then destroyed, who were fat and lusty men: others
think, more probably, that the valley of Tophet or
Hisnora is here meant; so called, either from the per-
sons that were burnt and sacrificed to Moloch; or from
the carcasses of malefactors interred here; and from the
ashes of the sacrifices which were brought from the
temple, and laid here. This valley lay south-west of
the city; it was a ditch at the foot of the mount of
Calvary; where, as Monsieur Therenot{s} says, now
stands the chapel of the invention of the cross: and all
the fields unto the brook of Kidron ; such as the potters'
and fullers' fields, which lay to the south of the city, or
more to the east, where Kidron was situated: unto the
corner of the horse-gate towards the east; and so the
compass is fetched round the city to the eastern part
of it, from whence it began, even to the tower of Ha-
naneel, which was on the east of this horse-gate; see
2 Kings xi. 16. Neh. iii. 28. The Targum renders it,
"to the corner of the gate of the house of the king's
"co.urse;" supposed to be the gate at which the
king's horses went in and out, when led to be watered
or exercised: shall be holy unto the Lord; that is, the
whole city in its utmost compass thus rebuilt, yea,
even the out-parts of it, and those that were defiled
with the carcasses of men, and ashes of the burnt-of-
ferings. It seems to respect the extensive holiness of
the church of God in the latter day; compare with it
Zech. xiv. 10, 20, 21: it shall not be plucked up, nor
thrown down any more for ever ; which, if understood
literally of the city of Jerusalem, can only signify.,
that it should not be destroyed soon, but should conti-
nue a long time; for certain it is, that after it was re-
built by Zorobabel, it was plucked up, and thrown
down by the Romans, and particularly by Hadrian,
who ploughed it up, and built another city, and called
it by his own name; but this figuratively rather in-
tends the church of Christ, which is built on him the
Rock, and so is immovable; and, like Mount Zion,
shall abide for ever.

CHAP. xxxii

THIS chapter contains an account of Jeremiah's im-
prisonment, and the cause of it; of his buying a field
of his uncle's son, and the design of it; of his prayer
to God, and of the answer returned to him. The time
of his imprisonment, the place where, and the reasons
of it, are observed in ver. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. that his uncle's
son would come and offer the sale of a field to him
was told him by the Lord, which he did accordingly,
vet. 6, 7. of whom he bought the field, paid the money,
had the purchase confirmed in a legal way, before wit-
nesses, ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. and the writings of it he
committed to Baruch, to put in an earthen vessel,
where they were to continue some time as a pledge
of houses, fields, and vineyards, being possessed again
after the captivity, ver. 13, 14, 15. then follows a prayer
of his to the Lord, in which he addresses him as the
Maker of all things; as the Lord God omnipotent; as
a God of great grace and mercy, as well as strict jus-
tice; as a God of wisdom, counsel, and might, and an
omniscient and righteous Being, ver. 16, 17, 18, 19. and
recounts the wonderful things he had done for the
people of Israel, vet. 20, 21, 22. and observes the in-
gratitude and disobedience of that people, which were
the cause of the present siege of the city, which should
surely be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans,
ver. 23, 24, $5. to which prayer an answer is returned,
ver. 26. in which the Lord describes himself as the God
of all flesh, and as able to do what he pleases, vet. 27.
arid confirms the delivery of the city of Jerusalem unto
the Chaldeans, yet. 28, 29. and assigns the causes of it,
the backslidings, disobedience, and dreadful idolatry of
the people, yet. 30, 31., 32, 33, 34, 35. and, notwith-
standing, promises a restoration of them to their own
land again, yet. 3(5, 37. when an opportunity is taken
to insert the covenant of grace, and the special articles
and peculiar promises of it, for the comfort of the spi-
ritual Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, ver.
38, 39, 40. and the chapter is concluded with a fresh
assurance of the return of the captivity, and of the
punctual performance of the promise of it; when fields
should be bought in every part of the land, in like
manner as Jeremiah had bought his, ver 41, 42, 43, 44.
Ver. 1. The word that came to Jeremiah .from the
Lord, &c.] The word of prophecy, as the Targum,
concerning Jeremiah's buying the field of his uncle's
son, yet. 6. and concerning the delivery of the city of
Jerusalem into the hands of the Chaldeans, ver. 26.
and the return of the captivity, ver. 36: in the tenth
year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth
year of Nebuchadrezzar; the same with Nebuchad-
nezzar king of Babylon, a year before the taking of the
city by him; for that was in the eleventh of Zedekiah,
and the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar; see chap. lii.
1, 5, 12.
Ver. 2. For then the king of Babylon's army besieged
Jerusalem, &c.] And had done so for some time; for
the siege began in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign,.
on the tenth day of the tenth month, ch. lii. 4: and
Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the pri-
son, which was in the king of Judah's house; which
shewed great stupidity and hardness of heart in the
king, and his courtiers, and in the people, to imprison
a prophet of the Lord, when surrounded by an enemy's
army, and that according to the prediction of the pro-
phet; by which it appeared that he was a true pro-
phet; and they might reasonably expect that the rest
of his predictions, which related to the taking of their
city, and carrying them captive, would be tifffilled.
It is true, indeed, he was in a better prison than before,
more honourable, being within the limits of the king's
house; and, besides, was not closely confined, but al-
lowed to walk in the court of the prison; and so had a
free air to breathe in, and more company to converse
with, and could exercise himself by walking about;

{s} Travels, par. 1. ch. 39. P. 189.