Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_400.lzh/6_488.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-09 | 6KB | 113 lines

and brought them out of this house of bondage with
a high hand and a mighty arm: and led you forty
years through the wilderness: going before them in a
pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night ;
providing them with all things necessary, with food and
raiment, and protecting them from all their enemies:
to possess the land of the Amorite ; the whole land of
Canaan, so called from a principal nation of it.
Vet. 11..4nd I raised up of your sons for prophets,&c.]
Such as Moses, Joshua, 'and the seventy elders, and
others; not only to foretel things to come, but to
teach and instruct the people in the doctrines and
duties of religion, and to warn them of their sins, and.
the danger of them: and of your young men for. Na-
sarites: as Samson, Samuel, and others; whose vow
not only obliged them from shaving their hair, but to
abstain from drinking wine, and eating grapes, which
the youthful age is inclined unto; but such grace was
given them, as enabled them to deny themselves
sensual gratifications, and to be examples of piety and
constant attendance on the service of God, and in-
structing the people. The Targum is, "of your
" young men for teachers;" these were the spiritual
mercies, as the former were the temporal ones, the
Lord bestowed on these people, for the truth of which
he appeals to them: is it not even thus, 0 ye children
of Israel, saith the Lord ? can ye deny it ? the thing
was too notorious to be contradicted.
Ver. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink, &c.]
Contrary to their vow and calling, and in contempt of
it, and to make them like themselves; they either
persuaded them, or forced them to it: and commanded
the prophets, saying, prophesy not; hard and heavy
things, judgments and denunciations of vengeance,
only smooth things; by this authoritative language
it appears that this is said of the rulers and governors
of the people, as king, princes, and priests; see ch.
vii. 12, 13.
Vet. 13. Behold, I are pressed under you, &c.] With
the weight of their sins, with which they had made
him to serve, and had wearied him; his patience was
quite wore out, he could bear them no .longer: aS a
cart is pressed that is full of sheaves; as a cart in
harvest-time, in which the sheaves of corn are carried
home; when one sheaf is laid upon another, till they
can lay no more, and the cart is .loaded and over-
loaded with them, and ready to break, or be pressed
into the earth with them: thus .Jehovah represents
himself as  floaded and burdened w.ith the sins of these
pdeople, and therefore would visit for them, and inflict
eserved punishment. Some render it actively, behold,
I press {}, or am about to press your place, as a car,full
ofsheavespresseth {}; the horse or horses which draw it,
especially the last; or the ground it goes upon ; or as
a cart stuck with-iron spikes, and-loaded with stones,
being drawn over a corn-floor, presses the full sheaves,
and beats out the grain, which was their way of press-
ing it: so the Lord signifies he would afflict and dis-
tress this people, bring them into strait circumstances,
by a close siege, and other judgments, which should
ruin and destroy them; and which .was first begun
by Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and finished by
Salmaneser, who-carried away the ten tribes captive.
So the Targum, "behold, I bring distress upon you,
"and it shall straiten you in your place, as a cart is
"straitened which is loaded with sheaves."
Ver. 14. Therefore the flight shall perish .from the
swift, &c.] They should be so straitened and cooped
up, and be so loaded with pressures, that those, as
swift of foot as Asahel, should not be able to make
their escape by fleeing: and the strong shall not
strengthen his force; should not increase it, or muster
it up, and exert it to such a degree, as to be able to
defend and secure himself from the enemy: neither
shall the mighty deliver himself; his soul or life; a
soldier, a man of war, an expert and courageous
officer at the head of his troop, or even the general of
the army; see Psal. xxxiii. 16.
Vet. 15. Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow,
&c.] That is, at some distance, and can make use of
his instruments of war afar off; yet will not think it
safe to stand his ground, but will betake himself to his
heels as fast aS he can to save himself: and he that is
swift of foot shall not deliver himself; this is repeated,
lest any should place confidence in their agility, and
to shew how complete and inevitable the affliction
will be: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver
himself; by fleeing on horseback, no more than he
that is on foot; no ways that can be devised or thought
on would preserve from this general calamity; see
Psal. xxxiii. 17.
Vet. 16. And he that is courageous among the mighty,
&c.] Or strong in his heart {}; one that is of a great
heart, famous for courage and bravery, that excels in
it among the mighty; the most valiant soldiers and
officers: shall flee away naked in that day: shall throw
away his armour, nay,put off h is clothes, as being both
a hinderance to him in his flight; and that he may
make the better speed: saith the Lord: which is added
to shew the certainty of all this; it might be depended
upon that so it would be, since the Lord God of
truth had 'spoken it; and it was fulfilled about four-
score years after this prophecy.

{z} \^qyem\^ "angustabo", Vatablus; "coarctans", Montanus; "arcto", Merce-
ras; "premo, coarctabo, angustiis afficiam", Drusius; "pressurns sum",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tarnovius; "arctaturus sum", Liveleus,
{a} \^qyet\^ "coarctares", Montanus; "premit", Junius & Tremellius: Pis-
cator, Tarnovius.
{b} \^wbl Uyma\^ "fortis corde suo", Vatablus, Piscator; "fortis animo", Ju-
nius & Tremellius, Drusius; "validus corde suo", Mercerus; "qui corde
firmo est", Cocceius.