or rattler were merchants, who went in caravans and
troops with their merchandise from one country to
another ;- see Ezek. xxvii. 1,5, 20. and who, because of
the ravages of the enemy, would be glad of a lodging
in the woods for security.
Vet. 14. The inhabitants of the land of Tema, &c.]
This country had its name from Tema, one of the
sons of Ishmael, Gen. xxv. 15. The Targum calls it
the land of the south, as if it was Teman. These peo-
ple were Arabians, and are here said to assist their
countrymen, the Dedanites, in distress: brought water
to him that was thirsty; as travellets are wont to be,
especially in a desert land, and when fleeing from an
enemy; in which circumstances the travelling com-
panies .of Dedanim now were: they prevented with
their bread him that fled; gave it to him, being hungry
and necessitous, without asking for it. Now all this
seems to shew what calamities should come upon the
inhabitants of some parts of Arabia; that they should
lodge in a forest, be hungry and thirsty, and flee be-
fore their enemy, as follows.
Vet. 15. For they fled .from the swords, &c.] Of
their enemy, whom they could not withstand; per-
haps the Assyrian army: from the drawn sword; just
ready to be sheathed in them: and from the bent bow;
just going to let the arrow fly at them: and from the
grievoushess of war: too heavy for them to bear.
Vet. 16. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, &c.]
The prophet; which confirms what is before said, as
well as assures the accomplishment of what follows:
within a year, according to the years of an hireling;
that is, exactly and precisely, as soon as ever the year
is come to an end; for the hireling, when his year is
.up, instantly demands dismission from his service, or
is wages, or both. The time is to be reckoned fi'om
the delivery of this prophecy; and so the calamity
predicted was brought upon them-by the Assyrians,
perhaps under Sennacherib, when he invaded the ci-.
ties:of Judah, and might take Arabia in his way; less
time is allowed than was the Moabites, who suffered
by the same hand; see ,,oh. xvi. 14: and all the glory of
Kedar shall fail; these were another sort of Arabians,
as theTargum calls them: they descended from Kedar,
a son of Ishmael, Gen. xxv. 13. their glory were their
multitude, their riches and substance, and which
chiefly lay in their flocks; for the sake of which they
moved from place to place for pasture, and dwelled in
tents, which they carried with them, and pitched
where it was most convenient for them; hence they
were called Scenites; see Psal. cxx. 5. Cant. i. 5.
Ver. 17. And the residue of the number of archers,
&c.] Or of bow {g}, for bows: that is, of men that use
the bow, or are expert at it, as the Kedarenes were,
both for taking wild beasts, and fighting with men, in
which they followed their original ancestor Ishmael,
Gen. xxi. 20. the number of these archers it seems had
been great, but would be lessened by the calamity
threatened; and those that 'would escape that, and be
preserved from it, should be lessened still, as follows:
the mights men of the children of Kedar shall be dimi-
nished; their military men, the most expert at the
use of the bow, and the most valiant and courageous;
the few, of those that were left, and did not fall by the
sword of the Assyrians, should gradually diminish,
and be fewer and fewer:for the Lord God of Israel
hath spolcen it; who cannot lie, nor will repent, and
whose word never fails, what he has said he will do,
nor will he alter the thing that is gone out of his lips;
and he is spoken of as the God of Israel, because it
was to the Israelites that this was said, and for their
.,.akes; either because these Arabians some way or other
were injurious to them, or they had put some confi-
dence in them. The Targum is, "because by the
"word of the Lord God of Israel it is so decreed."

C H A P. XXII.

THIs chapter contains two prophecies, one concern-
ing the invasion of Judah and Jerusalem, not by'the
Medes and Persians, but by the Assyrian army,
under which they served; and the other of the remo-
val of Shebna, an officer in Hezekiah's court, and of
the placing of Eliakim in his stead. After the title of
the former of these prophecies, the distress of the peo-
ple, through the invasion, is described, by their
getting up to the housetops, ver. 1. by the stillness of
the city, having left both trade and mirth; by the
slain in it, not by the sword, but through fear or fa-
mine, vet. o.. by the flight of the rulers, and by the
lamentation of the prophet, ver. 3, 4, 5. the instru-
ments of which distress were the Persians and Medes
serving under Sennacherib, who are described by their
.quivers and shields,' their chariots and horsemen, ver.
iS, 7. the methods the Jews took to defend themselves,
and their vain confidence, are exposed; for which,
with their disrespect to the Lord, and his admohi-
tions, their carnal security and luxury, they are
threatened with death, ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, l2, 13, 14.
then follows the prophecy of the deposition of Shebna,
who is described by his name and office, yet. l&
whose pride is exposed as the cause of his fall, ver. 16.
and he is threatened not only to be driven from his
station, but to be carried captive into another coun-
try, suddenly and violently, and with great shame
and disgrace, ver. 17, 18, 19. and another put in his
place, who is mentioned by name, ver. _o0. and who
should be invested with his office and power, and have
all the ensigns of it, ver..ol, 22. and should continue
long in it, to great honour and usefulness to his family,
vet. 23, 24. vet not always, vet. o.5.
Ver. 1. The burden of the valley of vision, &c.] A
prophecy concerning Jerusalem, so called, because it
lay in a valley, encompassed about with mountains,
and which was the habitation of the prophets or seers,
and the seat of vision and prophecy; and perhaps
there is an allusion to its name, which signifies the
vision of peace, or they shall see peace. The Septua-

{g} \^tvq rpom\^ numeri arcus, Montanus, Cocceius.