Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_100_t.lzh/3_150.TXT

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in thy great goodness that thou gavest them; amidst all
the prosperity and affluence of good things they en-
42yed, which was an obligation upon them to serve the
ord; and in the large and fat land which thou gavest
before them; the land of Canaan, a land flowing with
milk, which lay open for them, their enemies being
driven out before them, see ver. 25. neither turned
they from their wicked works; their idolatries more
especially.
Ver. 36. Behold, we are servants this day, &c.] For
though they had leave to return to their land, and re-
build their city and temple, yet they were still in sub-
jection to the kings of Persia: and for the land thou
gavest unto our fathers, to eat the fruit thereof, and the
good thereof, behold, we are servants in it; though the
rightful owners and proprietors of it by the gift of
God to their ancestors, to hold it and enjoy the good
of it, and yet were obliged to pay tribute for it to the
kings of Persia, all excepting priests and Levites; see
Ezra vi. S. and vii. 20, 24.
Ver. 37. And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings
whom thou hast set over us, because oJ' our sins, &c.]
Though a very fruitful land, and brought forth much,

yet not for them, but tbr foreign kings, that had the
sovereignty over them, and enacted much toll, tribute,
and custom from thorn, which greatly lessened the
profit of the earth to them: also they have dominion
over our bodies; and could oblige them to work for
them, and do any service they should command.: and
over our cattle, at their pleasure; to carry burdens for
them, or ride post with them: and we are. in great dis-
tress; being servants and tributaries to a tbreign
power.
Ver. 38. And because of all this, &c.] Of all this
distress, and that it might be removed, and be clear
of it; or in all this distress and evil, as Jarchi and
Aben Ezra, in the midst of it all: we make a sure co-
venant; or faithfully promise to observe the law of
God, and particularly put away strange wives, and
not intermarry with the people of the land: and write
it; that it may remain and be a testimony against
them should they break it, being their own band-
writing: and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto
it; as witnesses of it, and thereby binding themselves
to observe the same things; their names that sealed
are given in the next chapter.

IN this chapter we have the names of the persons
that signed and sealed the covenant mentioned in the
last, ver. 1--27. and the things they agreed unto and
promised to perform; in general to observe the law of
God, in particular not to marry with the people of the
land, to keep the sabbaths weekly and yearly, to pay
annually the third part of the shekel for the service of
the temple, to bring into it the wood-offerings, first-
frnits, first-born, and tithes, ver. '28--39.
'Vcr. 1. Now those that sealed were, &c.] That
sealed the covenant, made oh. ix. 38. Nehemiah the
Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah ; the governor of the
Jews: and Zidkijah; who seems also to have been a
prince, since, without, it could not be said it was sealed
by their princes, oh. ix. 38. though some think both
these were priests, and then the princes must be sup-
posed to be among the chief of the people, vcr. 14.
from hence to the end of the 27th their names follow;
the names of the priests, ver. 2--8. who were in all 21;
no mention is made either of Eliashib the high-priest,
nor of Ezra the priest and scribe; some think the
former had not behaved well in his office, and that the
latter was either sick, or returned to Babylon, or how-
ever hindered by some providence or another, since we
hear of him both a little before and after, ch. viii. 2, 13.
and xii. 36. then the names of the Levilos, yet. 9--13.
in all 17, most of which we have met with in this
book before; next follow the names of the chief of
the people, vcr. 14--27. their number in all 44; and
their names may be observed in the list of those
that came out of Babylon with Zcrubbabel; the whole
number of those that sealed, princes, priests, Levitcs,
and chief of the people, were 84.
Vet. 28. And the rest of the people, &c.] That did
not sign ahd seal: the priests, the .Levites, the porters,
the singers, the Nethinims ; the porters and singers
were Levites; but those so called were such as waited

upon the priests, as the Nethinim were pertons that
waited ou them: and all they that had separated them-
selves from the people of the lands unto the law of God;
proselytes, who had renounced Heathenism, and em-
braced the true religion, had received the law of God,
and professed to walk according to it; their wives,
their sons, and their daughters, every one having lcnow-
ledge, and having understanding; of the nature of the
covenant, and the things contained in it, of what was
required of them, and of what they promised, of the
nature of an oath they entered into, and of the sin of
per. jury.
Ver. 29. They clare to their brethren, their nobles,
&c.] Who had signed and sealed the covenant,. they
declared their approbation of it, artended to it, and ra-
tified what they had done in their tame: and entered
into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law,
which was given by Moses the servant of God; they
bound themselves with an oath that they would keep
the law of God, and added a curse or imprecation on
themselves to it should they break it; or, according
to Piscator, they went into the space between the two
pieces of the calf, which they cut asunder tbr the con-
tirmation of the covenant, and so they cursed them-
selves if they should break it, see Jer. xxxiv. 18. and
to observe and do all the commandments cf the Lord our
God, and his judgments and his statutes; all the laws,
moral, ceremonial, and judicial; this they engaged to
do in general; some particulars follow.
Vet. 30. And that we would not give our dau,ghters
unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for
our sons, &c.] Intermarry with them as they had
done, and were prone to do, and even did after this,
oh. xiii. c23.
Ver. 31. And if the people of the land bring ware,
&c.] Any thing to be sold, any sort of goods, that
being sold might be taken away, as the word signifies;