Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_652.TXT

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turned their backs upon the enemy in battle, and fled
in great confusion and precipitancy; see vet. 15, 16:
.the!! did not stand; and face the enemy, and light him,
but fell or fled before him: because the day of their
calamity was come upon them, and the time of their
visitation; the time appointed by the Lord to visit and
punish them, and bring destruction on them for their
Sin {},,
Vet. 22. The voice thereof shall go like a serpent, &c.
That is, the voice of Egypt, before compared to a
heifer, when in its glory; but now it shall not bellow
like a heifer in fat pasture, bat hiss like a serpent, when
drove out of its hole, and pursued; signifying, that
their voice should be low and submissive, and should
not speak one big or murtnuring word to their con-
querors. The voice of the serpent is, by Aristotle
said to be small and weak; so AElianus {}. Though
Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel, understand it of the
voice of serpents heard afar off; and so it may respect
the dreadful latnentation the Egyptians should make,
when they should see the Chaldeans come upon them
to destroy them; just as serpents in woods make a
horrible noise, when they are set on fire, or are cut
down, to which there is an allusion in some following
clauses.. The Targum seems to interpret this of the
Chaldean army thus, "the voice of the clashing of their
"arms as serpents creeping ;" and of them the follow-
ing words are' certainly meant: for they shall march
with an army; the Targum adds, against you; the
meaning is, that the Chaldeans should come with a
great army, and march against the Egyptians with
great strength, force, and fury: and come against her
with axes, as hewers of wood; with battle-axes, as if
they came to cut down trees; nor would they spare
the Egyptians any more than such hewers do the trees;
nor would they be able any more to resist them than
trees can resist bewers of wood.
Vet. 23.   They shall cut down her forest, saith the
Lord, &c.] The land of Egypt, compared to a forest,
for the multitude of its cities and towns, and the inha-
bitants of them; which should be destroyed by the
Chaldeans, as a forest is cut down by hewers of wood;
the metaphor is here continued. The Targum inter-
prets this of the princes of Egypt, and the destruction
of them. Though it cannot be searched; either the
forest of Egypt, which was so thick of trees; that is,
the land was so full of towns and cities, that they could
not be searched and numbered; and though the way
through it seemed impassable, yet was made passable
by the hewers of wood: or its destruction would be so
general, thatit cannot besearched°; or found out, where
this forest was, where those trees grew, not one of
them standing: or else this is to be understood of the
Chaldean army, which was so great, that it could not
be numbered: because theSt are more than the gra.s-
hoppers, and are innum, erable; which creatures come in
large numbers, and eat up every green tree and herb;
and so the Chaidean army, being alike numerous, would
easily cut down the trees of this forest, though they
were so many.
Ver. 0,4. The daughter of .Egypt shall be conJbunded,
&c.] Brought to shame betbre all the nations of the
earth, being conquered by the Chatdeans; that is, the
kingdom or' Egypt, as the Targum; or the inhabitants
of it, being subdued and carried captive: she shall be
delivered into the hand of the people of the north; the
Chaldeans, who dwelt northward of Egypt, as is ma-
nifest from what follows.
Ver. 0_.5. The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith,
&c.] These titles are often given to the Lord, arid
set before prophecies that come from him; and, ac-
cordingto Kimchi, the reason why he is here spoken
of as the God of Israel was, because the vengeance
threatened to the Egyptians should come upon them,
as a punishment for using Israel ill; as Shishak king of
Egypt, and Pharaoh-necho, who slew Josiah: behold,
I .will punish the multitude of No; the inhabitants of it,
which were many, called populous No, Nah. ii'i. 8. a
famous city in Egypt. Some take it to be Diospolis
or Thebes; and others P the same that is now called
Alexandria; and so the Targum renders it; and which
is tbllowed by the Vulgate Latin version: and Jarchi
calls it the seignory or government of A lexand ria; and
takes Amon, the word for multitude, to signify the
prince of this place; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech
interpret it, king of a city called No: rather Jupiter
Ammon {} is meant, an idol of the Egyptians, which
had a temple in Thebes, and was worshipped in it;
and who had his name from Ham, the son of Noah.
Hillerus {r}, by various arguments, endeavours to prove
that No is the same city with Memphis, and that No
Amon signifies the habitation of the nourished; that is,
of Apis, which was nourished here. But be he who
he will, or the place what it will, he or that would cer-
tainly be punished. And Pharaoh, and Egypt, with
their gods, and their ldngs ; Pharaoh, the present king
of Egypt, who was Pharaoh-hophra, and all the land
of Egypt; and all their numerous idols, which were
many indeed; and the several governors of the nomes
or provinces into which the !and was distributed; these
should be punished, and suffer in the general calamity.
Even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him; the Jews
that dw.elt in Egypt, and who thought themselves safe
under his protection; such who went along with Jo-
hanan thither, contrary to the will of God; these should
not escape punishment, but be involved in the same
destruction.
Ver. 26. And I will deliver them into the hand of those
that seek their lives, &c.] Into the hands of the Chal-
deans; that is, the king of Egypt, and all his- people,.
and those that trusted in him: and into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of
his servants; his general officers, that commanded in
his army under him. Berosus {}, the Chaldean, makes
mention of Nebuchadnezzar's carrying the Egyptians
captive into Babylon. And afterwards it shall be in-
habited, as in the days of old; after forty years, as
Ezekiel prophesied, ch. :-- . _. ", 14. not that it should
rise to the same glory and dignity as before, for it
would be but a base kingdom; but whereas it was de-

{m} Hist. Animal. I. 4. c. 9.
{n} De Animal. I. 15. c. 13.
{o} \^rqxy al yk\^ ut non investigetur, Calvin.
{p} R. David Ganz. Chronolog. par. 2. fol. 10. 1. Elias in Tishbi, p. 11.
{q} Vid. Schmidt in loc & Stockium, p. 71. So Bochart. Phaleg. I. 1,
c. 1. col. 5,6.
{r} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 571, &c.
{s} Apud Joseph. Antiqu. I.10. c. 11. sect. 1. & contra Apion, I. 1. c. 19.