Exposition of the Whole Bible

HIS chapter contains a prophecy of the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and of the deliverance of the Fews; who are encouraged to expect the divine protection, and a continuance of it; are dehorted from idolatry, and direéted to look to the Lord alone for righteoufnefs and falvation. The taking of Babylon is fignified by the demolition of its idols, which become the plunder of the

¥. 1. Bel Loweth down, Nebo fioopeth, &c.| Thefe are names of the idols of Babylon. Bel is by fome thought to be the contraction of Baal, the god of the Phenicians, called by them Beel; fo. Beelfamin *, in the Phenician language, is Lord of heaven: but rather this is the Belus of the Badylonians, who was a renowned king of them, and after his death deified; whom Nebuchadnezzar, ac- enemy, and by the carrying of the inhabitants of it captive, ¥. 1, 2. Then follows a promife of grace and mercy to the remnant of J/rael, that fhould now be delivered;

cared for them from the infancy of their ftate, would not leave them in their declining times, ¥. 3, 4. when they are dehorted from the worfhip of idols, from the confideration of the matter of | cording to Megaj/thenes', calls Belus his progenitor, and by whom Babylon was walled about. This idol is, no doubt, the fame with Fupiter Belus, that the Lord who had, who had a temple in Babylon with gates of brafs, and which was in being in the times of Herodotus*, as he reports. This name is fometimes taken into the names of their kings, as Bel-/hazzar or Belte= hazzar.

which they were made, as filver and gold; from their -being the works of mens hands; and from their inability to move themfelves, or help others; and from the Lord being the true God, as appears by his omnipotence and omnifcience, ¥. 5, 6,7, 8,,10. Adefcription is given of Cyrus, who fhould the inftrument of the Fews deliverance from Babylon,. 11. And the chapter is concluded with an addrefs to the ftout-hearted and unrighteous Fews, to obferve the righteoufnefs and falvation, which were brought near, and fet before them, ¥: 12, 13.

Nebo was another of their idols, an ora-. cular one, from whom by its priefts, prophecies of things future were pretended to be given out; for it may have its name from m3 to prophefy, and anfwers to the Apollo or Mercury of other nations. The Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint has very wrongly inftead of it, Dagon the god of the Philiftines, and fo the Arabic verfion Dfagon. This name Nebo was alfo taken into the names of the kings of Babylon, as Nabo-nafar, Navo-palaljar, Nebu-chadnezzar, and others. As Bel is the fame with Belus, fo Nebo is the fame with Beltis, the queen, Megajfthenes or Abydenus {peaks of in the fame place; and and Bel may defign the fun, and Nedo the moon, which may have its name from 313 to bud forth, or make fruitful, as the moon does; fee Deut. xxxiii. 14. It is faid of both thefe deities, that they ftooped or bowed down;.being taken down from the high places where they were {et upright, and looked grand and majeftic, and where they might be feen and worfhipped by the people. Farchi gives the words another fenfe, that it reprefents in a farcaftic way thefe idols, as through fear, in a like condition that men are in, in a fit of the cholic, who not being able to get to the clofe-ftool, are obliged to bend their knees, and _eafe themfelves as they can. ben Ezra feems to refer to the fame fignification of the word, when he fays the fenfe was well known, but it was not fit to write it. The prophet goes on in the derifion of thefe idols: their idols were upon the beafis, and upon the cattle, that is, being taken down, and broke to pieces for the fake of the filver, and gold, and brafs that were about them, or they were made of, they were put into facks by the Perfians, and laid upon camels, and mules, and horfes, and tranfported into Media and Perfia, archi interprets it, their idols are like to beatts, which defile themfelves with their dung as they do; and fo the Targum renders it, ‘* their images “ are. in the likenefs of ferpents and beafts.” Thefe were the forms of them: your carriages were heavy loaden, they are a@ burden to the weary beaft; this feems to -be {poken to the Perfians, who loaded their carriages, and their beafts, with this lumber, that their waggons were ready to break down, and their cattle groaned under the weight of it; a farcaftic jeer at the idols, which were become the plunder and prey of the foldiers. It was ufual at the taking of cities to demolith the idols of them; and this was typical of the demolition of heathen idols, and the ceffation of heathen oracles in the Gentile world, through the fpread of the gofpel in it, in the firft times of chriftianity. ¥,2. They froop, they bow together, &c.] Either the beafts under their burdens, or other idols befides thofe mentioned; or rather the Babylonians themfelves, who were obliged to fubmit to the conquerors: they could not deliver the burdens; the idols could not fave themfelves from being laid as burdens upon the beafts, any more than they could fave their worfhippers: fo the Targum underftands this, and the preceding claufe of them; ‘* they are cut off, and cut to pieces together, ** they could not deliver thofe that carried them;” or elfe the Babylonians are defigned, who could not fave their gods from being ufed in this fhameful manner: but themfelves are gone into captivity, or their fouls™; what were as dear to them as their own fouls, their idols; to whom alfo fouls may be afcribed by way of derifion, being inanimate as well as irrational; and it is not unufual for idols to be faid to be carried captive; hence thofe words of Tertullian, manent & fimulachra captiva: or rather the Babylonians, who went into captivity them- Aelves, and fo could not fave their idols: thus they who had led captive the ews, are led captive themfelves; and thus it will be with myftical Babylon, Rev, Xiii. 10. ¥. 3. Hearken unto me, O houfe of Facob, &c.}

The ews, the defcendents of Facob: and all the remnant of the houfe of Irael; thofe that remained my hands: I have an intereft in them I will bear, even I will carry; from.

old is come to old age, and one of feventy to hoary hairs,

tow'3) et anime eorum, V. L. Manfter, Pagni * This feems to exprefs more than old age, a Ben Melech obferves; hence the Jews an of the ten tribes that had been carried captive | ago.

Thefe may, in a fpiritual fenfe, defign tho! who are U/raelites indeed; the houfhold of the G of Facob; the chofen of God, and called; the remnant according to the election of grace; which « born by me from the belly, which axe carried from the womb: here the Lord diftinguifhes himfelf from the idols of the Babylonians, they were laid as burdens upon beafts, and bore and carried by thems’ but the Lord is born and carried by none, but bears and carries his people. The allufion is t tender parents that have compafiion on their ch dren as foon as born, and take care of them, a bear them in their bofoms, and carry them ind arms; and may have refpect, in the literal fer to the infant-{tate of the ews, both as a churek and commonwealth, when the Lord took pity them, and care of them, and bore them as a father bears his fon; and bore with their manners — too, and carried them all the days of old through the wildernefs to Canaan’s land; fee Numb. xi. 12. Deut. i, 31. Ads xiii. 18. Jf, Ixin. g. It may be applied to the care of God in the prefervation of men by his providence, efpecially his own people, whofe God he is from their mother’s belly; who takes them under his protection as foon as born, and carries them through every flate of infancy, youth, manhood, and old age, and never leaves nor forfakes them; fee Pf. xxii. 10. and Ixxi. 5, 6, 17, 18. and xlviii, 14. and with great propriety may be applied to regenerate perfons, who, as foon as born again, are regarded by the Lord in a very vifible, tender, and compaffionate manner; he dears them in his bofom, and on his heart; he bears them in his arms; he puts his everlafting arms underneath them; he bears with them, with all their weaknefs and infirmities, their peevifhnefs and frowardnefs; he bears them up under all their afflictions, and fuftains all their burdens; he bears thenr thro’ and out of all their troubles and difficulties: he carries them, in like manner, in his bofom, and in his arms; he carries them into his houfe, the church, which is the nurfery for them, where they are nurfed and fed, and have the breafts of confolation drawn out to them; he carries on. the good work of grace in them; he carries them thro’ all their trials and exercifes, fafe to heaven and eternal happinefs; for they are. poor, weak, helplefs creatures, like new-born babes, can’t go alone, but muft be bore up and carried. —s, y. 4. And even to your old age Tam be, &c.} The fame he ever was, the eternal and unchangeable Jehovah; the fame in his love and affections; in his fympathy and care; in his power and protection; in his promifes, truth, and faithfulnefs to his people, in their laft days, as at the firfl mo- — ment of their converfion; and therefore they are fafe; fee Pf. cii. 27. Mal. iii. 6: and even to boa hairs will I carry yous; which is doing more than the moft tender parent-does, or can, or ft eed to do! God won’t leave his people in the declin i when preffing infirmities are upon them, ftand in as much need as ever of fupported and carried: wherefore it folic made thefe perfons, not merely as new creatures; they are form they are my fons and daughters, their regeneration, to their entrance into glory; fee the note on ¥.-3. nd will deliver you; out of all affliction; out of all temptations; out of the hand of every enemy; from a final and total falling away; from a body of fin and death; from death eternal, and wrath to come; and even at laft from the grave and all corruption. ¥. 5. Ta whom will ye liken me? &c.| Was it lawful that any likenefs might be made, which yet is forbidden, Ewod. xx. 4. what likenefs could be thought of? is there any creature in heaven or earth, among all the angels or fons of men, to whom God can be likened, who has done ftich works of power, and acts of grace, as to care and provide not only for the houfe of J/rael, from the beginning of their ftate, to the clofe of it, but for all his creatures from the beginning of life to the end thereof, yea, from the beginning of the world to the end of it, and has fhewn fuch fpecial grace and goodnefs to his chofen people, in fuch a kind and tender manner? And make me equal; or any equal to him in power and goodnefs, fince all: are but worms, duft and afhes, as the fmall duft of the balance, yea, as nothing in comparifon of him. And compare me, that we may be like? which is impoflible to be done; for what comparifon or likenefs can there be between the creator and a creature, between an infinite, immenfe and eternal being, pofieffed of all perfections, and a finite, frail, imperfect one? fee // xl. 18. To pretend to frame a likenefs of fuch a being, is to act the abfurd and ftupid part the heathens do, ‘defcribed in the following verfes. ¥. 6. They lavifh gold out of the bag, &c.| As if it was of no value and account; that is, the heathen idolaters, fome of them, who are exceffively devoted to idolatry; thefe being rich, take out their bags of gold, and give it in a very profufe manner to a workman to make a golden image for them, not caring what it coft them; fuch a one was that which Nebuchadnezzar made, fixty cubits high, and fix broad, Daz. iii. r. fee an inftance of profufenefs this way in the [/raelites themfelves, Exod. xxxii. 2, 3, 4. And weigh filver in the balance; or with a reed°. Others, though idolaters, yet lefs devoted to idolatry, and more tenacious of their money, make filver do for a God, and weigh it out to the workman, that it be made of fuch a weight, and no more, and that they might not be cheated of their filver; or they weighed it to pay the workman for his workmanfhip. Money formerly was not coined and ftamped, fo not numbered by pieces, but weighed. And bire a goldfmith, and he maketh it a god; a finer or founder, with whom they agree for fuch a fum of money, and he of the gold or filver that is put into his hands, makes a god: he cafts and moulds it into fuch a form or fhape that is agreed upon, and this is called a god; though nothing but a _piece of gold or filver fafhioned by art and man’s device, and the work of his hands: ¢hey fall down, yea, they worfbip, the god they made; both the artificer, and he that employed him, fall down upon their knees, or their faces, and pay divine worfhip and adoration to the idol; though the one knew it was made of his own gold or filver, and the other knew it to be the workmanfhip of his hands. Worfhipping is more than falling down, as Ben Melech oblerves, and therefore ’tis iaid, yea, they worfbip.

¥.7. They bear him upon the fhoulder, they carry him, &c.] That is, the idol; men carry him upon their fhoulders in proceflion, and expofe him to the view and veneration of the people, juft as the hoft is carried in proceffion by the papiits; or the idol being made, the workman or his men lift it up, for it can’t lift up itfelf, and take ic upon their fhoulders, and carry it home to the proprietor: and fet him in bis place; in his houfe, if an houfhold-god; or in the temple, church, or place of public worthip, if defign’d for that: ox, caufe him to ret under him’, or in his place, under the roof of his houfe or temple; a jeer upon him, as if he was weary of his long journey, though carried, Here again the idols are diftinguifhed from the true God, and he from thém; ‘they are carried on mens fhoulders, and fet in a Certain place, but he carries all his people, and is not limited to, or included in any place: end he fiandeth, and from his placé he fhall not remove; the idol being fet in his place, ftands faft, being nailed; he ftands upright as a palm-tree, and can never ftir from the place whete he is, to help any of his worfhippers in whatfoever diftrefs they. may be; nor can he get out of the way of any danger to which he may be expofed; if the temple or houfe, in which he is, is on fire, or ovérflowéd with water, or broke into by thieves, he can’t move out of his place, and efcape the danger; a fine deity to be worfhipped indeed! fee ch. xliv. 13. Fer. X. 4, 5. Yea, one fhall cry unto him, yet can he not anfwer, as Baal’s priefts and worfhippers cried to him, but no voice was heard, nor anfwer returned, 1 Kings xvili.-26, 29. for though they have ears, they hear not, and mouths, yet they fpeak not, Pf. cxv. 5,6. nor fave him out of bis trouble; that is, the idol cannot fave the idolatrous worfhipper out of his diftrefs, which has caufed’ him to cry unto him; fee ch. xlv. 20.

y. 8. Remember this, &c.] Or thefe things, as the Syriac verfion, concerning the matter-of which, and the manner in which idols are made; their impotency to move themfelves, and their inability to help their votaries, and the difference between them and the true God: and Jhew yourfelves men; and not brutes, as the makers and worfhippers of images are, or fhew themfelves as if they were; who unman themfelves, and act contrary to the natural reafon of mankind: or be ye /irong1; fo the Targum and Farchi, fortify yourfelves againft all temptations to idolatry, and againft all the arguments and perfuafions of idolaters; or burn yer, or be ye inflamed, fo Rabenu Hai and Fofeph Kimchi; that is, blufh and be afhamed at fuch fottifhnefs and ftupidity, as men when they are afhamed look as if their faces were inflamed; io the Vulgate Latin verfion renders it, be ye confounded *, or the fenfe is, be fervent in fpirit, be fired ‘ with zeal for God and his glory, and with indignation againft fuch grofs idolatry: bring it again to mind, O ye tranfgrefors; of the law of God, in this inftance of idolatry; meaning either the Babylonians, or rather the ews, who had been drawn in by them to idolatrous practices; calling upon them to

® 3905) in calamo, Pagninus, Montanus. The bar of the balances on which they hang the fcales with threads, Ben Melech fays, is called 773) the reed. So Vatablus. fome in Vatablus.

P YAM wis? & quiefcere eum faciunt iuo loco, Mufculus. 4 V2°U'NIW roborate vos, Pagninus, Tigurine verfion; fo Ben Melech interprets the word.

Acs Sed 54 return to their fenfes; to ufe and.exercife their reafon; to recollect and reconfider things, and obferve and repent of the folly and wickednefs they |

¥. 9. Remember the former things of old, &c.] The things that were from the beginning, or the antient things done by the Lord, whether as the effects of power, wifdom and goodnefs, or in wrath, or in mercy; fuch as the creation of the heavens, and the earth, and all things in them; the deftruétion of the old world, and of Sedom and Gomerrha, the bringing of J/rael out of Egypt through the red fea and wildernefs,. to Canaan’s land, and all the wondrous things then done for them; which are fo many proofs of the true deity of the God of J/rae/, in oppofition to the idols of the Gentiles: for 1 am God, and there is none elfe; as he muft needs be, that did the above things: Iam God, and there is mone like me; for greatnefs or goodne(s, or that has done the like things; not one of the gods of the Gensiles.

y.10. Declaring the end from the beginning, &c.] The end of the Fewi/h ftate, both as a church, and a commonwealth, from the firft fettlement of it in the times of Mofes, and by him, Deut, xxxii. 29. ‘The end of the world, and all things in it, as early as the times of Enoch, the feventh from Adam, Fud.y¥. 14, 15. The end and iffue of every event, at leaft of many very remarkable and momentous ones, before they came to pafs; and particularly things relating to Chrift, the beginning and end; the fulfilling end of the moral law for righteoufnefs; the fcope and defign of the ceremonial law, to which that tended, and in which it iffued; as well as the end of the whole fcripture, of the prophecies and promifes of it: and this end was declared very early, and fpoken of by all the prophets that were from the beginning of the world; and which is a full proof of the omnifcience of God, and fo of his true deity, Luke i. 70. Gen. iti. 15. And from the antient times the things that are not yet done; that were not at this time done, though they are fince; fuch as the captivity of the Yews, and their return from it; alfo the incarnation of Chrift, his obedience and fufferings, and the glory that fhould follow; his refurrection, afcenfion, and feffion.at the righthand of God; the work of redemption by him; the effufion of the Spirit; the fpread of the gofpel among the Genfiles, and their converfion; and others which are now not yet done; as the converfion of the ews in the latter day, and the bringing in: the fulnefs of the Gentiles; the glory of the church in thofe times as to knowledge, peace, purity, power and authority; the deftruction of antichrift,; and the fecond coming of the Meffiah; all which have been declared from antient times; and as the former have been accomplithed, there is reafon to believe the latter will: aying, my counfel fhall fiand, the purpofes and decrees of God, which are within himfelf, wifely formed by him, eternal and unfruftrable; and which fhall ftand, or be accomplifhed, being the counfels of him who is all-wife, all-knowing, all-powerful, unchangeable, true and faithful; whether they refpect the providence of God in relation to the world in general, and the government of it, or to

* $4¥ avem, a velocitate, Munfter; fo Vatablus; ab {D4 in volando celeriter & cum impetu, Forerius s fo Ben Melechfays, Cyrus is farnamed a fowl, becaufe of his great fwiftnefs and hafte to come to Babylon; though he that a ravenous fowl is called (Q*Y. the fingular may be put for the plural; fo Cocceius renders it vo/ucres, ~ Cyropedia, 1 1. ¢.17, and 163..¢. 6. and 1, 6.°¢, 17.

* Cyropadia, 1. 7. ¢. 1. Munfter, Pagninus, Montanus; fo according to the Keri: but the Cetib is JY WN the maa of his counfel.

fign the whole army of Cyrus.

particular perfons, and their affairs, from the time » of their birth to their death; or whether they re-. fpect his grace and goodnefs in the falvation of.

men; fuch as his purpofe according to electi the covenant of his grace, redemption by. Chrift, effectual vocation, and eternal glorification; all which, as they are according to the will and counfel of God, ftand firm and. fure, and fhall have their full accomplifhment; fee P/el. xxxiii, 112 Prov, xix. 21. ( has done in creation, and does in providence, fo he.

And 1 will do all my pleafures ashe hasdone, cando, and does in grace, in predeftination » and. redemption, and in effectual vocation. particularly this may refer to the deliverance of the.

Jews by Cyrus, a type of Chrift, and deliverance by him, as follows: _, | ¥.11. Calling a ravenous bird from the eaft,

Or a fying fowl, or fwift-winged bird"; for the word ufed does not fo much denote rapacioufnefs. as {wiftnefs; which. well agrees with Cyrus, who is here meant, and not Abraham, as Farchi, nor Nebuchadnezzar, as. others; and who was always fwiftin all his expeditions, and always recommended celerity and difpatch of bufinefs to. his foldiers and others, as Xenophon ™ often obferves; and very remarkable is that fpeech of Zigranes to him, in which he tells him *, that he fo far exceeded the king of, Armenia in fwiftnefs, that he came upom him with a great army, from a far country, be+ fore he could get his army together, which. was - juft by him, And very obfervable are the words. of Cyrus himfelf, who was defirous of being a thorough horfeman, that he might feem to be alewmG wlaG-, a winged or flying man’. So-the Targum here renders it, a fwift bird. ben Ezra; who interprets it of Cyrus, fays, he is fo called, as if he flew to do the will of God; and Kémecbs obferves of Cyrus, that he has this name, becaufe he came {wiftly, and in hafte, as a bird that flies: and it is no unufual thing for a mighty monarch, or a general, marching with his army, to becom= pared to a flying bird, particularly an eagle, er.

viii. 1. and may be the bird intended here, which.

well fuits with Cyrus, who had, as Plutarch *-re+~.- ports, an aquiline nofe; hence men that have fuchnofes among the Perfians, are highly efteemed and Xenophon * fays, that the ftandard of Cyrus was a golden eagle upon the top of an high fpéear, and which is retain’d by the kings of Perfa. is faid to be called from the eaft; becaufe, as Kine chi obferves, his country lay to the eaft of Badylon: the man that executeth my counfel. from a far country, as Pexfia was trom Babylon, Affria and other provinces lying between; but though he:

lived in a far country, and knew nothing of the.

affairs of the people of God in Babylon, or what work he was to. do, yet God called him, and brought him to do his will, which he was igho- + rant of: fo God fometimes puts into the hearts of men to fulfil his will, which they are ftrangers to, Rev. xvii. 17. It is in the Hebrew text, the man of my counfel®; not with whom the Lord confulted, for none are of his coundel in this fenfes but whom in his counfels, decrees, and pt he appointed to fuch fervice, and whom he made ufe of as an inftrument to do his pleafure; > chixlivs 28 oyea, I have (poker it, I will alfo bring it to pafs, Lbave purpofed, I will alfo do it; the counjel of the Lord, concerning the deliverance of his people from Babylon, by thé hand of Cyrus; this he had purpofed in his own breaft, had fpoken of in prophecy, and would certainly perform. R. Jofeob Kimchi interprets this verfe of the Mefiiah, and io does Ferom, of whom; no doubt, Gyrus was a type; and what is here faid agrees with him: he may be compared toa flying bird; for his fwiftnefs in-coming at the appointed time; he came from the eaft, as the rifing fun of righteoufnefs; he was the man of God’s counfel in the higheft fenfe, and came, being called, to executé it; the work of redemption. was according to the eternal purpofe of God, and fpoke of by all the holy prophets; and now accomplifhed,; and his righteoufnefs and falvation are made mention of in the following verfes..

¥. 12. Hearken unto me, ye ftout-hearted, &c.] This is not an addrefs to the Chaldeans, as Kimchi and others think, who were mercilefs and cruel to the Fews, and far from doing that which was right unto them, but opprefied them, and would not Jet them go; but to the Hews themfelves, at leaft to the wicked and profligate among them, who were always a ftout-hearted, ftiff-necked, and a rebellious people; and even thofe who made more pretences to religion, were only felf-righteous, and were far from true righteoufnefs. The whole may be applied to all perfons deftitute of the grace of God, profeffors or prophane, who are ftout or ftubborn-hearted; have hard and. impenitent hearts; proud and haughty in their hearts; proud of their wifdom, power, and ftrength; ftout in their hearts againft God, as appears by their ' words and actions; oppofe themfelves to the people of God, his word and ordinances; and fome fo daring, as to make a mock at fin, at religiori; and a future ftate, and out-brave death itfelf; tho’ when God calls them to an account, as he fometimes: does by his judgments here, and will at the jaft judgment hereafter; or by the workings of his Spirit upon them, convincing them of fin, righteoufhefs, and judgment; their hearts fail, and they cannot be ftrong and endure: when his word comes with power, and they hear it, and feel the energy of it, they are cut to the heart, and their ftout and proud fpirits are brought down, and made to fubmit; even fuch that are far from righteoufnefs; as all men are in a ftate of nature, none are righteous, no not one, but are full of all unrighteoufnefs; even thofe that are the moft righteous and religious externally, are without a righteoufnefs; they do not attain to one by the law of works; they go about to eftablifh their own, and do not fubmit to the righteoufnefs of God, and fo are far from it: and indeed all God’s ele&, ina ftate of unregeneracy, are far from any knowledge of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, they not being yet convinced of the need of it, and it having not yet been revealed and applied unto them, and received by faith; now thefe are called upon to hear the word externally, which coming with power, caufes them to hear fpiritually what follows.

WY. 13. I bring near my righteoufuefs, it fall not be far off, 8cc.] Meaning either the faithfulness of God, in fulfilling his promifes; or the juitice of God difplayed in redemption by Chrift; or Chritt himfelf, God’s righteous one, and the Lord our righteoufhefs; or rather the ri¢hteoufnefs of Chriit itfelf, which Jehovah the Father may call his, becaufe he fent his Son to work it out, approved of it, accepted it, and imputes it to his people, and juttifies them by it; and which was near to be wrought out by Chrift, and revealed in the gofpel; and which is brought near and applied by the Spirit of God to a fenfible finner, to a finner convinced of the infufficiency of his own righteouf-. nefs, and of the fuitablenefs and excellency of Chrift’s, and of his need of it’; and which is near in Chrift, and in the gofpel, for faith to come at, at any time; nor is it ever far off from the believer, to whom it is imputed, and on whom it is put: and my falvation fhall not tarry, either Chrift, who is God’s falvation, provided and appoiited by him, who was to come as a Saviour, and fhould not tarry; not did he tarry beyond the appointed time, Hab, ii. 3. or the falvation itfelf wrought out by him; this work is done by Chrift, and is publifhed in the gofpel, and is brought nigh and applied by the Spirit of God in converfion, in due and proper time, and fhortly will be fully enjoyed in heaven: and I will place falvation in Zion for Ifrael my glory; the Saviour himfelf was to come to Zion; near ta Zion was falyation wrought out; here the gofpel of falvation was firft publifhed, and out of it the word of it was fent into all the world; and in Zion, the church of God, Chrift the Saviour is to be met with; and his falvation is the fafety of it, it is placed about it inftead of walls and bulwarks; and all this is for the J/rael of God, the fpiritual Irael, chofen, redeemed, and called, and who fhall be faved with an everlafting falvation; and who are the glory of God, have the glory of God, the grace of God in them, and the righteoufnefs of God upon them, by which they are glorious;’ who enjoy the prefence of the glorious God, and who is glorified in them, and by them; whofe glory, even the glory of all his perfeétions, wifdom, grace, mercy, juftice, holinefs, truth, and faithfulnefs, is great in their falvation. So Kimchi gives the fenle of the words, ‘* the falvation I will give to them, “¢ fhall be glory to me.” Or J/rael may be called his ‘glory, becaufe he gives glory to them; not ~ only grace here, but glory hereafter, when their falvation will be compleat, that is, compleatly enjoyed.

HIS chapter is'a prophecy of the deftruétion of Babylon, and of the Chaldeans, and declares the caufes of it. The mean, low, ignominious, and miferable condition Babylon and the Chaldeans fhould be brought into by the Lord, the Redeemer of his people, is defcribed, ¥. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. the’caufes of it are their cruelty to the Jews, ¥. 6. their pride, voluptuoufnefs, and carnal fecurity, $+.7 8, their forceries and enchantments, and truft in their own wifdom, ¥. 9, 10. wherefore their deftruétion fhould come fuddenly upon them, and they fhould not be able to put it off, ¥. 11. their magic art, and judiciary aftrology, which they

| boafted of, by them they could neither forefee nor withftand their ruin, which would be of no avail unto them, ¥. 12, 13, 14. nor their merchants neither, ¥. 15. ' y. 1. Come down, and fit in the duft, O virgin daughter of Babylon, &c.] The kingdom of Babylon is meant, as the Targum paraphrafes it, or the Babylonifh monarchy, called a virgin, becaufe it had never been fubdued and conquered from the firft fetting of it up, until it was by Gyrus; fo Herodotus © fays, this was the firft time that Badylon was taken; and alfo becaufe of the beauty and glory of it: but now it is called to come down from its height and excellency, and its dominion over other kingdoms, and fit in a mournful pofture, and as in fubjection to other princes and ftates. ‘ferom obferves, that fome interpret this of the city of Rome, which is myftical Babylon, and whofe ruin may be hinted at, under the type of literal Babylon, And though the church of Rome boafts of her purity and chaftity, of her being efpoufed to Chrift as a chafte virgin, fhe is no other than the great whore, the mother of harlots; and tho’ fhe has reigned over the kings of the earth, the time is coming, when fhe muft come down from her throne and dignity, and fit and be. rolled in the duft: there is “o throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; that is, for her; there was a throne, but it was for Cyrus and Darius, kings of Perfia, who fhould now poffefs it, when the -king of Babylon fhould be obliged to come down from it. So the feat and throne which the dragon gave to the beaft fhall be taken from it, and be no more, Rev. xiii. 2: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate, or be treated in a tender and delicate manner; or live delicioufly, and upon dainties, as royal perfonages do, Rev. xviii. 7.

¥. 2. Lake the milftones, and grind meal, &c.] Foretelling that the Chaldeans fhould be taken captives, and ufed as fuch, and fent to prifon-houfes, where they fhould turn the mill, and grind corn into meal; a very fervile work, and which ufed to be done by captives and flaves, even by female ones, Exod. xi. 5. and xii. 29. fee Fudg. xvi. 21. The Targum is, ‘* go into fervitude;” of which this was a fign: uncover thy locks; the attire and drefs of the head, by which the locks were bound up and kept together; but being taken off, would hang loofe, and be difhevelled, as in captives and mourners. The Targum is, “* uncover the glory ‘© of thy kingdom:” make bare the leg; or the fhoulder, as the Vulgate Latin verfion, to be fcourged by the Perfians: uncover the thigh, pafs over the rivers; they are bid to tuck up their cloaths fo high, that they might pafs over the rivers which lay between them and Perfia, whither they were carried captives. The Targum is, ‘* thy princes are bro- “* ken, the people of their army are fcattered, they “* pafs away as the waters of the river.”

¥. 3. Thy nakednefs fhall be uncovered, yea thy Shame fhall be feen, &c.| Not only ftripped of their garments, and have nothing to cover their naked bodies, being fpoiled of all by the foldiers; but fhould have nothing to cover thofe parts which women are moft afhamed fhould be expofed to view, and which is often the cafe of fuch who fall into the hands of the conquerors. It is faid of the whore of Rome, of myttical Babylon, that the kings of the earth fhould hate her, and make her defolate and naked, Rev. xvii. 16: I will take venge- £ance; for tho’ the Medes and Perfians were the inftruments, the deftruétion was of the Lord, who took vengeance of the Chaldeans, for their ill

@ OTN ype wd) & non occurram homini, Cocceius; fo fome in’ } So Ben Melech, I will not receive the requeft of a man, his Junius & Tremellius; hoc dicit, Pifcator. i