Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_648.TXT

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and fury, to make their chariots rattle again, and run
about here and there like madmen, as the word" signi-
fies, to throw the enemy into confusion and disorder
if they could: and let the mighty men come forth : out
of the land of Egypt, as Abarbinel; or let them come
forth, and appear in the field of battle with courage
and greatnes,s of mind, and do all their might and
skill can furnish them with, or enable them to do: the
Ethiopians and the Lybians, that handle the shield; or
Cash and Phut, both sons of Ham, and brethren of
Mizraim, from whence Egypt had its name, Gen. x.
6. the posterity of these are meant. The Cushites or
Ethiopians were near neighboars of the Egyptians,
and their allies and confederates. The Lybians or
Phuteans, as the Targum, were the posterity of Phut,
who dwelt to the westward of Egypt, and were the
auxiliaries of that nation, and with the Ethiopians and
Lydians are mentioned as such in Ezek. xxx. 4, 5. as
here. The shield was a weapon they much used in
war, and were famous for their skill in it, and are de-
scribed by it. The Egyptians were remarkable for
their shields: Xenophon {w} describes them as having
shields reaching down to their feet; and which covered
their bodies more than the breast-plates and targets of
the Persians did; which helped them to push forward,
having them on their shoulders, .so that the enemy could
not withstand them: and the Lydians, that handle and
bend the bow; these were the posterity of Ludim the
son of Mizraim, Gen. x. 13. and were the Lydians in
Africa, and not in Asia, who sprung from Lud the
son of Shere, Gen. x. 22. they were famous for their
skilfulness in the use of bows and arrows; see Isa. lxvi.
19. now these are called together to use their military
skill, and shew all the c, ourage they were masters of;
and yet all would be in vain. Bochart {x} endeavours to
prove, by various arguments, that these Lydians
were Ethiopians; and, among the rest, because they
are here, and in Isa. lxvi. 19, described as expert in
handling, bending, and drawing the bow; which he
proves, by the testimonies of several writers, the Ethio-
pians were famous for; that bows were their armour;
and that theirs were larger than others, even than the
Persians', being four cubits long; that they were very
dexterotis in shooting their arrows; took sure aim, anit
seldom missed.
Ver. 10. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
&c.] Or, but this is the day {y}, &c. ;notwithstanding
this great apparatus for war, and those many auxilia-
ries the Egyptians would have, yet it would not be
their day, in which they should get the better of their
enemies; but the Lord's day ;the day he had appointed;
who is the Lord God of all armies, above and
below; and who would bring his own armies together
when he pleased, and give them victory: a day of venge-
ance, that he may avenge him of his enemies: the ene-
mies of his people, as the Targum; the Egyptians,
who had been of old the implacable enemies of his peo-
pie Israel; though now, contrary to his will, they too
much trusted to them, and relied on them; according.
to Kimchi, this vengeance was taken on them for kill-
ing Josiah: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be
satiate and made drunk with their blood; that is, the
sword of the Chaldeans shall destroy the Egyptians in
such vast numbers, that there shall be no more to be
slain; or there shall be no desire in the enemy to slay
any more; they shall be glutted with their blood. All
the phrases are designed to shew the carnage that
should be made; the vast destruction of the people;
the large numbers that should be slain:for the Lord
God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by'
the river Euphrates; near Carchemish, situated by the
river Euphrates, which lay north of Egypt; see yet.
6. Here is an allusion to the sacrifices of great persons,
which are many; the Lord of hosts had a sacritice, or
a great slaughter of men, his enemies; inflicted punish-
ment on them, wherein his power, justice, and holi-
ness, were displayed; see Isa. xxxiv. 6.
,Ver. 1I. Go up into Gilead, &c.] Still the irony
or sarcasm is. continued. Gilead was a place in the
land of Israel famous for balm or balsam, used in curing
wounds; see ch. viii. 22. hence it follows: and take
balm, 0 virgin, daughter of .Egypt; the kingdom of
Egypt, as the Targum; so called because of its glory
and excellency; and because as yet it had not been
oonquered and brought under the power of another:
now .the inhabitants of it are bid to take balm or bal-
sam, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; but this grew not
in Gilead beyond Jordan, but near 3ericho ou this side
Jordan, as Bochart {} has proved from various authors;
particularly Strabo {a} says of Jericho, that there is the
paradise of balsam, an aromatic plant, and of great
esteem; for there only/it is produced: and so Diodorus
Siculus {b}, speaking of places near Jericho, says, about
these places, in a certain valley, grows what is called
balsam, from which much profit arises; nor is the
prant to be found in any other part or' the world: and
Justin {c} observes the same; that much riches accrue to
the nation from the tax on balsam, which is only pro-
duced in this country, in Jericho, and the valley near
it; yea, Kimchi himself elsewhere a says, that the
balsam is not any where in the whole world but in
Jericho. The word therefore should be rendered rosin,
as also in ch. viii. 22. as it is by some {e}; and which is
used in cleansing, healing, and contracting wounds,
and dispersing humours, as Pliny f relates; and this
here is ordered to be taken, either literally, to cure the
vast number of their wounded by the Chaldeans; or
rather, figuratively, they are called upon to make use
of all means to recover their loss sustained; by recruit-
ing their army, fortifying their cities, and getting fresh
allies and auxiliaries; all which would yet be to no
purpose: iu vain shalt thou use many medicines ; for
thou shall not be cured; notwithstanding all means
made use of to repair its losses; though it shc, uld not

{u} \^wllhth\^ insanite, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Schmidt; in-
sano impetu agitamini, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{w} Cyropaedia, 1.6. c. 14. & I. 7. c. 9.
{x} Phaleg. I. 4. c. 26. col. 266.
{y} \^awhh Mwyh\^ dies autem, Vulg. Lat.; atque dies, Junius & Tre-
mellius; sed dies ille, Schmidt.
{z} Hierozoic. par. I.1. 2.c. 51. col. 628, 629.
{a} Geograph. I. 16. p. 525.
{b} Bibliothec. I. 19. p. 734.
{c} E Trogo, I. 36. c. 3.
{d} Comment in 2 Kings xx. 13. So R. Levi Ben Gersom in ib.
{e} \^yru yxq\^ tolle resinam, Montanus, Munster, Calvin, Grotius.
{f} Nat. Hist. I. 24. c. 6.