl, who, when " the Lord began to cut" them "short, smote them in all the coasts of Israel from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead,
;

Here, however, it is used to denote wailing or mourning in general, ir; ir, Oh ! Oh ! This onomatopoetic I have rendered by the coiTcsix)nchng English interjection, which, when prolonged and
swelled in the pronunciation, as it is by persons giving \ittcrance to excessive
grief,
is

the Gadites, and the Ilcubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by tlie
river

much more
I

appropriate than
9 e o
.

Amon,

even Gilead and Bashan."

Ala3.' Alas

Alas! S)T.
1
;

i-.

gi

^^o
iii

01-

King

X. 32, 33.

Chald.

"'

"^

Vulg.

v<e I vce !

other

Chap. V.

AMOS.
I Avill pass

155

17

111 all

For
18

the vineyards there shall be wailing, through the midst of thee,

Saith Jehovah.

Wo luito you that desire the

"What
is

day of Jehovah!
?

the day of Jehovah unto you

be darkness and not light. 19 As Avhen one fleeth from a lion, And a bear meeteth him
It shall

Or he

entereth the house, 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, eAew
/

eheul

The

-i^x,

hxisbandmen, were to be called to participate in the mournmg, not as Newcome,

Kosenmliller,

and

some

others

have

thought, on account of the desolation of the fields, but either on account of the loudness of their rustic voices, or because the slaughter of the citizens of Samaria would be so great, that a sufficient number would not be left to per-

such occasions, appears from Jer. ix. 1719, where "ns^ is twice used as here by Amos. The same custom obtained among the Greeks and Romans. Thus Homer speaking of the funeral of Hector,
says

ibv
aoiSovs,

fiei/

firetra

TpTlTo7s (V Asxe'efC' ^(crav, irapa Se elffay

Qprfficu i^dpxovs, o'lre <rTov6ia(Tav aoiSrjv

form the funeral rites. Such construction of the meaning is required by the
following parallelism: ''yTi^ Vn
n-:_&>;i

Oi

txkv

&p

idp-r]Viov,

itrX

5e

anvaxovro

ywouKesIliad, xxiv. 720, etc.

no necessity for supposing that the words of this sentence have been transposed, and that they originally nsc^s-Vs ^rt: 'y-vi. The stood thus preposition Vs is understood before nSD:;, and 5Xnp as repeated to govern Vs, which it often does, as well as the ac.

T3

There

is

See also Horace de Arte Poet. ver. 433.

vol.

In his edition of Harmer's Observations, Dr. A. Clarke gives a deiii. p. 42.

scription of the aiacient funeral solemnities of the Irish,

cusative,
777! 3
,

ins, tcailinf/, lamentation, from'

j

and the translation of a song of wailing prepared for the occasion, which bears a strong resemblance to those used by the Orientals. Comp.
Wilkinson's Ancient Egj^ptians, second series, vol. ii. pp. 402-407. 17. The vineyards, which usually exhibited scenes of rejoicing, should now be frequented by disconsolate mourners.

Syr.

/n a

to

Utter

lamentable

cries.

The
iai

"

skilled

persons here spoken of as wailing," were mourners by

profession,

casion,

who were hked for the ocand sung doleful times around the corpse of a deceased person, which they preceded when it was carried to
the grave, giving utterance to dismal cries and bowlings, beating their breasts,

throwing ashes on their heads, and showing every artificial token of rxcessive grief. These were the mourners whom Solomon describes as going about the streets, Eccles. xii. 5. That females were especially employed on

For Jehovah's passing through the land, comp. Exod. xii. 12, 23 only in the latter case the punishment Avas miraculously inflicted in the former, by the king of AssvTia, as an instrument in the hand of God. 18-20. These verses intimately cohere with the preceding. The day of Jehovah means the time when his judgments
; ;

should be inflicted. The Israelites could only have given expression sarcastically

; ;

156

AMOS.
;

Chap. V.

211

hate, I loathe your festivals Xeither do I delight in your days of restraint, 22 When ye offer to me liolocaiists and bloodless sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them Xeither will I regard the thank-offerings of your fatlings.
;

23 Take away from

me

I will not hear the

the noise of the songs music of thy harps.

day might soon reach them. It was an inipit)us daring of Jehovah to do his worst. Comp. Is. v.
to the \vi:^h that this

The projjhet tells them plainly that it would be to them a day of unmitigated affliction. The fal19
:

Jer.

xvii.

15.

^Ufcy^.

XvLyil, " Extirpatio erudi:

tionis et obliteratio ejus

Lunarumque
t.:_:
,

ac Solium cjusdem occasus."

on the

lacy of every hope of escape

is

illustrated

by two

simple, but forcible comparisons,

contrary, signifies to shine, be liyht ; and its derivative r.^i is used of the rising of
iv. IS, and is contrasted with n^Ss, ver. 19. 21-23. The same aversion from the

borrowed from the pastoral life. Bochart regards the language as proverbial, and supports his opinion by two Arabic stories
:

the sun, Piov.

the one beginning,

Joais Jua<I

ceremonial observances of the insincere

H^jfu*;

^f W^^^ Vr^^ bLwof

''

and

rebellious Israelites

which Jehovah

u'7^
hipiself,

lion,

jjiu-suing

here expresses, he afterwards employed Isaiah to declare to the Jews, chap. i. The two passages are strikingly 10-15. only the latter prophet ampliparallel
;

a man, he took refuge in a tree, in the branches of which a bear having fixed

was

iJuckijig

its

fruit,"

etc.

and the

other,

yx

JL^r

what is set forth in a more condensed form by Amos. It is also to be observed, that where Amos introduces the musical accompaniments of the sacrifices, Isaiah
fies

i.jyJO

substitutes the prayers

both concluding

with the divine words, "'s;"N==i'::rs nV The verbs TSJa i:T2r, / ^cill not hear.

"

Hcd from a lion, and fell into a well, into which_ the lion went down And there was a bear in the after him.
well," 810, 811.
etc.

A man

"PCSt: follow each other immediately, for the sake of more emphatically expressing the Divine abhorrence. Com. N'n rsrsin
'V
lit.

Ilierozo. lib.

iii.

cap. ix. pp.

i!<::r,

and "ch:: "SIs in Isaiah, ir-is nV, / icill not smell ; but meaning here,
take no deliyht in.
rS-'^;S.y res-

Kimchi
thus,

tersely expresses the

icill

meaning
shall
(jO

nn::

Vs nnstt

Ye

out of calamitij into calamity.

;

Comp. Job XX. 24 Is. xxiv. 18. The adjective Ves is explained by the following words. It occurs only in this place but the substantives rVss Vs s dense obscurity, are used in several passages of Job, n"V"ES, the Psalms, and the prophets. however, in the sense of concealed, occurs
,

days of restraint, or asSee on semblies collected on such days. Is. i. 13. cV.>?> used here collectively
traints, periods,

for the plural C"':'?*^*

"''^'l'?.

"'r.H

'

-^i*'

remove from upon me; conveying the idea of a burden which vexes and annoys
the bearer.
Isaiah expresses
it

in full

Exod.

ix.

32.

Comp. the Arab.

occidit sol,
scss.

etc.

Thus

in Hariri,
is

JLi|, Con-

XV. the noun

U-j|

employed

rr^bV "Vy rn, "They are a burden upon me." Comp. further for the force of the compound prejiosition, Exod. x. Tlic music here referred to was 28. that performed at the Hebrew festivals by the Lcvitcs, before and during the

Thap. V.

AMOS,
roll

157

24 Let justice

on

like water,

And

righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 Did ye not present sacrifices and offerings to me,

offering of the sacrifices,

and on other
is

public occasions.
24.

2.5-27. These verses have not a little perplexed expositors, both ancient and

While no

direction

given re-

modern. The
is

first difficulty lies

in

what

specting the regulation of the sacrifices, in order that they might be presented in

an acceptable manner, a
tion
is

special

mjunc-

imparted in regard to justice and rectitude, on the principle that to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," 1 Sam. xv. 22. " Xec in
victimis, licet optima? sint, auroque praj-

of Greve, Dahl, and Maurer, take the n in n^n2"~ to be the article, and not the particle of interrogation, and render, the sacrifices and offerings ye
said respecting the presentation
sacrifices.

presented
shrine,

to

cribed in the
etc.

me, etc., viz. those preslaw but noio ye hear the According to this mode
:

fulgeant,
recte

Deorum
i.

est

honos, sed pia ac

of construction,
course of

mente venerantium."
6.
is

Seneca de

13encnciis,

That

"n"!*,

Arab.

.o,

the present idolatrous the Israelites is contrasted with their former obedience to the In order, however, to Divine will.
justify
this

2)crennis fuit,
e7ininl,

to be here rendered jier-

interpretation,

the

article

and not mighty, has been maintained by some interpreor everflowing,

but a comparison of the several ters passages in which it occurs, goes to show
;

must have been repeated before nn:K, which it is not. The insertion of the compensative Dagesh m the letter Zain
cannot be pleaded in
interrogative
article,
its

favor,

since

that

it is

rather to be referred to (^^'otj

there are several instances in

before

which the
of the

vaUda, fuit, multus fuit, and is to be rendered great or mighty. It thus better corresponds with VVi , roll, to roll on, used in the former hemistich. LXX. dis
Xei/J-oLppois ik^arots.

n takes the form

;

Sheva, as

words beginning with "|2 5n, Gen. xvii. 17 ^"I'ln,

29
;

Ezck.

xviii.

Vn'^Jn, Joel
Mt;
k.
.

iv. 4, etc.

Syr.

The
^ ,j^|

ancient translators have

all

read inKa\

terrogatively. >
"^

LXX.

ccpdyta
t. A.
/TV
;

>

V
^f

^ualas irpoariufyKaTf

Vulg. quasi torrens fortis,

S'.mO> .OL^)^ IJ..S 90.00

.

jjloi,

<T...

Syr. V

jLtkS9

Arab,

^jJi
^'^^
f^

t.l&^9

^C>\y}\

JCOO,

a\

Vulg.

Numquid

hostias et sacri-

viLLwwO
2>assed.

Wady

that cannot he

jicia ohtulistis mihi, etc

Targ, rC2:r;

The
I

ideas of abundance
differ

and

moral power are those conveyed by the

i:)rophet.

must

from Prof. Lee,

And so almost all the moderns, whom suppose the force of the
'Was
it

some of question

who

(Heb. Lex, in voc. "ri"^) renders,

to lie in '5, to me, taken emphatically,

to

" for judgment rolleth (away) as the waters (roll away), and righteousness (disappears) like the mighty torrent." The verse as thus rendered ill suits the context, and is not in keeping with parallel passages in which, after a reprehension of hypocritical observances, the moral qualities of truth and righteousness are required. The construction put tipon it by Theodoret, Kimchi, Munster, Veil, and Hitzig, that the coming of the Divine judgments is intended, is, for the same reasons, to be rejected.

ME,"

etc.

while others think

is imIn support of the

that an absolute denial of the presentation of sacrifices in the wilderness

plied in the words.

latter opinion,
it

has been attempted to

prove, that the Israelites could not have

offered

any

sacrifices for

want of

cattle.

however, is contrary to the express declarations found in Exod. Lev. xvii. 1-9. xii. 38, xvii. 3. xxxiv. 3 Num. vii. passim, xx. 4, 19. The life which they led in the desert was that of Nomadcs, so that there could have been
position,
;

Such a

: ;:

AMOS
Diuing forty years
20
in the desert,

Chap. V.

bouse of Israel?

And

yet ye bare ibe sbriue of your king,

for
sacrifice.

no luck of animals

The

is

found in any Hebrew MS., or in any

true construction of the passage is founded on the principle, that not unfrequently in

other

Hebrew
calls

the

interrogation

implies,

and

for

an emphatic aifirmative,
;

monument of antiquity, except the speech of Stephen, as recorded by Luke, Acts vii. 43, which is an almost verbal quotation from the LXX. Theod. renders thus

and is cither expressed or understood thus equivalent to a negative interrogation in our language, and indeed to sV" See 1 Sam. ii. 27, 28 Job in Hebrew. XX. -1 Jer. xxxi. 20 Ezek. xx. 4. In
; ; ;

the present case, as in these just cited, the persons addressed are supjxised to admit the fact couched in the appeal but the question is so put in order the more forcibly to introduce the adversative
sentence which follows in the 26th verse. The connection of the two verses is this

Kal fipaTf TTiv opacTiv tov 0aai\fws vfxitiv, a^avpwciv (idwKcof vfxiiv, &aTpov TOV bfov vfuwu so that he must have read the words as they now stand in the Hebrew text. The same may be said of the Syr., Vulg., and Ttug., though
:

their renderings differ from each other in

one or two minor particulars. The remark of Jerome on the discrepancies between the Hehrew text and the ancient Greek versions deserves to be quoted
here
:

"

Observandum

est,

apostolos ct

" Did
years,

ye

not

present

sacrifices

and

offerings to

me

in the -wilderness forty

?

apostoHcos viros in ponendis testimoniis de Veteri Testamento, non verba considerare sed sensum, nee
calcare vestigia,
interjjrcters

house of Israel
etc.
n

ye bare the shrine,"

junction
is

Yes and yet That the con;

eadem sermonum
a sententiis
loc.

dummodo

frequently to be rendered
yet, or

non recedant." Comment, in

follow the

Most

and
liii.

yet, but
;

the like, see Gen.

;

LXX.

in giving

xvii. 21
7.

Judges xvi. 15 Ps. 1. 17 Is. "What is here charged upon the ancient IsraeUtes was their indulging in
;

risD by (TKTivr], a te7it ; deriving it, like nrc, and "^b, of the same signification,
from i^so, <o intcrticine, as branches, so as to form a booth or hut. Others, such as Jarchi, Calvin, Mercer, and Rosen miillcr, take it to mean an image or idol, and render, Siccuth your king. They explain it by referring to the Chald. srrc, a wooden post, which they suppose formed the pedestal on -which the idol stood, and so the word might be transferred to

idolatrous
fessedly

practices

-while

they

pro-

attended to the ritual observthe very sin ances of the Mosaic law which Amos was commissioned to charge

upin

their dascendants in his day, and on account of which they were to be canied into captivity. The opinion of Forsayeth (quoted by Newcome), Dahl, and others, that the sin reproved in ver. 26 was exclusively that of those who lived in the

Ewald takes much the the idol itself. The former derivation is same view.
alone admissible.

time of the prophet, is less admissible than that which refers to their ancestors, yet so that the reproof was intended to be applied on their own case by those whom the prophet addressed. The 26th verse has been very differently renderetl,

The

text appears to

as well as variously interpreted.

translation of the

The
MoAbx

LXX.

Is

as follows

Kal
KoX

&i/\a3<T rrjv (rm\v\)v tov

'

rh &(TTpov TOV ^iov vfiwv Pca<pai/, Tovs Tuirouy avrwv, ot)S iiron'iaaTf iaxnois as if the Hebrew had read, rSDrts-:;:!)
;

have had something of the texture, as it had the design of the a-Krji'rjs ifpas, sacred tent, in the Carthaginian camp, mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. cap. 25, and described as consisting 4k KoAa/nou Koi x^P'^"' f reeds and grass. Comp. Wilkinson's Ancient Egypt, second scries, vol. ii. pp. 270-275. Only, as it is certain Moses would not have tolerated anything of the kind if its size had been such as to bring it to his
cognizance,
it

-,1^3
;

tS'riVs

=="=

rsi

^V'3
of

riro

may

be inferred, that

it

crV

cfbv

"'i'S !r--i;V"-'l

No vestige,
the words

however, of any such order

was only a small temple or shrine, which might easily be concealed iu the interior

(\-

Chap.V.

AMOS.
^^
for yourselves.
especially

i^

\
lir

And Chiun

of your images, the star of your god,

Which ye made
of a tent.
in use

Such diminutive temples were

the Egyptians, from whom no doubt the Hebrews took, the idea. Herodotus, describing an idol worshipped

among

at

iv NHXli
ixfvcfi

Papremis, says, rb 5e &ya\fxa fhf MIKPrit ^vXivcf KaraKexpva-coirpoeKKOfii^ovcTL

rfi

children, to which horrible custom repeated reference is made in the historical books of the Old Testament. See Michaelis on the laws of Moses, Art. Selden de ccxlvii. Suppl. No. 1115 Spencer de Legibus Diis SjTis, cap. vi.
;

irporfpaiTi

is

Hebraeor.

lib.

ii.

cap. 10
voc.
;

Gesenius, in

6.\\o oiK-ntJM ip6v, "

The image, being

a stnall temple of gilt wood, they can-y out on the previous day to another sacred
habitation."
shrines,

Compare the
small

vouii

apyvpoi,

or

temples

of

Diana,

Winer, Realworter-buch. o="'>r.^:i V"^' f^^*'^ of your images, i. e. represented by them; the model after which they were made. While the idol so called, which the
his Thesaurus, s^lb

That any mentioned Acts xix. 24. comiection is to be traced between r530, Siccuth, and irisa m'sD. Succoth-benoth,
2 Kings xvii. 30, the tents in which the daughters of the Babylonians prostituted themselves in worship of Venus, does not

Hebrews carried about in a sacred shrine, was itself a symbol or representative of one of the heavenly bodies, it was in its turn represented by a number of copies, or smaller images, which they used as
penates or household gods in the practice

crs^w, your king, thus Symm. appear, Theodot. and' Leo Juda, and most but the LXX. Mo\bx. Syr. moderns
;

Such appears to me to of astrology. be the meaning of the words. To this construction, however, C. B. Michaelis, Vitringa, Rosenmiiller, Hesselberg, Hengstenberg,
"n"D

VOQ-al^. Malcum, Aq.

MeKx^fiy Vulg.

and others

object, that it

makes

Moloch, exhibit the word as the proper name of the god of the Ammonites, i. e. Kings rjVw, also called Ds''. Milcom, 1
xi'.

a proper name, which, with the older grammarians, they allege cannot be put in regimen. But to this rule, it

Malcam, Zcph, i. 5 and this construction some modems have adopted but as r^n, king, is also employed by the Hebrews in application to
5,

and C3V
;

must be admitted,
tions, as

there are
,

rinnr:?
etc.

T'i'^i.n.

^?5>

many excep"J- ^?1

:??."ri1=:5*
n""^r::
,

nVs n-,5i=a rin-'.c-'j-i; Nor can it justly be object-

J
\^*^

idols. Is.

xxxvii. 13, Zeph.

i.

5, it is bet-

ter to retain its usual signification.

The

Phoenicians gave the

king Uma

Hercules Comp. ZeD i.va. Iliad, iii. 351, and 'Xl "va^ ^\^e Trap' rjixeas xvi. 233 In Ethiopic iKervs, Herod. I. 159.
;

title of cVy ^Vw, and sun, tiim me uii, to the worm, lo world, -.V I.- .r. r.^ fho r;t tn to jn 1"5n=mi/'?W, P^ft J oj J the city, ^ 1' P" _" i|'?-> kmq

ed that as nsq is an appellative, TV3 being parallel to it. must necessarily be The necessity of the case the same.
not obvious. Both are mentioned as , , ^-l tt u j u * carried about oh " J ects which the Hebrews c irinlntrniis purposes, niiTnfises. One. the the one, for idolatrous the other portable temple of the idol the idol itself placed in this temple, of Ji ^ which numerous miniature resemblances were privately distributed throughout the camp. The LXX. unquestionably
is
.

or of
-L

tiie the

A ^'^Ti
for

-A-mlak, the proper

name
im-

God,

is

derived from t?a (^j|,

peravit, rexit,

and

to idols. agreed,

The
that

applied in the plural learned are generally

is

the Moloch of Scripture was the image of the planet Saturn, and thus identical with Chiun, mentioned

by Amos
verse.

in the following clause of the

The Phoenicians were in the habit of offering to him human sacrifices,

regarded the word as a proper name, whatever they may thereby have intended to designate. And this view of the subject is confirmed by nsis, a star, being put in apposition with -^v:;, in order to explain it, an explanation which cannot apply, if by the latter term we understand merely the pedestal or stand on

^^.

which the

idol

was

placed.

It is

now

160

AMOS.
away
captive

CuAi'. V.

27 Therefore, I will carry you

Leyond Damascus,
the

almost a PCttled point, that by "'"S, Chum, the planet Saturn is meant. If we except

added

in

same

page

]r>

a<

the Syr.,
earliest

which reads .oJiSi Kevon, the

authorities

which we have
;

for

this ijiterpretation of the passage are the

^n^nSn
XaV i

,ri\tV>9

lALoo^ojo

rabbins Abenczra and Kimchi but their testimony as relating to a matter of

is irrefragable, however slightingly Hengstenberg seems to treat it, Authen. The former thus des Pentat. p. 113.

fact

"

The demons of Kivan

in-

ject lamentation,

comments

uix^n the passage

y."3 rStzt
y.-shi yiii

^sr^ sin oVa

bic

= o-e

into the hearts of

weeping and mourning men, and rob them of

2
1

c:, Vsi'k::)''

happiness."

;'5-iry -3

T2r

And we farther read, p.

snn"',

"

And

2,

as for

it is known in the Aralanguages by the name Kivan, which is Saturn, to which they made an image." And the latter, in nearly the same words "^r^'o :r:D sin

the term Chiiin,

(TLllo? ]^o.aA>

cn\^^
)o!JI,

.a.t.2^
is

and

Pci-sic

i.^-^0

'^ "

"1"o Kivan

0-ET Vsyar-' -jirVn s-pj -,si, "It is the star Saturn, and thus he is called Kivan in the Arabic and Persic."
-(SI'S

attributed malice, because from it come diminution and want." Ascribing the

same

evil influence to Saturn, the

it

Arabs
I

likewise give to

the

name of ^j^jvi

,.jlji^ Keiwan, seems to have been

vAj ^Ij

i^'^

great disaster;

and the idea

adopted from the latter into the former of these languages, in the Lexicons of which, as a foreign word, it is explained

frequently occurs in the Latin classics.

by vJL^V, the usual name

Arabic.

for

Saturn in

It occurs in the Persian

work

entitled Dabistan, the author of which,

which the ancient Persians dedicated to the planets says

describing the temples
:

sLaa**, that

"the image of
Lee's

iiTeiioa/j

was
in

of black stone."
voc. ri'js.
y'-> l

Hebrew Lex.

He

speaks, in fact, of the

'^

shrine,

and

JCoj

image, of

the planet, just as

Amos

does of rnsD

According to the Zcndavesta the seven planets are Tir, Rehram, Achuma, Anahid, Kewan, Gurtsher, and Bundehesh. Y. Bodidom Mushewer. In the codex Nasancus, containing the doctrines of the Sabteans, which was published by Norberg, we find a list of the demons which rule these jilanets,

and

"ji

"c

MaJuven. vi. 569 If the Hebrew \rz be pointed ti"S, the exact pronunciation of the name of the planet in the other Oriental dialects will be brought out, aiid thus the evidence of identity be complete. A^'ith respect to Vai<pau, the rendering of the LXX., or Pf <pcw, as it is to be spelt, on the authority of the best MSS., Acts vii. 43, there is every reason to believe that they liiistook - for -i, as they have and so have done in other instances given Rephan, instead of Kephan. That PH*AN should occur in the ArabicoCoptic table of the planets exhibited by Kircher in his Ling. ..^Egypt. Ilestit. p. 49,
See Lucan
i.

650
i.

crob. Saturn,

19.

'

'

by no means proves that

ancient Egj^ptian
as that table
is

this

was the
;

name

of Saturn

for

of no great antiquity, and

are chiefly derived

as the other

names

among whom
fifth
is

.q.aS
p, 54.

a Vq

^^

(he

Kivan,

It is afterwards

from the Greek, we may reasonably infer that the one in question wiis copied from the Coptic version of this vcrj- passage of the LXX. At all events, no such name of a deity has yet been found in the Egyptian pantheon, --/-i ^he

Chap. YI.

AMOS.
:

161
name.

Saith .Tebc/vah

God
.

of hosts

is

his

star, is expletive of )i'<3 in so far as it informs us that the figure of the idol was that of a star, and thus proves the idolatrous worship to have been the Sabsean, with which the Hebrews became acquainted diu-ing their stay in the Ara-

Root spn, Arab.

vJLjC.

recessit,

Syr.
rt

^ '^\'^
added
is

removit,

ehngavit.

The

paragogic.

While what Amos

states is included in the statement

made

bian desert. 27. Instead of

iiTfKfiva

p'sj^S"?

AaficuTKov,

ntjV-tt, LXX. " beyond Damas-

by the proto-martjT, the latter embraces what was known from fact to be the fulfilment of the prophecy the Isradites having been carried, not merely beyond
:

the other authorities agree, Stephen has i-n-fKeiva Ba0v\wvos, " beyond Babylon," Acts vii. 43,
all

cus," with

which

Damascus, but beyond Babylon, into the

obviously by way of interpretation. nsiVrj naturally suggests the idea of remoteness, though it is sometimes used in reference to

The chapter country of the Medes. closes with a vindication of the supremacy of Jehovah above all the objects of Sabsean worship "iwa irisas ""n'^s,
:

what

is

at

no great

distance.

God of Sabaoth

is

his nafne !

CHAPTER

VI.

This chapter embraces the character and punishment of the whole Hebrew nation. The inhabitants of the two capitals are directly addressed in the language of denunciation, and charged to take warning from the fate of other nations, 1, 2. Their carnal security, injustice, self indulgence, sensbality, and total disregard of the divine threatenings, are next described, 3-6; after which the prophet announces the captivity, and the calamitous circumstances connected with the siege of Samaria, by which it was to be preceded, 7-11. He then exposes the absurdity of their conduct, and threatens them with the irruption of an enemy, that should pervade the whole country, 12-14.

Wo to them that are at ease in Zion,

And
The
to

them

that are secure in the mountain of Samaria

distinguished

men

of the

first

nations,

1. Though chiefly directed against the northern of the two kingdoms, the language of this prophecy is so constructed as to apply to both and in the
:

Dathe, cannot be justified. For the primary meaning of "jN's, compare the cognate ']S.'V, ui Niphal, to lean, lean upon, trust.

The

present verse express mention

of the inhabitants of resembled those of Samaria in carelessness and carnal security, 'isy and nua
are similarly connected

made Jerusalem, who

is

intensity.

a:ip3

reduplicate Ntm expresses has here the acceptation

of the Arab. ^__^uL, rerum gentis administrator, princeps gentis

perfodit, creattts est
;
:

from

,,,^^jijj

and

applied. Is.

ereatus fuit dux.

XXX.

9, 11

so that the rendering of the

Stciiv,

LXX.

Tols i^ov^tyovcTL

adopted by

Whence also xjUu. prefectura. The Hebrew phrase Era 2".5, to be marked,

21

ic:

AMOS.

CiiAP.

VL

To Mhoin

the house of Israel come I Pass over to Cahich, and see And go thence to Ilamath the great Go down also to Gatli of the Philistmes
;

AVere they better than these kingdoms ? "Were their boundaries more ample than yours to them that j^ut oft' the day of evil,

Wo

distingnished

hij

name,

is

reference to persons

who had been

some
xii.

always used in chosen

31, xvi. 41

or designated for

special sers'ice.
;

Num.

i.

17

Chron.

which Jehovah had distinguished them, and the greater punishment to which they had exposed themselves by their ungrateful returns. For r:."~S, Cahich, and fizn,
Ilitzig atIlamath, see on Is. x. 9. tempts to prove that by the latter name,

The term is here employed for the puqiose of specifying more particularly the leading men in the two kingdoms, whose proHigacy and irrcligion preeminently aggravated
2 Chron.

xxwi.

15, xxxi. 19.

i<nns, Ecbatana or Ilamedan is meant but there is no reason to believe that the

the national guilt.

are not, with

By

n';iin rr^^S"!.

we

Hebrews had any knowledge of this city It is here called in the days of Amos.
r;2"i, great,

Newcome,

to imderstand

not to distinguish

it

from

" the chief of the idolatrous nations," and that the persons six)ken of were called after them, but the Hebrew nation, which is so called because it was the 2)rincipal, or most distinguished of all the nations of the eailh having been constituted the
;

other cities of the same name, but to exComp. press its size and magnificence.

~2"i "(Tt::, Sidoti the great, Josh. xi. S. r."\, Gath, was the chief city of one of the iive satrapies of the Philistines, with whose name it is here associated, to
distinguish
it

peculiar people of God, and possessing laws and privileges unknown to any
It might well be said to occupy the first rank. Comp. pV^y n";iJ ricsn,

Gath-Kimmon.

from Gath-Hepher, and It had more than once

other.

been reduced before the time of Amos, and disappeared at an early period from
the annals of geography. No trace of it has been discovered by any modem traveller. The T, in fn-'i;- has been rcgiu-dcd
as the Article by the LXX., Syr., and Vulg. translators, and is thus found in twelve of De llossi's MSS. but the more
;

Num.

xxiv. 20, where the reference is to the distinguished place which the Amalekites held among the nations of Canaan. CnV) is to be construed with C'2~:, and

not with

c'i.^,

or with

-"U and li-iai.

The

people of Israel were in the habit of going up to their princes and leaders for They the decision of diiferences, etc. exerted an influence over the entire Both the LXX. and the Syr. people. a; greatly at fault in the translation of
this verse.
2.

natural construction

is

that of the Targ.

and most
it

modem
an

versions,

interrogative.
is
,

parison

Before the ellipsis of

,

r^sVw)?"

rVsn

these

which makes "^72 of comand ^i:ri kingdoms, must

;

Three
<is

selected

heathen cities are here specimens of the greatness

and

prosperity of the nations to

which

they belonged, and the Israelites are challenged to institute a comparison of the cu-cumstanccs of these nations and the extent of their territory, with those
of their own, as also, te reflect on the present prostrate condition of the tities mentioned, in order that they might become sensible of the superiority with

be understood as designating those of Israel and Judah, with which the jirophct had immediately to do, ;uk1 to which he thus emphatically pouits. In this way only can an appropriate reference be

foimd

for the distmctive affixes in r:V

.z.a

and c:;V"--V 3. Supply

t:"^'H:')2n,

"iSr,

tco

to,

from

ver.

1.

the Targ. not inappropriately

explains by

y" n :, remove to a distance.

n-:
,

The

root

is

which in the other

dia-

; ;

ClIAP. VI.

AMOS.
vipon beds of ivory,

163

And
That

bring near the seat of oppression

lie

And

upon their couches ; That eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall That strike up songs to the sovmd of the lyre Like David they invent for themselves instruments of music; That drink in bowls of wine,
are stretched

And

anoint with the

first

of oils

But are not grieved

lects signifies to separate.,

for the destruction of

Joseph

remove as an

object of disgust.
poi,

Aq.

ol airoKex'^P^'^t^^-

Symm. acpwpicrfiivoi. The persons addressed could not bear the idea that the period of threatened punishment was
they endeavored as much it out of view. Comp. Ezek. xii. 21-28. In striking antithesis to this, they are represented in the following hemistich, as acting in such a manner as speedily to bring it upon them.

but as in every other instance in which the verb is used in Hiphil it vindicates to itself the causative acceptation, and in the present case is obviously intended to form a contrast to C'^iiW, which conveys the idea of removing to a distance, I must retain the rendering of our common version. Thus Hitzig and Ewald. The meaning is, that instead of puttmg afi'ay

impending

as possible to keep

from them all illegal and oppressive judgment, they encouraged those "who were guilty of them, by assisting in carrying them into execution.
4.

" Sed quam ccecus inest vitiis amor ? omne futurum Despicitur, suadentque brevem presentia fructum Et ruit in vetitum damni secura libido, Dum mora supplicii lucro, serumque

For yq
iii.

riit:M, beds
;

of ivory, see on
lecti

chap.

15

and comp.
lecti

ehurnei of

Horace, and
t3''n"'&,

eborati of

Plautus.
libere

from n-iSjArab.

^^

quod

instat

dismisit, to be
is

thrown negligently along,

Creditur."

descriptive of the self-indulgent

mode
their

Claud. Eutrop.

lib.

iL

in

which the Orientals

at

recline

upon

I cannot agree witli Jerome, Grotius,

sofas or couches, being stretched

upon
verse

Newcome,
referring
op2)ression,
:

Justi,

and some

others,

own

fi^/i, the seat or

in throne of

them

fuU length.

The whole

to the rule of the king of it is more natural to regard AssjTia the prophet as describing the wickedness of the people themselves in yielding support to a system of flagrant injustice and oppression, on the part of their own

well chosen expressions the luxurious habits of the opulent. LXX.

sets forth in
/caToenraTaA.ajj'Tts.
5, 6. Un2 is a oira| Xi-y., and has been thought by Gesenius, Hitzig, and Ewald, to have been selected on purpose, instead

of
to

"i^sT, to

sing, in order to express the

rulers

and judges. Thus most expositors. na^ occmrs nowhere else in the sense of throne but a"J^, of which it is properly
;

contempt in which the music deserved

be held.

Such

interpretation,

how-

ever, does not appear to be

phUologicaUy

the infinitive, is used in application both to kings and judges, as is also the par-

sustained,

hemistich.

and iU suits the corresponding According to the LXX.

ti^:, in Piel, to

The term is synonymous ticiple niai^. with S&3, which is also used both of the throne and the bench. ^'i.r\ is here taken by most interpreters to have the same signification as in Kal, to approach;

iiriKpaTovvTes, presiding over, or at, the

verb

is

synonymous with
lead

superintend,

Hence in music. Comp. the ti::;w, the chief musician,

Arab.

^yi.

pr(Bvertit, prcecessit.

Tip

1G4
1 Therefore

AMOS.
now they
the shouting

Chap. VI.

shall go captive at the hcacl of the captives, company of those that recline shall depart. The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, Thus sailh Jehovah, God of hosts,

And

abhor the splendor of Jacob,

I hate his palaces Therefore will I deliver up the city, and all that is in it. 9 It shall be, that if ten men should be left intone house,

And

persons reprobated were so passionately iond of song, that they fould not be content to listen to the performances of
professed musicians, but took the lead in
striking
lyre.

8. The double form of asseveration here employed is unusual, and is strongly emphatic. asi^K, the Piel participle of

nsP

a root of the same signification with

for a similar
Vs."^

up songs to the sound of the The reference to David, v,ho was

syp. Compare

of these letters

the sweet singer of Israel, and of whose musical iixstruments express mention is

made Neh.
ical
;

xii. 36, is manifest^ ironimplying that, while that monarch devoted his musical talent to the glory of God, the dissipated grandees of Israel consulted only their personal gratification, and that of those who joined their giddy circle. D"P"iTa, were properly basi7is, or bowls, of a larger size, used for sacrificial purposes, Exod. x.\x^^ii. 3 Num. vii. 13, 19. The persons referred to, indulged to such excess, that ordinary cups were
;

mterchange and y^j. Though the phrase 2p?' "SJ, the excellency of Jacob, cannot be otherwise understood than of God himself, as the only legitimate object of glorj-ing on the

and

Vs:;, i<wa

piurt

of his people, chap. viii. 7, yet, in the presbnt uistance, it is to be taken in application to the countrj' and peculiar It was once privileges of the Hebrews. a country piously celebrated in song as the excellency of Jacob, Ps. xlvii. 5, and the peculiar object of divine regaid but
;

now

by the wickedness of its inhabitants, it had become the object of

defiled
his abhorrence.

unsuited to their compotations. They likewise anointed themselves with the most precious oils, and evinced a total apathy in regard to the calamities to which their people had already been
subject, or the still

By

-i"y,

the

city,

Amos

had most probably Samaria

tion of Kal, to besie/je, shut

in his Gj-e.

Ilitzig attaches to Ti-iJCn, the significatip, but the usual Hiphil signification better agrees with the following connection. t<V>3,

more serious evils which threatened them. For the meanfulness, conveys the idea of multitude, ing of ro V, Joseph, see on chap. v. 6. Of great abundance, and comprehends 7. nr-iw, Arab. ^.Vyo, vox,thesho%it here both the numerous inhabitants themselves, and the wealth and means or cry, in which the merrymakers inof gratification in which they aboimdcd. dulged over their cups. The persons giv- Comp. Ps. xxiv. 1. For the accomplishing the shout scorn to be intended, and, as ment of the prediction, see 2 Kings xvii.
the term is also used in reference to a cr\' of lamentation, Jor. xvi. 5, it may be implied that their joy would be turned
into sorrow.
lectively.
5, 6. 9,

10.

The
;

scene
it

is

not necessarily

Tlicy are spoken of colkraipda rpv6r]rwv. Those w-ho had taken the lead in revelry

Symm.

and
be

all

manner of wickedncFs, were

in the pBOces.sion of captives.

to

first

In

BuA

a position, their disgrace wovild be

more conspicuous.

might also liave been realized in any of the towns or vOlages in the country that had been depopuIt depict-;, in lated by the Assyrians. the most affecting manner, the deplorablo condition of the few that had escaped the enemy, and had now been attacked by the plague a usual attendant on
laid in the city

CH.VP. VI.

AMOS.
also shall die.

165

They
10

And

one's relative, even he that burneth

his
;

him

shall take

him

up,

bones out of the house And shall say to him that is in the innermost part of the house, Is there yet any with thee

To remove

And

he

shall say,

None

Then shall he say, Hush For we must not mention the name of Jehovah. 11 For behold! Jehovah hath commanded,
!

And And
war
that
if as

he will smite the great house with breaches. the small house with fissures.
The prophet
as ten
declares,

in the East.

doubt by a reference to Gen.

1.
;

25

had been left in one house, which might be regarded as

a rare
instance,

many

Exod.
viii.

xiii.

19

Kings

xiii.

1,2.

rrsn^r 3-1 "2, is

Having

Jer. 21 well rendered

they should

die,

after another, of this fatal disease.

is

one Tin

in the Yvlg. in pe7ietralibus dotmis.

See
re-

on

Is. xiv. 13.

biirnt

and

not here to be taken in the special sense of uncle, but denotes any near relative on whom it devolved to attend to the funeral rites. Targ. ?;^a-ij5. Vulg.
propinquiis.

moved one body

after another, the rela-

In the present

case,

such

would be the paucity of hands, that he would have to perfonn the whole himself.

The

copulative

i,

prefixed to
is

'"'5'/2,

is

epexegetical,

and

to be rendered
C]";"'3,

even, as in Zech. ix. 9.

Instead of

many both

of Kennicott's and
V
'

De Rossi's
But comp.

tive, discovering a patient in one of the innermost rooms or comers of the house, inquires whether he is the only siurvivor ? and on receiving for answer that he is, he suddenly enjoins silence upon him. There is some difficulty in dertermining what occasioned this injunction, and for what reason the Divme name was not to be mentioned. Most psobably the patient had begun to give vent to

;MSS. read correctly tiya^.

r the Syr. ,^3LS0'
to prove
sages,
'
'

his

feelings in expressions of praise to

Some have attempted

and some other paspractice of the

Jehovah, for sparing his life in the midst of such prevailing mortahty when the
;

from
it

this,

other,

from some superstitious notion, or

that
to

was the

burn their dead. But what Jer. is said 2 Chron. xvi. 14, xxi. 19 xxxiv. 5, obviously refers to the burning of spices, and not of dead bodies. 1 Sam. xxxi. 12, and our present text, exhibit In the former of these, special cases.

Hebrews

from the supposed incongruity of praising God in such circumstances, interrupted his pious effusions, era n^rT",

means
bation,

to mention, or record with approas

an object of
;

trust.

Comp.

Josh, xxiii. 7 Ps. xx. 8. The phrase cannot, therefore, be construed into the

the

object

was
it

so

to

dispose

corpses

that

might

of the not be in the

language of despair

as

if

the person

who

power of the Philistines further to dishonor 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 c :: j>,

gave utterance to the words besought God to take him away likeA\ise and thus terminate the melancholy scene. Nor, for the same reason, can it imply, as Michaelis interprets, that he had confu-med what he had stated vriih an
oath.
11. Grotius, Dahl, Justi, and Ewald, adopt the interpretation of the Targ., Jerome, and Cyril, that by the "great house " is meant the kingdom of Israel,

not mere bones are meant, nor bodies so emaciated as to be nothing but skin and bone, which is Winer's opinion, but dead bodies, seems established beyond all

166
12

A :m

Chap. VI.

Shall horses run upon a rock? Will one plough there with oxen ? Yet Ave have converted justice into iX)isony

13

And the fruit of righteousness into wonnwood. Ye that rejoice in a thing of nought,
That
say,

Have we not by our own strength. Taken to ourselves horns ? 14 But behold I will raise up against you,
!

house of Israel

A nation,

saith

Jehovah,

God

of hosts

And they shall oppress you, From the entrance of Ilamath, To the river of the desert.
and by the 'siniLll house" that of Judah; and comp. chap. ix. 8, 9, where the same participial form -^'^ja is employed CC'D-^, as here before another verb. mean atoms, or the minute parts to which
the materials of a building are reduced, when it is utterly destroyed. The word otherwise signities the small drops of any
liquid that
froiu
is

oxen.

To add

to the

representation,
tive form.

it is

;L--i-ni

strength of the put ui the intciTOgais to be taken im-

personally.
13.

The

participles, Aviththe

strative, are again

3, 4, 5, 6.

r demonemployed as in verses
non-re,

^:t

ii'^,

what
it

is

so

sprinkled,

301,

to sprinkle.

and is derived C"y"p3, are ^s-

perishable and evanescent, that well be said to have no existence.

may

Horns

survs, or rents in

en

its fall.

an edifice, which threatThere wixs to be a markad dif-

are the symbol of power and dominion. 14. Few instances will be found in

ference in the treatment of the two kingdoms ; the one was to be utterly destroyed, while the other,
injured,

Hebrew, in which the object of a verb ij here is is so far removed from it as from c"p.- Some have referred Vr^i
-^

though greatly
llosenmiiller,

was

still

to stand,

however, regards the intci-pretation as

" arguta magis,

nn^v." ^^'^ river of the Desert, to the Rhinocorura, otherwise called the river of and others to " the brook of the Egj-pt
t ;

quam

vera."

Calvin,

willows," c-3-;JT.

-n:

or the

Wady

el-

Yatablus, Marckius, Coeceius, Lowth, Michielis, and Maurer, likewise take the words literally, as applying to the houses

Ahsa, which flows mto the Dead !Sea, but it is ob\nous from 2 near Zoar
;

Kings

xiv.

2.5,

in

which the
as

limits here

The both of the rich and the poor. destruction, more or less, was to be universal.

specified

are

described

constituting

those of the
that
it

kingdom of the ten tribes, must mean the brook Kidron,

into the

"

Regum

turres ac pauperura tabemas."

which

falls

Horace.

south of Jericho.
to this sea is

This construction of the verse is confirmed by a comparison with chap. iii.

15. 12.

Dead Sea to the One of the names given ra^yn Ci the Sea of the
,

Desert;

r;2-ivn,

the

desert,

forming
.

what

is

now commonly

called

The

folly of expecting real pros-

^jjj \ , in

perity while committing acts of injustice, is forcibly represented by comjiaring it

to the absurdity of attrmjiting to horses upon a rock, or to plough it

El-Ghor, or the low

sterile

region

run with

which the valley of the Jordan terminates, and which extends as far as the
Elanitic Gulf.

Chap. VII.

167

CS^AP'l'ER VII. VIIL

This portion of the book
tliat

3.

c ^y ains four symbolical visions respecting successive

judgments

on the kingdom of Israel. They were delivered at Bethel, and commencement of the prophet's ministry. Each of them, as they follow in the series, is more severe than the preceding. The first presented to the mental eye of the prophet a swarm of young locusts, which threatened to cut off all hope of the
were to be
inflicted

in all

probability at the

harvest, 1-3; the second, a fire, which etTeeted an universal conflagration, 4-6; the third, a plumb-line, ready to be applied to murk out the edifices that were to be destroyed, 7-9; and the fourth, a basket of ripe fruit, denoting the near and certain destruction of file kingdpm, viii. 1-3. The hiterveuing eight verses, which conclude the seventh chapter, contain an account of the interruption of Amos by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, whose punishment is specially predicted. In point of style, this portion differs from that of the
rest of the book, being almost exclusively historical

and

dialogistic.

Thus

the

Lord Jehovah showed me, and, behold, he formed

it

locusts at the beginning of the shooting

and, behold,

And

it

up of the latter grass was the latter grass alter the king's mowings. came to pass, Avhen they had entirely devoured the
:

grass of the land, I said

1.

in nearly the

All the four visions are introduced same language "Jts-ir; ns

:

r.ipi -in"'
behold,
is

':

is.

The

repetition of r.ZT,

peculiar to this verse.

In the

but the anomaly has not yet etc. been satisfactorily accounted for. See, however, Gesen. Lehrgeb. p. 523. Lee's Heb. Gram. Art. 139, 4, 2d edit. r;;V,
"ti'-i'tj
, ;

latter of the

two

instances,

it is

employed

for the sake of emphasis, instead of the

substantive verb,
cust,

-^^i., a name of the looccurring only here, and Xah. iii. 1 7,

an after-math, or second crop, which comes up immediately after the mowing of grass. 'ij^V, cognate with u^'r, Arab.

and synonymous with 2i,

Uo
j

legit, collegit, signifies

in Piel to

Is.

xxxiii. 4,

Comp. the Arab. i_}L^.

loeusta,

gather the late fruit.

ai^d

Comp. the Syr.

latter

^Ls*-;
*

1^^ A

se7'otimis,

and cipV^, the

"'".i

in Lx^-, reference to its coming forth out of the egg, which had been deposited in the earth to be hatched. The tenn is, therefore, strictly descriptive
its caterpillar state,

from

egressus fuit,

The phrase Ti?.>sn mean the mowings of the

rai7i.

may

either

grass which grew on the royal domains, or the first

of the locust in

and thus agrees with the use of the verb -iS"', to form, which Prof. Lee derives it from is here used.

mowings of that belonging to the people, to which the king tyrannically laid
claim.

Considering the character of the

times, there can be little doubt that the

latter are

L^<,A,
299-302,

secuit.

Credner on

meant.
locusts

Joel, pp.

2.

That the

here referred to

attempts to set aside the above derivation of Bochart, yet allows that the word denotes the insect in the first stage of its existence. The plural termination 'T, is found in several masculine nouns, as "vn, '^:'iVr.,
elaborately

are not intended to represent a hteral

of these insects, but are to be taken figuratively, as denoting a hostile army, just as the fire in the second vision is to be regarded as symbolical of war, may be inferred from the figurative

swarm

168
!

O Lor J Jehovah forgive, I lic^ccch thet "Who i> Jacob, that he should sta^d ? For he is smalL
'

^"1
^

Chap.

VIL

Jeliovah repented of this

It shall not be, saith

Jehovah.

t
;

Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me, and, behold, the Lord ^Jehovah called to contend by fire and ifc/cousumed the great abyss, and devoured the portion. Then I said
:

Loi'd Jehovah!

desist,' I

beseech thee!

'

"Who is Jacob, that he should stand? For he is small, Jehovah repented of this It also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah. Tluis he showed me, and behold the Lord stood upon a per:

charactcr of the

two

visions, ver, 7,

and

13.

The verb

signifies to contend Judici-

Most probably the army chap. viii. 1. of Tul, king of AssjTia, is meant. The Israelites had been greatly reduced by repeated invasions on the part of the Syrian kings, and were on the pouit of being attacked by the AssjTians, but purchased their retreat with the sum of one thousand talents of silver. See 2 Kings XV. 19, 20. nHy^ c:p^ ""c, concisely for Cnp- 'z

2py^
?

""/S,

who

is

Jacob,

according to one's deserts, to punish. By the fire here spoken of we are not to understand a great heat which produced a drought in the land, but icar, of which it is an appropriate symbol. See Num. xxi. 28; Judges ix. 15, 20; Is. Lxvi. 16. To express the extent of the threatened calamity, the fire, by a bold figure, is represented as drying up the oceati (nan D"ir;nJ, and consuming
ally, to treat

that he should stand

meaning,

how can

he possibly sustain the threatened attack, reduced and weak as he is in resources. C"p signifies to stand fast, conti?iue,
endure, as well as to
Itossi's
rise.

whatever was Ibund on the dry land. This acceptation of ~-hn, a divisio7i,2)orrequires

One
,

of I^e

MSS., and another readoip^ ,and another C5J"-^

the
3.

originally,

and thus
;

LXX.

Syr.

Symm. and

Vulg.

but

the antithesis however, the term is chosen with special application to the land of Canaan, which was divided to the children of Israel as their portion. The definite form of the noun pVnr rs, indition, or allotment of land,
;

still,

less ajjpropriatcly in

such context.

cates as

much.

The

invasion of the laiid

3n3, Pick renders, (javc consolation, which is not so s\utable here as the
signification, to repent.
is

Such

rejjcntancc

of Israel by Tiglath-Pileser, and the first captivity of that people seem to be the subjects of the vision. See 2 Kings xv.

to be understood AiOTrpcnws,

appearcitra
1
-;<.

ing, as Veil ohserves, " in effectu,

rautationem in effectu."
XV. 11
;

Jcr.

xhi.

10.

Coinp. Targ.

Sam.

Chron. v. 26. That in the former the calamity had not been inflicted, the use of the verb !-;Vo, forgive,
29
;

vision,

2TS

intimates.

In

this,

it

had

in part, as

n"T:i!in, the

Lord turned away

his irrath.

the use of \in, desist, obviously implies. 5, 6.

3,

rsri the feminine pronoun, stands for the neuter of other languages. 1. Kip corrcsiwnds iu fonn to -^-i', anV an abbreviated form of the ver. 1.
,

In these

verses, as in vers. 2

and

a Ix-autiful instance of the influence of prayer in averting or mitigat-

we have

Ilipliil infinitive,

-^~~V Comp.

Is.

iii.

ing the judgments of God.

Chap. VII.

AMOS.
said to

169

pendicular wall;

Jehovah

And and in his hand was a plumb-line. me, What seest thou, Amos ? And I said,

plumb-line.

the Lord saith Behold, I wiU set a plumb-line In the midst of my people Israel
I will pass

And

by them no more.
;

The

high-plac2s of Isaac shall be desolated.

And And
10
7, 8.

the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste

I will rise against the house of

Jeroboam with the

Jeroboam, the

sword.

Then Amaziah, the

priest of Bethel, sent to

This vision, and that described 1-3, differ from the two preceding, in the distinct and express application of the symbols to the punishThe Divine ment of the Israehtes. Jehovah takes patience is exhausted. active measures for executing his threatchap.
viii.

Assyria, 2 Kings xvii. 3, 5, 6, 23. "irv, to pass, pass on or away, means, in ap-

enings,

and

at

last

inflicts

the exterfor

minating judgment on a people ripe

destruction.

The prophet,

in consequence,

intercedes

no more.

t(3>?

nwin, a per-

pendicular wall, ht. a tcall of the plummet, so called from the plumb-line being appUed in order to secure its pei-pendicularity. ~:s, which occurs only in
these verses,
tin.

phcation to sin, to pass it by, to forgive, not to punish it. Prov. xLs. 11 Micah See on this latter passage. vii. 18. definite prediction of the destruc9. tion which was to overtake the places of idolatrous worship, and the royal house by which that worship had been estabHshed and supported. These are specially mentioned, because to them, as the procuring causes, the destruction was to be traced. For the meaning of r-iTis,
;

high places, see on

the
pai-allel

Is. Ixv. 7.

D'"J-|;,

properly signifies
villi!,

lead or

Arab,

Syr.

j*-!

lj.

plumbum.

term, denotes the temples, or structures, consecrated to the worship of Comp. :; ver 1 3 p n -r ;, inidols.
j;;
,

stead of pns-;
;

is

not peculiar to our

Aq. ydvaxTis, stannatura. The line and plummet were used not only when houses were buildmg, but also when they were
to be destroyed.
Is.

See 2
;

Kmgs
Lam.
ii

xxi.
8.

XX viii.

17, xxxiv. 11

The

LXX.

and Symm.
it

dSa/iou/ra,

which the

Syr. also exhibits.

In the explanation
expressly stated, that

prophet the same orthography is found There is no Jer. xxxiii. 2G. Ps. cv. 9 reason whatever to suppose that the word was purposely so written, or that it was intended to be taken otherwise than as yet the LXX. have a proper name and so the Syr. jBwjuol ToC yfXwTos
; ; ;

of the vision,

is

the plummet was to be applied to the people of Israel in order to mark them out for destruction and its being placed in the midst of them denoted, that this destruction was not to be confined to a part only of the kingdom, as it had been in the case of Tiglath-Pilcser's invasion, but that it should reach the very This took place when Shalcentre. maneser, the siiccessor of that king, after a siege of three years, took Samaria, put an end to the kingdom, of the ten tribes,
;

Michaehs finds a paronomasia in it Dahl, an instance of irony and even Calvin thinks that the name was used by Amos ui/j-vriKHs. It is here, and ver. 16, pai-allel with "-Jj-i't;';, and denotes the
;
;

ten

tribes.

10,

11.

Verses 10-17 contain an inepisode.

teresting historical

As
priests

there

was doubtless a number of

conducted
/car

who
at

the

idolatrous

services

Bethel, "jnb

must here be understood

and

carried

them away captive

into

izoxv" of the chief or liigh priest, attached to the royal temple. In the spirit which has characterized a false

22

170
king of
llice, in

AMOS
Israel,

CUAP. VII.

saying

Amos

hatli

formed a conspiracy against

:

the midst of the house of Israel

the land cannot con:

11

12
13

U
If

For thus hath Amos said Jeroboam shall die by the sword And Israel shall surely be led away captive from his land. And Amaziah said to Amos Seer Go, flee to the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and prophesy there. But prophesy no more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and a royal residence. And Amos answered and said to Amaziah
tain all his words.
: !
:

am no

j^rophet

neither

am

I the sou of a projDhet

but I

am

an herdsman, and a cultivator of sycamores.

And Jehovah

priesthood in every ago, Amaziah brings against the prophet the groundless charge of treason. That h'-Tth is to be rendered
contain,

they went at certain stated seasons to Ecthel to worship the golden calf, they

had had a palace

commodation.

built there for thcii- ac-

and

refers to

number and not

from Vs> all, being the following noun. Com. for this signification of the verb in Hiphil, 1 Kings vii. 26, 37 Ezek. xxiii.
to atrocity, appears

employed

before

14. Amos modestly but firmly repels the charge of selfishness, by declaring, that he was not a prophet by profession tliat he had not been educated with a

32.

In the Syr.

in

which a verb

signify-

view

to

such profession

that he

was a

ing to endure is used, Vb is omitted, as not suiting the Oriental idiom. 12, 13. It dot^ not appear that the king took any notice of the message that was sent him, so that Amaziah was left
to try Avhat the interposition of his own authority woidd effect. He addressed

person of rustic habits and that his Divine mission was altogether of an
:

extraordinary character. t<"2:

i.

"j::,

the son,

e.

all

pupil or disciple of a 2>ro2)het, In probabihty some of the schools of the

the prophet by the title nth, seer, most probably with contemptuous reference to

prophets, of which we read in the first book of Samuel, were still in existence, in which young men were educated, who

though it Avas adopted in the Hebrew, as equivalent to s-23 and corresponds in signification to ns'n, which was anciently used, 1 Sam. ix. 9. Xot
his visions
later
;
,

imagining that

Amos

could be actuated

devoted themselves to the service of the theocracy in the capacitj- of pubhc instructors, and to these or to more private studies, under the guidance of some prophet, Amos may be supposed to ""."3. strictly taken, means an refer.

by any higher principle than that of selfishness, which reigned in his own heart, the priest advised him to consult
his safety l)y fleeing across the frontier into the kingdom of Judah, where he

ox-herd; but as ~|;2 came, ui a larger

acceptation, to denote cattle in general,
it

might obtain his liveHhood by the imrestrained exercise of his jirophctical gifts.

might signify a kee])er of any kind of There is, therefore no occa'-ion, with some, to suppose that the word Mas
cattle.
"Jf.'i:,

originally

as in chap.

i.

1.

C;",2
Scrip-

The words
tic are

":jV nna

':]V

emphatic. At all not be permitted any longer to prophesy in the city of Bethel, which was distinguished not only as the principal Beat of the king's religion, but also as being one of his royal residences. Though the ordinary residence of the Israelitish

though pleonasevents, he could

occurs nowhere else in the

tures
;

Hebrew

but the Arab. (i*JL>,

fl

signifies a

while fig, and the Eth.

AM

both

monarchs was at Samaria, yet

as

As, however, the fig-tree and its fruit. the participial fomi of the word is that which denotes agency, it nuist mean one who is occupied with, or cultivates figs. The paiticular mode in which the an-

C:i.vp.

YII.

AMO S.
;

171
:

do) IG
17

took me from following the flock and Jehovah saicT to me Go, jjrophesy to my peoj^le Israel. And. now, hear the word of Jehovah. Thou sayest. Prophesy not against Israel and,
;

Drop nothing
saitli

against the house of Isaac.

:

Therefore thus

Jehovah

Thy

And
Thy

And And

commit lewdness in the city, thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword ; land, also, shall be divided by line. thou shalt die in a polluted land Israel shall surely be taken away captive from his
wife shall
;

land.
cients cultivated fig-trees, the LXX. appear to have had in their eye, -when they rendered it by kvI^wv, a nipper or scratcher
;

for

we

are informed

by Theophrastiis,

that iron nails or prongs -were employed

to

charge the duties of his office at Bethel but before proceeding to give an account of another vision which he liad had, he directs a pointed prediction against the idolatrous priest by whom he had been
interrupted.
t|"t:r;, to distil,

make

incisions or scratches in the tree,

to cause to

that
fruit

by letting out some of the sap, the might be ripened ireTTTetu ov

:

Siivarcu

ttu

fir]

firiKViah^'

oA.A'

Ixovm
iiri-

and flowing discourse; here parallel with S2;, to pirophesy. Comp. Ezek. xxi. 2, 7 Micah
in pleasing
;

come down

bvvxas (n5r]pas

iTriKvi^ovffiv'

5' hi/

Kuiab^, nrapToia irtTTTiTai, iv. 2. See also Plin. Hist. Nat. xiii. 14 Forskal,
;

6, 11.

Syr.

^a.^Ll, Arab.
stiUavit,

oJbj,

rior. Egypt, p. 182.

fjsp'i, sycamores,

Eth.

^(\\f\:

^{l\/^\

a species of tree, abounding in the East, pretty much resembling the mulbcrrj'
tree,
fig.

percolavit.
17. Between n^n^ "i?cs in this verse, and -:;s nrs in ver. 16, is a marked

the fruit of which

It
is,

is

similar to the

however, very inferior in only eaten by the poorest class of the people. From this circumstance it may be inferred that Amos occupied a humble station in life previous to his being called to prophesy in
quality,

antithesis.

rrJTP

is

not to be understood

and

is

of voluntary acts of infidelity on the part of the wife of Amaziah, but of the violence to which she

would have to submit on the part of the enemy. This being done TVS, in the city, i. e. openly and
publicly,

Israel.

was

a great aggravation of the

used both in a good and in a bad sense, and Is here to be rendered indefinitely, to prophesy to. The pro15. ^54

saD

is

evil.

''nSe

(T<^\

4yKe(pa\os

X'V/'^"^'^

M^y ^^

oSe dtvos

nominal suffix in '-'zv, " my people," is not without emphasis. The Israelites were Jehovah's by right he still claimed
;

AvtGiv,

kou.

TeKfcsiv,

&\oxoi
iii.

fj.iye7eu.

Iliad, b.

S* &WotcTi 300, 301.

Ever)' countrj', except Canaan,

was

re-

his

propriety in

them

and,

by the
re-

garded by the Hebrews as

jiolluted land,

^^"ttt3 r'^T^t,

ministry of his prophet, would have covered them to his service.

tion of

though, at this time, their

16. Instead of listening to the prohibi-

Amaziah, and

retiring firom his

land had become such. Is. xxiv. 5, where c:his similarly used; Jer. ii. 7. The land of Assyria is that to which

own

sphere of duty,

Amos

continued to dis-

Amos

points.

'

172

AMOS.

Ch.ip. VIII.

CHAPTER
After
ple, 4-7; jjredicts the

VIII.

giviiipj an account of a fourth vision, in wliich was represented the ripeness for do*truction at which the Israelites had arrived, and the certainty of such destruction, 1-3 the pr()i)het resumes his denunciatory addresses to the avaricious oppressors of t lie peo-

overthrow of the nation, 8-10; and concludes with threateniuf a

instruction, 11-1-1.

destitution of the

means of religious

Thus the Lord Jehovah j^howed me,

!

and, behold, a basket of

2 ripe fruit

And he

said.

What
:

seest thou,

Amos ?

And

I said,

A basket of ripe fruit.

Then said Jehovah to nie The end is come to my people I will pass by them no more.
3
Israel

And the songs of the palace shall howl, In that day, saith the Lord Jehovah ;
The carcasses are many Throw them out anywhere Hush
!

Hear

this

ye that pant

after the needy,

Instead of the pathetic elegies loudly at the to be heard but the Irantic howl, announcing, but instantly checked in announcing, the greatness of the disa.ster. Into such hoAAhng the joyous songs of the palace
3.

1. This vision may be regarded as a continuation of the subject with which the last concluded, in the development of which thepropliet had been interrupted

and continuously poured forth princely funerals, notliing was

by Amaziah.
cage, or basket;
loro inter

2it3,

Sjt.

jA^-i^D)

<*

Arab.

y_^Jt5C inscndt

were
duas corii jyartcs ; ijjjlj hriim vel Jilamentum lignosiiyn palnue, quo consuitur what is braided from tAvigs, such as wicker work. is used both of ',"J5 summer, and of the frrdt which is gathered in simuner. It is to the ripe:

to be converted.
Cf'Sai.

Symm.

d\o\v-

bodies were to be cast forth indiscriminately, without

^ovatv cu

ITie dead

any regard to the places where they might he and even tliis was not to be
;

ness of the fruit at this season that pro-

minence
'ITie
Is.

is here designed to be given. verb occurs but once in Ileb. viz.

xviii.
:

6.

Arab. IoaJ*, media as-

without exposing those who perfomaed it to the attacks of the enemy. Ilencc silence was to be enjoined. 8ome improperly render Vr-n, temple. ForCri, comp. chap. \i. 10. 4. The prophet resumes his usual
effected

tas

jclj),

admodum ferbuit,

(estiva

ha-

buit.
2. The paronomasia in yp and yp is marked and forcible. Comp. Ezek. vii. G rsa r:- tt-is n vrn N2 N2 1.;-:^
I I

comminatory address, and vi. For Tii-s, see on chap. ii. 7. ^"2r^=^-2r^'r, to eause to cease, bring to an end, anni/ii/ate,
style

of

direct

Comp.

cliaptci-s iv. v.

destrnij. The i in ^"'^fVl is to be taken nXiKws, as denoting the end or aim of

CuAP.

A'lII.

:\r

173

That ye may destroy the poor of the land,

5 Sayhig,

When

will the

new moon
?

l>e

over,

That we may

sell

corn

And

the Sabbath,
?

That we may open out grain Making the ephah small,

And And
6

the shekel great,

falsifying the balances for deceit.

That we may purchase the poor for money, And the needy for a j^air of sandals;

And
V I

sell

the refuse of the grain.

:

Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob will never forget any of their deeds.

the oppressions practised by the avaiicious Israelites.

0.

From

this

and other passages

it is

obvious that the Israehtes, not\\ithstandiiig their idolatrous practices, still kept

estimated by the sacred or the royal 2 Sam. xiv, standard, Exod. xxx. 13 For the sake of greater emphasis, 26. instead of saying, to make or to use deceitful balances, the verb r^S, to bend,
;

up the observance of the times and

seasons appointed in the law of Moses. N3ZJ and ",q-j -i"3"in, lit. io break a
breaking, but

twist, pervert,

is

employed, wliich, ui
is

point of meaning,
iroiriaai

pleonastic.

LXX.

^uyhu

&SiHiiJi.qy.

meaning to sell grain, is 6. See chap. ii. 6. Vsa, from htz, to supposed to he so named from its being fall; what has fallen olf, refuse, chaff, broken to pieces when ground at the etc. mill. Some, however, think the name is 7. The iniquitous conduct of the Isderived from its being broken up or raelites havmg been minutely described, separated by a measure into portions, the severe punishment which they had with a view to sale while others are of merited is now threatened, npy^ v"i^> opinion that it is so called because it the excellency of Jacob, has been variously breaks or puts an end to hunger, com- interpreted. The Targ. Grotius, Dahl, paring Ps. civ. 11. By -3 nrs, opening Newcome, and Bauer, understand the the corn, is meant opening the sacks or excellence conferred upon Jacob Justi which it was kept, and and Ewald, very preposterously, the granaries pride bringing it out for sale. Thus the LXX. or haughtiness of the people ; the liabSyr. and Targ. The r"5*, ephah, was a bins and some others, the temple but com measure, containing three seahs, the only appropriate construction of the and according to Josephus, equal to the phrase, in this connection, is that whioh Attic medimnus, or somewhat above three refers it to Jehovah himself, whom English pecks. It is imcertain whether alone the Hebrews gloried while they the word be originally Hebrew, or adhered to the purity of his worship, and whether it be Egyptian. Vj^ti, from Vp.r, in whom they still ought to glorv'. Thus
;

to

weigh, Arab.

gravitateni et

pondus

JLttj, 2)onderosus fuit, exploravit, is here

the Syr.
the

^. r^

qVa ^

)-

^ [^:

'vn.

used of weights
originally
as

general.

It

was

any piece of metal Aveighed an equivalent for what was bought but came afterwards to signiiy sttmdard money, and differed in value, according as it was of silver or gold, and as it was

Lord, the flighty One of Jacob ; Munster, Yatablus, fiercer, Drusius.

Lively, Gesetiius, Hitzig, Jlaurcr.

Com.
occurs
v.hich,

chap.

vi.

8,

where
also

"ir-:;n

J"-.r:

instead of

the present phrase,

however,

is

there used in a bad

174

AMOS.
every one that duelleth therein mourn?
it

CUAP. VIII.

8 Shall not the land tremble for this,

And
Shall

Shall not all of

it

rise like the river ?

and subside, Like the river of Egypt ?

not
le

driven,

9 It shall
Saltli

the
I

That

come to pass in that day, Lord Jehovah, will cause the sun to go down

at noon,

darken the land in the clear day. 10 I will turn your festivals into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation I will bring sackcloth upon all loins. And baldness upon every liead I Avill make it as the mourning for an only son, And the end of it a bitter dav.
will
:

And

nsis tjt, if Iforget, is the usual formula of swearing, implying that it should not take place. Vb, in this connection, implies both totality, and the
sense,

MSS.
occurs
ix. 5.

in the text, read riJ'p'ri,

which

is

undoubtedly genuine.
in

The

itx)t

I'j^'j

similar

connection,

chap.

It signitics to sink down, or sub-

single

items of -which that totahty

up.

is

side.
9.

made
8.

Comp.

Ps.

ciii. 2.

Some think

the prophet here pre-

The

guilt of the people

was

so en-

dicts the total eclipse of the sun,

which

ormous, that it was sufficient to induce an entire subversion of the existhig

express this more metaphorically represented as rising and swelling hlie the Xilc, and again falling like the same river. Of course, the idea of the heaving and subsiding of the gi'ound during an caithquakc is what is intended, as
state of things.

To
is

strongly, the land

took place at one of the great festivals in the year that Jeroboam died, (see Usher's ^Vnnals, a. m. 3213) but whatever there may be in the language lx)rrowed from such an event, consistency of mterpretation requires it to be taken metaphoricallj% as descriptive of a change from circumstances of prosperity to tl.ose
;

the beginning of the verse shows. For the sake of energj' and impression, the
interrogative form
is,
,

of adversity. xxxii. 7-10.

10.

Comp.

Jer. xv. 9

Ezck.

as frequently,

em-

ployed.
letter

TTiat -iN3 by an ehsion of the Yod, is a defective form of -lii's, is evident from the parallel passage, chap, ix .5. Fifteen MSS. originally two more, and perhaps other three, and one of the early editions, read ^'s"3 in full. For the origin and meaning of the word, see on
Ls. xix. 6.

festivals were occaand were no doubt on this very account kept up among the ten trilx^ after they had lost their rehgious

The Hebrew

sions of great joy,

press the

used inNiphal, to exagitation of the sea when raised by the wind, Is. Ivii. 20. It here denotes the rise of the Nile, which is generally above twenty feet. For rp";;:, the Kcri and a great many
c-^:; is

The calandtous result of the Assyrian invasion under Shalmaneser is here most graphically depicted. Comp. Is. XV. 2 Jer. xlviii. 37 Ezck. vii. 18. The death of an only son was regarded by the Hebrews as the
importance.
; ;

violent

most moumfid of events. Comp. Jer. The pronominal vi. 26; Zech. xii. 10. reference in rT'P'':'^ and nrj-nrs is V.!*
understood,
veritatis.

r in -i

Ovs,

is

the Capk

2 1

CUAP. VIII.

A .M O

175

Behold, the clays come, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will send a famine into the land ; Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

When

But of hearing the words of Jehovah. And men shall wander from sea to sea, And shall run up and down, from the North even to the Seekmg the word of Jehovah, But they shall not find it.

East,

13 In that day the fair virgins shall faint,

And

14 That swear

And
'

young men also, for thirst by the sin of Samaria, say, By the life of thy God, O Dan
the
amara
est
tristi

Nunc

et

dies, et noctis

amarior

umbra Omnia jam

11, 12.

during the siege predicted in the preceding verses n:"?yriP, properly means,
;

tempora feUe madens."

lib. ii.

they shall feel themselves invoiced in darktiess,

TibuUus, Eleg.

Eleg. iv. 11.

despised

which
Arab.
;

is

The

Israelites

now

who
C]V:^,

are seized with syncope.

physically true of those The root

signifies to cover,

the messages of the prophets, and by a just retribution, in addition to all their
other calamities, they should experience a total withdrawal of aU prophetic com-

/aJLt,
with

envelop
stood.

here,

darkness,

under^s'^yri-;.

After ciniinati subaud.

Comp. Ezek. vii. 26 Micah iii. 7. In whatever direction they might proceed, and whatever efforts they might make to obtain information relamunications.
;

14. "i-i7:"i PTStis, the sin or crime

of

tive to the issue of their trouble,

they should meet Avith nothing but disappoint-

ment. niTtt, Sim-rise, is used, where geographic^y we should have expected ya"* or siS, the south ; but the term may have been chosen in order to intimate the complete ahenation of Israel from Judah, in consequence of which no one would think of repairing to Jerusalem for oracular information. That any transposition of the words has taken place, I cannot, with Houbigant and Newcome, suppose. It is, however, just as probable that the cardinal points were not intended to be strictly marked, but that
,

the golden calf and other objects of unlawful worship which were the occasion of sin and guilt to the IsHitzig thinks that Astarte is raelites. but the term was specifically meant doubtless intended to comprehend the calf at Bethel, the religious veneration of which led to the grosser forms of

Samaria

i. e.

idolatry.
tarte,
is

At

the same time, nnt'S, Asof,

spoken
fi:om

Kings

xiii.

6,

in

the worship specially instituted by Jeroboam. See on Is. xvii. 8. The god of Dan was the other goldistinction

den calf, erected by Jeroboam in Dan, By yq-i ^2 ^-in, 1 Kings xii. 26-28. Kimchi, Michaehs, and Bauer, under-

the object was to indicate generally the hopelessness of the attempts mentioned. The Athnach is improperly placed imder

Vau

niT, instead of under ^tauri'^, as the prefixed to is a and the form of

"j

the verb show.

13. SToa in this verse, is to be

imder-

stand hterally the icay or 'pilgrimage to Beersh^a but the phrase being parallel with the two former instances, in which objects of false worship are meant, it must here be taken in the same sense. Hence the LXX. render ^17 ^erfy crov. Strictly speaking, it denotes the vmy or mode of worship, or the worship itself, that was performed at Beershcba. Com.
;

stood of the natural thirst to be experienced by the inhabitants of Samaria

Ps. cxxxix. 24

Acts
"^n

ix.
is

2,

xix. 9. 23.

See on chap.

v. 5.

a formula of

176

A
life

:\i

Chat. IX.

And, By the

of the -way of Beersheba!

rise

They
:

shall

fall,

and

no more.
,

siire

swearing By the life of or, As as such an one lives, and was pe-

culiarly absvird

and

sinful wlien applied

to inanimate objects.

CHAPTER
This chapter commences with an account of the
tlie tinal

IX.

fifth and last vision of ftre prophet, in which ruin of the kingdom of Israel is represented. This ruin was to be comjjlefe and irreparable; and no quarter to which the inhabitants miglit flee for refuge, would afford them any shelter from the wrath of the Omnipresent and Almighty Jehovah, 1-6. As a 6infuJ nation, it was to be treated as if it had never stood in any covenant relation to him

yet. in their individual capacity, as the

descendants of Abraham,

how much

soever they

might be scattered and afHicted among- the heathen, they should still be preserved, 7-10. The concluding part of the chapter contains a distinct prophecy of the restoration of the Jewish church after the Babylonish captivity, 11; the incorporation of the heathen which was to be consequent upon that restoration, 12; and the final establishment of the Jews
iu their

*wn

land in the latter day, 13-15.

I SATT the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said Smite the capital, that the thresholds may shake And break them in pieces, on the heads of them all Their posterity I will slay Mith the sword
; ;

Xone of their Nor shall any

1.

fugitives shall

make

his escape,

that slip

away be

delivered.
ship
at

By

the Targ., Calv'in, Drusius, Grolloscnmiillcr,

Bethel

should

be destroyed.

tius,

Justi,

and
;

Hengsis

tenberg, the .scene of this vision

at the temple of Jerusalem

laid

by Cyril, Munstcr, Tamovius, Schmidius, Lowth, Michaclis, Dahl, Bauer, Ilitzig, and Ewald, at the idolatrous temple at Bethel, and, in

my

opinion, rightly.

Cahan

does not

show

his usual tact in objecting

on the ground that represents Jehovah as indirectly approving of superstition for, though the
to this interpretation,
it
;

argument in favor of Jerusalem can be built on the use of the article iu ll2;T5n "(he altar," but the contrary. The idolatrous object to which sacrifices were offered at Bethel, having been mentioned in the preceding verse, nothing is more natural than a reference here to the altar on which they were presented. n'^rs:, an ornamented head or cajiifal of
a column, in the shape of a sphere, or bowl surrounded by flowers. It is usually derived from ~E5, to caver, and -rs, to crotm. LXX. IXcurT-qpiov, mistaking the word for r-.t^. ANhcn ased

No

true

God was

seen betide the idolatrous

for the purpose of re-

nltar, it

was not

homage, but of conmianding that the whole of the erection and Morceiving

of the oniamontal part of the golden can-

Chap. IX.
2

AMOS

177

Though they break through into Sheol, shall my hand take them Though they climb up to heaven, Thence will I bring them clown. Though they hide themselves on the summit of Carmel, There I Avill search them out and take them; Though they conceal themselves from mine eyes in the bottom
Thence
of the sea,

I will command the serpent, and he shall bite them. 4 Though they go into captivity. before their enemies.

There There

I will

command

the

sworiil,

and

it shall kill

them:

I will set

mine eyes upon them

for evil,

And
5

not for good.

For it is the Lord Jehovah of hosts. That toucheth the earth and it meltcth;
they render on Is. vi. 4
it trcpatpair-qp.
;

dlestick,

For

twelve hundred

feet,

afforded the fittest

CSD,

the similarity, in some respects, between which passage and the present, appears to have suggested the idea that the temple at Jerusee

possible places of concealment.

:

RichtLr,

" Mount in his Pilgrimage, p. 65, says Carmel is entirely covered with green

on

salem is here meant. The temple was to be smitten both above and below, to
indicate
its

its summits are pines and oaks, and further down, olive and laurel trees,

etc.

These

forests

would furnish

safe

entire destruction.

Dy::^,

break them, i. e. the capitals, etc., upon the head of all the worshippers. It does not appear thattoii-i and n^^ns are

hiding places, equally with the caves, which are chiefly on the west side facing the sea." c-;;n yiinji, the bottom of the

The latter dehere used antithetically. notes the children of those who perished in the attack upon the idolatrous temple. When threatened by the Assyrians, they
would
crowds to Bethel, to implore protection from the golden calf, and, while thus assembled, they should perish, along with the vain object of their they should, in fact, be buried in trust
flock in
;

Mediterranean Sea, forms a striking contrast to the summit of Carmel, which

beetles above
it.

y|5"ip.,

Arab.

yjwS,

when spoken of a house, the foundation or fioor ; here the bottom or basis, on which the sea rests. For
terra ceqtiahilis;
ijr;3, sea-serj)cnt, see

on

Is.

xxvii.

1.

Immensis orbibus angues Incumbant pelago, pariterque ad littora

tendunt."

"

the ruins. 2-4. These verses exhibit a beautiful series of supposed cases of attempt at escape from the judgments of God, and the utter futility of every attempt of the
kind.
Vis?) and Cta-in, are, as usual, employed as extreme points of opposition.

JEneid.

ii.

204.
4, loses

The
its

'o

in

DtK,

in verses 3

and

proper prepositive signification, as in ytt'B, IT'sa, fTiPyz, etc. and merely

5, 6.

denotes position or place.

Comp. Job
13, 14;

xi. 8

Ps. exxxix. 8

Is.

xiv.

A sublime description of

the al-

VwnsrirN-i. Not only was Mount Carmel celebrated on account of its general fertility, but also on account of the dense forests and large caverns with which it abounded. These, together with its height, which is about
Matt.
xi. 23.

mighty and imcontroUable power of Jehovah. For the reference to the Nile, see on chap. viii. 8. Instead of irTVs;^, the Kcri and not a few MSS. read i^m'Vyw in full. Comp. I'^rjin'^Pj
Ps. civ.
3, 13.

23

178

AMOS.
all

Chap. IX,

And

that dwell in
it,

it

mourn

It risc'th, all of

like the river,

And subsideth like the river of Egypt. He that buildeth his upper chambers in And foundeth his vaults upon the earth
That

the heavens,
;

calk'th to the waters of the sea, poureth them out on the surface of the earth Jehovah is his name. Are ye not as the Cushites to me, 7 O sons of Israel ? saith Jehovah. Did I not bring Israel from the land of Egy]it ?

And

The

Philistines

from Caphtor
?

And

the Syrians from Kir

8 Behold, the eyes of the

Lord Jehovah

are

upon the

sinful kin<''-

dom,
Ai^epos oiKOf virepraToy
vaifTiifis.
i.

Ojjpian. Ilalieut.

490.

06oO
rrnj^s,

otKr)Tripiou

tov

K6<rfxou

rh

&vca.

planted from their primarj^ location in Arabia, into the midst of the barbai-ous nations of Africa, Cush-

frp,
^>o,
m

Aristot.

a body or mass, the parts of Avhich

;

inhabitants of the African Cush, or Ethiopia. See on Is.

ites,

are

here the

are firmly compacted

Arab,

jLskf

xviii. 2. .'Vrab.
sinia?is.

^ji,A^3wM
5(x^a

-^iys-

fornix firmte compaginis et structurce an arch or vanlt ; obviously used of tlie or hemispheric expanse or vault of VJ"^--\
,

Al^ioTTas,

rol

SfSaiarat,

etrjcarot

6.v5poiv,

heaven which, from its appearing to the eye to rest upon the earth, is here said to be founded upon it. To render it, with the Targ., com/rer/ation, and apply it to the Church, as a body of believers, firmly united together, is altogether unsuitable to the connection. The rendering of the liXX., SjT., and Arab, would
;

Oi

jJ.ii'

Sv(TOfxevov
Ol/TOS.

iiirepiovos,

ol

5'

avi-

Odyss.

i.

23, 24.

For a-sp-iVs, see on Is. xiv. 28. Gesenius hesitates between Crete and Cappadocia, as designated by the Hebrew
Caphtor, but inclines to the former. Thesaurus, p. 709. LXX. Ka7nraSoK/o. Cns, Aram, or Syria, put for the Si/riatis,
inhabitants of the coimtries e. the about Damascus. They are here represented as having migrated from n'p. Kir, the country lying on the river Ktir, or CjTus. See on Is. xxii. 6.
i.

seem
ver. 8

to indicate that irises

nnni

orig-

inally stood in the text, at the end of

but only one of De Ilossi's MSS. has this reading at first hand. 7. By appealing to the fact, that, in his providence, he had removed different
;

nations front their original abodes, and settled them elsewhere, Jehovah repels

8, 9.

t"'3"'y,
171

the eyes of a person are

one,

said to be

any

when he keeps

the idea, which the Israelites were so prone to CTitertain, that, because he had brought them out of I'igypt, and given

them the land

of Canaan, they were pe-

culiarly the objects of his regard,

and

view, in order cither to or to piuiish him. In the present instance, the phrase conveys the idea of hostility. Though the kingdom of the ten tribes was to be utterly

him steadily in do him good,

could never be subdued or destroyed.

and forever destroyed,

yet, as descend-

He now regarded, and would

as the Cushites, -who

treat

them

ants of their patriarchal ancestors, they

had been trans-

should not become extinct. lu the midst

Cu-vr. IX.

A
I will destroy
it

il

179

And
Yet

I will not utterly destroy the

from the face of the earth house of Jacob,

Saith Jehovah.
9 For, behold, I will

command,

And

Avill sift

the house of Israel

among

all

the nations,

As one

sifteth corn in a sieve,

And
10 But
11

not a grain falleth to the ground. the sinners of my people shall die by the sword. That say, The evil shall not reach nor overtake us.
all

In that day I

will raise
its

up the booth of David that

;

is falling,

And

will close

up

breaches

of the wrath which their sinfulness should

bring upon them,

God would remember

is

mercy.

^3

02 s

strongly adversative.
is

r"iD3, a sieve, which

used to separate

the chaff and other refuse from, the pure gi-ain, is most probably derived from "2S, to be many, from the number of

small holes in

it.

LXX.

XiKfihs.

Aq. and

Symm. K6<rKtuov. n-l-iS is used as a diminutive of nis, the smallest stone, 2

xvii. 13 here it signifies the smallgrain or particle of com. While the figurative language here employed expresses the violence of the sifting process to which the Israehtes should be sub-

Sam.
est

jected in order that their idolatry and

other sins
it

might be removed from them

preservauniversal character of their
for their

likewise sets forth the great care that

would be exercised
tion.

The

during which the blessings of the covenant of mercy was to be extended to the Gentile world. With this reference in view, the apostle James expressly quotes the prophecy. Acts xv. 15-17. The quotation is made from the version of the LXX. but as regards verbality, cUffers fully as much from it, as the latter does from the Hebrew text ; his object being to give the general sense of the passage, and not the identical phraseology. It must fiuther be observed that, though he quotes the entire passage, consisting of the 11th and 1 2th verses, his obvious design -sAas to give prominence to what is contained in the latter, viz. the conversion of the Gentiles, the very point required by Ms argument so that all attempts to apply what is said respecting the booth of David to the Christian
; ;

dispersion
10.

is likewise strongly marked. Those are here specially intended,

chiu'ch,

are

T^ii
in

David,

is

unwarranted and futile. used by the prophet, not

but in

who
the

scofRngly denied the possibility of AssjTian conquest, namely, the Such dissipated magnates of Samaria. should perish in the war. -rj'a Q"nprT

its figurative,

ing, as denoting the

that name. which James

Tavra,

its proper meanHebrew monarch of By sirn cv, that day, for

ixera,

has, quite indefinitely,

is

imusual. Perhaps the meaning is, Shall not come forward, or advance in our rear, so as to cut off our retreat.

we are to imderstand

the period of

the dispersion of the Israelites

among the

nations, subsequent to the fall of their

kingdom.

Though

that

kingdom would

disappear from the scene, in order to give place to a brief but prominent exhibition of the
11.
Israelites

The

now

never be restored, yet the Jewish polity would be re-established at Jerusalem. This polity is here called ^\*^^'.r^z^, the
booth, or hid of David, to denote the reduced state of his family, and the
affairs

Jews from their depressed condition, during the anticipated captivity in Babylon, and the great the introdesign of that restoration
restoration of the

of the people.
there.
is

C'omp.

Is.

xi.

and

my note

When the
spoken
of,

]^rricr>'^r'*^v

duction of the ^lessianic dispensation,

of that family

the n.ore

ISO

AMO S
I -will raise

Chap. IX

And And And

up

its ruius,

build

it

as in the days of old.

12 That the i-ciunant of Edom

all

may be

possessed,
shall

the nations upon which

my name

be

called,

Saith Jehovah that doeth this.

dignified phrase, n^'in r^^a, the house of See 2 Sam. iii. 1 David, is employed. Is. vii. 2, 13. T'I'^j Vtis, 1 Kings xi. 38 the tent, or tabernacle of David, Is. xvi. 5, ^vould seem to e.xpress an intermediate state of things. That T^in, David, is here to be understood of the Messiah, I cannot find. r;:D, tugurium, a hut, or booth, so called from its being constructed by interweaving the boughs and branches of trees Avith each other, and its thus forming a rude shelter from the storm. It was in such booths the Hebrews were to dwell during the seven days of r^-.stpri an,
;

genii Horae HebraicjB et Talmud. The feminine suffix in ]n''S"iE is to be referred to the different parts or cities of the kingdom, understood. The masculine in "iTD-in, has-i--.i for its antece-

dent, and the feminine in n^n/ra refers tonro. 12. The grand end of the restoration

from the captiAnty in Babylon

stated,
viz.

is

now
the

the

introduction

of

universal economj' of the gospel.

The
:

church of God had formerly consisted of persons belonging to a particular nation henceforth it Avas to comprehend those
of
all

the feast

of booths, commonly called " the feast of tabernacles." See Levit. Root 'n^O. to weave, inxxiii. 40-43.
terweave, })rotect.
to
Still

nations, even such as

hostile to its interests,
call to

most

had been Avhom God

take

would

be his people.

i:~i\, to

more

definitely

mark the depressed

is

Jewish kingdom,
falling.

The

condition of the described as rVi:.:i present participle is here,

possession of, inherit, is here used figuratively of the influence for good which the

as frequently, used to denote

an action

church shoidd exert over the Gentiles, bringing them Avithin her pale, and using them for her holy and beneA'olcnt purposes.

which was happening at the time of narration, and which would be continued. About the time of Amos the Jewish affairs had begun to decline; and, though they occasionally and partially revived,
yet,

In the Avords, 'i-1"^ ',a -s-t, " thy seed shall possess," or " inherit the nations," Is. Ha'. 3, Ave have a strictly parallel prophecy, couched in the same
language.

Comp.

also Is.

xlix. 8,

and

taken as a whole, they continued to deteriorate till the Babylonish invasion, when they were reduced to the deplorably fallen state in which they continued till the return from the captivity, when the restoration here predicted took place. From the phraseology employed by the prophet, the Ilabbins derived one of the names which they give to the Messiah "VtD 13 the son of the fallen. Thus in the Talmud, Sanhed. fol.96, 2: "II. NachIlast thou heard man said to R. Isaac
:

where, in reference to the blessing of the Gentiles Avith faithful Abraham, that patriarch is called " the
iv. 13,

Rom.

Among the first of the foreign nations that Avcre to experience his beneficent influence, tlie Idumeans are expressly mentioned. OAving to the enmity Avhieh had existed bctAvecn
heir of the world."

them and the Jcavs, they had mutually harassed and Avasted each other, in consequence of Avhich, and of invasions and wars on the part of other poAvers, nothing
but r"isr. a remnant, of the former A\-a3 left. Of this remnant, a portion Avas proselytized to the JcAvish faith in the time
of John Hyrcanus,

when Bar-naphli comes ?

said,

To whom he

AVho

is
:

Bar-naphli.

He

replied.

The Messiah
Bar-naphli
;

call the Messiah not \\Titten. In that day I will raise up, etc. ? " quoting the For other present v-rse of Amos.

you may

for is it

and the remainder amalgamated Avith the tribes of Arabia, It Avhich embraced the Christian faith.
to

jjassages to the

same

effect,

see Schoet-

is

these last that specific rcferenco

; ;

Chap. IX.
13

AMOS

181

That the ploughman

Behold, the days are commg, saith Jehovah, sliall overtake the reapei', And the treader of grapes him that soweth the seed
the mountains shall drop with
all

And And
is

new

wine^

the

hills shall

melt.
and
this verse,

here made,

w !''

is

to be taken

with the two following,

impersonally,

and rendered passively and the power of its future must be

refer to a period subsequent to that of

canied forward to Kips. The calling of a name upon any person or thing, denotes the assertion of the claims of the individual whose name is mentioned

the calling of the Gentiles. This the introductoiy phi-aseC"S3 C"b^ ^?.'1 Behold,
the days are coming, distinguished as it
is

from s-,n- cvia, In that day,

ver. 11,

the position of the prophecy, and other

features

upon the
D"'iin~"V3 understood

person
is

or

thing

specified.

which characterize

it,

sufficiently

the accusative,
repeated.

^s

being
'\V)^h

show.

The

verses are parallel with Is.

as

s-\''">

Ixi. 4, Ixii, 8, 9, Ixv.

21-23

and are to

Cins ni-iN'a ns the

dered
Sirws

LXX.
oi

have renKaraXonroi
read,

iK^rir-f]aw<nv

ruv

av^piiiriDP, or,

as

some MSS.

be interpreted of the future restoration of the Jews to their own land, and their abundant pixjsperity in the latter day.

iK^rtrria-ccffi fie,

as if their
ri"'1?^
"'f]'*

Hebrew

text

For yntn

'rs'a,

to

draio out the seed,

had been nnij

'li'lll l^'^V,

that the residue of

Newcome
^nk
is

men may seek me. supposes that the reading but a contraction for nir;"' rs
;

comp. yi7.n '?(??'?.> Ps. cxxvi. 6. The idea seems to be that of conveying the seed with the hand from the sack or vessel in

which we &ad in the quotation. Acts xv. 17, might seem to favor this supposition, there is no
though rhv
Kvpiov,

which it w-as carried, yet not to the exclusion of the act of sowing. Comp.
^I^ri/i* jaculatus
,

the Eth.
tas.

est sagit-

evidence to prove that the contraction "^ ns, so common in Rabbinical WTitings, is of such antiquity. Thf Kvpioy
I consider to be merely an interpretation of fie. No Hebrew MSS. afford
tion,

any countenance to the Greek translanor 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

For o^cy fresh or sioeet wine, The metaphorical see on Joel i. 5. language here employed is at once, in the highest degree, bold and pleasing. The Hebrews were accustomed to construct terraces on the sides of the mountains and other elevations, on which
they planted vines. Of this fact the prophet avails himself, and represents the immense abundance of the produce to

To which

can justly be charged with corruption. add, that the words as they stand in the Hebrew text, admirably suit the connection, as they equally do the argument of the apostle; though quoting, according to custom, from the Greek version, he adopted in the main
the construction which
it

be such, that the eminences themselves would appear to be converted into the juice of the grape.
'

Subitis messor gaudebit aristis

Rorabunt querceta favis, stagnantia passim Vina fluent, oleique lacus."

Claudian, in Rufin.
lib.
i.

382.

exhibits

as

How
scene

striking the contrast between the

sufficiently expressive of the fact

which
lan-

here depicted,
face

and

that

which

he had in view.
13.

the

of

Palestine

has

presented

Comp.

Levit. xxvi. 5.

The

during the long period of the dispersion

!

guage imports the greatest abundance

1S2
14 I

AMOS
will reverse the captivity of

Chap. IX.

my

people Israel,

And And
They

they

shall Luild the desolate cities, shall plant vineyards,

they

shall also

and hihabit them and drink the wine of them make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

15 For I will plant them in their own land. And they shall no more be plucked up from their laud

"Which

have given them,

Saith Jehovah thy God.

14, 15.
It
is

impossible to conceive

of prophecy more distinctly or positively asserting the future and tinal restoration of the Jews to Canaan than that con-

tained in these verses.

Once and again

they have been removed from that favored land, on account of their wickedness but still it is theirs by Divine dona;

they return to the faith of Abraham, beholding in retrospection the day of the Messiah, which he saw and was glad, but deeply bewailmg their guilt in having cruciiicd him, and persevered lor so many centuries in the rejection of his gospel, they shall regain possession of it, and remain its happy occupants till the end of
time.

tion to their great progenitor.

And when

B
The

AD I A H.
PREFACE.

prophecy of Obadiah, consisting only of twenty-one verses, is the book of the Old Testament. Jerome calls him, parvus propheta, versuum supputatione, non sensum. Of his origin, life, and circumstances, we know nothing but, as usual, various conjectures have been broached some identifying him with the pious Obaby the Rabbins and Fathers diah who lived at the court of Ahab some, with the overseer of the workmen, mentioned 2 Chron. xxxiv. 1 2 and some, with others of the same
shortest
; :

no lack of legendary notices respecting the place of See Carpzovii Introd. tom. iii. pp. 332, 333. That he flourished after the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, may be inferred from his obvious reference to that event, verses 11-14; for it is more natural to regard these verses as descriptive of the past, than as proHe must, therefore, have lived after, phetical anticipations of the future. or been contemporary with Jeremiah, and not with Hosea, Joel, and Amos,

name

while there

is

his birth, sepulchre, etc.

Sufficient proof of his having as Grotius, Huet, and Lightfoot, maintain. lived in or after the time of that prophet, has been supposed to be found in the almost verbal agreement between verses 1-8, and certain verses inserted
it being assumed that he must Jeremiah xlix. have borrowed from him. This opinion, however, though held by Luther, Bertholdt, Von CoeUn, Credner, Hitzig, and Von Knobel, ie less probable than the contrary hypothesis, which has been advocated by Tarnovius, Schmidius, Du Veil, Drusius, Newcome, Eichhorn, Jahn, Schnurrer, RosenIndeed, a commiiller, Holzapfel, Hendework, Hiivernick, and Maurer. parison of the structure of the parallel prophecies goes satisfactorily to show the priority of our prophet, as has been ably done by Schnurrer, in his

in the parallel prophecy,

Disputatio philologica in Obadiam, Tubing. 1787, 4to.

Add

to which, that

Jeremiah appears

have been in the habit of partially quoting from precedComp. Is. xv. xvi. with Jerem. xlviii. This view is confirmed ing prophets. by the opinion of Ewald, that both these writers copied from some earlier prophet, since he admits that Obadiah has preserved, in a less altered conto
dition, the

more energetic and unusual manner

question
is

of the original than Jeremiah.

In

brief, the portion in

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 poeUe.
In
all

when Jerusalem was taken by

probability the prophecy was delivered between the year b. c. 588, the Chaldeans, and the termination of the

184
siege of

PREFACE TO OBADIAH.

T}Te by Nebuchudnezzar. During this interval, that monarch subdued the Idumeans, and other neighboring nations. Of the coniposition of Obadiah, Httle, as Bishop Lowth observes, can be
owing
to its

said,

extreme brevity.

Its principal features

are animation,

and perspicuity. / ~"llie subjects of the prophecy are the judgments to be inflicted upon the' Idumeans on account of their wanton and cruel conduct towards the Jews at
regularity,

the time of the Chaldean invasion

captivity.
first

and the

restoration of the latter from

The book may,

therefore, be fitly ilivided into

two parts

the
self-

comprising verses 1-1 C, which contain a reprehension of the pride,

the latter, verses 17-21, in which
to their
it

confidence, and unfeeling cruelty of the former people, and definite predictions of their destruction
;

is

promised

that the

Jews should not only be restored

the book occupies
is

own

land, but jiossess the

territories of the

surrounding nations, especially Idumea.

its

The reason why the Hebrew Bible,

which
it

present unchronological position in

supposed

to

be the connection between the subject of

at the con-

treats,

clusion of the preceding

and the mention made of " the residue of Edom," book of Amos.

OB ADIAH.

185

OBADIAH.
Thk prophecy commences by announcing
the message sent in the providence of God to the Chaldeans, to come and attack the Idumeans, ver 1 and describes the humiliation of their pride, 2, 3; the impossibility of their escape by means of their boasted fastnesses, 4; and the completeness of their devastation, 5. It then proceeds with a sarcastic plaint over their unnatural cruelty totheir deserted and fallen condition, 6-9; specifies its cause wards the Jews, 10-14; and denounces a righteous retribution, 15, 16. The remaining portion fortells the restoration of the Jews, their peaceful settlement in their own land, and the establishment of the kingdom of Messiah, 17-21.
;

The
Thus

Vision of Obadiah.

saith the

Lord Jehovah concerning Edom

is

We have heard a report from Jehovah,

And
"
a messenger
!

sent

among

Up

let us rise against

her to battle

the nations "

!

Behold, I have made thee small among the nations

Eichhom, Rosenmiiller, Jaeger, 1. and Hendewerk, have raised unnecessary doubt respecting the genuineness of the title and introduction contained
in this verse,

There

quire whether

no necessity to inObadiah meant himself and other prophets, or whether he identified himself with his countrymen.
is,

therefore,

which have been fully

All that

is

intended

is

the circulation of

obviated by Schniu'rer, Maurer, and HitFor TiTn, see on Is. i. 1. n^ia'y, zig.

Obadiah, " the servant of Jehovah," equivalent to Vs'nay, Abdeel, Jer. xxxvi.

the hostile message in regard to Idumea and the tracing of the movement to the overruling providence of God, by which

Nebuchadnezzar and his

allies

were led

See Calvin, in loc. lis, a messenger, or For cnis, Edom, see on ambassador; Arab. \Lo5 yj,ja,ivit,prO' Is. xxxiv. 5. The words ?3n nsitei^ nir;'' riSttj *^^ have heard a report from fectus est. LXX. TTepioxh", but in Jer.
Gottschalck.

26; Arab. xJUl J^xfr, Abd-allah; Ger.

to tium their arras against that covmtry.

Jehovah, are not

to be regarded as designed to describe the reception of the Divine message by the prophet, but express the communication made to the nations by the ambassador sent to simimon them to the attack upon Idumea, as the following clause shows. The nSTOia,

ayyehovs
Is.

Symm.
2,

xviii.

and
like

my
'.'jh,
ai

here ayyeXiav. note there.

Com,
siK^p,

arise!

up!
it

fi-equently used as

come! go! etc., is term of excitement.

report, or

communication itself, is contained in the last line of the verse. The plmral form ^ayK'iJ, " we have heard," for which Jeremiah has 'T^i'cv, " / have
heard,"
is

the address of the herald commences; who, identifying himself with the nations which he summons, proceeds to employ the plural of the same verb in its strictly hostile sense, followed by the preposition V?. cins, though
properly masculine, is here viewed as yns, a country ; hence the feminine
suffix in n^V.3''
2. Here the masculine gender is adopted, which is continued through^, t

With

so qualified

verb

t^h'i

in

by the passive the second member of the

it is
>

parallelism, that

passive form

nSW3

equivalent to the hath been heard.

24

186

OBADIAH
pride of tliine lieart hath deceived thee,
tliat

Tliou art cxcoeJingly despised.

3

The

Tliou

dwellest in the clefts of the rock,

is

^^"liose liahitation

high

Tliat saith in his heart,

Who
4

shall

bring

me down

to the

ground

Though thou

sliouldest soar like the eagle,

And

shouldest set tliy nest

I will bring thee

among

the stars,

Thence
the prophecy
stood.

down,
under-

saith Jehovah.
describing the rockj' character of the coimtry generally, as well as that about Petra in particular. Instead of TfJ<'"ir:,

CJ, people, being

and

The
small,
to

past time of the verbs ex;

presses the certainty of the events

"jii:",

and
not
of
as

"-T^, despised, are

hath deceived

thee, four of

De

liossi's

designed
limited

mark

the

comparatively
character
considered,

MSS. and
tjs-'m
;

originally

two more, read

and

despicable

Idumca,

geographically
interprets,

ported by the

but though this reading is supLXX., Arab., Vulg., and

Newcome

but describe
it

the
to,

miserable condition to which be reduced by its enemies.

was

3. The Idumeans are taunted with the proud confidence which they placed in their loftj' and precipitous mountain fastnesses, and the insolence with which they scouted everj' attempt to subdue them. These positions, strong by nature,

and many of them rendered still more so by art, they deemed absolutely imSuch inaccessible places are pregnable. appropriately called 5^2 ij h cliffs of
,

Hexaplar Syr. it is inferior to that of the Textus Rcceptus, which has the suffrages of the Syr. and the Targ., especially as there are no other instances in which t<"'lBr! is used in the sense of raising, or elevating. The i in 15 ^ i is simply a poetic paragogic, of which several examples occiu- in the Benoni participle. See. Gen. xlix. 11 Dent, xxxiii. 16 Is. xxii. IG Micah vii. l-l. In i?2c there is a transition from the second person to the third,
;
;

sake of more gi-aphically jwinting out the proud position of Edom. Comp.
for the
Is. xxii. 16.

m
..^

the rock, Syr.

1

7-^iipes ;

the Arab.

-"CV

^^

confugit

and hence the idea of

secondary,

4. By a bold but beautiful hj-perbole, the Idumeans are told, that, to what

refuge,

which

is

and

height soever they might remove, and

less

proper to be adopted here.

Ta?j oTralj tHiv ireTpij/.

LXX.
j

tV

SjT.

a r<\
in-

|_a^,^j^5 infortissima rupe. Some

terpreters are of opinion that
Sela,

by

vh'o,

we

are to understand the city of

might imagine thembeyond the reach of their enemies, Jehovah would dislodge them, and deliver them into their power. For the soaring of the eagle, and his building his nest on the inaccessible crags of the rock, comp. Job xxxix. 27, 28
entirely they
selves to be
:

how

that name, otherwise called Pctra, situated in Wady Musa, and celebrated as the capital of Idumea. See on Is. xvi.
1.

The C"";n

clijfs,

would, on

this in-

terpretation, be the high

and

inacccssil)lc

" Is

it

at

thy

command

the eagle soars.

rocks which beetled over that nictro])olis. I prefer taking the word in its literal

And

on high r The rock he inhabits, and makes hia

erects his nest

and view it as a collectivp, equivalent to the plural of the LXX.

acceptation,

alxide

On

the point of the rock, and

ness."

llie fast-

and other ancient

versions,

and

thus

OB ADIAH
If thieves

187

had come to

thee,

robbers by night (how art thou desti'oyed !) Would they not have stolen what was sufficient for them ?
If vintagers had come to thee, "Would they not have left some gleanings How is Esau explored G
!

Or

C'^r Ewald and Hitzig take to be a pasfsive participle ; but that it is the infinitive

construct,

is

rendered

certain

by

its

country as Idumea, a predatory attack could only have been attempted in the night, especially on such places as were

having the preposition -,73 before it, Job XX. 4. In the present instance, and in Num. XXV. 21, in which, as here, it is followed by Tjpp, it stands elliptically for

most strongly

t-rP

C"'.j;

which

sufficiently accounts for

the rendering of the LXX., Sjt., Targ., and Vulg., which exhibit the second person singular of the verb. The term fizris is to be imderstood literally of the stars, as the highest objects which
present themselves to the eye,

fortified by nature, and a view of the immediately surrounding regions. Hitzig thinks the prophet has Petra specially in his eye, on account of its having been the great emporium of that part of the world. In-

commanded

stead of

rhS.

"].~p

cs ^V 5S2

c-^sr^CtJ,

Jeremiah has

only n^'^Va Q"23.^ ns,

which
words

is less forcible.

He also substitutes
The
position of the
thoxt,

^.TTirr; for n2:i".

rti">2"!:
'^"S,

and not

How

art des-

of the tops of the highest rocks, or even heaven itself, as some have maintained. ^""iiN is a direct reply to the vaunting
l"heodoret "a_, ver. 3. 'EireiS^ well expresses the sense thus
question, '"^"it"'
:

some fastidious critics, some of whom would remove them to the beginning of the verse, and others
troyed, has offended
to the

commencement

of the follo'vving.

To'iuvv,

<pr]crl

Tavrats
Sis

Srappatv

aXa^ouevrj

"What might be accounted their natural place would be the end of the present
verse
;

Kol fj.eya <ppove7s

(re

axe'i-poiTos,

eud\a>T6y
rois

but the prophet, struggling to

Karaixr-qaco

Koi

cuxeiPWTo;/

eX'

give expression to the feeling

tated his mind, breaks in
trations
tion,

StpoTs,

Koi

Twv
t. \.

iroKefj.lui'

ou

Siafpfv^ri

which agiupon his illus-

Tas x*'P"*> "^Se el Siktjv aeTov /xeTfwpos

apd-e/rjs,
/c.

5. The Idumeans are here taught, that their devastation would be complete.

This

prophetic

intelligence

is

com-

municated in the form of interrogative illustrations, derived from customs with Avhich they were familiar. The manner in which they should be treated would be very different from that adopted by private thieves, or by a party of marauding nomades, who usually seize as much as they can, and especially what they have set their minds on, in the hurry of the moment, leaving the rest of the
property to its possessors. They should even fare worse than the vines, on which the vintages, though they cut down the bunches generally, still left some that might be gleaned afterwards. In Jere-

with the interjected exclamaand then carries them on to a close. The words are omitted by Jeremiah. rii;^ has two leading significations to be like ; and, according with the Arab.
:

^t>,

vulneravit, perdidit,

to

cause

to

cease, destroy, etc.

pi'^rjs
;

LXX.

ttoD h.v

anei-

having read r;n"7:-3,

a verb,

which nowhere occurs in Niphal. Q''-, their sufficiency, i.. e. what was requisite
for supplying their present wants, or such a quantity as they had sufficient strength to remove. LXX. rh. iKava iuvTois.

Syr.

nm A mKn
apodosis
is

sufftcentia
;

eorum.
there
it is

The

omitted

but

a beautiful propriety in leaving to be supplied by those to whom the

miah the

order of the illustrations is reversed, the vintagers being taken first. r,V'^ "}~'-t night-robhers.

Li such a

appeal was made. 6. The prophet here resumes his strain of sarcastic plaint over the fall of Idumea, which he had abruptly adopted in the

188

OB ADIAH.
his
!

hidden pLacos searched allies have driven thee to the frontier Those who were at peace with thee have deceived thee They have prevailed against thee They that ate thy bread have laid a snare under thee There is no understanding in him
All thine
: I

Aud

preceding verse, repeating the ^'s there employed, which is again understood
betbre 5?=:.

captive from the border.

the

By t;tr.""^3

'*?-^

strued

as

The patronymic ^~v is cona collective noun with the

men of thy covena?it, are meant those who had formally pledged assistance to
the Edomites
;

confederates, allies

by

plural of the verb,

and, at the same time, with the singular pronominal affix. In the translation I have been obliged to

^wV'i' ^c:}!, the

men of thy peace,

neigh-

employ

the

singular

in

both

cases.

C-:s:;, like o''2K wW,

may

either signify

boring states, which were en terms of peace and friendship with them. LXX. ivSpfs elprii'iKol, those who were peaceably inclined towards them. Before
'qri''5

places where treasures are hidden, or the treasures themselves or the term may be explained of hiding places, to which
;

the

supply

"t:??

from the preceding

mc7i of thy bread ; or "V-N,

may

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
treasm-es

is

form

is

though the hiding of their imphed. The that of the Arabic passive
;

also natiu-ally

\J^iaAA. Such

places

abound in Idu-

be understood, those trho eat thy bread ; and thus the phrase will be descriptive some of the poorer of dependents tribes of the desert, who subsisted on the bounty of the Edomites, and whose aid they might reasonably expect in case of any emergency. Comp. Ps. xli. 10, where a similar combination of "cT'S Vr s with *>;! Vc t;"N occurs though there the idea
; ;

mea. " Revera," says Jerome, " ut dicamus aliquid de natura loci, omnis australis regio Idumieorum de EleutheropoH usque Petram et Ailam (ha?c est etiim posscssio Esau) in specubus habitatiunculas habet.
calores solis, quia
est,

of familiarity, rather than that of de-

pendence, seems intended to be exFive of De Rossi's MSS. and pressed. originally two more, read tpN'rr;, instead
of ':;r,s'-;- r , as also one of the early editions,

Et propter nimios
meridiana provincia
In-

subterraneis tuguriis utitur." stead of the exclamatory form

here adopts that of direct personal assertion ^PEcn "'SN '3 '"^'P^^'^"'"'? ^^.""'"r^. "r^"'"^ changing, at the same time, fsrj into Cj'-^n, and

employed,

Jeremiah

the LXX. and Arab. but the common reading is to be preferred. To 5 Vr thirty MSS.. originally eleven more, four by emendation, the Soncin. and Complut. editions, the Soncin. Prophets, and the S\T., prefix the copulative, which the difference of sense in the two verbs re; ,

quires.

There

is

some

difficulty in de-

V3Saw
7.

into T"-inei3.

termining the meaning of -.n^:.

LXX.

rS,'a,

which

in

Kal has the

signi-

iviZpa

SjT.

fication to send, send aioay, signifies in Piel, to dismiss, eject, expel, convevnng

jj J,^^,
vChj-T),,

insidia; Vulg.

insidifP; Targ.

offend iculum

all

the superadded idea of compulsion or violence. Connected, as here, with ny the verb implies expulsion beyond the
,

agreeing in the idea of treachery, or the emplojTiient of means by which one

fix)ntier

specified

and the whole sen-

might be subverted or ensnared. This seems to be the only suitable meaning

in this
place,

tence

is descriptive of transportation into a state of captivity. Thus the Targ.

as the

signification

of

^rV:>s W!)nP, yc, they shall lead thee

wovnd, which attaches to the word, Jer. XXX. 13, Hos. v. 13, the other pas-

OB ADIAH.
Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, Cause the wise men to perish from Edom ? And the men of understanding? from Mount Esau

1S9

sages in

which

it

occurs, will not,

with

any

tolerable degree of propriety, apply.

Two

derivations

have

been

proposed,

edly written in their country. They were, indeed, proverbial for their ni;2n, philosophy, for the cultivation of which,
their intercourse

the Arab. jO, distendit, equaliter, distendit, 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
fv. metitittts fuit,

with Babylon and Egypt was exceedingly favorable, as were likewise their means of acquiring information from the numerous caravans whose

route lay thi'ough their country, thus forming a chain of communication be-

^-y^fallum, mendac-

tween Europe and India. Speaking of wisdom, the author of the book of Baruch says, in reference to their celebrity as sages of antiquity, chap.
iii.

ium, with which the Hebrew -i!;t, to decline from the way of truth, has been compared. The use of TjPnri itt^B"', they place under thee, most naturally suggests
the idea of a gm or trap, which may be said to deceive or act falsely by those who tread upon it ; so that the notions of treachenj, plot, net, snare, may be
furnishing the true sigwho derives the word from niT, gives the significations thus: " circumligare, obligatio vulneris, fascia,
in
nification.
Fiirst,

22,

23:
" It hath not been heard of in Canaan, Neither hath it been seen in Teman.

The Hagarenes
earth,

that seek

wisdom upon

The merchants of Meran and of Teman, The mythologists, and investigators of

intelligence,

combined

hinc medicina

moraHter

laquewiwi

connexio, perfidia fallax, insidiosa, fraudulcnta." To no quarter could the Idu-

means look
from

for aid. Their allies, their neighbors, their very dependents, so far

of these have known the ways of wisdom. Nor remembered her paths." These sages are here called c^tt^rt, and their accumulated stores of wisdom are expressed by nz^ap, intelligence, the term which had just been employed at the
close of the preceding verse.

None

them, would act treacherously towards them, and employ every means, both of an open and covert nature, to effect their ruin. At the close of the verse, the prophet turns off again from the direct mode of address, and employs the third person, for the purpose of more emphatically exposing their folly in placing confidence in those who were It would be totally unworthy of it. highly uncritical, with the Targ., Hougibant, and Newcome, to change "ia, in him, into 'TiS, in thee.
assisting
8. The Idumeans confided, not only in the natural strength of their country, but in the superiority of their intelThat they excelled in lectual talent.

The

inter-

rogative

tiVri is

here strongly afiirmative

is

and

in

masnT

merely conversive.

I'W "in, the moimt of Esau, is the mountainous region of Seir, to the south of
Palestine,

now

called

Jjty.**!

JLa^-j

Jebel Sherah,

and S Sy^l esh-Sherah,

the arts and sciences, is abundantly proved by the numerous traces of them in the book of Job, which was undoubt-

extending as far south as Akabah. It was originally inhabited by the Horites, or Troglodytse, so called because they dwelt in the caves of the mountains, whom the posterity of Esau expelled, and taking possession of the countrj', spread themselves as far towards the north as the borders of Moab. It was particularly to the more northerly portion of this
reign that the

name

of vJLe^ , Jebel, or
-.rr,

Gebalene, was given.

mountaiti.

190
9

B AD
!

11

Thy mighty men, O Teman shall he dismayed, That every one may be cut off from mount Esau.
For the sLiughter, for the injury of thy brother Jacob, Shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for CA'er. In the day when thou didst take a hostile position, III the day when foreigners took captive his forces,

10
11

And

strangers entered his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem,

as

Even thou wast

one of them.
Hebrews, but injured them in every possible way and their ci-ueltics were highly aggravated by the consideration, that those who were the objects of them were descended from the same com;

being here, and verse 9 th, obviously iised

ill

slain the

a collective sense I

have translated

it

in the plural.
9.

12.

For l^:'?, Teman, see on Amos i. Vwj'): has been variously construed.
renders
it
it,

Ewald unnaturally
battle.

without

mon
cob

Schnurrer treats

as a participle
it

in Pael or Poel, pointing

"^u'pn,

Vap>: or

Comp. Amos i. 11. Jaused as a patronymic to denote the Jews. Two distinct periods in the
parent.
is
:

and regarding

it

as equivalent to

the Arab. OLj'UijO, vir proclio aptus.

He

would thus make it parallel with t'"i ",2.",, mighty men, in the preceding hemistich. Iloscnm idler, DeWette, and some others, translate, by slaughter. I^co Juda, most
of the older

Idumeans are here pointed out that during which they should be the subjects of ignominy as a
future historj- of the

modem

translators, followed

by

Jrcger, Hesselberg,

Maurer, render, suppose the prophet to be here assigning the cause of the destruction of the Idumeans which he had just predicted,

Hendewerk, and propter ca:dem, and

conquered people and that during which they were to be entirely extinct. From the former they recovered about a century before the Christian era but they were reduced by John Ilyrcanus, and
:
;

afterwards

lost

everj'

vestige of

their

separate existence.
11. This and the three following verses contain a series of pointed expostulations,

intendmg more

fully to dilate

on the

subject in the following verse.

To

this

construction, however,
jected,

it

must be obparallelism,

that

it

clogs

the

which, while they inculpate the Idumeans, describe the various modes in which they had manifested their maHce towards the Jews. Some have thought
that i:.5K
"1:1'

which properly ends

the verse preceding
Avords

wth

means here

to stand aloof,

Vrr -n, as in

to assume a neutral position,

cr n'>2

and also that the ; \'c'^^ are too closely allied,

may

observe the
;

whence one movements of two op-

both in form and reference, to admit of such a pause as that which is introduced by the Soph-Pasuk. I, therefore, do not
follow the division of the verses adopted by the LXX., Syr., Ilexhesitate to

but the declaration at posing parties the end of the verse, as well as what is stated in verses 13th and 14th, clearly

shows that the phrase is to be taken in a hostile sense, as in 2 Sam. xviii. 13 Dan. That V";n is not to be rendered X. 13.
;

aplar Syr., Vulg., Dathe, Lively,

New-

oome, and Boothroyd, by which Vt^T'U is removed from verse 9 th, and placed at the beginning of verse 10th.
10.

wealth or riches in this passage, h\xi forces, army, or the like may be infcn-ed from re-

'nt* C^cnw

''i:.]'^)3.

are in construction with-:]T:s,

Both nouns and the

nl)jcct
to,

made to the division of the substance of the citizens of Jerusalem by lot in the following hemistich, ci-r
ference being

and

C"-i23

genitive thus formed

the slaughter of,

is

that of

whom
Lam.

describe the Chaldeans, by Jerusalem was taken. x-r^ is in

and

the violence done

Picl, contracted for

iii.

'-1>

Comp.

ii^^i,

thy brother.

The Edomites had not only

63.

Instead of

myi,

the read-

'

OB ADIAH.
12

191

Thou

shoultlest 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
:

13

Neither shouldest thou have sijoken insolently In the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered the gate of my people, In the day of their calamity Thou, even thou, shouldest not have looked on their affliction, In th^ day of their calamity
; ;

Nor

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 viy*j, the full form,
as proposed

severe treatme7it, punishment, Job xxxi.

3, is

here used passively of the experience

of such treatment.

Comp. the Arab.

;

by the Keri.
its

That the word

sin-

may originally
gular,
is

have been read as the

13
;

^jQ

difficilis

ac durus fult

gravis ac

clear irora
ver.
is

number,
cases,
tive.
it

occurrence in this but then, in both to be taken as a collecfuture forms

tv^-ip ''-rtJ,

difficilis ; improhavit. inherent in the term

The
is

idea radically

that of treating

12.

The

any one as a stranger, i. e. an ahen or enemy, ns V"'~in, to enlarge, or make great the tnouth, Ger. den Mund voU

n:n^Trn ^N, Tky?~Vs, and

-i^Grj Vtj,

are all qualified in signification,

by the

nehmen : to use insolent or contumelious language, such as those employ who Comp. Ezek. exult over a fallen foe.
XXXV.
13. 13.

circumstance, that the speaker has a past event prominently in view, reference

to

which he places himself and those

he addresses in the time of its and points out what was their
to
it.

whom

CJ in r-iPS D^. is emphatic. nin^'ip, some take to be the third plural feminine, having for its object fiii

passing,

duty in reference

They

are prop-

but the entire construction of the passage requires the second person singular
masculine, tVPJoT]
.

erly subjunctives of negation, expressive of what should not have been done, and therefore have the usual force of the imperative. " Verba Hebrteorum saepe non

The

syllable

ns

is

actum, sed debitum vel ofiicium significat."

tract.

added with a view to give intensity to the verb, as in Jud. v. 26 thus expressing the eagerness with which the Idumeans seized upon the spoil. Rosen;

Glassii Philolog. Sacr. hb.

3,

iii.

miiller is of opinion that the

is
;

264.

Nicholson's Ewald, 3 ns"!, means here to look upon

can.
6.

ragogic,

and
is

the

epenthetic

pabut

Gesenius
it

with
eyes

')naligna7it pleasure,

to feast one's

-w-ith

the

rather inclined to compare energetic Future of the

with the calamity of another. T)"ns Ci"', the day of thy brother, is afterward explained by i'-:::, Ci"]2X,

Arabs.
avviirib^

Lehrgeb. p. 801.
;

LXX.

fj.))

Syr.

>nn

..i'

jj

rtna,

CTS, which

describe the calamit-

Vulg. non emitteris ; Targ. stnu^^Ssni.

See for more instances of this intensive

ous circumstances in which the Jews were placed, ci', day, is often used to express a disastrous or calamitous period.
-i5s,

which

is

taken actively to denote

form Job xvii. 16 Is. xxviii. 3 Exod. i. 10. For the omission of t, hand, see 2 Sam. vi. 6 Ps. xviii. 17.
; ;

192

OB ADIAH.
JiaA-e

14 Xeither shoulclest thou

stood at the pass,

To

cut off those of his that escaped

Neither shouldest thou have deUvered up those of his That were left in the day of distress. 15 For the day of Jehovah is near against all the nations; As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee Thy deed shall come back upon thine own head, 16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually
.

Yea, they

And

shall

shall drink and swallow greedily, be as though they had not been.
addressed,
tivities

14. p-s is commonly rendered biviam, a parting of a way, or a place where a road breaks off into two. I should rather think, from the idea of violence implied

their drinking

and most of them explain on Blount Zion of the feswith which they celebrated tha

victor^'

in P"l2, that it signifies a break or disruption in a rock or momitain, through

refers

gained over the Jews. Grotius the words to the same people, only he takes the verb nnr in the bad
sense, as denoting the drinking of the

which a passage might be effected into the region beyond. Corap. n p^SK.

1
I

Kings xix.
A

11.

LXX.
In

SieK^oKai. Syr.

't;"ij5,

cup of divine s\Tath, and renders "n Vyt on account of my holy mountain,
:

^ nKn

a narrow passage between

all probability,

two mountains.
reference

the

is to the means employed to cut off the retreat of those Jews who attempted to pass through Idumea on

their

way to Egypt, whither they fled fiwm the Chaldeanso p-.Bn V? -.izy, to

" propter Judaeam a vobis lacessitam." But it seems more natural to regard the words as directed, by a sudden apostrophe, to the Jews, assuring them, that, though the sufferings to which they had been sub-

which he explains thus

jected Avere great,

still

greater punish-

stand at the ravine or pass, graphically describes the attitude of those who are watching in order to interce})! a caravan, or a body of travellers, especially in the

ment would be inflicted upon the hostQe nations by which they had been attacked. The punishment which they suffered was
only temporary
;

that of their enemies

rugged mountainous regions to the south of Judea. The Idumcans not only in
prevented the escape of the they carried them back as prisoners, and delivered them up to the
this

way

fugitives

enemy. 15. In this verse, the conquest of Idumea and all the neighboring nations by Nebuchadnezzar is declared to be In the war wliich he was to at hand. carry on against them, due retribution

The structure of the passage requires the verb to be taken in the same sense in both parts of the verse. Such, in effect, is the construction put upon the words, Jer. xlix. 12. Compare also chap. xxv. 15-29. In
perpetual.

would be

manner the verse is interpreted by Abenezra, Mercer, TremcUius, Drusius,

this
liively,

Rosenmiiller,

Schnurrcr,

De

"Wette,

would be rendered Comp. Ps. cxxxvii. 7,

T^Ti''

to
8.

the

Edomites.

For the phrase ni" the day of Jehovah, see on Is.

Instead of -"^ir, contimially, the reading 2"2S, around, is exhibited in not fewer than seventy-eight MSS. ; in seventeen

Hessclberg,

and Maurcr.

ii.'li
16.

blus, Calvin, Michaelis,

TheTarg., Kimchi, Munstcr, YntaIlcndcwerk, and

still

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

Hit zig, consider the Idumcans to be

the Texttis Bcceptus, which, according

OB ADIAH.
17

19^

But

in

Mount Zion
:

shall

be the escaped,

18

And And And And And And

be holy the house of Jacob the house of Jacob

it

shall

shall enjoy their possessions. shall

be a
;

fire,

the house of Joseph a flame

the house of Esau shall become stubble,

they shall set them on fire, and devour them So that there shall not be a relic of the house of Esau For Jehovah hath spoken it. they of the south shall possess
shall also possess the

19

And And
They

Mount Esau,

they of the plain, the Philistines

country of Ephraim,
to

to

De Rossi, is found in all the most accurate and best ilSS., both Spanish

teach

that

the

Judah and
lished
;

Israel

two kingdoms of would be re-estab-

and German. In all probability ^'-C, was substituted by some copyist from
Jer.

yet the special mention of Jo-

XXV.

9.

What

proves that the

in their
it

LXX.
text,
-,-c

had the word -["Cn

is

Hebrew
for

their

having mistaken

rendering it olvoy, whie. y-,V, to sicalloio or suck doion vnth greediness. Arab.
njtJ

and

^aJ, avidus

LjJ

_iJ,

Comp. y's the aqufe bibit. throat; >'V2, to swallow, etc. The idea intended to be conveyed bj' the use of the verb here is that of drinking commultum
plctely off the

cup of ^^Tath, as a thirsty person would a vessel of water. 17. Obadiah here commences his predictions respecting the restoration of the
Babylonish captivity and the their re-occupancy of Canaan While the surreign of the Messiah. rounding nations were to disappear, the Jews should regain possession of their holy city, and the land of their fathers. rl3"V2 means such as had survived the

seph clearly shows that the ten tribes were to return at the same time, and, jointly with Judah and Benjamin, to possess the land of Palestine and the neighboring regions. See Is. xi. 12-14; Hos. i. 11. The restored Hebrews would unitedly subdue the Idumeans, which they did in the time of John Hyrcanus, who compelled them to be circumcised, and so incor^xyrated them with the Jews, that they henceforward formed part of the nation. See Joseph. Antiquities, book xiii. chap. ix. 1. For the metaphorical language, comp. Num. xxi. 28 Is. X. 17 and, for the ground of it, Is.
; ;

V. 24.

Jews from

the

19.

By

2:.;

the south, or the southern

is
;

part of Palestine,

should occupy
plain, those

it

meant those who and by rVS'i-, the

who should occupy the low country along the shore of the Meditetrancan.

LXX.

Oj 4v iiayeff

ot

iv

rf 2e(^a\a.

According to the

relative

captivity,
fers to

-c

7'p

holiness,

i.

e.

holy, re-

positions of those

who

should take pos-

Blount Zibn, Avhich had been polSee luted by the idolatrous Chaldeans. on Joel iv. 17. Jseger and Hesselberg refer the sufRx in sn'^'^'^i'JS, their possessions, to the hostile nations

session of the different parts of the holy

land,

was

to

be the

enlargement of

their tenitory

Spoken of
less

in the preceding verse

ally.

but

natur-

18. Though the houses of Jacob and Jeseph are here spoken of separately, it was not the intention of the prophet

by the annexation of the adjoining regions, which had formerly been occupied by alien or hostile powers. As there is no subject specified before jinTiia ^~'s rt!"> t"iss '"u rs, it would seem to be intimated that the regions of Ephraim and Samaria were to be occupied by the Jews and Israelites jointly,

25

194
Aiul 20
tlie

BAD
country of Samaria; Benjamin, GileaJ.

II

the captives of this host of the sons of Israel, That are among the Canaanites,

And And

<,

As

far as Zarcpliath.

And

the captives of Jerusalem,

in Sejjharad,

That are

Shall possess the cities of the south.

without any regard to

tribal distinctions

and the reason why the tribe of Benjamin is mentioned, is merely on account
of the proximity of Gilcad to the teiTitory which it originally possessed. That

ro |

Spai7i,

with which
:

agrees

K'TiEC:* of the Targ.

uiiajiiiiiously

an interpretation
liabbins,
interpret-

who
ing
it

ui like

adopted by the manner concur in

r-r

is

here employed to denote, not a

rE-s

of France.

Jerome, as in-

plain or level country, but a region or district in general, is obvious from the nature of the territory to which refer-

structed by his Jewish teacher, renders

the Bosphorus. Some refer it to Mesopotamia, some to Sipphara

ence is made. The mountainous country of Idumea is called CT!S "^v, (ien.

Sparta, in support of

which hypothesis
;

XXX ii.
20.
is

1.

Vn

i.

e.

h'Ti,

an army,

host, etc.,

here used to express the

number of

Israelitish captives

Phoenicia, into which they

at different

which were found in had been sold times as slaves, and thence
Sec Joel
for
iii.

into Greece.
is

6, 7.

fjyra

fiyrsa, which is the reading of three MSS. Before TEnS iV, supply nr-i-; from the following, rsna,
elliptical

Zarephath,

or

Sarepta,

now

called
to

they appeal to 1 Mace. xii. 21 while others propose r.iEC, Scjjhara, Gen. x. 30, or the town of SoTr^iop,. mentioned by Ptolemy, as lying between the territory of the Ilomerites and Sabaeans. To judge from the other geographical relations stated in this and the preceding verse, we should conjecture, that some place to the south or east of Judca is intended. The following Hst of cities and places in the possession of the Jews in the time of Alexander Janntpus is given by Josephus Kara rovrov rhv
:

JtJJyO, Surafend, a town belonging

Sidon, and

Katphy

^St)

rwv 2vpo3V
Tr6\eis flxov

koI

'iSovnalcov

Kol ^oiv'iKoiv

loi/SaTor trphs

situated between that city

i&oAatrcrj) fifi/

'^Tpdrcjvos irvpyou,

'AiroWw
Td^ai',

and Tyre,
terranean.

close to the shore of the

Medi-

yiav, 'l6inrriy, 'id/wetay, "A^uirav,

According to the ctjTnologj' of its name, it must have been a place for smelting metals. In the rocks along the foot of the hills. Dr. Robinson found many excavated tombs, which he makes no doubt once belonged to this ancient
city.

'Av^SSua,
fifffoyela

'Pa^i-av, ''?ivoK6\ovpav' 4v Se

kuto,

t^jv

'ISovfiaiav,

rp "ASupa,

Kol
opos,
\iv,

Mapicraayy Kal 2a/uapiar, Kapij.T}\iov

Kal rh 'Irafivpiov opos, ^Kv^6noTavXayiTiSa, 'S.tKfVKfiav, TaSapa, Mwa^iriSas, Ecraf^wv, M17rdfiaXa,

'

Palestine, vol.
is still

iii.

p.

414.

The

SaPa,
iv6Kfts

AtfjiPS.,

'Opwyos, TeA/dcova,

name

given to a large villase on

little

K'tKiKiof

AvKwya,

TltWav
ttjS

&\\as

Zvpa,
re

a hill at city or country

termine.
dd.

some

distance.

What

irpaiTevovffas

is meant by -r-tir, it has been hitherto found imiwssible to de-

KaTfapaix(i.4vai.
iv. 4.

Antiq.

Sfpi'as,

al ^crov

book. xiv. ch.

The

AX.

all probability is

'E^paSo, which in a comiption of "S.t^ipa,-

21.

Though

forty-four

several others at second hand,

MSB., besides and eight

Aq.,

Symm. and

Thcod. aacpapdS.

Hcxap. Syr. 9j_a|ja; but the Pcshito

printed editions, read C*l'i"i instead of C"y"r-itt, there is no difference in the

meaning,

the

former

reading

being

OB ADI AH.
21

195
Zion.

And

deliverers shall coiaie

up

in

Mount

To judge Mount Esau

And
LXX.,

the kingdom shall be Jehovah's. The

Joseph. Antiq. hook. xiii. chap, BStJ is here used in the sense and of punishing, as in 1 Sam. iii. 13 ctv in the phrase a D^iqBVJ ny, Exod.

merely defective in orthography.

15-23.

Aq., Theod., Syr., and Arab., appear to have read n'^yjiis or cr^^w in the passive, which is unsuitable to the Jerome observes that the connection.

ix. 1.

xii.

12

Num.

word
raised

is

active.

Such

saviors, or

de-

Acts
fer to

vii. 7.

Comp. Kplvw, xxxiii. 4. The concluding words of

liverers

are meant, as those

who were

the prophecy, n^?Vttn nin^is rirjini, refrequently in the

@ov.

the time of the Judges. There can be little doubt that the celebrated family of the Maccabees are intended, whose valiant princes governed

up

in

he reign of the Messiah, called so N. T. ri fiaai\(ia rov

Comp. Ban.

ii.

44,

vii.

27.

But

the Jews for the period of an hundred and twenty-six years, during which time signal victories were gined over

kingdom, no restoration of the Jews would have taken place the temple would have remained in ruins, and the land a scene of desolafor the introduction of this
;

the Idumeans, as narrated 2 Mace. x.

tion.

TT

'

'

ft .-4..
6
I-

>
_,yi.iiiiiiii
I

-OoA

^"V ^.,.

'

Cv^

JONAH.
PREFACE.
Against no book
of Scripture have the shafts of infidelity and the sap-

ping arts of anti-supematuralism been more strenuously directed than against As early as the days of Julian and Porphyry that of the Prophet Jonah.
it

the Christians of credulity for believing the

was made the subject of banter and ridicule by the pagans, who accused story of the deliverance by
fish
;

means of a

and, in
spirit,

modem
many

times, while the

its

enemies of revelation have

pretended friends have had recourse to methods of interpretation, which would not only remove the book from
evinced the same
of
the category of inspired writings, but, if applied to these writings generally,

would annihilate much that is strictly historical in its import, and leave us Blasche, Grimm, and to wander in the regions of conjecture and fable. some others, suppose the whole to have been transacted in a dream but, as Eichhorn justly observes,* there is not a single circumstance in the narrative that would suggest such an idea; and, besides, whenever any account
;

is

given of a dream in Scripture, the fact that such

timated by the writer.

closes, is also

The manner

in

is the case, is always inwhich the book commences and

objected to this hypothesis, which J. G. A. Mliller f scruples

not to assert
to adopt.

we are on no ground whatever (durch gar nichts.) warranted The theory of an historical allegory was advanced and maintained

of imagination, by the eccentric

author,

with great learning, but, at the same time, with the most extravagant license Herman von der Ilardt, Professor of the

According to this Oriental languages at the university of Ilelmstedt. J Jonah was an historical person, but is here symbolical partly of
;

Manasseh, and partly of Josiah, kings of Judah the ship was the Jewish state the storm, the political convulsions which threatened its safety the
; ;

master of the

on the
etc.

Zadok the high-priest the great fish, the city of Lybon Semler Orontes, where IManasseh was detained as a prisoner, etc.
ship,
;

Michaelis, Herder, Hezel, Stiiudlin, Paulus, Meyer, Eichhorn, Niemeyer,

have attempted to vindicate

to the
;

book the character of a parable, a

fable,

an apologue, or a moral fiction while Dercser, Nachtigal, Ammon, Bauer, Goldhorn, Knobel, and others, consider it to have had historical basis, and that it has been invested with its present costume in order that On the other hand, Rosenmiiller, Geit might answer didactic purposes.
Einleit.
t

Band

iv.

575.

Palus Memorabilicu. Stuck

vl. p- 154.
full title

JEiii<;mata prisci Orbis.

Jonas

in Luce, etc. Ilelmstedt. 1723, fol.

For the

of

this

remarkable book, sec Roscnmilller's Prolcgom.

PEEFACE TO JONAH.

197

senius, De Wette, Maurer, and Winer, derived it from popular tradition ; some tracing it to the fable of the deliverance of Andromeda from a sea Ovid, Metamorph. iv. 662, etc. and monster, by Perseus, Apollod. ii. 4, 3 some, to that of Hercules, who sprang into the jaws of an immense fish, and
; ;

was three days

Alex, in Jon.
ii.

in

its

belly,

when he undertook

to save Hesione, Iliad, xx.

145, xxi. 442; Diod. Sic.

iv.

42; Tzetz. ad Lycophr. Cassand. 33; Cyrill

some of these writers may have in common with each other, there are some essential points on which they are totally at variance whde all frankly acknowledge the difficulties which clog the subject. The opinion which has been most generally entertained, is that which accords to the book a strictly historical character in other words, which affirms that it is a relation of facts which actually took place in the life and experience of the prophet. Nor can I view it in any other light, while I hold fast an enlightened belief in the divine authority of the books composing the canon of the Old Testament, and place implicit reliance on the au-

Much

as

thority of the

Into the fixed and definite character of the * canon, I need not here enter, having fully discussed the subject elsewhere but assuming that all the books contained in it possess the Divine sanction, the test to which I would bring the question, and by which, in my opinion,

Son of God.

our decision must mainly be formed, is the unqualified manner in which the personal existence, miraculous fate, and public ministry of Jonah, are spoken of by our Lord. He not only explicitly recognizes the prophetical office of Isaiali, the son of Amittai ('lava tov irpo^i)Tov), just as he does that of Elisha, and Daniel, but represents his being in the belly of the fish as a real miracle grounds upon it, as a fact, the certainty of the future analogous (jh (Tvti^'iov)
;

fact in his

own

history

assumes the actual execution of the commission of

;

the prophet at

Nineveh

repented at his preaching

positively asserts that the inhabitants of that city and concludes by declaring respecting himself,
;

"Behold! a greater than Jonah

is

here."

Matt.

xii.

39-41, xvi.

4.

Now,

circumstances would have been is it conceivable, that all these historical brief placed in this prominent light, if the person of the prophet, and the

On the same principle details of his narrative, had been purely fictitious ? may not that the historical bearing of the reference in this case is rejected, aside, be set connection, the in follows which Sheba, of that to the Queen her and the portion of the first book of Ivings, in which the circumstances of fiction, moral a allegory, an into converted be visit to Solomon are recorded,
or a popular tradition
together parallel
;

cases, as adduced by our Lord, are albe affirmed of the allusion to Tyre and may same and the
?

The two

Sidon, and that to

It

Sodom

in the preceding chapter.

a fictitious narrative of the moral kind would contained answer the purpose of our Saviour equally well with one which maintained, that the a statement of real transactions just as it has been

may be

said, Indeed, that

reference

made by

the Apostle

James

to the patience of Job, suited his pur-

* Divine Inspiration, pp. 450-4S8.

19S

PREFACETOJONAH.
;

pose, irrespective of the atftual existence of that patriarch

but, as in the

example of patience would prove only a tame and fiigid motive to induce to the endurance of actual suffering, so, in the other, a merely imaginary repentance must be regarded as little calculated to enr force the duties of genuine contrition and amendment of life. Certainly in no other instance in which our Saviour adduces passages out of the Old Testament for the purpose of illustrating or confirming his doctrines, can it be shown, that any point or circumstance is thus employed
case, a fictitious

one

which

is

not historically true.

He

uniformly quotes and reasons upon them

;

as containing accounts of universally admitted facta

stamps them as such

foi*

with the high sanction of his divine authority; and transmits them confident belief of mankind in all future ages.
It is

the

only necessary further to add, that

if

the book had contained a paraselected,

ble, the

name

of some

unknown person would have been

a definite historical existence
first
is

and not

that of a prophet to

whom

assigned in the

Old Testament.

On

perusing the

sentence, every unprejudiced reader

must conclude that there had existed such a prophet, and that what follows The formula "ikj^^. r;*;::^ 2t t'^i is so is a simple narrative of facts. appropriated, as the usual introduction to real prophetical communication, that to put any other construction upon it would be a gross violation of one
of the
first
i.

principles of interpretation.
ii.

Comp.

2 Chron. xi. 2

Is.

xxxviii.
;

4
i.

Jer.

4, 11,

1,

xiv. 1, xvi. 1, xxviii. 12, xxix.

30

Ezek.

iii.

16

Hag.

1, 3,

ii.

20; Zech.

iv. 8.

Against the plenary historical character of the book, the miraculous nature
of some of the transactions has been objected
interposition of miraculous cast into the sea,
;

but, referring for

an

investi-

gation of these transactions to the commentary,

may it
in

an agency in the deliverance of the prophet, when not be fairly asked whether there is nothing in the
for granted

and taking

circumstances of the case to justify such interposition ?

The commission
it

and conwas extremely natural for Jonah to shrink, and which required the most confirmatory evidence of its divine origin to induce him to act upon it. The miracle selected for the purpose of ftirnishing him with this evidence, however extraordinary in itself, was in exact keeping with the circumstances in which he was placed and, in so far, was parallel with those wrought in connection with the mission of Moses, Exod. iii. iv. of Elijah, 1 Kings xviL and of And it is undeniable, that most of the writers Christ and his apostles. who have called it in question, have either flatly denied the existence of all Scripture miracles, or attempted, in some way or other, to account for them on mere natural principles. The same mode of reasoning which goes
was most important
its

o-wn nature, but likewise most unusual,

its

fessedly most hazardous in

execution

one from which

to set aside one, will, if fully carried out, go to set aside

all.

That our prophet is the same who predicted the restoration of the ancient boundaries of the kingdom of the ten tribes, 2 Kings xiv. 25, is rendered certain by identity of name, parentage and office and as that prediction received its accomplishment in the reign of Jeroboam H., it is obvious he must
;


PREFACE TO JONAH.
199

at least have been contemporary Tvith the monarch, if he did not flourish at a still more early period. He is justly considered to have been one of the most ancient of all the Hebrew prophets whose writings are contained in the

canon.

Whether Jonah composed

the

book

himself, or

whether

it

was written

at

is to be made, since it is a adopted by the sacred penmen, as it also is by profane authors. Nor can the occurrence of two or three Chaldee words, as rs ED, a ship, rcy to think, cyu, command, be justly objected against the early

a more recent period, has been matter of dispute. he is spoken of in the third person, no account
style of writing frequently

Of the

circumstance, that

authorship

for the

prophet must have had considerable intercourse with

foreign languages, which could not but exert

persons
fluence

who spoke
on
his

some

in-

style.

With

respect to
is

ni"D, as

it

is

also the

Syriac
it

]A

1 A

orr>

and Arabic hJuJum, there

every reason to conclude that

was the nautical term in use among the Phoenicians, and so might have been adopted at an early period into all the cognate dialects, though they had other words by which to exprens the same thing. The use of the compound particles ^^Vi and 'V^a does not necessarily argue a late date, since there
was nothing
to

prevent their being appropriated under the circumstances of

the prophet, just as they

cumstances, by other writers.

came to be adopted, under somewhat similar cirThe employment of ro, the abbreviated form

Judges v. 7, is an undeniable example of its adoption at an earlyand it is indeed very doubtful whether it be proper to regard it as a Chaldaism at all, though it is found in some portions of the Hebrew ScripIt has also been alleged against the antiquity of tures and not in others *
of
^'i'S,

in

period

the book, that the writer uses the substantive verb in the past tense,

when
as if

describing the size of Nineveh, n^iis

the city

ry

^^T^rj
;

"ir^.^ chap.

iii.

had been destroyed before his time but the past tense is evidently employed for the simple purpose of preserving uniformity in the style of the narrative, and, as De Wette acknowledges, bedeutet mchts.-\ In point of style, the book is remarkable for the simplicity of its,prose the only portion of poetry is chap. ii. 3-10, which possesses considerable spirit and force, though some parts of it are evidently a repetition of certain sentences in the Psalms of David, with which the prophet appears to have been
:

familiar.

Of
iver

the

numerous

traditions,

both Jewish and Christian, which profess to

give us information respecting Jonah, I would say with Luther,

Das glauhe
is,

da

ivill,

ich cjlauhe es nicht.

All that

we

learn from Scripture

that his

father's

and that his birth-place was Gath-hepher (ri Enr, 2 Kings xiv. 25; nEn nPJ, Josh. xix. 13), a city in the tribe of Zebulon, from which latter circumstance it appears that he was an Israelite,
Amittai,

name was

and not a Jew. In this book the patience and clemency of God are
See Holden on Ecclesiastes, Introd. Dissert, pp. 10-13.

strikingly contrasted

Lehrbuch,

237.

200
ultli the selfishness

PEEFACE TO JONAH.
;

and unbelief of man and, as inserted in the canon of was no doubt primarily designed to teach the Jews the moral lessons, that the Divirte regard was not confined to them alone, but was extended to other subjects of the general government of God that wickedness, if persisted in, will meet with condign punishment; that God has no
Scripture,
it
;

pleasure in inflicting such punishment, but delights in the repentance of the guiltv; and that if pagans yielded so prompt a compliance with a single
prophetic message,
it

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 whereas, there is nothing more in the the blessed character of the latter passage of our Lord's discourse (Matt, xii.), from which the notion has been borrowed, than a comparison of his own consignment to the tomb for the
:

same space of time which the prophet spent in the belly of the fish.* The record of the event in the Jewish Scriptures could never have suggested to
its

readers, before Christ

made

the reference, the subject in the anticipative

it.

illustration 'of

which he applies

* See the excellent remarks of the Rev, Congregational Lectures, Lect. VIII.

W.

Lindsay Alexander, M. A. on types, in

Lis

; ;

CHAPTER
We have
;

I.

here an account of the prophet's commission to preach at Nineveh, and his attempt it by embarking for Spain, 1-3; an extraordinary storm by which he was baffled ia liis purpose; the alarm of the sailors, and the means which they adopted for their safety the detection of Jonah; his being thrown into the sea; and his preservation iu the belly of a fish, 4^17.
to evade

2 Amittai, saying

of Jehovah was communicated to Jonah, the son of Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it ; for their Avickedness is come up before me,
:

The word

1.

From

the circumstance that the

book commences with the conjmiction I, commonly rendered and, some have inferred that it is merely the fragment of a larger work, wTitten by the same hand but though this particle is most
;

to connect the following sentence with something which precedes it, and is placed at the beginning of historical books to mark their connection

commonly used

Ninus, after its founder, who must have been indentical with Nimrod, to whom the foundation of the city is ascribed, Gen. X. 11. For, that "^vsif., Ashur, is there to be understood of the country so called, or Assyria, and not of a person of that name, is evident from ver. 22, where Ashur is mentioned as a descendant of Shem, and not of Ham. The
omission of the local n, which might have been expected to form nnri'ij, can-

with a foregoing narrative, as Exod. i. 1 Ezra i. 1 yet it is also 1 Kings i. 1 employed inchoatively where there is no
; ;

is

connection whatever, as Ruth i. 1 ; Esth. i. 1 ; and, as specially parallel, Ezek. i. 1. It serves no other purpose in such cases than merely to qualify the apocopated future, so as to make it represent the historical past tense. The proper names nav, Jonah, and 'P:ss, Amittai, signify

not be brought as an objection, since it frequently omitted. See Num. xxxiv. 4 ; Deut. iii. 1. In point of size, it might well be designated rr'siisr: -I'Sn, that

great city, having been as stated chap, " in circumiii. 3, " three days' journey
ference.

a dove, and veracious or truthful, but why they were given to the prophet and
his father
2.

If we reckon a day's journey about twenty miles, which is the average rate of travelling in the East, it which, how will give us sixty miles
at
;

immense
agrees

soever

it

may
:

appear,

quite

we

are not informed.

is

By an emphatic idiom, C'p, arise, used before another verb, as a term Nineveh, the of excitement. fii.3''3
was
ancient capital of the Assyrian empire, situated on the eastern bank of the

with the estimate stated by Diodorus Siculus, ii. 3 viz. 480 stadia in circuit, 150 stadia in length, and 90 stadia in breadth. He further calls it Nr^os ij.eyd\7], and adds, Ti7AiKain7]v Se iroKiv
Kara, re
Trjv
tJ

Tigris, opposite to the

Mosul.
to

The name

is

of generally allowed
of

modem town

/xeye^os
tJ

ovSds vffTepov (KTtae rov irepi^SoXoC, Kol

fxeyaXottpiTzaav.
for

irepl

reTxos

signify

" the residence

n^.3,

Ninus,"

Making every allowance

spaces occupied

the large

from yi, Ninus, and

but,

o dwelling

by gardens,

etc., it

must,

according to Hebrew usage, the words should be reversed in order to bring out this meaning. By the Greek

and

Roman

writers,

it

is

called NTcos,

according to the computation specified* chap. iv. 11, have contained a population of upwards of six hundred thousand souls, which is nearly equal to that of

26

102
3

JONAH.
down
to Joppa,

Chap.

1.

But Jonaii

rose up to flee unto Tarshish, from the presence of

Jehovah*; and he went

to go with
Paris.

and found a ship going

to Tarsliish, and paid the fare thereof, and went

down

into her,

them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

that his presence (';s),
/,

As' it had long been the mistress of the East, and its situation was favorable for comniorce, it possessed immense wealth, but was, at the same time, notorious for the most flagrant corruption of manners. After a siege of three years, by Arbaccs the Jlede, it was taken about the seventh year of Uzziah and a
;

e.

the sensible

tokens of his presence, should accompany the Hebrews on their march to Canaan.

Exod.
Lxviii.

xxxiii.
2, 8.

reference to

Comp. Ps. ix. 3, also employed in the place or region where

14.

It

is

second time by the united forces of Cyaxares the ^lede, and Nabopolassar, viceroy of Babylon, b. c. 626. n/V" s^i". make a proclamation against it. This proclamation consisted in the announcement, that, Avithin the space of forty days, the city should be destroyed, hy the LXX. and Vulg. render iti ; and some would assign to the word the signification to,

such manifestations were vouchsafed, as Gen. iv. 14 where it obviously signifies the spot where the primitive worship was
;

celebrated,

and

sensible

proofs of

the

Divine favor were manifested to the worshippers. 1 Sam. i. 22, ii. 18 Ps. xlii. 3. In like manner, the place where Jacob had intimate communion with God, was called by that patriarch Vs':5,
;

the face, or manifestation of God, Gen. xxxii. 31. The interpretation, therefore,

but

it

better agrees

which Vs has, chap. iii. 3 with the flight of

of David Kimchi,

y-N

}<::

t:so

rrn

"d

Jonah to retain that of against.

The

idea of his going to so great a city for the purpose of denouncing punishment
its wicked population so appalled that he shrunk from the task. It is also more in keeping with the reason assigned in the following clause of the verse. The phrase nin"; i;^^ nVy, to go,

against

HitT:::, he imagined that if he went out of the land of Israel, the spirit of prophecy would not rest iipan him, is perhaps not wide of the mark. Jarchi to the same
effect,

him

v~5*^ n^rina r;-i r.i-'zv

yav.

or come

tip before
is

whatever

Jehovah, is expressive of supposed specially to attract

The Shekinah does not dwell aut of the land. Though, as Thcodoret observes, he well knew that the Lord of the tmiverse was everywhere present, yet he supposed that it was only at Jerusalem he became
apparent to
iv
iiTKpavetav.

his notice,

Comp.
xix.

"e'-j

and require his interference, S2, Gen. vi. 13 -^k nj^a,

;

men

inroKafx&avwv 5i Syuws
aiirhy 'n-oif7aAat
t})v

ixovT) 'lepovcToX^iiJ.

'Qa^uXwv f] fieyd\r} ^ixvlja^ ivwiriov Tov Qfov, Rev. xvi. 19. Ai d\er]fj.o(Twai aov iLVi^-qffav els ixirriix6avvov tfJiTTpO(T\')tV TOV 0oC, ActS X. 4. 3. For o"'r-iP, Tarshish, see on Is.
21.

For the reason of Jonah's flight, see on chap. iv. 2. nn- is used of going dotim to the sea-coast from any inland place, so that it cannot be inferred from the use of the term that it was at Jerusalem Jonah received his commission. "2% Japho, LXX. 'Uinrr], Arab.

xxiii. 10.

The Rabbins

Tarsus and Tunis.

the
sen.

vacillate between Jonathan has si>3'

his

Jonah resolved to make

LiLs, Yapha, Jaffa, Joppa, a celebrated

harbor on the east coast of the Mediterranean, at the distance of ten hours from Jerusalem, of which it is properly the seajxirt. However insecure, it was used as a harbor as early as the days of Solomon. 2 Chron. ii. 16. It was likewise thus appropriated in the Persian
period,

escape into the most distant regions of the West. Com. Ps. cxxxix. 7. nin^ ":s,

which strictly means the face, person, or presence of Jehovah, is sometimes employed to denote the special manifestation
of his presence, or certain outward and visible tokens by which he made himself TTius God promised locally known.

Ezra

iii.

and was deemed so

Chap. L

JONAH.

203

Bat Jehovah caused a great wind to come down upon the sea, and there was a great tempest in the sea, and it was apprehended the ship would be wrecked. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried, each to his god, and threw out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten her of them but as for Jonah, he had gone down into the innermost part of the vessel, and lay fast asleep.
;

important in the time of the ^Maccabees, that, when recovered from the Syrians, it was fortified, and afterwards under-

or
It

teas
is

tossed,

etc.

LXX.

iKivSvveve.

best

to

render

the verb impersalt,

sonally.
5. t.^n^'C,

went various fates. Its present population amomits to about 7000 souls. ji:2, which
is

mariners, from nVtt,

the

usually signifies to come, come into, enter, obviously here used in the acceptation

quality of the water which they navigate. Syr. and Arab, the same. Comp. Ezek.
xxvii. 9,27,29.
to the ancient
at sea.

go, go out.

Com. Num.

xxxii. 6.

p-,rD,

those toho handle the oars,

Kimchi, c'UiffiT:- ^CEin, with reference

of propelling vessels

i. e. of the vessel, the fare which Jonah had to pay for a passage in her not, that he engaged the vessel, as Benjoin, after Jarchi, would have it. .;;Vn3 -^V'h 3^ti sina; na p-i, onlij what he teas obliged to pay as his share.

her hire,

mode

Abenezra. This fare, it has been thought, he paid beforehand, that he might secure his flight fi-om the land of Judea but it may have been owing to a prudential condition on the part of the captain. The affix in Qn/sy refers to the ship's
;

Being in all probability Phoenicians, they had each his tutelary deity, whose interposition he invoked in the hour of danger. From the cii'cumstance that D'Vs signifies vessels, Benjoin infers, that the ship had not taken in a regular cargo, Jonah having paid the entire freight but "Vs is used with such lati;

creAV,
4.

imderstood.

The

force of

V'Un,

to

cause to come

doicn at full length, on appHcation to the

etorm,

wUl appeal* on consulting Josephus, who, speaking of the dangerous navigation of Joppa, says
ovOTL
:

tude of signification in the Hebrew Scriptures, that it may be understood of any kind of manufactured articles, such as those enumerated Ezek. xxvii. which formed the merchandise of Tyre. These the Phoenicians conveyed to Spain, whence they brought back cargoes of silver, iron, tin, and lead. That something

Kara, tovtov aaKev'ItJirTTTjj

more ponderous than a few

the deck
is

vessels

roii

OTrb

ttjs

inrh

rhf

ftt)

meant,

is

evident from

on what

Ki/evfia
inrh

filaiov

gTriir/irrej*

ixf\ajU.I36ptoi>

tSiv

tuvtt)

irKoi'i^ofiiVOv

KoKiiiai.

follows in the verse, eK0o\r)v 4iroirjffamo, the words employed by the LXX. in
translating

violent

they were driven about here, a wind fell upon them, which is called by those that sail there, the black north wind." De Bello Jud. iii. ix. 3. The whole section deserves to be read. Coverdale renders, " But the Lord hurled a greate wynde into the see.'* rsin, the
ship,
i.

"

As

which are the same which are used by Luke, Acts xxvii. 18. The dual form in rs'ESn "f^ST. the sides or two
;

sides of the vessel, is not to be pressed

the

word in this number being adopted in Hebrew usage to express a recess or remote part of any place. Comp. Ps.
cxxviii. 3
;

e.,

board, thought she

by metonymy, the persons on would founder. Thus

Sam. xxiv. 4

Is. xiv.

15

Kimchi
r"i2tt;D,

but Jarchi, ii"n "V"S3 r"tt-3

she appeared as if she shotild be

broken.
>

Synac
.

^31

j^

giwiA

Vn

ri-

o
/*

A Vn \ was

innermost part, best expresses the meaning. Kimchi otherwise explains it, n"r:;-i-n , rns Vs, to one of the sides, and appeals to Judges xii. 7, and Zech. ix. 9, in proof of the plural being See Geused instead of the singular.
the
senius, Lehrgeb. p. 665.

going to be broken,

It has been ob-

204
6

JONAH.
And
the captain went close np to liim, and said to
fast asleep ?

Chap.

him

How
God

is it,
Avill

thou art

Arise, call to thy

God

perhaps

think upon us, that

we

perish not,
:

And they said to each other Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know on Avhose account this calamity hath happened to us and they cast lots, and the lot fell iipon Jonah. And they Tell us now on what account this calamity hath said to him happened to us ? What is thine occupation ? And whence comest thou ? "What is thy country ? And of wliat people art thou ? And lie said to them I am an Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the
: : :

jectcd to the historical character of the

book, that

it is

not to be supposed that the

prophet could jxissibly have composed himself to sleeji in the circumstances but nothing was more here described natural than for a person after the fatigues of a journey, with a mind worn out by excessive anxiety, to be thrown in spite of himself, into such a condition. C-i" 1, which the LXX. render koI
;

thoughts, Ps. cxlvi. 4. The verb has the signification of thinking, purposing, LXX. etc. both in Chaldee and Syriac. y e^j Targ. Cri~n''_, Sjt. Siacrwa-q. a
.

to

d<iliver.

Ilitzig prefers the idea of

shining, being friendly, gracious,

like.

and the

Having found that their heathen deities rendered them no assistance, the
crew were anxious to try the effect of supplication on the part of Jonah to the God of the Hebrews, either from the supposition that he was stronger than their own gods, or that he might be displeased with the prophet, and required
to be placated. It deserves to be noticed, that the word for God is here used with

(peyXf, is designed to qualify the preceding verb, by expressing the profound

which Jonah had sunk. a singular beauty in putting r:"i", the name of the prophet, in the nominative absolute. " But as for Jonah " while all were full of consternation, expecting every moment to become a prey to the raging elements, he lay
stupor
into

There

is

perfectly unconscious of
piring.

^hat was transFor rD'iC, s/iip, which occurs

lit.

the article DTi-rNn, which is certainly designed to give emphasis to it ; God the true God. Comp. Dent. iv. 35,

only in this place, see the Preface.

6.

men V::n being used as a collective. Com. n^nat: z-s, chief of the body-guard,
Kings XXV. 8 fD'iO 21, chief of the Kimchi explains eunuchs. Dan. i. 3. thus t":Ec'th r-Vain c-k-j-.s !E3 i-irn "'Vrn V"!"^'-"! "-^'"'^'-^
2
;
:

V^D"

the jnaster of the rope-

D"nVs~ ts5n nnn^, and 1 Kings xviii. 31), t"-VNn sin n'in'^ n'n'^sn wn nirr^. Are we to infer from this circumstance,
that the captaiii was a worshipper of Je-

hovah

7-9.

The

casting of lots
^^ishcd

was comto

mon among
not only

the nations of antiquity,

when they

know

DrKSn, "the ship-men are calkd ropemen, because they draw and loosen the ropes, of the ma.st, according to their LXX. TTptipfuy. Yulg. yuhernskill." ator. fiVTT, to show oneself considerate, to think of, set one's mind upon ; in Kal, to invent, fabricate^ produce splendid work hence the noun rrr, arfif;

some future event, but also when they would determine cases of difficulty, and especially criminal causes, in which no
witnesses could be obtained. The mode of using them is not described in Scrij)ture, but

cause to

cial tcork.

Song
to

v. 14.

The

idea of shin-

ing ing
;

seems

be

a
28.

secondary

mean-

from the verb VS5, V'Sr, to fall, being commonly employed, it is probable it was by shaking the lots in some box or vnse, and then causing them to fall on the gi'oimd. Comp. Prov. xvi. 33, where V't:-, to throw doirn,
fall,
is

see Jcr, v.

Comp,

Jiiji^ry,

used, in connection with p'n, the iosoni,

Chap.

I.

JONAH,
:

205

10

God of heaven, wlio made the sea, and the dry land. And the men were greatly afraid, and said to him What is this thou hast done ? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the
They
fui'ther

11 presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.

said to

him

What

shall

we do

to thee, that the sea

may

cease

from raging against us ? for the sea groweth more and more Take me up, and throw 12 tempestuous. And he said to them me into the sea, and the sea shall cease from raging against you ; for I know it is on my account this great tempest is upon
:

you.
13

And

the

men rowed hard

garment in front of
"vvcre also

to regain the land

but they

or large fold of the

10.

rT't'y
is

ri5i"~ri,

what

is this

thoit,

the body

intimatuig, that lots

mixed
'TcVra,
"73 ^isr:,

lit.

there for the sake of secrecy. for that which is to whom, i. e.

for whose
gxiilt.

The words
"^ttV

in
are

ver. 8,

r,:V

rs-tn

nSnn

"I'i'Sa,

omitted in two of Kennicott's MSS., in the Soncin. edition of the Prophets, and and in the Vatican copy of the LXX. Kennicott's MS. 154, omits 'kV, most probably both by emendation, in order to avoid the repetition of what had been said in ver. 7. should rather have expected T.'ch nnsa, " on account of whit;" but ' may' be taken a neuter
;

not put for the puipose of obtaining information respecting his flight, for it is immediately added, that he had previously informed them of it, but is a formula which is intended to produce a strong feeling of disapprobahast done?
tion in the breast of

him

to

whom

it is

We

sense,

like

the

corresponding
it is

C^

in Ethiopic, as indeed,
'Ti^'iZ^

in the phrase

'^,

" ^Miat

is

thy nayne?" Jud.

same time, the idea of surprise that he could have Comp. been guilty of such conduct. Gen. iii. 13, xii. 18, xx. 9. The question shows that what Jonah had said respecting the character of the true God, had made a deep impression upon the minds of the sailors. 11. They had clearly the conviction, that as the prophet was the cause of the storm, some step must be taken in order
addressed, conveying, at the
to get rid of

xiii. 16.
''ri

Comp.
is

also 1

"K, " ^^Hiat

my

life

Sam. xviii. 17, " Micah i. 5, ?

him

thej'

him but how to dispose of knew not. That they wished,

;

rV/:2 -w-aps;: i"j3 , " What " What are the the sin of Jacob ? " high places of Jud ah ? " Hexaplar Sjt.

n-m^
is

if possible, to

save his life, is clear from the sequel. VS72 pri^ conveys the idea of
subsiding, so as
violence,

upon with
1 1

no longer to bear down and graphically de-

Vo ^\_AJiC> on account ofiohat.

:

Leo

" unde sit nobis hoc malum." The seamen were anxious to leana every particular connected with the history of Jonah, in order that they might discover

Juda

scribes the threatening attitude of a tempestuous sea, rising above the ships that are exposed to it. I^tys properly signifies to settle doic7i, be still,

cease from rag-

the real cause of the storm.

n-i\ to fear,

followed by the accusative, signifies to cherish feelings of reverence, to reverence, honor, etc., and is not here to be interpreted in the sense of being afraid, which would have required the preposition ",
before the object in such a case as the present.

ny b^ tj'.^^' ^^** ffoing atid storming, meaning, to go on, increase, become more and more tempestuous a common idiom in Hebrew. Comp. Exod. xix. 19 1 Sam. ii. 26, xvii. 41 Esth. ix. 4
ing,
; ;

Prov.
13.

iv.

18.
to

"TV,,

dig,
is

or break forcibly
strongly expressive

through anything,
of the great effort

made by

the seamen

206

JONAH.
:

Chap. IL

could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against
1-t

And they cried to Jehovah, and said O now Jehovah not perish, we beseech thee, for this man's life and laynot innocent blood to our charge for thou, O Jehovah hast 15 done as it pleased thee. And they took up Jonah, and threw Then the 16 him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
them.
!

let us

men

feared Jehovah greatly, and offered a and made vows.

the
life

sacrifice to

Jehovah,

to avoid sacrificing

of Jonah.

God.

They had not been brought

;

into

LXX.
r'':sn
14.

irapefiid^oyro.
rs*.

At a^'pr^ supply
,

their present circumstances

prayer for pagans The words, to present to the true God n-as; S3~Vs4 nirr^ nas, are pecuharly
affecting
!

An

duct of their o\n\ account for the guilt of Jonah, since he was chargeable vsith no act of immorahty. Yet he was the object of Divine
displeasure.
15,
16.

by any connor could they

and tender. rtSN, the same as which Gesenius takes to be compounded of ns, oh ! and S3, the usual
eaniest
S43JJ,

They now proceed calmly,

particle of entreaty.

.!, obseero.

Comp. the Arab. The Keri marks k in

N-p: as redundant, and a great number MSS. read 'p:. r:., life, means here hfe that is taken away, having "jis nn, inthe nocent blood, corresponding to it following clavise. Comp. Deut. xix. 21 2 Sam. xiv. 7. Coverdale, well as to the The refersense, " this man's death."

ence is not to anything that Jonah had done, but to what they were about to do to him. Vy T'n irs, to give blood upon,

though with great reluctance, to act in accordance with what they had been led to regard as the wiU of the Most High. The calm appears to have taken place instantaneously. According to the Rabbins, Grotius, and some others, they did not actually offer a sacrifice, but only purposed to do it before Jehovah, but it is more natural i. e. at Jerusalem to conclude that they sacrificed some animal that was on board, and vowed that they would present greater proofs
;

means

to charge

with murder.

Syr.
is,

,_2)^jl^^^

not. ||, iinpute

The

sense

when they returned Michaelis thinks from their voj-age. they intended to perform their vows when they reached Spain.
of their gratitude
'

let us not be foimd guilty of killing an In the concluding innocent person. words of the verse, they refer the whole
affair

Quin

ubi transmissae steterint trans

aequora classes,

Et

positis aris

to the

mysterious providence of

jam vota in litore solves." Mneid. iii. 403.

CHAPTER

II.

"With the exception of the first and last verses, which give an historical account of the fate but beautiful hymn of of Jonah as preserved by a great fish, this chapter contains a brief the dry deliverance. It was in all probability composed immediately after his reaching called upon Jeholand, but embodies some of the leading topics in reference to which he vah during his stay in the deep.

(CiiAP.

I.

17.)

Now

Jehovah had appointed a great

fish

to

Chap. H.

JONAH.
in the

207
bowels of the
fish

(lays

And Jonah was swallow Jonab. and three nights.

so

three

(Chap. i. 17, in our common verIt has been supposed by some that the lish here spoken of was ertated at the moment for the purpose of swallowing the prophet, though, according
1.

though not the

large

sion.)

ri:iK73 it was rrirM rfics-a ^-c, prepared for the purpose at the creation of the world but there is nothing in the original word nstt which

to Rabbi Tarphon,

size of a whale, yet has a gullet, and so capacious a stomach, that one of them has been found to contain a warrior, clad in all his armor. Bochart, Hierozo. p. ii. lib. v. Others have supposed that it cap. xii.

was a
cious,

shark, a species of fish abounding

in the Mediterranean, exceedingly vora-

and in the belly of which whole

been found.
stib.

at all suggests the idea of creation or

men have
Ave

See Parkhurst's
vac.
Ktjtos.

production.
certa
aliqui

Like

the

Arab.

^uO,
dejinivit

Greek Lexicon,

But

quanitate certoque

modo

decretus fuit, it properly signifies to appoint, order, arrange, and

;

rem

well acquiesce in the decision of Rosenmiiller "Tota hsec de pisce Jonae disquisitio vana videtur atque inutilis." The Scriptures leave it entirely undecided
:

may

the Hke, so that

all

that can be legitiits

mately inferred from

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

and
for
it its

into

the

sea,

instrumentahty

was wanted
other words,

his

deliverance.

In

was the
in

pre- arrangement

result of a special the Divine plan,

marine animals the merely stating that it was Vina i,-':,agreatjish, one sufiiciently large for the occasion. Much has been written to relieve the transaction of the miraculous but that it is physically possible for a human subject, which has been accustomed for yeai's to breathe the vital air, to exist without respiration, or upon
to species of
;

what

fish

belonged

according

to

which

the

movements

of all creatures are regulated, and rendered subservient to the purposes of God's universal government. LXX. Comp. chap, iv 6-8. On irpoffera^e. the subject of the fish itself various opinions

fish, for the length of here specified, has never been The position of Abenezra is proved. the only one that can, with any consist-

the foul air in a

time

ency, be maintained riT;^ iisn r;" "I'S* p-i -lEC^n rt :: tri^i t,v^ z'z r.:.-- 'J'^a
:

have been broached. Mutianus, and after him Hermann von der Hardt, would have it to be nothing more than an inn, with the sign of " The Whale," into which Jonah was received after
having been
cast on shore Less proposed the theory of a ship with this name, which happened to be close by and rescued the prophet ; while Thaddaeus supposed that, on being thrown out of the vessel, he lighted upon a large fish, on which he rode for the time specified, Till the and was at last cast on shore time of Bochart it was commonly supposed to have been the baleena, or whale properly so called, owing to a misinterpretation of KTJTos, Matt. xii. 40,
!

es f'i"c^, " No man has the power of living in the bowels of a fish for a single
:

hour

how much

less for

such a number

of hours, except by the operation of a miracle." The transaction w^as, as Kimchi observes, Q-csn
miracles.
'"a

nns, one of the

tmequivocally

As such

it is

recognized by our Lord, when he calls it a ffTifi-ftdy, a sig7i or token of divine interposition, a supernatural event, manifestive of the

power of God, Matt. xii. 39 ; and it behooves all his disciples implicitly and cordially to receive his decision. For the period of " three days and three nights," see Whitby on Matt. xii. 40. 2. For VVsn-';!, comp. VVsriPi, 1 Sam.
ii.

which

signifies

any great

fish in general.

"With much ingenuity that learned author endeavors to prove, that it must have been the carcharias, or dog-fish, which,

the Eabbins, Hezel, and would argue fi'om the use of "), from, out of, and not a, in, before "^yi:, that the prayer of Jonah was not pre1.

Some of

others,

208
2

JONAH,
prayed to Jehovah and said
his

Chap.

II.

And Jonah
fisli,

God from

the bowels of the

3 I cried because of

my
;

distress to

Jehovah,

And he answered me From tlie interior of Sheol

Thou 4 Thou
hcardest

I cried out

my

voice.

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 but after his deliverance; but this
is

xxxi. 23.

ver. 5.

fish,

interpretation

justly rejected both

by

Abenezra and Eamchi. The preposition marks the place from which he directed his thoughts to the Most High. Comp. Vis'j ''oz;2, ver. 3 C^piKS^att, Ps. cxxx.
;

:oE5

Lxix. 2.
jy

ver. 6.
^isa

c^

:ice;
cxlii. 4.
^"sti, -"^y

ly

ns>n,?a,

Ps. cxviii. 5.

The

final

ver. 8.
s

in ni'^n is not feminine, as has been supposed, and upon which assumption

tiqynna
7.

'bes

'V.y

ciayrna

have built the theory, that a still larger female fish swallowed that in which Jonah was preserved ; but the n paragogic, which corresponds to the status emphaticus of the Aramaic, and is designed to strengthen the termination. For other instances in which it is added, at the same time that the noun takes the article, comp. ro-inn, Judges
18 nrjiian, Ps. cxvi'. 15. The position of the accent is of no account.
xiv.
;

certaui Rabbins

xxxi.

ver. 9.
t"'-i53'i'

iii.

9.

ver. 10.

On

the supposition that familiar with the Psalms,

natural for

it

Jonah was was very

him

to incorporate sentences

3,

4.
is

The h)^nn which commences

partly descriptive,
partly
pre-

here

catory,

and partly

eucharistical.
is

These
clear

two

verses are introductory, as

from the use of "PnttN i:s j and give expression to the feelings' and pious exercLse of the prophet in the awful circumstances into which he had been brought. That the language, not only of the prayer, but also of the introduction, is in part borrowed from the Psalms, appears from the follo^ving comparison
:

taken from them with his own languagCi just as we frequently do in extempore prayer, without thinking of the portion of Scripture from which they are derived. Visi; VJS, lit. the belli/ of Sheol, i. e. the vast and hidden receptacle of the departed. Targ. xtt-inn r-y^stt,/row the lowest part of the abyss, but less properly. The remark of Jerome is " Yentrum
:

inferi

quae tantae fuit magnitudirds, ut instar obtineret infemi." Before n^iistt, ver. 4, supply
S.
~vi!.
it is

alvum

ccti intelligamus,

commonly used

of a river, but

here

to be understood of the strong

current or stream of the sea, which flows

1.

Psalm cxx.

Jonah

ii.

3.

There is no foundation for the opinion of Abenezra and Kimchi, that it was intended to describe the confluence of the waters of a river with those of the sea.
like a river.
Kol
i.v

xlii. 8.

ver. 4.

irorauo'o ^(fdpa
Iliad, xiv. 245.

ClKfapov, hffirtp yfVfats irayTT(ri t(tvk-

nnay

'hy

rai.

Chap.

II.

JON AH.

209

All thy breakers and thy billows passed over me.

Then
I

I said
cast out

am

from before thine eyes,

Yet I will look again towards thy holy temple. The waters press around me to the very life ; The abyss encompasseth me The weed is bound to my head. I go down to the clefts of the mountains As for the earth, her bars are shut upon me for ever. But thou wilt bring up my life from destruction, O Jehovah my God
; ;
!

Meffffcf)

yap ixeyd\oi

irorafioi

koI

Seivh,

had no such idea

describes

in his mind.
felt,

He

rather

peedpa,
'ClKeavhs jueV irpura,
Odi/ss. xi. 156.
(f>epe

how he

as if entangled

by

Ttjv Sf Kar' ^CiKtavhv norafihy

p6oio. 5.

kvimx

the sedge or weeds through which he was dragged.

7. C^asj/, sections, cuttings, clefts,
:i::p,

Ibid, 638.

from

Having described

his condition, the

to

cut;

Arab. v_^.^Jj,

abscidit,

'

prophet now proceeds to give the words of his prayer, n'ln"'. "^i'V nai, to be before the eyes of Jehovah, means to be the object of his special notice and care. Jonah had fled from the Divine presence in Canaan, but now he feels that he is expelled even from the abodes of life, and cut off, as it were, from the regard of that Providence which watches over Still he does not the chDdren of men. He conabandon himself to despair. fidently expects to be restored to the enj(tyment of his privileges in the temple at Jerusalem, and there to render thanks
to

resecuit.
6p4o)v.

Thus the
"Vulg. extrema

LXX.

cxiffM"*

montium. Targ. I4!i"^^t3 """ipy, the roots of the moimtains. The word describes the deep indentations or clefts made in the roots of mountains

which
at

project

into

the

sea,

or those

divisions

which

are found in the rocks

God

for his deliverance.

Green would

its bottom. Vl^JH' *^^ earth, is emphatically put in the nominative absolute, as the object to which the affecHe tions of the prophet still clung. was expelled from it, as from a habitation, and its bars had been shut upon him, so that he could not return. Gesenius takes the bars to be" those of Sheol

supply the negative tiV before "r-ls, and Hitzig would point 'qtt, '^s for "rj-s,

how; but both without any authority. Such sudden transitions from fear to
hope are frequently expressed
ture.
6. '"Ei~"iy,
i. e.

we have ViNt;'"iJ>, the gates of Sheol, Is. xxxviii. 10, the phrase here must have been n'^nna Vis'i, and not
but, as

Scrip-

rj^nna

V":.5*n'

^^
is

^"^^ ^^^

^^^'^

*^
for

meaning,
even
life
to,
;

lya

put

elliptically

or to the very soul,

lya

C-iJiiS, the verb, 'n:G being obvi-

the animal
life.

meaning, to the exis

ously implied.

Jonah adds, dVij'V, /or

the alga, or iceed, which abounds at the bottom of the sea, and from which the Arabian Gulf takes the name of ci50 n^ the sea of xoeeds. Kimchi explains it by t<72i:i,
tinction of
C)!ie,

ever, to express the impossibility of his

ever again reaching the dry land, by any Yet, exposed as he effort of his own. momentarily was to death in the region of corruption (Mni", the pit, or grave,)

the papyrus, or bulrush.

too

Gesenius refines

much when he
like a turban.

attaches to'i';nn in

this place the idea of binding

head

round the Assuredly Jonah

he confidently- expresses his hope that God would restore him. He asserts his interest in Jehovah by calling him " his God."

27

210
8

X A II

Chap. EL

When my
I

soul was overwhelmed within me, remembered Jehovah And my prayer came in unto thee,
;

Into thy holy temple. They that regard lying vanities

Forsake their Benetactor. 10 But as for me, I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving
;
:

have vowed I will perform Salvation belongeth to Jehovah. And Jehovah commanded the 11 Jonah upon the dry land.
I
8.

What

fish,

and

it

vomited forth

The prophet here resumes

his de-

scription of the circumstances of distress to to Jehovah,

which he was reduced, his application and the answer which he

The composition received to his prayer. of this and the following verses, hke that of verses 3 and 4, belongs to a period
Rubsecjuent to his dehverance yet while describing his condition, he occasionally
;

performing his vows, of which we may conclude, the execution of his commission to go to Nineveh formed none of the The paragogic n in rr^TJ^ is inleast. tensive. Comp. Ps. iii. 3. In both passages, the deliverance is ascribed to Je-

hovah

as its author, as the V in r';"'''?

imports.

language to Jehovah, towaids Avhom, as his deliverer, liis thoughts nattiiiyrn, to be in a state urally rose,
directs his

On reviewing this prayer, and weighing the import of its several terms, it is obvious, that though Jonah was in a state of consciousness while in the belly of the fish, he had no idea that such was oi faintness, swoon, from ::;i:y, to cover, On the contrary, he aphis situation. to involve in darkness, OL'crwAeto. LXX. 'Ev ry pears to have been under the impreswell, as it respects the sense .sion that he was engulfed in the sea, (KKiheiv ott' ffiov rrjv i|/uX'7'' M""^now forcibly carried along by its current, striking description of idolaters, 9. but which may also be extended to all now entangled among its weeds, and who prefer created objects, in any shape, now sinking into the profound ra\'ines D-rDn, lit. their mercy or good- of its rocks. to God. 11. Green and Boothroyd, on mere by metonymy for their Benefactor ness
:

i. e.

God, the author and source of all Comp. goodness the Supreme Good.
:

conjecture,

remove

this

verse

from

its

Ts. cxliv. 2, where David calls God his - r n The word properly signifies kindness
.

present position, and insert it before the Such a transposition Hitzig prohjTnn. nounces to be violent, unnecessary, and

ex benignity,

nates

Him who

and most appropriately desigis good to all, and whose

all

tender mercies are over

his works..

The Syriac

reads,

.^^ >V/i

^-

%ji.

thy

a perversion of the passage. not stated where the prophet was cast on shore, but in all probabiUty it was somewhere on the coast of Palestine. According to some, the fish carried him,
in
It
short,
is

mercy, which Green, on this authority alone, admits into the text 10. Deeply sensible of the merciful
interposition of

during the three days and three nights, do'svn the Mediterranean, and through the Archipelago, and the Propontis, into
the Euxine sea, and deposited him on the south coast, at the nearest point to Not to mention how the Nineveh
!

Jehovah on his behalf, Jonah now solemnly engages to give expression to his feelings of gratitude by

accompanying his presentation of sacrifice with a song of praise, and faithfvilly

Rabbins make him reach that city by

the Tigris
!

Chap. in.

JONAH.

211

CHAPTER
;

III.

This chapt. contains an account of the renewal of the prophet's commission, 1, 2; his preaching to the Ninevites, 3, 4 the universal humiliation aud reformation effected by it, 5-9 and the reversal of the Divine sentence by which the city had been doomed to destruction, 10.

And the word of Jehovah was communicated to Jonah

:

a second

go to Nineveh, that great city, and make the And Jonah arose, and 3 proclamation to it which I order thee. went to Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was a great city even to God, of three days' journey. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city, a journey of one day and Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be he proclaimed, and said
2 time, saying

Arise,

overthrown.
5

And
fast,

the men of Nineveh believed in God, and proclaimed a and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them, even to the

6 least of them.

And

the subject reached the king of Nineveh,

and he arose from

his throne,

and put

off his robe,

and covered
a proclama-

7 himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.

3. D^n'^sVi. nV-ini
-I"'!',

And

city great to

This phrase has been variously explained. Some, with Kimchi, deem it merely a superlative form Gesenius construes the h instrumentally, great through God, i. e. through his favor. Others consider it to be equivalent to 'za-n'Vs "ijeV Thus the Targ. before God, Gen. x. 9.
God.
;

nouncement he would stop at difTerent places, as the crowds might collect around
him.
d'n'^NS ^"kn-, believing in spoken of in reference to such as had previously been ignorant of him, it must be taken as involving the recognition of his being and character as the true God, and not simply their giving credit to the annoimcements of his messengers. To express the latter, h VttSTi
5.

When
is

God,

^^

t3-ip

Of
it

this last interpretation I

was most natural to refer the size of a city, to which the Hebrews could form no adequate conception, to
approve, as

the Divine estimation. I have accordingly rendered the words literally, as our preposition to is often used to note opinion or estimate. For the dimensions of Nineveh, as here given, see on chap. i. The opinion of Abarbanel, that the 2. diameter of the city is intended, is justly exploded. 4. It is impossible to determine how
far
it

employed. See Gen. xlv. 26 Is. liii. All, without distinction of age or rank, put on sackcloth, the usual attire of deep moiuning. 6-8. Who the king of Assyria was at the time, is not certain. Pul, the first monarch of that empire mentioned by name in Scripture, did not begin to reign
is
;

1.

till B. c.

it

Jonah penetrated into Nineveh, since

is

probable that in

making

his

an-

769. Some are of opinion that was Sardanapalus if so, his repentance was the more remarkable, for according to the ancients he was pro;

212
tion

JOXAH.
was made through
;

ClIAP. III.

Xinev(!li,

by order of the king and

beast,

his

grandees, saying, Let neither

man nor

ox nor sheep, taste

anything
8

let

them not
;

feed,

neither let

them drink

-water.

But

let

mightily

man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and and let them turn every one from unto God

cry
his

wicked way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 Who knoweth but that God may turn and repent, and turn away from the fierceness of his anger, that we perish not ? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their wicked way, and God repented of the evil which he had said he would inflict upon them, and he inflicted it not.
verbially notorious
fligacy.
'

on account of his pro-

that there are crimes in his haiids

only

Et
is

venerc, et cocnis, et plumia Sardanapali.''

Kimchi proposes another, 'Sm y-T'B ''li r;3Vi;rn, He who knoweth the ways of
repentance
; but it is obviously a formula expressive of great guilt, yet involving

Juvenal. Sat.

iii.

he composed for his epitaph, " Eat, drink, play ; after death there is no pleasure." The description of
It

said

that

ing.

the mourning here given is very affectThat the irrational animals should
it,

Comp. Joel ii. 14. the hope of pardon. 10. God is anthropopathically said to repent, when he changes his mode of
procedure, or acts differently from what his promises or threatenings had given

be represented as partaking in from vmnatural.

*'

is

far

reason to expect.

The

threatening in

Non

ulli pastes illis

egere diebus
:

Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina

nulla

neque amneni
Libavit quadrupes, nee graminis attigit Virg. Eel. v. 24. herbam."

the present case having been conditional, was repealed on the performance of the implied condition. To Avhat extent the

" Post bellator equus, positis insignibus,

repentance of the Ninevites was genuine in its character, and how long the reformation of manners here specified lasted, we are not informed but there is reason
;

^thon
It lacrymans, guttisque

to fear

humectat granMiieid. xi. 89.

dibus ora."

Plutarch informs us that when Masistias, a Persian general, was slain, the horses and mules were shorn, as well as the
Persians themselves.
9.

The Jewish

interpreters follow the

construction put upon the words y n-^ ^w, who knoiceth, in the Targum : v-r^^ v? "5^5 in n''"T'2 IT'S^, whoever is conscious

was of short continuance, for after their city had been besieged for three years by Arbaces the Mcde, it was taken and destroyed. Diod. Sic. ii. 26, Thus fell the ancient AssjTian etc. dynasty, and gave place to that of the Medes, which continued till the time of Cyaxares, when Nineveh, which had been rebuilt, was again destroyed, and
it

finally ceased to be

an inii>erial residenca See Preface to the Book of Nahum.

Chap. IV.

JONAH.

213

CHAPTER
The

lY.
re-

selfish aud repining spirit of the prophet, and the means employed by Jehovah to prove and instruct him, are here set forth.

But Jonah was exceedingly displeased and vexed. And he prayed to Jehovah, and said Ah now, Jehovah was not this my word while I was yet in my own country ? Wherefore I anfor I knew that thou art a ticipated it by fleeing to Tarshish and of great kindness, long-suffering, God, merciful gracious and And now, O Jehovah take, I pray 3 and repentant of the evil. for my death were better than my life. thee, my life from me 4 And Jehovah said to him Art thou much vexed ?
1

Unwarrantable attempts have been

to soften

Avithin myself,

my

cogitation.

c~.r;

is

the character of Jonah, as exhibited in this chapter. The utmost that can be advanced in extenuation of his conduct, is, the strong tincture of national prejudice with which his

made

down

spirit

appears to have been imbued.

ix. 54.

Com.

here taken in the sense of doing anything Jonah in order to anticipate another. acknowledges that he used all despatch The in his attempt to leave Palestine. description of the Divine goodness here given agrees verbally with that exhibited
Joel ii. 13. He recollected the numerous instances in which, instead of executing
his threatenings,

Luke

mn,

however seems to

be here used, 'not in the sense of being enraged or angry, but in that of being Comp. the subject of grief or sorrow. Grief and 2 Sam. vi. 8. 1 Sam. XV. 11 and anger are passions nearly related
;
;

Jehovah had, in the

exercise of his patience, borne with the guilty, and even interposed with illustrious acts of

pardon

and he was afraid

in illustration of this application of nnrt, to burn, the following instances may be

of compromising his character by announcing what he had reason to expect

adduced
Tis
iTKavZaXi^irai,
km.

ovk

eya>

ir

v-

might never take place. 4 'nV n^n 2l3^nn',mostmodem versions

improperfy render, " dost thou well," or, '< is it right in thee to be angry r " their authors not adverting to the fact that the Hiph. Infinitive of ^ry\ is often used
adverbially in the acceptation, greatly, See exceedingly, thoroughly, or the like. Deut. ix. 21, xiii. 15 2 Kings xi. 18. In
;

povfxaf, 2 Cor.

xi. 29.

'A\A' S) KaKoviKi) Kaofaat riiv KapSlav, KaJ TToW' vTTfp rtfiuv twv yvvcuKcov &x^oAristoph. Lysist. v. 9. fiai.

Eheu

disperii

voltus neutiquam hujus

placet. Tristis incedit, pectus ardet."

Plant. Mercat.

Act

iii.

Sc. 4, v. 14.

like

"

Tum vero

exarsit Juveni dolor ossibus

manner the finite form n snV P ='^/n, Thus the LXX. tl cr<p65pa Jer. i. 12.
-i

ingens."

.Mneid. v. 172.

\(\virri<Tat ffv

the Syr.
'r^\

jA_^j

.^

..

And

" Non the declaration of Cicero Epist. ad angor, sed ardeo dolore."

and the Targ.

explains,

q^.n

K-Jfj,'?"-

Attic. \i. 9.
2.

Kimchi

tsw
?

'-,^

"'-n-,

my

word,

i.

e.

what

I spake

thou mtich grieved

nnrt fiS, Art and adds, ata'n

214
5

OXA

II

CUAP. IV.

And Jonah went

city,

out of the city, and sat to the east of the

a booth for himself, and sat iinder
it

and

tlicre

made

in

the

6 shade,

he should see "what would happen in the city. And Jehovah God had appointed a ricinus plant, and he caused it to rise up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his affliction and Jonah rejoiced exceedingly on account of
till
:

the ricinus.
7
8

But God appointed a worm, at the rising of the dawn, on the morrow, and it injured the ricinus, so that it withered. And it came to pass at the sun-rise, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, and he fainted, and requested that he might die for he said, My death were bet;

yzvri j;T-n "ii'yj", As for z'cr., it imports the strewjihenbirj of a subject. The renderings, Will grieving do thee
and. Does beneficence offend thee ? are totally to be rejected. 5. "\Ve cannot determine on what day Jonah abandoned his labors among the

out in the shape of an open hand with the fingers extended, their collective

any good

Ninevitcs ; but it is evident from the conclusion of this verse, that it must have been before the lapse of the forty

days specified in his announcements. 6- "~<ii I take to be the apocopated Future of Hiphil, having c'r'Vs nini

v>p"~, the kikaion or communis, Linn.), commonly known by the name of Pulma The -word is the same as the Christi. Egyptian KIKI, and the Talmudic Kik, with the Hebrew termination. In Arabic
for its nominative.

ricinus plant (Ricinus

it

is

called

O.,;ril>

El'Kheroa, which

13

not to be confounded with

c-AJI,

El-Karra, the cucurbita, LXX. Ko\oKw^. Our English rendering rjourd is equally inappro]iriate. This plant is indigenous in India, Palestine, Arabia. Africa, and the cast of Europe, and on account of its singular beauty is cultivated in gardens. It is a biannual, and usually prows to the height of from eight to ten feet. It is chiefly remarkable on account
of
its

shade affords an excellent shelter from It is of exceedingly tlie heat of the sun. quick growth, and has been known in America to reach the height even of thirteen feet in less than three months. "When injured it fades with great rapidity. See on ver. 10, Celsii Hierobot. pt. ii. Michaelis, Supplem. No. 226.3 p. 273 Kosenmiiller, in the Biblical Cabinet, Michaelis, Bibol vol. xxvii. p. 125 Ubcrsetz., note on the passage, where there is a plate with an excellent repreHow much such sentation of a ricinus. a shrub, throwing its palmy branches over the small hut which the prophet had erected, must have contributed to his relief in the sultry environs of Ninevah, may easily be imagined. His joy in the last is emphatically described clause of the verse. 8. The *:'p nn-, or east wind, is the sultrj' and oppressive wind which blows in the summer months across the vast Arabian desert, and produces universal It resembles languor and relaxation. the Sirocco, only is free from its damp;

ness,

and consequently more destructive

instance,

leaves,

and

serrated,

seven lobes. a branch, but being

which are broad, palmate, and divided into six or Only one leaf grows on
largo,
foot,

Superadded, as in the to the heat of the morning sim, it is exceedingly oppresAccording to the versions, r'^L-'-n sive.
to

vegetation.

present

signifies withering

other^^isc, as

from
etr.,

i"~rt, it signifies to

derived be quiet, silent,

sometimes

which

better agrees vs'ith the idea of

measuring more than a

and

.prcad

sultriness.

Chap. IV.
9 ter than

JON AH.
my
'

215
Jonah
:

life.

And God

said unto

Art thou much

:

I am mudi 10 vexed on account of the ricinus ? And affected on art Thou said Jehovah vexed, even to death. And trouble, and no hadst thou which with ricinus, the of account which thou didst not rear, which came in a night, and perished and I, should not I be aifected on account of Nine11 in a night veh, that great city, in which are more than twelve times ten

he said

thousand human beings who cannot distingiiish between their right hand and their left, and much cattle
!

9.

The words

r^-^s

ly

'Vnnn

'z'^'~<

the
i-y(i>

LXX.

translate,

'S,(p65pa

\e\vn7)i.i.ai

bavoLTov, which nearly agree eais with those of our Lord, Mark xiv. 34.

produced, such an extraordinary accelerated power of germination, that the leaves which would otherwise have required some longer time to come to
turity,

ma-

10. C?,n, properly signifies to he affected by the sight of anything ; hence to

were brought

to perfection in the

feel concern on account of it, to take I have employed pity or compassion.

-,2, a son, is used course of a night. idiomatically to express what is produced, or exists, during the time predicated of
it.

the passive form of our verb to affect, the translation a in order to present word equivalent to that which is here used hi the original. There seems to ne-

Thus

it is

resolved in the Targ.

^^,

which
11.

this

night was, and in another

night perished.

cessity for taking the

Hebrew verb
formula,

in

two

acceptations.
^254 n^'V of a night,
is

The

rVV;2'^
of a night,

lies

',31""

1%, lit.

tohich icas the son

a7id perished the son

The peculiar force of the appeal in the immense number of rational creatures which must have perished had Estimating Nineveh been destroyed.
and assuming them
to

obviously intended to express the extraordinary rapidity with which the ricinus put forth its leaves and afterwards withered. That the tree itself was instantaneously produced, camiot be proved from this mode of speech, any more than from the use of the verb n:73, ver. 6 otherwise we should be obliged, for the sake of consistency, to maintain, that the whole tree was miraculously destroyed, and had entirely disappeared during the
;

the age of the children at about three

years,

have formed

a fifth part of the population, which is the allowance generally made, we shall have six hundred thousand as the number of inhabitants.
this

In order to enhance 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
ity to
is

night.
thetical.

riTi

and

-tz^'

are strictly anti-

adverted

to,

the latter being far

But, as ail that was required in the one case, was that the broad spreadmg leaves should wither, so as no longer to afford protection to Jonah, though the trunk remained so all that was necessary in the other was to give to the tree which had been previously
;

superior in point of

mechanism and utilthe shrub for which he was so

is

much

concerned.

There

something in the abrxipt man-

ner in which the book closes which is highly calculated to produce its effect o
the

mind of

a reflecting reader.

MI
According
is

AH.
i.

PREFACE.
to the introductory statement, chap.
1,

Micah was a native

1

of ^loreslieth, which some take to be the same as Mareshah, ver.

but

it

rather the town called Moresheth-Gath, ver. 14, which, according to Je-

rome, lay in the vicinity of the city of Eleutheropolis, to the west of Jerusalem, and not far from the border of the country of the Philistines.

His name,

r;S"tt,

Micah,

or, as

it is

given in

full in

the Chethib, Jer. xxvi.

18, n'S'W, Micaiah, signifies,

toJio is like
is

Jehovah?

The time
B. c.

at

which he flourished
c.

stated in the introduction to

that of the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz,

and Hezekiah

i.

e.

have been somewhere between

757 and b.

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 contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, and is not to be confouncied with Micaiah the son of Imlah, 1 Kings xxii. 8, who flourished upwards of a hundred years
before the reign of Jotham.

Hartmann and Eichhorn would

region of Manasseh
miiller,
;

refer the period of his ministry to the

is

but their hypothesis

justly rejected

by Jahn, Rosen-

De

brought to

Wette, and Knobel, on the ground, that all the circumstances view in his prophecies, perfectly harmonize with the state of

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 Manasseh. It is true, Hezekiah issued orders, that idolatry should be put down,

and the worship of the true God re-established but there is no reason to believe that the reformation was carried out to the full extent of his wishes. The relations also of the Hebrews to the powerful empires of Assyria and Egypt, are in exact accordance with the history of the same times. The prophecies of Micah are directed partly against Judah, and partly against Israel but by far the greater number are of the former description. He predicts the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, and of Samaria its capthe desolation of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and the consequent capital the restoration of tlie Jewish state the successes of the tivity of the Jews Maccabees; and the advent and reign of the Messiah. He also administers reproof to diflTerent ranks and conditions of men, and furnishes some striking
; ;

representations of the Divine character.

PREFACE TO MICAH.
His
style
is

217
and energetic
sublimity.

concise, yet perspicuous, nervous, vehement,

and
is

in

many
;

instances, equals that of Isaiah in boldness

in the varied use of tropical

and
;

He

rich

and beautiful

language
is

indulges in pa-

ronomasias

preserves a pure and classical diction;

;

regular in the forma-

and exhibits a roundness in the construction of his periods which is not surpassed by his more celebrated contemporary. Both in administering threatenings and communicating promises, he evinces great tenderness, and shows that his mind was deeply affected by the subjects of which he treats. In his appeals he is lofty and energetic. His description 20, is unrivalled by any conof the character of Jehovah, chap. vii. 18
tion of his parallelisms

tained elsewhere in Scripture.

* Several prophecies in Micah and Isaiah are remarkably parallel with each

other;
fairly

and there is frequently an identity of expression, which can only be accounted for on the ground of their having been contemporaneous

writers,

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 and the second, the two remaining chapters, which are more general i. V.
;

and

didactic in their character.

28

CHAPTER
The

I.

prophet commences by summoning universal attention, while, in sublime language, the destruction he describes the descent of Jehovah to punish the nation, 1-5; he predicts and then the advance of Samaria by the Assyrians, which he pathetically laments, 6-8; with an enumeration of certain of Sennacherib against Jerusalem, 9-12; concluding his ministry, but towns of Judah, the inhabitants of which had more especially enjoyed were to share in the desolating effects of the ^Vssyrian invasion, aud ultimately, with the whole land, those of the Babylonian captivity.

The -word of Jehovah which was communicated to Micah the Morashthite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Hear, all ye people Attend, O Earth and
!

its fulness

And

let

the

Lord Jehovah
Jehovah
is

testify to you,

The Lord from

3 For, behold
1.
tilic,
!

his holy temple.

coming forth from

^ 8^^"
struction
is

his place

^P-i--i-K,

contracted

"'r}'Jr'-

and not a patronymic,

imagined.
ver. 14.
2.

some have See the introduction, and on

as

LXX.
Kol
vi.

render
01

repeated in Ps'V, which the according to' the sense,

eV
avr-p.

travTis

Comp. Amos
^;^nx,

8;

Is. xlii. 10.

Instead of n in ^

It is not a little remarkable, that as the first sentence

four

of

Kennicott's

MSS.

read

nir;^

Micah should adopt

of his prophecy,

CJiriVs; and,

instead of

i':t5

repeated,

that with which his namesake concluded his denoimcement against Ahab, 1 Kings xxii. 28. Hengstenberg is of opinion that he quoted the words designedly, in order to show that his prophetic agency was to be considered
as a continuation of that of his predecessor,

upwards of
read nin''
altered
it is
;

fifty

of his and De Rossi's but as the former cannot be

on the sUght authority by which

supported, so it would be unwarrantable to adopt the latter reading, since the second i:'~s is manifestly a repetition of

the
]

first.

LXX.
ll^>

Kiptos Kvptos.
'^^

S}t.
lords.

who was

so zealous for

God, and

that he had more in than the bare name.

peoples,

common with him The words C-tty,

/n!

Vrs

Lord of

It

and y-s, earth, are by many, and recently by Ilitzig, confined to the but the tribes and land of the Hebrews sublimity of the style, and the parallel and passages, Deut. xxxii. 28, xxxii. 1
;
;

has been doubted whether by Vr-n VJip, his holy temple, in this place, the

temple at Jerusalem or heaven be meant but the language expressive of descent,

the conclusion, that i. 2, induce to the prophet had all the inhabitants of tire Thus Justi, Maurer, globe in his eye. and Ewald. t>3, all of them, is an
Is.

instance of irregular construction, in which the third person is put for the second, C~.i;3, all of you. The same con-

which is employed in the following verse, woidd seem to determine the correctness Comp. 1 of the latter interpretation. Jehovah Ps. xi. 4. Kings viii. 30 would bear testimony against the Hebrews, not any longer by his prophets, as he now did, but by the judgments which he would inflict upon them.
;

3, 4.

These verses are explanatory of

Chap.

I.

MICAH,

219

He will descend, and tread upon the heights of the earth. 4 The mountains shall be molten under him, ^Vnd the valleys shall cleave asunder, L'ke wax before the fire,
L'ke water poured down a precipice. By the transgression of Jacob is all this, And by the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob ? Is it not Samaria ? And what are the high places of Judah ? Are they not Jerusalem ? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the
5
that -which precedes them, and set forth,
in highly figurative language, the course

field,

was on account of the sins of the people generally, the prophet, by the
flicted

of the Divine judgment, and the tremendous consequences that would follow. The terrible majesty and resistless power of Jehovah are expressed in images chiefly borrowed from earthquakes

employment of double interrogthe latter of which, being in the negative, greatly strengthens the appeal,
forcible
atives,

traces these sins to their respective sour-

and volcanic
; ;

eruptions.
;

Comp. Amos

iv.

Ps. 1. 3, xcvii. 5 Is. Ixiii. 19, Ixiv. 13 2 Hab. iii. 5. For a striking image of the same nature, see Jer, 1. 25, 26, which cannot properly be explained, except on the principle of reference to a volcano. That of wax occurs Ps. Ixviii. 3, xcvii.
5.

metropolitan corruption. By metonymj^ the effect is put for the cause. For '-a used as a neuter, see on Jonah i. 8. For riT SIS n the LXX.,Targ., a considerable number of MSS., and four of the earliest printed editions, have the singular. The Syr. and Vulg. agree -with the Textus Receptus. ri^^n- m'tta, the
ces

Comp.

" Quasi igni Cera super calido tabescens multa liquesLucr. vi. 512. cat."

high places of Judah, were the elevated spots on mountains and bills on which
the Jews erected chapels and altars for unlawful, and very often for idolatrous 1 Kings xii. 3, xiv. 4 ; sacrifice, etc. Ezek. vi. 6. That these existed at Jeruand for the salem, see Jer. xxxii. 35 length to which the practice was carried
;

Some MSS. read

n-iy2^^, the

hills, in-

stead of D-p73yn, the valleys; but ob-

the latter viously as an emendation Tiiw, being the more difficult reading. a descent ox precipice, from nn^, to go, or
:

come

doion.

The

events referred to were

in the time of Ahaz, see 2 Kings xvi. 4. Instead of m")22, the LXX., Syr., and

the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, and the invasion of Judah by the armies of Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, by the latter of whom the Jews were carried

form

s'.i'^'

away captive. The ~3n marks the futurity of the

event,
5.

and transmits a future significance

Targ. translate, as if ^5jurI, sin, were the What is the sin of Judah f true reading but though the latter word is found in one of Kennicott's MSS., and in the margin of another, it most probably originated in a desire to render the parallelism complete, and cannot be allowed to en:

to the following verbs.

Jacob and Israel are applied to both kingdoms in common, and are merely used as synonymes for the sake of variety. After explicitly declaring, that the awful punishment which was about to be in-

croach vipon the present text. 6. Both in this and the preceding verse Samaria is taken up first, because its destruction was to precede that of
Jerusalem, and
also,

perhaps, to afford

the prophet an opportunity of afterwards

220

MIC AH.
plantations of a vineyard
lay bare her foundations.
:

Ch-u>. I

The

I will hurl her stones into the valley,

And

All her images shall be broken to pieces, All her rewards shall be burnt with
fire,

And And

all

her idols will

I lay

waste

For with the reward of a harlot she collected them, to the reward of a harlot they shall return.
religious adoration.

expatiating more at large on the state of things in Judah during the approaching invasion. So complete should be the

LXX. to yXinrri. ":rs, properly means the wages or reprostitution

;

ward of

from niP,

to

givi
here,

overthrow of the northern capital, that its site would resemble a heap of stones or rubbish that had been gathered out of a field it would even be reduced to what we may suppose it originally to have been, a place for the cultivation of the vine. Vineyards were most commonly planted on the south sides of hills or mountains, on account of their and in all proexposxire to the sun bability that of Samaria had been appropriated to this purpose before it was purchased by Omri, 1 Kings xvi. 24.
; ;

a present or reicard.
as elsewhere,

The word

is

idolatry,

employed in application to viewed as spiritual adultery or

fornication.

Comp.

Is.

xxiii.

17,

18

Ezek. xvi. 31, 34; Hos. ix. 1. Kimchi, Abarbanel, Michaelis, Maurer, and
others, are of opinion that the riches, etc.,

of Samaria are thus spoken of, because her id(jlatrous inhabitants imagined, that

they were rewards bestowed upon them by their gods for their zeal and devotedness to their service.
It is

more

likely,

The

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 " The whole face ruins strongly attest.
;

however, that the rich gifts or presents are meant, which the apostate Israelites dedicated to their idols, and with which they adorned their temples. Comp. Ezek. xvi. 33, 34. Newcome seems to incline to the idea, that the rewards of
harlotry,
literally taken, are intended, because these were appropriated to the support of idolatry. o^arS is sjaiony-

of this part of the hill suggests the idea that the buildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow of
hill. Ascending to the top, we went round the whole summit, and found marks of the same process everj'where." Narrative of the Scottish Mission of

the

mous with e"V"C

only Hitzig thinks,

that a more costly kind of idols is meant by the term, such as were made of silver,

/MyMtVy, pp. 293,294. in-i>n,andD''na,

ver. 4,

and were of

sufficient value to be carried

are from the root "i53, to

fow,

pour, or hurl down.

For

n*>i^. n^"b"',

comp. Ezek.
great
be.
7.

xiii. 14.

The very founda-

tions of the edifices

were to be laid bare, and ponderous as the stones might

delivers a special

The entire establishment of idolatry was to be broken up the idols were to be cut in pieces ; such as were of wood, to be burnt in the fire and whataway
as spoil.
;

The prophet now

prediction against the objects and accompaniments of the idolatrous worship,

was costly was to be removed by the enemy to AssjTia, there to be again devoted to idols. Instead of rs3p, three of I)e Rossi's ilSS., three more originally, and perhaps one more, the Brixian and
ever
or date, read

which drew down tho judgment of God upon the devoted city. The C'V'CS were
the images or idols, whether car\'cd, graven or molten, wliich were erected in the temples, for the purjwse of receiving

another ancient edition, without place nsap in Pual, which two

of Kcnnicott's exhibit with

instead of the Kibbutz.

Vau Shurck
Syi., Targ.,

The

and Vulg., likewise have the

passive, but

; .

Chap.

I.

M I C A II

221

Avill I wail and howl go stripped and naked I will set up a wailing like the wolves, And a mourning like the ostriches. 9 For her wounds are desperate Surely it hath come to Judah

Therefore

Avill

He

reacheth to the gate of my people,

to Jerusalem.

Even
10 Tell

it

not in Gath The LXX.

in the plural.

render,

<ruyri-

yaye
8.

which agrees with the common

with Michaelis', to have recourse to r53, and so to regard the form as the elongated
future of the
first

punctuation.

person singular.

The

So terrible should be the destruction with which the northern kingdom

following noun,
plural,

n^^isa, being in the the same number might be ex-

would be visited, that it called lor the most marked tones and signs of sorrow. In these the prophet declares he would indulge, that he might thereby affect the minds of his countrymen. nsls^St, with Yod, may have been occasioned by the
preceding form r.'5"'V"S ; but there are other verbs which do not reject it in the
future, as
"J^^'^,

pected in the Participle ; but it is a rule of Hebrew sjTitax, that when, as in this instance the predicate precedes the noun, the number of feminine plurals is frequently neglected. Comp. Jcr. iv. 14. What the prophet has in view is the irretrievable ruin in which the Israelites as a nation would be involved. But he not only beholds, in prophetic vision, the devastation of Samaria and its dependhe sees their encies by the Assyrians invasion of Judah under Sennacherib, and their investment of Jerusalem Com. Is. X. 28-32. The nominative to ns:;:
;

Ps. Ixxii. 14.

hh^'ii, or, as

the Keri has it, VVvi, some interpret of mental bereavement, a state in which the

mind
but,

is

despoiled of
as

its

reasoning powers
is

combined
it

it

here

with ei~5.

Hiked,

must be
feet

referred to the body,

and was

in all probability designed to

as

is

the calamity implied in rrri'stt

is is

that

describe the

stripped of shoes.

to y;D

2^/ii4,

the enemy, understood.

Thus the
o
k,

LXX.

huviro^iTos.

The

Syr.

There
for

the utmost propriety in the dissuf-

for

which compare

qfi", Is. xx.

tinctive use of the genders in this place

though the inhabitants of Judah

For D-3P, wolves, and T.iV_l rijs, ostriches, see on Is. xiii. 22, and Pococke's very elaborate note on the present verse.
2.

The Arab, has

like the wolves,

here,

wjuLuJf JUuO,

and

^^ijo oUuO

the calamity did not reach those of the capiit was merely invested by the troops tal of Kabshakeh, and was reheved by their miraculous destniction. See Is. xxxvi. xxxvii.
;

fered from the Assyrian invasion,

former ^lichaelis renders crocodiles, but less properly, on account of the combination. The ancient rendering, dragons, is altogether to be Both kinds are selected on acrejected.
like Ihe jackals.

The

10.

Comp.

Sam.

i.

20,

words
in the

?n^.M:^ Vit r.^a occur,

where the though not

count of the pitcously howling

noice

which they make,

night.
9. ms555,

especially

in

the

the Pahul Participle of c:5,

; spoken of a wound, There is no necessity.

same order of arrangement. The would hail with joy tidings of any disaster that might befall the Hebrews, and especially that occasioned by tlie Assyrian attack. Deeply, therefore, as the Jews might be afflicted, they are cautioned by Micah not to give
Philistines

to be desperately sick
to be incurable.

such public expression to their grief as

would reach the

ears of their

natural

222
^Vecp not
in

MICAU.
Acco
:

CnAT.

At

Both-aplirah roll thyself in the dust.

11 Pass on, thou inhabitant of Shaphir,

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, Ilarenberg, Ilitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, take -:: to

naked and ashamed

See Jer. vi. 26, xxv. Ezek. xxvii. 30. "While the Hebrews were not to expose the wretchedness of their condition to the contempt of foreigners, it became them to bewail it
ashes, or the like.
3-1
;

be a contraction of iry2, which Gescnius

(Lex.
si(b,

within their
thyself, is to

own

borders,

r j:.rr:, roll

voc.

ios)

is

inclined to adopt.

According to

this construction, the rendering will be, tceep not in Acco, i. e. Ptolemais, a maritime city in the tribe of Asher. Other instances of s being dropped, we have in "2 for 'Vp., Va for tvp.,

be preferred to ^ri'jVsrr;, / roll myself. It is the reading of the Kcri, and many MSS. have it in the The Syr., Targ., and Vulg., have text.
the third person plural, which
easily
is

more
to

traceable

to

^-iV-ir-r!
it

than

and certainly the parallelism with rx:, the continued list of the names of cities, and the regularity of the paroirs; r"'r:_2 nomasias !i--jn Tyz\ ^32P
etc.
;

Tir^Br,-.

Besides,

seems more nat-

ural to connect this verb with "n:" in the following verse, than to suppose that

-ZV

T.^Z'jh, are all in favor of this in-

terpretation.

Though Acco was

i.

allotted

to the Asherites, they never took posses-

sion of
are,

it,

Jud.

31, and

its

inhabitants

the prophet resumes his lamentation ver. Some take the verb to be the second 8. feminine of the preterite, v^-ith the Yod but every difficulty is reparagogic moved by adopting the imperative.
;

therefore,

appositely

classed

along

11.

In crV

""125, the

second singular

with those of Gath, as taking pleasure

The in the reverses of the Israelites. reading of the LXX. ol 'EvoKdix fx.ri, is in all probability a corruption of ol iv "Ak^i
accords with the precediu7), which quite The Arabic has ing ol iu Tib fXT).

feminine of the verb is followed by the second plural masculine of the pronoun, on the principle that though the collective participial
it

noun

r^'i'T^ is feminine,

was designed

to include the inhabitants

*^|

j^ jJI.,

^f^ '^o^e w^^o

of both sexes. crV is not redundant, as Justi asserts, but emphatic, as XheDatiius

incommodi.
or beautiful.

are in Akim.
Stiabo, xvi.
called

The name 'Akti occurs in The town is still 2, 25.

the Arabs, and
is

-.3, Shaphir, means y/r Dr. Robinson states that

UCc, Akka, by
to

there are still three villages of the name of Saicdfir, which are noted on the map as lying nearly halfway between Ashdod

known

Jean d' time of the crusades, and is celebrated in later times by its holding out a siege of sixty-one days by the French anny, and its (lestruction by the explosion of a magazine during the bombardment in 18-10.
is situated on the north angle of a bay of the same name near the foot of Mount Carmel. r.~tvh r"2, lit. ifie Ilouse of Aphrah, or simply r;~sy, Oph1 Sam. xiii. 17, a ra/i, Josh, xviii. 23

Europeans by the name of St. Ac7-c, which it obtained in the

and Eleutheropolis, a position not much differing from that assigned by Eusebius and Jerome to Saphir. Palestine, vol. Ilitzig and Ewald think that ii p. 370. "'iz'i, Shamir, is meant, which is enumerated among the cities of Judah, Josh. XV. 48, which Eusebius calls ladfip. ITie
Chald. of the Targ.
"r-i-a
is

It

v^^:"

'C'-S

''-.'J

very improperly rendered in the Latin, "Transite vobis qui habitatis in pulchritttdinc," though the LXX. had translated the word by koAcDj. The Syr. lias
;
..

city in the tribe of Benjamin,

The h

is

here merely the sign of the genitive. The verb rVs which occurs only in llitb-

o A

^i rVffV

inhahitrfis.i

of Sha-

phir.

To Samaria
to refer
it,

there seems no good

since all

pad,

signifies to icallow or roll, as in dust,

reason

the other

Chap.

I.

JI I

AH
;

223

The inhabitant The wailing of

Because
evil

of Zaanan goeth not forth Beth-ezel

Avill

take

away continuance from you.

for her goods.

12 Surely the inhabitant of

Maroth pineth

hath come

down from Jehovah,

To

the gate of Jerusalem.

13 Bind the chariot to the swift steed,

places specified
iaa

inhabitant of Lachish
For other
loc.

Judah. rTi'3~n""iS,
for

the connection were in lit. nakedness, shame,

usage.

interpretations,

see

Pocockc, in

It seems best to abide

nttS, to

Comp.

shamefully naked, i. e. entirely so. as to form, pi:^ m:?, Ps. xlv. 5.

is

by the idea suggested by the root

remain, continue, endure, and interpret,

What
away
used.

here

predicted

is,

that

the

As

for the xcailing of Beth-ezel,

its

it

taketh

inhabitants of Shaphir were to be led

as captives

by the Assyrians

only

for the sake of effect the Imperative is

continuance from you ; i. e. the inhabitants of that city cease to mourn on your account. The Shaphirites are
aicay
addressed, as having gone at once into
captivity
city

See on
in

Is. vi. 10.

For the naked

re"s^";:,

condition

which
Is.

captives were
4.

and

oblivion.

!Most likely their

Zaanan, in all probability the same as ^a^, Zenan, a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 37.

moved, see on

xx.

was
this

on

and more populous, and account M'as attacked by the

larger

Assyrians, while the smaller tOMTis in

It properly signifies the place

of flocks ; but to form a paronomasia with it, the prophet employs the verb ss^ or the peculiar orthography of the noun may have been adopted in order to make it correspond in appearance and sound ndth
;

Gesenius the neighborhood escaped. thinks that in Vst* there is an allusion

to the Arabic

etymology \Xju'c\^fl'rmly,

or deeply rooted in the earth, as

so this

what was

the verb.

Comp.

-,^'s,

N3S, and

n;':::,

are only different modes of expressing sheep or flocks. The inhabitants of this city, under the influence of fear, did not venture forth from their retirement to condole with their neighbors who had been taken prisoners by the enemy, or they did not come forth to their rescue. LXX. 'S.evvoMp. Aq. Secaai/. V^rsn I'n^S, Beth-ezel, in all probability the same as V::s, Azel, Zech. xiv. 5, but where the

which

but ; very doubtful. 12. Of r-i-tt, Maroth, (bitternesses,)

is

might be expected to continue

we have nowhere any

accoimt.

r"i?.W,

Maarath, Josh. xv. 50, to which Newcome refers, appears to have been a different
place.
it is

From

the

relation

in

here put to Jerusalem, it probably lay between the afore-mentioned towns and the capital, against

which

which a

great

army imder Rabshakeh

town

we are not the connection, it must have been in the vicinity of Shaphir and Zaanan, and not near
so called

was

situated,

informed.

To judge from

proceeded from Lachish, and doubtless plundered all that came in their way. aitfc "Vrt, Newcome, after Houbigant,

changes into

n'.ttV rrVn,
;

and renders,

is

Samaria, as Ephraim Syrus conjectured.

The words csu

ters.

h)!!";

Vssn n^a isou

perplexed interpre-

liTTKiV. ^^'^^ greatly

Infinitive,

regard n2C)a as the Aramaic and connect it with the preceding ns^i and, supposing a^iK, the
;

Some

but altogether without authority. The meaning is, that the inhabitants were pained or grieved on account of the property of which they had been robbed by the enemy. Thus Rosenmiiller, Gesenius, De Wette, and Ilesselberg. The former -s is not causasick unto death
tive, but is used, as frequently at the beginning of a verse, to express certaiiity.

enemy, understood, to be the nominative

to
ri]t^)

explain nn^:?. of a military post.

But

this construction affords

no

tolerable measxire,
all

sense.

Others render n-y,

conjecture,

and the

lilie,

contrary to

For the last clause, compare vcr. 9. 13. For Lachish, see on Is. xxxvi. 2. 'j *-V form a paronoma.sia. ^."7., w" ::i_ and
,

224

MIC AH.

Chap. L

(She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion) Surely in thee were found the transgressions of Israel. 14 Therefore thou shalt give a divorce to Moresheth-Gath ; The houses of Achzib shall prove false to the kings of Israel.
15 Farther, I will bring the possessor to thee,

inhabitant of

He
signifies

Mareshah shall come to Adullam, the glory of

!

Israel.

a fleet courser.

Arab,

fy-i

longer able to afford protection or support The nominative to ";??, to the latter.
is

cunirrit.

Cm

is

in the musculine,

though

r^-ri^ in the preceding verse.

in this

Vs. is

connecting -with rsrii in the feminine,

because placed first in the order of the words. The word occurs only here, but ob\"iously has the signification of the Arab.

equivalent,

connection,

to

Vs.

rrnSis,
to Gath,

Moresheth, the birth-place of

is

!Micah, (see Preface)

here said to belong

*j\,
broom,

ligavit.

As

a noun tin-i signifies

in

its

most probably because it was vicinity, and under its jurisdiction,

when
shrub was used In the middle clause of for binding. the verse there is a change of person from the second to the third, but in the For last clause the second is resumed. a similar instance, in which, for the sake
because
this

in possession of the Philistines. a"7SS, Achzib. There were two cities of this name, one on the sea-coast, between Acco and Tyre, now called by the Arabs

v_>j-J|, Ez-Zib. Josh. xix. 29

;

Jud.

i.

of graphic effect the third person is thus abruptly introduced, see Is. xxii. 16. Lachish appears to have formed the link of idolatry between Israel and Judah. Lying on the frontier of the former kingdom, she was the first city in Judah that was led away by the sin of Jeroboam, and from her the infection spread, till at length it reached Jerusalem itself. In
the prospect of a sudden attack, it behooved the inhabitants to use all despatch
in removing their
families,

and the other in the tribe of Judah, 31 between Keilah and ^Mareshah, Josh. xv.
44.
ITiat the latter is here uitended, is evident from the connection for though, at first view, the mention of the kings of Israel might lead us to suppose that a
;

city bordering
is

on the northern kingdom meant, yet the fact that Israel is sometimes put for the whole people of the Hebrews, and sometimes even for the kingdom of Judah, as 2 Chron.
xxviii. 19, proves, that the

mere use of

and what

property they coiild take with them, to a Lachish was besieged by Sendistance. nacherib before the threatened attack on Jenisalcm, 2 Kings xviii.
14.
1-i.

the term can form no objection to this construction of the passage. It was most

probably the same place that

is

called

n-nirj

is

used of the presents or

1

By an 3-T3, Chezib, Gen, xxxviii. 5. elegant paronomasia, 3""r^s "^P^, the

hoxises

dowrj' sent with a wife,

Kings

ix. 1 6,

of Achzib, are
deceitful.
torrciit,
i.

and of letters of divorce sent with her

Avhen she
is

nTis,
ceitful

said to become Comp. srrs Vn:, a dee.

dismissed by her husband.

i^airoffTtWofxfvovs,

one which, ha\-ing

Jer.

In the
nowhere

dried up, disappoints the hope of the traveller.

acceptation

messengers, as

given by the I^XX.,

Jobvi. 17-19

xv. 18.

Arab.

it

occurs.

The term

appears to

(^_f^i, fefcllit,

irritus

vanusque fecit.

be here employed metaphorically to denote the breaking up, or dissolution of all connection between Lachish and Morcthe former city having Fheth-Gath Leon taken by the Assjtians, was no
;

The

expectations of further aid from the

or inhabitants of that
places

families,

should prove fruitless. 1.5. 'iS is a defective reading of k"2S, which many MSS. have in the text. In

Chap.

II.

MIC All.
bald thy head, and shave
it

225
because of thy darling child-

16

Make

ren

Enlarge thy baldness like that of the eagle For they are gone into captivity from thee.
and rtriKJ is another paronomasia. Mareshah lay in the plains of Judah, Josh. XV. 44. It was fortified by Rehoboam, 2 Chron. xi. 8, and was famous
tj-i"."'

16. The prophet concludes this geographical part of his denunciations by addressing himself to the land of Judah,

for the victory obtained over the Ethio-

and caUing upon her to put on signs of deep-felt grief on account of the removal
of her inhabitants,
""i.s, laiid,
is

Acpians by Asa, 2 Chron. xiv. 9, 10. cording to Josephus, Antiq. xii. 8, 6, it had been in the power of the Idumeans,
but was retaken by Alexander the son of Aristobulus, Antiq. xiii. 15, 4, xiv.
1,

to be

supplied, rather than y.^s ra, daughter

4.

The
is

predicted

possessor or occupier here Sennacherib, who took Ma-

Baldness, and cutting off" the tokens of mourning in the East, as they were among the nations of antiquity. Ezra ix. 3 ; Job i. 20
beaid, are
Jer. vii. 21, xvi. 6, xlviii. 37.

of Zion.

" Regulos

reshah and the other fortified cities of Judah, 2 Kings xviii. 14. To point him out with greater emphasis the article is used: 'i-i-i^n, " The possessor." cV-S,

quosdam barbam posuisse et uxorem capita rasisse, ad indicium maximi luctus."

Suetonius, in his Life of Caligula, chap. v.

"When Khaled ben Wahd ben Moga'irah

was not a female of the house of Moga'irah, either matron or maiden,
died, there

Adullam, was another city of Judah in the same direction, and near the former,
Josh. XV. 35. It was a royal residence in the time of the Canaanites, Josh, xii. 15 ; was fortified by Rehoboam,

who

his funeral."

2 Chron. xi. 7 and had villages depwident upon it, Neh. xi. 30. Of ni23 '^.^'?1 various interpretations have been
;

given
Israel,

such as the wealth or riches of

their

caused not her hair to be cut off at Harmer's Observ. iii. p. 5. One species of eagle is called the bald eagle, from the circumstance of its having its head almost entirely bald but they all more or less exhibit baldness during the moulting season, n^'isyp, delights,
;

multitude,

their nobility,

from

y.js,

Arab. ^sJi^, amatorius, fee-

their weifjht 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 conis that of our common version, according to which they are in apposition with 135 "iy, Adullam, and express

C"'
min<e gestus, to delight, be delighted, live delicately. It is in the former of these acceptations that the noun is here used. As but few of the inhabitants of Judah could have been carried away by Sennacherib, it is obvious the prophet must

struction

the superior situation of the place and

its

neighborhood. Thus also Schmidius, RosenmiiUer, and Hesselberg.

have a much more desolating calamity in view in this verse, viz., the Babylonish
captivity.

CHAPTER
Having announced
evils in

II
inflicted

the punishments which were to be which they indulged, Micah now proceeds to
his denunciations, 35.

specify

upon his people for the gome of these evils, 1, 2;

could not endure to hear

and renews

He then 29

censures those

who

226

M I C A II

Chap. IL

the truth, but wished for predictions of good, and shows that no such predictions could reasonably be expected by them, 6-11; concluding, however, with gracious promises of
restoration after the captivity, 12, 13.

Wo to those who
And
fabricate evil

devise wickedness,
their beds
it,
;

upon

In the morning light they effect

Because
2

it is

in the

They covet

fields,

power of their hand. and take them by force,

And

houses, and take

them away
his house,

They oppress
3

man and

A man and his possession.

Wherefore thus saith Jehovah Behold I devise an evil against
: !

this family,

1.

Comp.

Is.

X.

1,

2.
is

In the verbs

Targ.
caitse

iTn^i'a
there is

^or!, Vys, and n'r",

dation.

evidently a gra-

chi, ci-ij'n

pri;s->

The

first

describes the concep-

P*N "iS, and KimCT'a n^ c-i -s, bepoicer in their hand to

x^^P>

sVn

tion of the evil purjiose in the

mind

the

oppress

the poor.
rj

second, the preparation or maturing of the scheme and the third, the carrj'ing
;

render, laxifi
causatively,

Just as the LXX. Gen. xxxi. 29, and

'o is

Deut. xxviii. 32.

of

it

into effect.
xi. 9.

Comp.

Ps.

Iviii.

Is.
is

That and not

to be

taken
is

conditionally,

xli.

4; Hos.

The n

in

nityi

with the nouns

the feminine used as a neuter, to agree ^^t* and y-i, as forming a

evident from the connection. 2. Before C^P2 repeat --.cn.

Fiftyorigin-

two MSS.,
;

six

by
;

correction,

two

The phrase neuter plural accusative. "til ha^ occurs also Gen. xxxi. 29 Prov.
;

ally four ancient and nineteen other printed editions the Alex. MS. of the

iii.

27

xxviii.

and with the negative, Dcut. 32 Neh. v. 5. It is rendered by

;

LXX., the
1

Targ., Vulg., and Arab., omit

before d's.

The

parallelisms in this

the

LXX.

avrwvy

ouK ^pau irphs rhv ^ehv x^rpay which the Sjt. gives without

verse are very elegant.

3.

nrn and rsn

correspond here to
1.

the negative:

^oiu.^^
.

t-^^'*'

"srr; and yn in ver.

miillcr

rns^w

Rosen-

j^l_^
God.

ri

and

lift xq>

their hatids to

Vulg. qxuyniam contra

eoritm.

Deum

est

mamis

Some

consider the words

and Maurer understand to signify " certum genus hominum netjuam et perversum " as if the prophet intended to single out such of the people as com;

to be equivalent to the Dextra 7nihi Dcus of Virgil, and appeal to Job xii. C, and

Hab.
ology
to
lie

i.

11, where, however, the phrasedifferent

;

is

while others take Vn

the shorter form of the demonstraI^ut the true meantive pronoun rVt*ing seems to be that given in our com-

mitted the atrocious acts specified ver. 2 ; but it is more likely that the whole people, viewed as rebellious and corrupt, is meant. See on Amos iii. 1. The figure of a yoke is here employed for the purpose
of expressing the heavy and oppressive

mon

version, according to whicli

Vs

is

to

brews were
thence, has
this place.

nature of the bondage to which the Heto be subjected. D"i'3>

the force of a pronotm
in

be taken in its literal signification of 'I'hus Pococke, power, strength, etc. Rosonmiillor, Bauer, Pathe, De "Wette,
Gesenius, Ilitzig, and Ewald, after the

LXX.
iii.

i^ S>v.
;

Sjt.

olHo.
xvii,

Comp. Gen.

23

Kings

13

Chap.

II.

MICAH
-Nvhich

227

ye sliall not withdraw your necks, ye walk haughtily For it shall be an evil time. 4 In that day shall one sing a ditty respecting you, And employ a doleful lamentation.
Neither
shall

From

And say We are utterly destroyed. He hath changed the i^ortion of my people. How hath he withdrawn it from me
:
!

To an

apostate he hath divided our fields

5 Therefore thou shalt not have one to cast the line

by lot,

In the congreo^ation of Jehovah.

Ezek.

V. 3.

yoke, that

it

So oppressive should be the would be impossible for

the Hebrew,

^j^^^^ ^r" ^^.y

"^ra,

them
ipdoi.

to hold themselves erect.

LXX.

nT;:
is

is

the feminine of
n"'::::

just as n'::'j

Targ. nttip2, ns^pT.

The term

of "2:, and

of

's:;.

The

femi-

ttK"!-! is

selected with special reference to

the elated and haughty manner in which they had conducted themselves. It is
properly a substantive, from
high, but
4.
is

tfi~,

to

be

nine is added to the masculine for the sake of emphasis. Comp. Is. iii. 1, only there the nouns are joined by the copulative i. The three verbs above
are used impersonally. nominative to the following verbs,
specified

here used adverbially. For V'itt SfS, seeonls. xiv. 4.

The
i"'?:",

The

That is here used impersonally. Mashal was to be employed by the Jews themselves, and not by their eneverb
this

v"C^, and
n?tt, Syr.

p^.fi", is

Jehovah, understood.
;

V/i to
.

buy

in

Aphel

aV^ ]

evident from its tenor, as it follows in the verse. CS-^S, therefore, is

mies,
is

to sell, or deliver

an
;

article into the

hand
illuc

not to be rendered against you, but on your account, rt'^na "^n: nn3, ndha, nehi, nihydh, form an elegant paronomasia. There can be no doubt that TiJ lamentation, is derived from rn;, to lameyit ; but
,

of the purchaser

Arab.

Ue ^uc
,

The verb is mota fuit res, transivit. here employed to convey the idea of a change of masters, or the passing of the land of the Hebrews into the power of
their enemies. 23vb is a verbal noun, from the Pilel of an-a, to tuni, turn back here used in a bad sense, one who has turned back, or away from God apos;

whether rr'nD be Ukewise derived from it, and consequently merely the feminme of Tis, or whether it be the Niphal of the
substantive verb n"n, to be,
is

disputed.

The

from rendering the words. One shall lament with a lamentation, it is done ! militates
arise

harshness that would

tate, rebel, idolater.

Ivii.

17

Jer.

xlix.

Comp. Is. xlvii. 10, 4. The idolatrous

against the latter derivation

whereas,

by taking
is

all

the three words as cognates,

having the same signification, the sentence

at once easy

and

forcible.

The

relative

position of the verbs

^m,

rns, and -iqs

confirms this

construction.

Thus the

king of Babylon is meant. 5. yzh is a repetition of that used at the begirming of ver. 3, and for the same purpose. The nominative to tjV, thee, is Cj>, people, occurring in the preceding verse and the denunciation relates to their being completely at the disposal of their enemies none of themselves being
; :

LXX. andVulg.
iv
fi4Kei,

koX ^privr\Sir\<Terai ^p-fjvos

et

cantabiftir

canticum

cum

suavifafe.
for the

And

the Arab., employing

two first words terms cognate with

permitted to allot to them portions of According to the land for inheritance. Hitzig the words are addressed by the ungodly Jews to !Micah himself, and

228
Prophesy not
;

MIC AH.
those shall 2)rophesy
Avill

Chap. IL

"Who

not prophesy of these things:

Reproaches are incessant. What langnage, O house of Jacob Is the Spirit of Jehovah shortened?
!

Are these

liis

operations

Do

not

my

words benefit him that walketh uprightly ?

xviii.
viii.

intimate that they would put him and his family to death for prophesying
against them.

28-31
;

Sam.
viii.

13;
^ts"'-3;

Is.

nE'^DP'-rx nV.sV 5S"a2~**"' which contain a smooth and elegant paronomasia, are very enigmatical, but must neither be rendered, " Prophesy not, they say to those who should prophesy they shall not prophesy Or " Prophesy not they to such." shall prophesy who will not prophesy of such things." In the former case the interdicting language of the rebellious to the prophets is simply given, and then we have the Divine declaration, that it should be as they desired. They should be judicially abandoned to their own ways; and, as they would not hearken to the prophets when they predicted evil, they should be deprived of their ministry' altogether, and not receive from them any predictions of good. In the latter, the language is entirely that of the people, by which they not merely stop the mouths of the true prophets, but declare that those only should be permitted to prophesy to them who abstained from denunciations of evil. The former requires "'iNV to be supplied before "i'^^ ;
6.
: : ;

The words

Amosvii.

16.

Exod. xviii. 26 Deut. ii. 22 Ps. xi. 2, bcviii. For CJ^ljn, see on 12. In the concluding words
; ;

of the verse, rrittVs ;o- ^h, literally, calumnies depart not,' the Jews indignantly tax the prophets with exposing them to

contempt by incessant castigation and reproof.

Of

this

interpretation

Maurer

" ut facilhma et simpUssima per se est, ita ad nexum est aptissima." The verb occurring first, is in the masculine singular, though the noun is a feminine plural. See Gesen. 144.
observes,

Ward's
7.

edit.

The prophet

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 Avhich Jehovah delighted,

and were not rather procured by the whom they were to be inflicted ? and whether it was not a fact which experience had ever verified, that the Divine communications were
wickedness of those on
productive of good to men of science ajid consistent piety ? In '-r>csT7_ the r, is

the

latter,

-nrs before
is

?"':3;i ^5';.

The
preis

formula V ^'^.n
diction
is

used ver. 11, both in

reference to the persons to

whom the
:

addressed,

and

to that

which

the subject of the prophecy t[^ ~'^.i? y'\i, "I will prophecy to thee q/"winc."

Though contrarj' to the ilasoretic division of the words, I prefer the second of the alx)ve modes of construction, as being the The use of the paraeasier of the two.
in "lE-ui;^ forms no objection though it is most commonly found at the end of a sentence, yet there are mavjy instances in which it occurs at the beSec Gen. ginning, or in the middle.

gogic
for

used as a qualifying demonstrative \\-ith all the force of an indignant exclamation, in order to point out the flagrant character of the language employed by the Israelites. -:r;s is the Pahul Part. signifying irliat is said or spoken, and vith the r: prefixed, O dictum ! Almost all the versions and Lexicons assign to this participle the sigriification of beiny called or named ; but this notion attaches to the verb only in Niphal, which, in such case, is imifomily followed by the prcjwsition \. See Is. iv. 3, xix. 18 Ilos. ii. 1. The LXX., Aq., Vulg., and
;

Chap. 8

II.

MICAH
my
people hatli risen up as an

229

But of old

enemy

Ye strip off the vestment as well as the robe From those who walk along securely, From those who are returning from battle. The women of my people ye thrust out from their darling home From their children ye take away my glory for ever.
.

Targ., have read -iKsn,

which is found

in

the
It

four of Kennicott's des Wortes " As

!

MSS,

Ewald
"iSp,

"

O
of

Hebrew nation was no new thing. had characterized every period of its

nn

short

history.

LXX.

enirpoa^tv.

Abulwalid,

breath or spirit,

is

contrasted with "rps

contrary to the usage of the language,

divides the

C^ss, long- stiffering, Prov. xiv. 29, and is obviously equivalent to C-iSS is", ver. 17, (comp. nm -li-p, Exod. vi. 9,j most
of the

word

into

renders, on the contrary.

rs and h'lz, and Thus also the

is

Vulg.

The h
;

in ::^.iK^

expressive of
Is.

modems

render in the present into

manner
"hvdz
is

comp.

p^sV,

xxxii.

1.

stance, Is

Jehovah prone

anger? but

selected to correspond in allit-

prophecy being the subject to which re- eration with V"i5srs, and is here equivalent to "lE'^s, or Vyw. It refers, not to ference had just been made, it is more natural to understand nirr' rin, the -,-s immediately following, but to the persons of those who were plundered. Spirit of Jehovah, in its appropriated meaning, as designating the Divine Au- Though divided by the accent, rttVc and thor of prophetic commimications and nnj* are to be regarded as asyndeta the former, signifying the large loose garto take the verb in the sense of weakness or inability. Comp. -ji nsp, short of ment which was worn immediately over hand. Is. xxxvii. 27. n^s, these, like the tunic, and which being indispensable to the Orientals, is placed first, for the r;^.?, ver. 6, refers to the judgments which the Lord had threatened to in- sake of emphasis the latter, the costly
; ; ;

flict.

The

interrogative Ibrm,

as
;

fre-

quently, requires a decided negative such judgments are not Jehovah's usual operations.

robe of fur, or other rich stuff, the robbery of which, under the circumstances
described,

Comp.

Is. xxviii.

Lam.

iii.

great

was a matter of course. So was the rapacity of the lawless

33

Mic.

vii. 18.

In ^Vin
is

I'.a';-,

the

substantive,

used adverbially, is placed first, for the sake of emphasis, and on this account also it takes the
article,

which

of, that they were not with the more valuable part of the dress, but likewise possessed them-

characters spoken

satisfied

selves of

what was

less costly.

Comp.

which properly belongs

to TiVnn.

Matt. V. 40.

A similar instance of transposition occurs

in
stantive

For nxV'ia (by transposition of the fir.st two letters of riV^ss,

Job xxxi. 26, where the sublikewise used adverbially. For the meaning of the phrase, comp. Ch '-zV-, Prov. ii. 7; inbs ti^~, Is.
-(Vri "p^^,
is

which

is

much more
1

frequently in use,)
.v.
^

comp. the Arab. ^

vestimentiim,

pec. totum corpus involvens,

from

oL^^.

Ivii. 2.

circumdedit.
position

Before

^rin-i

repeat the pre-

8. 1 at the beginning of this verse is strongly adversative. Very different was the character of those whom the prophet

The passive participle is here "a. used intransitively to describe those who were returning after having defeated their
enemy
in battle,

was now reproving.

yesterday,
is

V^ittJ^S,

properly

and who might

there-

taken by some to signify lately; but it is more in keeping with the spirit of the passage to render it anciently, of old, or the like. See on Is. The rebellious conduct of XXX. 33.

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 tT'Ssya and ST'V^y, there

is,

as

230
10 Arise
!

MIC AH.
depart
!

Chap. n.

for this
it

is

not the place of your rest

Because of polhition

will destroy.

And

the destruction shall be grievous.

11 If any one, conversant with

wind and falsehood,

lie,

saying:

I will prophesy to thee of wine and strong drink.

Even he

shall

be the jorophet of this people.

ingly.
its

frequently, a transition from the plural to the singular pronoun. As the prophet
refers to war, it is most likely he intended by the " women," the widows of those who had fallen in battle, and who ought to have been objects of special sympathy and care. Instead of which, both they and their fatherless children were expelled from their liomes, and robbed of their property, '"^"n, nnj ornammt, collec-

land

may
when

inhabitants,

be said to destroy it withholds from

them the means of subsistence, and forces them to leave it. AVith such reference it is described as devouring them and spewing them out of it, Lev. xviii. 28, x.\. 22,

The 38 Ezck. xx.xvi. 12-14. comparison of these passages shows the propriety of the Picl Vn-P, and renders
xxvi.
;

unnecessary the passive forms V:::np and

tively for the ornamental clothes Avhich

For Vr:r.Fi, which some have proposed. they wore, and with which they had yn?:?, comp. the Arab. ijOyO morbus been provided by Jehovah. The Holy Land, and everything connected with it, fuit, only its signfications would seem to was his, so that whatever was enjoyed be taken from the idea of a violent or by its inhabitants, was to be regarded as deadly disease. Thus r:>~.^:3 ^*''";I'' ** Comp. IIos. ii. grievous cfurse, 1 Kings ii. 8. Gesenius peculiarly a Divine gift. 8. CV^:V, for ever, i. e. never to make renders y-i>;: corruptio vehemen"'^.l'

restitution.

to restore the ence to pledge before sun-set, E.xod. xxii. 25, but this is doubtful. 10. As the Imperative is frequently used by the prophets to express more

Some think the command

there

is

refer-

iisshna.
11.

Micah

reverts

to

the subject of

smooth and flattering predictions, which he had sixjken of vcr. 6, and shows that so corrupt had the people become, that no prophet might expect to be acceptable
to

strongly the

certainty of a prediction

them who did not sanction

their
did,

than a simple future would have done, "sV?. ''C'.li are to be so understood hero.
Sec on
the
Is. vi. 10.

sinful indulgences.

To

those

Hitzig preposterously

they would give a ready ear. )-;n signifies both wittd and spirit, there is
great
force in

who As

considers the words to be addressed

pitiless

by Jews to the persons whom they opjn'cssed by expelling them from

their homes.

representing those

who

They
the

are obviously to be

viewed
their

as

language of Jehovah,

threatening them with a removal from

pretended to inspiration as walking or being familiar with the wind so utterly worthless was the instruction which they fiti -'"^h is otherwise communicated. equivalent to h--i "i-'S, IIos. ix. 7, and
:

own

country, which they

had

pol-

"'ir.'i'

TjVn to

->'p;:i'2

Sis,
is

Jer.

v.

31.
fit

luted by

their crimes, to a foreign

and

Dathc thinks

this verse

would

better

Canaan was conferred upon the Hebrews as a rest, or place of quiet enjoyment, after their fatigues and
heathen
land.
troubles in the wilderness,

in after vcr. 6, but there

for the transposition
is
;

no authority

and, besides, there

viz. their

a singular propriety in bringing forward

Num.

the crowning sin of the Jews,

x. 33

Deut.

xii. 9

Ps. xcv. 11.

1'^^ definite

Before rsT,
article

supply *"?

in

preferring false prophets to the faithful messengers of Jehovah, just before introducing the glorious prediction of their
restoration

rn":i3~
affix

is

equivalent to the pronominal

is

from captivity in the follow-

Z~, and

to be rendered accord-

ing verse.

Chap.

II.

MICAH
gather thee entirely,

231

12

I will surely

Jacob

I will surely collect the remainder of Israel I will put them together like the sheep of Bozrah,

Like a flock in the midst of their pasture They shall be in commotion, Because of the multitude of men.
13

The Breaker is gone up before them They break through and pass to the gate
;

Theodoret, Kimchi, Calvin, Dieu, Grotius, Tarnovius, and others, consider these verses to be a denunciation of punishment, and not a
12,
13.

Drusius,

De

promise of deliverance while Struensee, Hezel, ]SIichaelis, and Forsayeth (in Nevvcome) regard them as the language of the false prophets, continued from
;

Christian WTiters, maintain, that the prophecy relates to the future literal restoration of the Jews under the Messiah. For my part, I cannot but regard the more immediate restoration from the
literal

Babylon

as the

theme of the

in-

spired announcement.

The

deliverance

ver.

Ewald, who takes the same view, thinks they were originally written by Micah on the margin of his manuscript, and has printed them in Italics, Most modern interwithin brackets. however, and among thrm preters, Kosenmiiller, Dathe, Justi, Hartmann, Maurer, and even Hitzig, are unanimous
11.
in'

predicted is the same to which reference is made chap. iv. 10, the scene of which is there expressly declared to be Babylon. " Jacob " stands here for the ten tribes, as Hos. xii. 2 and " Israel" in Is. xvii. 4
; ;

for the

of Judah, as in Obad. 18, The 2 Chron. xii. 1, xix. 8, xxi. 2, 4. two tribes and a half being few com-

kingdom

viewing them as predictive of the

restoration of the
sion.

Jews
in

after their disper-

pared with the ten, might well be described as n^nt<r,the remaiiider, yvhich had been left in'the land at the time of
the Assyrian invasion. To express the great extent of the population after the return, it is compared to the large collections of sheep in the folds of Bozrah ; a region celebrated for the abundance of The Targ., Vulg., Gesenius, its tiocks.

The manner

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
as the true.

Winer, Hitzig, and Ewald, render nnsa,

sheep-fold, but this signification of the word is totally unsupported by usage,

recommends

itself

The

point most difficult to

and

is

not

allowed

by
It
is

Lee.

The

determine is the point to which the ^lost Christian prophecy has respect. expositors explain it of the appearance
of Christ, and his collecting of believers but this construction is into his church altogether arbitrary, resting on no other foundation than the principle of giving
;

LXX., mistaking a
translate,
eV SrKi^ei.

for the preposition,

seldom

we

meet with the

yet see Josh.
the

article prefixed to
affix, as in

a noun
ina'nn;

taking the pronominal

vii.

21,

viii.

33.

By

V"iSn,

a spiritual interpretation to whatever 'may, by possibility, be so interpreted. So far is there from being anything in

Breaker, some understand Cyrus but the identity of structure between this sentence and the two with which the verse closes, compels us to interpret the

the phraseology of the text to wan-ant such appropriation of it, that the very terms compel to an adoption of the
literal

term of Jehovah himself, who, through the instrumentality of that monarch, removed every obstacle which prevented
land.

sense.

Kimchi, Jarchi, and the

Jews

generally,^ as also several

modem

the return of the Hebrews to their ovm When his providence so visibly interposed, it was easy for them to break

232

M I C A H.
out at
it

Chap. IU.

They go

Their King passeth on before them, Even Jehovah at their head.

the minor barriers -n-hich had conthem in Babylonia, and triumphantly to march out through the gates of

down
fined

quadam

persona, et

antonomastice

sic

dicta, quae

mox
,

vocabitur

CsVw
sit

rex

illorum et ni-'^

ut non

dubium,

the hostile city. To intimate that they should suffer molestation from no enemy

Nostrum de Messia
illo

cogitasse, seu divine

by the way, God is represented as going before them, like a monarch at the head of his army just as he was said to go
;

heroe, quo auspice, devictis omnibus Judteorum hostibus, aureum seculum or-

bera beabit."

And

to his interpretation

I accede, only restricting the

work

of the

before his

people

when they went up

i.

Messiah, as here predicted, to his leading

forth the

In the illusRosen" Pe?'miiller recognizes the Messiah rnptor, S(iktikus, est enim cum n deLoquitur ergo do certa monstrativo.
from Egj'pt, Deut.
30.
trious Deliverer here exhibited,
:

Jews from Babylon.

;

Exod.

xxxiii. 14

Is.

Ixiii.

9, in

Comp. which

we

are taught

delivered,

that the Divine Logos and conducted the Israelites

through the wilderness.

CHAPTER

III.

Havt>'g inserted in the two preceding verses a gracious prediction for the comfort of the few pious wlio might be living in the midst of the ungodly, the prophet proceeds to expatiate at greater length against the latter, directing his discourse especially to the civil and ecclesiastical officers, who, by their example, exerted so baneful an influence upon

the nation. The chapter may be divided into three parts. Ver. 1^, an objurgation of the princes; 5-7, that of the prophets; and 8-11, that of princes, prophets, and priests together. The chapter closes with a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the

Babylonians.

And I said Hear, I pray you, And ye judges of the house of

:

heads of Jacob
Israel

Is 2

it

not yours to

know justice

Who
"Who

hate good and love evil

strip their skin

from off tliem, from off their bones. 3 Who devour the flesh of my people, And flay their skin from ofl" them Who break tlieir bones in pieces,

And

their flesh

3.

The V

in

c-V
;

is

expressive of

duty or obligation what the persons spoken of were bound to do, and what might naturally be expected from them y-- is in the station which they filled,

used, not of merely speculative knowledge, but of that v hich is prac-

here

tical.

It

was the province of the magii...i).ci.t,

istratcs to exercise their judicial initlior-

ity for

the protection qf tbc

Chap. LU.

MIC AH.
them
as in the pot,

233

And And

separate

as flesh in the

4 Then they may But he will not answer them, But will hide his face from them at that tune Because they have corrupted their doings.
5

midst of the kettle. cry to Jehovah,

Thus

saith

Jehovah

resjjecting the prophets.

Who Who

cause

my

people to err

bite with their teeth,

and

cry,

Peace

But against him that putteth not They prepare war.

into their

mouth

6 Surely ye shall have night without vision

Ye

shall

have darkness without divination

shall

Yea, the sun

And

the day shall

go down upon the prophets. become black over them.

plicated
pliant.
;

and the punishment of evil-doers. But instead of thus discharging the duties of their office, they were themselves perpetrators of the

and

to hide his face,

disregards or affords
"ii"S3,

when he no relief to the supwith the LXX., Syr.,

others, I take to be

most flagrant
cruelty.

acts of op-

Justi, Datlie,

and

Their inhuman conduct is very forcibly described by the prophet, in language borrowed from the process of slaying and preparing animals
pression

and

causal, as in
xxviii. 18
;

Num.

xxvii.

14

Sam.

2 Kings xvii. 26. 5. cn'sra C"2i":n, icho bite with their

for

food,

and the feasting

;

thereon.
14.

Comp. Ps. xiv. 4 The pronominal affixes

consequent Prov. xxx.

in ver. 2,

teeth, the antithesis requires to be understood in the sense of eating the food AVhile such suppUed by the people. supplies were granted, the false prophets

understood, and not to a"ii3 and ny-i, immediately preceding, which are obviously employed as abstract Though many MSS. read j'n neuters.
refer to the people,

but if they withheld them, measures of a hostile nature, under a religious pretext, were adopted
predicted prosperity
;

against them.

Thus the Targ. V"2 -itt

yr.-\

with the Keri, yet there are others which exhibit nsn, the proper pointing of the Chethib. No codex supports the emendation ns-i'S instead of -i^' S3,.

TheLXX.

They prophesy peace to him who feeds them loith dinners offlesh. The phrase
is

purposely selected in order satirically

'JT'p,

may, or may not, have so read. The etymology of r n Vp_ is uncertain, but that
it signifies

to expose the selfishness of the deceivers.

For the meaning of

here used, see on

to sanctify, as
;

a vessel for boiling in

is

clear

Is. xiii. 3

Joel

i.

14

being here parallel with -i-3, and in 1 Sam. ii. 14 with -iV3, -!n and

from

its

and comp. Jer. vi. 4. 6, 7. So completely should the predictions of the false prophets be disproved by the judgments that were to be brought on the nation, and so painfully should they themselves experience these judgments, that they could no longer have the effrontery to practise their Under such circumstances deceptions. they could not pretend to deliver any The words divine oracle to the people.

-15-S.
4.' TS,

then,

and N"nn rsa,

at that

are anticipative of the period of divine judgment. The mfliction of such judgment is implied, not expressed. The more emphatically to convey an impres-

time,

sion of its certainty, the prophet takes it God is said to hear or anfor granted.

swer prayer, when he grants what

is

sup-

30

; ;

'

234
7

MIcAn
.shall tlie

Chap.

III.

Then

seers be ashamed,
;

And

the diviners confounded

They shall all cover their beard For there shall be no response from God. But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah,
;

And

of judgment and might

his transgression,

To declare unto Jacob And to Israel his sin.

9

Hear

this, I

beseech you, ye heads of the house of Jacob

Isi'ael!

And judges
"Who abhor

of the house of
justice,
all

And

pervert

equity

10 Building Zion

"vvith

blood.
a sense of moral recclearly between right and wrong, and impelling to the advocacy and maintenance of such actions, as are conformable to the DiAnne law and ri^^i, moral cottragc, or a bold
Acts
i.

received

do not imply that they ever had really any such oracles they merely professed to have received them. is here to be taken privatively, and not in
:

t:si',

titude,

distuiguisliing

the signitication of ob, propter, etc., as interpreted by some. The obscuration of the heavenly bodies, or of the light of day,
is

and
to

intrepid spirit, inciting

its

possessor

frequently employed by the proph-

throw aside
i.

all tijnidity in

defending

ets, as it is

by

oriental writers generally,

the cause of

to denote atHiction or calamity.

viii. 9.
fjivcrra^,

Amos
xix. 25,

God and

truth.

Comp. 2
to de-

Tim.
9.

7.

CE'^,

LXX.,

in 2

Sam.

The prophet now proceeds

the mustache or heard, which is held in high estimation in the East, and in exhibiting which, properly grown

and trimmed, the Orientals

themselves.

greatly pride

hide it, therefore, by covering it, was regarded as a striking mark of shame or sorrow. See Lev. xiii. 45 2 Sam. xix. 25 ; Ezek. xxiv.
;

To

message which he had commenced, ver. 1, employing the same formula, K:~^y'j, as he also does chap, The remaining verses of the vi. 1. chapter furnish a noble specimen of that bold and uncompromising fidelity which
liver in full the

characterized his ministry.

10. r:>, the

LXX.,

hyr., Targ.,

and

17, 22.

Full of conscious sincerity, and of his divine commission, in the execution of which he was sustained by the
8.

Vulg., render in the plural, but no

brew codex exhibits the

variation.

HeThe

supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit, and zealous for the glorj' of God, and

authors of these versions doubtless regarded the participle as a collective,

the recovery of his people, Micah avows his readiness, with all lx)ldness, to an-

nounce
conduct

to

them

his inspired

specting their sins.

IILs character

message reand
to

which mode of construction wc must adopt, or, with ^lichaelis, we must sup]X)se that the prophet had Shebna, Is. xxii. lG-18, Jchoiakim, or some other
particular prince in his eye
interjiretation is preferable.
;

the former
blood,

formed a perfect
tlie

contrast

Ckh,

those of

false prophets.

The com-

used for the wealth obtained by shedding

the blood of its owners.

pound

particle cVnSi, and the pronoun -ris, are here emphatic, ns, means the supernatural power necessary for the gen-

Comp.
ii.

Jcr. xxii.

13; Ezck. xxii. 27

latter of

Ilab.

12, in the

discharge of the projihctic ofRce comp. Swa/iis, Luke i. 17, xxiv. 49

eral

arc used as parallels, with the

;

which passages Ctt~ and rViy same par-

ticle, rr's.

Chap.

III.

MIC AH.

235

And
11

Her heads judge

Jerusalem with wickedness. for reward,

;

And

her priests teach for hire

Her prophets also divine for money Yet they lean x;pon Jehovah, saying
Is not

Jehovah

in the

midst of us

No

calamity shall come upon us.

field,

12 Surely on your account

Sion shall be ploughed as a

11. "7 hi, is a gift or bribe given to a judge to obtain freedom from punishment. Receiving bribes was strictly prohibited by the Mosaic law, Exod. xxiii. 8 That the Deut. xvi. 19. C";~b, priests, were authorized by that law to act in the capacity of ordinary reTheir ligious teachers, does not appear. being thus employed by Jehoshaphat is narrated as something altogether extraBesides ordinary, 2 Chron. xvii. 7-9.
;

of the people were now- buUding and beautifying it, by expending upon it
their unrighteous gains,
ver, 10 but the time was coming when it should be " " Zion completely desolated. designates the site of the city of David on the south ; " Jerusalem," the houses occupied by the inhabitants generally in the centre and the north ; and " the mountain of the house," Moriah on the
;

attending to the ceremonial observances, thej^ had devolved upon them the decision of controversies, Deut. xvii. 8-11,

east. Instead of 'y, the Chaldee termination, five MSS., five others originally, and the Babylonian Talmud, read

Ezek. xliv. 24, cases of leprosy, They were to divorce, etc. Lev. x. 11. lay down the law in such cases, and pronounce the final sentence. Comp. Mai. and see Miii. 7 Deut. xxxiii. 10 chaelis on the Laws of Moses, Art. lii. They are here associated with the judges, because in certain cases they gave a joint verdict ; and in the time of the prophet were equally avaricious and corruptible. The verb CCp, to divine, being only used of false prophets, shows that those reproved by !Micah were of that description. Comp. Jude 1 1 "With all their wicked pers'ersion of right, they hypocritically claimed an interest in the favor of God, and scouted the idea that
xxi. 5
;
; ;
.

C'-y. ri";2n, the house, i. e. kot' |oxVt the temple. That which was their boast and confidence, was to be converted into a wilderness, "^y^ signifies not only a
forest,

but also a thicket of shrubs, a

rough or rugged locaUty, from the Arab.

y>

asper,

salebi-osus

fuit

diffidlis

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. xxvi. 18, 19. The ploughing of the city by the enemy, which has its parallel in Horace, lib. i. Od. 16,

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

" 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,

condemned. 12. "We have here at last an awful epiphbnema, in which the destruction of the metropolis is expressly and parThe wicked leaders ticularly predicted.

an officer in the Roman army, tore up with a ploughshare the foundations of the temple but little or no credit is to
;

be given to the story.

See Deylingii

236
Jerusalem
shall

MICAH
become heaps,
of the house Avoody heights.
the

Chap. IV.

And

mouutam

Observationes Sacr. pt. v. pp. 448, 450. Robinson's Pak'stine, vol. ii. pp. 2, 8. The circumstance, however, that what Micah predicts, relates to the city as
distinguished from the temple, clearly militates against the application of his Equally inapposite as to the lanjjuage.
fulfilment of the prophecy are the appeals

to the present partially cultivated state

of Mount Zion, since the destruction to wh.ich it points was not the more distant
devastations under Titus

and Adrian,

but the more proximate under Nebuchadnezzar. For the accomplishment,

see

Nth.

ii.

17, iv. 2

Lam.

v. 18.

CHAPTER
By

IV

a sudden transition, as at chap. ii. 1.3, the prophet passes from his denunciation of punisbmeut, to a description of the glorious state of the church subsequent to the restoration from the captivity in Babylon. He predicts the establishment of the kingdom of Christ ujion tlie ruins of idolatry, and the accession of the Gentiles, 1, 2; the peaceful nature of He then abruptly introduces his captive his reign, 3, and the security of his subjects, 4. countrymen, who, having been recovered to the worship of the true God, declare, that, however the idolaters around them might adhere to their several systems of creatureworsliip, they would never renounce the service of Jehovah, 5. The Most High promises to gather even the weakest of them from their dispersions, restore their national existence, and reign over them for ever, 6-8. The intermediate invasion of Judea, the captivity in Babylon, and the liberation of the Jews, are next depicted, 9--H. Upon which follows a prediction of the victories which they should gain over their enemies in the time of the Maccabees, and of the reverse which took place ou the establishment of Uerod by the

Komau

power.

Axp

it

shall

come

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.
:

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

of

prophecy with Is. ii. 2-4, see the note on that passage, to which the reader is
also referred for 'the interpretation.

The sense is Twenty MSS.,

The

verbal discrepancies, which are few and trivial, will be best st>cn on consulting

both prophets in parallel columns. the same throughout. originally ten more, one by correction, and the Complut. edition, read vVs instead of vV?. For ?ss" sV, thirty-six MSS., probably another, seven
originaDy, and six

Newcomc, who

exhibits the

Hebrew

text

by

correction, together

CiiAr. IV.

MIC A II.
God
of Jacob,

237

To

the house of the

That he may teach us his way, And that we raay walk in his paths For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the Avovd of Jehovah from Jerusalem. ^ And he shall arbitrate among many j^eojile,

And

give decision to

many

distant nations,

So that they

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. And they shall sit each under his vine, and under his And none shall make him afraid For the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it.
;

fig-tree,

Though all the people should Avalk Each in the name of his god, Yet we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God, For ever and evei*.
In that day, saith Jehovah,
I will gather the halting,

j,

'

v^ith four of the early editions, read sVt;

and for :;s'a' five JISS., four and now one, read K'r '
4.

originally,

This beautiful addition, which is not in Isaiah, appears to have been a common adage among the Hebrews to express a state of complete outward security. Zech. iii. 10. 1 Kings iv. 25 Por a state of things precisely the re;

verse see
0.

my

Biblical Ilesearches
etc.

and

reclaimed and they nobly resolved that nothing should ever again move them to abandon the service of Jehovah but that, v^dth equal earnestness, they would addict themselves to his worship, and the observance of his laws, 's is here a formula of concession be it so that, althotigh, or the like. Comp. for this use of the particle, Gen. viii. 21 Exod. xiii. 17 Josh. xvii. 18 ; Deut. xxix. 18.
; ; : ; ;

Travels in Russia,

p. 436.

have been puzzled how to reconcile the statement 7nade in the beginning of this verse with the prediction contained in verse 2 and
interpreters
;

Many

one,

S C'f'3 "^Vr, to walk in the name of any means to frame one's conduct accord-

ing to his will, to act by his authority, and

in accordance with his character.

Cc,

Hartmann goes so far as to assert, that it was originally a marginal gloss, written by a different pen, and afterwards inserted The difficulty will be rein the text.
moved,
if

often used for the person himself Com. the phrases nin^ ^1"^ T;"t~ ! to loalk in the way of, to "i'^? ''l'j'5 T\V\f folloio Jehovah. It seems here to be
is

name,

specially

employed in reference

to relig-

we

consider the words to be

ious worship.

Comp. Zech.

x. 12.

those of the Jews during their dispersion. " Hie spectanda est diversitas temporis."
Calvin,
i?i

loo.

They witnessed
idolaters

the ea-

gerness with

which the

around

them devoted themselves

of their gods
tlicm
to

an

to the service

eagerness which led

their

despair of

ever

being

6-8. That the subject of these verses the restoration from Babylon, and the reestablishment of the Jewish state, and not any spiritual gathering of men generally to the church of God, is placed beyond dispute by the prediction that the scattered and afflicted remnant of Israel
is

238

MIC AH.

Chap. IV.

And collect the outcasts, And those Avhona I have afflicted. And I will make the halting a remnant. And those that had been flxr removed a strong nation And Jehovah shall reign over them in Momit Ziou,
From henceforth, and for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock!

hill

of the daughter of Zion

it

To

thee

shall

come,

Even the former rule shall come. The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
was again to become a strong nation, ver. 7, and by the use of the phrase r:"i'S-in rS-pz'zri, the former rule, ver. 8, which can only be interpreted of the
theocratic

reference to the strength of Jerusalem,

and the watchful care exercised by the government, he characterizes her as --? V":>'2, the tower of the flock. Some,
indeed, think with Jerome, that a place

government

at

When
their
ber,

the Hebrews

first

Jerusalem. returned to

of this name, to which reference

is

made

own

land, they were few in

;

num-

amounting only to -12,360 but they rapidly increased, and in the time of the Maccabees not only became an independent state, but acquired such power that they vanquished the fonnidable SjTO-Grecian armies. The Asmonaean family possessed supreme authority from Mattathias to Ilcrod the Great. To the above iiaterpretation no valid objection can be taken on the ground that Jehovah is said, ver. 7, to reign for ever over those who were to be assembled. cV^ly,
eternity,

Gen. XXXV. 21, and which that father says lay about a mile distant from Bethlehem, is intended but, from its being ill apposition with "iv-u r2 htv, mound
;

of the daughter of Zion, a fortified hill or elevation on the eastern part of Mount Zion, and here put for the whole, such For Vsi", intcr^iretation is inadmissible. comp. Is. XX xii. 14 2 Chron. xxvii. 3, xxxiii. 14 Neh. iii. 26, 27, in which last passage V~;>2r, the totcer, is mentioned
;
;

along with
cal

it,

which

is

doubtless identi-

or

long

indefinite

duration,

whether applied to the past or the future, must always be determined by the nature of the subject. It is verj' often used of the Mosaic institiites, Exod. xii. 14, 17, xx\'ii. 21, xxviii. 43 Lev. iii. 17. It is even employed to denote the jieriod of the se\-enty years' captivity, Jer. xviii. 16. For rsV::" and ~t,~'.t^, comp. Ezck. xxxiv. 16 Zeph. iii. lo! r;>;V-|n is the Niphal
;
;

with Tna.Is. xxxii. 14. The word is derived from hzy, to swell, become tumid.

Arab, v JLh-C; tumore laboravit, pinguendo

circa i^erinceum capri, etc.

Thv 'OtpKav

Joseph, de Bell. KaXov^tvov v\priKav. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 6, 3. The LXX., Aquil. Syinm., Sjt., and Vulg , confound the word with ^ES, thick darkness. The

Targum apphes
siah
:

the passage to the !Mes-

-i-'^tai

^s-ir*n

sn'^f K PNi

participle of

sVn,

to be

removed.

Syr.

clongavit,

removit.
abstcssit.

Arabic

'.^r'ttV

Kri'-Vw,

"And

thou,

Messiah

Jbo

n.,

recessit,

Having
from
calls

employed
treatment

metaphors
of
sheep.

taken

Micah

the the

of Israel, icho art hid oti account of the sitis of the congregation of Zion, to thee the kingdom will come ; " but there is no

more foundation

for this interpretation,

Jewish people, in their collective capaComp. n';n^ --?, the citj', --", a flock.
Jlocli

of Jehovah,

Jer.

xiii.

17

and

in

than for that of Jonathan on --j V-:>:, Gen. XXXV. 21 TTi' Vr'^'^"? ""'"^ {;?;"' r|ic2 srj-'BK ksVts ^Virt*'^, "the
:

Chap. IV.
9

MICAH

239

dost thou cry aloud ? no king in thee ? Have thy counsellors perished ? That pains should have seized thee Like a woman in travail ? 10 Be in pain, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion Like a woman in travail For now thou shalt go forth from the city,
Is there

Why, now,

And

shalt dwell in the field.

;

shalt even go to Babylon There thou shalt be delivered, There Jehovah shall redeem thee, From the hand of thine enemies.
1

Thou

And now many

from which

nations are gathered against thee,

the contemporary of Micah, chap, xxxix. The repetition of 7, xliii. 14, xlviii. 20. The inhabitants C'i, there, is emphatic. of Jerusalem, when removed from the city, should be located in the open country, till the whole were collected, and then they should all be conveyed to

place

Kiyig Messiah is to be

revealed at the etid of the days," whatever use may be made of it in. the way of arguin reasoning with the Jews. V in r^'; is a periphrasis of the genitive. 9. rPS is not here used in its temporal
signification,

mentum an hominem

but merely as a particle

Babylon.
11.

designed emphatically to draw attention to what follows. Five MSS. and another originally, supported by the LXX. and
Targ., read npyi,
form.

The

those

which

nations here referred to were composed the army of

Nebuchadnezzar, or which joined that

which

is

the usual

The prophet plunges

circumstances of

at once

mto
in

the

consternation

army in its attack upon Jerusalem. The more immediate neighbors of the Jews Comp. are no doubt specially intended.

which the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be placed on the approach of the Chaldean
army.

The

questions relative to a king

Lam. ii. 16 Ezek. xxxv. Obad. 12, 13. These defiled Jerusalem when they shed the blood of her citizens and profaned
;

and

his council are put ironically,

and

her sacred places,

a nin

is

used, like

provoke the answer, " Yes, w-e have, but they cannot they are nothing worth protect us, nor contrive any means of escape." "y.:"' the LXX. treat as a col:

lective

T)

fiovXi] <rov.

10. '(15, instead of "TAi., for the sake

of

Comp. in reference to euphony. childbirth, Job xxxviii. 8 Ps. xxii. 10. Having employed the metaphor of a parturient female, the prophet carries it on in this verse, strikingly depicting the condition of anguish and distress which the Jews had to anticipate before they should enjoy deliverance. The Babylonish captivity, and its happy termina;

Obad. 12, in an emphatic sense, to denote the malignant dchght with which the enemies of the Jews feasted on their calamities. For the use of the feminine smgular tHP with the dual masculine, comp. 2 Sam. x. 9 Job xx, 11. Nothing is more common in Arabic than to employ the feminine form of the verb when the agent is anything irrational or in-

nx-i,

animate. The singular number is cmr ployed as the simpler fonn of the verb. It may be observed, however, that, instead of !ij":-y in the plural,
foiu-

MSS.,

two of the most ancient and Targ., read ^,3:"^

editions, the Syr.

in the

singular.

tion, are predicted in express terms.

Both

The LXX. have the

and

plural.

Both ~:~r\

were likewise expressly foretold by Isaiah,

Tfin are optative in force.

240
That
sfly
:

MIcAn
!

Chap. IV.

Let her be profaned Let our eyes look njjon Zion. 12 But, as for them, they know not the designs of Jehovah, Neither do they understand his purpose For he shall collect them as sheaves into the threshing-floor. 13 Arise thresh, O daughter of Zion For I will make thy horn iron,

And

And And
And

thy hoofs copper, thou shalt beat in pieces many nations Thou shalt devote their gains to Jehovah,
their substance to the

Lord of all the

earth.

14 Assemble yourselves now,

daughter of troops

We are besieered
12.

r^n

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

fragment of the old form of the personal pronoun Tis, regularly preserved in the Syriac. Compare, for other instances,
ip^'i;, Ruth iii. 3 ^n:Vn, Jer. xxxi. 21, though they are pointed with a Sheva, and the Keri directs that they should be
;

was

to recover

them from idolatry, and thus prepare them for a triumphant restoration. The
taken from the process of threshing out grain is frequently used by the prophets to denote the complete

read r)r-i;and

metaphor

Prin. TheLXX., Aquila, Symm., Theodot., the Syr., and Vulg., all have the second person, onn, Arab.

Comp. Jer. li. For the manner in which this process is carried on, see on Is. xxviii.
destruction of a people.
3.3.

^y^. prohibuit ;

sacrum, quod non

est

27, 28.
13.

A
is,

continuation of the metaphor.

Comp.
There

for a real parallel. Is. xli. 15, 16.

of mixed

however, a very natural instance metaphor, derived from the destructive power lodged in the honi of the ox, though it is not employed in threshing, which greatly adds to the force That "-i", horn, should of the passage.
here be employed to signify the horny substance forming the hoof of the ox, cannot be admitted. Comp. 1 Kings
xxii.
11.

promiscue xisus ; to make sacred, devote, whether in a good or a bad sense. As conquerors used to consecrate a portion of their spoils to their deities by hanging them up in their temples, so tlie trimnphant Hebrews would employ the riches which they acquired by their victories in beautifying the temple of Jehovah, and supporting his worship. The Maccabean times are specially referred to.
14. I consider
lective.

nni,

troop, to be a col-

The horn was a symbol of

in

power exercised
ishing enemies.

subduing and punOrientals give to

- ^^

The

Alexander the Great the epithet of

..wvOyaJUj *com; and the kings of

^laccdon were actually in the habit of wearing the horns of a ram in their
casques.

Jerusalem is called a daughter of troops, on account of the great body of military quartered \\'ithin her walls, and in the surrounding districts. That it is Jerusalem, and not the enemy, that is addressed, the close coherence of the forms Avith those of the preceding context For the paronomasia sufHciently shows. ill Tiij rs 'TT '^rip, comp. Gen. xlix. 19.

The common acceptation of ttj, is or make incisions ; but that it also

fies

to cut

signi-

to

assemble as troops, see Jer. v. 7.

"P^:-

nn

I take to be the sec-

ond person feminine, the Yod being a

^yr.

ps.^.. a portion ox detachment of

Chap. V.

MIC AH.

241

With a rod they have smitten on the cheek The judge of Israel
an army.
understood,
impersonally,
in

Though
it

at

cr

the

enemy

is

David reigned, might be allowed, were

it

is

better "to construe it

and give it in our language the passive. In taat; and "cz-j is

tsrii,

not for the influence of the foregoing with which it forms the paiono-

another paronomasia. Most understand by the i:rr, judge, Zedekiah, -vvho was

contumeliously by the Babybut it seems preferable to refer it to some of the chief rulers of the Jews at the time of the siege of Jerusalem described by the prophet or the term may be used collectively. The position of Hengstenberg and some others, that
treated
lonians
; ;

masia. Though the LXX. have rendered the term by <pv\as, Aq., Symm., and Theod., have Kpnijp. The siege in question Michaelis thinks was that by Sosius,

the

Roman

general, b. c. 37,

when An-

tigonus, the last of the

Asmonsean dy-

nasty,

perior power.
specifically

was obhged to submit to the suWhether this prince be

intended I shall not determine.

selected on purpose to mark a period during which no king of the house of

it is

So much is certain, that he "was most contemptuously treated by Sosius see

;

Josephus, Bell. Jud.

lib. i.

cap. xviii. 2.

CHAPTER
HAVI^'G
at the

V.
which the Jews should be placed

just adverted to the calamitous circumstances in

the reign of Herod, the prophet foretells in a very explicit manner, the birth of the Messiah, which was to take place during the lifetime of that king, 1. prediction is then introduced respecting the final dealings of God towards the nation

commencement of

previous to that illustrious event, 2, on which the permanent and universal nature of the new dispensation is announced, 3. The subject of the victories of the Jews over the Syro-Grecian armies is again taken up, 4-8; and the chapter concludes with threatenings both against the Jews in the time of Micah, and the enemies by whom they were to be punished, 9-15.

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratha Art small to be among the thousands of Judah,
1.

word was found

Michaelis remarks, " If not even a in Matt. ii. 5, 6, ex-

admitted both by the Rabbinical and

the rationahstic interpreters, though, as

planatory of our text, I should believe the subject to be Christ, who was bom in the reign of Herod. The whole thread of the prophecy in the preceding chapter leads me to him, and the time of his birth." The Messianic application
of the prophecy was formally

might be expected, they

person of the Messiah.

differ as to

the
has,

The Targum
pis';
">;"^;;.

T^=s

^i-wV

tn--i

"^M

SttVy

"Uv"';;

'"cfph^z,

"From

thee the

made by
;

the Jewish Sanhedrim, in their oiBcial

reply to Herod, Matt.
ii.

Messiah shall come forth before me, to exercise dominion over Israel, iphose name

5, 6

and

is

was announced long ago, from the dags of

31

242

M I c A II
shall

Chap. V.

Yet from thee

He come

forth to

me

To be Ruler
old."

iu Israel,

The

position of Tlieodore of

Mop-

suesta, Grotius, iJathc,

and some

others,
is

put in the masculine. In the present instance, however, the change ^^as doubtless

that Zerubbabel
;

was intended,

now

occasioned by

r-.r^,

which

is

of that

given up by all and most interpreters of the German school find their notion of an ideal Messiah sufficiently convenient in explaining this and other
passages, as
it

gender, being strongly prominent to the view of the prophet. Pocockc, in the
notes to his Porta Mosis, chap, ii., and in his commentary' on the passage, labors

relieves

them from

all in-

vestigation in regard to positive historical personality.

literally,

Cr;V~n"'2, Bethlehem,

the

Ilotese
-^^*^

of Bread.

Arab.

^ <\

v^ioJ,

Lahtn, the House of

Flesh. It was a small town in the tribe of Judah, built on the slope of a ridge, about six lloman miles to the west by south of Jerusalem, and originally celebrated as the birth-place of David, the first of the luie of Jewish kings, mss.

hard to support the opinion of Tanchum and Abuhvalid, that -i-y^^ has the two contrary significations of little and great but the opinion rests upon nothing beyond the construction which these writers have put upon the term as occurring in Jcr. xlviii. 4, and Zcch. xiii. 7,

which

passages,

when

closely

exammed,
being

admit of no other

signification

Ephrath, Gen.

xlviii. 7, or, as it is

com-

monly

written, with the

paragogic,

attached to the word but that of little, of small note, or esteon, though it may seem to be supported by the Targumic rei dcring "j-n'riuVi in the former of these passages, and by iroifievas the reading of

r;nj:s. Ephratha, appears from the passage just cited to have been the original

the Alexandrian
j

MS.

of the

LXX., and

A.VV

that of the Sj-riac, in the latter.

name

of the place. The word has much the same signification as Buth-lehem, being derived from r:-i2, to he fruitful and no doubt the place received both names from the fertility of the region. Dr. llobinson observes respecting the " The present asjjccts of the town
:

In none of the cognate dialects has the

word the
dignity.

signification

of
is

greatness or
literally little

nvnV
There

n-ys
is

in respect of being,
rcclioned.

little

to

exist, or be

no occasion

to resort

many

olive

and
;

fig

orchards, and vine-

to the h}-pothesis that \ here forms a comparative, and is equivalent to -,a

yards round about are marks of industiy and the adjacent fields, and thrift though stony and rough, produce neverBiblical theless good crops of grain." Researches in Palestine, vol. ii. p. 161. The names occur as parables in the
stanzas, lluth
iv.

\Vhat the prophet asserts Ls, that Bethlehem was positively little in point of size or population, to rank with the other subdivisions of the tribe of Judah. Comp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 23. The tribes were subdivided into T'T^'ziyc, families,
or dans, the chiliads or thousands of which had heads or princes, to whom,

11

r:P-,E>52 V-ri-n'rvi
:

from

this circumstance,
""^s,

cnV r-=3 c-i N-ij;n

called Bethlehem Judah,
;

name of c-eVs
1
;

C'EiVn

was given the "i"'*"' Winces

It

was likewise

Judges
ii.

xvii. 7, xix. 1

Ruth

i.

Matt,

o, in order, it is

thought, to distinguish

from another place of the same name in the tribe of Zabulon, Josh. xLx. 15. "yi', as well as nPS, is of the masculine
it

It is highly and heads of thousands. probable that at the time to A\hich the prophecy refers, if not in that of the prophet, the place might not have been able
to
is

muster a thousand men.

No

mention

made

of

it

among

the cities of Judah

gender, contrary to rule in Hebrew, but in accordance with Arabic usage, in

which the names of

cities are

sometimes

enumerated Josh, xv., though, with many it is found in the text of the I-XX. Nor docs it occur in the list, Neh. xi. 25,
others,

: ;

Chap. V.

MICAH
the ancient days.
spoken of in the New Testaa village, or hamlet, John

243

"Whose comings forth have been of old,

From
etc.

It as

is

terminus a quo.
aw'

The LXX.
rjfjLepwy

e|oSot avrov

ment
vii.

KcifiTi,

apxri^

'l

aluyos.

Syriac

In the present day its inhabitants are rated at eight hundred taxable men. See Dr. Robinson, id sup. Yet, small and inconsiderable as Bethlehem was, it was to have the distinguished honor of giving birth to the Messiah.
42.

^|VoVV
is
.

\r, 'A X

''Whose going f01-th

from

the beginning,

from

the ages."
itio,

Vulg. "Et

egressiis ejus

the days of ab in-

"

O sola magnarum urbium Major Bethlem, cui contigit

Ducem
salutis ccelitus

a diebu-s aternitatis." The Arab, though unwarrantably free as a version, gives pretty

much

the true sense

Incorporatum gignere."
Prudentius,

Hymn. Epiph.

77.

ysjji

*L}!, "Whose goings forth in

Between the former and the latter half of the verse is a marked antithesis. In this respect, k::;' and i-rNSiu, correspond the former, designating the future
;

It Israel are from the days of the age." is, however, not unlikely, that the words

JLj!y*wI

S,

liave crept into the text

coming forth of the

here predicted,
ally

Illustrious

Ruler

when he should actuassume human nature the latter, his ancient comings forth, when he created the world, and appeared to Moses and the patriarchs, and revealed to them the Divine will. The idea conveyed by the noun must be identical with that expressed by the verb. Abenezra, Abar;

Though from the preceding, clause. C-:p is used of past duration absolutely in' reference to God, Deut. xxxiii. 27, yet it is most frequently employed to denote past, especially ancient time, and is synonjTuous with t.V-'J, with which it
occurs in poetic parallelisms.

Comp. the

Arab.

banel, Grotius,

Hartmann, Rosenmiiller,
quum.

^Jo,
Syr.
2,

pracessit

tempus anticoram.
just
;

Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, give origines as the signification of n':S2;, and regard the term as referring to the Davidic extraction of the Messiah. This signification is hke^vise stren-

^^>
we

^>

In
as

Ps. xliv.
t.h''V

n-j5' a-

occiirs,

"^' does in the present verse

in Ps. Ixxvii. 6

have

C^]'";;

C"K:^

and and

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
siah.

fiiV corresponding to each Comp. also Micah vii. U, 20 other. Mai. iii. 4. That the dogma of eternal generation or emanation is taught by

D'^Viy

Mes-

however, is perfectly untenable, since nothing can be more incongruous than the ascription of locality

His

position,

to eternity,

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, i. e. the very ancient times." None of the passages which he alleges proves the local signification ; they all describe the act, not the place or time of egress. -,tt before C"" and in nh^'J ''a."53, is used
in
its

our prophet, does not appear but the actual preexistence of our Saviour, and the most anhis active comings forth, cient times, for the accomplishment of the Divine purposes, he not obscurely Thus Piscator " Verto egresteaches. siones, nempe egressiones a Deo Patre
;

ad sanctos Patres Adamum, Noachum, Abrahamum, Isaacum, Jacobum, quibus

apparuit seseque familiari sermone pateFor the interpretation of Calvin, fecit." that the eternal decree respecting the future birth of the Messiah is intended,
there
is

temporal acceptation, marking the

no foimdation whatever.

The

244
2 Xovei-theless he
Till the

MICAH

Chap. V.

^vill give thera up time Avhen she who is to bear hath brought forth, And the rest of his brethren Shall return to the sons of Israel.

term h'Ji'a, Ruler, here employed, is that used by David in his Messianic Ode, 2

low, and multitudes returned from

Egypt

Sam.

xxiii. 3

and other parts, before the Christian era. The words mV"' nV:*^ are susceptible of

p-^-^s

t-jJ3

"h-c'.-a

two

interpretations.

They may

eitlicr

Comp.

Jer.

xxx. 21:
iis'js'a

n-i"!is

n^nn

be referred to the Jewish church, and regarded as descriptive of her deliverance from suffering, set forth under the or, metaphor of a travailing woman they strictly and hterally apply to the The former mother of the Messiah. interpretation is adopted by Lipman, Munster, Yatablus, Grotius, Drusius, Dathe, Justi, and others the latter by
; ;

Comp.
come

also Is. xi. 1-4.

^h, to

me,

is

not

the greater number of expositors among other moderns, by Seeker, Michaelis,

without emphasis.
for the express

The Messiah was to purpose of cany in g

Hartmann, llosenmiillcr, Hitzig, !Maurer, This construction of the and Ewald.

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,

into efFect the will of his Father in the

salvation of
specially
rule,
it

men and though Israel is mentioned as the sphere of his

;

is

not to the exclusion of the

Gentile world, as vcr. 3, and numerous passages in other prophets clearly show. For the verbal discrepancies between the Hebrew text of Micah, and the quotation Matt. ii. 6, the reader is referred to the commentators on the latter passage.

remark here, that the Hebrew words cannot with any

It
suffice

may

to

propriety be rendered interrogatively, as some have projx>sed, and that the quotation in question,

and the preexistence of his perthe had been predicted ver. 1 prophet, who, as already noticed, was contemporary w'ith Isaiah, and in all probability was acquainted with his celebrated prophecy respecting the rVy,
son,
:

made by the Sanhedrim, and not by the evangelist, is obviously given from memorj', and not with any view to verbal accuracy. 2. Notwithstanding the glorious prospect afforded by the promise of the Messiah, it was not to supersede the state of suffering to which the nation was to be previously red' iced on account Into that state it was to be of its sins. brought by the Chaldeans, and was not to be fiilly restored till about the time of his birth. The return i'rom Babylon was only partial at first but, encouraged by the prosperity wliich attended the reestablishment of the theocracy, others who resided in the East were induced to fol;

Is.

vii.

14,

now

further adverts to the

by a somewhat indefinite, but by no means obscure referThis view ence to his -virgin mother. is further confirmed by the use of the pronominal affix in Tns, which uninteresting fact

questionably belongs to the Messiah, the immediate antecedent, and not, as a collective, to Israel, as given in the

LXX.

and Targ.

By

his

"brethren"

cannot be meant the Gentile bchcvcrs, which some intcrprctci-s have alleged, Ilcb. referring in proof to Ps. xxii. 22 ii. 11 but his brethren according to the flesh, those who still remained in foreign parts, but who were to be bnmght back to Judea, in order that they might
; ;

Chap. V.

MICAH
shall stand,

245
Jehovah,

And He

and feed

in the strength of

In the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God. And they shall continue
;

be great unto the ends of the earth. And This Same shall be the peace. When the Assyrian shall invade our land, And tread our palaces.
shall

ror now

He

We

will raise against

him seven shepherds,

Aiid eight anointed men. . And they shall afflict the land of Assyria with the sword, And the land of Niml-od at the entrances thereof:
be there to receive him, ^vhen he should

where the

come

forth to be ruler in

Israel.
tlie

The
w'ere

scholiast has, paaiXfu ox^'""-'' See for this use of the Hebrew verb ry*^.,

preposition

Vv conveys here

idea of

superaddition.

The

foreign

Jews
It
is

to be gathered in addition to those

who
thus
the

had already been collected. more expressive than Vs.

phrase
is V>^"i'a^

That

2 Sam. V. 2, vii. 7. The power and glory of the ilessiah here predicted are those with which, as Mediator, he is mvested. Comp. Is. xi. 2 Matt, xxviii. 19 Heb. 7-9. ii. Jehovah being called " his
;
;

":3> the children of Israel,

God," intimates
relation.
n'ln"',

his subordinate official

not here to be taken in its distinctive application to the ten tribes, but denotes the descendants of Jacob generally, may be inferred from the fact, that it is thus appropriated after the Babylonish captivity, the period to which the prophecy refers. It is well known that the Maccabsean coins bear the inscription, Vp'J VsTi", the Shekel of Israel, Comp. for
this use the

Comp.

Jolni xx. 17.

If

fj

the natne of Jehovah, be not here

it

a periphrasis for Jehovah himself,

may

be regarded as descriptive of his attributes, or the character in which he hath The nomrevealed himself to mankind. inative to ^riT must be the subjects
over whom Messiah reigns, understood. These were to consist not of believing Jews only, but likewise of believing Gentiles

term Vs^r",

ver. 1 of the

present chapter.
verb -iwy signifies not simply to stand, but also to stand firm, to endure, This latter acceptation is adcontinue.
3.

in the remotest regions of the globe,

The

as

it

y-i_s

Comp. for follows in the verse. "CEs, "the ends of the earth," in

reference to the amplitude of the king-

opted here by many, who think it better suits the character of the predicted king, who is otherwise represented as sitting upon his throne, and not standing. But, as the following verb r;i""i, signifies
to

dom
The

of Christ, Ps. ii. 8, xxii. 28, Ixxii. 8. verb conveys the idea of security and permanence. Such was to be the

character of the new dispensation. It remains to add on this verse, that instead

feed a

flock,

there

is

the
to

greatest

propriety in presenting

him

view in

of ny"!, to feed, two MSS. and some printed editions read nfi, to see, while

the attitude of the good shepherd, w^ho stands, that he may survey the whole of his sheep, and be in readiness to defend

Arab, exhibit both readand that three MSS. and another originally, the Syr., Targ., and Vulg.,
the
ings
;

LXX. and

them against all attacks. Comp. Is. Ixi. 5. The pastoral metaphor is beautifully
expressive of royal care and protection.

read ^arx-^i or ^:iV'^'',ihey shall return, or be co7iverted, mstead of the current reading n'j""!, thei/ shall remain. The

Comp. Ihad

i.

2(33

LXX.
iroiixeya

have

lirap^ovcn.

O"ov neipi^oSv re, ApuayTo, re,

The words CiVi' TA n:;"% -And This Same shall be the peace, ai-e inti4, 5.

246

MIC AH.
Assyrian,

Chap. V.

And there shall be deliverance from the When ho shall invade our land, And when he shall tread our borders.
matcly connected ivith the preceding words, but have no relation to those which follow, except in so far as the victories there assumed vere to pave the way ior that state of the Jewish affairs
during which the Messiah was to appear in the world, ri, This, This Same, is used emphatically, w ith reference to the Messiah, who had just been spoken of. Comp. for a similar use of the pronoun, Gen. V. 20 Exod. xv. 2. qtVc, peace,
;

during the period of their reign, belonged " the land of Assjiia," which Ls ako here called "the land of Ximrod," becaflse, according to the proper rendering of

is

put,

by metonymy,
;

for

the author and

introducer of reconciliation.
xlLx. 10
ii.

Comp. Gen.

Is. ix.
;

o
1.

Zech. ix. 10; Eph.

cri", signifies to

Gen. x. II, that monarch went forth from Babylon into the countrj- of Assyria, where he built Nineveh and other According to this cities there named. interpretation, the prophecy in these two verses relates to the noble and successful opposition which the Maccabees offered to Antiochus Epiphanes, when he marched against Jerusalem, pillaged the temple, and desecrated eveiy object
sacred in the estimation of the Jews.

14, 17

Col.

20.

restore things to their

former

state,

to

By

rousing a spirit of patriotic piety

make

restitution

in Iliph. to restore, or

cause to be at peace,

Comp. the Arab.

f^K*Mj redintegrare, sanare.

stantive
is

The

sub-

the breasts of their countrymen, they not only recovered their sacred city from the enemy, but, after a scries of the most brilliant victories, drove him to the
gates of his

without the

article,

as fre-

own fortified
It
is

cities,

and

fin-

quently in the prophetic writmgs, when the object is to impart energy to the language, by condensing the mode of expression. If iTJs be taken to signify the ancient Assyrian empire, the reference will be to the threatened invasion but this in the time of the prophet construction ill suits the connection, in
;

ally succeeded in securing the national

independence.

to this protracted,

but triumphant struggle, the reference The assertion of is made, Dan. xi. 32. Ilartmann, that sh^ 3 "i?-is is not

Hebrew

in

its

construction,
is

and

that,

consequently, -iris

to be connected

which
future
;

rcsj)cct is

had

to the

more

distant

and what follows,

relative to the

with ciVr, is without foundation; for we meet with the very same construction in nVs' "S Tw-jc -'s C"S, Numb. vi.
2.

resistance of the Jews,

does not agree with any successful events in the history

of that people during the Assyrian I cannot, tlierefore, but think, that the
rule.

Thus

also

in

Arab.

CX.5.1^

J^
'

term

is

employed by our

..waJLoJuo
\yJULi\

131

prophet to

the empire of the Selcucidse, founded by Selcucus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, by whom he was invested with the government of Babylonia and Media, and who, tmder

denote

U^''

tiro cities

when

their inhabit-

ants are of one accord," Tjocman, Fable The numbers sevc7i and eight appear 1.
to be used to denote indefinitely a full and sufficient number, as in Eccles. xi.
2.

the
Jill

title of King of Syria, subjugated the countries from the IIelle.';pont On the to India and the Jaxartes. fame principle that Darius is called -TVS Ti"'?.i '^'^ ^'M!7 of Assyria, Ezra vi.

to eight.
vi.

" Give a portion to seven, and also Comp. also Job v. 18 Prov.
;

16,

9, etc.

XXX. 15, 18, 21; Amos i. 3, 6, So the Greek rpls koI TfrpdKis,
ter quaterque.

and the Latin

"Were they

though that empire had long ceased to exist, the title might be applied to Selcucus and his successors. To them,
22,

to be taken literally, there

great difficulty in selecting from the Maccabicau period ; but the com*

would be no the number

Chap. V.

MICAH

247

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, Like the dew from Jehovah Like the small rain upon herbs, Which waiteth not for man, And tarrieth not for the sons of man. ^Yea, the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, In the midst of many people, Like a lion among the beasts of the forest. Like a young lion among the flocks of sheep. Which, if he pass through, treadeth down and rendeth, And there is none to deliver. 8 Thy hand shall be high against thine adversaries,
6
;

parison of the above passages shows that

such a process would be unwarranted. Cy-i, shepherds, and ens "2^C3, princely men, are synonymous, signifying those who took the lead in opposing the enemy, and who administered the affairs of the Jews at the time. Because -c: also signifies to pour out a libation,
Michaelis

Instead of siiVwa in the singular, !;iiV?3a in the plural, is the reading of thirtyfour MSS., originally four more the
;

and Complut. editions the Soncin. Prophets, and all the ancient
Soncin., Brixian,
versions.
6, 7. The former of these verses depicts the beneficial influence which the remainder of the nation, after its restoration, should exert, by spreading the knowledge of the true God among the nations in the midst of which they were

t-S
life

is inclined to render the phrase "2"C:, sacrifices of 7nen, and to

it

interpret

of such

as

sacrificed

their

Not in defence of their country. only, however, is the parallelism opposed

to this construction of the also the use of

situated

their signal victories

against

meaning, but

C"2"S: in other passages.

Thus Josh. xiii. 21, lirro ^"z-^z, princes (Comp. Ver. dukes) of Sihon and Ezek.
;

such formidable armies, attracting attention to Him whom they worshipped, and to whom they ascribed their success. During the existence of the new Jewish
state,

the

members of the theocracy had

xxxii. 30, iiss "^'Dj T'zv, there are the

jirinces

much

intercourse with foreigners, multi-

of the north.

The

title

properly

signifies aiiointed,

those

who had

consecrated to their office

been by anointing
lo
is

with

oil

C^r!'''i73.

and thus is equivalent In the present instance it

tudes of whom became proselytes to the faith of Jehovah, and were thus prepared to receive the gospel, when preached by the apostles. The idea of number lies both in Vl2, the dew, and C^::"'2-i, the
rain ; and the sudden raising up of the Jews was to be as entirely a work of Divine providence, and independent of

used tropically, without anj' reference to

the ceremony.
Sjt.

^Jj?

(.l.S90%
L liui

Targ. t5r:s

''a.'ns-i;

Arab.

^^

human
cribes

aid, as the

production of the

ma-

terial elements.

The seventh

iujUjI, great men.

here

verse des-

riSn, to feel, being

the formidable character of the

used in connection with " the sword," must be taken metaphorically, and means to consume, devastate, or the hke. To refer qyn to yy-j as its root, is
altogether inadmissible.
i:i

Jews in reference to the hostile nations by which they were attacked. For the accumulation and the rise in the meaning of the verbs qnUT cr-n ^^'J, comp.
Exod. XV. 9 Vt,.^ p'^ns :''^^ '^""i* 8. Here the prosperous asppct of the prophecy closes. The words are ad:

The

repetition

these

elegance.

two verses possesses peculiar V-^n is used impersonally.

248

MICAH
cut
off.

Chap. V.

And all thine enemies shall be And it shall be in that day,

That
I will cut off thy horses

saith

Jehovah,

from the midst of thee

And I will destroy thy chariots. 10 I will cut olFthe cities of thy land, And raze all thy fortresses, 111 will cut oif the sorceries from thy hand. And thou shalt have no diviners.
1

I will cut off thy

graven images and thy statues from the midst

of thee.

And

13 I will break

thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. down thine images of Astarte from the midst of
thee,

And

destroy thy

cities.

dressed optatively to Jehovah, and may be considered as those either of the prophet, or as designed to be adopted by

with the Arab.

vircns
;

^7^'

arbor semper

Arnold, with the Arab.

;

vL^,

the Jewish

church.

Comp.

Is.

xxvi.
speluncus

Her enemies were the enemies of 11. Jehovah. 9-14. The prophet now returns to times nearer his own, and predicts the beneficial moral changes that were to be effected in the condition of his countrj'men by the Babylonish conquest and They liad, contrary to the captivity. express command of the Lord, Deut. xvii, 16, kept up a formidable body of
trusted in cavalry, and war-chariots encouraged sorcery, their fortified cities
; ;

others propose to read t.i-iy^,

groves, supposing the initial

woods,

i.

e.

Yod

to

have been absorbed by that Avith

wliich the preceding

V bile
C"-i',

others

word tenninatcs w ould change the word into

understanding thereby

wit)iesses,
etc.,

the statues

belonging to idol-worThere seems, however, to be no ship. absolute necessity for departing from the signification cities, only we thereby imdcrstand such as were specially appropriated to
suggests.

idolatrous

iiscs,

as

Jerome

and indulged in abominable idolatry. These were all to be removed, when the Jewish state was broken up and after God had employed the heathen in pun;

Comp.

hvjzyi

r"2

""i;, the city

ishing his apostate jieople, they in their

turn should be punished for their obstinate adherence to idol worship, notwithstanding the testimony borne against their conduct by the Jews who lived among them. This portion of the chapter is strikingly parallel witli Is. xlvii. 6-22.

of the hmtse, or te7nple of Baal, 2 Kings X. 2.5, by which is meant a separate part of Samaria, where the temple Avas situThis construction is Tcquired in ated. order to form a parallelism with C^-i-'-Js,
i:na(]cs

before in the verse.

of Astarte, occurring immediately In all the ancient versions the word is rendered by cities,
lated enemies.

except the Targum, in which it is transSome refer the relative

at the

ForcTi'r,seconIs.
comp. C"::V,
occurred
ver. 10,
Is. iii.

xlvii. 9; forD-ij-yji,

rs

end of ver.

U to Cj;:, and init

6;

and
r:

for r:"-)---s,

see on Is. xvii. 8. in

As

terpret,

vnheard of

venfjeance,

had already
a'fies,
it

more natural
7iatiovs,

to connect

but it is with t'-.-A,

the

acceptation of

the immediate antecedent, and

wo

should scarcely exjiect

ver.
1.*?.

to

to regard the prophet as describing the

refusal of the pagans,

be again nsod

To remove

the

who had

enjoyed

difficulty 'Michaclis

compares the word

opijortunitics of learning the true rehgion

Chap. VI.
6

JI I

11

249

And I will execute vengeance in anger and in wrath, Upon the nations Avhich have not been obedient.
g
^
'

from the Jews, to listen to the instruc-which had been tendered to them. Thus the Targ. js'ris ''''^II K^ '*^'27:y
tior^s
\i

"

vVn' ^

\)i
'^

J^ \'

^]

I'^Vo'v
^
>

^I."^'

the peo2}les tcho have not hearkened.

In

SfT'l'is, "<Ae peoples that have not receiv.^d the

the same way Michaelis, Hartmann, Justi,

doctrine
ai/^'

of the law."
S)v

LXX.

Dathe, Hitzig, Maurer, Ewald.

if tors e^pefftv,

ovk

elcriiKovcraV'

CHAPTER

VI.

It was not sufficient for the prophet to predict the punishments that were to be inflicted on the Jews; he was required to press the subject upon their attention, wliich he does in a very affecting manner, by calling a public court, in which the inanimate creation is summoned to supply evidence, 1, 2. An appeal is then made by Jehovah to the accused party, respecting his kindness to the nation from the earliest period of its history, 3-5. Convicted of guilt, the people are represented as deeply anxious to obtain, at any cost, reconciliation with God, 6, 7; and are pointed by the prophet to the only source whence it was to be obtained; whilo, at the same time, they are reminded of the high properties and obligations of true piety, 8. He next demands attention to the threatened judgments, 9; specifies some of the crimes on account of which they were to be brought upon them, 10-12; repeats the threatening, 13; shows the blasting effects of the Divine wrath upon all
their undertakings, 14, 15j

and

traces the evil to

its

true source

the

idolatries of the

kingdom of

Israel, 16.

Hear
Arise
!

ye

now what Johovah

saith

And
And

plead in the presence of the mountains, let the hills hear thy voice.

2 Hear,

O ye mountains Jehovah's controversy. ye rocks, the foundations of the earth

!

1,2. It is not unusual with the prophets to make appeals respecting the enorinity of human guUt to the inanimate
parts of creation, as
for it not to

abdicates, as
it

it were, his right, and leaves to the guilty party to state the case,

were impossible inspire them with life, and

if it

Comp. Is. xliii. 26. In the appeal to the lofty and ever-during mountains, in which the puny affairs of man could
excite

call them forth as intelligent witnesses of what hath taken place in their presence,

no

prejudice,

and which might

therefore be regarded as quite impartial

By

See Deut. xxxii. 1 Is. i. 2; Jer. ii. 12, 13. a similar personification the moun;

judges, there

is

sublime.

C"nrn
^vitk

tains

and durable foundations of the earth

contend

something inexin-essibly rt* ::-n, does not meant the mountains, as if they

appear in the Jehovah, however, court of heaven. instead of bringing forward the charge,
are here
to

summoned

were the party to be accused, but to carry on the cause in their presence,

rs

is

here to be taken in the signification

32

250

^I I

A II
liis

CUAP. V.
people,

For Jehovah hath a controversy with

3

And will contend witli Israel. 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 tlie house of slaves And sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
;

O my

i^eople

remember now how Balak the king of Moab

the son of

con-

sulted,

And how Balaam

From

Boor ansM'ered him

[RememlK'r what ha^jpened]

Sliittim to Gilgal,

That ye may know the

of a pud,

benefits of Jehovah.
part she took in celebratiag the Divine interposition for their deliverance. She
called rs"r::n, the prophetess, Exod. XV. 20, because she led the female chorus Avhich rehearsed the inspired song of ;Moses. The Targ. on ilieah adds
is

coram,

and

is

equivalent to

'zzh, before, just

as the forms

TiVrrn

tT'ps rs, Gen. V. 24, and ';]Vr;rin Ct;;s 'isV, xlviii. 15, are identical in
meaning.
in a great

c-:rs, or as

it is sfielt

c-:ri"x

many MSS., and

in four earlj-

editions, standing absolutely, must be taken as a substantive, and not as an adArab. jective qualif>-ing y-s '"5'tt.

t^'r:'"? rs-i-N*^,

to

instruct the

women,
to his

Comp. Numb. >:i. 2. 5. The ki'idncss of Jehovah

.yii

stetit,

consistit
id,

.L}|,

petra.
et per-

people waf. manifested, not only in furnishing them with inspired teachers,

s3\^

est
stia

omne

quod durat,

but also in counteracting the designs of Balak, who wished to engage the prophetic influence of

manet

in sede.

Schultens, Origg.

Balaam

against

them

Hebbr. p. 112. Instead of ',-7_t< ''"017:, the foundations of the earth, the Arabs
call

for that ivaricious prophet Wcis compelled,

contrary to the cherished desire of his

heart, to

the mountains

ij^j^ll

oLj'qI,

instead
the stakes, or posts of the earth. 3, 4. The Israelites are asked, in the
xxiii.

pronounce blessings upon them cui-ses. See Numb. xxii. xxiv. The words -y C'ii'i'n ">;
of

V.^Vs,

from

Shittim to GiUjul,

are not

kindest and most affecting style, -what ground of complaint they had against Jehovah, whicli could have induced them Comp. Jer. to act the part they did. lie had demanded of them ii. 5, 31. nothing that was unreasonable, -a at the beginning of ver. 4, is very expressive, and is equivalent to nay, on the Instead of having contrary, or the like. done anything to alienate them, God had

to be constructed

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 m;u-ginal gloss; but have merely to supply the ellipsis r'n T'lZ, what happened, and repeat -bt,

remember, from the

verse.

first

clause of the
-,-i

shown the utmost kindness

the beginning
;

to

them from

To
"TS

this effect the Targ.

-,'>B'f

rr:,

sVn

not only rescuing them from Egyptian bondage, but providing them with inspired leaders. Miriam is mentioned, on account of the promijient

v"-' '*"=.?!'"'* kV.-Vj, " Were not mighty deeds performed for you from the plain of Shittim Thus also Munto the house Gilgal?"
'c"iziz

r'3

Chap. VI.

MICAH
shall I

251
?
?

Witli what shall I conie before Jehovah

With what
Shall I

bow

to the high

God

come before him with burnt

?

offerings ?

"With calves of a year old

Will Jehovah be satisfied with thousands of rams? With ten thousand rivers of oil ?
Shall I give

my

first-born for

my

transgression ?

The
Bter,

fruit

of my body for the sin of

my

soul ?

Yetablus, Grotius, Calvin, Dathe, De Wette, Michaelis, Hartraann, and others, There was a peculiar propriety in specifying these two places. Shittlm was the

accorded with the notions which were prevalent among them, some of which

had been learned from

neighbors.

their

heathen

How much

soever they

might

name

of a valley in the countrj' of Moab, where on account of the impurities com-

mitted with the Midianitish women, twenty- four thousand Israelites were destroyed.

formerly have grudged the expense of prescribed offerings, they are now willing to bring the most costly and abund-

The
;

evil

was

so great that it

might have caused the I>ord to abandon them entirely but he mercifully spared

them

as a people, miraculously divided

rams by thousands, and oil sufficient myriads of rivers nay, what is more, human victims, and of these the most endeared, their own offspring. In ^^i; i-rn; m'^nn, myriads of torrents of
ant,

to

fill

the Jordan to afford them a passage,

oil,

is

a double hyperbole, quite in the

and gave them

Canaan,
fathers.

actual

possession to

of

the

land

promised

their

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

For m'22"i, as thus used, comp. 1 Sam. xviii. 7 and for -,>2'i;>n:, Job xx. 17. \ The fact of the presentation of humah sacrifices is fully established in the ancient history of all nations. This bai-barous custom was especially prevalent among the Phoestyle of the Orientals.
;

now
;

nicians,

remains.

r;in')

r'pn::, the
v. 11
;

into the north of Africa,

and was by them introduced where it conthe proconsulate of Tiberius.

benefits

of Jehovah.
xii. 7

Comp. Jud.
7.

tinued

till

Sam.

Ps. xxiv.

In this

way

the phrase is interpreted by Tanchum, Grotius, Drusius, and by most of the " Per Jusmoderns. Calvin observes
:

According to Porphyry, the book of Sanchoniathon was full of examples of That they obtained such sacrifices.

among
from

the idolatrous Israelites

is

clear

titias intelligit

beneficia
;

quemadmodum
tibi

Jer. xix. 5, xxxii. 35,

who

offered

multis
'

aliis locis

and jjaraphrases thus

demonstret quam verax, quam beneficus, quam misericors semper fuerit Deus erga genus vestrum."
6, 7.

Ut

ipsa

experientia

The Jews

convicted of

guilt,

are represented as most anxious to propitiate the

their children to Moloch or Saturn, after the example of their Phoenician neighbors. Eusebius, in his Prsepar. Evangel, lib. iv. 16, enters at length into the subject ; and adduces a passage from Philo Byblius which has a special bearing upon the present text "Ebos ?iv to7s
:

Divine favor.

They could

TraAaioIs, eV Ta7$ fxeyaAaTs avixcpopats rciiu

KiuSvvcoi',

not deny the charges that had been brought against them nor could they put in any plea of justification. They stood condemned before God and the The language which they universe. employ is not such as the pro])hct would have taught them, but such as -well
;

avrl

ttjs

Traj'TOJi'

(pSropas

TO
rohs
ff^a-

HFAnHMENON THN TEKNiiN

KparovvTai
?)

ir6\(eDS

tj

e^yous,

eh

y^v
fiotrt.

firiSiS6i'ai,

Kvrpov ro7s

rifxupo'is

Sal-

" It was customary among the ancients, on calamitous or dangerous emergencies, for the rulers of the city or

252
8

^I I

A II

Chap. VI.

He hath showed thcc, O man what is good And what doth Jehovah rcqiure of thee,
!

Biat to

do

justice,

and love nievcy.

And
the
all,

be diligent in walking with thy

God?

state, to prevent the destruction of to offer \ip the 7nost clearly beloved of their children, as a ransom to divine

Of

this, the only intrinsically valuable atonement, the Levitical sacrifices, were examples, or instructive vKo5(iyfx.aTa,

vengeance." -rs
of the root
x:{t~^,

is

the future in Niphal

self

to bend, bote 07ie's

Comp. Ps. Ivii. 7, cxlv. l-t. Instead of iiy-) \~i, rivers of oil, the
down.

LXX. who
the Alex.

have

x't^^P'^i' i^i-ivwv, or,

as

which were ijitendcd to suggest and foreshadow it and, connected as they were with the progressive developments, which, from time to time, were made of the sacerdotal character, and
tyjx'S,
;

MS.

reads, apvuiv,

have read

"tt-i Vni, fat sheep ; which rendering i iollowcd by the Vulg. and Arab., but 05 unsupported by any other authority. The translator was evidently misled by au improper view of the parallelism. 8. The questions put in the preceding verses do not involve anything like irony, as Rosenmiiller and Maurcr imagine, but manifestly argue a deep anxiety about an atonement, and at the same time the grossest ignorance of what was necessary to constitute that atonement. In replying to them, the prophet first of all shows, that the ignorance of the people was culpable. They had been furnished with revelations of the mind of God upon the subject. T^ Tjn, He (i.e.

the personal oblation of the Great Deliverer promised from the beginning, the worshippers were without excuse if they did not, like Abraham, rejoice in the anticipation of his day. Having
referred

the

inquirer to

the

revealed

with a tacit intimation of the importance of availing

reconciliation,

method of

Jehovah) hath shown or mmiifested it to thee ; or, the verb may be taken imperIt ^onally, and rendered in the passive
:

himself of it, ilicah proceeds to describe the conduct which alone could meet with the divine approval. The piety required by Jehovah, he sums up under three heads strict equity in all our transactions with our ftllow men a heart set on doing them good, according to the claims which they have upon us and diligent attention to everj-thing belonging to converse with God. Comp. Deut. See also, as contrasting a X. 12, 18. right state of the heart and life with ceremonial services, 1 Sam. xv. 22 Is.
: ; : ;

i'.

liath been shoxcn thee.

".'^^,1x0111 shoic,

No MS.

supjwrts

the reading of the Syr., Vulg. and Arab. Kad they searched the Divine records they could not have
failed to

more compendious description of genume religion is given by our Lord under the threefold division of Kpicris, fKeos and itiVtij,
;

11-20 Jer. 22-24 Hos. vi.

;

vii.
6.

21-23

Amos

v.

A still

discover,

that,

Bcriptions relative to sacrifices

whatever prehad been

had iicvcr been taught to attach to them any moral Both reason efficacy, but the contraiy. and revelation combined to invest them with an ulterior reference. "What that
delivered to them, they
reference really was, the A]wstle plainly

or, as Luke has for Matt, xxiii. 23 the last, tV aydTnjv rov Qtov, chap, which shows how completely xi. 42 mistaken Campbell is in referring it to the social virtues, and rendering it fdelThere can be little doubt that iti/. Christ had the passage of Micah in his
; ;

eye.

teaches us, Ileb. x.

d
vofios

v:::,

Arab.
aliqua
;

Swiaj/

70^ tx'^"
:

jLo,
;

f<^cit,

elabora-

riav

the

Z'i'i::~~'C

^nWiinuv AFAQflN Comp. of the prophet.

vit in re

;)a;"ay*Y
1

also,

indusastutus,

Heb.
Christ

ix.
is,

tinction,

where the sacrifice of by way of eminence and discalled K p e Irr oval ^vaiai.
23,

trius et solers

Syr.

a 1

callidus

Eth }C\SJ>

validus, cotistana

, ;

Chap. VI.

M I C A II

253

The voice of Jehovah crieth to the city, (And he who is wise will regard thy name) Hear ye the rod, and Him who hath appointed
fuit ; to be apt, readij, diligent, to bend the mind to anything here, to apply it carefully and sedulously to devotional
;

it.

and other
essential to

spiritual exercises,

which

are

the Most High, the prof^het proceeds to summon their attention to the certainty of the judgments that were to be inflicted. Ti--5 for -i-'itV, to the city, i. c Jerusalem, by way of eminence. As she was preeminent va privilege, so she was also in regard to wickedness and guilt. n-;^'i'"n

communion with God. Thus

(Toi/xoy
flvai
;

the

LXX,
:
;

Theod.
version,

acripa<ppoi/-

\l^ov
ri^eiv

the filth

Greek
a
.

the Syr.

A V paratus ; Vulg.

solicitum.
is

The idea of humility, which that adopted in our common version,

Gesenius refers to an obsolete root nr", which he thinks may probably have meant to stand, stand out, and so to be. From such a root both this noun, and
W",
being,
subsistetice,

seems to have been derived from the Arab.

JU;wvi !^kjiO^
' J by rendering him submissive and

substance,

may
signi-

to train one's horse, i. e.

most naturally be derived.

fications will
is,

The

patient

of restraint; hence
bene exercitatvs.

/JLo

ujyi, ^2'"'*

then be, that which really something solid or substantial, real wisdom, icealth, j^otoer, security, deliverance, or whatever else best agrees with

Prov.
lies

xi. 2.

While

See A. Schultens on this grace is an in-

the context.

Comp. the Arab.

^^ ,
opum
is

dispensable attribute of true religion,

and

indeed at its very foundation, it is only one of the several important qualiThe term ties of which it is composed. employed by the prophet comprehends them all. Michaelis renders, mit gewis-

in the acceptations jm?j< restituitque aegiotnm medicina ; abundavit opibus vir

gl_^,
/^

opulentia,

abundantia

largitm

est.

The noun

used

"with conscientious The comment of Jerome is " Ita prsecinot unworthy of notice
senhafter sorgfalt,
solicitude."
;

in parallelisms with n^cStt, toisdom,

counsel,
']i'a,

m;y,

n~iTS, assistance,
shield,
it

iv,

strength,

etc.

The LXX., who

)3o^&Ja,

pitur ut pr;eparati simus ambulare

cum

render
(rojTTjpia,

by

aXri^es,

laxvs,

Domino Deo nostro, nulla hora dormire, nuUo tempore securi esse debemus, sed
semper cxpectare patremfamilias venientem et diem formidare judicii, et in nocte
hujus seculi diccre
:

a(T^d\iia,

/3ou\7j,

give in the
as if they

present text the verb

(raxrei,

had read y-'jip, from V^'-, but they may, after all, have attached the same
signification
1

meum

vigilat."

';'.'J.7-i_

ego dormio, et cor is the Hiphil In-

to

Tr6'_^.

The
;

Syriac has

o \-n

doctrine

the Targ. s'Siw

finitive,

used adverbially.
Peters,

Bps. Butler
others,

and Lowth, Mr.

and some

are of opinion that the sixth, seventh,

and eighth verses contain a dialogue bebut there tween Balak and Balaam does not appear to be sufficient ground
;

construction of the word here will depend upon the reading of the If, with seven MSS., following verb.
teachers.

The

originally one more,

other,

and apparently an-

for

it.

The connection
fifth is

of these verses

with verse
suppose.
9.

not so close as they

one corrected, and one in the margin, the LXX., Syr., Targ., Vulg.. and Arab., we read t|K;i; 'S;:."^';. those zohofear
thy name, the passage will best be rendered, there tcill be safety or deliverance,
i. e.

the ground of the foreseen determination of the Jews, notwithstand-

On

for such.

In

this case

we have

to

ing their present professions of repentance, to persevere in a line of conduct

diametrically opposite to that required

supply the substantive verb, and the

sis

ellip-

of

';, ;'o

by

if

we

On the other hand, or for. retain the current reading n^."^

254
10

M
tliere still in

CA

Chap.

VL

Are

the house of the wicked treasures of wicked-

ness,

And
11

the accursed scanty ephah ?

I

Can

be innocent

witli

wicked balances,

12

And with a bag of deceitful Aveights ? Whose rich men are full of violence, And her inhabitants sj^eak falsehood
;

tjtt-i",

he shall see thy name,

we

must,

rtiw, the

with our own, and other

derstand r"K before
the noun
to
in the

translators,

unor

the modems,

LXX,, Syr., Vulg., and among Newcome and Ewald, take

and

n-;;'f-n,

and take
solid,

to signify tribe, or collectively tribes,

signification

soujul wisdom.

That

^'s

is

frequently

be thus understood
cix. 4,

abstract
"'ss,

nouns,
x'ayer,

render in the vocative. The Targ. adopts a metaphorical signification, corresponding to that which attaches to tr:;

comp. Ps.
for

n^sn

I am

rendering, sr-uVf t

i*^V?

^ King and

nVsn r'S
xiii. 6,

Prov.
the
1-5.

"SS, I am a inan of prayer rsan, sin, for rst;n j"s,

i.

Prince ! The acceptation rod, as emblematical of punishment, is best suited

to the connection.
6, 24.

man of

sin,

e.

the sinner; xix.

Comp.

Is.

ix. 3, x.

rVi'y, indolence, for r;V::y 'j'S, the

indolence,
etc.

PTiy^

is
:

also variously transiated

man of

"What greatly
occur-

favors the reading

and explained some deriving it from the root n"?, to adorn; some from ":r,y,
to testify
;

'^'C'j "^s-i"' is its

some adopt the

signification

ring only in this place, whereas ~^'^ "5?.T>

and other
of frequent

Ibrnis of ni'^

with
It

^-j, are

of the Arab. tX.) niinatns fuit ; while

r.~iv, congrerjafion.

occurrence.

was quite

There

is

natur;d for copyists and punctators to substitute the fonner for the latter, but not the latter for the former. As to the
ancient versions, the LXX. may, as frequently, have translated from healing,

no necessity
signifi-

for departing

from the ordinary

cation of ~v^', to fix, apjioint.

The only

real difficulty lies in the feminine suffix

r;,

which does not grammatically agree

riki.TS
;

and thus have mistaken the pronunciation of nsi^ for that of "st, which it

with

but even this

may

be re-

moved by taking the

derstood.

suffix as a neuter,

The common reading best suits the connection. Before announcing his message, the prophet parenso nearly resembled.
thetically declares, that, whatever

might

imComp. Jer. ix. 11. Ewald, hiire Gemcine vnd icer sie bestellt ! " let the community hear, and he that apor as referring to ry~i, the calamity,
it," understanding thereby the king as principal ruler. Hitzig and ^Maurcr, as in our common version, both make Jehovah the nominative to the

be the treatnient

it

Avould receive fioni

points

the bulk of the people, the truly wise would regard it as (iod's message, aud ha^'ing special respect to his revealed character as thereby disclosed, would
find
in
it

verb.

security

and consolation in

10

Comp.
12.

Jer. xlvii. 7.

Several crimes arc here speci-

the approaching calamities. The name of the Lo'.d is frequently used to express the sum total of the Divine attributes, and often stands for God himself. nsn, signifies not merely to see, but to
recorjnize
practicalli/,
;

to

experience.
l.S,

Sam. xxiv. 12
40
;

Ps. xxxiv.

Ixxxix.

sample of those which abounded, and on account of which the Divine judgments were to be brought upon the For r-y at the beginning of a land. Fortysentence, comp. Gen. xix. 12. nine 'MSS., thirteen more originally, and perhaps one other, with one in the marfied as a

liam.

iii.

1.

Contrasted with rST'

gin, read'i"-sr the

man, instead

of-:;jJn;

;;, sec Ts. xxvi. 10;

-'-

r^'iii.T.v^-^'

t2.

and

this is also the reading of the

Son-

'

Chap. VI.

MICAII.
is

255

Their tongue in their mouth

deceitful.

13 I will surely smite thee incurably,

Rendering thee desolate on account of thy sins. eat, but thou shalt not be satisfied, For thou shalt be inwardly depressed Thou mayest remove, but thou shalt not rescue, Or what thou rescuest I will give to the sword. 15 Thou mayest sow, but thou shalt not reap
14

Thou may est

the Brixian, and five other printed and has the approval of Jarchi, Abenezra, and Abarbanel, but it affords
cin.,

tion,

for

the sake of

effect,

into

the

editions,

mouth of one of themselves, and making him ask, how he could possibly lay claim
to the character, while he had none but instruments of fraud in his possession ? the antecedent to Tcs, whose, ver. 12,
is

no suitable sense
nicott's

MS.

201,

and with r^Ti in Kenmust be regarded as

the result of interpretation. the same cause, numerous

editions have 'isn.

Owing to MSS. and The LXX., Syr.,

;

n^yn,
13.

city, ver. 9.

and Vulg., have

there cannot

read\tJ!<:n, the fire

but

be any doubt, that it is only another form of *,:;'ri, 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. fi-js, Syr.
; :

In this, and the following verses, severe judgments are threatened against the people on account of their iniquitous practices. The LXX., Syr., Vulg., and Arab., render ^n^Vnn, I have begun, or, I loill begiti, as if it were the Hiphil of
Vttt, but
sick, etc.
it is

that of

n^n,

to be in i^ain,

As

here used with the infini-

^^_^|,

Arab, lugoj,

e&t,

exsistit.

The

tive of
it

n^n,

to smite, inflict

punishment,

gives intensity to the threatening,

and

ellipsis

of a before rr^a

is

not unfrequent.

expresses the incurable nature of the pun-

The Hebrews were much given

falsification of their

to the weights and measures, though such conduct was repeatedly prohibited by the law. Lev. xix. and elseDeut. xxv. 13-16 35, 36
; ;

ishment.
14.
fc^',,
is

Simonis
.

and Gesenius,
fO''>ne

not to be referred, with to the Arab.

exinanitus fuit, but to

ukT'^

-j

where severely condemned in

their sac;

X..w

sequior, et imbecillis, infirmi^s

J

See Prov. xi. 1, xx. 10 red writings. and for the practice, comp. Ezek. xlv. Hos. xii. 8 Amos viii. 5. nw.yT, 9, 10
;
;

and was most

likely intended to express

]

what we

find in the Syr.

accursed, from cyr, to be angry, indig-

^- ~iV n

nant.
as

This participial form presents the

displeasure.
Syr,,

object as suffering the effects of anger, or

" the diarrhoea shall be within thee." The LXX. taking :jn;i:. for Tj-iini, renders, iB P is the apocopated Hiphil of ,"Sd, to retnove, and expresses the attempt to save goods by removing them out of the way of the enemy. All the ancient versions have adopted the signification of i"iiT; with t, to seize,
Koi (TKOTafffi ef aoi.

marked with the Divine

ver.

nsTS,
Targ.,
nsT"',

11,

the

LXX.,

and

have read in the third person though the two last render it in

the plural. As the MSS. show no variation, the present reading must be retained but as this verb is never used transitively in Kal, we cannot refer the nominative to God, and interpret it of his inquiring whether he could treat the persons in question as innocent, but must regard the prophet as putting the ques;

lay hold on, but that conjugation of y^:,

has also the signification, to remove anything. See Job xxiv 2. 15. ^;^ "rj-i-in. Oil was expressed

from the olive, by stamping or treading it out with the foot, in the same way as

256

MICAH
oil;

Chap. VII.

Thou mayest

tread the olive, but thou shalt not pour out the

And
16

the grape of the

new

wine, but the wine thou shalt not

drink

The

statutes of
all

And And
That

the

Omri are strictly kept, work of the house of Ahab,

;

ye walk in their counsels

I

may make

thee desolate,

And

the inhabitants thereof an object of hissing

Tlierefore ye shall bear the reproach of

grapes were trodden.
"^lyp

my

people.

Hence the name f>, Gethsemane, or the oil-press,

Oil
is

16-28.

^y^iV, in order that.

The He-

Matt. xxvi. 3G.

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 introduction of this verse ; but it is quite in the manner of the prophet, to recur to the wicked character of his people. is best rendered impersonally, "',^2'r>r''

brews did not, indeed, commit the wickedness described with the intention of bringing upon themselves divine punishment but the punishment was as certainly connected with the sin, in the purpose of God, as if its infliction had been the end at which they aimed. ?iNOT ")zv_ rE~n,
ye shall bear the reproach of iny people,
i. e.

though

Ilithpael

rs, people, understood. here intensive of Piel. Omri is specially mentioned, because he was the founder of Samaria and the wicked
it

refers to

is

your own reproach, that which you have deserved only the meaning is so expressed, in order to derive a high aggravation of their guilt from the relation in which they stood to Jehovah. The LXX. have Xauv, which intimates that they either read c^y, or "a, as a de;

house of Ahab, and a supporter of the superstitions of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xvi.

fective masculine plural.

CHAPTER
Before

VII,

concludin<;, the prophet once more reverts to the wickedness of his people, which he depicts with the darkest colors, 1-6. lie then represents them in their state of captivity, brought to repentance, and confidently expecting the Divine interposition, wliich would be rendered the more conspicuous by the complete destruction of their enemies, 7-10. The restoration of Jerusalem, and the conversion of the hostile nations, are next predicted, 11, 12; while the previous desolation of Judea is traced to the sins of the inhabitants, 13. Turning to Jehovah, he prays for the undisturbed and prosperous condition of the restored nation, 11; to wln'ch a gracious response is given, 15. The overthrow of the nations hostile to the Jews, and their reverence for Jehovah, are then pointed out, 10, 17; and the prophecy closes with a sublime and exulting appeal to his gracious character, 18, and an assurance that the covenant people should experience the full accomi)lishment of the sacred engagements into which he had entered with their

progenitors, 19, 20.

Chap. VII.

MICAH.
fruit.

257

Alas for me For I am as when they gather the summer As when the vintage is gleaned
There
is

no duster to

eat,

No
The

early fig which

my

soul desireth.

pious hath perished from the land.

;

there is none uj)right among men They all lie in wait for blood They hunt each other into the net. For evil their hands are well prepared The prince asketh,

And

1.

In no part of his prophecy does

so fearfully describe the universal

Micah

corruption of manners which prevailed

generally admitted, the prophet intended to convey. 2"'t:^n is frequently used to express the doing of anything
it is

the Jews as in the first six verses of this chapter. The picture is peculiarly applicable to their character in the wicked reign of Ahaz, during which the prophet flourished, and was awfully anticipative of that which they again exhibited during the reigns immediately preceding the captivity. The preposition ?.^f*3. denoting 2 in n"^3 rVVys y;;;

among

well, skilfully, aptly,

it
lis,

is

intransitive.

and the like. Here Ewald, with Michae-

time as well as comparison, the two nouns in construction must be rendered as if they were verbs, though a literal
translation Avould be, the gatherings of the summer fruit, and the gleanings of

Vogel and Doderlein, mistakes the meaning of the clause altogether, when he explains it of endeavoring by bribery to prevail upon the magistrates to pronounce that to be good which in itself is evil. ^S"'i, which he is obliged to convert into V^"i, a Pual form, of which no example occurs in the Hebrew language,
can only
refer to the avaricious passion

of the ruler. It it, therefore, the wickedness of their governors and judges, and

For r;"i"S2, the earhj fg, see on Is. xxviii. 4. The prophet compares the strong desire which he felt to meet with a single pious man, to that eagerness with which the traveller looks
the vintage.

not that of the people themselves, which the latter clauses of the verse describe. After hii'V supply Tn'j and after "ctv,
;

t2

S i"

The substantive n

fl

n, like the Arab.

,J0 desideravit, voluit, has here the signification, tcish, desire, will.

in vain for one of those dehcious figs after the summer has advanced.
2. Comp. Ps. xii. 1, xiv. 2 ; Is. Ivii. 1. Cnin, rendered in most of the versions

tens on Prov. x. 3

and the Korin

See Schulii. 87 :

destruction, signifies also a net,

which

is

from its enclositig or shutting up whatever it catches. Occurring, as it here does, in connection with the verb
so called

(OCw-OJI

a,

"and whenever a

messenger cometh to you with that which your souls desire not." Comp. Ps. lii.
9
;

n?a, preferable to take it in this acceptation. The Orientals emto

it

hunt,

is

ployed the net for hunting, as well as The word is here in the acfor fishing.
cusative case. 3. This verse

'iE3

Prov. xi. 6 rii?, Deut.

and

for

the cognate

xii.

15, 20.

r^J,
;

sig-

nifies to intertwine,

bind together, as the

etc.

branches of

trees, ropes, effect

here,

me-

very differently rendered by translators. The version of it which I have given appears to express as literally as possible the ideas, which,
is

taphorically, to

by united

effort,

Comp. the Arab.

miscuit,

miscuit com-

Syr.

V ^_7 -^V
If.
\

concordavit.

33

258

MICAH
the judge also, for a reward

Chap. VH.

And And
4

the great man giveth utterance to the desire of his They combine to act perversely. The best of them is like a prickly thorn The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge The day of thy watchmen, thy visitation cometh
;

soul:

Now
5

shall

be their perplexity.
;

Place no faith in a companion Trust not a familiar friend ;

From her that lieth in thy bosom Guard the doors of thy mouth. For the son despiseth his father The daughter riseth up against her mother The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law A man's enemies are the members of his own family.
;
; :
:

Dathe

conjunctis

viribus

exequuntur.

lowing rnsps,
parallel.

visitation, is explicatively
rii^i^u D^"^,
Is. xxii. 5.

Ihe

princes, judges,

spired to set

and great men, conaside all law and right in

is

For
on

a dag of per-

their treatment of the poor of the land.

plexity, see

The

reference

The
and

suffix

to be taken as a neuter,

refers to the injustice practised

by

the rulers.
fit

Thus Calvin

"
:

Demde comhoc
est

pllcant ipsam pravitatem

hinc

ut grassetur furiosa crudelitas,

quoniam

not to the watchmen, improperly interpreted by some of false prophets nor is it to be confined to the persons of rank and office described ver. 3 ; but to the people generally.
in

is

vohmt

conspirant inter se et gubematores et qui sibi acquirerc peccandi licentiam :

quasi contexerent inter se funes, conmodo pravitatem." 4. Both 2113, good, and "iiji, upright,
are here used superlatively.
this use,

5,6.
socius,
etc.,

C|?ViJ,

Arab.
i^jiJt-

k_q >iJ|. familiaria

cmyiinxit, sociavit,

from

firmant hoc

a familiar, and, by implication, a

friend.
xxxii. 15.

confidential,
Art/ia^e*.

LXX.
The

Comp.
19
;

for

Comp. Deut.

Gen. xlv. 23

Is.

i.

Exod.

root Vs:, primarily signifies to 7cithcr,faU

XV.

4.
is

It frequently occurs in Arabic.

off as leaves,

and tropically to

act xcickedhj,

p-;n

now

allowed to designate a species

brier.
it

irreligiouslg, as

one that has fallen off

1.

of thorn,

and not a

As

the

"a

now

from God. Comp. V:::,Ps.xiv.

xix. 23, 24.

nVs:,
;

must be taken as an emphatic comparative, which derives its force, not from any adjective expressed, but from the noun to which it is
stands before r;S?,cr,
prefixed, as in Ps.
Ixii.

an atrocious deed, Gen. xxxiv.

Jud.

The

state of things here

described

is

that of the most wretched

perfidiousness,

10

Is. xli.

24

in

or

it

may have

originally belonged as a

noun i'-, in which and ^7f"^ must have corresponded to each other, leaving an ellipsis of the 3 which had just been used in p-ina. V>Y " the day of thy watchmen,"
suffix to the preceding

case rsita

anarchy, and confusion, which the most intimate could have no confidence in each other, and the closest ties of relationship were violated and contemned. Comp. Jcr. ix. 2-6.

aXXoTplovs
vii.

h.\Xi\\(tiv

tlvai

trdmas rovs
rtKvwv,
kolL

p.))

(TTTovSaiovs,

Kal

yoytTs

h.^f\<povs
I-acrt.

ii.Se\(paii/,

oiKflovs olnfiuiv.

Diog.

tlio

period of calamity predicted by the

is

32.

In language strikingly
:

prophets

meant.

With

this,

the

fol-

similar,

Ovid

describes the iron age

; ;

Chap. VII.
V

MIC AH.
Jehovah
;

259

But

I will look for

I will wait for the

God

of

my

salvation

My God
8

will

hear me.

Rejoice not over me,

mine enemy 1
again
is
;

Though Though

have

fallen, I shall rise

I sit in darkness,

Jehovah

my light. my

9 I will bear the indignation of Jehovah,

Till

Because I have sinned against him he f>lead my cause, and give effect to
will bring

sentence

He
10

me

forth to the light

I shall behold his righteousness.

Mine enemy

also shall see

it,

And shame
Mine eyes

shall

cover her.
is

She that said to me. Where

shall

Jehovah thy God

behold her

" Vivitur ex rapto

pite tutus,

non hospes ab hos;

Non

soror a genero

fratrum quoque

gratia rara

est.

Obad. 12 for both, Ps. Vna na, daughter of Babylon, or D"'N~T2, daughter of Edom, for Babylon and Edom themselves, is
for the latter,
;

exxxvii.

7,

8.

Imminet
Lurida
Filius

exitio vir conjugis, ilia mariti

terribiles

imderstood
ria;'_i<,

in

the feminine

participle

miscent
patrios

aconita
inquirit

noin
144.

vercse,

ante annos."

diem

Metamorph.

i.

words to the treacherous and cruel treatment which he taught his disciples to expect from
appropriates the
their nearest relatives, Matt. x. 35, 36
;

Our Saviour

mhie enemy. For the idiom, see on Is. i. 8. The Jews imderstand Rome as professing Christianity to be meant by the enemy. See Pococke on verses 9th and 10th. "Light" and "darkness" are used, as frequently, for prosperity and
adversity.
tiful

The 9 th

verse contains a beau-

Luke

xii. 53.

7. Having described the "wickedness of the Jews, the prophet abruptly changes the scene, and introduces them to view in that state of captivity in Babylon in

which

it was to issue. There, at a distance from the land of their fathers, they are brought to repentance, and the ex-

specimen of submissiveness and patient endurance of suffering, from a humbling conviction of the demerit of sin accompanied by the firm persuasion, that wher the chastisement had answered its end, Jehovah would graciously afford deliverance, np ns, righteoimiess, is here to be understood with reference to the
;

kindness

or

favor which God was to

promises, rather

show

to his people, in strict accordance

and seeking again God, they express the fullest confidence that he would in due time deUver them from banishment.
ercise of true piety
;

v^ith the tenor of his

to their covenant

than to the punishment of their enemies.

10.

The

deliverance of the Jews

was

to be the occasion of the destruction of

their foes,

rtSS, here used in Piel, signifies to look

out for an answer to prayer, divine aid,

etc.

no

visible

who, because the former had object of worship, and had

:

Comp.
is,

Ps. v. 4.

8, 9.

Who the enemy intended by the

;

ingly asked

been delivered into their power, taunt"iss, where is Ti"*?!'^?* nin';

prophet

cannot be positively decided. Some interpreters think Babylon others, Edom. For the former, see Jer. 1. 1 1

Jehovah thy Godf The feminine suffix refers to -^vis na, daughter of Zion, understood.

260
She

M I C A II

Chap.

VIL

11

shall now be trodden upon as the mire of the streets. In the day when thy walls shall be rebuilt, In that day the decree shall be extended 12 In that day they sliall come to thee From Assyria to Egypt Even from Egypt to the river,

From
11, 12.

sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

that were to take place, confined to Babylon, but

Micah resumes the language

of prophecy, and, addressing Jerusalem,

was not to be was to be ex-

announces her restoration, and the way would be paved for the conversion of the surrounding hostile nations to the Such appears to me to be true religion. the meaning of these verses, -which have been very variously interpreted. p'n,
that
staUite, decree, order, apjmintrnent,
v6ixi/j.a,

tended to all the countries round about Judea, in consequence of which great numbers would become proselytes to the Jewish faith. There is an ellipsis of the
preposition n, in, before
ci"',

day,
it

all

the three instances in which

curs.
1

here oc-

LXX.
irpS-

before

T)*"'.!'

is

not pleonastic,

Symm.
some

iTrirayT],

Theod.

(TTayfia,

refer

to the tjTannical
;

enactments of the Babylonians some to the order of Artaxerxes, Ezra iv. 21 some to the punishment decreed upon the enemies of the Jews some to the idolatrous statutes, with which the Jews complied some to the boundary of the Holy Land and some to the preaching
; ;
;

but is used, as in several other instances, afterwords which imply condition or time. See Exod. xvi. 6 1 Sam. xxv. 27. si:' " one, they shall is used impersonally
;
:

rendered in the plural in the LXX., Targ., and Arab., and one of Kennicott's MSS. reads "isi^". That
it

come "

is

"?yi has originally been ^-yi, the parallelism,

of the gospel last interpretation Calvin says

all

among

nations, of
:

which " Sed

of

its

compared with other instances occurrence, sufficiently shows. The

locus hie
queri."
erlein,

non patitus
Seeker,

se ita violcnter tor-

Newcome, Vogel, Diid-

transcribers,

change of n into -i, and vice versa, by owing to their great resemis

and

others, join

ph

to pn-i";,

and

blance to each other,

verj'

common.
1

form a reduplicate verb pripn-i, of the with whom, as to meaning, whole Gesenius agrees, who rejects ph altogether, and renders, dies illc procul abest. Thesaur. p. 1284. "What would seem to determine the meaning of the term, as here used, is the hght thrown upon pn-', to be distant, remove to a distance, etc.,
;

For example
i.

in rs^-]

and ft\,

Chron.

n^:"T'i-i

and

n":-:--T, ver.

7; C"tt
-i^-sitt,
;

and and
20.

C^-iT, Ps. Hv.

;

5; nintt and
y.y-i';,

Ixxxi. 7

liyn;'.

and
v

Prov. x. 32

especially as corresponding to the

:["->

present case,

and --7^, Ps. cxxxix.

found in
fif-

The

latter reading is

teen MSS., has been originally in eleven

by the geographical
tained
in verse
is

specifications con-

more, and

is

in one printed edition.

No

Tith.

The

subject of

objection can be taken from the preposition assuming the poetic form -!", while

both verses
that day,

sufficiently

proved to be

identical, V)y the repetition of

sin
the

Si'^,

which indisputably

in the following sentence

we
also

have
"'-irts

-.y_

is

Qt"',

day, spfiken of at the beginning of verse 11th. AVhatever the decree or command

the same variety appears in

-hs,

Sam.

xi. 7.

It

is

and worthy of
Tf"-!' at
it

was, the

effect of its

promulgation was to

notice that the

liXX. have read

it

be the coming of foreigners from different regions to the Jewish pco])le, reassembling at Jerusalem, si2" '^~,". The most
natural construction
of
is,

the beginning of the verse, as if

had

been t|~", having rendered

aov.

al irJAeis

By niin:,

I imderstand Eyypt, aiid

that the decree

not fort iji cat ion.

21, Is. xix. C, on

God

respecting the political changes

Comp. which

Kings xix.

see

my

note.

Chap. VII.

M I C A II

261

13 Nevertheless the land shall be desolate

On

account of her inhabitants,

Because of the fruit of their doings. 14 Feed thy people Avith thy crook,

The

flock of thine heritage

in the

wood, in the midst of Carmel Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in ancient days. 15 As in the days of thy coming forth from Egypt,
Upon
Egypt
this

That dwell alone

construction,

AssjTia
is
-i

and

are contrasted, just as they are Is.

xix. 23, -where the same subject of in almost the same language,
river,

treated

as their shepherd. See Ps. Ixxx. xcv. 7, c. 3. They are also often represented as his special heritage, Deut.

hovah
1.

n 2 the
,

iv. 20, vii. 6,

Kar e|oxV> *' ^- the Euphrates, corresponding in the parallelism to -iris. Assyria. The Syr. and Targ. have mistaken -it:: in -li^ra, for Tyre ; as the latter has 'STS, for

;t:2V

"^'.Ix,

xxxii. 9, Some understand dwelling alone or solitarily, as

descriptive of the condition of the

captivity,

Jews in

and

JJI, forest,

of the dangers

and annoyances

to

which they were ex-

Armenia.

ing words of the verse,

The concludinn ini tsa ci-,,

stand irregularly for "ir:i C^rs'i Catt^ nn tyv It does not appear that any

mountains are intended the prophet desciibes in general tenns the natural boundaries of the countries from which the persons spoken of were to come. For a prophetical illustration of these verses, see on Is. xix. 23-25. 13. The conjunctive i in r.JTn i is used
specific
;

posed while in that state. That it rather refers to the security and prosperity of their restored condition may fairly be concluded from the meaning of similar Thus, in language in other passages. the celebrated prophecy of Balaam, Num. xxiii. 9, which, in all probability, Micah had in view, we read, T-r" "i^^^ cyjn
a'inri"'

sV

D"'^:H3?,

Behold! the people

shall not be reck-

shall dwell aloiie,

and

antithetically to introduce a sentence predictive of

what should take place previous

mentioned in

to the arrival of the events

It the verses immediately preceding. has the force of but yet, nevertheless, or the like. However bright the prospects which opened upon the Jews in futurity, they were not to forget the punishment that was to intervene, but ought to repent of their sins, to which it was to be traced
as its cause.

oned among the nations. Comp. Deut. and for ny:, Jer. xlix. 31 xxxiii. 28 as used figuratively for a place of safety and cool repose, see Ezek. xxxiv. 25. The meaning of the prophet is, that on being brought back to their own land, they should no longer be mixed with, and exposed to enemies, but live by themselves in a state of imdisturbed tran;

quillity.

Yod

Some
;

land, of Babylonia

interpret y"7Sn, the but this construction

seems
14.

less apt.

In the believing anticipation of the fulfilment of the Divine promises made to the covenant people, Micah addresses a prayer to Jehovah, which, though brief, is distinguished for the poetical elevation of its style, and the

many

Like appropriateness of its petition. other prayers in the Old Testament, it is prophetic in its aspect. The Jewish people are frequently spoken of imder the metaphor of a flock, and Je-

For instances of the paragogic Gen. xlix. 11; Deut. xxxiii. 16; Obad. 3; Zech. xi. 17. That the Carmel here mentioned must be the celebrated mountain on the coast of the Mediterranean, see on Amos The regions of Bashan and Gilead, i. 2. on the east of the Jordan, were likewise celebrated for their rich pasturage, and were, on this account, chosen by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half Deut. tribe of Manasseh, Numb, xxxii.
affixed to participles, see
;

iii.

12-17.
1.

Comp.

as

strictly

parallel,

Jer.

19.

15.

The answer
prayer,

prophet's

assuring

of Jehovah to the the nation.

262
I will

MIC AH.
their

Chap. VII

show them marvellous things. shall see it, and be ashamed of all The nations 16 They sliall lay their hands upon their mouth; Their ears shall become deaf. 17 They shall lick dust like the serpent
Like reptiles of the earth they
places
shall

power;

tremble fi-om their hiding*

They shall turn with fear towards Jehovah They shall be afraid of thee. "Who is a God like thee, 18
Pardoning
iniquity,

and passing by transgression,

?

In regard to the remnant of his heritage He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us,
that the same

had interposed

in so remarkable a

Almighty power which man-

towards Jehovah as

its

object.

Comp

ner for their deliverance from Egypt, would again wonderfully appear on their
behalf.

Comp.

Jer. xvi.

14,

15.

Such

changes of person as in :j, thy, and ::, The reference in him, are common. both is to the people of the Jews. 16. The r"!~J, poxoer, spoken of, is that of the hostile nations, of which they were so proud, and which they regarded as invincible, and not that of the Jews \\hen restored, as Junius and Trcmellius, Tarnovius, Stokes, and some others, have imagined. The latter half of the verse most graphic.illy describes the silence,
astonishment, and utter consternation, with which they should be seized. Cora. Jud. y.\\\\. 19 Job xxi. 5 Ps. cvii. 42
; ;

Vn "ins, to exer' else reverential regard towards God, Hos. iii. 5. Combined with the circumstances under which the nations were to acknowledge the supremacy of Jehovah,
was their standing in

for this construction of

awe of the

political

power of the Jews. See on Is. xix. 17. IS. Impelled by strong feelings of
gratitude at the anticipated deliverance
of his people, the prophet

breaks out

and and gives a description of the gracious character of God, unrivalled by any contained in the Scriptures. The phrase yrr~Vy "-V, passing by transgression, is a metaphor, taken from the conduct of a traveller who passes on without noticing an object to which he
admiration,
does not wish to give his attention.

into a strain of the subhmest praise

Is.

lii.

15.

The

17.

An

equally graphic description of

idea

which

it

communicates

is

not, that

the state of degradation and terror to which the enemies were to be reduced.

Comp. Ts. Ixxii. 9 Is. xlix. 23, L\v. 25. For fVm, crawlers, or reptiles, comp.
;

God is unobservant of sin, or that it is regarded by him as a matter of little or no importance, but that he does not mark
it

in particular cases
;

Deut. xxxii. 24.

Tlic distmctive use of

ishment
forgive.
8, in
is

with a \'iew to punthat he does not punish, but

Vs, to and ya, from or of, as here used, shows that there is not a change of person

Comp. Prov. xix. 11, Amos vii. which lattef passage the vcib alone

in TyfC, and that the affix

rj

refers,

not

used.

The

opposite

is

expressed

by

to Jehovah, but to the peo])le of the Jews. The fc ;ir tiltimately produced in the minds

",5 ~>:"i, to icatch

/.

e.

of their enemies was to be a religious fear or veneration which should attract them

it.

cxxx. 3, to keep it in view in order to punish !S^', remnant, does not necessarily
iniquity, Ps.

imply a small or inconsiderable number.

;;

Chap. VIT.

MICAH
;

263

will subdue our iniquities Yea, thou wilt cast all their sins into the deinhs of the 20 Thou wilt grant the truth to Jacob,

19

He

sea.

The kindness to Abraham, Which thou didst sware to our

fathers

From

the days of old.

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 propensities,

but merely conveys the general notion of

here it means a surviving body of men those of the Jewish nation who should be alive at the termination of the capti\'ity. VE", to delight, according to the
:

Arab. lyaJi.^- ,

flexit,

inflcxit,

lignum,

pardon would not be a blessing.

projecit, properly expresses the bent or propensio7i of the mind, or what "\ve
call its inclination towards an hence desii-e, affection^ delirjht. The combined force of icn ysn, bent on kindness, is inimitable, the primary idea

commonly
object
;

and rebeUious disposiJews had not been subdued during their stay m Babylon, they would not have been restored. The total and
If the idolatrous tion of the
irrevocable forgiveness of sins
is

forcibly

of

icn

being that of eager desire or love

object.

towards an
is

It

is

the term which

so often rendered lovitig-kindness in

the depths of the sea. What is deposited there is completely hid from the view, and cannot in any way affect u^ Instead of cri5L:n, their sins, five MSS. read
expressed
casting
into
!i;"i"Nt:n,

by

them

our

common

version.

our

sins,

which

is

the read-

be regarded as containing a beautiful epiphonema, in which the people of the Jews exultingly avow their full confidence in the forgiv19.

This verse

may

ing of the LXX., SjT., Vulg., and Arab. It may, however, only be a correction the change of person we have frequently

had occasion
20.
it

to notice.

ing mercy and subduing power of their

God.

nvr, to turn, in

^.:?:n'^'^

nrr%

is,

return from captivity, while furnished a striking specimen of the

The

as usual before another verb,

adverbially to signify again. often pitied and delivered his people.

is

employed God had

It

covenanted fidelity and kindness of Jehovah, was only preliminary to the infinitely greater display of these attributes

here intimated that his compassion was not exhausted, but should be exercised towards them anew. All the meaning found by Rosenmiiller, Gesenius and

in the mission of the Messiah, the Seed of Abraham in whom all the families of

Maurer, in

n:"ri:i?. "irs, is that of dis-

the earth were to be blessed. The words of this verse are quoted, with scarcely any variation, in the inspired song of
Zacharias, with direct application to Ilim of whom his son had just been bom to

regarding or not avenging, but there is no ground for rejecting the radical idea Sin of trampling under foot as enemies.

be the forerunner,
fore the

Luke

i.

72, 73.

Be-

must ever be regarded

It
is

as hostile to

man.

names of the

patriarchs, a verb

but

it

not only contrary to his interests, powerfully opposes and combats

signifying to declare, promise, or the like,

is

understood.

NAHUM
PREFACE.
OwrxG
little

to the paucity of information

in

respecting the prophet

times.

can be said
is,

regard to his

life

and

All that

Nahum, we know of

him personally
chap.
I.

that he

was the native of a town or

village called Elkosh,

1.

The only
doms of

historical data furnished

by the book
:

itself

with respect to the

period at which he flourished, are the following

Israel

the humiliation of the king;

and Judah, by the Assyrian power, chap. ii. 3 the final ini. 9, 11; and the conquest of Thebes in Upper Egypt, ill. 8-10. But the removal of the gloiy of the Hebrew kin<Tdoms, to which reference is made, could only be that which was effected by Tiglath-jfileser and Shalmaneser, by whom the Israelites were carried into captivity when the Jews also were harassed and spoiled by the Syrians, as well as impoverished by the large sum of money paid by Ahaz to the former of tliese monarchs. See Is. vil.-ix. 2 Chron. xxviil. Sargon, who appears to have succeeded Shalmaneser, not satisfied with the reduction of Phoenicia by that king, and fearing lest Egypt should prevail upon the conquered provvasion of Judah by that power,
; ;

inces of the west to join her In a confederacy against him, undertook an ex-

and, though history is silent as to the event, it would appear from chap. Hi. 8-10, that the expedition proved so far successful, that he took Thebes, the celebrated metropolis of Upper Egypt. It was by his successor, Sennacherib, that the last attempt was made by the Assyrians to crush the Jewish people, which issued in the total defeat of their army.
;

pedition Into Africa

Now,

since the last of these events took place in the fourteenth year of

and the circumstances connected with it are clearly referred to by and partly as matter of historical notoriety, D-13, It follows that he must have lived in, or about the year n. c. chap. 714. JarchI, Abarbanel, Grotius, Junius and Tremellus, and JustI, place him In the reign of Mauasseh, and some, as Ewald, woulil make him contemporary witli Joslah but Bp. Newton, Eichhorn, Bcrtholdt, R/iscnmiiller, Newcome, Ilorne, Gesenlus, de Wcttc, Jahn, Graraberg, Winer, jMaurer, and Knobcl, unanimously agree with Jerome In referring his ministry to the
Ilezeklah,

Nahum,
i.

partly prophetically,

latter half of the reign of Ilezeklah.

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 bi-tween Daniel and Ezekiel, has met
with any supporters.

But

if,

as

is

highly probable, he llourished In one of

the latter years of Ilezeklah, his prophecy must have been delivered nearly

PREFACE TO NAHUM.
;

265

one hundred years before its accomplisliment for Nineveh was overthrown, and the Assyrian power destroyed, by the joint forces of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, in the reign of Chyniladanus, b. c. 625.

Considerable difference of opinion obtains with respect to the birth-place of

the prophet

That

"isJpVsn, the Elkoshite,

was designed

to point out the place

is

of his nativity, and not his paternity, as the Targumist interprets,

evident

from a comparison of the form with similar instances of the Yod affixed, Micah i. 1. There are two cities of the name 1 Kings xvii. 1 Jer. xxix. 27 of Elkosh, each of which has had its advocates, as that which may lay claim
;
;

to the

honor of having given birth

to

Nahum.

The

one, yi^JiJf, Elkosh,

is

on the east side of the Tigris, about three hours' journey to the north of Mosul, which lies on the same side of the river, opposite to Nunia, supposed to be the site of ancient Nineveh. It is inhabited by Chaldean or Nestorian Christians, and is a place of great resort by Jewish pilgrims, who firmly believe it to be the birth-place and the burial-jjlace of the prophet, to whose tomb they pay special respect. It is, however, generally thought that the tradition which connects this place with his name is of later date; and that it owes its origin to the. Jews or the Nestorians, who imagined that he must have lived near tlie i^rincipal scene of his prophecy and that the name had been transferred to the place from a town so called in Palestine just as our colonists have given the name of towns in Britain to those which they have erected in America and Australia. The other place is Elcesi, or Elkesi, a village in Galilee, which was pointed out to Jerome as a place of note among the Jews, and which, though small, still exhibited some
situated in Koordistan,
;

slight vestiges

of more ancient buildings.*

;

Eusebius mentions
i.

it

in his ac-

count of Hebrew places

and
It

Cyrill (ad cap.

1,) is

positive

as

to its

situation being in Palestine.f

has been thought, and not without reason,

by some, that Capernaum, Heb. ran: -iSS, most properly rendered the village of Nahum, derived its name from our prophet having resided in it, though he

may have been born

^
ISla

it is said to have been was born at Bethlehem. Where the prophet was when he delivered his predictions, is not specified but, from his familiar reference to Lebanon, Carmel, and Bashan, it may be

elsewhere in the vicinity, just as

n6\ts of our Lord, though he

inferred that he prophesied in Palestine while the very graphic manner in which he describes the appearance of Sennacherib and his army, chap. I.
;

9-12, would
at the time.

seem

phrases,
Ti'v'Ji

etc.,

to indicate that he was either in, or very near to Jerusalem AVhat goes to confirm this supposition, is the number of terms, which he evidently borrowed from the lips of Isaiah. Comp.
Cit3;j,
I.

T.h'z

"^aV

8,

and

nw an-

n-ss, ver. 9, with "^z'J)

11.

ti'ov, Is. vIII. 8,

and -v'J hVd,

Is. x.

23;

"i^s?^"' "I^'aa njfjia,

11, with n|;^T3i

"1^^

T'Ti.'^^t

* " Porro quod additur, Naum Elcesoei, quidam putant Elcesaeum patrem esse Naum, et secundum Hebraeam traditionem etiam ipsum prophetam fuisse; quum Elcesi usque hodie iu Galilwa viculus sit, parvus quidem et vix ruinis veterum sedificiorum iudicans vestigia, sed tamen notus Judseis, et mihi quoque a circumduceute monstratus." Hieron. PrcBf. in Naum.

Tov

wtth Tr\s 'EA/cecre-

kci^/ut;

5e airii irivrus itov ttjs 'louSotac x^P^y-

34

266
Is.

PREFACE TO NAHUM.
1
;

xxlv.

e';3ri>:-Vra

nVn^n?.
7, etc.
is

" li

^ith nVriVri "rnw ^hri,

ii.

Is.

xxi. 3

C'.Vr

r-arw -"r=
subject
of"

"Vs-i Q-'-'.nn-V? n:r,,

lii.

1, -with 'Vai

C'-nnr-V? ns:-ntt

n-irj y-Ti-r:: ~"?='3, Is.

The

the prophecy

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,

tlie

power;
their

tlie

invasion of
lie

country of the ten tribes had been reduced by the Assyrian Judah by Sennacherib, whose destruction, and that
;

of his army,

predicts and the joyful restoration of both the captivities to and the enjoyment of their former privileges. Ilis object obviously was, to inspire his countrymen with the assurance, that, however alarming their circumstances might appear, exposed as they were to the for-

own

land,

midable army of the great eastern conqueror, not only should his attempt fail, and his forces be entirely destroyed, but his capital itself should be The book is not to be divided into three taken, and his empire overturned.
separate parts, or prophecies, composed at different times, as some have ima"ined, but
is

to be

regarded as one entire poem, the unity of which

is

plainly

discoverable throughout.

The style of Nahum is of a very high order. lie is inferior to none of the minor prophets, and scarcely to Isaiah himself, in animation, boldness, and sublimity or, to the extent and proportion of his book, in the variety, freshThe rhythm is regular ness, richness, elegance, and force of his imagery. and singularly beautiful and with the exception of a few foreign or provinHis cial words, his language possesses the highest degree of classical purity.
;

description of the Divine character at the

that of the siege
sive.

commencement

is

truly majestic

and

fall

of Nineveh inimitably graphic, vivid and impres-

CHAPTER
The

I,

prophet'opens with a sublime description of the attributes and operations of Jehovah, with a view to inspire his people with confidence in his protection, 2-8. The Assyrians are then unexpectedly addressed and described, 9-11; and their destruction, together with the deliverance of the Jews connected with that event, are set forth in the language of triumph and exultation, 12-15.

The Sentence of Nineveh The Book of the Vision of Nahumthe Elkoshite. Jehovah is a jealous and avenging God;
:

Jehovah Jehovah
1.

is

is

an avenger and furious an avenger with respect to his adversaries

;

For the meaning of NwS, see on

;

Is. xiii. 1

and

for the historical

circum-

fipvxia

S'

7;xw irapafivKarai
S'

stances connected with Nineveh, see on

PpovTrjS, fXtKes

fK\dfj.Trov(n

Jonah

i.

2.

prophet just

Between the time of the referred to and that of Nafifty years.

(TTepoTTtis ^dirvpoi,
fl\ia-<TOV<Ti'

arpSfiPoi 5e K6yiy
S' ai/e/iaji/

(TKipTa

hum,

there elapsed a period of about one

irvevfj.a.ra iravroov, ets

&Wri\a
vinctus, 1089.
to

hundred and

The
;

inscrip-

ardaiv avriirvovv airo^fiKwimva.

tion consists of

two

parts

the former of
^^V^i, jealous,
(riKoia,

Prom,
from ssp,

which
later

is supposed by some to be from a hand. If genuine, we should rather expect the order to have been reversed.

be

warm,

1.

The exordium, which

to ver. 8,
is

begins here

burn with zeal, anger, jealousy. The term is here used avSr^divoira^ois, principally in the last of these acceptations,

and reaches
cent.

highly magnifi-

though not

to the entire exclusion

The repeated use of the Incommunicable Name, and of the participle

Cp3, avenging or avenger,
force to the

gives

gi'eat

Nothing commencement. can exceed in grandeur and subUmity the description which the prophet furnishes of the
attributes

keen with a strong inclination to see justice done to r^n Vss, lit. a the parties concerned,
of the others.

The term

describes a

feeling of injured right, coupled

master offury, an idiom by which the possession of an attribute or quality is

lord, or

Divine character.

The

frequently expressed.

Com.r'ittVnn Vra
;

of infinite purity, inflexible

rectitude, irresistible power and boundless goodness, set forth and illustrated by images borrowed from the history of the Hebrews, the scenery of Palestine, and the more astounding phenomena of nature, present to view a God worthy of the profoundest reverence, the most unbounded confidence, and the most in-

a master of dreams, i. e. a dreamer ji'iyVr;, a master of the tongue, i.

quent.

"hvji,

e.

elo-

In these verses the prophet appears to have an eye specially to the judgments which God had brought upon his country by means of the Assyrians, both

when they carried away the ten tribes, and now when they had again rushed
into
cities

tensive love.

How

inferior the other-

the land, and taken the fortified of Judah. -125, properly signifies

wise sublime description given of anger of Jove by ^schylus

the

to loatch, observe, in a bad sense, to

for

mark

punishment. Arab.

Jaj,

o^wfos con-

: ;

268

NA
keepeth his anger for
liis

HUM.
enemies.

Chai".

I.

He
3

Jehovah is long-suffering, but great in power He will by no means treat them as innocent Jehovah hath his way in the whirl-wind and in the storm,

And

the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 lie rebuketh the sea and

lie parcheth

maketh

it

dry,

up

all

the rivers

Basliaa languisheth, and Carmel,

And the bloom of Lebanon languisheth. 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 indignation

who can stand ? can subsist in the heat of his anger ? His fury is poured out like lire.

And who And

the rocks are overthrown by him. Jehovah is good, a fortress in the day of distress; And knoweth those that trust in him.

But with an
ad rem
egit.
;

overflowinir inundation
et obser-

vertit

wJaj, custodem
ciii,

N'rni, to be burnt up
root

or ancient versions directing

none of the MSS. lis to any

vatorem
5,

Comp, Ps.

Jer.

iii.

signifying to burn.

The verb

is

12
3.

an^

":;, Ps. cxxx. 3.

icill

likewise thus rendered in our

common

ri/:."

sV rf;. holding pure

i.

not

version, 2

Sam.

v. 21,

but the marginal

hold 2)ure,
those
trary,

e.

will not treat as inriocent

who

are guilty, but,

on the con-

punish them according to their

The Targ. indeed has r2"'^ri, vastata est, but the LXX. render aveaTaXr). Symm. sVjHj^.
reading
is,

took them atoay.

demerit.

LXX.

a^oSiy ovk a^odixri.

Com.

Exod. XX. 7, xxxiv. 7. The idea conveyed by the metaphor, the clouds are the
dust of his feet, is exceedingly sublime. Large and majestic as the clouds may
be, in reference to

The

Syr.

'\i ,

shaketh.
is

Vulg. con-

sr:, to raise, lift up; intransitively, to lift up one's self; and

root

tremuit.

The

appropriately expresses here the raising or

God, they arc but

as

the most minute particles of dust raised by the feet in walking.

dust or powder,
4.
is

p25, signifies light

is

what

easily raised.

heaving of the ground by an earthquake. 6. The pouring out of wrath, likefrc, would seem to be a comparison taken from volcanoes, which pour out furiously
their streams of liquid fire over the cir-

%Vhat

is

here predicated of Jehovah

attributed to our Saviour,

:

24

iTtnifi.riffe

ry

Luke

viii.

cimijacent
pieces

regions.

The breaking

in

kKv^oivi tov vSaros.

of

the rocks, in the following

The action
is

involves omnipotence,

srra' i
for
iii.

hemistich, confirms this idea.

Jer.
li. 2.5,

Comp.

a contracted form of the Piel,

26.
is

ar;-i'2!'i, as r>"!L for r.i''i,

Lam.

33,

7, 8.

There

a marked antithesis in

in both of
its

which the radical Yod gives

these

two

verses, in the course of

which

vowel to tlie preformative letter. 5 There is no authority for rendering

the prophet arrives at his main topic, the

destruction of Nineveh.

Yer. 7 beauti-

Chap.

I.

NAHUM.
effect a

269
place,

lie

Avill

consummation of her

And darkness shall pursue his enemies. What devise ye against Jehovah ? He Avill effect a consummation
;

Distress shall not twice arise.

fully depicts the safety

and happiness of

who make God their refuge, how severe soever may be the calamity which threatens or may have overtaken them
those
;

The use of Ci"W( P^ace, without emphasis. Comp. chap.

tion.

is
iii.

not
17.

Those who desire

to see the difference of

and was primarily intended to administer comfort to the pious Jews in the prospect of the Assyrian attack by Sennacherib.
y-1, to know,
is

among ancient and modern writers respecting the actual site of Nmeveh, may consult Bochart, Phaleg.
opinion existing both
lib. iv.

cap. xx.
'Nlvos
/uej/

Lucian, speaking of
aTr6\(ti\fu
oiirjjs, ov5'
ijSr],

it,

here, as frequently, taken

says,

T]

koI ovSev

in the sense of knoioing Avith kindness, or love. 3

;

regard,
6, cxliv.

'iXfos

\enrhy

av

fjTnjs 'ottov

Comp. Ps.
In ini'

i.

ttot' 7Jv.

Dialog, entitled 'E7^^(^o7roD^TS.

Amos

iii.

2.

C]t:;i-z,

the met-

Bochart, referring to the city of the

name

aphor of a river impetuously overflowing banks, rushing into the adjacent its
country, and passing through, carrying
all before
it, is

mentioned by Ammianus, expresses himself thus Merito dubitatur an restaurata

:

fuerit eo in loco, in

employed

to denote the

In the Hebrew

MSS.
;

quo prius condita." there is no various and of

indi-

ruthless invasion of a country

tile

and powerful army.

viii.

It

is

by a hosused by

reading of nia-ipu the LXX., Tovs

but the rendering of

supported by Theod.
version,

iiriyftpofj.evovs,

Isaiah, chap.
sistless

8,

to describe the re-

Aq.,
cate,

auTi(TTafj.(v(iiv,

entrance of the Assyrian

;

army
appro-

and the

fifth

Greek

would

into Palestine

and here

Nahum

priates the language for the pui-pose of

that their authors read r"KJ^ or r'rr-prTi, in favor of which iT-^it in

describing the triumphant progress of

the following hemistich might be adduced.

the Medo-Babylonian troops

when

ad-

The

Syriac,

however, Vulg.,

vancing towards Nineveh.

to the devoted
city,

He

not only

and Symm., read with the received

text.
9.

beholds, in prophetic vision, their approach

but announces
is

its

By

a sudden

apostrophe

Nahum

complete destruction. It
prophets, as
it is

usual with the

here turns to the invaders, and boldly

challenges
to Jehovah.

with the Oriental poets,

them

to

account for their

when

powerfully affected, to introduce

temerity in daring to oppose themselves

into their discourse persons or objects as

acting, without having previoush^

named
See They,

them.
T\''^yz,

See on

Is. xiii.

and comp.
867.

On which he repeats what he had declared in the preceding verse respecting the total destruction of the AssjTian power, and adds, for the special en-

ver. 11 of the present chapter.

^

Nordheimer's Heb. Gram.,

as
it

couragement of the Jews, that

never annoy them again.
to this brief apostrophe
at length. Is. xxxvii.

it

should
parallel

were, take

it

for granted, that every

The

one must, like themselves, clearly perceive the reference. On this principle there can be no difficulty in accounting for the feminine pronominal affix in
place,"
-J',
i,

we have more
For the

23-29.

force of Q-ti^rs, ttvice,

T.lzi'p'C,

" her

iV r:-js sV

comp. rns^ trs Sam. xxvi. 8. That the

not refer to

e.

the place of Nineveh, the

renewal of the
Assyrians,
Hitzig,
as

affliction does

city,

or metropolis of Assyria, the

any supposable future overthrow of the

IMichaelis,

overthrow of which the prophet was afterwards to describe, and which he here
merely touches upon by

Posenmiiller,

way

of anticipa-

Ewald, and others maintain, but to any further calamity to be apprehended

270

N A HUM,

Chap.

1.

10 For though they are closely interwoven as thorns,

thoroughly soaked with their wine, shall be consumed like stubble fully dry. 11 From thee he came forth. The deviser of mischief against Jehovah, The wicked counsellor.

And

They

12

Thus saith Jehovah Though they are complete and so very numerous, Yet in this state they shall be cut down, And he shall pass away
: :

from them by the Jews, appears from ver. 1 2 to be the true construction of the meaning.

either

by the import and usage of the

terms, or by chronolog)-, the catastrophe

described

by

However strong and vigorous the AssjTian army might be, its complete
10.

place

till

Nahum not having taken long after the time of that

monarch.
11. ~'i2>3,yrom thee,

destruction

would
-ly
,

easily be effected
to, is

by

O Nineveh

in the

Jehovah.

to,

even

here used as
:

femmine.
to ver. 9,

Sennacherib, whose machina-

a comparative particle of degree

to the

tions against
is

same degree

as, or Ulce thorns.

Comp.

Briers and thorns are 1 Chron. iv. 27. employed by the prophets to denote the soldiers composing a hostile army. See The metaphor is Is. X. 17, xxvii. 4. here taken from a thicket of thorns, the prickly branches of which are so closely intertwined as to present an impenetrable front to those who would enter it. Such were the celebrated military pha-

Jehovah had been adverted here intended. The Heb. Vr;52, frequently rendered in our com-

mon

version

Belial,

properly signifies

icorthlessnesH, inutility,
tion, badness in a

and by implica-

moral sense, wickedness.

Hence the idiomatic combinations, c~s

Vv "Va, a 7na7i of Belial, a wicked man ; Vy;^Vn;?, a son of Belial, a bad man ; V iliV :: r 2 o daughter of Belial, a wicked woman. Tlie word is compounded of 'Vs, tcithoiit, and Vs". profit. 12. Another description ot the formid,

lanxes of antiquity, consisting of bodies

of troops amied with long spears, and

arranged in the form of a square.

other metaphor
is

The

able appearance of the hostile army, ac-

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 resist

companied with a prediction of its sudden and complete annihilation, the flight of Sennacherib, and the future immunity of the Jews from an invasion on the part
of the Assyrians.
presses

r-7;Vr, complete, ex-

the action of

fire.

No

account

is

to

the unbroken condition of the

be

made

of the reading t.'^x, prmces,

army

of the enemy,

and

their being fully

which Newcome adopts from the Targ. and Syr. It is found in no Ilcb. MS.
V2S, to cat, is often used to express consumption by fire. ITic application of the
language of
this

provided with everv'thing requisite for

the successful siege of Jerusalem.

The

word may
connection,

also

be designed to convey the

i.

idea of mental completeness,

security,

e.

in this

and the preceding verse

martial

courage.

to the literal inundation of the Tigris,

the dnnikcnness of the AssjTian camp,

Thus Kimchi, V: "S T^-s): "."rrt' N^ irr2 ns-Sr;, they are not afraid of
7nan,
tries,

and the Vmrning of the palace, etc., at Nineveh by Sardanapalus, as related by

for they have subdued all the coun^r as used the second time, sig,

Diodoms

Sicuhi., lib.

ii.,

is

not jastified

nifies thtis, so, in this state, as thtta con-

Chap.

I.

NAHUM
I have afflicted thee,

271

Though
13

no more. break his yoke from off thee, And burst thy bands asunder. 14 And with respect to thee, Jehovah hath commanded There shall no more be sown any of thy name From the house of thy gods I will cut off the graven and the molten imaare
I will afflict thee
will

For now I

atituted.

The change
-lasj,

of

number from

editions.

The

object

of

the verb

is

the plural r^r^ii,i,"they are, or shall be

cut down," to
is

"he passeth away,"

Judah, understood, which Jehovah here kindly addresses, and not Nineveh, as
Michaelis and Hitzig suppose.

obviously intended to distinguish be-

The Jews

tween the overthrow of the Assyrian army, and the immediate departure of
Sennacherib
to
his
is

are addressed as a female, as they are in

own
VyV2
to

land.
ysi""'

The
in the

the words T\"-i1' ittVi T^M*! ~"I'~! '>Ti,' Celebrate thy festivals, O Judah ! perform
thy votes.

nominative to nas
preceding verse.

Chap.

ii.

1.

On the

introduc-

Tta,

cut,

or vioio

down,

is

a metaphor derived from the

hay

harvest,

and

forcibly sets forth the

sudden and
35
Is.

entii'e

destruction of an army.
facts, 2

See for the historical

;

Kings xix.

xxxvii. 36, 37.

At

the close of

menon ver. 8. The meaning is, that the Jews were to be no more afflicted by the AssjTians, and not that Divine judgments were never afterwards to be inflicted upon them by
tion of a predicate without previous tion of the subject, see
others.

the verse, Jehovah directs the discourse to

his people, graciously assuring

them

that,

13.

The
!ii-;t2

suffix

'r\

has here the same

though he had employed the Assyrian power to punish them, he would do so no more. Newcome, almost entirely on
the authority of the

reference as in the preceding verse,

sn in
b, " his

and
20.

yoke," to the king of

Is.

Assyria.

Comp.
,

x. 27

Jer.

ii.

LXX., improperly For v.Vi "C some think the LXX. and changes ?,T'ii5 "Jin C^sn -S-i C'^V;^ cs Vulg. read ?-:;, which is the reading n2- into i^.T Vra ^3 t^sn Cj^i Vi" Cs of several MSS. but they both signify a staff or pole only the former denotes -lay, " Though the Ruler of many waters
;
;

has thus through."

tors did,

ravaged,

and thus That these ancient

passed
transla-

what
14.

is

placed on the neck, in order to here another apostrophe

bear a burden.

from hearing c^s^a; Cs read C^u Vi, render, KaTapxc" ^SeiTcoc but voWwv, there can be no doubt
as
;

We have

to the Assyrian monarch, announcing to

then, they place the w^ords in apposition with Ta5e Aeyet Kipios
',

and make

him, that his dynasty should not be perpetuated, that his favorite idols should be destroyed, that the very temple in

the Lord, and not the king of Assyria, to be " the ruler of many waters." The
Syr. following the

LXX., only changing

y

the singular into the plural, has n^

which he worshipped them should become his grave. When it is said, that " no more of thy name shall be sown," the meaning is not, that none of his sons
should succeed him in the government, but that his dynasty should cease on the
arrival of the event predicted

..

j.A^o

'^

" respecting the

't^riay is
'r^'^n'si",

by Nahum,

heads of many waters."

a defective reading of

merely

the destruction of Nineveh.

The Medes

found in

which is a number of MSS., and in some

being great enemies to idolatry, those of them who composed the army of Cyax-

272
I will

NAHUM
make
it

Chap. U.

thy grave,
art worthless.
in des-

Because thou
ares

would take singular pleasure

thy grave.
light,

Some take

r'Vji, thou art

troying the idols -which they found in the

chief temple at Nineveh.
is

No

mention

made

in historj- of the sepulture of

Sennacherib, but
2 Kings xix. 37,

we
Is.

are expressly lold,

xxxvii. 38, that he

same sense in which the Chaldee Vj;p is xised Dan. v. 27, but without sufficient ground in Hebrew usage. In apphcation to persons it always signifies to be the object of shame
in the

vas
his

slain

by two of his sons while in the

act of worship in the temple of Nisroch

it is

and there can be no doubt that is here made. C"\os stands elliptically for 55>2"tos, I will make it, i. e. the temple of thy gods,
god
;

or disgrace. Though to be buried in a temple natiu:ally conveys to our minds the idea of honorable interment, it is

to this event reference

otherwise here, owing to the peculiar

circumstances of the case.

CHAPTER
After
;

II.

prophetically describing the joyful announcement of the overthrow of the Assyrian power, 1 and calling upon the Jews manfully to defend Jerusalem against the attack of Sennacherib, in the assurance that there would be a glorious restoration of the whole Hebrew people, 2, 3; the prophet arrives at his main subject, the destruction of Nineveh, the siege and capture of which he portrays with graphic minuteness, and in the most sublime and vivid manner, 4-11. In a beautiful allegory he then, with triumphant sarcasm, asks where was now the residence of the once conquering and rapacious monarch? 12, 13: after which, Jehovah is introduced, expressly declaring that he would assuredly perform what be had inspired his servant to predict.

Behold

upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth good,
:

That puhlisheth peace

Celebrate thy
feasts,

For the wicked

shall
off.

Judah perform thy vows, no more pass through thee ;

!

He
1.

is

entirely cut

to the messengers

words immediate connection to apply them to which should arrive what took place on the miraculous from the East, announcing to the inhabi- deliverance of Jerusalem, recorded Is, tants of Judah the joyful intelligence of xxxvii. 36. They are almost identical, the destruction of Nineveh, which had so far as they go, with the language of
interpreters refer these

Some

been briefly hinted at in the course of the preceding chapter but it better accords with the spirit and bearing of the
;

Isaiah, chap.

lii.

7, relative to

the return

from Babylon.
vasion,

During the Assj-rian inthe inhabitants of Judah were cut

Chap.

II.

NAHUM.
thee
;

273

The disperser liatli come up before Keep the fortress, watch the way, Make fast the loins,
For Jehovah

Strengthen thee with power to the utmost. will restore the excellency of Jacob, As he will the excellency of Israel Though the emptiers have emptied them, And destroyed their branches. The shield of his heroes is dyed red,
off

from all access to the metropolis now, they would be at liberty to proceed
thither as usual, in order to observe their
religious rites,

Imperative of
here occur.

all

the four verbs which

fuller

The

forms would be

means

hvih^i, Belial, doubtless the same as h'J.'.\^ V?."^"*' '^^^'^^

i.

counsellor, chap.

11

i. e.

as there ex-

nnnuw niss form a paronomasia. 3. Further to encourage the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a promise is here
isn ^',ii, ns^sn nss,
etc.,

plained, Sennacherib.

Restricted as the
necessarily
is

given of the restoration of the

glory,

Hebrew

declaration here

made must

people to their former independence and

a'py^ Tii^Sj etc.,
is

be to this monarch, the passage \nse at variance with the

fact,

no-

not to be in-

that

Ma-

terpreted of the pride of the Hebrews,

nasseh was for a time in the power of the

Assyrians, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11.
2.

nor of the proud and insulting conduct of their enemies towards them but, as
;

Most moderns adopt the

interpreta-

in Ps. xlvii. 5

Amos

vi. 8, it

means the

tion of Jerome,

who

is

of opinion, that the

prophet here turns to Nineveh, and directs the attention of her

monarch

to the

land of Canaan, as distinguished above This land, as the all other countries. prophet immediately adds, had been
spoiled

approach of the Medo-Babylonish army. I rather think with Abarbanel, Kimchi,

Jarchi, Hezel, Dathe,

by the Assyrians, who had not

only carried
captivity,

away the ten

tribes

into

and

others, that

the words are addressed to Hezekiah, and the

inhabitants of

Jerusalem, for the

but taken the fortified cities but it was again to be reof Judah stored, partly on the destruction of the
;

purpose of inspiring them with courage

to hold out during the Assyrian attack. 'ptt, from yn3.

Assyrians, and completely on the return from Babylon, ay, to return, has here

Arab,
to

/tfljo, abiif,
disperse,
is

the force of the Kiphil n'^cn,

as in

to restore,

peregrinatus fuit,

scatter,

nected as this verb

properly signifies the Disperser, and

Conwith the future, implied in the abbreviated form -i''s:,

x. 36
;

Numb.

Ps. Ixxxv. 5.
is

appropriately applied to the king of As-

etc.,

in the preceding verse,

it

is

to be

by whose army the inhabitants of the different countries which it invaded were scattered from their abodes. Some prefer rendering the word by hammer, and compare Prov. xxv. 18, and Jer. li. 20, in the latter of which passages we have y^'a from "3, to break in pieces,
sjTia,

rendered in this tense.

are, as frequently,

Jacob and Israel

devastation ef-

put for the people of

the two kingdoms.

fected

The

by the Assyrians is described by a metaphor taken from the pruning of

vines, or the

cutting off of the 5'oung

Parallel to the promise
is

twigs or shoots.

disperse, etc., rendered in our

common
is

made
4.

in this verse

that given by Isaiah,

version battle-axe.
fully abrupt,

The address

beauti-

chap, xxxvii. 31, 32.

and derives great

force

from

The prophet now

proceeds to de-

the use of the Infinitive instead of the

scribe the siege

and capture of Nineveh,

35

274

NAHUM.

Chap.

II.

The warriors are elothecl with scarlet The chariots are furnished with fiery scythes,

And

In the day of his preparation the cypresses are brandished.

masculine, so that the Sjt., Targ.,
give an erroneous interpretation.
etc.,

Eyriaii empire.

which involved the downfall of the AsThe formidable, terrific, and invincible appearance of the Medo-Babylonish army is first noticed. 5r;"'-i"J, his heroes, i. e. the mighty
of Cyaxares.

n-^Vs,

.or
iron, steel.

Syr.

x^ the same. Com.

in
2^'^^tes

men
sents

The

suffix is the less

Arab. tXJLi,
dlt,

secziif,

concichalybs.

frequent form, instead of T, but repre-

0^-S, fcrrum durum,

e

more of the primitive pronoun S", C-s:; is of which both are fragments. the Pual participle of c-s, to be red; and is applied to the shields, to intimate that they were dyed red. The bull's hide v-ith which they were commonly covered was easily susceptible of this process and, on being anointed with oil, -would
;

(3ttJLc>0,

chalybe confectus, de gladio.

For the manufactorj' 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 is of high antiquity, ia Its name, Chalybs, universally allowed.

compound metal
is

shine brightly.

See on

Is.

xxi. 6.
is

This
con-

derived from the Chalybes, a people

intcrjirctation of the

word, which

firmed by the meaning of the corresponding principle, in the following hemistich,

is
it

preferable to that

which would make

is

on the Euxine sea. It is what the prophet Jeremiah means by VEStt Vt-i2, iron from the North, and which he distinguishes from
bordering
doubtless
V7-12,

express the idea oi fiery, sparkUiig, or

like.

cotnmon

iron, chap. xv. 12.

Now

the

" Bloodstained
c-:s')3,

altogether

there appears to be no part of the warchariots

entitled to

to be rejected.
fr-niz
8irAa
for

The LXX. mistaking

preposterously render

the character of

Sui/aiTTetas

avrwv

i1

av^pdn:a>v.
is

'^^i'v'tTiz, lit.

are criniso7ied,

a o7ra|

with fire, but the falces or scythes, which were " fixed at right angles to the axle, and turned downirons flashing

Key., but

and

is

th3 Pual participial form, evidently derived from rV-ir, the

is

wards, or inserted parallel to the axle into the felly of the wheel, so as to revolve,
tion,

name specially used to denote the coccus, or worm which was used in dying, to The give to cloth a deep scarlet color.
manufacture of such stuffs was chiefly carried on by the Tjoians and Lydians. The IjXX. have also mistaken this word for i-'h'-:':r-c, iixirai(ovTas, in which they
are followed

when
with

the chariot was put in

thrice

mo-

the velocity of the

chariot itself; and sometimes also projecting from the extremities of the axle."

Dr. "William Smith's Diet, of Greek and

Eoman

Antiquities, art. Fair.

The

ap-

fxara Spfirai'7]<p6pa

by the Syr. Pollux describes

iS'o-

the ^Icdcs as wearing a cloth called

raycs,

which was of
;

scarlet color, striped

were justly reckoned among the most terrific implements of ancient warfare, as they mowed down The is fire all that came in their way.

with white
irop(pvpovs,

Sopayrys, Mri^aiv ri <pnpt)na,

x''""'^*'-

nf(To\fVKOs

^J^^-

i.

of these scythes was the coruscations produced by their excessive brightness and

r";Vs rsx, trith fiery scythes. cap. 13. That r ";'-; stands here by transposition of the first two letters for r^sV, cannot be admitted the plural of tsV, a lamp,
;

the rapidity of their motion. Instead of rs=, " with fire," seven ISISS., originally one more, and the Soncin. edition of the Prophets, read -iss " lific fire."

or torch, being

always q-teV, in the

The

sufllix

in irrin

may

either

form an

Chap.

II.

NAIIUM.

275

The chariots dash madly on the commons, They run furiously in the open places
;

Their appearance

is

like that of torches,

They
6

flash like lightnings.

his nobles
;

He remembers
They stumble

in their

march

accusative to 2^, "in, or the genitive of an

agent not mentioned

the

tom of the spear-men

to

wave their

lances

hostile

com-

before engaging in battle, for the pur-

mander.

The

latter construction is pre-

pose of evincing their eagerness for the

contest.
5.

day of his preparation to the period fixed upon by the

ferable, as it refers the

This verse Ewald explains of the

general for

commencing the

attack.

It

preparations

made by

the Ninevites for

;

would only be then that the scythes

the defence of the city

walls

but the warthe

would be

fixed in the chariots

it

being

chariots could not be used within

:

not only useless but dangerous to have

they could only be effective in the

them attached at other times. By open field, ristin signifies not merely C 'a 1-12, cypresses, are meant spears or streets, as being xoithoxd the houses of a lances, the staves of which were made of city, but also the out fields or commons the branches of the cypress. The LXX., without the city itself. Comp. Job ^. 10 followed by the Syr. and Arab., have Ps. cxliv. 13 Prov. viii. 26. In like taken the word for Qi'inS, horsemen, manner fii'a'nn, as its parallel, denotes
; ;

rendering
is

it

ot iiriTeis,

"which Michaclis

any wide
xxxii. 6

or open spaces in the suburbs

gates.

inclined to prefer,

actually adopted.

and Newcome has There is, however, no

describing the

without the
;

Comp.

Chron.

Ps. cxhv. 14.

W."'~f ~ signi-

just cause for stumbling at the boldness

fies to act the

part of a

madman,
and the
is

to

show

of the figure.

Homer,
it

one's self violent, rage,

like.

The

spear of Achilles, calls

an ash

reduplicate form "^ap'^j^p-j^

obviously

'E

5'

&pa ffvpiyyos Trarpciwy

fieya

eVTraffor'

intended to give great force to the expression

it

Bpti^u

ari^ap6v' to (i\v ov Svyar'

6,?^^os

'Axo-iwy
/ify

TldWfiv,

&Wd

olos

iirlffTaro irrjKai

on which account, to render run up and doxon is too weak. I have aAAed. furiously, which makes this hemistich better agree with the preceding.
;

'AxjAAeus,

Nor
k. t. X.

is

the reduplication of the third

UriMdSa MEAIHN,

radical of 'pi, to run, in Piel, flsaim,

udthout a corresponding degree of energy.
It expresses the rapid zig-zag course of

niad. xLx. 387390.

Hesiod also designates the lance eXdrt], a piiie. Scut. Here. 188 and Virgil uses the Jir for the spear of Camilla
; :

the chariots, resembling the quick flash-

ing of lightning.

As

atri is masculine,

the feminine suffix in )r7_"S"i

must be

" cujus apertum

Adversi long& transverberat abiete pectus."
;Vy"iri, a a7ro| Ae-y.,

taken
6.

for a neuter, or

regarded as an inis

stance of neglected gender.

^neid.

xi. 667.

The king of Nineveh

here repre-

from the root V?n,

to

Syr.
lously,

NiiJ'skj,

tremuif,

move tremuand

sented as roused from a pit)found stupor and, contriving the necessary means of
defence, as
first

of

all

turning his atten-

wave,

shake

hence Vvi
;

tion to his principal officers,

whom

he

r;Vy"iP, trembling, Zech. xii. 2

5.

Ps. Ix.

summons

to

their

posts.

Michaelis,

The

reference seems to be to the cus-

Maurer, and others, think that by these

276

NAHUM.
to her wall,
is

Chap.

II.

They hasten

And
The

the defence
the j)lace

prepared.

flood-gates are opened,

is

And

dissolved,

Though tirmly established. She is made bare she is carried up, "While her handmaids moan like doves,
;

And
officers,

smite upon their hearts.

the generals

commanding
;

in the

was two hundred

like,

feet high.

^::8 sig-

provinces are intended but it is more likely the prophet means the military
leaders within the city, since
it is

nifies to tccave, interttmne, fence,

and the
Syr.

and

so to protect, shelter.

LXX. ko2

repre-

troifx-daovai

ras TrpocpvXaK^s alnwv.

sented in the preceding verses as already

invested by the enemy and they are spoken of as hastening to the nail, and not to the city, -which the former inter;

A
I

fortifications.

Targ. Nt9ni,

toxoers, 7.

Though

it

is

pretation

would require, -r 7

is

here used,

brew

to represent

not unusual in Heinvading armies or

not in the sense of simply recollecting,

or calling to mind, but with the acces-

multitudes of people imder the image of

floods or waters,

sory idea of carrying out or gi\'ing effect

to the recollection, in' regard to the object

here by Rosenmiiller,

an interpretation adopted De Wette, and

others, there does not appear to be sufficient ground to depart from the hteral meaning. By ri-n:, rivers, or streams,

of remembrance.

It therefore

implies,
to oc-

that the monarch ordered

them

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.

are meant the canals dug from the Tigris, which intersected the city, and more especially those which afforded a supply

of water for the defence of the palace.

Instead of

r:

in rtl-^;-!-, eight of

The

gates or sluices of these canals

were

De

MSS., another originally, the Brixian, and another ancient edition, exhibit the local n, which is supported by the Targ., Syr., and Arab. By the Tt~i,
Rossi's

doubtless strongly constructed, to prevent

a greater influx of water than

what was
besiegers,

required

but having upon the present

occasion been burst open

by the

protector, or protection, here mentioned,

the waters of the Tigris rushed in, and.

some understand the

siegers of a city,

vinea, or the tes-

completely inundating the royal

dence,
dissolved

resi-

tudo, military' coverings used

by the be-

and

ruined

it.

The

under the shelter of which they might safely carry on their operations in imdermining, or otherwise
destroying the walls.

verb

ii'iJ

describes the physical effects

of the inundation, not metaphorically those produced by the event upon the

As, however, the

acted on the defen-

minds of the
8.

inhabitants.

term

is

here applied to something era-

run
with

has occasioned a great diverGesenius, dissatits

ployed by those
sive, it

who

sity of intcr]irctations.
isfied
all

cannot be so interpreted.

In

all

those derived from

befix,

probability,

some kind of breastwork, composed of the interwoven boughs and

branches of
trees,

ing the Hophal of di*:, to place, settk,

has recourse to a

new

root,

sni*,

which

erected between
is

the

towers upon the walls,

According to Diodorus Siculus, Nineveh had fifteen hundred towers, each of which
intended.

he borrows from the Arab. v,><ij fuxit,

siillavit,

aqaa,

^-

fudit, cffttdit ; and.

Chap.
9

II.

NAH UM
like

277

Though Nineveh hath been

a pool of water,

From
" Stop
!

the most ancient time,

stop
are fleeing " but none looketh back.
: !

Yet they

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 loms, And all faces withdraw their color.
;

then removing the word to the end of the

preceding verse, reads thus, iia: Vs'rrn

helavit,

viz interrupto

spiritu

Syriac

7
^,^^(3lJ, clamavit, rugiit.

floio

asni, the palace is dissolved and made to away. That the verb is to be conder at once shows

9.

The comparison

of the population
is

nected with the preceding 5'!b;, the gen;

of Nineveh to a collection of water

but there

is

no neces-

here appropriate.

i4^n

^"n

is

an anti-

sit}'

of departing from the usual signifi-

cation of 2^:, to place, fix, stand firmly ; in Hiph. to cause to stand, establish.

However
resist the

strongly the place might have

it

quated mode of expressing the feminine the absolute form of pronominal affix the pronoun being retained instead of the fragmental n being attached to the noun,

been constructed,

would not be
^

able to

s-n
i. e.

'WW n'^n^ia

lit.

from

her days,

fury of the water.

14.

has here

the force of though, and though.

Comp.
T.r':::^

during the whole period of her ex-

JjP-inn STin, Mai.

iii.

The nomS
first

istence, or,

from the most ancient time.

royal city to

The prophet compares the

a
reserv'oir

inative to the feminines

is

nn ij and
The

of water, on account of the

Nineveh understood.
is
;

of these

confluence of people from the surround-

verbs some render,

tivity

carried into cap-

ing provinces.
their escape,

but this signification is confined It to the Kal and Hiphil conjugations. here describes the ignominy with which the Ninevites were treated, when, stripped of everything, they were forced from their
capital.

now

All who could make took to flight, and no

entreaties could induce

them

to remain.

10.

Nahum
enemy.

here apostrophizes the

victorious

to possess themselves of the

riches

They had now only immense

Comp.
as
;

Is. xlvii. 3,

Nineveh

is

represented

her dignity
the

a queen degraded from and led away captive by

inhabitants, or
at pleasure.
iitis

which had been abandoned by the which they might plunder

The

repetition of the verb

her female slaves following and deploring her fate. That the queen of Nineveh herself, supposed to be here
;

enemy

gives force to the diction,

rsfl^n,

from "jis, in Hiphil, to set up, prepare; anything laid up, prepared, and ready for
use, as costly gaiments, ornaments, etc.

called Htizzab,

is

intended, in a positioj

which cannot be sustained, though adopted by several interpreters, and recently by Ewald. Persons are never introduced by name into prophecy, except for some important purpose, as in the case of Cyrus. For i,ri to pant, sigh, moan, comp.
,

Comp. Job
avTTJs.

xxvii. 16.

LXX.
by

toO

KSa/xoi/

Yvilg. divitiarum.

Targ. S'jna^N.
",, is

treasures,

"ihs, followed
:

here

a nominative absolute
ance,
11.
it

as for the abund-

consists of, etc.

r!p/)3 rrpiia

The three synonymes

all

the Arab,

ff '^j

graviter, continuo an-

np^53tt,

from

roots

signifying

to

278
12

NAHUM.
"Where
is

Chap. IIL

the den of the lionesses

And the feeding-place of the young lions? Where the lion and the lioness walked,
13

The The

lion's

cub

also,

and none disturbed them.

of his cubs,
;

lion tore for the supply

And
And
14

strangled for his lionesses

lie filled his dens with prey.

his habitations
!

with rapine.

Behold I am against thee, saitli Jehovah of hosts; I will burn her chariots into smoke The sword shall devour thy young lions, And I will cut off thy prey from the land The voice of thy messengers shall be heard no more.
;

empty, empty out, are exquisitely chosen,

their

means of supply. Comp.

for the

In the

last verse

and from

their increase in length, as well

the
tive.

literal is

intermixed with the figura-

as from iheir similarity both in sound and meaning, give great force to the expres-

metaphor.

Is. v.

29

sion of total desolation

the

Jer.

ii.

15.

snr;, in ver. 12,

;

idea here

of that which
supply, etc.

^^,

has the force ver. 13, o sitjficiency,

intended to be conveyed.

Gesenius considers them to be onomatopoctic, imitating the sound of emptying out a bottle. Comp. Is. xxiv, 1, for the etymology of
the verbs pp;2 p^ia and
j;'^2
;

~-t:_

and r~a are em-

ployed idiomatically in the two genders

to express different kinds of prey.
Is.
iii.

Comp.
has

1.

For

T?'?. the Targ.

and

for

a similar use of words varied in form, but nearly alike in sound, Is. xxiv. 3, 4,

The meaning is, that such should be the number of chariots consumed, that the smoke arising from

KPrs2,

tcithfire.

xxix. 2

Ezek. xxxiii 29

Zeph.
see

i.

15.

the

fire in

which they were

all.

to be burnt,

rVnV-.an
ii.

intensive form, from

h'.fi,

should

be visible to

Comp. Ps.
editions dif-

to be in j^C'^n.
6.

For -i5-S5

on Joel

xxxvii. 20.
fer in their

The MSS. and

little

punctuation of rrrsVis, but

12-14.

beautiful

allegory, setting

there can be

doubt that

it is

a de-

forth the rapacious, irresistible,

and luxseat

fective reading, r;rss'":70, for

rr'rsV);.

urious character of the king of Assyria,

and the destruction of Nineveh, the

of his empire, with
all his

Comp. rrss, Ps. c.xxxix. 5. The Syr, and LXX. have read '^^rjr:*';?:, "thy
works."

armies,

and

CHAPTER
The
as
proiihet, resuminfi; his description of the siege
its

ll\.
of Nineveh,
lie

cause,

4,

and repeats the divine denunciations wliich

ver. 5-7.

lie then, to a,Tpravnfc licr misery, poinf.s lier to flic

brated, but

now

it to her idolatry introduced cliap. ii. 13, once formidable and celeconquered and desolate Ihebes, B-10, declaring that such should likewise

1-3, traces

Iiad

Chap. HI.

NAHUM

279

be lier fate, 11-13; calls upon her sarcastically to make every preparation for her defence, but assuring her that it would be of no avail, 14, 15; and concludes by contrasting with the number of merchants, princes, and generals, which she once possessed, the miserable, remediless state of ruin to which she was to be reduced, 16-19.

Wo to the city of blood

She
is

wholly

filled

with deceit and violence

The prey is not removed. The sound of the whip, and

wheels,

the sound of the rattling of the

The horses prancing, and the chariots bounding The mounting of horsemen, the gleaming of swords,

And
And

the lightning of spears

slain.

The multitude of
There
is

the mass of corpses

no end to the carcasses

their carcasses
:

They stumble over

4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, The very graceful mistress of enchantments ;
1.

A portraiture of the atrocious charp-^s -iTis

presses
g|

by rendering

it

^itiKovros.

Syr.

acter of the Ninevites.

ibnn
1i

an asyndeton.

The non-removal

of the

ebullivit, anhelavit.

D. Kimchi

prey refers to the fact, that the Assyrians rS^VriT. 11132 C"&n rD"ni, the powerhad not restored the ten tribes. ful trampling or prancmg of the hmse
2, 3.

The description which the prophet

on the
city,
is

and

his course.

The

collectives require

here gives of the approach of the enemy,

his attack

to be rendered in the plural.

Vip

is

not

and the slaughter

to be understood as repeated .before Dr.o

of the besieged,

exquisitely graphic.

and the following

of ^Vrr;' or
"Vi-::';,

substantive.
as
it is

Instead

Every trani5lator must acknowledge with Jerome Tarn pulchra juxta Hebraicuni
^^
:

read in some

ad prcelium se preparantis exercitus descriptio est, ut omnis nieus sermo sit vilior. The passage is unrivalled by any other, either in sacred
et pictura similis
'

many MSS., and the Soncin., Erix., and Complut. editions, read ^'rrsi, which is favored by the renderings of the LXX. and Vulg.
of the old editions, the Keri,
4.
vites,

The

idolatrous practices of the Nine-

or profane^ literature.
Jer. xlvii. 3.

Comp. however
only here, but

and the means which they em-

-in q occurs

ployed to seduce others to worship their

gods, are here represented as the principal cause of their destruction. At the

in Judges v. 22,

we

find ni-i^as

m-nn,
It

the charges of his

mighty warriors, in
the xoar -horse.
affinity to the

connection with

er,B,

would seem
Arab.

to

have some

same time, the commerce, luxury, etc. which they carried to the greatest height,
are not to be excluded
;

^^^, .1^
when

for in

making

i,...,U,

and

expresses the coursing or prancing of the

cavalary,
attack.

rapidly advancing to the

Their eagerness the

LXX.

ex-

with the more powerful of their neighbors, they not only employed these as inducements, but did not scruple to deliver into their power, nations and tribes that were untreaties

contracts

and

280

NAHUM.

Chap. IIL

"WIio sold nations through her fornications,

tribes through her enchantments. Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts r will throw up tliy skirts upon thy face, And show the nations thy nakedness, And the kingdoms thy shame. I will cast abominable things upon thee,
!

And

And And And And

disgrace thee
will

make thee

a gazing-stock.
flee
!

every one that seeth thee shall shall say, Nineveh is destroyed

from thee

Who will commiserate her ? Wlience shall I seek comforters for thee Art thou better than No-Ammon, That dwelt in the rivers, That had water around her
:

able to defend themselves,

iii.

3,

6-8

Amos

i.

6.

Comp. Joel or possession of the Egyptian deity known The metaphor of by the name of Jupiter Am7non. The
statement of Macrobius, that he Avas the
representative of the sim,
is

an unchaste female, and the seductive which she employs, is not unfrequent in the prophets. 5, 6. The language of commination here used, is suggested by the metaphor of an harlot, employed in the preceding It would seem to refer to an anverse. cient mode of punishing strumpets, by
arts

confirmed

them of all their gaudy attire, and exposing them, covered with mud and filth, to the gaze of insulting specstripping
tators.

by the name of Atnon-Re, i. e. " Amon, the Sun," being given to him in Egyptian inscriptions. On Egyptian monuments this god is represented by the figure of a man sitting upon a chair, with a ram's head, or by that of an entire ram. In Jer. xlvi. 25, we have Nin2 V'-!?> ^^on of No, where, as well

The abhorrent

character of the

figure constitutes the very reason of its

selection.

Nahum, our have regarded "j'iis as equivalent to T"ttn, a multitude. Bochart,

as in the present passage in

translators

The 3

in "s-S!
e

Comp. Ezek. xvi. 37-41. is the Caph veritatis.

idea

Schroeder, and some others, have con-

tended
in

that

Ai6<nro\is,
is

near

blendes,

LXX.
7.

irapdSftyfia.

Lower Egypt,

intended, but all

preposterously ren-

Ti"^l "I

carries out the

implied

the later commentators are in favor of

in -^S, ver. 6.
is

It

is

in the plural, but

Thebes.
ders,

The Targum

followed by a singular verb, to agree

KrS"! K'-i-COrVs, Alexandria the

with Vz.
li.

Comp.

for the

sentiment

Is.

Great,

which Jerome, deferring

from
its

to his

19.
8.

Kabbi, has adopted in the Vulg.

tt.'i,

The

-p:;N

No Amon, Egyp. X\OZ^

the
lion,

city, \\'hich

being the principal

scat of his worship, Avas called

by the

^J^Q')(*J\,

or portion of

Greeks AiJo-TToAis,

is

the celebrated Thebes,

Amoti, thus etymologically the LXX. ^pi'5a, 'A/xfiiiv, though in Ezck. xxx. 1.5,

the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, situated on both sides of the Nile, about

they render

A(6iTiro\is,

i.

e.

the residence

two himdrcd and sixty miles south of Cairo. It was renowned for its hundred

Chap.

III.

NAHUM,
strength was in the sea

281

Whose
Her
9

was on the sea ? Cash strengthened her, and Egypt,

wall
countless hosts
auxiliaries.

With

Put and the Lybians were thine

gates,

and was of such extent, that

its

is

remaining ruins still describe a twenty-seven miles

ou5'

circuit of

'6(Ta

@-fi0as

AlyvTTTias, 6^1 irKeTara B6ixots iv KTrjixa-ra

made in profane history, but it not improbably took place on the advance of the Assyrian army under Sargon, in the year b. c. 714. See on Is. xx. It was afterwards taken by Cambyses, b. c. 525,
and
its

ruin completed by Ptolemy Lab. c.

A"

y
(piv.

eKaT6iJ.iTv\oi

tlffi,

SniK6<TL0i

5'

thyrus,

81.

fKaffTrju

presentation of
tiriroLffiv /cal

According to the reour prophet, Nineveh,

it

^Ayfpes i^oixvevffi avv

oix^C'

could not vie with

either in point of

Iliad, ix. 381.

Of the magnificent ruins, the most remarkable are the temples of Luxor and Kamac, on the eastern side of the river. The architecture is of the most gigantic and superior description. Fragments of colossal obelisks and statues are found in
every direction.

They both grandeur or of strength. possessed the advantage of mighty rivers a circumstance to for their defence which he gives a special prominence, as

it

was that on which the inhabitants

placed great dependence.

By

c;^, sea, is

The stupendous
is

colon-

ade at Luxor
;

in the highest degree

on Is. xix. 5; by Q'-iVs"', streams, the same as nnin;, Nah. ii. 7, viz. the canals by which the water of the river was cari'ied round or through

meant the Nile;

see

imposing but the grand hall of the temple at Karnac is of surpassing interest.

the principal parts of the city. Ewald proposes to connect c^ with C-^K, thus,

describes
feet

"Wilkinson, in his Thebes, p. 17-4, it as " one hundred and seventy

supported,

by three hundred and twenty-nine, by a central avenue of twelve

columns,
sixty-six feet

C'w CI, and renders y^owi seato sea, which he attempts to justify by appealing to Micah vii. 12, but the cases are not parallel.
V'^rt

stands elliptically for PiV^n.

>:

massive

high,

The

preposition

in

c-;;^

expresses the

(without the pedestal and abacus,) and

material out of which the defence

was
the

twelve in diameter,
less

besides one

hun-

made

and the

triple reference to

dred and twenty-two of smaller or rather

gigantic dimensions, forty-one feet

Nile as a sea, in this verse, indicates the great importance which attached to it as
a

nine inches in height, and twenty-seven feet six inches in circumference, distri-

means of protecting the city. 9. Not only was Thebes strong by

art,
;

buted in seven lines on either side of the The walls of the temples are former."
covered with hieroglyphics, chiefly representing the victories gained by the

nature and

and in the number of her

native troops

she also possessed immense

ilaries.

mihtary resources in her African auxUFor -jfls, Ctish, see on Is. xi.
11.
t:n3,

Egyptian kings over their enemies.

One
Put, Egypt.

of the walls exhibits the result of the expedition of Shishak against Jerusalem,
1

$c\\c5."r,

the region immediately to the west of

Kings xiv.

25, etc.

2 Chron. xii. 2-9, of the Jewish cap-

Lower Egypt, and conterminous with

Lybia Proper, with the inhabitants of
which,
it is

in the leading
tives.

away

here mentioned.

Gesenius de^^

Of

the conquest of this famous city,

here referred to by

Nahum, no mention

rives the

name from "Hi'T

^^^i

36

283
10 Yet
slie became an exile, She went into captivity

N A II U JI

Chap.

III.

Iler young- cliildren also Avere 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.

11

Thou

also slialt

be drunken,

Tliou shalt liide thyself,

Thou

also slialt seek a refuge

from the enemy.

into the

12 All thy fortresses are like fig-trees with early figs

If they shake them, they
fall

mouth of the

eater.

13 Behold

thy people are as Avomen in the midst of thee; The gates of thy laud shall be thrown wide open to enemies
!

tliine

Fire shall consume thy barriers,

14

Draw

water for the

siesre

boto,

and thinks the people were

so

was captured, and

its

inhabitants sub-

called from their

bemg

expert as archers.

jected to all the cruelities

That they were descended from Ham, Josephus speaks of them see Gen. x. 6. as Mauritanians, Antiqq. i. 6, 2 and the river of the same name, which he de;

usually inflicted by the victors,

and indignities what was there in Nineveh to claim exemption?

a

Instead of ~2"i, to drink, be intoxicated,

mode

of speech not

uncommon

in the

through their country, is called Fut by Pliny, v. 1, and Phtuih by Ptolemy, iv. 1. They are spoken of as fomiing part of the Egyptian armv,
scribes as flowing
Jer. xlvi. 9,

prophets, denoting participation in severe

punishment, Newcome, without authority,

reads rrt;, to hire, and renders, thoti

shall become
5, to

and

as being in the Syrian

an hireling. which he refers, the

In

latter,

Sam. ii. and not

marine, Ezek. xxvii. 10.

AV.
15. .ii.

AVincr's Ileal
Lijbians, the

the former verb, occurs.

12, 13.

p.

308.

t.^-z'^'h,

Two

figures strikingly expres-

inhabitants of Africa to the south and

sive of the

west of the fonner countrj', stretching as far as Numidia. Hitzig, on Is. Ixvi. 19, has endeavored in vain to establish the
hypothesis that the people of Nubia are

extreme ease with which the Assyrians should be subdued. For the former, see on Is. xxviii. 4 and comp.
;

llev. vi.
Jer.
1.

13

for the latter, Is. xix. 16

meant.
C"ii-^,

Comp.

2 Chron. xii, 3, xvi. 8.

ts, with, in the phrase fJNP C-'s^a c" denotes accomjianiment, etc. ;
37.

F'U'jpt, is

here taken for

itself

Lower

the pln-ase

itself is

equivalent to ~":sct

Egj'pt, as distinguished from the U])pcr,

C--isa

CrV

Tr?5.
tx^'^^^'

of which Thebes was

the capital.
to

avKcii cKOTTovs

Thus the LXXl Comp. for this

1

There

is

no reason, with some,

change

rare use of the jireposition,

Sam.

xvii.

the ^ in Tjn-iTya into r:, though the LXX. and Syr. have the third person.

42,

^r'-)2, ilichaclis translates thy

fwjitives, but as fugitives are always re-

The prophet concludes

apostrophizing Thebes,
essentia;.

hLs description

by

presented as perishing by the sword, and

is

the Beth

never by

fire,

the signification barriers

must bo
If

retained.

10,

11.

the celebrated metropolis

all its

14.

of Egypt, with

means of

defence,

the Ninevites to

The prophet ironically summons make every eflbrt in

Chap.

III.

NAHUM,

283

Strengthen thy fortifications Enter the mire, and tread the clay Repair the brick-kiln. 15 There shall the fire consume thee, ^ The sword shall cut thee off; It shall consume thee like the licking locust Be thou numerous as the licking locusts Be thou numerous as the swarming locusts. 16 Thou hast increased thy merchants more than the heaven
;

stars of

The

licking locusts spread themselves out,

And
17

took their
princes

flight.

Thy

were

as the

swarming

locusts,
;

thy satraps as the largest locusts That encamp in the hedges in the cold day ; The sun ariseth, then they flee, And the place where they are is unknown. king of Assyria! 18 Thy shepherds slumber,
the

And

way

of preparing for a long and

itself.

"Princes with diadems and crowns on

their heads."
tor,
i.

vigorous defence of the metropolis

The Arab. yJoLtf, moniis

As water
it

is

one of the

fii^st

necessaries,
e,

behooved them to see to it, that the They etc., were well filled. were also to put the fortifications in a
cisterns,

counsellor,

less

apt, as the

comparison to the locusts shows.

Six of

De

Rossi's

MSS. and

three ancient edi-

perfect state.

tions

15-17. DJ, there, points emphatically

to the fortified city.

parallel

omit the Dagesh in the Nun. The term fi-iCEU occurs only here,
li.

The nominative
Z'S,
;

to

and
It
is

in Jer.

27, in the singular

ncsu.
is

Tssni. e.

is

the masculine noun

people,

obviously a foreign word, and

in

the inhabitants

that to ^n:n3r:n,

all probability
still

compounded of what we

the feminine n-y

stead,

city,

understood.

In-

find in the Persic,

Aj,

or

(.jL>,

however, of n^snn, six MSS., originally four more, and one by correction, read

strength^ power,

and

^.^u, chief, captain,

"Tssnrt.

For the names of

prince.

It occurs in the

the locusts which here occur, see on Joel

i.

Jonathan, Deut. xxviii. 12, as the

of a superior angel.

Targum of name

4,

and Amos

vii. 1.

The

reduplication

For other derivait

2'u ^-a, locust of locusts,

is

designed to

tions see Gesen. Thesaur. in voc.

express the largest or most formidable of

Lee

prefers deriving

Dr. from the Chald.

For the plural form c^-inw is a arrai, Xty-, derived from "nTS, to consecrate, separate and devote to a high or noble office; hence n^TS, prince, ^T3, consecrathat kind of insect.
"<2-i:,

see

on

Amos

vii. 1.

tion,

diadem.

It denotes here the princes,

Whatever 2t2, egregius, and "ix*, dux. might be the power of these princes and generals, and whatever number of troops they might have at their command, they would on the approach of the enemy, betake themselves to flight, and leave
Nineveh to her own defence. of them would be found.
18.

crowned with diadems, who formed the

glorv of the Assyrian court.
chi
:

No

trace

Thus KimS3"'-i!b,

cn^'ics-i

Vy -ntsyi its -iss

The masculine

suffixes in this

and

284

XAHU
;

3il

Chap.

III.

Thy nobles have lain down Thy people are dispersed upon the mountains, And there is none that collected them.
19 Therc^is no alleviation of thy ruin;

Thy wound

is

grievous

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 c"j'-\, shepherds, were the
satraps or viceroys appointed to govern
for
,

it,

as

some propose. Comp. the Arab.

incesserunt cameli

liixj,

pactum noctu

the provinces under the king of Assyria

the

aut oves sine pastore.

ried

The

figure

is

car-

ISi"'?is

were the

nobles,

who

on throughout the

verse.

as
19. rrj3

with the Z'v'i, are to be regarded under the same image. See Jer. xxv. 34, where principals would have been better than principal in our common version.
parallel
",rc, corresponding to
is

TS,
for

ht.

nothing of infirmity,
is

by

litotes,

powerful, great

thy

breach.

The deUverance

of the king

W3,

they slumber,

a vox pregnans,

implying, not only

had lain down, but that they were taking rest or were asleep, ur.s is cognate with y^s, to scatter, disperse,
that they

Nothremained but for the prophet to announce his end, and the joy which the surrounding states would express at the irretrievable ruin of an empire, whose iron sway had been so extended, and whose cruel oppressions bad been unin-

of Nineveh was utterly hopeless.

mg

Arab.

LuO,

propagata
is

et

nmltiplicata

tennitting.

aunt pecora, but

not to be substituted

HABAKKUK.
PREFACE.
no information but what is purely founded upon the subscription, chap, iii. 19, that he was of the tribe of Levi, and engaged in the temple service, The statement made in the inscripis too precarious to warrant its adoption.
the prophet possess

Of

Habakkuk, we

apocryphal.

The

position of Delitzsch,

tion to

Bel and the Dragon in the

LXX., which

has been preserved from the

-irpocpriTfias

Tetrapla of Origen, in the Codex Chisianus, ^k

cov (K
T/js (pvKys Aevi,

'Afi^aKovn vlov

'irj-

may be

nothing more than conjecture.

Considerable

difference of opinion obtains respecting the time at which he flourished

the Rabbins
first

Grotius, Kalinsky, Kofod, Jahn,

;

years of Manasseh

the period of the exile

and AVahl, placing him in the Friedrich, De Wette, Bertholdt, Justi, and Wolf, in while Usher, Newcome, Eichhorn, Home, Winer,

Maurer, and Ewald, are of opinion that he prophesied in the reio-n of Jehoiachin, about 008 C04 before Christ. This last hypothesis seems best

supported, since the Chaldeans are spoken of chap.

position of Rosenmiiller, that chap.

i.

5, 6, as

being upon
it.

the point of invading Judah, but not as having actually entered

i.

The

was composed under Jehoiakim, chap, ii. under Jehoiachin, and chap. iii. under Zedekiah, is altogether gratuitThe whole forms one prophecy, and does not admit of being thus disous.
sected.

The book embraces

tion of

the wickedness of the

infliction

Jews which demanded

the inflic-

punishment, the

of this punishment by the Chaldeans, the

destruction of the latter in their turn,

in anticipation of the

and an ode composed by the prophet consequent deliverance of his people. Its position imis

mediately after

Nahum

most appropriate, setting forth the judgments of

by and upon the Chaldeans, just as the latter treated of those The two prophets take up separately to be inflicted upon the Assyrians. what Isaiah had expatiated ujwn at large.
inflicted

God

In point of general style, Habakkuk is universally allowed to occupy a very distinguished place among the Hebrew prophets, and is surpassed by none of them in dignity and sublimity. AVhatever he may occasionally have

own peculiar manner, His figures are well chosen, His expressions are bold and animated his descripfully carried out. The parallelisms are for the most part regular tions graphic and pointed. and complete. The lyric ode contained in chap. iii. is justly esteemed one of the most splendid and magnificent within the whole compass of Hebrew See the introduction to that chapter. poetry.
in

common
is

with previous writers, he works up in his

and and

evidently no servile copyist or Imitator.

The words
prophet.

nttJWi

i.

ti-u^y,

ii.

6,

and

v'~p,'p_,

ii.

16, are peculiar to this

CHAPTER
"The prophet
lie then introduces

I.

commences by briefly, yet emphatically and pathetically, setting forth the cause of the Chaldean invasion, which was to form the burden of his prophecy the great wickedness which abounded in the Jewish nation at the time he flourished, 2-4.

Jehovah summoning attontion

;

to that invasion as the awful punish-

ment of sucli wickedness, 5; describes, in a very graphic manner, the appearance, character, and operations of tlie invaders, 6-11 and tlien, by a sudden transition, expostulates with God, on account of the severity of the judgment, which threatened the annihilation of the Jewish people, 13-17.

Habakkuk the prophet saw. long shall I cry, O Jehovah And thou hearest not ? long shall I cry to thee of violence, and thou savest not 3 "Why dost thou ijermit me to see wickedness.
1

The

Sentence, which

How How

And
1.

beholdest misery

Is. xiii. 1

For the pigiiification of aziz, see on and for the form piT'qn, com;

modes of
subject.

expression

familiar

to

the

prophet, than indicative of identity of

pare -in-S'^, Jer. v. 30, xxiii. 14.

2.

The

evils

complained of in
vei-scs,

this

and

the two following

arc,

by many

interpreters, considered to be those con-

Bcquent upon the invasion of Judea by the Chaldeans. Such a construction,

The influence of r:s ;?, how upon the Preterite and Future tenses in this verse, so modifies them as to give them the force of a present time, though the one includes what had taken place down to such time, and the other,
long,

however,

breaks up the symmetry of

the possibility of

its

being

still

carried

the connection, as

marked by

ver. 5,

and

forward into the future.

violence,

Because C':n,
to

leaves out of view the wickedness of the

occurs without a preposition,

it

Jews

as the cause of the calamity, con-

Hitzig thinks

was what was done

;

trary to the universal custom of the

He-

the prophet himself

but

it is

better,

with

brew prophets.

They were
and
in the

the intestine

Kimchi,
or, to of,

to suppose

an

ellipsis

of -nzsa,
of,

broils, Htigations,

acts of oppression,

supply Vr, on account

because

which sprang up
Josiah,

kingdom of Ju-

dah, after the death of the pious reformer

with the Targum. Comp. Job xix. Jer. xx. 8. v\v and pyt are sj-nolatter is the

and had been long the subject of complaint on the pait of Habakkuk. That such was the state of things at that
time
is

nymes, but the

sive of the two.
3.

more expresi:"~r;
suffix

evident from Jer. xxii.

2,

1.3.

as strictly parallel,
'5

Some, regarding ='5S~r2 and understand the

ir/iy dost thou cause

The argument
of the words

in favor of the contrary

to be omitted
:

in the latter verb,

and

hyixithcsis, dcrivc<l

from the recurrence

etc.,

render

me
l-ook

to spo

vcn, Vk?,
etc., in

and the

wickedness,

and make

me

vpon

phrase t:2i N-",

the following

wrong
sense.
i<

part of the chapter, with undoubted application to the Chaldeans,

is

but trzr;, though the Iliphil conjugation, is never used in a causative

f

of no weight,

Besides,

"""^iiV,

and not U'zn,

since they arc ratlier to be rrgurdid as

the proper synonv-me, corresponding to

Chap.

I.

11

ABAKKUK
;

287

Destruction and violence are before me Contention and strife exalt themselves.

On tliis account the law fiileth, And true judgment goeth not forth

Because the wicked circumvent the righteous, Therefore perverted judgment goeth forth.
'IS'IP.

Between the two

as

clauses, the

of ver. 2.
ergy,

Of

the law, which ought to

all its vital

prophet introduces Jehovah, with

whom

have been maintained in

it is

en-

he expostulates,

an inactive spectator

said irsp,

it chilleth,

groioeth

of the evil, because his providence did not interfere for its removal, and it was allowed, unavenged, to take its course.

frigid, languisheth, faileth

meant, that
as
it

it

were, to

The

expostulation thus gains in force,

is

want of use.
l^fc'a,
i. e.,

; by which is was not enforced, but left, grow stiff and torpid, from The words, ra'ih s^ ^ :iV ^

and scope

afforded for the striking

may

either be rendered, ^wf^^mew^,

which the Most High is represented as interposing for the punishment of the wicked, sis' y-)z has
contrast, ver. 5, in

what is strictly and properly such, righteous judgment never goeth forth ;
judgment goeth not forth according to ; n^i: V, signifj'ing to perpetuity, for ever, and, with a negative, never, like C^'^yV ^h, and truly, according to truth.
or,

The LXX., been variously explained. taking "pi's for Vl'r.' render it 6 KpiTrjs
\afj.$d.vei
,o
j ,
;

truth

which the Syriac

'n

explains,

>

^ "

fAkQ.^ '^.a-O
bribe.

JA^^

the judge iaketh

Comp. the Arab. >^.^j,

sincerus

f delis
piirus,

Abenezi-a translates thus;

rn'l fuit ; and the Elh.

"''^^

C'isi-i

^sis^

nis litK^
strife

a'"i

^^f|^

""if"?'

there are

men of

and contention

who
gard

lift

up

their head.

The

structure of

mundus fuit. the word is that adopted by the

The

latter signification of

Syr.
<^'>^'^

the sentence, however, obliges us to reS'i""'

as parallel to Ti'l, so that it

I.^OaSI-S

M-?

"^

|jO>

judgment goeth not forth in purity ; and by Sheltinga, Hesselberg, is approved nouns in both cases are nominatives to Wolf, Rosenmiiller, De Wette, Winer, the verbs, and ttrs is here to be taken Gesenius, Lee, and Ewald, chiefly on the ground of V;;y tJ^;'f"''2. wrong or intransitively in the sense of exalting or
stands in the same relation to v'nn, that

the substantive verb does to ;-n.

The

raising one's self up.

Comp. Ps. Ixxxix. Nah. i. 5. Thus Dahl, combining the two nouns, Und Hader, und Gezanh erheben sich ; and Perschke, Es gibt Streit, und Zwist erhebet sich.
10
;

perverted judgment, occurring, as a contrasted formula, at the close of the verse.

Kos.

xiii. 1

the going forth of judgment is meant the publication of legal decisions delivered by a judge. In the time of the prophet,

By

The language

is

descriptive of the prevspirit,

justice

was

utterly corrupted, in conse-

alence of a litigious

in consequence

quence of which there was no security

either for person or property.
n"r::tt,

of which no one was permitted quietly to

possess or enjoy his rights.

What was

not seized upon by main force, was obtained by perversion of law.

4.

'\2~hy, 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

from nJ^S, to surround, is here used in a bad sense, to express the ensnaring of a person by fraud and artifice it depicts the windings of intrigue, and is best rendered by circumvent. Thiis Dathe cum impius pium circumvenit. Vj^SK, distorted, perverse, wrong, from the root
;

288

H AB

AKKUK.
!

CnAP.

Look among the nations, and behold Be ye greatly astonished

;

For

I will i)erform a
will
!

work

in

your days,

Which ye

For. behold
Th'it bitter

not believe, though it should be told you. I will raise up the Chaldeans,

and impetuous nation Which traverseth the wide regions of the earth, To seize upon habitations belonging not to it.

^py.

Comp. the Syr.

oV

ye despisers, in which they are followed

.

pervertit,

Arab. \XaS- , cwistrinxit, dislwtos hahuit pedes;

quendo.
5.

by the Syr. and Arab. and this rendering is adopted by Paul in his quotation of the verse. Acts xiii. 41. On the other
;

iJLJLft,

distortio linguce in lonpifia SifaTpafiixtvov.

hand, the Targ. s^^^yn

tn.,

Aquila,

LXX.

Symm.,
gentibus,

ITieod.,

and Vulg.

aspicite in

a sudden apostrophe Jehovah upon the Jews, in anticipation of the punishment which their sins deserved, and which should assuredly be inflicted upon them, to direct their attention to
calls

By

the events that were taking place the surrounding nations.

among

Nabopolassar

had already destroyed the mighty empire of Assyria and founded the ChaldeoBabylonian rule he had made himself so formidable, that Necho found it necessary to march an army against him, and in order to check his progress though defeated at Megiddo, he had, in conjunction with his son Nebuchad;

which is sustained by all the Heb. MSS. that have been collated, except five of Kennicott's, which have q'S s, natio7is, without the preposition. To account for the rendering of the LXX., some are of opinion that insteadof c"S5s, they must have read C'rib, Cnri-'r, or D'TiD others, with Pococke, in his Porta
;

Mosis, chap,
root,

iii.,

suggest a supposititious
correspondi:ig
ir\jitatus fv.it ,

KJ3

the

Arabic
superbe,

\jLi^ signify'ing,

insoUnter se gessit
insisting

most unjustifiably ; on the preference of some such

nezzar,

gained a complete victory over

the Egyptians at Carchemish.

These

reading to that of the Hebrew text. "With respect to the quotation. Acts xiii. 41, it was obviously made by the apostle

events were calculated to alarm the Jews,

whose country lay between the dominions of the two contending lowers but, accustomed as they were to confide in Egypt, and in the sacred localities of
;

on account of the exact similarity of the case of the Jews in his day, both as regards the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the incredulity of the nation in reference to that event. ' Paulus fideliter

their

own

capital, Is. xxxi. 1

Jer. vii. 4,

accommodat

in

usum suum

and being

with the Chaldeans, they were mdisposed to listen to, and treated with the utmost incredulity, any
in alliance

Prophetae verba, quia sicutisemel minatus fuerat Deus per prophetam suam

Habacuc,
ilis."

ita

predictions

which described their overthrow by that people. Such overthrow God claims as his work, though he might employ men as his instruments in effecting it. rsn and 'c'^rt are frequently combined as here for the sake of effect.
Tlie i)hr<isc C"'^^.

Calvin, in he.

etiam semper fuit sui simThe double form,

is

nn
srtspn

irtWPn,
is

used

for

intensity.

the Hithpael

for
Is.

srr^iPrn.
9,

Comp.

f.nP5 flnttnttrr!,

xxix.

and

my note
aud. *:.
6.

on that

verse.

Before Vy b Bub-

translated

among the natinna, is by the LXX., ol KarafoinrjTal,

Now follows

a lengthened and fear-

ful description of the character

and op-

Chap.
7 It
Its

I.

HAB AKKUK.
terrible

289

is

and dreadful
its

judgment and

dignity are from

its

itself.

8 Swifter than leopards are

horses,
;

And
Yea,

lighter than evening wolves

Its horses spread

its

proudly along

horse that

come from
for violence

afar

They
9 It

fly like

an eagle hastening to devour.

is like

Cometh entirely

The

aspect of their faces

the east wind

It collecteth the captives as sand.

which Jehovah would employ in executing his work. C"p 'isn. which has unquestionably the force of the future, must be referred to the special raising up of the Chaldeans
erations of the instrument

the prophet has in view appears to be the self-assumed political superiority of the Chaldeans in the Babylonian empire.

As

they had raised themselves to this

dignity, so they

would permit none

to

to undertake the expedition against Judea,

share in their counsels and determina-

and not

political

to their organization as a power, since they had already

been upwards of twenty years in possession of such power under Nabopolassar.

but would act in the most arbitrary manner. 8. Frequent reference is made in Scripture to the " evening wolves," on account
tions,

On

this account,

some

prefer rendering

the phrase. Behold! I will excite.

23.

For

of the sudden ravages which, in the keenness of their hunger, they commit

an account of this people, see on Is. xxiii. In -inrsni -i^ri is a paronomasia. By "!, bitter, the fierce and cruel disposition of the Chaldeans is expressed comp. Jer. 1. 42 by ^rjJ, rash, hasty,
;

on the flocks at that time of the day. See Gen. xlix. 27 Jer. v. 6 Zeph. iii. 3 and comp. Virgil's Georg. iii. 537, iv. 431 and the ^neid, ii. 355, ix. 59.
; ;
;

The LXX. render

'Apa)3ias.

improperly, \vkous

rrji

the rapidity or impetuosity of their operations. In the latter part of the verse, their widely extended conquests imder

rS, from the root a?2, having

.

here the signification of the Arab.

superbivit, gloriatus fuit,

iLi,

Nebuchadnezzar are clearly predicted.

7.

describes the

rs/r,

the

LXX.

render

Xrnxixa,

Symm.
deriving
V"ip

Z6yixa, Viilg. onus, Syr.

proud and spirited mien of the horses composing the Chaldean cavalry. Comp.
the inimitable description of the Arabian
war-horse, Job xxxix, 19-24.

\o\*a

vision. Targ. n'lt:^, decree or sentence, all

it

The mean-

from

sioD, in the sense,

of

S1C3, to lift up, or utter

voice,

anything

with the

and regarding it as equivalent to ssn, from the same root. ITie signification decree, though approved by Hesselberg, De Wette, Winer, and Gethan that of dignity, which is that of our common version, and is adopted by Hitzig, Maurer,
senius, is less appropriate

ing of the two last Knes of the verse is, that the eagerness of the cavalry to plimder the Jews should be so great, that

they would make no account of the

tigue occasioned

fa-

by the length of

their

march.
9, 10.

n'^

is

the less correct ortho-

graphy of V? which occurs several times

in the course of the
affix refers to
^ij,

Hebrew

Bible.

The

and Ewald.
xiii.

Comp. Gen.
Ixii. 5.

xlix. 3

Job

11

Ps.

vvfyi

nowhere occurs

in reference to a judicial decree.

What 37

So great was to be the invading army, that it would seem as if it were composed of the entire
ver. 6.

290
1

HABAKKUK
maketh a mockery of kings,
princes are a laughter to
it

Chap.

I.

It

And

every fortress ; It heapeth up earth and taketh Then it gaineth fresh spirit
It smileth at

it.

nation.

Considerable difficulty has been

return
first

home with

their booty, or of their

experienced in the interpretation of the

words,

r"ip^

-~"r.=?

Tttiw.
^;^s^tt is

By
',

the

LXX.

the anal \fy.

;

rendered

coming down along the coast of the ^lediterranean, and then turning direct Both constructions east upon the Jews.
are forced.

iivd(TT'f}KOTas

by Symm.

!rp6(roipis

by

Gesenius renders forwards,

:

the Syr.

jol^- aspect; by the Targ.

what is opposite to anyThe Vulg. omits the word al-

and gives the whole sentence thus

host of their faces
is

the

Vsp'i, front,
thing.

forwards. Here again I prefer the rendering of Symm. the Targ. c^-j; nn-3 &pffi.os Kavawu
;

on the principle of its being sufficiently expressed hy fades immediately following. With these Abenand thus also ezra and Kimchi agree generally, Munster, Vatablus, Pagninus, On the Castalio, Calvin and others. other hand, Gesenius derives the word from the supposititious root Cwa, Arab.
together, obviously
;

rtt-.-np,

the Vulg. ventus urens, which,

its

or east loind,

equivalent,

is

the renderIt
is

ing of

many

of the

modems.

tnie,

that the east \\-ind

is

elsewhere uniformly
r;
;

expressed by C"np, without the

this letter

but

seems clearly to be here used

it is

paragogically, just as

in r2i:,

~V"V

1^^

to congregate,

heap

tip,

and renders

r:iEU, the primitive fonns of which are In some instances, inTES, =a,
deed,
it
is

the

it host,

troop

but, as
is

Lee

directive,

indicating

observes, the

host of their faces

anything but He-

Rosenmiiller, Lee, brew phraseology. Maurer, Ilitzig, and Ewald, derive it from the same root in the significations,
impetus, desire, a striving after
;

motion towards the quarter specified, but in others it has lost aU such power. For the east wind, or samoom, see on
Is.

xxvii. 8.

Nothing could more ap-

propriately describe the teirific appear-

Ger.

stre-

ben

while our own, and some other modadopt the idea of absorpConsidering the marked
supping up. etc. from the signification,

cm translators,
tion,

ance of the destmctive Chaldean army, than this phenomenon, which occasions awful devastation in the regions over

of Stt3, Na.

which

it

passes.

The

collecting of the

captives like sand,

which the prophet imintended, as

it is

and independent coincidence of the ancient versions above quoted, as they are,

home

mediately adds, corroborates the opinion

that the

out,

samoom

is

fre-

by the Arab.

L-^, adpandt;

quently accompanied
of sand, which
is

quod de re
corpus
rei,

qua^'is extrinsicus apparet

with whirlwinds collected and carried

across

sen res individua existans et

with

great

rapidity

the desert.
of the

conspicua, I cannot but regard aspect or

The 10th
fearless,

verse sets forth the haughty,

irresistible character

appearance as the term best adapted to convey the meaning of the prophet.
rw""!p, in ever}- other passage in which
it

and

Chaldeans.

The

last clause of

the verse

describes the throwing

up

of walls or bat-

occurs,

has the signification of eastit is

teries before fortified cities,

from which

ward, and

taken in this acceptation

to attack them.
fine dust
;

by Abarbanel, Parkhurst, Dahl, Wolff,

and Hitzig, who explain it cither of the direction in which the Chaldeans would

it

is

-Ey seldom signifies more commonly used of

ca7-th generally,

11. TS, T

({

t,

including clay, mire, etc. usually, rendered then.

'

Chap.

I.

HABAKKUK

291

It passeth Is this
liis

12

onv\'fircl, and contracteth guilty [saying,] power through his God ? Art not Thou from eternity, Jehovah my God, my Holy One ?
!

We shall not die

!
!

O Jehovah thou hast appointed it for judgment. O Rock thou liast ordained it for correction.
13

Thou Thou "Why

art of purer eyes than to regard

evU;
?

canst not behold injustice.

dost thou behold the plunderers

Why art
14

thou
is

silent

when

the wicked destroyeth

Him And

that

more righteous than he ?

fishes of

makest men as the

the sea,

has here the force of thereupon, marking the transition from what had just been
described to

is

and xvi. 17, ':;s-i-rs tiitsh nT, " This thy kindness to thy i&iend," for, Is

what immediately
is

follows,

this, etc.

12. The contemptuous manner in which the enemy had treated the Most which denoting to succeed, exchange, High calls forth an impassioned appeal change, renew, etc., the phrase means, from the prophet, in which he vindicates to assume, or gain a fresh accession of the eternal existence and purity of JeFor this sig- hovah, as that God who had formerly coiurage or military spirit. wrought dehverance for his people, and nification of nnn, comp. Josh. ii. 11, v. 1. Elated by the fortresses they had taken, who was now employing the Chaldeans, and the victories they had won in heathen not for their annihilation, but only for Since countries, the Chaldeans are represented their punishment and correction. nw, Rock, is elsewhere used metaphorias passing onwards into Judea ; and cally of God, I have retained it in the ti-eating with contempt the puny resistance made to them by the Jews, asking translation. See on Is. xxvi. 4. It is here parallel to r; ^ n ^ The Tikkun Sophsarcastically, " Is this all your boasted power conceded to you by the God in erim man vCh is unsupported by any auwhom you confide ? " Comp. Is. x. 10, thority.

and

their intimate connection

with each
zihr.,

other,

nan

the accusative to

Habakkuk resumes the expostulamode of address which he had emcontracted (c^x) lay in their vilifying ployed, verses 2, 3. The DiT.-i'.a, plunJehovah, by speaking of him as incapa- derers, were the Chaldeans who had been ble of protecting his people. This simple the allies of the Jews, but now treated construction of the verse at once frees it them with violence. Comp. Is. xxi. 2, from the numerous difiiculties with which and xxiv. 16. The LXX., Sjt., and
11, xxxvi. 19, 20; Ps. Lxxix. 10, cxv. 13.
2.

The aggravated

guilt

which they

tory

it

has been clogged by interpreters, and

Arab.)
?i^_tt;

have nothing
but
it is

corresponding to

gives peculiar force to the interrogatory

expressed in Aquil., Sym.,

appeal in that which follows.

sis

The

ellip-

Theod., the Targ., and Violg.

as the

"Wicked

of - ;:sV

is

of fi^uent occurrence in

Hebrew.
tive

The

absence of the interroga;

Jews were, they were righteous in comparison of the Babylonians. Comp.

for the sentiment,

is

more seldom
tfiis

but comp. Gen.

nrjSTi
;

Ezek. xvi. 51, 52.

xxvii. 24, nT nPS. for

vii.

riT

2 Sam.

14.

God

is

often said to do

what he
tejan
is

19, nsT,

for ^s'V5^, is this

permits to be done by others,

292

II

AB AKKUK.
its liook, its

Chap. II

As

the reptiles which liave no ruler?

all

15 It bringeth up
It gathereth
It collecteth

with
into

them them

net,
;

into its drag

Therefore
16 Therefore

it
it

rejoiceth

and exulteth.

sacrificeth to its net,

burneth incense to its drag Because through them its portion is fat, And its food fattened meat. 17 Is it for this it emptieth its net, And spareth not to slay the nations continually
used of aquatic animals, such as crabs
else

And

came

and other
Tvhich the

shell-fish, Ps. civ. 25,

a sense

signified

To their arms, in their way. by these implements of fishers,

paralleHsm and
riVs
is

connection

here require.

15-17.

allowed by

all to

be

they rendered divine honors, ascribing to them solely the success which they had Comp. Justin. 43. 3. " Ab in war,

here the accusative, though

it

was, in

the same position, the nominative, ver. 9.

Converting the simile employed in the

preceding
verse

into a metaphor,

the

rerum pro diis immortahbus vffLucian in Trag. :S,Kvbai /If i.Kiyd^ dvovffi. By the emptying of the net, ver. 17, is meant the dejKeiting
origine
teras coluere."
J/

prophet describes
versal havoc

the

rapacity of the

of the captives,
strongly

etc.,

in Babylon, in order

Chaldeans, the indiscriminate and uni-

to go forth to fresh conquest

It
is

and plunder.

which they would

effect,

imphed

in the questions

and
for

their

proud confidence in their

own

prowess.

nVy.n, an unusual punctuation

with which the chapter concludes, that God would not permit the Chaldeans to
proceed in their
the sequel.
selfish

rV?n.

The hook,

the net, and the

conquests vWthout
is

drag, are separately mentioned, to indicate that

a check, but the answer

reserved for

every means would be em-

ployed in taking captives, and whatever

CHAPTER

II.
tlie

This chapter contains an introductory statement respecting

waiting posture in which

the prophet placed himself, in order to obtain a divine revelation in reference to tlie fate of his people and of the Chaldeans, their oppressors, 1; a command which he received to commit legibly to writing the revelation which was about to be made to him. 2; an assurance, that though the prophecy should not be fulfilled immediately, yet it would certainly be at length accomplished, 3; and a contrasted description of the two different classes of the Jews to whom it was to be communicated, 4. The insolence of the Chal-

deans, and their insatiable lust of conquest, are next set forth. 5; on which the proper sentence, or prophetical denunciation, commences, in the form of a taunt on the V.'v'O
,

part of the nations, in which they anticipate the downfall of that hastile power. 6-8; and the punishment of its rapacity, 9-11; of its cruelty and injustice, with a special view to

Chap.

II.

HAB AK K UK
absurd and
fruitless idolatry, 18, 19.

293

the universal spread of true religion, 12-14; of

and of

its

contrasts with the

two

its wanton and sanguinary wars, 15-17, The last verse of the chapter beautifully preceding, by representing Jehovah as the only God, entitled to

universal submission and homage.

WILL 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 I shall reply in regard to my argument.
1. ITixi'iM

properly signifies o6erance,

na'iJ) to

here in Piel, to express the looking out

to prayer, Ps. v. 4. The n of the Futures, marks the intensity of his desire. The formula 3 "12", which the Syr. and Targ. render
for

guard, loatch, from

watch, observe,
as

an answer

preserve, etc., but here,

a concrete,

paragogic

the place, or post of observation.

Is.

Comp.

xxi. 8,

where

it

is

similarly used,

with nSi3

for its parallel.

Thus the Syr.

.

>

Vn

V ^ xVo Vn

^)zv

Vj^in';, in the

>-aAs09>

''"'V

plaoe.

From

the

tise

of
it

sense of speaking or conversing with a

person,
ffiol,

nisa
is

in the corresponding hemistich,

obvious that the post of a sentinel

the LXX, give by " will speak in me."

is Vj!,

\aKj\ffei

eV

That the

or

watchman appointed
city, is

to keep

an eye

preposition 3

here pui-posely used, in

V, C", or ^^5, to denote

upon what may

tified
is

transpire without a for-

preference to

that from which the idea

It has

here borrowed.

been ques-

tioned whether our prophet has any real

locality in view, or

mode of the Divine communication which the prophet received, has been maintained by some who comthe internal

whether the words

metaphorically.

pare

are

to

be

understood
is

The former
after

advocated by Hitzig,
it

who

""S iS'^ r;rn^ n?i, "the Spirit of Jehovah spake in me," 2 Sam. xxiii. 2 ; Num. xii. 6, and particularly Zech. i. 9,

ii.

high and steep point, such as a tower, and comparing 2 Kings ix. 17, 2 Sam. xviii. 24, says " Here, in a solitary position, far from the bustle and noise of men, with his eye directed towards heaven, and his collected spirit fixed upon God, he looks out for revelations." With the exception, however, of Wolff", who preceded him, the hypothesis has met with no approbation. All that the passage seems to teach is, that Habakkuk, anxious to ascertain the Divine purpose relative to the enemies of his people, brought his mind into such a state of holy exdescribing
as a

13, 14,
4,

2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 5, V. 5,

10, vi.

where the interpreting angel that ad-

dressed

him

in vision

is

uniformly styled

>a "iS'nn tiN^'sn) t^^ Angel that spake in me, which the LXX. as uniformly ren-

This view was anby Jerome, who says, " Sed et hoc notandum, ex eo quod dixerat, ut videam quid loquatur in me, propheticam visionem et eloquium Dei non extrinsicus ad Prophetas fieri, sed
der 6 Xa\S>v iv
ifj-ol.

ciently expressed

intrinsicus

et

interiori

homini

respon-

The same construction is put upon the phrase by Delitzsch, in his But able commentary on our prophet.
dere."

pectancy as was favorable to the reception of supernatural communications. MBS,

to look

ulator,
riE::ia,

about, from which nsis, a specwatchman, is derived, as likewise a watch-tower, is employed, as

seems after all more than doubtful whether any such construction can fairly be put upon the phrase in most of the In 2 Sam. passages in which it occurs. ^^ixiii. 2, it may be admitted, though
it

294
2

HAB AKKUK.
:

Chap.

II.

And Jehovah answered me and said Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he who rcadcth it may run.
sviit.

through or by will equally well

very plainly, Deut. xxvii. 8.

The com-

The other declarations made Num. xii. 6, show that it cannot there be so imderstood, while what Closes states, taken
1 Samuel xxv. 39, and the passages in Zechariah, goes to prove that if any stress at all is to be laid upon the preposition, it must be

mand

therefore, has respect to the size, to the

tables,

and not
i-inir,

depth of the v-riting. having the article, Ewald

in connection wjth

thinks the prophet refers to the tables

which were openly exhibited in the market-place, on -which public announcements were graven in large and clear
characters,

regarded as conveying the idea of familiar or intimate communication. In

in

common
article,

use

among

the

people.

The

however,

may

only

^Pnr-in, the suffix

sively,

is
;

not to be taken pasi. e.

but actively

the r~3'^,n, ar-

gument, complaint, reproof, or in what

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

designate the tables which were to be employed for the purpose. It may merely indicate these as definite in the

way

mind
case

of the speaker.

This

is

often the

Hebrew, when it cannot be rendered by the definite article in other languages. For the writing tablets of the The LXX. ancients, see on Is. viii. 1. have irv^iov, boxwood. The reason why
ill

respecting the Divine conduct in permit-

the prophecy should be easily legible,

stated to be, that whosoever read
it

is

ting the Chaldeans to multiply their conquests without end.

might

Maurer

" causa

qucrimonia? mcjc."
2.

run and publish it to all within his reach. It was a joyfid message to the Jews, involving as
oppressor,
it

--Tn, the vision, or prophetic matter

did the destruction of their

which was about to be communicated to the prophet. That the idea of digging,
boring, or graving,
is

to be attached to in such con-

rs2, the position of the verb

nection clearly forbids.
racter

Had

the cha-

of the

writing been durability,

and their own consequent deCompare Dan. xii. 4, 5UU\i'" liverance. f.v-r.n n2nm C"3i, "Many shall run to and fro," viz. with the explanation of the prophecy when imsealed, " and knowledge shall be increased." The two
passages
are

such an idea might

j)ressed

fitly have been exby a word signifying to grave or dig deep, into a hard substance, but as it

their general meaning,

remarkably parallel as to though the times

and events
17, Kal d
to

to

is

unquestionably legibility that

is

in-

tally different.

which they refer are toComp. also Kev. xxii.

ernrare"

tended,

we

are compelled to understand

aKOvwv

''Y.pxov

"""i,

the verb as relative to aha, and that

either as a

run,

is

equivalent to sz:, to ])rophesy,

new

Imperative, or as an adit.

Jer. xxiii. 21, obviously

on the principle

verbial Infinitive qualifj-ing

latter case the clause

In the

that

should be rendered, Write the vision, and that clearly. Thus

charged with a divine message were to use all despatch

those

who were
known.

in

making

it

Thd common
\^Titing

in-

the

LXX.

Tpi^ov

'6pa(nv,

koI

aatpHs.

terpretation, indeed, represents the

mean-

The Targ. has

SB-iSw;) Nrsirs t^2"r=,

so far agrees, ren-

ing to consist in the

being so
in or-

with which the Syr.

dering the verb by

large as to be easily read even

by persons

J'

,^^^,

to

explain.

who were

hasting past

it.

But

Comp.

2i3,"n

-iN3

ransi,

write

der to bear this construction, the words

must read thus: y-^n "b

N";p". "^'^V*

Chap.

II.

HAB AKKUK.
;

>95

For the vision is still for an appointed time, But it shall speak at the end, and not lie

Though it should delay, wait for it, For it will surely come, and not tarry.
that the runner,
or,

he that rnnneth,

viarj

point beyond

read

it.

Besides, such an addition

scarcely be requisite after

would isa, and certo the force

extend.

which its import does not But the word nowhere occurs
always designates, in a pro-

in this acceptation, but, as Delitzsch has

tainly

would not correspond

shown,
the end,

it

of "y::V, in order that, with which the

phetico-chronological sense, the time of

hemistich commences.

whatever

may

be the compass

and \ in fi2"% are correlative. ^'SJ'a, from i^", to fix, appoint, denotes, in such connection, a season or period of time definitely fixed
3.

The

particles

'^3,

of events to which reference

Besides,

may

be had.

ypV and

ny'^sV are so obviously

parallel, that

they do not admit of being

differently construed.

YTh

t'ere, is

only

in the purpose of

God

for the occurrence

an abbreviation of the phrase

yp ri'V,
I

of the predicted events.

It

is

frequently

Dan.

viii.

17, of

which we have again a

employed by Daniel in this acceptation, along with yp, the end, or termination of the state of the things comprehended in the p-ophecy. Comp. Dan. viii. 17, 19, xi. 27, 35 and somewhat similar phraThe term seology, chap. viii. 26, x. 14.
;

varied form in

yp

ny-iz\, ver. 19.

therefore agree with Abarbanel, Jarchi,

Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius, Rosenmiillcr, Wolff, and Delitzsch, in assigning to ns" in this place the acceptation of speaking, breathing out words, in

obviously implies that the period was

still

which acceptation the verb

xii. 17, xiv. 5, 25,

is

future,

which

is

also expressed
yet.

by

xix. 5, 9.

used Prov. This inter-

the use of Tiy,

is

still,

This adverb
in sense with

pretation derives support from the antithetical 21:;^ jiV", in

too closely connected

Ty !, to admit of the rendering of Mi" There will still come a vision, ehaelis
:

which the idea of

speaking

is

obviously impHed.

The

" which he refers to Jeremiah's prophecy of the seventy years, ns " has been variously

which

shall determine the time

translated.
to

LXX.

avaT^Xil

Syr.

Vulg. apparebit ; Targ. IJt'^'S. prepared. As, like its cognates ns;; and

come

meaning of the verse will accordingly be, that though the destruction of the Chaldean power, about to be predicted, was not to take place immediately, yet it was definitely fixed in the Divine counsel, and would infallibly happen at
the termination of the period appointed
for the exercise of its oppression,

n?:, the root ni5, of which riS"; is the future in Hiphil, signifies to breathe,
blow, puff,

and

for
;

the deliverance of the captive Hebrews

it

Michaelis,

Bauer, Staudlin,
"VViner,

De

Wette, Hesselberg, Maurer,

vol.
p. 255,

an object of confident expectation, though his arrival might be

to be

was

Hitzig, Ewald, and Hengstenberg, in his

somewhat
see

protracted.

For
of

T>')zr'cr',

Psalms,

i.

contend, that

it is

on

Is.

xxix. 9. the

^b"' iib, is emphatic,

here to be taken in the acceptation of

panting, hasting, eagerly moving forward
to an object,

denoting

certainty

the

event,

that the prophecy hastened to

plishment.

and that the meaning is, its accomSuch construction, however,

requires us to attach to

yp

the idea of

and intimates that the predicted event would not be Instead protracted to any great length. of -^ns" k'V, upwards of forty of Kennicott and De Rossi's MSS., four ancient
nnts, signifies to stay long,
editions, the

the object or objects on which a pro-

LXX.,

Aquil., Syr., Targ.,

phecy terminates, the end or extreme

and Vulg., read nrs". sV".

296'
4

HAB AKKUK.
!

Chap.

II.

Behold the proud

his soul

is

not right within him

But the righteous

shall live

by

his faith.
crooked, but also, even, level, plain, smooth, in opposition to

4. Most interpreters apply the former hemistich of this verse to the Chaldeans, supposing the denunciation against them

and
viii.

diffic^ilt.

See
;

to begin here

but
is

its

coherence with
latter

21

Ps. v. 9

what is roiigh, rugged, 1 Kings vi. 35 Ezra Prov. xxiii. 31, where
;

the preceding verse of this

too close to admit

tj-rs'tta -snh'^ means, goeth sweetly or

construction,

while the

hemistich, were such application admitted,

would
at

pleasantly dotcn, or as Jerome gives it, ingreditur blande ; De Dicu, sicbit facillime.
res

prophecy

awkwardly interrupt the its very commencement.

hand, the whole verse

Com. the Arab.

facilitas,
lenitas.

7^

facilisfuit

On

the other

most naturally and appropriately applies to the Jewish people, and contains a description of those who would proudly reject the prophetic vision, and of those who would give it a cordial reception the two members forming a marked and
:

Of the reading teVi?, found in one of Kennicott's MSS.,

;

or T.t'iV, as

it is

written in another, no

account
Dissert.
it

is

to be

made, though in his

is

Gen.

72, that author prefers

attested

to that

which

by

all

the

striking antithesis,

^ty, of which

other codices.
i-.h^y

The

Syr.

ll

nV.

wicked-

may

either be the third feminine singular

ness, is

founded upon a mistake of hVej

of Pual, or a noun formed from that part of the verb, occurs elsewhere only in Hiphil, Num. xiv. 44 but it is evi;

for

T.h'.'J,.

tSzv I

consider to be an abelliptically

stract

noun, used

for

r"K

dent, from the use of the derivative VsV,

as

rVsS, a man of arrogance or jiresumption, and so to be rendered adjcctively, the

2>roud, presutnptuous, etc.

denoting

a swellmg,

tumor, momit,

For instances
^:s, I am I am a man

and the comparison of the context of Ixith passages, that it is employed

hill, etc.,

of similar

ellipsis,

comp.

nVsn

prayer, for

metaphorically to express the

nisn
cix.

a'-S ^:^,

idea of

mental

inflation, elation, pride, presumjy-

of prayer, Ps.
for
*,",nT

4; y-ti, arrogance,
of arrogance,
i.e. ar-

tion, or the like.

Such Hebrew usage suplaboravit, rather

B-N,

man
1.

ports the relation of the verb to the Arab.

rogant, "jer.
rifiN

31,

32; Dan.

ix.

23.
i'-'st

rin^^n, thou art delights, for

rvinrr:, tho^i art a

iJLtt, tumore
vJLb-C
;

than to

nPS
i. e.

man of delights,
expressed in
vi.

neglexit vel omisit rem, per so-

greatly beloved, as

it is

cordiam non curavit, for which Pococke contends at great length in his Porta
miosis
;

full,

chap. X. 11, 19.

See on Micah

9.

The term

is

thus strictly antithetical

the predicate

though

the

rendering of

the

to p""::, the just, in the following

istich, precisely as

LXX.

inro(TTiKriTat,

and that of Aquila,

hemn-ri N5

j'a)xAfi'(^/U6'oi', may both be referred to the radical notion conveyed by this root.

13
is

i'rD:, his soul is not right

within him,

to

r"n^

"r: '^N.a,

i>y

his faith he shall

Its reference to

Vrs,

to set,

become dark

live.

"With respect to this latter point of

it

by Abarbancl, and approved by Deutsch and Wolff, cannot be sustained. Nor must it be overlooked, that though the following words, rnr'' nV
as proposed

antithesis,

must be
but

evident, that, as

n^n, the
merely

latter

predicate, signifies
to live well, he

to live,

not happy,
its

the former must convey the idea of

opposite.

12 "rs:, are not to be regarded as epexegetical of the term in question, they

nevertheless
apjxjar

This was clearly perceived by Luther, who often discovers a wonderful

a passage,

to

have been sug-

sagacity in seizing ujx)n the

gested by

it.

-ir^ signifies not only to

ri(jht,

though in

his

translation

meaning of he

be atraiyht or

in opposition to being

may not

adhere to the

strict significations

Chap.
5

II.

HABAKKUK
is

297

Moreover wine

treacherous

He renders the words wer halsstarrig ist, der toird keine Ruhe in seinem Herzen haben. " Behold he who is stubborn shall have no tranquillity in his heart." So also " Lo, the lofty-minded, his Gesenius
of single words.
:

Tfoiy /uou (r)(TfTai'

To such

rendering,

its

thus

Siehe

quotation by Paul in Heb. x. 38, gives no sanction, since he not unfrequently quotes
passages from that version containing ren-

derings to which there never could have

been anything corresponding in the He-

Boul
rer
:

is

not tranquil within him."

IJklau-

brew

text.

In the present instance he

itself,
first,

"

Non
To

planus, complanatus,
etc.,

positus,

tranquillus,

est

comanimus

takes a liberty with the version

placing the latter part of the verse

ejus."

this interpretation I adhere,

and the former

after Triarrts.

last,
it

as best meeting the exigency of the passage.

Nor,

and omitting ^ou must further be obiii.

While those Jews who,

to

elated
to'

served,

is it
i.

his intention either here, or

by

false

views of secvuity, refused

the

in

Rom.

17,

and Gal.

11, in

em-

listen

Divine

message should

ploying the words, 6 Slnaios

(t'lfffTai,

iricrTeais

have their security disturbed, and their minds agitated by the calamities with which they would be visited, such as lived righteously before God and men,
should experience true happiness in the

to maintain, that the doctrine

of justification

by

faith
;

in Christ

is

taught by
the

Habakkuk he merely applies principle laid down by the prophet

respecting the iiistrumentality of faith in

and which God might communicate to them by his prophets. Thus a Lapide " Incredulus habet animam, id est vitam,
exercise of faith in that message,

securing the safety and happiness of the

others

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.

non rectam,
eram,

sed distortam, anxiam, mis;

As p^^a
-.r:

is

the nominative

et infelicem

Justus

autem in

fide et

absolute,

'SK". cannot be connected

spe sua agit vitam rectam, puta Isetam,

with

it,

except in regard to the pronom-

quietam, sanctam et felicem."

ia, in,

or

inal reference, but

within him,

is

added to show that the verb

must be joined with nT!", as for the righteous, he shall live

is not to be taken here as referring to anything of an objective character, such as the Divine estimation, agreeably to

nw^

From the circumstance, however, that the two former words are, in most MSS. and editions, joined by the
by his faith.
accents ilerca
ter, as

the meaning of the phrase ir-ys --j^

^Ii^;';, to

and Tiphca, while the

lat-

be right in the sight

of Jehovah,

a disjunctive, separates the second

but must be understood as marking the subjective sphere of the predicate. For the fullest view of the various construc-

from the third, it might seem that the Rabbins construed the clause thus but
:

the just by his faith, shall live.

And

this

both logical and philological, that have been put upon this verse, I refer the
tions,

construction

would seem

to confirm the

hypothesis that in his quotation,

17, Gal.
jTiffTeccs
iii.

Rom.

i.

From the discrepancy existing between the Hebrew, and the version of the LXX., some
more curious reader
to Delitzsch.

11, the Apostle connects iK

6 SiKaios,

with

and not with

(-fiae-

have argued a corruption of the former, and have proposed emendations but the difference has arisen either from a desire on the part of these translators to render the sense plainer, or from their mistaking one letter for another that is similar.
;

but as quoted by him, Heb. x. 38, the former division of the words alone
Tai
;

suits the connection, in

which

his object

evidently
as a

is

to

show the

necessity of faith

afflictions

means of perseverance under all the and persecutions of the chrislife.

tian
5.

See

Owen
first

on the passage.
lines of this verse

They

render, lav vKoar^lKriTai ovk evSoKti

*'*'

The two

V ^"X^ M""

uT(j).

6 5e S'iKMOs 4 k iriV-

partake of the nature of a proverb, being

38

298 The

HAB AKKUK.

CuAP. IL

hanglity man stayeth not at home, Because he enlargeth his desire as Sheol ; He is even as death, and cannot be satisfied

He gatliered for liimself all the nations, And collectctli for himself all the people,
6 Shall not
all

these utter an ode against him,

against him, and say
is

A song of derisive taunt

"Wo
to

him that increaseth that which

?

not his

How
And

long

ladeth himself with

many

jiledges

expressed in a short and pithy manner,

and admitting of general

application.

It

better suits the present passage than the secondary one of being decorotis, 2>rope>;
etc.,

is, however, obvious from the connection with what follows, that thej- are introduced with special reference to the Chaldean power, the nefarious conduct of which the prophet immediately proceeds

adopted by the Vulg., Ewald, and

others.
Still it is a question,
is

some

the not remaining tranquil

as a voluntary or as

to be

whether viewed
act.

an involuntary

The

Targ., Rashi, Kimchi, Ben-Melee,

to describe.
is 1,

The phrase
is

n.-.-a

v-!ri,

deceiver, has its parallel, Prov.

wine xxx.

De

Wette,

Justi,

Maurer, and Delitzsch,

ejection for

refer it to the forcible

the

a mocker, n^rf occurs only here, and Prov. xxi. 24, where, from its connection with it, proud, as its syn-

Vin

yV, wine

Babylonians

Abenezra, Abarbanel, Bo-

senmiiller, "SVolff,

Hitzig, to their restless disposition,

Wahl, Gesenius, and by

onyme,

it

clearly signifies elated, haughty,

LXX.

a\a^<iv.

Chald.

ir"',

as

used

by the Kabbins, sivperbivit. See Buxt. in voc. Thus also in the Nazarsean Sjt.
50Ua> Ethpa. superbivit.
fore,

which they were continually impelled to go forth upon new expeditions of conquest. The latter seems, from what
follows, to be the preferable interpretation.

There

is,

there-

For Tj3 V"S'r3

2-mn,

see

on Is.

no necessity

for

recurring to the

V. 14,

and comp. Prov. xxvii.

20,

xxx. 15.

Arab., the attempted derivations from

The

insatiable desire of conquest,

which

which

are very precarious.

The

specially
intro-

showed

itself in
is

the reign of

ductory particles 's qs-. are designed to connect the proper prophecy with

Nebuchadnezzar,
dicted.

here forcibl)' pre-

C^jn Vs

what had

just

been developed of the

vision, as that

which formed the most

it.

be restricted to all the Jews were familiar.

6.

and c-tt5~~'= rnust the nations with which and

see

important part of
of addition, and

vjs

is

expressive

Comp.

Is. xiv. 4,

my notes
ocin

-^s

of certainty.

That

on

V"i'

as there occurring.

rU'Vn
6,

the prophet has his eye upon the intemperance to which the Babylonians were
greatly addicted, there can be
little

curs only here,

verse
also
all

and Prov.
the
r^-'^^'n

i.

three

which synonymes
It

doubt.

h^iz, na''^73, and

are found.

Comp. Dan. v.; with Herod, i. 191; Xenoph. Cyrop. vii. 5, 15. ' Babylonii maxime in vinum et quae ebrietatem
sequuntur
efFusi

l)roperly signifies derision,

taunt, scorn,

from *pV,

io stamtner,
;

speak barbarously
io

or tmintelligiblg

hence

mock, deride

sunt."

Curtius, v.

1.

and thus the substantive obtained the

accejrtation, taunt, taunting song.
ffKOTfii/hv

How

strikingly

racter of

was the deceptive chawine exemplified in the case of

!

LXX.
Hebrew

\6yov.
is

In the

later

Belshazzar

m:,

primarily signifies to

the M-ord
eral.

dwell, reTnain at rest,

which

signification

m"n

used to denote ix)ctry in genmeans oratio injlexa, per-

Chap.

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,

an enigma, highly
fully
to

plexa,

figurative

and
it.

his Miscell. Sac. lib. v. cap. viii.

The

difficult

language, requiring

acuteness

and ingenuity

understand

Comp. the Arab, (^L^*,

vit negotii

(^^-^-j supera-

difficultatem.

Delitzsch not

unaptly instances the words U'^u^y, ver.

6,

Chaldean power is thus represented as a rapacious and cruel usurer, who had accumulated the property of others, and from whom it would again be taken. Comp. Deut. xxiv. 10-13, for the use of U^y, and the law against cruelty in
usurers.

^"~iJi, ver. 7,

and ^Vp/p,

ver.

16,

The
is,

hypothesis of Dehtzsch,
as

as enigmata of
derisive ode or
diately,

The song commences immethis description.

rest

that la-uiy

to be understood both as a

and occupies the

of

of

the

chapter.

It consists of five stanzas, the

an enigmatical term, compound, and as a quadriliteral, is not in keeping with his usual good sense.
7.
^n_>2

three"' fii-st

which
last of

are

composed of
four

yps,
rj,

suddenly,
long
f

corresponds

to

three verses
verses,

each, the fourth of

holt)

in the preceding

and the

two.

Each

stanza

has

its distinct

and appropriate

subject

and not improbably refers to the unexpectedness of the attack made upon
verse,

and with the exception of the last, they all commence with ^in, oo, the denunciative interjection and have each a verse
;

with "^s thus forming an organic whole of singular force and beauty, -i^qsn is to be taken imat the close, beginning
;

Babylon by the Medes and Persians. See on Is. xxi. 3, 4. T('?3 properly signifies to bite, and thus it is rendered in most versions. Some translate, opjiress ; but, since it likewise signifies to lend on
usury, there

can

be
it

little

doubt

the

personally or collectively.

t!"t:25 has

prophet intended
to

to be understood in

been variously interpreted.

Several of

this acceptation, as a striking antithesis

the Rabbins, the Syr., Vulg., and after

ta-uay at the close of the preceding

them Luther, and other translators, take dense, and it to be compounded of :? "a^'Ci clai/, which ten of Kennicott's MSS. read as two words, and most commentators who follow them suppose riches or earthly goods to be meant but it is more
,
,

verse.

Comp. the Aram, fzz,

As J,

momordit, usuras exegit.

the same.

Arab. ijOj'?

The same mode of speech was not imknown both to the Greeks and Romans. Aristoph. Nub. i. 12,
SaKVOfxevos
inrh

in accordance with the grammatical form

tccu

^pfuf.

Lucan.

i.

of the
give a

word

to regard

it

as a quadriUteral
to to

171, tisura vorax.

as

noun, from the root n^y,

exchange,
lend on a

The meaning is, that the Babylonians had cruelly amassed

would unmercithey had ac5::p"'-';l,

phdge ; in Hiph.,

the property of others, so other nations,

like devouring usurers,
fully deprive

pledge.

The

signification of the
:

noun

is

thus correctly given by Lee

cumiilation of pledges in the

" an ac-

them of

all

unfeeling usurer."

V'Vcp. as in
or

hand of an The form is that of V"'^5li from V2n; i"'"i.'23

;

quired.

5^'p";;;.

defective for

as in Jud. xvi. 20.

T^'V'V-jz, the Phil,

Tnrs

participle of y^r, to shake, agitate.

The
allu-

from -1^5
nsio.

n'"^^o from -.no

reduplicate form

conveys

the

idea of

-I'iS'i

from

The

reduplication ex-

violent or excessive agitation.

sion
is

The

presses intensity or augmentation.

rer,

Mau-

to the violent seizure of a debtor

co2na pigtiomm captorum, an inter-

by

his creditor.
8.

See Matt,

xviii. 28.

pretation already given by Nic. Fuller in

The remainder

of the nations coii-

300

HABAKKUK

Chap.

II.

All the remainder of the people shall iDlunder thee ; Because of the blood of men, and of the violence done to the
earth,

To
9

the city and

all

that dwell in

it.

Wo to him that procureth

That he may
establish his

wicked gain nest on high,

for his house,

10
11

To be preserved from the power of calamity. Thou hast devised what is a disgrace to thy house. Cutting off many people, and sinning against thyself.
For the stone
crieth out

from the

wall.
it

And

the brick from the timber answereth

sisted of those

who had

escaped the de-

Pss"
it

preceding, or the following stann.

vastation of the Chaldeans.

The terms

I have adopted the latter,

participially.

and rendered

and city, are to be understood generally, and are not to be restricted to the Jews, with their country and its me-

man,

earth,

It properly denotes the

direct

preceding
11.

aim of the action predicted by the finite verb. For the last clause,
viii.

tropolis,

yns DR

is

the genitive of

comp. Prov.

36, xx. 2.

object.

An

exquisite instance of bold

and

In the stanza, comprising this and the two following verse?, the avarice and selfishness of the Chaldeans are de9.

daring personification, by which the

terials

ma-

used in the construction of the

royal palace, and other sumptuous buildings, at Babj'lon, are introduced as re-

nounced.

The phrase
in

y::2 y-^'a

is

very

common
to cut,

Hebrew.

The verb

denotes

sponsively complaining of the injustice

of, as the Orientals, especially the Chinese do, pieces of silver

or break

which they had

suffered, either in their

having been taken from their original

owners, or in their being

and other metals in

to be applied, in a

their

actions with each other.

money transHence it came

made

subser-

vient to the scenes of wickedness that

bad sense, to such as were greedily occupied with such transactions, and its derivative V'S2, to signify
wicked gain,
^1, icicked,
is

were enacted

in their presence.

Comp.

Luke

xix. 40.

The
^?.^J~

Targ. adds to the

first line,

wV

Vy because violence

lucre.

To mark

it,

in the

has been done

here, but

present instance, as specially atrocious,

C'Es occurs only from the signification of the

to
it.

added.

T"z, house, stands

-,p, nest,

cognate Syr.

roo^

connexuit,

it

has

here for the royal family;

for the

arx

regia,

to

express

its

inaccessible

height, the allusion being taken from the

nest of the eagle,

which

is

built

on high
Jer.

rocks, difficult of access.

See Job xxxix.

;

27, and comp. Numb. xxiv. 21 xUx. 16.

10.

by which the walls of a building are held together. Thus Sym., Theod., and the 5th vers., awSecr/uos, liXX, Kav^apos, scarabepus, but which some think was originally Kavdvpiov, which Vitruvius exbeen supposed to
the cross beam
plains as signifying a cross-beam.

mean

"

Thou

hast devised disgrace to

Arab.

thy house," means

family.

schemes and projects shall issue in the infamy of thy

thy
Instead of iriup, the infinitive

JoJt,

Sy^ULM

(JJC, the pin from

to the

the wood.

According

MishnnK,

the word signifies a half brick, which

of n::*, the ancient vei-sions have read

risp., the preterite of "-"",
tive
'^^*^ infini-

Parchon

also gives as the

it:

meaning.

He

thus describes

C":t:|:

C":^^ 'E C'ES

may

either follow in construction

'

Chap.
12

II.

HABAKKUK
to

301

"Wo

him that buildeth a town through Woodshed,

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
15

the waters cover the sea.

Wo to him that giveth

drink to his neighbor,

;

Pouring out thy wrath, and making him drunk In order to look upon their nakedness.
C'3"i-M, sniall bricks prepared in the kiln, like 2^otteri/, and used in btdlding
edifices.

This interpretation

is

confirmed

by the rendering of Aquila, ^l.a.(,a, what is baked, and by the abundant use of bricks by the Babylonians, which are still
visible in the ruins of their city.

For m'sa:: Min^, Jehovah of hosts. on Is. i. 9. i-ja is not a poetic form for 3, but is intensive, ''iT, The signifying sufficiency, abundance.
this epithet, see

preposition here points out the final issue

or result of the labor

and

fatigue con-

Citing

this passage in the Taanith,

Rashi ex-

nected with the erections in question, the conflagration and depopulation of

the city of Babylon.
of verse
1

plains

it

to be "half a brick

which

is

The
in

last

two
li.

lines

usually laid between two layers of wood,"

Delitzsch.
itself is

That

it

was not the wood

"i"7:,

evident from the following

or out of the %oood, except we take the preposition as indicating the material

from

58 have exchanged places, ;>"! stands for lEy", and the defective form r,>'5''i for sys"'/. For the destruc3
Jer.

are found

only 'is and

p'^n

of which the
latter case, the

beam

consisted.

In

this

And

words should be rendered, wooden beam answereth it ; but against such construction the parallel -i"^T3, out of the wall, is an insuperable
the
objection.

for tion by fire, comp. Jer. li. 30, 58 her desolation, ver. 43. Hitzig, from the mere circumstance of the use of the same
;

terms Micah vii. 10, applies the prophecy to Jehoiakim

!

14. This verse is clearly predictive of

the gospel dispensation, to the introduction

The subject of the third stanza, which begins here, was naturally sug12, 13.

of

which the destruction of the

as
it

Babylonian power was indispensable, in-

preceding.

by the concluding verse of the The riches which enabled the king of Babylon to rebuild and engested

asmuch

involved the deliverance

of the Jews from captivity,

and

their

re-occupation of their

own

land before See on

Is.

large the royal city, were procured in

the advent of the Messiah.

xi.

the bloody wars in which he had en-

9,

11, the former of

which

verses

and the works themselves were up by people from different parts of the empire, and by captives from other
gaged
;

contains a similar prediction of the same

event.
sea.
C"^

carried

sea, is

used for the bed of the

nations.

The

preposition ^72 prefixed in

15.

riri rsw.
pire

points out the ultimate cause

stanza.
less

The commencement of the fourth Though the idea of the shame-

of the destruction of the Babylonian

the oveiTuling providence of God,

in

em-

may have

who,

order to give

prominence to

his resistless omnipotence, is designated

conduct of drunkards, here depicted, been borrowed from the profligate manners of the Babylonian court, yet the language is not to be taken lit-

303
16 Tliou art
filled

IIAB

AKKUK,
;

Chap. IL

with shame, not with glory

Drink thou also, and show thyself iincircumcized The cup of Jehovah's right hand shall come round to thee, And great ignominy shall he ujion thy glory.

erally, as if the

prophet were describing

such manners, but, as the sequel shows,

is

\'i1, Zech. xii. 2, suppose that in V"iSn, be thou ttncircumcised, there is a trans-

applied allegorically to the state of

position of the letters y

and

-,

and that

and exposure, to which the conquered nations were reduced by the Chaldeans. See on Is. li. and comp. Ps. Lxxv. 8 17, 20 Jcr.
stupefaction, prostration,
; ;

the verb has originally been

or
staff f/er.

And

thus the

Vst, reel LXX. (KopSi'a

XXV. 15-28, xlix. 12, li. 7 Ezek. xxiii*. Rev. xiv. 10, xvi. 9, xviii. 6. 31, 32
; ;

have interpreted and have been followed by the Arab., Syr., and Vulg. There is, however, such
ara\eiJ^T)Ti koI (TfiffbTjri)
it,

a manifest

agreement with c~*~"iy".

sny-i

is

a collective,

and thus
with
the

is

equivais

pudenda eorum,

lent to

in'yn
to

in the. plural, \vhich

required
t-"-i/i5.
frona -i;y

agree

sufhx in
is

at the close of the preceding verse, that the interpretation cannot be adnutted. In the mouth of a He-

The

latter

noun
to be

derived
its

Arab.

.Lc,
is

naked, as

synonyme nii:^
is

from ni5.

IntjrKn

a change from the third person to the second, for the sake of effect. There not

brew no term couW have expressed more ineffable contempt. Comp. 1 Sam. x\-ii. As the Chaldeans had treated the 36. nations which they conquered in the most disgusting manner, so they, in their
turn, should be similarly treated.

To
Is.

being anything in the

versions

ancient Greek
tj,

express the certainty of the event, the

corresponding to the

is

no
au-

verbs are in the imperative.

vi. 10.

See on

ground

for its rejection, since their

2-'an

is

the future in Niphal,'',

thors frequently took liberties even

professedly most verbal.

when
not
botile,

r^zn

is

and conveys the idea of the cup of suffering being transferred from one nation
to another, each in its turn, being to drink of
iv.
it.

the construct of ryzn or r;r-',

but of
'T'lZTi^'::

r.tz'n,

heal,

or torath.

Comp.
li.

Comp.

Jcr.

xxv. 6

made Lam.

C"i.~i'S"., Is. Lxiii. 6,

;

and

17

21.

Jcr.

XXV. 15 Rev. xvi. 19. Delitzsch attempts in vain to set aside the signification of pour, as inhering in the root

tv3 igiwminice, as if
for i-p,

vVp"p;, the Vulg. renders, vomicompounded of "J?

vomit,
it

and "'Vp,

shatne.

In

nine
ish

nE5

Arab. ^^Ji^^ effudit.

"2;^
is

Cognate

read as two words, and this etymology is approved by most Jewis

MSS.

and Christian

interpreters.

It

is,

^3. Targ. rjVr.

the infinitive

used
the
est

instead of

the

participle.

The
deep-

however, more in accordance with the genius of the Hebrew language, to regard
it

language of the concluding clause of

verse
is

as a reduplicate

form of ""Vp, em-

expressive of the

humiliation on the one hand, and

ployed for the sake of intensity, after the foiTn VpVp : only instead of -p'VpVp we

of the most
other.
16.
tive,

haughty waiitonncss on the

have the

softer "jiVp-p.

Comp. the

Syr.
dr.-

The

preposition in

t'^sw
is,

is

negalii.

IJ^'fort^V-f^^.^^ia^,

Thus the LXX.

;

as in 2"i::
full force

yn nans,
it is

I's.

5.

The
art

of the hemistich

"Thou

Syr.

f^^

Targ. s:\p.

The

satiated,

but

with shame, not

glory of the Babylonians

pletely eclipsed

Kimchi and others, comparing rVyTPri "z'Z, Is. li. 17, and r.s
with glory."

was to be comby the deep disgrace in

which thcv should be involved.

Chap.

II.

HABAKKUK

JOS

17 For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, As the destruction of beasts terrifieth them

Because of the blood of men, and the violence done to the

earth,

To

the city, and

all

that dwell in

it.

18 "What i^rofiteth the graven irjage which

its

maker graveth
?

19

The molten image, and the teacher of falsehood In which the maker of his work trusteth Making dumb idols. Woe to him that saith to the wood, Awake

Wake

lap
!

to the

dumb
it is,

stone.

It teach

There

17.

v'i^V e?3h and "ns-erri are

necessarily attaches to the attempts that

genitives of object.

That Lebanon

is

not

have been made to interpret the rri^sna,

beasts,

here to be understood literally, but figuratively, of Jerusalem,

of the inhabitants of Palestine.

seems fully estabstyle in other

;

The prophet compares the

destruction

lished

by the prophetic
Zech. xi.
1.

passages, especially Jer. xxii. 23

xvii. 3, 12
;

Ezek.

The

aptness of

the figure consists partly in the circum-

confusion and which should come upon the enemy of the Jews to those experienced by the wild beasts when brought into circumstances from which they cannot
escape.

from that mountain were employed in the construction of the temple and other houses in Jerusalem, 1 Kings vi. 9, 10, 18, vii. 2, ix. 10, 11 2 Chron. i. 15 and partly in its statelistance, that cedars
;

rrn

signifies

to

be

broken,

broken in pieces, destroyed, confounded,

terrified.

In the present form

is

jn'^rT',

the

Yod

substituted for the

Dagesh in

the regular form "jPn-, as ':j-nn for

tj^srin, Is. xxxiii. 1.
is

ness

and grandeur

as the metropolis.

The Nun appended

Against this interpretation, the objections do not apply which Delitzsch makes to
the opinion of those

not paragogic, but the verbal suffix of the third feminine plural, agreeing with

who

maintain that
Palestine
is

riana.
for

by Lebanon the land of

meant,

n&s,

to cover, is

used emphati-

There is no sufficient grotmd changing ; into f, though the authors

cally to express the completeness of the

destruction

which should overtake the

Similar
violence
to

of some of the ancient versions may have thus read. For the last clause, see on
verse 8

Chaldeans.

that

which they had exercised should be brought upon themselves. The i in

ni"! is a particle of comparison, retaining,
its ordinary conjunctive power, but also introducing a clause designed to

indeed,

These verses expose the foUy which the Babylonians were wholly addicted. It might be supposed, from all the other stanzas having been introduced by a denunciatory i-ir;,
18, 19.

of idolatry to

illustrate the preceding.

Of

this idiom,

wo, that a transposition has here taken place, and that the nineteenth ought to

the following are instances: Vmj"V C"!N

be

read

before

the

eighteenth

and

H? ?n"2j: q
to trouble,

n ^Dn^n^r, Man
(as) birds

is

born
aloft,

Green has thus placed them in

lation
;

his trans-

and

of prey jly

Jobv.
VbsVi.

7.

cyti'; 'r^rr

inan v^fi

"T.5^~''3

but there is a manifest propriety in anticipating the inutility of idols, in

close connection

For

the ear trieth xoords,

and

(as)

the palate tasteth food.

This construc-

had
fall

just

tion entirely obviates the difficulty

which

with what the prophet announced respecting the downof Babylon, before delivering his

304

HAB AKKUK.
silver,

Chap,

m.

Overlaid with gold and

'20

But there is no breath at all within it. But Jehovah is in his holy temple Keep silence before him all the earth.
;

denunciation against their worshippers

themselves,
's, in both instances, is used
iii.

place

it not being followed as usual by the accusative, but for the sake of mak-

as a relative pronoun, as in Gen.

iv.

19.

25

Is.

h-ii.

20.

The

idol is called

' a teacher of falsehood," on account of the lying oracles that were connected with its worship. For these verses, com-

ing the idol more prominent, by the nominative case. 20. In striking contrast with the utter

pare

Is.

xliv.

9-20

Jer.

x.

In the

Jehovah is here introduced, at the close of the prophecy, as the invisible Lord of all, occupying his
nihility of idols,
celestial temple,

latter part of the nineteenth verse,

language
cal,

is

the highly and pointedly ironiit

whence he

is

ever ready

to interpose his omnipotence for the de-

r,-}'"'

snrt,

teach

is

an em-

phatic form of putting a question

requires a negative reply,

which

n'l.v forms a

paronomasia with
verse.
}<5n

r;~i.*tt

in the preceding
it is.

liverance and protection of his people and the destruction of their enemies. Comp. Is. xxvi. 21. Such a God it becomes all to adore in solemn and pro-

rjn, there

Such

is

found
i.

silence.
ii.

Ps. Ixxvi. 8, 9
13.

Zeph.

the force of the interjection

nan

in this

Zech.

CHAPTER
Though

III

forming a distinct whole, this chapter is intimately connected with the two preceding, the subjects contained in which it presupposes, and is evidently designed to afford consolation to the Jews during the national calamities there anticipated. It exhibits a regular ode beginning with a brief but simple and appropriate exordium; after which follows the main subject, which is treated in a manner perfectly free and unrestrained, as

the different topics rose one after another in the powerfully excited mind of the prophet; and finishes with an epigrammatic resumption of the point first adverted to in the introduction, and the practical lesson which the piece was intended to teach. With respect to the body of the ode, interpreters are greatly divided in opinion. The Fathers generally, and after them many Catholic commentators, and among rrotestants, Cocceius, Bengel, Roos, and others, apply the whole chapter, with certain modifications, to New Testament times, and subject it to all the uncertainty of imaginary interpretation. But the principal point of disagreement relates to the theophania, or Divine interposition, so sublimely set forth, ver. 315. According to the Targum, Abarbanel, Abenezra, Tarnovius, Munster, Clarius, Drusius, Schnurrer, Herder. Michaelis, Green. Lowth, Tingstadius, Eiclihorn, Justi, Hcselbcrg, Ackermann. and Ewald. the prophet adverts to the wonderful displays of the power and majesty of God during the early history of the

Hebrews.
templates.

Maurer,

terposition of

Ilitzig, and Delitz-och, on the other hand, contend that the future inJehovah for the destniction of the Chaldeans, is what he exclusively conThe la.st-mentioned author has not only gone at great length, and with much
all his critical

minuteness, into the subject, but appears to have exhausted

and cxegetical

Chap.

III.

HA

li

AKKUK

30-3
ver.

ingenuity in his attempt to establisli Lis hypothesis.

8,

Taking for granted that si::',

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

certain features of the picture
itself,

'p?^^ and

T5"iril> ver. IG;

and from

that wliat he calls the lyric-prophetical view is alone to be admitted. I must, however, confess, that after a careful examination of his arguments, I can discover nothing in them that goes to overturn the historical position adopted by the numerous writers above mentioned. That nothing in the shape of a regular and specific recital of distinct facts is exhibited in the tableau, cannot fairly be

such a recital would ill accord with the enthusiare so characteristic of the ode as a species of poetry. The abrupt and rapid transitions of the prophet did not admit of more than a slight, though
this interpretation, since

urged against

asm and impetuosity which

sublimely figurative allusion, to one or two localities, which it was necessary to specify, in order to call up the general scene of events to the mind of the reader: all the rest is left to be supplied by his familiar acquaintance with the sacred national records. What he aims at is to produce a powerful impression by condensing, within the shortest possible limits, a view of the magnalia Dei, as exhibited in these records. And this he does

by giving utterance to the total impression which they produced upon his own mind, rather than by furnishing a detailed historical description. Regarding the composition in this light, the obscurity and apparent incoherence which attach to certain parts of it

to the view of the prophet, of phraseology, especially as it respects Ps. Ixxvii. is most palpable. Some, indeed, have maintained the priority of our ode to the Psalm; but Delitzsch has proved, by an elaborate collation of passages and expressions, that this hypothesis is entirely without foundation, and that Habakkuk had the Psalm brought to his mind, just as he had the song of Moses called up to his
recollection.

we may adduce Deut. xxxiii. 2 1320, cxiv.; Is. Ixiii. 1114. That the Holy speak, of some of these passages in presenting the subject there can, I think, be little doubt. The agreement in point
8, Ixxvii.

are at once accounted for. As parallels to this ode,

5;

Jud. v. 4, 5; Ps. Ixviii. 7, Spirit availed himself, so to

The following description of this sublime ode, by the master pen of Bishop Lowth, is not more beautiful than just: "The prophet, indeed, illustrates this subject throughout with equal magnificence; selecting from such an assemblage of miraculous incidents, the most noble and important, displaying them in the most splendid colors, and embellishing them with the sublimest imagery, figures, and diction, the dignity of which is so heightened and recommended by the superior elegance of the conclusion, that were it not for a few shades, which the hand of time has apparently cast over it in two or three passages, no composition of the kind, would, I believe, appear more elegant or more perfect than this poem." Lect. xxviii. Whether the hand of time has really cast any shades over it will appear in the sequel. That it was designed for use in public worship, appears both from the inscription and
the subscription, as well as from the musical term

nVs, Selah, occurring verses 3, 9, 13. The chapter begins with the title and introduction, ver. 1, 2. Habakkuk then represents Jehovah as appearing in glorious majesty on Sinai, 3, 4; describes the ravages of the plague in the desert, 5; the consternation into which the nations were thrown by the victorious approach of the Hebrews to Canaan, and their wars with the inhabitants, 610; specially refers to the celestial phenomenon at Gibeon, 11; and then sets forth the auspicious results of the interposition of God on behalf of his people, 1215. The prophet concludes by resuming the subject of the introduction, 16 and strongly asserting
;

his

unshaken confidence in God in the midst of anticipated calamity, 1719.

A PRATER of Habakkuk,
1.

the prophet

with triumphal music.

Hence
it is

n5Sr>, usually rendered prayers,

supplications, etc., or not.

ap-

comprehends all kinds of devotional composition, whether abounding in petitions,

plied to all the

ively,

Psalms of David collectPs, Lxxii. 20 and is otherwise

;

39

306
2

HAB AKKUK.
Jehovah Jehovah
!

Chap.

III.

O O

revive thy

heard the report of thee, I was afraid work in the midst of tlie years
;

only used in the inscriptions of Psalms The term is xvii. Ixxxvi. xc. cii. cxlii.
derived from
ffiiUh
;

digenous

Hebrew verb

in

common

use,

signifying to e>T, wander, reel, etc.

interpretation Aquila,
tiith

This

'-VSi

to
;

separate,

distin-

Symm., and the

cognate to

nVs

and

so to

form

Greek version

so far support, ren-

verdict.

an opinion or judgment, to judge, give a In Ilithpael the verb signitics

to apjilj' to a

dering
adopts,
fies

iirl ayvor)^aTwv, which Jerome on the principle that T.yc signi-

judge for a favorable decis;

to sin through igiiorance.

To

this

ion, to supplicate, pray, etc.

and

is

emthe

derivation

Hengstenberg

has

recently

ployed at the commencement of the song

of

given his adhesion

vol.
i.

(Comm. on Psalms,

Hannah,

Sam.

ii.

1.

Though

p. lil),

but most preposterously our ode the sins or crimes

only precatory sentences are those contained in ver. 2, yet there are several instances of direct address to God, which

affirms, that in

of the Chaldeans are intended.

is

There

impart to the ode one of the characteristic feature

nothing either in the Psalm or in the song of Habakkuk to warrant the appropriation of

of prayer.
is

The Lamed

pre-

any such

signification of

fixed in

p-'T^f:'\

that of authorship.

the term.
tion
is

The most

probable explana-

r:3"ri hy. That this is a musical term seems beyond dispute, from similar terms occurring in the titles of the psalms, such
as r"r;>r; '-yf '^V.^
*"i"''
^'-i'

that given

of opinion that -,-5J

by Delitzsch, who is means a dithyrumof rhyth-

bos, or cantio erratica, a species

^^^-

^^''^

the explanation ot the noun, which only

occurs here, and in the singular T'.vi, in

mical composition, which, from its enthusiastic irregularity, is admirably adapted

for
is

songs of victor}' or triumph.

obvious,

It

the

title

of Ps.

vii.,

different

methods

however, from

the
'-y

estab
ui)on,

have

been proposed.

Eaucr, Herder,

lished use of

the preposition

Wette, Roscnmiiller, Lee, Hitzig, and ^laiirer, have recourse to the

Perschke,

De

after the man?ier of, or accompanied withy

in the titles of the Psalms, that the plural

is
r"i'';ffi,

Arabic
fuit,

g^ ..w

anxius,

tristis,

moestus

to which, in like

manner,

it

and render r- rji-Vs, after the manner of elegies, but there seems no reason deducible either from the present ode or
they should be they should be sung to a plaintive tune, but the con-

here prefixed, must be understood as describing a corresponding kind of music

to be

with which the ode was

nied.

accompa-

The

translation

of
as

Theodotion,

from the Psalm,

why

uTrep tSiv fKovaiaffixtav,'

i. e.

Jerome inreference.

thus characterized, or
trary.

why

teqirets the words, pro volunfariis, has,

in all probability,
2.

some such

Others, as

Wahl,

Justi, Gesenius,

The

SK"i, report of Jehovah, here

derive the

word from the Syriac

j.^

referred

to

by the prophet, does not

to

mean what God had comnnmicated

in Pael, ^.-l^' cecinif,

whence A^-QJ^
j

him, but a report respecting Jehovah, or the punishment which he had threatened
to inflict

carmen, canfus, to which

it

has justly

upon the
is

Je^^s for their sins.

been objected, that it is too vague and The indefinite to admit of adoption.

The
is

genitive

that of object.

That

it

cannot refer to what follows in the ode

certain, since the exhibition there giv-

LXX
term.

indeed, have \f/d\nos in the Psalm,

ySrjs
;

but without any apparent reference to the specific meaning of the

and here

Other

philologists

more reason-

en of the Divine interposition for the overthrow of the enemies of his people was calculated to inspire the prophet

ablv content themselves with rir, an in-

with joy, and not with the fear of which

Chap.

III.

II

ABAKKUK

307

In the midst of tlie years make it known : In wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman ; The Holy One from momit Paran Pause.
:

he declares he was conscious. His prayer also, that while punishment was being uiflicted, God would exercise pity, shows that the Jews, and not the Chaldeans, were to be the subjects of the infliction. It may, therefore, be regarded as certain, that what he has in view is the prediction chap. i. 6-11. The fear with which the prophet was seized, he particularly
describes ver. 16.

chronological calcidations

maintaining

that the middle point of the years of

the world

is

meant.

D^KJ are unques-

tionably the years, or period of affliction,

which was
ple.
-"n.|r.2

to

come upon the Jewish peonot to be taken in the

is

By

^Vy3,

thij tcork,

Abarbanel, Kimchi,Schnurrer, Justi, and some others, understand the Jews, on the ground that they are designated the Vy 3,
toork of Jehovah's hands, Is. xlv. 11; but the simple occurrence of the same word,
irrespective of the specific claims of the

of the middle point of any given period of time, but is, as frequently, only a more emphatic prepositive form, instead of 2, in. The meaning, therefore, simply is, During the period
strict acceptation

of suffering, or, in the

course of our punishment by the Chaldeans, interpose Symm. itnhs rwy for our deliverance.
ivtavruv.

To
as

give pathos
is

to the lan;

guage, the phrase

is

connection, cannot justify such a construction of the meaning.

added,

In chap.

i.

5,

the suffix

and y^n in synonymous with sn'^.'^h, of which is to be understood,

repeated

the term

is

used of the Divine judgment

though not expressed.

know,
is

The verb
experience.

yn, to

upon the Jews, as it also is Is. v. 12, and of that upon their enemies, Ps. Ixiv. 9. This latter sense, which involves the exercise of the power and goodness of God on behalf of his people, alone suits the present context. Comp. Ps. xc. 16.

here used in the sense of expe-

riencing,

knowing by
is

Cni,
an ac-

the infinitive,
cusative.

to be regarded as

Comp. Ps. xxv.

6: ':j-'>:ni~-i5T

n'an cV;y -d 'Ti^Toni n:-';.

It

is

What

the prophet prays for

interposition.

is

the re-

newal of such
expresses

This he

by the strong term rMH, quicken, restore to life, which suggests the idea of a cessation of the avenging and dehvering power of the Most High. It had been, in regard to its exertion, as if it had been dead, and required to be called forth afresh into action. Thus
Jarchi: ynS3 nrr^'ntc ^lOs^nn
"^"hlti

merely necessary to exhibit the version of this verse as now found in the text of the LXX. to show that it can only have originated in the amalgamation of dif-

some of them probably and that it would be most unwarrantable to attempt any correction of the Hebrew text by it Kupi?,
ferent readings,

marginal

glosses,

elaaKt'iKoa tt)v aKoiiv cov,

Ka\ i(pofir\^riv, koI

in^-n

KaravoTicra rh,

epya

<Tov

e^4aT7}v eV

fiiau ^vo (wuy yvaicr^a-r) eV

tw

tyyi^ety

ws'^iom nn-ni5J ^ttiVs "ir^^^n ns. Thy former work, when thou didst avenge tis of our enemies, in the midst of the years of the calamity in ichich we live, revive
it,
i.

Ta

err)

iinyvw(T^(Tri

ii/

rh Trapufai rhy
rr)y

Katphu ayaSfix^<TTi, iy

rw Tapax^rjvai

ypvxrjy (xov, eV opyi) iXeovs fxyricr^ffr].

3.

w'Vs

is

not used by any of the

e.

rotise it

up, cause

it to

return.

laid

Comp. Is. U. 9, 10. No on the phrase C^S'i

stress is to
a'l.J^.a,

be
the

in

midst of the years, from which Bengel deduced so much fanciful support to his

minor prophets except Habakkuk, and by him only here, and chap. i. 1 1 It occiu-s four times in Daniel, and once in Isaiah, but never in Jeremiah or Ezekiel. There is no foundation whatever for the
.

308

II

ABAKKUK

Chap. IXL

His splendor coveretl the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise.
position

assumed by Gcsenius and some

it

Targ., Syr., Theod., Vulg.,

and many

others, that this use of the singular be-

modem
word
and
is

versions read, the soitth.

The

longs to the later Hebrew, though

is

doubtless to be taken as desig-

It

allowed to belong to the poetic dictioa. is employed /br^y times in the book of

nating the country to the south of Judea,

east

of Idumea,

in

which

latter

Job, one of the most ancient specimens

country
situated.

Mount Paran (i-sS ir)

"was

of

Kebrew composition

extant, and twice

by Moses, Deut. xxxii. i'ltp. Holij, which is here parallel to "V-^^ God, also
>

Some, indeed, have endeavored to indentify this mountain with Sinai, on

the ground that

jj^ij

_t>L, I'Wy

occurs in this application to express the

absolute purity of the Divine Being, Job
vi.

10;

Is.

xl.

t'p-tp, Prov.
1.

ix. 10,

25; and in the plural, XXX. 3; Hos. xii.

tJ2"
is

Pheiran, which extends north- west from Sinai, is the same as -,ns3 i";tt , the

Delitzsch contends, that, as

uninfluenced by any preceding preterite,

cannot possibly be taken otherwise than as strictly future in signification, as it is in form. But this is not the only
it

of Paran, mentioned in Scripture. this desert might have stretched so far towards the south-west as to touch uix>n the AVady, and so give it the name, it is certain, from Paran being mentioned in connection with Kadesh
desert

But although

instance in -which the future stands absolutely at the

and Beersheba, that the wilderness of

that

commencement
Thus Num.
ii.

of a sen-

name extended

to the southern con-

tence or paragraph, yet clearly indicating

a past transaction.
xxiii. 7,
1,

fines of Palestine, including the

moun-

tainous region to the west of the Ghor,

or great valley stretching from the

C"is,,j;V2 *:n:"i; Jud. C';i::^3 errs; 2 Sam. iii.

nstis n'7:^ ^=2
;
;

rjVr^

Dead

33, r-5;rrT
C-.i
-t^s'^

Sea to the Elanitic gulf. In 1 Kings xi. 18, it is spoken of as lying between Midian and Eg^-pt.

Job

iii.

3,

From

Sinai

occumng

anVnK Ps. Ixxx. 9, y'BP f^a^tt -jsj. The idiom, in these and similar cases, is
sufficiently accounted for

along ynXh Seir and Paran, Deut. xxxiii.

2,

and with

Seir

and the countrj' of

is

on the princi-

ple that the speaker places himself, in

Edom, Jud. v. 4, 5, it Habakkuk here alludes

probable that

to the regions to

imagination, anterior to the action expressed by the verb,

it

the south of Palestine generally, as the

theatre of the Divine manifestations to
Israel,

and

thus, regarding

as still future, puts the verb in that

only, like Closes

Having prayed that God would remember the mercy which he had shown to his people in ancient days, the prophet has his mind carried back to
tense.

specifying the

and Deborah, two points nearer to that

their affliction in Egypt, in their deliv-

erance from which that mercy was signally displayed

his j)oint of observation,

once to
past,

and assuming that as he proceeds at describe the Thcophania as fu;

ture in regard to such jMsition.

The

In this view, liis omission of which they notice, is not of material moment. The glorious displays of the ix)wcr and majesty of Jehovah which had been made in that quarter occupied his thoxights, and inspired him with feelings of the most exalted devotion, r^a, Selah. This word, which occurs thrice in this ode, and seventy-three times in
country.
Sinia,

thus implied, though not expressed,

the Psalms, has been variously interpreted.

as completely modifies a future tense, as

if a preterite, or

That

it

is

a musical sign
It

is
is

had preceded

any qualifying particle, it. Ti"?. Tcman, the

a

now

almost imivcrsally admitted.

LXX.

retain

as

proper

name

the

found at the end of certain sections, or stropes, and always at the close of a verse.

Chap.

III.

HABAKKUK

5C9

The brightness was like that of the sun, Rays streamed from his hand, Yet the concealment of his glory was there.
iii.

except Hab.

3, 9

Ps.

Iv. 20, Ivii.

it

nheie however, as always,

4 ends the

hemistich. Sometimes it occurs at the end of a Psalm, as Ps. iii. ix. and xxiv. The cmrent, and apparently the tradi-

There are several inletter :; has been softened into c, as in TiI'i and i^^^'o
stances in

the preference.

which the

"iU'i

and -lua
it

just as, in

most
.

cases,
^j.

we

find

expressed in Arabic by

This

tionaiy

interpretation,
;

is

that

of the
derivation, in
acqxiiesced,

Targ. y:;VyVi
times
('$

Aq.
;

ael;

Symm. some-

which Gesenius
been

finally

Theod. sometimes the V. Greek version, SioTravtls riKos Tos but Symm. and Theod. most commonly coincide with the LXX., who uniformly render, Stai^oA^a. This last
rhi/

has

alwva

approved of by

Delitzsch and Hengstenberg.

The term

be regarded as a substantive, signifying silence or pattse ; designed, in all

probability, to

may

translation

is

decidedly entitled to the

it

command a cessation of the song or chant, while the instruments

repeated

either

preference, in so far as

confines the idea

what

had

just

been

to the music,

even of this
of dispute.

though the exact meaning Greek term has been matter

Suidas, however, seems to

played, or introduced an interlude between the parts. At the end of a psalm

it

may have

been intended to prevent a

come
as its

nearest to the mark,

when he

gives

meaning
agrees,

fieKovs ivaXXayi), a

change

of the modulation, and with

chius

explaining

it

him Hesyby fxe\ovs

on the part of the singers, while the instrumental music continued. Ha\'ing, by a solemn pause, prepared the
repetition

mind

for the

contemplation of the mani-

SioAAa-yTj.

The

hypothesis that

rVo

is

fested glory of Jehovah, the prophet pro-

merely an abbreviation, consisting of the initial letters of three Hebrew words, is

altogether gratuitous, there not being the
least

ceeds to describe this glory in the most sublime and magnificent language. By rV-Fi splendor or brightness, as the Targ.,

shadow of evidence that the Jews,

Pfeiffcr, in his

Kimchi, and Hitzig interpret; nor does

it here express the actual praises of the inhabitants of the earth produced by the effulgence of Deity, for the effect of this

in ancient times, ever employed abbreviations.

work. Die ^lusik

der Alten Hebr. p. 17, proposes to explain

effulgence

is

described, ver.
;

6,

to be fear

the

term
or

by the
;

Arab
Prof.

.JLcu,

membrum,
^yXjiC,
invocatio,

section

Lee,

by

and trembling but matter of praise, or the glory which was calculated to call
forth universal adoration.
4.

S^V^j
and

w'hich he renders, Dei

derives

from

By niK we
liffht

are not here to under-

-jLo,
which
in
5,

stand

simply, but the sim as the

he blessed; but neither of the derivations will suit all the passages in
it

source of light.

Comp. Job xxxi.

26.

xxxvii. 21.
in

The Kametz

of the article
definite.

occurs.

Indeed,

bless

or

praise

3 renders the noun more

,

would come in most incongruously

such connections as Ps.
11
;

vii. 5,

xxxix.

which Heidenheim would connect \\-ith ""isn and Hitzig with r^nn
n^.-p
,

Hi. 3.

Of

the two

Hebrew
,

roots to
,

in the preceding verse, can have no other

which the word has been referred, VVd to raise, elevate, and r:Vo which, besides
signifying to raise, has been supposed to

nominative than

wrjj,

which, like other

conceived
it

substantives in the Oriental languages,

expressive of fire or light,
is

be equivalent to
latter,

i-:Vi',

to rest, paiise,

the

to be of the feminine gender, or

may

on the whole, seems to deserve

be regarded as neuter in signification.

110

II

A C A K K U K.
;

Chap.

III.

5 Before

him went

tlie i)lagne

Tlie burning pestilence followed him,

looked, and caused the nations to shake ; The old mountains were shattered in jneces,

He He

stood, and

made

the earth to tremble

The

ancient hills sank down His ancient ways.

and so taking the feminine of the verb. That by C":*!)? horns, ve are here to iindcTstand rai/s, is obvious from the connection, from the comparison of the
,

presence exhibited upon Mount Sinai, Exod. xxiv, 17, or the Shekinah which

accompanied the Hebrews through the

desert, chap. xvi. 7, 10
;

Lev.

L\. 23, xl.

rising

sun scattering his rays upon the

Ps. xxii.
1,

35, etc., cannot be determined.

ver. 3.
^'

See on

and from its being common with the Arabs to compare them to tlie horns of that animal. Thus the Arab. ..y^, cornu
animalis, latus superior pars
radiis
soils. soils,

earth to the gazelle,

^1.

'

^rom

r;t;n

to

inflame, has

two leading
ing fever.

significations, that of light-

ning, ox flame,

and that of

hot, or

burn-

The

primi

latter is required in the

,

Kamoos and

present case to correspond to ^2-;

in the preceding hemistich
:

Djauhari.

plague

Hence, the verb -,np^ signifies to emit rays, Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30, 35. Though in the dual, the noun, like others of that

a circum-

stance

which

forbids the adoption of the

precarious

rendering,

birds

of prey,

number which
plural.

though

describe objects naturally

is

existing in pairs,

here expressive of the

by the Syr., Aq., Symm., Theod., the V. Greek A-crsion,

supported

Comp.
-j'-s-j
,

c-'5:ii
1

y2-is
;

Lev. xi.

23

Ezek. xxi. 12
vi.

Sam. ii. 13 D^s-ia Vr, and see my note on Is. Zech. iii. 9. The 2; :- ry='j
c;3-:;
; ,

Michaelis, Schnurrer, Herder, Kofod, Dahl, Posenmuller, and others as well as that oi lightning, adopted by Kalins-ky,
;

"Wahl, Bauer and others

coals, as in

and burning

our

common
^

version.

phrase

';-;;3

from

Thus
t,'S'\

his hand,

is

equiva-

lent to 5:)2i:

flowing, streaming, or the like,

sup])lied.
C'i",

,from him; and a verb of must be

is

Kimchi: ViES T-'~'

"=~

^V

the dative of possession.

rn-tt^ rET.Sjn rttn sinr rntp- 'r.n TTtrs i. e. " t]3n corresponds to -^t
,

there, refers to the scene of splendor

just described, which,

though so excesit.

the same thing being expressed in differeht words. The word has the same sig-

sively bright, instead of exhibiting the

Divine glory, only veiled or concealed

Comp. Ps. civ. 2. The LXX., Syr., Aq., and Symm., have read tS7i and he put, instead of cr and there, and are fol, ,

Dent, xxxii. 24, and denotes the fever, which consists in a burning
nification.

heat,

and speedily causes death."

'

The

Vulg. has,
pedes ejus
!

Et

egredietur dlabolus ante

"

Vs.

lowed by
rendering

Ilitzig
is less

and Maurer, but

apt.
,

this

to track or foUoto

7V sa* or r^hr.^ means any one. Here it is

, ,

rj in such connection denotes majesty or glory rather than power. Comp. Ps. cxxxii. 8,

Ixxviii.

61,

V"?

the regular

Forr-? many MSS. read affix. Whether the

opposed to riE-j before him. "What the prophet has in view, would seem to be the jilagues with which the enemies of the Hebrews were visited, of which

we have an
6.

instance
"^'^y

Sam.

v. 9, 11.

substratum of the vivid representation here furnished of the glorious majesty of of Jehovah be the symbol of the Divine

Tia"'!

fonns an easy and

ele-

gant paronomasia, and, at the same time,

exhibits one of the boldest, most abrupt,

Chap.
7 I

III.

HABAKKUK.
in trouble

311

saw the tents of Cushan

it

The
8

tent-curtains of Miclian trembled.

Was

against the rivers

it

burned,

Jehovah

poetry.
"

and sublime turns to be found in sacred While Jehovah is marching

all

mies of his people, are the ideas conveyed

forth for the deliverance of his people,

he stops

of a sudden in his progress,

the immediate effects of vi-hich are universal consternation

in her strongest
tions,
is

and terror. Nature, and most ancient forma-

by the language of the prophet. 7. "jis rnP, "under affiiction," is more expressive than T"^^ " *'* affliction," as it suggests the idea of a heavy load by which those spoken of were op)

pressed.

yi!i3

Cushan,

is

now

generally

broken in pieces before him.

IT 53"
to

The

inhabitants of the earth tremble at

his look.

may

either be the Poel

admitted to be the same as -jris, Cush, as yc^h Lotan, Gen. xxxvi. 20, is only another form of ty^h Lot ; but whether
,
,

of Ti:2

measure, or the Pilel of niw,

signifies to

it

be intended to designate the African

which, like the Arab. t>L;o,

he agitated
suits the
7]

or the Arabian
senius,

Cush

is

disputed.

Ge-

Maurer, Dclitzsch, and others,

;

The

latter derivation best

connection.

LXX.

i(xaXivhi\

tion

contend for the former but the connecof the name with that of yira
is

}?!.

Targ.

sv-is

yiTS.

Arab.
cog-

Midian,

decidedly in favor of the latter.

iiflj^! o^y'-J>.
nate

Comp. the

u 'W

Thus Gesenius, Lee, Maurer,

Por a satisfactory refutation of the position adopted by Gesenius, that Cush, and all the tribes connected with this name, are
only to be sought in Africa, see Robinson's Calmet, art. Cush. That any reference
to Cushan-rishathaim, Jud.
iii.

Ewald, Heidenheim, Hesselberg, DelThe primary idea conveyed by itzsch.

nris
is

that of bounditig, springing up,

10, is in-

as a person does Avhen overtaken

by sudall

tended, does not appear.

of the Elanitic Gulf to

Midian appears

den

fear.

In

!i::::Qrii

we have

the

to have stretched from the eastern shores

force of intensive verbs, heightened in

effect

Mount

Sinai,

by the harsh sound of the redupli"fl signifies to break or

to scatter,

and the frontiers of Moab.

of
a

Edrisi speaks

cated Tzade.
perse.

town

called

,.

04X^0, Madian,

dash in pieces, and also

dis

Por

nyi-nn
;

about five days' journey from Ailah, or

and Ch^.v

rV2-~\

comp. Gen. xlix. 26 Deut. xxxiii. 15. ',"5 cV*y riS'Vri, His ancient ways, I
consider to be epexegetical of the preced-

The Akabah, and six fi-om Tubuk. " tents" and " curtains" describe the nomadic mode of life as still found among the Bedawin of the Arabian deserts,

ing

and riS'Vn
sense
as
n^ias-i

is

to be taken in the

riiy-)"'

the coverings

same

CSTi
,

in the sentence
xl. 19,

so

called from their tremulous

of the te7its, motion

Vn'tn-

s'n Job

which

when hanging down

affected

hippopotamus as " the first or principal of the ways of God," i. e. his creative acts, his works. The words may be resolved into iV "I'iJS tViy fiiS^Vn,
describes the

like curtains and by the wind. The word is here used merely as a synonj^me of C^Vns tents ; and both are put by metonymy
for the persons dwelling in
8.

them.

or into

f i-"^n . The mountains which Jehovah had created of old, and which had resisted the revolutions of ages, were now shattered in pieces, and dissipated like dust before him. The irresistibility of his power, and the utter imbecility of the most formidable ene'v^V''''

The prophet

rising in his graphic

description of the ancient manifestations

of Jehovah,
inquires

now by

a bold apostrophe

why

them

Was

the rivers were affected by it on account of any cause

in the rivers?

The implied answer

is

is,

No

and the true cause

assigned at the

312
AVas
tliine

HAB AKKUK.
anger against the rivers
against the sea ?
?
tliy wi-ath

Chap.

III.

Was

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 eartli into rivers.

close of the verse the safe and victorious deliverance of the Israelites from

tions.

In the phrase ny^i"^

,

':[^rib3n>a

supply ^y
latter.

^lpon, before
,

Egypt, and their introduction into Canaan,

n-)-"; is

the former word,

in the vocative,
is

and the

subject of the verb n-in

tJSN, in the
,

second heniistich.

C1^2

and repeat ^l3^',tt chariots, before the Comp. for instances of simUar construction, Viri '7/rK , 2 Sam. xxii.
33. yj -ontt , Ps. bcxi; 7 E5ST T;3-ii Ezek. xvi. 27. ryrj' has in such connection, the specific signification of vic;

the rivers.

the waters of the lied Sea, and the Jordan, -which were dried up to allow them to pass over on foot. The former

mean

tory,

not indeed a river, but may not inaptly be included under the term, on
is

though the idea of salvation or

as the result,
is

deliverance,
lost sight of.

not to be

account of the foicmrj of the

is

tide,

which

said to rise at

Suez

to about the height

of seven feet. On the miraculous division of the sea, recorded Exod. xiv., it

9. The combination I'yn r-i y which forms a paronomasia, determines the signification of niy , as here employed, to
,

was made
--3
of

to

go or

fow

back the whole

night, vcr. 21.

For the application of to the stream tide of the Mediter-

be that of being bare or 7iaked, and not that oi rousing ox exciting. For thou "-h the Piel nniy is used of the Hfting up
of a spear, there would be no propriety in thus applying it to a bow 'v\hereas the substantive r;;;-i.y nakedness, having:

ranean, See Jonah

ii. 4. That the rivers Cush should be intended is altogether

out of the question.

ever, to

Specifically,

how-

just been employed,' nothing

mark out

the

Red

was more

Sea,

it is after-

wards expressly called c^

hemistich.

in the third

natural than to add -'iJ-n, to be bared ^V- being thus cognate in signification

Comp.

as parallel
;

with the

present verse, Exod. xv.

cxiv. 3, 5.

Ps. Ixxvii. 13,

with n-y from which n^-iy is derived, and with -ny n^-iy is used' adjectively,
,

here, and in the following verses, represented as a mighty and victorious warrior, giving orders to his army, and, in triumphant progress,
is

Jehovah

Q-y 'pxi , Ezek. xvi. 7. not the second, but the third person singular in Niphal, having for its
r;-:y-

as in

-'vn

is

nominative rrj;

which
of the

is

of the com-

carrj'ing all before

him.

Comp. Exod.
,

mon

gender.

Some
,

XV.

3,

xiv.

modems have
than

lorath, are

14. C]N, anf/er, and r-rr synonymcs, only the latter is

explained rr;:.

of the rainboii;

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

the stronger of the two, signifying unrestrained indignation ; from ^r^y to ;;as*
,

over, or

beyond a

boujidarij.
is

By" horses"
for

and '

chariots," there

no necessity

our understanding cither the angels, or thunder and lightning, as some would
interpret.

which

prevent
leathern
coryttis,

its

They

are merely figurative

was carefully wrajijxd, to receiving injury, or of such a case as the yoipvThs, /ca^urir
it

designed to carry out the metaphor adopted from militarj- opera-

expressions,

of the Greeks and Piomans. Of the following words, ^):b< r V^ t\v^-j ,

Chap. 10

III.

HABAKKUK

313

The mountains saw thee, they were in pain The inundation of water overflowed The abyss uttered its voice,
It raised its

hands on

hijxh.

upwards of one hundred different interhave been proposed. That which I have adopted appears to me best to suit the connection. It keeps up the spirit of the poem, and is fully justified on the simplest and most legitimate etymological gi-ounds. That riun-a cannot signify oaths, is determined by the circumstance that " the oaths of the tribes,"
pretations

prophet will therefore be, that Jehovah prepared his bow for battle, and ordered

numerous spears to be produced in other words, that he brought the most formid;

able

and effective instrumentality

is

to bear

against the enemies of his people.

The

nominative to yj^^n
derstood

some would construe the words, but rh n 1 unnot ""^s

,

as

from

the

suffix
'Sfj^,,

in

'qnrj:.

the rendering of our

affords

common

version,

Comp.
15.

i::-:5sa C-in:?

Ps. Ixxviii.
;

no

tolerable sense as here intro-

Before niin: supply ^ or 3

to

duced, whether

we

regard the tribes as

or
as

cleave into rivers.

The

effect

of the Di-

the persons swearing,

those

to

vine

command

is

sublimely represented

whom
or

oaths were sworn.

,

The

other sig-

nification of rysia'i

is

seven, a hejjtade,

what is made up of seven. where Hterally applied only to

It

is else-

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

under the idea of that which is frequently produced by earthquakes, when immense quantities of water gush out of the fissures, and flow like rivers through the country. The whole verse is distinguished for its sublimity and beauty and the sentiment conveyed the two first lines was regarded as so weighty that

being used otherwise than as a desigIt appears to

nVo

Selah, ox pause,
its

is

added, to give

nation of time.
Jection, fulness,

have been

time for
fore
10.

producing

its

proper effect be-

appropriated by him, to express the peror

abundance, of the

number, instead of the usual numeral ya"i or rynr, when employed symbolically as a sacred

supplementing the concluding line. The mountains being the most prominent objects on the surface of the
globe, Habakkukreiterates,in a
different form,

somewhat
expressed,

and

indefinite

number.
,

what he had

n:;^
2

signifies a tribe,
xviii. 14,

but

also, as t:2'i
;

Sam.

a lance or spear
is it

and
be

ver. 6, in order to preserve the impression of the tremendous character of the trans-

that the latter signification

that in

actions, to illustrate

which they had been

;

which Ilabakkuk here uses

mferred from his using
tation in the 14th verse.
it

may

figuratively introduced.

in this accep-

case rjj-1

is

In the former used of Jehovah in this, of

Thus the Syr.

jT
I

-xiN has been variously rendered

the mountains, which are, by a bold figure, represented as inspired with life, and
capable of taking sensible cognizance of the manifestations of Deity. To express the instantaneous character of the effect,
^V'ti;;
,

by word, promise, epicinium, commander,

etc.

I take

it

in the

first

of these signi-

fications,

as specifically designating the

they quaked,

is

put in the future.

signifies
is fre-

military order, or

word of command.

The

root Vtin or

^^n properly

Compare Ps. Ixviii. 12. -ttN""?- j-t^^ ' the Lord gave the word," etc. Thus,
-iKj!,

to twist, writhe, as

with pain, and

quently used of a
is

woman

in travail.

It

like

the Arab, yol, signifies to

employed in the sense of quaking or trembling, which idea is conveyed by

also
it

order,

command.

The meaning of the

in this place.

40

314
11

HABAKKUK
in tlieir habitation

Chap.

III.

Sun and moon stood back

At At

the light of thine arrows which flew,

the glittering; brightness of thy lance.

12 Indignant thou didst march through the earth;

"Wrathful thou didst tread

13

down

the nations.

Thou wentest

forth for the deliverance of thy people,

" Silvarum juga cccpta moveri Virgil. Adventante Deo."

C">: "-T a torrent of tcater, i. e. an extremely heavy rain, in contradistinction
,

is
is,

made
;

to

what

is

recorded Josh. x. 12,

after the Targ.,

very generally admitit

ted

but,

though

the event there described

were granted that may have sug-

irom
2.

":"i2

n"iT

n'l"'

eUcation,
,

a hail storm, Is. xxviii. is used adverbially.

elongated pronominal

33y

^r'T'

the
,

gested the language of the prophet, yet the point of view in which he presents the heavenly luminaries is altogether dif-

form of
its

1"-!^

its

hands,

is
,

meant the
the ocean,

Avaves of the ocean.

c'lnP

antecedent,

is

of both genders.

The

In the history, the construction be put upon their standing still or being arrested in their course, is obviferent.

to

whole of nature is here exhibited as thrown into consternation at the approach of God. The mountains tremble the heavens pour down sweeping torrents of rain the sea roars, and causes its billows to " run mountains high." Comp.
; ;

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

Ps. Ixxvii. 17.

11.
Ii-i''

abode before the brighter refulgence of the aiTows and lances employed in the

*rtt'j

form an asyndeton, and

ellipsis

are probably so put for the sake of effect.

In many MSS., however, the

of the
1

is
is

supplied.

The paragogic n

So completely were they eclipsed seemed as if they had set. Schnurrer and Justi interpret the language of their remaining in
conflict.

by

this refulgence, that it

in their habitation, in the sense of not ris-

rV?T

that of direction or 7notion,

it

and

the ^idea which

conveys, as here used

,

with the verb npy is not that the sun and moon remained stationary in a part of the firmament, which is represented
as their dwelling or habitation, but that

the n of motion is directly opposed to such construction. The V in -I'ls's and nijV is the dative of cause, as " at, or oicing to in 'a? Tin;'. T'ufS
,

ing, but

this,

my

heart trembled," Job xxxvii.

,

1.

Supply

they stood back or withdrero into that locality. It was usual with the Arabian
astronomers to assign houses or chambers
to the celestial orbs.
sio,

-ri'X before !i-5~"'

which

is

put

in Piel for the purpose of juarking the

velocity of the

ITie words

Thus

-i"is

motion of the arrows. and pr.-^j, which are else-

J'^juo, nian-

where
the

iised of the light of the

sun and

domus,

is

the

name

of the signs of
ihe

moon

respectively,

arc here trans-

the

Zodiac;

and

,^^| JJLs,

ferred to the glitter of the

ified.

weapons specof the solv. 4

circle

of the palaces which the sun occuJob, likewise, speaks of ,>3n

12. ny::

to

march,

is

u.scd

pies.

n-tn
ix.

emn and
Ixviii. 8.
is

majestic proceeding of Jehovah

the chambers of the south, antithetically

before the

Hebrews, Judges
riin
,

Ps.

with the northern constellations, ch.

9
;

to thresh or

tread down,

as also of p"|-.7r

chap, xxxviii. 32,

applied metaphorically to the destruc-

the same as pV-.t'O, inns or lodgings,

2 Kings xxiii.
5.

tion of enemies,
13.

Micah

iv. 1.3.

That

specific reference

Having

described, in language of

Chap.

III.

HAB AKKUK.
;

315

For the deliverance of thine anointed Thou dashedst in pieces the head of the house of the wicked,
Laying bare the foundation to the very neck
the most sublime and terrible import, the manifestations of Jehovah in reference to
his enemies,
:

Pause.
LXX.,
the
Syr., Vulg.,

rendering

of the
as

Arab.

Still,

Habakkuk now

proceeds to

C^:~b

r'zh'c'a,
6,

Hebrews were a kingdom of priests,

specify in express terms the end

which

Exod. xix.

they

may

with

as

much
;

they were designed to answer, viz., the dehverance and safety of his chosen peoand then depicts their fatal effects ple in the destruction of every hostile power.
;

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.

forte is

The Dagesh

The

employed instead of the infinitive vS'^yrh and thus governs These last the accusative T;n'r5:rsi!
second*

yj 'h

is

found in the

initial

some

editions,
its

and

is

i of "JN"?! in one of the few inletter,

i.

stances of

occurrence in this

words Aq. and the author of the fifth Greek version render els crwrripiov avv XpiffT^ aov, and the Vulg. in salutem cum Christo tuo, which has led many interpreters, both ancient and modern, to
refer
ir^'C'a
,

contrary to rule.
X.

Comp.
32
;

Sam.
iii.
;

6,

2i; 2 Kings
;

vi.
;

Prov.

8, xiv.

10

Song

V. 2

Jer.

xxxLx. 12
it

Ezek.

on the principle of the word being short, and

xvi. 4.

Delitzsch accounts for

the anointed, to

our Sa-

occurring after a Milel.

53

The

prepositive

viour.

This construction of the passage is adopted even by Delitzsch, on the principle that as the

in rr 2 73 intimates, that the ruler here

term here designates the regal office of those who were of the Davidic dynasty, and Christ is represented as the greatest king of that family,
consequently

spoken of as the head, was not merely over the house, which the simple construct form would have expressed, but
that he sprung from
it.

It

is

most prob-

able that one or other of the Canaanitish

The Axoixted by way

is

of

kings
city

eminence, he

to be regarded as included

in the prophetic reference.

By

the law

of parallelism, however,
led to identify 'qn'v;^
,

we

are compel-

thine anointed,

with

Ti'oV

thy people, in the preceding

Tlie

perhaps Jabin, whose is intended Hazor is said to have been'i'sn the head of all the confederate kings. Josh, xi. 10; and was the most formidable of all the kings with whom the Hebrews had to contend. Judges iv. 3, 13. The
;

hemistich.

noun

is

thus a collective,
^

general sense of the concluding hemistich

is

and

is

rendered in the plural by the

Tovs
xp'-'^'^o^^
<'"''"'

apparent

but considerable difficulty

-5^!]::,
,

LXX.

'^^

^^

attaches to the interpretation of

neck, as here connected with
-t'lD^.

The Alex. MS., Tous tKXiKTois aov. plural '^j-'rf'i'a is actually found in two
MSS., and apparently in two more in one of De Rossi's and two more originally. It is denied, indeed, by
of Kennicott's
:

foun-

dation.

This connection
to,

is

so strongly

marked by the
-[;__
,

force of the preposition

even

that the former substantive

Delitzsch, that n"'.i'n

anointed,
;

is

ever

used of the people of Israel

tainly none of the passages

and cerwhich have

latter, and some supposable higher part of the figurative building. It must, from

cannot be separated from the

referred to

the structure of the language, describe

the very lowest part of the foundation,
or that on
rests
;

usually been adduced in support of this

application of the term, can be fairly vin-

which the foundation

itself

dicated to
8,

it,

except, perhaps, Ps. xxviii.

to

but

how

either of these could be

it

where 'frr 72 corresponds

,

v;V or

called the neck,

ceive.

is

S^'/h

according to the reading of six

originally

There

is,

therefore,

impossible to convery great

MSS.,

three more,

and the

probability in the conjecture of Cappel-

316
14

HAB AKKUK.
picrccdst with his

Chap.

m.

Thou

own

spears the chief of his captains,

That rushed on like a tempest to scatter me Wiiose jt)y it was to devour the poor in secret. 15 Thou wontest with thy horses through the sea, The boiling up of many waters. IG I heard, and my inward parts tremhled,
lus,

which has been approved by Herder,

Green, and some others, that instead of IS'.:: , neck, the text originally read -5 ;:,
rock,
all plain. Both words from the same root; and -S'S occurs with the k Neh. iii. 5. All

just as the former in the Vatican codex render the cognate noun -,v"S Judges
i

V.

7,

11,

by Swarol, and the Vulg. by

which makes

fortes.

are derived

yi-j

The pronominal suffix refers to the ioiclced, in the preceding verse.

the

MSS. and
which
is

versions support the presis

first

Before !i-SC^ supply irs . In using the personal suffix singular in the fol-

ent reading,
lute,

ri-y

the infinitive abso-

often

employed in the
of

prosecution of a statement, instead

the finite form of the verb.

ical facts

The

histor-

lowing verb, the prophet so identifies himself with his people as to represent what was aimed at them as designed for him. Comp. ch. i. 12. The nominative
to cri^'Vy
is

which the prophet here

;

poeti-

tt-S

his captains.

In

cally describes,

appear evidently to be

those narrated Josh. xi.

Judges

iv.,

ip-

the last hemistich, the object of comparison is the robber who lies in wait for the

volving the complete destruction of the

poor

defenceless
sees

traveller,

Canaanitish nations, and more especially

the discomfiture of Sisera, celebrated by

when he

him approach.

and exults Such was

Deborah

in her splendid triumphal song.

the exultation of the Canaanitish chiefs when the Israelites entered the covmtr)-.

Judges V. 14. After a solemn pause, marked by

r:Vo
,

Comp.

Ps. X.

15. tJ'D'G

810. must either be taken

as
;

an
or

Selah,

Habakkuk
still

prosecutes his

accusative absolute, as to thy horses

it

subject,

which

embraces the discomIsrael,

.^c
,

fiture of the

enemies of

must have a a supplied before it. The latter I have adopted as the easier mode
of resolving the form, here the boiling
-itt'n

his
9.

own

spears, the

same

as riir^;

ver.

describes

Interpreters are divided in regard to

,

the signification of t^2

of

or, as it is in

the

Keri, and in the text of a great

number

up or foaming of tlie sea in a storm. The immediate connection, however, shows, that what the prophet
has in view
hostile
is

tions,

MSS., and of four of the early ediThe traditionary interpreTT-S

.

not the Ilcd Sea, but the

as-

army of the Canaanites, which

Through
this

tation

is

that of villagers, or the inhabi-

presented a furious and impenetrable

pect to the Hebrews.

tants

of

the countrj-

hence hordes,

army

which Delitzsch

adopts,

and explains

it

Jehovah
to

is

represented as walking with

of armies or soldiers.

Thus the Vulg., capiti bellatorum ejxts, Pcrschke, Gesenius, Ewald, and other modems, howe^'er, derive the word from the Arab.
segreijavit, discrevit,

his warriors, as if a general

were coolly

march

his cavalrj' through the thick-

\y^.

modttm

prce-

and explain it of judges, captains, etc., which appears to be the more appropriate meaning. Thus the
scripsit, stahiit, etc.,

proud and vaunting foe, which he knew would prove utterly jxjwerless in the attack. Comp. Ps. ii. 4, where Jehovah is said to smile at the pimy
est of a

attempts of his enemies.

10.
sal

LXX.,

ouvaarai

the Syr.

\a

Va

of the

Having finished the poetjc rehearmighty acts of Jehovah on

ancient times,

behalf of his people in

Chap.

III.

HABAKKUK,

317

the sound ray lips quivered Rottenness entered my bones, I trembled in my place Yet I shall have rest in the day of distress, When the people that shall attack us come up. 17 Though the fig-tree should not blossom,
:

At

which he had composed in order to inspire the pious with unshaken confidence in

ly as the prophet

was

affected,

and over-

him

as their

covenant God,

Habakkuk

which had seized him on hearing of the judgments that were inflicted upon his country by the Chalreverts to the fear

deans,

-riia

T;nPi

"iny^t;

is

a varied

repetition of "nsi';
ver. 2.

~}"cv

"^pytts;

ri-^

Instead of there entering into a

description of his feelings, he broke out

an earnest prayer that God would toward Israel, from which there was an easy transition to the ancient Divine interpositions. He now
in
exercise pity

powering as were the feelings of apprehension with which he anticipated the awful calamity that was coming upon his people, he did nqj abandon himself to despair, but, on the contrary, consoled his mind with the assurance, that God, in whom he trusted, would keep him in perfect peace in the day of trial. Xothing can be more uncritical than the emendation of n!i:s into n"as proposed
,

describes those feelings in very forcible

by Iloubigant, the verb T\hi or n^.'^ having no such signification as that which he ascribes to it. The preposition V in r;T2 C-."V and n^Vy^ is to be taken as
signifying the time
to

and
is

affecting language.

V'lp

<^*e voice,

when the
it is

events were

to be referred to the
i,

Divine threatening

happen
;

in

c^t

the sign of the

is

recorded chap,

6.

The quivering

of

genitive
to

so that Cj"V fhh'J

,

equivalent
jieople.

merely expressive of the effect of the fear with which he was seized, and has no reference to his dehvery of the threatening, 'jipi? literally under me, i,' e. my under parts,
the prophet's
lips is
,

C"

JiiVy

the coming

up of the

The

infinitive is the infinitive construct.

By

the people, the Chaldeans are meant.

are, as usual, said to

They

come up, be-

cause of the elevated position of Jerusalem, both in a local and a religio-political

point of view.

limbs,

or

the like.

Comp. the Arab.

,^y^Vj, pars

inferior.

LXX.
jxov.

vttok-

Comp.
supply

2 Kings xxiv. 1.
-)tJ5<
, .

drwS^fv fiov iTapdx^V v e|is

The

Before
-rrj,

!i2~i;."'

The verb

Syr.

^uujG^ ^y
"tt-.pia
,

knees.

Jarchi and
I^iijs "i"-N

t-^ signifies to nd, or break in upon an enemy, attack.

like its cognate

Kimchi

in

my

place.

Hence the

substantive n-i

a troop or

has been variously rendered, " That I may rest ;" " That I must expect ;" " O that I might rest ;" " Yet I shall rest," or

band of warriors, chiefly used of such as engage in plundering expeditions. It Ls the very term employed in the account
given us of the fulfilment of the prophecy, 2 Kings xxiv. 2 ; " And the Lord
sent

" have

rest."

The

last construction is

alone suitable.

"^5 which
is

the

LXX.

have entirely omitted,

tion,

here a conjunc-

against

him C-^-a^ "ini rs,

a statement of the as-

connecting

the following clauses

it,

the bands of the Chaldeans," etc.

17,

with those which are antecedent to

18.

From

but ob\aous]y intended to qualify what had been there expressed. It thus forms a particle of transition from one class of
circumstances to another of a different
character.

surance which he possessed of the mental

tranquillity

which he should enjoy dur-

ing the anticipated calamity,

rises

Habakkuk

See Noldius, sub voce. Deep-

triumphant assertion of the holy joy and exultation which would be

to

318

II

ABAKKUK

Chap.

III.

And

Though

there slionkl be no proJiice on the vines the fruit of the olive shoukl fail,

And the fields should yield no food Thougli the flocks should be cut off* from the And there should be no cattle in the stalls
18

fold,

Yet
I

I will exult in

Jehovah

Avill

be joyful

in the
is

God

of

my

salvation.

Jehovah the Lord

lie will

my

strength

make my

feet like those of gazelles,

vouchsafed to him amidst

tion to
jected.

all

the desola-

which

his country

might be sub-

The

desolation here so graphi-

to burn ; but it seems preferable to regard it as a derivative like T.--C, both signifying a stnootk
v,

to be cognate with q-i

is that which by the Chaldeans, whose army would consume or destroy the best and most necessary productions

cally

and

forcibly described,
effected

or level

feld,

was

to be

grain or vines
".-c
,

to

such as was jireparcd for fiom -i-i-i to break, and be level, as ground is which is
:
,

not only seizing upon the cattle, and devouring the fruits of the earth, but so injuring the trees as to renof the land
;

broken up and levelled by the plough, the hoe, and the harrow, -t.i is here used intransitively,

and

is

equivalent to the Nifor

phal

"^Tis.

rVrtt stands

der them incapable of jnelding any produce. The passage contains the most
beautifid exhibition of the
religion to be

sVr^c
for

just

as rr\iz for

sire, and

r.-i-pz

scpw

or nsyjpr.
confine.

power of true found in the Bible. The

The

root

is

nVs

to shtit up,

rtTiV.yx

and rV-;.s are syno-

language

is

that of a

earthly enjoyments,

mind weaned from and habituated to

its

nymes

in the elongated future

the n
eVl

directive expressing the strong bent of the

find the highest fruition of

mind towards the

'y'i";

exercise.

desires in
"~.'!*2. are
is

The words

God.

"When every earthly stream

it

rendered in the Vulg.

dried up,

has an infinite supply in his

in

Deo Jesu meo !

19.

The LXX. have

-j-rs

and exhaustless fulness. No affliction, however severe or trying, can cut the believer off from this blessed reall-sufficient

Toj 06<j5 Tcf (Toyrrtpl fiov.

The formula
,

rin"

instead

of

source.
to bring
r.'vv'q
is

On
him

the contrary,

its

tendency

is
it.

into closer contact with

is of infrequent occur":-s rence. Comp.'Ps. Ixviii. 21, cxl. 8. The language of this verse is found in Ps.
r'')-"_

not the labor bestowed upon the

xviii. 33,

34

and

in part, Deut. xxxii.

It expresses the con-

13

Is. Iviii. 1-t.

olive-tree,

produces.
to

but the fruit which the tree Comp. the phrase 1-3 r.TV ,

fident hope that

make

or produce fruit.

The

irregular

construction of the singular

mascidine

Jehovah would prove the support and defence of the prophet, and of all who made Ilim tlie object of
their tnist, and that he would grant them complete deliverance from their enemies,

nri with
is to

the feminine plural ri'iKn:^

be accounted for on the principle,

and

restore

them

to the full

mind of the prophet both number and gender had merged in the
that in the
totality

and undis-

turbed posscs-sion

of their

own

land.

rV^s

Ifie

and imprcssiveness of

gazelle, is so swift-footed, that

his subject.

grey-liounds

Comp. VV'is rir-r. Is. xvi. 8. It is wliat is commonly called, constructio ad sensum. Some would refer r ':::; to
an obsolete root

are liable to be killed

by
y
the
for

over-exertion in the chase.

heights

*rir2
E.xcept

high places, stands for ""j-s ri>i2

of

my

country.

zrv which
,

they

take-

purposes of waifarc, the elevated parts

Chap.

III.

HABAKKUK
me
to

319

And

cause

walk on

To

the precentor, with

my heights. my stringed
signifies

instruments.
thus performed
music,

of a land are the last that are occupied.

what

is

The present

is

the only instance in which

is

a musical direction
of a psalm or ode.

placed at the end

,

nJi.Jtt^

which

oc-

and also the stringed instruments with which it was accompanied. The preposition a is that of accom7nelody, song,

curs fifty-five times in the titles to the

Psalms,

is

derived from the root |^s^

to

overcome, excel, take the lead, direct,superintend, preside, etc.

It
is

Delitzsch infers from the use of the aftix in ^^is'a: my music, that the prophet himself was to take an
,

paniment.

used in

refer-

active part in the performance of

further,

it

ence to the prefects or overseers,

whom

from

this circumstance, that

and he

Solomon appointed over the workmen, 2 18 and specially of the ii. 2, masters or directors of the music emChron.
;

was of the

tribe of Levi,

and engaged in

But these inferences cannot be sustained, since, if

it would equally prove that Hezekiah must have belonged to that tribe, and been thus officially en-

carrying on the temple music.

ployed in the temple,

Chron. xv. 21

the reasoning were valid,

Neh.
T(fj

xii.

42.

By

the

LXX.
els

nsstt?
;

is

almost always rendered

viKOTToi^
',

rh re\os
',

Aq.

Symm.

itrivlKiov

is
ii.

rh

y'lKos

Targ. sna'i^

Theod. In 2 Chron.
render the

gaged

for
,

'riii'^as

he uses the verj' same form " viy stringed instruments," Is.

17,

however, the
fpyoSidKTTfs,

LXX.
and

noim by

ver. 1,

and
is

xxxiv. 13, by

iiricndrtjs.

The form

xxxviii. 20. On what ground either the prophet or the king claimed these instruments, it is impossible to determine. The
originally ^Tiz-i.i
tion
is

that of the participle in Piel, the h tak-

ing the Patach of the article

stance

a circumbe, as

conjecture of Schnurrer, that -rij^:,; was , and that the termina-

which shows that it cannot some have supposed, an infinitive.

(from
']:^i
,

Tii^^i

-:i5

to strike the strings,

"r~ is merely paragogic as in '^s-l overturned by the fact, that this paragogic form is never found except when
the word in which
construct state.
it

play on a stringed instrument, and then,

generally, to perform either vocal or in-

appears

is

in the

strumental mtisic, but chiefly the latter)

ZEPHANIAH.
PREFACE.
is furnished by the title to his book, in was the son of Cushi, grandson of Gedaliah, ^reat grandson of Amariah, and great great grandson of Hezekiah. As in no other

All

that

we know

of Zephaniah

which

it is

stated that he

we find the pedigree of a prophet carried so far back, it has not been inferred that he belonged to a family of considerable respectability.* Whether, however, the Hezekiah there mentioned were the king of that name, or some other person of note so called, cannot be determined
instance do
unf^iirly

with certainty. The circumstance that the words, " king of Judah," are not added to the proper name, rather militates against the position that he was descended from that monarch, since this addition always occurs when pri-

mary reference
1
;

the present point,

Is.

made to any of the Jewish kings and, what is specially to when such reference is made to Hezekiah. See Pro v. xxv. xxxviir. 9. The number of generations also forms an objection
is
;

it is scarcely possible to make room for the short space of time which elapsed between Hezekiah and Josiah.

against the hypothesis, since

them

in

As our prophet is stated, chap. i. 1, to have received his prophecies in the days of Josiah, he must have flourished between the years B. c. 642, and c. c, 611. This statement is corroborated by certain circumstances in the book
itself.

the Assyrian empire

15.

c.

fall of Nineveh, and the overthrow of consequently he must have prophesied prior to the year 625, when these events took place i. e., in the former half of the reien
; ;

For

instance, he predicts the

of Josiah.
chap.
i.

4,

of the destruction of " the remnant of Baal," evidently implies, that the abolition of idolatry had been carried
too,

The mention,

on

had not yet been completed. Now this exJudah from the twelfth to the ei<Thteenth year of Josiah for though this monarch began, in the former of these years, to effect a reformation, it was not till the latter that it was prosecuted with more successful results. If, therefore, we suppose that Zephaniah deto a considerable extent, but

actly tallies with the state of things in

;

between these two terms, we shall not be wide of the no mention is made of him or his labors in the histoncal books, which we njight expect on the ground of the valuable service lie must have rendered to the zealous monarch, it is sufficient to reply,
livered his predictions

mark.

To

the objection, that

OvK

&(Trifj.oi

iiy

rh Kara (rdpKa ytvos-

(';/ril,

Prerf.

ad Zcph,

PREFACE TO ZEPHANIAH.
that the

321

same objection would He against the prophetical existence of Jeresame period, though we know that he then flourished at Jerusalem, under the very eye of his sovereign. The mention made of " the king's sons," chap. i. 8, cannot be urged in favor of a later date for it is altogether uncertain whether we are not to understand by the phrase the princes of the miah
at the
;

royal house generally, or such of the royal children as should be alive at the

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
cently revived the opinion advocated by
sion of these countries
effect.

Hitzig, indeed, has re-

Cramer and Eichhorn,

that the inva-

by the Scythians, about the year b. c. 630, whose incursion into Western Asia Is described by Herodotus, I. 102, is what the prophet has in his eye but the Jews appear to have been so little affected by their progress, that It by no means corresponds to that of the enemy described by
;

were

Zephanlah, In the course of which not only Judea, but the adjacent countries His predictions received their accomplishto be entirely laid waste.

ment during the successes of Nebuchadnezzar. Towards the close of the book the restoration and prosperity of the Jewish people are Introduced. In respect to style, Zephanlah Is not distinguished either for sublimity or elegance. His rhythm frequently" sinks down Into a kind of prose but many of the censures that have been passed upon his language are either without
;

foundation, or

much

exaggerated.
in

In point of purity

the prophets.

He has much

common

It rivals that of any of with his contemporary Jeremiah, and

some, after Isidore, have regarded him as his abbreviator. careful comparison of the two, however, proves the futility of this hypothesis. Occasionally he borrows the language of former prophets.

Comp. chap.

il.

14,

with

Is. xiii. 21,

xxxiv. 11

chap.

ii.

15, with Is. xlii. 8.

41

; .

CHAPTER
The
to bring

prophet begins by announcing the universality of the judgments which God was about upon the land, 2, 3; specifies the difTerent classes of transgressors whose conduct had merited the infliction of these judgments, 4C; and calls attention to the speedy approach, and the features of the period of punishment, wliich he intermingles with further descriptions of the character of the ungodly, 713. lie then dwells upon the awfully calamitous nature of the visitation, and points out the impossibility of escape, 14 18.

The word

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 Anion, king of

Judah
2

I will utterly take

away everything from

the face of the land,

Saith Jehovah.
3 I will take
I will take

away man and beast away the birds of heaven, and the

fishes
;

of the sea,

And And

the cause of stumbling along with the wicked

I will cut off

man from

the face of the land,

against Judah,
differ in this

Saith Jehovah.

4 I will also stretch forth

1.

my hand
em-

See the Preface.

3.

not appear to
is

connection

2,

qcs

which

variously

ployed in Scripture in the sense of gathering, collecting, etc., is here used, as in

Jud.
9
;

from Vicrw a stumbling block, cause of moral offence, what occasions, excites to,
,

xviii.

25

Sam. xv.

Ps. xxvi.
tJie

or promotes sm.

Sjt.

pQ.^.alo; Symm.

Ezek. xxxiv. 29, to denote

destroy.

taking

Ta (TKavSaXa.

There can be no doubt

aioaij

by death, or other violent means

that the different objects and rites of idol,

to
its

Thus
is

Jarchi, -jrVD ^^"2y

atrous worship are

in view.

signification

destruction."

What

Thus

clearly

shows

this, is

the use of the cog-

The

repetition

what the prophet has rrnr niTisy Cr. of c-s shows the prophJarchi,

nate verb h'Oi fo scrape, or sioeep off, in the form q"OS=~os which the Rabbi
,

ecy had special reference to

ings, as the guilty party.

human

be-

The

particle

just montioued erroneously takes to be

rs

before cy'ij-i has the signification of

the Iliphil of

qcs by
,

elision for

qoNK

with, together with, tlnis denoting accom-

The

latter verb is never used in Iliphil but the same combination of the two

paniment.

Comp. Jud.

i,

16.

The

idols

and

their worshippers

were to be involved

verbs in the infinitive and finite forms

in one

common

destruction.

Newcome

occurs Jer.

viii.

13,

CE-DS q CN
!i3'i'!|T'
,

ComIs.
'

improperly renders
genitive.
4.

rs

as a sign of the

pare for

similiir
;

usage
s':::

rinti,

xxviii, 28

s-^n

Jcf. xli'x. 9.
is

llie

enumeration of particulars

designed to

augment the

fearful

and universal charnV'i'S^j does

acter of the punishment.

stretch forth the hand against means not merely to threaten, but to exert one's power to his injury. ntn Cir'in this place, means Jerusa-

To

any

one,

V -

, '

Chap.

I.

ZEPHANIAH.
agaiust
all

323

And And And And And

lem.
rest

the inhabitants of Jerusalem

will cut off

from

this place the

remnant of Baal,

The name of the

idolatrous with that of the other priests

those that worship the host of heaven on the roofs,

those that worship and swear to Jehovah,

swear by their king

^S'i
the remnant, or

By Vsan

Jehovah.
xiii. 2,

See Gen.
;

xli. 45,

50

Kings
It

of Baal, we are

to

understand the

33

2 Kings x. 19, xi. 18.

statues, images, etc, dedicated to the chief

may to some

cians, to

domestic and tutelary god of the Phoeniwhose worship the Hebrews were

appear doubtful whether the former be not here intended but as such are undeniably included in the Q->-itt3 ,
;

addicted as early as the time of the Judg-

and among whom it afterwards spread more and more, especially in the ten tribes. Altars and high places were reared to this deity by ^lanasseh, even in the temple of Jehovah itself, 2 Kings xxi. 3, 5, 7; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3, 7. These Josiah destroyed in the reformation which
es
(ii.

13),

more probable that in using the term the prophet had in his eye those who were professedly priests of the true God, but who, instead of checking, or
it is

t3'':ns

endeavoring to eradicate idolatry, encouraged it by their indifference, or the inconsistency of their conduct in other respects.

Comp.

Jer.

ii.

8, v. 31.

he undertook in the twelfth year of his but it appears reign, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 4 from this passage of our prophet, compared with 2 Chron. xxxiv. 8, that idols
;

ders ^"in^n^!',3

The Targ. renCy "iin^nVB their wor,

shippers with their priests.

Neither were

he

left in the land by the Chaldeans. Their very names were to be forgotten.

continued to be worshipped, most probably in places which were more remote

5.

Having directed his prophecy against

the priests, the prophet

those of the people
atrous practices.

from public observation, or which had been formed after the destruction of the others, and the cessation of the reformation refen-ed to. Marckius and Gesenius interpret the phrase
the people

who

now denounces indulged in idoltakes

He first

up those
:

who were

the votaries of Sabiism, or the

a sys-

worship of the heavenly bodies

^yan nss
this

of
less

of Baal, but

seems

probable.

The phrase

corresponds to

ni^rSW
in like

in the preceding verse, and is manner immediately followed by

tem which had, at an early period, become extensively prevalent, and continued to exert its influence, not only over the nomades of Arabia, but over the philosophers and wise men of the East
but which, in whatever form or degree it obtained, had the lamentable effect of deifying the creature, and obscuring the
existence, claims,
tor.

the

ns

of accompaniment, pointing out

the persons that encouraged idolatry. For

-it<

the

LXX., who have to

rii^auj
,

oySfiara,

must have read

or they

been misled by the cj , however, is foimd in two of Kennicott's MSS., and in the margin of another.

may have following, bv

That

it

practised to

and glory of the Creawas adopted, and its rites a great extent by the Jews,
;

appears from 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 6

vii. 17, 18, xliv.

Jer.
,

Upwards of twenty MSS., four ancient editions, and all the versions read ca ns^
instead of e-j n5.
idolatrous priests, see

1719,

25.

The rps

roofs or house-tops, in the East are

flat,

For CinttDn, the

and are used

idolaters

for various purposes.

The

on Hos.

x. 5.

in the ancient

and in the
is

latter

Both Hebrew,

the term
idols, as

^nb

used of the priests of

well as of those belonging to

have chosen them for secrecy in the time of the prophet, or they may have selected them for the purpose of obtaining a fuller view of the plane-

may

334
6

ZETHANIAH.
those that have turned back from Jehovah,
that neither seek

Chap.

I.

And And

Jehovah nor apply to him.

Keep silence before the Lord Jehovah, For the day of Jehovah is near
For Jehovah hath prepared a
sacrifice,

He hath consecrated And it shall come to

That
I will
all

those

whom

he hath invited.

pass on the day of Jehovah's sacrifice.

punish the princes and the king's sons.

And

that wear foreign apparel.

Jer. xix.

tary objects of their worship.

13, xxxii. 29.
s^^ecially

he hath consecrated his called ones, however, there is

The

planet to which they

no allusion

to guests invited

burnt incense on the roofs of

is

to partake of a sacrificial feast, as there

their houses

supposed to have been the

" the

unquestionably

3Ioon, or

it

was more probably Venus,

,

is Ezek. xxxix. 17 20 Rev. xix. 17, 18. The D'Scalled

;

called z^fi-^ri r^hiQ

heaven," Jer.

vii."

17, 18,

19, 25.

Queen of The

were the Chaldeans, who, as the Divine army, or the instruments of his
ones,

prophet next instances a mongrel class

of worshippers, such as professed attach-

retributive justice,
field

were called into the

against the enemies of the

this sense
called.
Is.

Most
15.

ment

to Jehovah, as the national

God,
to the

hut, at the

same time, were devoted

High. In have been

Cjtus
xli.

is

said to

9,

xh'iii.

service of Moloch,

whom
,

in reahty, they

regarded and honored as their king.

the forms r\^iz,
see
,

For
,

Comp. also Is. in which *i"ij;

xiii. 3,
,

and

my

note there,

to sanctify, consecrate, is

csVw DsV crsVw

explained of the selection of troops for

on

Amos
r^ T;ia

v. 26,
.

and Gesenius under

war, and the religious

rites

engaged in

the word

Instead of immediately

when they
pedition.
8.

set

out upon the military ex-

connecting these opposite objects of worship with the participle Q'-.nrrttn

,

as

That by the phrase

tjV.''?."

'?.2

he had done in the preceding clause, Zephaniah stops short, as if uncertain how to describe the persons whom he had in view, and then proceeds to characterize them as combining, by acts of solemn profession, the worship of the true God with that of Moloch. Comp. 1 Kings n >'3iJ3 <(? sioear by a deity, acknowledge him in a public, solemn, and binding manner openly to
xviii. 21.
,

the sons of the king,

we

are to understand

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 necessarily requires
self

means

to

for he could not himhave been above seventeen years old.

;

It

may

either

mean the

princes of the

pledge one's self to his

6.

scr\'ice.

royal house generally, or the children of

This verse
in

is

more comprehensive
all

the king

who

should be on the throne at

latter supposition is

in

its

import, being descriptive df

who

the time of the accomplishment of the prophecy.

were

any way guilty of defection from

That the
it is

Jehovah, and lived in total neglect of him and his ways,

the more probable, appears from 2 Kings

XXV.

7,

where

stated, that the

king

For c3E>3 on comp. Hab. iL 20 In the symbolical lanZech. ii. 13.

7.
,

of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah

before his eyes.

By

those that wore for-

guage of prophecy, a
or people.

sacrifice denotes

the slaughter or destruction of an

army
i

In the words I'sjnp

^"^r.^^.

means the rich and great generally, who, in violation of an express ordinance relative to national
eign attire, the prophet

Chap.

J.

ZEPHANIAH.
all

325

9 I will also punish

who

leap over the threshold in that day,

Who
10

fill

the house of their lord with violence and deceit.

it

And

shall
shall

come

to pass in that day, saith Jehovah,

fish-gate,

be the sound of crying fi-om the And of wailing from the second, And of great destruction from the hills. 11 Howl, ye inhabitants of the Mortar For all the people of Canaan are destroyed
!

That there

All

who

are laden with

money

are cut

ofi".

costume, which was designed to preserve

mit violence and plunder.

plains the

Kimchi ex-

them
more
ters,

distinct

XV. 37

from other people, Numb.

word of

their forcibly entering

40, arrayed themselves in the

the houses of the poor, and robbing

them

and gorgeous garb of idolaand thus more easily mixed with

costly

of their goods.
10, 11.

These verses describe the state

them
9.

in the performance of their idola-

of Jerusalem
chadnezzar.

when
d'Snn

besieged by
iy"j
,

Nebuiii.

trous rites.

the fish-gate,
;

Because the

priests of

Dagon

ab-

occurs 2 Chron. xxxiii. 14

xii.

Neh.

3,

stained from treading on the threshold of

his temple, 1

39

but there

is

nothing in these
can determine
the
its

Sam.

v. 5, it

has been by
alludes

passages by which

some

uiferred

that Zephaniah

exact position.

here to some such superstitious custom

be inferred,
city,

might that it was situated either on

it

we From

name

by the Jews. Thus the Targ. 'sn-i^B '3!)i23 v^-snan Va all who walk in the laws of the Philistines. But
as practised
,

the north or the north-east side of the

this construction has Uttle to support it

beyond the simple occurrence of the word

JPW
in
^'l^T

threshold, in both passages

it is
,

for

Samuel

merely

said, !i--n/

n^

^P^w

" they tread or walk not over

the threshold of Dagon ;" whereas the lan-

which would arrive who brought fish from Tiberias and the Jordan, and corresponded to what is now called the Damascus Gate, or to that of St. Stephen, It was from this side, being that which was most accessible, that Jerusalem was attacked by the enemy. That nJ'i'K the second, is
that being the direction from
those
,

guage of the prophet, ^psa-V? Vthh " him that leapeth over the threshold," is
:<

not to be referred to -^yr , gate, as its antecedent, but to i-y , city, understood,
appears from Neh. xi. 9, where
in full
r;:v:)2

expressive of a

more

violent action

and

we have
i.

as the parallel hemistich shows, charac-

n^y-

the second city,

e.

with which the servants of the great rushed out of their palaces in order to seize upon the property of others, and thereby increase the wealth
terizes the eagerness

the second division of the city.

renders the

Ewald

town."

In

word by Neustadt, " Newall probability it was what

of their masters.

If

we may

apply the

signification of the cognate

word in Arab.

^J

4^, principio, or subjinem noctis iter

was afterwards called Akra, or the lower city, which lay to the north of the ancient city on Moimt Zion, and was separated from it by the Tyropocon, a valley which ran down between them to the
present pool of Siloam.
version the

fecit,

we

should interpret the term as

In our common

denoting their setting out on their predatory expeditions under cloud of night. Thus, as to the general sense, the Syr.

improperly rendered college, 2 Kings xxii. 14, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22, after the interpretation of the Bab'
is

word

|1o|^

jSGiAii* .osim^Sf all who com-

bins.

The

r'lya j

hills,

here mentioned,
city,

were not those arovmd the

such

al

326
12

ZEPHANIAH.
it

Chap.

I.

And
That

shall

come

to jjass at that lime

I will search

And

punish the
will

men who

Jerusalem with lights, are hardened on their

\rill

lees,

Who
13

say in their hearts,

Jehovah

not do good, neither

he do

evil.

And And
Tlicy

their wealth shall

become
;

a spoil,

their houses a desolation

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

Counsel,

etc.,

Mount of Evil but Zion, Moriah, Ophel,

the

Holy City, just

as it

is still
,

known
Beit-

in the East

by the names

and other elevated localities within the by the temple, the royal palace, and the houses of the richer porwalls, occupied

yyJULJI,

El-Kuds, and i^JlJuJI

c:^,

tion

of the hihabitants.

The prophet

graphically represents the progress of the

Chaldeans, from the gate at which they

entered, into the second division of the

el-Mukeddes, of similar signification. By ^?;3 D? the people of Canaan, the prophet does not mean the inhabitants of Canaan generally, nor Phoenician merchants in particular, who earned on trade with those of Jerusalem, but ironically the Jerusalem merchants themselves, who not only resembled the former in their
their

they had ultimately taken jwssession of the whole, and destroyed

city,

until

the principal buildings.

is

This destruction very appropriately expressed by the

,

noun n2^'
pieces, 2

from

-'n'j

to break,

break in

modes of acquiring gain, but adopted idolatrous manners and customs.

See on Hos.
12.
xii. 8.

Kings xxv. 4, 8, 9. i-psa is not a proper name, as the article prefixed shows, but an appellative, signifying mortar, from "i-pr to bray, pound. See Prov. xxvii. 22. It appears to have been applied, from its resemblance to that ves,

The Divine judgments were

reach those

who

to practised Avickedness in

the most hidden places, and in the most

covert manner. This is metaphorically expressed by searching out with lights

what

is

sel, to

one or other of the valleys in or about Jerusalem. Theod. eV Tip fidget.

concealed in the dark.

The

Aq. (is rhv '6\fj.ov. According to the Targum, lii-ipsn nVhs, it was that through which the brook Kidron flows. Others think it was the Tyropcron, the locality of the bazaars, where the merchants carried on their business.

metaphor following is taken from the firm crust which is formed on the surface
of fermented liquors

been long
NEj;
,

left in

signifies, to

when they have an undisturbed state. contract, become con-

crete,

hard,

the hardened state of the rich

settled

From
is

and strikingly expresses who have down into infidelity and atheism.
etc.,

what

follows in the verse, the latter

Comp.

Jer. xlviii.

11.

Tlieir practical

most probably the true interpretation. It is thought by some that the term was purposely chosen by the prophet, on account of its resemblance in sound to onj; a holy place, and that Jerusalem
,

denial of a superintending and govern-

ing providence

is

expressed in so
verse.

many

words

at the

end of the

It is here implied that those of

whom
God
all

the prophet speaks would go on building

itself is

meant but this word

;

is

exclusive-

and planting
their property.

till

the judgment of

ly appropriated to the tabernacle, or temple, and other sacred places, and never to

overtook them, and deprived them of

Comp. Matt. xxiv.

38, 39.

the city, though

it is

called

vnr^

"i^J'

14. intt is not the participle in Piel,

; ;

;;

Chap.

I.

ZEP

H A N I A H.

827

It is near

and hasteth greatly

The sound of the day of Jehovah

There the mighty man shrieketh bitterly. is a day of indignati( n, A day of trouble and distress, day of desolation and ruin, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and obscurity 16 A day of the trumpet and the war-shout, Against the fortified cities,
15 That day

11

And And

against the lofty towers.

I will bring trouble upon men, So that they shall walk as the blind Because they have sinned against Jehovah, Their blood shall be poured out as dust. And their flesh shall be as dung,

18 Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to rescue them

In the day of Jehovah's indignation But the whole land shall be consumed

By

the

fire

of his jealousy
will

For a consummation altogether sudden

be make

with the affirmative

used as an
"in'c"'
.

Mem

rejected,

but

there

is

no occasion

to depart

from
n-t

its

the infinitive of the same conjugation,

abbreviated form of -in
,

usual derivation from the Piel of

to

cause to turn.

It thus signifies

what

Itt

bitter, is

here used adver-

is at

bially.

should be the attack of the Chaldeans, that the Jewish warrior would be compelled to abandon
irresistible

So

building,

the turning, corner, or angle of a and that whether at the top

Tacitus, describing the
:

or the bottom.

walls of Jerusalem, says

" Per artem

patescerent."

himself to shrieks of hopeless

15, 16.

grief.

obliquos et introrsum sinuatos, ut latera

beautiful amphfication, for

oppugnantium ad
Hist.
lib. v.

ictus,

the purpose of aggravating the character Passages somewhat of the calamity.

similar occur in the prophets, but

cap. 11, 5.

17. n>lrt^, or, as in

some MSS. and

none

^^^^

equal to

this.

np!i::i

nna

^^^

^^^^^_

^^^^^

,^^^oaro.
1^"^
'

as well as

rTsVi'W nsa, are instances of paronoComp. Job xv. 24, xxx. 3, masia.
xxxviii. 27.

Hoot ahV
but

<o ea<.

t^E may, by zeugma,

fttt 5 riV

be made to govern
it is

as well as

awn,

n'ln'ajni

'

M'lSSrr

form a

preferable to supply the substan

Hendiadys, and describe the high towers

or turrets, at the angles of fortified walls,

tive verb after

figure,

QttinV comp. Job xx. 7.

^o^^ t^^ ^^"^"^

Gesenius assumes an obsolete root ^js

to separate, divide into classes,

18.

Cj

as that
;

both the one and the other.

from which n32

a turret,

is

derived

but

with a

negative, neither C^,

also

also,

meaning

As

nor.

here " Fire"

, ;

328

ZEPHANIAH.
all

Chap.

II.

Of
is

the inhabitants of the land.

IG, xxvi. 11.

often used figuratively to denote war,

its

^j*

is

to be taken in the

because of

devastating

effects.

Is. x.

sense of wholly, entirely, altogether.

CHAPTER
A

II.

solemn admonition is now given to the Jewish people to repent during the short space of time that would be allotted to tliem before the Chaldean invasion, 1, 2; followed by an exhortation to the pious to persevere in their devotedness to God, and the interests of righteousness, 3. The prophet then proceeds to foretell the destruction of those nations which had always been hostile to the Jews, as the Philistines, 4 7; the Moabites and Ammonites, 810 parenthetically, the idols of the nations, 11 the Ethiopians, 12; and the Assyrians, 13 15.

Bend

yourselves,

and be ye bent,

nation not desired

Before the birth of the decree passeth away as chaff; Before there come upon you the burning anger of Jehovah Before there come upon you the day of anger of Jehovah.

The day

1. sr'ip^ flf -f i pnn the Hithpolcl and Kal conjugations joined for the sake of intensity. Comp. Is. xxiv. 19. The words have been variously rendered. LXX. (Twax^Ti KOii (TvvSe^re. Vulg.
'

Bend

yourselves,

and be ye
down.
Is.

bent, will

then

be the proper rendering.

of TiTva
,

Comp. the use

Lx.

to boic

14.

The

prophet calls the Jews to deep humihty

before
sins.

convenite et conyregaynini.

De
i.

Wette,
e.

prufet

eiich,

ja

priifet.

Gesenius, collect
col-

account of their manifold Because CjCs signifies to be pale, Gesenius renders the words n-s >"i.'\n
,

God on

yotirselces
lect

and

be ye collected;

ti5~:

nation not ashamed! but vjDS

your thoughts, look into your own mind, prove yourselves thus agreeing with Dc Wette, after the interpretation of Pagninus, Yatablus, Cocceius, and Ewald, crbleichet und bleichct. others.
;

never denotes to be pale from a feeling of shame, but as the effect of desire, the
verb everywhere else expressing the idea of pining, longing, being intensely desir-

ous of any object.

not

Most
but

refer to -jr" as the root,

which

sigetc.

desired, is here used

The phrase cisrs xV, by litotes for

nifies in
it is

Pocl to collect stubble, wood,

abominated, hated,
2. The Divine decree or purpose of punishment announced in the preceding

never used with respect to human I prefer deriving it from ^'ip beings.
to bend, be bent.

Arab.

lj>- II. incur-

more ; incnrvatus fuit sencx. Hence rr J5 a bow, from its being bent.
vavit arcus
,

chapter, is here tropically represented as a pregnant femide near the time of her
delivery.

The words cii

"'js "i>;D

o*

CUAP.

II.

ZEPHA^^IAH.
perform
his
all ye humble of the land, judgments
;

329

3 Seek ye Jehovah,

Who

Seek righteousness, seek humility. If perhaps ye may be hid In the day of the anger of Jehovah. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Askelon a desolation As for Ashdod, they shall drive her out at noon-day, And Ekron shall be rooted up.
;

5 "Woe to the inhabitants of the line of the sea

The nation of Kerethites The word of Jehovah is against you

Canaan
!

the land of the Philistines,

1 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

which they might flee for safety, for all were to be visited by the Chaldeans. For
the
see
cities

the rapid lapse of the time of repentance.

of the Philistines here specified,

The image
that which

of chaff
flies

always used of quickly away, never of

is

on the parallel prophecy, 8 and Is. xx. 1, c^nn::

;

Amos
,

i.

the

me-

what comes

to

any one.

troduced parenthetically.

They are inThe sentence

MSS.,

ridian or noon, being the hottest part of

the day,

is

generally spent

by the Orien-

tals in sleep,
is

and

is

the less likely time

wanting in

six of Kennicott's

probably in two more, and originally in

eight of

De Rossi's.

It

is

also omitted in

any military operations to be carried 2 Sam. iv. 5 Jer. vi. 4, xv. 8. The paronomasias, r:2TTy ~'<V, and V^pS
for

on.

the Arabic version.

The declaration, with

is

-j^yr*

are not to be overlooked.

the trifling change of a single word,

5. I'his

and the two following

c-ir

verses

properly repeated for the sake of emphasis.

3.

contain an amplification of the prediction against the Philistines,

to the afflicted and

people,

The prophet here addresses himself humble among his

from

Van

LXX. rh a-^oiyi<rfxa rrjs ^a\dffaT]s, the line

of the
sea,
i.

whom

state of things

some hope of a better might be expected. ^^;s ,

is

e.

the region or coast along

line in

the sea-shore, and so called from the

rendered perhaps,
pious, but the

not intended to exdifficulty of escap-

custom of using a cord or

uring off or dividing a

meas-

press a doubt respecting the safety of the

territorj-.

extreme
left

ing the threatened judgment.

of the land were
to be vine-dressers

The

poor

with the same application, dnri coast of the sea, Jer. xlvii. 7 Ezek. xxv.
, ;

Comp. "in the

by Nebuzar-adan and husbandmen. 2

16.

By DTiis

''^'i,

nation of Cretians,

we

are not to understand the actual in-

Kings XXV.
4.

12.

habitants of Crete, but the Philistines, a

The

connective force of the particle

nation descended from those

who

origi-

"3

for, with

which

this verse

commen-

nally emigrated from that island, and

of Palestine.
the

ces, lies in

the universahty of the calam-

which was about to come, not upon the Jews only, but upon all the nations with which they had been brought into There would be no country to contact.
ity

took possession of the south-west coast a"'P''>p '2 , the name of

Philistines,

properly
.

signifies

the

emigrants, from tJVs

Eth.

p^ll?

42

839
6

ETHAN AH.
I

Chap. IL

And the line of the sea shall be pastures, "With cisterns for shepherds,

And
V

folds for sheep.

line shall

Yea, the
In
tlie

be for the remnant of the house of Judah.

lie

Thereupon

they feed houses of Askelon shall they

shall

down

at

even

For Jeliovah

their

God

shall visit

them,

And
8
I

reverse their captivity.

have heard the reproach of Moab,

the revilings of the sons of

And

Ammon,

Who
And
9

have reviled

my

people.

carried themselves haughtily against their border.

live, saith

Wherefore, as I

Jehovah of

hosts,

The God of
Surely

Israel
shall

Moab

be as Sodom,
as

And

the sons of

Ammon

Gomorrah
salt pits,

A region of
And
And

overrunning brambles and

;

a perpetual desolation

The remnant of my people

the residue of

shall

plunder th-em.

my

nation shall possess them.

for their pride,

10 This shall happen to

them

Because they reproached and carried themselves haughtily, Against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
According to Stephen Byzantium, Gaza was originally called Mhioa, after ilinos, king of Crete, who, with his two brothers, Arakus and llhadamanthus, undertook an expedition to the coast, and gave the city Comp. Deut. ii. 23 1 his ojvn name. Ezek. xxv. Sara. x.\x. 14 Jer. xlvii. 4 16 Amos ix. 7. "y:3 Canaan, which
to rove, migrate.
7.

Instead ofbeing any longer annoyed

Philistines, the Jews, restored to

of

by the

their land,

would occupy the

territorj' as

described in the preceding verse,

8

10.

Comp. the
Is.
;

parallel prophecies
;

against

Moab,
ii.

xv. xvi.

Jer. xlviii.
Jer. xlix,

Amos
1

3
i.

and Ammon.

Amos
There

13

15.

Vs.

V"^:.to

to carry one's self haughtily against

not only employed to designate the whole country taken possession of by the Hebrews, but more specially Phoenicia,
is

one.

is

no occasion

means any supply nS

or any other noun.

has

^'izy

for its
,

The suiRx in cVii^ik antecedent. The formuI

live, ver. 9,

is

here to be understood as restricted to

las :{

the countrj' of the Philistines.

6. It is

"n and "inj

as

living, or as

"ti,

thought by some that there

to

is
,

God

liveth,

t"~'?s "n, as Jehovah, are solemn modes of ex-

an allusion

C"n"]r in the word

r-s

pression,
is

by which the Divine Existence

which they introduce.
p^tt

which properly signifies wells or cisto-ns, from rns to dig. Instead of continuing to be a thickly jxapulated and well
,

pledged for the certainty of the dec,

larations

cultivated country, the land of the Philistines

fit

dratoing, or extending out, from p-jw , cognate '"^"iz to draio out, extend. As
,

should be converted into a region

connected with bramble,

oversjyreading

it

denotes the

only to be occupied by nomadcs.

or

ovenunning of that

; ,

Chap.
11

II.

ZEPHANIAH.
earth,

331

Jehovah is to be feared above all the gods of the For he will cause them to waste away

And
12

all

the inhabitants of the maritime regions

Shall worship

him

each from
!

his place.

Also ye,
Shall be slain

ye Cushites by my sword.

13

14

And he will stretch forth his hand over the north, And destroy Assyria He will also make Xineveh waste, An arid region like the desert. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her
;

All the wild beasts of the nations

Both the

pelican

Shall take

up

A voice shall
shrub.
,

and the porcuj^ine abode in her capitals sing iu the windows,

their
4.

hVtt n-i^w a pit or excavation, such as are found in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, in which, when it overflows
in spring,
salt
its

The w

prefixed in 'iM'ip^w, expresses

water

is

collected,

and pure

simply the locality in which the persons spoken of resided. Compare ^-^sx: V5 , V73 , Q-"'?. > etc. rrn , Arab.
|v., to

obtained by evaporation.

The
is

idea

conveyed by both metaphors

sterility

make

thin, lean, diminish, cause

that of
to waste away, and to destroy.

and

desolation.

LXX.

11. This

verse

connects

so

slightly

t^ol^^pivffn.

The knowledge and wor-

with the preceding, and,

part
is

as the former
little

ship of the true

God were

to be

extended

usually rendered, affords so

suitable a sense, that I cannot but regard

not only over the vast continental regions of the globe, but over those which border-

the suffix in arj'V?; as possessing an anticipative pronominal reference to "77 'is

ed on, or existed in the

the
isles,

sea.

In Q^ n

"'"n
is,

or maritime regions, there

as

yisn
self

the gods of the earth,

with

re-

usual, a special reference to the "West

spect to

whom Jehovah was to show him-

though in connection with V r

universality of such regions
is

all,

the

worthy of exclusive veneration by In Hebrew effecting their destruction. poetry the pronoun or pronominal affix
frequently occurs before the noun.

intended.

The
been,

passage

is

strictly Messianic, since

the accomplishment of the prediction has

See

and
For

is

being effected by means of

on

Is.

xxviii. 26.

While announcing

the gospel.
12.
tt;53,

the destruction of the surrounding idolatrous nations, the prophet was inspired
to predict the gradual, but certain des-

Cush, see on

Is. xi. 11,

xviii. 1.

filment

The prophecy received its fulwhen Nebuchadnezzar invaded

mili-

truction of idolatry universally through-

and conquered Egypt, with whose

were more or less mixed up. There 9 Ezek. xxx. 5, 9.
;

cut the

earth.

The

period predicted
all peculiarity

tary operations and fate the Ethiopians

Jer. xlvi.
is,

should be one in which

local worship

of

would

cease,

and Divine

indeed,
is

woi'ship be acceptable wherever presented

reason to think that Egypt herself

de-

in sincerity and truth. 11

;

John

iv,

2124

1
.

Comp. Mai. i. Cor. i. 2. For

comp. Ps. xcvi.

signed to be included in the term as here

employed.
13

the phrase Qn^^J;

N"i'l3

15.

From

the remote South into

332

ZEPHANIAH.
is

Chap.

m.

Desolation shall be in the thresholds,

For the cedar-work

15 This
is

laid bare.

Which

the exulting city which dwelt securely. said in her heart,

I am, and besides

me

there

is

none.

How
He

she

is

become desolate
wild beasts
shall hiss,

A resting-place for
shall

Every one that passeth by her

shake his hand.
carried his hear-

which the prophet had

ers,

a collection of animals, just as

ple, does,
;

q?

peo-

he turns suddenly back, to the North,

pire,

where there still existed a mighty emwhich must of necessity be over-

Prov. xxx. 25, 26 but it is rather to be regarded as synonymous with y-N , land, comitry ; only restricting it
to the particular covrntry in

thrown, before the Divine sword, i. e. the arms of Babylon, could reach the countries against which he had denounced the judgments of God. This empire was tlie
Assyrian, which was drawing towards its end, and was actually subverted when Nineveh was taken and destroyed by

which Ninso

eveh had been situated

that the

phrase will be equivalent to Y~s~'r." n , Geu. i. 24. The LXX. render irama rck

^pia Trjs
the beasts
is

yf/s.

Targ. sina rn^^n V2

field.

all

of the

The

in "P'ri
"i'3 1;

merely paragogic.

For rsp. and

Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, b. c. 62.5. It is this catastrophe, vnih its disastrous conscciuences, which Zephaniah so graphSo apmically describes in these vei-sos.
pletely

see

on

Is.

xxxiv.

1 1.

Some interpret V*p

demon of
the deS"
desolation, into

of the
ert,

Arab

(J.i, the

and convert r- h,

s-y,

was the celebrated metropolis of

raven, but without sufficient ground. See

^laurer, who, in

not even the

the ancient world to be desolated, that Nomadc^ would seek a tem-

opposition to Hitzig,

takes both words in their usual acceptation,

porary shelter

among

her ruins.

They
"^^'e

rns

the Piel of
is
,

rns

is

here

should only be inhabited by the wild

beasts of the desert.

used impersonally, and

in the passive.

best rendered

That by

c""i."?.

-I'lPsa

chapiter, see
is

are to understand herds of savage ani-

Amos

ix,

1.

By nrns

on meant the

mals, and not flocks of sheep, goats,

is

etc.,

wainscoting and fine car^^ed cedar xoork

apparent from the mention

made
,

in the

parallelism of ".'\-'irTi-V3
beast

every toild

of the nation

"'i

nation, has

by

with which the walls, ceiling, etc., of the houses were ornamented. For the language of pride and carnal security expressed in ver. 15, comp. Is. xlvii. 8.

some been thought

to stand poetically for

CHAPTER

III.

Having digressed to predict tlie fate of the surroundiug nations. Zephaniah returns to his own countrymen, and specially directs bis prophecy against .Jerusalem, the leading persons in which had persevered iu wickedness in spite of
all

the warnings

which they had

; ;

Chap.

III.

ZEPHANIAH

333

received, 17. After addressing the pious members of the theocracy, and encouraging them to wait for the development of the Divine purposes, 8, he proceeds to predict the conversion of the Gentiles, 9, and of the Jews, 10; describes their character when converted, 11 13; congratulates them on their deliverance, and enjoyment of the presence

of their heavenly King, 14 17; and concludes by adverting to the circumstances connected with their return to Palestine after their conversion, 1820.

"Wo The
She She She She

to the rebellious and polluted,

oi3pressing city

listened not to the voice,

received not instruction

trusted not in Jehovah,

drew not near

to her

God.

Her princes in the midst of her Are roaring lions Her judges are evening wolves They gnaw no bones in the morning. Her prophets are vain-glorious, HyjDocritical men Her priests profane what is sacred They do violence to the law.
;

1. It

has been thought by some that

,

pression of the widows,

orphans,

etc.

in nS"i^K

rebellious, as here applied to

is

See
2

Jer. xxii. 3.

Jerusalem, there

a play

upon the name

calculated to

4.

Not only did the

inhabitants

of n-inK, Moriah, on which the temple

generally refuse to

receive instruction

was

built.

If so,

it

was

suggest to the minds of the Jews the

gross inconsistency of their laying claim

from the Lord, and alienate their affecfrom him and his service, but the rulers, both civil and ecclesiastical,
tions

to

any connection with that sacred

place,

while they obstinately refused to obey the

evmced the grossest dereliction of duty, and the most flagrant inconsistency of
character,
i.

law of God. with n-itt

,

The
to

root

is

Nnw

cognate
rebel.

a-iy

'asT

evening wolves,

prove refractory,

e.

wolves which come forth from the

The LXX.
(pav'^s,

rendering the word by eVt-

forests or other

Imking places in the even-

ilhistrious,
it

taken

as

have doubtless miscoming from nsi , <o see ; as

ing, and, greedy with hunger, seize or

the Syr. likewise has done, rendering

J^uiij
'
J.

noted, celebrated.
,

nsS'', the
to

devour during the night, whatever animals they fall in with. Comp. Hab. i. 8, \vKoi vvKTtptvol, Oppian. Cynoget. 3, 266. The voracious and insatiable cupidity of the judges
,

Benon. participle of n5^

cruel, oppressive, etc.

rage, be

is

further expressed

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

eervice of Jehovah, as well as their op-

by npaV f.'ais. N^ nothing is craunched in the morning ; i. e. all is devoiu-ed in the night, and not so much as a bone C,a, left to be gnawed in the morning.
is

here used impersonally. Thus, as to the

834

ZEPII ANIAH.

Chap.

III.

5 Jehovali, tlie riglitcous

One, is in the midst of her, no injustice Every morning he bringeth his judgment to light,

He

doetli

It

is

not lacking
unjust

But the
6
I

know no shame.
;

have cut off the nations

Their corner-stones are laid waste

I have

made
cities
is

their streets desolate,

Without any one passing through them.

Their
are destroyed
;

they are without a

man

There
7 I said
:

no inhabitant. Only fear me

;

Receive instruction That her habitation might not be cut off. According to all that I had appointed concerning her But they rose up early They corrupted all their doings.
;

sense, the

LXX.

and Vulg. olx

^t^oXI-kov-

common Hebrew
6.

idiom, evert/

morn-

TO

noti relinquebant.

The

prophets, in-

ing.

evmcing that gravity and humilwhich became those who professed to deliver Divine messages, were Q-rnis, light and vain-glorious persons, trifling with the most serious subjects, and carstead of
ity

Besides

the

plentiful

instruction

with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem had been furnished by the public institu-

rying themselves haughtily towards others.

The verb TnS

up
like water.
ix.

properly signifies to

boil

Comp. Gen.

xlix. 4

Jud.

Jer. xxiii. 32.

Arab. <yi>^

sxiperhivit.

rupt.

The priests were equally corThey made no distinction between

among them, and from which they might conclude what punishment they had to expect if they persisted in sin, they had examples fiom which to take warning in the desolate condition to which other nations had been reduced on account of their wickedUnder the long and happy reign ness. of Josiah, the Jews enjoyed rest and trantions that existed
quillity until the last year, while other neighboring nations were laid waste for it was during his reign that the great
;

the holy and profane, and distorted the

meaning of the law, when expounding it to the people. Comp. Ezck. xxii. 26, where similar language is used, and explained.

incursion of the Scythians into western

Jehovah had his residence in the temple, connected with the daily worship, in which were those unfailing rev5.

Jlichaclis.
its literal

Asia took place, while Judca was spared. ri5 2 is here to be taken in
acceptation of corner-stone, but
implied.

the ruin or desolation of the building

resting

elations of the rectitude of his character

upon

it is
,

that brought to view a glorious pattern,

Niphal of
7.

nia

to cut

5ns: is the down, lay tcaste.

which

it

was the duty of the Jews

but,

to

hardened in wickedness, they were conscious of no feelings of Rhamc. ij?.i2 -j;2a, in the mornimitate;

iised as imperatives.
is

and ^PipP are both futures In s: ^y^ and r-Vy a change, by no means imcomnion, of
"N-i'n

the second person to the third.

there
is

In Vb
to^

ivy in the

morning,

i.

e.

according to

an

ellipsis

of 2, according

Chap.
8

III.

ZEPHANIAH.
when
I rise for the prey
is
;

335

Nevertheless, wait for me, saith Jehovah,

In the day

For

my

determination

to assemble the nations,

To gather the kingdoms To pour out upon them my fmy,

All the heat of

my

anger

For by the fire of my jealousy The whole earth shall be consumed. For then I will turn to the nations a pure language, That they may all invoke the name of Jehovah i That they may serve him with one accord.
nj;S is not to be here

Vs

taken in the

ities

sense of punishing, but of appointing for

rious period

punishment. Comp.

Jer. xv. 3.

The

ap-

which were approaching, to the glowhich these calamities were designed to usher in, and which the

pointed and threatened judgments should

prophet specially describes in the follow-

be averted from Jerusalem,

itants

if

the inhab-

would only turn from their evil ways, and walk in the fear of the Lord. Such was the announcement which he graciously made to them by his servants
the prophets
;

The LXX., and all the other Greek versions, as also the Syr., render ny by testimony or witness ; a signification which only attaches to the letters
ing verses.
,

when
prey
is

pointed is

The

signification of

but, instead of reforming,

more appropriate

here.

Compare
;

they addicted themselves more sedulously

for this signification

Gen. xlix. 27

Is.

and

entirely to the practice of iniquity.

,

xxxiii. 23.

What
is

is

meant by

rising

up

C'stan
in the

to rise early, is

frequently used

to the prey

explained in the following

Indeed, the verj'

Hebrew

Scriptures in a tropical

clause of the verse.

derivation of the

sense, to indicate that a person does

any-

word from

my

to

pass

thing with preparedness or fuU purpose of

ow in a hostile manner, to riish upon, attack; Arab.

,

mind.

The primary

idea conveyed

by

cV-C*- irniif in
;

aliquem
once sug-

the verb seems to be that of placing the

g"

burdens on the shoulders of camels,

before setting out

J^fc

>

inimicd, hastes

at

etc.,

in the East,

is

on a journey, which, done very early in the

,

gests the ideas of conflict

tion.
9.

and destrucend of the

morning.

Root D^tj
bajulavit.

shoulder,
\

Eth.
onus

From

this verse to the

book the prophecy

I*|rf\<^
8.
"^V

relates exclusively to

/\t\rf\C^

Messianic times.

imposuit humeris.

rified lip or language,

The r:n?,na t^^'-s, pumeans the profes-

Most
>

ekpositors interpret the

words

sion of pure religion, a language freed

!|3tl

expect or wait for me, as if they

were addressed to the profligate characters described in the preceding verse,

from the polluted names of idols, and of every abomination connected Avith their
worship.

but

As

this

was
,

to be realized

by

this construction is admissible only

on

the nations, the

c-i^sy

as distinguished

the principle of their being applied ironically,

from the Jews,

it

follows that the spread

since the phrase

is

never used
this

of Christianity, and the consequent subversion of idolatry throughout the world,

are here specifically predicted.

except in a good sense.

Yet even

but

ill

suits

the entire connection.

This pre-

consider

them

to form an apostrophe to

diction, however, has hitherto been

only

the pious

among

the Jews, calling upon

all

partially fulfilled.

By the gospel,

indeed,

them to look forward, amid

the calam-

idolatry has been dislodged from

many

306
10

ZEPHAXIAH.
the rivers of Cush,
suppliants, the

Chap. IIL

From beyond

My

daughter of

my

dispersed,

Shall bring

my

oflering.

parts of the globe, but

its

place has to a

ture, in

which they

are placed in juxta,

great extent been occupied by the pollutions of antichristian systems of worship, while vast regions are still the scenes of varied and most degrading idolatrous

with each other, '^rs my suppliants, from irs to burn incense

position
,

to a divinity

praij, supplicate.

Arab.

abominations.

And,

as to the unity so

wilt, honos odores

spiravit,

Syr.

AV
^

fumavit odore suavi. Comp. Rev. v. 8, shoulder, whatever there may be of that where the prayers of saints are called real substantial unity which binds all hvfjLi6.\xaTa., odors or incense, and Ps. cxli. true believers to Christ as their Head, 2, where David compares his prayer to and to one another as members of the the Hebrew synonjTne for incense. ri"i Uj; same family, there is still a deplorable Who the worshippers are, the prophet exwant of the visible manifestation of oneplains in the following words ""a n na , ness in obeying the laws of Christ, and the daughter of my dispersed, i. e. by a
,
, :

strikingly expressed

by -tns err

one

obeying the

ordinances

of

his

house.

common Hebrew
people, the Jews;

idiom,

These laws are spoken of as a burden, Matt. xi. 20 Acts xv. 28 Rev. ii. 24 ; and the metaphor here employed by the
; ;

my

dispersed

and the

locality in

which we
IS c'^l

are directed, to look for

,

them

""."i^ ""a?
i.

prophet

is

taken from two persons jointly

Cush,
north.

carrying a burden between them, shoulder

to shoulder.
fxaShy,

e.

beyond the rivers of Ethiopia or Abyssinia itself)

Is.

Compare the use of

i.

6/xo^vv. 12;

Acts
;

U;

ii.

1,

4G;

iv.

24;

XV.

2.5

Rom.

xv.

6.

What

-has pre-

vented the outward

visibility of

the miity

it on the where the same phraseology occurs, but w here the Ethiopians, and not the Jews, are the

the rivers of which enclose

See on

xiiii.

1,

of behevers has been, that some of

them

subjects of the prophecy.

have added burdens of their

mitted to those imposed by

own

to that

It is a well ascertained fact, though all the historical

of the Redeemer, while others have sub-

men

profess-

circumstances with which it is connected have not yet been brought to light, that
there has long existed in the west of Abyssinia, a people called Falashas, or

ing to be acting by his authority, but

who

have had no Scripture warranty

pretensions.

for their

Until there

is

a return to

emigrants
to

(from

the

Eth.
\

V-/^/*)
O'

an unanimous adherence to the simplicity which is in Christ, there can be no such

unity as that taught in this verse.
for

migrate; hence

Y"'^!!

sojourn-

Yet

er, stranger,

the root from which "'P'i^B

derived,

such the Bible teaches us to look and it behooves every Christian to do whatever hes in his power, in order to
bring about so blessed a consummation.

Philistine,

is

and Sot the sanie

maintain that they derived their origin from Palestine, and all of
reason),

who

whom

profess the Jewish religion.

They

Comp. 2

Cor. vi.

14, MJ) yiveabe

',

tre10,

are identified, as to physical traits, not

po^vyovvra
iv

airlffrots

and
r<f

Cor.

i.

^Te S( KarjjpTiffHei'Oi iv
TTJ avTT] yvdi^ij.
1

avrf

vot koX

with the African races living in Ethiobut with the tribes of Arabia. They have their own government conceded to
pia,

0. Having foretold the conversion of the Gentiles, the prophet in this verse

them by the Negus,

or king of Ethiopia.

When
ish

Bruce

Avas there they

had a Jew-

predicts that of the

Jews

quite in ac-

cordance with other passages of Scrip-

king named Gideon, and his queen, Judith. Considering how greatly the

Chap.
11

III.

ZEPHANIAH.

337

which thou hast transgressed against me I will remove from the midst of thee Thy proud exulters And thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 And I will leave in the midst of thee An humble and poor people. And they shall trust in the name of Jehovah.
;

On By

In that day thou shalt not be ashamed account of all thy doings,

For then

13

The residue of Israel shall not commit They shall not speak lies

injustice

Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth But they shall feed and lie down, And none shall make them afraid. Rejoice, O daughter of Zion! 14
Shout,

Israel

exult Avith all thy heart, daughter of Jerusalem 15 Jehovah hath removed thy judgments
!

Be joyful and

Christianity of Abyssinia has been

mixed

should take place in the outward condition of the Jews. That condition into which they have been brought by their obstinate rebellion against Jehovah and
his Messiah, is

up with Judaism,
to believe that

there

is

every reason

most of the early converts

in that country belonged to this very peo-

That the Falashas are part of the whose conversion is here They predictedo I can have no doubt.
ple.

one of disgrace.
it,

When

dispersed people

recovered out of

all

the marks of

shame and infamy

shall

be removed.

are singled out as a separate portion of

The

Pharisaic spirit of pride, and the

the

scattered

seed of

Abraham, most

vain confidence in the temple and the

probably on account of the peculiar circumstances in which they have lived

temple worship, which proved the ruin of the nation, shall be taken away. The
converted residue shall be a people
ble

during the dispersion.

Their bringing

hum-

of Jehovah's offering does not necessarily

and poor in
;

spirit,

Matt. v.

3, xi. 5,

imply that they are, on their conversion, all that to come with gifts to Jerusalem
;

is

only be nniiTJ nri:a , the pure offering, which, under the new
intended
dispensation, "was to be presented in ev-

may

and of a truly righteous and upright and having fled for refuge to the hope set before them in the gospel, shall be safe under the protecting care of
character
their heavenly Father.
14.

ery place.
ver. 9.

See Mai.

i.

11

and comp.

call to

the converted

Israelites,

restored to their
13.

11

own land, and

especially

cription of restored
rael.

These verses contain a desand regenerated Is-

to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to exult

in their distinguished experience of the

sinful

The not being ashamed of their practices does not mean their not
a compunctious
odiousness
sense of their

feeling
intrinsic
is

Divine loving-kindness. 15. This and the following venses furnish the reasons why the Jews should
indulge in exultation.
turn
;

and demerits, but expressive of the great change that

n:s

in Kal, to

in Piel, to cause to turn out of the

43

338

ZEPIIANIAH.
thee,

Chap. UI.

He

liath cleared away thine enemies The King of Israel, Jehovah, is in the midst of Thou shalt see calamity no more.

16

O
17

Zion

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear not let not thy hands be feeble ;
!

Jehovah thy God is in the midst of The Mighty One, that will save
;

thee,

He He He

will rejoice

over thee with gladness,

!

will
Avill

be

silent in his love

exult over thee with a shout of joy.

festivals,

18 I will gather those that are grieved for the (They were of thee ;)

Burdened with reproach

19 Behold! I will deal with
icatj,

for her sake.

all

thine oppressors at that time.

Son.

remove, destroy.

Instead of

Ti^.'i*,

Comp.

Ps. xxxii. 2

Jer. xxxi.

thine enemy, thirty-two

six more,

MSS.,

originally

34

Ezek. xxxiii. 16.

and two by correction, read which reading is also supjxjrted by two early editions, the Babyl. Talmud, and all the versions. For sixty-eight ^ISS., and among 'S-ri some of the most accurate these In the full enSpanish, read ""S-i"? joyment of the presence of their God, the converted Jews should have nothing
"TI'^'N, thine enemies,
, .

18. r.n ,of

participle,

which Q-isi

is

theXiphal

has two significations, that of

being pained or grieved, and that of being separated, removed,

vations
etc.

Both

deri-

may

be supported by the Arab.

iv. proctcl

'^ , , doluit, and Conj.

avovit.

a se

The

former,

which

is

here most

approved, fully meets the exigency of the

passage,

to fear. 17.

and may be

said to

A beautiful description of
which Jehovah

the de-

latter.

The Jews,
it

in a state

imply the which ren-

light

shall take in his

dered
their

impossible for

them

to celebrate

recovered people, and of their consequent

sacred festivals at Jerusalem, are

and continuous happiness. The phrase iranys :;'" n^ has occasioned some difHoubigant, after and Syr., and following him Newcome, and recently Ewald, propose
ficulty to interpreters.

represented as filled with grief

reflected
tors.

when they

on the privileges of their ancesfestival,

is

I'j'.'a,

here a noun of
is

the

LXX.

multitude. rrVs, on her account,

intro-

duced, for the sake of emphasis, between the words r;S~r! f^NCtt
,

to read :^-tn\

" he

toill

reneio his love

;"

the liftiny up,

but this verb nowhere occurs in Hiphil, and the conjectural emendation is wholly
unnecessary.
silence,

or utterance of reproach,

which would

otherwise have appeared in the construct

state.

'Jin

to

be

dumb, keep

By metonymy,

the Jews,

who

are

has the same signification in Hiphil, to be silent, not to speak, and is here
very appropriately employed to express
the non-remembrance of iniquity. Justly as God might set the sins of his people
before them, he, in the exercise of
love,
liis

the objects of such reproach, are intended.

fix in

Comp. Micah vi. 1 6. The feminine sufn ^V." refers to Jerusalem or Zion,
:

understood

the change of person

effect.

is,

as

frequently, for the sake of

,

The

makes no mention of them, having freely forgiven them for the sake of the atonement made by his only-bcgottcn

various reading T;"V though supported by more than twelve MSS., the Targ. and Syr., is most probably an emendation. 10. rs T.'vy means to deal with, in
,

Chap.

III.

ZEPHANIAH.

339

And will save her that halteth, And collect the expelled, And make them a j^raise and a name,
20

At

In every country where they have been put to shame that time I will bring you in,

Even

at the time
will

Yea, I

when I collect you make you a name and a praise

;

Among all the nations of the earth. When I reverse your captivity in their
Saith Jehovah.
the

sight,

way
,

of retribution or punishment.

rence of the article in

rule,
ples.

ynsn which
, ,

is

in

Vulg. interficiam. Targ. Nn"'tt.\ "i^^S S3S Cy / will make an end of. I'he restoration of the Jews is uniformly represented as taking place in connection with the
destruction of those nations that are hostile

construction with tn:;3

is

contrary to
ii. 13; however,

but

is

otherwise not without examiii.

See Josh.
vii.

17;

Sam.

2 Kings

13.
is

In such

cases,

the article

generally repeated before

to the cause of

in a special

God, and that shall, manner, oppose the accom-

the following noun.

Jer.

See Josh.

viii. 1 1

XXV. 26.

Some would account

for

plishment of his purpose respecting the final deliverance of that long depressed

the irregularity by an understood repetition of the noun, thus, y-ns

ynsnVsa
cssnsa. The period

and
Is.

scattered, yet beloved people.

lix.

Comp.
nsVis,
20. After c^.risN"'3S supply

1721,

Lxvi.
,

15,

16.

halting,

and nrr^s

driven away, cast

The
their

in

r 535

is

exegetical.

out, express the deplorable circumstances

of the reintroduction of the Jews into

of the Jews during the dispersion

and

own

land

is

here rendered distin-

the verbal forms indicate that such shall be their condition till the time of restoration.

guishingly prominent by repeated pointed reference.

and So wonderful, how-

The

illustrious character of that

ever, shall be the circumstances connected

restoration, however, shall

redound to the

with the event, that they shall scarcely

believe
it

celebrity of the covenant people in all

when

it

happens,

how

greatly

the countries where they have been the

objects of reproach

and ignominy, yns

and how long soever they may have desired it. Jehovah, to remove all doubts,
declares that he will bring
their eyes
;
i. e. it

land,
lands,

is

used collectively for p'isns,

,

it

about before

and QPtJ3 "ns the land of their shame, means the countries in which they have been the objects of contumely and
disgrace.

shall certainly

become

the object of their delightful contemplation.

Ezek.- xxxiv. 29.

The

occur-

AGG A I.
PREFACE.

It
exiles

is

lon in

generally thought that the prophet Haggai was among the Hebrew who returned with Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, from Babythe year b. c. 536, when Cyrus granted them their liberty, and ordered
to

them

be furnished with what was necessary for the restoration of the

temple at Jerusalem.
B. c. 521.

His book

itself

vouches for the fact that he proph-

esied in the reign of Darius Hystaspis,

who ascended

Having been interrupted

in building the

the Persian throne temple by an interdict,

which the Samaritans obtained from Smerdis the usurper, the Jews became some measure indifferent to the work and when Darius came to the throne, an event which must have deprived the prohibition of all authority,
in
;

more influential persons prophecy of the seventy- years applied to the temple as well as to the captivity in Babylon, and they were only yet in the sixty-eighth year, the proper time for rebuilding it had not arrived, and gave their whole attention to the erection of splendid mansions for
instead of vigorously
their labors, the

recommencing

among them pretended

that, as the

themselves.

To rouse them from their selfish indifference to the claims of religion, Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned, in the second year of Darius, i. e. n. c. 520, to deliver to them rousing appeals from Jehovah. Tliese appeals had the desired effect, and the work proceeded with vigor. The book is made up of five messages, which were all delivered, at successive periods, within the short space of three months.

They

are so exceed-

ingly brief, that they are, not without reason, supposed to be only a

summary

or epitome of the original discourses.

The
he
is

style of

Haggai

is

not distinguished by any peculiar excellence; yet

his countrymen performance of duty. To these, the interrogatory form which he frequently adopts, in no small degree contributes. He is not without elevation when predicting the future. Cer-

not destitute of pathos and vehemence,

when reproving

for their negligence,

and exhorting them

to the

tain portions of the

ing

and the rest, though exhibitmembers which characterizes the usual prophetic style, are but faiitly rli, [hmiodl. The phrases, r^r^ ^tii r-,5i=:: c^.2=\ "? are frequently r.'peatcd. nin^ qx : occurs not less than
book are purely
historical
;

more or

less

of the parallelism of

thrice in a single verse, chap.

-I'sr
nr.yzzi
,

ii.

4.
ii.

ii.

3;

Ufa

rritj,

6; ts%^. T^.,

ii.

16, are peculiar,

and

indicate the Chaldee age.

CHAPTER
The

I.

the prophet calls the attention of the principal civil and ecclesiastical authorities to people to negligence of the people in not building the temple, 1-4; directs that of the respectnotice subjoins a and thfs as the cause of their want of outward prosperity, 511 ing the success with which the delivery of his message was accompanied.
;

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord was communicated through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of
Josedech, the high priest, saying
The Darius
here mentioned
is

1.

Da-

in

rius the son of Hystaspis, of the family

the

of the Achsemenidae, who, in consequence of an oracle, was raised to the throne of Persia, on the death of the usurper Smerdis, B. c. 521, and reigned thirty-six years. That this must be the monarch intended

Egypt, and the frontiers of Europe, to Oxus and the Indus on the east. The months specified by Haggai and Zechariah are those not of the Persian, but of the Hebrew year. See Zech. i. 7,
vii. 1, viii.

19.

Zerubbabel, whose Chal-

dee
14
;

name was
comp.
("ja is

Sheshbazzar, Ezra
iii.

i.

8, v.

from the facts, that Darius the Mede, mentioned Dan. v. 31, ix. 1, hved before the return of the Jews from Babylon and that Darius Nothus and Darius
is obviotis
;

v. 16,

son

was the grandused by Haggai in its more

8, 10,

Codomannus

flourished, the former nine-

extended signification) of Shealtiel, of the royal house of David, 1 Chron. iii. 9 Cyrus committed to his care the 19,

ty-three years after the completion of the

temple, and the latter at a much later arius Hystaspis is represented by period.

sacred vessels of the temple, and appointed him governor of the colony

which returned

to Judea.

The

title

of

Herodotus as a mild and benevolent ruler. He protected the Jews from the opposition
of their enemies, and carried into effect the edict of Cyrus, Ezra vi. The name oi''i'!T , Daryavesh, or, as it appears in the cuneiform inscriptions of Persepolis, Daryawtts, is derived by Lassen (lib. d. Keilform. Inschriften, p. 158), from the
root dark, to preserve,
tive

nns
is

prefect or governor,
is

by which he
of

designated,
rule in

applied to persons bear-

ing

provinces or divisions

the Persian empire of less extent and importance than satrapies. Comp. the
Pracrit.

Pakkha, and the present Turkthough the

latter

ish Pasha,

word,

LccU,
yiLj,

with the affirmaof the nom-

Basha,

is

rather to be referred to

awn, the

being the sign

vi. 98,

inative;

and thus

signifies conservator.

Bash, head, commander, ruler. Joshua the high priest is repeatedly mentioned
in the book of Zechariah, as presiding over the Jewish affairs at the same time

Comp. Herodotus,

where the

sig-

nification ep|i7)s, 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

with Zerubbabeh That V--:;- "-.xn, the high priest, is to be connected, not with the more proximate, but with the

more remote noun,

Joshua,
is clear,

i.

e.

with y i-n"

not only from the' sim-

II

AGGA

Chap.

I.

Thus
Tliis

saith

Jehovah of hosts

people say,

The time

is

not come,

The time

Jehovah to be built. Yea, the word of Jehovah was communicated through Hagfor the liouse of

gai the prophet, saying

Is
it

time for you,

in

ye,

your wainscoted houses, And this house lie waste ? Xow, therefore, thus saith Jehovah of hosts Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, but brought in little; Ye have eaten, but not had enough Ye have drunk, but not to the full Ye have put on clothing, but none is warm;

To

dwell

ilar

coherence of rriB but from

,

all

other

cover,

cover over,

wainscot, or overlay

instances in

which

offices

and genealogis-j

with

boai'ds, so that
is

what

is

predicated of

cal statements are blended.

2,

the houses
ceiling,

not to be confined to the

Simple as are the words sb ry

"n,M

TV

the construction

is

somewhat

owing to the position of the N2. Either we must, with Hitzig, give to the former ry the points'
difficult,

infinitive

but must be extended to the which were thus covered, at once for comfort and ornament. How beautifully the feelings of David, 2 Sam. vii.
walls
2, contrast

with those of the persons rein rP:^n

is

jny =r;py

noio, as in Ps, Ixxiv. 6

Ezek.

proved by Haggai.
5.

xxiii.

43

or convert

sz

into t^s of the

The
is

inferential,
its

while

preterite, as

one of

De Rossi's MSS. reads,

of the
as

nPS
Ps.
lit.

employed, not in
10.
""""='!

temporal

and agreeably

to the rendering

acceptation, but argumentativcly, as in

ii.

LXX.,
or,

Syr., Vulg., Targ.,

is

and Arab.;

tr.'r."^.

Br.~'^

^Itt"',

what

preferable, regard

sa

put

place your heart tipon your tcays, an

absolutely for the purpose of

more em-

idiomatic, but very expressive

mode

of

phatically expressing the sentiment that

speech.

Comp.

ver. 7,

and

ii.

18, twice,

the time was not yet really come in

in the elliptical form

6.
tJari

which

to erect the temple.

As two

of
at

:s

iJ-ij

the seventy years' captivity had yet to

elapse, the colony

historical infinitives,

C^P^^ 5K^ and tin's, are which carry forward

C'^.J'IT at

which had arrived

the force of the finite fonn in

Jerusalem encouraged themselves in their neglect of present duty, by assuming that the building of the temple was included
in the calculation,

the commencement of the verse, and, at the same time, give a greater degree of
press.

and

that,

till

the full

prominence to the actions which they exNothing prospered, and nothing

in the flagrant neglect

time had expired, they were under no obligation to recommence the work. 4. Repeating the word rv, time, which

could be expected to prosper, while the

Jews were living

of their duty.
erty

he had employed twice, verse

prophet makes an appeal

2,

the

They had brought propwith them from Babylon, with

erected splendid houses

full of point

which they had

for

and cogency
llie use of

to those

wliom he

addresses.
to the

themselves, but

God

blasted
;

their

crs

before

cr V adds

agricultural

and other expectations

and

force of the language.

-,eo signifies to

they had nothing in prospect but a sea-

Chap.

I.

HAGGAI.

343

And
To
7

he that earneth wages, earneth them put them into a purse with holes.

Thus

saith

Jehovah of hosts

Consider your ways.

8

Go up to the mountain, and bring wood. And build the house, and I will take pleasure
That
I

in

it.

Jehovah, 9 Ye looked for much, but, behold little And ye brought it home, and I blew upon
glorified, saith
!

may be

it.

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.
1

And

have called for drought,

The
necessaare often said to do what they perform through the instrumentality of others.

son of scarcity and want.

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.
7.

For "=3sn

the textual reading, which

,

should be pointed nassi

the Keri has

mn 3S1

The

copula

marks here the

2!ip

bo?-ed or perforated.

reiteration
5.

of the exhortation

end to be obtained, or the result that would follow the performance of the
enjoined duty.

contained in ver.
8.

In such cases the future

The

reason

why the Jews

is

are called

has the force of a potential mood.

9.

to provide

wood only
;

ome

to be, that the walls of the

thought by Jertemple

rjs

the infinitive absolute, as in

remained standing but this hypothesis is contradicted by repeated statements in the books of Ezra and Zechariah, as well
as in

Even the small crop which was reaped had no sooner been brought into the bams or granaries, than it was disver. 6.

sipated.

Their running each to his

owa

Haggai
is

ii.

18, in

which express

house

is

expressive df the eagerness with

mention
tions.

of laying its foundaseems to have been on accoimt of the time which would be necIt rather

made

essary to procure the article in question

from Lebanon, since

it

required

first

to

be heA^Ti down, and afterwai'ds transported by sea to Joppa.

By nnn

the
is

moitntam, Rosenmiiller thinks Moriah

which the Jews pursued their own affairs, and sought for self-indulgence. t^3 and "in a stand here in striking contrast. 10. CS/Vs is not to be referred to the heavens, and so rendered over you, but on your account, for your sake. Comp. Dr.'^V^a 1^.^ Micah iii. 12. The meaning is, on account of your neglecting to
"I

>

meant

Hitzig, the mountainous country

;

build the temple.

The
,

preposition in

in the vicinity of Jerusalem

but

it

is

Vu>3

following

sVa

signifies

with re-

more natural to interpret the term of Lebanon, whence the wood was actually fetched. It is true the Jews themselves did not go to that mountain for the timber; it was conveyed by the Zidonians and Tynans, Ezra iii. 7 but persons
;

spect to, but does not require to be translated. 11.

is

In the use of 3"nh, drought, there an obvious reference to 3"i.n dry,

,

waste, desolate, verses 4

form a paronomasia.

They The lengthened

and
9.

!544

HAGGAI

Chap. IL

Upon the land, and upon the mountains, Upon the grain, and upon the new wine, Upon the oil, and upon what the ground Upon man and upon beast, And upon all the labor of the hands.
12

bringeth forth,

Tlien 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 Ilaggai the j^rophet, according as Jehovah their God had sent him and the people feared Jehovah. Then spake Haggai, the messenger of Jehovah, in the mes13 sage of Jehovah to the people I am with you, saith Jehovah. And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son 14 of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Josedech the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest of the people, and they came and did the work in the house of 15 Jehovah of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
;
:

amplification

is

employed in order

to

add

13.

To encourage them
Haggai
delivers

to proceed in

to the force of the threatening.

The

the path of obedience on which they had

entered,
brief,
ri'in""

LXX., supposing it to be incongruous to speak of bringing a drought upon tnan

a7id beast, read -nrt instead of

to

them the
"^ss

but most cheering promise,

anh, and

CS3 tlrns
ni"i -i""yn

am

with you, saith

rendered the word by fidxcupav, a sicord, not adverting to the circumstance that
the latter term was
still less

Jehovah.
14.
,

to excite, or stir
i.

up the
1,

applicable

spirit of

any one (comp. Ezra

5),

to the other subjects here enumerated,

means

to render

him

inclined effectively

"What the prophet threatens

sal

is

a univer-

to undertake the performance of

any

act,

drought, the effects of w-hich would

or to pursue a certain line of conduct,

15.

specially be experienced
tures.

by

living crea-

From

the date here assigned

fairly

it

appears, that

most of the month elapsed

undertaken,

12.

The prophet now

effect

describes

the

before the

work was

which was produced by the message which he had just delivered, All the people who had returned united with their rulers in rendering obedience

happy

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,

to the Divine

command.

CHAPTER

II.

This chapter contains three diflbrcnt oracles of the prophet. The first, designed to encourage tlie vKJOpIe and their leaders to proceed with the building of the temple, by considerations derived from the Divine presence, 1 Ij from their national covenant continuing in

Chap.

II.

HAGGA

345

force, and that of the prophetic and gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, 5; from the advent of the person and kingdom of the Messiah, 6, 7; and from the universal proprietorship of Jehovah, the glory of the Messiah, and the reconciliation which he should The second oracle cautions them against intermission in their labors, by eflect, 8, 9. showing that if they did so, nothing they did could be acceptable to God, 11 14; and by referring them to the infelicitous state of their affairs before the late revival, 1518; and promises them prosperity, 19. The third is addressed to Zenibbabel individually, to animate and encourage him in conducting the work.

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month', the word of Jehovah was communicated through Haggai the 2 prophet, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the rest of the people, saying 3 Who is there among you that remaineth, That saw this house in its former glory ? And how do ye see it now ? Is it not, compared with it, as nothing in your eyes ? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel saith Jehovah And be strong, O Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest Be ye strong, also, all ye people of the land Saith Jehovah of hosts, and work For I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts. 5 The covenant which I made with you,
1
!
!

month

1,2. This oracle was delivered nearly after the rebuilding of the tem-

with 02a

rogative' ^-a

but connects with the interThe phrase S3 fifth's is

had conunenced, and was evidently designed to remove the despondency in which some of the people indulged, and to animate them to prosecute the work. 3. It appears from Ezra iii. 13, that
pie

peculiar, but not difficult of resolution,

the word for temple being understood,

4. The comparison instituted in the preceding verse, so far from being designed to discom-age those to whom the

there were

many present
first.

at the laying of

appeal was made,

was on the contrary

the foundation of the second temple,

who

intended to inspire them with confidence

in their covenant God, whose prerogative

had seen the

were
been,
still

alive,

To such of them as few as they must have

dis-

Haggai appeals respecting the

parity between the two, in regard to the

rough and unpromising appearance of the new structure, contrasted with the elegant and splendid aspect of that of Solomon, previous to its destruction by the
Chaldeans.
-iSSDTn
is

though imphed, that whatever might be the estimate they might make of the work, it was very Comp. different with respect to his. Zech. viii. 6. And what is here only
it is

to call things that are not as

It is tacitly

they were.

implied
6.

is

expressly declared ver. 9.

not in apposition

The government

of "i2^ri ns has

44

; ;

346

HAGGAI

Chap.

II.

When ye went forth out of Egypt, And my Spirit remain among you
6

Fear not. For tlms saith Jehovali of hosts

Yet

once, within a

little,

And And

I will shake the heavens,

and the earth,

the sea, and the dry land.

unnecessarily puzzled interpreters.

Ewald

their covenant

thinks the sentence

is

incomplete, and

blessings

God, and would confer upon the obedient. They also

,

would supply l"^T

parenthesis.

rernember.

tenberg actually supplies the

Hengsword in a

had his n?-i the prophets

call to

the

spirit of inspiration in

who were

raised

up

in the

Maurer endeavors to make it out to be an accusative modi s. normcB, and explains, secundum illud verbtun : and connects it with the preceding verse,
thus
:

midst of them to declare his

will,

and
1

the discharge of duty, Ezra, v.

efficient influence to

and of

induce them

to listen to,

am
;

word,

etc.

with you, according to that and so our own translators,

Ilosenmiiller

after Calvin.
r,

would supply

r? from the preceding

verse.

The

par-

ticle

rs

I consider to be prefixed to n::-:r,

it

and enable them to comply with such call, Zech. iv. 6 Hag. i. 14. 6. In this and the following verse the Jews are encouraged to proceed with the work by the assurance that Jehovah would, as the Governor among the na;

in order to give

a greater degree of

tions, in a brief space, exert his

Almighty

prominence, and
that or the

to

be

equivalent
etc.
;

to

power in

effecting a great revolution in

same covenant,

while

the state of the kingdoms of this world,

preparatory to the establishment of the

*i2'^r rs, together with 'r:;-!, form the nominative to the participle r^-s;?;
only, as separated from

kingdom
change

of the Messiah.

This mighty

by the intervening prelicate "im tii2 --rs, the

it

is first

described in the usual fig-

urative language of prophecy, as a con-

put in the feminine singular, to agree with -nnn, the nearer anteceparticiple
is

vulsion of the physical universe, and then

literally as a convulsion

of

all nations.
,

dent.

For

this

use of

rs

before the
ix. 19.

nominative, though rare, see Neh.

"!'i?~rs
-is s'';

In the phrase Myyz rns nis it is only the numeral J-ns which occasions any
difficulty.

cloud
iivy

did not

have

nV

!i:"rV>;
not kept,

V'-v.* ^^'^ pillar of depart, etc. ver. 34,

;

yet

little, i. e.

The combination trrr "i"? time, occurs- more than

, ;

r>!';

And

our

kinr/s

once.
Jer.
li.

See Ps. xxxvii. 10

33.

Is.

xxix. 17

Dan. ix. 13, rs-V? rsa rs-q ry-in-Vs rs. All this evil hath come upon us. word oi '^S'^ matter, is here employed to denote the Sinaic Covenant, as the accompanying verb rn2 to cut, or make a covenant
etc.
: , ,

But that here presented bemean-

ing peculiar to this passage, naturally

suggests some peculiarity in the
ing.

Most supply cys

6Tt
a7ro|,
xii.

time, after the

IjXX.

quoted
26, 27,

upon, Heb.
'^l

and reasoned and the Syr.

for rri}!
;

obviously shows.

Notwithstanding the covenant of which the Jews had been guilty, on account of which they had been punished in Babylon, it still continued in all its
flagrant violation

of that

jj.^ ^.SiO^'

Comp.
vi. 3

cys

one time, once. Josh.

;

xxvi. 8

and

for

the

ellipsis

of
as

Sam. cys

force.

They

possessed

it

in its written

where ^n^ stands by itself, Exod. XXX. 10 Job. xl. 5 Ps.

; ;

here,

Ixii. 12,
,

and thus had the pledge which Jehovah had given them, that he was
form,

Ixxxix. 36.
tle, is

And

certainly, as

uyw

lit-

designed to express brevity of time.

Chap.

II.

HAGGAI,

347

7 Yea, I will shake all the nations, And the things desired by all the nations shall come
nothing can be more appropriate than such construction. Hengstenberg labors
to include the dissolution of the

Jewish
;

state in his prediction, does not appear

hard to bring the idea of brevity of time out of n n i^ but fails to produce any examples to confirm his hj'pothesis. What the prophet has in view appears to be the convulsions which were yet to
,

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.

take place in the Persian and Greek

Having

figuratively set

forth the
stUl

some of which were soon to commence, but all of which were more proximately, or more remotely connected with the complete establishment of the Jews in their own land, and the splendor of their temple as erected by Herod. The
empires,

great politijal changes

to take place

which were

among

the nations before

the introduction of the

tion in literal terms,

kingdom

of the

Messiah, Haggai here repeats his predic-

previous convulsion, implied in the phrase

yet once, does not appear to be the shaking, etc.,

and then at once announces the arrival of the eagerly expected blessings of that kingdom. The passage has long been regarded as one of
the principal prophecies relative to the

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-

time of the Redeemer's advent.

it

was

so applied
is

That by some of the early

undeniable.

Jewish Rabbins,

Thus

in

the chapter of the Talmudic

treatise

tended to the downfall of the

empire,
etc.,

Roman
events

Sanhedrin, entitled
interpretation
is

pVn

the following

the destruction of Antichrist,

given as that of Rabbi

but

must be confined

to

which were to happen before the com-

who flourished before the time of Jerome: Vs-r*^ CriV T'* rirV^a izva
Akiba,
:3rr.sVtt

have only to call to ing of Christ. mind the wars of the Persians in Asia
Minor, Greece, Egypt, and other parts

We

IMS nnsVi ^z^n

y- SI
c-ru?
'c-y-i^i
,

nns's

r;"i; S3-T
little

For a

will give the

and those of Alexander and his successors which followed, till the period when the establishment of the power of the

after our desolation,

kingdom and after

to Israel,

the king-

Romans
acters,

at

length gave peace to the

fulfilment

world, in order to read, in legible charthe

dom, behold I will shake heaven and earth, and Messiah shall come. The rendering of the Vulg. supports the same " Et veniet Desideratus cunctis view
:

of

the

present

Gentibus."

Leo

prophecy.
require

Nor

does the

the writer of the Epistle to

comment of the Hebrews

qui desideratur ab

' Et Juda veniet omnibus gentibus."

:

Dathe

"

Et deinde veniet gentibus om-

any other application of it. His object is to show that the dispensation or kingdom of the Messiah is stable and immovable; and in order to illustrate His point, he introduces, by way of contrast, the natural phenomena which took place on the promulgation of the Sinaic covenant, as described by Moses, and the political phenomena predicted by Haggai, all of which indicated the mutable character of the elements upon which they were exerted. That the prophet intended

nibus expetendus."

On

the other hand,

Kimchi, Vatablus, Calvin, Ribera, Drusius, Gataker, Vitringa, and others, render
:

"

The

Gentiles shall
i.

come with

their

delightful things,"

e.

their silver, gold,

precious stones,

etc.

Some,
etc.,

violently,

"

Come

to

the desire,"

thereby Jerusalem.

meaning Most of the mod-

ems, rejecting this construction as altogether unwarranted, translate after the LXX. 7}|i TO iKKeKTo, iravTwu twv i^vwv,

"the choice things," or "the

pleas-

Chap. IL

^48

II

AG GAI
-with glory,

And

I will

fill

this

house

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

ant things of all nations shall come." " dass die liebstcn aller Volker kommen :" j. e. " That the most lovely

Ewald
of
all

sum ; i. e. it The proper

is

not formal, but logical.

therefore,

translation,

of
or,

cvjn Vr r-rn
And then
itive

!iS2n will be,

And,

people

may
is

berg,

who

renders,
at

Hengstencome." " the beauty of all

great pains in enhis translation,

the things desired by all nations

shall come.

The Genitive being the Gen-

the heathen,"

of object, must be thus expressed.

these objects of desire on the part

deavoring to

make good

Now
of
for

what he says is all their always beautiful among them But he fails alike costly good things.
which he
inteq^rcts of

all nations,

cannot

mean

their riches,

in his attempt to set aside the idea of

desire
as expressed

by r-7;n, and in
the

that to prove that the prophet here foretells

the rich contributions which

heathen would bring into the church. That the root iiin primarily and most commonly signifies to desire or covet, both
,

no such riches were brought to Jerusalem by all the nations the gifts bestowed by some few of the heathen princes after the time of Alexander not in any degree exhausting the force of the language here employed. Neither could the prospect of contributions in more remote future time have operated in the way of encouragement upon the minds

in a good

and a bad

sense,

must be

evi-

of those

whom
The

the prophet addressed, so

to proceed

dent to every one ance

who

will

take the

as to induce

them

with their

trouble to consult the

;

and that
it,

Hebrew concordrn-cn, which is derived

work.
fore,
TO.

objects in question, there-

an object of rfesire, see the Lexicons of Gesenius and This acceptation must be vindiLee. cated to 1 Sam. ix. 20. riun Vs "izy^ V>i-a^ to 2 Chron. xxi. 20, r^r n sVs and to Dan. xi. 37, C'-i: rn^in.
from
signifies desire,
;

must have been of a higher order Hf\x6vTa aya^d, the good things
i.

to

cotne,

e.

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

The want fv-.n Vs

w-hile

of concord in
,

r^i:n

?S3!i

the

verb

expressing

the

could find nothing satisfactory respecting

the Divine Being, pardon, emancipation

predicate, being in the plural masculine,

n-KH

the subject of the proposi-

tion, is in the singular feminine, occa-

from the power of moral evil, and a future state of existence and more or less
;

sions

no small

difficulty,

and presents an

earnestly desired to obtain information in

insuperable objection to the usual iles-

regard to these important and necessary

points.

That tjsn should have been produced by zeugma with is totally unsupported by analfi-'v"sianic interpretation.
,

ogy, just as a plural of excellence in

verbs
is

To adduce only one testimony from among many to be found in ancient pagan writers. Socrates, endeavoring to satisfy the mind of Alcibiades on the
suliject

equally without example.

The

of acceptable worship, says

iffTl TTfplfX.eVflP

avay-

only practicable solution warranted by grammatical usage, consists in assuming

T.-^yzn

KOIOV OVV

iWS &V TIS flO^

av^pwirovs Sia-

ws 5?

TTpbs deoi/s Kcd irphs

to be a collective noun, convey-

K*r<rSoi, It is therefore
till
7IS

necessary to wait
it

ing a plural idea, the gender of which not having yet presented itself to the

some one 7nay teach v^ hotc

to

behooves

conduct ourselves, both towards the

mind

of the prophet

when he enunciated
it

the verb, he naturally expressed

in the

gods and men. To which Alcibiades responds irSrf oZv iraptarai 6 xpSfO! ovtos
:

masculine as the more worthy gender. The construction iu such cases is ad sen-

ai

'ZuiKpaTfs
6.V fioi

Kol tIs 6 Trat5iv(Twi>

ijSiffra

yap

SohOi ISui/

toCtoc rhy &vbpwvov

Chap.
8

II.

HAGGAI.
is

349

Mine

the silver, and mine

is

the gold,

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

9

The glory
former,

of this latter house shall be greater than that of the

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

ris iffriv

When
?

shall that time arrive,

O
be

Socrates

and who

shall that Teacher

former temple, not merely in degree, but in kind. That the second temple, even
as
all

? for most eagerly do I wish to see such Plato, Alcibiades, ii. near the a man. end. And, as the time of the Redeem-

renewed and beautified by Ilerod,

at

equalled in magnificence that of Sol-

advent drew near, there was a general expectation of a Teacher and Deliverer, not only in the Jewish nation, but
er's

throughout the world.

To

Christ, as the

Light of the world, and to the spiritual blessings which flow through his mediation, the prophecy strictly applies and, with this reference, was admirably cal;

omon, there is no reason to believe. This must appear on comparing the description given of the former by Josephus, Antiq. Jud, lib. xv. cap. xi., with that furnished of the latter, 1 Kings vi. vii. 13 In point of size, indeed, the 50. temple of Herod exceeded the structure erected by the celebrated Jewish mon-

arch

but this was

that

all.

The statement
lib. vi.

culated to stimulate the Jews to persever-

made by
iv. 8, all

Josephus, Bell. Jud.

it

cap.

ance in building the temple, with which was inseparably connected the restoration
of their ancient polity, during the existence of which the Messiah was to appear. The " glory" with which the temple was
to be
filled,

was the most admirable the works he had seen or heard

of
of,

does not include Solomon's temple, but has respect to other erections in diff"erent But if the second parts of the world.

was not the rich and splenetc.,

house was

inferior in point of

sumptu-

but a resplendence, consisting in the manifestation of Jehovah himself. Comp. Zech. ii. 5, with
did furniture,

ousness to the former, and wanted, as the

Ezek.

xliii.

4, 5

Exod.

xl.

34, 35

Kings
8.

viii. 1 1

The Jews needed

to be under

no

concern about the means requisite for the The earth is the erection of the temple. Lord's and the fulness thereof, so that

Jews admit, the Urim and Thummim, the ark, the pot of manna, Aaron's rod, and the visible glory, which was the symbol of the Divine presence, it follows that the greater glory by which it was to be distinguished, must denote something altogether different in kind, and which could only be supplied by Him, in whose
person the glory of God appeared, 2 Cor. iv. 6, who is the " Brightness of the Divine glory," Heb. i. 2 whose glory was beheld as that of the only-begotten of the who could say of Father, John i. 14 himself, " that in this place is one greater
; ;

whatever amount of earthly riches was wanted, he would in his providence supply.

The
is

declaration contained in this

verse

introduced parenthetically, to re-

lieve their

minds from any momentary

anxiety, arising out of the circumstances

in which, as a poor

and despised
terms
")

people,

than the temple," Matt.

sat in
it

xii. 6

and who

they were placed.

9

The LXX.

refer the
,

n h sn

the latter,

and irj{nn
,

the former, not

daily teaching, Matt. xxvi. 55. In support of this interpretation, and indeed of the Messianic character of the
entire prophecy, ver. 7, 9, the declara-

to n-'n

"'an
;

this house,

but to nS2S

the glory.

And

thus Hitzig, Maurer,

iii.

tion

made in

and Ewald
dicted

but Ezra

1 2,

determines

latter verse

may with

the concluding clause of the all propriety be

is

to the contrary.

The

glory here pre-

adduced.

"When "peace"

spoken of
it

was

to be greater

than that of the

in an absolute sense, in the prophets,

3.j0

HAG GAI
in tliis place I will

Chap.

II.

And
Saitli

give peace,

Jehovah of

hosts.

10

On

the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year

of Darius, the word of Jehovah was communicated through 11 Ilaggai the prophet, saying Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Ask now the priests as to the law, saying If any one should carry
: : :

12 sacred flesh in the skirt of his garment, and touch with his skirt bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any eatable, shall it be 13 holy
?

And
:

the priests answered and said, No.

Then

said

unclean on account of a dead body, should touch any of these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests 14 answered and said. It shall be unclean. Then Ilaggai continued,
Ilaggai
If any one
is

who

and

said

Thus hath

this people,

and thus hath

;

this nation been,

Before me, saith Jehovah

denotes the reconciliation between

God

tained in the preceding verses of the

chapter. 11

men, to be effected by the Comp. Is. ix. G, 7, liii. 5, Ivii. Messiah. Micah v. 5 Zech. vi. 13 with 19 Luke ii. 14 Acts x. 36 Rom. v. 1 Eph. ii. 14, 17. This peace was to be

and

sinful

13.

To convince

his

countrymen

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
will, the
\\'ith

gianted r-Tn
in Jerusalem.

Cpaa
It

in this place,

i.

e.

his

was there the Messiah

prophet directs them to consult

;

made

cross. Col.

peace through the blood of his It has with some been i. 20.

the priests on two legal questions

one, relative to the

the

matter of dispute, whether the temple

erected by Zerubbabel, or whether the latter

and that

built

by

Herod, are to be regarded as identical,

is

not to be considStrictly

ered

as a

third

temple.

architecturally considered, that of

and Herod

was

entirely new, for he caused that of Zerubbabel to be taken down to the very foundations but in the popular and re;

ligious language they

as Joscphus speaks of those built

were identical just by Sol;

communication of ceremonial sanctity to any object, by its having been brought in contact with what had been sanctified and the other, respecting the communication of ceremonial impurity by one who was himThe former was denied self impure. the latter affinned. "\Miatever the Jews might otherwise rightly perfonn, would not compensate for their neglect in building the temple; on the contrary, their neglect in this matter would taint or viti;

omon and Zerubbabel

lib. vi.

as one, Bell. Jud. Accordingly nothing is more customary than for Jewish writers to speak of only the first and the second temple. In the present verse, Ilaggai is to be understood as spe.aking in an archi-

ate all their other actions.

illustration

Comp. in
vi.

cap. iv. 8.

of these questions. Lev.

vi. G,

27

Numb.

xix. 13

in

which

lat-

ter passages the abbreviated

form 'cti
tE?.

dead body,
Tiz
,

is

expressed in full by

or

by

nr,K"i

a cti
,

it-s

cnsn
ca.se

tectural sense,

inasmuch

as the

second

14.

The

application of the legal decis-

temple was then being actually built. 1 0. This prophecy was delivered rather

ions of the priests to the

of the Jews,

who had
temple.

neglected the building of the

It describes

more than two months

after that con-

them, not as they

ChjLp. II.

HAGGAI.

351

15

And thus hath been every work of their hands, And what they have offered there hath been unclean. And now consider, I beseech you,
From this day and backward. Before one stone was laid upon another
In the temple of Jehovah.

16 Since these days were.

One came

to a heap of twenty sheaves,

;

And

there were but ten

to the vat to

One came

draw

fifty

purahs,

And
In

there were but twenty.

hail,

17 1 smote you with blight, and mildew, and

all

the labors of your hands

to me,

Yet ye turned not

Saith Jehovah.

18 Consider, I beseech you.

From From From

1

this

day backward,

the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. the day

when the temple of Jehovah was founded,

in the granary ?
Is, Ixiii. 3, is

Consider Is the seed

still

now

were, engaged in the work, but as

is

they had been, and

designed to put

liquid measure in
tity being

here employed to denote a which the wine was

them upon
C"i
,

their guard against falling back into the same state. The adverb
there, points graphically to the altar,

drawn out. LXX, /xeTpijTris. The quanunknown, I have retained the

original

which had been erected at Jerusalem, and which was, in all probability, within view of the audience which the prophet addressed.

Amos
''T-i

For ver. 17, comp. where we have the words Ct?2-i sV ye turned not unto me,
word.
9,
iv.
,

instead of -Vs
gai, in

Ezra

iii.

3.

15

17.

The Jews

are earnestly ex-

, used by Hagwhich there is an ellipsis of the participle n^na For this use of ritjs
.

C=ris 75*

horted to reflect upon the state of their

affairs

as a nominative, or as indicating the subject of discoiu^e, see

18, the exhortation
is

during the period in which they had intermitted the work. God had frowned upon them, and rendered them

on

ver. 5.

In

ver.

infelicitous,

n^sa
,

a substantive, with

once and again reiterated for the sake of effect and to render it still more definite, the exact date
;

the local n
it signifies

used adverbially.

Properly

is

added
is

to the

formula n-'n

0VI

>

^^^s

upicard, being derived from

day, which

had been employed

and

ver. 15.

nVy

to
it
,

ascend; but used, as here, of

n^ya

here to be taken, as in that verse,

not, as the

time,
trjS"'n

means back, backwards. In the word Ctt";, days, is underis

in reference to past time,

Vulg., Hitzig,
future.
19.

etc.,

in reference to the

stood,

sa

to be taken impersonally.
,

At Si-it'S

nK"iy

a heap of twenty, sup,

To

the question put at the beginverse, a negative is to be

ply nS'sVs or c-ittS sheaves. r!"i^3, which is used for the wine-press itself.

ning of the
given.

The

seed

was no longer in the

a52

HAGGAI

Chap.

II.

20

And as yet the A-inc, and the fig-tree, And the pomegranate, and the olive have borne nothing From this day will I bestow the blessing. And the word of Jehovah was communicated a second
to

time

Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying

I will

21 Sjieak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, saying

22

I will

shake the heavens and the earth, overthrow the throne of kingdoms,

I will destroy the strength of the

kingdoms of the

nations,
;

23

overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them The horses, also, and their riders shall come down, Each by the sword of another. In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts,
I will take thee,

And

Zerubbabel

the son of Shealtiel,

My
granary.
It

servant, saith Jehovah,

had been sown

in the course

Persian throne, and .subdued the rest of

of the month, and there were no signs of

its

Asia; but the predicted convulsions did

not

springing

up any more than

there

were of the produce of the fruit-trees. Jehovah had formerly blasted their harbut now that the people were dilivest gently engaged in building his temple, they might confidently calculate upon one of plenty. He gives them a positive
;

monarch.

commence with the conquests of that Many of them took place durMiHer-

ing the reign of Darius, whose arms were

carried not only into Scythia, Asia
nor,

and Greece,

but, according to
It
is,

odotus, into India.

therefore, not

at all improbable that

Zenibbabcl sur-

promise to this

effect.

The

repetition of

vived several of these wars, and thus

lived in the beginning of jiinr. c'l""
,

nyn Ci''r~" ,from

this day,

which had

been twice used in the preceding verses, gives emphasis to the declaration, -ry
,

that day, or the period in the course of

usually signifying until,

is

here employed

which the prophecy was to be fulfilled ; and as the Persians occasionally experienced serious reverses,
for the
as, for instance, in
it was natural Jews who were under the protection of Darius, to have their minds unsettled by apprehensions respecting the

in the sense of tchile, or as yet, as in

Judges iii. 26 2 Kings ix, 22 Job. i. 18, where it corresponds to -\y in verses 16 and 17. 20 23. These verses contain a special message to Zerubbabel, in which there
; ;

the Scythian expedition,

ultimate state of their

affairs.

To

inspire

is

a repetition of the prediction,

some-

them with
protection

confidence, Jehovah here as-

what

amplified, respecting the revolutions

sures their governor of his regard

and

that were about to take place,

been delivered in vorses 6 ver. 22, the verb rn " to go or come doicn,
,

which had and 7. In

amid
,

all

the commotions that

tions.

might take place in the surrounding nahJlV to take, is merely employed

for the

is

equvialent to Vs3

to fall.

That the

purpose of introducing the action

2.3, cannot be viewed having respect to Zerubbabel in his individual capacity, has been thought to be quite obvious from the fact, that he lived upwards of an hundred years before the time of Alexander, who overturned the

promise made, ver.

as

expressed by the following verb.

For

OJ^in^ ';T"P7:';a, I will place thee as a signet, comp. Song viii. 6 Jcr. xxii. 24. Crirt from crn to seal, or close by sealing, signifies a ring with the seal or
;
, ,

signet in

it,

vnXti

which the impression

Chap.

II.

II

AGGA

353

And
For

will

make

thee as a signet

in thee I take pleasure,

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

was made.
of
silver,

Seals were commonlj' made but sometimes of the most preiia

garded by God.
latter idea is

He was

to be

an object

of his incessant care and dehght.

The
,

cious stones, and, consequently, held

more

definitely expressed
tj2

high estimation by their owners.

Being

by the addition
to select

im na

nna

sit^-

worn on one of the

stant inspection

fingers of the right

nifying not only to try objects, and then

pleasure in

hand, they were likewise objects of con-

In points of view Zerubbabel was

and

care.

all

these

what is valuable, but also what is thus selected.

to take

to be re-

45

ZECHARIAH.
PREFACE.
Zechariah was
Babylon.
V. 1, vi. 14,

of Iddo, one of the priests

His father Berechiah was a son of a sacerdotal family. who returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua from

Neh.
the

xii. 4.

When

he

is

said to

have been the son of Iddo, Ezra

word

-53 is

used, according to a

common Hebrew
in

idiom, in the

sense of grandson.

He

must have been born

Babylonia, and been young,

He was contemrather than otherwise, at the time of his arrival in Judea. porary with Haggai, and, like him, received his prophetic conunission in the
second year of Darius Hystaspis, b. c. 520, only the latter began his ministry two months earlier. Both prophets were employed in encouraging Zerubbabel and Joshua to carry forward the building of the temple, which had been
intermitted through the selfish and worldly spirit of the returned exiles
spirit

which they boldly and variously reproved. The most remarkable portion of the book is that containing the first six It consists of a series of visions which were vouchsafed to the chapters.
prophet In the course of a single night, in which, by means of symbolical representations, the dispensations of Divine Providence relative to the nations that had oppressed the Jews, the entire removal of idolatry from the

and temple of Jerusalem, and the and impressively revealed. The next portion contains the seventh and eighth chapters, and contains an answer to a question which the inhabitants of Bethel had proposed re(atter,

the re-establishment of the city

certainty of the Messiah's advent,

were

strikingly

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 and the their conversion and restoration tlje Jews during the dispersion
; ; ;

sacred character of their worship, in whk-h the Gentiles shall join, after the
destruction of
tlie

wicked confederacy which

will

be opposed

to their final

establishment In Canaan.

The
tested.

authenticity of this last portion has been,

and

still

Is,

strongly con-

Not only has

it

been denied

to

be the production of Zechariah, but

PREFACE TO ZECHAEIAH.
it

355

has been broken up Into fragments, the independent authorship of -which

many anonymous authoi's. The first who ventured upon such a denial was Joseph ISIede, whose opinion was adopted by Hammond, Kidder, Whiston, and Bridge, and more recently by Seeker and Newcome in this country, and on the continent by Fliigge, Doderlein, J. D. Michaelis, Seller, Eichhorn, Bauer, Bertholdt, Forberg, Rosenmiiller, GramThe authenticity, on berg, Hitzig, Credner, Maurer, Ewald, and Knobel.
has been yindicated to as
the other hand, has been maintained

by Carpzovius, Blaney, Jahn, Beckhaus,

Koester, Hengstenberg, and Burger.

The
what
is

principal objection

is

taken to the language and character of the

materials, as being very different from those which are found to distinguish

universally allowed to have been written

it

by Zechariah.

To

this,

however,

has been replied, that granting such to be the case, there may have elapsed a long period of time between the composition of the former and latter portions of the book, during which auy observable change in the
style of the

prophet might have taken place. It is evident, from there being no reference whatever in the chapters in question to the completion of the temple and the restoration of the Jewish affairs after the captivity, that, if they had not been written previously, they must have been composed long after these events had become matter of history, and in circumstances altogether different from those which occupied the attention of the prophet at the

commencement of

his ministry.

That these chapters were written long before, and, indeed, during the existence of the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel, is a position maintained by most of those who dispute their authenticity but it is based upon too feeble and precarious a foundation to recommend it to the adoption of any who will The mere menimpartially examine into all the circumstances of the case. tion of Judah and Ephraim, upon which so much stress is laid, can yield it no real support. Not the smallest hint is anywhere dropped which would lead
;

us to infer the existence, at the time, of a separate political or religious establishment in the northern part of Palestine nor is there anything, but the
;

contrary, to induce the conclusion that a king reigned in

of the author.
tivity,
if

Judah in the days That Ephraim should be spoken of as existing after the cap-

cannot be matter of suqirise, when it is considered, that a very large, not the larger, portion of the ten tribes availed themselves of the liberty

granted by the Persians to the Jews in Babylon, and likewise returned to the land of their fathers. This view of the subject is confirmed by the application of the

term " Israel"

i.

to all the tribes, chap. xii. 1, just as

1.

it is

used in the

identical formula Mai.

Compare Mai. ii. 11, 12, iii. 6, The few references to a return relate to those Jews which were in a state of banishment or slavery under the Grseco-Syrian and Gi'iBCO-Egj'ptian kings. The historical

so strongly

circumstances connected with the Egyptian expedition of Alexander are marked in the prophetic announcements, that they cannot without

violence be identified with any previous events.

slightest allusion to the

The

absence, too, of the

Babylonish captivity, either in the way of threatening or warning, while the prophet minutely describes the character of the Jewish

ooQ
rulers,

TREFACE TO

!:

CII Alii AIL

in

and the condition of the Jewish people,

fate of the people, goes convincingly to

immediate connection with

that the captivity

the sufferings of the Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the conse-

quent

show

must

have taken place, and that the whole of this portion of the book has respect So strongly, indeed, has this to times future to those in which he flourished.
fiiatiire

of the case presented itself to Eichhorn, and other sharp-sighted critrejecting, as their neology

ics, that,

compelled them

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 Hyrcanus I. It also deserves notice that no reference whatever is made to the existence of royal government among the Jews, at the time the author wrote, or to any circumstances in the history of that people previous to the captivity. When, therefore, the difference both in regard to time and subject-matter are taken into consideration, it must be regarded as sufficient to account for any difference of style that may be detected. It is, however, after all, a question whether there really does exist such a difference in this respect, as Be it that the introthat to which it has become so fashionable to appeal. ductory formulas which occur in the first eight chapters do not occur in the last six, the objection, if fully carried out, would go in like manner to dismember the Book of Amos, and assign its composition at least to three differThe first two chapters of that prophet, it may be alleged, ent authors. cannot have been written by the same person that wrote the three which follow, since in the former every prediction is ushered in by the marked formula, " Thus saith Jehovah," whereas in the latter no such formula occurs, but another equally marked " Hear ye this word." And upon the same principle, the seventh and eighth chapters must have come from the pen of a third writer, since the distinguishing formula there is, " Thus hath Jehovah showed me."
:

The very

peculiar character of the

all

first six

chapters of Zechariah,
it,

is

such

as to exclude

comparison of any other portion with

while the

more

adorned and poetical style of the concluding chapters, which is so admirably adapted to the subjects treated of, ought equally to be regarded as exempting them from the category of comparison. In these no dates were requisite, though they were in the former, in which they occupy their appropriate place With in necessary connection with the events which transpired at the time.
respect to the
titles,

chap.

ix. 1,

and
i.

xii. 1,

they are precisely such as might

be expected

to

mark

the strictly prophetic matter to which they are prefixed.

title,

The

exactly parallel

Malachi,

1,

naturally suggests the idea, that they

is

belong to a

common

period, especially as nothing analogous

found

in

any

of (he 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,

not to Zechariah,* or of a
* See

spirit of

and wanton and unbridled hypercriticism,

passage.

Comment, on the

PREFACE TO ZECHARIAH.
which would unsettle everything,
In point of
style,

357
of certain

in order to satisfy the claims

favorite principles of interpretation that

may happen
his

to

be in vogue.
his subjects,

our prophet varies, according to the nature of

and the manner

in

which they were presented to

mind.

He now expresses
At one time he

himself in simple conversational prose,

;

now

in poetry.

abounds in the language of symbols at another in that of direct prophetical announcement. His symbols are, for the most part, enigmatical, and require
the explanations which

Ezekiel

it is

diffuse,

accompany them. His prose resembles most that of uniform and repetitious. His prophetic poetry possesses
;

much

of the elevation and dignity to be found in the earlier prophets, with whose writings he appears to have been familiar only his rhythmus is sometimes harsh and unequal, while his parallelisms are destitute of that sjTnmetry and finish, which form some of the principal beauties of Hebrew poetry.

: ,

CHAPTER

I.

prophet Ix the first six verses, which serve as a general iutrodiictiou to the whole book, the which resulted from the impenitence is charged to warn the Jews by the consequences Divine will. We have of theii^ forefathers, not to be backward in complying with the favored, containing a then the first of the prophetic visions, with which Zechariah was folsymbolical representation of the tranquil condition of the world at the time. 711; gracious lowed by an expostulation respecting the desolate state of Judea, 12, 13, and symbols, appropriate promises of its restoration, 1417. The last four ver.'ies set forth, by destruction of the hostile powin a second vision, for the encouragement of the Jews, the their history. ers by which they had been attacked, at different periods of

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the "word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo,) the prophet, saying
Jeliovah hath been greatly displeased with your fathers.

2 3

Say therefore unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Return unto me, saith Jeliovah of hosts, And I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of
See preface, and on Haggai
i.

hosts.

1.

1.

mentation or intensity. Hence the

render here, wpyiaSst)
,0

which the prophet has in view in this and the following verses, is to call those Jews who had returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, to repent of the selfish negligence which
2

The

special object

LXX.
;

opyriv neyaXr^v

.0
]

>
i

and

the Syr.

j^^

"j^v
Vi":;
,

In

ver. 15, the intensity

is still

more strongly
great
1'^^ persons

marked by the addition of

they evinced in regard to the building

of the temple.

Cjsp
sent.

":s Vi-;;

~'4Xu'!
>

Comp.
is

Ilag.

i.

4, o, 7.

This repentance

urged upon them by

the Jews to

addressed in tr.'f?'-^. your fathers, are whom the prophet had been

the consideration of the severe punish-

There

is

no occasion, with Blayis

ment which had overtaken their fathers. The argument is of the kind called enthymeme, in which the antecedent only
is

ney, to suppose that the text

3.

defective.

The

in

p-^;st

is

not merely con-

expressed,
is left

tion
'

and the consequent proposito 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 conduct."
nr;:.
:]-j;;
.

and inferFor the defective form CrV^f twenty-eight ilSS., and three editions The phrase tSt^ read Crr-Vs in full.
tinuativc, but argumentative,
ential.

ris2l-

Jehovah of hosts,

is

of unusually
first

frequent

occurrence in the eight

The

construction of

a verb with a noun derived from it, is found in other languages, as (uaxec^oj

chapters of this book, and in that of TTaggai. written about the same time.

/xaxV

ffntidere

gaitdium

but

its

fre-

quency
entitle

in
it
;

the

Hebrew
it

is

to be regarded as

such as to one of its

In the last six chapters, liowever, it ocSee on curs not fewer than nine times. Is. i. 9, Its use appears to have been designed to inspire the mind with unshaken confidence in the supreme and

idioms

and, generally,

expresses aug-

: ;

Chap.

I.

ZECHARIAH.
cried, saying,

359

Be not like your fathers, To whom the former pi'ophets

Jehovah of hosts Tiirn now from your evil ways, And from your evil practices
saith

Thus

But they did not hearken,

Neither did they give heed to me, saith Jehovah. As for your fathers, where are they ? And as for the prophets, do they live forever ?

But

my

words, and

my

decrees.

Which
irresistible

I gave in charge to

my
is

servants the prophets,

power of God. The i in marks the apodosis, and has the force of and then, or in that case. Comp. James iv. 8.
2-r:*4,

that which connects what goes before, and

it

closely

identifies

with "the

The prophets here

refeiTed to are

prophets" here spoken of with " the former prophets" there mentioned, just as the " fathers" in both verses correspond
to each other.

those

who

lived before the captivity,

and

The
is e.
i,

question,

on nN

the fathers are those

time,

who

lived in their

where are they?

they are not
living.
;

equivalent to ^sj-^n,
in the land of the

whose wicked practices had brought upon the nation that dire calamity. The appropriation of the phrase C-ji"23 the former prophets, as a desC":Si-s-i
,

This

the

following

question

ignation of the books of Joshua, Judges,

Samuel, and Kings,

date.

is

of

much

later

In Hebrew, simple interrogatives frequently imply the contrary: so that the language of the prophet is equivalent to " your fathers are no more,
clearly shows.

The returned Jews are here reminded that the same announcement which was made to them had been made
to their ancestors,

and that they might

the evil by a timely

have escaped
repentance, to

all

which Zechariah now urthem.

gently

calls
is

The former

in

marked in the margin as redundant, and is omitted in the text of more than twenty M'oS. and some printed editions. The plural of V? S'c viz. C'VVv'K is the only form in which the word occurs. Comp, ver. 6.
D2-';"y:2
, ,

do the prophets live forever." seems to involve the idea, " but my words never fail," as it follows in ver. 6. This had been proved by the fulfilment of the Divine threatenings in the mournful experience of their fathers, and would again be proved in theirs, except they repented, which idea is ampHfied in the following
neither

The

latter declaration

verse.
6.
'J?rt
,

my

decrees,

i.

e.

my firm

and

determined purjjoses to punish your faththey did not repent, which I communicated to them by the prophets. The
ers, if

5.

Jerome

refers Q-iJ-asn to the false

prophets by

whom

the Jews

who

lived

root

is

ppn

<o

hack, cut,

exit letters, etc.,

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-

in stone or other hard substances.

Thus
tablets,

laws were originally written on

and hung up
confession

for public inspection.

The
that

made

in

this

verse

is

make bv
dured
in

which the captives were compelled to the sufferings which they enBabylon.

How far their r~;"'"^

we

Tiral

construction of the terse, however,

conversion, extended

are not informed.

GCO

ZE

CII

ARIAn.

CUAP. I

Did they not overtake your fathers? So that they turned and said,
According as Jehovali of hosts proposed to do to us, According to our ways, and according to our practices, So hath he dealt with us. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which
the

is

month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah (the son of BereI

chiah, the son of Iddo), the prophet, saying

saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse,

It

is,

however, generally admitted that,

names of the months, the word

dee; Syr.
Jo\uuii'
.

is

Chal-

body of the nation, it involved the entire abandonment of That 2!i'j is here to be strictly idolatrj'.
as regards the great

-^

Arab. JcLu*; and

is

The etymology
t22t3

not certain

taken as signifying
evil

to turn,

return from
to
its

but the resemblance of the word to the

to good,

and not according

Hebrew
gests

a shoot, rod,
it

staff,

sugso

idiomatic usage before another verb, as

the idea of the

month being
in

simply expressing the repetition of the

action described

called because
trees

was that

which the

by such
;

verb,

is

required
I'ittr

by the exigency of the passage.

and )3 are
qualifies

sprouts.

began to put forth their shoots or As the followmg statement

correlates

the 3 repeated,

subordinate, but

important

part of the proposition.

7.
vi. 8,

From this part of the book to chap, we have a series of eight symbolithe language of which
is

not contain the identical words merely of the communications made to the prophet, but an accoimt of the scenes with all their accompanying circumstandoes
ces,

the formula

cal

visions,

signifying,
'

-i^it^V must be taken as " to the following effect,"

exceedingly simple, but, in

the interpretation
difficulty.
it
is

many

cases,

as follows," or the like.

is

matter of no small

The

general plan on
is,

which
8.

constructed,

first

to present to

It has been

doubted whether the

^ievv

the symbol or hieroglyphic, and

then, on a question being put respecting

its

import, to furnish the interpretation.

Though
tinct

the visions are described as dis-

n in r;^"?ri is to be regarded as definitely marking the particular night on which the visions were vouchsafed to the prophet, or whether it is not rather
article

from each other, the one folloAving

to be taken as expressing the adverbial

the other in regular succession, yet they

are so closely connected as to form one

determination of the noun

or,

m the night,

by night.

grand whole and, as we learn from ver. 8, were all presented to the mind of the
;

able.

The latter seems preferComp. nV^Vs Job v. U. The

>

person here described as riding upon a red horse,

i. e.

prophet in the course of a single night. The period of these nocturnal revelations

is

spoken of as "j'S,

a,

man,

in the shape or appearance of a

was between two and

the prophet
first 1.

three

months
is

after

for that

an angel, and not a

12, in

man human beexpressly

received his commission.

t:2\;}
,

ing, is intended, is evident

from verses
is

Comp.
eleventh

ver.

Shebat,

the

11

and

which he

month

of the Jewish yenr, ex-

called " the angel of Jehovah."

And that

tending from the

to the

new moon
in

in

new moon

March.

February Like other

he was no ordinaiy angel, but the Divine

Mediator, the Angel of the Covenant,


Chap.

I.

ZE CHARIAir.
in the shade,

361
and behind him
the following brief

and he stood among the myrtles

and of the presence of Jehovah, will not be denied by any -who have rendered themselves familiar with the attributes
and circumstances which the Person
in

hedrin,

fol.

93, col.
is

1,

exposition
ferred to

given of the
:

man

here re-

connection with
is

so designated

pre-

by the prophet " This man is no other than the Holy One, blessed be He for it is said, The Lord is a man
;
'

sented to view, both in our prophet and

in other parts of the

of war.' "

The

position of this Captain

is

Old Testament.
being
identified

of the Lord's host,

stated to be "

among

One

of the

most remarkable of these

is

the myrtles which were in the shady valley." Many conjectures have been advanced respecting both the myrtles and

circumstances,

his

This Gesenius, with Jehovah himself. so far from denying, or attempting to explain away, expressly asserts both in his Thesaurus, and in the last edition of his Hebrew Lexicon, under the word "Sometimes," he writes, "the cTsV^a same divine appearance, which at one time is called n^.n^ "'i^'? is afterwards as Gen. xvi. 7, et called simply ni-"'
. > ,

the valley, but, in

all gratuitous,

my
it

opinion, they are

since

does not appear

that these objects were designed to be

symboUcally understood, but are merely added as incidental circumstances, to

give vivacity
tation.
r.Vi:::w

and

force to the represen-

r,^!i::

being always used, like

seq. coll. V.

13

xxii. 11
iii.

coll.

12

xxi.

to water or mire,

and n^sa, of depth in reference it is clear from the con-

11, coll. 16;

vi. 14, coll.
is

Exod.
;

2, coll.

22

xiii.

18, coll. 22.

5; Jud, This

nection that such cannot be the signification of r;?:^tt

,

which

is

a derivative, not

to be so understood, that the

is

Angel of

from V^ ::
to be

to sink, be deep,

but from VVu

God

here nothing else than the invisiitself,

shaded, darkened ; hence the shade

ble Deity

to mortal eyes

which thus unveils itself see J. H. ilichaelis de

Tholuck,
p. 36.

tain.

Angelo Dei, Hal. 1702.

ment,
des,

ComHence

zum

Ev. Johannis,

mounSuch derivation is indicated by the Dagesh compensative in the Lamed, and is supported by the renderings of the
or shady place, probably that of a

Oriental translators, as Saadias, Abusai-

LXX.

and Syr.

KaraffKiaiv,

and the Chaldee- Samaritan, whereever Jehovah himself is said to appear upon earth, always put for the name of God, the Angel of God." See the very
satisfactory observations of Dr.

-^ ^^-

Hitzig and Ewald, comparing the Arab.

sJjhjO) titnbraculum, tentorium, interpret the

nacle,

M'Caul

word as meaning tent or taberand suppose heaven, as the dwellis

on

this subject, in his translation of

chi on Zechariah, pp. 9

27, in

Kim-

ing-place of Jehovah, to be intended;

which

but the exegesis

far-fetched
is

and

inept.

he has shown that there

is

but one being

'IJtsV'^
,

Equally unsatisfactorj'

the attempt of

who
the

is

called in Scripture rS~''

the latter of these writers to

Angel of Jehovah; that the proper name of this one Being is ril""' Jehovah; that this Being says of himself, distinctly and unequivocally, that He is the
.

ca-n
taitis,

the signification of d'"i~

palm upon moun,

,

by comj^aring the term with -i ^nn height, Is. xlv. 2. Twv opewi/ of the LXX. must have originated in their having mistaken

God whom

Jacob worshipped, the

;

God

C"a~n

for

qin
who

or

it

may

of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

and that some of the Rabbins themselves have been compelled to admit the facts. See
also

be an interpretation derived from chap,

vi. 1.

Behind the

rider,

appears as

their leader or captain, follow three

com-

Dr.

J.

Pye Smith's

Scripture Testii.

panies of horsemen, distinguished from

mony
468

to the Messiah, vol.

pp. 445

19.

and Stonard on Zechariah, pp. 15 In the Babylonian Talmud, San-

is

each other by the color of the horses. It not to be inferred, that, because q-c;3,

horses, only are mentioned,

we

are to

46

362
9

Z E C

HARIAH
Then

Chap.
I said,

I.

were horses that were red, bay and white.

are these,

What

my

lord

And

the angel
pire

who

spake with me, said

the mixed or tranwhich followed and
;

conceive of them as being presented to

was subverted

view without their riders. This is evident from tlie reply given bj- the riders, ver. 11. 0-D, like our English horse, is
sometimes used in a military sense, to
denote cavalry.
Still, as

sition state of aflairs

the complete establishment of the new dynasty in the room of the tyrannical

the color of the

horses forms an important feature in the

must have been speprominent to the mental vision of On a comparison of the the prophet.
representation, they
cially

present verse Avith chap. vi.

Ilev. vi. 2

8,

and

8, it

will appear that horses

with their riders are employed in the symbolical language of Scripture to denote dispensations of divine providence. The peculiar nature of the dispensations
is

power by which the Jews had been enIn consideration of the awful slaved. vengeance which had been inflicted upon that power, the color of the horse on which the commander rode is represented as being red, rather than bay or white evidently with the design of affecting the minds of the Jews with a sense of the great deliverance which had been MTOught for them by their Divine Pro-

tector.
9.

Marckius, Ch. B. Michaelis, Rosenthat the

indicated by the color of the horses,

miiller,

and the armor and appearance of the

riders.

ion,

Maurer, and Ewald, are of opinangel here spoken of is

Red, the color

fire

first

mentioned,

identical with the

man

riding on the
vei^se,

being that of

and blood, is the appropriate symbol of war and bloodshed. That of the second company of horses is expressed by c"^"'''i), bay, or brown, perhaps not differing from -what is com-

horse mentioned in the preceding

but the contrary

is

properly maintained
as a to

by Vitringa and Hcngstenberg,

parison with ver. 10

com-

is sufficient

show.

Though the angel who made the communications to the prophet had not been formerly mentioned, he had presented himself to him, or stood beside him,
ready to
office.

monly
Ilicroz.

called
torn.

chestnut.
i.

See

Bochart,

lib.

ii.

cap. 7.

Wnat

induces the belief that this color

is,

that CJ^n'^'S signify vines

purple, or

is meant which bear Comp. dark colored grapes.

discharge

the

duties

of his

Tliis angel is

uniformly spoken
^'"^

the Arab. 5JLi, rufus color; ^Ji^f,

valde rubens
sett,
;

of as "3 "isVn Tj^^'sri'

angel that

spake with me.

ii.

See verses 13, 14, chap,

10, vi. 4.
;

ruftis

camelus.

TXX.
tion,

\l/apol

Vulg.

varii.

The The addiThis color

2, 7, iv. 1, 4, 8, v. 5,
is

The
and
the

language

peculiar to our prophet

Kol
is

iroiKiAoi,

in

the text of the

from the
angel,

office specially assigned to

is

IjXX.
is

doubtless a gloss.

he

usually called the angelus

symbolical of a middle state of things

dispensation

interpres, or the atigelus collocutor.

stress is to

That
,

neither characterized

be laid upon the use of the

by bloodshed, nor by victory' and joyous prosperity, which the white color is universally

preposition 2 following the verb

-2t

to

speak, as if
internal

allowed

to

represent.
it

what

is

stated, ver. 11,

is

obvious

From we
still

were designed to mark the character of communications

it

made by
Dclitzsch,

the angel to the prophet

be
that

cannot interpret the dispensations, thus

emblematically set forth, of events
future at the time of the vision.
different cohorts speak of their

position maintained

by Jerome, Ewald,

and some others

cannot

The
colors

satisfactorily

made

out.

The utmost

commis-

can be conceded respecting the force of

the preposition, in such connection,
is its

eion

as

already fulfilled.

The

must, therefore, denote the ilrdo-Persian war, in

expressing the familiarity or intimacy of

which the Eabylonian em-

the intercourse between the Divine mes-

Chap.

I.

ZECHARIAH,

8G3

10 to me, I will show thee what these are. And the man that stood among the myrtles answered and said, These are they 11 whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

And they answered

myrtles, and said,

the Angel of Jehovali that stood

still

among

the

We have walked to and fro through the earth,

and
is

and, behold

the whole earth sitteth

tranquil.

Then the Angel of Jehovah answered and said: O Jehovah 12 of hosts how long wilt thou not compassionate Jeinisalem, and the cities of Judah, with which thou hast been angry these
!

13 seventy years

And Jehovah

answered the angel who spake

had any connection.
li'^v to

senger and the prophet. When the angel says ':j^^-lS , I will show, or cause thee to
see these things, the reference is to a tal perception or

For the use of

denote a state of tranquillity after

men-

war, comp. Jud. v. 26.

bination of
vii.
T'z'S'-

similar

com-

understanding of their

with niV/i occure ch.

meaning.
10, 11.
T^'.'S
,

signifies to

commence or
to aiisioer.

7, and is intended to express the profound character of the peace which

proceed to speak, as well as

was then

enjoyed.
is

Comp. the use

Testament.

of airoKpivoixai in the

New

12. rr.v ,to ansioer,

here, as in other

Instead of the requisite information being communicated by the interpreting angel, it is imparted by the

instances, used in the simple acceptation

of speaking, or continuing a discourse.

The language
expostulation.

is

that

of intercessory
all

Angel of Jehovah

himself,

and by those
Because

While

the heathen

who

acted under his

command.
'n?.~'in

nations around Judea enjoyed prosperity,

the phraseology

"is 3

almost

that country
state in

employed to describe the roaming of Satan through the earth.

identical with that

Job.

i.

7,

ii.

2, it

has been inferred that

the horsemen represent celestial spirits sent forth for the execution of the divine purposes
;

but the gi-ound

as a

is

too

precarious to admit of any such theory

being built upon

it,

comparison with

was still much in the same which it had been during the Some of the captives had reca]3tivity. turned, but they were too few to produce anything like a marked change in its circumstances. Vitringa, Stonard, and some others, without sufficient reason, think that a different term of seventy years is here intended from that predicted Jer. XXV. 11, xxix, 10.
reality

Rev.

vi. 2

8, is sufficient to

show.

The

"WTiat in

simple occurrence of the same terms can-

not of itself justify this interpretation. From the reply being given to the Angel
of Jehovah,

were the years of indignation upon the cities, but the years of the captivity
of their inhabitants?
n:^*r t^y^-i nr, " these seventy years," express emphatically the period during which the cap-

we may

conclude, that he

had

signified to

them that they should

make

their report for the information of

tivity

had continued.

Two

of these

In consequence of their several operations, the obstacles had been removed out of the way which prevented the restoration of the Jews the wars in which the Persians had been engaged had ceased and, at the time the prophet
the prophet.
;

years,

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

when viewed

as calculated to

most appropriate, meet the

had the

vision, in the second year of

Dathe

feelings of the Jewish people.

rius, universal

peace obtained in

all

regions with

which the people

of

God

13. That it is the same being who is styled r-n-; tl'iH'*' '^^ ^w^^ 'if Jeho-

364
14 with

Z E C

II

A R I A II
-words.

Chap.

I.

mc

Avith

good and comfortable

Jehovah of hosts:

And

the angel

who

spake with

me

said to mc, Cry, saying,

Thus
I

saith

15

am zealous for Jerusalem, And for Zion, with gi-eat zeal And I am very greatly displeased
With
the nations that are at ease

16

Because I was a little displeased, And they helped forward the affliction. Wherefore,- thus saith Jehovah: I have returned to Jerusalem in compassion My house shall be built in her, saith Jehovah of hosts, And a line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.
:

17

Cry again, saying. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts

My

cities shall

yet overflow with prosperity

For Jehovah

will yet

comfort Zion,

And
vah, that
is

will yet take pleasure in Jerusalem.

here designated by the intS~'i

>

merely
is

to be at rest, as

the whole earth

communicable name
as in the passages

Jehovah, just

described, ver. 11, but, in a

bad sense

quoted by Gesenius, As the Diver. 8, seems past dispute. vine ilediator, after having made intercession

to live at ease, be carnally secure.

The

enemies of the Jews had not simply executed the Divine indignation against
that people, but they
tonly.

with the Father,

title

who is
,

addressed

had done

it

wan-

by the
hosts,

ti-S2U nin^

Jehovah of

Such seems

to be the force of

he communicates to the interpret16.

ing angel the consolatory answer which was to be made to the prophet, c-'nin
C^TS":
,

The building
it

of the temple

had

been begun, but

part in ruins,

still

lay for the most

are in
i.

apposition
e.

lit.

words,

consolations,

consolatory

words.

and was not finished till the sixth year of Darius. See Ezra vi.
15.

LXX.
Is, Ivii.

\6yovs
18
;

trapaKXrfTiKOvS'

Comp.

nip

for

which the Keri

vii.

has,

by
".p
,

IIos. xi, 8.

emendation, the more usual form

ccciu-s 1

and the three follo'n'ing verses contain the consolatory words just referred to, which the prophet is commanded by the interpreting angel to communicate az^, construed with s or to the Jews,
14. Tliis
,

Kings
as

23

Jer. xxxi. 39.

17.

Few

Judea

at the

were the inhabitants of time of the vision, the land

;

was

speedily reoccupicd

lation

and the popuhad greatly increased by the time

Jo'icphus informs us,

with the accusative,

jealous, indignant at

signifies to envy, be

of the Maccabees.
that, overflowing

any person or thing

with V as here,
to

it is

taken in a good sense,

with numbers, Jerusalem gradually crept beyond its walls,

till

be

zealous for anything, actively to

a fourth

hill,

called Bczctha,
y;i,

was

interest one's self on behalf of

Comp. Numb. xxv. 11, 13 1 Kings xix. 10. 2 15. The adjective ):N'J
;

any one. 2 Sam. xxi.

not

covered with habitations.

Arab.

^1_5,

yA

effusus fuit, to overflow.

signifies

That the overflowing, however, is to be interpreted of prosperity, and not of the

Chap.

I.

ZECHARIAH.
I lifted

365
!

18 19

Then

up

my

eyes and looked, and, behold

four horns.

he answered me, These are the horns Avhich have scat20 tered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. And Jehovah showed me
21 four workmen.

And And

I said to the angel

who spake with me, What

are these?

Then

I said,

What

are these coming to

do?

And

he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered

true that the Jews were scattered by the Persian power as they had been by. the

inhabitants, appears from the , indicat-

ing the subject-matter, being prefixed

to aita.

Babylonian.
VISION
II.

What

took place under

18, 19. "(Heb.

ii.

1,

2.)

This vision

Darius Ochus caniiot be taken mto the account here. The number is rather to
is

so intimately connected with the preced-

ing that the break in the Hebrew Bible here, occasioned by the commencement

be referred to the four quarters of the earth in their immediate relation to Palestine.

Comp.

chap.

ii.

6.

Thus Theo-

new chapter, is very unhappy. As usual in these visions, the hieroglyphic ^njp , a horn, is the is first presented,
of a

doret, Clarius, Ribera, Sanchez, a Castro,

Munster, Calvin, Newcome, Rosenmiil" Jerusalem" is ler, Hitzig, and Maurer.

symbol of a kingdom, or
er,

political

pow-

added to render the description more

emphatic, being the metropolis, the
site

the figure being taken from bulls,

strength in their horns.

and other horned animals having their Thus the ten

of the temple, and the royal residence. 20, 21. (Heb. ii. 3, 4.) Here, again, the

horns of the fourth beast in Daniel's vision, are symbolical of the ten king-

same Divine Person

See on ver.
13.

is

called nir"'.
as nirr;

who
.

was formerly spoken of

iron, brass, stone,

'^^tjVia

doms

into

which the Roman

vii.

empii-e

was

divided on the overthrow of the imperial

throne, chap.

C'i-in, workmen in or wood, from i'lri to

,

and in the representation made of the same subject to

20
;

cut, grave, fabricate.

From

the special

employment assigned

to these artificers,
^ t" -j ri

John, the ten horns of the seven-headed beast are said to have upon them ten
crowns. Rev.
12,
xiii. 1, xvii. 3.

we may
nTTiUa
is
.

not

inaptly compare
destrtiction,

workmen of

which
at-

Comp.

ver.

rendered in our

common

version, " skil-

where

it is

expressly stated, that " the

ful to destroy," Ezek. xxi. 36.

The

ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings," i. e. kingdoms, the ruling power

being put for the whole government. The powers referred to by Zechariah were
those which had been
hostile

to

the

tempt of Blaney to justify his rendering the word hy ploughmen, first suggested by Michaelis, must be regarded as a failure. On the inquiry being made, what these artificers were coming to do, a reply is

Jews, and had scattered them abroad from their own land. Jerome, Kimchi,

Abarbanel, Vatablus, and others, have been led by the occurrence of the number four, to interpret the horns of the

Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Ro-

which further describes the tyranny exercised over the Hebrew people, and then states that they were the instruments commissioned to destroy the hostile powers. By again pressing the number four, interpreters have involved themgiven,
selves in

man

empires

but to this exegesis

in existence,

it

has

inextricable

difficulties.
is

All

justly been objected, that of these powers

that

is

meant

to be conveyed,

the ad-

two were not yet

and canbecause

not be prophetically spoken

of,

the hostility described was that which

equacy of the means employed to effect the punishment of the nations which had aiflicted the people of God. That

had already taken

place.

Neither

is it

no appeal can be made,

in illustration,

366
Jadah, so that no

ZE
man

CIl

ARIAH.
np
liis

Chap.

II.

lifted

liead

but these are come

it.

to terrify them, to throw

down

the horns of the nations, which

raised the horn against the land of

to the history of the four great
ies, is

Judah

to scatter

monarch-

been approved.

Nor

is

anything of the

men

proved by the fact that the workare represented as distinct from the

kind necessaiy.
suffering,

Terror implies a sense

here appropriately rep-

of inferiority, weakness, and exposure to

horns, -whereas these monarchies successively destroyed each other.

ical reference to the
is

and

is

The

rabbin-

resented, as a precursor of that overthrow

days of the Messiah

is

altogether aside fit)m the point, as

likewise the reference

made

to angels.

which some have There can be no doubt

which the enemies of the Jews weiQ Comp. Jud. viii. 1 2 1 Sam. xiv. 15; Ezek. xxx. 9. r"f sigto

to be subjected.

nifies to throve, cast, stretch,

the particu-

that the
ties are

several

human

instrumentalicalled into

intended,

which God

manner of which is to be determined Here that of casting hy the context.

lar

operation to crush
different countries

the powers in the

doicn, or ejfecting

an overthrow,

is

the

which

it

around Palestine, by had been invaded, and its incarried

mode most

naturally suggested.

The
apt,

signification to handle, exercise the hand,

habitants

away

captive.

The
read

which some have proposed,

T<
,

is less

conjecture of Blaney,

who would
,

hand,

bemg

derived from the verb,

y-^

T-tnn

instead of

Tinn

and, changing

and not the verb from the noun,

land,
is

the punctuation of crx into ens, renders, " to sharpen tlieii' coulter," has not

here, as frequently, put for its

inhabitants.

CHAPTER
Jn a third

II

vision, a man with a measuring line is represented as going forth to take the dimeusious of Jerusalem with a view to its restoration to its former condition, vcr. 1 3; an act which is virtually ileclared to be unnecessary, by the prediction that such should be the increase of the population, and such their prosperity, that tlie city should extend, like unwalled towns, into the surrounding localities; and that, under the immediate protection of Jehovah, walls would be altogether unnecessary, 4, 5. In the faith of this prophetic announcement, and with a view to their escape from the judgment which was still about to be inflicted upon IJabylou, the Jews which remained in that city are summoned to return from their captivity, 6, 7; an assurance of Divine protection,**and of the destruction of their enemies, is given them, 8, 9; and they are cheered by the promises, that Jehovah would a;;ain make Jerusalem his residence, and effect, iu connection with the restoration of his people, the conversion of many nations to the true religion, 10, 12. solemn call to uuiverbal reverence concludes the scene.

Then
1

I lifted
VISION III. ii. 5 7.)

np

my

eyes,

and looked, and, behold

man

houses, but of the whole extent of the

4.

(TI(b.

The measure-

city.

Jerusalem

is

not here considered

meat here

specified

was not that of the

as already rebuilt, as Stonard supposes.

Chap. n.

ZE CH ARIAH.
:

367

with a measuring line in liis hand. And I said "Wliither art thou going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see
is the breadth thereof, and how much is the length And, behold the angel who spake with me went forth, and another angel came forth to meet him. And he said to him. Run, speak to this young man, saying,

how much

thereof.

Jerusalem shall be inhabited into the oi)en country, Because of the multitude of men and cattle in the midst of her. And I will be to her, saith Jehovah,

A wall of fire around.

And
fore
its

will

be the glory in the midst of her.

ful age at the time

The dimensions
were

are those of the city be-

destruction by the Chaldeans,

and
to

he had the vision, I cannot but concur with Stonard, Hitzig,

now

being taken, in order to ascer-

^laurer,

and Ewald,
is

in thinking,

that

tain the extent of the

work

that

was

the person intended

the

man

with the
1,

be effected in

its

complete restoration.

measuring

line,
,

spoken of vers.

2.

The

symbolical action was calculated to

The verb y n -i
of despatch,

run, implies the necessity

encourage the Jews to proceed with the

building of the temple which they had

which could only have been

occasioned by the intended procedure of

the measurer.
ress,

commenced.
Rosenmiiller,

Who

the measurer was has

He is

aiTested in his prog-

been disputed.

Jarchi, J.

H.

Michaelis,

and

virtually told, that the former

are of
is

opinion
intended.

that

the

dimensions of the city would be totally

inadequate to contain the number of
inhabitants.
its
lit.

angelus interpres

Hengs-

tenberg thinks that, in

is

he none other than the Angel of Jehovah

all probability,

cVcJii"'
dtoell,

2"i'P

T'lT'^S

Jerusalem shall
places,
i.

or inhabit open

himself.

But

for neither of these opin-

e.

the inhabitants will not conlocalities in

ions

is

there sufficient foundation, any

is

fine themselves within her walls, but will

more than there

for

the supposition of

occupy the
around.

the open country

;

Blayney, that he was Nehemiah. He appears to be merely an additional person introduced in the scenic representation, for the

purpose of calling forth, by

Thus Symm. dre^x ''""reus Jarchi and Jerome, rKin V'*'-' (absque muro. Comp. 1 Sam. vi. 18, where -r-iSr "Ss,
the

the significant action which he was about

to undertake, the important information

country village,
^'V
,

is

contrasted with
city.

'^'j'2')Z

a fortified
;

See also

contained in the following part of the

chapter,
sa/', as twice

Esth.

ix.

19

Ezck. xxxviii. 11.

used here, has

:

reference to

two

different localities
it is

in

5. I'Heb. vcr, 9.) Though "the wall of fire," and " the glorj'," are doubtle.'S

the former instance, in wliich

emthe

both to be taken figuratively, the former

ter,

ployed of the interpreting

presence of the prophet
is

angel,

the terminus

denoting certain protection, and the latillustrious displays of the Divine

all

a quo
esis

in the latter, that of the

Angel of

presence in affording

needful supplies

Jehovah.

In opposition to the hypothof the Rabbins, Vatablus, Ribcra, a

of grace, strength, and comfort,

we

are

not hence to conclude with Stonard, that

Lapide, Drusius, Blayney, Rosenmiiller,

more

is

meant by the

city

than the

literal

Hengstcnberg, and Knobel,

tain that Zechariah himself

who main-

Jerusalem, as the centre of the restored

theocracy.
all

Tsn ^i^in
from
it,

is meant by young man, and argue that the prophet was of youth,

The

entire connection,

and

this

the circumstances of the prophecy,

this hmitation.

demand

368
G

ZE C
IIo! lio! flee from
tlie

II

A R T A II

Chap. U.

north country, saith Jehovah,

winds of lieaven Have I spread you abroad, saith Jehovah. IIo! deUver thyself, O Zion Tliat dwellest ^vith the dauglitcr of Babylon.

For

as the

For thus
(Ilcb.

saith
10,

Jehovah of hosts
is

6, 7.

11.) It

generally

thought that the urgent

to

calls

here given

those

Jews who

still

remained in

Babylon, -were designed to induce them to leave that devoted city before its approaching siege and capture by Darius.

winds." This reading, though supported by fifteen ilSS., originally by seven more, and perhaps by another, by thirteen printed editions, and by the Syr. and Vulg., is
inferior ui point of authority to that of the

TextuB Ileceptus.

In

all

probability

many

of

them had

be, that the scattering of the

The meaning seems to Hebrew

fitly

acquired wealth, and might have been induced to remain in the enjoyment of
their possessions. It

people had been so violent and extensive,

that
it

could only be
effect

compared to

was necessary that

the force and

of the combined

such should take the alarm, and, with the rest of their countrymen, avail themselves without delay of the opportunity

they
land.

now had of returning to their own The urgency of the call is exby the
repetitious form, 'in "lin.

pressed

Ho ! Ho ! which

occurs, so far as I

am
The

winds of heaven being brought to bear upon any object susceptible of dispersion. The scattering had been most severely felt by those resident at the time of the vision in Babylon, and other regions iii that quarter on which account it is described with special reference to them.
;

aware, in no other part of Scripture.

"S

is

here used, not as a causative, but

verbs C^p, arise, y/si", heat:, or the like,

as a concessive participle, as in

being readily suggested by the interjection, will account for the use of the conjunctive Yau in sjcs'i . The land of the
north
cent.
is

21

Exod.

xiii.

17.

Gen. viii. Nothing can be

more
tion,

forced, or unsuited to the connec-

Babylon, and the regions adjaJer. vi. 22, xvi. 15.

See

Between

the former and the latter clause of the verse there seems, at first sight, a palpable discrepancy.

than the interpretation, which assumes that -Pw-S is future in signification, and that the words contain a prediction of a future spreading abroad of
the

Jews

as

missionaries

among the

How,

it

may

be asked,

could the scattering of the Jews like the

four winds of heaven be a reason
those, in particular,

why

who

lived

in the

north (piarter should return ? But this apparent incoherence has originated in the supposition that the prophet here
asserts the dispersion of that people into

^Yhat can be conceived more incongruous, than a return of the Jews from Babylon, induced by the motive of a still more extended dispersion among the nations of the earth, without the
heathen.
smallest hint of this as their destination
!

By

iv-'S

Zio7i, are

meant the inhabistill

tants of Jerusalem, at that time

in

the four quarters of the globe.

Had this,

Babylon.

The words V32~r2

M;v3i''

however, been his meaning, he woxild have employed h after the verb, as in

are not in apposition, but in construction,

Ezek.
tion

xvii. tJ.

Nor can such

,

construc-

and For
i.

are equivalent to Ilahitatrix Babelis.

this idomatic use of

r^

see

on

Is.

be supported by substituting the

vis.

8.

Comp. t-^^-jTi-ra

r^fii'', Jer.

various reading a

y=-S3

instead

xlvi. 19.
8. (Ileb. 12.)

of 3

the words could then only properly be rendered, " I have scattered you by," and not " in"' or " into the four
;

for

Some suppose the proph;

et to

be the person who here speaks of himself as having been sent others, the

Chap.

II.

ZECHAEIAH.
me

369

After the glory he hath sent

To

the nations which spoiled you

pupil of his eye.
I will shake
;

Surely he that toucheth you

Touch eth the

9 For, behold
!

my

fist

at

them,

Messiah

angel rifcntioned ver. 4 but that the 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

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

described in parallel language.

Blayney, Newcome, Gesenius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, strangely concur in rendering ^inVJ I'laa ins, He hath
sent

than the eye, especially the pupil, or aperture through which

vigilantly protected,

the rays of light pass to the retina.

in the phrase
eye,

na2,
,

yy
now
,

rin3

the pupil of the

to

me

after glory, in the sense of,

it.

a view to acquire
sage, however, is

with In no other pasnil s employed, except

Gesenius

derives from 25:

bore,

make

hollow,

and

considers

it

to

stand for r;a33

a hole

gate, like the

as an adverb or preposition of place or

Arab. i,^L>
is

but his former etymology

time

nor

is it

ever connected as a prep-

preferable, according to

which

it is

to

osition

with

riVio.

This verb
it,

is

not even
It to

here construed with

osition

but with the prepfollowing.

Vs immediately
therefore,

Arab. LjL> dixit baba, Gr. jramrd^fiy, to say papa, spoken

be derived from
,

naa

can

only,

be

employed

of a child.

Hence the Arab. JJ>

^00-

denote the posteriority of the mission

specified to the restoration of the glorious

boo (the origin of our English booby), puellus, boy.

ITie phrase thus corresponds

presence of the manifested Jehovah to

his recovered people.
on-iVw 5o|ous.

to the other

Hebrew mode
ys_ ^S^a'^s
,

of expressing
the
;

Thus the
i_a^j

LXX.

the same thing,

little

man

Syr.

Ap. after

of the

eye,

Deut. xxxii. 10
expression,

Prov.
yj^s

vii. 2.

Both modes of

o^
ArajO
is

which is falsely rendered in the London Polyglott, ad prosequendum,

the glory,

and jj-^oJl ^jLyol,

bic
;

are used in

honorem.

Targ.
,

nittsn

s^'ip"'

lfl2

and the Arabs say

in language quite

)i2^Vy r!i*ri"s^ after the glory which he hath p)-omised to bring to you. Vulg.
post gloriam.

parallel to that of the prophet, y.\

Such exegesis

is

most
,

^^^
dearer to

yiy^

^
;

l^tUx. He

naturally suggested by the use of -lins

glo)-y, 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
as the

vicinity of the

Holy Land, such

of mine eye. Both modes ai'e more expressive than the Latin of Catullus mtilto quod carius illi est oculis, or, 7ii te plus oculis meis aniarem. The pronominal affix in \i'V his eye, is to be referred to risa::. nin",
the ptqjil
,

me than

Moabites, Idumeans, Ammonites, Philistines,

and Syrians, by whom the Jews had been attacked and plundered on various occasions, and especially on that of the Chaldean invasion. The Jews in Babylon needed, therefore, to be under

Jehovah of hosts, at the beginning of the verse, the nominative to 'jriVa and not with Kimchi, Blayney, Stonard, and oth,

ers, to

9.

the enemy himself. (Heb. 13.) For the phrase n^ ;,-:,

Is.

comp.

xi. 15, xix. 16.

It is indica-

47

370

Z E C
they

II

ARIA

II

Chap. H.

shall bo rx spoil to their slaves ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion 10 For, behold I come. And I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. 11 And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day,
!
!

And And

And And And

12

shall

become

my

people

^
;

I will dwell in the

midst of thee,

thou shalt

know

that Jehovah of hosts hath sent

me

unto

thee.

And Jehovah And

shall possess
;

Judah

his portion,

In the holy land

shall again take pleasure in

Jerusalem.

13

Let all flesh be silent before Jehovah, For he is roused from his holy habitation.
connected, as their consequents, the extensive conversion of the heathen nations

tive of the threatening attitude of Jeho-

vah when about

his enemies.

to inflict

vengeance upon

cn-7=i?, their slaves, are meant the Jews, whom the nations, either by capture or purchase, had

By

and

their being constituted a people deglorj'.

voted to his service and

residence in Zion,

The

rep-

etition of the prediction relative to his

is

brought into a state of slavery.

Is. xiv.

Comp.

designed to express

2.

yni

here and in ver. 11,

the certainty of the event.

12.

signifies, as frequently, to

know by expedivine res-

rience.

been

made

(Heb. 16.) As mention had just of the adoption of the nations

the people of the ilessiah, the
to enjoy that privilege,

10, 11. (Heb. 14, 15.)

The

to be

idence here predicted, must be interpreted

prophet, to preclude the idea, that the

of that which took place during the so-

Jews were no more

journ of the Son of

Judea.

God

in the land of

proceeds to describe a future period, dur-

The almost

entire identity of

ing Avhich they should again be the objects of the

the language here employed, with that used chap. ix. 9, where, in like manner,
the daughter of Zion
clusion.
is

Divine favor and delight.

Restored to the Holy Land, they shall

again

called to hail the

be the possession of the Lord.

;

advent of her King, compels to this con-

Comp. Ps.
is

xl. 7

Is. xl. 9, 10.

Comp. Exod. xxxiv. 9 Deut. iv. 20, ix. The ideas suggested 26, 29, xxxii. 9.
by their being the possession of Jehovah
are those of their being the objects of his

So evidently

this the

only

fair

con-

struction of the meaning, that

Kimchi
"i"ry^

himself refers the pas-sage

n"'a<'>3n
,

|',K"2

regard and care.

13.

Ps. xxviii. 9.

future events in the times of the Messiah. The phrases Ninn cv?l
to

(Heb.

17.)

call

to

universal

reverence and submission in prospect of

Cnn

cwn,
and

that day, those days, fre-

the wonderful interpositions of Jehovah

quently point out the period of his manifestation

on behalf of
Ixxvi. 8, 9
;

his

church.
i.

Comp. Ps.

reign.

"With this appear-

Zeph.

7.

ance and residence of the Messiah are

Chap.

III.

ZECHARIAH.

371

CHAPTER
In
this chapter a fourth vision
is

III.
priest is represented

described, in

which Joshua the high

as occupying his official position in the Divine presence at Jerusalem, but opposed in his attempt to recommence the service of Jehovah, by Satan, who accused liim of being disqualified for the discharge of his functions, ver. 1. The accusation is met by a reprimand,

the Divine purpose to restore Jerusalem, and the narrow escape which the priesthood had had from total extinction, 2. The guilt attaching to the high priest, in his representative capacity, and its removal, is next figuratively set forth, 35. He has then a solemn charge delivered to him, followed by a conditional promise, 6, 7 after which we have a prediction of the Messiah, as a security that the punishment of the Jews would be entirely removed, their temple completely restored, and a period of prosperity intro-

drawn from

duced, 810.

And he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and the Adversary standing on his right hand to oppose him.
VISION
IV.

building of the temple

is

was proceeded
iii.

1.

The nominative
i.

to "'SS-iil

the

with,

is clear,

from Ezra

2, 3, 6, 7.

interpreting angel, understood,

ch.
9.

Comp.

The
ver.

As
is

the phrase ^:zh nttS fo

Ti^Vw, before whom Joshua stood, was no other than nin"* himself, as
rii^ri";

stand before,

sometimes used of appear-

ing before a judge,

Numb. xxxv.

12

Deut. xLx, 17; 1 Kings iii. 16; it has been infeiTed that we have here the representation of a judicial transaction, an

2 evidently shows. It has been matter of dispute, whether by jurn we are here to understand the great enemy

of

God and man

6 avriSiKos, 1 Pet. v. 8

& Kar^ywp, Rev. xii. lO; or,

whether a hu-

which is supposed to derive confirmation from the circumstance of an

exegesis

man adversary or adversaries are intended. Those who advocate the latter position
think that Sanballat, or some other enemy of the Jews, is meant but the em;

accuser being mentioned in the following

verse.
is

But
that

as the person here described

the high priest, and the phrase in quesis

phatic form of the term, investing

it

it,

as

tion

which

is

appropriated to ex-

does, with the nature of a proper

name

press the position of the priests

when
;

(Gesen. Heb. Gram.

favors

107, 2), decidedly

ministering to Jehovah, Deut. x. 8

the former interpretation.

We
i.

Ezek. xliv. 15 it is more natural to conclude that Joshua is here represented as having entered the new
Chron. xxix. 11
; ;

find this

name

given to the chief of the

evil spirits in

the book of Job, the most

ancient in the Bible.

ii.

See chap.

and

temple which was in the course of erection, and taken his position in front of the altar before the holy of holies. The

Some have compared Ps. cix. 6, but the parallel term ytn is against such construction in that passage. From the
identity of the

high

priest

not only entered the most

phraseology,

however,

sacred place once a year on the day of

which
it

represents the adversary as taking

atonement, but was authorized to perform all the duteis of the ordinary priests ; so
that he

his place at the right

hand of the accused,

may here be conceived of as

about

has been concluded, that it was customary in the Jewish courts for the accu-

to offer sacrifice for the people,

when he

was opposed by Satan. That the altar of burnt offering was erected before the

assume this position. What the ground of opposition on the part of Satan was, we are not here informed but if
ser to
;

372

Z E C

II

A R I A II

Chap.

III.

And Jehovah

said to the Adversary,

Jehovah rebuke thee, O Adversary Even Jehovah that taketh delight in Jerusalem, rebuke thee; Is not this a brand snatched from the lire ? Xow Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and he stood before the Angel. And he answered and spake to those that stood before him, saying, Remove the filthy garments from him. And he said to him, See I have caused thine iniquity to pass
!

the construction put by some eminent

ly abortive. In the reference to the Di^^ne

commentators upon Jude 9, which resolves ' the body of Moses," there mentioned, into the Jewish church, and
supjxjses

choice of Jerusalem, there

tion of the promise, ch.
i.

is

a recogniii.

17,

12.

The

pointed interrogation has respect to Joshua,

the

apostle

to

refer

to

the

and

forcibly,

though

tacitly,

conveys

passage before us, be the true one (and

of this I cannot entertain a doubt),
will follow, that
it

the idea, that his deliverance, and that

of the people
in Babylon,

whom

be represented, from

the character of the

idolatries,

the destruction which threatened

them

Jewish people, as not having been legally

purified from
their

was the

result of

sudden
a

and the

and

efficient interposition

on the part of

backwardness which they evinced in rebuilding the temple, were urged as pleas against them. It is true, the opposition is said to have been made to Joshua but it must be remembered that he appears
;

Jehovah.

It

was

not, therefore, for

moment to be supposed that he would now withdraw his favor from them, and
abandon them to
be preserved.
their enemies.

He had

rescued them, in order that they might

here, not in his personal, but in his official

character, as the representative of

the whole body of the people.

2. Almost all the commentators, even Maurer and Ilitzig, agree in the opinion,

that the incommunicable

name nin^

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 (jiaj]^

Because the Romans used to who were accused in a sordid dress, Drusius and others have imagined that the idea of a criminal is still kept up. That the filthy garments in which Joshua appeared w-ere symbolical of the guilt and punishment of the Jews, seems beyond dispute just as their removal, and his investment with splen3, 4.

clothe persons

did

attire, indicates

a state of restoration

L^i^?.

the

to the full
privileges,

Angel of the Lord, a rendering which Newcome would, very uncriticaUy, have
admitted into the text.
tion of Rosenmiiller,

enjoyment of their religious rtsis JiUh, is used meta,

phorically to denote the moral ix)llution

The

interpreta-

contracted by sin.
Is. iv. 4.

See Prov. xxx. 12

" vocatur Icgatus

He

is

represented as appearing

de nomine principis sui," is a pure fiction, and directly opposed to Scripture usage. The verb -y j signifies to chide, rebuke,
so as to silence those

in the squalid garments in

which he had

returned from a state of captivity in

who

are the objects

Babylon, and as having restored to him the gorgeous dress of the high jmest.

of the reproof, and restrain

them from
effect.

ntiVfra
and put
over.

costhj or splendid habiliments,

carrying their designs into

repeated for the

It is

such as were worn on special occasions,

off as soon as the occasion
Is.
iii.

sake of empliasis,

to

was

express the absolute certainty that the

See on

machinations of Satan should prove utter-

here

commanded

to

Those who are change the dress of

22.

Chap. in.

ZE CHARIAH.
thee,

373

and I will invest thee with costly habiliments. Let them place a pnre mitre upon his head. And they placed the pure mitre upon his head, and invested him Avith the habihments. Then the Angel of Jehovah stood up. And

away from

He

then

said,

the Angel of Jehovah protested to Joshua, saying

Thus

saith

Jehovah of hosts

my ways, thou wilt observe my charge. Then thou shalt both judge my house,
If thou wilt Avalk in

And

if

Joshua are not, as Ewald supposes, attendant priests, but attendant angels. The nominative to -js^l and i^zth is ri'jn''

rises to

and not y-v^rr

mean,

"jis

i"'r?:"v'.

*^^^

"*^*

as Gesenius interprets, to let inits

iquity or sin pass by, but to remove

guilt or punishment, to remit or forgive.

and thus

effectively

annoxmce the divine decree reresponsible duties which devolved upon Joshua in his sacerdotal capacity. I do not agree with Dr. Stonard, who supposes that the Angel assumed the character and position of a The participial form of the witness.
specting the

This guilt or pun-

verb

is

adopted for the purpose of vary-

ishment

is

represented as having lain as

ing the style.

6, 7.
nifies,

a heavj' load upon Joshua, and to have been removed hv^'a from upon him. raVn is not to be changed into iiJriVs
, ,

iiy
to

as here

used in Hiphil, sigdeclaration.

make a solemn
Targ.

LXX.
n^nCit
.

Sie/j-apTvparo.

and Syr.
ip-iwrtt
,

as in the Targ.

and

Syr., but is to be reelliptical

.

Vulg. contestabatur.

garded as a not unusual

5.

form

my

charge,

of the idiomatic 'raVs Ira's-

or rites,

means the laws, prescriptions, which I have given in charge,

The punctuation ^nt^

it

is

obviously

incorrect, since

introduces the prophet

as taking a part in the transactions exhibited in the vision,

namely, the Mosaic Institute. Obedience to this the high priest was bound to render himself, and upon him supremely
devolved the obUgation to see that obeyed by others, ri'ir'i^: from
,

which

is

altogether

it

was
,

foreign to the position he occupied.

,

The

-^yyd

word should be pointed -^si and has been so read by the Targ., Syr., and
Vulg.
ban,
is

to

guard, keep, observe,

is

frequently used
office,

by Moses
charge, to

to denote the

duty, or
to ati.

translators,

^-j-j

tiara, or tur,

which the

priests
;

were

used instead of rE;::i3

in the

the term

tend.
iii.

See Lev. viii.35

Numb.

53,

Pentateuch to denote this part of the high priest's dtess. LXX. At C""T53 the adjective f^-inu Ki'Sapis.

employed

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.
xii. 7
is
;

is

to be supplied

from the preceding, or

-\'izy is

the article

may

be understood.

Comp. Numb,
yr,
,

more appropriately rendered "stood up,"

than, as in our

Hos.

viii. 1, Lx.

15.

to

judge,

common
to

version, " stood

by."

The
;

latter rendering presents the

always employed in reference to persons never with respect to things.

;

Angel of Jehovah
spectator

view

as a simple

the former in the solemn pos-

who is about to deliver an important charge. And this, as the following verses show, was precisely the
ture of one

There appears to be in the declaration here made, an anticipation of the part which the sacerdotal family of Joshua was to take in the government of the
Jewish state
ticiple

C^^Vrw
,

is

the Hiphil paris

character in which he appeared.

He had
now

of '?;Vn

just as c-^iVr:^:
;

of

been sitting upon his throne, but

tsV.n

Jer. xxix. 8

and

t-iTt.?); of

ip;

, ;

374

Z E C

11

ARIAH

Chap.

III.

And keep my coui-ts, And I will give thee guides among these Avho
!

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,
"SVho these

occasions he occupied a

more elevated

signify those icho cause to go or tcalk,

leaders, conductors, guides.

seat or throne as their president, while

they sat on chairs or benches before him.

were we are not informed, farther than that they were standing in the presence of the Angel, and were pointed at by him. Some have thought that the subordinate priests who attended upon Joshua are intended but such inteipre;

By rsv:
are

'tJr.N

men of

sign, ox portent,

meant sgmbolical
still

7nen, persons pre-

figuring, or foreshadowing

or persons
18, XX. 3
:

future.
xii. 6,
is

Ezek.

some person Comp. Is. viii. xxiv. 27. That

only one person

typified
this

here referred to as

tation

is

altogether unsuitable to the dig-

nified character which, as

high

priest,

he

by the Jewish priests, and that one person is none other than the
In their sacerdo-

sustained.

As none

but superior beings

it fol-

Messiah, the following clause of the verse

incontrovertibly shows.
tal character,

could be his leaders or conductors,

lows that the angels must be meant. This view is confirmed by the circumstance of their being represented as " standing," namely, in the presence of

and

in the presentation of

sacrifices before

Jehovah, they foreshadPriest of our profession,

owed the High

he
offered for

Christ Jesus, and the one sacrifice

sins,

which

Jehovah, ready to execute his behests, whereas the subordinate priests are spoken of in the following verse as " sitting" before Joshua.

when he

presented

himself as a propitiatory victim in the

room of the
of
Tl.'-\'iz
,

The import

of the

see

promise
office

is,

that he

and

his successors in

r.)z~

tJieg

For the derivation Though on Joel ii. 30. are, refers immediately to the
guilty.

should enjoy the care, direction,

celestial spirits in

subordinate priests,
that Joshua
is

we

are not to siippose

and aid of

the manage-

excluded, or that he wa8

ment of the national

zig,

affairs.

Munster,

not a symbolical person as well as they.

Yatablus, llosenmiiller, Ewakl, and Hit-

take Z'rVrtt to be the plural of the noun "^h-iz, a walk, or walking j^lace

This use of the third person of the pronoun instead of the second is not without example.

See Zeph.

ii.

12.

but this affords no appropriate sense, except it be referred to the heavenly state

author of the

Targum admits

that

The by

nrs
Ilis
'

Branch, the Messi.vh

arc, -^;.

upon the clause by the Targum, Kimchi, and several Christian interpreters, but which is little suited to the language of the connection, and is
a construction put

words

is

}?r;-:;

meant. "-:y r;i

shall be
is

My

Servant, the ilessiah

who

revealed."

The same

interpretation

mode
8.

of representation otherwise forof Joshua were the

associated

found in other Jewish authorities, as both Kimchi and Rashi admit. Some few
Christian interpreters,
tius

eign to Scripture.

among whom Gro-

The companiors
priests,

ordinary

who were

and Blayney, adopting the opinion of the two Rabbins just mentioned, suppose
Zcrubbabel to be intended
opinion
prince
;

with him

for the

purpose of canying on

but in
for

my
that

the service of the temple. They are represented as " sitting before" him, not at the time the words are addressed to him, for they arc spoken of in the third person, but

very

prepasterously,

was already

in existence,

and in

the full exercise of his

official duties

usually,

when

consulting to-

gether about religious matters.

On

such

whom Jehovah had not yet appeared. Even Gescnius, Ilitzig, and Maurcr, make no scruwhereas the person to
refers

ClIAP. III.

ZE CH AEIAH.

375

(For they are typical persons) BRANCH. For, behold I will introduce my servant Joshua, before laid have which I behold the stone For, 9 Upon the one stone shall be seven eyes
!

THE

Behold

I will

form the sculpture thereof,

by Zerubbabel in the presence of Joshua and his brethren the priests, who celebrated the joyful event in songs of praise to

pie in applying the title to the Messiah.

It
is

that given to him,

;

Is.

iv.

Jer.
;

xxiii. 5, xxxiii.

and Zech, vi. 12 15 and is equivalent to Son. See on Is. iv. 2, where it is shown that in the writings
of the ancient Persians, " the branch" of any one means his son, or one of his posterity.

Jehovah.
said, that

Ezra

iii.

upon

this

813. When it is "one stone" were

it.

"seven eyes,"

we

are not to conclude

that they were exhibited upon

The

The

verb hti^

from which the

meaning
towards
as
it,

is,

that

they were

directed

noun
or

is

derived, signifies to spring forth

as plants
;

iq),

but the

LXX.

have

presses the sun-7-ise.

is

adopted the word avaroX)}, which exHence the Saviour

called waroKr) | v^ovs,

and fixed upon it, or intent an object of special attention and While with us an eye is the care. hieroglyphic of Divine Providence, the
Hebrews, to express the perfection of knowledge and wisdom in which all its affairs are conducted, employed the hieroglyphic of
*'

spring from on high,"

JIal. iv. 2,

"the Day78. Comp. where np-s rw-j nn-i.l "the

Luke

i.

Sun

of righteousness shall arise,"

is

ren-

seven eyes,"

seven,

in

avanXft 9i\ioi St/coiThe Vulg. adducam servum oavvi)s. meum orientem. For "'nav my servant, as a designation of the Messiah, comp.
dered by the
,

LXX.

the Oriental style, denoting fulness or Such symbolic representaperfection.

tions

Comp. Rev.
clares, that

were common among the Persians. Jehovah here dei. 4, v. 6.

the erection of the temple,
of

Is. xlii.

17,
;

xlix.
see

19,

1.

510,
the

lii.

13

9.

liii.

and

my Comm. on

first

the

commencement

which had been

of these passages.

Most

interpreters regard this verse

as a continuation of the subject treated

of at the close of the preceding, and explain the t;;s , stoiie, of the Messiah in

made, in the course of his providence, by the laying of the foundation, should be an object of his special care and regard. , For V< V?' ^^^ ^y^ being upon

any person
exercise of

or thing,

as

denoting the

accordance with such passages as Ps. This view is cxviii. 22; Is. xxviii. 16.
largely insisted

upon by Stonard
renders
it is

but
alto-

kind and vigilant care, see Ps. xxxii. 8. The attempt of Vitringa and Blayney to explain C';:/y o( foun,

what, in
the stone

my judgment,
is

tains,

and

so apply the passage to liv-

gether imtenable,

the circumstance that

spoken of as having been laid before, or in the presence of, Joshua language which can with no propriety be

ing waters flowing from Christ as the antitype of the rock smitten in the wilderness
is

a complete failure.

The

sin-

gular '"S, signifies, indeed, fountain as

employed with reference

to the Messiah.

well as eye, but

of

it

is

a settled principle

Neither can the reference be to "^asn V^ian , the plummet, spoken of ch. iv.
10, that being represented as in the

Hebrew grammar than when foununiformly employed, just as the dual

tains are intended, the pku-al feminine

is

hand

of Zerubbabel, and not placed or laid beI fore his associate in the government.
cannot, therefore, imagine any other stone
to be here intended than the foundation

^'i'V is as uniformly and exclusively used to express eyes. See for the principle, Gesen. Lehrgeb. pp. 539, 540. That
the dual
that
is

employed
in
pairs,

to express things

stone of the temple,

which had been

laid

exist

even

when more

Y
376

ZECHARIAH,
;

Chap. IV.

Saith Jeliovali of hosts

Ami

I will

remove the punishment of that land

ui

one day.

10 In that day, saith Joliovah of hosts,

Ye

shall

each invite his neighbor,

Under
than two
2.
is

the vine, and under the tig tree.

intended,
see on Is. vi. Behold! I will
lit.

the troubles and sufferings to which the

snps nnsM

"irn

form

the sculpture thereof ;

' I will

open the openhig thereof."

tended,

"What kind
;

of architectural ornaments are hereby in-

but that they were cut out or engraven in the

it is

impossible to say

Jews were subjected on account of it. Thus the iniquity of Sodom, Gen. xix. 15, was the punishment to be inflicted upon it and that of Babylon, Jer. 11. 6, the same. The land of Judea had borne
;

its

foundation-stone,
as here used

the

exigency of the
regard the stone

place requires, except

we

by synecdoche for the whole temple, in which case reference will be

had

to the finishing off of the structure,

punishment during the captivity, bul to be occupied and cultivated. To sufferings the Jews were still exposed on the part of their enemies, who caused an interruption of the building of the temple, and prevented the comfortable

was now

the foundation of which had been laid in the presence of Joshua. LXX. opvaata
^ohpov.
Syr.
I

settlement of the people in their own land. For their encouragement Jehovah

(JUkJLj^ jjj

^^As
it."

promises to put an end to their distress,

I

(51,

T-s

ci"'3

in one day

i. e.

soon, in the
""i.sn
is

"Behold,
is

open the gates of

to

rri^a

shortest space of time.

NT;r

here used in Kal, but with a causative

:

specifically the land of Palestine.

significafion
-,?
is

remove, cause

to depart.

10.
social

to be understood, not of iniquity,

but of the

punishment of iniquity

A promise of the tranquillity and enjoyment that were to be experi-

enced by the restored Hebrews.

CHAPTER
Under

the symbol of a golden candlestick is represented the pure and flourishing state of the Jewi.sh church as resfored after the captivity, 1-.3. The signification at this symbol the propliet is left to find out, 4, 5; only a clue is given him in the message which he was commissioned to deliver relative to the completion of the temple, in spite of the formidable difficulties which interposed, and to the Messiah who was to come after the temple

was

in a finished state, 6, 7. He was further instructed to announce the certainty of the former event, on the ground that Zerubbabel, who superintended the work, was under the special care of Divine Providence, which should so arrange the course of human affairs as to render them sub.wrvient to the undcitaldng, 810. Under the additional symbol of two olive trees, which supplied the camllestick with the necessary oil, are represented Joshua and Zerubbabel, tlie two principal official persons in the new state, 1114.

And
1.

the angel M-ho spake with

VISION V.

me awoke me
to

again, like one

this verse, that the

We

are not to conclude from the

use of the verb zzv at the beginning of

had removed prophet, and

communicating angel distance from the

returned
to

now

him.

Chap. IV.
2

ZECHARIAH.
!

377

who is waked out of his sleep. And he said to me, What dost thou see ? And I saM, I see, and behold a candlestick wholly of gold, and its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps
employed by
itself, aiiio

When

certainly

insuperable objection, since

it

conveys

signifies to rettirn;

but, according to a

common Hebrew

idiom,

fore another verb, it

when used bemerely indicates the

by such
;

the idea not of distribution merely, but also that of diversity or variety. The
instance adduced from
is

Kings

viii.

65,
is

repetition of the action expressed

not exactly parallel, as the noun

is

See Gen. xxvi. 18, xxx. 31 2 Kings i. 11, 13. Connecting the verb in
verb.

there repeated, which

Zechariah

not the case in nor, so far as I can find, do

instance parallel to
.

manner with ^^'\^^S'^ reference will be had, not to any absence of the angel,
this
,

we meet with any

riipS5>3 -5|3ri "yn'ij

Our

translators

but to his renewed excitement of the prophet to give his attention to another
vision

view.

which was to be presented to his 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.

remove the one seven, and place it before " lamps ;" but such construction is altogether unwarranted, and, indeed, they appear to have placed only a qualified reliance upon it, for they render in the
margin, seven several
nrij-j is
its

pijoes.

There

is

every reason to suspect that the former

i
,

Instead of the second

"irs"

an interpolation which has found

ancient
rest.

vast

number of the MSS. read correctly as the word is found also in some i5:i< 1
,

way into some

all

MSS. and been

of the earliest

editions.

Many MSS.

and several printed editions exhibit n^a

without Mappick in the n, and thus bring the word into accordance with the
feminine form, as occurring in the following verse. It has been thus read by the LXX. and Syr. still it seems preferable to regard it as a masculine noun, and read Tih\ , with the pronominal affix. It
;

This suspicion confirmed by two circumstances. The word occurs only once both in the liXX.
is

copied into

the

and the Vulg.

avTTJs;

The former
et

renders

koX

fTTTa firapv(rTpiSfs toTs \vxvois to7s itrdvo)

the latter,

sepfem infusoria

lucernis, qiuB erant super caput ejus.

The

other circumstance

is,

that, as in con-

number of lamps belonging to the candelabrum in the tabernacle,

formity to the

signifies

an oil-cup, bowl, or basin, and

at the top of the candlestick

Exod. XXV. 37, from which the symbol

was placed

was evidently borrowed,

stated, that there

it is
n't

expressly
15

for the purpose of supplying

with

oil

the

were only

nsaw,

small tubes or pipes leading to the several lamps.

Considerable difficulty has

seven lamps attached to that presented to view in the vision, we cannot conceive of
there being to each
tors
for the
oil.

been found in endeavoring to account for the double numeral form nyari rsaa
,

two pipes The D^ap

or conduc,

reeds or

seven aiid seven.

Some think
by
itself,
is

the

num-

tubes of Moses,

Exod. xxv.^32, 33, 35,

^^J:lV/C
,

ber

is

to be multiplied

and rennot only

xxxvii.

18,

and the

pipes or

dered forty-nine; but this

tubes of Zechariah, both signify the

objects, viz., those
oil

same

abhorrent from the representation otheris unwarranted by Hebrew usage. Others, as Stonard, take the words in a distribu-

wise given of the candlestick, but

used for conveying the into the lamps. The latter word is

derived from ps^ to pour or floic.

infosoria.
bolical of the

Vulg. That the candlestick was symJewish church cannot be

is
i. 20 xi. 4, where used in reference to
;

tive sense,

fourteen,

and make the number to be understanding by seven and

doubted.

Comp. Rev.

seven, twice seven.

To

this hypothesis,

the same symbol

however, the copulative

Vau

forms an

Christian churches.

The

idea

which

it

48

378
3

ZE CHARIAH.
it,

Chap. IV.

4
6 6

and seven pipes to the lamps which are upon the top olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl, and one on the left side of it. And I addressed myself farther to the angel who spake with me, saying, What are And the angel who spake with me answered these, my lord ? and said to me, Dost thou not know what these are ? And I And he answered and spake to me, saying, said. No, my lord. This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying Xot by might, nor by power. But by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain ? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain

upon
of

it.

And two

conveys
tion.

is

that such churches are placed

its

description,

was of no account with the

that he can effect his pur-

in the world for the sake of

illumina-

Almighty

Thus

it

was with the Jewish church

;

poses by few as well as

by many, by those
;

in the midst of the surrounding darkness

whom
as
it is

the world accounts foolish as well

of Paganism
history.
3.

and thus

it

hath been with

Christian churches in every age of their

Of what
n:y
,

the two olive-trees were

emblematical,
4, 5.

we

learn from ver. 14.

by those of superior intellect and that by the exercise of his own spiritual agency exciting to action, and sustaining and giving efficiency to it, that its performance is seciured. There seems to be
here a reference to what
gai,
ii.
:

like anoKpivofxat in the

New
obvi-

we

read,

Testament,

signifies to

proceed or
It

be(jin to
is

"My

Spuit remain eth

Hagamong

speak, as well as to answer.

you
is

fear

ye not."

The

truth, however,

ously thus used at the beginning of ver. 4. Comp. chap. i. 10. While the angel

of universal application,

taught in the
6

New
;

and is clearly Testament in refer1

had it in commission to explain what was meant by these trees, he was to reserve the explanation till after he had made
certain

ence to the conversion of sinners,

iii.
;

Cor.
i.

2 Cor. x. 4

Eph.

i.

19

Col.

12.

7.

However lowly the

feelings enteris

communications

relative to the

tained by Zerubbabel, he

here taught

building of the temple, and the advent

of Jlessiah.
6.

From
it

the purport of the message

to deliver to Ze-

which the prophet was

rubbabel,

by the sublime and noble figure of the depression of a large mountain into a level plain, that none of the formidable impediments which he apprehended,
should, in the smallest degree, obstruct
his progress "a
,

may

be inferred that he was

laboring under despondency, produced by

who, sometimes

refers

the consideration of the powerful opposition with

to things, yet so as to include the

id^ea

of

which he had

to contend, the

the

human agency

connected Avith them.

greatness of the undertaking in which he had embarked, and the inadequacy of the human means which he had at his disposal. Between V"n and 173 there is no clearly defined difference of meaning. They are both used equally of physical and of mental and moral power ; and are

Before -Vi"7:V

supply rrn or r:*nn

The
plies

interpretation of Stonard,
tlie
is

who

ap-

mountain
is

to

the

Christian
inept.

church,

altogether forced and

By
top,

r;r Nnn "25*

meant, not any stone

uniting the two sides of a building at the

but the lapis angularis^ or founda-

here employed as synonymcs, to express

tion stone, on whicli at the angle both

rest,

the idea that

human

might, of whatever

and which, being necessarily much

:,

Chap. IV.

ZE C
shall

nAEIAH

379

And
8 9

he
the

bring forth the Chief Stone,

!

With

shouts of Grace

Grace to

it

And

word of Jehovah was communicated

hands
shall shall finish it

to

me

saying,

The hands of Zerubbabel have founded

this house.

And And
10 For

his

ye

know

that

Jehovah of hosts hath sent

me

to you.

who hath

despised the day of small things ?

larger

more fuUy

serviceable

and more ponderous, than any

chief or

as well as

other,

entitled to the distinctive

" Grace" or filled in our E-edeemer. was favor, " was poured through his lips." character Ps. xlv. 8. At his birth the ris'iP ,

of the

principal stone.
literal

The
must

acclamations of the heavenly choir, were,

foundations of the

temple having
it is

" Glory
14.

to

God

in the highest,

on earth

already been laid by Zerubbabel,

peace, goodwill toward

men."

Luke

ii.

be obvious, that the language

attention
is

merely

As he approached

Jerusalem, the

borrowed from that event, and that his

directed to
as

Him
nss

of

whom

multitudes were loud in their acclaims of " Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blesssed be he that cometh in the
of the
is

David had prophesied

cxviii. 26,

t"S-i ^nt?

name

the chief or principal comer stone, Ps.

Lord

and who
Ke<t>a\r)

is

called in the

New Nor
AiS^os

Hosanna in the highest." the phrase, ' The grace of our

!

Testament,
a.Kpoywi'iaios.

ywvias,

and
:

Lord Jesus Christ," of unfrequent occurrence in the

tion of the

Symm.
t^i'

renders

t6v Ai^oi'
;

New Testament. The usual

in the soul of

Thv &.Kpov

Theod.

Ki^ov rhv irpSiTov

;

application of the words to the comple-

Aq. rhv \ibov "rhv trpwrevcatn-a all conveying the idea of the primary or principal stone of the building.

work of grace
is is

a believer, or to the addition of the last convert to the church,

ous.

The LXX.
,

quite incongrupossessed by the

mistaking rriN-n for

K'l^ov ttjs K\r)povop.ias.

n"a"ni

render, rhu

Whatever grace

The nominative

people of
is

God

is

altogether derived,

and

to j<"'sin

is

not Zerubbabel, but Jehovah.

This was perceived by the Targumist,

not to be ascribed to themselves, but to him to whom alone they are indebted for
its

who puts
tion

the same Messianic interpretaupon the passage, paraphrasing it

"i"'^S"l

communication.
^fi

It

may

farther be

observed, that perhaps the repetition in

thus: ^'737

n-n^^w

"ni

'^Ji'i

the phrase

"^ri

Grace, Grace,

may

sriiDVu Vb3

t;i^r-'i yiz'^xS''^.

^'*'^

^^

have been intended

value of the
xvii. 8,

to

express the infinite

Stone.
is

shall reveal his Messiah,

who was named of old, and he shall rule over all kingdoms. The introduction of this stone was to be accompanied with acclamations of " Grace, Grace to it." ^'isir^ shouts
,

Comer

In Prov.

we

read that " a gift

in 13S

a precious
hath
that
it ;"

stone in the eyes of

him that
is,

^d
nnp-

one of the qualities of a

precious.
Is. xxviii. 16.

stone laid for a foundation in Zion

it is
,

or acclamations, from

ns^

to

make a
;

noise, shout aloud, cry as a

crowd

hence

9, 10.

nnS'

is

the Preterite of Piel.

the

noun came

to signify the shouting

y::3 signifies to cut, ait

end, finish, in
is

of a multitude.

The

repetition of -jn

favor or grace, is for the sake of intenand the ascriptions of this favor to sity
;

here used.

off, bring to an which last acceptation it The verse contains a posi-

the stone (yS) implies that

sessed of this quality,

it

was pos-

and was
its

medium
others.

or

means of

to be the conveyance to

temple should be completed by Zerubbabel. " The day of small things" means the short period
tive assurance that the

This prediction was clearly ful-

which had elapsed since the Jews had begun to rebuild the temple, and the

580

ZE C

II

A R I A II

Chap. IV.

For those seven eyes of Jehovah

Wliich run to and fro through the whole earth rejoiced, Wlien they saw tlie phimmet in the liand of Zerubbabeh
11

Tlien I proceeded and said to liim,

What

are these

two
left

olive-

trees on the right side of the candlestick,

I

and on the

of

it ?

proceeded a second time, and said to him, What are the 12 And two branches of the olive-trees, which, by means of the two 13 tubes of gold, empty the golden liquid out of themselves ? And 14 he spake to me, saying, Knowest thou not what these are ? And
commencement, which had been inconThe efforts siderable and inauspicious. bore no proportion to the magnitude of the undertaking, and could only provoke the scom and contempt of unbelievers. T2 is derived from tt3, as aq is from

command
eousness.
xvi. 9
;

the agency of those

who should
;

help forward the cause of truth and right-

Comp. chap.

iii.

2 Chron,

Prov. xv. 3.

11, 12. It is not a little

remarkable

that the prophet had to put the question

three times respecting the
before he received

2:e only with the andnra to chspise.

; ,

signification of

T33
sig-

it3 otherwise

nifies to plunder, spoil.

With the human

two olive-trees, any reply first, ver. and a third a second time ver. 1 1
; ;

estimate of the entei-prise, forcibly expressed in the interrogative form, that of

time ver.

12.

The The

question

is

varied

each time, and becomes at

last

mmute

Jehovah

is

strikingly contrasted.

His

and
that
sible

particular.
it

reason seems to be,

eyes rejoiced

when they saw

the

work

could scarcely be conceived pos-

marked out by Zerubbabel with the plummet. This instrument was called "(ris

for

him not

to

understand their

symbolical reference to the two most re-

V^nan
it

the stone

of separation, because

consisted of the alloy of lead or tin,

markable persons with whom he was conversant, Joshua and Zenibbabel. rV^-'J

which was separated by smelting from th*e silver ore with which it was combined.

a branch.
its

LXX.

KAaSos, so called from

nt^rs,

resemblance to an ear of grain,

The Vau

prefixed in

jini

is

to

be rendered lohen, as in ^Vtt!!, Judges xix. 1 . The nominative to jj-n n n^.w i

;i

a tube or canal, through which oil or any other Uquid is poured, llie etymology
of this quadriliteral
fi.v^wTr)pfs.
is

uncertain.

LXX.
two

is

r;V.5?~~y3^
is

with which

n'jn'j

':*

With

the

tubes

the

as expletive,

in apix>sition. This,
to

which

branches were exhibited as connected, to

apiars to

me

be the only tenable con-

struction, is that given in the

margin by

our Translators. It relieves the passage from the burden of fanciful%conjectures

whence the candlewas supplied with oil. By ar;.-n th gold, is meant the oil, which is so called because its purity and brightness
indicate the source
stick
.

which had been advanced hi regard to the meaning, and brings out the simple
but encouraging truth,
soever
that,

resembled those of gold.

14. "ins"'n~"':3 -jt;
i.
,

tico

sons of

oil,

how much
commence-

e.

two anointed

ones, Joshua
so
called,

and Zebecause,

men might
the

despise the

rubbabel,

who

are

ment of

work

in whicli Zerubbabel

when

installed into office, they

had

oil

were engaged, it was the object of peculiar regard and delight to Divine Providence, which was acqnaintcfl with all human designs, and from its universal activity could not only
atid his compatriots

poured upon their heads as a symbol of the gifts and influences of the Holy
Spirit,

which alone could

fit

them

rightly

to

discharge their imix)rtant functions.

Their services to the

new

state

were of

defeat the machinations of enemies, but

such value that they might well be rep-


Chap. V.

ZE my
lord.

H ARIAH.
lie

381

I said, Xo,

Then

said,

These are the two anointed

earth.

ones, that stand before the

Lord of the whole

"iZS'J f-:ttS.*n
,

resented

as furnishing it instrumentally

who stand

before.

ITie

with what was necessary for enabhng it to answer the purposes of its estabhshment. Vs; C-iKyn is elliptical for

phrase expresses the posture of servants

waiting to receive orders from their masters.

CHAPTER
The two
Jews
foregoin;^,

V.

visions exhibited in this chapter are of a very different character from any of the and were designed to furnish striking and instructive warnings to such of the as might refuse to render obedience to the law of God, and might not have been,

thoroughly weaned from idolatry. In verses 14, is the description of a flying roll, presented to the view of the prophet, on which were inscribed the threatenings of the Divine law, which still remained in all their force, and were ever ready to be executed upon transgressors. In verses 5 11, the means are emblematically set forth which Jehovah had employed for the entire removal of idolatry from the Holy Land, and its abandonment to mingle with its native elements in Babylon the land of graven images.

2 ing roll.

my eyes, and looked, and, behold a flyhe said to me, "What seest thou ? And I said, I see a flying roll, the length of which is twenty cubits, and the
And
I again raised
!

And

VISION vr.

to be

sewed together, as we find to be

containing

For the adverbial use of 2!rj see on chap. iv. 1. Tihi'Q a volume or roll,
1.
,

the case with the Jewish Megillahs, or

rolls

the

Pentateuch

from the root VV; to roll. The ancients wrote upon the inner bark of trees, which
,

other portions of the

and Old Testament,

was rolled up for the sake of convenience, and for the better preservation of the waiting. They also used rolls of papyrus and of the dressed skins of animals. Aq. and Theod. render the word by Si<p^fpa, a skin or parchment Symm. by Kf^aAls, the term by which the LXX. have ren;

read in the synagogue at the present day. One of these synagogue rolls, pre-

Museum, contains the Pentateuch, written on forty bro-nm African skins. In the Rabbinical diviserved in the British
sion of the books of the

Old Testament,
is

the

title

of the five Megilloth

given

dered
Vi'e
vov,
2.
,

it,

Ps. xl. 8.

Mistaking r.hya for

it

Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther;

to those of the

they have here translated

sickle.

SpeVa-

but in Ps.

xl. 8,

the term

T.h:,'c is

applied

a scythe or

by waj' of eminence

to the roll or

book

The roll

here described

was of large

of the law.

The

large size of the roll

more than ten yards in by upwards of five in breadth. To compose such a roll several skins had
dimensions,
length,

seems to have been intended to indicate

the
tained.

number of the curses which it conThe circumstance, that the di-

3S2
breadth of

Z E C

II

AEIAH

Chap. V.

And he said to me, This is the curse it ten cubits. which goetli forth over the face of the whole land for everyone that stealeth shall be cleared away on this side, according to it, and every one that sweareth shall be cleared away on that I bring it forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, side, according to it. and it shall enter the house of him that stealeth, and the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, and it shall continue in the midst of his house, and destroy it, and its wood, and its
;

stones.
mensions of the
roll

correspond to those
1

two

tables of the

of the porch of the temple,

Kings vi. 3, seems rather to be accidental than intended to convey any specific instruction.

stealeth,

law: :;;,r, he who standing for those who break the

rule of

duty in regard to their neighbor and yarsr he who sxceareth, for those
,

The

particiijle r.ty ,fiying, expresses

the

who
rT':

are guilty of a violation of such du-

which the judgments denounced in the volume would come upon

velocity with

the wicked.
3.

have immediate reference to God. not to be taken here in the sense of treating as innocent, but with the sigties as
is

nVsn rsT

this

is,

or signifies, repaltogether

nification of emptying, clearing, sweeping

resents
parallel

the curse,
instituting
iffri
,

a phrase

clean away.
11. It
is

Comp.
is

Is.

iii.

2G

Jer.

xxx.

with that used by our Lord

the
sacred
;

in the Niphal conjugation, the

when
TOvTo

supper

form of which

the same as that of Piel.

tJ)

awiMa fiov
i.

in Heb.

rST

The
the
ard,

ancient translators are at fault here,

r;|^j

'n''5
r.Vs
,

this is,

e.

represents

my

body.

having mistaken

for C|i:
;

Thus
S'lKrjv

curse, is to be taken as a collective,

all

LXX.

e/c5</c7j^(r6TOj

Symm.

comprehending
After
rs::'!-''?!

the curses denounced

SaxTT).

Nor can
,

the rendering of Stonguilty," be sustained.

it,

against transgressors of the Divine law.

"jLadeth not
like,

supply

TSr^

-seV's

n".^2
ing as

or according to

if fully

"from the presence of Jehovah." Because T'TTa? ~^'a on this side and cm that, is used when the writing of the law on
,

expressed,

would be

2:ir^3 ^'^"^?^

accord-

it is tcritten,

referring to the curse

both sides of the tables is spoken of, Exod. xxxii. 15, Abenezra, Kimchi, Rosenmiiller, Ilengstenberg,
interpreters,

upon the roll. Thus Jerome, sicut ibi scriptum est. 4. The pronominal affix in r;"rN::rn
or threatening inscribed
refers to
'-.'P"-\

and some other have argued in favor of the

Ezek.
also MTitten in this

nV^n

in the preceding verse.

ya'i": is

an aggravation of sar;
of niV
is

position, that the roll, like that of

ii.

The punctuation
r:'?
,

irregular for

9, 10,
;

was

man-

the third feminine of the preterite

ner

but the immediate construction of

cannot be maintained.
to the place
be.

of

-,!iV,

which one of Dc

Kossi's

MSS.

the pronoun with n]': in both instances

shows that
Hefcrcncc
is

it

y.h not merely signifies to tu7-n aside and spend the night in any place,
exhibits,

had

where the
that place,

but also to remaiti permanently.

xlix. 13.
.

See Ps.

transgressor

may

From

whether on the right

hand or on the left, he should be swept away by the Divine judgment. Nowhere should he find protection.

like curse 'p?r=!ir;r-;D was pronounced by the Delphic oracle

against peijurj'

The

curse

went

forth over the

Kpanrvhs
fladne iracrav,
^vnfiapipas
&ira.vTa.

Se

^(Tspx^rai,

whole land. It has been properly remarked, that an individual example of

transgression
is

oKfffii

7'V

Kot

oXkov

selected from each of the

Ilcrodot. vi. 8G.

Chap. V.
5

ZE C

HARIAH

383

Then the angel who spake with me came forth, and said to me, Raise thine eyes, now, and look what this is that cometh 6 forth. And I said. What is it ? And he said, This is the ephah that cometh forth. He said, moreover, This is their appearance And, belipld a round piece of lead, and there 1 in all the land. 8 was a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. And he said,
!

VISION
5. S^'"
1
,

VII.
i.

berg, taking the

e.

word

in

its

primary

came forth,

came again

into view to explain the

6.

new vision. The ephah was one of the larger

Jewish corn measures, containing about an EngUsh^ushel, or seven gallons and

a half.
fji.iTp6v.
ol(p\,

meaning to be that their eye was universally set on evil it was the effort of the whole people to fill up the measure of their sins, and thereby bring upon themselves a full
acceptation, considers the

The LXX.

give

it it

simply by

tJ)

Symm.

leaves
it

untranslated,

which presents

pretty

much

in

measure of divine punishment. When it is said that the ephah (for this is the nominative to the latter tnt this is),
,

its

Egyptian form, which was CUiY^I.

was their appearance, the language is metonymical; the container being used
for the thing contained,
i.

Comp. the Arab.

supposed that
it

XO.-

Some have

e.

riStJ-^n

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
;

wickedness, or idolatry, as further explained, ver. 8.

7.
is

The n22

contracted for

nsis what
,

rotmd or globular, from

"i"^3

to

go

but the assumption

is

is

altogether
for

gratuitous, since there

no necessity

round, was the heaviest weight in use among the Hebrews, being equal to

maintaining that the female represented was actually in appearance of the ordinary size. There is equally little foundation for the interpretation of the Targum, that the use of false measures was

3000 shekels, or, according to Jahn, 125 pounds, English troy weight. Luther
renders
it

here by centner, or hundredit is

weight not in

but
its

obviously to be taken,
estimate as a measure,

its strict

intended by this
C:''5',
,

item

of the vision.

but in

their eye, has been variously re-

nifying a

flat,

etymological import, as sigroundish lump or cake of

garded by different translators and expositors.

The LXX.,
,

Arab., and Syr., have

lead, yet not without some respect to its heaviness, in consideration of the end it

read Ci'^y

their iniqxdty,

which many
supported by
It
is

was designed
the

to serve

the security of
which
,

think
tion,

much more

suited to the connecis

woman
placed.
it is

in the vessel over

it

but this reading

was

To
called

express the idea of

only one of

De

Rossi's

MSS.

clear

weight

las

a
is
,

stone, in the

from what Jerome says on the subject, that the text was the same in his day as we have it at present. The latter reading is adopted by Houbigant, Newcome, and others of the same school. That
ys_
signifies appearance, or that
is

following verse,

n^'ri

the feminine

participle in Niphal.
fer to the talent or

rst does not reweight going before, but to n*as immediately following, and
is

equivalent to

the^-e

was.

The woman

which
55

was placed
8.

presents itself to the eye,

lished

fully estabxiii.
;

ephah in order to be conveyed to Babylon.

in the

by

reference
;

to
i.

Lev.

By

ny-in in this place

is

meant

Numb.

xi. 7

Ezek.

4, 7, x. 9

and

idolatry,

which was the most

fruitful

flagrant

this signification is appropriately appli-

kind of wickedness with respect to God,

cable in the present passage.

Hengsten-

and the

parent of everj' other

384
This

ZE C

II

ARIA

II

Chap. V.

And he threw her down in the midst of is wickedness. the ephah, and threw the weight of lead on the mouth of it. two women 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and, behold came forth, and the wind was in their wings, for they had wings
!

like the Avings of

a stork

and Uiey 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,
shall

To build for it a house in the land of Shinar be set up, and placed there on its own base.
To mark
article
is

for it

species of iniquity.

it

more

emphatically,

the

prefixed.

Theod. and Symm. This Greek term is derived from tpuis, love. The large wings
of the stork greatly accelerate
its flight,

n-V'in,

as

used both

times,

conveys

the idea of a forcible action. In the preceding verse the woman is represented as already sitting in the midst of the

when
an

aided by the wind.

,

In ni'rn-

is

ephah; the action here described may either be carried back to a period preceding the vision, or
to indicate
it

s the third radical, for r:;sPi, which is found in a great number of MSS. and some of the
elision of the letter

earliest printed editions.

10.

may

be intended

Instead of the defective orthograedi-

what was

further done, in

phy ritVitt, many MSS. and some

tions read in full, r'<,::-Vi53.
11. -y:t; y-'>5
,

order to

cause her to occupy a lower

position in the vessel, so as to allow of

the land
-yjj

the leaden cover being throwTi over her. The latter is the more probable interpretation.

rendered in the
in the Targ.

LXX,

BafivKwvos,
,

Vaa rs'iM
,

of Shinar, is and which is the

Jarchi

is

of opinion that the

,

proper interpretation.
strued with

feminine suffix in n"E

to the

her mouth, refers

r"3

I^'n is to be conand r;n":n with rE-s,

woman

but

it

can alone with

including the idea of the

idolatrj',

propriety be referred to the ephah.

9.

of which she

woman, or of was the symbol.

The two females here mentioned

To

the latter also the affix in

this striking hieroglj-phic

srs^w

by Maurer and Hengstenberg as merely belonging, by way of coloring, to the symbol as such, two persons
are regarded

belongs.

In

we

are

taught

being required to carry so large a measure I should rather, however, as the ephah.

and Babylonian powers are intended, by which, as instruments, God removed idolatrj' in the perinfer that the Assyrian

with all its accompanying atrocities, was removed from the land of the Hebrews, which it had desecrated, to a country devoted to it. and where it was to commiiigle with its
idolatrj',

how

native elements, never to be re-imported

into Canaan.

sons of the apostate

holy land.
their \\'ings

Hebrews out of the By their having the wind in

conveyed the idea of the

How

exactly has the pre!

diction been fulfilled

From

the time

is

of the captivity to the present, a period

celerity of their motion.

stork, so called

r~"Cn,

the

of more than two thousand years, the

from the affection which both the parent bird and her young show
to each other.

Aq.,

who frequently

gives

Hebrew people have never once lapsed into idolatry' The whole vision was intended to convince them of the great!

the etymology of
it

'Epw5ioy, in

Hebrew words, renders which he is followed by

ness of the evil.

Chap. VI.

ZECHARIAH

885

CHAPTER
Having warned

VI.

the Jews against indulging in the evil practices which had occasioned their removal to Babylon, Jehovah now, in another vision, exhibits to their view the warlike and unsettled state of political affairs in the immediate future, during the reigns of Darius, and his successors, 1 8. Most commentators seem to have concurred in the opinion expressed by Munster: "Haec visio est valde obscura." The symbols are in themselves simple, consisting of four chariots drawn by horses of different colors, which issue from between two mountains of copper, and proceed in different directions with respect to the land of Palestine. That they betoken certain dispensations of Divine Providence, in reference to the nations by which the Jews were immediately surrounded, and by whose fate they were more or less affected, appears to be the most consistent position that can be assumed in interpreting them, especially as such is the application of similar symbols elsewhere in the prophetic records. The colors of the horses denote, as usual, the character of these dispensations, as either calamitous, prosperous, or mixed. Comp. chap. i. 8; Rev. vi. This vision, which is the last, is followed by a splendid prophecy of the Messiah in his co-ordinate offices of Ppest and King, to typify which the symbolical action of making two crowns and placing them upon the head of Joshua, is ordained by Divine authority, 9-15.

And
chariots

I raised

my

eyes again, and looked, and, behold

four

came forth from between two mountains, and the mounIn the first chariot were red tains were mountains of copper. horses and in the second chariot black horses and in the third chariot white horses and in the fourth chariot were piebald
;

1.

For the idiom N'r^i ars")

iv.
1.
it

see

on

the nations.

That moimtains are em-

ch.

Considering that the events

is

referred to are those of war,

most

ployed in the figurative language of prophecy to signify kingdoms or governments, see

Is.
ii.

natural to infer that war-chariots are

here intended.
are

2, xli. 15

Jer.

]i.

25

By

meant

solid,

mountains, such as per and other metals are ordinarily found.

mountains of copper strong and dmable those in which copthese

Dan.

ii.

35.

Comp.

Jer.

i.

18.

Of what

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. J. am strongly

2, 3. The red horses are symbolical of war and bloodshed the black, of general calamity and distress the white, of victory and prosperity and the piebald grays, of a dispensation, mixed in its character, partly prosperous, and partly adverse. The last word, c^sn^^, would
; ; ;

seem most naturally

the root
""tzt?.
,

to be referrible to

emblems of the Medes and Persians, and thus corresponding to the two horns of the ram which are employed by Daniel to denote See chap. viii. 3, 4. the same people.
inclined to regard
as

them

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.
as all the other teiins here

But

From between
ful empire

these, or

from the power-

employed in

which they formed, the instruments of Divine Providence were to proceed to execute his purposes in punishing

describing the horses are expressive of

colors,

we should

expect something of the

to be intended

same character

by the

49

386
4 gray horses.
I then

ZE
What

CHAR
my

AH.
And

Chap. VI.

proceeded and said to the angel

lord ?
spirits

who spake

5 with mo,

are these,

the angel answered

and

said to

mo, These are the four

of heaven, coming

6 forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole That and the black horses in it are going forth into the earth.

north country
word
in

and the white go forth to the west of them

therefore,

and

question.

I,

prefer

horses are represented as conveying into

adopting a derivation from the Arab.

(

the country the executioner of the Divine

indignation upon that devoted people.
It
is

jQ

jfl

leviter splenduit,

and regard

it

as qualifying

cnna

remarkable that the red-colored

immediately prehorses,

which had been introduced

into

ceding.

Thus, the Targ.

;

yr^up

ash-

the vision, ver. 2,

over.

are entirely passed

colored gray

so tliat the

ate rendering of the

most appropritwo terms will be

r'i!-;!ii

The

reason may, perhaps, be, that,

disastrous as

spotted, or piebald grays.

5.

Babylon,
>"=ns
ii.

it

was the final destruction of was unaccompanied with

battles of confield,

Though the phrase

is

anything like the quantity of bloodshed

C"7S'in

that employed chap.

10,

which characterized the

flicting armies in the

(Heb.) to denote the four quarters of the

horizon, yet,

open

that

it

cannot have this

at the

commencement

there

though was every

meaning
dent from

in the present instance, is eviits

appearance of

much

blood being shed.

being added that the rin^i

are such as

had taken

their station, or

Notwithstanding, therefore, the chariot with the red horses appeared along with
the others,
it seems to be intimated, by no further notice having been taken of it, that it was not employed. The rchite horses, denoting victory and prosperity,

presented themselves before the Lord, in

order to receive their commissions for the

execution of his will.

version, therefore, the

rendered as
the heavens
say,
;

In our common words are properly to the meaning, spirits of

or, as

point out the successes of Darius in different parts of Greece,

we now commonly
thereby meaning

celestial

spirits,

which, though checked by the battle of Marathon, contributed to the strengthening of his

These are represented, as in ii. 1, as employed by God to carry into effect his high behests, which they receive in his immediate presence, and then proceed to the different quarters
angels.

Job

i.

6;

in that quarter.
literally

The phrase,

cn/'-i

power ns-Vs,

graphically, to the west of them.

it is

to

means behind them, but geoThat be .so taken here, the use of Vs
,

of the globe in
ried forward.
6.

which the

special opera-

to,

corresponding with the use of the

preposition after the verb, both be-

tions of Divine Providence are to be car-

same
fore

and

after in the verse, sufficiently

By

'I'lE^

yns

the north country,

shows.
bolical

The dappled
of the varied
affairs,

horses were sj-m-

we

are to understand, as usual, the land

condition of the

of Babylon.

Comp.

Jer.
ii.

iii.

18, vi. 22,

Persian
tle

which followed the bat-

X. 22, xlvi. 10; Zech.

10.

Though

of Marathon, especially the changes

that empire had been subdued by Cyrus,

yet the Babylonians revolted in the be-

which took place on the death of Darius, and the expedition of Xerxes for the reduction of Eg}-pt. This last circumstance
is

ginning of the
all his forces

fifth yeiir

of Darius, on

which that monarch besieged them

;

wth
re-

particularly pointed at in the reference,

,

and, after

much
it,

devasta-

">:''Pn '(""S

the country of the South.

,

tion,

completely depopulated
it

and

That by "^a'n
on the
east of

Teman, we are not here

to the

duced

to solitude.

To

set forth

sym-

to understand the city or region so called

bolically this fearful e\'ent, black-colored

Idumea, but a land

Chap. YI.
7 the piebald

ZE CHAEIAH,

387

go forth to the south country. And the grays went and asked to go to walk to and fro through the land and he said, Go, walk to and fro through the land and they walked to and fro through the land. Then he summoned me and said to me. See, those that went to the north country have appeased my anger in the north
forth,
; ;

country.
9

And

the

word of Jehovah was communicated

to me, saying

10 Take from the captivity, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from
south of Palestine,
article
is

obvious from the

being prefixed, and from a comIs.

parison of the use of the term in such

passages as the following, Job ix. 9

xliii. -6.

and inspire them with the hope of a complete and happy restoration to the enjoyment of their ancient These dappled horses supply privileges.
their distress,

synonymous with )"'', on the right hand, which geographically means the South, and here specifically signifies Egypt, to express which Daniel uses the word 2.1 3 chap. xi. 40.
It
is
,

the place of the red, specified ver.

that the
8.

2,

but

are omitted in the explanation, ver. 6, so

number of chariots is still four. The nominative to pytn must either be Jehovah, cr the Angel of Jehovah, understood as the pronominal affix
in
iri!)"i
,

7.

yisn

the land here referred to, but

not described by any qualifying epithet,

"my

anger,"

shows.
ii^-i

That

must be understood of the country of

Palestine, the peculiar features of the

among
Is.

other significations
viii.

has that
;

of anger, see Jud.

Eccles. x. 4

dispensation of Providence with respect

xxxiiL 11.

The

phrase, ni-i rt'^rn

which are marked by two circumstances the gray color of the horses, which indicated the mixed state of the Jewish
to
:

anger to rest, is equivalent to TXtn ti^2n Ezek. v. 13, xvi. 42, xxiv.
to cause
>

affairs till

the time of Artaxerxes

Mne-

the form of the verb tjVn , to go or walk, which is in Hithpael, and

;

mon and

and means to satisfy, pacify. The final judgment having been inflicted upon Babylon, the Divine displeasure should no more be manifested in that
13
;

signifies to

go about, or

to

walk up and

direction.

down.

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

vision was Jews of the care and protection of their covenant God, and thus lead them to exercise confidence in him,

The tendency of the whole

to assure the

involved in troubles by Sanballat, and

other chiefs of the Samaritans
;

and, as

while prosecuting the restoration of the temple and their former institutions.
9

the Persian
estine to

army marched through Pal-

11.

Here commences a

separate

attack the Egyptians in the

prophecy, calculated, like the preceding

vision,

reign of Darius Nothus, the inhabitants

to stimulate the

Jews in

their

must have been exposed to numerous inconveniences, which they could not but feel the more severely, owing to their having only just begun to take possession
of their patrimonial inheritances. the other hand, the appointment of

work.

That what was commanded was actually performed by the prophet, and' that it was not done in vision, seems the
only tenable
construction that can be

On
Ne-

put upon

it.

The

infinitive

tiip^
is

at

the beginning of the 9 th verse,

to

hemiah

to be

governor of Judea, and

taken in connection with the

finite

be form

other favors conferred by the Persian

of the same verb at that of the 11th,

monarch, were calculated to mitigate

both having

arn

CiCS for their object.

888
Jedaiah,

ZECHARIAH.
who
are

Chap. VI.

come from Babylon, and enter thou on that

11 day, yea, enter the hoi;se of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; yea,

take silver and gold, and make crowns, and place them upon the head of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest; and speak 12 to him, saying. Thus spcaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying:
The
preposition

which
is

is

prefixed to

described as being

upon the head of the

;

the following nouns

partitively, as if

not to be taken
captivity,

Saviour, Rev. xix. 12

there
is

but the reference

some of the

purely to the cro^^Ti of a con-

and one of each of the

fied,

families, the heads

of which are supposed to be here speci-

were meant, but

is

used in

its pri-

mary and most common signification. The persons named appear to have formed a deputation from the
still

queror, composed of many diadems, which Christ is represented as wearing, as a sjTnbol of the numerous victories he had won over the enemies of his

church.
ly

It appears, however, essential

r;^i;\

captives

to the thing signified,

namely, the

priest-

remaining in Babylon, who had sent them with contributions in gold and silver to help forward the building of the These deputies temple at Jerusalem.

had deposited their gifts in the house of Josiah, to which the prophet is commanded to repair and take what was necessary for making the two crowns which were to be placed on the head of
the high
,

and regal ofiices, that they should have been distinct crowTis, in which case either the one may have been placed upon the head of Joshua after the other, or they may have been joined together so as to form a double crown, and so placed upon his head at once. "What favors the latter view of the subject is the circumstance, that the plural
:^

1:

is

construed

priest.

It

is

not improbable
treasurer at the
is

with

n"np

the singular of the substan-

that Josiah
time.

was public

tive verb, ver.

illustrates this

The language of Zechariah

here more heavy and verbose than usual, which has occasioned some difficulty to
interpreters.

Maurer not inaptly 14. by a reference to the triple crown or the tiara of the jxipes, by which

they arrogate to themselves a higher degree of dignity than that of servants they profess to be.
12.

Instead of

two of Kennicott's
Syr.,

V2S nS2 "CS, ^ISS., the LXX.,

Him whose

and Targ., read K2 in the singular, and restrict the declaration to Josiah, mentioned immediately before but there
;

The
is

symbolical action performed

as

upon Joshua
^Messiah

representative of the

here followed by an explan-

can be
ing
is

little

doubt that this various read-

atory prophecy, in
offices,

merely an emendation of some copyist, who took Josiah, and not the three persons spoken of at the beginning
of the verse, to be the subject of the predTo remove the ambiguity, our icate.

which his person, and work are distinctly set forth.

For the signification of htts. Branch, see on Is. iv. 2. That the Messiah is meant must be evident to all who will imparJer. xxiii. 5, tially compare Is. iv. 2
;

have properly connected the words immediately with the names of the persons to whon^ they belong. Hengstenberg contends that only one crown is intended, and that the plural form
translators

xxxiii. 15

Zech.

iii.

8.

Thus the Targ.

is

expounds: "t-rs
V;r!"T
his
,

rtr/i Nn">:!;>3 s^2.^ tn

"Behold the Man, Messiah

;

name
"2

who
is

is

to be revealed."

The
:

same view
T.i-n

taken by Moses Iladarsan

ri-t: V

is

to be referred to several small

it

crowns or diadems of which

consisted.

With many

other interpreters, he

ad-

duces in support of the opinion the 5(aS^fiara TroAAi,

many

crotcns,

which

are

c-ps -rs Vs-.sn rrnr^ii : nias r-s "The l-;".:"' lledeemer whom I will raise up from you shall have no father, as it is said ; Behold the man, whose name is Zcmach,
=i 'S

ys

rrra

Chap. VI.

ZECHARIAH.

389

Behold the man whose name is THE BRANCH, shall grow up out of his place, And he shall build the temple of Jehovah. 13 Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah,

For he

And

he

shall

bear the glory

and he shall grow up from his place." The Rabbins Jarchi, Abenezra, and Kimchi,

all great

undertakings to Jehovah and

not to man, wherever in Scripture such

and

after

them, Bauer and Ewald,

works are represented as carried on under

the special direction of the Most High.

suppose Zerubbabel to be intended.

last- mentioned writer, after

The

the example

In the phrase,
there
is
,

|-!?:s"'

VPnn^:", and he
his place, while

of

Eichhom and
instead of

Theiner, conjectures

shall sprout forth

from

that,

:;'r'in"'

cN-ia

on the

a direct reference to the

name

head of Joshua, the text has originally read, y-^"i-^ i-sna? ^?.3TT SNna on the head of Zerubbabel, and on the head of
,

nws

here given to the Messiah, there

seems to be no very indistinct allusion to the miraculous conception, tpdp his

,

Joshua.

But who does not perceive that

mere

place, the place

this conjecture is to be traced to the

love of hypothesis.
to regard
sage.
it

Maurer

scruples not

as

doing violence to the pas-

The

application of the words to

is

Zerubbabel
tility

decidedly rejected by Abar-

banel, notwithstanding his bigoted hosto the

Messianic interpretations.

The words of the text can apply to no one who was not a priest for it is ex;

pressly declared that such

official

was

to be the

which was peculiar to him. The interpretation, that " under him there shall be giowth," which is adopted by Cyril, Jerome, Luther, Calovius, Hitzig, Maurer, and Ewald, applying it to the church, the body of believers, or the affairs of Messiah's kingdom, is to be rejected on the ground of its not being warranted by Scripture usage. By ^w"n nin* , the temple of Jehovah, which the Messiah was to build, the material tem-

character of

him who

is

the subneither

ple then in the course of erection cannot

ject

of discourse.

And

that

Joshua nor any of his descendants could be meant, is evident from the fact, that they could not exercise the regal power, none of them being entitled to occupy
the throne.
Michaelis
filled

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

Simon
applies

ilaccabseus, to

whom

the phrase in

application to the

New
;

the

prophecy, never

the kingly office; he was merely commander of the army, and civil governor, subject to the kings of Syria.

Inhere

stead of building the temple, as

is

Testament church, which is frequently spoken of as a temple, 1 Cor. iii. 17 2 Cor. vi. 16 Eph. ii. 22 2 Thess. ii. 4 and respecting which the Messiah himself declares, " Upon this rock will I build
; ; ;

predicted of the Branch, he erected a

my

church, and the gates of hell shall

it."

mountain on which the temple stood. Nor did the work of repairing it, after it had
splendid palace for himself on the

not prevail against

13.

Matt. xvi. 18.

Ntirji

The repetition Va-n-rs rrp"

is

r;i~^

not, as has been conjectured, to

been pillaged by Anliochus Epiphanes, devolve upon him, but upon his brother
Judas.
Besides, the declaration that the

be ascribed to an error of some transcriber,

and on the authority of the

Arab., and Sjt., to be expunged

LXX.,

Branch should be invested with the honor

or glory connected with the building of

as superfluous,

but

is

singularly in

its

place, as

giving a high degree of

em-

the temple, would be at variance with the imiform ascription of the glory of

phasis to the statement

made

respecting

the personal

work of the Messiah.

The

390

ZECIIARIAH.
he
shall sit shall

Chap.

VL

and rule upon liis throne, be a priest upon his throne, the counsel of peace shall be between them both. the crowns shall be for Heleni and for Tobijah, and for 14 Jedaiah, and for lien the sou of Zephaniah, for a memorial in

And And And And

erection of the spiritual temple

effected exclusively
tion.

was to be through his mediathat he

and Gentiles,
interprets
;

as Dr. Stonard strangely

but the rs ris , priesthood, and

,

With

the

declaration,

the

h'vyzJZ

re^al dignity,

which had

just

should " bear the glory," compare Ps. xxi. 5, cii. 16; Is. lii. 13; Heb. ii. 9. The declaration has reference to the
crowns, the insignia of
jesty,

been mentioned as unitedly exercised by Thus Jerome, Marckius, the Branch.

Drusius, Lowth,
assigned by

Dathe,

Rosenmiiller,

which were

to

and mabe placed on the

glorj'

Ilengstenberg, and others.

The
:

reason

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-

Dathe forms an insurmountable objection to the first opinion " Quoniam enim Deus in toto hoc loco loquitur, affixum tertise personse in c-";3 non potest ad Jovam referre." The same
objection lies against the reference of the
affix
c'lV'!;

hibiting the peculiar feature of the Mel-

chizedckian priesthood, Gen.

Ps.
ex. 4
;

xiv.

18

in
,

!iscr

to

Jehovah.

By rss

Heb. v. 6, 10, vi. 20, vii. "While our Lord continues to officiate in the heavenly temple as the Great High
Priest of his people, ever living to
intercession
for

make

them, he exercises his mediatorial rule over the world and the that over the former being church

of peace, is to be imderstood the glorious scheme of reconciliation between God and man, effected by the joint exercise of the sacerdotal and regal offices of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

the coimsel ot purpose

Comp.

Is.

ix.

6
i.

Micah
20, 21;

v.

rendered subservient to the administration of that which he exercises over the

latter.

Eph.
xiii.

ii.

1417;
is,

Col.

Heb.

20.

Dr. McCaul, and others, refer the pronominal affix in " his throne," to Jehovah, or the '5*3D
Yitringa,

Reuss,

14.

Helem

in all probability, the

same

as Heldia, ver. 10,

and Hen another

name
,

Deity absolutely considered, but, in my opinion, without sufficient ground. The

natural construction requires the person who is prominently before the reader to

of Josiah, there also mentioned. There seems no ground for rendering

be the object of reference.

The

render-

^n favor, and interpreting it of the hosshown to the deputies by Josiah the construction adopted by HengstenThe words berg, JIaurer and Ewald.
pitality

ing of Kewcome, Hitzig, and Ewald, ' and a priest shall be upon his throne,"
is

cVn^ n'rp rnuyn

be to Helem, etc.,

the crowns shall

do not mean that they

forced

and unwarranted

the

Vau
,

clearly connecting the substantive verb

were to belong to the persons specified, but that they were to be for a memorial
to
just taken place,

with the preceding verbs jc'r-; and rrs' the the nominative to which is s n r Branch, or ^Messiah. The nominatives
,

them of the symbolical and Avere

act that

had

for this pur-

to Cr-:-i

"them

both," are neither Je-

pose to be deposited in the temple, where it is possible they remained till the Messiah, as
ple,
rial

hovah and the Messiah, as maintained both by ancient and by many modern
interpreters,

had taken

high priest and king of his peopossession of his mediato-

among

others, Cocceius,

De

Dieu, Yitringa, Bcngel, Reuss, Dr. Mc Caul, and Dr. J. Pyc Smith nor Jews
;

throne, when temple, and crownis, and the whole Jewish polity, were taken or destroyed by the Romans.

Chap. VIL

ZE C

HARIAH

391

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.
diroo-JWTrijiri.

It is a

striking instance of

Jews, in which, the sentence being

left

CHAPTER
this

VII.

This and the following chapter are occupied with replies to questions which had been proposed for solution, relative to certain fasts which the Jews had observed, but which they supposed might no longer be binding after the restoration of their prosperity, 1 3. From
circumstance Zechariah is commanded to take occasion to reprove them for their observance of the days appointed for fasting, 4 7; to enforce attention to the weightier matters of the law. 8 10: and to warn them, by placing before them the rebellious conduct of their fathers, and the punishment with which it had been visited, 1114.
selfish

came to pass in the fourth year of Darius the king, word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev when Bethel sent Sherezer, Regem-melech and his men, to conciliate
it

And

that the

1.

The occurrence

here described took

took Bethel to be the

name
it

of a person.

place two years later than those described ChisiVD3 in the preceding chapters.
,

lev,

the

name of

the ninth

month

of the

means the congregation of the Jews who had remained in Babylon. To the same effect MichLightfoot supposes that
aelis,

Hebrews, which corresponds to part of November and part of December. Some think it is of Persic oiigin, but the idea of torpor, rigidity, stiffness, which is con-

"

The congregation

rezer,"

of God at Shathough he acknowledges he had

veyed by the Heb. Vcs

justify its

is sufficient

to

no idea of the geographical position of Hengstenberg and the city so called. Maurer think the people of the Jews are

being referred to this root

such being the character assumed by nature in the course of this month. The

The Vulg., Grotius, Dathe, NevTome, De Wette, and Arnheim, supintended.

ply Vn before the word, and render, " to the house of God."
Targ.,

s prefixed may be regarded

essentia.
2.

as the

Beth

The LXX.,

Syr.,

Drusius, Blayney, Hitzig,

it

and
only

The

Avords

Vs n^a
of the

nV^".! l^^^e
earlier

Ewald, regard

as the

name

of the city
;

occasioned considerable perplexity to interpreters.

so called, in the tribe of

Benjamin

Some

Jews

the ancient versions just specified repre-

392

ZE C

II

A K I A H.

Chap.

VU.

the regard of Jehovali, speaking to the priests which were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying
Shall I

weep

in the fifth
?

month, separating myself as I have done

these

of Jehovah of hosts was communicated to me, all the people of the land, and to the priests, to Speak saying saying, "When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, was it at all to me that ye lasted ? And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not
:

many years Then the word

sent
tion

it

tion

as the place to which the deputawas sent. Against the interpretawhich explains it of the temple,
lies

was

felt to be a tedious and irksome performance of duty. The persons speaking were thoroughly wearj- of it. -iTsn the
,

there

the insuperable objection, that

is

infinitive in

Niphal of nrj

to separate,

uniformly called never of Jehovah, Vs~r"2 the house of God ; and that it should have been so designated after the recovery of the Jews from idolatry is
that sacred edifice

ni- r"2 the

,

hotise

consecrate, vow; in Niphal, to abstain from food, and the ordinary employments

of Ufe.
5, 6.

Though

the question had been

proposed by the leading

city only, yet the
felt,

men

of a single

altogether incredible, considering the in-

burden was generally

is

famy attached

to the city so

entirely concur in the last opinion,

refers it to the city

named. I which of Bethel, which is

for its inhabitants.

on which account the prophet

directed to address the Divine reply to

all

the inhabitants of the land, the priests

used by

metonymy
occupies

not excepted,
as others.

who

appear to have been

The word

its

proper place as the

desirous of getting rid of the fast as well

nominative to the verb, which cannot here be taken impersonally, as such construction

Their

fasts

had not been

per-

would exclude

all

reference to

those

who

sent the deputation, a cir-

formed from a purely religious motive, but were relf- righteous and hypocritical. "While they observed them, they neglected the weightier 'niatters of the law.

cumstance not to be reconciled with the

express specification of the

names of the

At nisc
of the

is

an

ellipsis

of the finite form

persons

who composed

it.

ri^nV

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 deputation, speaks here in the first person sin-

gular.

Comp.
;

Sam.
21.

x.

10

Sam.

In -as ':rKa c'isn there is a double idiom, which fenders it peculiarly emphatic. Not only is the finite form used after the infinitive of the same verb but the nominative of the personal pronoun is employed after the usual verbal suffix. Comp. Gen. xxvii.
verb.
;

same

XX. 19

Zech.

viii.

The question

34.

'as

Ci

"i-.Ti.2

The

fast in

the

related to the continuance of the fast in

seventh

the ffth month, which had been instituted to commemorate the destruction of

Jerusalem by the Chaldeans.

city

As

the

was now being restored, it was presumed there would no longer be any necessity for keeping up the humiliating
memorial,

commemoratioa of the murder of Gedaliah, and those who were with him at Mispah. See 2 Kings XXV. 25, 26; Jcr. xh. 13. Neither in fasting nor in feasting had the Jews any regard to Jehovah, but did
in
all

month was

from self-interested motives,

is

llie

rspsn

is

not simply. Shall

f

feasting referred to
])lace

that

I fast

but, Hhall I contintte to fast

The

following words indicate,

that

it

on the festival days, always days of rejoicing.

which took which were

Chap. VII.
7

ZECHAEIAH.

393

Are not these the words which ate, and ye that drank ? Jehovah proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities around her, when both the south and the plain were inhabited ? And the word of Jehovah was communicated to Zechariah,
ye that
saying,

Thus spake Jehovah of

hosts, saying

Execute true judgment, And show kindness and mercy one to another 10 Oppress not the widow and the orphan, The stranger and the poor And think not in your heart of the injury Which one hath done to another.
11

'

But they refused

to attend,

And

turned their back rebelliously

their ears heavy,

They made
12 They

That they might not hear.

made their heart an adamant. That they might not hear the law, Nor the words which Jehovah sent by
Through the former prophets

his Spirit

13

And And

there was great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.

it

came

to pass.

When

he called and they would not hear, So they called, and I would not hear,
Saith Jehovuh of hosts,

7.

The former prophets had taught the

Hos. xiv.
feelings
for

3.

No

one was to harbor any

worthlessness of attention to meats and

of resentment against another

to give the shoulder, is

drinks while
If the Jews

God was
had
evils

forgotten,

and the

any injury he might have done him.

,

weightier matters of his law neglected.

listened to,

11. tins "in 5

and com-

equivalent to turning the back upon any

one.

plied with, the messages of the prophets,

The

cause of such action

is

traced

none of the
" the
i.

which had come upon them would have been inflicted. For
4.

to a refractory, rebellious,
disposition.
jg

and

intractable

The

tt

prefixed in

yiwia

former prophets," see on chap, By the " south and the plain," are
parts of

privative.

12.

-yes

signifies

both a thorn and a

meant the southern and western

Judah.
9.
-"ttN
is

^,-^^ '^^^ ^^^ Arab.

T*^
here to be taken in the

,^^,

to pierce,

strictly past tense, as the

beginning of

the 11th verse clearly shows.

10.

Though

-j-s

intervenes between
to be regarded
Is.

ryn and i-ns they are

as in construction.

Here the idea of hardness is that conveyed by its use, Inc-s-2:r. -;-.3 nn;-.3 the double agency by which the Divine will was communicated is recognized that of the inspiring Spirit, and that of

Comp.

xix. 8

the instruments inspired.

50

, :

594

ZE

CHARIAH

Chap. VIII.

14 But tossed them among all the nations which they And the land was desolate after them

knew

not,

Xo

one passed through or returned,

desolate.

For they had made the land of delight

an anomalous form, is Aramaean manner, according to which Zere is placed where there would otherwise be a movable Sheva. It is Regularly, it would be C"i.yDS
14. C~.?5S
after the
.

of the Piel conjugation,

r^-ran

y-s

Comp. Jer. Maurer proposes to take nji-^ttj"^ impersonally. Others more properly consider the Jews to be the nominative, who by their crimes, had brought judgments upon the land.
the land
19.

of delight, Canaan.

iii.

CHAPTER

VIII.

This chapter is a continuation of the subject introduced and treated of in the preceding. Having shown, the awful consequences of disregarding the Divine will, which had been clearly announced by the prophets, God promises the renewal of his favor towards those who had returned from the captivity. Restored to purity, 3, Jerusalem should enjoy security and prosperity to a degree far exceeding the conceptions of those whom the prophet addressed, 4 6. Those who were still iu heathen countries should be brought The chapter closes with a direct answer back, and share iu the general prosperity, 717 to the question relating to the fasts, and a prediction of the great number of proselytes that should be made to the true religion by the display of the Divine goodness towards

the Jews, 1823.

And
Thus

the Avord of Jehovah was communicated to me, saying

saith

Jehovah of hosts

I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal,

Yea, with great indignation have I been zealous for her. Thus saith Jehovah, I am returned to Zion, And will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem And Jerusalem shall be called, The city of truth,
"

And
4
1.

the mountain of Jehovah of hosts,

saith

The holy mountain.

Thus

Jehovah of hosts
,

Before -irtiV the word '^s to me, found in thirty-three Heb. MSS. it has been in ten more originally, and is now in three by correction it is the
is
; ;

2. 3.

Comp. Comp.

i.

14, 15.
i.

Is.

26,

and the remarks

there

made on the

idiomatic use of

snp

to call.

reading of the

Soncin.,

Brixian,
is

and

4. 5.

These verses beautifully depict

Longevity and a

Complutensian editions, and by the Sjt, and Targ.

supported

the security and happiness of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

::

Chap. VIII.

ZECHAEIAH.
shall yet

395
be
sitting in the streets

Aged men and aged women

of Jerusalem,

Each man with

his staff in his

hand

for very age

And the streets of the city shall be tilled 5 With boys and girls, playing in the streets of
6

it.

Jehovah of hosts Though it should be wonderful In the eyes of the remnant of this people

Thus

saith

in those days,

Should it also be wonderful Saith Jehovah of hosts. 1 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Behold, I will deliver my people
in
:

my

eyes

From the land of the rising, And from the land of the setting of the svm, And I will bring them, and they shall dwell
Jerusalem,

in the midst of

And And
9

become my people, become their God, In truth and in righteousness. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts
they
shall

I will

numerous offspring were specially promuniised under the old dispensation, but formly in connection with obedience to
the law.
xxxiii.
6,

'

in these days," the

n'-.s^.n

Hebrew should have

See ver. 9. are here put as

been
7.

wa^'^,

The

east

and west

Deut.
24;

iv.

Is.

Ixv.

40, v. 16, 33, vi. 2, The idea 20.

parts for the whole.

will dehver

The meaning

is,

my

people from every region

conveyed by c-pn'i!73 in such connection What can be more gratiis exquisite. fying to the uncorrupted simplicity of human feelings, than to witness a number of

whither they have been scattered. Were there any reason to beheve that the

prophecy has respect to a restoration of the Jews yet future, there would be a
ir-i-n

innocent gambols

young children enjoying For a contrary ?

vi. 11, ix. 21.

their
state

singular propriety in the use of si 273, setting of the sun, the Jews , the
beiiig

of thmgs, see Jer.

6.

now,

for the

most

part,

found in

sVs

though

like its

cognate

rVs

is

significanot used in Kal, yet, from its and Hithtions in Niphal, Piel, Hiphal, it must pael, it cannot be doubted that

countries to the west of Jerusalem ; but there is every reason to conclude that it

has an exclusive reference to what was to take place soon after it was dehvered.

have conveyed the idea of separation, disNiphal, it tinction, difficulty; hence in

signifies to he distinguished, to

stand out

p-07ninently, from

impossible to
ulous.

common human power,

,

events, to be to be mirac-

Vast numbers were carried away captive Not fewer after the time of Alexander. than 100,000 were carried by Ptolemy Alexanto Egypt, and were settled in
dria

and Cyrene.
nj;-i-.:=5
r'?.!*3

the participial noun, is occurrences, often used for miraculous in those days, i. e. at the g-,-, 2^tts3

r'lsVs:

The words

belong to

time when I

fulfil

my

promise.

tify the rendering of

our

To juscommon version.

and both the members of the sentence, the express the reality and sincerity of relation on both sides.
9.

a3-T' r:ptn.^.

^^^ 2/^"*

^""'^^ ^

396

ZECHARIAH.

Chap.

Vm.

Let your hands be strong,

Ye that hear in these days These words from the mouth of the prophets, "Which were spoken on the day when the foundation was Of the house of Jehovah of hosts,
The
temple, in order to
its

laid

being built

10 For before those days

There was no hire for man. Neither was there any hire for beast And to him that went out or came in Tliere was no peace, because of the enemy Yea, I sent all men each against another. 11 But now I will not be as in the former days

To

the residue of this people,

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

12 For the seed shall be prosperous. The vine shall yield her fruit,

And And And

To
13

the earth shall yield her produce, the heavens shall yield their dew,
I will cause the residue of this people
all

possess
it

these things.
to pass.

And

shall

come

As ye have been

a curse

among

the nations,
Israel,

house of Judah, and house of

mode
of expression,

strong, a figurative

denoting, courage, resolution, effort. Jud.

vii.

In the last clause of the verse reference is had to the intestine broils and contentions

11

Sam.

xvi. 21.

The
2.

prophets

here referred to were Haggai and Zechariah.

H.
trast

See Ezra

v.

1,

The words

which prevailed, 12. npyi stands forcibly in conwith ^:e^ at the beginnmg of the

which the people heard were those of consolation and encouragement. Haggai
ii.

The providence of God brought about a complete change in the

preceding verse.
circumstances of the Jews
turned.

18, 19.

After

-ritt

subaud.

iina'!

who had
his voice

re-

Such was the danger to which the Jews were exposed before the actual commencement of buiMing the temple, that all intercourse between the city and the country was interrupted. The Saraaritans pressed sore upon them, and annoyed them in every possible way. See Ezra iv. 15. By -ii: is not meant
10.
affliction, dAiJ/is, tribulatio, as
;

As they obeyed

and
their

prosecuted his work, he gave

them out-

ward

tranquillity,

and prospered
After
i.

agricultural pursuits.
the seed of prosperity,

cii^"'j~ J"!?.*

e.

healthy, prosfail,

pcrous seed, such as would not

supfields

ply rrn*

there shall be.

Their

should not be trodden

the Eng.,

LXX., and Vulg. but the enemy, or as we have it, V'^'^?'' "1^""' ""v.H '^'^ "'
'

mies of Judah and Betyamin. Ezra

iv. 1

down by the enemy, nor suffer from drought, mildew, locusts, and other calamities, 13. By the Jews being a curse and a blessing, is not meant that they were the

; ;

Chap. VIH.

ZE C

H A R I A H.

897

14

15

16

17

So I will deliver you, and ye shall be a blessing Fear not, let your hands be strong. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts As I purposed to afflict you. When your fathers provoked me to wrath, Saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not So again I have purposed, in these days, To do good to Jerusalem and the house of Judah Fear ye not. These are the things which ye shall do Speak truth one to another Execute true and sound judgment in your gates. And think not in your hearts of the injury Which one hath done to another
:

And
For
18

love not the false oath

all

these are things that I hate,

Saith Jehovah.

And the word of Jehovah of hosts was communicated to me, 19 saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth
month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall become joy and gladness to the
instruments of communicating either evil
or good to the nations, but that they
nal, ritual, or ceremonial observances that

themselves experienced either the one

or the other.

They were
blessing.

curse

and the

subjects of the " 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

Jehovah delighted, but in the love and practice of moral rectitude. The " gate" was, and still is, the forum in the East, Cli^?J tiS'f means sound, icholesome judgment.' nuijs in ver. 17, is wantrng in three MSS., originally in two more, and now by correction in one; in the LXX. Syr. and Arab.
,

Palestine,
to

nssn
at

o'tt^a

in the very days

19.

Now

follows

a formal reply to

more recent periods have and the idea proved utterly fruitless that they must still exist somewhere in the world, and are still to be restored in
;

which it cover them

refers.

All attempts to dis-

the question just referred of the fourth

to. The fast month was on account of

the taking of Jerusalem, Jer. xxxix. 2, hi. 57 ; that of the tenth was in com-

their tribal state, has arisen

from a mis-

construction of .those prophecies

refer to the return

which

from Babylon.

memoration of the commencement of the siege, Jer. lii. 4. For the other two The fasts, see on chap. vii. 3 and 5. Jews are distinctly informed that these
fasts

14, 15.

An

amplification of

what had

should be turned into

festivals of

been stated in the preceding verse. 16, 17. These verses contain a virtual

joy.

Thai

in

rw^ni

is

adversative,

and instructive reply

vii. 3.

to the question rel-

ative to the celebration of the fast, chap,

It

but in order that having the force of ye may enjoy the predicted and promised blessing, see that ye be sincere before me,

was not

in

such merely exter-

and

live in

harmony among

yourselves.

::

398

ZE C

II

A R I A H.
;

Chap. nil.

house of Juclah, even

20 peace.
21

clieerful festivals

but love ye truth and

Thus

saith

Jehovah of hosts
people,

There

shall yet

come

And And

the inhabitants of

many

cities,

the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to conciliate the regard of Jehovah, And to seek Jehovah of hosts
I will go,

even

I also.

22 Yea,

many

people and mighty nations shall come

To
23

seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem,

to conciliate the regard of Jehovah.
saith

And

Thus

Jehovah of hosts

In those days ten men, Out of all the nations.

Shall take hold, shall even take hold

20.

The prophecy concludes with the

that, in consequence of

rirw^ri C"iir:~V3
the

all the

nations

and

announcement

languages,
X. 5,

Is.
;

Ixvi.
iii.

18.

See also

the distinguished favor

sho\\n to the

Gen.
is

20

Dan.

Rev.

v. 9,

Jewish people after their restoration to their o%Yn land, multitudes of Gentiles should be induced to embrace the worship
of Jehovah.

vii. 9, xiii. 7.

To take hold of the skirt, not intended to convey the idea of

but
is

entreaty, or the gesture of application

for assistance,

Just before the appearance

significant of a feel-

of Christ, the heathen began powerfully

to feel the emptiness of their false relig-

ing of inferiority, and a desire to enjoy the happy privileges possessed by another.

and the unsatisfactoriness of their systems of j hilosophy, and many of them, who were rought into contact with the people of God, found in their religion, with all its imperfections, a satisfaction which they had sought in vain from any
ions,
1

The
racy.
is

Gentile nations would be anxious to

participate in the blessings of the theoc-

The

repetition of the verb pi_n

emphatic,

'-n-"

""'S

a man, a Jew,

other quarter.
proselytes were

It is evident,

from various

merely a periphrasis for a Jew. Comp. The prophecy av^ip 'lovSa7os, Acts x. 28. is generally regarded as having respect
is

parts of the Acts of the Apostles, that

to something yet future,

and
in

is

often in-

Between
C"2-i

-jj

numerous in their day. and iy;;s , supply n'n"'

after C"i2y

terpreted of the instrumentality of the

Jews when converted

effecting

the

Two MSS.,
,

the LXX." and Arab, read

,

conversion of the world.

I can find no

many,

which

in all

such reference in the passage.

" Jerusa-

probability existed originally in the text.

21.

T'^ns.
23.

The second rns is equivalent Comp. Exod. xvii. 12, xviii. nrs is redundant. Ten is put
but indicating

to
4.

lem" cannot be understood otherwise than literally, just as the term " Jew" is to be so understood but, accordmg to
;

as

our Lord's doctrine respecting the

Dispensation, that city
is

New

a round number, or a definite for an indefinite,

many
;

rather than

few.

cijn

Comp. Gen. xxxi. 7 Mic. v. 5. r"3rV Viw of all the languages

,

of the nations, means, of

speaking
different

all

the nations

no longer the place where men are exclusively to worInship the Father, John iv. 2123. cense and a pure offering are now presented to his name in every place where
his people assemble in the

languages.

Comp.

name

of Jesus

Chap. IX.

ZE CHART AH.

399

Of

the skirt of a Jew, saying,

We

"will go with you For we have heard that God

is

with you.
could not but excite the curiosity of the pagans through whose countries and cities they passed and celebrated as
;

wid with a view to his glory, Mai. i. 10, It was otherwise before the advent 11. of Christ. Jerusalem was the place which Jehovah had chosen to put his name there, and thither all his true worshippers were expected to come to the
great festivals, in whatever country they

the metropolis of Judea had become for the favors conferred upon it by some of

the greatest monarchs of the times im-

mediately gone by, and

for the prosperity

mi^t

Thus, the treasurer of Candace went all the way from Abyssinia, Acts viii. 27 and thus numbers from all parts of the Roman empire assembled in that city at the first Pentecost after our Saviour's resurrection. As the
reside.
;

and warUke prowess of the Jewish people, it was impossible that it should not
attract the attention of the

surrounding

nations to the character and claims of the

God who was

pers.

there

adored,

and who

accorded such blessings to his worship-

Hellenistic

Jews and the Gentile prose-

lytes travelled along in companies, they

CHAPTER

IX.

For the arguments in opposition to, and those in favor of, the authenticity of that portion of the book of Zeehariah which begins with this chapter, and comprises it and the re. maining chapters, see the Preface. Having in prophetic vision exhibited some of the more remarkable events connected with the continued rule of the Persians, Zeehariah now proceeds to predict those which were to take place under that of the Greeks, during the military expeditious of Alexander and his successors, in so far as they had a bearing upon the affairs of the Jews. He describes the conquest of Syria after the battle of Issus, 1; and the progress of the army of Alexander along the coast of the Mediterranean, involving the capture of the principal cities of the Phoenicians and Philistines, but leaving the Jews unmolested, through the protecting care of Jehovah, 28. He then contrasts with the character and military achievements of that conqueror the qualities which should distinguish the Messiah and his kingdom, whom he expressly predicts, 9, 10. After which he resumes tlie thread of his historical discourse, and describes the wars of the Maccabees with Antiochus Epiplianes, and the victory and prosperity with which tiiey were followed, 11 17.

The

sentence of the word of Jehovah, Against the land of Hadrach,

For the
signification of sajw
,

1.

see

1,

and Mai.

i.

1.

As nan

occurs in the
signifies Avhat

on

Is.

r.'r,

-,2T

xiii.
,

1.

The combination ax-q

sense of oracle, and

is

sta

occurs only here, chap. xii.

taken up and uttered by the voice, the

400

ZE C

HARIAn

Chap. IX.

And Damascus

When
And

shall bo its resting place, towanls Jehovah shall be the eye of man,
all

of

the tribes of Israel.

his h)-pothesis
is

phrase might be rendered, The anrunmcevient of the oracle of Jehovah ; but it is

better for the sake of uniformity to re-

very imsatisfactory, and

his construction of ^kj;

zh

Jer.

li.

1, is

perfectly ridiculous.

am

compelled to

tain

the term sentence, whieh I have

in

acquiesce in the opinion, that a king of

this

adopted

my

translation of Isaiah.

name

is

meant, as the most probable

"With respect to

"T"n, Hadrach,
it

it

is

uncertain -whether

was intended
a king.

to

of those that have been advanced, especially as the phrase, " the land of a

denote a country, a
last is

city, or

The
either

king,"
ture
;

is

not without example in Scrip-

the most probable, on the ground not likely that the

its

see

Neh.

ix,

22

that

it is

name

suspect that the

is after all

word

Til'in

and very much Hadrach,

.

of a country' or

metropolis, in a region

only a corruption of

rnn

the

near Damascus, would have entirely disappeared from the pages of history. But

common name

of the kings of Syria,

though such corruption must have taken

place at a very early period, for
it

no such name has been found in any

Arabic work phy. Joseph Abassus, indeed, a native of that country, informed Michaelis that
either of history or geogra-

was

found in the copy from which the version of the LXX. was made. The affix in in the preceding hemi'irn: is

nm

there was a place so called at the dis-

stich.

tance of some miles from Damascus

it

that

Damascus was to be the place in which the Divine word or sentence was
to rest or settle
;

was now of small consequence, but had once been a city of great celebrity;
but there
if
is

in other words,

where

the threatened punishment would perma-

every reason to believe that

he did not intend to impose upon his

learned interrogator, the place he had in

^iew

was

-s-,-;s

in Arabic

cuL&Ni^!)

That ancient city was taken by Alexander the Great after the battle at Issus, and formed part of the kingdom of the Seleucidte, from
nently be inflicted.

called

by Eusebius 'ASpaa, and by Pto-

whom

it

passed into the hands of the

lemy "ASpa. It lay about thirty miles from Damascus. The same remark applies to the statement of Rabbi Jose, mentioned by Kimchi in his Comm. on this verse, that he was from Damascus, and that there was a place there, of which the name was Iladrach. The Kabbins consider the term to be a compound appellative of the Messiah, who was to be in
,

Romans.

The

native rule, which thus

ceased on the Greek conquest,

was never

afterwards recovered.
tators,

Several

commen-

ancient versions, render the words, c^s V" r'n'^'j "2

following the

Vs~?)^

*^B?
upoti

^'-\

'f^

'^^

<'y^

J<^ho-

vah

is

Israel,

men and all the and explain them with

tribes

of

reference

sharp or severe towards the Gentiles, but "r;n tender towards Israel Ilengsten,
!

berg,

who

treats

on the subject
ii.

at large

in his Christologj', vol.

pp. 69

77,

judgments which the brought or would bring upon the people in and around Palestine. But it is more natural to regard ys in construction with 'i;:
to the universal

providence of

God had

mn

Keith's Translation, denies that

])ropcr

it it

is

The

reference will then be to the effect

name

at all,

and regards

as a

produced upon the minds of others as

well as of the Israelites, by the success

symlx)lical appellation of the Persian

pire,

emwhich he thinks Zechariah would

its

not designate by

proper

name

for fear

of oflcnding the government under which

he

lived.

His reasoning in support of

and progress of the army of Alexander. Apprehensive of danger, they should be compelled to look to Jehovah alone for deliverance. "When Alexander threat-

Chap. IX.
2

ZE CHARIAH.

401

also which is contiguous to it Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise. Yea, though Tyre hath built a fortress for And heaped up silver as dust,
;

Hamath

herself,

And fine gold as the mud of the streets 4 Behold, Jehovah will dispossess her,
And And
5
strike her wealth into the sea,

she herself shall be burned with

;

fire.

Askelon shall see it and be afraid Gaza also, and shall be in great pain

ened to punish the Jews on account of the refusal of Jaddua the high priest to swear fealty to him, they were thrown
into the greatest consternation,

who had

long been celebrated for their worldly wisdom, Ezek. xxviii. 3, 4, 5, 12, 17, gave a specimen of it on the

and
to

of-

fered
for

many

sacrifices

and prayers
is

God

approach of the Grecian monarch. his intimating that he wished to

sacrifice in

On
offer

deliverance,

is

here used as a

the temple of Hercules, they

particle of time.
2.

replied that the ancient

capital of a king-

and true temple

crown of gold in

Hamath was the

of the

of that god was at Old Tjtc on the continent,

same name, which lay beZobah and Rehob, and to the rorth of Damascus. It was called by
tAveen

dom

and
;

sent

him

testimony of their respect for so great a

the Greeks Epiphania, but

is

now known
it

hoping by these means to conqueror induce him to pass on without visiting

their island.
3.

by

its

ancient name, which

has

all

along retained

among

the natives.

That

This verse

is

graphically descriptive

the kingdom was conterminous to that of which Damascus was the metropolis
is

of the insular and strongly fortified posi-

here expressed by

paVsiP
,

the femthe

New Tyre, at the distance of seven hundred paces from the shore, and
tion of

inine affix referring to y1^J

la7id, in

of the
it

immense

stores of

wealth which

preceding verse.

The whole of

Syria

contained as the great emporium of

was subjugated by the Greeks,

mitted to Alexander.

or sub-

Phoenician commerce.
4.

Ezek. xxvii.
,

Tyre and Zidon,

Instead of

ij'-jj:

many MSS., and

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

cities,

Phccnician

and the mother of

at

many

colonies,

yet

the time here

far inferior

some of them the best of the Spanish, read r^-' which I have adopted as the true lection. Here is set forth the conquest of Tyre by Alexander, who constructed a causeway with the rubbish of Old Tyre from the shore to the island, and after a siege of seven months took the city by storm, put eight thousand of the inhabitants, who had not taken flight
,

referred to, she

had become

to Carthage, to the sword, sold thirteen

to Tyre,

and quite sunk in comparison with her on which account the predi;

thousand

into

slavery,

crucified

two

cate 1X73 rricsn, she is very wise, though,

thousand, and after plundering the city, burnt it to ashes. Jahn's Heb. Com-

in point of position,
>

it

might seem

to be-

monwealth,
5. It

sect. 70.

long to Yt'^ Zidon, is nevertheless to be referred to n i: , Tyre, as the more important of the two cities. The Tyrians,

imagined what of Tjtc must have struck into the inhabitants of the

may

easily be

terror the

news of the

fall

402

Z E C

HARIA

11

CUAP. IX.

And

The king

Ekron, because her expectation hath made her ashamed shall perish from Gaza, And Askelon shall not be inhabited. foreigner shall sit as ruler in Ashdod,

And

Avill

cut off the pride of the Philistines.

his

I will

remove

blood from his mouth,

;

And And And shall be as a prince And Ekron shall be as a

his
cities further

abominations from between his teeth he, even he, shall be left for our God,
in

Judah,

Jebusite.

along the coast southward,

word
Deut.

-iTtt^

which occurs only here and

has been considered of

who knew

the destination and route of

xxiii. 2,

The prophet acthe victorious army. cordingly precedes the march of the
conqueror from Phoenicia into Philistia.

uncertain etymology.

Lee thinks
,

it

may

probably be a compound of yz
,
,

The
are

principal

cities

of the

Philistines

here

enumerated.

Gath

only
its

is

omitted, owing, probably, to

farther inland,

being

from, Cy a people, and nr a foreigner ; but this conjecture, however ingenious, is not warranted by Hebrew usage. In Deut. the LXX. render it by ir6pv7)s, one
born of a rchore, but &\\oyev(7s, a different race or people, best suits both passages.

out of the route of the army.

and thus lying somewhat For AshFor Gaza and kelon, see on Amos i. 8. Ekron, lying Ekron, on Amos i. 6.
farthest north of these cities, is repre-

See Blayney.
it

form,

According to the must be regarded as the Hiphil

,

participle of itts

a root not occurring

sented as exercising confidence in Tyre.

in the
in

Hebrew

Scriptures, but signiA'ing

"While that city withstood the attack, she

more

modem

Hebrew,

to

mix,
fxiit.

Comp.

might expect Alexander to be an-ested in his course, and hope that he would

the Arab.

juo. corruptus

Heng,

up his plan of invading Egypt. But when it fell, her hopes were gone.
give

stenberg renders, rabble.

By

y>isj

the

pride of the Philistmes,

ially of their temples.
7.

we

aie to undercities,

History

is

silent respecting the fate of

stand the splendor of their

espec-

these cities on occasion of the present expedition, but of

Gaza

it is

recorded,
after

This verse contains a prediction of

that

it

resisted,

and was captured

the future conversion of the Philistines

to the

a siege of

two months.
and the
rest

Not fewer than

sla-

knowledge and

service of the true

affix
n

ten thousand of the inhabitants were put

to death,

God.
nTWtt
,

The pronominal
on

refers to
KJir;

were sold into

to a chariot

the foreign prince, as docs

in the verse.
idolatn,',

veiy.

Betis, the

commander or governor
with

he, further

Their abantheir

of the city,

was bound

donment of
their

and
is

embrac-

thongs thrust through the soles of his

feet,

ing the true religion,

represented

by

and

in this It
is

manner dragged around

not improbable, that
^->"
it is

no longer drinking blood, and

eat-

the city.

ing things sacrificed to idols, both of

specially to this circumstance that the

words
perish

T'rjyi

~V.'?.

>

^^^ ^^^9 shall

from Gaza,

refer.

The

title

of

which were common among the pagans, but prohibited by the Mosaic law, Numb. XXV. 2 Lev. vii. 26, xvii. 10, 12 and by
;

king

is

frequently used in Scripture in a

the apostles, Acts xv. 29.

that

It

is

implied

subordinate sense, to denote any chief

ruler or governor.
6.

what the

ruler did,

would be dons

Sec Gen. xiv.

see

2.

For Ashdod,

on

Amos

i.

8.

The

by the citizens subject to his power. He was to belong to God, as one who had

Chap. IX.
8

ZECIIARIAH.
encamp about
it

403
army,
;

And

I will

my

liouse because of the

Both when

j^asseth through,

and when

it

retui-neth

And no
9

oppressor shall pass through them any more.

I look with

\ For now do

Rejoice greatly,

Shout aloud, O Behold thy King will come to thee Righteous, and having salvation,
joined himself to
dedication.

mine eyes. daughter of Zion daughter of Jerusalem

On

his

him by an act of selfComp. Is. xliv. 5, Ivi. 3. becoming a Jewish proselyte, he

;

9.

From

the great Grecian conqueror,

should be regarded as sustaining the dignity of one of the princes of Judah no

distinction should exist

between them.

and the temporal protection which Jehovah would accord to his people, the prophet abruptly, and in the most sublime and animated strain, calls the attention of the Jews to a Royal Personage
of a very different character, the
siah,

The same
lel clause.

idea

is

expressed in the paralJebusites were the orig-

Mes-

The

meek and

righteous,

the Prince

who, on by David, were incorporated among the Jews, and enjoyed 2 Sam. xxiv. 16, etc. their privileges. the Keri has the proper 8. For r2 2 orthography S3 :: host, or army. Jehovah here promises to afford protection to the Jews (called, as in IIos. viii. 1, nin"" IT^a the house of Jehovah), They were not to be injured by the army of Alexander, either on its march to or from Egypt, a promise which was fulfilled to the letter for while that monarch punished the Samaritans, he showed great favor to the Jews. Nor was any foreign
inal inhabitants of Jerusalem,
their subjugation
, ,

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

MatIt

thew, chap. xxi.

of
all

4,

but has the suffrages

the early Jewish authorities.

was not till the twelfth century that it Thus the was otherwise interpreted. Book of Zohar: n"ti?)3 \s -izrv. n's-^m

mm Vy rsm

'i^s

"

On

this

aecoimt

oppressor to invade their land, as the

Assyrians and Chaldeans had done, during the period which was to intervene before the advent of the Messiah, predicted in the verse immediately following.

They were,

indeed, subject to

much

and riding upon an ass;" a statement which is repeated in the same work. The same construction is put upon the passage by Joshua Ben Levi, Saadias Gaon, and others. The testimonies will be found in Wetstein on Matt. xxi. 4, who says in
it is

said of Messiah, Lowlj-

both from the Egyptian and the Syrian kings, especially from Antiochus Epiphanes, but their nationality was not
suffering,

reference to

them

"

Magno

consensu

Judsei dictum Zachariaj de !Messia inter-

pretantur."

And Solomon

Jarchi has
'^^^

and the evils to which they were exposed only paved the way for the Maccabean victories, and the establishment of the Asmonean dynasty. For this preservation they were indebted to the providence of God which watched over them for good. This is emphatically
destroyed,

the ingenuousness to acknowledge,

h^'^uton
is

Vy nVn iimEV irss

that "it

impossible to interpret it of any other than the Messiah." Of Him as the king of Zion it is predicted that he should be

p-^ns,

righteous,

ascribed to

him

in the
liii.

a quality frequently Old Testament.

11
;

expressed in the last clause of the verse.

See

Is.

xlv. 21,

Jer.

xxiii. 5,

; , ;

404

Z E C

II

ARIAH

Chap. IX.

Lowly, and liding upon an ass, Even upon a colt the foal of an
xxxiii. 15
;

ass.

Mai.

iv. 2.

"With respect to

in the latter case the Messiah's riding

yr*:

or, as it is

pointed in some copies,

upon an

ass

was a proof
so,

or manifestation

Sri:, of which Kimchi approves, on the ground of its being the preterite converted into the future by the
-,

of his humihty,
a manifestation

in the former, his

actually ha'V'ing salvation for others

was
that

conversive,

of his possessing

commentators construe it and the more orthodox interpret it with reference to Christ's deliverance from the

most

modem

righteousness

which was indispensable

;

as strictly passive in signification,

for the justification of the guilty.

1 Cor.
i.

See Phil. iii. 8, 30; 2 Cor. v. 21 John ii. 2. As the one feature con-

grave, after his sufferings upon the cross, rendering the passage, " righteous and But to such construction it saved."

trasted with the

haughty character of
were in-

the Grecian conqueror, so the other contrasted with the cruelties that
flicted

must be

objected,

first,

that the passive

signification docs not suit the connection.

by him on the cities which he captured. The Son of Man came not
to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

If the people had been the nominative

to the verb, this signification

would have

Fourthly,

all

the ancient versions render

been admissible
is

but

it is

the king

who
as

the verb actively.

]::15
,

LXX.

<rci^ccv,

Targ.

here described, and to speak of

him

Syr.
,

\^0L^>

^'ulg.

Salvator.

saved or delivered without any reference

to previous danger or suffering,

would be
therefore,

That

""zy

is

here to be taken in the sense

most inappropriate.
a real exigent ia loci in an active sense.
:

There

of meek, lowly, and not in that of poor,

or afflicted, the

is,

the context imper-

connection sufficiently

atively requires the verb to be understood^

shows.

Secondly, though the

is

Thus the of the mild and

ing ujwn an
ass,

LXX.
is

irpaits.

In proof

gentle character of the

usual signification of Niphal

passive,

Messiah's reign, he

represented as rid-

yet there are numerous instances in whicli

verbs of that conjugation have a reflexive
signification,

which, though not in

the East the degraded and despised ani-

which represent the agent

as

ity of the action, or in

showing himself possessed of the qualwhich the signifiis

mal which it is with us, being used by princes and other persons of rank, is
nevertheless comparatively so as
it

re-

cation

purely active, especially verbs,

gards the horse, and specially contrasts

Thus nnss to show one's self glorious ; YlVs to show one's self obstinate, to murmur, complain
which are not used in Kal.
,

with the war-horse in the following vei-se. It was proverbially the symbol of peace,
so that

what the prophet here

describes

3:
ly
;

to

prophecy
.

was
of

at

once calculated to inspire the

the conviction that the

TiCis
;

to desire grcat,

mind with

King

2"lp2
,

to apjiroach

yspj

to stcear

yxDrs
^S/D3

to obey,

show

one's self obedient

he spake was none other than the Prince of Peace, predicted Is. ix. G.

whom
"I

to

lean, etc. J"ri3

,

And

thus in the

The
xlix.

in

TV

h'Ji

"

present

case

skotoing himself a

cxcgetical of the preceding.

11.

and upon a colt," is Comp. Gen.

Saviour, having salvation, saving, a Saviour.

Thirdl)', that the verb
is

so to be

as Michaelis

n":rs, she-asses, docs not, would have it, convey the

interpreted here the combination of the

idea of the pedigree of the colt, as one of excellent breed, whose mothers could

term with p"-::, righteous, clearly shows

for
it

occupies the same position in rela-

be traced back through several generations,

tion to that adjective,

which the
,

active
lowly,

but

is

merely an idiomatic form,

mountains, of Ara-

participle ns-i, riding, does to -3?

the plural being used for the singular.

in the following clause of the verse.

As

Comp.

t3n~5! "'-

Chap. IX.

ZE C

II

ARIAH

405

10

And And

I will cut oif the chariots from Ephraim,

the horse from Jerusalem

also shall

The battle-bow

be cut

off;

And he shall speak peace to the nations And liis rule shall be from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth.
11
I
rat,

As
Avill

for thee also,

by the blood of thy covenant, send forth thy prisoners out of the pit
etc.,

i. e.

one of the mountains,

ij'V':*

Gen.
i.

capital.

cnVr
to

-iS-n

to

speak peace,

viii. 4.

"'ly

cities

one of them, Jud.

4,

xii. 7.

of Gilead, For the

e.

means

ful-

announce the message of the reconciliation effected by the Messiah.

iihnent of the prophecy, see Matt. xxi.

From

the express inclusion of the c"^i,

and the Commentators on that pas10.

nations,

among
Zion,

those

who were

to enjoy

sage.

the benefits of the spiritual reign of the

This verse contains a distinct anInstead of leading

King of
ever

it is

manifest that what-

nouncement of the nature and extent of

the Messiah's reign.
forth the

may have

been the originally re-

stricted sense of

t^ nnsaa

jy

cto

Jews to battle and conquest, as their Rabbins have long taught them to believe, he was in his providence completely to disarm them, and render them
incapable of engaging in hostile conflict.

yns

CS.N

as descriptive of the

utmost

bounds of the Hebrew kingdom, the words must here be taken in the widest possible extent of meaning, just as in Ps. Ixxii. 8, where it is declared in the connection, that all nations should serve the

How literally this was accomplished their

history subsequent to the destruction of

Messiah.
11.

Jerusalem by the
shows.

Romans

convincingly

Having been led by

in

his predic-

The

reign of the Messiah was

tions respecting the expedition of

Alexto

not to be that of a worldly conqueror, like Alexander, nor was it to bo confined,

as to its boundaries, within the limits of Palestine
;

ander

the

direction

of Egypt,

exhibit in boldest contrast the character

narrow

but

it

was

to be that

imder which the inestimable blessing of

peace was preeminently to be enjoyed
it was to embrace the Qrajiles, who had been excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and, in point of extent, was
;

and reign of the Prince of Peace, Zechawhich he had in hand the state of the Jewish people
riah returns to the subject

in the times succeeding the captivity in

Babylon. C5_, also, connects what folThe feminine lows with verses 6 8.

pronoun
called

ps
,

refers

to

YV''^~r'3)

or

to cover a vastly greater portion of terri-

QVi;!n^~ri2

ver. 9.
,

The covenant here

covenant,

tory than ever

rior of

was
is

possessed

by the war-

'Tjri^-ia

thj/

means the
at

Macedon.

On

the circumstance

covenant made with the Hebrews

Sinai,

that

Ephraim

here mentioned, no valid

built in favor of the

argument can be

hypothesis that this prophecy must have

by the sprinkling of the blood of the victims slain upon the occasion. By that act the nation was
ratified

and

ten

been delivered before the captivity of the tribes, since it is evidently the design
of the prophet merely to describe the whole land of Canaan, the northern part

consecrated as a peculiar people to Jehovah, and taken under his special protection.

The covenant
it

is

called

theirs,

because

had

their

of which

still

in contradistinction from Judah,

is

went by the ancient name, which

happiness for

its object.
it is

government ad In virtue of the

release

blood then shed,

their covenant

here declared that

here designated from Jerusalem, the

God would

such

406

ZE

CHAR

AH.

Chap. IX.

In wliicli there is no water. 12 Ret urn ye to the strong-hohl, ye prisoners of hope,

Even to-day

I declare I will

render to thee double

13 For I luive bent Judah for myself, I have filled the bow with Ephraim,

And

raised

Ag.iinst thy sons,

And
lands.

O Zion Greece made thee as the sword of a hero.

up thy
sons,
!

of them as were
oners

still

captives in foreign

should enjoy

who

returned from captivcondition

to

By ^"I'DS is meant, not pris- ity. whom the Jews had taken, but was
own
nation as were in the

Though

captives, their

not hopeless.

They were not

in

such of their
of Alexander

abandon themselves
exercise confidence

to despair, but to

condition just described.

After the death

the promise of
deliver
for

many

thousands of Jews

God

that he

would assuredly

were in a state of exile in Egypt, and

them, nor were they to wait

arrival of

the

many
East.

thousands more in that of actual

slavery in Greece

and other
is

parts of the

Their condition

described as

that of prisoners confined in dungeons,

which were commonly

water.

cisterns
;

without

Gen. xxxvii. 24. In consequence of the mud which remained in them, they were exceedingly noxious to health, and those consigned to them were considered as subjects of
See Jer. xxxviii. 6
the deepest misery.

Tin^ J

is

not here

the proper preterite, as some interpreters

construe
it,

any distant period when they might return as a body even then (Cvn C.-v.) they might individually avail themselves of the invitation, and .share in the blessings. The abundance of these blessings is expressed by the term rara , double, which is elsewhere similarly employed to convey the idea of full or ample compensation. Is. Ixi. 7. There is no foundation for the opinion of Michaelis, adopted by Blayney, who takes T';o; to be a noun having the significa;

but the

prophetic future,

tion of

T.^tt

somethinc) precious,

and not

which
event.
12.
is

is

thrown into the form of the

the participle of Hiphil.

13. The declaration here made, that Jehovah would lead forth the Hebrews to military operations, and crowni these operations with success, cannot be reconciled with the statement made ver. 10, on any other principle but that which refers them to two totally diiferent peri-

preterite to express the certainty of the

With the Divine promise of release

connected the duty of the captives to

embrace the opportunity afibrded them

of returning to their

own

land,

where

they should enjoy the protection and favor of the Most High, "(i-'iia occurs
only in this place.
--:;2
,

ods of time.
above,
is

The

one,

as

explained

It

is

derived from

predictive of the condition to

to be reduced after

to cut off, to

prevent the approach

which the nation was

of an

enemy, to erect an inaccessible fortification hence the signification of

;

the advent of Messiah, instead of having

become, under his reign, as they vainly

expected,
tlie

the noun, strong -hold, or fortress.

dX'^pffMIt forcibly contrasts

LXX.
-lia,

conquerors of the world

with

the pit, in the preceding verse,

and

for

the other sets forth the successful wars in which they would engage with the

this reason is not to be inteqireted of

Jerusalem considered as again

but
is

fortified,
tlie

mand
is

Grecian rulers of Syria under the comof the Maccabees, The prophecy
parallel

used figuratively to express

security

and

prosperity

which

those

32.

with that of Daniel, chap. xi. For the fulfilment see 1 Mace. i.

Chap. IX.

ZECHARIAH,

407

14

And Jehovah shall appear on their behalf, And his arrows shall go forth as lightning
Yea, the Lord Jehovah
shall

blow the trumpet,

And march

in the

storms of the south.

15 Jehovah of hosts shall protect them.

And
They They

they
shall

shall devour,

shall drink,

they

shall

and tread down the sling stones be noisy, as those who drink wine

be

full as

the bowl.
shall save his people,

As
16

the corners of the altar.

their

And Jehovah
Pie shall save

God

them

as sheep in that

day

For they

shall be as the stones of a crown, Carrying themselves highly over his land.
62,
ii.

414.3,

iii.

33, etc.

By

a bold

struction of enemies in battle,

t^^'ts^

>

Hebrews are represented as the bows and arrows of Jehovah, the miUtary implements which he would employ in resisting and overcoming the Grecians under Antiochus
and expressive
figure, the

like wine, is elliptical for ,^"''na;' 'i^ss like those

who drink wine. Before tian thirty-two MSS., originally four more,
,

three by correction,
tions,

eight printed edi-

and the Rabbins Nathan, Kimchi,

j'Vj;

Epiphanes.
Greece,

By ii^'33

the sons

of

and Abarbanel, supply the conjunctive

1.

we

are to understand, not the

By

""rSN

sling-stones, the ene-

Greeks resident in Ionia or Greece, but those composing the army of the monGrotius remarks, arch just mentioned. that at the time here referred to, the

mies are meant, as clearly appears from

the contrasted form of expression, -srs
-T3
,

stones

of a crown, descriptive of the

'The phrase

Jews, in the following verse.

tempt.

Jews were accustomed to call the kings both of Syria and Egypt, i'-^ r.'^'?

conveys the idea of feebleness and con-

The

stones used for slinging are

Tiings

of Greece, because they were of Grecian extraction.

14.

otherwise of no use or value.

Carrying
is

forward the idea of blood, reference

Here commences a number of

Divine interposition

made
to

to

pina, the

special promises of

used to receive

which was that of the sacrifices, and

boicl,

and protection. Considering what the Jews had experienced from hostile armies, it was necessary to disarm their fears by such assurances, that God was on their side. He is represented as appearing in the thunderstorm, with the
lightnings of

r-TT

the comers of the altar, on the

horns of which it was sprinkled. Abundant as was the blood thus shed and
sprinkled should be that of the enemies

of the Hebrews.
16.
ple,

For

>\>3S

"SS3

as sheep, his peo.

which

his arrows are

its

comto

comp.

tits"

"NCiS

The words

are

pared, and with the noise of

thunders,

neither in construction, nor in apposition,

>but are to be separated, so as to connect
V'2V

the sound of his trumpet, the attack.

south," see on
Is. xxi. 1.
,

summoning

For " the storms of the

they shall eat, supply
;

with y^-iir; understood as repeated By from the beginning of the verse.

,

15. After JiVrs

"t:

:2S,

croicn stoiies, are

irs

flesh,

i.

e.

of their enemies
c?:
,

and
This

precious stones or
in crowns,

meant the gems which were set

after 1^^:;

supply

their blood.
is

highly figurative language

frequently

employed

in Scripture to express the de-

and were of great value. ITie and consequently of the crown which contained them, was
elevation of these,

408
17

Z E C

II

ARIAn
!

Chap. X.
bis

For bow great is his goodness and bow great Corn shall cause the young men to thrive,

beauty

And new

wine the maids.

causative power of HiphU.

strongly indicative of victory. For cos in the acceptation of being high, comp.

The

root is

2*3

to sprout, germinate,

the Arab.
viii.

.,

elevavit

rem;

in

the

prophet refers

grow up. The to the plenty which there

Conj.

elattc3

fuit;

(jiflj*

elevatus

should be in the land after the destruction of the enemy. The drinking of

thronus.

must by young females

passage
;

is

peculiar to this

^17. ITie affix in i2?i3 and i">2'^ is most naturally to be associated with that
in
-ir:;-!:?

but

its

being here expressly

authority, furn-

sanctioned by Divine
ishes

at the close of the preceding

an unanswerable argument against

The verse, and referred to Jehovah. meaning is, the goodness and beauty which he bestows. Compare Jer. xxxi. though occur12 Ps. XXV. 7. =2i3-'
;

those

who would

interdict all use of the

i-'iT^n
-i-ii
,

fruit of the vine.

nexo toine or

must, so called from

sion of, because

to take posses-

ring in the latter half,

parts of the sentence.

is

common

to both

when taken to excess, it gams the mastery over the person who
it.

Piel has here the

indulges in

CHAPTER

X.

This chapter continues the subject with which the preceding concluded. The Hebrews are exhorted to apply to Jehovah for the constant supply of temporal blessings, 1, and are warned against an imitation of the conduct of their forefathers, who had recourse to false oracles, on account of which they and their rulers had been carried into captivity, Promises are then made of government by ruler's of their own nation, and the vic2, 3.
torious operations of their armies, 4, 5; the complete re-establishment of the theocracy, 6, 7; the restoration of such of the nation as still remained in foreign countries, especially in the East, and in Egypt, 811 and the chapter concludes with an assurance of the
;

Bccurity

and happiness which they should enjoy under the diviue protection,

12.

Ask

ye from Jehovah rain in the time of the Jehovah maketh tlie Hghtnings, And givetli them the heavy rain,

latter rain

To

every one grass

in the field.

2 Surely the liousehold gods spake vanity,

closest 1. This verse stands in the connection with the preceding. Ct-tti , -:: /(7/t<w7., the precursors of rain.
,

tifulrain.

Comp. Job xxxvii.

6,

where

the same words occur, only their order

is

inverted.
2.

^:::

lit.

rain of heavy rain,

i.

c.

plen-

i"si?r

the teraphim, or house-

Chap. X.

ZE CHAEIAH.
the diviners saw a
lie
;

409

And

They told false dreams, They gave vapor for comfort

Therefore they wandered as sheep
;

They were

afflicted

because there was no shepherd.

And

anger bm-ned against the shepherds, I punished the he-goats Nevertheless Jehovah of hosts hath visited his of Judah,
;

My

flock, the

house

And made them

From him From him From him
shall

as his splendid horse in war.

be the corner-stone,

the peg,

the battle-bow,
erly the
i

hold gods, are opposed to Jehovah in the preceding verse. The term occurs only
in the plural,
vation.

conversive, so that I'lpSS

is

to

be rendered in the preterite, to agree with

and

is

of uncertain deriit

mn
!i:yi

By

"he-goats" are meant the

>i:5,;-

Gesenius refers
^^
^**'^

to the Arab.

chiefs or leaders of the nation.

all

0j.
it

^^ comfort,

and considers

the versions render, as

,

if it

had been

in the preterite,

which the con-

as signifying the indicators or givers of

;

pleasure or happiness

Lee

nection requires.

to the Eth.

The " shepherds" and

this verse

"he-goats" are used synonymously of the

civil rulers.
is

+/^Y

reliquus, superfuit,

and thinks
to

In the middle of

relics are

meant.

They appear

have
See

a sudden transition from the calami-

had the form of the human body, and

to have been consulted as oracles.

tous condition to which the Jews

had

been reduced as a punishment

sins,

for their

on Hos. iii. 4. The preterites and futures, which are intermixed, are all to be taken
in the strictly past time, reference being

to that of prosperity

and military

prowess to which they were raised in the time of the Maccabees. In the preceding
chapter they had been set forth under the images of the bows and arrows here they are represented under that of the
;

had

to

the evils which had prevailed the Jews, on account of which

among

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 idolatrous practices

by

their intercourse with

horse selected by the army on which to ride at its head, was stately and richly caparThe 5 in c;;C3 is the Caph verisoned.
battle-horse.

The

commander

of an

the Syro-Grecian and Egyptian troops, which repeatedly traversed the land.

itatis.

4. ^i^yz thrice repeated, possesses

much

Antiochus Epiphanes actually set up a heathen idol in the temple at Jerusalem, and ordered temples and altars to be erected in the different cities throughout
the country.
3.

The nominative is rT"r;" in the preceding, verse. The Hebrews were

emphasis.

not

now

to be subject to

governors of

appointment, but were to be independent, enjoying the benforeign extraction or

efits

The verb

-ips

is

here used both in a

;

of a native rule.

By rss

corner-

good and a bad sense followed by the preposition Vy it signifies to visit for evil, to punish ; governing the accusative,
,

stone, is

meant the prince

or governor,

on

whom

the political edifice

to turn,

may

be
is

said metaphorically to rest.

The word

to visit

with good.

The

in V? VS prop-

derived from n:

and primarily

52

4i0

ZE C
]iim shall

II

ARIAH

Chap. X.
ruler.

From
5

go forth

eacli

and every

x\nd as lieroes

sliall

they trample the enemy

In the miK? of the streets

battle

They

shall fight, for

Jehovah

is Avith

them,

put to shame the riders on horses. 6 I Avill strengthen the house of Judah, And deliver the house of Joseph,

And

them, because I have pitied them they shall be as if I had not cast them off; For I Jehovah am their God, and will answer them. 7 And Ephraim shall be as a hero, And their heart shall rejoice, as those who drink wine

And And

will settlo

Their sons shall see it and be glad ; Their heart shall exult in Jehovah. 8 I will whistle for them and gather them,
signifies a turning-point, angle or corner

of a building.

"With us a nail would be

,

an insignificant image, but in'; the Oriis a large peg in the inside of a room, wrought into the wall when the house is built, and on which is hung all kinds of household stuff", together with See on the difi'erent implements of war.
ental nail,
Is.

and some others, to have been artificially compounded of n'n'airn, the Hiphil of ar;i, to return, and Q'na'iJiri the
,

Iliphil of

a'i"'

to sit or dwell, in

order

to express in

used by Jeremiah, riTn D*ip'sn~^i* a'^a"""-?"!. nuaV D'Pao'-i chap, xxxii. 37; but
as
,

one word both verbs

xxii. 23.

One
'v

of these, the boic,

after,

is

mentioned immediately
for the whole,

and stands

iis

is

used here simply

in the sense of

7-uler.

Compare the Eth.

more probable that the word introduced is a coiTuption of c^pa'Jin through inadvertence by some transcriSuch is, indeed, the reading of ber. many MSS. and of four printed editions, and is sup^wrted by the LXX. KaToiKfw.
it

is

far

5.

Supply c"a".N

enemies, as the ob-

The reading Q'nb'rn

has the support

is less

ject to
Is.

c^oia, trampling, and compare q-oss "'a::-! refer xiv. 25, l.xiii. 6.

of the Syr., Vulg., and Targ., but

suitable to the connection,
7.

to the

numerous cavalry which composed

(see 1

As the state of things here described

heroic conduct
it is

the chief strength of the Syro-Grecian

was brought about by the

of Ephraim,

army

Mace.

iii.

39), but

which

obvious the return from,

passive on that

were put
of Jews.
6.

to the route

by a mere handful

the captivity cannot be intended, for the

Hebrews were altogether

house of Joseph" stands for
in

"The

occasion.
tion
is

the ten
those of

tribes,

contradistinction

to

The reason why special menhere made of the ten tribes may

Judah and Benjamin, to which ' Judah" as the is given the name of more important of the two. It is clear

be their longer rejection by the Lord, and the exiled state in which many of

from the reference thus made, that part, if not most of all the tribes, returned and
took possession of their patrimonial lands
after the captivity.

them still were in the days of the prophet. t"~EN as a collective noun, is the nominative to For -,< isa see on
.

vm

chap. ix. 15.

8

n"r-arir;

is

mixed

An

express promise of the restora-

form, supposed

by Kimchi, Abarbanel,

tion, settlement,

and increase of the ten

Chap. X.

ZE CHARIAH.
I

411

For

have redeemed them,

And
9

they shall increase, as they did increase.

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
;

11

And I will bring them to the land of Bashan and And room shall not be found for them. And he shall pass over the sea, He shall cleave and smite the waves of the sea, And all the deeps of the river shall dry uj)

Lebanon,

The

pride of Assyria shall be brought down.

And
tribes,

the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.

of whoin were
still

many

at that

time in a state of exile. They were to be brought back to Palestine, and placed in a condition in which they should be
able to act valiantly in defence of their

the ten tribes into Egypt, but it cannot be doubted that, as in the case of the Jews in the time of Jeremiah, many of

them betook themselves

for refuge

to that country

country.
tle,

The verb

pn'j signifies to whis-

pileser

or give a shrill sound, as those

who

to seize

on the invasion of Tiglathand when Ptolemy attempted the whole of Syria, and carried
captives,

keep bees do, who, by means of a whisor pipe, call them out from and back See on Is. v. 26. Joseto their hives. phus informs us, that two hundred years after the time here referred to, Galilee was peopled to an amazing extent, studded with cities, towns, and villages and adds, that the villages were not what were usually called by that name, but contained, some of them, fifteen thouJewish Wars, book sand inhabitants.
tie,
;

away 100,000
in Alexandria

whom

he settled

and Cyrene, vast numbei-s of them must have consisted of the descendants of those Israelites who had returned from the Eastern captivity. Those who had remained in the East were also to return. Comp. Is. xi. 11.
N^ttJ has here the signification of there

being sufficient or enough, as in Kal, Numb. xi. 22 ; Jud. xxi. 14. c'ips ,

room, or place,

is

understood.

So great

iii.

ch.
9.

iii.

^^

2.

should be the number of inhabitants,

The

first

two Vans

are

employed
siglat-

that the territory, however ample and

fertile,

former having the nification of though or indeed ; the

antitheticall}', the
ter,

would not be

able to furnish

them

that of but or yet.

ynT cannot here

with the necessary supplies. 11. There is here an allusion

original deliverance of the

to the

mean

saved, as Hengstenberg contends,

but must be rendered scattered, which

the verb primarily
signifies,

and the conlast clause of

ple at the Red Sea. The Divine interposition

Hebrew peoComp. Is. xi. 15.

in behalf of

nection here requires.

The

those

who were

the verse indicates the settled enjoyment of chartered privileges as before the dispersion,

pressly

Egypt is not excompared with what then took

still

in

place, but such

comparison

is

implied.

to their
10.

when the Hebrews should return own land.

no historical account of removal of any belonging to

nis

has been variously rendered.

The

We have

LXX. (TT^v^,

Vulg./reifo, Syr. jjllio|,

afflictio,

any

specific

angustia, Calvin,

Hengstenberg,

412
12

Z E C
I will

II

ARIA

IL

Chap.

Xi

And And

strengthen them througli Jehovah, they shall walk up and down in his name,

Saith Jehovah.
the distress, Blayncy, Tyre, Ilitzig, Zara,

by which he understands the Nile. The difficulty is at once removed by taking r-' :: as a verb, with the Aramaic signification of

and not the Euphrates, is meant, the use of the Egyptian word
the Nile,

n-s^ places beyond dispute.

xix.
it

See on

Is.

6.

S"U

may

"With respect to n?is, Ashur, justly be queried whether the

l^^, cut, cleave, divide.

Comp. the Arab.

taiit.

^w^,

resecuit, anipu-

In which case three verbs, having Jehovah understood as their nominative,

will follow in regular order:
.

Syro-Greck kingdom be not intended that kingdom occupying not only the territory which belonged to ancient Assyria, but extending still further towards
the east.
to be

The

pride of that jxiwer, as

Q^n -zyi

well as the Egypto-Greek sceptre,

was

And he shall C'V^ n'3 r.sni nns pass over the sea; he shall cleave and The last smite the waves of the sea.
words are
smite
literally,
;

swept away.

12.

in the

The phrase. av:-2 ft'~!"n <o waUc name of a deity, is a Hebrew mode
,

he shall smite the sea

xiv. 16,
river,"

of speech, descriptive of a course of action

into loaves

or,

as to the sea, he will

pursued in accordance with his chai'acter

its leaves.

Comp. Exod.

and

will.

Comp. ^licah

iv. 5.

21

Is. xi. 15, 16.

That by " the

CIIAPTEP. XI.
It
obvious, from the nature of the predictions contained in this and the following chapthat they must have been delivered at a time subsequent to the erection of the temple. As they are exclusively occupied with denunciations of evil against the Jews, with the exception of interjected prophecies of the Messiah, and one relative to the final deliverance of the covenant people, they must have dispirited rather than encouraged those
is

ters,

who were engaged in building the sacred many carnal and secure persons among

edifice.

It

the Jews,

may be said, indeed, that there were who required to be warned, and that

the following denunciations were designed for their benefit; but, as the predictions do not relate to the times in which those persons lived, it is not conceivable how they could have so appropriated them as to derive effectual advantage from them. Besides, they

contain no instances of direct address, or personal application of the truths delivered, euch as we find in the other prophets when addressing themselves to their contemporaries for their mimediate benefit. It may, therefore, be concluded, that they were communicated by Zecliariah an .ome occasion or occasions of which we have no knowledge. The scenes here depicted lay in the more distant future. In the prcTsent chapter the prophet furnishes a bold figurative description of the destruction of the temple by the Roman.'f, and the utter consternation into which the priests and rulers of the people should thereby be thrown, 1 3. He then describes certain symbolical actions performed by him in vision, by which he personated the Messiah who had been promised as the Shepherd of his people, setting forth his commission to teach and rule them, 4; their deplorable condition in consequence of the rapacious disposition of tlieir leaders, 5; and the judgments that should overtake them in conse(]ucnce of their wickedness, G. Under the emblems of two staves the relation of the whole nation to (iod, as their protector, and the relation of the different tribes among themselves are exhibited, and the cessation of these relations The three last verses set forth tha is pointed out by the act of breaking the staves, 714. character of llerod, and the judgment of (jod upon him for his wickedness.

Chap. XI.
1

ZECHARIAH.
!

413

Open, O Lebanon thy gates, That the fire may devour thy cedars. 2 Howl, ye cypresses for the cedars have fallen, Because the magnificent are destroyed Howl, ye oaks of Bashan for the fortified forest hath come down, 3 There is the sound of the howling of the shepherds, Because their magnificence is destroyed There is the sound of the roaring of young lions, Because the pride of Jordan is destroyed.
!
: !

1.

Some
it

interpret this
;

veri=;e

literally

ferior to

the cedar, but was employed

of the locality so called

others underit

for the floor

and

ceilings of the temple.

stand

figuratively, but apply

either

to Jerusalem, or to the

whole land of

oaks of Bashan" were also used for purposes of building. These terms, however, are likewise to be interpreted figuratively of the priests and rulers of
the temple,
cers,
its

"The

Palestine.

The

construction which most that

commends
to

which applies it the temple restrictively. Such is the

itself is

superior

and

inferior

oflfi-

ancient rabbinical interpretation.

To
:

the

together with
-I'^'ni*

the judges of the

It is here

same effect is the remarkable declaration " O of Rabbi Johanan Ben Zakkai
sanctuary,

people.

is

used both of animate

and inanimate
in dignity

objects.

em-

sanctuary
I

trouble thyself?

why know of
!

dost thou

ployed to denote those

who were

elevated

thee that

and magnificent
'"i."'^N.

in apparel.

thine end

is

to be left desolate, for

Zechdoors,

ariah, the son of Iddo,

has prophesied

against thee long ago.

Open thy

Lebanon, that the

fire

may

devour thy
fol.

cedars."
col. 2.

Talmud, Bab. Yoma.

39,

This interpretation seems to be

by Josephus, in his Jewish Wars, bk. vi. ch. v. j 3. The temple might with all propriety be figuratively called Lebanon, not only because the cedars with which it was built were brought from that mountain, but because as I-ebanon was the most stately and magnificent of all in the vicinity of Palestine, so the temple was the most
referred to

i?!, meant Jerusalem, the houses of which were numerous and close together as the trees of the forest, and round which the Jews had thrown up a wall of great strength. Comp. Micah iii. 12. For niria many MSS., and two early editions, read n^::a which is only another form to express the same thing.
-ir,::3n
is

Comp. ",NS-

By

the fortified or inaccessible forest,

3.

The Jewish

rulers are called "shepoffice,

herds," with reference to their

and

" young lions," in regard to their

fierce

glorious of all objects. in or about Jeru-

salem.
against

Its gates
all

were kept carefully shut

right to thread
it was to become a prey The prediction received

who had no

its courts.

Now

to the flames.
its literal

fulfilment in spite of the utmost

solicitude of the

Roman

general to pre-

and rapacious disposition. The r"7S, was the magnificence of the temple of which they boasted. Comp. Mark xiii. "1 Lukexxi. 5. T^ilir; -('iNS the pride of Jordan, i. e. the thickets which ornament its banks, and furnish excellent lairs for lions, has the same figurative reference, and is selected to correspond to the young lions immediately preceding.
;

serve the edifice.

to save
sliort
it

In vain did he attempt

Comp.

Jer. xii. 5, xlix. 19.

The

leaders

from the flames, so that in a time it was entirely consumed.

,

of the Jews are represented as indulging

in loud wailings of despair, on account of

2.

rnn

the cypress,

was

greatly in-

the destruction of their temple and polity.

414
4

ZE

CHAR
;

ir.

Chap.

XL

Thus saith Jehovah my God, Feed the sheep of slaughter

"Whose possessors
kill

them, and are not held guilty

sell

And And
4, 5.

each of those

who

them

saith,
;

Blessed be Jehovah, I ani enriclied none of whose shepherds spareth them.

The prophet now

proceeds

to

Messiah and his apostles did

the Jews
believed
their

and had

point out the cause of the destruction which he had figuratively described, and
that of the people
with,
it

message, the

awful calamity would have been averted.

the

which was connected

The
fii-st

hypothesis of a prophetic vision A\as

obstinate refusal of their

advanced by Maimonides, and

is

rulers to receive the doctrine of the ilessiah.

ably supjxjrted by PIengstcnlx>rg, in his

Christology, and by Dr. McC'aul, in his

By ranr;-

;::,

the

sheep of

slaughter, are
to

meant the people devoted Comp. r.n::'^ -,si', Ps. destruction.

Kimchi on our prophet. That by the buyers and sellers of the

translation of

xliv. 23.

At

the

fall

of Jerusalem not

Jewish people,

we

are not to understand

fewer

than

1,100,000

Jews perished,

the Romans, but their

own

unprincipled

and near a million and a half altogether It has been in the course of the war.
questioned,

teachers and rulers, the facts of the case

show.

The corresponding term r:r-y-,

who

is

the person directed

office of

their shepherds, is merelj' expletive of

in this verse to

assume the

shepherd, and

who

declares, ver. 7, that

what the same pci-sons were officially. The avarice of the Pharisees was excesthey had the barefaced hypocthank God for their ill gotten wealth, and because they were not punished, they imagined they might persevere with impunity. The construction of the plural nouns """sp, ^rj^n^b, and
sive, yet

he i)ciformed the duties of that office ? Frischmuth, Marckius, Michaclis, and

Others, are of opinion that
siah,
it is

risy to

the Mes-

and, unquestionably,

if
is

ultimate
the true

reference be

had to him,
;

this

interpretation

but
is

it

is

equally clear

that the prophet

to be regarded as

having

received

the

commission,

and
the

performed, in vision, what was enjoined

Cr'y-i, with the singulars -7;t<^ and V'lKn^ , cannot, with any propriety, be accounted for on the principle advanced

upon him.

What

proves this,

is

putting into the hands of the same person the uistrumcnts of a foolish shepherd, ver. lo, an action

which can with

difficulties

no propriety be

referred to the Messiah.

by Hengstenberg, that Jehovah himself was the principal actor, and that the wicked rulers were merely his instniments. It is only a more emphatic mode of construction, by which each of the
individuals specified in the plural
is

On

this principle,

most of the

repsee

connected with the exegesis of the inter-

resented

as performing the
;

action,
;

vening verses vanish.

prophetic vision, but

Zcchariah had

all

Gen. xxvii. 29
iii.

Exod. xxxi. 14
affix
;

Prov.
refers

the transactions jjrcsented to his view in

18.

The masculine
,

gn

what he
in his

descrilxs

to the pL-ople, strictly so taken

the fem-

was actually done, not

rences between Jiim and
time, but in
office

own

per-

inine

-,ri

to

them considered under the

sonal history, or in any outward occurtlie

idea of the sheep that were to be fed,

Jews of
he

his

the ptTsonal liistory and

is,

of the Messiah

whom
be

pci-son-

atcd.

He

did not really feed or teach

lo
slain,

;sa being of the common gender. There therefore, no ground for correcting the text by changing c~."S"i i"^o "l~"5-i the reading of fifteen MSS. and some printed
,

those

who were

but

the

editions.

Chap. XI.
6

ZECHARIAH.
will

415
land, saith

For I

no more spare the inhabitants of the

!

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. And I fed the sheep of slaughter, truly miserable
The
particle
'^'3

sheep

Canaanite of it. This rendering is adopted by Blayney, only he attaches to Jews were no longer to have Divine pity the term the idea of merchant, which it extended to them, but were to be aban- sometimes has [among those who trafdoned to all the evils of civil discord, and ficked with the flock), and explains it of
6.

,for, connects
^fer.

follows with the

command,

4.

what The

to the oppressions of a foreign rule.

That

the buyers and sellers of the flock, described ver. 5.

far specious,

the king here referred to was the

Roman
:

The
is

interpretation

is

so

emperor,

is

obvious from the acknowl-

and

approved by Jahn,

edgment of the Jews themselves '* We have no king but Caesar." John xix. 15. The verb , to beat, or dash in pieces, is most appropriately chosen to express the destructive measures adopted by the Romans, by which the Jewish polity was broken up. The nominative is the troops

but cannot be philologically sustained. Some take '|5^ for the infinitive in TTi -

ms

phal of
sense
;

"J!!

3, which furnishes no tolerable

others, for the dative of the sec-

of the foreign ruler that

had

just been

spoken
7.

of.

ond personal feminine pronoun, supposing the Segol to have been changed into a Tzere, but this is liable to the same objection. Most regard it as the particle ;::'5 and construe it either with its cau,

The prophet

declares, in the

name

sal,

or

its

adversative signification

but

of the Messiah, that he

task committed to him.
filled

executed the
This was ful-

neither do any of the interpretations thus

during the personal ministrj' of

"iNSn
^:y
-j^^

our Lord.
variously

have been
?s

brought out satisfactorily meet the exigencies of the case, I cannot help thinking that the h is here redundant, as it is
in

rendered,
Syr.

LXX.
^
,

t^j/

many

instances,

Xavaavinv
, j

V Af'-

construe 12 , as in ver. occurs without the V

.

and that we must 11, where it

The term

is

vV ^

O O

,0

m
A
1
-i .

the

little

ones on account

properly a participial noun, derived from

}!13, in

the sense of the Arab.

of the sheep, Vulg. propter hoc 6 paupere egregis, Leo Juda, adeoque pauperes gregis. Tremellius and Junius, vos inquam, 6 pauperes gregis. Schmid, J. H. MichaeHs, Newcome, Hit-

of the

collection

.5^

esse, like,

and implies

reality, certainty, or the

but admits of being variously ren-

dered, according to the context in

it is

which

found.

zig, gis.

and

others, propter vos,

miseri gre-

And

thus

it

See Lee's Heb. Lex. in voc. is understood by Kimchi,

Maurer, pavi igitur niiserrimus avi-

Jarchi, Castalio,

De Dieu,

Drusius, Storr,

um. Amheim, fitrn)al)r bie efenbed^ ten ber eerbe. Ewaid, wirftirf) ble
uitgfucfncf)dten @d)afe.
real difficulty lies in the

Dathe,

Amheim, De Wette, and Ewald.

Even were the \ retained, the same result would be brought out, the rendering in
this case being, with respect to truth,
i.

The only
.

e.

word -^zh The LXX. have read it, and the following word, as one, thus, ^-ryj^V and made
,

truly

just as in
i.

nsrV

icith respect to

perpetuity,
]S3:ri
*':

e.

forever.

The words

are the superlative of con-

416

ZE C

II

AR

AH
;

CiiAr. XI.

the one I called Grace, and I took to rayseli* two crooks the sheep. And I cut off I fed and Bands, called other I 8 the the three shepherds within one month; and my soul loathed

And

9 them, and their soul also rejected me. I will not feed you ;

So that

I said

And And
struction,

That Avhich is dying, let it die that which is being cut off,
as for the rest, let

let it

be cut

off;

them

eat each the flesh of another.

the most "yn as in c'ji wicked of nations, Ezek. vii. 24 -iria

,

8.

"Who " the three shepherd?" here

rri^a

the choicest
;

of his cypresses,

Jer. xxxvii. 7

or,

with the present

dered in our

case,

what is quite parallel jsan "in'SS ren

out were, cannot be All kinds determined with certainty. of interpretations have been given, from
definitely pointed

common

version, the least

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, suggested to Jerome, by his Hebrew Rabbi, to the

of the flock. The article is as usual to be referred to the former of the two nouns, and both might be rendered, the most miserable of sheep, or the most mis-

Roman
tion
is

emperors Galbus, Otho, and ViCalmet.

tellius, in

The only

construc-

which is at all entitled to any notice, that which regards the language as
the Jewish state

Such was the state to which the Jewish people were reduced
erable

descriptive of the three orders of rulers

sheep.

in

the

priests,

the

in the days of our Lord.

They were
ixr]

teachers of the law, and the civil magistrates.

i(TKv\fXffoi Kol fppifxevoi, wcreX irpi^ara

These were the persons of

influ-

exoj'Ta TToi/ueVa.

Matt. ix. 36.

They
every

ence by
ness,

whom

the

affairs of

the nation

were

icorried

and harassed

in

were conducted, and to whose wicked-

possible way, Trp6^aTa aTroXwKora, Matt. The two staves were symbolical X. 6.

which reached

its

culminating

point

when they

crucified the

Lord of
is

of the different modes of treatment which the Hebrews had experienced under the guidance and protection of the providence of God. One of them was called

Glorj', the destruction of the state

to

be ascribed.
less refers to

inN Tn\,

one month, doubt-

the last period of the siege

of

Crj, Grace, or Favor, to indicate the

kindness of Jehovah to them in restraining the surrounding nations from over-

when everything was thrown into confusion, and all authority came to an end. inr ^o hide, conceal
Jerusalem,
,

in Hiphil, as here, d^oriffii/, to cause to

powering them, and carrying them again

into
captivity.

disappear, to cattse to cease rvith respect

to
office,

See

ver.

10.

To

to

the

remove from

it.

The

last

other

was given the name of d""^2h, which Drusius, Marckius, the Dutch translators, and others, render Bi7iders,
but better, Bands, expressing the
ties

two

lines

of the verse point

out the

which unite parties together. The LXX., Aq., Symm., axoivifffia "Vvlg. fimiculi
;

mutual dissatisfoction and disgust with which the wicked rulers and the Messiah regarded each other, h n a occurs only Comp. the here, and Prov. xx. 21. cognate root V^a , to reject, and the
,

Maurer, conjuncti, fccderati.

is

llefercncc

Arab. (LsVj, impulsus valadus, propidsio

had to the fraternal confederacy into which the Jews and Israelites had entered with each other after the rctui-n

vehemcns;

J^-

maledixit,

HI. cxe-

cratus fuit.
9. The entire abandonment of the Hebrew people is here most affectingly

from Babylon.
first, for

See ver. 14.

is

The

last

clause of the verse

a repetition of the

set forth.

the sake of emphasis.

here

predicted,

For the threefold destruction comp. Jer. xv. 1, 2,

Chap. XI.
10
I then took

ZE CHAEIAH. my

417

11 break ray covenant which I had

it was broken in heed to me, knew of a truth that it was the word of Jehovah. 12 And I said to them, If it be good in your eyes, give my reward 13 and if not, forbear. So they weighed my reward, thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said to me, Cast it to the potter, the
;

crook Grace, and cut it asunder in order to made with all the nations. And that day, and the miserable sheep that gave

sxxiv. 17; Ezek.

vi.

12.

And

for the

fulfilment, see Josephus.

10.

By

this

symbolical action, the

nations,

removal of the restraint which Jehovah

had exercised over the

been prevented,
is

whereby

discrepances are not greater than we meet with in several other quotations made from the Old Testament bj' the writers of the New, and are by no means such as to affect the end which either the

the desti-uction of the Jewish people had

strikingly represented.-

prophet or the Evangelist had in view.

In producing the
his eye

The

exercise of restraint with respect to

hostile forces is elsewhere

the idea of a covenant.

spoken of rmder See Job v. 23

;

Ezek. xxxiv. 2o

Hos.

ii.

18.

W.hen

this restraint was removed, .the Eomang invaded Judea, and destroyed the city and polity of the ancient people of God.

That by C'sy
the

peojjle or nations,

we

are

citation, the latter had more intent upon the historical circumstances which he had just detailed, than upon the strict grammatical construction and verbality of the language employed in the prophecy. He fixes upon the principal points, the despicable price at which the Messiah had been sold, and the appropriation of the money

to understand foreign nations,

and not

Hebrew
The

tribes, is

now

agreed

among

the best interpreters.

11.

compensation to the potter for the and having faithfully exhibited these to the view of his
as a

possession of his field

anticipated

accomplishment

readers,

he
of

is

less solicitous

about the

of the prediction,

and the conviction WTOught in the minds of the pious portion of the Jewish people, that the pre-

wording

the

prophet.

The very

changes which he introduces into the

phraseology are such as his position in
the character of an historian required.

diction was indeed divine. For the force of "3 see on ver. 7. The LXX. again
join the

Thus, instead of c^.^^yw

at lohich

"'P^J^"'

'^rS

two words, and

render,

ot

Xava-

I teas estimated by them, Matuv fTifXTjcravTO

a.Trh vlSiv

avolou
12. 13.

thew has

'l(Tpa^\,

On

the question of the appli-

at

which he

loas estimated by the sons

of

cation of these verses to the circumstances nan-ated Matt, xxvii. 7

Israel.

Instead of tiCrn

f":;V-i" rinps"'

10, a

very

And I took

decided difference of opinion has obtained.

find, Kol thafiov

This difference has been occa-

of silver, we to TpiaKovra &pyvpia, and they took the thirty pieces of silver. Inthe thirty pieces
,

sioned, partly

by the

fact of certain dis-

stead of ii"N ti'^'isJ"

and I threw

it,

crepancies existing between the accounts

the Gospel has, koI eSwKuv avra, aiul they

which;|ftey furnish of the transactions,

gave them.

The freedom with which

';,

the

and psSiy by the more important consideration that the Evangelist expressly
ascribes the

Evangelist renders

\'p

by

5t5a)/ij

is

the

more

noticeable,

since he employs the

words which he quotes to

participle pi^as in reference to the

same

Jeremiah, and not to Zechariah.

With
it

subject in the fifth verse, where, at the

respect to the former of these points,

same time, he renders

T(p
vaif.
,

may,

to a considerable extent, be obvi-

The

conjecture of
a

ated by the general observation, that the

~::n-

potter, is

r"2 by eV some that con-uption of "s^s,

f'yr.i

53

418

ZE

CHAR

All.

Chap. XI.

splendid price at which I was estimated

treasurer,
latter

by them

And

I took

is

worse than gratuitous, as the

word nowhere occurs in Hebrew in reference to such an office, and as the potter was the most suitable person to whom
to cast the despicable

memorj' might fail, or they might be mistaken in one instance, such might be the case in hundreds. For a refutation
of the second hypothesis, see the Preface,
in

sum, occupying as he

which

it

is

shown that

there

is

no

did a workshop in the valley of Hinnom, Jer. xviii. 1, 3, xix. 2, which was held
in abomination

solid foundation for the opinion, that the

last six chapters

of Zechariah were not

by the Jews.

That the

^^Titten

by that prophet.
third supposition,

"With respect
it

Evangelist should have ascribed the prediction to Jeremiah has proved a source

to the

cannot be
apocrj'phal

denied that there was an

of great perplexity to

critics.

No person

who

has read the passage in Zechariah

can peruse that in Matthew without And so at once being reminded of it. exactly do they tally in every important point, that no doubt of their relationship can for a moment be entertained. On the other hand, no such passage is to be found in any part of the prophecies of
Jeremiah.

book of Jeremiah, containing an analogous passage. Jerome found it among the Nazarenes, and a portion of it still
exists in a Sahidic Lectionary, in the C'o'dc.x:

Huntingtonianus

5,

in the Eodlcian

Libran,', Oxford,

and
51
in

in the Coptic lanfol.

guage
of St.

in the

MS.
:

in the library

Germain

Paris.

The words

are as follows
to Pashur,

" Jeremiah spake again

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

and that on
might, with
factorj'

this
all

by the Romans, ground the Evangelist

ascribe

fathers have and your sons, which shall come after you, will commit more grievous sins than ye. For they will give the price of him that is valued, and do injury to him that maketh the sick whole, and forgiving iniquity. And
resisted the truth,

Ye and your

propriety,

the

they will take thirty pieces of

price

silver,

the

authorship to Jeremiah,
;

is verj'

unsatis-

and we

are shut

up

to one or
:

other of the following conclusions

First,

which the children of Israel have given. They have given them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded.

that the one

other

name was

substituted for the

And

thus

it

shall be

spoken

The

senfall

by a lapsus memoria. Secondly, that the portion of the book of Zechariah, in which the words are found, though now bearing his name, was actually WTitten by Jeremiah, and by some means or other, to us imknown, has been appended to
the real prophecies of Zechariah.
ly,

tence of eternal pimishment shall

upon them, and upon

their children, be-

cause they have shed innocent blood."

But who does not perceive in this fragment the clumsy attempt of one of the
early Christians to support the cause of

Third-

truth

by what was deemed

a harmless

that the citation

is

made from an

fraud?

apocrj'phal book

of the prophet Jere-

miah.

Or

lastly, that there is a corrup-

Jerome at once rejected it as spurious, and expresses his belief that Matthew made his citation from ZechaIt only

tion of the

Matthew.
will

name in the Greek text of The first of these positions

riah.

remains that '^j^assume

a corruption in the Greek

WJK

of the

not be admitted by any

doctrine
fully

who

believe

Evangelist.

That a variety

of reading

in the plenary inspiration of the Apostles;

exists has long been matter of notoriety.

established
if

on
de-

Scripture authority, and which,

nied,

Augustine mentions, that in his time some MSS. omitted the name of 'Ifp*/a'ou.
It is also omitted in the

would completely annihilate our

If their

MS.

33, 157

in

confidence in their testimony.

the Syriac, which

is

the most ancient of

Chap.

XL

ZECH ARIAH,

419

the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the house of Jehovah, to the potter.

14
15

Then

I cut asunder ray second crook Bands, in order to break

the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

And Jehovah said to me, Take to thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd 16 For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land Those which are perishing he will not visit,
That which strayeth he will not seek, That which is wounded he will not heal, That which standeth he will not nourish
all

the versions

in the Polyglott Persic,

brought about by the internal dissensions

and

in a Persic

MS.

in
;

my

possession,

which prevailed among themselves, the

rage of the different parties against each

bearing date a. d. 1057

in the

modern

Greek

in the

Yerona and Vereelli Latin

MSS. and
also

in a Latin

MS.

of Luc. Brug.

The Greek MS.

22, reads Zaxaplov, as

and the barbarities that they pracwhich none could have indulged in but such as had their hearts steeled
other,
tised,

do the Philoxenian Syriac in the margin, and an Arabic MS, quoted by Bengel. Origen and Eusebius were in favor of this reading. I think it very
probable that
either

against every feeling of brotherhood or

humanity. " Yet by these men," says Josephus, " the ancient prediction seemed rapidly drawing to its fulfilment That
:

Matthew did not

insert

when
city,

civil

war should break out

in the

name, but simply wrote in his Hebrew Gospel, s^asn n^2 ,by the prophet,

just as in chap.

i.
;

22,

ii.

5, 15, xiii. 35,

xxi. 4, xxvii. 35
translator,

and that
irt

his

Greek

and the temple be profaned by the hands of native Jews, the city should be taken, and the temple burned with fire." 15. TV, again, refers back to what is
recorded ver.
7.

mistaking n

n^a for n,

The

c-'Va

here as a
,

read -ria, which he considered to be a

contraction for nn"'BT':i, and so rendered
it Sta 'lepefiiov

collective in the singular

articles usually
viz.

'^s

were the

belonging to shepherds,
In-

rov

)rpo(p7iTou.
its

This readfirst

a crook, a bag or wallet containing

ing having foimd

way

into the

food, a pipe or reed, a knife, etc.

Greek MS., will account for its all but Another conjecuniversal propagation. ture supposes 'iptov to have been written by some early copyist instead of Zpiov. I only add, that there can be no doubt
the passage in question existed in the book of Zechariah in the Jewish canon
in the days of the Evangehst, since
it is

stead of 1^3

one of

De

Essi's

MSS.,

the Halle Bible of 1720, the Yatican

copy of the LXX., the Syr,, Yulg., and Arab., read -^^2 the punctuation of the
,

plural.

^*sT

foolish,
is

by implication
often represented

wicked, as w'ickedness
in Scripture as folly.
16. C'ptt
lar verbs in
is

found to occupy that place in the text of the LXX. which was formed three hvmdred years previously.
14. see

employed here, Uke simiHiphU, to denote not any

action, but

direct

moral excitement to

the operation of concurring circumstances, under the Divine government, in consequence of which certain events are brought about by responsible human

Forthe meaning of C'Vnn Bands,

ver. 7.

on

The circumstances here

condition of the Hebrews.

predicted were those of the utter breaking

up of the social

agency.

rSTnasn

those that are per-

This dissolution was in no small degree

ishing, thp

Niphal participle of irja

420
But he

ZECIIARIAH.
will eat the flesh

Chap.

XL

of the

fat,

break off" their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd, that leaveth the flock 17 The sword shall be upon his arm. And upon his right eye
Avill
;

And

His arm

shall

be utterly palsied,

And
which
ciit

his right eye utterly darkened.

going about in quest of pasture.
the ruler here depicted
certainty be
is,

in

Hiphal and Niphal

signifies to

TSTio

nys is not to be off or be destroyed, taken in the sense of young, as it is

interpreted
it is

cannot with
If taken as
\s

determined.

by Kimchi and Hitzig,

since

pointing to an individual king, there

never so used, except with reference

beings, but signifies expulsion,
cast out,

to

human

that

which has been

by impli-

cation, strayed, wandered.

Comp. the
versus.

Arabic ^LxJ> repulsus, in

fugam

none to whom it will more aptly apply than to Herod, who was totally regardless of the real interest of the Jews, and whose reign was marked by the perpetration of the most shameful and barbarous cruelties.
this

natisn

that lohich standeth

still,

as 3

properly signifies to set or place, in Niphal, to stand, stand firm, be strong, firm,

sound ; and thus the LXX, here SKokKt]pou, but this interpretation is quite at variance with the exigency of the place, which requires the idea of weakness
rather

What goes to confirm view is the circumstance of his being said to be raised up " in the land." 17. This denimciation seems to be directed against the wicked rulers of the Jews who might be in office between the time of the prophet, and that of the dissolution of the Jewish state, rather than
against the person refeired to in the pre-

than strength to be expressed.

the verb naturally suggests,

And

this

ceding verse.

The

in ^y-i

is

not the

reference being

had

to the standing, or

pronominal
gogic,
as

affix,

but the poetic para"aTj?,

standing

still

of sheep that are obliged,

in'

the following

and
1 1
;

through weakness or faintness, to lag

behind.

other participles.

See Gen. xlix.

Comp. the Arabic

and then

Deut. xxxiii. 16; Ps. cxiv.

,

8, cxxiii. 1.

f,,vi'^,

^'Vsn

"y-i, the tvorthless or good-for-

posuit, fixit,

dolore affecit, las-

nothing shepherd.

sus fuit,

laboravit.

Such

it

devolves

The
VVi*

root

upon the shepherd

pressed,

to provide

with nechere exxoith

Comp. Job xiii. 4. must unquestionably have been Comp. V^Va from VVa a"ao
;
.

essary nourishment, or, as

it is

from aa_o

The

character described

is

h^h-

to sustain,
to

furnish
are

that of negligence, arising from the total

provisions.

Root V;2,
p"i.''

measure grain.
expres-

absence of a sense of the verse from anrt

official claims,

and

The words
sive of the
scriptive

irt-D-s
act

greatest cruelty, being de-

of an

which must not

paiix,

only occasion the most acute

disable the animals,

but

of onward, is to be taken optatively. ITie doom imprecated is truly awful an utter deprivation of
of personal responsibility.
rest

The

and prevent

their

power and

intelligence.

Chap. XII.

ZE CHARIAH.

421

CHAPTER
This chapter contains a

XII.

series of predictions, which relate to the future restoration of tha scattered people of the Jews, the destruction of whose national polity, and their consequent wretchedness, had been so graphically set forth in that which precedes it. On their return to their own land, Jerusalem shall prove formidable to the nations that oppose them, 2 4, having a regular government, by which, in reliance upon Jehovah, the inhab-

To prevent the inhabitants of the metropolis from glory5, 6. ing over their brethren in the country, the latter shall be first delivered from their inva ders, 7; but Jerusalem being the principal point of attack, special promises of deliverance are made to it, 8, 9. When the Jews shall have been collected, and delivered from the opposing powers, there will be a remarkable effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit, in consequence of which a season of great and universal mourning, on account of the crucifixion of the Messiah, will be observed, each family bewailing separately the guilt entailed upon it by the nefarious deed. 1014. As might be expected to be the case with unfulfilled prophecy, a considerable degree of obscurity necessarily attaches to certain portions of this and the two following chapters but the leading features of the Divine dealings with the Jews in times yet future, are marked with a sufficient degree of distinctness to enable us to form a general idea of the circumstances in which they will be placed.
itants shall be protected,

The

Saith Jehovah,

Sentence of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel who stretcheth forth the heavens,
of the earth,

Who layeth the foundations

And

formeth the spirit of man within him Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cuj) of mtoxication To all the people around ;
1.

That
1

stew

does

not

necessarily

involve a sentence of judgment, see on

Is.
xiii.
;

and
,

for the

entire phrase,
ix. 1.

nSn"' "nai
it

ii''s-c

see

on chap.

That

which no introduction could have been more appropriate. For f!S~n5-i "ilin, compare Tlmrip tuv irvev/xdTwv, Heb. xii. 9, and Numb. xvi. 22, xxvii. 16; and
for the several predicates, Is. xlii. 5.
2-

cannot be so taken here is manifest from the connection. Hengstenberg, in

order to establish the contrary hypothesis, is

Vy"! v|D

some render a shakincf

threshold, in imitation of the

LXX.

oiy

obliged to have recourse to the des-

irpS^vpa

craKfvofieva,

and

interpret

the

perate resort of interpreting Israel of the

declaration here

made
;

of the concussion

enemies of

God
its

The term

is

obviously

employed in

original acceptation, as

which Jerusalem should receive from the attack of the enemy but it is more natural to regard the phrase as only another

designating the whole

Hebrew

people.
it

With no
been

other reference could

have
the

form

for nVi'-tJin
is

C"3,

Is. li. 17, 22,

by

introduced.

To remove

all

which
it

meant a cup

filled

with intoxi-

doubts which

unbelief might

suggest

cating Hquors, causing those

to reel
h'J"^
,

who

drink

respecting the possibihty of the deliver-

and stagger

to their injury.

tion

ance here predicted, a sublime descripis given of the omnipotent Creator

Root

to shake, reel, stagger.

The
com-

attempt of Hengstenberg to deny that

by

whom

it

would be

effected,

than

BD

is

ever used to denote a cup,

is

422

ZE C
also

II

ARIAH
be thus,

Chap.

XU.

And
III

with Judah

it

shall

the siege of Jerusalem.

it

And

shall

be

in that

day, I will
all

make Jerusalem

A burdensome
All that
lift it

stone to
shall

people,
in pieces
it.

be cut

Yet

all

the nations of the earth shall be gathered against

4 In that day, saith Jehovah,

I will smite

every horse with consternation,

I will

And

with madness But upon the house of Judah

his rider

keep

my

eyes open,

"While I
5

Avill

smite every horse of the peoj^le with blindness.

And

My

strength

the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart, is the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

Throuo-h Jehovah of hosts their God.

plete failure, as

must be obvious

to

any

one

wbo

will take the trouble to consult

^^ith respect to thus : " shall also be in the siege ;" i.

And

e.

Judah it Judah
like

the Concordance.

The second

part of

shall also be a cup, etc.

3.

the verse has occasioned no small perplexity to interpreters.

Another metaphor employed

The

chief diffi-

the preceding to represent the victory

culty

is

preposition
Ti'-f-

by the position of the hz ^^ the phrase Cjt Vy. The Targ., Jerome, Kimcreated

which the Jews

enemies,
tlicir

shall obtain over their

wl ose attack will only issue own injury. Jerome mentions

which
by
still

in
it

chi, Drusius, Rosenmiiller, Hitzig,

rer,

Mau-

as a custom,

obtained in his
to try

to

be,

and Ewald, suppose the meaning that the inhabitants of Judah

time, in Palestine, for

their strength

young men

lifting

enormous stones
It

would be compelled to join the enemies in the attack upon Jerusalem, and with them share in the punishment making But 'ji-n qa the nominative to Trrr
:

so high from

the

ground, as to place

them upon
borrowed,
gashes

their heads.

may

be from
is

such an exercise that the metaphor

u-s! describes the cuts or

the sharp edges or cor-

this interpretation

ill

suits the

context,
is

made by

in the whole of which

sented as

Judah triumphant, and not

its

repre-

ners of the stones thus employed.

Though
advance
against

as placed

exposed to the punishment here predicated, the nations shall confidently

in the degrading position of auxiliaries

m a war against

own

capital.

I con-

to the attack.

The confederacy
its

sider the preposition to be here used for

the Jews wiU be universal in

ter.

charac-

the purpose of conveying the idea of

addition or accompaniment, so that, con-

4.

While Jehovah

will specially inter-

necting Judah with Jerusalem,

it

repre-

pose for the discomfiture of the

enemy

sents the former, as well as the latter, as

a cup of intoxication to the invaders. See for this use of V? , Gen. xxxii. 12 ;

by rendering their cavalry incapable of performing any effective service, he will

exercise the greatest watchfulness over
his people.
5. r:::>2!< is a substantive, lut occurs

Exod. xxxv. 22
ially ver.
6.

Job xxxviii. 32.

In

support of this interpretation, see espec-

brought out,

Th3 same result will be if we take \'j in the accepto,

only this once.

su^;y

and render

tation in referetice

icifh

resjKct to;

cessful resistance

The LXX. have read The suceup-fiffo/j.ep. offered to the enemy by

Chap. XII.
6 In tliat

ZE CHARIAH.
day I
tire

423

will

Like a

pot

make the chiefs of Judali among sticks of Avood,

around,
Jerusalem.
first,

And like a torch of fire in a sheaf, And they shall consume all the people On the right hand and on the left
For Jerusalem
T
shall

occupy her place

in

And Jehovah

shall deliver the tents

of Judah

In order that the splendor of the house of David, And the splendor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, May not be magnified above Judah.
8 In that day

Jehovah shall protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem So that he that stumbleth among them in that day shall be as
:

David,

And
As

the house of David shall be as God,

the Ansel of Jehovah before them.

the inhabitants of the metropolis, will inspire those of the country with the
assurance, that, through the Divine aid,

which the inhabitants of a royal metrop-

they shall obtain deliverance.

is

^V

which
the

the Dative of advantage, stands col.

lectively for ?dV

Two MSS. and

The read"as at the first," which is found in two MSS., and is the origmal reading of three more, and is favored by the LXX., Arab., Syr., and Vulg., is not
olis are too

prone to indulge.
,

ing risrSTD

Targ. read
correction.

^z'::'h,

but no- doubt from

is

entitled to consideration.
8.

In two other MSS. "5

in

A gracious promise of Divine assis-

omitted.
6.

tance, supported, with admirable effect,

Jerusalem,

the

first

instance,

stands for the mhabitants.

After the

Jews
their

shall

have completely routed their

land,

by a beautiful climax. From the circumstance, that the LXX. have in several by angels, instances rendered C'r'js
,

enemies, they shall dwell in peace in

some
term

interpreters
is

have supposed that the

own

and
,

in the city of their

to be so understood here.

The
dis-

ancient solemnities.
to

Houbigant proposes
as occurring the sec,

more enlightened moderns, however,

card this signification altogether.
Gesenius, Thesaurus Ling. Heb. p.

change

c":;->r?T".

See
9-7,

ond time,

into c'l^ra

but, like

most of
is

his other conjectures, the change

not

based upon any authority.

the Arab, and the Greek

One MS., MS. Pachom,

country

and Lee's Heb. Lex. p. 32. What clearly shows that no such idea can attach to the word in this place is the
corrective phrase, r'l""' "sV^sr as the Angel of Jehovah, immediately following. The house of David was to be as God, yet not as God in the abstract, of which no proper conception can be form,

omit the word altogether.

7.

The

inhabitants

of the

being more exposed to the evils of the

war than
be the
help.

those in the fortified city, shall

to experience the Divine Standing in antithesis with the capital, their comparative helplessness
first
is

ed, but as

God

manifested to

men

in his

glorious forthcomings

clearly implied

and the reason

for
is

dispensation, in

under the ancient the Divine Person of the

before the children

the preference being given to them

spirit

Son,

who went
and
to

of

assigned to be the prevention of that

Israel as their
tector,

Almighty

leader

and Pro-

of pride

and

self- exaltation,

in

whom

are vindicated the

424
9

ZECHARIAH.
it

Chap. XI\

And

shall

be

in that clay,
all

I will seek to destroy

the nations

That come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour out upon the house of David, And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, A spirit of grace and of gracious supplications, And they shall look unto me Mhom they have pierced,
sum
total of the
;

Exod. xxxii. 34
"tl'isV

Divine attributes. See where the words -sjcVw

-'';-
Ti-i"-'3

and whose deed they have appropriated by their personal

their ancestors crucified,

~ V' form the tj'pe of

,

unbelief and opposition to the truth of

Cr;":s:V

here
also

adopted by Zechariah.

the Gospel, but regard as

desire.

whom

they will then

Compare
21;
9.
Is.

Exod. xxxiii.
9; Mai.
i.

15,

xxiii.

all their

salvation

and

all their
,

Ixiii.

iii.

1;

and

my

The
"iVs

textual reading 'Vs

in the

Comment, on Zeeh.
stroy, is

11,

phrase

u-2n, "they
It is

shall look to

n"c-::r-jh -i'^^ns,

will seek to de-

Me," has been the

troversy.

subject of

much

con-

spoken more humane^ but conveys no idea of weakness in the speaker. " Summo studio ero attentus. Calvin.
10.

found in most MSS., and among these the best, and is supported

by the

LXX.,

Aq.,

Symm.,

We have here a clear and definite

Theod., Syr., Targ., Vulg., and Arab.

is the more difficult reading, and one which has always proved revolting to the mind of a Jew, as there is no other ante-

prophecy of the future conversion of the Jews, in consequence of a special and extraordinary outpouring of the influences of the

It

Holy

Spirit.

Nothing that

cedent to
rir;"'
,

whom

it

can be referred than

verses
1

has hitherto taken place in the history

of that people can be regarded as in any

Jehovah,

and

4.

In

order to avoid

this

reference,

Kimchi

degree answering to the description here

gives to the following words,

!i-!pn, the interjiretation,
it

nrs rs

numerous conversions that accompanied the Apostolic preaching on the day of Pentecost, and
furnished, not even the

because they

pierced,

leaving

undetermined
this as
it

who
is

Was

pierced.

But

construction

subsequently as narrated in the Acts.

altogether

inadmissible,
its

deprives

By n^n

spirit, is not meant a gracious and prayerful disposition produced in the minds of the Jews, but the Divine influence itself by which that disposition
,

the verb of

accusative case,
everj'

which

is

expressed in

other

instance

in

will be created.

It is

called

" spirit"
-^n

by metonomy of cause for effect, C'I'SmP are from the same root,

and
,

which it occurs. It has accordingly been condemned by Abenezra, Abarbanel, Alschech, and other Rabbins. The rendering given to -ip.n by the LXX. KarwpXV^^o-vro, they insulted,

-jin

to

has been eagerly

regard with favor, exercise mercy, etc. The verb t:^: , here used in Hiphil, is
intensive in signification
:

seized
ner,

upon by some,

especially

by Thei-

Rosenmiiller,
\Vctte, AViner,

Eichhorn, Gesenius,

to look to, or

De

and by none more

is

regard with fixed attention, to contemplate with deep interest, and with believing expectfition.
that act

than Maurer,

who
2j",i

at great pains to

prove that, like

and 222

the verb

Such is the nature of of the mind which is exerted

sinner,

-pi

is

to be taken in the metaphorical

sense of blaspheming or cursiiig.

xVgainst

by every converted
viour
is

when

the Sa-

such interpretation
passages,
is

it is

justly objected

spiritually discerned.

In the

that this verb, which occurs in ten other

case of the

Jews there

will be a special

never used except in the

lit-

recognition of

him

as the Slessiah

whom

eral acceptation of piercing the body.

It

Chap.

XIL

ZECHARIAH.

425

And they shall lament for him, As one lamenteth for an only son,

And

be

in bitterness for
is

him.
a first-born.
interpretation adopted

As one
is

in bitterness for

thus used in chap.

xiii. 3,

of this very

book.

The same

objection hes against

the metaphorical sense of grieving or

provoking, which even Calvin adopted,

by Kimchi, have endeavored to get rid of the pronominal reference in i^s To this the reply is
. :

By

changing the reading into

vVs

though he admits that the prophecy was

literally fulfilled in Christ.

which, however, they did not at first venture to insert into the text, but merely

That the passage has

ancient and the more

a Messianic ref-

gave

it

as the Keri, or corrected reading

erence has been admitted both

by the

in the margin.

In the Gemara of Jerusalem, written sometime in the third century, we read yin
:

modern Jews.

This Keri, however, is only found in sixteen of Kennicott's and

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
inally in three
others,

De

y-in

IS-'

Vo iT'E&n MT

ntts
:

ns-nm

MSS.,

orig-

Two

opinions are expressed

one states

more, perhaps

in five
;

mourned on account of Messiah, and another that they mourned on account

that they

and now by

correction in six

in

of corrupt nature.
occurs in the

similar

passage

Gemara
52, col.

of Babylon, Tract
1,

Succoth,

fol.

in

which the
mourning

words of Zechariah are

declaration

cited, after the

respecting

the

SinilO
it to

May

he be in peace who refers

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:'

own, in two more originally, now in five others, and in twenty collated by him in other libraries. Of this insertion a serious complaint is made by Raymundus Martini, in his Pugio Fidei, p. 411, Leipsic, 1687, And so ashamed have Lipmann, fol. Abarbanel, and other Rabbins been of it, that they pass it entirely by in their controversies with the Christians, or candidly acknowledge that it is not to be regarded as forming any part of the sacred text.
six

of

De

Rossi's

kut Chasdash, fol. 24 -pT^'i; inns "D Kni "D inns CiDTi 13 f'V'Q sirta rir For after i^m -p n^ffiB iJi^m Tin they have pierced Jonah, who is Messiah
.

It is

much

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

of Joseph, then David loill come, Messiah the son of David. Hengstenthe son

should have been adopted by

late

Newcome

berg's

Christol.

vol.

iii.

p.

222.

The

fiction of

two Messiahs, one the son of Joseph, who should suffer and die, and
another the son of David,

and Boothroyd, who accordingly trans" They shall look unto Him whom they have pierced." It is true, they may seem to have the sanction of the
:

who

should

Evangelist John,

who

quotes the passage

prove victorious and reign forever, was

thus
37,

"O^ovrai

els

tv e^fKfvTTjffay, xix.
Kal
o'triyes
it

invented purely with a view to reconcile

those passages which describe the Messiah

and employs the words,

i.

avT6v e^fKevTr](Tav, Rev.

but

must

now

as suffering,

and now

as reign-

be obvious that he gives the prophecy

historically, as
filled in

ing in glory, and thus to evade the Christian application of

It only remains

having been

literally ful-

them

to our Saviour.

Jesus of Nazareth, without de-

to inquire

how

the

signing to exhibit the exact wording of

the prophet.

Jews,

who

did not

acquiesce

in the

See on Zech.

xi. 12, 13.

54

426

ZE C

HAR A
I

II

CilAP. XII.

11 In that day there shall be great lamentation in Jerusalem, As the lamentation of Haclad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12

And

the 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; 13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart;
Tlic fomily of Shimei apart, and theii- wives apart;

14 All the families that are left, Every family apart, and their wives apart.
might be supposed that i\s being the and not tVs would
,

It

that name.

In the time of Jerome

it

true reading, ^\y

was

called Maximianopolis.

be required in the following sentence; but the use of the expletive phrase rs necessarily led to the change of -li'S
,

12

14.

In these verses the universal

is

character of the mourning

while, at the

described,

same time,

its

particular

construction.

nKn

is

the infinitive of

Hiphil,

which

carries forward

the deIt
is

and individual features are likewise set forth. To show that all will be the subjects of
it,

scription instead of the finite form.

is

the prophet begins with the

here used intransitively

.

the root

descendants of David, and then proceeds

to those of the priests,

nnn
to

The verb
;

-iSo signifies primarily

influence

which

their

on account of the example would

Instead
supSu/xecbi/,

to beat

then, as a sign of intense grief,

have on the

rest of the people.

smite or beat the breast.

There being

of Shimei, the

LXX.

have

usually great wailing and lamentation

posing that a tribal division was in-

connected with such significant action in

the East,
noise
it

tended
vjiizv,

and some have thought that

is

also

used to denote the

Shammua, one
v. 14, is

of the sons of

made by mourners.

The

instances

David, 2 Sam.

meant

but

it is

selected for illustration are of the

most

more natural

to regard the individual as

tender and touclxing kind.

and universality of the lamentation which he describes, the prophet compares it

11.

To

represent

the greatness

one of the sons of Levi, who is classed along with that patriarch, just as Nathan, one of the sons of David, is with him, ver. 12. For ""ytt-j Shimei, see
,

to the gi-eatest ever

known among

the

Numb.

iii.

18, 21, in
,

which

latter verse

Jews,

viz. that

which took place on the

received
;

"VO'STi rrs^'tt

the

family of the ShiIt

death of the excellent king Josiah, the

result of the
at

meites, occurs just as in Zcchariah.

is

wound which he

implied in the last verse, that some

to.

Hadad-rimmon.

2 Kings xxiii. 29

2 Chron. xxxv. 23

25.

families shall have

See also the

period referred

Lamentations of Jeremiah, composed on

the occasion.

Iladad-rimmon was the

become extinct at the The men and women mourning apart has reference to the Jewish custom, according to which not only
did the females dwell in separate apart-

name

of a place in the great plain of

Esdraelon, near ^legiddo, and was prob-

ably 60 called after the Syrian idol of

ments from the males, but ped separately.

also worship-

Chap. XUI.

ZE CHARIAH.

427

CHAPTER
This chapter contains

XIII.

a continuation of the prophecy respecting the future conversion of the Jews, ver. 1; predictions relating to the entire abolition of idolatry and lalse doctrine, 2 6; a resumption of the subject of the Messiah's suflTeriugs, V; and au account of the

destruction of the greater part of the Jews during the the r^st, and their ultimate restoration, 8, 9.

Roman

war, the preservation of

In that day there

shall

be a fountain opened

To

the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

guilt
it

and for uncleanness. be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the earth And they shall not be remembered any more. And I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit To pass away from the earth.

For

And

shall

1. This verse is intimately connected with the subject of the conckiding verses

fountain here spoken of was opened when

the Redeemer presented his sacrifice on the cross but the Jews, with compara;

of the preceding chapter.

to reUeve the anxious

It is designed

and troubled minds

^''pM,

of the penitents there described.

a well, ov fountain, from nr.p, to dig;

not, perhaps,
xii.

10.

rsuri

without reference to chap, gtdlt, from surt to

, ,

miss a mark or toay,

substantive

to sin

hence the

few exceptions, after the apostolic age, have shut it against themselves by their impenitence and unbelief. When, however, these shall be removed by the outpouring of Divine influence, promised, chap. xii. 10, they shall find
tively
it

comes to signify the guilt

ttPS;

opened,

full,

and overflowing

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 guilt, is shown by the uncleanness, accompanying term nnj That or the impurity contracted by sin. moral, and not ceremonial guilt and pol,

with
2.

all spiritual blessings.

As no
it is

idolatry has existed

among

the Jews since their return from Babylon,

and

in the highest degree improbable

fall

that they will ever

into

it

again,

y"sn should not be rendered, as in our common version, the land, but the earth ;
so that this and the following verses describe the total extinction of that horrible

lution

are intended,
;

the circumstances

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,

cleansing

influence

flowing

but by the from the

and all the other systems of superstiand false religion which now impose upon the human family, together with those who teach and defend them. By
evil,

tion

ntJisufi

fiii"!

the spirit

of impurity,

is

death of the Messiah.

See Heb. ix.

The verse exhibits 13, 14 ; 1 John i. 7. the two grand doctrines of the gospel
justification

meant a person pretending to inspiration, and in league with Satan, the god of this
world, to
i'-j^n

whom,

contradistinction to

and

sanctification.

The

"11,

the spirit

of holiness, the

42S
3

ZE
siiould

II

AR

All.

Chap. XIIL

So that

His father and

hi.s

any one still prophesy, his parents mother

Shall say to him,

Thou

shalt not live

For thou speakest

flxlsehood in the

And
4

his parents and his mother Shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. his father

name of Jehovah;

And

it

shall

be

in that day,

That the prophets shall be ashamed, Every one of his vision, when he prophesieth And they shall not wear a hairy garment to deceive.
;

But each
I

shall say, I

am

not a prophet,

am

a tiller of the

ground

For I have been in a state of slavery from Then shall it be said to him, AVhat are these wounds in thy hands ?

my

youth.

And he will say. Those with which

friends,
designation

have been wounded

in the

house of

my
the

may

well be applied.

Com;

to the analogy of verbs in

"nV

To

pare

TTvfvfxa

TTu^uvos,
irAafTjr,
e/c

TTvtvfjLa tTis

Acts xvl. IQ; rh John, iv. 6 and

aKo^apTa, Rev.

singular -iKsn
5,

at the

beginning of ver.

each of the prophets previously menis

especially, Koi

tou (rrSfxaros tov \p(v5o-

tioned
07ie

the nomuiptive.

"'rspn

lit.

Trpo6r)Tov irvivfjiara rpia

sold 7ne as a slave, but taken in con-

nection with the following, iJii'ir There is in this verse a recognition from my youth, it signifies to be held in The of the law against those who seduced a state of slavery, to be a slave. 11. speaker declares that he had always been others to idolatry, Deut. xiii. 6 in a condition of life with which the i\'^, signifies both to C-<-;5-i^ parents.
xvi. 13.
3.

beijct,

and

to bear children.

The The

evil

exercise of the prophetic office

was

alto-

here denounced will not be connived at

gether incompatible,
translators

tns which some

,

even by the nearest relatives.

to the infliction of merited
4, 5.

ten-

derest parental feelings shall give place

as the proper

have preposterously retained name, Adam, is here used

punishment.
false
is

impersonally, precisely as the

ma7i,

German
by

The shame with which

shall

and

is

best rendered into English

teachers
forth.

be

covered

here set

the passive of the accompanying verb.

6.

The

hairy mantle, the garb of

This verse

is

commonly
its

applied to

the ancient prophets, and that of certain

orders of

the sufferings of Christ, but without any

monks

still,

which

is

assumed

in order to inspire the multitude with

of those by

an impression of the superior sanctity whom they are worn, shall

be thrown aside, as dangerous to appear The false prophets wished to jiass in.
off as those

mere proximity which he and his sufferings arc clearly predicted. In no tolerable sense could the Jews be
further ground than
to that

which

follows, in

called his

carNtt

lovers, or

friends

who had really been invested with a Divine commission. The form
of the infinitive "ir^^jn
,

on the contrary, they hated botli him and his Father. The words connect with
the preceding thus
:

The

false j)ro])hct,

is

according

though he njight

rid himself of his idol-

CiiAP. xiir.

ZECHARIAH,
O
sword
!

429

Awake,

against
is

my

sliepberd,

And
Saith

against the

man who

united to me,

Jehovah of hosts
not that usually employed in Hebrew, which in such construction would merely
be
idiomatic, but "i2J, d strong, or mighty man, one who is such by way of eminence, tn^'cs is used elsewhere only

would not be able to marks that had been made on his hands in honor of the idol which he served, yet as it was customary to cut and maim the body, especially the
atrous vestments,
efface the

hand, in token of grief for departed relatives^ he might hope to escape detection

in the Pentateuch, namely, in Lev. v.

21, xviii. 20, xLx. 11, 15, 17, xxiv. 19,

by
7.

attributing

his

scars

to

the latter

XXV. 14, 15, 17

it

in all

which passages
persons

cause.

is

employed

to denote

who

Tarious opinions have been formed

to.

respecting the person here refen-ed

Calvin thought he was Zechariah himself,

as representative of all the prophets,

were united together under common laws, for the enjoyment of common rights and privileges. It is derived from nry cognate with Ctty (o bind,
,

and that the prophecy

directly to Christ.

referred only in-

bitid

together,

unite in society
fuit,

Arab.
fecit

Grotius, Eichhorn,

Bauer, and Jahn, apply it to Judas Maccabeus Tklaurer to Jehoiakim Ewald to

; ;

(^'
rem
i, e.
:

communis

communem

hence the derivates 5?

a people,
inter-

Pekah Hitzig
;

to the pretended prophets

!

those united for their

;

common

The spoken of in the preceding verses only satisfactory solution of the question is that which regards the words as diand exclusively prophetic of the person and sufferings of the Messiah. This solution is induced not only by our Saviour's express appropriation of them to himself, Matt. xxvi. 31, but also by
rectly

terest

n^y,
;

conjunction,
>

commimion,
zoith,

association

Q^

the conjunction

indicating accompaniment, society.

The

renderings of the versions vary. &uSpa Tro\'nrfv

fiov, fxov.

LXX.
nov.

Aq. &vBpa
tov

(TvfxfvAoi'

Symm.

avSpa

\aov
,0

Theod. &y5pa
o
.

irX-^aiov fxov.

Syr.

S'

the

manifest
10

identity

of

the
subject

subject

treated with that exhibited chap. xi. 4,

7,

^Vi^ i.

the

man my

fi'iend.

Targ.

14.
is

The same

there

rr^V ""K-in

w^^sn wnnn

Si'itsV'r, the

handled
fall

resumed, and treated, just as

in connection with the

ruler his companion, his associate

like

who

is

it is there,

down-

of the Jewish state.

The prophecy

contained in this and the following verses has no coherence with what immediately
precedes,

Vulg. virum cohcerentem mihi. Leo Juda, virum coaqualem mihi. Hengstenberg, a man, my nearest relation. Burger, mon confident, De Wette,
him,

and was evidently delivered

upon a

different occasion.

new

sec-

tion maj',

therefore,

be

considered

as

ben ?U?amt meine^ (S)feid)cn, the man my equal, Amheim, bClTl ?!}JcinnC,
bCH icf) Ittir }^\\<^Z^i\SX, the man whom / have associated with myself. The two last are the more remarkable, coming, as
they do, the one from a Rationalist, and the other from a Jew. The idea expressed by the latter I conceive to be precisely
Spirit,

commencing
is

here,

to chap. xiv. 5.

though it only extends The language employed

altogether peculiar.

Not only

is

the

Messiah designated the Shepherd of Jehovah, to indicate the relation in which he stood to the Father in the economy of redemption, but he is described as in"5:V. "ia3, the

man of
man,

his

what was intended by the Holy by whom the words were indited.

union;
to him.

i.

e,

conjoined or closely united

translated
is

But

of

whom

can this association be

The term

predicated, except of

Him whose human

! ;

430
Smite the
shepliercl,

ZE
I will turn
it

CHAR

AH.

CiiAP.

XIIL

But
8

back

and the sheep sliall be scattered, my liand upon the little ones.
all

And Two

shall

be that in

the land,

Saith Jehovah,
parts therein shall be cut off and expire,
third part shall be left in
it.

But the
9

And

I will

cause the third part to go through the

fire,

nature was assumed into the most intimate and pcrl'ect union with the Divine

have copied.

Imm.v>'ui;l,

Father, and

who was one with who could say, " He

the
that

difference is unimporseems to be more propriety in the reading -^ri with reference to the
tant, yet there
,

The

hath seen me, hath seen the Father The union or association is that of the two natures, and not that of the Divine
nature or substance.

This the use of the

proves.

word n2j

7na}i, clearly

To

the

sword addressed in the preceding clause, than in connecting this verb, whatever may be supposed to have been its form, with what follows in the verse. Comparing the present verse with chap. xi. 4, 7, and especially with what is predicted in the

words cannot be applied to our Saviour, since he was not cut off by a sword, it has been sufficiently sioord, is here used replied, that sn n figuratively for any means of taking away human life, just as in Exod. v. 21 2 Sam. xii. 9, compared with 2 Sam. xi. 24. That the wicked Jews are intended, see Ps. xvii. 13, where the wicked are They are called the sword of Jehovah.
objection, that the
,

two following
it is

verses of the

present chapter, in which the same subject is continued,

evident the "NS,

sheep, ov flock, cannot be restricted to the

disciples of Christ.

The

circumstances,

however, in reference to which our Saviour appropriated the prophecy, afibrded

a striking type of the dispersion of the

Jewish people, which

Zechariah.

regarded as in a state of sleep or inactivity,

the awful deed.

and are summoned to perpetrate According to an idiom

in
is

common

the

Hebrew

prophets, the

imperative

used instead of the future,

in order to express with greater force the

certainty of the event.
Is. vi. 10.

by Jews formed part of the flock which the good shepherd was commissioned to feed, but they, together with the Jewish Christians, converted by their ministry, who formed the church at Jerusalem, were the first C-iyi:, little ones, on whom the Lord
is

that intended

The

disciples as

See

my

note on

promises
calamity.
to turn, or

to

turn

back his

hand,

in

For a

parallel instance of the

order to protect

them

in the time of
t;;

personification
xlvii. 6, 7.

of the
is

sword, see Jer.

feminine, and

That the phrase Vy

^''f'n

As 2-"

^n

turn back the hand, ujwn any

masculine, Hitzig would refer the latter

to the

one,

is

used in a good as well as in a bad

human

agent handling the sword,

sense, see
8, 9.

but the irregularity in point of gender is sufficiently accounted for by the remoteness of the antecedent,
'^n
,

on Is. i. 25. In these verses are predicted the

destruction of two-thirds of the inhabi-

smite,

is

quoted. Matt. xxvi. 31, asif

it

were -^n,

will smite, the first person singular of

lloman arms, and by the famine and pestilence, the usual concomitants of war in the East, and
tants of Judea by the

the future in Hiphil.

sity of reading in the

There

is

no diver-

Hebrew MSS., but the Aid. and Pachom. MSS. of the

the preservation of the remaining third part, which, after having been submitted
to very trj-ing

and

atHictive processes,

LXX.

read

irarai^nv,

instead of 7raTa|co,

should come forth out of the furnace a

regenerated and spiritual people.

which the Evangelist Matthew and Mark

The

Chap. XIV.

ZECHARIAH.
them
as silver
is

431

And And

will refine

refined,

gold is tried ; It shall invoke my name, and I will answer I will say. It is my people
will try thera as

it

And
former was
is

it

shall say,

Jehovah

is

my

God.
but
are, it is to

fulfilled

not only during

what

since,

be hoped, soon to

commonly

called the Jewish war, but

terminate in the conversion of the Jews

to

under more than emperors the processes pointed at in the latter have been more or less carried forward ever
also, to a fearful extent,

God.

Then

shall they enter into a

one of the succeeding

new

relation to him, according to the

terms of the better covenant, Jer. xxxi.

33; Heb.

viii.

10, 11.

CHAPTER
In the

XIV.
A

first two verses of this chapter the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and the calamities consequent upon that event are set forth; after which the destruction of the promise of special interposition in forces composing the hostile army is predicted, 3. behalf of the people of God is then given, by which effectual provision is made for their

to one of

The prophet next describes a period of great calamity, which is to give place unmixed and perennial happiness, 6, 7; when the means of spiritual life and enjoyment shall be universal and continual, 8; and the true God the exclusive object of obedience and worship, 9; and while every barrier to the free intercourse of Christians
escape,
4, 5.

throughout the world shall be removed, special honor will be conceded to Jerusalem as the metropolis of converted Israel, 10, 11. The dreadful judgments to be inflicted on their final enemies, and the complete discomfiture of these enemies, are depicted, 12 15: after which follow predictions respecting an annual visit which all the nations shall pay to Jerusalem, 16; the punishment of those which neglect to perform it, 17 19; and the universally holy character which shall distinguish her inhabitants, their occupations and

services, 20, 21.

Behold

the day of Jehovah cometh,

And
2

thy

spoil shall

be divided

in the

midst of thee.

For I

will collect all the nations against

Jerusalem to

battle,

1.

For the phraseology nlrf^ sa Cii

Is. xxii. 5.

meant

comp.
to

The criticism of Hengit is

stenberg,

who

denies that
,

equivalent

all that her inhabitants had accumulated, and which would be fit spoil for the enemy, especially the treasures of

nin"

ci"!

S3

is

without any foundais

the temple.
tained by the

tion.

By

the day of Jehovah

meant

was consumed by
gold
2.
fell

Notwithstanding all that fire, the plunder obso great, that

the period of the infliction of judgment.

See, in reference to the
is

Romans was

same event which

31,
iii.

in Syria to half its former value.

soldiers

here predicted, Joel

1,

ii.

14

Mai.
is

All the nations here mean

all

iy.

5.

By

the spoil of Jerusalem

from

the different nations forming

;;

432

ZE C

HARIA

II

Chap. XIV.

And And And

3

the city shall be taken, the houses plundered, and the

half the city shall

women

ravished
off

go

forth into captivity.

But the rest of the peojile shall not be cut And Jehovah shall go forth,

from the

city.

And
As
4

fight

with those nations,

day when he fought In the day of battle.

in the

And his feet shall stand in that day On the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on And the mount of Olives shall be split in its midst,
Toward the
east

the east

and toward the west,

;

Into a very great valley Half of the mountain shall recede towards the north.
5

And And

towards the south. of ray mountains. For the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal Yea, ye shall flee as ye fled from the earthquake,
half of
it

ye

shall flee to the valley

In the days of Uzziah, king of Judah

the

Eoman

empire, which composed the

Jerusalem, in obedience to the warning

army
fearful

of Titus.

The

verse

contains

a of

description

of the

capture

of our Saviour, Matt. xxiv. 16, fled to Pella, a city beyond Jordan, where they
lived in safety.

Jurusalem under the

general.

command

of that

As

the
it is

mount
in

of Olives

After

its

destruction, the

more

lay in their way,

represented as

and able-bodied Jews were sold into slavery, or condemned to work in the mines but the poorer and more contemptible sort were
distinguished, handsome,
;

cleaving into two halves,

order to

make
iv. 7.

a passage for them.

Comp. chap,

'-n

is

not to be considered as the

less

usual form of the masculine plural,

permitted to remain

among
,

the ruins.

As

usual,

where ra^j'in occurs in the

for the sake

but as a proper plural with the pronominal affix. Jehovah calls them /lis, because he had formed them, by clea^^ng
Olivet into two.

text the Keri has r:::s*ip

of euphemism.

The

latter

word has
I>ISS.

The valley
the proper

lay between

found
3.
its
it

its

way

into a great

many

them.
in

Vss was

name

of a

The Roman power was doomed

place, close to

one of the gates on the

turn to destruction. Formidable as might appear, Jehovah would in his providence overthrow it, as he had done

east side of Jerusalem, to

which the

cleft

cr valley

was

to extend westward, so as

the enemies of his people in former ages.

Comp. Exod.
4, 5.

xiv. 14, xv. 3, etc.

admit those who should flee from the enemy. Most commentators think of some locality to the east of the
at once to

These verses convey, in language of the most beautiful poetical imagery,

the assurance of the effectual means ot
escape that should be provided for
tlie

mount of Olives, but far word properly signifies

joined
to,

less aptly.

The
or
bo

to

join

he at the side, near.

Its prox-

imity to the city must have originated

tlie

tndy

pious.

We

accordingly Icam fronx

name.

For cncji

ye shall Jlee,
,

wo
in

Eusebius, that on the breaking out of

find the reading ci^Cii

shall be stopjwd

the Jewish war, the Christian church at

vp, in four of

De

Rossi's

MSS. and

Chap. XIV.

ZE

CHARIAH

433

my God shall come, And all the holy ones with thee. And it shall be in that day
For Jehovah
That there shall not be the But condensed darkness. But there shall be one day,
light of the precious orbs,

the margin of Bomberg's

but,

Hebrew Bible

variously

rendered

and

interpreted.
et

though supported by the LXX., Arab., Targ., Symm., and the other Greek interpreters, it is utterly to be rejected,
as

IJX^.

\f/vxos Kol irdyos.

Yn\g. frigua

gelu. SjT.

lV*^0 Ur^
Thus
also Maurer,

|L|

cold

unsuited to the connection.

opposite of

and

ice.

and several

The very

what would thus be expressed, is required. Yet it is adopted by Blayney and Boothroyd We have
!

other moderns.

But whatever connec-

nothing in Scripture relative to the earthreferred to except as a date, Amos i. 1. Instead of -j^y with thee,

tion there may be between the absence of Hght and the production of cold and ice in the depth of winter, the contrast

quake here

nearly forty

MSS. and
roith

all

the versions

not so natural as that between hght and darkness. Besides, ^S^p^ cannot with any show of truth be rendered cold.
is

read i;y
ta^'iip
,

the

him; and instead of holy ones, one MS., the Syr.,

It

is
,

an adjective plural from the root

to be precious, valtiable, costly.

-J^^

The

Arab., and Targ., read T'-i-tp , his hohj ones. To refer i^^y , with the Rabbins,

idea of cold rests

ity

upon no

better author-

Drusius, and Blayney, to Jerusalem,

tion
affords

is

quite inadmissible, since such construc-

than a mere Rabbinical conjecture embodied in the Ken of Prov. xvii. 27, which exhibits ni-i ip/ instead of ipi
,

no

tolerable

sense.

The

change of person was occasioned by a sudden transition in the mind of the

prophet to the Lord,
as present.

the proper and only term suitable in such connection. That r'^npi may
rin-i
,

fitly

be understood as designating the

whom he

addresses

celestial luminaries,

whence we obtain

For the application of this part of the prophecy, compare the parallel prediction of our Lord himself, Matt, xxiv. 30, 31, where those whom Zechariah

we call " the precious light of heaven," will appear on comparing Job xxxi. 26, where the moon
what, in
parlance,
is

common

described as

'r^^.n

'^p';,

walking pre-

designates d''"'p. holy ones, are called Toi/s a-YyiKovs aurov. That a fu-

ciously or splendidly across the heavens.

ture personal and pre-millennial advent

of the Redeemer
find.

is

here taught, I cannot

With Prof. Lee, (Heb. Lex. p. 533,) I read TT-j;;' -is in construction, placing the accent on the latter of the two words,
instead of retaining
jisEf;
it over the former. properly signifies congelation, con-

the prediction of a period of unmitigated calamity, which

6.

Now

follows

densation, excessive density, from

to draio together, contract,

NSp,

may

be regarded as comprehending the long centuries of oppression, cruelty,

become thick,

dense,

and the

like.

mockery, and scorn, to which the Jews have been subjected ever since the destruction of Jerusalem.
It has also, for

thick fog.

The

textual reading

Blayney renders, ^ ; st p '

is

they shall loithdraiv themselves,

to that of the Keri
]l^^pn,

inferior

the most part, been a period during which the gross darkness of superstition and delusion has reigned over the land of their fathers. ^^^^ ^^^ ^- p

"

'''"'T-''

which is found in the text of one hundred and thirty-four of Kennicott's MSS., and in twenty-two more originally, in nine of De Rossi's Spanish MSS., which are

55

434
(It is

ZE C

II

A R I A II

Chap, XIV.

known
it

to Jehovah),

When
For
8
at

shall

not be day and night

the time of the evening there shall be light.

And it shall be in that day That living waters shall proceed from Jerusalem, Half of them to the Eastern sea,

And
In

half of them to the Western sea summer and in winter shall it be.

reckoned the best in the Soncin., Brixian, and Complutensian editions, and in

ter,

in opposition to that

which

is

stag,

nant and noxious.

Eastern sea,
the
i.

<:>'ttTj^n

q'

the

Machzors of the
centuiies.

fifteenth

and sixteenth

e.
,

the Asphaltitic Lake

the Western sea,
;

None

of the ancient versions

and I'l-pisn Q"

i.

e.

employ a verb. 7. Another period is here predicted, but one entirely different from the prea day altogether miique, q'ii ceding rns one peculiar day, the only one of See Gesenius in nni?. No. 5. its kind.

Mediterranean
a person

so

called
at

because

when
faces

resident
is

Jerusalem

the East, which

the primary

point of the horizon with the Orientals,

the

Dead Sea

is

before him, ("r-K-pJ,

Its peculiarity

is

to consist in the absence

of the alternations of day and night. a period of entire It is to be all day

and the Mediterranean (Y"!""!!!.!*) behind him. The more important portions of the globe lying to the east and west of
Jerusalem, there
is

an obvious propriety

freedom from -war, oppression and other outward evils which induce affliction

in the selection of these

two

directions.

The

declaration that these waters are to

and wretchedness, interrupt the peace of the church, and prevent the spread of Ni(| yap ovk truth and righteousness.
(O-rai ?,

flow q-in25 "")t.a

stancy.

is

expressive of con-

They

shall neither be dried

up

Rev.

xxii. 25.

:i~Vry

the

time of the evening, does not refer to the close of the happy period just described, but to that of the preceding period of
afflictive

darkness.

At

the very time

is

when

a dark

and gloomy day

expected

to give

way

to a night of still greater

darkness and obscurity, light shall suddenly break forth, the light of the one

by the heat of summer, nor congealed by the frost of winter. The LXX. have (V S>fp(t Ka\ eV iaph " in summer and in spring," which is to be accounted for on the ground that what was winter in more northerly regions, was spring in Egypt, in which coimtry that version was made. In the figurative language of Scripture, water is not only used as an emblem of
purification, but also for the purpose of

long day, which

is

to be interrupted

by

representing the

means of

spiritual

life,

no night.

That

this period is that of the

refreshment, and fertility

the doctrines

ilillcnnium, or the thousand years, the

circumstances

of
7,

which
I

are

described

Rev. XX. 3
doubt.

cannot entertain a
its

The time

of

commencement

and ordinances of the gospel. The descendants of Abraham, restored to their own land, and become his children in the faith, will go forth, full of zeal and spiritual activity, as missionaries to other nations, to

has been variously but fruitlessly calcuThe knowledge of it the Father lated.

promote revivals

in the churches

hath reserved in his ov\'n jxjwer. "It is known to Jehovah," and, by implication,
to
8.

of Christ by rehearsing

him alone. C'^n c-B,

what great things God hath done for them, and to carry on the work of conversion among those nations

living,

i.

c.

nintiing,

and

tribes that shall

not then have

perennial, refreshing,

and salubrious wa-

been turned to the Lord.

Chap. XIV.
9

ZE CH AKIAH.
all

435
the earth

And Jehovah shall become king over In that day Jehovah alone shall be,

10

And And
As

his
all

name

alone.

the earth shall be changed

it were into the plain from Geba to Rimmon, South of Jerusalem And she shall be exalted, And be inhabited in her place. From the gate of Benjamin To the place of the former gate,

To To
9.

the gate of the corners

And

from the tower of Hananeel

the kinsf's wine-vats.

of the Hebrews
^ri^5 nin"'

In consequence of the universal

iirn'^s n^rr;

Bpread of the Gospel, the multipHcity of

heathen gods will be swept away from the face of the earth, the unity of Jehovah universally acknowledged, and the
glorious

Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. The doctiine, therefore, taught in the
present verse
is

simply that Jehovah shall

be the only existing object of religious

teristics

harmony of
,

those

attributes

which
ter

constitute his one Divine charachis

worship and obedience, and no characbut his be any longer recognized

as divine.
10,

('itt'J

name)

clearly discovered,

According to the ordinary mode of translating the words nns Ti'iJ^ "ins -Hn^ "'1'] ^here shall be one Lord and his name one, they may seem clogged with little or no difficulty,

and

heartily adored.

11.

These verses

intimate

that

every obstruction shall be removed which

prevents the free and full flow of the

Hving

waters
is

throughout

the

world.

What
is

as the true
sition

to

God is thus set forth in oppothe " gods many and lords
but

high shall be levelled, and what low shall be elevated. This idea was

many"

of the heathen;

we have

only to introduce the incommunicable name Jehovah into the translation when the greatest incongruity at once appears.
If

suggested by the natural impossibility of water flowing in a westerly direction from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean, owing
to the hilly country

we then

render, there shall be one Jeis

hovah, the conclusion

inevitable, that

we have a nification of aao changed. The verb

In
ab"'
, ,

rather
to

which intervenes. im usual sigbe

turned,
is

i.

e.

'r^tn

ordinarily

previous to the predicted period, there

must have existed more Jehovahs than

one.
one,

used to express what is here intended. 52 5 Geba, was a Levitical city in the
tribe of

Or,

if

we

render, Jehovah shall be

Benjamin, near to Gibeah, on

we make

the passage teach either

before, or, that

the northern border of the

that Jehovah

was not one

he will no longer be three, or triune Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the undivided unity of the Godhead. All ambiguity, however, will at once be removed, if nns be taken adverbially, and
rendered only, alone, or the
like.

Judah.

li>a"i

kingdom of Rimmon, was a town in

the tribe of Simeon, in the south of Palestine, and to be distinguished from the

rock

Rimmon,

to the north-east of
,

Mich-

mash.

na-iJ'n

the

Arabah,

is

the level

or plain of the Jordan, extending from

And
in

the lake of Tiberias to the Elanitic gulf,

thus I conceive

it

must be rendered

though in the present day

only applied to that part of

this
it

name

is

the primary article of the inspired creed

which

lies

436
11

ZECHARIAK.

Chap. XIV.

12

And they shall dwell in her, And there shall be no more curse, And Jerusalem shall dwell in safety. And this shall be the plague
With which Jehovah
That
Their
will
shall fight against

plague all the people Jerusalem

flesh shall consume away While they stand upon their feet. And their eyes shall consume away in And their tongue shall consume away 13 And it shall be in that day

their sockets,
in their

mouth.

That there shall be great confusion from Jehovah among them, So that each shall seize the hand of another. And his hand shall be raised against the hand of another 14 And Judah also shall fight in Jerusalem, And the wealth of all the nations around shall be collected, Gold, and silver, and garments, in great abundance.
15

And
The

the plague of the horses,

mules, the camels, and the asses,
all

And
16

the cattle which shall be in those camps,

shall

Shall be even as this plague.

And

it

be
Sea.
,

to the south of the

Dead

The nom-

wasting away

From what
Jews

is

stated

inative to rrwsn

but
14,

cVii'

5r %

not "TiXn , immediately preceding. For

r.^^v^
is

and

ver. 14, it appears that the

(nt^ir"'

the orthography of

nxsn
in

corap. Hos. x.

Judah), shall not only defend themselves at Jerusalem, but make a successful
attack upon the enemy.

and other passages

inserted as a mater lectionis.

which the s is Great un-

3 crV:

when
to
irap-

used in reference to place,

fight at or in

signifies

certainty exists relative to the exact position of

such place.
^IfpovaaKri/x.

LXX.

some of the places here mentioned.

used as in Mai.
iii.

ard^eTcu

iv

"rjjytia

Cin
irav

is

24, in the ac-

iKnV:, Jud.

V. 19.

The

collection of

ceptation, curse,

LXX.

dw^eyuo.
exi,

Comp.
3.

the wealth of the surrounding nations,

refers to the gathering of the rich sj)oil

KaTava^ffxa ovk tcnai

Rev. xxu.

There will be no more any civil or national punishments inflicted on account of sin, these having been rendered unnecessary

of the contingents furnished

bj'

them

to

by the universal prevalence of

1-5.

righteousness and truth.

12

The

hostile

powers whose pun-

army. The entire encampments of the enemy, including the cavalry and beasts of burden, were all to share in the awfid catastrophe. Whether God will employ the plague

compose the

hostile

ishment
shall

is

here denounced are those which

and other destructive

ple,

diseases

for

the

form the great final confederacy. Com. Is. ILx. 18; Ezek. xxxviii., xxxix.; Rev. xix. The representation of the punishment is the most horrible that can
be imag;ined

annihilation of the enemies of his peo-

time must show.

r):3r;53
,

Tlie genitive in

r'jr:"'.

is

that of cause, a constcT'

a living skeleton, rapidly

natioji sent or

produced by Jehovah.
r.:-i-

IC 18. r:r=

lit.

/row

the

Chap. XIV.

ZE CHARIAH.

437

That the whole residue of all the nations That shall come xip against Jerusalem, Shall go up from year to year To worship the king, Jehovah of hosts,
17

And And
Of

to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.

it

shall

be that those who go not up

the families of the earth to Jerusalem,

cult to determine, except
their country is
is
it

sufficiency of a year in a year, i, e. when time has fully satisfied the claims

be, that as

of one year and enters

is

upon another.
annually.

It

watered by the Nile, and not dependent for fertility upon rain
country
itself,

only an idiomatic
here predicted

mode

of expressing

falling in the

they might
But,
if

from year
is

to year, or
is

What

be considered as exempt from the threat-

expressly restricted to

ened plague of drought.

rains fail in Ethiopia,
it

the

the particular nations which shall have

will in effect be

engaged in the
the Jews.

last great attack upon And, though the language

the same as if they

fail in

Egypt
,

itself.

After the words C"-"Vy N^i

tition

the repe-

of the following verse

may

appear to be

of

cr.;>_n

the rain, from the

is

end

more

general, yet the circumstances of

of the preceding verse,

It
is

understood.

the context require the restriction to be carried forward beyond the limits of the
present.
Still,

worthy of

notice, that the Feast

is

of Tabernacles or Booths
of
all

the only one

is

however, even with this

the Jewish festivals which

rep-

restriction,

the prophecy cannot, without

resented in this prophecy as being ob-

manifest absurdity, be interpreted of the

totality of the inhabitants of the nations

served at the period therein specified.

No mention

in question.

Let steam

vessels

and

rail-

roads be multiplied to any imaginable

extent, the idea of the possibility of con-

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 substantial blessings

veying such immense numbers to Palestine cannot be entertained. Or, supposing them to have been conveyed thither,

of the Christian economy.

Their re-establishment would be a denial

of the reality or efficacy of their antitypes.
It

few of them would

after all

opportunity of worshipping at

have an Jerusalem

may, however, be asked,

?

Why

should the Feast of Tabernacles form an

exception
first,

Feast of Tabernacles.

during the short period allotted for the Not only would the country be too small to contain their encampments, and to furnish them with
necessary provisions,
noise,

To

this

it

that such a festival

may be replied, may be observed

Secondly,
it

without any compromise of the principles

of the

New
who

Dispensation.

but the pressure,

may
to

be considered as peculiarly adapted

will liave to

and bustle of the croAvds would be such as to destroy everything in the shape of devotional propriety and enjoyment. I cannot, therefore, but take the

the retrospections of the converted

Jews,
for

commemorate

the sojourn of their fathers, not merely

forty years

in

the wilderness, but

meaning

to be, that the nations in ques-

their sojourn for

two thousand years in

tion will go

up

to Jerusalem in the per-

the countries of the dispersion.

thirdly,
it

And
me-

sons of their representatives, just as in

may

serve as a striking

former times the Jews resident

countries

m foreign
to

had those who went

in their

the

annual

festivals

their behalf.

Why

name, or on the Egyptians should

it is diffi-

be specially introduced, ver. 18,

though they have been restored to the rest of Canaan, they are still only strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, and that there yet remaineth a rest for the people of God. In this

mento

to them, that,

438

ZE CHARI AH.
the King, Jehovah of hosts,
there shall be no rain.

Chap. XIV.

To worship Upon tlieni

18

And if the family of Egypt should not go Upon them also there shall be none
;

up, nor come,

There

With
That

be upon them the plague, which Jehovah shall plague the nations,
shall

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
20

celebrate the feast of tabernacles.

In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah And the pots in the house of Jehovah
;

Shall be as the bowls before the altar.

point of view, believing Gentiles,

who

made
is

go up to the festival, can find no difficulty in celcbratmg it with them to

may

the theme of prophecy, but which nowheie else referred to in the book
Difficulty there

of Ezekiel.

may

be in

mutual edification. That the sacrifices which were off"cred at that feast, or any other animal sacrifices, will then
their

makmg

the measurements there given

agree with those specified by Josephus

as the dimensions of the second

be renewed,

is

a position, to maintain

but far greater

future, or to

difficulties attach to

temple every
still

which would be to counteract the express design, and contradict the express declarations of the dispensation of grace.
It
full

attempt to refer them to a temple

blematical.
19.
is

view them as wholly emthat rs:;!!

may

be said, that Ezekiul gives a

The connection shows

description of the re-estabHshment

not here to be taken in the sense of

of the sacrificial system and of the whole

sin,

but oi the punishment of sij\. Comp.

iii.

of the temple worship.

Nothing can be more certain. But when was this reestablishment to take place? Any one who will only cursorily examine the

Lam.
20.

38, iv. 6.

The rVs^'i were small

suspended from the

metallic

plates,

necks

or

heads of horses and camels,

of
noise

for the

sake

commencement
that,

of the fortieth chapter

follows immediately after

of that prophet will at once perceive,

ornament, and making a tinkling by striking aii^ainst each other like

though

it

cymbals.

Hoot

h\'z

to timjle, tinkle.
'^"^''p,

chapters relating to the destruction of

As

the inscription nS-"V

Holiness

Gog and Magog,

thirteen

it

M'as nevertheless de-

TO Jeuovau, was the sacred symbol en-

livered to the proph(!t not fewer

than

years

afterwards,

and

may,

therefore, naturally be expected to refer

graven upon the golden crown of the Jewish High Priest, the design of the prophecy is evidently to teach, that when
the Jews shall be restored to their
holiness attaching to

to a subject altogether d liferent.

That

own

subject I conceive to be the restoration

land, there shall be no greater degree of

of the temple and the temple worship

after the return

from liabylon

sub-

what was formerly accounted most sacred, than what will

attach to the ornamental trappings of
horses.

ject

which cannot but have

lain

near

the heart of the exiles, and worthy to be

the

Devotion of person and

Chap. XIV.
21

ZE CHARIAH.

439

pot in Jerusalem and in Judah be holiness to Jehovah of hosts And all who slaughter shall come, And take of them and boil in them, And there shall no more be a Canaanite In the house of Jehovah of hosts in that day.
Shall

Yea every

property to the service of

God

"will

be

tered

is

to be boiled in the pots,

is

and no

the only holiness then recognized.

Cereexist.

mention
blood,
food,

made

of the sprinkling of the

monial sanctity shall no longer

The same thing

is

expressed in the sec-

it must be inferred that killing lor and not for sacrifice, is what the

ond clause of the verse. The vessels in which the flesh was cooked, and which were accounted the meanest about the
temple, shall, as to the degree of holiness,

prophet has in view.

Considering what stumbling-blocks a mercenary and covetous priesthood has ever proved to the
world, and to

be upon a par with those which had

what a fearful extent the ministry in holy things has been made a
matter of merchandise, there is great force in the declaration with which the prophet " There shall no more be a Cacloses
:

been destined for the most sacred purpose, namely, the reception of the blood
of the
2
sacrificial victims.

All distinction

shall be
1
.

done away.

naanite in the house of Jehovah !"

"'ryrs
.

By

The same idea is here more fully carried out. Not only the common utensils used by the priests, but those employed for cooking in private houses,
both at Jerusalem and throughout the country, shall all be regarded as equally holy. From its being expressly stated,
that the flesh of the animals to be slaugh-

Canaanite,

is

meant a merchant

the Phoenicians,

who inhabited the north-

of Canaan, having been the most celebrated merchants of antiquity.

part

em

See
xl.
is

for this acceptation of the term.

Job
It

Prov. xxxi. 24 Is. xxiii. 8. here used metaphorically.

30

MAL ACHI.
we are left in

Messenger), is the last of all the Hebrew prophets, but profound ignorance respecting his personal history, and can only judge of the circumstances of his times from what is contained in his
,

Malachi ('SsVw

book.

According

to the tradition of the synagogue,

he lived after the proph-

and Zechariah, and was contemporary with Nehemiah. This statement is fully borne out by the affinity of the book written by the prophet, with that wrjtten by the patriot. Both presuppose the temple to have been already built. The same condition of the Jews is described. They both condemn foreign marriages, and enforce the due payment of tythes, which had been neglected. They likewise correct abuses which had crept in with respect to the sacrifices, and reprove their countrymen for their want of sympathy with the poor. In all probability, Malachi occupied the same place with respect to Nehemiah, which Haggai and Zechariah did with respect to Zerubbabel. That the former was assisted in the discharge of his duties by prophets, may be inferred from the charge brought against him by Sanballat, Neh. vi. 7. He may therefore be conceived of as having flourished somewhere about the year b. c. 420. His book is composed of a series of spirited castigations, in
ets Ilaggai

which the persons accused are introduced as repelling the charges, but thereby
only affording occasion for a fuller exposure, and a more severe reproof of
their conduct.

Both

priests

and people are unsparingly reprimanded, and

while they are threatened with divine judgments, encouragement

to such as

is held out His predictions respecting John the Baptist, the Messiah, and the destruction of the Jewish polity, are clear

walked

in the fear of the Lord.

and unequivocal.
pure
Considering the late age in which he lived, the language of Malachi is his style possesses much in common with the old pro[)hets, but is dis;

tinguished

more by

its

animation, than by

its

rhj-thmus or grandeur.

CHAPTER
WtTH

I.

a view to work a conviction of ingratitude in the minds of his countrymen, the prophet begins by setting forth the peculiar favor which Jehovah had shown to them as a people in contradistinction to the Edomites, 1 5. He then reproaches the priests for their unworthy conduct in presenting the refuse of the animals in sacrifice, 6 8 charges them with a mercenary spirit, and threatens to reject them, and supply their place with true worshippers from among the most distant heathen, 9 11; and concludes with a renewed reprimand, and the denunciation of a curse upon those who practised deception with respect to the offerings, 12 14.

The

Sentence of Jehovah's oracle to Israel by Malachi.

say,

I have loved you, saith Jehovah,

Yet ye

Wherein

hast thou loved us ?

?

Was
1.

not Esau brother to Jacob Yet I loved Jacob,

For the formula n'ln^ ^^i ix. 1. That 'Ss^m
is

saith

Jehovah,

sistt
,

see

on Zech.

Malthe

source.
''-\\'o,

from nouns," and denoting origin or Compare ""^sy ^nry ""nro

, , ,

achi,

the proper

name

of the prophet,

"'n^i, "Vj.I, etc.

V^s.ir^, Israel,

and not a mere

official appellative, as

LXX.,

Vitringa, and others, interpret,

is here used to denote the whole of the twelve tribes, which had returned to their

from the analogy with others prefixed to the prophetical writings. As for the form of the name, Vitringa, Hiller, Michaelis,
safely be inferred
title

may

native land, Jer.

2, 3.

1.

4, 5, 19, 20.

of the

benevolence of of the Hebrews in the time of the prophet, are

The

sovereign

Jehovah,

and

the

ingratitude

and Gesenius, take

it

to be

compounded

strikingly contrasted.
question,

To
hast

the petulant

of ts^hiz and si"' , of which they consider 1 to be a contraction, and accordingly

" Wherein

thou

loved

explain the

name

as

meaning The Mes-

us?" which is only the first of a series which are put in the course of the book,
the answer is direct and conclusive in showing greater kindness to their piogenitor Jacob, than he had done to his
brother Esau.

senger of Jehovah.

To

this,

however,

it

has been objected, that no examples of

an abbreviation of the Divine name

this extent are to be
fore, it

to

found

and, there-

The temporal advantages

has been deemed more natural to regard the > as the pronominal affix of
the
first

of Palestine were vastly superior to those of Idumea, which was comparatively a

sterile

person singular, and to render.

and

desert country

and the Jews

My

Messenger.

This

latter solution

has

had, besides, experienced distinguished

favor in having been restored to their land,

been

adopted

by Hengstenberg, who

labors in vain to establish a connection

and had prosperity conferred upon

between the name of the prophet, and

the same

word

as occurring in its official

iii.

them, while the Edomites, who had suffered from the invasion of their country

signification, chap.

1.

The form

ap-

by the Chaldeans,
stored.

five years

after the

pears to be really nothing more than an instance of what Ewald calls " the last

capture of Jerusalem, had not been reIt is

to the

desolations occa-

and newest mode of deriving

adjectives

sioned

by

this invasion that reference is

56

; ;

, ;

442
3

MALA CHI.
I liatecl Esau,

Chap.

But

And made his mountains a desolation, And liis heritage abodes of the desert. Because Edom saith, We are impoverished.
But we will i-ebuild the desolate places Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They may build, but I will overthrow And men shall call them. The border of wickedness, And, The people against whom Jehovah is indignant

forever.

your eyes shall see, and ye shall say. 5 Let Jehovah be magnified, from the border of son honoreth his father, 6 And a servant his master If then I be a father, where is my honor ? And if I be a master, where is my fear ? Saith Jehovah of hosts to you, O ye priests, That despise my name yet ye say, "Wherein have we despised thy name ?

And

Israel.

made

ver. 3.

ss'i*

io hate, is

here used

abortive,

and

their continually depressed

in a comparative sense, qualifying the

condition should afford additional proof

to the Israelites of the kindness of

preceding verb
opposite of love
is

ans
is

to

love.

hatred,

As the when there

God
*

towards his
ary,
is

own

people.

Vtia:;

bound-

only an inferior degree of the former exhibited, the object of it is regarded as being hated rather than loved. See for

here used in the sense of territory,

or the space

ing

boundaries.
xxi,

marked out by the surroundComp. Gen. x. 19

24.
Vsi'sji

Gen. xxL\. 30, 31 Deut. xiii. 24; Matt. vi. 24 Luke xiv. 26, compared with Matt. X. 37. risfl is considered by some to be the feminine of c^arj and is rendered
this idiom.
;

Numb,
rer,

V^ia^^

Vyia

xxi. 15, 16; Prov.

;

according to Rosenmiiller, Hitzig,

MauHe-

and Ewald, means beyond

brew territory,

construing
it
!i'iK;sr>

the

the words

with h-i'', but

seems more natural to

serpents, jackals, or the like

but

it

is

connect them -with

crs

Ye

preferable to adopt the derivation from

who

dwell upon the land of Israel shall

the

Arabic,

L/j*,

substitit,

habitavit.

say from the locality you occupy, and to

Hence jj^Lo*
the

habitatio,

mansio.
desert,"

By
are

which, through Divine goodness, ye have

been
restored,
*s

"habitations

of

the

The

prefi.\ed to

Jehovah be magnified. V'3S adds nothing to

,

meant

deserted, ruined dwellings, such

the force of the preceding preposition.

as are still found in great abundance in Idumea. The phrase is parallel to T.-ctzv in the preceding hemistich, and corre-

See Gesen. in Vv w 6. Upon the fact of the respect usually

sponds to the nSai n

ruins, ver. 4.

waste places, or

shown by inferiors to their superiors, Jehovah had a right to expect that honor and reverence which corresiwndcd to the
high position which he occupied as Author and Moral Governor of the imiversc.

4, 5. Every attempt on the part of the Idumeans to recover themselves, and enjoy permanent prosperity, should prove

These having, however, been withheld,

; ;

Chap.
V

I.

Ikl

ALACH

443

111

upon my altur Wherein have we polluted thee ? In your saying, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.
offering polluted bread
say,

But ye
8

When

ye
it

offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil ?

And when
Present

ye

offer the

lame and the

sick, is it

not evil ?

now

to thy governor

Will he be satisfied with thee, Or accept thy pei'son ? saith Jehovah of hosts. 9 Now, then, conciliate the regard of Jehovah, that he may pity us: This hath been by your means Will he accept your persons? saith Jehovah of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors ? 10 Yea, ye will not kindle the fire on my altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts. Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11 But from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations And in every place, incense shall be offered to my name, And a pure offeiing
=

chiefly

owing

to the irreligious

and prois

understood ironically.

No

prayers or

fane conduct of the priests, the charge

principally laid against them.
7.

suppUcations of theirs could avail any-

thing while they presented such unlawis

That c R V.

>

bready or food,

here to

ful sacrifices.

This

is

expressly declared

be taken as the Arab.

sense of animal flesh,

^<\
is

t^

caro, in the
its

in the form of a pointed interrogation at

obvious, from,
rt^.Ttt
,

the close of the verse.

tD-iiB

C3

s";:!

being presented on the

sacrifice, to

altar

of

is

more emphatic form, instead of

which

also the "^nVp, table,

must be
of

referred,

shew-bread.
involves

and not to the table Contempt of sacred

contempt
of

things

Him

to

10, 11. 'ITie rendering of the LXX., adopted by Newcome, " Surely the doors shall be closed against you," cannot be

whom
8.

they appertain.

admitted.
of
^"c
,

The

authority for the change

_

Another argumentum ad hominem. The priests had the effrontery to present to Jehovah what they would not have
dared to
offer to

who, into ^3
;

surely, is
is

of no

weight

and the verb liO

,

never con-

strued with a

in order to express the

their

civil

governor.

idea of exclusion.

Such was the

avari-

To

animals with any blemish, was Lev. expressly prohibited in the law.
oifer

cious disposition of the priests, that they

would not perform even the most

services

trivial

xxii. 22,
9.

21

How

Deut. xv. 21. much soever the words r;n?i

;

without payment.

How

could

sraiT'i

Vs : N5 f.?r!, may

at first

sight appear to contain a serious exhortation to

such expect to be acceptable to God? These verses contain an explicit prediction of the rejection of the Jewish worship,

the priests to repent of their

to pray for the

and of the reception of the Genperform spiritual worship in the

wicked conduct, and

Di-

tiles to

vine favor to themselves and the people, yet the connection requires them to be

Church of the Lord. His name, which the priests had treated with contempt,

<^
444
For ray name
12
shall

M A L A C II
be great among the nations,
it

Chap. XL

Saith Jehovah of hosts.

But ye have profaned The table of Jehovali

by your
polluted,

saying,

is

13

And its fruit, even his food, is contemptible. Ye have also said, "What a weariness And have contemned it, saith Jehovah of hosts And ye have brought the torn, and the lame, and

the sick,

Yea, ye have brought the offering Should I accept it at your hand ? saith Jehovah. 14 But cursed be the deceiver, who hath a male in his And voweth, and sacrificeth to Jehovah that which

flock.
is

corrupt;

For

am

a great king, saith Jehovah of hosts,

And my
ver. 6,

narae shall be feared

among

the nations.

among

should receive universal homage the nations that had been addicted

proposed in the Tikkune Sopherim. The \ in nst-~rsi is omitted in ninetythree

to idolatry,
jects of

and who were now the ob-

MSS., in seven printed

it

editions,

Jews.

abomination on the part of the The sacrificial terms are transferacts, to

and

in all the versions except the Syriac.

is

Though
meat
idea

not said that the

rn:

red from their original application to

offering, consisted of

inferior

in-

ceremonial objects and

such as
iv.

gredient.s, yet it is either implied, or the

is

are spiritual, agreeably to the nature of

intended to be conveyed, that the

this,

the

new economy.
;

Comp.
;

John

presentation of the other sacrifices ren-

Heb. xiii. 10, 15, 16 1 Pet. ii. All that Hitzig can discover in these verses is, that God was worshipped by all
5.

2024

dered

ceptable to

however pure in itself, unacGod. Hitzig and Maurer

nations, under the

different
!

names of
! !

regard rricw to be a contraction of the feminine pnn^a^ but I should rather

;

Jehovah, Ormuzd, Zeus, etc. 12 renewal of the charge 14. against the priests, nearly in the same

think

it

ought

to be pointed rn'i'

as

words.
for

nsVptt
.

is

nsVn n
iii.

Comp.

an abbreviated form riTTS Exod. iv. 2

,

where it occurs, in application to the same subject, in the masculine gender. Many MSS. and some
in Lev. xxii. 25,

of the early editions read r;hr!"V instead

of "iis^
,

aP.nsn, refers to SVrs in the preceding verse, and is not to be changed into Tiis, me, as
cr.5. is15.
"iJ^iS, it, after

stituted for

which has no doubt been subit by some superstitious Jew-

ish scribe.

CHAPTER
The

II.

prophet continues to urpe the charge against the priests, warning them that if they did not reform, they should be deprived of all enjoyment, and rendered the objects of shame and contempt, 1 4. The original institution, and the sacred nature and obligations of the priestly office, arc then brought forward, with wliich to contrast the base-

Chap. U.

MALACH1

445

ness of their conduct in violating its responsibilities; and the section closes with another threatening of punishment, 5 9. In a new section the prophet takes up the subject of divorce, and marriage with foreign women, and severely reproves the priests for the evi) example which they had set in this respect, 1016. They are finally charged with teaching

immoral doctrine,

17.

AxD
It'

now, unto you

Avill

is

this charge,
it

ye

priests

ye

not hearken, nor lay

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 uj^on your faces, The dung of your festivals
!

be taken away with it. that I have sent you to this charge. Because my covenant was with Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts. 5 My covenant of life and peace was with him, And I gave them to him. For the fear which he showed for me. And the awe in which he stood of my name.
4

And And

ye ye

shall
shall

know

2. rrnjiwri. is

emphatic, and doubtless

the consequences of transgression.

From
infer

has reference to Deut. xxvii. 15, etc. The feminine suffix in riTiiis is to be taken distributively, with reference to the riana blessings, immediately pre,

the words which follow,

we must

that knowledge issuing in reformation of

conduct

is

meant.

On

no other condi-

tion could the Levitical covenant con-

ceding,
3.
vtis

tinue in force.
in n-.V is that of the

The h

Dadbe

5,

In

this

and the following

verses the

incomniodi, " to your detriment or

s-^t
,
,

prophet forcibly contrasts with the base

disadvantage."

seed, is not to

and imworthy conduct of the

priests,

the

and rendered shoulder, as Houbigaiit and Newcome do, merely on the authority of the LXX. There is great force in the reference to the dung of the festivals, as the maw, which contained it, belonged to the priests, Deut. xviii. 3. Vs in rV,S has
changed into
y"n-,T.

noble character of their progenitor, Avith

whom officially Jehovah had

covenant.

entered into

The

reference,

however,

is

not to Levi personally, but to Phinehas,

Numb. xxv.
fi^?

12, 13,

where we have an
of peace, and
ideas are

account of this covenant, there called

"'"lis* '^V covenant
Tvr,-z,

the signification o? with, together

as in
is

xcith,

tVy

^"^a, the covenant of an

Lam.

iii.

41.
is

Such

usage, however,

everlasting priesthood.

Both

rare,

srs
,

to be taken imperson-

expressed in the present verse, and the

ally.
4.

meaning
i'l^
to

is,

that the covenant

was secured

know, has here the signiexperience, to feel

in perpetuity.

Before C'.V'i-i.
is

C'Ti-

fication,

to

know by

the

word r,12

imderstood from th?

446
6

MALACHI
truth was in
liis

Chap.

II.

The law of

mouth
uprightness,

Xo iniquity was found in his Hps He walked with me in peace and

And
V

turned
lips

many from

iniquity.

For the For he

of the priest should preserve knowledge,

And men
is

should seek the law at his mouth.

the messenger of

Jehovah of hosts. have departed from the way, Ye have made many to stumble in the law Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts, 9 Therefore have I also rendered you contemptible and base to all
8 But, as for you, ye
;

the people

Forasmuch

And
10

as ye have not observed my ways, have acted partially in the law. Have we not all one Father ?

preceding.

s5-ii,/ear or reverence,

is

here ihe accusative absolute,

rna

is

the

Niphal of rrin ,to

This verb
is

be terrified, dismal/eel.

expounders of the law to the people it was only on special and extraordinary occasions that the prophets gave their
;

here purposelJ^ employed to

decision.

Each

of

them was,
,

therefore,

express the extraordinary degree of pro-

to be regarded as Tj^VTa

a messenger, or

found and holy awe with which Phinehas was inspired when zealously vindicating the honor of Jehovah.
6, 7.

interpreter of the Divine will.

8.

The

character of the priests

whom

^lalachi

was sent

to

reprove was the

violate the

comprehensive and beautiful

very reverse of that exhibited by Phinehas.

and spiritual duties of Phinehas, which ought to have been realized in the persons and ministrations of all his successorsin office, and which suggests topics of the most serious self-examination to all who engage in
description of the character

Not only did they

but, as
is

law themselves,
case,

universally the

ple

induced others by their bad examThey thus it likewise. forfeited all right to the sacerdotal imto violate

munities of the Levitical covenant.

9. ^:ti c^i
is

the work of the Christian ministry.

The
to

strikingly antithetical

higher and more important functions of

the sacerdotal office are here recognized,
to the exclusion of such as were merely

OPS

at the beginning of vcr. 8.

The
retri-

priests are here threatened

with a

bution corresponding to their base and

These the priests in the days of Malachi had neglected, while

ceremonial.

contemptible character, an additional and

aggravating feature of which

viz. partiality in

is

added,

they discharged the latter in a perfunctory and niggardly manner.

is

the decisions which they

That rr^in not here to be rendered doctrine, but is

gave on points of law.

printed editions, the

Instead of err.

the people, twenty-three ilSS.,

and

few

to be taken in its appropriated sense of

LXX., Targ.,
,

Arab.,

law, appears from the use of the term in

and Ilexapl.
ately.
10.

Syr., read n*'2>'r

the peo-

the two following verses.

accusative case, with which

rV^S is svkj

in the
,

ples or natiotis, but

much

less

appropri-

as in

other instances of passive verbs, docs not agree in number.

140,
1 b.

The prophet now

proceeds to ad-

See Gesen. Gram.

minister reproof to the peojjle, and especially to

The

priests

were the ordinary

the priests, for their flagrant

Chap.

II.

MALA cm.
God
created us
?

447

H.ith not one

Wherefore do we
1

act unfaithfully one to another,

Profaning the covenant of our fathers ?

Judah hath acted

unfaithfully

And

an abominable thmg hath been done in Israel and in Jerusalem For Judah hath profaned that which was holy to Jehovah,
;

That which he loved,

And

12 Jehovah will cut off the

hath married the daughter of a strange god. man that doeth this,
that watcheth, and

Him

him that answereth,

offering to

From the tents of Jacob, And him that presenteth an

violation of the law,

Jehovah of

hosts.

which prohibited inSee Exod. xxxiv. 16 Deut. vii. 3. For the historical account of this violation, see Ezra Neh. xiii. 2331. That by ix. 1, 2 "ins 2S one Father, we are to understand Jehovah, and not Abraham, or Jacob, as some have supposed, is determined by the force of the parallelism, in which we have the corresponding and elucidatory phrase nns Vs, one God. As the Jews put away their wives, that they might marry others, they are here distinctly taught that both males and females stood in the same relation to God as their common Father and Creator. He had an equal propriety in them, and when the men acted the part for which they are here reproved, they acted unjustly by their Maker. But, in addition
termarriages with foreigners.
;

thanks every morning

the man,
a
;

that

God
the

made him woman, that God

has not
,

woman and has made her

'li''S*i3
11.'

according to his pleasure.

to

The nominative

mA3
is

is

yns

understood in
the holiness

m?n". By

n"-'_ 'inp,

of Jehovah,

meant the
sep-

people of the Hebrews,

who were
>

arated to be a people devoted to his service.

Ezra
Jer.
5.

ix. 2

Comp. 'ijni^n S'^T ^^^ ^'^^U ^^ed, and nhn"'^ VsTr'^ ^Ipi -^'"
;

rael is holiness,
ii.

3.

"The

i. e. holy to Jehovah, For ans Tis comp. Ps. xlvii. daughter of a strange god"

means an

idolatress, a

female addicted to

the worship of a false deity. 12. n5i5"i IS has been variously rendered.

The LXX. mistaking ny

koL rcnreivaiStfj.

for

-\y_,

have trum
S071

'4(iis

Vulg. magis-la

ei

discipidum.
Sjt.

Targ.

lasi

^a

to this, they broke the covenant

made
and son's son.

with their
practices,

fathers,

which interdicted such

were had
to the

^\o wi
his

'^

\^
S07i.

ns

brother, is not here to be

pressed, as if reference

g|r^,
Thus
its

both his son

and

sons

father of the female

who had
is

pudiated,

i-'nsa WIS

been rethe usual idiom,

1

also Abarbanel, Sachs,

others.

The phrase
and has
its

is

Ewald, and obviously, from

,

one against another.

6.

Comp.

Thess.

iv.

very form, like -23"'

yi

2!ity" afjSy

The questions so pointedly put at the commencement of this verse are highly
condemnatory of that degradation which is experienced by Oriental females. Not only do most of the Mohammedans deny tljem the privilege of immortality, but the Jews universally to this day give

proverbial,

parallel in the

Ara-

bic ,^>juS!O0

^.

clt> LgJ

{J^^^
is

There

is

not in the city a caller, nor

in his Thesaiir. p.

there a responder.

Life of Timnr, quoted

by Gesenius
Turkish,

1001.

^1^

^^.^^

44S
13

MALA
this

HI

Chap.II.

And

ye have done a second time,

Covci-ing 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.

wife.

Though she was thy companion and covenanted 15 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.

Jo

l^t^ the watcher, and the an-

the Hebrews.

In Poland,

at the pres-

ent day, they marry at the age of thirteen and fourteen,

swerm: The meaning is, that none should Gebe lel't aUve all should be cut off.
;

and the females

still

younger.
15, 16. Michaelis, Hitzig,

senius thinks that the reference

is

prob-

Maurer, and

ably to the Levites who kept watch in the temple by night, and who called and

Ilengstenberg, concur in the opinion ex-

responded to each other at certain intervals; but the mention that is made of ' the tents of Jacob" immediately after, shows that the words are not to be thus
restricted,
to
-ly
is

Targum, and adopted by most of the Rabbins, that by -ins one, and "int*" the one, Abraham is intendand maintain, that what is here ed stated, was designed to repel an objection
pressed in the
,
,

the participle of -iny,

raised

by the

priests, viz., that

Abraham

wake, be

aicalce.

13. r"';^ is to be taken strictly in the

took an Egyptian female in addition to Sarah. The prophet, according to them,

sense of a second time.

Measures had

admits the

fact,

but denies the conse-

been adopted to cure the evil in the time of Ezra, chap. Lx. x. ; but the Jews had
relapsed into the

quence, by showing that

Abraham

still

retained the Spirit of God, because his

object in contracting this alliance

same

sin of

foreign wives in that of

it is

marrying Nchcmiah, and

was

to

obtain the seed which

God had promised

this latter

which the prophet here

xiii.

him, and not to gratify carnal passion,

to

reproves.

Neh.

23

31.

The

lan-

which the

evil

here condemned was to

refers

guage implies
offence.

an

aggravation

of the

be traced.

Ewald

nns,

one, to

those of

The crying and weeping were the Jewish wives who had been
legitimate marriages

God, considering the term here in the same sense as in

fails

to be

used but

ver. 10,

repudiated by their husbands.

14.

in giving a satisfactory explanation

The

had been

of the passage.
so that

Nor
up

does the other inits

contracted with special ajipcal to Jehovah as witness of the transaction. The phrase

terpretation at all do justice to

claims

we

are shut
,

to the conclusion,

":ir:

rrs

the wife

of thy youth, has

that

by

Tnij-n

the one,
,

we

are to under-

reference to the early marriages

among

stand

ins

n'sja

the one fcsh, or conju-

Chap.

III.

MALACHI

449

16 For I bate divoi-ce, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, And for a man to cover over his garment with violence,
Saith Jehovah of hosts Therefore take heed to your
spirit,

That ye
17

act not unfaithfully.

have wearied Jehovah with your words, say, Wherein have we wearied him ? In your saying, Every one that doeth evil Is good in the sight of Jehovah, and he delighteth in them

Ye

Yet ye

Or,

Where

is

the

God

of justice ?
16. S5to should

gal body into which the first couple were formed, Gen. ii. Instead of forming only two into one, the Creator might have

be pointed saw, with

13
tt

the personal pronoun

understood.
generally

By

"iJ^nV

garment,

it is

now

There was no lack of spiritual existence from which to furnish them with intelligent souls. When he gave to Eve such an existence,
given to
wives.

Adam many

admitted

we

are to understand the wife,

who had
to her

the most glaring injustice done by giving her a divorce, or by taking one or more in addition to her.
texit,

he did not exhaust the immense fountain of being. There remained all with which the human race hath been furnished

Thus the Arab. ,uuJ,

I

induit

wwLu> vestimentmn,

'

conjux turn

mu-

throughout its generations. What, then, cem pro tegumento sunt." Freytag. Acthe prophet asks, was the design of the cordingly we read in the Koran, Sue, restriction ? to this he replies, the secur- * ing of a pious offspring. Divorces and 183, respecting the wives ijjwLJ ^^yS^
:

lier viri,

tum

vir mulieris,

quod

sibi invi-

polygamy have ever been unfavorable

the education of children.
It is

to

only by

,j^ u^^
matrimonj'^

(VaaJ^

|V^

^^^y '

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 In such a connection idolatrous wives.
there

your garment, and you are theirs. In the ecclesiastical language of the East,

was

called

i-h

^prjThv koI dov-

MKhif
17.

lixaTLov.

The

old objection taken against

the providence of
of the wicked.

God from

the

afflic-

was everything

to counteract
piety'.

and

tions of the righteous,

and the prosperity

destroy the interests of

CHAPTER

III,

This chapter commences with a lucid prophecy of John the Baptist, as the forerunner of the Messiah, and of the Messiah himself, who was, as he had long been, the object of delightful expectation to the Jews, 1. The aspect of his advent in regard to the wicked, and especially to the ungodly priesthood, is next introduced, together with the severe judgments that were to be brought upon the nation, 26. The people are then reproved for having withheld the legal tithes and offerings, and are promised a profusion of blessings in case of repentance, 712. To the infidel objection that there is no utility in relig-

57

450
ion, seeing the

MALACnI

Chap. IH;

poiutiiig to the
ter,

wicked prosper, while tlie godly are oppressed, the prophet replies by day of retribution, when all should be treated according to their characwhich would then be fully disclosed, 1318.

Behold

I will send

my

messenger,

way before me, suddenly there shall come to his temple The Lord whom ye seek.

And And

he

shall

prepare the

That by ""SsVw , my messenger, we John the Baptist, is placed beyond dispute by the appropriation of the words of the prophecy Comp. Is. xl. 3. to him, Mark i. 1.
1.

whole earth, Josh.

it

iii.

11, 13

but
it
is

when
used

are to understand

takes the article, as here,

Kar f|oxV> and exclusively of the Divine Being, SeeExod. xxiii. 17, xxxiv.
23.
Is.
i.

24,

iii.

1,

x. 16, 33, xix.

4;

Hengstenberg strangely gives in to the notion of Eichhorn and Theiner, that the collective body of the prophets is
intended, though he thinks that the idea

See Dr. J. Pye Smith's Messiah, vol. i. Abenezra thus explains pp. 442-^444.
the term, and identifies the Sovereign

of the messenger chiefly concentrates in

John.
senger

Not one of
is

his five reasons

office of this

is

at

all satisfactory.

The

mes-

described as preparing the

way
bor-

Lord with the Angel spoken of immediately after -js'-W sin T:::2r; Nin T;-;itn h'fD cyan "S rii~i::n The Lord is both the Divine Majesty, and the Angel of the Covenant, for the sentence is doubled. It
:
,

for the Messiah.

The language

is

is

likewise admitted in
fol.
,

Mashmiah

Je-

rowed from the custom of sending pioneers before an Eastern monarch, to cut through rocks, and forests, and remove every impediment that might obstruct his course. n:E which in Kal is never
,

Vy ")"."tsn tu-EV rfES Tht! Lord may be explaitied of ri" ttJ'cn the King Messiah ; and Kimchi not only, with Abenezra, identifies the Lord and
shua,
76, "]V5S

the Angel, but applies both to the ilessiah

I'
:

transitive, signifies in Piel to clear, clear

sim

irt-^sn

^V

s-.n

Tnsn

away, put i?i order, prepare. This John did by preaching repentance, and announcing the near approach of the kingdom of God. Comp. chap. iv. 5. In this prophecy of the ^lessiah are three palpable and incontrovertible proofs of First, he is identified with his divinity. Jehovah " he shall prepare the way be" saith Jehovah." Secondfore me"
:

-nan "sVw, The Lord is the King Messiah, he is also the Angel of the Covenant
;

though, in order to elude the

Christian amplication of the passage, he

suggests another interpretation, accordis meant. It has whether the phrase r*-i2n '^sVp, the Messenger of the Covenant, is to be viewed retrospectively or

ing to which Elijah

been

questioned,

ly,

He

is

represented as the rrojirietor

prospectively
it

in other A\-ords,

of the temple.
terized
title

Thirdly,
,

He

is

charac-

be the Old or the

is

New

whether Covenant to
Considering

The Sovereign, a as Ynsn nowhere given in this form to any

In
is
its

which reference
the
fact,

made.
tables

that in such parallel ibrms as

the ark

except Jehovah.
the

anarthrous state
to
it

T'lnan rniV, the h""i3n T'!~S

noun

-,--ttJ

applicable

any
apas

of the covenant, of the covenant,

owner, possessor, or ruler, and

plied in the construct state to

is

man
IT'-isn
etc.,

"iBD

the book of the covenant, the blood of the covenant,

Jehovah

Cn,

(--KrVs

"i"is

the Possessor of the

the ancient dispensation which Jc-

Chap. IU.

MALA
he
shall

II I

451
in

Even the Messenger of the covenant,

Behold
!

whom

ye delight,

come, saith Jehovah of hosts. But who may endure the day of his coming ? And who may stand when he aj^peareth ? For he is like the fire of the refiner,

And And

like the

soap of the fullers

sit,

he shall

refining

and

i^m-ifying the silver;

lie shall purify the sons of Levi,

And refine them like gold and like silver, That they may present to Jehovah an ofiering
Then
shall

in righteousness.

the oflTering of Judah and Jerusalem

Be

pleasing to Jehovah,

is

hovah granted to the Hebrews at Sinai intended, it would seem natural to in-

fer that

n^n^n

Tlt^Vis is to

be understood

in the
ject

same way. would seem

This view of the subto be corroborated

,

by

the circumstances, that a T[sV'3 Angel or Messenger, who is said to possess the
DiA-ine

and Gesenius. The Jews and delighted in the Messiah, because he was the object of national expectation and desire, though the great body of them formed no higher conception of him than that of an earthly monarch, under whose reign they should
Rosenmiiller,

may be

said to have sought

name,
is

i. e.

whatever

is

distinctive

enjoy a profusion of temporal blessings.

of Deity,

frequently spoken of under

;

When it

is

declared that he should

it is

come

that economy that He is represented as leading the Israelites out of Egypt,

" suddenly" to his temple,

not im-

pHed that he was

his

giving

them

the law,

and superintendAll the

to come in or near the times of the prophet, but merely that

ing the whole of the theocracy.

visible

coming would be sudden and unex-

theophanies or manifestations of the in-

Deity were made in his Person. the proper nuncius sent to reveal the will of the Father. Moses was only a ^epuTTiav, n:2y or servant employed by

pected in the circumstances under which it took place.

2

He was

4.

Employing a strong metallurgic

metaphor, the prophet shows that the Covenant Messenger would be very different

him, while he was

glory.

God

manifested in

from that which the carnal Jews

Instead
of flattering
their

I can put no other consistent

expected.
prejudices,

construction upon such passages as the

following
iii.

Gen.
xxiii.
iii.

xlviii.

15, 16

Exod.
;

215,
i.

Zech.
xi.

ii.

vi.

26, xii. 26.

21; Is. Ixiii. 9; Acts vii. 38 Heb. In strict consistency

20,
;

and gratifying their wishes, he would, by his pure and heart-searching doctrines, subject their principles and conduct to the severest test. Those of
speciallj' tried.

the priests should be

object
trial,

The
this

with the representations of Scripture,

therefore, the ^Messiah

he was to have in view in

may

be called the

was
;

their

purification, that

they

Messenger of that ancient economy of -which he was the Founder and Head.

Most
the

interpreters,

New

however, understand Covenant, or the dispensation

of grace, with special reference to Heb.

where our Saviour is called SiaMediator of the Neio Covenant; among others, Grotius,
ix. 15,
^i)K7)s Kaivr)S fxealrris, the

might serve him in righteousness. Matt, iii. 12 John xv. 3. And such was the result with respect to many of them. " A gieat company of the priests were obedient to the faith," Acts vi. 7. The influence of their conversion upon the people must have been very great, though we have no information rc^pcctii-.g it in

. ;

452

MALA
in the

II I

CuAP.

III.

As
5

days of

old,

And
And

as in the former years. I will

But

draw nigh

to

you

for

judgment,

will

be a swift witness

Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, And against those who swear to a falsehood. And against those who wrest the wages of the hireling,

The widow and the orphan, "Who turn aside the stranger
fear not

as to his right,

me, saith Jehovah of hosts. And 6 Because I am Jehovah, I change not Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your flxthers 7

Ye have departed from my statutes, and have not kept them; Return to me, and I will return to you, Saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say. Wherewith shall we return ? Will a man defraud God ? Yet ye have defrauded me. But ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithes and the oblations.

Ye

are cursed with the curse

For ye

the whole nation have defrauded me.

all

10 Bring ye
the Acts.

the tithes into the storehouse,

6. As the incommunicable name nin*, Jehovah, implies a futurity of reference with respect to the communication of blessings (see on Hos. xii. 5), the Divine

The

religious services of the

churches composed of Jewish converts in Jerusalem and throughout Judea, are

represented as pecuUarly well-pleasing to God. For the meaning of nns^ , offering, as here used,
5.

comp. chap.

i.

10, 11.

immutability secured the preservation of the Jewish people from destruction, notwithstanding their flagrant wickedness, till he had accomplished all his purposes
of mercy.
7. The V in "W'kV is prosthetic, wth somewhat of its temporal signification, There was still mercy in store for the Jews, if they only would repent, which occurs only in our 8. y::p prophet, and in Prov. xxii. 23, signifies
,

times,

Malachi here returns to his own and threatens his ungodly contemporaries with divine judgment, speedMagic ily to be executed upon them. greatly prevailed among the Jews after
the captivity, as did also the other crimes here specified. How much they obtained
in the time of our Lord,

the

Evangelists

prophet traces
true source
\

and them

Josephus.
all

we Icam from The

back to their fear of God.

absence of the
,

to

cover,

do anything covertly, defraud.

^^^ ^^^^

After c"y:3riJ3!!

the phrase

'r2

is

C;
occultus.

retrahit,

jU', C

found in nineteen MSS., in some printed editions, and in the LXX., Syr., IlexapL,

Comp. chap.

n. 2.

'and Arab

10-

""i ^2iy, ? ad defectum

Chap. HI.

MALACH1

453

That there may be meat

m my house,
for

And And

try

me now
I

with

this, saith

Whether

wiU not open

Jehovah of hosts. you the windows of heaven,

pour out a blessing for you, Till there shall be a superabundance. for your sake, 11 And I will rebuke the devourer And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground
Neither
12
shall

your vine

in the field

be

unfruitful,

Saith Jehovah of hosts. And all the nations shall pronounce

shall

you happy.

For ye Saith Jehovah of hosts. Your words agamst me have been hard, saith Jehovah; 13 But ye say. What have we spoken against thee ?
14

be a delightful land,

Ye have

said:

It is vain to serve

God
hosts?

And what profit is it that we keep his ordmance, And that we walk mournfully before Jehovah of
happy 16 For now we pronounce the proud built up are wickedness work that They also
;

They even tempt God, yet they are delivered. Then they that feared Jehovah 16 Conversed one with another

And Jehovah
siMcientia
it till
i. e.

hearkened, and heard,

I

my

abundance be

not as Gesenius explains exhausted,

is

which being impossible, the phrase

awful specimens of their hard speeches are here exhibited, in which the usual objection against the rectitude of Providence
is

equivalent Xo, forever, without end; but

dressed

where sufficiency can have no more place, more than sufficient, superabundTo this effect Jerome, Winer, antly.

takmg

forms.

Ps. Ixxiii.

up in some of its more Comp. Job xxi. 14, 15 114. -,^3 is here used like
;

De

Wette, Hitzig, and Maurer. 11. Ey the V-N, devourei; noxious animals and insects are meant, especially
"h-i-a

-o: in the bad sense of tempting, or braving the Most High by presumptuous speeches and conduct. The walking
mournfully has reference to their

gomg

the locusts,

properly signifies to

cause abortion, render childless, and metaphorically, to make barren or unfruitful, when spoken of trees. 1315. pTH signifies to bind make firm, and, in a bad sense,
fast,
to

about in sackcloth and ashes, pretending to sorrow on account of their sins, nnp^
to

be dirty, to

go about in filthy gar;

be

ments, like persons who mourn such being universally the custom in the East. 16. ts ^Aew, specially marks the time
,

hard, obstinate, or the like.

Such was
rvv

the language of the Jews against Jehovah.

Comp. Jude

15, Trepi -KavToiv

which the impious conversations were being held. Here5- = -i2 beautifully contrasts with the same term in the thirin

ffKKripSiv

wv iKaXriaav war' ahrov.

Some

teenth verse.

The verb

is

in Niphal, to

4-34

il

ALA

II I

CiiAr. III.

And

a Ioolc of rorncmbrnnce was written before For those that feared Jehovah, And thought upon his name.
tliey sliall

liirn,

17

And
In

bo a peculiar treasure to me, saith Jehovah of

hosts,
tlie

day Avhich I have appointed

be kind to them is kind to his son who serveth him. 18 Then shall ye again perceive the difference Between the righteous and the Avicked, Between him tliat serveth God,
I will

And
As

a flither

And him

that serveth

him

not.

express the reciprocal or conversational

and then, secondarily, that of

acqidring,
its

getting, or

character of the language.

As

the un-

what

is

shut up, in order to

to the

godly did not confine their hard speeches mere utterance of them to such
individuals as they might

happen to

meet, but
pious are

made

their infidel objections

Hence the what is peculiarly valuable or precious. The term is applied to the people of Israel, Exod. xix. 5 Deut.
being carefully preserved.
idea of
;

the subject of mutual discussion, so the here represented as holding

vii. 6,

xiv. 2, xxvi. 18.

It

is

used of the
Ecclcs.
ii.

choice treasure of kings,

8.

etc.,

mutual converse respecting the interests of truth and godliness. It does not appear that Niphal ever has the frequentative signification, expressed in our com-

It

is

expressive of the high estimahis people, and,

tion in

which God holds

in this connection, of their perfect safety in the day of judgment.

18. 2!iO is used idiomatically in con-

mon

version.

The writing

of a book of

remembrance is a metaphor borrowed from the custom at the Persian court of entering in a record the names of anj'

nection with

nsi

to express the repeti-

who have

rendered service to the king,

with an account of the nature of such See Esther vi. 1, 2. service. 17. nVaC is to be construed with !)"ni
iV
,

and nrs

is
.

connected by means of

nrs with t'v

to malce

The phrase c'v

~'S'J
iv.

a day, which occurs chap.

2"!:,

which is Notwithstanding the charge brought by the wicked against the providence of God, as if he treated all alike, the righteous had already had opportunities of perceiving from observation and experience, that the position was false, viewed in application to the entire state and circumstantion of the action, the idea of

conveyed by the

latter verb.

Ps. cxviii.

means
t.

to Jix, ordain, ap-

ces of the different characters

but they
all

point, such a period for the execution of

should have another and most con\'incing proof in the salvation of

a special purpose,

?;

signifies pri-

who

vate, special, or peculiar property.

\yo

loved and feared the Ixird, and in the

like the kindred root

-i

iD

has the pri-

overthrow and destruction of his ene-

mary

signification of shutting up, closing.

Chap. IV.

MALACHI.

ACo

CHAPTER
Most

lY.

editions of the Hebrew Bible, and most of the MSS., exhibit tliis concluding portion of the book as a continuation of the third chapter. Not a few MSS., however, leave a blank space before it, and several editions make a separate chapter of it. As this division obtains in all the versions, it is more convenient to retain it. The chapter continues the threatenings against the Jewish unbelievers, 1; exhibits a luminous prophecy of the Messiah, and the prosperity of his people, 2, 3; and concludes with a solemn call to the Jews, to observe the institutes of the old economy, till the forerunner of the Messiah should appear, when the Jewish polity should be destroyed, and a new and better dispensation established, 4 6.

Foe, behold

the day cometh,

it shall

burn

as an oven,

And
And
That

all

the proud, and every one that doeth wickedly, shall be

stubble.

the day that cometh shall burn

them

up,

Saith Jehovah of hosts

it may not leave them either root or branch. But unto you that fear my name, The Sun of righteousness shall arise,

1.

Instead

of nSttin

Ti'fy,

nearly

eighty MSS., the most ancient and several other editions, the Babylon,

Talmud,
i-l-S

In the present verse there can be no doubt with respect to the application. Our Lord is elsewhere called -I'lS Light,
,

the

LXX.,
,

Syr.,

and

Targ., read

which
1,

in

Hebrew poetry
;

is

used of the See

12.
Is. ix.

Tiyai in the plural.

tjsyi root or branch,
signifies

The phrase
is

-in/j

sun, as the source of light.

xlix. 6
is

proverbial,

and

John

i.

9, viii.

What

any, the least renmant.

The

the sun

to the natural world, that the to the moral.

persons referred to were to be consigned

to utter destruction.
~i3 "lan "12
,

Messiah

is

The

invaluable

The Targhum has

,

son or son's son.

"a-cp

ically applied to

Sim, is metaphorGod, Ps. Lxxxiv. 11, on account of that luminary being the most glorious and beneficent object which meets the human eye. It is with good reason supposed to be thus used of the Messiah in the declaration, 2 Sam.
2. xxiii. 4
:

The term

which he dispenses are all comprehended under the two heads here specified righteousness and moral health. Comp. Is. Ivii. 19. Both of
spiritual blessings

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,
i.

and

re-

demption."

1 Cor.

30.

By "wings"
beams of the

we
"

are to understand the

And

as

arise

a Sun."

the morning light he shall

sun, on account of the velocity and ex-

pansion with which they spread over the

456

MALA CnI
there shall be healing in his wings

CUAP. IV

ye shall go forth and leap as calves of the stall. ye shall tread down the wicked Surely they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, In the day which I have appointed, saith Jehovah of hosts, Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, 4 "Which I gave him in charge in Iloreb for all Israel, The statutes and the judgments. Behold I will send to you Elijah the prophet, 5
3
;
!

And And And

earth. Comp. Ps. cxxxix. 9. Those for whose immediate benefit the Sun of righteousness was to arise, were such as " feared the name " of Jehovah hke Simeon, who was Si/caios koI euXafirjs, righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Luke ii. 25. N^^,

the nature of the injunction here given,

especially as taken in connection

wth

the promise of a

new messenger

in the

following verse, but also from Ecclesias10, where, after mentioning Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the author closes with Tuv BiiSfKu TTpotpriToiv, the tioelve
ticus xlix.
projihets, as the last in the category.
5.

to

go forth, is here used in the sense of escaping from the judgment lo be in-

The coherence

of this verse with

iii. is

upon the unbelieving part of the Jewish nation. This the Jewish Christians did when they left Jerusalem, and proceeded to Pella, where they were preflicted

the

first

clause of chap.

too palpa-

able to be overlooked.

Accordingly, the

Jews in the time of Jerome interpreted the messenger of Jehovah there predicted, of Elijah the Tishbite, as

served in safety.

;3 !iS

signifies to spread,
is

they ex-

used of the proud prancing of horses, and as here of

take a wide range,

and

plain the present verse to this day, believing, that as the ancient prophet as-

the leaping and sporting of calves.

simile
is

The

designed to convey the ideas of freedom from outward restraint, and the

cended into heaven both as to body and he is destined to reappear in the same upon earth before the advent of
soul,

enjoyment of self-conscious
3.

hilarity.

^lessiah the

Son of David.
is

That Elijah
and that the is John

This verse expresses the depressed condition to which the Jews were to be

here presented to view

ideally

to be understood

and not

historically,

reduced
polity,

after

the destniction of their the prosperous

Chris-

individual personally intended

contrasted with

the Baptist, are positions the certainty of which

is

condition of those
tianity,

who embraced

rendered indubitable by the

and who were no longer subject to oppression on the part of their unbelieving brethren.
4.

repeated declarations of our Lord.

"When
John
i.

John denied that he was 21, he is to be understood

Elias,

as

making the

As

the law and the prophets were

till

denial in reference to the personal sense

to remain in force

the appearance of

of the term as employed in the question that

John the
after

Baptist,

no prophet intervening

had been

projx)scd to
is

him.

The
by

Malachi to make any further communications of the Divine will, it was necessary to pay the closest attention to the enactments and observances of the Mosaic institute. That there were no more inspired messengers under tlie Old Economy may be inferred, not only from

historical theory

entirely set aside

the express testimony of the angel,

i.

Luke

17, according to which all that is meant by Malachi is, that the forerunner of the Messiah was to come " in the spirit and Like that prophet, he ix)wer of Elias." was to be endowed with extraordmory

Chap. IV.

MAL ACni.
:

457

And

Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
mous extent by the time of John the
Baptist, the removal of

power and energy,

to fit him for the great work of reformation which his ministry was designed to effect. Adverting to the

ine repentance

which by genuand reformation of con-

erroneous Jewish notion, which even then obtained, relative to the appearance of

duct might be taken as a specimen of the

airoKardaraais, or restoration of things
to

Ehjah
6

in person, our

Lord says of John,

avrhs
is

better

state

throughout

Judea.
a

" If ye will receive

it,

ia-riu 'HAi'as

Some have proposed

tion Vy
,

to take the preposi-

niWaiy

fpxi(rSfai,

he

Elias icho was

io,

as equivalent to

cs

tcith,

to come,"

Matt.

xi. 17.

And when

the

signification

disciples asked him, Why do the Scribes then say that Elias must first come ? he

sometimes has, and so to explain the passage as simply pre-

which

i^

dicting the universality of the conversion spoken of; but such an interpretation

replied,

Elias shall, indeed,

first

come

and restore all things. But I say unto you thafHAioj ^St; ijXSfe, Elias is already come, and they knew him not, but have
done unto him whatsoever they
listed."

would introduce an

intolerable tau-

tology into the language of the prophet, and be at variance with the construction

Matt. xvii. 1013. Upon the circumstance that our Lord uses the future tense, tpxerai, shall come, some Christian interpreters have attempted to establish the hjTWthesis, that the prophecy is
still

put upon it by the angel, Luke i. 17, in which only one member of the sentence
is

With respect to the extent of quoted. the effects produced by John's ministry,
there can be no doubt
it

was very

great.

Not only did immense multitudes come

to his baptism, confessing their sins, but

to be fulfilled before his second ad;

but he is obviously speaking in the style of language employed by the prophet, to whom the event was future, and in adaptation to the opinion of the

vent

the great body of the

common

people

appear to have been prepared by

for the labors of our blessed
self,

him

though he immediately corrects their notion, den-hat was erroneous claring that the event was no longer
Scribes,

Lord himand 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.

had actually taken place in the person and ministry of John. It is persist truly surprising that any should
future, but
ii^

See Acts xxi. 20.

future, in the very face of

giving to the prophecy an aspect still an exposition

The prophecy, and with it the entire Old Testament, closes -n-ith the awful
the denunciation of the Divine curse, to be realized in the extermination of the impenitent Jews from
alternative
their
ov.nn.

That at once positive and infallible. John the Baptist was s-a; a prophet, Christ admits, though he at the same ' more than time declares, that he was
,

land.

C-i.n signifies utter de,

struction,

a prophet."

and

terrible

Matt. xi. 9. The " great day of Jehovah" was the

exclude a ban, devote to destruction.

of the most
feai-ful

Cnn to shut or stop up, from common use, place under

from
It is one words in use among

dreadful period of his judgment, effecting the Rothe destruction of Jerusalem by

mans. Comp. Joel

6.
is

ii.

31.

The design

of the ministry of

John

described as consisting in the producconcord. tion of universal peace and Eamily feuds had increased to an enor-

the Jews, and was specially applied to the extermination of the Canaanites, whose cities were razed to the foundautterly detions, and their inhabitants
stroyed.

Under

this ban, the

land of

Palestine has lain ever since the capture

58

458

MALA CnI

Chap. IV.

And the heart of the children to the fothers, Lest I come and smite the land with a curse.
of Jerusalem

and the sirfferings to which, in consequence, the Jews have

;

incomparably more dreadful is the Ne'vr Testament cin ANA0EMA, MAP AN

been subjected are truly appalling

but

A0A

Cor. xvi. 22.

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lust ^uWisIjctr.

A
CRITICAL

AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY

ON

THE BOOK OF GENESIS,

WITH BY JAMES
A
G.

NEW

TRANSLATION".
L L. D.,
T.

MURPHY,
J.

C D.,

Professor of Hebrew, Belfast.

WITH A PREFACE BY
One
Tol. 8vo.

P.

THOMPSON,
Price $3.50.

D.D.,

NEW YORK

CITY.

pp. 535.

We cannot

better describe this

excellent

Commentary than by quoting from the Preface

of Rev. 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
than as a complete solution of the
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late in

England

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many and vexed

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so-called "

Books of Moses." The merits of Dr. Murphy's work

all

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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.
literal translation

It consists of

an exact

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 of

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 facta
of astronomical and geological science

" In character, Dr. Murphy has the simplicity of the true scholar, and tha de^^out and

humble

spirit

of the true disciple of Christ."

j[.Oi3

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.

Gilt.

12mo. pp. 370. Tlutcd Paper. Extra Cloth,

Price, 93.00.

Either of the above will be sent by mail, post paid, on receipt of the sun named.

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DRAPER,

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