Chapter Ver. 12. And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoyce, O thou XXIII. oppreffed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arife, pass over to Chittim, there also shalt thou have no reft.] Some think the Prophet fpeaks of Sidon, but as Tyre may be call'd the Daughter of Sidon, because probably a Colony of the Sidonians, I think it most natural to understand him of Tyre, against whom he plainly declares himfelf to speak; as if he had faid, Thou shalt flee to the Ilands in the Egean Sea, but thither fhall thy prevailing Foes purfue thee, and thou fhalt not find any Shelter even there.

Ver. 13. Behold, the land of the Caldeans, this people was not till the Affyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: :they fet up the towers thereof, they raised up the ра Laces thereof, and he brought it to ruin.] This Verfe is very obfcure, and I think the generality of Interpreters only add to the Confufion; our Country-man Day, following Grotius, gives the Words this Turn, Behold, the land of the ·Caldeans, the People which now dwell in it dwelt not in it till the Affyrians founded it for them that before dwelt in the Wildernefs: They, that is, the Chaldeans, the firft Inhabitants thereof, built the Towers thereof, they raised up the Palaces thereof, and yet for all that He, that is, the Affyrian, made a compleat Conqueft of them. Now it was the conftant Custom of the Affyrians when they reduc'd any Nation to their Obedience, to remove the old Inhabitants out of it, and fupply their Room with fresh Colonies, and therefore when they conquer'd Chaldea they remov'd the Aboriginal Inhabitants, and brought them which dwelt in the Wildernefs before to take Poffeffion of Chaldea. The Subftance therefore of what the Prophet here fays is this, That the Chaldeans were an ancient People, brave and rich, and had many ftrong Places to defend themselves, yet were they vanquish'd by the Affyrian; thus far the Prophet, who leaves the Tyrians to draw this Conclufion, therefore no Wonder if the Babylonians prevail against fo inconsiderable a People as themfelves, in comparison of the Chaldeans.

Ver. 14, 15, 16, 17. Howl ye fhips of Thar fhish: for your ftrength is laid waste. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre fhall be forgotten feventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of Jeventy years fhall Tyre fing as an harlot. Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that

haft

XXIII.

baft been forgotten, make sweet melody, fing many fongs, that Chapter thou mayeft be remembred. And it shall come to pass after the end of feventy years, that the Lord will vifit Tyre, and the fall turn to her bire, and fhall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.] Grotius fufpects here a Slip thrice repeated in the Original, and thinks it fhould be Seven inftead of Seventy Years, which he refers to the Seven last Years of Salmanafar's Reign, the Two firft of which he befieg'd Tyre himself, and reduc'd it to great Straits, and left it block'd up Five Years more, during which Time they must have fuffer'd a great deal of Hardship and Mifchief, yet they defended themfelves fo obftinately, that he was forc'd to raise the Siege at laft; but I am not for making any Alteration in the Text, unless there be no Poffibility of making out the Senfe any other way, which is not the Cafe here in my Mind, for Nebuchadnezzar certainly befieg'd it, and took and carry'd the Inhabitants into Captivity, which is plainly foretold, v. 7. and was not fulfill'd by Salmanafar, and then the 70 Years of the Defolation of Tyre are co-incident with the 70 Years of the femifh Captivity; the only Difficulty which remains is to find out what the Prophet means by According to the Days of one King, which canhot be understood of Nebuchadnezzar, because he reign'd not above Forty Three: Sanctius thinks he is to be underftood of the Age of David, which, like that of Neftor, became Proverbial; or if that will not be allow'd, that the ordinary Limits of Human Life is here meant, Quam diu producitur unius hominis vita, quam nulla fervitus nulla neceffitas premit qualis effe folet regum; but the true meaning of this Expreffion, According to the Days of one King, fays Garaker, feems to be according to the Duration of one Kingdom, that is, the Chaldean, at the Subversion of which they, with the reft of the Captives kept in Durance by the Babylonians, fhould be releas'd; then Tyre fhall fing as an Harlot, in the Original Word for Word, it shall be to Tyre according to the Song of an Harlot; that is, the Tyrians, having recover'd their Liberty, fhall endeavour to recover their former Trade, and ufe all Means to entice Merchants again to her long forfaken Ports, as a Harlot forfaken of thofe Lovers which crouded in Throngs to her

Chapter in her Prime, endeavours to regain them by the Allure- XXIII. ments of Art, Dreffing, and Painting, and Singing, and the Prophet carries on the Metaphor, bids Tyre take a Harp in her Hand, and play on the Mufical Inftrument, and fing melodious Songs to it, as if that were the way to recall her former Dealers; fo by returning to her Hire, he means returning to her Merchandizing, and by committing Fornication, Trading with all the World.

Ver. 18. And her merchandize, and her hire fhall be holinefs to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up: for her merchandize fhall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat fufficiently, and for durable clothing.] The Prophet fubjoins an Intimation of the Converfion of the Tyrians to God, and St. Jerom is of Opinion that when Jerufalem was reftor'd to her former Splendor, a good Correfpondence and Friendship was cultivated by the Inhabitants of Jerufalem and Tyre upon the Account of the fame Sufferings, and that the Tyrians often fent Prefents to the Temple, and contributed toward the building of it, in Gratitude to that God who had fo wonderfully deliver'd them. For the Subverfion of the Chaldean Monarchy not only fet the Jews at Liberty, but the Captives of all other Nations very probably, because the fame Maxim of making Slaves of those they fubdu'd did not prevail in the Perfian Court, therefore many of the Tyrians converted to the Knowledge of the true God fhall make rich Presents to the Temple, which fhall be confecrated and apply'd to holy Ufes; and her merchandize fhall be for them which dwell before the Lord, that is, they fhall freely and largely contribute toward the Maintenance of thofe who serve at the Altar, and let them neither want Apparel or Food; or the Tyrians fhall exchange their rich Merchandizes which they bring from diftant Countries for the neceffary Commodities of the Jews.

The

The ARGUMENT of Chapter XXIV.

noch, Tiri

Whifton.

·Moft (a) Interpreters understand this Chapter of the Deftructi- (a) ALapide, on of the whole World at the Day of Judgment, whom I can- Em. Sa. Menot fall in with, because I find the Prophet in the first Verfe nus, Sanctius, Speaks of Scattering abroad the Inhabitants, because he fore- Munfter. tels at the 6th that a few shall be left, which he fets forth by the Similitude of the gleaning of Grapes, and the fhaking of the Olive-Tree, and lastly, because he fays there fhall be a crying for Wine in the Streets, which can never be reconcil'd with the Circumftances of that great conclufive Day, when the Righteous fhall be taken up into the Air, and the Wicked thrust down into Hell. Others (b) understand the (b) Vatablus, Prophet here of the Land of Judea deftroy'd by the Romans, which I cannot agree to, because if the Words may be underfood of the Land of Judea, (as any one who confiders that in c. 14. v. 10. denouncing Judgments against Babylon the Prophet us'd fuch Expreffions as would make one think nothing lefs could be meant than the Diffolution of Nature, will grant they may) they ought rather to be understood of the Deftruction of Jerufalem by Nebuchadnezzar, to which they are fully as applicable as to the Roman Times; but I am apt to think the Prophet had neither of thofe Calamities in his Eye at the Delivery of this Proiphecy, and that he defign'd only to fet forth the Mifery and Confufion he forefaw would fall on the Inhabitants of Judea more particularly, and of other neighbouring Nations as they lay in his way, by the Incurfion of Sennacherib; and in this I know I differ from those (C) Two great Men, whom I follow (c) Grotius, in most other Places, and that for this Reason, because at the Alix. 6th and 13th Verfes the Prophet plainly fays that a few men hall be left, like a few Grapes after Vintage; therefore the beginning of the Chapter cannot be understood of the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, fince the Hiftory exprefly tells us, The Lord was angry with Ifrael, and remov'd them out of his Sight, there was none left but the Tribe of Judah only. But this is not all, both thofe learned Men allow that in the three laft Verfes of this Chapter the Prophet gives a glorious Defcription of the Deliverance of Jerufalem from Sennacherib, which was to come to pass in that Day, that A a

Chapter
XXIV.

Forerin

is, at the fame Time of which he had been speaking before at the 13th Verfe, to which the beginning of the Chapter is plainly connected; and here I ftand not alone, as at first I imagin'd, for the Turn which I give to the Words is fo neceffary, in the Opinion of Forerius, that he fairly owns, Res ipfa clamat & verba ipfa fatis oftendunt de Judeâ effe fermonem.

CHAP. XXIV.

Verfe Ehold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and

B maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down,

and fcattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.] That is, behold the Lord will make the Land of Judea empty, by driving the frighten'd Inhabitants from place to place, and forcing them to feek Shelter in diftant Countries; thus Eretz fhould be render'd the Land, not the Earth, as our Translators have render'd it at the third Verfe, Mos autem eft omnibus fere gentibus cum de Patriâ fuâ loquantur terram abfolutè nominare, and all this Sennacherib did when he came against the Land of Judah, and reduc'd all the Cities thereof, except Jerufalem.

Ver. 2. And it shall be, as with the people, fo with the priest; as with the fervant, fo with his master; as with the maid, fo with her miftrefs; as with the buyer, fo with the feller; as with the lender, fo with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, fo with the giver of usury to him.] All Estates and Conditions of Men hall fare alike, none in regard of their Greatness, or Riches, or Profeffions, fhall be exempt from the common Calamities of thofe Times.

Ver. 3. The land fhall be utterly emptied, and utterly Spailed: for the Lord hath spoken this word.] Utterly, that is, not fo as to leave it entirely without Inhabitants, but comparatively empty with refpect to the Populoufnefs thereof before, as the Prophet limits this general Expression at the 6th Verse.

Ver. 4. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languifbeth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.] Grotius ftill perfifts to understand here the Land: of Ifracl, being as a little World within it felf, feparated from other Nations by peculiar Rites and Customs; but Tebel must be understood of a larger Extent, and take in

all