Commentary on the Holy Bible

Chap. ii. 12. — "I will surely g.ither, O Jacob, all of thee: I will surely assemble the residue of Israel. I will put them together as sheep of Bozra, As a flock in the midst of their fold: They shall make a tumult from the multitude of men. 13. — He that forceth a passage is come up before them;

They have forced a passage, and have passed through the gate; and are gone forth by it: And their King passeth before them, even Jehovah at the head of them. "

Chap. iv. 1. — '• But it shall come to pass, in the latter days, '

That the mountain of the temple of Jehovah shall be Established on the top of the mountains. And it shall be exalted above the hills; And the people shall flow into it: 2. — And many nations shall go, and shall say,

Come, and let us go up unto the mountain of Jehovah, And unto the temple of the God of Jacob:

That he may teach us of his ways, and that we may walk- in his paths. For from Sion shall go forth a law. And the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. 3. — And he shall judge between many people.

And he shall convince strong nations afar off: And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift^p sword against nation. Neither shall they any longer learn war."

" What is the transgression of Jacob? — is it not that of Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? — are they not those of Jerusalem 1"

Chap. iv. 9. — " And now why dost thou cry out loudly 1 Is there no king in thee 1 Hath thy counsellor perished 1 For pangs have seized thee, as a woman in travail."

There are few beauties of composition of which examples may not be found in this prophet. For sublimity and impressiveness in several places, he is unrivalled. The Lord's controversy, chap. vi. 1-8, is equal to any thing even in the prophet Isaiah. It has a powerful effect on every attentive reader.

Chap. i. 6. — " Therefore will I make Samaria a heap of the field, a place for the plantmgs of a vineyard:

And I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will discover her foundations." iii. 2. — " Ye who hate good and love evil:

Who pluck their skin from off them,

And their flesh from ofl" their bones. 3. — Who have also eaten the flesh of my people,

And have flayed their skin from off them.

And have broken their bones;

And have divided them asunder, as flesh in the pot:

And as meat within the caldron." vii. 1. — "Wo is me; for I am become

As the gatherers of late figs, as the gleaners of the vintage.

There is no cluster to eat:

My soul desireth the first-ripe fig. 2. — The good man is perished from the land.

And there is none upright among men.

All of them lie in wait for blood;

They hunt every man his brother for his destruction."

Chap. i. 16. — " Make thee bald, and cut off thine hair for thy delicate children; Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; For they are gone into captivity from thee." ii. 4. — " In that day shall a proverb be taken up against you; And a grievous lamentation shall be made: Saying, 'We are utterly laid waste: He hath changed the portion of my people: How hath he departed from me. To bring again hira that divided our fields!' "

Hearken, O land, and all that are therein. And let the Lord Jehovah be witness against you; Even the Lord from his holy temple. 3. — For, behold, Jehovah will go forth from his place:

And he wdl come down, and will tread upon the high places of the earth. Chap. i. 4. — And the mountains shall be molten under him; And the valleys shall cleave asunder; As wax before the fire. As waters poured down a steep place." Chap. vi. 1. — " Hear ye now what Jehovah saith:

Arise, contend thou before the mountains; And let the hills hear thy voice." vii. 15. — "The nations shall see, and shall be confounded because of their might: They shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. 7. — They shall lick the dust as the serpent;

As the creeping things upon the earth, they shall tremble from their close p.aces: Because of Jehovah our God, they shall stand in awe; and they shall fear because of thee.

Chronological Notes relative to this Book.

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3254. — Year of the Julian Period, 3964. — Year since the Flood, 1598. — Year from the vocation of Abram, 1171. — Year since the first celebration of the Olympic games in Elis by the Ida?i Dactyli, 704. — Year from the destruction of Troy, according to the general computation of chronologers, 434. — Year since the commencement of the kingdom of Israel, by the Divine appointment of Saul to the regal dignity, 346. — Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 862. — Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 226. — Year since the restoration of the Olympic games at Elis by Lycurgus, Iphitus, and Cleosthenes, 135. — Year from the foundation of the kingdom of Macedon by Caranus, 65. — Year from the foundation of the kingdom of Lydia by Ardysus, 49. — All before this reign concerning Lydia is entirely fabulous. — Y'^ear since the conquest of Corcebus at Olympia, usually called the first Olympiad, 27. — Third year of the seventh Olympiad. — Y'ear before the building of Rome, according to the A'arronian computation, 4. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 3. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Poly bins the historian, 2. — Year before the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 2. — Year before the commencement of the era of Nabonassar, 2. — Year before the birth of Christ, 746. — Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 750. — Cycle of the Sun, 16. — Cycle of the Moon, 12. — Twentyfirst year of Theopompus, king of Laced^mon, of the family of the Proclid^. — Twenty-seventh year of Polydorus, kmg of Lacediemon, of the family of the Eurysthenidae. — Twelfth year of Alyattes, king of Lydia. — Fifth year of Charops, the first decennial archon of the Athenians. — Fourth year of Romulus, the first king of the Romans. — Tenth year of Pekah, king of Israel. — Ninth year of Jotham, king of Judah.

The prophet begins with calling the attention of all people to the awful descent of Jehovah, coming to execute his judgments against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 1-5; first against Samaria, ivhose fate the prophet laments in the dress of mourners, and with the doleful cries of the fox or ostrich, 6—8; and then against Jerusalem, which is threatened with the invasion of Sennacherib. Other cities of Judah are likewise threatened; and their danger represented to be so great as to oblige them to have recourse for pro tection even to their enemies the Philistines, from whom they desired at first to conceal their situation. But all resources are declared to he vain; Israel and Judah must go into captivity, 9-16.

'PHE word of the Lord that

came to " Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham,

Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of

Verse 1. The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite] For all authentic particulars relative to this prophet, see the preface.

In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah] These ikree kings reigned about threescore years; and Micah is supposed to have prophesied about forty or fifty years; hut no more of his prophecies have reached posterity than what are contained in this book, nor is there any evidence that any more was written. His time appears to have been spent chiefly in preaching and exhorting; and he was directed to write those

comclli forth out of his ' place, and will come down, and tread upon the ^ high places of the

4 And ' the mountains siiall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down ™ a steep place.

5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what arc the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

Heb. a departs only that were calculated to profit succeeding generations.

Verse 2. Hear, all ye people] The very commencement of this prophecy supposes preceding exhortations and predictions.

Hearken, O earth] ym arets, here, should be translated land, the country of the Hebrews being only intended.

And let the Lord God be Witness] Let him who has sent me with this message be witness that I have delivered it laithfully; and be a witness against you, if you take not the warning.

The Lord from his holy temple,] The place where he still remains as your King, and your Judge; and where you profess to pay your devotions. The temple was yet standing, for Jerusalem was not taken for many years after this; and these prophecies were delivered before the captivity of the ten tribes, as Micah appears to have been sent both to Israel and to Judah. See ver. 5-9, 13, 13.

Verse 3. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth] See this clause, Amos iv. 13. He represents Jehovah as a mighty conqueror, issuing from his pavilion, stepping from mountain to mountain, which rush down and fill the valleys before him; a consuming fire accompanying liim, that melts and confounds every hill and dale, and blends all in universal confusion. God is here represented as doing that himself which other conquerors do by the multitude of their hosts; levelling the mountains, filling some of the valleys, and digging for waters in others, and pouring them fro.nti hills and dales for the use of the conquering armies, by pipes and aqueducts.

And why is all this mighty movement 1 Verse 5. " For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel."

Verse 5. What is the transgression of Jacobl] Is it not something extremely grievous \ Is it not that of Samaria 1 Samaria and Jerusalem, the chief cities,

maria " as a heap of the field, A. IT. C. cir. 4 and as plantings of a vineyard: r. Roman., and I will pour down the stones ""■ """"'"• ^- thereof into the valley, and I will ° discover the foundations thereof.

7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the >" hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of a harlot, and they shall return to the hire of a harlot.

8 Therefore 1 1 will wail and howl, "■ I will go stripped and naked: ' I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the ' owls.

9 For " her wound is incinable; for ' it is

6. 'Heb. daughters of the owl. "Or, she is grievousli/ are infected with idolatry. Each has its high places, and its idol worship, in opposition to the worship of the true God. That there was idolatry practised by the elders of Israel, even in the temple of Jehovah, see Ezek. viii. 1, &c. As the royal cities in both kingdoms gave the example of gross idolatry, no wonder that it spread through the whole land, both of Israel and Judah.

Verse 6. / tvill make Samaria] I will bring it to desolation; and, instead of being a royal city, it shall be a place for vineyards. Newcome observes, that Samaria was situated on a hill, the right soil for a vineyard.

/ will discover the foundations thereof] I will cause its walls and fortifications to be razed to the ground.

Verse 7. All the hires thereof shall be burned] Multitudes of women gave the money they gained by their public proslilulion at the temples for the support of the priesthood, the ornamenting of the walls, altars, and images. So that these things, and perhaps several of the images themselves, were literally the hire of the harlots: and God threatens here to deliver all into the hands of enemies who should seize on tliis wealth, and literally spend it in the same way in which it was acquired; so that " to the hire of a harlot these things should return."

I will make a wailing like the foxes, (or jackals,)

And mourning like the daughters of the ostrich. This beast, the jackal or shiagal, we have often met with in the prophets. Travellers inform us that its howlings by night are most lamentable; and as to the ostrich, it is remarkable for its fearful shrieking and agonizing groanings after night. Dr. Shaw says he has often heard them groan as if they were in the greatest agonies.

Various cities threatened

he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. cir. annum 4. iQ " Dcclarc yc it iiot at Gatli, weep ye not at all: in the house of ^ Aplirah y roll thyself in the dust.

1 1 Pass yc away, ^ thou ■ inhabitant of Saphir, having thy '' shame naked: the inhabitant of ■■ Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of '' Bcth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing.

1 2 For the inhabitant of Maroth ' waited carefully for good: but ' evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.

13 0 thou inhabitant of « Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast prevent their utter ruin, for they have filled up the measure of their iniquity.

He is come — even to Jerusalem.] The desolation and captivity of Israel shall first take place; that of Judah shall come after.

Verse 10. Declare i/e it not at Gath] Do not let this prediction be known among the Philistines, else they will glory over you.

House of Aplirah] Or, Beth-aphrah. This place is mentioned Josh, xviii. 23, as in the tribe of Benjamin There is a paronomasia, or play on words, here: 13>' mDi''^ rc^i bebeith leaphrah aphar, " Roll thyself in the dust, in the house of dust."

Verse 1 1. Inhabitant of Saphir] Sapher, Sepphoris, or Sephora, was the strongest place in Galilee. — Cal met. It was a city in the tribe of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon. — Houhgant.

Zaanan] Another city in the tribe of Judah, Josh.

Beth-ezel] A place near Jerusalem, Zech. xiv. 5. Some think that Jerusalem itself is intended by this word.

Verse 12. The inhabitant of Maroth] There was a city of a similar name in the tribe of Judah, Josh.

Verse 13. Inhabitant of Lachish] This city was in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 39, and was taken by Sennacherib when he was coming against Jerusalem, 2 Kings xviii. 13, &c., and it is supposed that he wished to reduce this city first, that, possessing it, he might prevent Hezekiah's receivmg any help from

She is the beginning of the sin] This seems to intimate that Lachish was the first city in Judah which received the idolatrous worship of Israel.

Verse 14. Give presents to Moresheth-galh] Calrnet says that Moresa or Mnrashli, and Achzib, were cities not far from Gatli. It is possible that when Ahaz found himself pressed by Pekah, king of Israel, he might have sent to these places for succour, that by is the beginning of the sin to A. ti. c. cir. 4. the daughter of Zion: for the r. RomM., transgressions of Israel were «"•■ annum 4. found in thee.

14 Therefore shalt thou ''give presents ' to Morcsheth-gath: the houses of' Achzib ' shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, 0 inhabitant of ■" Marcshah: " he shall come unto " Adullam the glory of Israel.

16 Make thee p bald, and poll thee for thy 1 delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

their assistance he might frustrate the hopes of the king of Israel; and this may be the meaning of " The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel." In these verses there are several instances of the paronomasia. See ver. 10, 13>' aphar, dusl, and m3>' aphrah, the name of the city. Ver. 11, pNX tsaanan, the city, and HNV yatsah, to go out. Ver. 13, ty'j'? lach'sh, the city, and B?31 rechesh, the swift beast. Ver. 14, 3'IDN achzib, the city, and:}t3K achzab, a lie. Such paronomasias were reputed ornaments by the prophets. They occur in Isaiah with great effect. See Isa. v. 7.

Averse 15. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O — Marcshah] Here is another instance, tyi'n haiyeresh, to bring an heir, and n"Jin marcshah, the city, the name of which signifies heirship. And so of the above proper names.

Adullam the glory of Israel.] This was a fenced city in the south of Judah (see 2 Chron. xi. 7) towards the Dead Sea.

There is much obscurity in the concluding verses of this chapter. They undoubtedly refer to the captivity of Israel, and to circumstances of distress, &c., which are not mentioned in any of the historical books, and therefore their reference and meaning can only be conjectured.

Verse 16. Make thee bald] Cutting off the hair was a sign of great distress, and was practised on the death of near relatives; see Amos viii. 10. The desolation should be so great that Israel should feel it to her utmost extent; and the mourning should be like that of a mother for the death of her most delicate children.

Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle] Referring to the moulting of this bird, when in casting its feathers and breeding new ones, it is very sickly, and its strength wholly exhausted.

They are gone into captivity] This is a prediction of the captivity by Shalmaneser. Samaria, the chief city, is called on to deplore it, as then fast approaching.

Judgments threatened against the plotters of wickedness.

Here the prophet denounces a wo against the plotters of tvickedness, the covetous and the oppressor, I, 2. God is represented as devising their ruin, 3. An Israelite is then introduced as a mourner, personating his people, and lamenting their fate, 4. Their total expulsion is now threatened on account of their very numerous offences, 5—10. Great infatuation of the people in favour of those pretenders to Divine inspiration who prophesied to them peace and plenty, 11. The chapter concludes ivith a gracious promise of the restoration of the posterity of Jacob from captivity; possibly alluding to their deliverance from the Chaldean yoke, an event which was about two hundred years in futurity at the delivery of this prophecy, 12, 13.

spoiled: ' he liath changed the a. u. c. cir. portion of my people: how hath

R. Roman., upon their beds! when the

because ■= it is in the power of their hand.

2 And they covet "■ fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take thetn away: so they " oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

3 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against ^ this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily:? for this time is evil.

4 In that day shall one '' take up a parable against you, and ' lament '' with a doleful la-

Wo to them that devise iniquity] Who lay schemes and plans for transgressions; who make it their study to find out new modes of sinning; and make these things their nocturnal meditations, that, having fixed their plan, they may begin to execute it as soon as it is light in the morning.

Because it is in the power of their hand.] They think they may do whatever they have power and opportunity to do.

Verse 2. They covet fields] These are the rich and mighty in the land; and, like Ahab, they will take the vineyard or inheritance of any poor Naboth on which they may fix their covetous eye; so that they take away even the heritage of the poor.

Verse 3. Agamst this family (the Israelites) do I devise an evil] You have devised the evil o{ plundering the upright; I will devise the evil to you of punishment for your conduct; you shall have your necks brought under the yoke of servitude. Tiglath-pileser ruined this kingdom, and transported the people to Assyria, under the reign of Hczekiah, king of Judah; and Micah lived to see this catastrophe. See on

Verse 4. Take up a parable against you] Your wickedness and your punishment shall be subjects of common conversation; and a funeral dirge shall be comjiosed and sung for you as for the dead. The lamentation is that which immediately follows: We mentation, and say, We be utterly

he removed it from me! ™ turning away he hath divided our fields.

5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast " a cord by lot in the congregation of the

6 ° P Prophesy i ye not, say thrjj to the7n that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

7 0 thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the Spirit of the Lord ■■ straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walkelh ' uprightly?

he utterly spoiled; and ends, Are these his doings J

Verse 5. None that shall cast a cord] You will no more have your inheritance divided to you by lot, as it was to your fathers; ye shall neither have fields nor possessions of any kind.

Verse 6. Prophesy ye not] Do not predict any more evils — we have as many as we can bear. We are utterly ruined — shame and confusion cover our faces. The original is singular, and expressive of sorrow and sobbing. Literally, " Do not cause it to rain; they will cause it to rain; they cannot make it rain sooner than this; confusion shall not depart from us." To rain, often means to preach, to prophesy; Ezek. XX. 46, xxi. 2; Amos vii. 16; Deut. xxxii. 2: Job xxix. 22; Prov. v. 3, &c.

The last line Bp. Newcome translates, " For he shall not remove from himself reproaches;" and paraphrases, " The true prophet will subject himself to public disgrace by exercising his office."

Verse 7. Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?] This is the complaint of the Israelites, and a part of the lamentation. Doth it not speak by other persons as well as bv Micah t Doth it communicate to us such influences as it did formerly 1 Is it true that these evils are threatened by that Spirit? Are these his doings? To which Jehovah answers, " Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" No upright man need fear any word spoken by me:

'B.'c.c'>r.?.m' ^ Even 'of late my people is A. U c. cir. 24. riseii up as an enemy: vc pull

R. Roman., Oil tlic robc " witli the garment _!j — " '" " ' from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

9 The ^ women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.

1 0 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your '^' rest: because it is ' polluted, it shall destroy 1/oti, even with a sore destruction.

1 1 If a man '' walking ^ in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto

my words to such yield instruction and comfort; never dismay. Were ye upright, ye would not complain of the words of my prophets. The last clause may be translated, " Walking with liimthat is upright." The upright man walks by the word; and the word walks with him who walks by it.

Verse 8. My people is risen up as an enemy] Ye are not only opposed to me, but ye are enemies to each other. Ye rob and spoil each other. Ye plunder the peaceable passenger; depriving him both of his upper and under garment; ye pull off the robe from those who, far from being spoilers themselves, arc averse from tear.

Verse 9. The icomen of my people] Ye are the cause of the women and their children being carried into captivity — separated from their pleasant habitations, and from my temple and ordinances — and from the blessings of the covenant, which it is my glory to give, and theirs to receive. These two verses may probably relate to the war made on Ahaz by Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel. They fell suddenly upon the Jews; killed in one day one hundred and twenty thousand, and took two hundred thousand captive; and carried away much spoil. Thus, they rose vp against them as enemies, when there was peace between the two kingdoms; spoiled them of their goods, carried away men, u-omen. and children, till, at the remonstrances of the prophet Oded, they were released. See 2 Chron. xxviii. 6, &c. Micah lived in the days of Ahaz, and might have seen the barbarities which he here describes.

\erse 10. Arise ye, and depart] Prepare for your captivity; ye shall have no resting place here: the very land is polluted by your iniquities, and shall vomit you out, and it shall be destroyed; and the destruction of it shall be great and sore.

thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be tlie prophet of this people.

12 "I will surely assemble, 0 Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together '' as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in tlic midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and arc gone out by it: ■"• and ^ their king shall pass before them, " and the Lord on the head of them.

'i the wind, and lie falsely.

Some think this is an exhortation to the godly, to leave a land that was to be destroyed so speedily.

Verse 11. If a man walhing in the spirit and falsehood] The meaning is: If a man who professes to be Divinely inspired do lie, by prophesying of plenty, &c., then such a person shall be received as a true prophet by this people. It not unfrequently happens that the Christless worldling, who has got into the priest's office for a maintenance, and who loaves the people undisturbed in their unregenerate state, is b(^t— ter received than the faithful pastor, who proclaims the justice of the Lord, and the necessity of repentance and forsaking sin, in order to their being made partakers of that holiness without which no man shall see

Verse 12. I will stirely assemble] This is a promise of the restoration of Israel from captivity. He compares them to a flock of sheep rushing together to their fold, the hoofs of which make a wonderful noise or clatter. So when one hundred sheep run, eight hundred toes or divisions of these bifd animals make a clattering noise. This appears to be the image.

Verse 13. The breaker is come up] He who is to give them deliverance, and lead them out on the way of their return. He who takes down the hurdles, or makes a gap in the wall or hedge, to permit them to pass through. This may apply to those human agcnt.i that shall permit and order their return. And Jehovah being at their head, may refer to their final restoration, when the Lord Jesus shall ber-ome their leader, thev having returned unto him as the shepherd and bishop of their souls; and they and the Gentiles fcn-ming one fold under one shepherd, to go no more out into captivity for ever. Lord, hasten the time!

In this chapter the prophet inveighs with great boldness and spirit against (he princes and prophets ofJudah; and foretells the destruction of Jerusalem as the consequence of their iniquity, 1-12. The last verse was fulfilled to a certain extent by Nebuchadnezzar; but most fully and literally by the Romans under Tilm. See Josephua.

O heads of Jacob, and ye ^^"R.^omaE!,"' princes of the house of Israel; cir. annum. 6. a jg {( j^qj for you to know judgment?

2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and IJieir flesh from off their bones;

3 Who also '■ eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and "^ as flesh within the caldron.

4 Then ^ shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them; he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they liave behaved themselves ill in their doings.

5 Thus saith the Lord ' concerning the prophets that make my people err, that ' bite with their teeth, and cry. Peace; and s he that put-

Verse 1. Hear — O heads of Jacoi] The metaphor of the_^ofA' is still carried on. The chiefs of Jacob, and the princes of Israel, instead of taking care of the flocks, defending them, and finding them pasture, oppressed them in various ways. They are like tvohes, who tear the skin of the sheep, and the flesh off their bones. This applies to all unjust and oppressive rulers.

Suetonius tells us, in his Life of Tiberius, that when the governors of provinces wrote to the emperor, entreating him to increase the tributes, he wrote back: "It is the property of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to skm them." Pra;sidibus onerandas tributo provincias suadentibus rescripsit: boni p.\storis esse TONDERE pecus, non deglubere. This is a maxim which many rulers of the earth do not seem lo understand.

Verse 4. Then shall they cry] When calamity comes upon these oppressors, they shall cry for deliverance: but they shall not be heard; because, in their unjust exactions upon the people, they went on ruthlessly, and would not hear the cry of the oppressed.

Verse 5. Thai bite with their teeth] That eat to the full; that are well provided for, and as long as they are so, prophesy smooth things, and cry. Peace! i. e., Ye shall have nothing but peace and prosperity. Whereas the true prophet, " who putteth not into their mouths," who makes no provision for their evil propensities, " they prepare war against him." Itvnp nnn'rJ ■'Sj? kiddeshu alaiv milchamah, " They sanctify a war against him." They call on all to help ihem to put down a man who is speaking evil of the Lord's people; and predicting the destruction if his temple, and Israel his inheritance.

a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, '' diat ye shall not divine; ^ and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their " lips; " for there is no answer of God.

8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, ° to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

1 0 P They build up Zion with 1 blood, no spiritual light, nor will God give you Uny revelation of his will.

The sun shall go down over the prophets] They prospered for a while, causing the people to err; but they shall also be carried into captivity, and then the sun of their prosperity shall go down for ever, and the very day that gives light and comfort to others, shall be darkness and calamity to them.

Verse 7. Shall the seers be ashamed] For the false visions of comfort and prosperity which they pretended to see.

And the diviners confounded] Who pretended to foretell future prosperity; for they themselves arc now thralled in that very captivity which the true prophets foretold, and which the false prophets said should not happen.

Verse 8. But — I am full of poiper] Here is the character of the true prophet. He is filled, all his soul is occupied with power, n3 coach, with heavenly energy; by the Spirit of the Lord, the fountain of all truth and might; and of judgment, which enables him to make a proper discernment between the precious and the vile; and of might, mi3J geburah, prevalent power, against which vice shall not be able to prevail, and before which iniquity shall not be able to stand: but all shall fall together, and be confounded.

Verse 10. They build up Zion with blood] They might cry out loudly against that butchery practised by Pekah, king of Israel, and Pul coadjutor of Rezie, against the Jews. See on chap. ii. 9. But these were by no means clear themselves; for if they strengthened the city, or decorated the temple, it was by the produce of their exactions and oppressions of the people.

The seers and diviners CHAP. IV.

' and Jerusalem with iniquity.

1 1 ' The heads thereof judge for reward, and ' the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: "yet will they lean upon the Lord, ^ and say, Is not the Lord among

I do not know a text more applicable than this to slave-dealers; or to any who have made their fortunes by such wrongs as affect the life of man; especially the former, who by the gains of this diabolic traffic have built houses, &c.; for, following up the prophet's metaphor, the limbers, &c., are the bones of the hapless Africans; and the mortar, the blood of the defenceless progeny of Ham. What an account must all those who have any hand in or profit from this detestable, degrading, and inhuman traffic, give to Ilim who will shortly judge the quick and dead!

Verse 1 1. The heads thereof judge for reivard] This does not apply to the regular law afficers, who have their proper salaries for giving up iheir whole time and attention to the conscientious discharge of the duties of their office; but to those who take a reward, who take bribes, for the perversion of justice; who will decide in favour of those from whom they get the greatest reward.

The prophets — divine for money] These are evidently the false prophets; for none, professing to be sent by God, used any kind of divination.

Yet will they lean upon the Lord] They will prescribe fasts and public thanksgivings, while not one sin is repented of or forsaken, and not one public grievance is redressed.

Is not the Lord among us?] Here is his temple, here are his ordinances, and here are \\\s people. Will he leave these? Yes, he will abandon the whole, because all are polluted.

Verse 12. Therefore shall Zion — be ploughed as a field] It shall undergo a variety of reverses and sackages, till at last there shall not be one stone left on the top of another, that shall not be pulled down;

your sake be " ploughed as a held;.

"^ and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and f the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

and then a plough shall be drawn along the site of the walls, to signify an irreparable and endless destruction. Of this ancient custom Horace speaks, Odar. lib. i., Od. IG, ver. 18.

Altis urbibus ultimae Stetere causa- cur perirent Funditus, imprimeretque muris Hostile aratrum exercitus insolens.

" From hence proud cities date their utter falls; When, insolent in ruin, o'er their walls The wrathful soldier drags the hostile plough. That haughty mark of total overthrow."

Thus did the Romans treat Jerusalem when it was taken by Titus. Turnus Kufus, or as he is called by St. Jerome, Titus Arinius Rufus, or Terenttus Rufus, according tp Josephus, caused a plough to be drawn over all the courts of the temple to signify that it should never be rebuilt, and the place only serve for agricultural purpo.scs. See the note on Matt. xxiv. 2. Thus Jerusalem became heaps, an indiscriminate mass of ruins and rubbish; and the mountain nf the house, Mount Moriah, on which the temple stood, became so much neglected after the total destruction of the temple, that it soon resembled the high places of the forest. What is said here may apply also, as before hinted, to the ruin of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar in the last year of the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of the Jews.

As the Masorelcs, in theii' division of the Bible, reckon the twelve minor prophets but as one hook, they mark this verse {twelfth of chap, iii.) the.middle verse of these prophets.

In the commencement of this chapter we have a glorious prophecy of the establishment and prosperity of the Messiah's kingdom; its peaceful character, increasing spiritual and political influence, ultimate universality, and everlasting duration, 1—4. Then breaks in a chorus nf his people declaring their peculiar happiness in being members of his kingdom, 5. The prophet resumes the subject; predicts the restoration and future prosperity of Israel, 6-8; and exhorts them not to be discouraged at their approaching captivity, as they should in due time not only be delivered from it, but likewise be victorious over all their enemies, 9—13. These last verses, which -evidently contain a prediction of the final triumph of Christianity over every adversary, have been applied to the conquests of the Maccabees; but the character and bmefirial results of their military exploits, as far as we have any account nf them, correspond but in a very faint degree la the beautiful and highly wrought terms of the prophecy. The first three verses nf this chapter are very similar to the commencement of the second chapter of Isaiah; and the fourth, for beauty of imagery and elegance of expression, ts not univorlhy of that prophet.

R. Roman., lam of the house oi the L.ord

the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the '' mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into " ploughshares, and their spears into '^ pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, ' neither shall they learn war any more.

4 f But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall

MICAH. of the Christian Church.

of the Lord of hosts hath spo- A. u. C. cir. 44.

5 For « all people will walk ■="•■ """""'■ "■ every one in the name of his god, and ^ we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

6 In that day, saith the Lord, ' will I assemble her that haltcth, ^ and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;

7 And I will make her that halted • a remnant, and her that was cast far ofi" a strong nation: and the Lord " shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

8 And thou, O tower of " the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? ° is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished?

Verses 1—4. But m the last days it shall come to pass] These four verses contain, says Bp. Newcome, a prophecy that was to be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, when the Gentiles were to be admitted into covenant with God, and the apostles were to preach the Gospel, beginning at Jeiusalem, Luke xxiv. 47; Acts ii. 14, &c.; when Christ was to be the spiritual Judge and King of many people, was to convince many nations of their errors and vices, and was to found a religion which had the strongest tendency to promote peace. Bp. Lowlh thinks that " Micah took this passage from Isaiah;" or the Spirit may have inspired both prophets with this prediction; or both may have copied some common original, the words of a prophet well known at that time. The variations (few and of little importance) may bo seen in the notes on the parallel passages, Isa. ii. 2, &c.; to which the reader is requested to refer.

Verse 4. Under his vine and under his Jig tree] A proverbial expression, indicative of perfect peace, security, and rural comfort. See on Isa. ii. 1. This verse is an addition to the prophecy as it stands in Isaiah.

Verse 5. Evcri/ one in the name of liis god] This shall be the state of the Gentile world; but after the captivity, the Jews walked in the name of Jehovah alone; and acknowledge no other object of religious Worship to the present day.

Verse 6. Will I assemble her that halteth — driven out — afflicted] Under these epithets, the state of the Jews, who were to be gathered into the Christian Church, is pointed out. They halted between the true God and idols; they were driven out into captivity, because of this idolatry; and they were variously afflicted, because they would not return unto the Lord that bought them.

Verse 7. Her that halted a remnant] I will preserve them as a distinct people after their return from captivity, for the farther purposes of my grace and mercy.

And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion] The Chaldcc is remarkable here, and positively applies the words to the Messiah: " But thou, O Messiah, of Israel, who art hidden because of the sins of the congregation of Zion, the kingdom shall come unto thee."

Verse 8. O tower of the foci] I think the temple is meant, or Jerusalem; the place where the floch, the whole congregation of the people assembled to worship God. Neiccome retains the Hebrew word ^^J; eder, a tower in or near Beth-lehem, Gen. xxxv. 21, or, as some think, a tower near the sheep-gate in Jerusalem. I believe Jerusalem, or the temple, or both, are meant; for these were considered the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, the fortress of the Jewish people.

Even the first dominion] What was this ] The Divine theocracy under Jesus Christ; this former, this first dominion, was to be restored. Hence the angel called him Imrnanuel, God with us, ruling among us.

Verse 9. Is there no king in thee.?] None. And why? Because thou hast rejected Jehovah thy king.

Is thy counsellor perished t] No: but thou hast rejected the words and advices of the prophets.

Pangs have taken thee] He is speaking of the desolations that should take place when the Chaldeans should come against the city; and hence he says, " Thou shall go to Babylon;" ye shall be cast out of your own land, and sent slaves to a foreign country. He represents the people under the notion of a vxrnian in travail.

K. Roman., 10 Be in pain, and labour to ""■ '°°""' ^- bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shall thou go forth out of the city, and thou shall dwell in the field, and thou shaltgoeucw to Babylon; there shall thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

1 1 "i Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say. Let her be defiled, and let our eye ' look upon Zion.

Verse 10. There shall thou be delivered] There God shall meet thee; and by redeeming thee from thy captivity, bringing thee back to thine own land, and finally converting thee unto himself, shall deliver thee from the burden of grief and wo which thou now bearest, and under which tliou dost groan.

Verse 1 1. Many nations are gathered against thee] The Chaldeans, who were composed of many nations. And, we may add, all the surrounding nations were their enemieg; and rejoiced when the Chaldean army had overthrown Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and led the people away captive.

Let her he defiled] This was their cry and their wish: Let Jerusalem be laid as low as she can be, like a thing defiled and cast away with abhorrence; that their eyes might look upon Zion with scorn, contempt, and exultation.

Verse 12. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord] These think that God has utterly rejected his people, and they shall have a troublesome neighbour no more: but this is not his design; he will afflict them for a time; but these, the enemies of his people, he will gather as sheaves into the threshing-floor, there to be trodden, and the wheel to go over them. This is the counsel, the purpose of God, which these do not understand. The persons here referred to are not only the Chaldeans which were threshed by the Persians and Medes; but the Idumeans, Ammonites, Moabites,

12 But they know not Mir

understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them ' as the sheaves into the floor.

13 " Arise and thresh, 0 daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shall " baa' in pieces many people: " and I will con secrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto " the Lord of the whole

and Philistines, which the Jews afterwards subdued.

Verse 13. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion] This refers to the subject of the preceding verse. When God shall hs^vc gathered together all thy enemies, as into the threshing-floor, he will give thee commission and power to get a complete victory over them, and reduce them to servitude. And that thou mayest be able to do this, he will be on thy side as a powerful helper; here signified by the metaphors, tron horns, and brazen hoofs. Thou shalt have power, authority, and unconquerable strength; for thine enemies shall be no mdre against thee than the com against oxen shod with brass, or a puny animal against the horn of a fierce bull tipped with iron.

I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord] What they have taken from thee in the way of spoil shall be restored; and again consecrated unto the service of him who will show himself to be the Lord, the Supreme Governor of the tchole earth. Was not this prediction fulfilled when Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return to their own land, and gave them back the sacred vessels of the temple which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away 1 The Maccabees and their successors recovered much of the booty of which the neighbouring nations had deprived the Jews; and the treasure taken was devoted to Jehovah. The first verse of the next chapter should conclude this.

This chapter begins, according to the opinion of some commentators, with a prophecy concerning the siege oj Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the great indignities which Zedekiah should suffer from the Babylonians, 1. We have next a most famous prediction concerning the birthplace of the Messiah, " whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting," 2. See Matt. ii. 6. The Jews obstinately persisting in their opposition to the Messiah, God will therefore give them up into the hands of their enemies till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled: and then all the posterity of Jacob, both Israel and Judah, shall be converted to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and, along with the Gentiles, be brought into the large and peaceful pastures of this Great Shepherd of the sheep, 3, 4. After this illustrious prophecy, the prophet goes on to foretell the downfall of the Assyrians, by whom ere meant the enemies of the Church in general, the type being probably put for the antitype; the miraculous discomfiture of the great -Assyrian army in the reign of Sennacherib strongly shadowing forth the glorious and no less miraculous triumphs of Christianity in the latter times, 5, 6. See Isa. xi. 16. Some understand this prophecy of Antiochus and the Vol. IV f 46 \ 721 seven famous Maccabees, with their eight royal successors, from Aristohulus to Anlifonus; and it is not impossible that these people may be also intended, for we have often had occasion to remark that a prophecy of the Old Testament Scriptures has frequently more than one aspect. The seventh verse was fulfilled by the Jews spreading the knowledge of the true God during their captivity, and so paving the loay for the Gospel; but will be more signally fulfilled after their conversion and restoration. See Rom. xi. 12-15. The remaining verses contain a prophecy of the final overthrow of all the enemies of pure and undefiled religion, and of the thorough purification of the Church of God from the corruptions of Antichrist, 9-15

R. Komim., laid Siege against us: they sliall cir. annum 6. a gmite the judge of Israel, with a rod upon the cheek.

2 But thou, *> Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be httle " among the "^thousands of Judah, t/et out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be " Ruler in Israel; ^ whose goings forth have been from of old, from s everlasting.

Verse 1. O daughter of troops] The Chaldeans, whose armies were composed of troops from various nations.

He (Nebuchadnezzar) hath laid siege against us; (Jerusalem;) they shall smite the judge of Israel (Zedekiah) ivith a rod upon the cheek.] They shall offer him the greatest indignity. They slew his sons before his face; and tlien put out his eyes, loaded him with chains, and carried him captive to Babylon.

Verse 2. But thou, Beth-lchcm Ephratah] I have <;onsidered this subject in great detail in the notes on Matt. ii. 6, to which the reader will be pleased to refer. This verse should begin this chapter; \h(i first verse belongs to the preceding chapter.

Beth-lehem Ephratah, to distinguish it from another Beth-lehem, which was in the tribe of Zebulun, Josh,

Thousands of Judah] The tribes were divided into small portions called thousands; as in our country certain divisions of counties are called hundreds.

Whose goings forth have been fi'om of old] In every age, from the foundation of the world, there has been some manifestation of the Messiah. He was the hope, as he was the salvation, of the world, from the promise to Adam in paradise, to his manifestation in the flesh four thousand years after.

From everlasting] dSu' 'O'O miyemey olam, "From the days of all time;" from time as it came out of eternity. That is, there was no time in which he has not been going forth — coming in various ways to save men. And he that came forth the moment that time iiad its birth, was before that time in which he began to come forth to save the souls that he had created. He was before all things. As he is the Creator of all things, so he is the Eternal, and no part of what was created. All being but God has been created. Whatever has not been created is God. But Jesus is the Creator of all things; therefore he is God; for he cannot be a part of his own work.

up, until the time that which travaileth hath brought forth: then ' the remnant of his.

brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and '' feed ' in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now " shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Verse 3. Therefore will he give them up] Jesus Christ shall give up the disobedient and rebellious Jews into the hands of all the nations of the earth, till she who travaileth hath brought forth; that is, till the Christian Church, represented Rev. xii. 1, under the notion of a woman in travail, shall have had the fulness of the Gentiles brought in. Then the remnant of his brethren shall return; the Jews also shall be converted unto the Lord; and thus all Israel shall be saved, according to Rom. xi. 26.

Unto the children of Israel.] Taking in both families, that of Judah and that of Israel. The remnant of the ten tribes, wherever they are, shall be brought in under Christ; and though now lost among the nations of the earth, they will then not only be brought in among the fulness of the Gentiles, but most probably be distinguished as Jews.

On this verse Abp. Newcome says, " The sense is, God will not fully vindicate and exalt his people, till the virgin mother shall have brought forth her Son; and till Judah and Israel, and all the true sons of Abraham among their brethren the Gentiles, be converted to Christianity.

Verse 4. He shall stand and feed] The Messiah shall remain with his followers, supporting and governing them in the strength and majesty of the Lord, with all the miraculous interferences of his power, and all the glories of his grace.

And they shall abide] After this the Jews shall no more go astray, but shall remain one people with the Gentiles, under the one Shepherd and Bishop of all souls.

Newcome translates, " They shall be converted;" for' instead of l^K^'l veyashebu, he reads 131'J'1 veyashubu, which gives him the translation above. This is the reading of three MSS. of Kennicott^s and De Rossi''s, with the Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate.

For now shall he be great] The Messiah shall be great, as bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. All nations shall receive his religion, and he shall be universal King.

The enemies of God's people CHAP. VI.

5 And this man " shall be the 8 And the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when lie shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight " principal men.

6 And they shall i" waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of i Nimrod "■ in the entrances thereof: thus shall he ^ deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

7 And ' the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people ^ as the dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Verse 5. And this man shall be the peace] This clause should be joined to the preceding verse, as it finishes the prophecy concerning our blessed Lord, who is the Author and Prince of Israel; and shall finally give peace to all nations, by bringing them under his yoke.

When the Assyrian shall come] This is a new prophecy, and relates to the subversion of the Assyrian empire.

Then shall ive raise against him seven shepherds] Supposed to mean the seven Maccabees, Mattathias and \nsfive sons, and Hyrcanus, the son of Simon.

Eight principal men.] Eight princes, the Asmonean race; beginning with Aristobulus, and ending with Herod, who was married to Mariamne. — Sharpe. Perhaps seven and eight are a definite for an indefinite number, as Eccl. xi. 2; Job v. 19. The prophet means the chiefs of the Medes and Babylonians, the prefects of difierent provinces who took Nineveh, whose number may have been what is here specified. — Newcome.

Calmet considers this as referring to the invasion of Judea by Cambyses, when the Lord raised up against him the seven magi. He of them who passed for king of the Persians was the Smerdis o{ Herodotus, the Oropastes of Trogus, and the Artaxcrxes of Ezra. These magi were put to death by seven Persian chiefs; who, having delivered the empire from them, set one of themselves, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, upon the throne.

Verse 6. The land of Nimrod] Assyria, and Nineveh its capita!; and Babylon, which was also built by Nimrod, who was its first king. Gen. x. 11, 12, in the margin.

In the entrances thereof] At its posts or watergates; for it was by rendering themselves masters of the Euphrates that the Medes and Persians took the city, according to the prediction of Jeremiah, chap. Ii.

Calmet thinks that this refers to the deliverance of the land from Cambyses by his death, and the insurtectioa of the eight princes mentioned above, who shall be among the Gentiles in a. ii. c. ci 44.

the midst 01 many people as a k. Roman., hon among the beasts of the forest, "'•""""'" °-

as a young lion among the flocks of ^ sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

10 '" And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

1 1 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all tliy strongholds:

made themselves masters of the whole Babylonian empire, &c. Perhaps it is best to refer it to the invasion of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar; and the final destruction of the Babylonish empire by Cyrus, who took Babylon, slew Belshazzar, and possessed himself of the kingdom.

Verse 7. The remnant of Jacob] From the reign of Darius Hystaspes (Ahastierus, husband of Esther) the Jev^s were greatly favoured. Those who continued in Persia and Chaldea were greatly honoured under the protection of Mordccai and Esther. — Calmet. But others consider this as applying to the Maccabees.

As a dew from the Lord] Even during their captivity many of the Jews were the means of spreading the knowledge of the one true God; see Dan. ii. 47; iii. 29; iv. 34; vi. 26. This may be the dew from the Lord mentioned here. When the Messiah appeared, the Gospel was preached by them; and it shall again be propagated by their future glorious restoration, Rom. xi. 12, 25.

The grass, that tarrieth not for 7n(in] Which grass springs up without the attention and culture of man; ty'N7 leish, even the best and >7iost skilful of men.

Nor ivaitethfor the sons of men.] DTK 'i^h libney adam, for the sons of Adam, the first transgressor. The deio and the showers descend on the earth and water it, in order to render it fruitful; and the grass springs up independently either of the worth or wick edness of man. All comes through God^s bounty, who causes his sunXo shine on t\\e just and the unjust, and his rain to descend on the evil and the good.

Verse 8..4* a lioii] In this and the following verse the victories of the Maccabees are supposed to be foretold.

Verse 9. All thine enemies shall he cut off.] The Assyrians, who had destroyed Israel; and the Babylonians, who had ruined Judch.

Verse 10. / will cut off thy horses] Thou shalt have no need of cavalry in thine armies; God will fight for you.

1 2 And I will cut off witchcrafts and thou shall

have no inore ^ soothsayers.

13 ^ Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy ^ standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt " no more worship the work of thine hands.

Thou shalt have no need oi fortified cities; I will be thy defence.

Verse 12. I will cut off witchcrafts] Thou shalt seek help only in Jehovah thy God. They have had neither soothsayers, images, groves, nor high places, '■'■om the captivity to the present day.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy '' cities.

1 5 And I will " execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

Verse 13. Thy graven images also xoill I cut off^ Thou shalt be no more an idolatrous people.

Verse 15. I will execute vengeance — upon the heathen] And he did so; for the empires of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and others, the sworn enemies of the Jews, have long since been utterly destroyed.

This chapter reproves and threatens. The manner of raising the attention by calling on man to urge /lis plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is awakening and sublime. The words of Jehovah follow, 3—5. And God^s mercies having been set forth to his people, oyie of them is introduced, in a beautiful dramatic form, asking tohat his duty is towards a God so gracious, 6, 7. The answer follows in the ivords of the prophet, 8; who goes on to upbraid the people of his charge with their injustice and idolatry, to which he ascribes ivant of success in their laioful undertakings, and those heavy calamities which are now impending, 9—15.

XTEAR ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou ^ before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 2 '' Hear ye, 0 mountains, " the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for '' the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

Verse 1. Arise, contend thou] This chapter is a sort of dialogue between God and the people. God speaks the^^ye first verses, and convicts the people of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The people, convinced of their iniquity, deprecate God's judgments, in the sixth and seventh verses. In the eighth verse God prescribes the way in which they are to be saved; and then the prophet, by the command of God, goes on to remonstrate from the ninth verse to the end of the

Verse 2. Hear ye, O mountains] Micah, as God's advocate, summons this people into judgment, and makes an appeal to inanimate creation against them. He had spoken to the priests, to the princes, to the people. He had done every thing that was necessary to make them wise, and holy, and happy; they had uniformly di.sobeyed, and were ever ungrateful. It was not consistent with either the justice or mercy of God to permit them to go on without reprehension and punishment. He now calls them into judgment; and such was the nature of their crimes that, to heighten

3 0 my people, I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

4 ^ For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

the effect, and show what reason he had to punish such a people, he appeals to inanimate creation. Their ingratitude and rebellion are sufficient to make the motintains, the hills, and the strong foundations of the earth to hear, tremble, and give judgment against them. This, then, is the Lord^s controversy with his people, and thus he will plead with Israel.

Verse 3. O my people, ivhat have I done unto thee?] They are called to show why God should not pronounce sentence upon them. This condescension is truly astonishing! God appears to humble himself to his creatures. You have acted basely, treacherously, and ungratefully to me; this had already been proved by the prophets. What cause have I given you for such conduct 1 I have required a religious service from you; but have I wearied you by a fatiguing round of difficult duties? If I have, now testify against me; and you shall be first heard, and your plea received, if it be reasonable and good. They are silent; and God proceeds, and states what he has done for them.

Verse 4. / brought thee up out of the land of Egypt] Where you were slaves, and grievously op-

suited, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from

*" Shittim unto Gilgal; that j'e may know

' the righteousness of the Lord. 6 Wherewith ^hall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before the high God? shall

I come before him with burnt-offerings, with

pressed; from all this I redeemed you. Was this a small benefit! / sent before thee Moses, my chosen servant, and instructed him that he might be your leader and lawgiver. I sent with him Aaron, that he might be your priest, and transact all spiritual matters between myself and you, in offerings, sacrifices, and atonements. I sent Miriam, to whom I gave the spirit oi prophecy, that she might tell you things to come, and be the director o{ your females. To this sense the Chaldee, " I have sent three prophets before you; Moses, that he might teach you the tradition of judgments; Aaron, that he might make atonement for the people; and Miriam, that she might instruct the females."

Verse 5. Remember now what Balak Icing of Moab consulted] He sent for Balaam to curse your fathers; but by my influence he was obliged to bless them. See Num. xxii. and xsiii., and the notes there, where this subject is largely considered.

From Shittim unto Gilgal] From the encampment at Shittim, Num. xxv. 1, on the way to that of Gilgal, Josh. iv. 19. Balaam gave different answers in the interval between these places. We may suppose that the encampments of Israel advanced slowly to that part of Jordan which was opposite to Gilgal. The Chaldee has, " Were there not wonderful things done in your behalf from the valley of Shittim to the house of Gilgall" See Josh. iii. 1; iv. 20. Thus there will be a reference to the miraculous passage over Jordan. See Newcome.

That ye may know the righteousness] The just, equitable, and merciful dealing of the Most High. Recollect those things, that ye may have a proper impression of this. There are many interpretations given of this rather obscure clause; what I have proposed seems to me the most simple.

This is the sum of the address; and here the case of the plaintiff terminates, the prisoners being called to show why the sentence of the law should not be pronounced. I make no apology for using any forensic terms, as the passages before us refer to a case brought into s. court to he judged, and the terms in the original are all such as are proper for a court of justice; and the thing itself is called the Lord's controversy, 3'T mn' rib Yehovah, Jehovah^s.luit at law. And hence it is Baid, He will plead, litigate, with Israel.

\etse 6. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord]

ten thousands 01 ■" rivers 01 oil f r. Roman., ° shall I give my first-born for "'"■ """"" ^- my transgression, the fruit of my " body for the sin of my soul?

8 He hath p showed thee, 0 man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but 1 to do justly, and to love mercy, and to ^ walk hiunbly with thy God?

Now the people, as defendants, appear; but instead of vindicating themselves, or attempting to dispute what has been alleged against them, they seem at once to plead guilty; and now anxiously inquire how they shall appease the wrath of the Judge, how they shall make atonement for the sins already committed.

Bow myself before the high God] They wish to pray, and to make supplication to their Judge; but how shall they come before him? They have no right to come into his presence. Some offering must be brought; but of what kind, or of what value? Their sin is unprecedented, and usual methods of access will not avail. They are distracted in their minds, and make a variety of proposals to themselves, some rational, some absurd and impossible, and some even sinful.

Shall I co?ne before him with burnt-offerings] This is reasonable, and according to the law; but this will be insufiicient.

Verse 7. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams] These might be procured, though with diflSculty; but conscience says, neither will these do.

With ten thousands of rivers of oil] This is absurd and impossible; but could even these be procured, could they all make atonement for such guilt, and ingratitude, and rebellion?

Shall I give my first-bom for my transgression] This was sinful and wicked; but such offerings had been made by the Phoenicians, and their successors the Carthaginians; and this very custom was copied by the corrupt Israelites. See some cases of such offerings, 3 Kings iii. 27; Lev. xx. 27.

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?] This clause is an explanation of the former. Shall I make the first-born, the best and goodliest of my children, r>NDn chaltath, a sin-offering for my soul 1 -And thus the original is used in a multitude of places.

When they had put all these questions to their reason and conscience, they found no satisfaction; their distraction is increased, and despair is about to take place, when Jehovah, the plaintiff, in his mercy interposes:

Verse 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what 13 good] All the modes of expiation which ye have proposed are, in the sight of God, unavailable; they cannot do away the evil, nor purify from the guilt of sin. He himself has shown thee what is good; that which is profitable to thee, and pleasing to himself. And what is that 1 Answer. Thou art —

Tlie prophet reprehends MICAH

9 The ^ Lord's voice crieth unto

R. Roman., shall sec thy name: hear ye the

10 "Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the

11^ ohall 1 count them pure r. Roman, with the y wicked balances, and

with the bag of deceitful weights? 1 2 For the rich men thereof are full of vio-

me shall see that which is. " Or, Is there yet unto every man XX. 10, 23. ^ Or, Shall I be pure with, &c. T Hos.

I. To do justly; to give to all their due.

1. To God his due; thy heart, thy bodij, soul, and spirit; thy tuisdom, understanding, judgment. "To love him with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thy neighbour as thyself." This is God's due and right from every man.

2. Thou art to give thy neighbour his due; to do to him as thou wouldst that he should do to thee, never working ill to him.

3. Thou art to give to thyself thy due; not to deprive thy soul of what God has provided for it; to keep thy body in temperance, sobriety, and chastity; avoiding all excesses, both in action and passion.

II. Thou art to love mercy; not only to do what justice requires, but also what mercy, kindness, benevolence, and charity require.

III. But how art thou to do this ' Thou art to icalk humbly with thy God; >'J!fn hatsnea, to humble thyself to walk. This implies to acknowledge thy iniquity, and submit to be saved by his free mercy, as thou hast already found that no kind of offering or sacrifice can avail. Without this humiliation of soul there never was, there never can be, any u-alhing with God; for without his mercy no soul can be saved; and he must be THY God before thou canst walk with him. Many, when they hear the nature of sin pointed out, and the way of salvation made plain through the blood of the Lamb, have shut their eyes both against sin and the proper sacrifice for it, and parried all exhortation, threatening, &o., with this text; "God requires nothing of us but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him." Now I ask any man, Art thou willing to stand or fall by this text? And it would cost me neither much time nor much pains to show that on this ground no soul of man can be saved. Nor does God say that this doing justly, &c., shall merit eternal glory. No. He shows that in this way all men should walk; that this is the duty of every rational being: but he well knows that no fallen soul can act thus without especial assistance from him, and that it is only the regenerate man, the man who has found redemption through the blood of the cross, and has God for his God, that can thus act and ivalk. Salvation is of the mere mercy of God alone; for by the works of the law shall no Jiesh be justified.

The manner of raising attention, says Bp. Newcome, on ver. 1,2, by calling on man to urge his plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is truly awakening and magnificent. The words of Jehovah follow in ver. 3, 4, 5. And God's mercies having been set before the people, one of them is introduced in a beautiful dramatic form; asking what his duty is towards so gracious a God, ver. 6, 7. The answer follows in the words of the prophet, ver. 8. Some think we have a sort of dialogue between Balak and Balaam, represented to us in the prophetical way. The king of Moab speaks, ver. 6. Balaam replies by another question in the two first hemistichs of ver. 7. The king of Moab rejoins in the remaining part of the verse; and i?a/aam replies, ver. 8. Bps. Butler and Lowth favour this. I cannot agree.

Verse 9. The Lord's voice crieth tmto the city] No man is found to hear; but the man of wisdom will hear, n'lyin tushiyah; a word frequent in the writings of Solomon and Job, signifying wisdom, wealth, substance, reason, essence, happiness; any thing that is complete; or that which is substantial, in opposition to vanity, emptiness, mere show, unsubstantiality. When God speaks, the man of common sense, who has any knowledge of God or his own soul, will see thy name; but instead of nxT yireh, will see, the Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, with twelve of KennicotCs and De Ros.ii's MSS., have read 'NT yirey, they that pear. The Vulgate reads: —

Et salus erit timentibus nomen tuum. " And thou shalt be salvation to them that fear thy name."

The Septuagint — Kai auact (pofJov/isvov^ to ovofia

And he shall save those who fear his name. — This the Arabic copies.

The Targum has, " And the teachers shall fear the name." That is, niiT Yehovah.

The French Bible is very strange: — Car ton nom voit comme il va de tout. " For thy name sees how every thing goes."

The word rfiyin tushiyah, mentioned above, which occasions all the difficulty, has been read with an>' ain by the Vulgate and Septuagint, as coming from the root yjy' yasha, to he saved; and it is very likely that this was the original reading. The two last letters in the word, H", might have been easily mistaketi in the MS. for the letter J", where I may suppose the word stood thus, i'tsin, shall be saved; and as several MSS. read 'ST yirey, they viho fear, instead of nST yireh, he shall see, the whole clause might have been just what it appears in the Vulgate and Septuagint. It is also necessary to remark that the word in dispute has various forms in some MSS., which is a strong presumption against its authenticity. See Kennicoti and De Rossi-

Verse 10. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness] Such as false balances and deceitful weights. See on

lence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken hcs, and ^ their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore also will I * make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

14 '' Thou shall eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shall not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

the olives, but thou slialt not r. Roman.,

anoint thee with oil; and sweet """• """""' "■ wine, but shalt not drink wine.

Hos. xii. 7. This shows that they were not doing JUSTLY. They did not give to each his due.

Verse 12. For the rich men thereof are full of violence] This shows that they did not love mercy.

The inhabitants thereof have spoken lies] This shows that they did not humble themselves to walk with God.

Verse 13. Will I make thee.sici in smiting thee] Perhaps better, " I also am weary with smiting thee, in making thee desolate for thy sins." They were corrected, but to no purpose; they had stroke upon stroke, but were not amended.

Verse 14. Thou shalt eat, hut not he satisfied] All Ihy possessions are cursed, because of thy sins; and thou hast no real good in all thy enjoyments.

And thy casting down] For "^niy'l veyeshchacha, " thy casting down," Newcome, by transposing the n and \l/, reads Ityn'l veyechshach, " and it shall be dark;" and this is probably the true reading. The Arabic and Scpluagint have read the same. " There shall be calamity in the midst of thee." It shall have its seat and throne among you.

16 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 a hissing: therefore ye shall bear the '' re proach of my people.

Verse 15. Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap] Thou shalt labour to amass property, but thou shalt not have God's blessing; and whatever thou collectest, thy enemies shall carry away. And at last carry thyself into captivity.

Verse 16. The statutes of Omri are kept] Omri, king of Israel, the father of Ahab, was one of the worst kings the Israelites ever had; and Ahab followed in his wicked father's steps. The statutes of those kings were the very grossest idolatry. Jezebel, wife of the latter, and daughter of Ithobaal, king of Tyre, had no fellow on earth. From her Shakspeare seems to have drawn the character o{ Lady Macbeth; a woman, like her protrftype, mixed up of tigress and fiend, without addition. Omri, Ahab, and Jezebel, were the models followed by the Israelites in the days of this prophet.

The inhabitants thereof a hissing] npltcS lishrekah, " for a shriek;" because those who should see them should be both astonished and affrighted at them.

There are few chapters in the prophets, or in the Bible, superior to this for genuine worth and importance. The structure is as elegant as it is impressive; and it is every way worthy of the Spirit of God.

The prophet begins this chapter with lamenting the decay of piety and the growth oj ungodliness, using a beautiful allegory to imply {as explained in verse 2) that the good man is as seldom to be met with as the early fig of best quality in the advanced season, or the cluster after the vintage, 1, 2, He then reproves and threatens in terms so expressive of great calamities as to be applied in the New Testament to times of the hottest persecution, 3-6. See Matt. x. 35, 36. Notwithstanding ichich a Jew is immediately introduced declaring, in the name of his captive people, the strongest faith in the mercy of God, the most submissive resignation to his will, and the firmest hope in his favour in future times, when they should triumph over their enemies, 7-10. The prophet upon this resumes the discourse, and predicts their great prosperity and increase, 11, 12; although the whole land of Israel must first be desolated on account of the great wickedness of its inhabitants, 13. The prophet intercedes in behalf of his people, 14. After tohich God is introduced promising, in very ample terms, their future restoration and prosperity, 15-17. And then, to conclude, a chorus of Jews is introduced, singing a beautiful hymn of thanksgiving, suggested by the gracious promises which precede, 18—20.

2 The "^ good ' man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; ' they hunt every man his brother with a net.

3 That they may do evil with both hands

4 The best of them ^ is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation com eth; now shall be then- perplexity.

5 ' Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not con fidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

Verse 1. Wo is me!] This is a continuation of the preceding discourse. And here the prophet points out the small 7iumber of the upright to be found in the land. He himself seemed to be the only person who was on God's side; and he considers himself as a solitary grape, which had escaped the general gathering. The word ]'p kayits, which is sometimes used for summer, and summer fruits in general, is here translated late figs; and may here, says Bishop Newcome, be opposed to the early ripe fig of superior quality. See on Hos. ix. 10, and Amos viii. 1, 2. He desired to see the first-ripe fruit — distinguished and eminent piety; but he found nothing but a very imperfect or spurious kind of godliness.

Verse 2. The good man is perished out of the earth] A similar sentiment may be found, Psa. xii. 1; Isa. Ivii. 1. As the early fig of excellent flavour cannot be found in the advanced season of summer, or a choice cluster of grapes aher ■vintage, so neither can the good and upright man be discovered by searching in Israel. This comparison, says Bp. Newcome, is beautifully miplied.

They hunt every man his brother with a net.'] This appears to be an allusion to the ancient mode of duel between the retiarius and secutor. The former had s. casting net, which he endeavoured to throw over the head of his antagonist, that he might then despatch him with his short sword. The other parried the cast; and when the retiarius missed, he was obliged to run about the field to get time to set his net in right order for another throw. While he ran, the other followed, that he might despatch him before he should be able to recover the proper position of his net; and hence the latter was called secutor, the pursuer, as the other was called retiarius, or the net man. I have explained this before on Job, and other places; but because it is rarely noticed by commentators, I explain the allusion here once more. Abp. Newcome, by not attending to this, has translated mn niX" in"nx ns tl^'X ish eth achihu yatsudu cherem, " They hunt every man his brother for his destruction;" though he puts net in the margin.

Verse 3. That they may do evil with both hands] That is, earnestly, greedily, to the uttermost of their power. The Vulgate translates: Malum manuum

The judge asketh for a reward] That he may decide the cause in favour of him who gives most money, whether the cause be good or evil. This was notoriously the case in our own country before the giving of Magna Charta; and hence that provision, NuUi vendemus justitiam aut rectum: "We will not sell justice to any man." And this was not the only country in which justice and judgment were put to sale.

The great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire] Such consider themselves above law, and they make no secret of their unjust determinations. And so they wrap it tip — they all conjoin in doing evil in their several offices, and oppressing the poor; so our translators have interpreted the original Din^^'l vayeabtuha, which the versions translate variously. Neivcome has, " And they do abominably."

Verse 4. The best of them is as a brier] They are useless in themselves, and cannot be touched without wounding him that comes in contact with them. He alludes to the thick thorn hedges, still frequent in Palestine.

The day of thy watchmen] The day of vengeance, which the prophets have foreseen and proclaimed, is at hand. Now shall be their perplexity; no more wrapping up, all shall be unfolded. In that day every man will wish that he were different from what he is found to be; but he shall be judged for what he is, and for the deeds he has done.

Verse 5. Trust ye not in a friend] These times will be so evil, and the people so vi-icked, that all bonds will be dissolved; and even the most intimate will beSray each other, when they can hope to serve themselves by it.

" Trust ye not in a friend. — Several of those whom I have delighted to call by that name have deceived me.

" Put ye not confidence in a guide. — Had I followed some of these I should have gone to perdition.

" Keep the door of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. — My wife alone never deceived me."

It is now twenty-seven years since, and I find no cause to alter what I then wrote.

a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

7 Therefore " I will look unto the Lord: I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

8 ° Rejoice not against me, 0 mine enemy: p when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, i the Lord shall be a light unto mc.

9 ■■ I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: ' he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

that is mine enemy, and cover her with shame. "Psa. xxxv. 26.

Verse 6. For the son dishonoureth the father] See the use our Lord has made of these words, where he quotes them, Matt. x. 21, 25, 36, and the notes there.

Verse 7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord] Because things are so, I will trust in the Lord more firmly, wait for him more patiently, and more confidently expect to be supported, defended, and saved.

Verse 8. Rejoice not against me, O Tnine enemy] The captive Israelites are introduced as speaking here and in the preceding verse. The enemy are the Assyrians and Chaldeans; the fall is their idolatry and consequent captivity; the darkness, the calamities they suffered in that captivity; their rise and light, their restoration and consequent blessedness.

To rejoice over the fall or miseries of any man, betrays a malignant spirit. I have known several instances where people professing to hold a very pure and Christian creed, having become unfaithful and fallen into sin, their opponents, who held a very impure and unchristian creed, have exulted with " Ha, ha! so would we have it!" and have shown their malignity more fully, by giving all possible publicity and circulation to such accounts. Perhaps in the sight of God this was worse than the poor wretch's fall, in which they exulted as having taken place in one who held a creed different from their own. But these arose again from their fall, while those jesters at holiness continued in the^aW of bitterness and bonds of inward corruption.

Verse 9. / loill bear the indignation of the Lord] The words of the penitent captives, acknowledging their sins and praying for mercy.

Until he plead my cause] And wo to the slanderers, when God undertakes to plead for the fallen who have returned to him with deep compunction of heart, seeking redemption in the blood "of tne cross.

Verse 10. Then she that is mine enemy] This may refer particularly to the city of Babylon.

Shall she be trodden down] Literally fulfilled in the sackage of that city by the Persians, and its consequent

1 0 * Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and " shame

shall cover her which said unto me, k. Roman, ' Where is the Lord thy God? "'"■ """'""■ ^- "■mine eyes shall behold her: now ' shall she be trodden down ^ as the mire of the streets.

1 1 In the day that thy ' walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.

12 In that day also " he shall come even to thee from Assyria, '' and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

13 ■= Notwithstanding the land sliall be desolate because of them that dwell therein. ^ for the fruit of their doinsrs.

total ruin. It became as mire; its walls, formed of brick kneaded ivith straw and baked in the sun, becoming exposed to the wet, dissolved, so that a vestige of the city remains not, except a few bricks digged from under the rubbish, several pieces of which now lie before me, and show the perishing materials of which the head of thi? proud empire was composed.

Verse 1 1. In the day that thy walls are to he built] This refers to Jerusalem; the decree, to the purpose of God to deliver the people into captivity. " This shall be far removed." God having purposed their return, I cannot think, with some commentators, that this verse contains threatenings against ierusddem, and not promises. See the first chapter of Haggai, where the subject is similar; and the restoration of Jerusalem is certainly what the prophet describes.

"And in that day they shall come unto thee From Assyria and the fenced cities; And from Egypt even unto the river

Calmet translates: — " They shall come to thee from Assyria even unto Egypt, And from Egypt even to the river; (Euphrates;) And from one sea to another, and from one mountain to another."

This, says he, gives an easy sense; whereas we cannot tell where to find those fortified citie.i spoken of by other translators. The Israelites were to return from their captivity, and re-occupy their ancient country from Assyria to Egypt; that is, from the river Euphrates to the river Nile; and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Ocean; and from Mount Libanus to the mountains of Arabia Petrdca, or Mount Seir. See Amos viii. 12. This prediction was literally fulfilled under the Asmoneans. The Jewish nation was greatly extended and very powerful under Herod, at the time that our Lord was born. See Calmet.

A. u. C. cir. 44. thy rod, the nock of thine herit- K. Roman., agc, which dwoll sohtanly m cir. annum 6. f jj^g -wood, ill the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as:n the days of old.

15 «■ According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things.

16 The nations ^ shall see and be confounded at all their might: ' they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

17 They shall lick the ''dust like a serpent, ' they shall move out of their holes like " worms of the earth: " they shall be afraid of

18 ° Who ts a God hke unto k. Roman., thee, that Ppardoneth iniquity, "■•■ =^""°» ''■ and passeth by the transgression of "i the remnant of his heritage? 'he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again, he will have com passion upon us; he will subdue our iniqui ties; and thou wilt cast all their sins into thedepths of the sea.

20 ^Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, ' which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

late] This should be translated in the preter tense, " Though the land h.\d been desolate;" that is, the land of Israel had been desolate during the captivity, which captivity was the " fruit of the evil doings of them that had dwelt therein."

Verse 14. Feed thy people with thy rod] "JtsatyD heshibtecha, "with thy crook." The shepherd's crook is most certainly designed, as the word J!ock immediately following shows. No rod of correction or affliction is here intended; nor does the word mean such.

Verse 15. According to the days] This is the answer to fhe' prophet's prayer; and God says he will protect, save, defend, and uwrk miracles for them in their restoration, such as he wrought for their fathers in their return from Egypt to the promised land.

Verse 16. The nations shall see and be confounded] Whether the words in these verses (15, 16, and 17) be applied to the return from the Babylonish captivity, or to the prosperity of the Jews under the Maccabees, they may be understood as ultimately applicable to the final restoration of this people, and their lasting prosperity under the Gospel.

Verse 18. Who is a God like unto thee, <3fc.] Here is a challenge to all idol worshippers, and to all those who take false views of the true God, to show his like. See his characters; they are immediately subjoined.

1. He pardoneth iniquity. This is the prerogative of God alone; of that Being who alone has power to save or to destroy.

2. He passeth by transgression. He can heal hacksliding, and restore them that are fallen.

justly displeased because of sin, he pours out his judgments upon the wicked; yet when they return to him, he shows " that he retaineth not his anger for ever," but is indescribably ready to save them.

4. He delighteth in mercy. Judgment is his strange work: he is ever more ready to save than to destroy. Nothing C3.n please him better than having the opportunity, from the return and repentance of the sinner, to show him that mercy without which he must perish everlastingly.

5. Because he is such a God — 1. "He will turn again." His face has been long turned from us, because of our sins. 2. " He will have compassion upon us," pity our state, and feel for our sorrows. 3. " He will subdue our iniquities." Though they have been mighty, he will bring them down, and bruise them under our feet. 4. " He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Will fully pardon them, and never more remember them against us. Instead of DnSQP chattotham, their sins, five MSS. of Kennicott''s and De Rossi's, with the Septnagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, read U'nSQn chattotheynu, our sins. He will plunge them into eternal oblivion, never more to come into sight or remembrance; like a stone dropped into the " depths of the sea."

Verse 20. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob] The promises which he has made to Jacob and his posterity. Not one of them can ever fall to the ground. " And the mercy to.\br3ham, which thou hast sworn:" viz., that " in his Seed all the families of the earth should be blessed;" that the Messiah should come from Abrah.^m, through his son Isa.ic, by Jacob and David; be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. And this promise, and this oath, God has most signally fulfilled by the incarnation of Christ, who was sent to bless us by turning away every one of us from his iniquities; and for this purpose he was delivered for our offences, and rose again for our justification; and repentance and remission of sins are preached in his name to all nations.

The proclamation was first made at Jerusalem; and that the prophet refers to this, is evident from the use made of these words by Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, when, under Ihe full afflatus of the Spirit of God, he.[uated this prophecy of Micah, as fulfilled in the incarnation of Christ, Luke i. 72, 73. The Chaldee paraphrases this last verse with spirit and propriety: " Thou wilt give the truth to Jacob his son, as thou hast promised by oath to him in Beth-el. And the mercy to Abraham and to his seed after him, as thou didst swear to him amidst the divisions. Thou wilt be mindful of us on account of the binding of Isaac, who was bound upon the altar before thee.

And thou wilt do us that good, which, from the most ancient days, thou hast promised to our fathers by an oath." Between the divisions, refers to the covenant made between God and Abraham, Gen. xv. 9, 10, 11, 17, 18. Well might the prophet exult in his challenge to earth and hell. Who is a God like unto THEE! Hell is speechless, earth is dumb. Infidels dare not open their mouths!!! Hallelujah! Ss 'O ■]l"DO mi El camocha! JESUS is the mighty God and Saviour, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, and saving to the uttermost all that come unto God tlirough liim. Blessed be God! Reader, lay this to

IVTAHUM, the seventh of the twelve minor prophets, was a native of Elkoshai, a httle village of Galilee, whose ruins were still in being in the time of St. Jerome. However there are some who think that Elkoshai is rather the name of his father, and that the place of his birth was Bcthabor, or Bethabara, beyond Jordan. They used to show the tomb of the prophet at a village called Beth-gabre, now called Gibbin, near Emmaus. The Chaldee calls him Nahum of Beth-koshi, or of Beth-kitsi; but the situation of this place is as much unknown as that of Elkoshai.

The particular circumstances of the life of Nahum are altogether unknown. His prophecy consists of three chapters, which make up but one discourse, wherein he foretells the destruction of Nineveh. He describes it in so lovely and pathetic a manner, that he seems to have been upon the spot to declare to the Nineviies the destruction of their city.

Opinions are divided as to the time in which he prophesied. Josephus will have it that he foretold the fall of Nineveh one hundred andjifteen years before it happened, which will bring the time of Nahum to that of King Ahaz. The Jews say that he prophesied under Manasseh. We are inclined to be of St. Jerome's opinion, that he foretold the destruction of Nineveh in the time of Hezekiah, and after the war of Sennacherib in Egypt, mentioned by Berosus. Nahum speaks plainly of the taking of No-Ammon, a city of Egypt; of the haughtiness of Rabshakeh; of the defeat of Sennacherib; and he speaks of them as things that were past. He supposes that the Jews were still in their own country, and that ihey there celebrated their festivals. He speaks of the captivity, and of the dispersion of the ten tribes. All these evidences convince us that Nahum cannot be placed before the Jifteenth year of Hezekiah, since the expedition of Sennacherib against this prince was in the fourteenth year of his reign.

This prophet gives us a fine description of the destruction of Nineveh. He says that this city should be ruined by a deluge of waters, which should overflow it and demolish its walls.

Diodorus Siculus and Athenceus relate, that during the time this city was besieged by Belesis and by Arbaces, under Sardanapalus, the river Tigris swelled so as to overthrow twenty furlongs of the walls of Nineveh. But as the siege mentioned by Nahum was long after the taking of Nineveh under Sardanapalus, it must needs be that the same thing happened to Nineveh at the second and last siege, under Nebuchadnezzar and Astyages. Probably the besiegers at this second siege determined the course of the waters, and brought on the same fate to the city by the same means as at the first siege. And as the Avails of those ancient cities were generally formed of hrick kneaded with straw and baked in the sun, a flood of waters could easily effect their dissolution. Babylon was built in the same manner; and this is the reason why scarcely any vestiges of those cities are to be found See on chap. iii. 14.

The time of the prophet's death is not known. The Greek meneologies and the Latin martyrologies place his festival on the first of December. Peirus Natalis places it on the twenty-fourth of the same month, which he says was the day of his death, without acquaint ing us whence he had learned this circumstance.

The conduct and imagery of this prophetical poem are truly admirable.

The exordium sets forth with grandeur the justice and power of God, tempered by lenity and goodness, chap. i. 1-8.

A sudden address to the Assyrians follows; and a prediction of their perplexity and overthrow, as devisers of evil against tlie true God, ver. 9-11. Jehovah himself then proclaims freedom to his people from the Assyrian yoke, and the destruction of the Assyrian idols, ver. 12-14. Upon which the propiiet, in a most lively manner, turns the attention of Judah to the approach of the messenger who brings such glad tidings, and bids her celebrate her festivals and offer her thank-offerings, without fear of so powerful an adversary,

Chap. ii. In the next place Nineveh is called on to prepare for the approach of her enemies, as instruments in tiie hands of Jehovah; and the military array and muster of the Medes and Babylonians, their rapid approach to the city, the process of the siege, the capture of the place, the captivity, lamentation, and flight of the iniiabitants, the sacking of the wealthy city, and the consequent desolation and terror, are described in the true spirit of Eastern poetry, and with many pathetic, vivid, and sublime images, ver. 1-10.

A grand and animated allegory succeeds this description, ver. 11, 12; which is explained and applied to the city of Nineveh in ver. 13.

Chap. iii. The prophet denounces a wo against Nineveh for her perfidy and violence, and strongly places before our eyes the number of her chariots and cavalry, her burnished arms, and the great and unrelenting slaughter which she spread around her, ver. 1-3.

He assigns her idolatries as one cause of her ignominious and unpitied fall, ver. 4-7.

He foretells tiiat No-Ammon, (the Diospolis in the Delta,) her rival in populousness, confederacies, and situation, should share a like fate with herself, ver. S-11; and beautifully illustrates the ease with which her strong holds should be taken, ver. 12, and her pusillanimity during the siege, ver. 13.

He pronounces that all her preparations, ver. 14, 15, her numbers, her opulence, her multitude of chief men, would be of no avail, ver. 15-17.

He foretells that her tributaries would desert her, ver. 18.

He concludes with a proper epiphonema; the topics of which are, the greatness and mcurableness of her wound, and the just triumph of others over her on account of her extensive oppressions, ver. 19.

To sum up all with the decisive judgment of an eminent critic: " Not one of the minor prophets equals the sublimity, genius, and spirit of Nahum. Besides, his prophecy is a perfect poem. The exordium is exceedingly majestic. The apparatus for the destruction of Nineveh, and the description of that catastrophe, are painted in the most glowing colours, and are admirably clear and powerful." Lowth, Preelect. Heb. xxi., p. 282.

It must be farther observed, that this prophecy was highly interesting to the Jews; as the Assyrians had often ravaged their country, and I suppose had recently destroyed the kingdom of Israel. See Culmet.

Chronological Notes relative to this Book, upon the supposition that it loas written about seven hundred and thirteen years before the commencement of the Christian era.

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3291. — Year of the Julian Period, 400 1. — Year since the Flood, 1635. — Year from the vocation of Abram, 1208. — Year since the first celebration of the Olympic games in Elis by the Idsi Dactyli, 711. — Year from the destruction of Troy, according to the general computation of chronologers, 471. — Year since the commencement of the kingdom of Israel, by the Divine appointment of Saul to the regal dignity, 383. — Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 399. — Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 263. — Y'ear since the restoration of the Olympic games at Elis by Lycurgus, Iphitus, and Cleosthenes, 172. — Year from the foundation of the kingdom of Macedon by Caranus, 102. — Y'ear from the commencement of the reign of Ardysus over Lydia, 84. — Year since the conquest of Corcebus at Olyrapia, usually called the first Olympiad, 64. — Fourth year of the sixteenth Olympiad. — Year from the building of Rome, according to the Varronian computation, 41. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 40. — Y'ear from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, 39. — Y^ear from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 35. — Year of the era of Nabonassar, 35. — Y'ear since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 9. — Year before the birth of Christ, 709. — Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 713. — Cycle of the Sun, 25. — Cycle of the Moon, 11. — Eleventh year of Zeuxidamus, king of Laceda;mon, of the family of the Proclids. — -Twelfth year of Eurycrates, king of Lacedasmon, of the famdy of the Eurysthenida;. — Sixth year of Gyges, king of Lydia. — Tenth year of Hippomenes, decennial archon of the Athenians. — Second year of Cordiccas, governor of the Medes, according to some chronologers. — Seventeenth year of Perdiccas, king of Macedon. — Third year of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. — Fourteenth year of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

This chapter opens the prophecy against the Assyrians and their metropolis with a very magnificent description of the infinite justice, tender compassion, and uncontrollable poxoer of God, 1-8. To this succeeds an address to the Assyrians; with a lively picture of their sudden overthroio, because of their evil device against Jerusalem, 9-11. Then appears Jehovah himself, proclaiming deliverance to his people from the Assyrian yoke, and the destruction of the Assyrian idols, 12—14; upon which the prophet, with great emphasis, directs the attention of Judah to the approach of the messenger who brings such glad tidings; and exultingly bids his people to celebrate their solemn feasts, and perform their vows, as a merciful Providence xoould not suffer these ene/nies of the Jewish state to prevail against them, 15.

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not only signifies a burden, but also a thing lifted up, pronounced, or proclaimed; also a message. It is