moment expect Divine Vengeance to fall upon his head Or rather because of the sudden and unexpected assault of other men combining against him and spoiling all his goods as it follows every hand of the ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wicked c Who lives by injury and the spoiling of others and by God's Providence are directed to fall upon him Or of the labourer whose wages possibly he hath detained Or of such as are in trouble or misery as this word signifies Iob 3. 20. who may joyntly invade him either because their necessity tempts and drives them to spoil others or rather because they were such as had been brought into their Calamity by his Oppressions and therefore now take Reparations from him shall be upon him 23. When he is about to fill his belly d i. e. When he hath enough and abundance to satisfie all his Appetites and shall design to take the pleasure of all his gains and to spend his days in Epicurism and sensuality God e Who is oft understood in this Book where he is not expressed and so he is here as appears from the following words because there is no other person here expressed who was to inflict these evils upon him and because they are said to be rained down upon him which implies their coming from heaven or from God shall cast the fury of his wrath f Some dreadful and destructive judgment upon him and shall rain it upon him g This Phrase notes both the Author of his Plagues God and the nature and quality of them that they shall come upon him like rain i. e. with great vehemency and so as he cannot prevent or avoid it while he is eating h As it fell upon thy Sons Chap. 1. 18 19. Compare Psalm 78. 30 31. 24. * 〈◊〉 24. 18. 〈◊〉 48. 43. 〈◊〉 5. 19. He shall flee from the iron weapon i i. e. From the Sword or Spear and so shall think himself out of danger and the bow k An Arrow shot out of a Bow a distant place and unknown hand shall unexpectedly fall upon him So that he shall only go from one danger to another of steel l which is of great strength and therefore sendeth forth the Arrow with greater force Compare Ps. 18. 34. Or of brass as the word properly signifies which the Ancients did so temper and harden that their Bows were commonly made of it shall strike him through m i. e. Mortally wound him 25. It is drawn n Either 1. a Sword which may be understood cut of this Hebrew Verb which is for the most part used of that Weapon as Num. 22. 23 31. Iudg. 8. 20 c. and out of the following Branch of the Verse Or 2. the Arrow last mentioned which had entred into his body and now was drawn out of it either by himself or by some other person as is frequent in that case if peradventure he might be cured and cometh out of the body o Or out of his body i. e. the body of the wounded man as appears both by the next Clause of the Verse which is added to explain the former where it is out of his gall and from the use of this Hebrew word which signifies a mans body or carkass as Iudg. 14. 8. 1 Sam. 31. 12. Isa. 5. 25. Nahum 3. 3. yea †Heb. the lightning cometh Nah. 3. 3. Hâ—…b 3. 11. the glistering sword p The word properly signifies lightning and thence a glistering weapon the bright Sword or Spear as Deut. 32. 41. Ezek. 21. 10 15. Nah. 3. 3 Habak 3. 11. Whereby it is implyed that he was doubly wounded first by the Arrow and then to make more sure work with the Sword or Spear thrust into him But the word may as well signifie the bright and sharp point of an arrow of which he spoke hitherto and having in the general said that it came out of his body now he determines the part of the body the gall which sheweth that the Wound was both deep and deadly as they are in that part It is probable he mentions this in reference to the like expression of Iob Ch. 16. 13. cometh out of his gall q Into which it had entred and wherewith it was coloured * Ch. 18. 11. terrors are upon him r To wit the terrours of Death because he perceived by the tincture of his Gall upon the Weapon that his Wound was incurable Or horrours of Conscience because he cannot live and dare not die 26. All darkness s i. e. All sorts of miseries both of Soul and Body and Estate shall be hid t Or is id or laid up to wit by God for him This Phrase may note that though it be not actually upon him yet it is reserved and treasured up for him and is kept as in a sure place and shall infallibly overtake him in his secret places u Either 1. In his hid treasures as this very word signifies Psalm 17. 14. He treasures up wealth and with God's wrath and curse Or 2. in those places where he confidently hopes to hide and secure himself from all evils and enemies yet even there God shall find him out Or for or in stead of or with for both ways the prefix Lamed is oft used his hid treasures a fire not blown x To wit by man but kindled by God himself as that was Chap. 1. 16. He thinks by his might and violence to secure himself from men but God by his own immediate hand or in some unknown and unexpected manner will find him out Some understand it of Hell-fire of which see Isa. 30. 33. shall consume him it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle y i. e. with his Posterity or Family who shall inherit his Curse as well as his Estate 27. * Ch. 16. 18 19. The heaven shall reveal his iniquity z i. e. God shall be a swift witness against him by some extraordinary judgments still he reflects upon Iob's Case and the Fire from Heaven Chap. 1. and the earth a i. e. All Creatures upon earth shall conspire with God to destroy him shall rise up against him 28. The encrease of his house b Either 1. his Posterity or rather 2. his Estate got by the labour and employed for the use of his Family shall depart c Shall be lost or taken away from him See 2 Kings 20. 17. and his goods shall flow away d Like Waters to wit swiftly and strongly and so as to return no more in the day of his wrath e i. e. Of God's wrath when God shall come to execute judgment upon him 29. * Ch. 27. 13. This is the portion of a wicked man from God f Who like a wise Master of a Feast gives to every man his proper portion and as a just Judge distributes to him according to his deserts
he was perfectly innocent it pleased God for other just and wise Reasons to punish him he hath put him to grief p God was the principal cause of all his sorrows and sufferings although mens sins were the deserving cause ‖ Or when his soul shall make an offering †If thou shalt make his soul sin 2 Cor. 5. 21. 1 Pet. 2. 24. when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin q When thou O God shalt make or have made thy Son a Sacrifice by giving him up to death for the attonement of mens sins His Soul is here put for his Life or for himself or his whole humane nature which was sacrificed his Soul being tormented with the sense of Gods Wrath and his Body crucified and Soul and Body separated by Death Or the words may be rendred When his soul shall make or have made itself an offering for sin whereby it may be implied that he did not lay down his Life by force but willingly he shall see his seed r His death shall be glorious to himself and highly beneficial to others for he shall have a numerous issue of Believers reconciled to God and saved by his death he shall prolong his days s He shall be raised to immortal Life and shall live and reign with God for ever he shall die no more Rom. 6. 9. and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luk. 1. 33. and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand t Gods gracious decree for the redemption and Salvation of Mankind shall be effectually carried on by his Ministry and Mediation 11 He shall see u He shall receive or enjoy as this word commonly signifies of the travel of his soul x The comfortable and blessed fruit of all his hard labours and grievous sufferings and shall be satisfied y He shall esteem his own and his Fathers Glory and the Salvation of his People an abundant recompence for all his Sufferings by his knowledg z Either 1. Actively by that knowledg of Gods Will and of the way of Salvation which is in him in its highest perfection and which by him is revealed unto men and by his Spirit is imprinted in the Minds and Hearts of his People so as to produce Faith and Obedience in them Or 2. Passively by the knowledg of him as my fear and thy fear are put for the fear of me and of thee Psal. 5. 7. Ier. 32. 40. Knowledg being here as it is most frequently in Scripture taken practically for that kind of Knowledge which worketh Faith and Love and Obedience to him So the sense is the same in both cases shall * Ch. 42. 1. 49. 3. my righteous servant a Which title is here given to Christ partly to vindicate him from those false imputations of wickedness which were fastened upon him by his Adversaries and which found the more belief because of his most grievous and unexampled Sufferings both from God and Men and partly to shew his fitness for this great work of justifying sinners because he was exactly holy and harmless and undefiled Heb. 7. 26. and fulfilled all righteousness according to his duty Mat. 3. 15. and therefore his person and performance must needs be acceptable to God and effectual for the justification of his People which was the great design of his coming into the World justifie b Acquit them from the guilt of their sins and all the dreadful consequences thereof For Iustification is here opposed to condemnation as appears from the following clause and from many other passages in this Chapter and as it is used in all places of Scripture one or two at most excepted where it is mentioned And Christ is said to justifie sinners meritoriously because he purchaseth and procureth it for us as God the Father is commonly said to do it authoritatively because he accepted the price paid by Christ for it and the pronunciation of the sentence of Absolution is referred to him in the Gospel Dispensation many c Which word is seasonably added partly by way of Restriction to shew that Christ will not justifie all but only such as believe in him and obey him and partly by way of Amplification to declare that this blessed priviledge shall not now be as hitherto it had in a manner been confined to Iudoea and the Jews but shall be conferred upon an innumerable company of all the Nations of the World for he shall bear their iniquities d For he shall satisfie the Justice and Law of God for them by bearing the punishments due to their sins and therefore by the principles of Reason and Justice they must be justified or acquitted otherwise the same debt should be twice required and paid 12 Therefore will I e God the Father the spectator and Judge of the Action or Combat divide him f Give him his share Or impart or give to him for this word is oft used without respect to any distribution or division as Deut. 4. 19. 29. 26. and elsewhere a portion g Which is very commodiously supplied out of the next clause where a word which answers to it the spoil is expressed with the great h Or among the great such as the great and mighty Potentates of the World use to have after a sharp Combat and a glorious Victory Though he be a very mean and obscure person as to his extraction and outward condition in the World yet he shall attain to as great a pitch of the Glory as the greatest Monarchs enjoy and he shall divide the spoil with the strong i The same thing is repeated in other words after the manner of prophetical Writers The sense of both clauses is That God will give him and he shall receive great and happy success in his glorious undertaking he shall conquer all his Enemies and lead Captivity Captive as is said Eph. 4. 8. and set up his universal and everlasting Kingdom in the World because he hath poured out his soul unto death k Because he willingly laid down his Life in Obedience to Gods Command Ioh. 10. 17 18. and in order to the Redemption of Mankind Death is here called a pouring out of the Soul or Life either because the Soul or Life which in living men is contained in the body is turned out of the Body by Death or to signifie the manner of Christs Death that it should be with the shedding of his Blood in which the Life of Man consists Levit. 17. 11 14. and he * Mar. 15. 28. Luk. 22. 37. was numbred with the transgressors l He was willing for Gods Glory and for Mans Good to be reproached and punished like a Malefactor in the same manner and place and betwixt two of them as is noted with reference to this place Mark 15. 27 28. and he bare the sin of many m Which was said v. 11.
he returned unto him and lo he stood by his burnt-sacrifice he and all the princes of Moab 7 And he took up l To wit into his mouth he expressed or spoke his parable m i. e. His oracular and prophetical speech which he calls a parable because of the weightiness of the matter and the majesty and smartness of the expressions which is usual in parables and said Balak the King of Moab hath brought me from Aram n From Aram Naharaim or Mesopotania Deut. 23. 4. See Gen. 10. 22. out of the Mountains of the east o In which quarter Aram lay The East was infamous for charmers or soothsayers Isa. 2. 6. saying Come curse me Jacob p The posterity of Iacob i. e. Israel as it here follows and come defie Israel 8 How shall I curse whom God hath not †Heb. cursed him cursed q God hath not cursed but blessed Israel and therefore it is a vain and ridiculous attempt for me to curse them in spight of God or how shall I defie whom the LORD hath not defied 9 For from the top of the rocks r Upon which I now stand I see him s I see the people according to thy desire chap. 22. 41. but cannot improve that sight to the end for which thou didst design it to wit to curse them and from the hills I behold him lo * Deut. 33 28. the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations t This people are of a distinct kind from others Gods peculiar people separated from all other nations as in Religion and Laws so also in divine protection and therefore my inchantments cannot have that power against them which they have against other persons and people See Exod. 19. 5. Levit. 20. 24 26. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob u i. e. The numberless people of Iacob or Israel who according to Gods promise Gen. 13. 16. and 28. 14. are now become as the dust of the Earth and the number of the fourth part of Israel x i. e. Of one of the camps of Israel for they were divided into four camps Numb 2. which Balaam from this height could easily discover much less can any man number all their host Let †Heb. my soul or my life me dye * Psal. 116. 15. the death of the righteous y i. e. Of this righteous and holy people the Israelites called Iesurun Deut. 32. 15. which word signifies upright or righteous The sense is they are not onely happy above other Nations in this life as I have said and therefore in vain should I curse them but they have this peculiar priviledge that they are happy after death their happiness begins where the happiness of other peoples ends and therefore I heartily wish that my soul may have its portion with theirs when I die But it was a vain wish for as he would not live as Gods people did so he died by the sword as others of Gods enemies did Numb 31. 8. Ios. 13. 22. and let my last end z i. e. My death as the word is used Or My posterity as this Hebrew word signifies Psal. 109. 13. Dan. 11. 4. Amos 4. 2. And as the covenant and blessing of God given to Abraham did reach to his posterity so this might not be unknown to Balaam which might give him occasion for this wish Or my reward as the word is taken Prov. 23. 18. and 24. 20. But the first sence seems the most true because it agrees best with the usage of Scripture to repeat the same thing in other words and this includes the third sense to wit the reward which is here supposed to follow death and for posterity it doth not appear that he had any or if he had that he was so very solicitous for them or that he knew the tenour of Gods covenant with Abraham and his posterity Nay he rather seems to have had some hope of ruining Abrahams posterity which he attempted both here and afterwards be like his 11 And Balak said unto Balaam What hast thou done unto me I took thee to curse mine enemies and behold thou hast blessed them altogether 12 And he answered and said Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth a I speak not these words by my own choice but by the constraint of an higher power which I cannot resist 13 And Balak said unto him Come I pray thee with me unto another place from whence thou mayest see them thou shalt see but the utmost part of them and shalt not see them all b He thought the sight of the people necessary both to excite Balaams passions and to strengthen and direct his conjurations but he would now have him see but a part of the people and not all because the sight of all of them might dismay and discourage him and as it did before raise his fancy to an admiration of the multitude and of the felicity of the people ver 9 10. and curse me them from thence 14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim c A place so called from the spies and watches which were kept there to the top of ‖ Or the hill Pisgah d An high Hill in the land of Moab so called Deut. 3. 27. and 34. 1. and built seven altars and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar 15 And he said unto Balak stand here by thy burnt-offering while I meet the LORD e To consult him and to receive an answer from him if peradventure those renewed sacrifices will melt him into some compliance with our desires yonder 16 And the LORD met Balaam f See above on verse 4. and Numb 22. 35. and * chap. 22. â—… put a word in his mouth and said go again to Balak and say thus 17 And when he came to him behold he stood by his burnt-offering and the princes of Moab with him And Balak said unto him What hath the LORD spoken 18 And he took up his parable and said Rise up g This word implies either 1. The reverence wherewith he should hear and receive Gods message as Ehud did Iudg. 3. 20. which might have been probable if Balak had been now sitting as Ehud there was but he was standing ver 15. or rather 2. The diligent attention required rouse up thy self and carefully mind what I say Balak and hearken unto me thou son of Zippor 19 * 1 Sam. 15. 2â—… Mal. 3. 6. Rom. 11. 2â—… Jam. 1. 17. God is not a man that he should lie h i. e. Break his Faith and Promises made to his people for their preservation and benediction neither the son of man that he should repent i i. e. Change his counsels or purposes which men do either because they are not able to execute them or because they are better informed and
enjoying a better Life which they never regarded But I have a firm and well grounded hope not of that temporal restitution which you promised me but of a blessed immortality after death and therefore am none of these hopeless Hypocrites as you account me when God taketh away r Or expâ—…lleth Or plucketh up which notes violence and that he died unwillingly Compare Luk. 12. 20. when good men are said freely and chearfully to give themselves or their Souls unto God his soul 9. * Psal. 18. 41. â—… 109. â—… 〈◊〉 1. 28. â—…â—…8 9. 〈◊〉 1. 15. Ezek. 8. 18. 〈◊〉 3. 4. Joh. 9. 31. 〈◊〉 4. 3. Will God hear his cry s An hypocrite doth not pray to God with comfort or any solid hope that God will hear him as I know he will hear me though not in the way which you think when trouble cometh upon him t When his guilty Conscience will fly in his face so as he dare not pray and accuse him to God so as God will not hear him 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty u Will he be able to delight and satisfie himself with God alone and with his Love and favour when he hath no other matter of delight This I now do and this an hypocrite cannot do because his heart is chiefly set upon the World and when that fails him his heart sinks and the thoughts of God are unfavoury and troublesom to him will he always call upon God x He may by his afflictions be driven to Prayer but if God doth not speedily answer him he falls into despair and neglect of God and of Prayer whereas I constantly continue in Prayer notwithstanding the grievousness and the long continuance of my Calamities 11. I will teach you ‖ Or being in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. by the hand of God y i. e. By Gods help and inspiration as God is said to speak to the Prophet with or by a strong hand Isa. 8. 11. I will not teach you my own vain conceits but what God himself hath taught me Or concerning as the prefix Beth is oft used as Exod. 12. 43 44. Psal. 63. 6. 87. 3. Prov. 4. 11. the hand of God i. e. his Counsel and Providence in governing the World or the manner of his dealing with men and especially with wicked men of whose portion he discourseth v. 13 14. c. shewing how far the hand of God is either for them or upon them and against them that which is with the Almighty z i. e. What is in his Breast or Counsel and how he executes his secret purposes concerning them or the truth of God the Doctrine which he hath taught his Church about these matters will I not conceal 12. Behold all ye your selves have seen it a I speak no false or strange things but what is known and confirmed by your own as well as others experiences why then are ye thus altogether vain b In maintaining such a foolish and false opinion against your own knowledge and experience Why do you obstinately defend your opinion and not comply with mine for the truth of which I appeal to your own Consciences 13. This c That which is mentioned in the following Verses In which Iob delivers either 1. the opinion of his Friends in whose person he utters them and afterwards declares his dissent from them Or rather 2. his own opinion and how far he agreeth with them for his sense differs but little from what Zophar said Ch. 20. 29. is the portion of a wicked man with God d Either laid up with God or in his Counsel and appointment or which he shall have from God as the next words explain it and the heritage of Oppressors e Who are mighty and fierce and terrible and mischievous to mankind as this word implies whom therefore men cannot destroy but God will which they shall receive of the Almighty 14. * Deut. 28. 41. Hos. 9. 13. If his children be multiplied it is for the sword f That they may be cut off by the Sword either of War or of Justice and his off-spring shall not be satisfied with bread g Shall be starved or want necessaries A Figure called Meiosis 15. Those that remain of him h Who survive and escape that Sword and Famine shall be buried in death i Either 1. Shall die and so be buried Or 2. Shall be buried as soon as ever they are dead either because their Relations or dependents feared lest they should come to themselves again and trouble them and others longer or because they were not able to bestow any funeral Pomp upon them or thought them unworthy of it Or 3. Shall be in â—… manner utterly extinct in or by death all their hope and glory and name and memory which they designed to perpetuate to all ages shall be buried with them and they shall never rise again to a blessed Life whereas a good man hath hope in his death and leaves his good-name alive and flourishing in the World and rests in his Grave in assurance of Redemption from it and of a glorious Resarrection to an happy and eternal Life and * Psal. 78. 64. his Widows k For they had many Wives either to gratifie their Lust or to encrease and strengthen their Family and Interest shall not weep l Either because they durst not lament their death which was entertained with publick joy or because they were overwhelmed and astonished with the greatness and strangeness of the Calamity and therefore could not weep or because they also as well as other persons groaned under their Tyranny and cruelty and rejoiced in their deliverance from it 16. Though he heap up silver as the dust and prepare raiment as the clay m i. e. In great abundance 17. He may prepare it but the just shall put it on n Either because it shall be given to him by the Judge to recompence those Injuries which he received from that Tyrant Or because the right of it is otherwise transferred upon him by divine Providence and the innocent shall divide o Either 1. To the poor he shall distribute that which the oppressors hoarded up and kept as wickedly as he got it So this suits with Prov. 28. 8. Eccles. 2. 26. Or 2. With others or to himself He shall have a share of it when by the Judges sentence those ill-gotten goods shall be restored to the right owners the silver 18. * Chap. 8. 15 He buildeth his house as a moth p Which settleth itself in a Garment but is quickly and unexpectedly brushed off and dispossessed of its dwelling and crushed to death and as a booth that the keeper maketh q Which the Keeper of a Garden or Vineyard suddenly rears up in Fruit-time and as quickly and easily pulls it down again See Isa. 1. 8. Lam. 2. 6. 19. The rich man shall
and all other means of redeeming his Brother which he hath not when he himself is dangerously or desperately sick nor give to God n The onely Lord of Life and the Judge who hath passed upon him the Sentence of Death a ransom for him 8. For * Job 36. 18 19. the redemption of their soul o i. e. Of their Life as Soul is commonly used is precious p i. e. Rare as the Word is used 1 Sam. 3. 1. Dan. 2. 11. hard to be obtained But he doth not call it simply impossible because Christ hath purchased this Priviledge for his true Disciples that in some Sence they shall not see Death Iob. 8. 51. and it ceaseth for ever q i. e. It is never to be accomplished to wit by any meeâ—… Man for himself or for his Brother 9. That he should still live for ever and * Psal. 89. 48. not see corruption r Or the Pit or the Grave i. e. Not die as that Phrase is oft used as hath been noted before 10. For he seeth s An impersonal Expression Every man sees and knows it it is visible and evident both from Reason and from universal Experience that * Eccle. 2. 16. wise men die likewise the fool and the brutish person perish t All men die without any Difference between Wise and Fools good and bad and leave their wealth to others u He saith not to Sons or Kindred but indefinitely to others because he is wholly uncertain to whom he shall leave them to Friends or Strangers or Enemies which he mentions as a great Vanity in Riches They neither can save them from Death nor will accompany him in and after Death and after his Death will be disposed he knows not how nor to whom 11. Their inward thought is x Though they are ashamed to express it yet it is their secret Opinion and Hope and Wish that their houses y Either 1. Their posterity oft called mens Houses as 2 Sam. 7. 11. c. Psal. 113. 9. and 115. 12. Or 2. Their Mansion-Houses as it is explained in the next Clause which also serve for this purpose to preserve a Mans name for ever shall continue for ever z Not to them in their own Persons but to them and theirs in succeeding Generations as it follows and their dwelling places †Heb. to Generation and Generation to all generations they call their lands after their own names a Fondly dreaming by this means to immortalize their Names and Memories 12. Nevertheless b Notwithstanding all these fine Fancies and Devices * Psal. 82. 7. man being in honour c Living in all the Splendour and Glory above mentioned abideth not d The Hebrew word Properly signifies to lodge for a Night as Gen. 32. 21. Iudg. 19. 10. and thence to abide for a long or Considerable time as Psal. 25. 13. and 55. 7. Prov. 15. 31. All his Dreams of perpetuating his Name and Estate shall vanish and be Confuted by Experience he is like the beasts that perish e i. e. That are utterly lost and Exstinct So he is in reference to all his Wealth and Honour of which he here speaks 13. This their way f i. e. Their Counsel and Contrivance to immortalize themselves is their folly g Though to themselves and some others it seem to be Wisdom yet in Truth it is apparent folly and madness For they neither obtain that immortal Name which they seek and hope for Nor if they do doth it yield them any Comfort or Benefit yet their posterity †Heb. 〈◊〉 in their 〈◊〉 approve their sayings h Heb. their Mouth i. e. Their Counsels and Suggestions which they gave them concerning these Matters The Mouth is oft put for the Words which come out of it as Numb 35. 30. Iob. 7. 11. Selah 14. Like sheep i Which for a season are fed in large and sweet Pastures but at the owners Pleasure are put together in close and Comfortless solds and led away to the Slaughters not knowing nor considering whither they are going they are laid in †Heb. Hell the grave k Or in Hell For the Hebrew word signifie both death shall feed on them l The first Death shall Consume their Bodies in the Grave and the second Death shall devour their Souls and the * Dan. 7. 22. Mal. 4. 3. Luk. 22. 30. 1 Cor. 6. 2. Rev. 2. 26. 20. 4. upright m Good men whom here they oppressed and abused at their Pleasure shall have dominion over them in the morning n Either 1. Suddendly or within a very little time as this Phrase is oft used as Psal. 30. 5. and 46. 5. and 101. 8. and 143. 8. c. Or 2. In the day of general Judgment and the Resurrection of the Dead For Death being called the night Ioh. 9. 4. and sleep in many places that day is fitly Compared to the Morning when men awake out of sleep and enter upon that everlasting day But whether this or the former be the true meaning of the Phrase it is sufficiently evident the thing here spoken of is not done in this Life but in the next For 1. This Proposition and Priviledge being general and common to all upright Persons is not verified here it being the lot of many good men to be oppressed and killed by the â—…icked as is manifest both from Scripture as Psal. 44. 22. Eccles. 8. 14. and 9. 2. and from the Experience of all Ages of the Church 2. This Dominion of the just over the wicked happens after the wicked are laid in their Grave as is here expressed and Consequently supposeth their future Life and Resurrection for when one Person rules over another both are supposed to exist or have a being Nor is there any Argument against this Sence but from a vain and absurd Conceit which some men have entertained that the Saints in the Old Testament had no firm belief nor Expectation of the Recompences of the Life to come Which is against evident Reason and against many clear places of the Old Testament that cannot without force be wrested to any other Sence and against the express Testimony of the New Testament concerning them Heb. 11. and in many other places and their ‖ Or Strength beauty o Or their Form or Figure or Image all which come to one and seems to intimate that all their Glory and Felicity which they had in this Life was rather imaginary than Real and indeed but a shadow as it is called Eccles. 6. 12. and 8. 13. shall consume p Heb. is to Consume or to be Consumed i. e. Shall be consumed the infinitive Verb being here put for the Future as it is Psal. 32. 8. Zeth 3. 4. and 12. 10. ‖ Or 〈◊〉 Grace being an habitation to every one of them in the grave from their dwelling
any considerable inconvenience to us who are free from the obligations which the Jews were formerly under of procuring such stones and abstaining in their Diet from such Beasts and Birds as then were sufficiently known to them and if any were doubtful they had one safe course to abstain from them and the Onyx stone m A kind of pretious stone of which see Exod. 25. 7. and 28. 9 20. 13. And the name of the second River is Gihon n Not that River in the Land of Israel so called 1 King 1. 33. 2 Chron. 32. 30. But another of the same name which in Hebrew signifies the branch of a greater River Here it is a branch either of Euphrates as most think or of Tigris as some late Writers conceive The same is it that compasseth the whole Land of †Câ—…sh Ethiopia o Not that Countrey in Africa above Aegypt commonly so called but either Arabia which in Scripture is frequently called Cush or Ethiopia Of which see the notes upon 2 King 19. 9. Iob 28. 19. Ezek. 29. 10. and 30. 8 9. Hab. 3. 7. or rather a Countrey adjoyning to India and Persia with which Cush is joyned Ezek. 38. 5. See also Esa. 11. 11. and Ezek. 27. 10. And about which place the Ethiopians are seated by Herod l. 7. Homer Heâ—…iod and others Of which see my Latin Synopsis 14. And the name of the third River is Hiddekel p i. e. Tigris or an eminent branch of it See Dan. 10. 4. That is it which goeth ‖ Or Eastward to Assyria toward the East of Assyria And the fourth River is Euphrates 15. And the LORD God took ‖ Or Adam the Man and put him q i. e. Commanded and enclined him to go into the Garden of Eden to ‖ Or till See Chap. 3. 23. dress it r i. e. To prune dress and order the Trees and Herbs of it and to keep it s From the annoyance of Beasts which being unreasonable Creatures and allowed the use of Herbs might easily spoil the beauty of it 16. And the LORD God commanded the Man t And the Woman too as appears both from the permission for eating Herbs and Fruits given to her together with her Husband Gen. 1. 28 29. and from Gen. 3. 1 2 3. and from Eves punishment and that either immediately or by Adam whom God enjoyned to inform her thereof saying of every Tree of the Garden †Heb. Eating thou shalt eat thou mayest freely eat u Without offence to me or nutt to thy self The words in Hebrew have the form of a command but are only a permission or indulgence as 1 Cor. 10. 25 27. 17. But of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it For in the day in which thou eatest thereof †Heb. dying thou shalt dye thou shalt surely dye x With a threefold death 1. Spiritual by the guilt and power of sin at that instant thou shalt be dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. 2. Temporal or the death of the Body which shall then begin in thee by decayes infirmities terrors dangers and other harbingers of death 3. Eternal which shall immediately succeed the other 18. And the LORD God said y Or Had said to wit upon the sixth day on which the Woman was made Gen. 1. 27 28. It is not good z Not convenient either for my purpose of the increase of mankind or for mans personal comfort or for the propagation of his kind that the man should be alone I will make him an help †Heb as before him or as it were comparable to him Is. 40. 1â—… meet for him a A most emphatical phrase signifying thus much one correspondent to him suitable both to his nature and necessity one altogether like to him in shape and constitution disposition and affection a second self or one to be at hand and near to him to stand continually before him familiarly to converse with him to be always ready to succour serve and comfort him or one whose eye respect and care as well as desire Gen. 3. 16. should be to him whose business it shall be to please and help him 19. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every Beast of the Field and every Fowl of the Air and brought them b Either by Winds or Angels or by his own secret instinct by which Storks and Cranes and Swallows change their places with the season unto ‖ Or the Man Adam c Partly to own their subjection to him partly that man being recreated with their prospect might adore and praise the Maker of them and withall be sensible of his want of a meet companion and so the better prepared to receive Gods mercy therein and partly for the reason here following to see d Or make a discovery not to God who knew it already but to all future Generations who would hereby understand the deep wisdom and knowledge of their first Parent what he would call them And whatsoever Adam called every †Heb. living Soul living Creature that was the name thereof e To wit in the primitive or Hebrew Language And this was done for the manifestation both of mans Dominion over the Creatures and of the largeness of his understanding it being an act of authority to give names and an effect of vast knowledge to give convenient names to all the Creatures which supposeth an exact acquaintance with their Natures 20. And Adam †Heb. callâ—…d gave Names to all Cattle and to the Fowl of the Air and to every Beast of the Field but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him f But though in giving them names he considered their several natures and perfections it was evident to himself as well as to the Lord that none of them was an help meet for him 21. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam g That he who was without sin might feel no pain in the taking away of his Rib. And in this sleep some think Adam was in an extasie wherein he saw what was done together with the reason and mystery of it and he slept and he took one of his Ribs h Together with the Flesh upon it v. 23. Or one of his sides for the Hebrew word signifieth a Side as well as a Rib which may be taken Synecdochically for a part of one of his sides viz. a Rib and the Flesh upon it Or for one part out of each of his sides as if two Ribs clothed with Flesh were taken out of the man because he saith verse 23 This is Bone of my Bones not of my Bone The Woman was taken out of this part not out of the higher or lower parts to shew that she is neither to be her husbands Mistress to usurp authority over him 1 Tim. 2. 12. Nor yet to be
and that all the difference which was between him and consequently between other good men and the wicked progeny of Cain was not from the nature which they received from Adam but from the grace infused into them by God and called his name Seth. 4. * 1 Chron. 1 â—… c. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years And he begat Sons and Daughters k Whose names and numbers are here passed over in silence as not belonging to the Genealogy of Christ nor to the following History 5. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years l The long lives of men in ancient times here noted are also mentioned by Heathen Authors And it was wisely so ordered by God both for the more plentiful encrease of mankind in the first age of the world and for the more effectual propagation of true Religion and other useful knowledge to the World And many natural reasons might be given why their lives were then longer than afterwards and he died 6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years and begat Enos 7. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years and begat Sons and Daughters 8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years and he died 9. And Enos lived ninety years and begat †Heb. Kenaâ—… Cainan 10. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years and begat Sons and Daughters 11. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years and he died 12. And Cainan lived seventy years and begat †Gr. Maleleel Mahalaleel 13. And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years and begat Sons and Daughters 14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years and he died 15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years and begat †Heb. Iered Iared 16. And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Iared eight hundred and thirty years and begat Sons and Daughters 17. And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years and he died 18. And Iared lived an hundred sixty and two years and he begat Enoch 19. And Iared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years and begat Sons and Daughters 20. And all the days of Iared were nine hundred sixty and two years and he died 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years and begat †Gr. Mathusala Methuselah m Whose name is thought by some learned men to contain a prophesie of the flood which was to come a thousand years after for it signifies He dies and the dart or Arrow of Gods vengeance comes Or He dies and the sending forth of the Waters comes 22. And Enoch * Chap. 24. 40. Psal. 16. 8. 116. 9. walked with God n i. e. He lived as one whose eye was continually upon God whose care and constant course and business it was to please God and to imitate him and to maintain acquaintance and communion with him as one devoted to Gods service and wholly governed by his will he walked not with the Men of that wicked age or as they walked but being a Prophet and Preacher as may be gathered from Iude v. 14 15. with great zeal and courage he protested and preached against their evil practises and boldly owned God and his ways in the midst of them Compare Gen. 6. 6. Ier. 12. 3. Mic. 6. 8. after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat Sons and Daughters o Hence it is undeniably evident that the state and use of Matrimony doth very well agree with the severest course of Holiness and with the office of a Prophet or Preacher 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years 24. And * Heb. 11. â—… Enoch walked with God And he was not p i. e. He appeared not any longer upon Earth or amongst mortal Men. The same phrase is in Gen. 42. 36. Ier. 31. 15. for God took him q Out of this sinful and miserable World unto himself and to his heavenly Habitation See Luke 23. 43. And he took either his Soul of which alone this phrase is used Ezek. 24. 16. or rather both Soul and Body as he took Elias 2 King 2. 11. because he so took him that he did not see death Heb. 11. 5. 25. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years and begat †Heb. Lemech Lamech 26. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years and begat Sons and Daughters 27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years r The longest time that any man lived But it is observable that neither his nor any of the Patriarchs lives reached to a thousand years which number hath some shadow of perfection and he died s But a little before the Flood came being taken away from the evil to come 28. And Lamech t Not that wicked Lamech mentioned Chap. 4. for he was of the Family of Cain but this was descended from Seth. lived an hundred eighty and two years and begat a Son 29. And he called his name †Gâ—… Noe. Noah u Which signifies rest saying x By the Spirit of Prophesie this same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands y i. e. Concerning the hard labour and manifold troubles to which we are sentenced ch 3. 19. And this he did either 1. By the invention of instruments of husbandry whereby Tillage was made more easie Or 2. By removing in some part the curse inflicted upon the Earth and reconciling God unto mankind Possibly he might suppose that this was the Messias or promised Seed and the Saviour of the undone World As it was frequent with the antient Fathers through their earnest desire of the Messias to expect him long before he came and to mistake other persons for him Or 3. By preserving a remnant of mankind from that deluge which he by the spirit foresaw would come and re-peopling the emptied Earth with a new Generation of men and by restoring and improving the art of Husbandry See Gen. 9. 20. because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed 30. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years and begat Sons and Daughters 31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years and he died 32. And Noah was five hundred years old And Noah begat z i. e. He began to beget God in mercy denying him Children till that time that he might not beget them to the destroyer that he might have no more than should be saved in the Ark. Or having before that time begotten others who were now dead and having the approaching Flood in his view he began again to beget a seminary for the World Of these three Sons here following the eldest
†Heb. and the Lord said c. NOW the * Act. 7. 3. LORD had said a To wit in Ur of the Chaldees by comparing Gen. 11. 31. with Act. 7. 3 4. or did say again i. e. renewed the command in Haran whilest Abram might possibly linger there as afterwards Lot did in Sodom longer than he should But the former interpretation is more probable because Moses speaks here of that command of God which came to Abram before he was gone from his kindred and fathers house and therefore before he came to Haran And this command was given to Abram either immediately or by Sem then the Governour of God's Church unto Abram Get thee out of thy countrey * Chap. 31. 3. and from thy kindred and from thy fathers house b From the Family of Nachor which was now become idolatrous Gen. 31. 30. Ios. 24. 2. and consequently their society was dangerous and pernicious and therefore God mercifully snatcheth him as a brand out of the Fire unto a land that I will shew thee c Which as yet he nameth not for the greater tryal and exercise of Abrams faith and patience Compare Isa. 41. 2. Heb. 11. 8. 2. And I will †Heb. make thee a great Nation make of thee a great Nation and I will bless thee d With all my blessings spiritual temporal and eternal See Deut. 7 13. and 28. 2 c. and Eph. 1. 3. and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing e i. e. Both a pattern and an instrument of blessedness to others to thy posterity who shall be blessed for thy sake to thy Servants and Friends who shall be blessed by thy instruction and help and to all the world as it follows 3. And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee f Those that are Friends or Enemies to thee shall be the same to me A marvellous condescension and priviledge * Chap. 18. 18. and 22. 18. Acts 3. 25. Gal. 3. 8. and in thee g i. e. In thy seed as it is explained Gen. 22. 18. and 26. 4. and 28. 24. i. e. in and through Christ Act. 3. 25. Gal. 3. 9 16 28 29. or for thee as the Chaldee hath it i. e. for thy sake or by thee i. e. by thy means or with thee by comparing this with Gal. 3. 8 9. i. e. in the same way and manner in which thou art blessed that is by a fruitful Faith Compare Rom. 4. 11 12 16. shall all families h i. e. All Nations which is to be limited to the Believers of all Nations by the whole current of the Scriptures All that shall be blessed shall be blessed by this means and no other way of the Earth be blessed â—… 4. So Abram departed k First from Ur and after his Fathers death from Haran as the Lord had spoken unto him and Lot went with him and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran 5. And Abram took Sarai his Wife and Lot his Brothers Son and all their substance that they had gathered and the souls l i. e. The persons as the word Souls is oft used as Gen. 14. 21. and 17. 4. Exod. 12. 15. Levit. 2. 1. Numb 23. 10. Deut. 24. 7. Mark 3. 4 c. that they had gotten m Heb. made i. e. either 1. begotten for though Abram had yet no Children Lot had and both their servants had Children by their fellow-servants born in their house which might well be numbred among Abrams and Lots persons because they had an absolute dominion over them Or 2. Instructed i. e. turned from Idolatry and taught in the true Religion as the Chaldee expounds it for such were most proper for Abram to take along with him out of his Fathers house in this expedition Or 3. Gotten i. e. procured either by conquest or purchase or any other lawful and usual way in Haran and they went forth to go into the Land of Canaan and into the Land of Canaan they came 6. And Abram passed through the Land unto the place of Sichem n Heb. Sechem a place afterwards so called in the Mountains of Ephraim Ios. 21. 21. Iudg. 8. 31. and here so called by anticipation unto the plain of Moreh And the Canaanite o Properly so called that cursed cruel impious and idolatrous Nation See Zach. 14. 21. This is added as an aggravation of Abrams faith and obedience that he durst and did profess the true Religion in the midst of such a people which could not be without great danger both of his Estate and Life was then in the Land p As a settled inhabitant to continue there for a long time whereas now in Moses his time he was forthwith to be expelled out of it 7. And the LORD appeared unto Abram q To encourage and comfort him against his wicked neighbours and said * Chap. 13. 15. Unto thy seed will I give this Land r See Geâ—… 13. 15. and 15. 18. and 17. 8. and 24. 7. Deut. 34. 4. and there built he an * Chap. 13. 4. altar s A place for Sacrifice and other parts of Divine Worship erected by him both to keep his Family in the true Religion and to separate himself and them from that idolatrous neighbourhood unto the LORD who appeared unto him 8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the East of Beth-el t A known place which afterwards was called Beth-el but now Luz Gen. 2â—… 19. An usual prolepsis or anticipation as before v. 6. and pitched his tent having Beth-el on the West u Or On the Sea which is all one because the Sea was on the West part of the Land See Gen. 13. 14. and 28. 14. Num. 3. 23. Deut. 3. 27. and Hai x or Ai as it is called Ios. 7. 2. Ier. 49. 3. Isa. 10. 28. on the East and there he built an altar unto the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD 9. And Abram journeyed y Removing from place to place still hoping to meet with better Neighbours and to free himself from that perpetual vexation which he had in beholding their wickedness †Heb. in going and journeying going on still towards the South z i. e. the Southern part of the Land of Canaan towards Egypt 10. And there was a Famine in the Land a Or In that Land of Canaan a Land eminently fruitful Deut. 8. 7 8. This was partly to punish that peoples sins Psal. 107. 34. partly to try Abrams faith and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there for the famine was grievous in the Land 11. And it came to pass when he was come near to enter into Egypt that he said unto Sarai his Wife Behold now I know that thou art a fair Woman to look upon b Qu. How could she
whosoever shall succeed in thy place to whom it belongs to see those and other of my laws observed shall take care that the Priest be holy and do not defile himself by any of these forbidden marriages though he would do it therefore for he offereth the bread of thy God he shall be holy unto thee p Either 1. in thy esteem and therefore shall not give thee cause to think meanly and irreverently of him by his defiling or debasing of himself with irregular mixtures or 2. to thy use or service in whose name he is to act with God and therefore shall preserve himself in a state of holiness and acceptation with God for I the LORD which sanctifie you am holy q And therefore my Ministers must be such also 9 And the daughter r And by analogy his son also and his wife because the reason of the law here added concerns all And nothing is more common than to name one kind for the rest of the same nature as also is done Levit. 18. of any priest if she profane her self by playing the whore she profaneth her father s i. e. Exposeth his person and office and consequently religion one of whose prime ministers he is to contempt she shall be burnt with fire t Which was the severest of all the kinds of punishments among the Iews Whereby God would shew both the greatness of their sins who stand in nearer relation to God than others and how far God is from allowing sin in those who are nearest to him 10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren upon whose head * Exod. 3â—… 30. the anointing oyl was poured u Levit. 8. 11. Which was onely sprinkled upon inferiour Priests blood also being mixed with it Lev. 8. 30. and * Exod. 28. 2. chap. 16. 32. that is consecrated to put on the garments x To wit those holy garments which were peculiar to him as well as those common to others shall * chap. 10. 6. not uncover his head y This being then the posture of mourners Lev. 10. 6. though afterwards the custom was changed and mourners covered their heads 2 Sam. 15. 30. Eâ—… 6. 12. Or iâ—… this custom was now in use the meaning may be he shall not put off the Priestly covering or miter which was necessary for him to do if he had put on the mourners covering upon his head otherwise the holy covering had been defiled but he shall continue in the exercise of his office which is signified by keeping on his Priestly garments nor rent his clothes z. 11 Neither shall he go in a To wit into the chamber or house where they ly This and divers other rites here prescribed were from hence translated by the Heathens into their use whose Priests were put under the same obligations to any dead body nor defile himself for his father b Because upon his fathers death he was actually High-priest having been consecrated to this office in his Fathers life-time or for his mother 12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary c To wit to attend the funerals of any person for upon other occasions he might and did commonly go out nor profane the sanctuary d Either by making the service thereof give place to the discharge of his passions or the performance of a civility or by entring into the Sanctuary before the seven days allotted for his cleansing Numb 19. 11. were expired of his God for * Exod. 28. 36. the ‖ Or consecration or separation Numb 6. 7. crown of the anointing oyl e i. e. The anointing oil which to him was in stead of a crown by which he was advanced not onely above the rest of his brethren but even above all the people whose chief Governour he was in the things of God though subject and accountable to the civil Magistrate by which also he was made an eminent type of Christ who was to be King and Priest Or the crown to wit the golden plate which is called the holy crown Exod. 29. 6. and the anointing oyl of his God are upon him So there is onely an Ellipsis of the conjunction and which is frequent as Psal. 33. 2. and 144. 9. Isa. 63. 11. Hab. 3. 11. c. And these two things being most eminent are put for the rest and the sign is put for the thing signified q. d. for he is Gods High-priest Or the consecration for so nâ—…zer signifies of the anointing oil which by an Hypallage may be put for the anointing oil of the consecration i. e. whereby he is consecrated is upon him i. e. though that action be past yet the vertue of it remains still upon him he is a sacred person in the highest degree and therefore not to defile himself in any kind of his God is upon him I am the LORD 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity f Or a Virgin partly for the decency of the type because as he was a type of Christ so his wife was a type of the Church which is compared to a Virgin 2 Cor. 11. 2. Rev. 14. 4. and partly for greater caution and assurance that his wife was not a defiled or defloured person This and the following rule belong not to all the Priests for then this were a gross tautology these same things or most of them being expresly forbidden to them ver 7. but onely to the High-priest to shew that he also and he especially is obliged to the same cautions 14 A widow g Except she were the widow of his predecessour which some gather from Ezek. 44. 22. But that place speaks onely of the common Priest not of the High-priest or a divorced woman or profane or an harlot these shall he not take but he shall take a virgin of his own people h i. e. Either 1. of his own tribe which is confuted by the examples of holy men See 2 Chron. 22. 11. Or 2. of the seed of Israel as it is explained Ezek. 44. 22. to wife 15 Neither shall he prophane his seed i By mixing it with forbidden kinds whereby the children would be disparaged and rendred unfit for their Priestly function among his people for â—… the LORD do sanctifie him k i. e. have separated him from all other sorts of men for my especial and immediate service and therefore will not have that race corrupted 16 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 17 Speak unto Aaron saying Whosoever he be of thy seed l Whether the High-Priest or the inferiour ones in their generations m In all successive ages as long as your Priesthood and policy indures that hath any blemish n i. e. Any defect or excess of parts any notorious deformity or imperfection in his body The reason hereof is partly typical that he might more fully represent Christ the great High-priest who was typified both
mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure q Which was allowed in those parts because of the great plenty and fruitfulness of Vines there but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel 25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbours * Mat. 12. 1. Mar. 2. 23. Luk. 6. 1. then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbours standing corn CHAP. XXIV 1 WHen * Mat. 5. 31. and 19. 7. Mar. 10. 4. a man hath taken a wife and married her and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes a i. e. He dislike and loath her It is a figure called Melosis whereby more is understood than is expressed as Prov. 10. 2. and 17. 21. and 24. 23. because he hath found some †Heb. 〈◊〉 of nakedness chap. 23. 14 uncleanness b Heb. nakedness or shamefulness or filthiness of a thing i. e. some filthy or hateful thing some loathsome distemper of body or quality of mind not observed before Marriage Or some light and unchast carriage as this or the like phrase commonly signifies but not amounting to Adultery which was not punished with divorce but with death in her then let him write her a bill of †Heb. cuttiâ—…g off divorcement and give it in her hand and send her out of his house c Which is not a command to divorce them as some of the Jews understood it nor an allowance and approbation as plainly appears not onely from the New Testment Matth. 5. 31 32. and 19. 8 9. But also from the old Testament Gen. 2. 24. Mal. 2. 16. but meerly a permission or toleration of that practise for prevention of greater mischiefs and cruelties of that hard hearted people towards their Wives and this onely for a season even until the time of reformation as it is called Heb. 9. 10. i. e. till the coming of the Messias when things were to return to their first institution and purest condition The Husband is not here commanded to put her away but if he do put her away he is commanded to write and give her a bill of divorcement before he send her out of his house And though it be true as our Saviour observes that Moses did suffer these divorces to wit without punishing them which also is here implyed yet it must be acknowledged that if we consult the Hebrew words those three first verses may seem to be onely a supposition and the words rendred then let him write her in the Hebrew run thus and hath written her and so it follows ver 2. And she be departed out of his house and be gone and become another mans wife Then follows ver 3. which even according to our translation carries on the supposition And if the later husband hate her c. Then follows the position or prohibition ver 4. 2 And when she is departed out of his house she may go and be another mans wife d For although he could not causelessly put her away without sin yet she being put away and forsaken by her husband might marry another without sin as is determined in the same or a like case 1 Cor. 7. 15. 3 And if the later husband hate her and write her a bill of divorcement and giveth it her in her hand and sendeth her out of his house or if the later husband die which took her to be his wife 4 * Jer. 3. 1. Her former husband which sent her away may not take her again e This is the punishment of his levity and injustice in putting her away without sufficient cause which by this offer he now acknowledgeth to be his wife after that she is defiled f Not simply and absolutely as if her second Marriage were a sin but respectively or as to her first husband to whom she is as a defiled or unclean woman that is forbidden for things forbidden are accounted and called unclean Iudg. 13. 7. because they may no more be touched or used than an unclean thing for that is abomination before the LORD and ‖ Or 〈◊〉 so Gr. thou shalt not cause the land to sin g i. e. Thou shalt not suffer such abhominable lightness and lewdness to be practised least the people be polluted and the land defiled and accursed by that means which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance 5 * chap. â—… â—… When a man hath taken a new wife he shall not go out to war †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon hiâ—… neither shall he be charged with any business h i. e. Any publick office or employment which may cause an absence from or neglect of his Wife but he shall be free at home one year i That their affections newly engaged may be firmly settled so as there may be no occasions for the divorces last mentioned and shall chear up his wife which he hath taken 6 No man shall take the nether or the upper milstone i Used in their handmills of which see Exod. 11. 5. Numb 11. 28. Ier. 25. 10. Under this one kind he understands all other things necessary to get a livelihood the taking away whereof is against the Laws both of charity and prudence seeing by those things alone he can be enabled both to subsist and to pay his debts to pledge for he taketh a mans †Heb. 〈◊〉 life k i. e. His livelihood or the necessary supports of his life to pledge 7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren l See on Exod. 21. 16. of the children of Israel and maketh merchandise of him or selleth him then that thief shall die and thou shalt put evil away from among you 8 Take heed in * Lev. 13. 14. the plague of leprosie that thou observe diligently and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you as I commanded them m By which words he plainly intimates that they were not onely to have an eye to the Levites instructions but also and especially unto the word and command of God and that if the Levites sentence were manifestly contrary to the command of God it were not to be obeyed As now if a Levite or Priest should for fear or favour or gain pronounce a person to be clean who were really and manifestly unclean and had the unquestionable marks of leprosie upon him I suppose no man in his wits will question but every man that saw and knew this were bound to avoid the touching of him and that if he did touch him he should be defiled by it so ye shall observe to do 9 Remember what the LORD thy God did * Num. 12. 10. unto Miriam n Whom God smote with leprosie for her contempt of Moses and therefore thou maist expect the same or like punishment if thou dost despise the counsel and direction of the
should not receive the Grace of God in vain and to teach them that the Grace of God doth not discharge mans obligation to his duty nor excuse him for the neglect of it and that Conversion and Sanctification though it be Gods work yet it is mans duty unto the voice of the LORD thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day k He seems to speak of the law or of that great command of loving and obeying God mentioned here v. 2 6 10 16. which is the sum of the Law of which yet he doth not here speak simply or as it is in it self but as it is mollified and accompanied with the Grace of the Gospel whereby God circumciseth mens hearts to do this as is expressed v. 6. The meaning is that although the practise of Gods Law strictly and severely be now far from us and above our strength yet considering the advantage of Gospel Grace whereby God enables us in some measure to our duty and accepts of our sincere endeavours in stead of perfection and imputes Christs perfect righteousness unto us that believe now it is near and easie to us And so this place well agrees with Rom. 10. 6 c. where St. Paul expounds or applies this place to the righteousness of faith by which alone the Law is such as it is here described it * chap. 27. 8. Isa. 45. 19. is not hidden from thee l Heb. Is not too wonderful for thee as Deut. 17. 8. Prov. 30. 18. Ier. 32. 17. i. e. not too hard for thee to know and do the Will of God which is but darkly manifested to other nations Act. 17. 27. is clearly and fully revealed unto thee thou canst not pretend ignorance or invincible difficulty neither is it far off m i. e. Out of thy reach 12 * Rom. 10. 6. c. It is not in heaven n i e Shut up there but it hath been thence delivered and published by thy hearing that thou shouldest say Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it 13 Neither is it beyond the sea o The knowledge of this commandement is not to be fetched from far distant places to which divers of the wise Heathens travelled for their wisdome but it was brought to thy very doors and ears and declared to thee in this Wilderness that thou shouldest say Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth p Thou knowest it so well that it is the matter of thy common discourse thou professest thy knowledge and belief of it or in the mouths of thy Priests and Levites who are dayly preaching of it and instructing thee in it and in thy heart q i. e. In thy mind as the heart is very commonly taken to understand and believe it that thou mayest do it 15 * Chap. 11. 〈◊〉 ver 19. See I have set before thee this day life and good r i. e. A good or an happy life A figure called Hendiaduo Or life and all the blessings of life as good is oft used as Iob 7. 7. Psal. 4. 6. and 128. 5. Eccles. 2. 24. and 4. 8. and 6. 3. and death and evil 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God to walk in his wayes and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it 17 But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear but shalt be drawn away s Either by thy own evil mind or by the examples or perswasions of others and worship other gods and serve them 18 I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it 19 * Chap. â—… 〈◊〉 Ver. 15. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you t Compare Deut. 4. 26. Ios. 24. 27. Psal. 50. 4. Isa. 1. 2. that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore chuse life that both thou and thy seed may live 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God and that thou mayest obey his voice and that thou mayest cleave unto him for he is thy life u i. e. The cause or author of thy life as life is used Ioh. 14 6. and 17. 3. and the length of thy dayes that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to give them CHAP. XXXI 1 AND Moses went and spake a i. e. Proceeded or continued to speak An usual Hebrew phrase Or went to the place where he had assembled the people that he might speak to them these words unto all Israel 2 And he said unto them * chap. 34 I am an hundred and twenty years old this day I can no more go out and come in b i. e. Perform the Office of a Leader or Governour either because I now find a decay of my mind and body which seems not well to agree with Deut. 34. 7. or because I foresee the time of my death approaches also the LORD hath said unto me * Num. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 3. 2 Thou shalt not go over this Jordan 3 The LORD thy God he will go over before thee and he will destroy these nations from before thee and thou shalt possess them and Joshua he shall go over before thee * Num. 2â—… 2â—… as the LORD hath said 4 And the LORD shall do unto them * Numb 21. 24 33. as he did to Sihon and to Og kings of the Amorite and unto the land of them c Which he gave to you to possess whom he destroyed 5 And * Chap. 7. â—… the LORD shall give them up before your face d i. e. Into your power See on Deut. 1. 8. that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you 6 Be strong and of a good courage fear not nor be afraid of them for the LORD thy God he it is that doth go with thee * Josh. 1. 5. Heb. 13. 5. he will not fail thee nor forsake thee 7 And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel Be strong and of a good courage for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them and thou shalt cause them to inherit it 8 And the
held their lamps in their left hands b That they might be thought to be a mighty Host having as many Troops or Companies as there were Trumpets and Lights and their trumpets in their right hands to blow withal and they cried The sword of the LORD and of Gideon 21 And they stood every man in his place c As if they had only been Torch-bearers to the several Companies round about the camp and all the host ran and cried and fled 22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets and * Isa. 9. 4. the LORD set every mans sword against his fellow d They slew one another either because they suspected Treachery and so fell upon those they first met with which they might more easily do because they consisted of several Nations as may be gathered from Iudg. 6. 3. and Iosephus affirms or because the darkness of the night made them unable to distinguish Friends from Foes or because the suddenness of the thing struck them with Horror and Amazement or because God infatuated them as he hath done many others Compare 1 Sam. 14. 20. 2 Chron. 20. 23. even throughout all the host and the host fled to Beth-shittah ‖ Or towards in Zererath and to the ‡ Heb. lip border of Abel-meholah Of which see 1 King 4. 12. and 19. 16. unto Tabbath 23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali and out of Asher and out of all Manasseh and pursued after the Midianites 24 ¶ And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim saying Come down against the Midianites and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah f i. e. The Passes over those Waters to which they are like to come and Jordan g The Foords of Iordan which River they must pass over into their own Countrey Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and took the waters unto Beth-Barah and Jordan 25 And they took * Psal. â—…3 11. Isa. 10. 26. two princes of the Midianites Oreb and Zeeb and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb and Zeeb they slew at the wine-press of Zeeb and pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan h For Gideon in the pursuit had passed over Iordan as we read Iudg. 8. 4. which though mentioned after this may seem to have been done before it such transpositions being frequent in Sacred Story Or on this side Jordan for the Hebrew word is indifferent to both sides see Gen. 50. 10. And so this is opposed to what follows of his passing over Iordan Iudg. 8. 4. And then there is no anticipation here CHAP. VIII AND the men of Ephraim said unto him ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 thing is 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 unto us Why hast thou served us thus that thou calledst us not a Why hast thou neglected and despised us in not calling us in to thy help as thou didst other Tribes These were a proud people Isa. 11. 13. puffed up with a conceit of their Number and Strength and the preference which Iacob by Divine direction gave them above Manasseh Gen. 48. 19 20. of which Tribe Gideon was who by this act had seemed to advance his own Tribe and to depress theirs when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites and they did chide with him ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 sharply 2 And he said unto them What have I done now in comparison of you b What was done was done by Gods immediate hand making them one to kill another what I have done in cutting off some of the Fugitive common Soldiers is not to be compared with your Exploit in destroying their Princes I began the War but you have finished is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim c What you have gleaned or done after me better than the vintage of Abiezer d i. e. Of the Abiezrites to whom he modestly communicateth the honour of the Victory and doth not arrogate it to himself as Generals commonly do 3 God hath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian Oreb and Zeeb and what was I able to do in comparison of you then their ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 anger was abated toward him when he had said that e His soft and humble Answer allayed their Rage and Envy see Prov. 17. 11. and 25. 15. 4 ¶ And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over f Or had passed over When he passed over see on Iudg. 7. 25. he and the three hundred men that were with him faint yet pursuing them 5 And he sent unto the men of Succoth g A place beyond Iordan Gen. 33. 17. Ios. 13. 27. Psal. 60. 8. Give I pray you loaves of bread unto the people that follow me for they be faint and I am pursuing after Zeba and Zalmunna kings of Midian h Where before this time were five Kings at once Numb 31. 8. who either reigned separately in divers parts of the Land or governed by common counsel and consent as sometimes there were two or three Roman Emperors together 6 ¶ And the princes of Succoth said Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna now in thine hand i Art thou so foolish to think with thy 300 faint and weary Soldiers to conquer and destroy an Host of 15000 men that * See 1 〈◊〉 25. 10. we should give bread unto thine army 7 And Gideon said Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zeba and Zalmunna into mine hand I will ‡ Heb. thresh tear your flesh with the thorns of the Wilderness k Which grow abundantly in the neighbouring Wilderness I will chastise or beat your naked Bodies with Thorny Rods even unto Death Or I will lay you down upon Thorns on the ground and bring the Cart-wheel upon you which will both tear your flesh and bruise you to death and with briers 8 ¶ And he went up thence to Penuel l Another City beyond Iordan of which see Gen. 32. 30. 1 King 12. 25. and spake unto them likewise and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him 9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel saying When I come again in peace I will break down this tower m Your confidence in which makes you thus Proud and Presumptuous He implies that he would afterwards destroy their persons as is expressed v. 17. 10 ¶ Now Zeba and Zalmunna were in Karkor and their hosts with them about fifteen thousand men all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east for there fell ‖ Or an hundred and twenty thousand every one drawing a sword an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword n i. e. Persons expert and exercised in War besides the retainers to them Iudg. 6. 5. 11 ¶ And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents o i. e. Of the Arabians so fetching a compass and
is called either because he was her husband for which cause Sarah called Abraham Lord 1 Pet. 3. 6. or because she had been his maid-servant as Concubines oftentimes were as Gen. 30. 3 9. 27 And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way and behold the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house and her hands were upon the threshold f The posture either of one that had fallen down or of one that was layed down to sleep her hands or arms for the Hebrew word signifies both leaning upon the threshold and being put under her head and therefore he thought to awake her and raise her up 28 And he said unto her Up and let us be going But none answered g For she was dead as is said Iudg. 20. 5. then the man took her up upon an ass and the man rose up and gat him into his place 29 ¶ And when he was come into his house he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her together with her bones h Or according to her bones according to the joints of her Body for there he made the division This might seem to be a Barbarous and inhuman act in it self but may seem excusable if it be considered that the sadness of the Spectacle did highly contribute to stir up the zeal of all the Israelites to avenge his Concubines death and to execute Justice upon such profligate Offenders and was necessary especially in this time of Anarchy and general Corruption Iudg. 17. 6. to awaken them out of that Lethargy in which all the Tribes lay into twelve pieces i That one piece might be sent to every Tribe whereof none to Levi because they would meet with it in every Tribe being dispersed among them but one to Benjamin for he might well presume that they would as much abhor so villanous an Action though done by some of their own Tribe as any of the rest and sent her into all the coasts of Israel k By several messengers by whom also he sent a particular Relation of the Fact 30 And it was so that all that saw it said There was no such deed l So wicked and abominable done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day consider of it take advice and speak your minds m Let us meet together and seriously consider and every one freely speak what is to be done in this case CHAP. XX. THEN all the children of Israel a i. e. A great number and especially the Rulers of all the Tribes except Benjamin v. 3 12. went out b From their several habitations and the congregation was gathered together as one man c i. e. With one consent from Dan even to Beersheba d Dan was the Northern border of the Land near Lebanon and Beersheba the Southern border Gen. 21. 33. Compare 1 King 4. 25. with the land of Gilead e Beyond Iordan where Reuben Gad and half Manasseh were unto the LORD f As to the Lords Tribunal for God was not only present in the place where the Ark and Tabernacle was but also in the Assemblies of the Gods or Judges Psal. 82. 1. and in all the places where Gods name is recorded Exod. 20. 24. and where two or three are met together in his name Matth. 18. 20. for his service and to seek for Counsel and mercy from him compare Iudg. 11. 11. in Mizpeh g A place in the borders of Iudah and Benjamin and therefore ascribed to both of them Ios. 15. 38. and 18. 26. This they chose as a place most fit and proper in many respects First as a place they used to meet in upon Solemn occasions See Iudg. 10. 17. and 11. 11. 1 Sam. 7. 5 16. and 10. 17. Secondly For its convenient Scituation for all the â—…ribes within and without Iordan Thirdly As being near the place where the Fact was done that it might be more throughly examined and not far from Shiloh where the Tabernacle was whither they might go or send if need were 2 And ‡ Hebr. the corners the chief h Heb. the corners i. e. the Nobles and Rulers which are oft so called because like corner-stones they both unite and support and adorn the whole Building Or and four hundred thousand It is an Ellipsis of the Particle and of which Examples have been given before for the chief of the People were not so many but the common Soldiers and these were all Foot-men whereas many of the Rulers rid upon Horses or Asses Iudg. 5. 10. and 10. 4. and 12. 14. The number is here set down to shew both their zeal and forwardness in punishing such a Villany and the strange blindness of the Benjamites that durst oppose so great and united a Body and that the success of Battelâ—… depends not upon great numbers seeing this great Host was twice defeated by the Benjamites but wholly upon Gods blessing of all the people even of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God four hundred thousand i foot-men k For horse-men they had few or none in their Armies that drew sword 3 Now the children of Benjamin heard l Like Persons unconcerned and resolved they neither went nor sent thither partly from their own pride and stubbornness and self-confidence partly because as they were loath to give up any of their Brethren to Justice so they presumed the other Tribes would never proceed to a War against them and partly from a Divine infatuation hardening that wicked Tribe to their own Destruction that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh Then said the children of Israel Tell us m The Verb is of the Plural Number because they speak to the Levite and his Servant and his Host who doubtless were present upon this occasion how was this wickedness 4 And ‡ Hebr. the man the Lâ—…vite the Levite n To whose Relation the other two gave their consent the husband of the woman that was slain answered and said I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin I and my concubine to lodge 5 And the men of Gibeah rose up against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me o Except I would either submit to their unnatural Lust which I was resolved to withstand even unto death or deliver up my concubine to them which I was forced to do and my concubine have they ‡ Hebr. humbled forced that she is dead 6 And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel for they have committed lewdness and folly p i. e. A lewd folly most ignominious and impudent Wickedness in Israel 7 Behold
suspicious and most charitable in their opinions of others behold my father will do nothing either great or small but that he will ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 ver 〈◊〉 shew it me and why should my father hide this thing from me it is not so 3 And David sware f The matter being of great moment and Ionathan doubting the truth of it he confirms his word with an Oath which follows in the end of the Verse Onely he interposeth a reason why Saul concealed it from Ionathan moreover and said Thy father certainly â—…weth that I have found grace in thine eyes and he said Let not Jonathan know this lest he be grieved but truly as the LORD liveth and as thy soul liveth there is but a step between me and death 4 Then said Jonathan unto David ‖ Or say 〈◊〉 is thy 〈◊〉 and I 〈◊〉 c. whatsoever thy soul ‡ Speaâ—… or thinkeâ—… desireth g To wit for the discovery of the truth and for the preservation of thy life I will even do it for thee 5 And David said unto Jonathan Behold tomorrow is the new moon h Which was a Solemn and Festival time as among the Romans and other Heathens so also with the Hebrews who Solemnized it with offering Peace-offerings to God and Feasting together upon the remainders of it after the manner See Numb 10. 10. and 28. 11. Psal. 81. 3. and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat i Then he useth to expect my company above other times but let me go that I may hide my self in the fields unto the third day k i. e. Unto the next day but one after the New Moon as appears by comparing v. 19 27 35. His meaning is not that he should hide himself in any certain place all the three days but that he should secure himself either at Bethlehem with his Friends or in any other place till the third day at even 6 If thy father at all miss me l Quest. How could David imagine that Saul would expect his Company whom he had once and again endeavoured to kill Ans. First He might suppose that David would ascribe all that to his Madness and Frantick fits which being over he would promise himself safety in the Kings presence Secondly David might not think that Saul would indeed expect him to Feast with him considering his late and great danger from Saul but that Saul would make use of this pretence and require his presence that he might lay hold upon him and therefore he desired to try the experiment then say David earnestly asked leave of me m Who being the Kings Son and Deputy used to give License to Military Men to depart for a season upon just occasions that he might run to Bethlehem his city n i. e. The place of his Birth and Education Ioh. 7. 42. for there is a yearly ‖ Or â—…east sacrifice o A Sacrifice which was offered up in some high-place there Yearly upon some special occasion not mentioned in Scripture which was accompanied with a Feast or a yearly Feast as the Hebrew word is sometimes used there for all the family p Wherein all the Members of our Family used to meet together when they will earnestly expect me above others and will charge me with Pride and Unnaturalness if I neglect their Invitation 7 If they say thus It is well thy servant shall have peace but if he be very wroth then be sure q Heb. know thou For indeed David knew well enough that Saul designed to kill him but he useth this course for Ionathan's information and satisfaction and for his own greater vindication if he did wholly withdraw himself from Saul and from his Wife which he foresaw he should be forced to do that evil is determined by him 8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant r In giving me timely notice and a true account of Saul's disposition and intention towards me for * Chap. 18. 3. and â—…3 18. thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD s i. e. A Solemn Covenant not lightly undertaken but seriously entred into in the name and fear of God and in his presence calling him to be the Witness of our sincerity therein and the Avenger of perfidiousness in him that breaks it with thee notwithstanding if there be in me iniquity slay me thy self t I am contented thou shouldst kill me for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father u Why shouldst thou betray me to thy Father by concealing his evil intentions from me 9 And Jonathan said Far be it from thee x I abhor the thoughts of either killing thee my self or giving thee up to my Father to slay thee for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee then would not I tell it thee 10 Then said David to Jonathan Who shall tell me y By what means or Messenger shall I understand this for peradventure thou wilt not be able to come to me thy self or what if thy father answer thee roughly 11 ¶ And Jonathan said unto David Come and let us go out into the field z Lest we be over-heard And they went out both of them into the field 12 And Jonathan said unto David O LORD God of Israel a Do thou hear and judge between us It is an abrupt speech which is usual in great passions when I have ‡ Heb. searched sounded my father about to morrow any time or the third day and behold if there be good toward David and I then send not unto thee and ‡ Heb. uncover â—…aine ear shew it thee 13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan but if it please my father to do thee evil then I will shew it thee and send thee away that thou mayest go in peace and the LORD be with thee as he hath been with my father b The Lord give thee that Honour and Success in all thy Affairs which he hath given to my Father Ionathan undoubtedly knew of Samuel's final and irrevocable Sentence of Saul's rejection from the Kingdom and of the Substitution of some other Person after God's own heart in his stead and that David was this Person he might strongly suspect that which even Saul suspected both from his eminent Piety and Wisdom and Valour and Universal worth and from the great things which God had done both by him and for him in preserving and advancing him by such unusual methods and it is most likely that Ionathan did ask David about it and that David did Faithfully inform him of the whole truth as may be gathered both from the words here following and from chap. 23. 17. And that the knowledge hereof did not raise jealousie and envy and rage in him who was the next Heir of the Crown as it did in his Father must be ascribed to Ionathan's
and other Prophets when they were in company with others unto the prophet that brought him back d So he makes this Prophet publickly to call himself lyar and to pronounce a terrible Sentence against him to whom he professed so much kindness Indeed the Hebrew words are ambiguous and by others rendred thus to the Prophet whom he had brought back which agrees very well with the Hebrew Phrase and may seem to be the best Translation by comparing v. 23. where the very same Phrase iâ—… so rendred and ver 26. where this message is said to be spoken to him But these Arguments are not cogent not that from v. 23. because it is a common thing for the same Phrase in divers Verses and sometimes in one and the same Verse to be diversly used nor that from v. 27. for that may be rendred concerning him And Therefore our Translation is better as is manifest from v. 21. 21 And he cried e With a loud Voice the effect of his passion both for his own guilt and shame and for the Prophets approaching â—…sery and his unhappy influence both in procuring and iâ—… denouncing of it unto the man of God that came from Judah saying Thus saith the LORD Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth f i. e. The word of command coming out of his mouth A Metonymy of the Cause for the Effect of the LORD and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee 22 But camest back and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which the LORD did say to thee Eat no bread and drink no water thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers g i. e. Thou shalt not die a natural but a violent death and that in this journey before thou returnest to thy native habitatition and thy Carkass shall not be buried in the proper Sepulchre which was esteemed a kind of Curse and a note of Infamy as the contrary was reckoned an honour and blessing See chap. 14. 13. Isa. 14. 19 20. Ier. 22. 19. and 26. 24. 23 ¶ And it came to pass after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk that he sadled for him the ass That he might sooner come to his home and if possible escape the Judgment threatned But it is observable he doth not accompany him his guilty Conscience making him to expect and fear to be involved in the same Judgment with him to wit for the prophet whom he had brought back 24 And when he was gone a * Chap. 20. 36. lion met him h For there were many Lions in Iudea and this was brought hither by Gods special Providence by the way and slew him i Why doth God punish a good man so severely for so small an offence Ans. First His sin was not small for it was a gross disobedience to a positive command Obj. But he supposed and was told by another Prophet that God had repealed his command and so was deceived Ans. He had no sufficient discharge from the former command for he neither was assured that the old man was a Prophet nor that the message he delivered was from God but had reason to suspect the contrary or at least to enquire the mind of God in this doubtful point which he grosly neglected to do and willingly believed the message because it suited with his own inclination and necessity Add to this that he being a Prophet was obliged to the greater exactness in obedience to all Gods Precepts and therefore this sin was much greater in him than in another because hereby God was dishonoured and the Authority and Success of his message blasted and Ieroboam and the Idolatrous Israelites hardened in their wicked courses for the prevention whereof it was necessary that God should exercise severity towards him Ans. Secondly As his sin was not so small so his punishment was not so great as may be imagined For as to his outward man his Bodily death which was a Debt that he owed to God and Nature in this way was not so painful and terrible as many other kinds of death and as to his Soul God by giving him a Gracious admonition both of his sin and danger ver 21 22. awakened him to true Repentance which doubtless he practised and so was prepared for his death and by this sudden death freed from all the miseries of an evil time and world and speedily let in to Eternal Glory Ans. Thirdly As the world and all men in it were made for Gods Glory and all their Lives and Deaths ought to be laid out in his Service so it cannot seem strange nor harsh if God should bring his deserved Death upon him in this manner for the accomplishment of his own Glorious Designs as to vindicate his own Honour and Justice from the imputation of partiality to assure the Truth of his Predictions and thereby provoke Ieroboam and his Idolatrous followers to Repentance to justify himself in all his Dreadful Judgments which he intended to inflict upon Ieroboam's House and the whole Kingdom of Israel for their Cursed Apostacy and to warn all succeeding sinners not rashly to venture upon small sins and especially to take heed of greater sins for which they might expect far sorer punishments and his carcase was cast in the way k His Life and Soul being gone his Dead Body falls to the ground and lies there and the ass stood by it the lion also stood by the carcase l See on v. 28. 25 And behold men passed by and saw the carcase cast in the way and the lion standing by the carcase and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt 26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof he said It is the man of God who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion which hath ‡ Heb. broken torn him and slain him according to the word of the LORD which he spake unto him m Or rather concerning him for so the Particle Lamed is oft used as Gen. 20. 13. Psal. 3. 2. and 91. 11. compare with Matth. 4. 6. See the Notes on v. 20. 27 And he spake to his sons saying Saddle me the ass n Being secure as to himself because so many others had been there without any harm and because he perceived the Prophet's Death was a Judgment of God and that for special reasons And they saddled him 28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase the lion had not eaten the carcase nor ‡ Heb. broken torn the ass o Here was a concurrence of Miracles That the Ass did not run away from the Lion according to his nature and custom but boldly stood still as reserving himself for the carrying of the Prophet to his Burial that
by other Authors that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it and die b For having no more Provision we must needs perish with Hunger For though the Famine was onely in the Land of Israel yet the Effects of it were in Tyre and Sidon which were fed by the Corn of that Land See Acts 12. 20. Or the same Famine might be in those parts also the chief cause of the Famine to wit the Worship of Baal being common to both places 13 And Elijah said unto her Fear not go and do as thou hast said but make me thereof a little cake first c Which he requires as a tryal and exercise of her Faith and Charity and Obedience which he knew God would graciously and plentifully reward and so this would be a great Example to encourage others to the practise of the same Graces upon like occasions and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel d In whom I perceive thou trustest The barrel of meal e i. e. The Meal of the Barrel An Hypallage or Metonymy So the cruse of oil â—…or the oil of the cruse shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oil fail until the day that the LORD ‡ Heb. giveth sendeth rain upon the earth 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah f Giving Glory to the God of Israel by believing his Prophet and she and he and her house did eat ‖ Or a full year many days g i. e. A long time even above Two Years See Chap. 18. 1. Heb. days i. e. A full Year as ver 7. namely before the following Event about her Son happened and the rest of the time of the Famine after it 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not h God still Creating new as fast as the old was spent neither did the cruse of oil fail according to the word of the LORD which he spake ‡ Heb. by the hand of by Elijah 17 ¶ And it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman the mistress of the house fell sick and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath i Or no Soul or Life as this Hebrew Word oft signifies i. e. He died as is manifest from the following Verses See also Heb. 11. 35. left in him 18 And she said unto Elijah What have I to do with thee k Wherein have I injured or provoked thee Or Why didst thou come to Sojourn in my House as the following Words seem to Explain these if this be the fruit of it They are Words of a troubled Mind favouring of some rashness and impatience O thou man of God art thou come unto me l Didst thou come for this end that thou mightest severely observe my Sins and by thy prayers bring down God's just Judgment upon me for them as thou hast for the like cause brought down this Famine upon the Nation to call my sin to remembrance m Either 1. To my remembrance that I should by this dreadful Judgment be brought to the knowledge and remembrance of my Sins which have procured it Or rather 2. To God's Remembrance for God is oft said in Scripture to remember sins when he punisheth them and to forget them when he spares the Sinner See 2 Sem. 16. 10. Have I instead of the Blessing which I expected from thy presence met with a Curse and to stay my son 19 And he said unto her Give me thy son n Into mine Arms. And he took him out of her bosom and carried him up into a loft o A private place where he might more freely and fully pour out his Soul to God and use such Gestures or Methods as he thought most proper without any offence or observation where he abode and laid him upon his own bed 20 And he cried unto the LORD and said O LORD my God hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn by slaying her son p A Prayer full of powerful Arguments Thou art the Lord that canst revive the Child and my God and therefore wiltst not do not deny me She is a widow add not Affliction to the Afflicted deprive her not of the great support and staff of her Age She hath given me kind entertainment let her not fare the worse for her kindness to a Prophet whereby Wicked Men will take occasion to Reproach both her and Religion 21 And he ‡ Heb. measured stretched himself upon the child q Not as if he thought this could contribute any warmth or Life to the Child but partly to express and withal to increase his grief for the Child's Death and his desire of its reviving that thereby his Prayers might be more fervent and consequently more prevalent with God and partly that it might appear That this Miracle though wrought by God alone yet was done for the sake of Elijah and in answer to his Prayers Compare 2 King 4. 34. Ioh. 9. 6. Act. 20. 10. three times and cried unto the LORD r First he stretched himself then he prayed and that for Three times successively and said O LORD my God I pray thee let this childs soul come ‡ Heb. into 〈◊〉 inward parts into him again s By which it is evident That the Soul was gone out of his Body and therefore doth subsist without it after Death Compare Gen. 35. 18. This was a great Request but Elias was incouraged to make it partly by his Zeal for God's Honour which he thought was concerned in it and would be Eclipsed by it partly by the experience which he had of his prevailingpower with God in prayer and partly by a Divine Impulse moving him to desire it 22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again and he revived 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house and delivered him unto his mother and Elijah said See thy son liveth 24 ¶ And the woman said to Elijah Now by this I know t Now I am assured of that concerning which I began upon this sad occasion to doubt that thou art a man of God and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth u That the God whom thou professest is the True God and the Doctrine and Religion which thou Teachest is the onely True Religion and therefore henceforth I wholly Renounce the Worship of Idols CHAP. XVIII AND it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year a Either 1. From the time when he went to hide himself by the Brook Cerith Six Months before which time the Famine might begin though it was not yet come to extremity And so this being in or
against the Holy Ghost That they might be guilty of many other hainous Crimes which God and the Prophet knew and were guilty of Idolatry which by Gods Law deserved death that the Idolatrous Parents were punished in their Children and that if any of these Children were more innocent and ignorant of what they said God might have Mercy upon their Souls and then this death was not a misery but a real blessing to them that they were taken away from that wicked and Idolatrous Education which was most likely to expose them not onely to Temporal but to an Eternal destruction in the Name of the LORD m Not from any carnal or revengeful passion but by the motion of Gods Spirit and by Gods command and commission as appears by Gods concurrence with him Which God did partly for the terror and caution of all other Idolaters and prophane persons who abounded in that place partly to vindicate the Honour and maintain the Authority of his Prophets and particularly of Elisha now especially in the beginning of his Sacred Ministry And this did beget such a confidence in Elisha that he durst venture to go into Bethel after this was done and such a terror in the Bethelites that they durst not avenge themselves of him and there came forth two she-bears n Possibly robbed of their Whelps and therefore more fierce Prov. 17. 12. Hos. 13. 8. but certainly acted by an extraordinary fury which God raised in them for this purpose out of the wood and tare forty and two children o This Hebrew word signifies not onely young Children but those also who are grown up to maturity as Gen. 32. 22. and 34. 4. and 37. 30. Ruth 1. 5. of them 25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel p Partly to decline the fury of the People of Bethel partly that he might retire himself from men and converse more freely with God and so fit himself more for the discharge of his employment and partly that he might visit the Sons of the Prophets who lived in that place or near it and from thence he returned to Samaria q By the direction of Gods Spirit for the service which he did chap. 3. 11 c. CHAP. III. NOw Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah a Quest. How can this be true when Ahaziah Iehoram's predecessor who Reigned two Years began his Reign in Iehoshaphat's 17th Year 1 King 22. 51 Ans. Either Ahaziah Reigned the greatest part of two Years to wit of the 17th and 18th Years of Iehoshaphat parts of Years being oft called years in the computation of times both in Scripture and other Authors and Iehoram began his Reign towards the end of his 18th Year or Ahaziah Reigned part of this two Years with his Father and the rest after him and reigned twelve years 2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD but not like his father and like his mother for he put away the ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 image of Baal * 1 King 16. 31 32. that his father had made b Not from any principle of Conscience for that would have reached the Calves also but either because he was startled at the dreadful Judgments of God inflicted upon his Father and Brother for Baal-worship or because he needed Gods help to subdue the Moabites which he knew Baal could not do or to gratify Iehoshaphat whose help he meant to crave which he knew he should never obtain without this and for this reason it seems Iezabel was willing to connive at it as a trick of State 3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam c i. e. The worship of the Calves which all the Kings of Israel kept up as a Wall of partition between their Subjects and those of Iudah Thus he shews that his Religion was over-ruled by his Interest and Policy the son of Nebat which made Israel to sin he departed not therefrom 4 ¶ And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master d A man of great wealth which in those times and places consisted much in Cattel which enabled and emboldned him to Rebel against his Sovereign Lord. and rendred unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and an hundred thousand rams with the wool 5 But it came to pass when * Ahab was dead that the king of Moab rebelled e See of this ch 1. 1. It is here repeated to make way for the following Story Ahaziah did not attempt the recovery of Moab either because he was a man of a low spirit and courage or because his Sickness or the shortness of his Reign gave not opportunity for it against the king of Israel 6 ¶ And king Jehoram went out of Samaria f To some place appointed for the Rendezvous of his people the same time and numbred all Israel g To wit such as were fit for War 7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah saying The king of Moab hath rebelled against me wilt thou go with me against Moab to battel and he said I will go up I am as thou art my people as thy people and my horses as thy horses h Of which see on 1 King 22. 4. He joyns with him in this War partly because the War was very just in it self and convenient for Iehoshaphat both in the general that Rebels and Revolters should be chastised and suppressed lest the example should pass into his Dominions and the Edomites should be hereby encouraged to revolt from him as they did from his Son and in particular that the Moabites should be humbled who had with others Invaded his Land before this time 2 Chron. 20. 1. and might do so again if they were not brought low for which a fair opportunity was now offered to him and partly because Iehoram had reformed some things and Iehoshaphat hoped by this means to engage him to proceed further in that work 8 And he i Either Iehoshaphat or rather Ioram for the following answer may seem to be Iehoshaphat's said Which way shall we go up And he answered The way through the wilderness of Edom k Which though it was much the longer way yet they thought it best partly to secure the King or Vice-Roy of Edom of whom they might have some suspition from that passage 2 Chron. 20. 22. and to carry both him and his Soldiers along with them into the War both to get their assistance and to prevent them from making a War of diversion against Iudah whilst Iehoshaphat was engaged against Moab and partly that they might invade Moab on their weakest side and where they least expected them God also thus disposed their hearts to make way for the following miracle 9 So the king of Israel went and the king of Judah and the king of Edom l i. e. The Vice-Roy under Iehoshaphat 1 King 22. 47.
the baseness and cowardise of their King but meerly from the Righteous and Dreadful Judgment of God who was now resolved to reckon with them for their filthy Apostacy are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel 9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria and Joash his son reigned in his stead 10 ¶ In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah o By which compared with v. 1. it may be gathered that Iehoahaz had two or three Years before his death made his Son Iehoash King with him which is very probable because he was perpetually in the state of War and consequently in danger of an untimely death and because he was a Man of valour as is implied here ver 12. and declared 2 Chron 25. began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria and reigned sixteen years 11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat who made Israel sin but he walked therein 12 And the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel 13 And Joash slept with his fathers and Jeroboam sat upon his throne and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel 14 ¶ Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him and wept over his face p Noâ—… for any true Love and Respect to him for then he would have followed his counsel in forsaking the Calves and returning to the Lord but for his own and the Kingdoms inestimable loss in him and said O my father my father the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof q See 2 King 2. 12. 15 And Elisha said unto him Take bow and arrows And he took unto him bow and arrows 16 And he said to the king of Israel ‡ Heb. Make thine hand to ride Put thine hand upon the bow And he put his hand upon it and Elisha put his hands upon the kings hands 17 And he said Open the window east-ward r Either towards Syria which lay North-East-ward from the Land of Israel or towards the Israelites Land beyond Iordan which lay East-ward from Canaan and which was now possessed by the Syrians Either way this Arrow is shot against the Syrians as a token what God intended to do against them and he opened it Then Elisha said Shoot and he shot And he said The arrow of the LORDS deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek s Not in the City but in the Territory of it where it seems there was a great Battel to be fought between the Israelites and Syrians Of Aphek see 1 Sam. 4. 1. and 29. 1 1 King 20. 30. though it is possible there might be several Cities of that name Or as in Aphek i. e. thou shalt smite them as they were smitten in the City and Territory of Aphek i. e. utterly destroy them See 1 King 20. 26 29 30. the Particle as being oft understood as hath been formerly and frequently proved till thou have consumed them t i. e. The Syrians not all that people but their Armies or at least that which was to be at Aphek where a dreadful Battel was to be fought Or if this be meant of all the Syrian Armies this is to be understood conditionally if he did not hinder it by his unbelief or neglect signified in the following Verses 18 And he said Take the arrows and he took them And he said unto the king of Israel Smite upon the ground u The former sign portended Victory and this was to declare the number of the Victories and he smote thrice and stayed 19 And the man of God was wroth with him and said Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice x Quest. Wherein was Iehoash his fault or why was the Propher angry with him Ans. The Prophet himself did not yet know how many Victories Iehoash should obtain against the Syrians but God had signified to him that he should learn that by the number of the Kings strokes And he was angry with him not simply because he smote onely thrice but because by his unbelief and Idolatry he provoked God so to over-rule his heart and hand that he should smite but thrice which was a token that God would assist him no further Although his smiting but thrice might proceed either from his unbelief or negligence For by the former sign and the Prophets Comment upon it he might clearly perceive that this also was intended as a sign of his success against the Syrians and therefore he ought to have done it frequently and vehemently 20 ¶ And Elisha died and they buried him y In or near Samaria and the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year z In the Spring when the Fruits of the Earth grew ripe 21 And it came to pass as they were burying Or were about to bury as that Particle is oft used in the Hebrew Tongue a man that behold they spied a band of men a Coming towards them but at some distance and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha b Not daring to carry the dead Corps further to the place appointed for his burial they made use of the next burying-place where Elisha was buried and there they removed some Stone or opened some Door and hastily flung down their dead Corps there and when the man c i. e. The mans dead Body or the Coffin in which he was put ‡ Heb. went down was let down and touched the bones of Elisha d Which might easily be the Coffin and Linen in which Elisha's Body was put and the Flesh of his Body being now consumed for this was some considerable time after his death he revived and stood up on his feet e Which Miracle God wrought there partly to do honour to that great Prophet and that by this Seal he might confirm his Doctrine and thereby confute the false Doctrine and Worship of the Israelites partly to strengthen the Faith of Ioash and of the Israelites in his promise of their success against the Syrians and partly in the midst of all their Calamities to comfort such Israelites as were Elisha's followers with the hopes of that Eternal life whereof this was a manifest pledge and to awaken the rest of that people to a due care and preparation for it 22 ¶ But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz 23 And the LORD was gracious unto them and
of the sword and slaughter and destruction and did †Heb â—…ding to their will what they would unto those that hated them 6 And in Shushan the palace f i. e. In the City so called as was noted before ch 1. 2. it not being probable either that they would make such a slaughter in the Kings palace or that they would be suffered so to do the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men g Whom by long experience they knew to be their constant and inveterate Enemies and such as would watch all opportunities to destroy them which also they might possibly now attempt to do Part of them also might be Friends and Allies of Haman and therefore the avowed Enemies of Mordecai 7 And Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 And Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 And Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vajezatha 10 The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha the enemy of the Jews slew they but on the spoil laid they not their hand h Either because they were desirous it should come into the Kings Treasury or because they would leave it to their Children that it might appear that what they did that day was not done out of malice to their Persons and Families or covetousness of their Estates but out of meer necessity and by that great and approved Law of Self-preservation and that they were ready to mix Mercy with Judgment and would not deal with their Enemies so ill as it was apparent that their Enemies intended to do against them 11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace †Heb. 〈◊〉 was brought before the king h Possibly with evil design to incense the King against the Jews 12 And the king said unto Esther the queen The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace and the ten sons of Haman what have they done in the rest of the kings provinces i In which doubtless many more were slain So that I have fully granted thy Petition And yet if thou hast any thing further to ask I am here ready to grant it now what is thy petition and it shall be granted thee or what is thy request further and it shall be done 13 Then said Esther If it please the king let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according to this days decree k i. e. To kill their implacable Enemies For it is not improbable that the greatest and worst of them had politickly withdrawn or hidden themselves for that day after which the Commission granted to the Jews being expired they confidently returned to their homes where they were taken and slain by vertue of this private and unexpected decree and †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let Hamans ten sons be hanged upon the gallows l They were slâ—…in before now let their Bodies be hanged upon their Fathers Gallows for their greater Infamy and the terrour of all others who shall presume to abuse the King in like manner or to persuade him to execute such cruelties upon his own Subjects This custom of hanging up the Bodies of Malefactoâ—… after their death was frequent among the Jews and Persians alâ—…o as is well known 14 And the king commanded it so to be done and the decree was given at Shushan and they hanged Hamans ten sons 15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar and slew three hundred men at Shushan but on the prey they laid not their hand 16 But the other Jews that were in the kings provinces gathered themselves together and stood for their lives and had rest from their enemies and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand but they laid not their hand on the prey 17 On the thirteenth day m This belongs not to the Feast but to the work done before it The meaning is This they did i. e. they slew their Foes as was now said â—… 16. upon the 13th day of the month Adar and on the fourteenth day †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the same rested they and made it a day of feasting and gladness 18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof and on the fourteenth thereof and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness 19 Therefore n To wit because they did their whole work upon the 13th day as was noted v. 17. to which this manifestly relates the 18th verse coming in as it were by waâ—… of Parenthesis the Jews of the villages that dwelt in the unwalled towns o Heb. Iâ—… the cities of the villages i. e. in the lesser Cities and Villages which are here opposed to the great City Shushan and those who dwelt in it made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting and a good day and of sending portions one to another 20 And Mordecai wrote these things p Either 1. The Letters here following But that is distinctly mentioned in the next word Or 2. The History of these things which was the ground of the Feast which Mordecai knew very well ought to be had in remembrance and to be told to their Children and Posterity through all ages according to the many commands of God to that purpose and the constant practice of the holy men of God in such cases and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus both nigh and far 21 To stablish this among them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and the fifteenth day of the same q Because both these days had been set apart this year the latter at Shushan the former in other parts and because that great work of God which was the ground of this solemnity had been done both upon the 13th and the 14th day yearly 22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy and from mourning into a good day that they should make them days of feasting and joy and of sending portions one to another and gifts to the poor r Which they used to give upon days of Thanksgiving of which see Nehem. 8. 10. 23 And the Jews undertook s Having by this means opportunity to gather themselves together upon any occasion the chief of them assembled together and freely and unanimously consented to Mordecai's desire in this matter and bound it upon themselves and Posterity to do as they had begun and as Mordecai had written unto them 24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite the enemy of all the Jews had devised against the Jews to destroy them and * 〈◊〉 3. â—… had cast Pur that is the lot to †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consume them and to
but a poor weak creature which thou canst crush with the least touch of thy finger without these violent and unsupportable pains and miseries and that I have not been so fierce and boisterous in my carriage as to need or deserve these extraordinary calamities that thou settest a watch over me l That thou shouldest guard and restrain me with such heavy and unexampled miseries lest I should break into rebellion against thee or into cruelty towards men 13. * Ch. 9. 27 28. When I say my Bed shall comfort me my Couch shall ease my complaint m By giving me sweet and quiet sleep which may take off the sense of my torments for that while 14. Then thou scarest me with dreams n With sad and dreadful dreams arising either from that melancholy humour which is now so fixed in me and predominant over me or from the Devils malice who by thy permission disturbs me in this manner So that I am afraid to go to sleep and my remedy proves as bad as my disease and terrifiest me through visions o The same thing with dreams for there were not only day-visions which were offered to mens sight when they were awake but also night-visions which were presented to mens Fancy in their sleep and dreams See Gen. 28. 12. 41. 1 2. Dan. 2. 1 31. 4 5 10. 15. So that my Soul chooseth p Not simply and in it self but comparatively rather than such a wretched life strangling q The most violent so it be but a certain and sudden death and death rather †Heb. than my 〈◊〉 than my life r Heb. than my bones i. e. than my body formerly the Soul 's dear and desired companion or than to be in the body which commonly consists of skin and flesh and bones but in Iob was in a manner nothing but a bundle of bones for his skin was every where broken and his flesh was quite consumed as he oft complains and his bones also were not free from pain and torment for as Satan's Commission reached to Iob's bones Iob 2. 5. so doubtless his Malice and wicked Design would engage him to execute it to the utmost 16 * Ch. 10. 1. I loath it s To wit my life last mentioned I would not live alway t In this World if I might no not in prosperity for even such a life is but vanity much less in this extremity of misery Or Let me not live for ever lingring in this miserable manner as if thou wouldest not suffer me to die but hadst a design to perpetuate my torments Or let me not live out mine age or the full time of my life which by the course of nature I might do for so the Hebrew word Olam is oft used but cut me off and that speedily * Ch. 10. 20. 14. â—… Psal. 39. 13. let me alone u i. e. Withdraw thy hand from me either 1. thy supporting hand which preserves my life and suffer me to die Or rather 2. thy correcting hand as this same phrase is used v. 19. for my days are vanity x Either 1. my life is in it self and in its best estate a most vain unsatisfying uncertain thing do not add this evil to it to make it miserable Or 2. My life is a vain decaying and perishing thing it will of it self quickly vanish and depart and doth not need to be forced from me by such exquisite torments 17 * Psal 8. 4. 144. 3. Heb. 26. What is man that thou should'st magnifie him y What is there in that poor mean contemptible Creature called Man miserable man as this word signifies which can induce or incline thee to take any notice of him to shew him such respect or to make such account of him Man is not worthy of thy Favour and he is below thy Anger It is too great a condescention to thee and too great an honour for man that thou wiltst contend with him and draw forth all thy forces against him as if he were a fit match for thee whereas men use to neglect and slight mean Adversaries and will not do them the honour to fight with them Comp. 1 Sam. 24. 14. Therefore do not O Lord thus dishonour thy self nor magnifie me I acknowledge that even thy corrections are mercies and honours but Lord let me be no more so honoured and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him z i. e. Have any regard to him so far as to afflict him which though it be grievous in it self especially when it is aggravated as mine is yet unto thy people it is a great mercy and blessing as being highly necessary and useful to humble them and purge them from sin and prepare them for glory as on the contrary those wicked men whom thou doest despise and hate and design to destroy thou doest forbear to punish or afflict them 18. And that thou shouldest visit him a To wit punish or chasten him as the Word is oft used as visiting is oft used as Exod. 20. 5. and 32. 34. and 34. 7. every morning b i. e. Every day But he mentions the morning either because that is the beginning of the day and so is put synecdochically for the whole day as the evening v. 4. is put for the whole night Or he speaks of God after the manner of men who rest and sleep in the night but in the morning rise and go about their business and visit or inspect those persons and things which they have a respect for or care of and try him c i. e. Afflict him which is oft called trying because it doth indeed try a man's faith and patience and perseverance But this and the former Verse may possibly be otherwise understood not of afflictions but of mercies Having declared his loathing of life and his passionate desire of death and urged it with this consideration that the days of his life were meer vanity he now pursues it with this expostulation What is man that vain foolish Creature that thou shouldst magnifie or regard or visit him to wit with thy mercy and blessings of which those words are commonly used i. e. that thou shouldst so far honour and regard him as by thy visitation to preserve his Spirit or hold his Soul in life and try him which God doth not only by afflictions but also by prosperity and outward blessings which commonly detect a mans hypocrisie and discover that corruption which before lay hid in his heart Therefore O Lord do not thus magnifie and visit me with thy mercy but take away my life every moment 19. How long wilt thou not depart from me d How long will it be ere thou withdraw thy afflicting hand from me e i. e. for a little time or that I may have a breathing time A proverbial expression like that Spanish Proverb I 〈◊〉 not time or liberty to spit out my spittle Or
and my Cause and not according to the rigours of his justice 16. If I had called p i. e. Prayed as this word is commonly used to wit unto my Judge for a favourable sentence as he now said and therefore it was neeedless here to mention the Object of his Calling or Prayer and he had answered me yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice q I could not believe that God had indeed granted my Desire though he had done it because I am so infinitely below him and obnoxious to him and still full of the tokens of his displeasure and therefore should conclude that it was but a pleasant Dream or Fancy and not a real thing Compare Psalm 126. 1. 17. For he breaketh me r This is the Reason of his foregoing Diffidence that even when God seemed to answer him in words yet the course of his actions towards him was of a quite contrary nature and tendency with a tempest s As with a Tempest i. â—… unexpectedly violently and irrecoverably and multiplieth my wounds without cause t Not simply without any desert of his or as if he had no sin in him for he oft declares the contrary but without any evident or special cause of such singular Afflictions i. e. any peculiar and extraordinary guilt such as my Friends charge me with 18. He will not suffer me to take my breath u My pains and miseries are continual and I have not so much as a breathing-time free from them but 〈◊〉 me with bitterness x My Afflictions are not only long and uninterrupted but also exceeding sharp and violent contrary to the common course of God's Providence 19. If I speak of strength y If my Cause were to be decided by power lo he is strong z i. e. stronger than I. and if of judgment a If I would contend with him in a way of right who shall set me a time to plead b There is no superiour Judge that can summon him and me together and appoint us a time of pleading before him and oblige us both to stand to his Sentence and therefore I must be contented to sit down with the loss 20. If I justifie my self c If I plead against God mine own Righteousness and Innocency mine own mouth shall condemn me d God is so infinitely wise and just that he will find sufficient matter of condemnation from my own words though spoken with all possible care and circumspection or he will discover so much wickedness in me of which I was not aware that I shall be forced to joyn with him in condemning my self if I say I am perfect e If I were perfect in my own opinion If I thought my self compleatly righteous and faultless it f i. e. My own mouth as he now said Or he i. e. God who is easily understood by comparing this with the former Verses where the same he is oft mentioned shall also prove me perverse 21. Though I were perfect yet would I not know my soul I would despise my life g i. e. Though God should acquit me in Judgment and pronounce me perfect or righteous yet would I not know i. e. regard or value as that word is oft used my soul i. e. my life as the soul frequently signifies as Gen. 19. 17. Iob 2. 6. Iohn 10. 15 17. and as it is explained in the following branch where life is put for soul and despising for not knowing and so the same thing is repeated in differing words and the latter clause explains the former which was more dark and doubtful according to the usage of sacred Scripture So the sense is Though God should give sentence for me yet I should be so overwhelmed with the dread and terrour of the Divine Majesty that I should be weary of my life And therefore I abhor the thoughts of contending with my Maker whereof you accuse me and yet I have reason to be weary of my life and to desire death Or thus If I say I am perfect as the very same Hebrew words are rendred v. 20. i. e. If I should think my self perfect yet I would not know i. e. not acknowledge my soul I could not own nor plead before God the perfection and integrity of my soul but would onely make supplication to my Judge as he said v. 16. and flee to his grace and mercy I would abhor or reject or condemn my life i. e. my conversation So the sense is I would not insist upon nor trust to the integrity either of my soul and heart or of my life so as to justifie my self before the pure and piercing Eyes of the all-seeing God 22. This is one thing h In the other things which you have spoken of God's greatness justice c. I do not contend with you but thi one thing I do and must affirm against you therefore I said it i I did not utter it rashly but upon deep consideration he de stroyeth the perfect and the wicked k God sends afflictions promiscuously upon good and bad men Compare Psal. 73. 2 c. Eccles. 9. 2. Ier. 12. 1 c. 23. If the scourge slay suddenly l Either 1. If some common and deadly Judgment come upon a people which destroys both good and bad Or 2. If God inflicts some grievous and unexpected stroke upon an innocent person as it follows he will laugh at the trial of the innocent m As he doth at the destruction of the wicked Psal. 2. 4. His outward carriage is the same to both he neglects the innocent and seems not to answer their prayers and suflers them to perish with others as if he took pleasure in their râ—…ne also But withal he intimates the matter and cause of this laughter or complacency which God takes in their afflictions because to them they are but trials of their saith and patience and perseverance which tends to God's honour and their own eternal advantage 24. The earth n i. e. The possession and dominion of men and things on earth is given o To wit by God the great Lord and disposer of it by his providence into the hand of the wicked p Into their power As good men are scourged v. 23. so the wicked are advanced and prospered in this world he covereth the faces of the Judges thereof q i. e. He blinds their eyes that they cannot discern between truth and falshood justice and unrighteousness He. Who Either 1. the wicked last mentioned who either by power or by gifts corrupts the Officers of justice Or rather 2. God whom the pronoun he designed all along this Chapter Who is oft said to blind the minds of men which he doth not positively by making them blind but privatively by withdrawing his own light and leaving them to their own mistakes and lusts Or by Iudges he may here mean
This may be understood either 1. By way of opposition The Waters go or flow out of the Sea and return thither again Eccles. 1. 7. and a Lake or River sometimes decayeth and drieth up but afterwards is recruited and replenished But man lieth c. as it follows Or 2. By way of resemblance As Waters i. e. some portion of Waters fail from the â—…a being either exhaled or drawn up by the Sun or received and sunk into the dry and thirsty Earth or overflowing its Banks and as the Flood or a River or a Pond for the word signifies any considerable confluence of Waters in a great drought decayeth and is dried up in both which cases the self same Waters never return to their former places So it is with man Or thus as when the Waters fail from the Sea i. e. when the Sea forsakes the place into which it used to flow the River which was fed by it Eccles. 1. 7. decayeth and drieth up without all hopes of Recovery So man when once the Fountain of his radical moisture is dried up dies and never revives again 12. So man lieth down c To wit in his Bed the Grave or to sleep the sleep of Death as this Phrase is used Gen. 46. 30. Deut. 31. 16. 2 Sam. 7. 12. 1 Kin. 1. 21. and riseth not d To wit to this Life For he speaks not here of the Life to come nor of the Resurrection of the Body after death by the divine Power of his belief whereof he giveth sufficient evidences in divers places till the Heavens be no more e i. e. Either 1. Never because the Heavens though they shall be changed in their Qualities yet shall never cease to be as to the Substance of them And therefore everlasting and unchangeable things are expressed by the duration of the Heavens of which see Psal. 72. 5 7 17. 89. 30 36 37. Mat. 5. 18. 24. 35. Or 2. not until the time of the general Resurrection and the restitution of things when these visible Heavens shall pass away and be no more at least in the same form and manner as now they are of which see Psal. 102. 26. Luk. 21. 33. 2 Pet. 3. 7 10. Rev. 21. 1. they shall not awake nor be raised out of their Sleep 13. O that thou wouldest hide me in †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Grave f Either 1. In some dark Vault under ground such as good men hide themselves in in times of Persecution Heb. 11. 38. Lord hide me in some hiding place from thy Wrath and all the intolerable effects of it which are upon me for I cannot be hid from thee but by thee Or 2. In the Grave properly so called Though I know Life once lost is irrecoverable yet I heartily desire Death rather than to continue in these Torments And if the next words and wish seem to suppose the continuance of his Life that is not strange For he speaks like one almost distracted with his miseries sometimes wishing one thing sometimes another and the quite contrary as such persons use to do And these Wishes may be understood disjunctively I wish either that I were dead or that God would give me Life free from these torments Or the place may be understood thus I could wish if it were possible that I might lie in the Grave for a time till these storms be blown over and then be restored to a comfortable Life that thou wouldst keep me secret g In some secret and safe place under the shadow of thy Wings and favour that I may have some support and comfort from thee until thy Wrath be past h Whilst I am oppressed with such grievous and various Calamities which he calls Gods Wrath because they were or seemed to be the effects of his Wrath. that thou wouldst appoint me a set time i To wit to my sufferings as thou hast done to my Life v. 5. and remember me k i. e. Wherein thou wiltst remember me to wit in mercy oâ—… so as to deliver me For it is well known that God is frequently said to forget those whom he suffers to continue in misery and to remember those whom he delivers out of it 14. If a man die shall he live again l i. e. He shall not namely in this World as was said before The affirmative question is equivalent to an absolute denial as Gen. 18. 17. Psal. 56. 7. Ier. 5. 9. and every where all the days of †Heb. my warfare my appointed time will I wait till my change come m Seeing Death puts an end to all mens hopes of any comfortable being here because man once dead never returns to Life I will therefore wait on God and hope for his favour whilest I live and it is possible to enjoy it and will continue waiting from time to time until my change come i. e. either 1. Death the great and last change which is expressed by the Root of this word Iob 10. 17. Or 2. The change of my condition for the better which you upon your Terms encourage me to expect and which I yet trust in God I shall enjoy for this word properly signifies Vicissitudes or Changes in ones condition and this seems to suit best with the following verse And this Change or a comfortable Life here Iob so heartily wisheth not only from that love of Life and Comfort which is naturally implanted in all men good and bad and is not forbidden by God which also was stronger in those Old Testament Saints when the discoveries of Gods Grace to sinners and of eternal Life were much darker than now they are but also because this would be an effectual vindication of his own Integrity and Good-name and of the honour of Religion both which did suffer some Eclipse from Iob's extream Calamities as is evident from the discourses of his Friends 15. Thou shalt * Chap. 40. 3. call and I will answer thee n I trust there is a time coming when thou wiltst grant me the mercy which now thou deniest me to wit a favourable hearing when thou wiltst call to me to speak for my self and I shall answer thee which I know will be to thy Satisfaction and my Comfort Compare this with Chap. 13. 22. where the same words are used in this same Sense Or thou shalt call me out of the Grave of my Calamities and I shall answer thee and say Here I am raised out of the Pit in which I was buried by thy powerful and gracious Command thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands o i. e. To me who am thy Workmanship in divers respects from whom thou now seemest to have an aversion and abhorrency but I doubt not thou wiltst have a desire i. e. shew thy Affection or Good-will to me or a desire to look upon me and to deliver me Nor is it strange that Iob who lately was upon the brink of despair
the end of the World and which is called the last day Iohn 6. 39 40 44. 54. 11. 24 12. 48. 1 Pet. 1. 5 For this was the time when Iob's Resurrection of which he speaketh 〈◊〉 was to be Heb. at the last By which word he plainly intimates that his hope was not 〈◊〉 things present and of Worldly Felicities of which his Friends had discoursed so much â—…ut of another kind of and a far greater blessedness which should accrue to him in after-times long after he was dead and rotten Or the last who is both the first and the last Isa. 44. 6. Rev. 1. 11. who shall subdue and survive all his and his peoples Enemies and after others the lâ—…t enemy death 1 Cor. 15. 26. and then shall raise up his people and plead their Cause and vindicate them from all the Calumnies and Injuries which are put upon them and conduct them to Life and Glory upon the earth p The place upon which Christ shall appear and stand at the last day Heb. upon the dust in which his Saints and Members lie or sleep whom he will raise out of it ' And therefore he is fitly said to stand upon the dust or the Grave or Death because then he will put that among other Enemies under his feet as it is expressed 1 Cor. 15. 25 26. Some render the Words thus and that very agreeably to the Hebrew The last or at the last he shall arise or stand up against for so this very Phrase is used Gen. 4. 8. Iudg. 9. 18. Psalm 54. 3. the dust and fight with it and rescue the bodies of the Saints which are held in it as Prisoners from its Dominion and Territories Some understand this of God that He should stand last in the field as Conquerour of all his Enemies But this neither agrees with the words the Hebrew Aphar signifying dust and being never used of the field or plâ—…e of Battel nor with Iob's scope which was to defend himself against his Friends Accusations and to comfort himself with his hopes and assurance of God's Favour to be exhibited to him in due time Which end the words in that sense would by no means serve because God might and would be Conqueror of all his Enemies though Iob himself had been one of them and though his Cause had been bad and his Friends should with God have triumphed over him 26. ‖ 〈…〉 And though after my skin worms destroy this body q The style of this and other Poetical Books is concise and short and therefore many words are to be understood in some places to compleat the sense The meaning of the place is this Though my skin is now in a great measure consumed by Sores and the rest of it together with this body shall be devoured by the Worms which may seem to make my case quite desperate Heb. And though which â—…article as it is oft elsewhere is here to be understood as the opposition of the next branch sheweth after my skin which either now is or suddenly will be consumed by Sores or Worms they i. e. the destroyers or devourers as is implyed in the Verb such Impersonal speeches being usual in the Scripture as Gen. 50. 26. Luke 12. 20. 16. 9. where the actions are expressed but the persons or things acting are understood And by the Destroyers he most probably designs the Worms which do this work in the Grave destroy or cut off or devour this i. e. all this which you see left of me this which I now point to all this which is contained within my skin all my flesh and bones this which I know not what to call whether a living Body or a dead Carkass because it is between both and therefore he did not say this body because it did scarce deserve that name yet r For the Particle and is oft used adversatively Or then as it is oft rendred in my flesh s Heb. out of my flesh or with as the Particle Mem is used Can. 1. 2. 3. 9. Isa 57. 8. my flesh i. e. with eyes of flesh as Iob himself calls them Chap. 10. 4. Or with bodily eyes my flesh or body being raised from the Grave and restored and reunited to my soul. And this is very sitly added to shew that he did not speak of a mental or spiritual but of a corporeal Vision and that after his death shall I see God t The same whom he called his Redeemer v. 25. i. e. Christ of which see the note there who being God-man and having taken flesh and appearing in his flesh or body with and for Iob upon the earth as was said v. 25. might very well be seen with his bodily eyes Nor is this understood of a simple seeing of him for so even they that pierced him shall see him Revel 1. 7. but of seeing him with delight and comfort as that word is oft understood as Gen. 48. 11. Iob 42. 16. Psalm 128. 5. Isa. 53. 11. of that glorious and beautiâ—…ying Vision of God which is promised to all God's people Psalm 16. 11. 17. 15. Matth. 5. 8. 1 Cor. 13. 12. 1 Iohn 3. 2. 27. Whom I shall see u In manner before and after expressed No wonder that he repeats it again and again because the meditation of it was most sweet to him for my self x i. e. For my own comfort and benefit as that Phrase is oft used Or which is much of the same importance on my behalf to plead my Cause and vindicate me from all your reproaches and mine eyes shall behold and not †〈…〉 another y To wit for me or in my stead I shall not see God by anothers eyes but by my own and by these self-same eyes in this same body which now I have Heb. not a stranger i. e. This priviledge shall be granted to me and to all other sincere Servants of God but not to strangers i. e. to wicked men who are oft called strangers as Psal. 18. 44 45. 54. 3. Prov. 21. 8. because they are estranged or alienated from God and from his service and people And if I were such an one as you suppose me to be I could never hope to enjoy that happiness though my reins be consumed †Heb. in my 〈◊〉 within me z This I do confidently expect and hope for though at present my Case seems desperate my very inward parts being even consumed with grief and though as I have said the Grave and the Worms will consume my whole Body not excepting the Reins which seem to be fasest and furthest out of their reach Or without though which is not in the Hebrew My reins are consumed within me So this may be a sudden and passionate ejaculation or exclamation such as we find Gen. 48. 18. and oft in the Book of Psalms arising from the contemplation and confident expectation of this his unspeakable happiness wherein he expresseth
Of which see the Notes on Chapter 22. 6. 10. They cause him h The poor oppressed person to go naked without clothing i Leaving him nothing or next to nothing to cover him in the Day-time when he should go abroad to his labour to get his living but cannot for want of Cloaths to cover his nakedness and they take away the sheaf from the hungry k That single Sheaf which the poor man had got with the sweat of his Brows to satisfie his hunger they unhumanely take away and added it to their own Stores and full Barns Or they are hungry or they sent them away hungry those words being repeated cut of the former Clause of the Verse as is most usualâ—… which took or carried the sheaf or their sheaves i. e. which reâ—…ped and gathered in the rich man's Corn for which they received injuries in stead of a just Recompence for their labour and that when God's liberality and the bounty of the earth to them invited and obliged them to kind and generous actions to others 11. Which make oil within their walls l To wit the poor man last mentioned Either 1. within their own Walls i. e. in private and secret places for fear of the Oppressors Or rather 2. within the Walls of the rich Oppressors for their use and benefit For the poor alas had no Walls nor Houses nor Olive-yards nor Vine yards left to them but they were violently spoiled of and driveâ—… away from all those things as was said in the foregoing Verses and tread their wine-presses m i. e. The Grapes in their Wine-presses by a Metonymy of the thing containing for the thing contained and suffer thirst n Because they are not permitted to quench their thirst out of the Wine which they make though their labours both need and deserve refreshment 12. Men groan o Under the burden of Injuries and grievous Oppressions from out of the city p Not only in Deserts or less inhabited places where these Tyrants have the greater opportunity and advantage to practice their Villanies but even in Cities where there is a face of Order and Government and Courts of Justice and a multitude of people to observe and restrain such actions whereby they plainly declare that they neither fear God noâ—… reverence man and the soul q Either 1. properly their Soul sympathizing with the Body and being grieved for its insupportable miseries crieth to God and men for help Or rather 2. the life or blood which oft cometh under thâ—… name of those who are there wounded unto death as this word properly signifies 〈◊〉 30. 24. crieth aloud unto God for vengeance Gen. 4. 10. Reâ—… 6 9 â—…0 whereby God might seem in some sort obliged to punish them and yet he did not as the next words declare of the wounded crieth out yet God layeth not folly to them r So the sense is Yet God doth not impute or lay to their charge this folly or wickedness which in Scripture is commonly called folly i. e. He takes no notice of these horrid Oppressions noâ—… hears the Cries of the Oppressed nor punisheth the Oppressors Or Yet God who seeth and permitteth all this disposeth or ordereth or doth for all these things this Hebrew Verb signifies nothing which is absurd or foolish or unsavoury i. e. doth nothing in this permission and connivance unworthy of himself or which a wise and considerate man cannot relish or approve or which is not in it self righteous and reasonable though we do not always discern the reasonableness of it 13. They are of those that rebel against the light s This is added as the general Character of the persons before mentioned and as a great aggravation of their wickedness that they were not modest sinners which were ashamed of their evil ways and therefore sinned in the dark and in secret as some who here follow but sinned impudently in the face of the Sun and in spight of all their light as well the light of Reason and Conscience which abhors and condemns their wicked actions as the light of Divine Revelation which was then in good measure imparted to the Church and people of God in this time and shortly after was committed to Writing all which they set at defiance sinning with manifest contempt of God and of men and of their own Consciences they know not t Either 1. they do not desire or care to know them they are willingly ignorant of them Or 2. they do not approve nor love nor choose them as knowing frequently signifies in Scripture-use the ways thereof u i. e. Of the light or in such ways and courses as are agreeable to the light Or in his ways i. e. in the ways of God who is oft understood in this Book where he is not expressed nor abide in the paths thereof x If they do some good actions yet they do not persevere in well-doing they are not constant and fixed in a good course of life 14. * â—…sal 10. 8. The murderer rising with the light y As soon as the light appears using no less diligence in his wicked practises than Labourers do in their honest and daily employments killeth the poor and needy z Where he finds nothing to satisfie his covetousness he exerciseth his cruelty and in the night is as a thief a i. e. He is really a Thief the Particle as being oft used to express not the resemblance but the truth of the thing as Num. 1â—… 1. Deut. 9. 10. Hos. 4. 4. 5. 10. Iohn 1. 14. In the Night they rob men secretly and cunningly as in the Day-time they do it more openly and avowedly 15. * Prov. 7. 9. The eye also of the adulterer b i. e. The Adulterer but he mentions his Eye because the Eye discerns the difference between light and darkness waiteth for the twilight c To wit for the Evening twilight which is his opportunity saying d In his heart comforting himself with the thoughts of secreâ—…ess and impunity No eye shall see me and †â—…eb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in seâ—… disguiseth his face e Heb. putteth his face in secret covers it with a Vizard or Cloak that he may be undiscovered 16. In the dark they f Either 1. the Adulterer last mentioned although such persons do not use nor need these violent courses to get into the house of the Adulteress but are commonly admitted upon milder and easier terms Or 2. the Thief or Robber whose common practise this is of whom he spoke â—… 14. and having on that occasion inserted the mention of the Adulterer as one who acted his sin in the same manner as the Night-thief did he now returns to him again dig through houses which they g The Thief and his Complices had marked for themselves h Designing by some secret mark the house of some rich man
these winds my Body is almost consumed and wasted and my heart is melted within me 23. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death s I see nothing will satisfie thee but my death which thou aâ—…t bringing upon me in a lingering and dismal manner and to the house appointed for all living t To the grave to which all living men are coming and hastening 24. Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the †Heb. heap grave though they cry in his destruction u There is great variety and difficulty in the sense and connexion of these words They may be joyned either 1. with the following Verse as describing Iob's compassion to others in affliction which by the Principles of Reason and Religion should have procured him some pity from God and men in his affliction And to that purpose the words are or may be translated thus But was not my prayers for them which words may be understood out of the following Clause when he stretched out his hand to wit against them to destroy them in his destruction or oppression understand it actively i. e. when God was about to destroy any other man or men was not the Negation being understood out of the former Branch of the Verse as is usual my cry for them the Feminine Gender being put for the Masculine as it is elsewhere or for these things the Feminine being put for the Neuter that is for those destructive Calamities which were upon them Or 2. with the foregoing Verse And so these words contain either 1. a Consolation against the evil last mentioned So the sense is Though God will undoubtedly bring me to the Grave by these Torments yet this comforts me that surely he will not stretch out his hand to wit to afflict or punish me further as this phrase is used Exod. 3. 20. Isa. 9. 12 13. in the grave though they i. e. the perishing persons cry or roar i. e. be sorely pained and tormented in his destruction i. e. whilest God is destroying them Or this last Clause may be read interrogatively Is there any cry in his destruction When a man is cut off or destroyed by death doth he then cry and complain No there is an end of all these Miseries Or rather 2 a Confirmation of what he last said For the whole Context shews that Iob is not taking any comfort to himself but rather aggravating his Sufferings I know saith he that I am a dead man and my Condition is desperate for surely he i. e. God will not stretch out his hand to wit to save or rescue me as this phrase is used Psalm 18 17. 144. 7. compared with Acts 4. 30. to or in the grave i. e. to a dead man such as I am in effect having not only one foot but in a manner both feet in the grave as being upon the very brink of the Pit though they cry to wit unto God i. e. though there be a great and a general Cry and Lamentation for him among his Friends or others and an earnest desire of him if possibly he might be restored to life again in his destruction i. e. when he is destroyed or dead yet all these Cries would be in vain 25. * Psal. 35. 13 14. Rom. 12. 15. Did not I weep †Heb. for him that was hard of day for him that was in trouble x Whence is it that neither God nor man shew any compassion to me but both conspire to afflict me and encrease my torments Doth God now mete out to me the same measure which I meted out to others Have I now Judgment without Mercy because I afforded no mercy nor pity to others in misery No my Conscience acquits me from this inhumanity I did not sleightly resent but bitterly mourn and weep over others in their miseries and therefore I had reason to expect more Compassion than I find was not my soul grieved for the poor y Even for him who was not capable of requiting my kindness in case of his recovery which shews that my sympathy was real and not seigned as it is in some who pretend great sorrow for the rich in their troubles hoping thereby to insinuate themselves into their favour and friendship and thereby to procure some advantage to themselves 26. When I looked for good then evil came unto me z Instead of the return of the like pity to me which I might justly challenge and expect whensoever I should stand in need of it I meet with a sad disappointment and my pity is recompensed with others cruelty to me and when I waited for light there came darkness 27. My bowels boiled and rested not a i. e. My inward parts boyled without ceasing The Bowels are the seat of Passion and of Compassion and therefore this may be understood either 1. of his Compassionate and deep sense of others miseries which is oft expressed by bowels as Isa. 16. 11. Col. 3. 12. and elsewhere of which he spake v. 25. to which he subjoyns the contrary usage which he met with v. 26. And then in this first part of v. 27. he renews the mention of his compassion to others and in the latter part he adds by way of Antithesis or Opposition that his mercy was requited with cruel afflictions Or 2. of the grievousness of his troubles which is sometimes expressed by the troubling or boyling of the Bowels or inward parts as Lam. 1. 20. the days of affliction prevented me b i. e. Came upon me suddenly and unexpectedly when I promised to my self peace and prosperity as the usual recompence which God promiseth and giveth to such as fear and please him as I have done 28. * Psal. 38. 6. 42. 9. 43. 2. I went c Or I walked hither and thither as I could Or I converse or appear among others mourning without the Sun d Spending my days in mourning without any Sun-light or comfort or so oppressed with sadness that I did not care nor desire to see the light of the Sun Heb. black not by the Sun My very Countenance is changed and become black but not by the Sun which makes many other persons black Cant. 1. 5. 6. but by the force of my Disease and deep Melancholy which oft-times makes a man's Visage black and dismal See Psalm 119. 83. Lam. 5. 10. And this he repeats in plainer terms v. 30. as an eminent token of his excessive grief and misery I stood up e Either because my Disease and pain made me weary of other postures Or that others might take notice of me and be moved with pity towards me and I cried f With a loud and dâ—…eful clamour through great and sudden anguish in the congregation g Where prudence and modesty taught me to forbear it if extream necessity and misery had not forced me to it 29. * Ps. 102. 6. I am a brother h To wit
He seems to himself and others to be lost and past all hopes of recovery Which he adds for Iob's comfort in his desperate condition and and his life to the destroyers a To the instruments of death or destruction whether it be Angels whom God sometimes useth in those cases or â—…vils who have the power of Death Heb. 2. 14. or Diseases 〈◊〉 by God's appointment are ready to give the fatal blow 23. If there be a messenger b Either 1. an Angel sent to him from Heaven upon this errand for the Angels are ministring Spirits Psalm 103. 20. Heb. 1. 14. and are and especially in that time and state of the Church were frequently employed by God upon Messages to men But why then should he say one of a thousand Angels seeing any the meanest Angel was very competent for this work Or rather 2. a Prophet or Teacher for such are oft called by this Name as Iudg. 2. 1. Mâ—… 2. 7. 3. 1. Rev. 1. 20. and such persons are appointed by God for and are most commonly imployed in this work with him c Either 1. with God to plead man's Cause and to pray to God for man Or rather 2. with man who is expressed in the last clause of this Verse and of whom this same Pronoun him is twice used in the next Verse Nor is it strange that the Pronoun Relative is put before the Noun to which it belongs but uâ—…ual in the Hebrew language as Exod. 2. 6. Prov. 5. 22. 14 33. and elsewhere an * 〈◊〉 43. 〈◊〉 interpreter d One whose Office and work it is to declare the mind of God unto the sick-man and wherefore God contends with him and what God would have him to do one among a thousand e A person rightly qualified for this great and hard work such as there are but very few searce one of â—… thousand which expression is used to denote the rarity â—…nd fewness of persons Eccles. 7 28. By which words he doth covertly reflect upon Iob's three Friends and imply that they were not such persons though they had undertaken to perform this offce or work to Iob and withal modestly intimates that although he was in himself mean and inferiour to all of them as he acknowledgeth yet he was selected by God for this work which he saith not out of a desire of vain boasting of himself but to dispose Iob to a more diligent attention unto and a more ready entertainment of his present discourses to shew unto man his uprightness f Or rectitude or rigâ—…ousness His i. e. either 1. God's To convince a man that God is just and right in all his dealings with him though never so fevere of which Iob was not yet convinced Or rather 2. man's to teach man his duty or to direct him to the right way and method how he may please God and procure that mercy and deliverance which he thirsts after which is not by quarrelling with God as Iob did but by an humble confession and hearty detestation and forsaking of his sins and supplication to God for mercy in and through Christ the Redeemer of whom Iob spoke before Or thus To discover to man that although he be afflicted yet he is an upright and righteous person and consequently in God's favour about which good men oft doubt and need the help of a skilful Minister to satisfie them therein But this seems not so well to suit Iob's case who was sufficiently and more than enough perswaded of his own Integrity and needed no Minister to preach that Doctrine to him 24. Then g In that case or upon the sick-man's knowledge and practice of his duty he h Either 1. the Messenger or Interpreter last mentioned who is pitiful unto the sick man and in compassion to him doth all that he can for him counselling and comforting him and praying to God for his recovery in the following words Deliver him c. for the sake of that ransom which thou hast revealed and I have discovered to him Or rather 2. God who is oft in this Book designed by this Particle he or him whose property and prerogative it is to be gracious unto man and who alone can speak the following words with power and authority is gracious unto him i Pardoning his sins and delivering him from his dangerous disease and from death and from the Hell which attends upon it and saith k To the Angel or Messenger Deliver him l To wit ministerially and declaratively in which sense the acts of forgiving Sins and reconciling Sinners and saving Souls are ascribed to God's Ministers as Iohn 20. 23. 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. 1 Tim. 4. 16. Declare to him that I have pardoned and will heal him from going down into the pit I have found ‖ Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransom m Although I might justly destroy him and should do it if I were severe to mark what is amiss in him yet I will spare him for I have found out an expedient and a way of ransoming and redeeming Sinners from Death both temporal and eternal which they by their sins have deserved which is by the death of my Son the Redeemer of the World which shall be in the fulness of time and with respect to which I will pardon this sick man and others that shall repent and sue to me for mercy as he hath done 25. His flesh shall be fresher †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than a childs n i. e. More sound and tender These joyful tidings delivered to him by God's Messenger shall revive his Spirit and by degrees restore his former health and vigour he shall return to the days of his youth o i. e. To the same healthfull and strong constitution of body which he had in his youth 26. He p Either 1. the Messenger or rather 2. the sick Man p Being engaged and encouraged to do so either by the foresaid gracious Message or by his miraculous recovery through God's goodness shall pray unto God q and he will be favourable unto him r In hearing and answering his Prayers which before he seemed to neglect and he shall see his face with joy s Either 1. God will look upon the Man with a smiling or well-pleased countenance whereas before he either hid his Face from him or frowned upon him Or 2. The Man shall then be emboldened and encouraged to look God in the Face with comfort and joy which before he was not without cause afraid to do but now he shall find that God is reconciled to him by the blessed effects of it both in his Body and in his Conscience for he will render unto man his righteousness t i. e. According to his righteousness or the fruit of his righteousness as on the contrary iniquity is oft put for the punishment of iniquity The sense is He will deal with him as with one reconciled
this word commonly signifies which might reasonably bring down such terrible judgments upon my Head 7. What man is like Job who drinketh up scorning like water k i. e. Abundantly and greedily who doth so oft and so easily break forth into scornful and contemptuous expressions not only against his friends but in some sort even against God himself whom he foolishly and insolently chargeth with dealing rigorously with him The words may be thus read What Man being like Iob would drink up c. That a wicked or foolish Man should do thus is not strange but that a Man of such Piety Gravity Wisdom and Authority as Iob should be guilty of such a sin this is wonderful 8. Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity and walketh with wicked men l Although I dare not say as his three Friends do that he is a wicked Man yet in this matter he speaks and acts like one of them 9. For he hath said m Not absolutely and in express terms but by unforced consequence and as concerning this life and with reference to himself because he said that good Men were no less nay sometimes more miserable here than the wicked Ch. 9. 22 c 30. 26. and that for his part he was no gainer as to this life by his Piety but a loser and that God shewed him no more kindness and compassion than he usually did to the vilest of men Which was a very unthankful and ungodly opinion and expression seeing godliness hath the promise of this life as well as of that to come and Iob had such supports and such assurances of his own uprightness and of his future happiness as he confesseth as were and should have been accounted even for the present a greater comfort and profit than all which this World can afford * Chap. 9. 2â—… 35. 3. It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God n That he should choose and delight to walk with God and make it his chief care and business to please him and to do his commandments which is the true and proper Character of a godly Man 10. Therefore hearken unto me ye †Heb. men of heart men of understanding o You who are present and understand these things do you judge between Iob and me * Deut. 32. 4. Chap. 8. 3. 36. 23. Psal. 92. 15. Rom. â—… 14. far be it from God that he should do wickedness p This I must lay down as a Principle that the righteous and holy God neither doth nor can deal unjustly with Iob or with any Man as Iob insinuates that God had dealt with him and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity 11. * Psal. 62. 12. Prov. 24. 12. 〈◊〉 â—…2 1â—… Ezek 33. 2â—… Mat. 1â—… 2â—… Rom. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 17. Rev. 22 12. For the work q i. e. The reward of his work or according to his work Iob's affâ—…ons though great and sharp are not undeserved but justly inflicted upon him both for his Original corruption and for many actual transgressions which are manifest to God though Iob through his parâ—…lity may not see them And Iob's Piety shall be recompensed it may be in this life but undoubtedly in the next And therefore â—…ety is not unprofitable as Iob saith of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to â—…ind according to his ways 12. Yea surely God will not do wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert judgment r As Iob hath wickedly affirmed For the phrase see on Ch. 8. 3. 13. Who hath given him a charge over the earth s i. e. Over the Inhabitants of the Earth to rule them according to his Laâ—…s and to give an account to him of it Who or where is his Superiour that made the World and then delivered the Government of it to God There is no such Person God himself is the sole Creator the absolute and supream Lord and Governour of all the World and therefore cannot do unjustly The reason is partly because all unrighteousness is a transgression of some Law and God hath no Law to bound him but his own nature and will partly because the Creator and Lord of the World must needs have all possible Perfections in himself and amongst others perfect Justice and must needs be free from all imperfections and obliquities and therefore from Injustice and partly because he is of himself all-sufficient and independent upon all other Persons and able to do and procure whatsoever pleaseth him and therefore as he hath no inclination so he hath no temptation to any unrighteous actions this being generally the reason of all unrighteous actions in the World because the Persons who do them either are obliged to do it to gratiâ—…ie some Superiour Authority who commands them to do it or else do want or desire something which they cannot justly obtain For he is a Monster and not a Man who will take away any thing by injustice or violence which he may have by right or who hath disposed t Or committed to wit to him to be governed by him in the Name and for the use and service of his Superiour Lord to whom he must give an account †Heb all of it the whole world 14. * Ps. 104. 29. If he set his heart †Heb. upon him upon man u Heb. upon him i. e. Man as may seem probable from v. 11. 15. where Man is expressed and from the next Clause of this Verse where he speaks of that Spirit and Breath which is in Man If his eye and heart be upon man if he diligently and exactly observe him and all his ways and whatsoever is amiss in him and which follows upon it of course resolve to punish him Or if he set his heart against as this Particle el is used Amos 7. 15. and elsewhere as hath been noted before him to wit to cut him off if he gather unto himself x If it please him to gather to himself to wit by death whereby God is said to take away mens Breath Psal. 104. 29. and to gather mens Souls Psal. 26. 9. and the Spirit is said to return unto God Eccles. 12. 7. his spirit and his breath y i. e. That Spirit and Breath or that living Soul that God breathed into Man Gen. 2. 7. and gives to every Man that cometh into the World 15. * Gen. 3. 19. Eccles. 12. 7. All flesh z i. e. Every Man who is called Flesh Gen. 6. 3 17. Isa. 40. 6. shall perish together a Or alikâ—… without any exception be they great or mean wise or foolish good or bad if God design to destroy them they cannot withstand his power but must needs perish by his stroke The design of this and the foregoing Verse is the same with that of v. 13. where see the notes namely to
Verb is used 2 Chron. 18. 31. Or allured or intiâ—…ed or persuaded thee as the word properly signifies which possibly may here be emphatical and may imply as that Iob had by his sins brought himself into these straits so that God would have brought him out of them by the usual and regular way to wit by persuading him to turn from his sins and humbly and earnestly to cry to God for Mercy which if he had complied with God would have delivered him out of the p Heb. out of the mouth or jaws of Tribulation which like a wild Beast was ready to swallow him up strait into a broad place q i. e. Into a state of ease and freedom where there is no straitness and †Heb. 〈◊〉 of thy 〈◊〉 * Psal. 23. â—… that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness r Thy Dishes or the food in them 17. But thou hast fulfilled the judgment s Or the cause or sentence as the word most properly signified Thou hast fully pleaded their cause and justified the hard and reproachful speeches which wicked men in their rage utter against God condemning God and justifying themselves of the wicked ‖ Or 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 should 〈◊〉 thee judgment and justice take hold on thee t Or therefore which is oft understood the sentence and judgment or the judicial sentence to wit of the wicked now mentioned shall take hold on thee Thou hast maintained their cause against God and God shall pass against thee their sentence or the Sentence of Condemnation due to such wicked men 18. Because there is wrath u To wit conceived by God against thee Because by thy pleading the cause of the wicked thou hast deserved that God should give sentence against thee as was now said and hast provoked God's wrath against thee therefore look to thy self and reconcile thy self to God by true repentance whilst thou mayest and before sentence be executed upon thee beware x This is not in the Hebrew but is necessarily to be understood to make up the sence and is oft understood in the like cases and that before this Hebrew Particle Pen as Gen. 3. 22. 11. 4. 42. 4. Isa. 36. 18. See the like also Mat. 25. 9. Act. 5. 39. leâ—…t he take thee away with his stroke y Properly with the stroke of his hand or foot It is an allusion to men who oft express their anger by clapping their hands or stamping with their feet then * Psal. 49. â—… a great ransom cannot †Heb. 〈◊〉 tâ—…ee 〈◊〉 deliver thee z For if once God's wrath take hold of thee and sentence be executed upon thee before thou dost repent and humble thy self to thy judge neither Riches nor Friends no nor any Person or thing in Heaven and Earth can redeem thee no Ransom or Price will be accepted for thee 19. Will he esteem thy riches no not Gold nor all the â—…orces of strength a If thou couldst recover thy lost wealth or strength or thy Friends would employ theirs on thy behalf neither could the one ransom thee nor the other rescue thee 20. * 〈◊〉 â—… 4. Desire not the night b Either 1. properly that in it thou mayest find some ease or rest as men usually do But this Iob did not much desire for he complains that his nights were as restless as his days Or rather 2. metaphorically the night of Death which is called the Night both in Scripture as Iohn 9. 4. and in other Writers and which Ioâ—… had oft and earnestly desired and even thirsted after as this Verb notes See Ch. 7. 15. And this seems best to agree with the foregoing counsel v. 18. beware lâ—…st 〈◊〉 take thee away with his stroke for then saith he thou art irrecoverably lost and gone and therefore take heed of thy foolish and oft râ—…peated desire of death leâ—… God inflict it upon thee in great anger when c Or by which which words are oft understood in divers Textâ—… of Scripture people d Even whole Nations and Bodies of People which aâ—…e all God's Creatures as well as thou and yet are not spared by him but cut off in wrath and many of them sent from one death to another take heed therefore thou beeâ—… not added to the number 〈◊〉 34. 20. are cut off e Heb. are made to 〈◊〉 i. e. to vanish or perish or die as this Verb is ofâ—… 〈◊〉 as Jâ—…b 18. 16. Psal. 102. 25. in their place f In their several places where they are or suddenly before they â—…an remove out of the Place where the hand and stroke of God finds them or in the place where they are settled and surrounded with all manner of Comforts and Supports and Friends all which could not prevent their being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ossibly this phrase may allude to that expression of Job's Chap. 29. 18. I shall die in my â—…est 21. Take heed regard not g Or look not to it to wit with an approving or coveâ—…ing eye as this word is used Prov. 23. 31. iniquity for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction h Thou hast chosen rather to quarrel with God and censure his judgments than humbly and quietly to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them and to wait upon God by Faith and Prayer for deliverance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time and way 22. Behold God exalteth i Or is â—…igh or exâ—…lted the active Verb being taken intransitively which is not unusual in the Hebrew Tongue This is a proper argument to force the foregoing counsels God is omnipotent and therefore can with great facility either punish thee far worse if thou beâ—…st obstinate and refrâ—…ctory or deliver thee if thou doest repent and return to him by his power * 〈…〉 who teacheth like him k He is also infinitely wiâ—…e as well as powerful and as none can work like him so none can teach liâ—…e him Therefore do not presume to teach him how to govern the World or to order thy affairs but know that whatsoever he doth with thee or with any other men is best to be done And therefore â—…e willing to learn from him learn obedience by the things which thou suâ—…erest from him and do not follow thy own fancies or affections but use the methods which God hath taught thee to get out of thy troubles by submission and prayer and repentance The words may be rendred What Lord is like him For the word Morâ—… in the Chaldee dialect signifies a Lord This Translation suits with the former Clause of this Verse but ours agrees well enough with that and is confirmed by the following Verse 23. * 〈◊〉 â—… 13. Who hath enjoyned him his way l Wherein he should walk i. e. what courses and methods he shall use in the administration of humane affairs If he had a Su periour Lord who gave him Laws for his actions he might be
can best bear it See the like expressions Iob 4. 14. and 33. 19. Psal. 38. 3. and 51. 8. 3. My soul is also sore vexed l Partly by sympathy with my Body and partly with the burthen of my Sins and the sence of thine Anger and my own danger and misery but thou O LORD how long m Wiltst thou suffer me to ly and languish in this condition It is a Figure called Aposiopesis very agreeable to men in pain or anguish who use to cut their words short 4. Return n Unto me from whom thou hast withdrawn thy self and thy smiling Countenance and thy helping Hand O LORD deliver my soul o i. e. Save me or my life as the Soul oft signifies as Gen. 9. 5. and 12. 5. Iob 36. 14. Psal. 33. 19. David and other good men in those times were much afraid of death partly because the manifestations of Gods Grace to his people were then more dark and doubtful and partly because thereby they were deprived of all opportunities of advancing God's Glory and Kingdom in the World Comp. Isa. 38. 1 2 3. oh save me for thy mercies sake 5. * 〈◊〉 30. 9. 〈◊〉 11. 11. 17. 〈◊〉 17. For in death p Amongst the dead or in the grave as it follows there is no remembrance of thee q To wit by me David consisting both of Soul and Body and no such remembrance to wit in way of thankfulness and praise as the next Clause of the Verse limits and explains it which he might fear would be true not only because he should not have occasion to praise God for this deliverance but also because he was in grievous agonies of Conscience and under terrors of God's wrath and his eternal damnation which being oft incident to the Saints of God under the new Testament it is not strange if it were so also under the old Testament Besides he speaks of the remembrance or celebration of God's Name and Grace in the Land of the Living to the enlargement and edification of God's Church and the propagation of true Religion among men which is not done in the other life and was justly prized at so high a rate by David and other holy men to whom therefore it must needs be a great grief to be for ever deprived of such Opportunities For otherwise David very well knew and firmly believed that Souls departed were not extinct but did go to God Eccles. 12. 7. and there remember and adore and enjoy God tho quite in another way than that of which he here speaks in †〈◊〉 33. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grave who shall give thee thanks 6. I am weary with my groaning ‖ Or every 〈◊〉 all the night r He mentions this time by way of aggravation of his misery because that season which is to others by God's appointment a time of rest was to him very sad and doleful whether from his Disease which then came upon him more strongly as it is usual or from the opportunity which the solitude and silence of the Night gave him to think of his own Sins or his Enemies Perfidiousness and Malice or God's Displeasure or his future Estate make I my bed to swim s To wit with tears See the like â—…yperbole Ier. 9. 1. Lam. 3. 48 49. I water my couch t Or my bedstead with my tears 7. * 〈◊〉 17. 7. 〈◊〉 31. 9. 〈◊〉 10. 〈◊〉 5. 17. Mine eye is consumed u Or grown dim or dull through plenty of salt tears which I shed Or through the decay of my Spirits because of grief x i. e. My grief arising from mine Enemies as the next Clause interprets it and from the consideration of their multitude and rage and falseness it waxeth old because of all mine Enemies 8. * Mat. 7. 23. 25. 41. Luk. 13. 27. Pâ—…l â—… 19. 115. Depart from me y I advise you for your own sakes to cease from opposing or molesting me or insulting over me or approaching to me with design of deceiving and betraying me for all your labor will be lost all ye workers of Iniquity z All you wicked Enemies of mine for the LORD hath heard a i. e. He will hear the past time being put for the future as is usual in prophetical Passages such as this was David having received by the Spirit of God particular assurance that God would hear and deliver him the * Psal. 31. 22. voice of my weeping b i. e. Of my fervent Prayers joyned with my Tears 9. The LORD hath heard c And therefore will hear as it follows He draws an Argument from his former Experience my supplication the LORD will receive my prayer 10. Let all mine Enemies be ashamed d Of their vain hopes and confidence of conquering and destroying me Or they shall be ashamed because of their great and unexpected disappointment and sore vexed let them return e To wit from their wicked ways from their hostile and malicious practises against me and let them come and submit to me from whom they have revolted Or let them turn back as it is expressed Psal. 56. 9. let them be put to flight Or let them be converted i. e. Repent of their Sins and return to their Obedience to me Although it seems more probable both from the foregoing and following words that this turning or returning is rather penal than penitential Or they shall turn or return Or this Verb may be taken adverbially and joyned to the following Verb as it is frequently in other places and both may be thus rendered Let them or They shall be again ashamed clothed as it were with double shame and be ashamed suddenly f Sooner than I could hope or they did expect or believe PSAL. VII Shiggaion a This seems to be the name of a certain kind either of Song or Tune or Instrument which â—…hen was very well known but now is only matter of conjecture wherewith I think it not fit to trouble the unlearned Reader And the learned may consult my latin Synopsis of David which he sang unto the LORD concerning the ‖ Or 〈◊〉 words b The false and slanderous Reports raised or â—…omented by him This was the occasion of this Psalm of Cush c By which he designs either 1. Saul whom he thought it indecent to express by his proper Name for which he might at this time have divers reasons and therefore he deciphers him enigmatically which is not unusual in holy Scripture where Babylon is called 〈◊〉 Ier. 25. 26. and 51. 41. and Rome is called Egypt and Sâ—…dom and Babylon in the Revelation and Iohn the Baptist is called Elias And he might call him Cush partly by a tacit Allusion to his Father's Name Kish and partly with respect to his black and wicked Disposition planted and firmly rooted in him Comp. Ier. 13. 23. Amos 9. 7.
I have set the LORD always before me c i. e. I have always presented him to my mind as my Rule and Scope as my Witness and Judge as my Patron and Protector in the discharge of my Office and in all my Actions Hitherto David seems to have spoken in his own Person and with special respect to himself but now he seems to have been transported by an higher Inspiration of the Spirit of Prophecy and to be carried above himself and to have an Eye to the man Christ Jesus who is and was the end of the Law and the great Scope of all the Prophets and to speak of himself only as a Type of Christ and with more special respect unto Christ in whom this and the following Verses were much more truly and fully accomplished than in himself Christ as man did always set his Fathers will and Glory before him as he himself oft declareth especially in St. Iohn's Gospel because * he is at my right hand d To wit to strengthen me for the right hand is the chief seat of a Man's strength and Instrument of Action to Protect assist and Comfort me as this Phrase signifies Psal. 109. 31. and 110. 5. And this assistance of God was necessary to Christ as man I shall 〈◊〉 2. 25 〈◊〉 73. 23. â—… â—…1 5. not be moved e Or removed either from the discharge of my Duty or from the attainment of that Glory and Happiness which is prepared for me Though the Archers shoot grievously at me and both men and Devils seek my Destruction and God sets himself against me as an Enemy withdrawing his favour from me and filling me with deadly sorrows through the Sence of his anger yet I do not despair but am assured that God will deliver me out of all my Distresses 9. Therefore f Upon this ground and Confidence my heart g The proper seat of joy and of all the Affections is glad and my glory h Either 1. my soul which is indeed the Glory of a man Or rather 2. my Tongue which also is a mans Glory and Priviledge above all other living Creatures and the Instrument of glorifying both God and man and which is oft called a mans Glory as Gen. 49. 6. Psal. 30. 12. and 57. 8. and 108. 1. and 149. 5. And so this very Word is translated Act. 2. 26. And thus the distinction between Heart and Glory and Flesh is more certain and evident rejoyceth i Or exsulteth i. e. Declares or expresseth my inward joy For this Verb signifies not so much internal joy as the outward and visible Demonstrations of it in Words or Gestures and Carriages my flesh also shall †〈…〉 rest k i. e. My body shall quietly and 〈◊〉 rest in the Grave to which I am hastening in hope l i. e. In confident assurance of it's Incorruption there and of it's Resurrection to a blessed and immortal Life as it is explained v. 10 11. The flesh or body is in it self but a dead and senceless lump of Clay yet Hope is here ascribed to it figuratively as it is to the brute Creatures Rom. 8. 19. because there is Matter and Foundation for such hope if it were capable of it the good promised and expected being certainly future 10. * 〈◊〉 2. 31. 13. 35. For thou will not leave my soul m i. e. My Person as this word is every where used by a Syneâ—…doche of the part and then the Person by another Synecdoche of the whole is put for the Body The soul is oft put for the Body either for the living Body as Psal. 35. 13. and 105. 18. or for the Carkass or dead Body as it is taken Levit. 19. 28. and 21. 1. Numb 5. 2. and 6. 6. 9. 11. and 9 10. and 19. 11. 13. And so it is interpreted in this very place as it is produced Act. 2. 29 c. and 13. 36 37. in hell n i. e. In the Grave or state of the Dead as appears 1. From the Hebrew word Scheol which is very frequently so understood as is undeniably evident from Gen. 42. 38. Numb 16. 30. Iob 14. 13. Comp. with 17. 13. Psal. 18. 5. and 30. 3. and 141. 7. Eccles. 9 10. Ezek. 32. 21 27. Ionab 2 2. and many other places 2. From the following clause of this Verse 3. From Act. 2. and 13. where it is so expounded and applied neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One o i. e. Me thy holy Son whom thou hast sanctified and sent into the World It is peculiar to Christ to be called the holy one of God Mark 1. 24. Luk. 4. 34. to see corruption p Or Rottenness i. e. To be corrupted or putrified in the Grave as the Bodies of others are Seeing is oft put for perceiving by experience In which 〈◊〉 men are said to see good Psal. 34. 13. and to 〈◊〉 Death or the Grave Psal. 89. 48 Luk. 2. 26. Ioâ—… 8. 51. and to see sleep Eccles. 8. 16. And the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 though sometimes by a Metonymy it signifies the Pit or place of Corruption yet properly and generally it signifies Corruption or Perdition as Iob 17. 14. and 33. 18. 30. Psal. 35. 7. and 55. â—…3 Ionâ—… 2. 6. and is so rendred by the seventy Jewish Interpreters Psal. 107. 20. Prov. 28. 10. Ier. 13 14 and 15. 3 Lament 4. 20. Ezek. 19. 4. and 21. 31. And so it must be understood here although some of the Jews to avoid the force of this Argument render it the Pit But in that Sence it is not true for whether it be meant of David as they say or of Christ it is confessed that both of them did see the Pit i. e. Were laid in the Grave And therefore it must necessarily be taken in the other Sence now mentioned and so it is properly and literally true in Christ alone although it may in a lower and Metaphorical Sence be applied to David who had a just and well grounded Confidence that although God might bring him into great Dangers and Distresses which are called the sorrows of Death and the pains of Hell Psal. 116. 3. yet God would not leave him to Perish in or by them 11. Thou wilt shew me q i. e. Give me an exact and experimental knowledge of it for my own Comfort and the benefit of my People the path of life r i. e. The way that leadeth to Life not to a temporal and mortal Life here for he is supposed to be dead and buried v. 10. But to an endless and immortal and blessed Life after death in the presence of God as it followeth the way to which is by the Resurrection of the Body So the Sence is Thou wilst raise me from the Grave and Conduct me to the place and state of everlasting Felicity * Psal. 21. 6 in thy presence s Heb With or before my Face i. e. In that heavenly
to Hope Rom. 8. 20. and to wait and Cry to God Psal. 145. 15. and 147. 9. when I was upon my mothers breasts x i. e. When I was a sucking Child Which may be properly understood 10. * Psal. 71. 6. I was cast upon thee y I was like one forsaken by his Parents and cast wholly upon thy Providence I had no Father upon Earth and my Mother was poor and helpless from the Womb thou art my God from my Mothers belly 11. Be not far from me z To wit as to affection and succour for trouble is near a At hand and ready to swallow me up And therefore if thou dost not speedily deliver me it will be too late Which is an Argument that David oft useth as Psal. 6. 5. and 88. 11. c. for there is †Heb. nâ—…t a 〈◊〉 none to help b Thy help therefore will be the more seasonable because it is most necessary and thou wilâ—…st have the more of Glory by it because it will appear that it is thy work alone 12. Nany bulls c Wicked and violent and potent Enemies for such are so called Ezek. 39. 18. Aâ—…os 4. 1. have compassed me strong bulls of Bashan d i. e. Fat and Lusty as the Cattel there bred were Deut. 3. 13. and 32. 14. and therefore fierce and furious have beset me round 13. They †Heb. 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 against me gaped upon me with their mouths e Partly to affright me and principally to tear and devour me as the following Metaphor explains it Otherwise it might be understood of their Crying out with loud and earnest Voyces that he might be Condemned and put to Death as a ravening and a roaring lyon 14. I am poured out like waters f My Heart saileth my Spirits are spent and gone like water which once spilt can never be recovered my very flesh is melted within me and I am become as weak as Water See the like Phrase Ios. 7 5. and Compare â—… Sam. 14. 14. Iob. 14. 11 and all my bones are ‖ Or 〈◊〉 out of joynt g I am as weak and unable to move or help my self and withal as full of Torment as if I were upon a Rack and all my bones were disjoynted Or all my bones are separated one from another as they were in some sort in Christ by the stretching of his Body upon the Cross. my heart h The seat of Life and fountain which supplies Spirits and Vigour to the whole Body is like wax i Melted as it follows through fear and overwhelming grief Comp. Psal. 68. 2. and 97. 5. it is melted in the midst of my bowels 15. My strength is dryed like a potsherd k I have in a manner no more Radical moisture left in me than is in a dry potsheard and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws l Through that excessive thirst and drought See Ioh. 19. 20. and thou hast brought me into the dust of death m Partly by thy Providence delivering me into the power of mine Enemies and partly by thy Terrors in my Mind and Soul 16. For dogs n So he calls his Enemies for their vileness and filthyness for their insatiable Greediness and implacable sury and fierceness against him have compassed me the assembly of the wicked o He explains who he means by Dogs even wicked men who are oft so called not some few of them singly but the whole Company or Congregation of them whereby may be noted either their great Numbers or their consulting and conspiring together as it were in a lawful assembly Which was most litterally and eminently fulfilled in Christ. have inclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet p These words cannot with any probability be applied to David nor to the attempts of his Enemies upon him for their design was not to Torment his Hands or Feet but to take aâ—…ay his Life And if it be pretended that it is to be understood of him in a Metaphorical Sence it must be Considered that it is so uncouth and unusual a Metaphor that those who are of this Mind cannot produce any one example of this Metaphor either in Scripture or in other Authors nor are they able to make any tolerable Sence oâ—… it but are forced to wrest and strain the Words But what need is there of such forâ—…ed Metaphors when this was most properly and literally verâ—…fied in Christ whose Hands and Feet were really pierced and nailed to the Cross according to the manner of the Roman Crucifixions to whom therefore this is applied in the New Testament See Mat. 27. 35. Mark 15. 24. Luk. 23. 33. Ioh. 19. 18. 23. 27. 17. I may tell all my bones q Partly through my Leanness caused by excessive grief which is much more Credible of Christ than of David and partly by my being stretched out upon the Cross. * Maâ—… 15. 〈◊〉 Joh. 19. 37. they look and stare upon me r To wit with Delight and Complacency in my Calamities as this Phrase is used Psal. 35. 21. and 37. 34. and 54 7. and 59. 10. Obad. v. 12. Comp. Luk. 23. 35. 18. They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture s This also cannot be applied to David without an uncouth and strained Metaphor but was literally fulfilled in Christ Mat. 27. 3â—… Ioh. 19. 24. 19. But be not thou far from me O LORD O my strength hast thee to help me 20. Deliver my soul from the sword t i. e. From the rage and violence of mine Enemies †Heb. from the hand as the next Clause explains it and as the Sword is oft taken in Scripture See Ier. 25. 16. 27. 29. Ezek. 38. 21. †Heb. my only one * Psal. 35. 17. my darling from the power x Heb. the hand Which is oft put for Power and in that Sence is ascribed to a Flame Isa. 47. 14. and to Evil Hab. 2. 9. of the dog u Heb. My one or only One to wit his Soul as he now said which he so calls either because it was very dear to him Or rather because it was left alone and destitute of Friends and Helpers for so this word is used Psal. 25. 16. and 35. 17. 21. Save me from the lyons y Either the Devil that raging and roaring Lyon who did many ways assault and annoy him Or on his Lyon-like Enemies mouth for thou hast heard me z i. e. Answered and delivered me from the horns of the unicorns a A strong and fierce and untameable Wild beast though the learned are not agreed about the kind of it See of it Deut. 33. 17. Iob 39. 9 10 Psal. 92. 10. Isa. 34. 7. and my Latin Synopsis on Numb 23. 22. For it is not worth while to trouble the unlearned Reader with such Disputes 22. * Heb. 2. 12. I will declare b
〈◊〉 nâ—…t slide or fall So this declares the matter of his Trust. 2. * Psal. 7. 8. 17. 3. 66. 10. 139. 23. Zech. 13. 9. Examine me O LORD and prove me e Because it is possible that I may deceive my self and be partial 〈◊〉 my Cause or at least mine Enemies will so judge of me I appeal to thee O thou Judge of Hearts and beg that thou would search and try me by such waâ—…s and means as thou seest fit and make me known to my self and to the World and convince mine Enemies of mine Integrity try my reins and my heart 3. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes f I dare appeal to thee with this Confidence because thou knowest that I have a true and deep Sence of thy Loving kindness to me upon mine Heart by which I have been obliged and in a manner constrained to Love and Obey thee and in all things to approve my Heart and ways to thee and to abstain from all such evil Practices as mine Enemies Charge me with whereby I should have forfeited thy Loving kindness which I prize more than Life Psal. 63. 3. and exposed my self to thy just Displeasure My Experience of and Trust in thy Goodness doth fully satisfie and support me that I neither do noâ—… need to use any indirect or irregular Courses for my Relief and I have walked in thy truth g i. e. According to thy Word which is oft called Truth as Psal. 119. 142. 151. Ioh. 17. 17 19. believing its Promises and observing its Precepts and Directions and not according to the Course of the World as it follows 4. * Psal. 1. 1â—… Jer. 15. 17. I have not sate h i. e. Chosen or used to Converse with them for sitting is a posture of Ease and of Continuance I have been so far from an Approbation or Imitation of the wicked Courses where with mine Enemies reproach me that I have avoided even their Company and if accidentally I came into it yet I would not abiâ—…e in it with vain persons i i. e. With Lyars or false and deceiâ—…ul Persons as the next Clause explains it And Vanity is very frequently put for Falâ—…hood or Lying neither will I go in k Into their Comâ—… or with design to joyn in their Counsels or Courses as the saâ—…e Word is used Ios. 23. 7. And Conversation is oft expressed by going out and coming in with †Heb. closâ—…â—…ersons dissemblers l Heb. with such as hide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 covering their Crafty and wicked Designs with fair Preâ—…nces I abhor such Persons and Practises though I am accused to be such an one 5. I have hated the congregation of evil doers m Either 1. Their whole Ranck or Society I have an Antipathy against all such Persons without any Exception Or 2. To meet and joyn with them in their Assemblies and Consultations or sit with them as it follows and will not sit with the wicked 6. I will * Exod. 30. 20. Psal. 73. 13. wash mine hands in innocency n Or with Integrity Or with a pure Heart and Conscience I will not do as my Hypocritical Enemies do who Content themselves with those outward washings of their Hands Or Bodies prescribed in the Law Exod. 29. 4. c. Deut. 21. 6. Heb. 9. 10. whilst their Hearts and Lives are filthy and abominable But I will waâ—…h or I have washed my Hands and withal purged my Heart and Conscience from dead Works Compare Isa. 1. 15 16. 1 Tim. 2. 8. so will I compass thine altar o i. e. Approach to thine Altar with my Sacrifices which I could not do with any Comfort or Confidence if I were Conscious to my self of those Crimes whereof mine Enemies accuse me For the Phrase of Compassing the Altar Either 1. He alludes to some Lâ—…vitical Custom of going about the Altar as the Priests did in the Oblation of their Sacrifices and the People especially those of them who were most devout and Zealous who possibly moved from place to place but still within their own Court that they might better discern what was done on the several sides of the Altar and so be the more affected with it Or rather 2. He implies that he would offer many Sacrifices together which would employ the Priests round about the Altar and so he is said to Compass it because the Priests did it in his Name and upon his Account as Persons are very oft said in Scripture to Offer those Sacrifices which the Priests offer for them O LORD 7. That I may publish p Or Proclaim to wit thy wondrous works as it here follows with the voyce of thanksgiving q Accompanying my Sacrifices with my own solemn Thanksgivings and Songs of Praise and tell of all thy wondrous works 8. LORD I have loved the habitation of thy house r i. e. This Sanctuary and Worship which is an Evidence of my Piety to thee as I have given many Proofs of my Justice and Integrity towards men Nothing is more grievous to me then to be hindred from seeing and serving thee there and the place †Heb. of the 〈◊〉 of thy 〈◊〉 where thine honour s Or thy Glory Either 1. The Ark so called 1 Sam. 4. 22. Psal. 78. 61. Or 2. Thy glorious and gracious Presence Or the manifestation of thy Glory or of thy glorious Power and Faithfulness and Goodness dwelleth 9. Or Take not away Psal. â—…8 3. Gather not my soul t i. e. My Life as it is explained in the next Clause Do not bind me up in the same Bundle nor put me into the same accursed and miserable Condition with them Seeing I have had so great an Antipathy against them in the whole Course of my Life v. 4. 5. let me not dye their Death as Balaam on the contrary desired to dye the Death of the Righteous Numb 23. 10. And seeing I have loved thy House and Worship and indeavoured to serve thee acceptably not only with Ceremonial cleanness but with moral purity of Heart and Life v. 6 7 8. do not deal with me as thou wilst with those that are filled with ungodlyness and unrighteousness do not destroy me with them the Righteous with the wicked Gen 18. 23. but save me in the common Calamity as thou hast promised and used to do in like Cases The Hebrew word Asaph rendred gathering is oft put for taking away as Gen. 30. 23. Isa. 4. 1. Ier. 8. 13. and 16. 5. and that by Destruction or Death as 1 Sam. 15. 6. Iâ—…a 57. 1. Ier. 8. 13. Ezek. 34. 29. Hâ—…ea 4. 3. The ground of which Phrase may be either because by death mens Souls or Spirits are gathered and returned to God Eccles. 12. 7. who had dispersed them all the World over or because the several sorts of Men good and bad which live here together Promiscuously are there severed and all of one sort
to all generations 12. * Psal 65. 4. c. 94. 14. 144. 15. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance u Seeing the Lord is so great and glorious in Wisdom and Power and Goodness as hath been hitherto said as they must needs be very miserable who are Strangers or Enemies to him so thrice Happy is that people of Israel who though they be despised by the Gentiles are chosen by this Almighty God to be his peculiar Portion and Friends and Servants 13. * 2 Chr. 16. 9. Job 28. 24. Psal. 11. 4. The LORD looketh from heaven he beholdeth all the sons of men x Although he hath a special Relation to Israel yet he hath a general Care and Inspection over all Mankind all whose Hearts and Ways he discerns and observes 14. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth 15. He fashioneth y Or fashioned or made Or formeth For this may relate Either 1. To the work of Creation So he proves what he said v. 13 14. that God beheld all men because he made them yea even their Hearts the most secret piece of them Or 2. To the works of his Providence Having said that God sees and observes all Men he now addes that he Rules and Governs them yea even their Hearts which are most Masterless and unmanageable and yet he frameth and disposeth and inclineth them this way or that according to the Counsel of his Will See Exod. 34. 24. Psal. 105. 25. their hearts alike z Or equally one as well as another Whether they be Iews or Gentiles Bond or Free Princes or Peasants all are alike subject to his Jurisdiction he considereth all their works a Both outward and inward all the workings of their Minds and Affections and all their Indeavours and Actions 16. There is no king b He instanceth in these as the most potent and uncontroll able persons in the World and most Confident of themselves and least sensible of their Dependence upon God By which he strongly proves his general Proposition of God's powerful Providence over all Men. saved by the multitude of an host c But only by God's Providence who disposeth of Victory and Success as he pleaseth and that frequently to the weakest and most foolish side Eccles. 9. 11. a mighty man is not delivered by much strength 17. * Psal. 147. 10. Prov. â—…1 31. An horse d Though he be strong Iob 39. 19. c. and fit for Battel Prov. 21. 31. Or for flight if need requires And so this is put for all Warlike provisions of which Horses were and are a very Considerable part is †Heb. a Lye a vain thing e Heb. a Lye because it promiseth that help and safety which it cannot give for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength 18. * Job 36. â—… Psal. 34. 15 1 pet 3. 12. Behold the eye of the LORD f Whosoever therefore would have Safety and Deliverance must seek and expect it only from the watchful Eye and Almighty hand and mercy of God is upon them that fear him g These are the chief Object of his Care and Favour upon them that hope in his mercy h That place their Hope and Trust and Happiness not in any Creature but only in God and in his Mercy and Blessings The Conjunction and Order of these two qualifications of the Person whom God careth for is observable here they must be such as fear God and so make Conscience of keeping his Commands Eccles. 12. 13. and then they may and must hope in Or relye upon his Mercy for their Safety and Happiness 19. To deliver their soul i i. e. Their Life when he sees it to be expedient for them sometimes it is better for them to dye than to Live as both good and bad Men have declared and when it is so it is known to God but not to us And therefore the constant Accomplishment of this and the like promises in a literal Sence is not to be expected nor simply desired but with Submission to God's wise and gracious Will from death and to keep them alive * Job 5. â—… Psa. 37. 19. in famin 20. Our soul waiteth for the LORD he is our help k The help of us Israelites to whom he hath made many Promises and glorious Discoveries of his Goodness and our shield 21. For l Or Therefore for this seems to be an Inference Either from the foregoing or from the following Sentence our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name 22. Let thy mercy O LORD be upon us according as we hope in thee PSAL. XXXIV A Psalm of David when he changed a A Psalm made upon that occasion though not at that time his behaviour b Or his Habit or Posture or his Reason as this word is taken 1 Sam. 25. 33. Psal. 119. 66. Prov. 11. 22. When he Counterfeited madness Wherein whether he sinned or not is matter of Dispute but this is undoubted that God's Favour and his Deliverance at that time was very Remarkable and deserved this Solemn acknowledgment before ‖ Or Achish 1 Sam. 21. 11 13. Abimelech c Called Achish 1 Sam. 21. 10. But Abimelech seems to have been the common Name of the Kings of the Philistins Gen. 20. 2. and 26. 1. as Pharao was of the Egyptians and Caesar of the Romans who drove him away and he departed 1. I Will bless the LORD at all times d I will never forget to bless God for this miraculous Deliverance his praise shall continually be in my mouth 2. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD e Shall glory in this that I have so powerful and so gracious a Lord and Master the humble f Or the Meek i. e. The Godly oft called in Scripture by that Title and particularly my Friends and Favourers in Israel whom he thus calls in Opposition to his proud and furious Adversaries in Saul's Court and Camp shall hear thereof and be glad g Both for their Love to me and to the publick good of Israel which they know that I design and seek above all things and for the Comfort and Benefit of my example to them in like Straits and Difficulties 3. O magnifie the LORD with me h Joyn your Praises with mine O all ye humble Ones and let us exalt his name together i Not in place for David was now banished from the place of God's publick Worship but in Affection and Work Let our Souls meet and let our Praises meet in the Ears of the all-hearing God Or alike i. e. With equal Zeal and Fervency let none be willing to be out stripped by another 4. I sought the LORD and he heard me and delivered me
it is very Proper to this place and usual in other places of Scripture to invite the Gentile World to the Contemplation and Celebration of God's Works to and for his People See Deut. 32. 43. 1 Chron. 16. 23 24. 2 Sing forth the honour of his name make his praise glorious b i. e. Praise him in an extraordinary and Eminent degree so as he may have much Glory from you 3 Say unto God How terrible art thou in thy works c To wit to thine Enemies as it follows through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies ‖ Or yield seigned Obedience †Heb. Lye submit themselves unto thee d Heb. Lye unto thee i. e. Profess subjection to thee not sincerely and freely but by Constraint and out of a servile Fear 4 All the earth shall worship thee and shall sing unto thee e Many People of divers Nations shall be so affected with thy stupendious Works that they shall Worship and Praise thee for them and all People should do so and shall have just cause to do so and the time will come when all Nations will actually do so to wit in the days of the Messias they shall sing to thy Name Selah 5 * Psal. 46. 8. Come and see f Consider them wisely and seriously for God's Glory and for your own good the works of God he is terrible in his doing toward the Children of men g To all his Enemies whom he calls the Children of Men Partly in way of Contempt to shew how unable they are Either to avoid or resist the great God and Partly in opposition to his own People who are frequently called the Children of God 6 * Exod. 14. 21. He turned the sea into dry land * Josh. 3. 17. they went through the flood h Or River to wit Iordan on foot there did we i i. e. Our Nation or our Ancestors in whose Loyns we then were and the Benefit of which Antient Deliverance we at this day enjoy See the like Expressions Psal. 81. 5. Hose 12. 4. The whole People of Israel are oft Considered as one Body continued through all succeeding Generations United in the Bound of the same Covenant and Worship and in the Possession of the same Promises and Priviledges and Blessings and Acted by one and the same Spirit and therefore several and contrary things may reasonably be ascribed to them in regard of their several Parts and Ages and what was done in one Age may be imputed to another by Vertue of their strict Conjunction with the same Body rejoyce in him 7 He ruleth by his power for ever i The same Power which God had and put forth for his People in Antient time he still hath in as great Vigour as ever and is not at all weakened by Age and is as able and ready to Act for them now as ever he was which he hath shewed by this Late and Glorious instance * Psal. 11. 4 his eyes behold the nations k He sees all their secret and subtil Devices and can and will defeat them when he sees fit let not the rebellious exalt themselves l Lift up their Hands against God or against his People Or the Rebellions i. e. Those People which Rebel against this Almighty God and his Laws shall not exalt themselves as they Vainly hope and Design to do but shall be brought down and destroyed as is hereby implyed Selah 8 O bless our God ye people m Of other Nations that have served or yet do serve other Gods and make the voyce of his praise to be heard 9. Which †Heb. 〈◊〉 holdeth our soul in life n Who by a Succession of Miracles of Mercy hath kept us alive in the midst of a thousand Deaths to which we were exposed and hath restored us to Life when we were like Dead men and dry Bones scattered at the Mouth of the Grave and suffereth not our feet to be moved o To wit so as to fall into Mischief and utter Ruin as our Enemies designed 10 For p Or Yet or Nevertheless Though thou hast hitherto helped us and now delivered us yet for a season thou hast sorely afflicted us * Psal. 17. 3. thou O God hast proved us thou hast tryed us as silver is tryed q i. e. Severely as if it were in a burning Furnace and with a Design to try our sincerity and to purge out the Dross or the wicked from among us 11 Thou broughtest us into the net r Which our Enemies laid for us and which could never have taken or held us but by the Permission and Disposal of thy Providence which gave us into their hands thou laidst affliction upon our loyns 12 Thou hast caused men s Weak and Mortal and miserable Men as the Word signifies no better nor stronger then we if thou hadst not given them Power over us to ride over our heads t To Ride upon our Shoulders By thy Permission they have used us like Slaves yea like Beasts to carry their Persons or Burdens Compare Isa. 51. 23. we went through fire and through water u i. e. Through various and dangerous Tryals and Calamities See Psal. 32. 6. and 69. 2. Ezek. 15. 7. and 30. 8. but thou broughtest us out into a †Heb. Moist 〈◊〉 68. 6. wealthy place x Heb. Into a moist or Well-watered place such as Canaan was both in a Proper Sence and figuratively as being replenished with Divine Graces and Blessings 13 I will goy into thy house with burnt-offerings I will pay thee my vows 14 Which my lips have †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble 15 I will †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offer unto thee burnt-sacrifices of †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fatlings with the incense of rams z With the fat of Rams which in these Peace-offerings was burnt upon the Altar and so vanished into Smoke like Incense and which is no less pleasing to God than Incense I will offer bullocks with goats Selah y Hitherto he spoke in the plural Number but now he begins to speak in the singular Number but still the Speech is continued of the same Person or Persons onely sometimes the whole Body speaks and sometimes one Man speaks in the Name of all the rest 16 Come and hear all ye that fear God a Whether Israelites or Gentiles proselyted to them Let every Israelite take notice of what God hath done for the Nation in general and let the Gentiles observe God's goodness to the Children of Israel and I will declare what he hath done for my soul b Which he hath held in Life as he said v. 9 in the greatest dangers of Death 17 I cryed unto him with my mouth c With a loud Voyce and great Fervency Or it is a Pleonasme as Psal. 44. 1. We have heard with our Ears and
of both these Holy places God appeared and put forth such Acts of his Power as might justly terrifie his Enemies the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people f The strength which the Kingdom of Israel now hath is not to be ascribed to my Valour or Conduct nor to the Courage or numbers of the People nor to that happy Union now made and Established among all the Tribes but onely to the might and Grace of God blessed be God PSAL. LXIX To the chief musician upon Shoshannim a Psalm of David This Psalm of David Consists of his Complaints and servent Prayers and Comfortable predictions of his Deliverance and of the Ruin of his Enemies But the Condition of this Psalm is like that of divers others wherein although the Matter or Substance of it agree in some sort to David yet there are some singular passages which he delivers with a particular Respect unto Christ of whom he was an Eminent Type and upon whom his Thoughts were much and often fixed and of whom they are more fitly and fully understood and therefore they are justly applied to him in the New Testament as we shall see 1 SAve me O God for * Jon. 2. 5. the waters a i. e. Tribulations which are oft expressed by waters as hath been observed are come in unto my soul b i. e. To my Vital parts so that I am ready to be choaked with them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death 2 * Ver. 14. I sink in †Heb. the Mire of death deep mire c Heb. In the Mire of the deep Waters I am not in the Shallows or nigh the Bank but in the middle and deepest Parts and in the very Mire which is at the bottom of the Waters where there is no standing d No firm and sure footing but I sink in deeper and deeper and without thy speedy and Almighty help shall be overwhelmed and destroyed I am come into †Heb. depth of Waters deep waters where * Psal. 18. 4. the floods overflow me 3 I am weary of my crying e I have Prayed and Cryed to God long and servently and yet God seems to neglect and forsake me my throat is dried f With loud and frequent Cryes mine eyes fail g With looking to God for that Assistance which he hath Promised and I Confidently expected but in Vain while I wait for my God 4 They that * Joh. 15. 25. hate me without a cause g are more than the hairs of mine head they that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty then I restored that which I took not away h Without any injury or occasion given them by me i Either because they uniustly and violently forced me to it Or because I was willing to do it to my own wrong for Peace lâ—…ke By this one kind of Wrong he understands all those Injuries and Violences which they Practised against him 5 O God thou knowest my foolishness and my †Heb. 〈◊〉 sins are not hid from thee e. i This is added Either 1. As a Proof of his Innocency which he had now asserted by way of appeal to God do thou O Lord Judge between me and them whether I be Guilty of those Follies and Sins which they lay to my Charge And such Appeals indeed David useth Psal. 7. 3 4. and elsewhere But then they are delivered in form of a Supposition and not a positive Assertion as this is Or rather 2. As an Exception to what he last said But O Lord although I have been innocent to mine Enemies and have given them no cause to Hate or Persecute me as they do yet I must Confess I am guilty of many Sins and Follies against thee and have given thee just Cause to punish me and to give me up into their Hands and to deny or delay thine Help unto me By Foolishness he means Sin as he explains it which is commonly so called in Scripture Or by his Foolishness he means lesser sins Commited through Ignorance or Inconsiderateness and by sins those of a grosser Nature 6 Let not them that wait on thee f i. e. Thy Godly people who relye upon thy Promises which thou hast made to all thine in General and to me in a special manner wherein they also are concerned O LORD GOD of hosts be ashamed g i. e. Frustrated of their just Hopes which will make them ashamed Either to look up upon God or to look upon their Enemies when they shall Reproach them for their Confidence in God for my sake h Either 1. For the sake of my sins last mentioned let not all Good men suffer for my sins Or 2. Because of my sad Disappointments For if they see me Rejected and forsaken of God whom they have esteemed a great example of Faith and Prayer and all Vertue and Piety they will be exceedingly discouraged by this Example which will tend much to thy Dishonour and disservice let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel 7 Because for thy sake i For my trust is in thy Promise and Obedience to thy Commands and Zeal for thy Glory and against all Wickedness All which they turn into matter of Derision and Reproach I have born reproach shame hath covered my face k In which mans Majesty and Glory is most Evident which I am in a manner ashamed to shew amongst men 8 I * Psal. 31. 11. am become a stranger unto my brethen and an alien unto my Mothers children l My nearest Kinsmen estranged themselves from me Partly out of Fear left they should be involved in my sufferings and Chiefly out of dislike of his Piety and excessive Zeal in Religion as it here follows 9 * Psal. 119. 139. Ioh. 2. 17. For m This is the Reason of that Alienation of my brethren and others from me because there is a vast difference and contrarity in our Tempers They mind not the concerns of God and of Religion but are wholly intent upon Wealth and Honour and Worldly greatness the zeal of thine house n That servent Passion which I have for thy House and Service and Glory and People hath eaten me up o Exhausted and wasted my natural Moisture and Vital Spirits which is oft effected by Grief and Anger and servent Love and Desire of which Passions Zeal is Composed * Rom. 15. 3. and the reproaches of them that reproached thee p That speak Contemptuously or Wickedly of thy Name or Providence or Truth or Worship and Service are fallen upon me q Either 1. By imputation They reflect upon me because I am engaged in the defence of thy Cause and Glory which wicked men oppose and despise and therefore must needs suffer in it and with it Or 2. By Choice and Affection I have been as deeply
and full of Corn shall when they are shaken with the Wind make a noise not unlike that which the tops of the Trees of 〈◊〉 sometimes make upon the like occasion Which Expressions as well as many others of the like Nature in the Prophets being applied to Christ are to be understood in a spiritual Sence of the great and happy Success of the Preaching of the Gospel and they of the city n The Citizens of Ierusalem which are here Synedochically put for the Subjects of this Kingdom shall flourish like grass of the earth o Shall both encrease in number that there may be mouths to receive the Meat provided and enjoy great Prosperity and Happiness 17 His Name p The Honour and Renown of his eminent Wisdom and Justice and Goodness Which agrees but very obscurely and imperfectly to Solomon who sâ—…ained the Glory of his Reign by his prodigious Luxury and Oppression and Apostacy from God into which he â—…ell in the latter part of his days †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall endure for ever †〈…〉 his Name shall be continued q Or shall be Propagated or Transmitted to his Chilâ—… Which suits much better to Christ from whom we are called Christians than to Solomon as long as the Sun r Heb. 〈◊〉 the Sâ—… Either 1. Publickly and in the Face of the Sun Or. 2. Perpetually as a constant and inseparable Companion of the Sun as long as the Sun it self shall continue See before on v. 5. and * Gen. 12 3. 22. 1â—… men shall be blessed in him s Either 1. As a Pattern of Blessedness When any man shall with well to a King he shall say The Lord make thee like Solomon See on Gen. 22. 18. Or rather 2. As the Cause of it by and through his Merits and Mediation all nations shall call him blessed 18 Blessed be the LORD God the God of Israel who onely doth wondrous things t Who hath given to his People such a Glorious and excellent King and Governour and such wonderful Blessings as they do and shall enjoy under his Government 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory u Heb. The whole Earth shall be filled with his Glory For this may be either a Prayer for or a Prophecy of the spreading of the true Religion in the Gentile-World Which evidently relates to Christ and his Kingdom Amen and amen 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended x This Psalm is called the last of David's Psalms which are called Prayers because they consist very much of Prayers Either 1. The last of that part or Book of the Psalms which reacheth from the beginning of the Psalms hitherto whereof the far greatest number were Composed by David and all of them digested into this Order the rest of which follow being Collected by some other holy Man or Men of God after David's Death and Composed part by David and part by other Prophets Or rather 2. The last Psalm which David Composed For this was done but a little before his Death of which see the first Note on this Psalm PSAL. LXXIII The ARGUMENT The Subject of this Psalm is the same with Psal. 37. concerning the promiscuous Carriage of God's Providence towards good and bad Men. ‖ Or a Psalm for Asaph A Psalm of Asaph a Or for Asaph the famous Musician to whom divers of David's Psalms were Committed as Psal. 50. 1. c. But because Asaph was not onely a skilful Musician but also was Divinely inspired and the Author of some Psalms as is manifest from 2 Chron. 29. 30. and the style of this Psalm may seem to be something differing from that of David it may be thought not improbable that Asaph was the Author or Pen-man of it 1. â—… TRuly b Or 〈◊〉 The beginning is abrupt and sufficiently â—…tes that he had a great conflict within himself about this Matter and that many doubts and Objections were raised in his mind concerning it But at last he breaks forth like the Sun out of a Cloud and having by God's Grace silenced and Conquered his scruples he lays down this following Conclusion God is good to Israel c Though he may sometimes seem negligent of and harsh and severe to his People yet if all things be considered it is most certain and another day will be made manifest that God is Really and Superlatively good i. e. Most kind and bountiful and a true Friend to them and that they are most happy in him and have no Reason to Envy sinners their present and seeming Felicity even to ‖ Or 〈◊〉 such as are †Heb. clean of 〈◊〉 of a clean heart d To all true Israelites who love God with their whole Heart and serve him in Spirit and Truth and uprightness See Iob. 4. 43. Rom. 2. 28 29. So this Clause limits the former and takes off a great part of the force of the Objection even all that concerns the Calamities which befel the profane or False-hearted Israelites which were vastly the greatest number of that People 2 But as for me e Yet I must acknowledge this with grief and shame concerning my self notwithstanding all my Knowledge of this Truth and my own Experience and Observation of God's gracious dealings with me and other good Men. my feet were almost gone f My Faith in God's Promises and Providence was almost overthrown by the force of this Temptation and I was almost ready to repent of my Piety v. 13. and to follow the example of ungodly Men. my steps had well nigh slipt g Heb. Were almost poured forth like Water upon the ground which is unstable and Runs hither and thither with great disorder and uncertainty till it be irrecoverably lost So was I almost Transported by my own unruly Passionâ—… into unworthy Thoughts of God and a sinful Course of Life 3 * 〈◊〉 21. 7. Psal. 37. 1. Jer. 12. 1. For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked h I grudged and murmured at it and had a secret Desire to partake of their Delicates 4 For there are no bands in their death i They are not dragged to Death neither by the Hand and Sentence of the Magistrate which yet they deserve nor by any lingring and grievous Torments of Mind or Body which is the Case of many good Men but they enjoy a sweet and quiet Death dropping into the Grave like ripe Fruit from the Tree without any Violence used to them Compare Iob 5. 26. and 21. 13. but their strength is †Heb. Fat firm k Heb. and their strength is fat i. e. Sound and good the best of any thing being called Fat in Scripture as Gen. 41. 2. Dâ—…n 1. 15. And in their Life-time they have great Ease and Health and Content till they expire like a
the Earth understanding 14. * â—…ob 28. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 19. 10. Chap. 8. 11 1â—… 16. 16. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the †Heb. revenue Chap. 8. 19. gain thereof than fine gold b It is more necessary and advantageous because it is so not onely for this short life but also to the future and everlasting life in which Gold and Silver bear no price 15. She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her c For true worth and usefulness 16. Length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour d Wisdom is here represented as a great and generous Princess distributing gifts to her Subjects She giveth them long life c. unless when she foresees that these things would prove snares and mischiefs to them as they very frequently do to others 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness e Are exceeding delightful to wit to those who know them and walk in them Whose judgment is certainly to be preferred before the contrary opinion of ungodly men who are grosly ignorant of them and professed enemies to them and all her paths are peace f Procure a blessed tranquillity in a Man's Mind and Conscience prosperity in his undertakings and eternal rest with God in glory 18. She is * Chap. 11. 30. a tree of life g She is a certain Pledge and mean of Everlasting life and happiness He alludes to that Tree of Life Gen. 2. 9. 3. 22. which if eaten by Man in Paradise before his Fall should have perpetually preserved him in life and health and vigor and intimates that this is the onely restorer of that life which we have lost by sin to them that lay hold upon her h That eagerly pursue after her and when they overtake her do greedily and gladly apprehend and embrace her as the Hebrew word signifies and happy is every one that retaineth her i That holdeth her fast and is constantly resolved not to forsake her 19. * 〈◊〉 136. 5. 〈◊〉 8. 22 27. The LORD by wisdom k Either 1. by Christ the co-essential and co-eternal Wisdom of God the Father Or 2. by that Divine perfection of Wisdom which is the Fountain of that Wisdom that is in Man which Solomon hath hitherto commended and therefore the commendation of that Wisdom tends to the commendation of this which is a stream flowing from it hath founded the earth l Hath fixed it in the lowest part of the World by understanding hath he ‖ 〈◊〉 â—…ared established m Or fitted or ordered them framed them in that exquisite order which now they have the heavens 20. By his knowledge the depths are broken up n That great Abyss or Depth of Waters which was mixed with and contained in the bowels of the Earth did break forth into Fountains and Rivers for the use of men and beasts Which is justly remembred here as an illustrious Effect of God's Wisdom by which the Earth was made habitable and the Waters serviceable and the †â—…eb skies clouds drop down the dew o Under which the Rain is comprehended as being of the same nature and use 21. My son let them p To wit wisdom and discretion of which he hath hitherto discoursed and which are expressed in the end of this Verse and may be referred hither by a Figure called a Trajection and the words may be put into this order Let not sound Wisdom and discretion depart from thine Eyes but keep them diligently The like Trajections are found in other Texts of Scripture not depart from thine eyes q i. e. From the Eyes of thy Mind Constantly and seriously meditate upon them and upon those excellent Precepts and Rules which proceed from them keep sound wisdom and discretion 22. So shall they be * Vers. 2 life unto thy soul r Either 1. to thee or thy Person They shall prolong and perpetuate thy life and make it life indeed to wit pleasant and happy whereas a miserable life is reputed a kind of Death and is oft so called Or 2. to thy Soul properly so called They shall quicken and delight and save thy Soul and grace to thy neck s Like a beautiful Chain or Ornament about thy Neck as above v. 3. Chap. 1. 9. 23. * Psal. 37. 24 91. 11 12. Then shalt thou walk in thy way t Manage all thy employments and concerns †Heb. confidently or securely So Vers. 29. safely u Or securely or confidently without danger or fear casting thy care upon God in the discharge of thy duty and thy foot shall not stumble x At those stumbling-blocks and temptations at which heedless Sinners commonly stumble and fall Thou shalt thereby be kept from falling into sin and that mischief which generally attends upon it 24. * Chap. 6. 22. Psal. 3. 5. 4. 8. When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid yea thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet y Free from distracting cares and terrours which oft-times haunt Sinners even in their sleep because thy Mind shall be composed and serene through the sense of God's favour and Providence and the Conscience of thine own integrity 25. * Psal. 91. 5 Be not afraid z i. e. Thou shalt not be afraid For that it is a Promise seems most probable from the Context onely it is for greater Emphasis delivered in the form of a Precept I allow thee and require thee not to be afraid which is both thy duty and priviledge of sudden fear a For sudden and unexpected evils are most frightful and grievous And fear is here put for the evils feared as Prov. 1. 26 27. and oft elsewhere neither of the desolation of the wicked b Either 1. actively which they bring upon thee Or rather 2. passively which befals them when the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the Earth for their Iniquity as it is expressed Isa. 26. 21. and thou mayest be apt to fear lest thou shouldst be involved in the common calamity but fear not for God will then hide thee in his Chambers as he promised Isa. 26. 20 when it cometh 26. For the LORD shall be thy confidence c A sufficient and sure ground of confidence to thee and shall keep thy foot from being taken d In the shares either of sin or of mischief 27. With-hold not e Do not deny it but readily and chearfully impart it which is implied in the contrary as above v. 11. and oft in this Book as we shall see good f Any thing which is good either Spiritually as counsel comfort reproof c. or civilly the good things of the present life as good is taken Psal. 4. 6. called
who shortens his days and makes his death more terrible as being attended with guilt and with the second death but righteousness g Either 1. True Holiness of Heart and Life Or 2. Justice and Equity in the getting of Riches or an Estate honestly obtained which may be fitly opposed to Treasures of Wickedness Or 3. A liberal and charitable use of Riches which is oft called Righteousness as Psal. 112. 9. Dan. 4. 27. 2 Cor. 9. 10. c. and is indeed but an act of Justice of which see on Prov. 3. 27. which also is conveniently opposed to an unjust getting of Riches and so this contains a great Paradox yet a certain truth that the charitable laying out of Mony is more profitable to men than an unjust and covetous laying it up delivereth from death h Oft times from temporal death because men generally love and honour and will assist such persons in cases of danger and God gives them the blessing of a long Life and always from eternal death when such Charity proceeds from a sincere and honest mind and a good Conscience 3. * Psal. 33. 19 37. 19 25. The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish i Will preserve them from Famine according to his Promises Psal. 34. 10. and elsewhere which as other temporal Promises is not to be understood simply and universally but with this limitation except this be necessary for Gods Glory which in all reason should over-rule the Creatures good and for their own greater benefit For to say nothing of eternal Felicities which follow every good mans death it is certainly in some times and cases a less evil for men to be killed with Famine than to survive to see and feel those miseries which are coming upon them and upon the Land where they live but he casteth away ‖ Or the wicked for their wickedness the substance k As this word is used Psal. 52. 7. or the Wickedness i. e. the wealth gotten by wickedness as Righteousness v. 2. is by divers understood of an Estate got with Righteousness of the wicked l Who by that means shall be exposed to want and Famine 4 * Ch. 12 24. 19. 15. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand m Negligently and slothfully as appears from the diligence opposed to it in the next branch and from the use of this word in this sense Prov. 12. 24 27. 19. 15. Ier. 48. 10. Heb. with a deceitful hand so called partly because it seems and pretends to do somthing when in truth it doth nothing and partly because such persons usually endeavour to maintain themselves by deceit and wickedness which they cannot or will not do by honest labour and diligence but * Chap. 13. 4. 21. 5. the hand of the diligent maketh rich n Not by it self nor necessarily as is manifest from Experience and is noted Eccles. 9. 11. but through Gods blessing which commonly is given to such by comparing this verse with v. 22. here following 5. He that gathereth o The fruits of his field in summer p In harvest as it follows which is a part of Summer He that watcheth for and improveth the proper seasons and opportunities of doing good to himself and to others is a wise son but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame q Both to himself for his folly and that Poverty and Misery caused by it and to his Parents to whose negligent or evil Education such things are oft and somtimes justly imputed 6. Blessings are upon the head of the just r All sorts of blessings are wished to them by Men and conferred upon them by God He saith upon their head either to shew that these Blessings come from above and that openly in the sight of the World so that he can confidently speak of them to God's Praise and to his own Comfort and Honour or because Blessings were commonly pronounced by men with this Ceremony by laying their hands upon the Head of the party blessed but * Ver. 11. violence covereth the mouth of the wicked s Violence either 1. Their own Violence or Injustice which may be here put for the fruit or punishment of it as Iniquity is oft put for the punishment of Iniquity Or 2. Violence or the violent and injurious and mischievous practices of others against them deserved by their own Violence committed against others and inflicted upon them by the curse and righteous judgment of God shall cover the mouth of the wicked i. e. shall fall upon them This Phrase of covering their Mouth is used either 1. With allusion to the ancient custom of covering the Mouths and Faces of condemned Malefactors of which see Esth. 7. 8. Iob 9. 24. Or 2. To signifie that the Curse and Judgment of God upon them should be so manifestly just that their mouths should be stopped and they not be able to speak a word against God or for themselves Or 3. to intimate that Gods judgment upon them should be publick and evident to all that behold them as any covering put upon a mans mouth or Face is as for the same reason the blessings of the just were said to be upon their Heads And the Mouth may be put for the Face or Countenance by a Synecdoche But this clause is otherwise rendred by divers learned Interpreters the mouth of the wicked covereth i. e. concealeth or smothereth within itself and doth not utter that violence or injury which he meditateth in his Heart and designeth to do to others and therefore shall be accursed and miserable But this suits not so well with the former clause wherein the Blessings of the just are not meant actively of those Blessings which they wish or give to others but passively of those Blessings which others wish or give to them and consequently this violence is not understood of that which they do to others but of that which is done to them by others 7. * Psal. 112. 6. The memory of the just is blessed t i. e. Honourable and acceptable to those who mention them Compare Iob 31. 20. Psal. 62. 5. but the name of the wicked shall rot u Shall perish and be cursed and detestable amongst men shall stink above ground 8. The wise in heart will receive commandments x Is ready to hear and obey the Counsels and Precepts of God and of Men by which means he shall stand fast and live but †Heb. a fool of lips a prating fool y One who is slow to hear and swift to speak who instead of receiving good Admonitions Cavils and Disputes against them In the Hebrew he is called a fool of Lips either because he discovers the folly of his Heart by his Lips and thereby exposeth himself to the mischief here following or because he is without heart as is said of Ephraim Hos. 7.
in the crooked paths of wickedness 18 * Ch. 11. 2. 18. 12. Pride goeth before destruction s It is commonly a forerunner and cause of mens ruine because it highly provokes both God and Men. and an haughty spirit before a fall 19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud t Who will spoil and rob others to maintain their own Pomp and Luxury 20 ‖ Or he that understandeth a matter He that handleth a matter wisely u He who orders his affairs with discretion Or as others both ancient and later Interpreters take it He that understandeth or at endeth to the Word to wit the Word of God which is called absolutely the Word Prov. 13. 13. and elsewhere making that the rule of his actions shall find good x Shall obtain happy success and whoso * Psal. 2. 12. 34. 8. 125. 1. Isa. 30. 18. Jer. 17. 7. trusteth in the LORD y Who doth not trust to his own prudence or diligence but to God's providence and blessings Or who mixeth God's Word with Faith as the Phrase is Heb 4. 2. happy is he z He shall not onely find some good but shall certainly attain to true happiness 21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent a The sense is either 1. He who hath Wisdom or sound knowledg in his Heart will shew it by his prudence in 〈◊〉 his Actions Or rather 2. He who is truly wise or prudent or intelligent all which words most commonly signify one and the same thing both in this and in other Books of Scripture shall be so called or accounted by others and the sweetness of the lips b Eloquence added to Wisdom the faculty of expressing a Man's mind fitly and freely and acceptably increaseth learning c Both in himself for whilst a Man teacheth others he improveth himself and especially in others who by this means are induced to hear and receive his good instructions Wisdom gets a Man repute with others but this faculty of right speaking makes a wise Man more instrumental to do good to others 22 * Ch. 13. 14. 14. 27. Understanding is a well-spring of life d Is contiâ—…ually suggesting wholesom and saving Instructions to him that hath it e And to others also as is understood from the following clause but the instruction of fools is folly f Their most grave and serious counsels are foolish 23 The heart of the wise †Heb. maketh wise teacheth his mouth g Directeth him what and when and how to speak and keepeth him from speaking rashly and foolishly and addeth learning to his lips h i. e. Inableth him to speak learnedly and wisely Or increaseth Learning in himself and others by as this Hebrew Particle oft signifies and is by some rendred here his lips i. e. by his wise speeches that this may agree with the latter clause of v. 21. where this same Phrase is used 24 * Ch. 15. 26. Pleasant words i The Discourses of the wise last mentioned v. 23. which yield both profit and delight their wholesom counsels and refreshing comforts are as an honey-comb sweet to the soul and health to the bones k To the body Synecdochically expressed by the Bones the strongest and greatest parts of it and the supporters of the rest 25 * There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof is the ways of death l This whole Verse was delivered before Ch. 14. 12. and is here repeated partly for its great importance and usefulness to prevent that self-deceit which is so common and dangerous and partly to keep men from leaning too much to their own understanding and to oblige them to seek and receive the good counsels of wise and holy men 26 * Eccles. 6. 7. †Heb. the Soul of him that laboureth He that laboureth laboureth for himself m For his own use and benefit The scope of the Proverb is to commend and press diligence in a Man's calling and to condemn idleness for his mouth †Heb. boweth unto him craveth it of him n Heb. boweth to him as a suppliant beggeth him to labour that it may have somthing to put into it for its own comfort and for the nourishment of the whole Body 27 †Heb. a man of Belial An ungodly man diggeth up evil o Inventeth or designeth mischief to others and prosecuteth his evil designs with great and constant industry and in his lips there is as a burning fire p As his thoughts so also his words are very vexatious and pernicious his Tongue is set on fire of Hell and sets himself and others on fire by lyes and slanders and other provoking speeches 28 * Ch. 6. 14. 19. 15. 18. 26. 21. 29. 22. A froward q Or perverse who perverteth his words and ways who pleaseth not God and is contrary to men as was said of the Jews 1 Thess. 2. 15. man †soweth strife r by whispering such things as may provoke one against another and * Ch. 17. 9. a whisperer s Who secretly carry Tales from one to another publishing those evil words and actions which they should conceal and detracting from their good actions and perverting such as are innocent with their false constructions separateth chief friends t Heb. a chief Friend the Singular number put for the Plural as is frequent in the Hebrew Text. 29 A violent man u Heb. A Man of violence i. e. devoted to violent and injurious courses enticeth his neighbour x Into a confederacy with him in his wicked practices as it follows and leadeth him into the way that is not good y i. e. That is very sinful as this Phrase is used Prov 17. 26. 18. 5. and oft elsewhere 30 He †Heb. sâ—…eth 〈◊〉 shutteth his eyes z That his Thoughts may be more free and intent to contrive mischief to devise froward things moving his lips a Which is the gesture either 1. of one whose Thoughts are deeply engaged Or 2. of one that speaketh or maketh signs to others to assist him in executing that wickedness which he hath contrived he bringeth evil to pass 31 * Ch. 20. 29. The hoary head is a crown of glory b A great Honour and Ornament as it is a singular Blessing of God a token of great experience and prudence as it comes nearest to God who is called The Ancient of Days Dan. 7. 9. if †Heb iâ—… 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 be found it be found in the way of righteousness c If it be accompanied with true Piety otherwise an old Sinner is accuâ—…sed Isa. 65. 20. Heb. it shall be found c. This is a priviledge promised to righteous Persons Exod. 20. 12. Prov. 3. 16.
s Earnestly imploring their pity Or he urgeth Heb. pursueth their words i. e. alledgeth their former promises and professions of Friendship Or without any supplement he seeketh words as the Preacher sought to find out acceptable words Eccles. 12. 10. wherewith he might prevail or move them to pity yet they are wanting to him t Heb. they are not either 1. His Friends are not to wit what they pretended to be friends to him Or 2. Their words are vain and without effect there is no reality in them 8 He that getteth †Heb. an heart wisdom loveth his own soul u Or loveth himself because he procures great good to his Soul or to himself as it follows as sinners on the contrary are said to hate their Souls Prov. 29. 24. because they bring mischief upon them he that keepeth understanding x That observeth and carefully practiseth its precepts as that Phrase is commonly used shall find good y Shall have great benefit by it both for his conduct in this Life and for his happiness in the next 9 A false witness shall not be unpunished and he that speaketh lies shall perish z This was said before v. 5. and seems to be here repeated either for its great use and weight in humane society and to shew how much God abhors such practices or to shew the pernicious effects of this sin and consequently of all other sins one eminent kind being put for all the rest and this in opposition to the good effects of Wisdom or Piety which he declared in the foregoing verse 10 * Eccl. 10. 6. Delight a To live in Pleasure and Plenty and outward Glory is not seemly for a fool much less * Ch. 30. 22. Eccl. 10. 7. for a servant c Who is of a servile condition and disposition not much differing from a Fool who is a servant to his Lusts and wholly unfit to rule other men to have rule over princes d i. e. Over men of better quality than himself for servants are commonly ignorant and when they are advanced they grow insolent and presumptuous and intolerable b It doth not become him nor suit with him partly because Prosperity corrupts even wise men and makes fools mad and partly because it gives him more opportunity to discover his folly and to do mischief both to himself and others He implies that a rod or punishment is fitter for him than pleasure as is noted Prov. 10. 13. 26. 3. 11 * Chap. 14. 29. The ‖ Or prudence discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it is his glory to pass over a transgression e This is opposed to the perverse judgment of worldly men who account it â—…olly and stupidity not quickly to resent a provocation and a dishonour and reproach not to revenge it 12 * Ch. 16. 1â—… 15. 2â—… 2. 28. 15. The kings wrath is as †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the roaring of a lion but his favour is as †〈…〉 dew upon the grass 13 * Chap. 10. 1. 15. 20. 17. 21 25. A foolish son is the calamity of his father * Ch. 21. â—… 〈◊〉 27. 15. and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping f Are like rain continually dropping upon an house which by degrees marreth the House and Houshold stuff and driveth the inhabitants out of it He compareth her to a continual dropping because of that inseparable Union and necessary cohabitation of Husband and Wife together notwithstanding such contentions 14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers and * Ch. 18. 22. a prudent wife is from the LORD g Is vouchsafed to a man by a singular providence of God who is the only Searcher and Ruler of hearts exactly discerning who are prudent or pious in which even wise mens judgments are commonly mistaken and inclining the minds and hearts of persons one towards another 15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep h Maketh a man careless and negligent and like one asleep in his business whereby he cometh to want as it follows and an idle soul shall suffer * Chap. 1â—… â—… 20. 13. hunger 16 * Luk. 11. 28. He that keepeth the commandment i The commands of God called by way of eminency the commandment as the Word is oft used Emphatically for the word of God as hath been noted before keepeth his own soul but he that despiseth his ways k Either 1. His own ways by not taking heed to his ways so as to order his Conversation aright Or 2. The ways of God who is understood in the former clause shall die 17 * Mat. 10 42. 25. 40. 2 Cor. 9. 6 7. He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the LORD l Who takes what is done to them as done to himself because it is done to them whom God as to this particular hath put in his own stead to be his receivers and whom God hath in a peculiar manner commended to the care and charity of all other men and ‖ Or his deed that which he hath given will he pay him again 18 * Chap. 13. 24. 23. 13. Chasten thy son while there is hope m Before custom in sin and thy indulgence hath made him hard-hearted and incorrigible and let not thy soul spare n Forbear not to give him due and necessary correction ‖ Or to his 〈◊〉 or to cause him to die for his crying o Which oâ—…t stirs up a foolish and pernicious pity in Parents towards them This word with some small difference in the points is used in this sense Isa. 14. 11. Or as it is in the margent to his destruction intimating that this is a cruel pity and a likely way to expose him to that death threatned to stubborn Sons Deut. 21. 18 21. But this clause is and may be rendred otherwise yet or but do not lift up thy soul which signifies a vehement desire Deut. 24. 15. Psal. 25. 1. Ier. 44. 14. let not thy passion or eager desire of chastening him transport thee so far as to cause him to die i. e. use moderation in this work 19 A man of great wrath p Or He who is of great wrath of strong passions Which may be understood either 1. More particularly of a Son of such a temper who is very impatient of correction and breaks forth into violent passions upon that occasion and then the following words contain the Parents duty which is to take care to punish him because if he spare him that time for his passion he must do so again and again the same cause returning upon him and so must wholly forbear to chasten him Or 2. More generally of any man of a fierce and furious temper and carriage and then the next words declare only the event by his great and repeated provocations he will bring
punishment upon himself either from God or Men. shall suffer punishment for if thou deliver him q If either a Parent or another person provoked by him forbear to punish him He turneth his speech to the party as is usual in Scripture and in other Authors yet thou must †Heb. add do it again r Heb. thou must add to wit to deliver him again and again as oft as he shall offend or thou wilt add or encrease to wit his wrath which thou shouldst subdue 20 Hear counsel receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in * Psal. 55. 23. thy latter end s Before thy Death come Which he adds not exclusively as if he ought not to be wise before but Emphatically to shew that how foolishly soever he had spent his former and younger years it highly concerned him to be wise before it was too late or before Death came 21 * Job 23. 13. Psal. 33. 10 11. Chap. 16. 1 9. Isa. 46. 10. Heb. 6. 17. There are many devices in a mans heart t Understand out of the opposite Clause which shall not stand but be disappointed nevertheless the counsel of the Lord u His eternal and unchangeable and most wise Decree which oft-times contradicts and always over-rules the designs and purposes of men that shall stand x i. e. Be certainly fulfilled as this Phrase is used Ier. 44. 28 29. and elsewhere 22 The desire of a man y Either 1. of any or every Man All men desire and it is desirable to be in a capacity of being kind and bountiful to others whereby they gain love and honour and many other great advantages Or 2. of the poor man expressed in the next Clause The hearty will or desire of being kind or liberal to others in necessity is all the kindness which a poor Man can shew and is accepted by God and should be owned by men as a real kindness Compare 2 Cor. â—… 12. Or 3. of the rich Man as may be gathered from the opposition of this Man to the poor Man in the following Clause such Ellipses being very common in this Book as hath been noted again and again So the sense may be this There be a sort of rich men all whose kindness and charity consists in good desires and well-wishes to Persons in misery saying to them depart in pâ—…ace be ye warmed and filled but not giving them those things which are needful as it is expressed Iam. 2. 16. And this sense seems to agree very well with the following Clause But being singular in this exposition I submit it to the judicious Reader is his kindness and a poor man z Who is not able to give what he desires to do is better than a liar a Than a rich Man who feeds the poor with good words and fair promises but doth not perform what he pretends and is able to do 23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life and he that hath it shall abide satisfied b shall want nothing and shall be fully contented with God's favour and blessing With any destructive affliction he shall not be visited with evil c. 24 * 〈◊〉 1â—… 1â—… 〈◊〉 13. 15. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom d Either to keep it warm in cold Weather Or to give it rest being loth to oppress it with the labour of any action It is a sarcastical Hyperbole and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again e To wit to feed himself he expects that the Meat should drop into his Mouth 25 * 〈◊〉 21. 11. smite a scorner f An obstinate and impudent Transgressor who rejects and scorns all admonitions and therefore is to be taught with blows and the simple g Who sin through ignorance and imprudence and infirmity being possibly drawn to sin by the scorners evil counsel or example †〈◊〉 will be 〈◊〉 will beware and reprove one that hath understanding and he will understand knowledg h A verbal reproof will be more effectual for his reformation than the severest punishments will be to a scorner 26 He that wasteth his father i i. e. His Fathers estate by unjust or riotous courses and chaseth away his mother k Causeth her to avoid and abhor his presence and society and to go from the House where he is is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach l Both to himself and to his Parents and Family But this Verse may very well be rendred otherwise the last words being made the subject of the Proposition as is usual in Scripture A Son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach upon himself and his friends by wicked ways wasteth his Fathers estate and health and comfort and chaseth or driveth away his Mother These are the effects of his wickedness 27 Cease my son to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledg m If thou hast formerly yet do not now any longer hearken to those false Doctrines or evil counsels which tend to withdraw thee from the belief or practice of God's holy Word 28 †〈◊〉 a witâ—… of Beliâ—…l An ungodly witness scorneth judgmen n Hath no reverence to the place of Justice nor to the presence of God there nor to that Sacred and Solemn Work of executing Judgment but in spight of all gives in a false Testimony and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity o Uttereth wickedness with as great greediness and delight and ease as they swallow down delicious Meats and Drinks Compare Iob 15. 16. 29 Judgments are prepared p Either by men or at least by God although they be deferred for a time yet they are treasured up for them and shall infallibly be inflicted upon them for scorners and stripes for the back of fools CHAP. XX. 1 WIne is a mocker a Wine immoderately drunk makes men mockers or scoffers at God and men Compare Hos. 7. 5. strong drink is raging b Makes men full of rage and passion and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wiâ—…e c Is a Fool or a mad Man because he depriveth himself of the use of his reason 2 * Ch. 16. 14. 19. 12. The fear of a King d Passively taken the terror which the wrath of a King causeth by comparing this with Ch. 19. 12. is as the roaring of a lion whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul e Exposeth himself to manifest danger of Death 3 * Ch. 17. 14. It is an honour to a man to cease from strife f Either to prevent it or if it be begun to put an end to it which although proud and profane Persons esteem dishonourable to them is indeed their glory because it is an evidence of their great wisdom and power over their passions and of their respect and obedience to their Soveraign Lord in
serious consideration of their last end which is their greatest Wisdom and Interest and the living will lay it to his heart g Will be seriously affected with it and awakened to prepare for it whereas feasting is commonly attended with Mirth and Levity and manifold Temptations and indisposeth mens minds to Spiritual and Heavenly Thoughts Hence it is evident that those passages of this Book which may seem to favour a sensual and voluptuous Life are not spoken by Solomon in his own Name or as his Opinion but in the person of an Epicure 3 ‖ Or 〈◊〉 Sorrow h Either for sin or any outward troubles is better than laughter for by the sadness of the countenance i Which is â—…eared in the heart but manifested in the Countenance the heart is made better k More weaned from the Lusts and Vanities of this World by which most men are ensnared and destroyed and more quickned to seek after and embrace that true and everlasting Happiness which God offers to them in his Word 4 The heart of the wiâ—…e is in the house of mourning l Even when their bodies are absent They are constantly or very frequently meditating upon sad and serious things such as Death and Judgment the Vanity of this Life and the reality and eternity of the next because they know that these thoughts though they be not grateful to the sensual part yet they are absolutely necessary and highly profitable and most comfortable in the end which every wise man most regards but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth m Their minds and affections are wholly set upon feasting and jolly because like Fools and brutish Creatures they regard only their present delight and mind not how dearly they must pay for them 5 * Prov. 13. 18. â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 32. See 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—… 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wiâ—…e n Which though it causeth some grief yet frequently brings great benefit even Reformation and Salvation both from temporal and from eternal Destruction both which are the portion of impenitent sinners than for a man to hear the song o The flatteries or other merry discourses which are as pleasant to corrupt Nature as Songs or Musick of fools 6 For as the †Heb. a sound crackling of thorns p Which for a time make a great noise and blaze but presently wast themselves and go out without any considerable effect upon the meat in the pot under a pot so q So vanishing and fruitless is the laughter of the fool this also is vanity 7 Surely oppression r Either 1 Active When a wise Man falls into the practice of this sin of oppressing others he is besotted by it and by the vast Riches which he by his great wit gets by it Or rather 2. Passive when a wise man is oppressed by foolish and wicked men it makes him fret and rage and speak or act like a mad man for the wisest men are most sensible of indignities and injuries whereas fools are stupid do not much lay them to heart maketh a wise man mad * Deut. 16. 19. and a gift s A bribe given to a wise man destroyeth the heart t Deprives him of the use of his understanding which is oft called the heart as Exod. 23. 8. Deut. 16. 19. Hos. 4. 18. or makes him mad as was said in the former clause So this verse discovers two ways whereby a wise man may be made mad by suffering oppression from others or by receiving bribes to oppress others And this also is an argument of the vanity of worldly Wisdom that it is so easily corrupted and lost and so it serves the main design of this Book 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof u If this verse relates to that next foregoing it is an Argument to keep mens minds from being disordered either by oppression or bribery because the end of those practices will shew that he who oppresseth another doth himself most hurt by it and that he who taketh Bribes is no gainer by them But if this be independent upon the former as divers other verses here are it is a general and useful observation that the good or evil of things is better known by their end than by their beginning which is true both in evil Counsels and Courses which are pleasant at first but at last bring destruction and in all noble Enterprizes in the studies of Learning and in the practice of Virtue and Godliness where the beginnings are difficult and troublesom but in the progress and conclusion they are most easie and comfortable and it is not sufficient to begin well unless we persevere to the end which crowns all and * Pro. 24. 29. the patient in spirit x Who quietly waits for the end and issue of things and is willing to bear hardships and inconveniences in the mean time is better than the proud y Which he puts instead of hasty or impatient which the opposition might seem to require partly because Pride is the chief cause of impatience Prov. 13. 10. and makes men unable to bear any thing either from God or from Men whereas Humility makes Men sensible of their own unworthiness and that they deserve at least from God all the indignities and injuries which they suffer from Men by Gods permission and therefore patient under them and partly to correct the vulgar errour of proud men who think highly of themselves and trample all others especially such as are meek and patient under their feet in spirit 9 * Pro. 14. 17. 16. 32. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry z Be not angry with any man without due consideration and just and necessary cause for otherwise anger is somtimes lawful and somtimes a duty for anger resteth a Hath its settled and quiet abode is their constant companion ever at hand upon all occasions whereas wise Men resist and mortifie and banish it in the bosom b In the Heart the proper seat of the passions of fools 10 Say not thou c To wit by way of impatient Expostulation and Complaint against God either for permitting such disorders in the World or for bringing thee into the World in such an evil time and state of things Otherwise a man may say this by way of prudent and pious enquiry that by searching out the cause he may as far as it is in his power apply Remedies to make them better What is the cause that the former days were better d Either 1. Less sinful Or rather 2. More quiet and comfortable For this and not the former is the cause of most Mens murmurings against Gods Providence And this is an Argument of a mind discontented and unthankful for the many Mercies which Men commonly enjoy even in evil times and impatient under Gods hand than these
embraceth 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment r There is a fit way and season for the happy accomplishment of every business which a man designeth or undertaketh to do which is known to God but for the most part hidden from man as is implied and may be gathered from the following words See the Notes on Ch. 3. 1. therefore s Because there are very few who have that wisdom which is necessary to discern this as was now said v. 5. and most men do by their ignorance and loss of opportunities deprive themselves of many advantages and expose themselves to manifold miseries the misery of man is great upon him 7 For * Pro. 24. 22. Ch. 6. 12. he knoweth not that which shall be t Men are generally ignorant of all future events and of the success of their endeavours and therefore their minds are greatly disquieted and their expectations frequently disappointed and they fall into many mistakes and miscarriages which they could and would prevent if they did foresee the issues of things for who can tell him u No wise Man no Astrologer or other Artist can discover this ‖ Or â—…ow it shall be when it shall be 8 There is no man that hath power * Job 14. 5. over the spirit x i. e. The Soul of Man which is oft called a Spirit as Iob 7. 7. 10. 12. Psal. 78. 39. 104. 29 c. to retain the spirit y To keep it in the Body beyond the time which God hath allotted to it This is added as another evidence of Man's misery neither hath he power in the day z Or against the day i. e. to avoid or delay that day of death and there is no ‖ Or casting â—…ff weaponâ—… discharge a As there is in other Wars when Souldiers either are dismissed from the service or escape by flight or otherwise in that war b In that fatal conflict between Life and Death between Nature and the Disease when a Man is struggling with Death though to no purpose for Death shall always be Conqueror neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it c And although wicked men who most fear Death use all possible means whether good or bad to free themselves from this deadly blow yet they shall not escape it 9 All this d All these things before-mentioned I have seen and apply my heart unto every work e I have been a diligent observer of all actions and events that is done under the sun there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another e There are some Kings who use their power tyrannically and wickedly whereby they do not onely oppress their People but hurt themselves by bringing the vengeance of God and men upon their own heads Which is here noted partly for the terrour of Tyrants and partly for the caution and comfort of Subjects groaning under those heavy pressures which they are not able to remove that they may forbear unlawful or rebellious courses and quietly commit themselves and their cause to God who judgeth righteously and who both can and will call the greatest Monarchs to a sad account for all their impious and unrighteous courses 10 And so f In like manner or such another vanity or disorder I saw the wicked g Wicked Princes or Rulers as the next clause limits this buried h Die quietly in their Beds and afterwards be buried with state and pomp whereas in truth they deserved an untimely end and no other than the burial of an Ass. who had come †〈◊〉 and gone i Who had administred publick Justice and Government which is frequently signified by the Phrase of coming in and going out before the People as Numb 27. 17. Deut. 31. 2. The LXX Jewish Interpreters whom some others follow render the word they were praised applauded and adored by the variation of one Letter in the Hebrew word which also is very like that Letter which is in the Text. from the place of the holy k By which he understands either 1. the Holy City Ierusalem or the the Holy Land where Israel dwelt which may be added to aggravate the wickedness of such Persons from the obligations and counsels and examples which they had to do better things Or 2. the Seat of Majesty and Judgment which may well be called the place or Seat of the Holy i. e. of God who is called the Holy One Habak 3. 3. and oft elsewhere who is in a special manner present in and president over those places whose work and for whom and in whose Name and stead Magistrates act who are therefore called gods of all which see Exod. 22. 28. Deut. 1. 17. 1 Chro. 29. 23. Psal. 82. 1 c. And the Throne or Tribunal seems to be so called here to aggravate their wickedness who being Sacred Persons and advanced by God into so High and Sacred a place betrayed so great a trust and both practised and encouraged that wickedness which by their Office they were obliged to suppress and punish and they were forgotten l Whereas they designed to spread and perpetuate their Names and Memories to all succeeding Ages Psal. 49. 11. in the city where they had so done m i. e. Come to and go from the place of the Holy where they lived in great splendor and were buried with great magnificence which might have kept up their remembrance at least in that place this is also vanity n That men should so earnestly thirst after and please themselves with worldly greatness and glory which is so soon extinct and the very memory of it quickly worn out of the minds of men 11 * 〈◊〉 50. 21. 〈◊〉 26. 10. Because sentence against an evil work o Or the Decree c. God's determ inâ—…te counsel or sentence for the punishment of Tyrants and all evil-doers is not executed speedily therefore p Because God's forbearance makes them presumptuous and secure and confident of impunity the heart of the sons of men is fully set q Heb. is filled is carried on with full sail as the Seventy understand it like a Ship with a strong and violent wind or is bold or presumptuous as the same Phrase is understood Esth. 7. 5. Act. 5. 3. in them to do evil 12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times r Frequently and innumerably and his days s The time of his Life and Prosperity be prolonged yet surely I know that * Pâ—… 37. 11 18 19. Pro. 1. 32 33. 〈◊〉 3. 10 11. it shall be well with them that fear God t Whereby he implies both that good men might for a time suffer grievous things from such wicked Tyrants and that it should be very ill with the wicked which is manifest from the contrary course and condition of good and bad men and which is
which they are first elaborated and contained which may fitly be compared to a bowl and fountain or cistern or such by which they are derived or conveyed to the several parts of the body which are very conveniently designed by the cord and pitcher and wheel all which are truly said to be loosed or broken i. e. dissolved or become useless and insufficient for the performance of their several functions This in the general But it seems most probable that Solomon who was so profound a Philosopher and doubtless had an accurate knowledge of all the parts of mans Body and their several offices and operations doth by these several Expressions describe so many particular parts and offices By the silver cord it is generally and most probably conceived that he understands the pith or marrow of the back-bone which comes from the brain and thence goeth down to the very lowest end of the Back-bone together with the Nerves and Sinews which as Anatomists observe are nothing else but the production continuation of the marrow And this is most aptly compared to a cord both for its figure which is very long and round and for its use which is to draw and move the parts of the Body and to silver both for its excellency and colour which is white and bright even in a dead and much more in a living Body And this may properly be said to be loosed or dissolved or broken or removed as others render the word the sense of all these translations being the same because it is relaxed or obstructed or otherwise disenabled for its proper service And answerably hereunto by the golden bowl he understands the Membranes of the Brain and especially that innermost Membrane which is called by Anatomists the pious mother because it doth with a motherly care defend the Brain and assist and govern its actions which insinuates itself into all the parts of the Brain following it in its various windings and turnings keeping each parcel of it in its proper place and distinguishing and dividing one part from another to prevent disorder and mischief This is not unfitly called a bowl partly because it is round and partly because it receives and contains in it all the substance of the Brain and a golden bowl partly for its great preciousness and usefulness partly for its ductility being drawn out into a great thinness or fineness as Gold is capable of being drawn forth into thinner plates than other metals can bear and partly for its colour which is somwhat yellow and comes nearer to that of Gold than any other part of the Body doth And this is well said to be broken as for the reasons above noted so because upon the approach of Death it is commonly shrivel'd up and many times broken And as these two former clauses concern the Brain and the animal Powers so the two following clauses of this verse respect the Spring and seat of the vital Powers and Operations and of the blood the great instrument thereof which hath been commonly conceived and consequently is here understood to be the Liver but more truly and certainly is the Heart which is now known and confessed to be the source of the blood And so Solomon here describes the chief Organs or Vessels appointed for the Production and Distribution and Circulation of the Blood in Man's Body For although the Doctrine of the Circulation of the Blood hath lien hid and unknown for very many Generations together and therefore the honour of the Invention of it is justly ascribed to a famous Physician of our Country yet it is not improbably supposed by some that it was well known to Solomon although after his times it was lost as doubtless many other things were which he wrote concerning Plants and other things According to this motion the fountain here is the right Ventricle of the heart which is now acknowledged to be the spring of Life and of the vital Spirits and the pitcher is the veins which convey the blood from it to other parts and especially that arterious Vein as Anatomists call it by which it is transmitted to the Lungs and thence to the left Ventricle of the Heart where it is better elaborated and then by the Pulse thrust out into the great Artery called Artâ—…a â—…orta and by its branches dispersed into all the parts of the Body to give them Life and Vigor which being done the residue of the Blood is carried back by the Veins into the right Ventricle of the Heart whence it is disposed as hath been now mentioned and so runs in a perpetual round unless it be obstructed by some disorder in the Body And the cistern is the left Ventricle of the Heart and the wheel seems to be that great Artery which is joined to it which is very fitly so called because it is the first and great instrument of this Rotation or Circulation of the Blood which by its Pulse is forcibly thrust out into all the parts of the Body whence by various windings and turnings it returns thither again and so is sent again upon the same journey which in like manner it performs again and again as long as Life and Health continue and when any of these parts are disenabled for the discharge of their Offices then are they fitly said to be broken The pitcher may be said to be broken at the fountain when the veins do not return the blood to the Heart but suffer it to stand still and cool within them whence comes that coldness of the outward parts which is a near forerunner of Death And the wâ—…l may be said to be broken at the cistern when the great Arteries do not perform their Office of conveying the Blood into the left Ventricle of the Heart and of thrusting it out thence into the lesser Arteries whence comes that ceasing of the pulse which is a certain sign of approaching Death 7 * Gen. 3. 19. Then shall the dust g The Body called dust both for its original which was from the dust and to signifie its vile and corruptible Nature Iob. 4. 19. 30. 19. Psal. â—…3 14. return to the earth as it was h Whence it was first taken He alludes to that passage Gen. 3. 19. and the spirit i The Soul of man frequently so called as Gen 2 7. Psal 31. 5. c. because it is of a spiritual or immaterial Nature shall return unto God k Into his presence and before his Tribunal that there it may be sentenced to its everlasting habitations either to abide with God for ever if it be approved by him or otherwise to be eternally shut out from his presence and favour * Num. 16. 22. 27. 16. Job 34. 1â—… Isa. 57. 16. Zech. 12. 1. who gave it l To wit in a peculiar manner by his creating Power for in a general sense God giveth to every seed his own body 1 Cor. 15. 38. Hence he is called the father of
he sees fit and necessary for them * 2 Kin. 19. 31. upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem I will †Heb. visit upon punish m Heb. visit to wit in wrath as before on v. 3. the fruit †Heb. of the greatness of the heart of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks n His insolent Words and Carriages proceeding from intolerable Pride of Heart 13 For he saith o Not onely within himself but before his Courtiers and others By the strength of my hand I have done it and by my wisdom p I owe all my Successes to my own Power and Valour and wise Conduct and to no other God or Man for I am prudent and I have removed the bounds q I have invaded their Lands and added them to my own Dominions as this Phrase is used Prov. 22. 28. Hos. 5. 10. of the people and have robbed their treasures r Heb. their prepared things their Gold and Silver and other precious things which they had long been preparing and laying in store and I have put down s Deprived of their former Glory and Power the inhabitants ‖ Or like many people like a valiant man 14 And my hand hath found as a nest t As one findeth young Birds in a Nest the nest being put for the Birds in it as Deut. 32. 11. No less easily do I both find and take them the riches of the people and as one gathereth eggs that are left u Which the Dam hath left in her Nest. This is more easie than the former for the young Birds might possibly make some faint resistance or flutter away but the Eggs could do neither have I gathered all the earth x All the Riches of the Earth or World An Hyperbole not unusual in the Mouths of such Persons upon such Occasions and there was none that moved the Wing or opened the mouth or peeped y As Birds do which when they see and cannot hinder the robbing of their Nests express their Grief and Anger by hovering about them and by mournful Cries 15 Shall the ax boast it self against him that heweth therewith z How absurd and unreasonable a thing is it for thee who art but an Instrument in God's hand and canst do nothing without his leave and help to blaspheme thy Lord and Master who hath as great a power over thee to manage thee as he pleaseth as a Man hath over the Ax wherewith he heweth or shall the saw magnifie it self against him that shaketh it ‖ Or as if a rod should shake them that lift it up as if the rod should shake it self against them that lift it up a Or as it is rendred in the Margin and by other Interpreters as if a rod should shake i. e. shall pretend to shake or should boast that it would or could shake which may easily be understood out of the foregoing words them that lift it up or as if the staff should lift up ‖ Or that which is not wood it self as if it were no wood b As if a Staff should forget that it was Wood and should pretend or attempt to lift up it self either without or against the man that moveth it Which is absurd in the very supposition of it and were much more unreasonable in the practice Nor are thy Boasts less ridiculous 16 Therefore shall the Lord the Lord of hosts c The Sovereign Lord and General of thine and all other Armies send among his †Heb. fatnesses fat ones leanness d Strip him and all his great Princes and Commanders of all their Wealth and Might and Glory and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire e He will destroy his numerous and victorious Army and that suddenly and irrecoverably as the Fire doth those combustible things which are cast into it Which was fulfilled 2 Kings 19. 25. 17 And the light of Israel f That God who is and will be a comfortable Light to his People shall be for a fire g To the Assyrians who shall have Heat without Light as it is in Hell and his holy One for a flame and it shall burn and devour his thorns and briers h His vast Army which is no more able to resist God than dry Thorns and Briers are to oppose the Fire which is kindled among them in one day 18 And shall consume the glory of his forest i Of his great Army which may not unfitly be compared to a Forest either for the multitude of their Spears which when lifted up together resemble the Trees of a Wood or Forest or for the numbers of Men which stood as thick as Trees do in a Forest. and of his fruitful field k Of his Soldiers which stood as thick as Ears of Corn do in a fruitful Field Heb. of his Carmel Wherein it is not improbably conjectured by our late most Learned Mr. Gataker that there is an Allusion to that Brag of the Assyrian who threatens that he would go up to the sides of Israels Lebanon and to the forest of his Carmel and there cut down the tall cedars thereof Which though it was not uttered by the Assyrian till some years after this time yet was exactly foreknown to God who understandeth mens thoughts and much more their Words afar off Psal. 139. 2 3 4. and therefore might direct the Prophet to use the same Words and to turn them against himself Whereas thou threatnest to destroy Israel's Carmel I will destroy thy Carmel †Heb. from the soul and even to the flesh Job 14. 22. both soul and body l i. e. Totally both inwardly and outwardly both Strength and Lise Heb. from the soul even to the flesh Which may possibly signifie the manner of their Death which should be by a sudden Stroke of the destroying Angel upon their inward and vital Parts which was speedily followed by the consumption of their Flesh. See Isa. 37. 35 36. and they shall be m The State of that King and of his great and valiant Army shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth n Like that of an Army when their Standard-bearer either is slain or rather flees away which strikes a Panick Terrour into the whole Army and puts them to flight 19 And the rest of the trees of his forest o The Remainders of that mighty Host. shall be †Heb. number Job 16. 22. few that a child may write them p That they may be easily numbred by the meanest Accomptant A Child may be their Mustermaster 20 And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob q Such Ieus as shall be preserved from that sweeping Assyrian Scourge by which great numbers both of Israel and Iudah were destroyed
And particularly the Captivity of the Iews in Babylon and their Deliverance out of it is largely expressed by this very Similitude Ezek. 37. 11 c. together with my dead body l As I my self who am one of your number and of these Dead men shall live again You shall be delivered together with me Which he might add to meet with an Objection for they might think that God would take some special Care of this Holy Prophet and would preserve him when they should be destroyed No saith he As I am at present like a dead Carkass no less than you so you shall be restored to Life no less than I. If the Supplement of our Translation seems to be too liberal it may be rendred to the same purpose as my body the Particle as being oft understood as I have divers times observed As my dead Body shall rise so shall theirs also we are equally dead and shall equally live again shall they arise m Unto Life as appears from the former Clause awake n Out of your sleep even the sleep of death as it is called Psal. 13. 3. Death being oft compared to a Sleep as Ioh. 11. 11. Act. 7. 60. and Restauration to Life unto awaking as 2 Kings 4. 31. and sing ye that dwell in the dust o You that are dead and buried in the Dust as the Dead are said to sleep in the dust Dan. 12. 2. for thy dew p The Favour and Blessing of God upon thee which is oft compared to the dew as Hos. 14. 5. Mich. 5. 7. The Pronoun thy is here taken not efficiently but objectively as thy curse Gen. 27. 13. is the Curse coming upon thee is as the dew of herbs q Which gently refresheth and reviveth them and maketh them to grow and flourish and the earth shall cast out the dead r. qAs an abortive Birth is cast out of the Womb to which the Grave is compared Iob 1. 21. But because the Verb here used doth not signifie to cast out but to cast down which seems not proper here these Words may be and are both by ancient and later Interpreters rendred otherwise and thou wilt cast down the land of the giants or of the violent ones of the proud and potent Tyrants of the World For the Word here rendred dead is elsewhere rendred giants as 2 Sam. 21. 16. 18. See also on Iob 26. 5. Prov. 9. 18. 21. 16. But then the Words seem to be better rendred and thou wilt cast the giants down to the ground Either 1. thou O God who is oft understood in such Cases or rather 2. thou O my People to whom he speaks in the foregoing Clauses of the Verse thy dead body and thy dew and here continueth his Speech thou wilt or shalt cast c. thou shalt subdue even thy most Giant-like and mighty Enemies Which though it be properly God's Work the Church is oft said to do because she by her Prayers engageth God to do it And so as the former Clauses of the Verse speak of the Deliverance and Prosperity of God's Church and People so this Clause speaks of the Destruction of their Enemies which usually accompanieth it 20 Come my people s Having foretold the wonderful Deliverance and great Happiness of God's People and the utter Destruction of their Enemies lest they should think they were now entring into the possession of this Felicity he adds what here follows and intimates that for the present they were to expect Storms and to prepare for them and patiently to wait God's time for the Accomplishment of so great a Mercy enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee t Withdraw thy self from the Company and Conversation of the Wicked World lest partaking with them in their Sins thou dost also partake of their Plagues pour out thy Prayers to God in thy Closet as this may be explained by comparing Mat. 6. 6. put thy self under the protection of my Providence and Grace by Faith and Prayer He alludes to the common practice of Men who when there are Storms or Dangers abroad betake themselves into their own Houses or Chambers for safety or as some think to that History Exod. 9. 19 20. or to that Command of not going out of their houses Exod. 12. 22. or to the like Charge given to Rohab as the Condition of her Preservation Ios. 2. hide thy self as it were * Psal. 30. 5. Chap. 54. 7 8. 2 Cor. 4. 17. for a little moment u Whereby he intimates that all their Afflictions how long and tedious soever they may seem are but short and momentary in comparison of that Happiness which is reserved for them until the indignation x The dreadful Effects of God's Anger those sore Judgments of God mentioned in the following Verse be overpast 21 For behold the LORD * Mic. 1. 3. cometh out of his place y Cometh down from Heaven which God in Scripture is frequently said to do when he undertaketh any great and glorious Work either of Delivering his People or of Destroying their Enemies The Speech is borrowed from the manner of Princes who come out of their Palaces either to fit in Judgment or to fight against their Enemies which is the Case here to punish the inhabitants of the earth z All the Enemies of God and of his People for these are here opposed to God's People Therefore take heed you be not found in the number of them for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her †Heb. bloods blood and shall no more cover her slain a The innocent Blood which hath been spilled upon the Earth shall be brought to light and shall be severely revenged upon the Murderers For the Phrase see on Gen. 4. 10. Iob 16. 18. Ezek. 24. â—… CHAP. XXVII IN that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan a What kind of Creature the Leviathan is see in my Notes on Iob 41. 1 c. Whence it is evident that it was a very great and terrible Sea-monster But here it is certain that the Expression is metaphorical and that by this Leviathan Serpent and Dragon for all signifie the same thing he understands some very powerful Enemy or Enemies for the Singular Number may be here put for the Plural as it is in many other places of God and of his Church or People which may well be called by these Names partly for their great Might and partly for the great Terrour and Destruction which they cause upon the Earth as the Leviathan doth in the Sea He seems to have a special respect to some particular Enemy and Oppressor of God's People either the Assyrian Emperour who now was so or rather the Babylonian who should be so Some understand this of the Devil But although it may be applied to him in a mystical sence it seems to be literally meant of some
for relief but in vain O LORD I am oppressed x By my Disease which like a Serjeant hath seized upon me and is haling me to the Prison of the Grave ‖ Or ease me undertake for me y Stop the Execution and rescue me out of his hands 15. What shall I say z I want words sufficient to express my deep Sense of God's dealings with me He did foretel it by his Word and effect it by his Hand This Clause and Verse is Either 1. a Continuance of his Complaint hitherto described God hath passed this Sentence upon me and hath also put it in Execution and to Him I must submit my self Or 2. he hath both spoken unto me and himself have done it a Transition or entrance into the Thanksgiving which is undoubtedly contained in the following Verses So the Sence is God hath sent a gracious Message to me by his Prophet concerning the prolongation of my Life and he I doubt not will make good his Word therein And this Sence seems the more probable 1. Because here is mention of his years to come whereas in his sickness he expected not to live to the end of a day 2. Because the Chaldee Paraphrast and the Seventy and Syriack and Arabick Interpreters expound it so in their Versions 3. Because this suits best with the context and coherence of this Verse both with the former and with the following Verse For as he endeth the foregoing Verse with a Prayer to God for longer Life so in this Verse he relates God's gracious Answer to his Prayer And if this Verse be thus understood the next Verse hath a very convenient Connexion with this whereas it seems to be very abrupt and incoherent if the Thanksgiving begin there I shall go softly b I shall walk in the course of my Life Either 1. humbly with all humble thankfulness to God for conferring so great a Favour upon so unworthy a Person Or 2. easily and peaceably with leasure not like one affrighted or running away from his Enemy Or 3. by slow and gentle paces as Men commonly spin out their Days by degrees unto a just length which is not unfitly opposed to his former state and time of Sickness wherein his days were swifter than a weavers shuttle and than a post as Iob complained upon the same occasion Iob 7. 6. 9. 25. and were cut off like a weavers Web as he complained ver 12. all my years in the bitterness of my soul c Arising from the remembrance of that desperate Condition from which God had delivered me For great dangers though past are oft-times very terrible to those that seriously reflect upon them But the Words may be rendred upon or after as this particle is rendred Isa. 18. 4. the bitterness of my soul after the deliverance from this bitter and dangerous Disease Which may be compared with ver 17. where he saith For or after peace I had great bitterness as here he presageth and assureth himself of the contrary That he should have Peace after his great bitterness The Chaldee Paraphrast renders the Words Because of my deliverance from bitterness of Soul bitterness being put for deliverance from bitterness as five is put for lack of five as we render it Gen. 18. 28. and fat for want of fat Psal. 109. 24. and fruits for want of fruits Lam. 4. 9. And other such like Defects there are in the Hebrew which is a very concise Language 16 O Lord by these things d By vertue of thy gracious Word or Promise and powerful Work by thy Promises and thy performances of them mentioned in the foregoing Verse This place may be explained by comparing it with Deut. 8. 3. Man doth not live by bread but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. The Sence is Not I onely but all Men do receive and recover and hold their Lives by thy Favour and the Word of thy Power And therefore it is not strange That one Word of God hath brought me back from the very jaws of Death men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit e And as it is with other Men so hath it been with me in a special manner for In these above all other things is the life of my Spirit or Soul i. e. either the comfort which is sometimes called Life of my Spirit or rather That Life which is in my Body from my Spirit or Soul united to it so ‖ Or hast recovered me and made me forer c. wilt thou recover me and make me to live f Or and or for thou hast recovered me c. to wit by these Things 17. Behold ‖ Or on my peace came great bitterness for peace I had great bitterness g My Health and Prosperity was quickly changed into bitter Sickness and Affliction Or as others render it My great bitterness was untâ—… peace was turned into Prosperity or became the occasion of my safety and further advantages For that drove me to my prayers and my prayers prevailed with God for a gracious Answer and the prolonging of my Life but †Heb abou hast loved my soul from the pit thou hast in love to my soul h In kindness to me the soul being oft put for the Man This is an emphatical Circumstance For sometimes God prolongs mens dayes in anger and in order to their greater misery delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back i Thou hast forgiven those sins which brought this evil upon me and upon that account hast removed the punishment of them which sheweth that thou didst this in love to me The phrase is borrowed from the custome of men who when they would accurately see and observe any thing set it before their faces and when they desire and resolve not to look upon any thing turn their backs upon it or cast it behind them 18 For k In this and the following verse he declares Gods design in delivering him that he might praise him in his Church which if he had died he could not have done the †Heb. Hell * Psal. 115. 17. grave cannot praise thee e death cannot celebrate thee they that go down into the pit connot hope for thy truth m They cannot expect nor receive the accomplishment of thy promised goodness in the Land of the Living l The dead are not capable of glorifying thy Name among men upon Earth which I desire and determine to do See the like expressions Psal. 6. 5. and 30. 9. and 88 10. c. The Grave is put for the persons lodged in it by a Metonymy 19 The Living the living he shall praise thee n They are especially obliged to it and they onely have this priviledge as I do this day the father to the children shall make known thy truth o They shall not
him and be regenerated and adopted by him into the number of his Children and of the Children of God Ioh. 1. 12. Heb. 2. 10 13 14. for he was cut off h To wit by a violent death And this may be added as a reason both of his exaltation and of the blessing of a numerous posterity conferred upon him because he was willing to be cut off for the transgression of his People and as it followeth v. 10. made his soul an offering for sin Christs death being elsewhere declared to be the only way and necessary means of obtaining both these ends Luk. 24. 26 46. Ioh 12. 24 32 33. Philip. 2. 8 9. But these words may be rendred although he was cut off to fignifie that his death should not hinder these glorious effects out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people †Heb. was the stroke upon him was he stricken i This is repeated again as it was fit it should be to prevent mens mistakes about and stumbling at the death of Christ and to assure them that Christ did not die for his own sins but only for the sins and salvation of his People â—… These words are understood either 1. Of Christs Humiliation or Suffering and then the words are to be thus rendred He was taken away to wit out of this Life as this word is used Psal. 31. 13. Prov. 1. 19. and elsewhere he was put to death by distress or violence or tyranny as this word is used with this Preposition before it Psal. 107. 39. and judgment by oppression and violence under a form and pretence of Justice Or rather 2. Of Christs Exaltation because of the following clause which is not unseasonably mentioned in the midst of his Sufferings to take off the scandal which might have arisen from Christs Sufferings if there had not been a prospect and assurance of his victoriousness over them and his Glory after them and so the words may be rendered He was taken up or taken away freed or delivered from prison i. e. from the Grave which being called an house Job 30. 23. and a pit in which men are shut up Psal. 69. 15. may fitly be called a prison or from distress or affliction or oppression from the power and malice of his Enemies and from the torments of his own Soul arising from the sense of Mens sins and Gods displeasure and from judgment i. e. from all the sufferings and punishments inflicted upon him either by the unrighteous judgment of men or by the just judgment of God punishing him for those sins which he had voluntarily taken upon himself or which is the same thing from the sentence of Condemnation and all the effects of it for in this sense judgment is very commonly taken both in Scripture and other Authors 9 And he made his grave with the wicked k And although he did not die for his own but only for his Peoples sins yet he was willing to die like a malefactor or like a sinner as all other men are and to be put into the grave as they used to be which was a farther degree of his Humiliation He saith he made his Grave because this was Christs own act and he willingly yielded up himself to death and burial And that which follows with the wicked doth not note the sameness of place as if he should be buried in the same Grave with other malefactors but the sameness of condition as when David prayeth Psal. 26. 9. Gather not my soul to wit by death with sinners he doth not mean it of the same Grave but of the same state of the dead and with the rich l This passage is thought by many to signifie that Christ should be buried in the Sepulchre of Ioseph who is said to be both rich Mat. 27. 57. and honourable Mark 15. 43. which they conceive to be intimated as a token of Favour and Honour shewed to him Which to me seems not probable partly because this disagrees with the former clause which confefsedly speaks of the dishonour which was done to him and partly because the burial of Christ whatsoever Circumstances it was attended with is ever mentioned in Scripture as a part of his Humiliation Act. 2. 24. 27. And it seems more reasonable and more agreeable to the usage of Holy Scripture that this clause should design the same thing with the former and that by rich he means the same persons whom he now called wicked not as if all rich men were or must needs be wicked but because for the most part they are so upon which ground riches and rich men do commonly pass under an ill name in Scripture of which see Psal. 37. 16. 49. 6. Luk. 6. 24. 18. 24. Iam. 1. 11. 5. 1. in his †Heb. deaths death m Heb. in or at or after as this particle is frequently taken as hath been already noted his deaths for Christs death might well be called deaths in the plural number because he underwent many kinds of death and many deadly dangers and pains which are frequently called by the name of death in Scripture of which instances have been formerly given and he might say with no less truth than Paul did 1 Cor. 15. 31. I die daily and 2 Cor. 11. 23. I was in deaths oft because he had done no violence neither was any * 1 Pet. 2. 22 1 Ioh. 3. 5. deceit in his mouth n This some suppose to be added as a reason of the last branch of the foregoing clause why God so over-ruled matters by his providence that Christ should not be buried in the same Grave or in the same ignominious manner as malefactors were but in a more honourable manner in Iosephs own Tomb. But the last part of the foregoing clause cannot without violence be pulled asunder from the former wherewith it is so closely joined not only by a Conjunction copulative and but also by being under the government of the same Verb And therefore this latter clause of the verse if thus rendred must be added as the reason of what is said to be done in the former And so the sense of the place may be thus conceived This was all the reward of the unspotted Innocency of all his words and actions to be thus ignominiously used But these words may well be and are otherwise reâ—…dred both by Jewish and Christian Interpreters either thus although he had done c. or rather thus not for as these two same particles placed in the very same order are rendred by our Translator and others Iob 16. 17. any violence or injury or iniquity which he had done nor for any deceit which was in his mouth not for his own sins but as hath been said before for his Peoples â—…ins In which Translation there is nothing supplied but what is most frequent in Scripture use 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him o But although