Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_100.lzh/6_116.TXT

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practices, and all with a view to get dishonest gain; that
their estates may be forfeited, their goods confiscated,
and got into their hands.
Vet. 28. And her prophets have daubed them with un-
tempered mortar, &c.]-Palliated their sins, declared
it to be right to shed the blood they did; and seize
on the estates of men; but this, though it might for
a while satisfy the consciences- of these'princes, and
stop the clamours of the people against them; yet'
would not last long, but be like the building of a wall.
with bad stuff, which will not Stand ; and daubing it
with mortar, which will soon wash off. So the Tar-
gum, "'.and the false prophets which are in the
"midst of her are like to those that build a wall, and
"daub it with mere clay, without straw ;" see the note
on ch. xiii. 10. Seeing vanity, and divining lies unto
them; pretending visions from God, when what they
see, or pretend' to see, .is nothing but vanity and
emptiness, mere delusions; and prophesylug good
th.h?gs, peace and prosperity, when they are all lies;
givmg out they have messages from God, and are or-
dered to foretel that happy times will be, when it is
all falsehood: saying, thus saith the Lord God, when
the Lord hath not spoken; herein mimicking the true
prophets, who came in .the name of the Lord, and
usually prefaced their prophecies with a thus saith the
Lord; and so did. these false prophets, when the Lord
said nothing to them, and gave them no commission
to speakin his name, or say the things they did.
Ver, e9. The people of the land have used oppression,
&c.] The common people, the more powerful among
them, such as were in greatestauthority in cities and
towns, in neighbourhoods and families, the richest
among them; these oppressed the poor, and those
that were under them, the servants of them, and te-
nants to them, and who were not able to defend them-
selves against them: the Septuagint and Syriac versions
understand this of the prophets using the people of the
land ill: and exercised robbery; such who had not the
power as others had, became thieves and robbers,
went on the highway, and 'took men's money from
them; broke up houses, and plundered them, and
stole away their goods: and have vexed the poor and
needy; by their oppressions, rapines, and robberies,
 when. they should rather have relieved them: yea,
they have oppressed the stranger. wrongfully ; or, with-
out right or judgment{k}; .in a very unjust manner, con-
.trary to the due course of law, against all equity and
justice; which the Israelites were warned and ordered
not to do, intoany passages of Scripture; and tbr this
reason, because they had been strangers in Egypt.
Ver. 30. And I sought for a man .among them, &c.]
mong the princes, priests, prophets, and people of
the land,-who acted the part as above described; for
otherwise, no doubt, there were good people in the
land, as Jeremiah, Baruch, and others, but not among
these: that should make up the hedge; that was broken
down by the transgressions of the people, who ex-
ceeded all bounds of law and justice; one that would
restrain them from sinning, and reform them, and set
them a good example; one, as the Targum has it,
"whose works were good ;" a good man, that would
endearour by his influence to stop the breaking in of
sin, and the consequences of it: and stand in the gap
before me ,for the land, that I should not destroy it; in
the gap that sin had made, at which the Lord was en-
tering as a man of war to destroy the transgressors; one
that should present himself to the Lord on the behalf
of the people; seek mercy for them, as the Targum;
interpose between God and them, and act the part of
an intercessor; pray for them, as Moses did for the
people of Israel, that he would not destroy them; see
Psal. cvi. 23: but I found none; no reformer of them,
no repairer of the breach, nor restorer of paths, to
dwell' in; no intercessor for the'm, as Abraham for
Sodore, Moses for Israel; or any, like Aaron, that
stood between the living and the dead to stay the
plague.
Ver. 31. Therefore have. I poured out mine indigna-
tion upon them, &c.] Like a mighty torrent, carry-
ing all before it: I have consumed them with the fire
of my wrath; by the sword, famine, pestilence, and
captivity: their own way have I recompenced on their
heads, saith the Lord; brought just punishment upon
them, such as their ways and works deserved; "the
"vengeance of their way," as the Targum.

C H A P. XXIII.

In this chapter the idolatries of. Israel and Judah are
represented under the metaphor of two harlots, and
their [ewdness. These harlots are described by their
descent; by the place and time in which they com-
mitted their whoredoms; by their names, and which
are explained, ver. 1, 2, 3, 4. the idolatries of Israel, or
the ten tribes, under the name of Aholah, which they
committed with the Assyrians, and which they con-
tinued from the Egyptians, of whom they had learned
them, are exposed, vet. 5, 6, 7, 8. and their punish-
meat for them is declared, yet. 9, 10. then the ido-
latries of Judah, or the two tribes, under the name of
Aholibah, are represented as greater than those of the
ten tribes, yet. 11. which they committed with the As-
syrians, ver. 12. with the Chaldeans and Babylonians,
vet. 13--18. in imitation of the Egyptians, reviving
former idolatries learnt of them, vet. 19,' 20,
-wherefore they are threatened, that the Chaldeans,
Babylonians, and Assyriaas, should come against
them, and spoil them, and carry them captive, ver.
22--35. and the prophet is bid to declare the abo-
minable sin of them both, yet. 36--44. and to signify
that they should be judged after the m.anner of adul-
teresses, should be stoned, and dispatched with swords,
their sons and their daughters, and their houses burnt
with fire; by which means their adulteries or idola-
tries should be made to cease, ver. 45--49.
Ver. 1. The word of the Lord came unto me, &c.]

{k} \^jpvm alb\^ absque judicio, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; non in
judicio, Cocceius.