of; and this they shall do in haste,. as Aben Ezra inter-
prets it, comparing it with ch. xi. 11. The Septuagint
version is, they shall be amazed at the Lord, and his good
things; the Syriac version, they shall know the Lord,
and his goodness: the Arabic version, they shall confess
the Lord, and his benefits; the Targum, "they shall
"give themselves to the service of the Lord, and his
"goodness shall be multiplied, which shall come to
"them in the end of days ;" or, as Aben Ezra, in the
end of the prophecy of the prophets, iu future time,
iu the times of the Messiah; which, as Kimchi
serves, are always meant by the last days; and here it
signifies the latter day of the last days, or of the Gospel
dispensation.

C H A I'. I V.

THIS chapter contains a new sermon or prophecy,
delivered in proper and express words, without types
and figures, as before; in which the people of Israel
are summoned to appear at the tribunal of God, to
hear the charge brought against them, and the sentence
to be pronounced upon them, and which would be
executed. They are charged with sins of omission
and commission; with want of truth and mercy to
men, and with ignorance of God; with swearing, lying,
murder, theft, and .adultery, ver. 1, o.. the punishment
threatened is the sword, famine, and pestilence;
which should affect the whole land, and all creatures in
it, men, beasts, fowls, and fishes, vet. a. then the priests
and false prophets are threatened with falling into
calamities along with the people, and with rejection
from their office, and forgetfulness of their posterity,
and a taking away their glory from them, because of
their striving with the true prophets; their rejection
of knowledge; forgetfulness of the law of God; covet-
ousness, adultery, and drunkenness, vet. 4--11. then
the discourse is turned to the people again, who are
charged with divination and idolatry, which is spiritual
adultery; and therefore, by way of retaliation, their
wives and daughters would be left to commit adultery
and fornication, ver. 12, 13, 14. and the chapter is
concluded with advice to Israel not to tempt Judah to
sin; or to Judah not to do the like, after the example
of Israel, who were backsliders, idolaters, left of God
and alone; guilty of bribery, and the like shameful
things, and would be suddenly filled with shame,
ver. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Ver. 1. Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of
Israel, &c.] The people of the ten tribes, as distinct
from Judah, ver. 15. the prophet having finished his
parables he was ordered to take up and deliver, and
his explanations of them, and concluded with a'gra-
cious promise of the conversion of the Jews in the latter
day, enters upon a new discourse, which begins with re-
proof for various sins; since what had been delivered
in parables and types had had no effect upon them,
they are called upon to hear what the Lord would say
to them by the prophet, in more clear and express
terms; silence is ordered, and attention required to
what follows: for the Lord hath a controversy with the
inhabitants of the land; the land of Israel; against him
they had sinned, before him they stood guilty; he had
something, yea, many things, against them; a charge is
brought into open court, the indictment is read, an
answer must be made: God is the antagonist, that
moves and brings on the controversy in a judicial way,
and who can answer him for one of a thousand ? or
stand before him, or in court with him, when he marks
iniquity ? the charge is as follows, because there is no
truth; none that do or speak truth; that are true and
faitithful men, true to their word, and faithftl to their
trust; no truth of grace in them, nor truth of doctrine
held and received by them; truth failed from among
them, and none were valiant for it; no truth or civil
faith with respect to men, nor any truth of word or
worship with respect to God: nor mercy: to poor and
indigent creatures; no compassion shewn them; no
offices of humanity or acts of beneficence exercised
towards them; though these are more desirable by the
Lord than, and are preferred by him to, all ceremonial
sacrifices, oh. vi. 6. or no piety, religion, godliness,
powerful godliness, which has the promise of this
life, and that to come: nor knowledge of God in the
land; in the land of Israel, where God was used to be
known; where he had been worshipped; were his
word had been dispensed, and his prophets had been
sent, and his saints that knew him, and his mind and
will, formerly had dwelt; but now a company of
atheists, at least that lived as such, and had no true
spiritual saving knowledge of God, and communion
with him; they had not true love to him, nor a godly
reverence of him, which this implies; and that was the
source of all the wickedness committed by them, after-
wards expressed. The Targum is, "there are nona
"that do truth, nor dispense mercy, nor walk in the
"fear of the Lord, in the land?
Ver. 2. By swearing, and lying, &c.] W'hich some
join together, and make but one sin of it, false swear-
ing, so Jarchi and Kimchi; but that swearing itself
signifies, as the Targum interprets it; for it not only
takes in all cursing and imprecations, profane oaths,
and taking the name of God in vain, and swearing by
the creatures, but may chiefly design perjury; which,
though one kind of lying, may be distinguished from it
here; the latter intending lying in common, which the
devil is the father of, mankind are incident unto, and
which is abominable to God, whether in civil or in re-
ligious things: and killing, and stealing. and com-
mitting adultery; murders, thefts, and adulteries, were
very common with them; sins against the sixth,
eighth, and seventh commandments: they break out;
through all the restraiuts of the laws of God and man,
like an unruly horse that breaks his bridle and runs
away; or like wild beasts, that break down the fences
and enclosures about them, and break out, and get
away; or like a torrent of water, that breaks down its
dams and banks, and overflows the meads and plains;
such a flood and deluge of sin abounded in the nation.