Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_500_p.lzh/5_521.TXT

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covenant was made with them, in which many good
things were promised them upon their obedience; this
was kept by him, but forsaken and broken by them;
they forsook their covenant-God, his law and his wor-
ship; and that was the cause of their ruin: and wor-
shippeal other gods, and served them; the idols of the peo-
ple, as the Targum; they left the true God, who had
done great and good things for them, and worshipped
those who were only gods by name, and not by nature;
and served stocks and stones, the vanities of the Gen-
tiles, who could not bestow one good thing on them;
such were their stupidity and ingratitude, and there-
fore very justly given up to destruction. This seems
to refer, as Cocceius thinks, not to the first destruction
of the city by Nebuchadnezzar, when it had not so
clear and full an accomplishment; but to the second
destruction of it by tim Romans, and the times follow-
ing that; when the Gospel being preached among the
Gentiles, they had a better understanding of the true
God, and of his covenant, and of the vanity of idolatry,
and of the state of the Jewish nation, and the religion
of it, and of the true causes of their ruin.
Ver. 10. Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan
him, &c.] Not Jehoiakim, as Jarchi and Kimchi; but
King Josiah, slain by Pharaoh-necho; who, being a
pious prince, a good king, and very useful, and much
beloved by his people, great lamentation was made for
him by them, and by the prophet also; but now he
exhorts them to cease weeping, or at least not to weep
so much for him, it being well with him, and he taken
away from evil to come; and especially since they
had other and worse things to lament; see 2 Chron.
xxxv. 24, 25: but weep sore for him that goeth away:
or, in weeping weep {}: weep bitterly, and in good
earnest; there's reason for it; for him that was about
to go, or was gone out of his own land, even Jeho-
ahaz or Shallum, after mentioned, who reigned but
three months, and was put into bonds by Pharaoh-
necho king of. Egypt, and carried by him thither,
2 Chron, XXXVL 4: for he shall return no more, nor see
his native country; for he died in Egypt, 2 Kings
xxiii. 34. Jarchi interprets the dead, in the first
clause, of Jehoiakim, who died before the gate, when
they had bound him to carry him captive, 2 Chron.
xxxvi. 6. and him that goeth away, of Jeconiah and
Zedekiah, who were both carried captive; and so
Kimchi; but the former interpretation is best. Some
understand this not of particular persons, but of the
people in general; signifying that they were more
happy that were dead, and less to be lamented, than
those that were alive, and would be carried captive,
and never see their own country any more; see Eccl.
iv. 2. but particular persons seem manifestly de-
signed.
Ver. 11. For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum,
&c.] Not Shallurn the fourth son of Josiah, 1 Chron.
iii. 15. for it is not likely that he should immediately
succeed his father; nor Zedekiah, as Jarchi; nor Je-
coniah, as Kimchi; but Jehoahaz, as Aben Ezra; who
seems to have had several names, as Johanan, 1 Chron.
iii. 15. and Shallurn here: the son of Josiah king of
Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father ; the
same is said of Jehoahaz, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1:which
went forth out of this place; out of Jerusalem, being
put down there from his throne by Pharaoh-necho,
and carried by him into Egypt, c2 Chron. xxxvi. 3, 4:
he shall not return thither any more; he died in Egypt,
or however out of his own land; but was alive when
this prophecy was delivered out, which was in the
reign of his brother Jehoiakim, as some following
verses shew.
Ver. 12. But he shall die in the place whither they
have led him captive, &c.] Even in Egypt, where
Pharaoh-necho and his army carried him captive, as
before observed: and he shall see his land no more; the
!and of Judah, where he was born, and over which
he had been king: this is repeated to shew the cer-
tainty of it, and what reason there was for the above
lamentation; since the people might have been in
hopes of the return of him, but now they are assured
they had no ground for it; who, though he was not a
good prince, yet perhaps not so bad as his brother
Jehoiakim, who succeeded him; who appears, by what
follows, to have been a very unjust, tyrannical, and
oppressive prince; and therefore there was great oc-
casion for mourning on the account of Shallurn, who
very likely was more promising.
Vet. 13. Woe unto him that buildeth his house by
righteousness, and his chambers by wrong, &c.] This.
respects Jehoiakim, the then reigning king; who, not
content with the palace the kings of Judah. before him
had lived in, built another; or however enlarged that,
and made great alterations in it; but this he did either
with money ill-gotten, or perverted to a wrong use,
which ought to have been otherwise laid out; or by
not paying for the materials of whom they were bought,
or the workmen for their workmanship; and perhaps
this may be the reason why so much notice is taken
of the king's house or palace in the former part of the
chapter, and why it is threatened with desolation, ver.
1, 4, 5, 6: that useth his neighbour's service without
wages, and giveth him not for his work; or, that serveth
himself of his neighhour freely; or, makes him serve
freely {g}; and giveth him not his work {h}; makes him,
work for nothing; gives him no wages for it, but
keeps back the hire of the labourers; which is a crying
sin in any person, and much more in a king; see
Jam. v. 4.
Ver. 14. That saith, I will build me a wide house,
&c.] Or, a house of measures, or, dimensions i; a very
large house, whose length and breadth measure much
consisting of many spacious rooms, upper as well as
lower; as follows: and large chambers; or, widened
ones; very spacious and roomy; or aired, or airy
ones; through which the wind blows, or into which
much air comes; so that they were good summer-
chambers, for which they might be built: and cutteth
him out windows; to let in light and air, as well as for

{f} \^wkb wkb\^ deplorate deplorando, Schmidt; flete flendo, Pagninus,
Montanus.
{g} \^Mnx dbey wherb\^ qui socium suum servire facit gratis, Schmidt;
amici sui servitutem exigenti gratis, Junius & Tremellius.
{h} \^wl Nty al wlepw\^ & opus ejus non dabit ei, Montanus; mercedem.
operis, Pagninus.
{i} \^twdm tyb\^ domum mensurarum, Vatablus, Montanus, Calvin,
Schmidt.
{k} \^Myxwrm\^ perflabilia, Piscator; vento exposita, Vatablus, Montanus.