Israel but to Iudah also which thence took the infection What is or as Others think it more properly rendred Who is the transgression i.e. Who is the cause of the transgression of Iacob Is it not Samaria that is the King or inhabitants of Samaria which being the chief City of the Kingdom at that time corrupted all the other places thereof by its ill example So Who is the high places of Iudah that is Who is the cause that in several places of Iudah high places contrary to the law are built for false worship Is it not Ierusalem the Royal City that is the King and inhabitants of Ierusalem who having first built such there the infection thence spread it self through the whole land of Iudah and they also did what they saw done at Ierusalem for looking on that as an holy City they supposed nothing would be done there which they ought not to follow 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field and as plantings of a vineyard and I will poure down the stones thereof into the valley and I will discover the foundations thereof Samaria as an heap of the field Samaria having been first in sin shall be first in punishment which punishment is here described He who for the wickedness of the inhabitants maketh of a City an heap of a defenced City a ruine Isa. XXV 2. will cause her by the Assyrians his instruments to be made as an heap of the field or a wast hillock or heap of rubbish in the field And as plantings of the vineyard such places as are planted with vines which they use to plant on hillocks as best thriving in such places so that the place where Samaria stood shall be as such a field only and for such use as if there never had been there a populous inhabited City This shall be brought to pass by their rowling or throwing down the stones thereof for it stood on an hill into the valley when they shall have rased it to the very foundation and plucked up even the lowest stones that were covered with the Earth so that there be not left one stone standing upon another Mat. XXIV 2. Luc. XIX 44. where the like destruction of the Temple Ierusalem is described The Latin renders it as an heap of stones in the field where a vineyard is planted and so Some expound an heap of the field an heap of stones gathered out of the field that they may not hinder them that work and thrown up together afterwards to be thrown out of the field and dispersed Others somwhat differently but all make the scope to be the expression of utter destruction and desolation Compare cap. III. 12. and Ierem. XXVI 18. where the same thing that here is meant is expressed in terms tending to the same purpose That Samaria was thus ruin'd by the Assyrians seems manifest out of the 2 Kin. XVII 24. c. where the People brought up by the King of Assyria are said to be placed in the Cities of Samaria not in Samaria it self 7 And all the graven Images thereof shall be beaten to pieces and all the hires thereof shall be burnt with the fire and all the Idols thereof will I lay desolate for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot and they shall return to the hire of an Harlot And all the hires thereof That we may know what is meant here by hires compare Hosea II. 12. where the Idolatrous People are taxed for saying of their vines and figtrees These are my rewards or hire for the word is of the same root with this here and differs only in the last letter that my lovers that is my Idols have given me Add out of ver 5. for she said I will go after my Lovers that give me my bread and my water my wool and my flax mine oyl and my drink and what God saith ver 8. she did not know that I gave her Corn and Wine and Oyl and multiplied her Silver and Gold which they prepared for Baal viz. for presents to Baal or wherewith they made Baals as cap. VIII 4. it is said of their Silver and their Gold have they made them Idols These expressions being considered it will appear that by hires may be conveniently understood all their wealth and good things which they looked on as the gifts of their Idols and rewards of their service to them or those pretious things and rich donaries which having receiv'd and gain'd from their own People or others their friends and partners with them in their Idolatry they dedicated to their Idols or made Images of or adorned them and their Temples with And according to this last interpretation Some will have the Idols to be compared to harlots and the Idolaters to their Lovers who bestow gifts on them for their hire and recompence of their lewdness but this is by Others excepted against because otherwhere in Scripture the Idolaters are compared unto Strumpets which prostitute themselves and their Idols to their Lovers or such to whom they prostitute themselves This scruple will be taken out of the way if we consider what is said Ez. XVI 31 34. concerning Ierusalem Thou hast not been as an Harlot in that thou scornest hire And the contrary is in thee from other Women in thy whoredoms in that thou givest a reward or hire and no reward is given thee and again ver 41. I will cause thee to cease from playing the Harlot thou also shalt give no hire any more The same word being in those places used that is here makes manifest that 't is used not only for such gifts and hire as adulterers give to Harlots but for such also as more unsatiable Harlots give to Men to hire them to commit lewdness with them and so if it be here understood of such gifts as Israel gave to not received from her Idols she may still be looked on as the Harlot and the Idols her Lovers and the gifts the hire of an whore not received but given by her These shall be all burnt with fire except such as the enemy shall see fit to carry away And so the meaning of the following words will either be and all the Idols thereof will I lay desolate that is take them out of the way that they be no more worshipped or as Others will have by Idols meant the Temples of their Idols will I destroy for she gathered them of the hire of an harlot all those presents and rich gifts with which she made or adorned her Idols and their Temples she gathered of the hire of an Harlot viz. from such as ran on whoreing after those Idols and prostituted themselves to false Gods and they shall return to the hire of an Harlot shall fall into the hands of those who are given to the like Idolatry and by them namely the Assyrians be employed in the worshipping and adoring of Idols as of the Calf
work when he hath a setled meaning to ground on without which they will be as a superstruction without a foundation But what I have done the Reader whose candor I beg wherein I have erred or been defective or superfluous as oft having to deal with so many different Expositors whose Opinions I had to look into and give account of I have I doubt been inforced to be will judge If I have contributed any thing though never so little in this kind which may be to Gods glory and the Churches good I have the utmost of my desire and humbly thank God alone for so far inabling me Authors cited in the Preface and following Work Abarbinel Abendana Michlal Yophe Aben Ezra Abu Walid Ainsworth Arabick Version printed R. Azaias Arabick Version MS. Biblia Buxtorphiana Biblia Bombergiana Biblia Complutensia Doway Bible Bochartus De Animalibus Peleg Brennius Buxtorfius Vindicia contra Capellam Lexicon Rabbinicum Grammatica Heb. Calvinus Calvisius Capella Critica Sacra Christophorus à Castro Castalio Chalde Paraphrast Chrysostome Cozari Cyrillus Alexandrinus Lud. De Dieu Diodati Drusius Dutch Notes Ebn Chalican S. Ephraim or Aphreim as in Syriack Estius Flacius Illyricus Nicolam Fullerus Miscellanea R. Gedaliah Glassius Glossarium Nebraeo ArabicuÌ„ Golius Greek Version of the LXXII Gregorius Abulpharagius Grotius Hackspan Bishop Hall Hammond Hieronymus Hotinger R. Japhet Jonathau Paraphrast R. Juâ—ah Junius Kamùs an Arabick Dictionary R. David Kimchi Liber Radicum Comment R. Ioseph Kimchi Vulgar Latin Translation Cornelinus à Lapide R. Lipman Nitzachon Lyra. Maimonides Moreh Nebochim Yad Hachazekah c. Maresius Mead. Menochius Arias Montanus Munsterus Nobilius Oecolampadius Olympiodorus Onkelos Paraphrast Origen Pagninus Paraeus Pelicanus Petrus à Figueira Piscator Polychronius Ravanella Raimundus Ribera Emmanuel Sa. R. Saadias Sanctius Sandys Schindler Schultingius Sionita Soaded R. Solomon Jarchi w ch from the first letters of his name is likewise called Rashi Stokes Syriack Versions two Al-Tacriti Talmud R. Tanchum Targum Tarnovius Tertullian Theodoret. Theodotion Theophylactus Thomas Heracleensis Thorndike's various readings of the Syriack Tigurin Translation Tirinus Tremellius Various readings of the Grek in the Francfort edition Vatablus Yalkut Zamachshari lib. Asas A COMMENTARY ON THE PROPHECY of the PROPHET MICAH CHAP. I. VER 1. The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the daies of Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Iudah which he saw concerning Samaria and Ierusalem THIS Prophet is by the same name and title mentioned Ier. XXVI 18. called the Morasthite from the name of his City or place where he was born or lived which whether it were Moresheth mentioned ver 14. as Some think or Mareshah ver 15. and Ios. XV. ver 44. as many Others will have it or some other place of that name as 't is hard to determine so not very material That it was pertaining to the tribe of Iudah and not of Ephraim as Some think is more then probable because in assigning the time of his Prophecy he nameth only such Kings of Iudah under whom he Prophesied not any King of Israel which if he had been a subject to them 't is probable he would have done as a learned Iew notes especially seeing his Prophecy concerneth not Iudah alone but the ten Tribes also as those of Hosea and Amos do Another Iew saies 't is manifest that his Country was of those places that belonged to the Kings of Israel for what reason he sheweth not Samaria and Ierusalem The first was the chief City of the Kingdome of Israel or the ten Tribes the other of the Kingdome of the other two Tribes viz. Iudah and Benjamin and so under them is comprehended the whole of both Kingdoms God being provoked by their sins declares that he will proceed with great severity in judgment against them and doth it in such terms as might justly rouze them up from security and awaken them to a speedy repentance 2. Hear all ye People hearken O Earth and all that therein is and let the Lord God be witness against you the Lord from his Holy Temple By People may be understood as by most is either the People of those Countries or of all others and so by Earth either particularly that land or the whole habitable World and the fulness thereof that is as 't is well expressed all that therein is all the inhabitants thereof which fill it and occupy it The People of that land are more peculiarly spoken to and his judgements particularly denounced now against them yet what is said or done to them is for example to all others and they may be looked on as summoned to take notice thereof and to consider the justice of Gods judgements and his way of proceeding against obstinate sinners O Earth Though by Earth may well be understood the People on the Earth yet because of the words that follow it may seem to note the Earth it self and so sheweth That such is the terror of the judgment that God denounceth as that the Earth it self should be so moved as if it were sensible thereof and so reproveth their great stupidity in that senseless Creatures are called on as if they would sooner hear then they See Isaiah 1. 2. and XXXIV 1. Ierem. VI. 19. and XXII 29. the like expressions as also cap. VI. 2. and elsewhere Let the Lord God be witness against you When those evils that I denounce shall come upon you he shall thereby convince you that I faithfully declared his will unto you and forwarn'd you of what should certainly be except you did repent and consequently that you perished through your own wilful obstinacy and your refusing to give ear to my message from his part delivered to you For illustrating the expression see Psal. 1. 7. especially Ruth 1. 24. and Malach. III. 5. From his holy Temple Tho this might in a convenient sense be understood of the Temple at Ierusalem and is so by Some yet is by others a reason given against that because the temple was at Ierusalem and belonging then only to the Kingdom of Iudah whereas the judgments here denounced concern the Ten Tribes also who then had nothing to do with the Temple Altho this reason seemeth not sufficient to others However by the most 't is understood of Heaven called his Temple as Psal. XI ver 4. of which the Earthly Temple was a representation God being also said to dwell in it Salomon saying that he built it for an house for the Lord to dwell in 1 Kings VIII 13. 3. For behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the Earth The Lord cometh forth out of his place c. God who is every where present filleth all places and is bounded by none is yet more particularly said to be there where he exhibiteth more peculiarly his Majesty and Glory as in his
and splendour as to be compared to David and Solomon or that his Dominion might be equalled to theirs over Israel And he that relates that opinion of theirs confesseth that in these prophecies are greater things as those in the first verse spoken then can be said in him to have been fulfilled or under the second Temple though this and some other passages he thinks to belong to those times but that the other are yet to be expected and saies withall that by Some all these Prophecies are looked on as belonging to the times of Messiah the speedy coming of whom he and they earnestly desire And that indeed seems the opinion of most of them viz. that these are things not yet fulfilled looking on them as carnal and temporal promises of an Earthly glorious reign of Messiah on Earth wherein he shall rule over all Israel all the twelve Tribes as David and Solomon did having his seat at Ierusalem which shall never more be destroyed which state of his power they look on as signified by the first Dominion And that this Prophecy was antiently looked on as respecting the Messiah is plainly declared by the Chaldee Paraphrast of great antiquity and authority among them who makes him by the Name it self of Tower of the Flock to be described thus rendring it And thou O the Messiah or Christ of Israel which art hidden because of the Sins of the congregation of Zion unto thee shall the kingdom come the first or antient Dominion shall be to the Kingdom of the Congregation of Ierusalem So that on all hands as well the most of the Iews as Christians will it be agreed that this Prophecy was to be fulfilled in the Messiah and respects his Kingdom and the times under him but with a vast difference between them the Iews looking on it as we said as a promise of an Earthly Kingdom in this World which is not yet come nor any Messiah in Earthly pompe and splendour to assert it yet revealed for their Sins as the Chaldee intimates retarded but that such a one shall come and make good what they expect agreeable to the litteral sense of the words according to their interpretation but Christians firmly believing the promised Christ to be allready come and to have made good all that by vertue of the Prophecies was to be expected in that way that they are to be understood to wit in a Spiritual way and of better things then the things of this World And to him do we say and to the Sion and Ierusalem here meant viz. the Church that the words may as they ought to be in their best and highest sense and full latitude be applied To him and in him to Ierusalem did the first Dominion i. e. that of David and Solomon come So the Angel of him that the Lord God should give unto him the Tâ—rone of his Father David and that he should reign over the house of Iacob for ever Luc. I. 32 33. over the whole house of Iacob all the twelve Tribes and not only over them but that his Kingdom he set by God on his holy Hill of Sion should take in the Heathen also for his Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for his possession as David Prophesieth of him Psal. II. 7 8. So that under him is no difference between Iudah and Israel no nor between Iew and Gentile all believers in him being as one all the Israel of God Gal. I. 11. 28. Coll. III. 11. Ephes. II. 12 c. To him was given Dominion and Glory and a Kingdome that all People Nations and Languages should serve him and his Dominion be an everlasting Dominion Dan. VII 14. Vnto all whom the sound of his Kingdom went forth Rom. X. 18. And so in the second Notion the first that is the chief Dominion came to the Tower of the Flock to Ierusalem in and by him a Dominion and Kingdom greater and larger then that of David or Solomon or any other David in Spirit therefore called him his Lord Psal. CX 1. Mat. XXII 44. and of himself he witnesseth and his witness is true that he was greater then Solomon Mat. XII 42 and hath therefore deserved a Name given him King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. XVII 14. and XIX 16. Prince of the Kings of the Earth chap. I. 5. None of their dominions were ever like his for extent or duration Davids and Solomons were in all their greatness but Types of his their Kingdom being even quite overthrown and the Tabernacle of David which was faln down was in him raised up to a greater height and more excellent manner then ever it was in under the Iews Thirdly to the Tower of the Flock to Sion and Ierusalem to the Nation of the Iews in and by our Lord Christ came the first Dominion i. e. there it was first set up and divulged by the Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Iews and lost Sheep of Israel there he himself proclaimed it and shewed his Disciples that repentance and remission of Sins should be Preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Ierusalem Luc. XXIV 47. and so S. Paul tells the Iews that it was necessary the Word of God should have been first spoken to them Act. XIII 46. And it may perhaps not be impertinent to observe that he was even at first acknowledged for the expected King at Ierusalem by much People when riding on an Asse into the City whether through that gate which was called the Sheep gate and properly denoted by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Migdal Eder the Tower of the Flock as Some think or not it will not concern nicely to enquire by which fact of his is said to be fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Tell ye the Daughter of Sion Behold thy King cometh to thee meek and sitting upon an Asse c. he was received by the acclamations of great multitudes saying Hosanna to the Son of David c. Mat. XXI 4 5. c. or as St. Iohn hath it Hosannah Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the Name of the Lord Ioh. XII 17. or as in St. Mark XI 10. Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David that cometh in the Name of the Lord which cometh nearer to these words of the Prophet here and so Luk. XIX 38. So far were they convinced by the great Miracles that he shew'd such as were before never shewed and his power not only over Men as when he drave out of the Temple those that profaned it but over seas and winds and Devils themselves that they could acknowledge him no less and therefore had he not declined it would have by force made him a King in another manner then he would be so acknowledg'd viz. an Earthly King Ioh. VI. 15. And so far it appears this opinion of him prevailed among the People that it was put in as an accusation against him by those that would not
acknowledge him that he said he was a King Luc. XXIII 2. though it was not he himself but the People that said it and in respect to that common vote did Pilate say bringing him forth to the Iews Behold your King and put for the superscription of his accusation on the Cross The King of the Iews Mar. XV. 26. and the other Evangelists giving him indeed though but in scoffe his just title at which the chief Priests offended desired him to change it and not to write the King of the Iews but that he said I am the King of the Iews Ioh. XIX 21. though he never said it nor challenged to himself any such Kingdom as they pretended contrary to Cesars but only such as he himself told Pilate that was not of this World Ioh. XVIII 36. And that was it indeed which was his crime with them because he challenged only such a Kingdom Had he came in the lower power and splendour of an Earthly King they would the chief of them have been as forward as the common People were to have acknowledged him whose Dominion because he did not so they rejected and for the same reason do their posterity still deny and reject it and so will not acknowledge those Prophecies as this and other like concerning his Kingdom to have been in our Lord Christ fulfilled but still vainly look for another in whom they should be fulfilled to them in a Kingdom that is of this World wherein keeping his seat in an Earthly Ierusalem reedified he should rule over Iudah and Israel by force of Arms subjecting the rest of the World to them But we having learned from himself the nature and manner of his Kingdom wherein he ruleth and which he beginning at Ierusalem so miraculously propagated through the whole World not by carnal Arms and force but by the power of his Spirit and Word do see and cannot but acknowledge the utmost of what by vertue of this Prophecy could be expected made good in and by him and that it plainly belongeth to him After all this may be taken notice of yet another construction of the Words by some followed yet tending still to the same purpose Thou O Tower of Eder or the Flock that is Bethlehem that art obscure to thee shall come the Daughter of Zion and there shall come from thee the first Dominion that is the Kingdom to the Daughter of Ierusalem such a King or Kingdom which shall bear rule in Ierusalem i. e. in thee Messiah the King of Ierusalem shall be born which though some say may be partly applied to Zorobabel yet no otherwise they say then as he was a type of Christ who was to spring of the same race In summ these words however they be interpreted are a Prophecy concerning Christ and his Kingdom which cannot be eluded in him and by him are they in the ampliest manner and in none other Person ever yet were fulfilled he it is that should come and in vain do the Iews look for another to come and bring an Earthly Dominion and Kingdom to them 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud Is there no King in thee Is thy Counsellour perished for pangs have taken thee as a Woman in travail Now why dost thou cry aloud c. Having in the latter end of the former chapter denounced very heavy judgments against the Inhabitants of Ierusalem and in the foregoing verses of this made very gracious promises of great good things now in what follows he so mingleth a repetition of both threats and promises as to shew that the one do's not hinder nor cross the performance of the other but that both shall in their time have their due accomplishment successively one after the other first the judgments then the promises though by the evills which they should suffer they might seem to have cause to despair of ever seeing good again In the first place to shew the certainty of the evills to come on them he to whom all things to come are present and whatsoever he has determined is as already done speaketh to them as if they were allready befallen them and expostulates with them concerning their behaviour under them as savouring too much of infidelity and distrust Now why c. What is the cause of all thy sad complaints of those expressions of grief like those of a Womans pangs in travail in Child-birth which is in the Scripture an usual expression of great Sorrows Is it because the Enemy hath deprived thee of thy King and Counsellours under whose conduct and government thou formerly enjoyed'st tranquillity and comfort This seems the most litteral and simple sense of the words and in this way they may be compared with what is said Hos. XIII 10. as the words are by many rendred and well bear Where is thy King now that he may save thee or thy judges c. The History of their being bereaved of King and Counsellours is read in the XXIV XXV chap. of the 2 Book of Kings And from the words so expounded may be inferred and will be included that which Others give as the sense of them Is there no King in thee that is Is not God for all this that thou sufferest being deprived of thy Earthly King thy King and thy Counsellour so that thou mightest in him find strength and comfort to support thee and from him counsel to direct thee and by him be at last delivered from all these evills But at present she i. e. Ierusalem or the Church of the Iews deprived of all visible comfort hath no King of her own Nation to protect her no senate nor Counsel to direct her and God her Heavenly King hath for the present withdrawn the wonted signs of his visible and gracious presence and protection from her and therefore may she seem to have just cause of bemoaning her condition in most passionate signs of grief and therefore by way of concession bespeaks he her in the next verse 10 Be in pain and labour to bring forth O Daughter of Zion like a Woman in travail for now shalt thou go forth out of the City and thou shalt dwell in the field and thou shalt go even to Babylon there shalt thou be delivered there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine Enemies Be in pain and labour to bring forth c. Or as some change the Imperative into the Future by way of ascertaining her that these things she must for a while endure Thou shalt be in pain thou shalt be as in labour or as a Woman in travail in great anguish For thou shalt certainly go forth out of the City she shall be forced to ly abroad broad in the fields without house or home of her own and then led into captivity as far as to Babylon so that indeed she hath visible occasions of great sorrow But those sorrows though great as of a Woman crying out in labour and travail yet shall be as hers
words are obscure they say that he reigned seems to intimate as if he fancied that Christians because they could not avoid that objection That no strange thing happened at his birth did therefore date his Kingdom from his death or else that he upbraids us that we say that he that was overcome by Death reigneth Be his meaning what it will his objection is of no force against us who profess that Christ was both born King and all the time of his living on Earth evidently shewed himself so by such means as we have formerly seen insomch that Nathaniel convinced by what he saw plainly confesseth him so Rabbi thou art the Son of God thou art the King of Israel Ioh. i. 49. and the People not doubting of it would needs have taken him by force to make him a temporal King as he shewed himself a spiritual one Ioh. VI. 15. besides their openly proclaiming him so Mar. XI 10. Luk. XIX 38. and that his Death whereto he humbled himself did not notwithstanding the blasphemous scoffes of the chief among the Iews Mat. XXVII 42. Marc. XV. 32. evidence that he was not a true King or put an end to his Kingdom but more advanced it and did but serve to draw his Subjects even a great part of the World all Men unto him Ioh. XII 32. And at that too as ignominious as they sought to make it happened such strange and unusual things as made the centurion and those that were with him watching Jesus to confess him not an ordinary King but to say Truly this was the Son of God Mat. XXVII 54. Marc. XV. 36. So far was he from having his power lessened by his Death that by it he overcame Death it self and destroyed him that had the power of it that is the Devil Heb. II. 14. and in his Cross triumphed over them and all infernal powers openly and discernably to all that would not shut their eyes Coll. II. 15. Then his resurrection after his Death that not being able to hold him Act. II. 24. which he made evident by so many waies as we find in the Gospels and by appearing so many times and to so many witnesses as is recorded 1 Cor. XV. 4 5. c. and then his ascending visibly into Heaven in the sight of his Apostles Acts I. 9. Mar. XVI 19. make it most evident that the same Iesus whom they crucified God made both Lord and Christ Acts XXI 36. and that he is the Messiah the ruler in Israel here prophecied of and that we are to look for no other But saith he his dominion is not unto the ends of the Earth Here call we in the whole World to witness against him He living in Germany far enough from the land of Israel could not but know how far and wide over the face of the Earth the Dominion of Christ hath spread it self and in how many Nations he is acknowledged as Lord and King and his name adored and magnified so that he would not have made this cavil except he had willingly stopt his ears and shut his eyes or would not understand what he heard or perceive what he saw such obstinatness doth his way of arguing discover There is nothing therefore in what he hath said that may take us off from applying these words of the Prophecy hitherto to our Lord Christ and affirming them to be all in him fulfilled in their true and utmost meaning His cavils out of the following words are of like nature as in due place will appear But before we pass from these words one thing more may be observed viz. that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veyashabu by Ours rendred and they shall abide is by some Others rendred shall return or shall be converted into the reason of which it will not be needful nicely to inquire whether it were because instead of what is now read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veyashabu which signifies and shall abide they did read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veyashubu which signifies they shall return or whether reading it as it is now read they thought it to signifie the same that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yashubu taking the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shub and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yashab to agree in the signification of turning also as they somtimes do in the other of abiding as appears by what we read Ps. XXIII 6. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veshabti by consent of all is rendred abide or dwell though the theme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shub most usually denotes to return They that follow this interpretation make the meaning to be That many shall be turned and flock in to Christ because now he shall be great or that now he may be great unto the ends of the Earth But there is no reason to forsake our Translation and the exposition before given 5 And this Man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land and when he shall tread in our palaces then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal Men. 6 And they shall waste the Land of Assyria with the Sword and the Land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian when he commeth into our Land c. And this Man shall be c. A learned Iew saith of these words that though the signification of the words be plain yet the meaning and sense of the whole is very abstruse In this they and Christians agree that what is spoken in them agrees to the Messiah and his times or Kingdom But in the application thereof must needs be a vast difference they saying that the promised Messiah is not yet come and so the most of them that the things here spoken of are not yet fulfilled but are to be accomplished when the Messiah shall come we that the Messiah who is our Lord Christ is already come and so the things by him and under him fulfilled and in fulfilling as they ought to be understood and that no other Messiah is to be expected nor other accomplishing of these Prophecies The truth will appear by going over the words in order This Man shall be the peace There is nothing in the Original Text expressed that signifieth Man but the words barely sound This shall be peace without mention of person or thing which hath caused difference among expositors according to their different understanding of what is to be supplied as pointed to by the particle this Some understand it of the person before spoken of as our Translatours who therefore add Man This Man shall be peace The same do many other expositors understand both Christians and Iews also So one of them It is to be understood of the Messiah because he shall be the cause of peace as it is said and he shall speak peace to the Nations Zech. IX 10. that great blessing was he to be the Author of to his and therefore our Lord Christ being the only
purpose yet as to the derivation of the word seems far fetched Others by that which they should take hold of think meant their goods or part of them if they could but iâ— is manifest that what is spoken of must be persons from what follows that they shall be given up to the sword Others therefore understand it of their children Others rendring the word a little differently Thou shalt overtake the enemies which lead away thy sons and daughters into captivity but shalt not rescue them and if thou rescue any of them their end shall be to be destroyed by the sword Others yet understanding the things spoken of to be their wives and children and what is most precious to them yet interpret the verb in a far different sense viz. Thou shalt remove them out of the way and hide them to save them if thou canst but shalt not be able to save them from the enemies hand and what thou savest for a while I will at last deliver to the sword and it is manifest that the word is used in both these significations whether written with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Samech or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shin as we said C. II. v. 6. Others make the person spoken to the Land or City that shall endâ—avor to hold fast and keep safe her people but not be able to do it 15 Thou shalt sow but thou shalt not reap thou shalt tread the olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with oyle and sweet wine but shalt not drink wine Thou shalt sow but shalt not reap c. The like judgements are threatned Levit. XXVI 16. and Deut. XXVIII 30. and forward to vers 38 39 40 41 c. Amos V. 11. Hagg. I. 6. Sweet Wine i. e. grapes to make sweet wine for they are them that are troden ' not the wine it self Abarbinel goes particularly to adapt the judgements to their sins against what is required V. 8. but not so fully to the purpose 16 â— For the statutes of Omri are kept and all the works of the house of Ahab and ye walk in their counsels that I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof an â—issing therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people For the statutes of Omri are kept c. In the Margin our Translators put or He doth much keep the statutes c. The reason is because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yishtammer is such as may signify either passively it is kept or it shall be kept for it is the future tense but that is used to signify the present and sometime also the time past especially when it hath the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 V before it which signifies and or else he doth warily keep or shall keep it And whereas the verb is of the singular number and the noun joyned with it according to the first rendring of the plural that is easily salved by an usual observation in such cases by understanding every one of the statutes which would be the singular and so it is by the Jewish Interpreters salved and so in the second rendring He doth much keep c. to make it agree with what preceds spoken to them in the second person and with what follows and ye walk in the plural number and second person may be supplied every one of you doth keep A learned Jew here observes that when a Nation or People is spoken to that sometimes they are spoken to or of in the masculin gender sometimes in the feminine sometimes in the singular number sometimes in the plural and we may add that it is likewise not unusual to change persons without interruption in the sentence so as that the same person may seem to be spoken of as absent and to as present in the same sentence and this being observed will keep the Reader from being troubled with such seeming difference where it occurs and therefore the vulgar Latin and Syriack though not observing the third person used in the Original but rendring in the second Thou hast kept may be thought to have given the meaning well enough What others give for the meaning literally rendring the word in the future The statutes of Omri c. will be kept as if it were by way of prediction and he should say that notwithstanding all that had been or should be said or done to them they would continue still in their perverseness and run on in their wicked Idolatrous courses seems not so proper to the place wherein they seem charged with sins that they were already guilty of rather then to tell them what God saw they they would do till they had pulled upon themselves utter destruction The sins that they are here accused of are the keeping the statutes of Omri and the works of the house of Ahab and walking in their counsels by which what is meant will easily be discerned by looking into the History of those two Kings of Israel as set down in the 16 th Chapter of the first Book of Kings where is shewed how both Omri and his son Ahab set up and established such waâ—es of Idolatry as Ieroboam had brought into Israel and did even worse things to the preveâ—ting and extirpating the true worship of God and from them did the Kings of Iudah learn to do the like and establish as by a law the like wicked waies and things as they did among the Jews also for so of Iehoram King of Judah it is said that he walked in the way of the Kings of Israel as did the house of Ahab II Kings VIII 18. and vers 27. of his son Ahâ—ziah that he aid evil in the sight of the Lord as did the house of Ahab as also II Chron. XXV 6. c. and XXVI 3. so of Ahaz II Kings XVI 3. so of Manassch King of Judah II Kings XXI 3. so that whereas there is difference betwixt Interpreters wheâ—her the things here spoken be meant of Samaria or Ierusalem or Israel or Iudah or both from the words themselves there is no certain direction for determining either on the one side or the other except there were some way to shew whether this particular part of the Prophecy were spoken before the taking of Samaria or after it as some think it was inasmuch as our Prophet prophesied in the daies of Iotham Ahaz and Hezekiah in the 6th year of whose Reign Samariah was taken II Kings XVIII 10. both concerning Samariah and Ierusalem and it is manifest that both Kingdoms were guilty of these sins of keeping the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab and walking in their counsels as it is said of Ahaziah that he walked in the waies of the house of Ahab because his mother was his counseller to do wickedly and that he did evill in the sight of the Lord because they were his counsellers after the death of his father to his