In this chapter the prophet foretels the calamities
that should come upon the Moabites for their trans-
gressions, vet. 1, 2, 3. and the destruction of Judah
and Jerusalem for their iniquities, ver. 4, 5. also the
judgments of God that should come upon Israel the
ten tribes for their sins, which sins are enumerated;
their oppression of the poor, their lewdness and ido-
latry, vet. 6, 7, 8. and which are aggravated by the
blessings of goodness bestowed upon them, both tem-
poral and spiritual, vet. 9, 10, 11, lc2. wherefore they
are threatened with ruin, which would be inevitable,
notwithstanding their swiftness, strength, and courage,
and their skill in shooting arrows, and riding horses,
yet. 13, 14, 15, 16.
Vet. 1. Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions
of Moab, &c.] Or the Moabites, who descended from
the eldest son of Lot, by one of his daughters; and,
though related, were great enemies to the Israelites;
they sent for Balaam to curse them when on their
borders, and greatly oppressed them in the times of
the judges: and for four, I will not turn away the pu-
nishment thereof; see the note on oh. i. 3. Idolatry,
as well as the sin next charged, must be one of these
four transgressions: the idols of Moab were Chemosh
and Baal-peor; of the former see the note on Jet.
xlviii. 7. and of the latter see the note on Hos. ix. 10:
because he burnt the bones of the king of Edom into
lime; either like to lime, or for lime; he burnt them
thoroughly, till they came to powder as small and. as
white as lime, and used them instead of it to plaster
the walls of his palace, by way of contempt, as the
Targum; and so Jarchi and Kimchi: this is thought
probable by Quinquarboreus {m}, for which he is blamed
by Sanctius, who observes, there is no foundation for
it in Scripture; and that the ashes of the bones of one
man would not be sufficient to plaster a wall; and,
besides, could never be brought to such a consistence
as to be fit for such a purpose; yet, if it only means
bare burning them, so as that they became like lime,
as the colour of it, it could not be thought so very bar-
barous and inhuman, since it was the usage of some
nations, especially the Romans, to burn their dead:
no doubt something shocking is intended, and which
usage to the dead is resented by the Lord. Sir Paul
Rycaut {n} relates a piece of barbarity similar to this,
that the city of Philadelphia was built with the bones
of the besieged, by the prince that took it by storm.
Kimchi thinks, as other interpreters also do, that it re-
fers to the history. in 2 Kings iii. 27. where the king of
Moab is said to offer his eldest son that should have
reigned in his stead for a burnt-offering; which he un-
derstands, not of the king of Moab's son, but of the
king of Edom's son, here called a king, because he
was to have succeeded his father in the kingdom; but
it seems rather to be the king of Moab's own son that
he offered; nor is it likely that the king of Edom's
son was in his lands; for he would have broke through
into the king of Edom, but could not; and then did
this rash action; not in wrath and fury, but in a re-
ligious way. The prophet here refers to some fact,
notorious in those times, the truth of which is not to
be questioned, though we have no other account of
it in Scripture; very probably it was the same king of
Moab that did it, and the same king of Edom that Was
so used, mentioned in the above history; the king of
Moab being enraged at him for joining with the kings
of Israel and Judah against him, who afterwards fall-
ing into his hands, he used him in this barbarous man-
ner; or very likely being possessed of his country after
his death, or however of his grave, he took him out
of it, and burnt his bones to lime, in revenge of what
he had done to him. This was a very cruel action
thus to use a human body, and this not the body of
a private person, but of a king; and was an act of im-
piety, as well as of inhumanity, to take the bones of
the dead out of his grave, and burn them; and which
though done to a Heathen prince, .God, who is the
Creator of all, and Governor of the whole world, and
whose vicegerents princes are, resented; and there-
fore threatened the Moabites with utter destruction
for it.
Ver. 2. But I will send a fire upon Moab, &c.]
Either on the whole country, or on some particular
city so called, as in all the other prophecies; and
there was a city called Moab, now Areopolis, see
the note on Jer. xlviii. 4. though it may be put for
the whole country, into which an enemy should be
seut to destroy it, even Nebuchadnezzar: and it shall
devour the palaces of Kerioth ; a principal city in the
!and of Moab; according to Kimchi, it was the royal
city, and therefore mention is made of the palaces of
it, here being the palace of the king and Iris princes;
see Jer. xlviii. 24. though the word may be rendered
cities, as it is by the Septuagint-and Arabic versions,;
and so the Targum," and shall consume the palaces
"of the fortitled place;" and so may signify all the
cities of Moab, and their palaces: or however may be
put for them: and Moab shall die with tumult, with
shouting, and wit.h the sound of the trumpet: that is,
the Moabites shall die, not in their beds, and in peace,
but in war, amidst the howlings of the wounded, the
shouts of soldiers, the clashing of arms, and the sound
of trumpets,
Vet. 3. And I will cut off the judge fronz the midst
thereof, &c.] Either from the midst of Moab, the
country in general-; or from Kerioth in particular, so
Kimchi; meaning their principal governor, their king,
as Aben Ezra; for kings sometimes have acted as
judges, took the bench, and sat and administered jus-
tice to their subjects: and I will stay all the princes
thereof with him, saith the Lord; the king, and the
princes of the blood, and his. nobles; so that there
should be none to succeed him, or to protect and de-
fend the people; the destruction should be an entire

{m} Scholia in Targum in loc.
{n} The present State of the Greek Church, ch, 2;