putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to enquire of him; by myself 8 I Jehovah will answer him, even by myself: and I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and † a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of my 9 people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. And when the prophet is deceived || after he hath spoken a thing, I Jehovah have deceived that prophet; and I will stretch out mine hand upon him, and will destroy him from the 10 midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet's iniquity shall be even as the punishment of his iniquity that seeketh unto him: that the house of Israel may no more go astray § from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be ** my people, and I may be ++ their God, saith the Lord Jehovah. 11 12 THE Word of Jehovah also came unto me, saying: 13 Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by trespassing ‡‡ grievously, and I shall stretch out mine hand *Or, a prophet. § H. from after me. to enquire of him.-Compare, for the use of 77, 2 Chron. xxxi. 21. Ezr. vi. 21. Isai. viii. 19. -by myself I Jehovah.-This gives the clause an animated turn. But that we may render " to enquire for himself of me," see w77 with 1 Sam. xxviii. 7. 2 Kings i. 2, 16. 1 Chron. x. 14. 8. and will make him.-Five MSS. and 3 edd. read fully, from ,והשימותיהו . שום 9. —I Jehovah have deceived &c.-When any false prophet is deceived, the probable event proving contrary to his prophecy; I Jehovah have so superintended the course of things as to deceive that prophet. 13. a land. See Mr. Lowth. "When the inhabitants of a land have filled up the measure of their iniquities, the few righteous shall not upon it, and shall break the staff of the bread thereof, and shall send famine upon it, and shall cut off from it man 14 and beast; though these three men were in it, Noah Daniel and Job, they should deliver but their own souls 15 by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah. If I * cause noisome beasts to pass through a land, and they bereave it, and it be desolate, that none passeth through 16 because of the beasts; though these three men were † in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, 17 but the land should be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, "Sword, pass through the land," so that I cut off from it man and beast; though these three men were ‡ in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; but they 19 only should be delivered. Or if I send a pestilence upon that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut 20 off from it man and beast; though Noah Daniel and Job were || in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should 18 *H. in the midst of it. H. in the midst of it. H. in the midst of it. deliver it." send. Secker renders thus; and I stretch out-and break-and 14. -Daniel.—He was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim. Dan. i. 1. After this, Jehoiakim reigned eight years. 2 Kings xxiii. 36. And this prophecy, as appears from c. viii. 1, was uttered in the sixth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, who succeeded Jehoiakim, and reigned only three months. 2 Kings xxiv. 6, 8. Therefore at this time Daniel had been fourteen years in captivity. *, MSS. 15. V. 6. 16. —and they bereave it.—, “and I bereave it,” 2 MSS. Houbigant. 19. -though—three.—wbw 16 MSS. 4 edd. ó. Ar. Syr. v. 18: -upon that land.—y, 15 MSS. and 2 edd. as. v. 17. -in blood.—Houbigant proposes 277, by pestilence; for which there is no external authority. Blood, says Grotius, denotes every kind of immature death. Michaelis suspects 72, 21 22 * deliver neither son nor daughter, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four grievous judgments against Jerusalem, the sword and the famine and the noisome beast and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet lo, therein shall be left escapers that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: lo, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil which I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon 23 her. They shall even comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done against her, saith the Lord Jehovah. *H. An escaping. 21. -How much more &c.-If it is just with respect to other countries, that the good alone should escape punishment; how much more with respect to Jerusalem, after such repeated instructions and admonitions? 22. -that shall be brought forth.-But the versions and Houbigant read '', "that shall bring forth sons and daughters.” -ye shall see &c.—Ye shall be made sensible of their guilt and reformation. -ye shall be comforted.-By their confession of their idolatries, by a conviction of my justice, and by the spirit of allegiance to me which they shall propagate. 23. —without cause.—in MSS. and edd. 1 2 4 CHAPTER XV. THE word of Jehovah also came unto me, saying: Son of man, what is the wood of the vine more than any * wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Shall wood be taken of it to make into any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Lo, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burnt. Is it † meet for any work? Lo, when it is whole it is not made into any work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it and it is burnt, shall it then be made into any work? 5 .5 6 Concerning this matter, thus saith the Lord Jehovah : As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have appointed for the fire for fuel, so have I 7 appointed the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from || one fire, * Or, branching wood. Or, good, or, profitable. H. will it profit, or, prosper? 2. —is.—' H. appointed it. H. the fire. is the future frequentative. What is the wood of the vine wont to be accounted &c. ? -wood of the vine.-" The vine is the noblest of all trees, as long as it brings forth fruit: but if it is cut down, its soft wood cannot be worked. -It is only fit for fuel." Michaelis. 3. 5. -to make into any work.-"to do work" 1 MS. "to do any work" 2 MSS. But see v. 5. -a pin.-See on Zech. x. 4. -hath devoured it and it is burnt.-Hath preyed on it in some degree, and it is partly burnt. 6. Concerning this matter.- quantum ad hoc; as dià TOUTO Mark xii. 24. Nold. §. 4. 7. they shall go out.-V. and 6. render the original word as in the future tense. 8 and * another fire shall devour them and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have † grievously trespassed; saith the Lord Jehovalı. 1 2 3 CHAPTER XVI. THE word of Jehovah also came unto me, saying: Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations; and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto Jerusalem : Thyrise and thy nativity were of the land of || Canaan ; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. *H. the fire. H. trespassed a trespass. H. diggings out, or, dealings. -another fire.-Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were destroyed in their own country, and others in Egypt. Jer. xliv. 14, Jerusalem is represented under the image of an exposed infant, whom God preserved from destruction, brought up, espoused, and exalted to sovereignty. But she proved faithless and abandoned; and therefore God threatens her with severe vengeance, but graciously promises that hereafter he will fulfil his early covenant with her. The allegory is easily understood; and, as Mr. Lowth observes, has much force, liveliness, and vehemence of eloquent amplification. The images are adapted to a people immersed in sensuality. See on c. xxiii, 1: and Bp. Lowth præl. Hebr. xxxi. p. 403. ed. 2da. 8vo. 3. -they rise.-Prosapia tua. Houbigant. C. xxi. 30, induces me to prefer this sense, and to derive the original word from 7 to dig. See Isai. li. 1 and to observe that V. 6. Syr. render thy root., 4 MSS. The word may also be rendered thy dealings, from D to sell. The idea of commercium, negotiatio, conversatio assidua, will suit every place where the word occurs; even Gen. xlix. 5, whether we read with the Hebrew or with the Samaritan. an Amorite &c.-Your degenerate and idolatrous conduct being F |