them in love, giving them good laws, sending his pro-
phets to exhort them to repentance and reformation,
but all in vain, vet. 9, 10, 11, l2, 13. wherefore they
are threatened with the spoiling of their fortresses,
the destruction of the people, and the cutting off of
their kin% vet. 14, 15.
Vet. 1. Israel is an empty vine, &c.] The people of
Israel are of'ten compared to a vine, anti such an one
from whence fruit might be expected, being planted
in a good soil, and well took care of; see Psai. txxx.
8. Isa. v. 1, 2, 3. Jet. it. 21. but proved an empty vine,
empty of fruit; not of temporal good things, for a
multitude of such fruit it is afterwards said to have;
but of spiritual fruit, of the fruit of grace, and of Good
works, being destitute of the spirit of God, and his
grace; and, having no spiritual moisture, was incapa-
ble of bringing [brth good fruit: or, an emptying
vine ø; that casts its fruit before it is ripe; these peo-
ple, what fruit they had, they made an ill use of it;
even of their temporal good things; they emptied
themselves of their wealth and riches, by sending pre-
sents, or paying tribute, to foreign princes for their
alliance, friendship, and help; or by consuming it on
their idols, and in their idolatrous worship. The Tar-
gum renders it, "a spoiled vine {p} ;" spoiled by their
enemies, who robbed them of their wealth and riches,
and trampled them under foot. The Septuagint ver-
sion, and those that follow that, understand it in a
sense quite the reverse, rendering it, a flourishing
vine; putting forth branches, leaves, and fruit; and
which the learned Pocock confirms from the use of the
word in the Arabic language: but then it follows, he
bringeth .forth .fruit unto himself; all the good works
done by them were not to the praise and glory of God,
as fruits of righteousness are, which come by Jesus
Christ; but were done to be seen of men, and to gain
their applause and esteem, and so were for themselves;
and all their temporal good things they abounded
with were not made use of in the service of God, and
for the promoting of his glory, and of trne religion
among them; but either consumed on their own lusts,
or in the service of idols: or, the fruit is like unto him-
self {q}; as was the vine, so was its fruit: the vine was
empty, and devoid of goodness, and so the fruit it
produced. The Targum is, "the fruit of their works
"was the cause of their being carried captive :" ac-
cording to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the
altars: as the Israelites increased in riches and wealth,
their land bringing forth in great abundance, they
erected the greater number of altars to their idols, and
multiplied their sacrifices to them; this was thrill use
they made of what fruit they' did produce: at. cording
to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images;
of richer metal, and more ornamented, and more of
them, according to the plenty of good things, corn,
and wine, and oil, their land produced; thus abusing
the providential goodness of God to such vile purposes !
Ver. 2. Their heart is divided, &c.] Some say from
Hoshea their king, who would have reformed them
from their idolatry, and returned them to the true
worship of God; but of that there is no proof; better
from one another, their affections being alienated from
each other, by their discords and animosities, their
conspiracies against their kings, and the murders of
them, and the civil wars among thetnselves; they also
not being ot' one mind, but disagreeing in their senti-
ments about their idols; some being tbr one, and some
for another: or rather from God himserf, from the
fear of him, froth his worship and service; or from
the law, as the Targum; or their hearts were divided
between God and their idols, as in Ahab's time
tween God and Baal; they pretended to worship God
when they worshipped the calves, and so shared the
service between them; or it may be rendered, their
heart .flatters {} them; as if they had done that which
was right and good, and were guilty of no evil, nor
would any ptmishment be inflicted ou them: now
shall they be bound faulty; be convicted of their sin
and folly, and appear guilty; when they shall be pu-
nished ú tbr their idolatry, and their idols not able to
save them, as the destruction of them next mentioned
will fully evince: or, now shall they become desolate {}
their land shall be desolate, and they carried captive:
he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their
images: that is, the king of Assyria shall do all this,
or God by him: or, behead their altars t; take off the
top of thein, as the Targum; the horns of them,
which might be made of gold, or other ornaments
which were of value; and therefore became the plun-
der of the enemy; and who also would break in pieces
their images, for the sake of the metal, gold or silver,
of which they were made; as was usually done by con-
querors, and to shew their entire power over the con-
quered, that even their gods could not deliver them
out of their hands.
Ver. & For now they shall say, we have no king, &c.]
TFhis they would say, either when they had one; but
by their conduct and behaviour said they had none;
because they had no regard unto him, no affection for
him, and reverence of him;but every one did what
was right in his own eyes: or during the interregnum,
between the murderot' Pekah, which was in the twen-
tieth year of Jotham, and the settlement of Hoshea,
which was in the twelfth of Ahaz; see o. Kings xv, 30.
and xvii. 1. or when the land of Israel was invaded,
and their king was shut up in prison, and Samaria be-
sieged, so that it was as if they had no king; they had
none to protect and defend them, to sally out at the
head of them against the enemy, and fight their bat-
tles for them; or rather when the city was taken, the
altars broke down, their images spoiled, and they and
their king carried captive: because we feared not the
Lord: did not serve and worship him,. but idols; and
this. sin, casting off the fear of the Lord, was the
source and cause of all their troubles and sorrows; of
the invasion of their land; of the besieging and taking
their city, and having no king to rule over them, and
protect them: what then should a icing do to us? if

{o} \^qqwb Npg\^ "vitis evacuans", Drusius, Rivetus, Schmidt; so Stockius,
149.
{p} So Calvin.
{q} \^wl hwvy yrp\^ "fructum aequat sibi", Mercerus; "fructum facit similem
sibi", Schmidt.
{r} \^Mbl qlx\^ "adblanditur cor eorum", Schmidt.
{s} \^wmvay hte\^ "nunc desolabuntur", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster,
Drusius; so Kimchi and Ben Melech.
{t} \^Prey\^ "decollabit", Drusius, Piscator, Tarnovius, De Dieu; "decervi-
cabit", Cocceius.