Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_000_p.lzh/5_095.TXT

Text File | 1995-02-13 | 6KB | 122 lines

and Babylon, whither they might carry it, in order to
the conveyance of it into their own country at a proper
time: it may be observed, that the country of Moab
came after this into the hands of the Arabians; and,
according to Jerom, the valley of Arabia lay in the
way from Moab to Assyria; but it may be rendered
%the valley of the willows%, and design the land of Baby-
lon, or Babylon itself, which was built in a plain, or
on a flat by the river Euphrates, out of which many
canals and rivulets were cut and derived, near to which
willows in great abundance grew; as they usually do
in marshy and watery places; hence the Jews in Baby-
lon are said to hang their harps upon the willows which
were by its rivers; so Jarchi thinks the land of Baby-
lon is meant, and compares it with \\#Ps 137:1,2\\
which sense is approved of by Bochart and Vatringa.
The Septuagint version is, \*"I will bring upon the
"valley the Arabians, and they shall take it;"\* and
the Targum is, \*"their border, which is by the western
"sea, shall be taken from them."\*
\*Ver. 8. \\For the cry is gone found about the borders
of Moab\\, &c.] The cry of destruction and howling
because of it; the places mentioned, as is observed by
some, being upon the borders of the land. Heshbon
was on the north east, Elealeh on the north west,
Jahaz on the south west, Horonaim further west, Zoar
the utmost west, and the places following seem to be
upon the borders likewise: \*\\the howling thereof unto
Eglaim\\; which word signifies a border, and so the
Arabic word Agalon; some take it to be the same with
the brooks of Arnon, \\#Nu 11:13,14\\ said so be the
border of Moab: \*\\and the howling thereof unto Beer-
elim\\; the same with Beer, \\#Nu 21:16\\ called Beer-
elim, or %the well of the mighty ones%, beiug dug by the
princes of Israel, \\#Nu 21:18\\.
\*Ver. 9. \\For the waters of Dimon shall be full of
blood\\, &c.] Of the slain, as the Targum adds. This
was a river in the land of Moab, as say Jarchi and
Kimchi; it had its name from the blood of the slain,
Some take it to be the name of a city, and the same
with Dibon, \\#Isa 15:2\\ but, because of the abundance
of blood shed in it, got this new name; and the
Vulgate Latin version here calls it Dibon; and the
Syriac version Ribon; and the Arabic version Rem-
mon: \*\\for I will bring more upon Damon\\; or %ad-
ditions% {r}, not merely add blood to the waters of the
river, as Jarchi and Kimchi; but bring additional
evils and plagues, as Aben Ezra. The Targum inter-
prets it, \*"the congregation of an army;"\* but what
these additions were are explained in the next clause:
\*\\lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the
remnant of the land\\; or a %lion% {s}; the meaning is, that
such who escaped the sword should be destroyed by
lions, or other beasts of prey, which was one of the
Lord's four judgments, \\#Eze 14:21\\. The Targum
is, \*"a king shall ascend with his army, and so spoil
"the remainder of their land;"\* and Aben Ezra inter-
prets it of the king of Assyria; and Jarchi of Nebu-
chadnezzar, who is called a lion, \\#Jer 4:7\\ and the
sense is thought to be this, that whom Sennacherib
king of Assyria should leave, Nebuchadnezzar should
destroy. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render
the last clause, %the remnant of Adama%, a city of Moab;
so Cocceius.

\*Ver. 1. \\INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 16\\

\*This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy
against Moab; in which the prophet gives good advice,
but in case of a haughty neglect of it, which he fore-
saw, threatens with ruin, and fixes a time for it. He
advises the Moabites to pay their tribute to the king
of Judah, or otherwise they should be turned out of
their land, as a bird out of its nest, \\#Isa 16:1,2\\ to pro-
tect, and not betray the people of the Jews that should
flee to them, because of the Assyrian army, \\#Isa 16:3,4\\
and for this end gives a great character of the king of
Judah, and assures them of the stability of his king-
dom, \\#Isa 16:5\\ but for their pride, wrath, and lying, they
are threatened with destruction, and are represented
as howling under it, \\#Isa 16:6,7\\ because of the spoil of
their cities, vineyards, and fields, so that they have
no harvest, nor vintage, nor gathering of summer fruits,
or joy on these accounts, \\#Isa 16:8-10\\ for which
even the prophet expresses a concern, \\#Isa 16:11\\ and after
having observed the application of the Moabites to their
gods without success, \\#Isa 16:12\\ the chapter is closed
with an assurance of the certain ruin of Moab, and of
the time when it should be, \\#Isa 16:13,14\\.
\*Ver. 1. \\Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land\\, &c.]
Or tribute, as the Targum rightly interprets it. The
Moabites, being conquered by David, paid tribute to
him, \\#2Sa 8:2\\ and when the kingdom was divided
in Rehoboam's time, the tribute was paid to the kings
of Israel, which continued till the times of Ahab, when
the Moabites rebelled, and refused to pay it, \\#2Ki 3:4,5\\
and this tribute, as appears from the passage
now referred to, was paid in lambs and rams; which
now they are bid to pay to the king of Judah, David's
lawful heir and successor in his kingdom; who is sup-
posed to be meant by the ruler of the land, that is, of
the land of Judah, whose reigning king at this time
was Hezekiah; but rather by %the ruler of the land% is
meant the king of Moab, for the words may be ren-
dered, more agreeably to the language and the accents,
%send ye the lamb% (or lambs, the singular for the plural),
%O ruler of the land% {t}; though others, %send ye the lamb
of the ruler of the land% {u}; that is either, O king of Moab
send the tribute that is due; or ye people of the land
send the tribute which your ruler owes to the king of
Judah; so Jarchi understands it of the king of Moab:
some indeed expound the ruler of the land of God
himself, who is the Governor of the world; and take

{r} \^twpown\^ %addita%, Pagninus, Montanus; %additiones%, Vatablus;
    %additamenta%, Junius, Tremellius, Piscator.
{s} \^hyra\^ %leonem%, Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
{t} \^Ura lvwm rk wxlv\^ %mittite agnum, dominator terrae%, Montanus;
    so Luther; which is approved by Reinbeck de Accent. Heb. p. 395.
{u} Mittite agnum dominatoris terrae, Pagninus, Vatablus, Junius &
    Tremellius, Piscator.