Jeremiah · Chapter 46

V. 1. The word-This verse contains the title of all the ensuing discourses; for, tho’ there be some verses in these chapters that relate to the Jews, yet they are all concerning their restoration. The prophecies of judgments from the beginning of this chapter to the fifty-second, are all against foreign nations, which are called Gentiles.

Verse 1. The word of the Lord—against the Gentiles] This is a general title to the following collection of prophecies, written concerning different nations, which had less or more connexion with the Jews, either as enemies, neighbours, or allies.

They were not written at the same time; and though some of them bear dates, yet it would be difficult to give them any chronological arrangement. Dahler’s mode of ascertaining the times of their delivery may be seen in the table in the introduction.

Verse 1. The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah against the Gentiles — This is a general title to the collection of prophecies contained in this and the five following chapters, and refers to the denunciation of God’s judgments upon the countries round about Judea, namely, those of whom all enumeration is made Jeremiah 25:19-25. To some of these prophecies the date is annexed; in others it is left uncertain. It is evident they were not all delivered at the same time, and they seem to be here out of their proper place. In the Vatican and Alexandrian copies of the Septuagint, they follow immediately after Jeremiah 25:13, where express mention is made of the book which Jeremiah had prophesied against all the nations; which book is contained in this and the following chapters. It seems those who collected Jeremiah’s writings judged proper, without confining themselves to the order of time, to join together all those prophecies which respected the Gentile nations, and were not immediately connected with the affairs of the Jews.

Verse 1. The Gentiles. The succeeding six chapters ought to have followed the twenty fifth chapter of this book, as they do in the Vatican and Alexandrian copies of the Septuagint.

THE CAPTION — GENERAL AND PARTICULAR, 1, 2.

1. Against the Gentiles — This is a general caption, embracing the following four chapters.

Verse 2. Pharaoh-necho] This was the person who defeated the army of Josiah, in which engagement Josiah received a mortal wound, of which he died, greatly regretted, soon after at Megiddo. After this victory, he defeated the Babylonians, and took Carchemish; and, having fortified it, returned to his own country. Nabopolassar sent his son Nebuchadnezzar with an army against him, defeated him with immense slaughter near the river Euphrates, retook Carchemish, and subdued all the revolted provinces, according to the following prophecies.

Verse 2. Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho — Pharaoh-necho was king of Egypt in Josiah’s time, and it was by his army that Josiah was killed at Megiddo, as is related 2 Kings 23:29, where see the note. That army was then marching under the conduct of Necho against the Medes and Babylonians, who, having by the capture of Nineveh destroyed the Assyrian empire, had become formidable to the neighbouring states. Josiah opposed it in its march through the country, but was defeated, and received a wound in the battle which proved mortal. Necho continued his march after this victory, defeated the Babylonians, took Carchemish, and securing it with a strong garrison, returned into his own country. Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon, observing that all Syria and Palestine had revolted on account of the reduction of Carchemish by the Egyptians, sent his son Nebuchadnezzar with an army to retake that city, and recover the revolted provinces. Necho marched with a powerful army to oppose him; and it appears it was at the time when the Egyptian army lay along the banks of the Euphrates, waiting to oppose the entrance of Nebuchadnezzar into Syria, that this prophecy was delivered, namely, as is here said, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. The two armies came to an engagement near the city of Carchemish, and the event of the battle proved very disastrous to the Egyptians, who were routed with prodigious slaughter, as is here foretold by the prophet in a very animated style, and with great poetic energy and liveliness of colouring.

2. Against Egypt — The particular caption of the passage immediately following. As there are two sections pertaining to Egypt (3-12 and 13-26) this title may relate to both. Pharaoh-necho — Said by Manetho to have been the sixth king of the twenty-sixth dynasty. His date has been fixed from 611 to 595 B.C. Carchemish — The site of this important ancient city is not determined beyond question. That it was on the Euphrates is settled by this passage. The common opinion is, that it was at the junction of the Chebar with the Euphrates, and identical with the Greek Circesium. Others, however, locate it higher up the Euphrates, about in latitude thirty-six. Professor Rawlinson favours this. The place is mentioned in the cuneiform inscriptions, and also in the Egyptian hieroglyphical sculptures. Circesium, which is the site commonly identified with “Carchemish,” was built on a narrow wedge-shaped plain in the fork between the two rivers. All that now remains of it is ruins.

Verse 3. Order ye the buckler] This is the call to the general armament of the people against the Chaldeans.

Verses 3-6. Order ye the buckler, &c. — In these verses the mighty preparations of the Egyptians for war are described, which causes the prophet, who foresees the defeat, to express, as he does in the next two verses, “his astonishment at an event so contrary to what might have been expected; but he accounts for it by ascribing it to the disposition of the Almighty, who had spread terror all around, and had decreed that neither swiftness nor strength should avail the owners so as to save them from the impending overthrow.” — Blaney. I have seen them dismayed and turned back — God had, in a vision, shown Jeremiah the army of the Egyptians discomfited and fleeing; and their mighty ones — Their most powerful warriors and valiant commanders; are beaten down, and are fled apace — Either fall in the battle, or flee away as fast as they can; for fear is round about — A panic fear hath seized the whole army. Let not the swift flee away — Let them not be able to escape from those that pursue them, but be either killed or taken. They shall stumble, &c., toward the north by the river Euphrates — Which was northward from Egypt, and even from Judea: so Babylon is described as lying northward, being situate upon that river.

SONG OF TRIUMPH FOR THE DEFEAT OF EGYPT, 3-12.

3. Order — Prepare, make ready. Buckler — Small shield, carried by the light-armed troops. Shield — A piece of larger defensive size for the heavy armed troops.

V. 4. Brigandines-Coats of mail.

Verse 4. Furbish the spears] Cleanse, brighten, and sharpen them; from the Franco-Gallic fourbir, to polish, brighten.

Brigandines.] A coat of mail, especially that which was made scale fashion; one plate overlapping the other, like the scales of fish.

Verses 3-6. Order ye the buckler, &c. — In these verses the mighty preparations of the Egyptians for war are described, which causes the prophet, who foresees the defeat, to express, as he does in the next two verses, “his astonishment at an event so contrary to what might have been expected; but he accounts for it by ascribing it to the disposition of the Almighty, who had spread terror all around, and had decreed that neither swiftness nor strength should avail the owners so as to save them from the impending overthrow.” — Blaney. I have seen them dismayed and turned back — God had, in a vision, shown Jeremiah the army of the Egyptians discomfited and fleeing; and their mighty ones — Their most powerful warriors and valiant commanders; are beaten down, and are fled apace — Either fall in the battle, or flee away as fast as they can; for fear is round about — A panic fear hath seized the whole army. Let not the swift flee away — Let them not be able to escape from those that pursue them, but be either killed or taken. They shall stumble, &c., toward the north by the river Euphrates — Which was northward from Egypt, and even from Judea: so Babylon is described as lying northward, being situate upon that river.

4. Harness the horses — That is, to the chariots. Get up, ye horse-men — The original of this last word means riding-horses in 1 Kings 4:26; 10:26; Ezekiel 27:14; and Joel 2:4. Hence Keil translates here “mount the steeds.” Stand forth with your helmets — Implying that battle is at hand. Brigandines — Coats of mail. Brigand, brigade, brigadier, brigandine, are all words of a family, and the original meaning of brigand (soldier) is a key to the whole.

Verse 5. Wherefore have I seen them dismayed] What! such a numerous, formidable, and well-appointed army panic-struck? So that they have turned back-fled apace, and looked not round; while their mighty ones—their generals and commanders, striving to rally them, are beaten down.

Verses 3-6. Order ye the buckler, &c. — In these verses the mighty preparations of the Egyptians for war are described, which causes the prophet, who foresees the defeat, to express, as he does in the next two verses, “his astonishment at an event so contrary to what might have been expected; but he accounts for it by ascribing it to the disposition of the Almighty, who had spread terror all around, and had decreed that neither swiftness nor strength should avail the owners so as to save them from the impending overthrow.” — Blaney. I have seen them dismayed and turned back — God had, in a vision, shown Jeremiah the army of the Egyptians discomfited and fleeing; and their mighty ones — Their most powerful warriors and valiant commanders; are beaten down, and are fled apace — Either fall in the battle, or flee away as fast as they can; for fear is round about — A panic fear hath seized the whole army. Let not the swift flee away — Let them not be able to escape from those that pursue them, but be either killed or taken. They shall stumble, &c., toward the north by the river Euphrates — Which was northward from Egypt, and even from Judea: so Babylon is described as lying northward, being situate upon that river.

5. Thus far the description of the embattled host. Now comes the picture of the defeat and discomfiture. Wherefore have I seen them, etc. — The original is more expressive and poetical. Why have I seen? They are terror-stricken! They are giving away back. Their heroes are broken, and utterly fled, and turn not back. Terror is round about (on every side) saith Jehovah. The swift shall not flee and the hero shall not escape. Towards the north, by the side of the river Euphrates, they shall stumble and fall. In graphic force this passage is masterly. However simple and unadorned may be the style of Jeremiah when treating of plain matters which were near to his own people, here we have a brilliancy and poetic beauty not often surpassed.

V. 6. Let not the swift-It is in vain for the swift to flee away, the mighty men shall not escape, but they shall stumble and fall at Carchemish, which was near the river Euphrates, and northward from Egypt.

Verse 6. Let not the swift flee away] Even the swiftest shall not be able to escape.

They shall—fall toward the north] By the Euphrates, which was northward of Judea. Here the Egyptian army was routed with great slaughter.

Verses 3-6. Order ye the buckler, &c. — In these verses the mighty preparations of the Egyptians for war are described, which causes the prophet, who foresees the defeat, to express, as he does in the next two verses, “his astonishment at an event so contrary to what might have been expected; but he accounts for it by ascribing it to the disposition of the Almighty, who had spread terror all around, and had decreed that neither swiftness nor strength should avail the owners so as to save them from the impending overthrow.” — Blaney. I have seen them dismayed and turned back — God had, in a vision, shown Jeremiah the army of the Egyptians discomfited and fleeing; and their mighty ones — Their most powerful warriors and valiant commanders; are beaten down, and are fled apace — Either fall in the battle, or flee away as fast as they can; for fear is round about — A panic fear hath seized the whole army. Let not the swift flee away — Let them not be able to escape from those that pursue them, but be either killed or taken. They shall stumble, &c., toward the north by the river Euphrates — Which was northward from Egypt, and even from Judea: so Babylon is described as lying northward, being situate upon that river.

Ver. 6. They shall stumble and fall—by the river Euphrates. In the great battle after king Josiah had been slain, the Egyptians claimed the victory; but now, after five years, the Egyptians were defeated, and could never meet the Assyrians with success. In this battle the swift flee away, as though their feet had been light podwkeiv as those of Achilles, who is celebrated in Homer, or those of Asahel in sacred literature.

SONG OF TRIUMPH FOR THE DEFEAT OF EGYPT, 3-12.

3. Order — Prepare, make ready. Buckler — Small shield, carried by the light-armed troops. Shield — A piece of larger defensive size for the heavy armed troops.

Verse 7. Who is this that cometh up as a flood] The vast concourse of people is here represented as a river: for instance, the Jordan, suddenly swollen with the rains in harvest, rolling its waters along, and overflowing the whole country. A fine image to represent the incursions of vast armies carrying all before them. Such was the army of Pharaoh-necho in its march to Carchemish.

Verses 7-10. Who is this that cometh up as a flood — Here the king of Egypt is compared to a mighty river, the Nile, or the Euphrates, when it swells above its banks, and threatens to overwhelm the country with ruin and desolation. And he saith I will go up, and will cover the earth — With my numerous armies; I will destroy the city — Carchemish or Babylon; and the inhabitants thereof — Who shall not be able to withstand the powerful force I bring against them. Thus the prophet represents him as beginning his march with all the ostentation and insolence of presumed success. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots, &c. — Here he is exhibited calling aloud to the nations of which his army is composed, giving them the signal for action, and rousing them to deeds of desperate valour; but all in vain: for the time is come for God to avenge himself of his ancient foes: they are doomed to slaughter, to fall a bloody sacrifice on the plains of the north. For, adds the prophet, verse 10, this is the day of the Lord God of hosts — That is, as it follows, the day of his vengeance. Hence, the day of the Lord is used in the New Testament to signify the day of judgment, of which all other days of vengeance are the earnests and forerunners. That he may avenge himself of his adversaries — Of the idols of Egypt and their worshippers: the Egyptians were some of the first idolaters, and carried idolatry to its greatest height. And the sword shall devour, it shall be satiate, &c. — These metaphorical expressions signify the very great slaughter which would be made at that time in the Egyptian army. For the Lord God hath a sacrifice, &c. — The slaughter of men in battle, which is by way of punishment for their sins, is called a sacrifice to God, because it makes some kind of satisfaction and atonement to the divine justice. See the margin.

Ver. 7. Who is this that cometh up as a flood, with a vast line of horses? Immense armies, by their wants, and by disorder, have often received tremendous defeats.

7, 8. In the preceding verses we have a picture of the army and its defeat; in those which follow the same story is told, but with grander imagery — a mighty rising of the whole land of Egypt, even as the floods of their own Nile overspread the land, and then God visits upon that people his overwhelming judgments. Egypt riseth up like a flood — The word for “flood,” here and in the preceding verse, is ray, (yeor,) and is thought by some — Keil, for instance — to be the name of the Nile River taken from the Egyptian into the Hebrew. On the contrary, Furst maintains the Shemitic origin not only of this, but all the other names of the Nile in the Old Testament. Certain it is, that this name is prevailingly applied to the Nile, as in Genesis 41, etc.; Exodus 1:22, etc., etc., and just as little doubt is there that the metaphor of this passage comes from the Nile overflow.

Verses 7-10. Who is this that cometh up as a flood — Here the king of Egypt is compared to a mighty river, the Nile, or the Euphrates, when it swells above its banks, and threatens to overwhelm the country with ruin and desolation. And he saith I will go up, and will cover the earth — With my numerous armies; I will destroy the city — Carchemish or Babylon; and the inhabitants thereof — Who shall not be able to withstand the powerful force I bring against them. Thus the prophet represents him as beginning his march with all the ostentation and insolence of presumed success. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots, &c. — Here he is exhibited calling aloud to the nations of which his army is composed, giving them the signal for action, and rousing them to deeds of desperate valour; but all in vain: for the time is come for God to avenge himself of his ancient foes: they are doomed to slaughter, to fall a bloody sacrifice on the plains of the north. For, adds the prophet, verse 10, this is the day of the Lord God of hosts — That is, as it follows, the day of his vengeance. Hence, the day of the Lord is used in the New Testament to signify the day of judgment, of which all other days of vengeance are the earnests and forerunners. That he may avenge himself of his adversaries — Of the idols of Egypt and their worshippers: the Egyptians were some of the first idolaters, and carried idolatry to its greatest height. And the sword shall devour, it shall be satiate, &c. — These metaphorical expressions signify the very great slaughter which would be made at that time in the Egyptian army. For the Lord God hath a sacrifice, &c. — The slaughter of men in battle, which is by way of punishment for their sins, is called a sacrifice to God, because it makes some kind of satisfaction and atonement to the divine justice. See the margin.

7, 8. In the preceding verses we have a picture of the army and its defeat; in those which follow the same story is told, but with grander imagery — a mighty rising of the whole land of Egypt, even as the floods of their own Nile overspread the land, and then God visits upon that people his overwhelming judgments. Egypt riseth up like a flood — The word for “flood,” here and in the preceding verse, is ray, (yeor,) and is thought by some — Keil, for instance — to be the name of the Nile River taken from the Egyptian into the Hebrew. On the contrary, Furst maintains the Shemitic origin not only of this, but all the other names of the Nile in the Old Testament. Certain it is, that this name is prevailingly applied to the Nile, as in Genesis 41, etc.; Exodus 1:22, etc., etc., and just as little doubt is there that the metaphor of this passage comes from the Nile overflow.

V. 9. And the Lydians-They were all auxiliaries to the Egyptians in this expedition.

Verse 9. The Ethiopians] Heb. Cush, Phut, and the Ludim. This army was composed of many nations. Cush, which we translate Ethiopians, almost invariably means the Arabians; and here, those Arabs that bordered on Egypt near the Red Sea. Phut probably means the Libyans; for Phut settled in Libya, according to Josephus. Phut and Cush were two of the sons of Ham, and brothers to Mitsraim, the father of the Egyptians, Genesis 10:6; and the Ludim were descended from Mitsraim; see Genesis 10:13. Bochart contends that the Ludim were Ethiopians, and that they were famous for the use of the bow. Phaleg, lib. iv. 26.

Verses 7-10. Who is this that cometh up as a flood — Here the king of Egypt is compared to a mighty river, the Nile, or the Euphrates, when it swells above its banks, and threatens to overwhelm the country with ruin and desolation. And he saith I will go up, and will cover the earth — With my numerous armies; I will destroy the city — Carchemish or Babylon; and the inhabitants thereof — Who shall not be able to withstand the powerful force I bring against them. Thus the prophet represents him as beginning his march with all the ostentation and insolence of presumed success. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots, &c. — Here he is exhibited calling aloud to the nations of which his army is composed, giving them the signal for action, and rousing them to deeds of desperate valour; but all in vain: for the time is come for God to avenge himself of his ancient foes: they are doomed to slaughter, to fall a bloody sacrifice on the plains of the north. For, adds the prophet, verse 10, this is the day of the Lord God of hosts — That is, as it follows, the day of his vengeance. Hence, the day of the Lord is used in the New Testament to signify the day of judgment, of which all other days of vengeance are the earnests and forerunners. That he may avenge himself of his adversaries — Of the idols of Egypt and their worshippers: the Egyptians were some of the first idolaters, and carried idolatry to its greatest height. And the sword shall devour, it shall be satiate, &c. — These metaphorical expressions signify the very great slaughter which would be made at that time in the Egyptian army. For the Lord God hath a sacrifice, &c. — The slaughter of men in battle, which is by way of punishment for their sins, is called a sacrifice to God, because it makes some kind of satisfaction and atonement to the divine justice. See the margin.

Ver. 9. The Ethiopians—the Libyans—and the Lydians. The Hebrew, which calls all countries after the families who first inhabited them, has here, Cush, Phut, and Lud. The two first were sons of Ham and brothers of Mitzraim, father of the Egyptians. The Ethiopians, says Herodotus, had bows four cubits long, for they were men of great stature, and lived to a hundred and twenty

years of age; but the Persians only eighty years. Poole and Lowth think, that Phut signifies Mauritania, and Lud the people of Meroè. They were distinct allies of the Egyptians. Nahum 3:9.

9. Ethiopians… Libyans… Lydians — Auxiliaries or mercenaries, because the Egyptians were not themselves of such physical vigour as to make a nation of soldiers. There is a similar description of the Egyptian army in Ezekiel 30:5.

V. 10. Made drunk-These phrases only metaphorically signify, the great slaughter God would make that day amongst the Egyptians.

Verse 10. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts] The prophet represents this as a mighty sacrifice, where innumerable victims were slain.

Verses 7-10. Who is this that cometh up as a flood — Here the king of Egypt is compared to a mighty river, the Nile, or the Euphrates, when it swells above its banks, and threatens to overwhelm the country with ruin and desolation. And he saith I will go up, and will cover the earth — With my numerous armies; I will destroy the city — Carchemish or Babylon; and the inhabitants thereof — Who shall not be able to withstand the powerful force I bring against them. Thus the prophet represents him as beginning his march with all the ostentation and insolence of presumed success. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots, &c. — Here he is exhibited calling aloud to the nations of which his army is composed, giving them the signal for action, and rousing them to deeds of desperate valour; but all in vain: for the time is come for God to avenge himself of his ancient foes: they are doomed to slaughter, to fall a bloody sacrifice on the plains of the north. For, adds the prophet, verse 10, this is the day of the Lord God of hosts — That is, as it follows, the day of his vengeance. Hence, the day of the Lord is used in the New Testament to signify the day of judgment, of which all other days of vengeance are the earnests and forerunners. That he may avenge himself of his adversaries — Of the idols of Egypt and their worshippers: the Egyptians were some of the first idolaters, and carried idolatry to its greatest height. And the sword shall devour, it shall be satiate, &c. — These metaphorical expressions signify the very great slaughter which would be made at that time in the Egyptian army. For the Lord God hath a sacrifice, &c. — The slaughter of men in battle, which is by way of punishment for their sins, is called a sacrifice to God, because it makes some kind of satisfaction and atonement to the divine justice. See the margin.

10. For this is the day, etc. — Rather, but that day belongs to the Lord of hosts. The Lord… hath a sacrifice — The Lord is making ready to slay sacrifices. So the slaughter of the Egyptians is represented.

Verse 11. Go up into Gilead, and take balm] An irony. Egypt is so completely enfeebled by this overthrow, that her political wound is utterly incurable. This figure is used with the more propriety here, as the Egyptians have been celebrated from the remotest antiquity for their knowledge of medicine.

Verses 11, 12. Go up into Gilead, and take balm — Gilead was famous for producing balm and such like healing gums: see note on Jeremiah 8:22. The prophet, alluding to the custom of men’s going thither for relief in dangerous infirmities, ironically advises the Egyptians to try all the methods they can think of to prevent that destruction that threatened them, but he signifies that all their endeavours would be in vain. Compare Jeremiah 51:8. O virgin, the daughter of Egypt — Those cities or countries are called virgins which were never conquered. Egypt was grown great by her conquests, particularly by the former battle at Carchemish, (see verse 2,) and did not apprehend itself to be in any danger of being conquered. The nations have heard of thy shame — Of thy armies being shamefully beaten and running away; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty — When an army is once broken and disordered, multitudes are a hinderance one to another, and one part helps to destroy another. Thus the prophet concludes the first prophecy against Egypt, or, as he expresses it, the daughter of Egypt, by an apostrophe to her, addressing her as a conquered nation, whose wound is pronounced incurable, and disgrace universally known; forasmuch as the number of her warriors served only to augment the general disorder, and more effectually to destroy each other.

Ver. 11. Take balm, oh virgin daughter of Egypt. A keen arrow of satire, indicating that Egypt should never regain the glory she once enjoyed. Pathros, the old name of Theboid, of which Thebes was the capital, shall be the basest of kingdoms. Ezekiel 29:15. The nations over whom thou hast thrown thy bloody yoke, and whose kings thou hast led away in chains, have heard of thy shameful flight before the armies of Assyria.

11. Balm — Balsam. Not be cured — The blow is irreparable.

V. 12. Stumbled-Stumbling one upon another, so that both those that went before, and those who followed after, should fall together.

Verse 12. The nations have heard of thy shame] Of thy disgrace, by this prodigious slaughter of thy troops.

Verses 11, 12. Go up into Gilead, and take balm — Gilead was famous for producing balm and such like healing gums: see note on Jeremiah 8:22. The prophet, alluding to the custom of men’s going thither for relief in dangerous infirmities, ironically advises the Egyptians to try all the methods they can think of to prevent that destruction that threatened them, but he signifies that all their endeavours would be in vain. Compare Jeremiah 51:8. O virgin, the daughter of Egypt — Those cities or countries are called virgins which were never conquered. Egypt was grown great by her conquests, particularly by the former battle at Carchemish, (see verse 2,) and did not apprehend itself to be in any danger of being conquered. The nations have heard of thy shame — Of thy armies being shamefully beaten and running away; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty — When an army is once broken and disordered, multitudes are a hinderance one to another, and one part helps to destroy another. Thus the prophet concludes the first prophecy against Egypt, or, as he expresses it, the daughter of Egypt, by an apostrophe to her, addressing her as a conquered nation, whose wound is pronounced incurable, and disgrace universally known; forasmuch as the number of her warriors served only to augment the general disorder, and more effectually to destroy each other.

SONG OF TRIUMPH FOR THE DEFEAT OF EGYPT, 3-12.

3. Order — Prepare, make ready. Buckler — Small shield, carried by the light-armed troops. Shield — A piece of larger defensive size for the heavy armed troops.

Verse 13. How Nebuchadrezzar—should come and smite the land of Egypt.] See on Jeremiah 44:29, 30. This was after Amasis had driven Pharaoh-necho into Upper Egypt. See Jeremiah 44:30.

Verse 13. The word that the Lord spake, &c. — Here begins the second prophecy against Egypt, the exact time of the delivery of which we have no means of ascertaining; but the desolation foretold in it is undoubtedly the same with that predicted by Ezekiel, chaps. 29., 30., 31., 32. And this came to pass in the twenty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, that is, the sixteenth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, as may be collected from Ezekiel 29:17, where Nebuchadnezzar’s army is spoken of as having at that time suffered a great deal at the siege of Tyre; on which account the spoils of Egypt are promised them for their wages and indemnification: and the promise was accordingly made good that same year. — Jos. Ant., lib.

10. cap. 9.

PROPHECY AGAINST EGYPT, 13-26.

13. Here begins the second prophecy of Egypt. Like the former, it is poetic in form, but differs in that the scene of it is laid in Egypt, and not on the distant Euphrates.

V. 14. Declare-Publish this over all the land of Egypt.

Verse 14. Migdol] Magdolum, a city of Lower Egypt. Noph, Memphis. Tahpanhes, Daphne. See before, Jeremiah 44:1, Round about thee.] The Phœnicians, Philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, all prostrated by the arms of the Chaldeans.

Verses 14, 15. Publish in Migdol, and in Noph, and Tahpanhes — Concerning these three cities, see note on Jeremiah 44:1. The meaning is, publish this prophecy over all the land of Egypt; or these three places are named, because in them the Jews, who went into Egypt with Johanan, were chiefly settled. Say, Stand fast, and prepare thee — Prepare for war, and resolve to keep your ground, and not yield to the enemy: compare verses 2, 3. For the sword shall devour round about thee — The nations are destroyed around you, and you have reason to expect that the sword will next reach you. Why are thy valiant men swept away? — “The Hebrew word ryba, here rendered valiant, is sometimes spoken of God, as Genesis 49:24. Sometimes it is a title given to angels, as Psalm 78:25; but the LXX. understand it here of Apis, the idol of Egypt, which might properly be said to be conquered when the nation, that had put themselves under his protection, was subdued.” — Lowth. And, instead of they stood not, because the Lord did drive them, as we translate the next clause, the LXX. add, o moscov o eklektov sou ouk emeinen, oti kuriov parelusen auton, thy elect calf did not abide, because the Lord debilitated, literally, paralyzed, him. But it is not at all probable that this idol was here intended, but either of the mighty princes of Egypt; or, if the noun be singular, as Blaney understands it, reading, ˆryba, thy mighty one, instead of ˆyryba, thy mighty ones, then the king is probably meant. Neither the king himself, nor his valiant captains, could stand before Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army, because God discomfited them. It was of God to destroy Egypt, and when he works none can hinder him; when he strikes none can stand up against him, or stand before him.

14. Migdol… Noph… Tahpanhes — Not, as some, “the east, south, and north,” for Migdol and Tahpanhes are frontier towns on the north, and Noph is Memphis, the northern capital. These are mentioned as being best known to the Jews. The sword shall devour round about thee — Syrians, Jews, Moabites, Ammonites, and Tyrians. Or it may be that reference is had to the countries near Egypt, as Philistia and Sodom, with Palestine.

Verse 15. They stood not, because the Lord did drive them.] The Lord panic-struck them, and drove them back.

Verses 14, 15. Publish in Migdol, and in Noph, and Tahpanhes — Concerning these three cities, see note on Jeremiah 44:1. The meaning is, publish this prophecy over all the land of Egypt; or these three places are named, because in them the Jews, who went into Egypt with Johanan, were chiefly settled. Say, Stand fast, and prepare thee — Prepare for war, and resolve to keep your ground, and not yield to the enemy: compare verses 2, 3. For the sword shall devour round about thee — The nations are destroyed around you, and you have reason to expect that the sword will next reach you. Why are thy valiant men swept away? — “The Hebrew word ryba, here rendered valiant, is sometimes spoken of God, as Genesis 49:24. Sometimes it is a title given to angels, as Psalm 78:25; but the LXX. understand it here of Apis, the idol of Egypt, which might properly be said to be conquered when the nation, that had put themselves under his protection, was subdued.” — Lowth. And, instead of they stood not, because the Lord did drive them, as we translate the next clause, the LXX. add, o moscov o eklektov sou ouk emeinen, oti kuriov parelusen auton, thy elect calf did not abide, because the Lord debilitated, literally, paralyzed, him. But it is not at all probable that this idol was here intended, but either of the mighty princes of Egypt; or, if the noun be singular, as Blaney understands it, reading, ˆryba, thy mighty one, instead of ˆyryba, thy mighty ones, then the king is probably meant. Neither the king himself, nor his valiant captains, could stand before Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army, because God discomfited them. It was of God to destroy Egypt, and when he works none can hinder him; when he strikes none can stand up against him, or stand before him.

Ver. 15. Why are thy valiant men swept away. This is not true of the Egyptian soldiers; they still were with Pharaoh. The LXX read, why has Apis [thy god] forsaken thee? Thy chosen calf has not stood true. The Lord drove him away. Words of the keenest satire to the Egyptians, and to their gods.

15. Valiant — The original is plural in the common text, but the verb and the pronoun are singular. The literal reading of the verse is, Why is thy valiant cast down? He stood not, because Jehovah thrust him down. Instead of this plural form many MSS. and the most important ancient Versions — the LXX, the Vulgate, and several of the other old Greek Versions, all have the singular. As to the meaning of the word: in several passages it is translated stallions; elsewhere as an epithet of bulls. The probability, then, seems to lie in the direction of the singular form of the noun, which, for some reason, perhaps from a misapprehension of the meaning on the part of the copyists, has become pluralized; and that the true meaning is apis, a bull. The reference, then, is to the god Apis, or the power which represents him. Why is thy strong one swept away?

Verse 16. One fell upon another] In their terror and confusion ranks fell on ranks, and overturned each other.

Let us go again to our own people] Let us flee to our own country with all possible speed. These were the auxiliaries.

Verses 16, 17. He made many to fall — Or, as the Vulgate renders lvwk hbrh, multiplicavit ruentes, he multiplied those falling, or more literally, the faller, as in the margin, the word being singular. Blaney connects this with the next clause, as the LXX. do, and reads the verse thus: “He hath caused many to stumble, yea, to fall; they said therefore one to another, Arise, and let us return to our people, and to our native country, because of the oppressor’s sword.” These are either the words of the Egyptian allies, resolving to return to their own countries, and not concern themselves any further with the affairs of Egypt; or else they are the words of the remains of the Egyptians, resolving to retire within their own borders, as thinking the Babylonians would not follow them thither. They did cry, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise — He is no more than an empty boaster: he has neglected the opportunities he ought to have laid hold on, and he is not prepared according to his appointment.

16. He (that is, Jehovah) made many to fall — The mighty one does not stand; so the individuals stumble and fall one over the other.

V. 17. Pharaoh-Hath made a great noise, but it cometh to nothing. Passed-That is, he hath passed the time himself fixed when he would cone, and fight the Chaldeans.

Verse 17. They did cry there] Dr. Blayney translates this cry thus:— ————— “O Pharaoh, king of Egypt,

A tumult hath frustrated the appointed meeting.”

These allies sent their excuse to Pharaoh, that the disasters they had met with had prevented them from joining him as they had intended.

Verses 16, 17. He made many to fall — Or, as the Vulgate renders lvwk hbrh, multiplicavit ruentes, he multiplied those falling, or more literally, the faller, as in the margin, the word being singular. Blaney connects this with the next clause, as the LXX. do, and reads the verse thus: “He hath caused many to stumble, yea, to fall; they said therefore one to another, Arise, and let us return to our people, and to our native country, because of the oppressor’s sword.” These are either the words of the Egyptian allies, resolving to return to their own countries, and not concern themselves any further with the affairs of Egypt; or else they are the words of the remains of the Egyptians, resolving to retire within their own borders, as thinking the Babylonians would not follow them thither. They did cry, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise — He is no more than an empty boaster: he has neglected the opportunities he ought to have laid hold on, and he is not prepared according to his appointment.

17. Noise — Rather, destruction. There they cry, Pharaoh… is destruction.

V. 18. Surely-He shall as certainly come and encompass you with his armies, as Tabor is encompassed with mountains, and as Carmel is by the sea.

Verse 18. As Tabor is among the mountains] This mountain is situated in the plain of Esdraelon in Galilee, on the confines of the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar, Joshua 19:22. It stood by itself, separated from all the other mountains by deep valleys, and is the highest of the whole. And as Carmel by the sea] Carmel is a mountain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, on the southern frontier of the tribe of Asher. Were the Egyptians as distinguished for valour and strength as the mountains Tabor and Carmel are for height among the other mountains in their vicinity, they should not be able to stand the shock of the Chaldean army.

Verse 18. As I live saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts — He, before whom the mightiest kings on earth, though gods to us, are but as grasshoppers; he hath said and sworn what follows; Surely as Tabor, &c. — As surely as Tabor is among the mountains and Carmel by the sea, so surely shall the conqueror of Egypt come. Or, though Egypt were as inaccessible as the top of Tabor, and begirt with the sea like Carmel, yet the enemy should come upon her, and make an entire conquest of her. Houbigant paraphrases the clause thus, “As much as Tabor overtops all other mountains, so much shall the Chaldeans be superior to the Egyptians; and as the waves of the sea roar in vain at the foot of mount Carmel, so shall the Egyptians waves rage in vain.” Blaney understands the clause in nearly the same sense, observing, “Tabor and Carmel were two of the most considerable mountains in the land of Israel. Carmel formed the principal headland all along the sea-coast. Nebuchadnezzar is compared to these on account of his superiority over all others.”

18. As Tabor is among the mountains — The overshadowing power of Nebuchadrezzar is the point of the comparison. Tabor, though by no means a high mountain, yet stands out from the surface of the plain below with unusual boldness, and so is conspicuous in all directions. Carmel is a bold, lofty promontory, standing out above the Mediterranean in a most imposing manner. Both are fit types of that formidable Babylonian who had come to stand forth so loftily above the common level of the world.

Verse 19. Furnish thyself to go into captivity] The thing is unavoidable; prepare for this calamity.

Verse 19. O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt — Blaney translates it, O inhabiting daughter of Egypt, observing, that an antithesis seems to be designed between tbvwy, inhabiting, and the act of migration, which was to follow. Countries and cities are often represented under the emblem of women, especially in medals and pictures. Furnish thyself to go into captivity — “The expression is ironical, implying that, instead of the rich and goodly furniture wherein she did pride herself, she should be carried away captive, naked and bare, and wanting all manner of conveniences.” The Hebrew of this clause seems to be more literally translated in the margin than in the text; the word ylk, there rendered instruments, meaning either the carriages, or the trunks and boxes that were to hold the things to be removed. Blaney reads it, Get ready thy equipage for removing. For Noph shall be waste, &c. — Noph in particular shall be wholly depopulated and laid waste. This place, called also Memphis, was accordingly laid waste some time after this, and remained some years in a state of desolation. It was, indeed, afterward rebuilt, but never recovered its ancient splendour.

Ver. 19. Noph, the Memphis of the Greeks, shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant. This city was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in the twenty third year of his reign. Cairo, the new capital, is built nearer to the Nile; which demonstrates that the words of Isaiah were literally accomplished: chap. 19.

19. Daughter dwelling in Egypt — That is, the inhabitants of Egypt — Egypt as to her people. Furnish thyself, etc. — Literally, make for the vessels of wandering. Noph — Memphis, the capital.

V. 20. A serpent-Egypt is now like an heifer that makes a great bellowing, but the time shall come when she shall make a lesser noise like the hissing of a serpent. With axes-For the Chaldeans shall come with an army, armed with battle-axes, as if they came to fell wood in a forest.

Verse 20. Egypt is like a very fair heifer] Fruitful and useful; but destruction cometh out of the north, from Chaldea. It may be that there is an allusion here to Isis, worshipped in Egypt under the form of a beautiful cow.

Verses 20, 21. Egypt is like a very fair heifer — “In the foregoing verse the prophet compared Egypt to a delicate young woman. Here he resembles her to a fat and well-favoured heifer. In which comparison, as Grotius not improbably conjectures, there is an allusion to their god Apis, which was a bull, remarkable for his beauty and the fine spots or marks he had about him.” — Lowth. But destruction cometh, &c. — The Hebrew is very emphatical, ab ab zwpxm xrq, destruction from the north, it cometh, it cometh. Also her hired men — Her mercenary soldiers; are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks — Bullocks fatted up, and fit for the slaughter: or they are inactive, and as little courageous as fatted bullocks; foreign or hired troops never fighting with such spirit and resolution as those manifest who are defending their own country and property. They did not stand — Namely, in the fight; because the day of their calamity was come — Because the time when God resolved to punish them, and bring calamity upon them, was arrived, even the time of their visitation, as it is expressed chap. 50:27.

Ver. 20. A very fair heifer, fat and beautiful. Grotius thinks the nation of Egypt is so called, in allusion to Apis, a bull of beautiful shape and colour, which was an object of national worship.

20. Heifer — A figure suggested by, and answering to, her god, the bull Apis. Destruction cometh — The original word for “destruction” occurs here only. Many meanings have been given to it, most of which are mere guesses. Gesenius, Furst, and the Rabbins hold to “destruction.” Hitzig, Schultens, Roediger, Nagelsbach, Keil, and, indeed, most modern Hebraists, give the meaning gadfly, and still other senses have been suggested. The Vulgate translates goader. Of the two senses given above as most prominent, that of gadfly is most generally adopted, and seems to have the best etymological support; but that of “destruction” is most obvious and satisfactory. Cometh… cometh — Emphatic. Cometh surely and quickly.

Verse 21. Are fled away together] Perhaps there is a reference here to the case of a cow stung with gnats. She runs hither and thither not knowing where to go; so shall it be with this scattered people.

Verses 20, 21. Egypt is like a very fair heifer — “In the foregoing verse the prophet compared Egypt to a delicate young woman. Here he resembles her to a fat and well-favoured heifer. In which comparison, as Grotius not improbably conjectures, there is an allusion to their god Apis, which was a bull, remarkable for his beauty and the fine spots or marks he had about him.” — Lowth. But destruction cometh, &c. — The Hebrew is very emphatical, ab ab zwpxm xrq, destruction from the north, it cometh, it cometh. Also her hired men — Her mercenary soldiers; are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks — Bullocks fatted up, and fit for the slaughter: or they are inactive, and as little courageous as fatted bullocks; foreign or hired troops never fighting with such spirit and resolution as those manifest who are defending their own country and property. They did not stand — Namely, in the fight; because the day of their calamity was come — Because the time when God resolved to punish them, and bring calamity upon them, was arrived, even the time of their visitation, as it is expressed chap. 50:27.

21. Hired men — Mercenary soldiers. Fatted bullocks — The soldiers mentioned in verse 9, the Ethiopians, Libyans, and Lydians, were allies; but after their destruction in the battle of Carchemish mercenaries were engaged from Asia Minor — Carians and Ionians. As we learn from Herodotus, Pharaoh-hophra took these into his pay to the number of thirty thousand, and they were settled in the fertile lands of the Delta between Bubastis and Pelusium. So pampered were they, that in the war against Cyrene he would not expose them, but sent native soldiers instead, and this cost him his crown. In describing, then, these mercenaries as “fatted bullocks” we have an extraordinary and minute faithfulness to history.

Verse 22. The voice—shall go like a serpent] See Isaiah 29:4, and the note there.

Verses 22, 23. The voice thereof shall go like a serpent — “That is, her (Egypt’s) voice shall be low and inarticulate through fear. This passage seems to be an imitation of Isaiah 29:4, where we find the same threat denounced against Jerusalem, namely, Thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground. The cause which is assigned is the same in both places, the irresistible attack of powerful enemies.” — Dr. Durell. See note on Isaiah 29:4. For they shall march with an army — For the Chaldeans shall come with powerful forces; with axes, as hewers of wood — As if they came to fell timber in a wood. They shall cut down her forest — Here Egypt is compared to a forest, either for the multitude of cities and their stately buildings, or of people in that country; and its destruction is described by the metaphor of cutting down the trees of a forest. Though it cannot be searched, &c. — Though the forest be very thick, and the trees thereof innumerable. Because they are more than the grasshoppers — Because the army of the Chaldeans shall be as numerous as the inhabitants of Egypt. In other words, though the cities and inhabitants of Egypt be never so numerous and large; yet the Chaldean army shall plunder and destroy them, because their number is proportionable to such an enterprise. Armies are often compared to grasshoppers and such like insects, both for their multitudes, and because they make a general consumption, grasshoppers devouring all before them, wherever they come: see Judges 6:5; 7:12; Joel 2:4, 5.

22. Voice thereof — Of Egypt. As the serpent disturbed in his lair by the wood choppers flees away, so Egypt shall flee before the axes of the Chaldean army.

V. 23. Tho’-Tho’ it seem impenetrable.

Verse 23. They shall cut down her forest] Supposed to mean her cities, of which Egypt had no fewer than one thousand and twenty.

Verses 22, 23. The voice thereof shall go like a serpent — “That is, her (Egypt’s) voice shall be low and inarticulate through fear. This passage seems to be an imitation of Isaiah 29:4, where we find the same threat denounced against Jerusalem, namely, Thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground. The cause which is assigned is the same in both places, the irresistible attack of powerful enemies.” — Dr. Durell. See note on Isaiah 29:4. For they shall march with an army — For the Chaldeans shall come with powerful forces; with axes, as hewers of wood — As if they came to fell timber in a wood. They shall cut down her forest — Here Egypt is compared to a forest, either for the multitude of cities and their stately buildings, or of people in that country; and its destruction is described by the metaphor of cutting down the trees of a forest. Though it cannot be searched, &c. — Though the forest be very thick, and the trees thereof innumerable. Because they are more than the grasshoppers — Because the army of the Chaldeans shall be as numerous as the inhabitants of Egypt. In other words, though the cities and inhabitants of Egypt be never so numerous and large; yet the Chaldean army shall plunder and destroy them, because their number is proportionable to such an enterprise. Armies are often compared to grasshoppers and such like insects, both for their multitudes, and because they make a general consumption, grasshoppers devouring all before them, wherever they come: see Judges 6:5; 7:12; Joel 2:4, 5.

Ver. 23. They shall cut down her forests. Though history is silent about the forests of Egypt, yet Herodotus says, they once had twenty thousand villages well populated, and one thousand and twenty cities. They must therefore have had great resources of timber for their buildings, and for naval architecture.

23. Cut down her forest — These Chaldean wood choppers will do this, though it be most dense, (referring to this land thickly set with cities and filled with the products of material prosperity,) for they, like the grasshoppers, are innumerable.

Verse 24. The hand or the people of the north] The Chaldeans.

PROPHECY AGAINST EGYPT, 13-26.

13. Here begins the second prophecy of Egypt. Like the former, it is poetic in form, but differs in that the scene of it is laid in Egypt, and not on the distant Euphrates.

Verse 25. The multitude of No] anm אמונ Amon minno, the Amon of No, called by the Greeks Diospoliv, or Jupiter’s city. It was the famous Thebes, celebrated anciently for its hundred gates. Amon was the name by which the Egyptians called Jupiter, who had a famous temple at Thebes. The word Pharaoh is twice repeated here; and Dr. Dahler thinks that one may design Pharaoh Hophrah, and the other Amasis, the new king.

Verses 25, 26. Behold, I will punish the multitude of No — Hebrew, anm ˆwma, Amon of No, which, says Blaney, “is the literal translation, and we need seek for no other.” Amon, or Ammon, as the word is generally written, was the name by which the Egyptians called Jupiter, who had a celebrated temple at Thebes, famous for its hundred gates in Homer’s time, and supposed to be the same city with No here mentioned. Here Jupiter was worshipped in a distinguished manner, on which account the place was called Diospolis, the city of Jupiter, which name the LXX. have put for No, Ezekiel 30:14-16. If therefore No be Thebes, or Diospolis, as it seems evident it is, then Amman of No signifies the deity of the place, the Theban Jupiter, as Herodotus styles him, lib. 2. cap. 42. As, on the other hand, ˆwma an, No-ammon, Nahum 3:8, should be rendered, No of Amman, which exactly corresponds with the Greek Diospoliv, or, city of Jupiter. But very different from these is the term, an ˆwmh ta, used Ezekiel 30:15, which indeed signifies the multitude, or numerous inhabitants of No; although, from the similitude of the words ˆwma and ˆwmh, Amon and Hamon, our translators, and others besides them, have confounded them together. Some have supposed No to mean Alexandria, the great emporium of Egypt; and the Chaldee and Vulgate have rendered it so. But Alexandria was not built till ages after the time when Jeremiah prophesied: and it does not appear that there had been before any city, at least any considerable one, standing upon the spot which the founder made the object of his choice.

And Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings — The same divine vengeance, which falls upon the idol Ammon and his worshippers, shall reach the rest of Egypt with their respective idols and governors. “When an idolatrous nation,” says Blaney, “is doomed to destruction, God is said to execute vengeance upon the idols of the country: see Jeremiah 43:12, 13. Accordingly, here Ammon of No, the principal deity, and Pharaoh, the principal man, among the Egyptians, are marked out in the first place as the primary objects of divine visitation; then follows, in the gross, Egypt with all her gods, and all her kings; which latter term is explained to include both Pharaoh himself, and those subordinate rulers who were dependant upon him for the rank and authority they held. And afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old — At the end of forty years Egypt was to begin to recover itself, as Ezekiel foretels, Ezekiel 29:13.

Ver. 25. I will punish the multitude of No. Memphis, the ancient Noph, is meant here. No Ammon, the ancient Thebes, with its hundred fortified gates, is apparently of more ancient date. The LXX read, Diospolis. See on Ezekiel 30:15.

25. Multitude of No — Rather, Amon of No, referring to the principal idol of Egypt, whose chief seat was at Thebes, here called “No.”

Verse 26. Afterward it shall be inhabited] That is, within forty years, as Ezekiel had predicted, Ezekiel 29:13.

Verses 25, 26. Behold, I will punish the multitude of No — Hebrew, anm ˆwma, Amon of No, which, says Blaney, “is the literal translation, and we need seek for no other.” Amon, or Ammon, as the word is generally written, was the name by which the Egyptians called Jupiter, who had a celebrated temple at Thebes, famous for its hundred gates in Homer’s time, and supposed to be the same city with No here mentioned. Here Jupiter was worshipped in a distinguished manner, on which account the place was called Diospolis, the city of Jupiter, which name the LXX. have put for No, Ezekiel 30:14-16. If therefore No be Thebes, or Diospolis, as it seems evident it is, then Amman of No signifies the deity of the place, the Theban Jupiter, as Herodotus styles him, lib. 2. cap. 42. As, on the other hand, ˆwma an, No-ammon, Nahum 3:8, should be rendered, No of Amman, which exactly corresponds with the Greek Diospoliv, or, city of Jupiter. But very different from these is the term, an ˆwmh ta, used Ezekiel 30:15, which indeed signifies the multitude, or numerous inhabitants of No; although, from the similitude of the words ˆwma and ˆwmh, Amon and Hamon, our translators, and others besides them, have confounded them together. Some have supposed No to mean Alexandria, the great emporium of Egypt; and the Chaldee and Vulgate have rendered it so. But Alexandria was not built till ages after the time when Jeremiah prophesied: and it does not appear that there had been before any city, at least any considerable one, standing upon the spot which the founder made the object of his choice.

And Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings — The same divine vengeance, which falls upon the idol Ammon and his worshippers, shall reach the rest of Egypt with their respective idols and governors. “When an idolatrous nation,” says Blaney, “is doomed to destruction, God is said to execute vengeance upon the idols of the country: see Jeremiah 43:12, 13. Accordingly, here Ammon of No, the principal deity, and Pharaoh, the principal man, among the Egyptians, are marked out in the first place as the primary objects of divine visitation; then follows, in the gross, Egypt with all her gods, and all her kings; which latter term is explained to include both Pharaoh himself, and those subordinate rulers who were dependant upon him for the rank and authority they held. And afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old — At the end of forty years Egypt was to begin to recover itself, as Ezekiel foretels, Ezekiel 29:13.

PROPHECY AGAINST EGYPT, 13-26.

13. Here begins the second prophecy of Egypt. Like the former, it is poetic in form, but differs in that the scene of it is laid in Egypt, and not on the distant Euphrates.

Verse 27. Fear not—my servant Jacob] In the midst of wrath God remembers mercy. Though Judah shall be destroyed, Jerusalem taken, the temple burnt to the ground, and the people carried into captivity, yet the nation shall not be destroyed. A seed shall be preserved, out of which the nation shall revive.

Verses 27, 28. But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither, &c. — See notes on Jeremiah 30:10, 11, from whence these two verses are taken, containing a comfortable promise to the Jews, that God will not make an utter destruction of them as he hath done of several other nations, against which the prophets have denounced his judgments; but will still preserve a remnant of them, to whom he will perform the promises made to their fathers: see also note on Jeremiah 30:16, 17.

MESSAGE TO ISRAEL, 27, 28.

27, 28. Fear not… Jacob — God’s true Israel is not utterly cast off. Though he may bring other nations to a full end, yet this one has a permanent life laid in the divine purpose.

Verse 28. I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee; but I will not make a full end of thee] The Jews still remain as a distinct people, while the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, &c., are no more!

ON this subject, I cannot withhold from my readers the following very judicious remarks of Bp. Newton, in his Dissertations on the Prophecies. “The preservation of the Jews through so many ages, and the total destruction of their enemies, are wonderful events; and are made still more wonderful by being signified beforehand by the spirit of prophecy, as particularly in the passage before us. Their preservation is really one of the most illustrious acts of Divine Providence. They are dispersed among all nations, yet not confounded with any. The drops of rain which fall, nay the great rivers which flow into the ocean, are soon mingled with and lost in that immense body of waters. And the same, in all human probability, would have been the fate of the Jews; they would have been mingled and lost in the common mass of mankind: but, on the contrary, they flow into all parts of the world, mix with all nations, and yet keep separate from all. They still live as a distinct people; and yet they nowhere live according to their own laws, nowhere elect their own magistrates, nowhere enjoy the full exercise of their religion. Their solemn feasts and sacrifices are limited to one certain place; and that hath been now for many ages in the hands of strangers and aliens, who will not suffer them to come thither. No people have continued unmixed so long as they have done; not only of those who have sent colonies into foreign countries, but even of those who have remained in their own country. The northern nations have come in swarms into the more southern parts of Europe: but where are they now to be discerned and distinguished? The Gauls went forth in great bodies to seek their fortune in foreign parts; but what traces or footsteps of them are now remaining any where? In France, who can separate the race of the ancient Gauls from the various other people who from time to time have settled there? In Spain, who can distinguish between the first possessors, the Spaniards, and the Goths and Moors, who conquered and kept possession of the country for some ages? In England, who can pretend to say certainly which families are derived from the ancient Britons, and which from the Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans? The most ancient and honourable pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain period; and beyond that there is nothing but conjecture and uncertainty, obscurity and ignorance. But the Jews can go up higher than any nation; they can even deduce their pedigree from the beginning of the world. They may not know from what particular tribe or family they are descended; but they know certainly that they all sprang from the stock of Abraham. And yet the contempt with which they have been treated, and the hardships they have undergone in almost all countries, should, one would think, have made them desirous to forget or renounce their original: but they profess it; they glory in it; and after so many wars, massacres, and persecutions, they still subsist; they are still very numerous. And what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as no other nation upon earth has been preserved? Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies, than in their own preservation. For, from the beginning, who have been the great enemies and oppressors of the Jewish nation, removed them from their own land, and compelled them into captivity and slavery? The Egyptians afflicted them much, and detained them in bondage several years. The Assyrians carried away captive the ten tribes of Israel; and the Babylonians, afterwards, the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Syro-Macedonians, especially Antiochus Epiphanes, cruelly persecuted them; and the Romans utterly dissolved the Jewish state, and dispersed the people so as that they have never been able to recover their city and country again. And where are now those great and famous monarchies, which in their turn subdued and oppressed the people of God? Are they not vanished as a dream; and not only their power, but their very names, lost in the earth? The Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians were overthrown and entirely subjugated by the Persians; and the Persians, it is remarkable, were the restorers of the Jews as well as the destroyers of their enemies. The Syro-Macedonians were swallowed up by the Romans; and the Roman empire, great and powerful as it was, was broken into pieces by the incursions of the northern nations; while the Jews are subsisting as a distinct people at this day. And what a wonder of providence is it, that the vanquished should so many ages survive the victors; and the former be spread all over the world, while the latter are no more! Nay, not only nations have been punished for their cruelties to the Jews, but Divine vengeance has pursued even single persons who have been their persecutors and oppressors. The first-born of Pharaoh was destroyed; and he himself with his host, drowned in the sea. Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with madness, and the crown was transferred from his family to strangers. Antiochus Epiphanes and Herod died in great agonies, with ulcers and vermin issuing from them. Flaccus, governor of Egypt, who barbarously plundered and oppressed the Jews of Alexandria, was afterwards banished and slain; and Caligula, who persecuted the Jews for refusing to do Divine honours to his statue, was murdered in the flower of his age, after a short and wicked reign. But where are now,—since they have absolutely rejected the Gospel, and been no longer the peculiar people of God,—where are now such visible manifestations of a Divine interposition in their favour? The Jews would do well to consider this point; for, rightly considered, it may be an effectual means of opening their eyes, and of turning them to Christ our Saviour.” See Bp. Newton on the prophecies, dissert. viii. sect.

2. And see the notes on Ezekiel, where the calamities of these miserable people are largely detailed.

JEREMIAH

Verses 27, 28. But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither, &c. — See notes on Jeremiah 30:10, 11, from whence these two verses are taken, containing a comfortable promise to the Jews, that God will not make an utter destruction of them as he hath done of several other nations, against which the prophets have denounced his judgments; but will still preserve a remnant of them, to whom he will perform the promises made to their fathers: see also note on Jeremiah 30:16, 17.

MESSAGE TO ISRAEL, 27, 28.

27, 28. Fear not… Jacob — God’s true Israel is not utterly cast off. Though he may bring other nations to a full end, yet this one has a permanent life laid in the divine purpose.