Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_500.lzh/6_523.TXT

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heritance and possession. The Targum understands,
by the Heathen or people, all the people of the house
or' Israel; and Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Melech,
think the words are to be inverted, thus, "that all
"the people on whom my name is called ,nay possess
"the reamant or' Edom ;" and the forager says, that
all the Edomites shall be destroyed in the days of the
Messiah, but Israel shall inherit'their land; and Aben
Ezra says, that if this prophecy is interpreted of the
Messiah, the matter is clear; as it is in the sense we have
given, and as the apostle explains it, Acts xv. 17. see
the note there. Some render the words, that tl, e rem-
nant of EdOm, and of all the Heathen, that are (i.e.
shall be). called by my name, may possess me the Lord {x}.
The truth and certainty of its performance is expressed
in the/'oilowing clause, saith the .Lord, that docth this:
whose word is true, whose power is great, whose
grace is efficacious, to accomplish all that is here pro-
raised and ibretold.
Ver. 13. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,. &c.]
Or are coming y; and which will commence upon the
accomplishment of the above things, when the church
of Christ is raised up and established, the Jews con-
verted, and the Gentiles brought in". that the plottghman
shall overtake the reaper; or meet the reaper {z}; or come
up to him, or touch him, as it may be rendered; and so
the Targum; thatis, before the reaper has well cut down
the corn, or it is scarce gathered in, the ploughman
shall be ready to plough up the ground again, that it
may be sown, and. produce another crop: arid the
treaders of grapes hinz that soweth seed; or draweth
seed {a}; out of his basket, and scatters it in the !and;
Signifying that there should he such an abnndance of
grapes in the vintage, that they would continue press-
ing till seed-time; and the whole denotes u great afflu-
ence of temporal good things, as an emblem of spiri-
tual ones; see Lev. xxvi. 5. where something of the
like nature is promised, and expressed in much the
sarrte manner: and the mountains shall drop sweet wine;
or new wine {b}; intimating that there shall be abundance
of vines grow upon the mountains, which will produce
large .quantities of wine, so that they shall seem to
drop or flow with it: and all the hills shall melt; with
liquors; either with wine or honey, or rather with
milk, being covered with flocks and herds, which shall
yield abundance of milk; by all which, plenty of. spiri-
tual things, as the word and ordinances, and rich sup-
plies of grace, as well as of temporal things, is meant;
see J eel i i i. 18.
Vet. 14. And I will bring again the captivity of my
people of Israel, &c.] Which is not to be understood
of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, and their re-
turn from thence, with whotn some of the ten tribes
of Israel were mixed;for they were not .then so
planted in their own land as no more to be pulled up
again, as is here promised; for they afterwards were
dispossessed of it by the Romans, and carried cap-
tive, and dispersed among the nations again; but the
captivity both of Judah and Israel is meant, their pre-
sent captivity, which will be brought back, and they
will be delivered from it, and return to their own land,
and possess it as long as it is a land; see Jer. xxx.
3, 10, 18. as well as be freed from the bondage of sit,,
Satan, and the law, under which they have been de-
tained some hundre¢!s of years; but now shall be de-.
livered into the glorious liberty of the children of God,
of Christians, with which Christ has made them free :.
and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them;
literally the cities in Judea wasted bv the Turks, and
others; and mys'tically the churches ofChrist, of which
saints are fellow-citizens, and will be in a desolate con-
dition before the conversion of the Jews, and the ga-
thering in the fulness of the Gentiles; but by. these
means will be rebuilt, and be in a flourishing condition,
and fall of' inhabitants: and they shall plant vineyards,
and drink the u:ine thereof; they shrill also make gardens,
and eat the fruit of them; which, as before, will be.
literally true; a.nd in a spiritual sense may signify the.
churches of Christ, compared to vineyards and gardens,
which will be planted everywhere,and be set with plea-
sant and fruitful plants, and will turn to the advantage
of those who have been instruments in planting
them; see Cant. vi. 2. and vii. 12. and viii. 11,
1 Car. ix. 7.
Ver. 15. And I will plant thenz upon their land, &c.]
The land of Israel, as trees are planted; and -they
shall take root and flourish, and abound with all good
things, temporal and spiritual: and they shall no more
be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,
saith the Lord thy God; by which it appears that this
is a prophecy of things yet to come; since the Jews,
upon their return to their own land after the Babylonish
captivity, were pulled up again, and rooted out of it by
the Romans, and remain 'so to this day; but, when
they shall return again, they'll neve'r more be removed
from it; and of this they may he assured; because it is
the land the Lord has ,given them, and it shall not be
taken away froth them any more; and, because' he will
.now appear to be the Lord their God, the io-ammi
will he taken off from them; they'll be owned to be
the Lords people, and he'll be known by them to be
their covenant God; which will ensure a11 the above
blessings to them, of whatsoever kind;for this is
either sai¢l to the .prophet, the Lord th..,! God, or to
Israel; and either way it serves to confim the same
thing.

{x} "Ut possideant reliquiae, Edom", De Dieu. See Bishop Chandler's
Defence of Christianity, p. 172.
{y} \^Myab Mymy\^ "dies venientes", Montanus, Burkius.
{z} \^ruwqb vrwh vgn\^ "et, vel cum occurret arator messori, Vatablus,
Drusius; "atttinget arator messorem", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; "accedet arator ad messorem", Cocceius.
{a} \^erzh Kvwm\^ trahentem semen, Montanus, Liveleus, Drusius,
Mercerus.
{b} \^oyoe\^ "mustum", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Mercerus; "musto",
Drusius, Cocceius.