Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_253.TXT

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for Zion in a spiritual sense, or the church of God, and
the interest of religion, whose spirits the Lord stirred
up to come out of Babylon, upon the proclamation by
Cyrus, when those that were more worldly and carnal
stayed behind; as also because the chief mercy in re-
turning the captives was the rebuilding the temple on
Mount Zion, and the restoration of religious worship;
which gave the religious captives in Babylon great
concern, Psal. cxxxvii. 1--3. 'Fhis deliverance of the
captives, though it was by Cyrus as an instrument,
yet it was the Lord's work; which he employed him
in, and stirred him up to do, and therefore is ascribed
to him. And though this is expressed in the past
tense, yet it may be put for the future; and be con-
sidered as a prophecy of it, and which the following
word seems to confirm; and especially the prayer,
ver. 4. for the return of the captivity seems to require
it should: and may not only literally respect the re-
turn of the captives. in Babyl0n, but the conversion of
the Jews in the latter day, and their deliverance from
their present captivity; which is expressed sometimes
by the Lord's bringing a.sain Zion, and returning the
captivity of the Jews, and their being turned to the
Lord, Isa. !ii. S. Jer. xxx. 3, 18. 2 Cor. iii. 16. and
may be applied to spiritua! and eternal redemption by
Christ, of which the deliverance from Babylon was a
type; and is sometimes expressed in the same lan-
guage, Psal. xiv. 7. Jer. xxxi. 22, 23. and the people
redeemed are often signified by Zion, and are by na-
ture captives to sin, Satan, and the law; from whence
they are redeemed by Christ, whose wock alone it is,
Isa. i. 0_7. and lix. 60. We were like them that dream;
or shall be {p{; that is, as persons that know not whe-
ther they are asleep or awake; and whether what they
see and enjoy is in reality or only a.visiou, as Peter's
deliverance from prison was to him,..Acts xii. 9. When
the proclamation by Cyrus was first heard of by the
Jews, and they had their liberty upon it, they could
hardly tell whether it was a real thing or a vision, and
could  scarcely believe it for joy; it seemed too good
news to be true, as the news of Joseph's being alive
was to Jacob, Gen. xlv. 26. and so .the appearance of
Christ, his resurrection, and redemption by him, were
to the disciples, Luke xxiv. 11, 21, 41. The Targum
is, "we were like the sick that are recovered ;" which
sense the word has in Job xxxix. 4. Isa. xxxviii. 16.
and will be the case of the Jews, when they are con-
verted; who will be recovered out of the sick state
and condition in which they now are, and have all
their diseases healed, and sins forgiven; yea, their
conversion will be as life from the dead, a resurrection
of them from their graves, Rom. xi. 15. Ezek. xxxvii.
11, 12. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and
Ethiopic versions, render it, as those that are com-
.forted; and the Syriac version, as those th7t rejoice
each of the seasons mentioned being  times of comfort
and joy: Joseph Kimchi interprets it of the passing
away and forgetfulness of affliction and trouble at the
time of. redemption, like a dream that flies away upon
awaking.
Ver. 2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, &c.]
Who before mourned, and hung their harps on the
willows, and could not sing the Lord's song in a
strange land; but now, as their hearts were filled ,with
joy, this was externally and visibly seen in their coun'-
tenances, and expressed with their mouths and by
outward gestures; it was so great, they could not con-
tain it, to which 'respect is had, Isa. xxxv. 10. It
may be rendered, then shall our mouth be filled with
laughter {q}; that is, when we awake, says Arama; or
rather when the captivity is returned, either in a lite-
ral or in a spiritual sense, both being matter of great
joy: the Midrash says, this will be in the world to
come, and not in this. And our tongue with singing;
the praises of God, and the songs of Zion. Then said
they among the Heathen, the Lord hath done great
things for them; it was taken notice of by the Chal-
deans, among whom they had been captives, and by
all the nations round about: and it was wonderful to
them, that Cyrus, an Heathen prince, of his own
motion and will, should at once, and without any price
or reward, let them go, and send them into their own
country to rebuild their temple; and with them the
vessels of the Lord's house, that had been taken away
by the king of Babylon; and order men to help them,
with gold and silver, and goods and cattle, Ezra i.
1--11. Likewise the conversion of the Jews, and the
restoration of them .to their own ]and in the latter day,
will be observed by the Gentiles with wonder, and as
the work of God, Ezek. xxxvi. 35, 36. and xxxvii.
21, e8.
Ver. 3. The Lord hath done great things for us, &c.]
These words are generally supposed to be the words
of the Jews, taking up those of the Gentiles, and con-
firming them; acknowledging that the Lord had done
great things for them indeed; which, had they not
owned, they would have been exceeding ungrateful;
had they been silent concerning them, the stones
would have cried out, and the very Heathens con-
demned them. But I see not why they may not be
thought to be the words of those among the Heathens
continued; declaring that the great things done were
not for the Jews only, but for them also; as the great
redemption by Christ is of persons out of every tongue,
people, and nation; for he is the propitiation, not for
the Jews only, but for the sins of the whole world;
and having this in view, thus they express themselves.
The work of redemption is a great thing of itself; the
produce of great wisdom; the effect of great love;
procured at a great price, for great sinners, by a great
Saviour; and is not only a deliverance from sin, Satan,
and the law; but contains many great and glorious
blessings in it, as justification, remission of/ins, adop-
tion, and eternal life. Whereof we are glad.; that
those great things are done without us, finished by the
Redeemer himself; that they are so great and glorious,
so rich and plenteous, so full and free, and suitable to
us; and done for us sinners of the Gentiles, so unwor-
thy of them, who are by nature children of wrath as
others.
Ver. 4. Turn again our captivity, 0 Lord, &e.]
This prayer for the return of the captivity shews that

{p} \^wnyyh\^ erimus, Musculus, Gejerus, Schmidt; so the Targum,
Syr. Arab.
{q} \^almy\^ replebitur, Musculus, Gejerus; implebitur, Schmidt; so
the Targum, Syr. Arab.