53

hast committed more abominably than they: they are justified more than thou: therefore be thou also ashamed and bear thy confusion, in that thou hast justified thy

sisters.

Yet I will bring again their captivity, even the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters; and I will bring again thy captivity 54 in the midst of them: that thou mayest bear thy confusion, and mayest be confounded because of all that thou 55 hast done, in that thou hast comforted them. And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate; and thou and thy daughters shall return 56 to your former estate. Although thy sister Sodom was * not heard of from thy mouth in the day of thy pride;

* H. for a hearing of thy mouth.

53. Yet I will.-" The true translation is, And I will-and, v. 55, And thy sisters shall-And so ó. Syr. Ch. V. &c. v. 61 shews it." Secker.

-the captivity of Sodom.-Sodom and her daughters may mean cities placed in the district where Sodom stood. "Sodom was not where the lake is. See on Gen. xix. 24." Secker. "The Moabites and Ammonites, descended from Sodom, are called by this name. So the Moabites are called the remnant of Adama: Isai. xv. 9." Michaelis. —and I will bring again.—Read 'n, as at the beginning of the verse. Syr. V. ó. Ch. Houb. Secker.

-thy captivity.-71 or 7', 8 MSS. The sense of this v. is again expressed v. 55: and both verses are to be explained by v. 61. I refer the words rather to the future restoration of the Jews than to their return from Babylon.

54.

-that thou mayest bear thy confusion.-By being led into captivity; and by a diminution of thy glory when thou art restored. -hast comforted them.-By exceeding them in wickedness.

55.

-shall return.-, or wn, is the reading of MSS. thrice in this verse.

56, 57. Although thy sister &c.-The exemplary punishment of Sodom was not duly considered, and spoken of, by thee in the time of thy pros

58

59

57 before thy wickedness was discovered, as in the time of thy reproach from the daughters of Syria and from all that were round about her, and from the daughters of the Philistines who despised thee round about. As for thy deliberate wickedness and thine abominations, * thou hast borne them, saith Jehovah. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will even do with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath so as to break the covenant. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant. Then shalt thou remember thy ways and be confounded, when thou shalt receive thy sisters that are elder than thou, together with those that are younger than thou, and when I shall give them unto thee for daughters; 62 but not by the covenant now made with thee.

60

61

For I

*Or, thou bearest them.

H. thy covenant.

perity and self-confidence; before thy humiliation shewed thy wickedness, and defeats and distresses were brought on thee by the Syrians and Philistines. But MSS. edd. read □ Edom, instead of Syria. 58. thy deliberate wickedness.—7p 4 MSS. and ó Syr. Ch. render plurally wickednesses.

-thou hast borne them.-V. ó. Ch. Syr. □nsw, which is the reading of 1 MS. or, the word may be in the participial form: portans es, vel, eris. They had already borne them in some degree, by the triumphs of the Syrians and Philistines over them: and v. 59, they were to bear the full burthen of them.

Syr.

59.

—Jehovah.— is prefixed in many MSS. and 3 edd. See also V.

60. —I.—But though you have broken your covenant, yet will I remember mine. Houb.

--with thee.-7 MSS. and edd.

61. when thou shalt receive thy sisters.—Converted with thee to Christianity.

-not by the covenant &c.—But by the new covenant under the gospel.

will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt 63 know that I am Jehovah: that thou mayest remember, and be ashamed, and * not open thy mouth any more, because of thy confusion, when I † am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord Jehovah.

CHAPTER XVII.

1

THE word of Jehovah also came unto me, saying:

2

Son of man, put forth a dark speech, and speak ́a pa3 rable, unto the house of Israel; and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle, || with great wings, § with long feathers, full of plumage, and that had ** divers colours, came to Lebanon, and took the highest branch of a cedar he cropped off the top of its young twigs, and

4

*H. there may not be to thee any

more an opening of mouth. + Or, I forgive thee.

H. an acute.

H. great of wings.
§ H. long of penfeathers.

** H. embroidery, or, needlework.

3.

-A great eagle.-Nebuchadnezzar: v. 12: fitly represented by the eagle,

Cui rex deorum regnum in aves vagas

There is much beauty in this parable; and in the resumption of its images, v. 22-24.

extent.

-with great wings.—It is said that they are frequently seven feet in

Καὶ οἱ ἐπ ̓ αἰετὸν ὦρσε τανύπτερον.

Hes. Theog. 523.

——divers colours." An allusion to the various nations which com

posed the Babylonian empire." Michaelis.

-the highest branch.-Jehoiachin: v. 12. 2 Kings xxiv. 12.

carried it into a land of * traffick; he set it in a city of 5 merchants. He took also of the † seed of the land, and put it in a fruitful field; || he placed it by great waters, 6 he set it with § much care. And it grew, and became a vine which spread itself but was of ** low stature: its branches turned towards him, and its roots were under him: it even became a vine, and brought forth branches, and ++ shot forth boughs.

*H. of a trafficker.

+ Or, produce.

H. field of seed.

++ H. sent.

|| H. placing it.
§ Or, looking well to it.
** H. low of stature.

4.

of traffick.-Babylon was a city of great commerce. For jó MS. Al. read D, of the Chaldeans.

5. —seed. The verb y therefore by the substantive

is used of planting, Isai. xvii. 10: and may be understood a cion. Thus Virgil

uses semen of a young vine fit for transplanting.

Mutatam ignorent subito ne semina matrem.

Georg. ii. 268.

Zedekiah, who was of the seed royal, is meant. v. 13. 2 Kings xxiv. 17. He was placed in Judea after the removal of Jehoiachin.

in a fruitful field.-The land of Judea.

-he placed it.-np may be rendered capiendo, and be considered as the infinitive mood here and Hos. xi. 3. Dathius is of this opinion; and refers to Schultens, Inst. L. Hebr. p. 320.

-with much care.—'Eπißλeñóμevov. ó. Cocceius renders the word curatio, observatio; and Gussetius, speculatio accuratissima. See Y Prov. xxxi. 27. Dathius justly observes that the word signifies a willow tree in Arab. Gol. p. 1362.

6.

v. 14.

of low stature.—Alluding to the tributary state of Zedekiah.

-its branches turned.-F. 7. The literal rendering is, év T βλέπειν, ὥστε βλέπειν.

towards him.-Him who, v. 5, put it in a fruitful field.

-its roots.-F. mw¬w. See v. 7. In this and the foregoing. clause the obedience and subjection due from Zedekiah to the King of Babylon are denoted. See v. 7.

-boughs.

MSS. The root signifies ornavit; and boughs

There was also another great eagle * with great wings, and of much plumage: and, lo, this vine bent its roots towards him, and shot forth its branches unto him, that 8 he might water it from the beds of its plantation. In a good soil, by great waters, was it planted, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit; that it might be a goodly vine.

9

Say thou; Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? || shall not its roots be pulled up, § and its fruit be cut off, that it wither? in all the leaves of its branching it shall wither: nor shall it be in the power of a mighty

*H. great of wings, and plenteous of feathers,

+ H. field.

H. a vine of goodliness.

H. shall not one pull up, &c. § H. and shall not one cut off, &c.

may as properly be called the ornaments of trees as leaves. Sylvis honorem decutit. Hor.

7. —another great eagle.-Houbigant observes that all the ancients besides Chald. reads for 178. The King of Egypt is meant. v. 15. -with great wings.—One MS. elegantly reads by dominus alarum. But see v. 3.

-bent.—¡ is to conceal in Syr. and to place under in Arab. Cast. lex. Houbigant reads with Chald. instar produxit. 2 MSS. 1 Marg. See De Rossi.

.MS 1 ודליותיה-.its branches

incurvavit.

alarum ,כנפה

that he might water it.-That the King of Egypt might protect Zedekiah.

from the beds of its plantation.-That is, where it was planted. 117, as MSS. represent the word here and v. 10, seems to signify channels of water running by beds. Gussetius renders it, rivulus, a murmure tanquam cervi quod edit. "E fontibus, e significatu Æthiopico verbi y scaturire. Licet etiam interpretari ex flexibus. Quippe Arab. significat flectere se, unde 17 anfractus fluminis in dextram et sinistram." Houbigant.

9. -Shall it prosper ?—by

4 MSS. 2 originally. precedes,

as Houbigant observes, who adopts this reading, and refers to v. 10, 15.

that it wither.-Sc. the fruit. it up? Nonne exsiccabit quis eam? Pihel.

Or, literally; and shall not one dry

For this is the force of the verb in