Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_400.lzh/6_430.TXT

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and the other down; and to this hard service they
shall keep them continually. There is a double read-
ing of this clause; the Cetib, or textual writing or
reading, is, to their two eyes, or fountains: alluding,
as Jarchi observes, to the binding of the yoke on oxen
on each side of their eyes: or to the fountains in the
land of Israel, the abundance of wine, milk, and honey;
for the sake of which the people got together, broke
in upon them, and bound them,. in order to drink of.
So Gussetius {b} renders the words, and they shall bind
them to drink of their fountains. The Keri or mar-
ginal reading is, their two iniquities'; which the Sep-
tunglut follows, rendering it," ifi chastising them, or
"when they are chastised for their two iniquities ;" so
the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions; mean-
ing either their worshipping the two calves at Dan
and Beth-el; or their corporeal and spiritual adultery;
or their forsaking the true God, and worshipping
idols; see Jer. ii. 13. Schmidt understands all this,
not as a punishment threatened, but as an instance of
the love of God to them, in chastising them in a loving
and fatherly way; which had a good effect upon them,
and brought them to repentance; partly iu the times
of the juoges, but more especially in the days of
Samuel, when they bohaved well; and particularly in
the reigns of David and Solonion; and when the peo-
ple were gathered, not against, but to them; either
became proselytes to them, or tributaries, or coveted
their friendship; and when they themselves lived in
great concord, in one kingdom., under one king, like
oxen pioughing in two contiguous furrows.
Vet. l 1. And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught,
and loveth to tread out the corn, &c.]. Like a heifer
taught to bear the yoke, and to plough; but learned
it not, as the Targum; does not like it; chooses to
tread out the corn where it can feed upon it, its mouth
not being then muzzled, according to the law; oxen
or heifers were used both in ploughing and treading
out corn, to which the allusion is. The sense is, that
Ephraim or the ten tribes were taught to bear the
yoke of the law, and yield obedience to it, and per-
form good works; but did not like such a course of
life; had no further regard for religion than as they
found their own. worldly profit and advantage in it:
or they did not care to labour much in it; they liked
the fruit and advantage arising from working, rather
than the work. itself; and thus, like a heifer, doing
little, and living well, they grew fat, increased in
power, wealth, and riches; and so became proud and
haughty, and kicked against the house of David, and
rent themselves from it; and set up a kingdom of their
own, and lived and reigned according to their own
will and pleasure, like a heifer without yoke and
muzzle: but I passed over upon her Jhir neck; Or, the
goodness of her neck {}; which is expressive of the flou-
rishing and opulent state and condition of the ten
tribes, especially in the times of Jeroboam the second,
which made them proud and haughty: but the Lord
was determined to humble them, and first in a more
light and gentle manner; or caused the rod of cor-
rection to pass over them more lightly; .or put upon
them a more easy yoke of affliction, by causing Pul
king of Assyria to come against them; and to get rid
of whom a present was given him, exacted of the
people and afterwards Tiglath-Pileser, another king
of Assyria, who carried captive part of their land; and
this not having itsq proper effect, the Lord was deter-
mined to proceed against them in a heavier manner:
I will make Ephraim to r.' lye; some, taking the future
for the past, render it, 1 i,,ave made Ephraim to ride a.
that is, to rule and govern, having royal dignity and
powey given them, and that greater than tidal of Judah;
and ride over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who
were sometimes very much afflicted by them; and
this is thought to be the sense of the following phrases,
dudah shall plough, and Jacob shall break his clods;
or, break the clods for him {}; ibr Ephraim whilst he
rides, and uses them very hardly; as in the days of
Joash and Pekah, kings of Israel, when many of the
tribes of Judah were slain by them, 2 Kings xiv. 12, 13.
2 Chron. xxviii. 6, 8. but rather the meaning is,
I will cause to ride on Ephraim {f}; that is, the Assvrians
shall ride upon them, get the dominion over them,
carry them captive, and use them to hard service and
bondage, as a heifer rid upon by a severe rider whilst
ploughing; and the other tribes shall not escape,
though they shall not be so hardly dealt with: dudah
shall plough, and Jacob shall break his clods; these.
shall be carried captive into Babylon, and employed
in hard and servile work, but more tolerable; as plough-
ing and breaking clods are easier than to be rid upon;
and as they had hope of deliverance at the end of
seventy years; whereas no promise of return was made
to the ten tribes, which is the sense some give; but
Pocock and others think that these words regard the
tender and gentle methods God took with these people
to bring them to obedience to his law. Ephraim being
teachable like a heifer, he took hold of her fair neck,
and stroked it to encourage her, and accustom her to
the hand, and to the yoke; and then put the yoke of
Iris law upon them, add trained them up in his institu-
tions, and used also gentle methods to keep them in
obedience; and also set Judah to plough, and Jacob to
break the clods, prescribed for them; and employed
them in good works, in the duties of religion, fi'om
whence answerable fruit might have been expected;
saying to them, by his prophets, as follows:
Ver. le. Saw to yourselves i,z righteousness, &c.]
Not the seed ofgrace, which bad men have not, and
cannot saw' it; and which good men need not, it being
sown in them already, and remaining; rather the seed
of the word, which should be laid up in their hearts,
dwell richly in them, and be kept and retained by
them; though 'tin best of all to understand it of works
of righteousness; as sowing to the flesh is doing the
works of the flesh, or carnal and sinful acts; so sowing
unto righteousness s, as it may be rendered, is doing
works of righteousness; living soberly and righteously;

{b} Comment. Ebr. p. 591, 892.
{c} \^hrawu bwj le\^ "super bonitatem cervicis ejus", Montanus; "super
bonitatem colli ipsius", Schmidt; "super praestantiam", Junius & Tremel-
lius, Piscator.
{d} \^bykra\^ "equitare feci", Muuster, Rivet.
{e} \^wl ddvy\^ "occabit ei", De Dieu; "occabit illi?" Schmidt.
{f} Equitare faciam in Ephraim, Lyra, Tarnovius; equitare faciam
super Ephraim, so some in Calvin.
{g} \^hqdul\^ "ad justitiam", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Calvin, Junius
& Tremellius, Drusius, Tarnovius, Cocceius.