Chapter Idolatry, which was a Prophanation or open Affront to the Majefty of God.

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Ver. 18, 19. For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and fhall kindle in the thickets of the foreft, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoak. Through the wrath of the Lord of hofts is the land darkned, and the people fhall be as the fewel of the fire: no man fhall Spare bis brother.] Their National Sins fhall be like a raging Fire among them, confuming from the highest to the lowest, and filling the Air with Clouds of Smoak, which is the meaning of devouring the briers and kindling in the thickets; and the fame is exprefs'd a little differently in the 19th Verfe.

Ver. 20. And he shall fnatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be fatisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm.] Here we have a Plural inftead of a Singular, the Prophet means they fhall plunder and fpoil and worry one another to Death, and, like Savage Beafts, devour one anothers Flesh; the Expreffions are very figurative, and are not to be understood exactly according to the Letter, as if all these Inftances of Inhumanity were mutually exercifed by them; his Defign, is only to defcribe their Animofities which fhould rife among them, and not a little contribute to their Destruction; but in what Reign they were thus miferably divided,the remaining Records of thofe Times will not encourage fo much as a Conjecture.

Ver. 21. Manaffeh, Ephraim: and Ephraim, Manaffeh : and they together fhall be against Fudah: for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out ftill.] From this place fome gather that the Ten Tribes were not entirely carry'd away by Salmanazar, but that fome remain'd in the Country, and others that were fled into other Kingdoms for Shelter return'd to the Land of Ifrael and rebuilt Samaria, fo that Sennacherib had fome Work to fubdue them before he march'd into Judea, as may be gather'd from the History, 2 Kings 18. 34. and therefore upon reducing of Samaria they think it probable that Sennacherib (4) Grotius. made feveral of the Ifraelites fight under his (a) Banners (4) ૮ against their. Brethren of Judah. But others think there is no need to have recourfe to this Hiftorical Suppofition,

fince the Difficulty may be avoided by rendring the Words (a) tho' they together be against Judah, that is, they fhall be (a) Gataker. miferably divided among themselves, yet ready upon all Occafions to join their Forces against their Brethren.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter X.

The Prophet denounces Judgments against the Jewish Magiftrates for their Injustice and Partiality in determining Caufes between Subject and Subject, for which he threateneth them with the Affyrian, v. 5. the Greatness of whofe Conqueft fhould puff him up to fuch a degree, that he should arrogate all the Glory thereof to his own Wisdom and Strength, not confidering that he was only an Inftrument in the Hand of God to perform his Defigns; therefore he threateneth the Affyrian with fuch a Fall as fhould bring down his Pride, which Should have fuch an Effect on the Jews as to make them trust in God for the future; at the 28th Verfe he defcribes the March of this fwelling Conqueror, brings him to the Gates of Jerufalem, and then he foretels the Destruction of his Army under the Similitude of a Foreft, and reprefents felling the stately Trees, and lopping the most Spreading branches thereof.

Verse 1.

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O unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prefcribed: The first four Verfes of this Chapter Lyranus thinks fhould be join'd to the former, and fo they are he affures us in a great many Copies, as if the Prophet carry'd on the fame Subject, afligning the various Caufes of God's fevere Dealing with the Ten Tribes of Ifrael: But they are equally applicable to the Jews, and may as well be understood of the Jewish Magiftrates, who made Laws for their own Advantage, which the People could not Munter avoid breaking, and for which they were fure to be fin'd, Moller, which the Prophet means by decreeing unrighteous decrees, as by writing grievousness he reflects on thofe Judges who

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(a) Varablus.

(b) Grotius.

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Ver. 2. To turn afide the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.] That is, wo to them who make fuch Decrees, or pafs Sentence with fo great Partiality, that the Poor and the Needy, who have no Friends to ftand by them, nor Money to make the Judges their Friends, tho' they have the Law on their fide, yet cannot have Juftice done them.

Ver. 3. And what will ye do in the day of vifitation, and in the defolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?] The Prophet defcribes their Defolation as coming from far to alarm them the more, because at this Time they might probably think themselves out of the reach of Danger, as having nothing to fear from their Neighbours, whofe Forces might be otherwife employ'd, or which they thought themselves in a Condition to oppofe with equal Strength; and the Prophet goes on as it were infulting them, To whom then will ye fly for help? and where will ye leave lory? In whofe Hands will ye leave the Riches ye now ry in? Under what Safeguard will ye trust the fine Ornament of your Houses? Tho' Forerius thinks the Prophet by Glory means their Princes, who commonly found means to escape, when the lower fort of People were ruin'd by hostile Incurfions: but now it fhould be otherwise.

Ver. 4. Without me they shall bow down under the prifoners, and they shall fall under the flain: for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out ftill.] Interpreters are very much divided as to the meaning of the Particle Bilti, which fome render, But for me, if I did not support them they would be either flain or made Prifoners; (a) others, Without me, because they have left me, and I have withdrawn my felf from them, therefore fhall they bow down under the prisoners; (b) others, but that, or unless, unless ye bow down among the Prifoners, &c. not one of you fha!l efcape, there will be no way for you to fave your felves, but by the most base Submiffion defcrib'd by the hyperbolical Expreffion of bowing lower than Men in Bonds,

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and falling lower than the dead. But others connecting this with the former Verfe, as if the Prophet went on with his infulting Demands, give the words this turn, What will ye do that ye may not be forced to bow down Forerius, Luamong the Prifoners, and fall among the Slain? Which is as much as if he had faid, Do what ye can, ye shall furely ei ther fall by the Sword, or be carry'd into Captivity; and this feems (fays Gataker) the most natural fenfe of the words.

Ver. 5. O Affyrian, the red of mine anger and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.] The Prophet had before declar'd, Chap. 7. ver. 20. that God would chastise his People by the Affyrian; and here he folemnly, as it were, gives him his Commiffion, and lets him know how far his Orders reach; foretelling at the fame time his deftruction, for afcribing his Succefs to himself, and the Deliverance of his People from the Power of an Infolent Enemy. The words are obfcure in our Tranflation, and may be thus paraphras'd, 0 Affyrian, whom I will make ufe of in my Anger, as a Rod, to chaftife my People, and as a Staff to correct them, because they have provoked me to Indignation.

Ver. 6, 7. I will send him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the Spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit, he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think fo, but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few.] The word in the Original, which we render, he means not fo, fignifies to conceive an Image or likeness of a Thing; and is as much as if the Prophet had faid, God fends him to fpoil and plunder only; but Spoil and Plunder will not fatisfy him, he has other Thoughts in his Head, he entertains his Ambitious Soul with Idea's of deftruction, thinks of nothing but abfolute Conqueft, and annexing Judea to his Do-minions.

Ver. 8. For he faith, Are not my princes altogether kings?] The proud Barbarian boafts that he has Princes in his Army, who had Dominions as large as Judea; and what likelihood then, that Hezekiah, a petty Prince, fhould be able to hold out against his powerful Arms?

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Ver. 9. Is not Calno, as Carchemish? is not Hamath, as Arpad? is not Samaria, as Damafcus?] These Cities, at the writing of this Prophecy, were as well known as Rome, Paris, or London is now; but the exa& Situation of them cannot be certainly fix'd, as appears by the vaGataker, Bo- riety of Opinions relating thereto.

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Ver.10, 11. As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whofe graven images did excel them of Jerufalem, and of Samaria: fhall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, fo do to Jerusalem and her idols?] The force of Sennacherib's Argument contain'd in these two Verfes, feems to be this, The tutelar Gods of the Idolatrous Cities have not been able to deliver them out of my Hands; Why then fhould the Idols of Ferufalem be ftronger, or more able to defend her? Samaria was full of Idols, and he drew a right Confequence, when he concluded Jerufalem might be fo too, fince the Jews and the Ifraelites were of the fame Religion, tho' of different Governments, and Abaz had actually brought Idols into the Temple. Here we may take notice of the Arrogance of this haughty Monarch, who makes the Conqueft of Kingdoms as eafy as taking a Neft of Birds: He found them a refiftlefs Prey, and took them en paffant without the formality of a Siege, or the rifque of a Battle.

Ver. 12. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Sion, and on Jerufalem, I will punish the fruit of the ftout heart of the king of Affyria, and the glory of his high looks.] Wherefore because Sennacherib by whom I defign'd only to Chastise my People, and by a gentle Correction to bring them to a fenfe of their Duty, thinks of nothing but Root and Branch, and prefumes on his own ftrength to bring it to pass, I will punish the Fruit of the ftout Heart of the King of Affyria, that is, I will make him pay for his Prefumption, which as naturally proceeds from a Heart puff'd up with Pride, as Fruit from a Tree.

Ver. 13. For he faith, By the ftrength of my hand I have done it, and by my wifdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treafures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant

man.]