Nai “) Me te
privileges, civil and teligious, they were depri- change, aré fickle and inconftant, he changes not, but abides the fame, without any variablenefs or fhadow’of turning; whatever revolutions there are in the world, or alterations in the courfe of providence, yet he remains firm and unalterable in his counfel and covenant; tho’ all material things aré. fubje& to decay, and even his own fahétuary lay - in ruins, yet he himfelf continued juft as he ever was. The eternity and unchangeablenefs of God are of great ufe and comfort to his people in times of diftrefs, and to be regarded and obferved: thy throne from generation to generation, tho’ his throne on earth, in Ferufalem, in the temple, was thrown down, yet his throne in heaven remained unfhaken;
there he fits, and reigns, and rules; and over-rules all things here below, to his own glory, and the good of his people; and this is the faints comfort in the worft of times, that Zion’s king reigns; he has reigned, and will reign, throughout all gene= rations. The Targum is, “‘ the houfe of thine
“« habitation in the high heavens; the throne
“ of thy glory to the generations of genera-
¥.20. Wherefore doft thou forget us for ever? &c.] Since thou art firm, conftant and unchangeable, and thy love and covenant the fame. God feems to forget his people when he afflicts them, or fuffers them to be opprefied, and does not arife immediately for their help 5. which being deferred fome time, looks like an eternity to them, or they fear it will ever be fo; at leaft this they fay to exprefs their eager defire after his gracious prefence, and to fhew how much they prize it: and forfake us fo long time? or, to length of days? fo long as the feventy years captivity; which to be forfaken of God, or to feem to be forfaken of him, was with them a long time.
v.21. Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we fhall be turned, &c.| ‘This prayer expreffes the fenfe they had of their, backflidings from God, and diftance from him; of their inability to turn themfelves to the Lord,,or convert themfelves; and of their need of divine grace, and of the efficacy of that to effect it; fee Fer. xxxi. 18. for this is to be underftood, not only of returning them to their own land, and to the external worfhip of God in it; but of turning them to the Lord by true and perfect repentance, as the Targum; of the conver- | fion of their hearts, and the reformation of their lives: "enew our days as of old; for good, as the Targum adds. The requeft is, that their good days might be renewed; that they might enjoy the fame peace and profperity, and all good things in their ved? of. - if 16. The crown is fallen from our bead, Bec.) Or, the crown of our bead is failen*; all their honour and glory as a nation were gone; the glory of their kingdom and priefthood, to. both which a crown or mitre belonged; the. glory of church and ftate, ben Ezra interprets it, of the temple, the place ofthe, divine majefty.... Sagéius thinks there is an allufion to the crowns they wore upon their heads at their feafts and feftivals; and fo the words have a clofe connexion with what goes before: wo unto us, that we have finned; which had brought all thefe evils upon them: this is not to be confidered as an imprecation or denunciation of mifery; but as a commiferation of their cafe; calling upon others to it, and particularly God himfelt, to have mercy upon them; for alas for them! they had finned, and juftly deferved what was come upon them; and therefore throw themfelves at the teet of mercy, and implore divine compaffion.;
¥.17. For this our heart: is: fainty &¢c.)~ Our fpirits fink; we are ready to fwoon and die away; either for this, that we have finned; becaufe of our fins, they are fo many, fo great, and fo aggravated; or for thofe diftreffes and calamities they have brought upon us before-mentioned; or for the defolation of Zion, more efpecially after-expreffed; and fo the Targum, ‘ for this houfe of *¢ the fanctuary which is defolate, our heart is “© weak:” for thefe things our eyes are dims or darkened *; almoft blinded with weeping; can fearcely fee out of them; or, as perfons in a fwoon; for dimnedfs of fight ufually attends faintnefs of fpirit.
¥. 18. Becaufe of the mountain of Zion, which is defolate, &c.] Meaning either the-city of Ferufalem in general; or the temple in particular, which both lay in ruins; but the latter gave the truly godly the greateft concern; that the feat of divine majefty fhould be in fuch a condition; that the public exercifes of religion fhould ceafe, and there be no more opportunities of waiting upon God, and worfhipping him as heretofore; their civil intereft, and the lofs of that, did not fo much affect them, as the intereft of religion, and what that fuffered: the foxes walk upon it; as they do in de-' folate places, fhunning the company-of men 3 ybut here they walked in common, and as freely as in the woods and ‘deferts: this was fulfilled in the de-; ftruction of the fecond temple, as well as the firft. R. Akiba © and his companions were walking together; they faw a fox come out of the holy of holies; they wept, but he laughed or rejoiced; wept, that in the place where the ftranger that drew near fhould die, now foxes walked upon it; he laughed or rejoiced, becaufe as this prophecy was fulfilled, fo would others that predicted good own land, as they had done in days and years they; paft: firft they pray for repentance; then refloration.
y. 22. But thou baft utterly rejected us, &c.] This looks as if they had no hope, and were in defpair of having their petitions granted; ‘fince
_ things. God had entirely rejected them from being his
¥.19. Thou, O Lord, remaineft for ever, 8c.] The fame in his nature and perfections; in his grace and goodnefs; inshis power and faithfulnefs; people, and would never more have mercy on them; but the words may be rendered, sho’ thou haft in rejecting rejected us *; or elfe, unlefs thou haft
_ in his purpofes and promifes; tho’ all things elfe wtterly rejected us‘; or rather by an interrogation, for wilt thou utterly rejedl, or defpife us *? thou wilt not; fuch is thy grace and goodnefs.: furely faithfulnefs; and. fo it‘is.an argumel toda | prayer, and not an expreffion of defpondency; tho? __ the Fews, becaufe they would not have the. be + thou art very wroth againft us; thou haft been, and {till continueft to be: or, wilt thou be exceeding wroth againft us*? or continue thy wrath to ex~ tremity, and for ever? thou wilt not; it is not confiftent with thy mercy and grace, truth and end in what is forrowful and diftreffing, repeat foregoing verfe; and the like method they take at the end of Ecclefiaftes, and the prophecies of Yaiah and Malachi, as Farchi obferves.. 5 > 34
& Nam an omnino fperneres nos? Junius & Tyemellius.