Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_657.TXT

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get away, &c.] - That is, give wings to the inhabitants
of Moab; signifying that they were in great danger,
and there was uo probability of escaping it, unless they
had the wings of a swift bird, or were as swift as such,
and even that would not do; though perhaps their
fleeing, and passing away with wings, may signify
not their fleeing frown danger, and their attetnpt to
escape; but their swift and sudden destruction, com-
pared to the swi'ft flight of a bird; for the last clause
may be rendered, for in flying it shall fly away {o}. Some
render the first clause, give afiower to Moab, as the
Vulgate Latin version; and so the word sometimes
signifies, Isa. xl. 7. and the sense may be, hold up a
flower to Moab, or a feather, such as is light, as the
down of a thistle, as an emblem of its destruction;
which shall pass away as easily and swifily as so light
a thing before the wind; but Jarchi aud Kimchi inter-
pret the word as we do, a wing. The Targum is,
"take away the crown from Moab, for going it shall
"go away into captivity." The word is used of the
plate of gold on the high-priest's mitre, Exod. xxviii.
36: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to
dwell therein; which expresses the utter destruction of
them.
Vet. 10. Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord
decei(Ddl.tt, &c n. Which is said with respect to the
Chaldeans, who were enjoined to destroy the Moabites;
which is called the work of the Lord, because he had
given them a commission to do it; and which was to be
done by them, not by halves, or in a re|niss and negligent
manner, but fully and faithfully; they were not to
spare them, as Saul did the A-malekites, and Ahab
Benhadad. This is a general rule, which may be ap-
plied to all divine work and service; every man has
work to do for God; some in a more public, others in
a more · private way; all should be done in uprightness
and sincerity, with all faithfulness and integrity: it is
done deceitfully when men play the hypocrite; and
negligently when they are backward to it, lukewarm
in it, and infrequent in the performance of it; which
brings upon them the curse of God; and which is not
a curse causeless, but a legal one; and is no other than
the wrath of God in strict justice: and cursed be he
that keepeth back his sword from blood ; from shedding
the blood of the Moabites, when God had given com-
mand to do it. The curse is repeated, as Kimchi ob-
serves, to confirm the matter, that it might be most
assured!v expected; since it would certainly come, if
the Lord's work was not done aright.
   Vet. 11. Moab hath been at ease fro:n his youth, &c.]
Lived in great peace and prosperity from the time they
became a king{lorn; being very little disturbed with
wars by their neighboars, or very rarely; so that they
were in very prosperous and flourishing circumstances,
which occasioned that pride and haughtiness they were
notorious for. This is an emblem of unregenerate
men; who, though sinners from their birth, and liable
to the curse of the law, subject to the stroke of death,
and must come to .judgment; yet stupid and quite at
ease, having no sight of sin, nor feeling of the burden
of its guilt,. nor grief or trouble for it; no sense of
danger, or fear of hell; but in the utmost security: all
which arise from ignorance, hardness of heart, profane-
hess, and infidelity; thoughtlessness about their im-
mortal souls; putting the evil day far from them; and
being under the influence of Satan, who keeps his goods
in peace: and he hath settled on his lees; a metaphor
taken front wine; which, the longer it remains on the
lees, the better body it has, and the richer and stronger
it is; and denotes the great tranquillity oftlie Moabites;
the riches they were possessed of, and in which they
trusted. The Targum renders it, "quiet in their sub-
" stance ;" herein they were an emblem ofunconverted
sinners, who are settled and hardened in the corrup-
tions of their nature; and not at all disturbed at the
evil of sin; the wrath of God; his judgments on men;
the last and awful judgment; or at the terrors of hell;
and likewise of such who trust in their own righteous-
hess, and depend upon that for salvation: and hath not
been emptied.fron:, vessel to vessel; like wine that has
never been racked off from the vessel or vessels it was
first put into: they' were never removed from place to
place, but always continued in their land; in which
they were an emblem of such who have never seen
their own emptiness, and their want of the grace of
God, and have never been emptied of sin, nor of self-
righteousness: neither hath he gone into captiNty ; this
explait;s in proper words the metaphor in the pre-
ceding clause: the Moabites had never been carried
captive out of their own land into others; an emblem
of such who have never seen their captive state to sin
and Satan; or ever brought to complain of it, or be-
come the captives of Christ... therefore his taste remained
in him, and his scent is not changed; his wealth, riches,
and prosperity, continued without any change and alte-
ration; and also his sins and vices, idolatry, pride,
luxury, and which were the cause of his ruin; and for
that reason are here mentioned; an emblem of unre-
generate men, whose taste is vitiated by sin, and con-
tinues as it was originally; they relish sin, and disrelish
every thing that is good; and savour the things that
be of man, and not the things of God; and so are in a
most dangerous condition.
Ver. lo.. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the
_Lord, &c.]  This being their case, they should not con-
tinue in it; a change would be made, and that in a
very short time, as there was; for, according to Jose-
phus {p}, it was about five years after the destruction of
Jerusalem that the Moabites were subdued by the
king of B.abylon: that I will send unto him wanderers
that shall cause him to wander; the Chaldeans, who
wandered out of their own country to Moab, directed
by the providence of God to cotne there to do his
work; and who, at first, might be treated by the
Moabites with contempt, as vagrants, but would soon
be made to linow that they would cause them to
wander.; or would remove them out of their own
country into other lands, particularly Baby!on, to be
vagrants there. The word may be rendered irayellers {q];
and signifies such that. walk with great strength of
body, in a stately way, and with great agility and
swiftness; in which manlier the Chaldeans are de-

{o} \^aut aun yk\^ quia volando volabit, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus;
quia avolando avolabit, Schmidt; nam avolabit, Piscator.
{p} Antiqu. I. 10. c. 9. sect. 7.
{q} \^Myeu\^ viatores, Tigurine version.