Kimchi and Ben Melech: or he that knoweth that ini-
quity is on him will return and repent; so Jarchi,
with which agrees the Targum, "he that knows that
"sins are in him will return from them, and he shall
"obtain mercy; and whoever repents, his sins shall
"be forgiven him ;" but rather they are to be under-
stood of God, as some in Kimchi, and paraphrase it,
who knows ? perhaps God may return; and this is the
sense of A ben Ezra, and seems to be the righteat; and
to be interpreted, either as carrying some doubt in it;
not as if it was questionable whether God will give
pardon to repenting sinners, but whether he will at
once remove the present affliction and chastisement;
which may be thus expressed to check the presump-
tion and awaken the security of the people, and rouse
them from their sluggishness and stupidity: or rather
as expressive of hope that God would return and
change the dispensation of his providence, and repent
of the evil he had threatened, or brought upon them;
which might be justly grounded upon the character
before given of him, and that from the revelation of
himself, and the proclamation of his own perfections;
see Jon. iii. 9: and leave a blessing behind him; mean-
ing not behind God himself, as if he was departed, or
about to depart, for which there was no great concern,
provided he left a temporal blessing with them; but
behind the army of the locust, after that had made all
the devastation it did: or rather cause to leave; stop
the locust in its progress, and not suffer it to make a
total desolation, but cause it to leave some of the fruits
of the earth behind' it. SO Aben Ezra gives the sense
of the words, "perhaps God will.return, and cause
" the locust to leave a blessing; anti to the same
purpose 'Jarchi, of which they make a meat-offerin
and a drink-offering, as follows: even a meat-of
and a drink-offering to the Lord your God; at leas
leave so much of the wheat, that a meat-offering might
be made of it; and so many of the vines, as that so
much wine might be produced by them as would fur-
nish out a drink-offering to be offered to the Lord,
agreeably to the laws given about these; for which the
greatest concern is expressed, this being cut off and
withheld from the house of the Lord, by reason of
the present scarcity, ch. i. 9, 13. which shows a truly
pious and religious mind, having more at heart-the
worship of God than themselves and families.
Ver. 15. Blow the trumpet in Zion, &c.] For the
calling of the people together to religious duties, which
was one use of the silver trumpets made for and blows
by the priests, Numb. x. 2, 3, 8, 10: sanctify s fast,
call a solemn assembly; see the note on ch. i. 14.
Ver. 16. Gather, the people, &c.] The common
people, all the inhabitants of the land, ch. i. 14. sum-
mon them to meet together in the temple, in order to
humble themselves before God for their sins, and im-
plore his mercy, and seek his face to remove his judg-
ments, or avert them: sanctify the congregation ,' see
that they are sanctified and prepared for a fast,-as the
law directs in such cases; that they may be clean and
free from all ceremonial impurities; that their bodies
and clothes be washed, and that they abstain from
their wives, and from all lawful pleasures, as well as
sinful ones: assemble the elders; both in age and au-
thority; that.they, by their presence and example,
might influence others to attend such a service: ga,
thor the children. and those that suck the breast, ; who
were involved in the common calamity and distress.
were obliged to fasting. and whose cries might affect
parents, and engage them the more to humill-
and repentance for their sins, which brought
such, miseries, not only upon themselves, but upon
their tender infants; and they might think their cries
would move the pity and compassion of God; all which
is suggested in the note of Kimchi: let the bridegroom
go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet;
where they are adornlag themselves. and preparing
for an interview with each other; or where they are
enjoying each other's embraces. and the pleasures of
the matrimonial state. The sense is. let them put off
their nuptial robes, and deny themselves their lawful
pleasures, and betake themselves to fasting. mourning,
and prayer; see 1 Cor. vii. 5. This refers to a custom
among the Jews at the time of espousals. when the
bridegroom and bride were introduced into the nup-
tial chamber, where the marriage was completed;
and, according to the Jewish writes. it was not finished
before: the blessing of the bridegroom and bride did
not complete the marsinge. but the bringing of them
into the chamber did; and thenthey were said to he
married, though as yet they had not cohabited. and
then, and not before. a man might enjoy his wife {}:
and the marriage-chamber was nothing else but a linen
cloth or garment spread upon four poles over the head
of the bridegroom and bride; this they called \^hpwx\^ {y};
the word ishere rendered a closet. and the same with
the chamber; and their leaving and coming out of this
signifies their abstaining from the lawful enjoyment of
each other, which now they had a right unto.
Vet. 17. Let the priests. the ministen of the Lord,
weep between the porch and the altar. &c.] Not the
altar of incense. which stood in the holy place; but
the altar of burnt-offering, where the priests used to
stand and do service; but now. having nothing lode
of that kind, they are called upon to weep and pray
between that and the porch of the temple; where they_
might be seen end heard by the people in the outward
court. which the porch led into: this is thought by
some to be the same situation with that between the
and the altar, Matt. xxiii, 35: and let them ny.
thy people. 0 Lord; they ar'e directed to plead, not
in a way of justice, but mercy; that though it might be
rust with God to destroy these people, who were called
by his name; yet it is entreated that he would not, but
m mercy spare them, and not cut them off in his sore
displeasure, which the present judgment threatened
them with : there seems to be an argument for mercy
suggested, in the relation these people stood in to God..
they are thy people, whom thou hast chcnen, andwho
are called by thy name | though this was also an aggra-
vation of their sin; and the same may be observed in
what follows: and give not thine heritage to reproaeh :
the people whom he had chosen for his inheritance, and

{x} Maimon. Hilchot Ishot, c. 10. sect. 2. 4. Schulchan Aruch, par. 8
Eben Haezer, c. 55. sect. 2, 3.
{y} R. Ellas Levita, Tishbi in \^hpx\^ p. 119.