Jerusalem's sin CHRIST 594. a 2 Kings 25. Jer. 52. 13. 9. EZEKIEL. Before 594. shall not go unpunished. Before 41 And they shall a burn thine | younger sister, that dwelleth at thy CHRIST houses with fire, and execute judg-right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. ments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. 42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. + Heb. lesser than thou. 43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations. 44 ¶ Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. 47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. 48 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Or, that was mall thing. lothed as a 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I b Gen. 19.24. saw good. 51 Neither hath Samaria com 45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, 46 And thine elder sister is Sa- thou also shalt give no hire any more.] Thou shalt not be able any more to give the hire of fornication to thy mercenary lovers. Bp. Hall. 42. to rest,] I will reject you, and will think no more of you. Calmet. 43. the days of thy youth,] The favours I conferred upon thee, and the covenants I made with thee in thy youth. Bp. Hall. See ver. 22. 44. Behold, every one that useth proverbs &c.] Thy notorious sin shall be the ordinary by-word of the world, who shall say, As is the mother Canaan, so is the daughter Judah. Bp. Hall. 45. Thou art thy mother's daughter, &c.] Like her in wickedness and sin: as she, so thou hast cast off thy God, and all that appertain unto Him. Bp. Hall. which lothed] In imitation of which unnatural practice, thou hatest Me thy husband, and offerest thy children to idols. Abp. Newcome. 46. And thine elder sister is Samaria, &c.] Or the ten tribes of Israel. She, and those her daughter cities, that lie to the north; and thy younger sister that dwelleth to the south, is Sodom, and the cities appertaining unto her. Bp. Hall. By Sodom, the Ammonites and Moabites seem here to be meant. These people, whose father Lot went out of Sodom, and whose country bordered upon the Dead sea, or the lake of Sodom, are called the younger sister of Jerusalem; partly because they were less in number than the Samaritans, and partly because they were more distant from Jerusalem than Samaria. Grotius, 52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed Calmet. Sodom was on the right, and Samaria was on the left that is, the first was to the south, the second to the north. The Jews speak of the situation of places, upon the supposition that they stand with their faces to the east, and their backs to the west; the right hand will then be to the south, and the left to the north. The same way of speaking is still used in the ancient British, or Welsh language. Abp. Usher. 47. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, &c.] Thou hast not contented thyself to do after their example; but, &c. Bp. Hall. 49. this was the iniquity of Sodom, &c.] We may learn from this passage of the Prophet, how odious in the sight of God are intemperance, vanity, and want of mercy to the poor. These reproaches may regard the ancient Sodomites less perhaps than the Moabites and the Ammonites of that day, who were extremely wicked and corrupted, as appears from Isai. xvi. 6; Jer. xlviii. 29, 30; and xlix. 4. Calmet. abundance of idleness] In places, where there is least work, the worst sins do most prevail: and idleness therefore is by the Prophet reckoned one of the three great sins of Sodom, parents of the rest. It seldom happens in any way of life, that a sluggard and a profligate do not go together, or that he, who is idle, is not also dissolute. Dr. Isaac Barrow. 51.—and hast justified thy sisters in all &c.] Thou hast made thy sister's wickedness to appear small in comparison of thine. Bp. Hall. The ingratitude of Jerusalem was greater than that of Samaria. God had placed His name in Jerusalem, and they forsook His worship, and profaned His temple, by placing idols in it; a degree of idolatry beyond any thing the ten tribes had been guilty of. W. Lowth. 52.-bear thine own shame] Expect to undergo the 53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: 54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. 55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. 56 For thy sister Sodom was not + Heb. for a mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy + pride, report, or, hearing. + Heb. prides, or, excellencies. 57 Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach + Heb. Aram. of the daughters of † Syria, and all shame and judgment, which thy own greater and more abominable sins have deserved. Bp. Hall. 53. When I shall bring again their captivity, &c.] The meaning is, When the fulness of the Gentiles shall come into the Church, (some of whom may be compared to Sodom for wickedness,) then will I also remember you who are my ancient people. The conversion of the Gentiles is expressed in Jeremiah by the returning of the captivity of Moab, Ammon, and Elam, chap. xlviii. 47; xlix. 6, 39; and by the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Syrians, acknowledging themselves His servants in the prophecy of Isaiah, chap. xix. 24, 25; xxiii. 18. And by the same analogy we are to understand the returning of " the captivity of Sodom," here, of the Gentiles coming into the Church. W. Lowth, Abp. Newcome. See below, verses 60—63, which seem to explain the sense of this passage. 54. That thou mayest bear thine own shame, &c.] In the mean time thou shalt bear the shame and punishment due to thy sins, and shalt be some sort of comfort to thy neighbours, in being a companion with them in punishment, as thou hast been in wickedness. W. Lowth. her in the end. CHRIST 594. that are round about her, the daugh- Before T ters of the Philistines, which || despise thee round about. || Or, spoil. them. 58 Thou hast + borne thy lewdness + Heb. borne and thine abominations, saith the LORD. 59 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 60 ¶ Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting cove Lord, having denounced a perpetual punishment upon the stubborn impenitent body of the Jewish nation, here promises to the remnant, that they should be remembered and obtain mercy by that covenant, which is announced in the concluding part of the chapter. Poole. an everlasting covenant.] That of the Gospel. See Jer. xxxii. 40. W. Lowth. 61.—when thou shalt receive thy sisters,] See ver. 53, 55. Converted with thee to Christianity. Abp. Newcome. Thou, who didst not blush, whilst thou wast false to thine husband, shalt now with a deep shame remember and detest thy lewdness, when thou shalt admit thy sisters into communion with thee, or own them as members of the Church of Christ. Poole. I will give them unto thee for daughters,] Jerusalem thus restored shall be a type of that heavenly Jerusalem, which is "the mother of us all," Gal. iv. 26. And even in the times of the Apostles there was a particular deference paid to the church of Jerusalem, as the mother Church of the Christian world. See Rom. xv. 26, 27. Accordingly she is styled " the mother of all Churches," by the second general council, in their synodical Epistle: a title, which the Church of Rome now assumes, without any pretence from Scripture or antiquity. W. Lowth. not by thy covenant.] But by the covenant under the Gospel. Bp. Hall, Abp. Newcome. The Gentile nations, represented in this very rer park 56, 57. For thy sister Sodom &c.—Before thy wickedness was discovered,] These words should be joined together in the same verse or sentence. W. Lowth. "Thou never thoughtest of the judgment which I brought upon thy sister Sodom, while thou wert transported with thy security and pride; before that God, by His inflicted judgments, brought forth thy wickedness to the noticeable prophecy by Sodom and Samaria, are become the of the world; and before He made thee a reproach to the Syrians, and to the Philistines, and to the people adjoining; all which have despitefully insulted upon thee." Bp. Hall. 59. in breaking the covenant.] The solemn oath you entered into to be My people, and to serve no other God besides, Deut. xxix. 12-14. W. Lowth. 60. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant &c.] The daughters of Jerusalem by that new alliance, in which Jesus Christ has been graciously pleased to compre hend strangers together with His children, the Gentiles together with the Jews. Calmet. 62. And I will establish my covenant with thee ;] With thee, O Israel, first; and then with the Gentiles, as thy children; with all the genuine children of Abraham, father of the faithful. Poole. The parable of Before CHRIST 594. about 594. + Heb. embroidering. + Heb. put it EZEKIEL. shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD. CHAP. XVII. 1 Under the parable of two eagles and a vine, 11 is shewed God's judgment upon Jerusalem for revolting from Babylon to Egypt. 22 God promiseth to plant the cedar of the gospel. two eagles and a vine. Before field; he placed it by great waters, CHILIST and set it as a willow tree. 6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many AND the word of the LORD came feathers: and, behold, this vine did unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had † divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. 5 He took also of the seed of the in a field of land, and † planted it in a fruitful seed. Chap. XVII. ver. 2. -a riddle,] Meaning, a continued allegory, or figurative speech. W. Lowth. 3.A great eagle with great wings,] This means Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, according to the 12th and following verses. In more than one place, conquerors are represented under the figure of eagles, which are birds of prey, remarkable for their swiftness, Deut. xxviii. 49; Jer. iv. 13. W. Lowth. See the note on Jer. xlviii. 40. -feathers, which had divers colours,] An allusion to the various nations which composed the Babylonian empire. Michaelis. Or to the rites and various forms of government in those nations. Bp. Hall. - cume_unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:] Came to Judea, where Lebanon is conspicuous and renowned, and took Jehoiachin captive, ver. 12, and 2 Kings xxiv. 12. Bp. Hall. Respecting the "cedar," see note at 1 Kings v. 6. It seems there is a foundation in nature for joining the eagle and the cedars together. "We employed the rest of the day," says La Roque, (speaking of the spot where the cedars of Lebanon grew,) "in attentively surveying the beauties of this place, in measuring some of the cedars, and in cutting off many of their branches with their cones; which we sent away with a number of large eagle's feathers, which were found in the same place." Harmer. bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. about 594. 8 It was planted in a good † soil + Heb. field. by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper ? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. dise; finally, the affluence of the people, and the riches of Babylon, attracted thither from all parts of the world a multitude of traders. Calmet. Strabo takes notice, that the merchants who travelled by land to Babylon, went through the country of the Arabians, called Scenitæ: and vessels of great burden came up to the walls of it from the Persian gulph, by the Euphrates, as appears from Pliny. W. Lowth. 5.- of the seed of the land,] Of the king's seed, as it is explained ver. 13, that is, Zedekiah. W. Lowth, Bp. Hall. in a fruitful field;] The land of Judea. Abp. 7.- another great eagle] Pharaoh king of Egypt. This prince was also great and powerful, but less so than the king of Babylon. Calmet. - this vine did bend her roots toward him,] Zedekiah, weary of the yoke of Babylon, requested succour from the king of Egypt, thinking, under the protection of Egypt, to cast off the Babylonish yoke, and to set himself at liberty. For the event, see Jer. xxxvii. 4-7. Calmet. that he might water it] That the king of Egypt might protect Zedekiah. Abp. Newcome. 8. It was planted in a good soil] The words are to the same purpose as ver. 5, to shew that Zedekiah's condition was so good under the king of Babylon, that he needed not to have broken his oath, out of a desire to better it; whereby he involved himself and his country in ruin, 2 Kings xxiv. 20. W. Lowth. 9. -even without great power] It is an effect which may be produced with ease, God being on the side of the Chaldeans. Abp. Newcome. In fact, the conquest of Jerusalem cost but little to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah made but a slight resistance; he fled during God's judgment upon Jerusalem Before CHRIST CHAP. XVII. 10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall about 594. it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; 13 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, +Heb. brought and hath † taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: him to an oath. + Heb. to keep to stand to it. his covenant, 14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? 16 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up the night with a few of his people, and was taken in the desert of Jericho. Calmet. 10.—when the east wind toucheth it?] The Prophet compares the army of Nebuchadnezzar to a parching wind that blasts the fruits of the earth, withers the leaves of the trees, and makes every thing look naked and bare. See chap. xix. 12; Isai. xxvii. 8. W. Lowth. 13. And hath taken of the king's seed, &c.] Hath made Zedekiah swear an oath of fealty to him, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 13. W. Lowth. the mighty of the land:] As hostages, for performance of the covenant between him and Zedekiah. W. Lowth. 15. that they might give him horses &c.] Cavalry for war. Egypt was a country which abounded in horses, of which there was a great scarcity in Judea. W. Lowth. See notes at Deut. xvii. 16. 16.—in the midst of Babylon he shall die.] See chap. xii. 13. for revolting from Babylon. mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: 18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath doneall these things, he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. Before CHRIST about 594. 13. & 32. 3. 20 And I will a spread my net upon a Chap. 12. him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. 22¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent : 23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have 20. spread my net] See chap. xii. 13. 21.-scattered] Some in Egypt, some in Chaldea, and others in different countries where chance, or rather the avenging hand of God, conducted them. Calmet. 22.-I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, &c.] I will at the last work out the delivery and redemption of My people; out of the seed of David, will I raise up the Messiah, and set him on high in My holy Church. Bp. Hall. 23. In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it :] Even in My glorious evangelical Church will I exalt His power; and He shall spread My Gospel, and enlarge His spiritual dominions all the world over; and all His elect shall shroud themselves under His grace and protection. Bp. Hall. The holy mountain is often used by the Prophets to denote the Christian Church. W. Lowth. 24. And all the trees of the field shall know &c.] And all the people of the earth shall know, that I have brought down the proud and mighty tyrants of the world; and have exalted this meek and despised Saviour of mankind, above every name that is named in heaven and earth. Bp. Hall. Every man shall Before CHRIST exalted the low tree, have dried up | bour's wife, neither hath come near about 594. the green tree, and have made the to a menstruous woman, 594. dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it. HE word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of a Jer. 31. 29. Israel, saying, The a fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? + Heb. judgment and justice. 3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 5 ¶ But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Isb Lev. 18. 20. rael, neither hath defiled his neigh These circumstances, mentioned in ver. 22-24, can properly refer to no other than our Saviour Christ; who has collected in His Church, and under His empire, all the birds of heaven; that is, all those who have been able to elevate themselves above earthly things, by attaching themselves only to God through the profession and the practice of Christianity. W. Lowth, Bp. Hall, Calmet. Whereas the judgments threatened in this chapter might seem to indicate the utter extirpation of the seed of David, the Lord is here pleased to assure its continuance, and the raising of the Messiah from that house according to promise. Poole. And thus this prophecy, as well as that contained in the last chapter, closes its denunciation of woes with a striking passage relating to the kingdom of Christ. Chap. XVIII. ver. 2.—concerning the land of Israel,] With respect to the desolations made in it by the sword, famine, and pestilence: chap. vi. 2, 3; and vii. 2. W. Lowth. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?] The Chaldee paraphrase explains the proverb rightly: "The fathers have sinned, and the sons are smitten :" see the notes on Exod. xx. 5; Deut. v. 9: also on Jer. xxxi. 29, 30. Before CHRIST 594. d Exod. 22. 7 And hath not oppressed any, e Lev. 18. 19. but hath restored to the debtor his & 20. 18. e pledge, hath spoiled none by vio- 21. lence, hath given his bread to the Lev. 19. 15. hungry, and hath covered the naked e Deut. 24. with a garment; g & 25. 14. 12. Exod. 22. 26. f Deut. 15.7. Matt. 25. 35. g Exod. 22. 8 He that hath not given forth Isai. 58. 7. upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand 25. from iniquity, hath executed true 37. judgment between man and man, 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD. Lev. 25. 36, Deut. 23. 19. Ps. 15. 5. up of an 10 ¶ If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and Or, breaker || that doeth the like to any one of these things, house. Or, that doeth to his brother be sides any of 11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the these. mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, 12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall sacrifices there offered to false gods, chap. vi. 2, 13. Abp. Newcome. Eating part of the sacrifice was properly maintaining communion with the idol to whom it was offered. W. Lowth. neither hath lifted up his eyes] In prayer and adoration. Abp. Newcome. 7.- hath restored to the debtor his pledge,] God commanded the Jews not to detain any pledge they took from a poor man all night; which was in effect to enjoin them to lend to the poor without either pawn or usury. See Exod. xxii. 25, 26; Deut. xxiv. 12, 13. W. Lowth. 8. — upon usury,] See Deut. xxiii. 19, 20, in which it appears, that usury was permitted towards strangers. We may therefore conclude, that taking increase or interest may be agreeable to justice, if duly circumstanced. Every kind and degree of usury was forbidden to the Israelites amongst each other, to promote a spirit of mutual kindness: but this law was peculiar to them. Abp. Newcome. Oppressive usury to the poor may be here meant, because it is joined with violence and want of charity. W. Lowth. 9.- he shall surely live,] By life is meant, in the Old Testament, all that happiness which is contained in the literal sense of the promises belonging to that covenant; and under these were comprehended the promises of a better life, wherein God will bestow upon His servants the peculiar marks of His favour. W. Lowth. |