Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_500.lzh/6_598.TXT

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modern, agree that it lies wholly in ruins, and is a
heap of rubbish. Benjamin Tudelensis b, who travelled
into these parts in the twelfth century, relates, that
between A lmozal or Mosul, and Nineveh, is only a
bridge, and it (Nineveh) is a waste; but there are
villages, and many towers. Haitho, an Armenian {},
who wrote more than a hundred years after the for-
mer, says," this city (Nineveh) at present is wholly
"destroyed; but, by what yet appears in it, it may
"be firmly believed that it was one of the greatest
"cities in the world." Monsieur Thevenot {d}, who
was upon the spot in the last century, observes," on
" the other side of the river (Tigris. from that on
"which Mosul stands) at the end of the bridge be-
" gins the place, where, in ancient times, stood the
"famous city ofNineveh.--There is nothing of it,
"(adds he) now to be seen, but some hillocks, which
"(they say) are its foundations, the houses being
"nnderneath; and these reach a good way below the
" city of Mosul :" a,d darkness shall pursue his ene-
mies; the enemies of God and his people, who would
make such a devastation of Nineveh; even he would
cause all manner of calamities, often signified in Scrip-
ture by darkness, to follow and overtake them; so that
they should be brought into the most uncomfortable
and distressed condition imaginable.
,Ver..9. What do ye imagine against the. Lord ? &c.']
O ye Ninevites or Assyrians; do you think you can
frustrate the designs of the Lord, resist his power, and
hinder him from executing what he has threatened
and has determined to do ? or what mischief is it you
devise against his people, which is the same as against
himself? can you believe that you shall prosper and
succeed, and your schemes be carried into execution,
when he, the all-wise and all-powerful Being, opposes
you? he will make an utter end; of y, ou, as before de-
dared, and will save his people; which may be de-
pended on will certainly be the case: affliction shall
not rise up the second time; either this should be the
last effort the Assyrians would make upon the Jews,
which they made under Sennacherib, and this the last
time they would afflict them; or rather their own de-
struction should be so complete. that there would
be no need to repeat the stroke, or give another blow;
.the business would be done at once. This seems to
contradict a notion of some historians and chronologers,
who suppose that Nineveh was destroyed at two dif-
ferent times, and by different persons of the same na-
tions; and so the whole Assyrian empire was twice
ruined, which is not likely in itself, and seems contrary
to this passage; for though some ascribe it to Arbaces
the Mede, and Belesis the Babyloninn. as Diodorus
Siculus {}; and others to Cyaxares the Mede. as Hero-
dotusf. and to Nebuchadnezzar the first, or Nabo-
polassar the Babylonian. in a later period
says it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. and Ahasuerus,
the same with the Cyaxares of Herodotus; yet all
seem to agree that it was taken by the conjunct forces
of the Medes and Babyloninns; and there are some
things similar {h} in all these accounts, which shew that
there was but one destt'uction of Nineveh, and of the
Assyrian empire.
Ver. 10. For while they be .folden together as thorns,
&c.] Like them, useless and unprofitable, hurtful
and pernicious, fit only for burning, and, being bundled
together, are prepared for it; and which is not only
expressive of the bad qualities of the Ninevites, and of
the danger they were in, and what they deserved; but
of the certainty of their ruin, no more being able to
save themselves from it, than a bundie ot' thorns from
the devouring fire: and while they are drunken as
drunkards; dead drunk, no more able to help them-
selves than a drunken man that is fallen; or who were
as easily thrown down as a drunken man is with the
least touch; though there is no need to have recourse
to a figurative sense, since the Ninevites were actually
drunk when they were attacked by their enemy, as the
historian relates {}; that the king of Assyria being elated
with his fortune, and thinking himself secure, feasted
his army, and gave them large quantities of wine; and
while the whole army were indulging themselves, the
enemy, having notice of their negligence and drunken-
ness by deserters, fe11 upon them unawares in the night.
when disordere. d and unprepared, and made a great
slaughter among them, and tbrced the rest into the
city, and in a little time took it: they shah be devoured
as stubble fully dry; as easily, and as inevitably. and
irrecoverably.
Vet. 11. Titere is one come out of thee, &c.] That is.
out of Nineveh, as the Targum explains it; meaning
Sennacherib, who had his royal seat and palace there;
or Rabshakeh. that was sent from hence by him with a
railing and blaspheming letter to the king of Judah.
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is said to be at
the present time of writing this prophecy, though it was
after it, because of the certainty of it, as is usual in
prophetic language; unless it can be thought that this
prophecy was delivered out exactly at the time when
Sennacherib had entered Judea, and was before the
walls of Jerusalem; but not yet discomfited, as after
predicted: that imagineth evil against the Lord; against
the people of the Lord, as the Targum; formed a
scheme to invade the land of Judea, take the fenced
cities thereof, and seize upon Jerusalem the metropolis
of the nation, and carry the king, princes, and all the
people captive. as Salmaneser his father had carried
away the ten tribes: a wiclced counsellot ; or. a counsel-
lor of Belial {k}; who, by Rabshakeb, advised Israel not
to regard their king, nor trust in their God. but sur-
i'ender themselves up to him, 2 Kings xviii. 29 30,
Vet. 12. Thus saith the Lord, though they be quiet.
and likewt?se many, &c.] The Assyrian army under
Sennacherib before Jerusalem, though they were quiet
and secure. and thought themselves out of all danger;
not at all fearing that the besieged would sally out
against them. they being so numerous, and therefore

{b} Itinerarium, p. 62.
{c} Apud Bochart Phaleg. l. 4. c. 20. p. 255.
{d} Travels, par. 1. B. 1. c. 11. p. 52.
{e} Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 110, 111.
{f} L. 1. sive Clio, c. 106.
{g} Ch. 14. 15.
{h} See the Universal History, vol. 4. c. 8. sect. 5. & vol. 5. p. 22.
Margin, & NicolaiAbrami Pharus Vet. Test. l. 6. c. 19. p. 165.
{i} Diodor. Sicul. l. 2. p. 112.
{k} \^leylb Uewy\^ consulens Belijahal, Montanus; consiliarius Belijaal,
Burkius.