Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_400.lzh/6_466.TXT

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the land or' Canaan he had given to them for an inhe-
ritance; both which would be given to reproach if such
a famine should ensue that they must be obliged to go
into other countries for food: that the Heathen should
rule over them; as they would, should they be forced
to leave their own country, and settle in theirs for
the sake of food: or to be a proverb, or by-word,
among the Heathen, as Javchi. This clause Jetore thinks
opens the mystery, and explains who are meant by
the mighty nation under the name of locusts, the ene-
mies of the Jews; though this does not necessarily
follow, take the words iu either sense, as explained:
it seems indeed very likely, that though the locusts
may be understood literally, yet may be considered as
an emblem of the Assyriau or Chaldean army, as we
have all along observed; and, as the same ancient writer
observes, when we read of the locusts, we should
think of the Chaldeans, in which thought we may be
confirmed by this clause: wherefore should they say
among the people, where is their God ? they boast 6f
as their Creator and Benefactor, their Protector and
Defender, that gave them a land flowing with milk and
honey, and aboundlag with all blessings ? what is be-
come of that ? and where is he now ? which the Geh-
tiles would say in a reproaching blaspheming way,
should they be reduced to famine by the locusts, or
fall into the hands of their enemies; than which kind
of reproach and blasphemy there is nothing more cut-
ting to religious minds: se.e Psal. xlii. 10. Mic. vii. 10,
and this, as well as the former. is used as an argument
with God for mdrcy. The Targum is, "where are
"they that are redeemed by the Word of your God ?"
Vet. 18. Then will the .Lord be jealous for his land,
&c.] Or zealous for it; for the honour of it, and the
good of its inhabitants, ..and-for the glory of his own
name, it being the chief place in the world for his
worship and service; and his indignation will be
moved against those who have brought desolation on
it: and pity his people ; as a father his children, who
had suffered much, and had been reduced to great dis-
tress by the 1ocusts, or by their enemies: this the
prophet foretels would be doric upon their repentance,
fasting, prayers, and tears; or, as some think, this is
a narrative of what had. been done, and the prophet
was a witness of; that the people meeting together
with their princess and priests, and humbling them-
selves before the Lord, and crying to him, he ex-
pressed a zeal and compassion for them, and delivered
them out of their troubles; for though their humiliation
is not expressed, it may be understood and supposed,
as doubtless ,it was fact.
Ver. 19. Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his
people, &c.] By his prophetS, as Kimchi:'or, the
Lord answered and said {}; while they were praying
and weeping, or as soon as they cried unto him; or,
however, praying to him, they tnight assure themselves
that he heard them, and would answer them both by
words and deeds: behold, I will send you corn, anal
wine, and oil; _that 'is, cause the earth to bring farth
corn, as wheat and barley, and the vines and olive-
trees to bring forth grapes and olives, from which wine
and oil might be made: this is, according to some in-
terpreters, to bc understood of an abundance of spi-
ritual blessings: and ye shall be satisfied thereu, ith ;
or, with it; with each and every of the above things,
corn, wine, and oil; they should not only have them,
but have enough of them, even to satiety-: and I will
no more make you a reproach amon,g the Heathen; for
want of food, and as if tbrsaken of God. The Targum
is, "and I will not give you any more the reproaches
"of famine among the people ;" see vet. 17.
Ver. 2O. But I will remove far off from .you the northern
array, &c.] The army of the locusts, which came
from the northern corner, as Aben .Ezra and Kimchi;
and is the tirst sense Jarchi makes mention of; though
he says their Rabbins {} interpret it of the evil imagina-
tion hid in the heart of men; and the two seas, after
mentioned, of the two temples, first and second, de-
stroyed by it; so, Kimchi says, they explain this verse
of the days of the Messiah, and observes, the same
sense they give; but Jarchi mentions another, accord-
ing to which a people coming from the north are de-
signed, even the kings of Assyria; and with this agrees
the Targum, which paraphrases it, "and the people
"which come from the north I will remove throtf
"from you ;" and indeed locusts don't usually come
from the north, but from the south, or from the east;
t was an east wind that brought the locusts into
Egypt, Exod. x. 13. though the word northern may be
used of the locusts in the emblem, because the As-
syrians or Chaldeans came from the north to Judea:
and will drive him into a land barren and desolate: where
there are no green grass, herbs, plants, and trees, to
live upon, and so must starve and die: with his face
towards the east sea; the front of this northern army
was towards the east sea, into which it was drove and
fell; that is, the sea of Cinnereth, or Genezareth, the
same with the lake of Tiber/as, often mentioned in
the New Testament; or the Salt sea, the same with
the lake Asphaltites, or Dead sea, which was where
Sodam and Gomorrah formerly stood, as is .usually
said; and both these were to the east of the land of
.Israel, as Kimchi and Ben _Melech observe; and so
either of them might be called the eastern sea: and
his hinder part towards the utmost sea; the rear of this
army was towards the utmost sea, or hinder sea, as it
is called in Zech. xiv. 8. the western sea, as Kimchi
and Ben Melech interpret it, the same with the
Mediterranean sea, which lay to the west of the
land of Israel; so the Egyptian locusts were cast
into the Red sea, Exod. x. 19. and Pliny {} observes,
that they are sometimes taken away with a wind,
and fall into seas and lakes, and adds, perhaps this
comes by chance; but what is here related came
not by chance, but by the will and providence of
God: and his stink shall come up, and his ill sacour
shall come up: that is, the stink and ill savant
of the locusts shall come,up out of the seas and lakes
nto which 'they fell, and where they died and putre--
fled; or, being cast up from thence upon the shares,
gave a most noisome stench; so Jetore on the place
says,." in our times we have seen swarms- of locusts

{a} \^Neyw\^ "et respondit", Piscator, Drusius, Burkius.
{b} Vid. T. Bab. Succah, fol. 52.1.
{c} Nat. Hist. 1. 11. c. 29.