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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>J E R E M I A H.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XLIX.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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The cup of trembling still goes round, and the nations must all drink
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of it, according to the instructions given to Jeremiah,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+25:15"><I>ch.</I> xxv. 15</A>.
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This chapter puts it into the hands,
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I. Of the Ammonites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:1-6">ver. 1-6</A>.
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II. Of the Edomites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:7-22">ver. 7-22</A>.
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III. Of the Syrians,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:23-27">ver. 23-27</A>.
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IV. Of the Kedarenes, and the kingdoms of Hazor,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:28-33">ver. 28-33</A>.
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V. Of the Elamites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:34-39">ver. 34-39</A>.
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When Israel was scarcely saved where shall all these appear?</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Jer49_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Ammonites.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; Hath Israel no
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sons? hath he no heir? why <I>then</I> doth their king inherit Gad,
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and his people dwell in his cities?
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2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, that I will
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cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and
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it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned
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with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his
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heirs, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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3 Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of
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Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by
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the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, <I>and</I> his
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priests and his princes together.
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4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O
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backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, <I>saying,</I>
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Who shall come unto me?
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5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT> of
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hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven
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out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that
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wandereth.
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6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the
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children of Ammon, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The Ammonites were next, both in kindred and neighbourhood, to the
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Moabites, and therefore are next set to the bar. Their country joined
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to that of the two tribes and a half, on the other side Jordan, and was
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but a bad neighbour; however, being a neighbour, they shall have a
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share in these circular predictions.
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1. An action is here brought, in God's name, against the Ammonites, for
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an illegal encroachment upon the rightful possessions of the tribe of
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Gad, that lay next them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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A writ of enquiry is brought to discover what title they had to those
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territories, which, upon the carrying away of the Gileadites, by the
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king of Assyria
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+15:29,1Ch+5:26">2 Kings xv. 29, 1 Chron. v. 26</A>),
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were left almost dispeopled, at least unguarded, and an easy prey to
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the next invader. "What! Does it escheat <I>ob defectum
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sanguinis--for what of an heir? Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no
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heir?</I> Are there no Gadites left, to whom the right of inheritance
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belongs? Or, if there were not, are there no Israelites, none left of
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Judah, that are nearer akin to them than you are?" <I>Why then does
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their king,</I> as if he were entitled to the forfeited estates, or
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Milcom, their idol, as if he had the right to dispose of it to his
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worshippers, <I>inherit Gad, and his people dwell in the cities</I>
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which fell by lot to that tribe of God's people. Nay, there were sons
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and heirs of their own body, <I>en ventre de sa mere</I>--<I>in their
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mother's womb,</I> and the Ammonites, to prevent their claim, most
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barbarously murdered them
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Am+1:13">Amos i. 13</A>):
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<I>They ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might
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enlarge their border,</I> that, having seized it, none might rise up
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hereafter to recover it from them. Thus <I>they magnified themselves
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against their border</I> and boasted it was their own,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zep+2:8">Zeph. ii. 8</A>.
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Note, Though among men might often prevails against right, yet that
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might shall be controlled by the Almighty, who <I>sits in the throne,
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judging right;</I> and those will find themselves mistaken who think
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every thing their own which they can lay their hands on, or which none
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yet appears to lay claim to. As there is justice owing to owners, so
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also to their heirs, when they are dead, whom it is a great sin to
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defraud, though they either know not their right or know not how to
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come at it. This shall be reckoned for particularly, when injuries of
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this kind are done to God's people.
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2. Judgment is here given against them for this violence.
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(1.) Terrors shall come upon them: God <I>will cause an alarm of war to
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be heard,</I> even <I>in Rabbah,</I> their capital city and a very
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strong one,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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<I>The Lord God of hosts,</I> who has all armies at his command,
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<I>will bring a fear upon them from all that be about them,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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Note, God has many ways to terrify those who have been a terror to his
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people.
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(2.) Their cities shall be laid in ruins: <I>Rabbah,</I> the
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mother-city, <I>shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters,</I> the
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other cities that have a dependence upon her, and receive law from her
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as daughters, <I>shall be burnt with fire;</I> so that the inhabitants
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shall be forced to quit them, and they shall <I>cry,</I> and <I>gird
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themselves with sackcloth,</I> as having lost all they had, and not
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knowing whither to betake themselves.
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(3.) Their country, which they were so proud of, shall be wasted
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>):
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<I>Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys,</I> and <I>trustest in thy
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treasures, O backsliding daughter?</I> They are charged with
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backsliding or turning away from God and from his worship, for they
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were the posterity of righteous Lot. It is true, they had never been so
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in covenant with God as Israel was; yet all idolaters may be called
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<I>backsliders,</I> for the worship of the true God was prior to that
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of false gods. <I>They were untoward and refractory</I> (so some read
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it); and, when they had forsaken their God, <I>they gloried in their
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valleys,</I> particularly one that was called <I>the flowing
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valley,</I> because it flowed with all good things. These they had
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violently taken away from Israel, and gloried in it when they had done
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so. They gloried in the strength of their valleys, so surrounded with
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mountains that they were inaccessible, gloried in the products of them,
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gloried <I>in the treasures</I> they got together out of them,
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<I>saying, Who shall come unto me?</I> While they bathed themselves in
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the pleasures of their country, they flattered themselves with a
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conceit that they should never be disturbed in the enjoyment of them:
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<I>To-morrow shall be as this day;</I> therefore they set God and his
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judgments at defiance; they are proud, voluptuous, and secure; but
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wherefore dost thou do so: Note, Those who backslide and turn away from
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God have little reason either to take complacency or to put confidence
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in any worldly enjoyments whatsoever,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+9:1">Hos. ix. 1</A>.
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(4.) Their people, from the least to the greatest, shall be forced out
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of the country. Some shall flee to seek for shelter, others shall be
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carried into captivity, so that their land shall be quite evacuated:
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<I>Their king and his princes,</I> nay, and Milcom, their god, <I>and
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his priests, shall go into captivity</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
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<I>and every man shall be driven out right forth,</I> shall take the
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next way, and make the best of it in his flight
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
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forgetting the <I>valleys, the flowing valleys,</I> which now fail
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them. And, to complete their misery, <I>none shall gather up him that
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wanders,</I> none shall open their doors to them, as Jael to Sisera, to
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entertain them; and those that flee shall be so much in care to secure
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themselves that they shall not take notice of others, no, not of those
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that are nearest to them, that wander, and are at a loss which way to
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go, as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+47:3"><I>ch.</I> xlvii. 3</A>.
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(5.) Then the country of the Ammonites shall fall into the hands of the
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remaining Israelites
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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<I>Then shall Israel be heir to those that were his heirs,</I> shall
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possess himself of their land who had possessed themselves of his, by
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way of reprisal. Note, The equity of divine Providence is to be
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acknowledged when the losses of the injured are recompensed out of the
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unjust gains of the injurious. Though the enemies of God's Israel may
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make a prey of them for a while, the tables will shortly be turned.
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3. Yet there is a prospect given them of mercy hereafter
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>),
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as before to Moab. The day will come when <I>the captivity of the
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children of Ammon will</I> be <I>brought again;</I> for so it is in
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human affairs: the wheel goes round.</P>
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<A NAME="Jer49_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer49_22"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Edom.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of hosts; <I>Is</I> wisdom no
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more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their
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wisdom vanished?
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8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I
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will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time <I>that</I> I will
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visit him.
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9 If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave <I>some</I>
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gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they
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have enough.
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10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret
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places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is
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spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he <I>is</I> not.
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11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve <I>them</I> alive;
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and let thy widows trust in me.
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12 For thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; Behold, they whose judgment <I>was</I>
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not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and <I>art</I> thou he
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<I>that</I> shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go
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unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink <I>of it.</I>
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13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, that Bozrah
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shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and
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all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
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14 I have heard a rumour from the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and an ambassador is
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sent unto the heathen, <I>saying,</I> Gather ye together, and come
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against her, and rise up to the battle.
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15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, <I>and</I>
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despised among men.
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16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, <I>and</I> the pride of
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thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that
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holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy
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nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence,
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saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it
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shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
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18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour
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<I>cities</I> thereof, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, no man shall abide there,
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neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
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19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of
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Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly
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make him run away from her: and who <I>is</I> a chosen <I>man, that</I> I
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may appoint over her? for who <I>is</I> like me? and who will appoint
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me the time? and who <I>is</I> that shepherd that will stand before
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me?
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20 Therefore hear the counsel of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, that he hath taken
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against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the
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inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw
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them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with
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them.
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21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry
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the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
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22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread
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his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the
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mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The Edomites come next to receive their doom from God, by the mouth of
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Jeremiah: they also were old enemies to the Israel of God; but their
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day will come to be reckoned with, and it is now at hand, and is
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foretold, not only for warning to them, but for comfort to the Israel
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of God, whose afflictions were very much aggravated by their triumphs
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over them and joy in their calamity,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+137:7">Ps. cxxxvii. 7</A>.
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Many of the expressions used in this prophecy <I>concerning Edom</I>
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are borrowed from the prophecy of Obadiah, which is <I>concerning
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Edom;</I> for, all the prophets being inspired by one and the same
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Spirit, there must needs be a wonderful harmony and agreement in their
|
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predictions. Now here it is foretold,</P>
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<P>
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I. That the country of Edom should be all wasted and made desolate,
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that <I>the calamity of Esau</I> should be <I>brought upon him,</I> the
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|
calamity he has deserved, and God has long designed him, for his old
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sins,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
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The time is at hand when God <I>will visit him,</I> and call him to an
|
|
account, and then they shall <I>flee</I> from the sword, <I>turn
|
|
back</I> from the battle, and <I>dwell deep</I> in some close caverns,
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where they shall hide themselves. All they have shall be carried off by
|
|
the conqueror; whereas <I>grape-gatherers</I> will <I>leave some
|
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gleanings,</I> and even <I>thieves</I> know when <I>they have
|
|
enough</I> and <I>will destroy</I> no further, those that destroy them
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shall never be satiated,
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:9,10"><I>v.</I> 9, 10</A>);
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they shall make <I>Esau</I> quite <I>bare,</I> shall strip the Edomites
|
|
of all they have, shall find out ways and means to come at their most
|
|
hidden treasure, shall discover even the <I>secret places</I> where
|
|
they thought to secure their wealth, and rifle them, so that they shall
|
|
none of them save their wealth, no, nor save themselves nor their
|
|
children, that might be concealed in a little room: <I>He shall not be
|
|
able to hide himself,</I> and <I>his seed</I> too <I>is spoiled. His
|
|
brethren</I> the Moabites, <I>and his neighbours</I> the Philistines,
|
|
whom he might have expected succours from, or at least shelter with,
|
|
are spoiled as well as he and disabled to do him any service. <I>And he
|
|
is not,</I> or <I>there is not he, there is none to him, none left
|
|
him,</I> that may say what follows
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive.</I> When
|
|
they are flying, or dying, there shall be none left, no relation, no
|
|
friend, no, not so much as any parish officers to take care of their
|
|
wives and children that they leave behind. Edom is not, he is cut off
|
|
and gone; nor is there any to say, <I>Leave me thy orphans.</I> If the
|
|
master of a family be cut off, or forced away, it is some comfort if he
|
|
have a friend to leave his family with, whom he can confide in; but
|
|
they shall have none such, for they shall all be involved in the same
|
|
calamity. The Chaldee makes these to be the words of God to his
|
|
people, distinguishing them from the Edomites in this calamity; and
|
|
they read it, "<I>But you, O house of Israel! you shall not leave your
|
|
orphans; I will secure them, and let your widows rest on my word.</I>
|
|
Whatever becomes of the widows and fatherless of the Edomites, I will
|
|
take care of yours." Note, it is an unspeakable comfort to the people
|
|
of God, when they are dying, that they may leave their surviving
|
|
relations with God, may, in faith, commit them to him and encourage
|
|
them to trust in him; and, though they cannot promise themselves great
|
|
things in the world for them, yet they may hope that he will preserve
|
|
them alive, always, provided that they trust in him. Let the Edomites,
|
|
for their part, count upon no other than to be made <I>a desolation</I>
|
|
and <I>a reproach;</I> for the decree has gone forth; God hath <I>sworn
|
|
it by himself</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>),
|
|
|
|
that their <I>cities shall be wasted,</I> nay, they <I>shall be
|
|
perpetual wastes,</I> they shall be made mean and despicable; they had
|
|
made a mighty figure, but God will make <I>them small among the
|
|
heathen;</I> and those that despised God's people shall themselves be
|
|
<I>despised among men</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:15,Ob+1:2"><I>v.</I> 15, Obad. 2</A>),
|
|
|
|
nay, they shall be made monstrous, and even a prodigy
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Edom shall be</I> such a <I>desolation</I> that every one who goes
|
|
by <I>shall be astonished;</I> nay, worse yet, they shall be made a
|
|
terror; Edom shall be made like Sodom and Gomorrah, none shall care for
|
|
coming near the ruins of it, <I>no man shall abide there</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
such a frightful place shall it be made.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. That the instruments of this destruction should be very resolute
|
|
and formidable. They have their commission from God; he summons them
|
|
into this service
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>I have heard a rumour,</I> or report, <I>from the Lord,</I> heard it
|
|
by the prophecy of Obadiah, heard it by a whisper to myself, that <I>an
|
|
ambassador,</I> or herald, or messenger, <I>is sent to the</I>
|
|
Gentiles, who are to lay Edom waste, <I>saying, Gather you
|
|
together,</I> muster all the forces you can, <I>and come against
|
|
her;</I> for
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>)
|
|
|
|
this is <I>the counsel that he hath taken against Edom.</I> The matter
|
|
is settled, the decree has gone forth, and there is no resisting it.
|
|
God has determined that Edom shall be laid waste, and then he that is
|
|
to be employed in wasting it shall come swiftly and strongly.
|
|
Nebuchadnezzar is he or whom it is here foretold,
|
|
|
|
1. That he <I>shall come up like a lion,</I> with fierceness and fury,
|
|
like a lion enraged by <I>the swelling of Jordan</I> overflowing his
|
|
banks, which forces him out of his covert by the water-side into the
|
|
higher grounds,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
He shall come roaring, come to devour all that come in his way. He
|
|
shall <I>come against the habitation of the strong,</I> the forts and
|
|
castles; and I <I>will cause him to come suddenly into the land</I> (so
|
|
the next words might well be read), so as to find them unprovided with
|
|
necessaries for a defence; for I will look out <I>a chosen man to
|
|
appoint over her,</I> to do this execution, a man fit for the purpose,
|
|
one chosen out of the people; for when God has work to do he will find
|
|
out the fittest instruments to be employed in doing it: "<I>Who is like
|
|
me</I> for choosing the instruments, and spiriting them for the work?
|
|
And <I>who will appoint me the time?</I> Who will challenge me, and fix
|
|
a time and place to meet me? Who will join issue with me in battle?
|
|
And, when I send a lion into the flock, <I>who is that shepherd</I>
|
|
that can, or dare, stand before me, or against me, to oppose that lion,
|
|
and think to rescue any of the flock?" Note, When God has work to do of
|
|
any kind he will soon find those that are able to engage in it, and all
|
|
the world cannot find those that are able to engage against it. Nay, if
|
|
God will have Edom destroyed, and their peopled dislodged, there needs
|
|
not a lion, a fierce lion to do it: <I>Even the least of the flock
|
|
shall draw them out</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>);
|
|
|
|
the meanest servant in Nebuchadnezzar's retinue, the weakest of all
|
|
that follow his camp, shall <I>draw them out</I> for the slaughter,
|
|
shall force them to flee, or to surrender, and <I>make their
|
|
habitations desolate with them.</I> God can bring to pass the greatest
|
|
works by instruments least likely. When the Chaldean army comes
|
|
against the Edomites all hands shall be employed and the poorest
|
|
soldier in it shall have a pluck at them.
|
|
|
|
2. Nebuchadnezzar shall come, not only like a lion, the king of
|
|
beasts, but like an eagle, the king of birds
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>He shall fly as the eagle</I> upon his prey, so swiftly, so
|
|
strongly, shall clap his wings upon Bozrah, to secure it for himself
|
|
(as before,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+48:40"><I>ch.</I> xlviii. 40</A>),
|
|
|
|
and immediately <I>the hearts of the mighty men</I> shall fail them,
|
|
for they shall see he is an enemy that it is in vain to struggle
|
|
with.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. That the Edomites' confidences should all fail them in the day of
|
|
their distress.
|
|
|
|
1. They trusted to their wisdom, but that shall stand them in no stead.
|
|
This is the first thing fastened upon in this prophecy against Edom,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
That nation used to be famous for wisdom, and their statesmen were
|
|
thought to excel in politics; and yet now they shall take such wrong
|
|
measures in all their counsels, and be so baffled in all their designs,
|
|
that people shall ask, with wonder, What is the matter with the
|
|
Edomites? <I>Is wisdom no more in Teman?</I> Have the wise men of the
|
|
east country
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+4:30">1 Kings iv. 30</A>)
|
|
|
|
become fools? Are those at <I>their wits' end</I> that were thought to
|
|
have the monopoly of prudence? <I>Has counsel perished from the
|
|
understanding men?</I> It is so, when God is designing the ruin of a
|
|
people; for whom he will destroy he infatuates. See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+12:20">Job xii. 20</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Has their wisdom vanished? Is it tired?</I> (so some); <I>is it worn
|
|
out?</I> (so others); <I>has it become useless?</I> so others. Yes, it
|
|
will do them no service when God comes forth to contend with them.
|
|
|
|
2. They trusted to their strength, but neither shall that avail them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
They had been a terror to all their neighbours; every body feared them
|
|
and truckled to them, and this made them proud and conceited of
|
|
themselves and their own strength, and very secure; because no
|
|
neighbouring nation durst meddle with them, they thought no nation in
|
|
the world durst. Their country was much of it mountainous, having many
|
|
passes which they thought themselves able to make good against any
|
|
invader; but this terribleness of theirs deceived them, and so did
|
|
their imaginary inaccessibleness; they did not prove so strong as they
|
|
were formidable, nor so safe as they were secure. High as they are,
|
|
God will bring them down; for, as <I>there is no wisdom,</I> so there
|
|
is no might <I>against the Lord,</I> See these expressions,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ob+1:3,4,8">Obad. 3, 4, 8</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. That their destruction should be inevitable and very remarkable.
|
|
|
|
1. God hath determined it
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>);
|
|
|
|
he hath said it; nay
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>),
|
|
|
|
he hath <I>sworn it,</I> that <I>the Edomites shall not go
|
|
unpunished,</I> but that they shall <I>drink the cup of trembling,</I>
|
|
which is put into the hands of all their neighbours; even those
|
|
<I>whose judgment,</I> or doom, <I>was not to drink of the cup,</I> who
|
|
had not so well deserved it as they had done, nations that had not been
|
|
such enemies to Israel as they had been, or Israel itself, that was
|
|
God's peculiar people, and among whom there were many, very many, who
|
|
kept his ordinances, upon which account they might have expected an
|
|
exemption; and yet they had been made to drink of the bitter cup; and
|
|
shall the Edomites think to pass it? No; they shall <I>surely drink of
|
|
it.</I> Note, When God punishes the less guilty it is folly for the
|
|
more guilty to promise themselves impunity; and when judgment begins at
|
|
God's house it will reach the strangers.
|
|
|
|
2. All the world shall take notice of it
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The earth is moved,</I> and all the nations are put into a concern,
|
|
<I>at the noise of their fall;</I> the news of it shall make them
|
|
tremble. <I>The noise of the outcry is heard to the Red Sea,</I> which
|
|
flowed upon the coasts of Edom. So loud shall be the shouts of the
|
|
conquerors and the shrieks of the conquered, and such a mighty noise
|
|
shall the news of this destruction of Idumea make in the nations, that
|
|
is shall be heard among the ships that lie in the Red Sea to take in
|
|
lading
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+9:26">1 Kings ix. 26</A>),
|
|
|
|
and then they shall carry the news of it to the remotest shore. Note,
|
|
The fall of those who have affected to make a noise with their pomp and
|
|
power will make so much the greater noise.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_27"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Damascus.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>23 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for
|
|
they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; <I>there is</I>
|
|
sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
|
|
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, <I>and</I> turneth herself to flee, and
|
|
fear hath seized on <I>her:</I> anguish and sorrows have taken her, as
|
|
a woman in travail.
|
|
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
|
|
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all
|
|
the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of
|
|
hosts.
|
|
27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it
|
|
shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
The kingdom of Syria lay north of Canaan, as that of Edom lay south,
|
|
and thither we must now remove and take a view of the approaching fate
|
|
of that kingdom, which had been often vexatious to the Israel of God.
|
|
Damascus was the metropolis of that kingdom, and the ruin of the whole
|
|
is supposed in the ruin of that: yet Hamath and Arpad, two other
|
|
considerable cities, are names
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>),
|
|
|
|
and <I>the palaces of Ben-hadad,</I> which he built, are particularly
|
|
marked for ruin,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>;
|
|
|
|
see also
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Am+1:4">Amos i. 4</A>.
|
|
|
|
Some think Ben-hadad (the son of Hadad, either their idol, or one of
|
|
their ancient kings, whence the rest descended) was a common name of
|
|
the kings of Syria, as Pharaoh of the kings of Egypt. Now observe
|
|
concerning the judgment of Damascus,
|
|
|
|
1. It begins with a terrible fright and faint-heartedness. They
|
|
<I>hear evil tidings,</I> that the king of Babylon, with all his force,
|
|
is coming against them, and <I>they are confounded;</I> they know not
|
|
what measures to take for their own safety, their souls are melted,
|
|
<I>they are faint-hearted,</I> they have no spirit left them, they are
|
|
like <I>the troubled sea, that cannot be quiet</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+57:20">Isa. lvii. 20</A>),
|
|
|
|
or like men <I>in a storm</I> at sea
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+17:26">Ps. xvii. 26</A>);
|
|
|
|
or the sorrow that begins in the city shall go to the sea-coast,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
|
|
|
|
See how easily God can dispirit those nations that have been most
|
|
celebrated for valour. <I>Damascus</I> now <I>waxes feeble</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
a city that thought she could look the most formidable enemy in the
|
|
face now <I>turns herself to flee,</I> and owns it is to no more
|
|
purpose to think of contending with her fate than for <I>a woman in</I>
|
|
labour to contend with her pains, which she cannot escape, but must
|
|
yield to. It was a <I>city of praise</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>),
|
|
|
|
not praise to God, but to herself, a city much commended and admired by
|
|
all strangers that visited it. It was a <I>city of joy,</I> where there
|
|
was an affluence and confluence of all the delights of the sons of men,
|
|
and abundance of mirth in the enjoyment of them. We read it (though
|
|
there is no necessity for this) <I>the city of my joy,</I> which the
|
|
prophet himself had sometimes visited with pleasure. Or it may be the
|
|
speech of the king lamenting the ruin of <I>the city of</I> his
|
|
<I>joy.</I> But now it is all overwhelmed with fear and grief. Note,
|
|
Those deceive themselves who place their happiness in carnal joys; for
|
|
God in his providence can soon cast a damp upon them and put an end to
|
|
them. He can soon make a <I>city of praise</I> to be a reproach and a
|
|
<I>city of joy</I> to be a terror to itself.
|
|
|
|
2. It ends with a terrible fall and fire.
|
|
|
|
(1.) The inhabitants are slain
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>):
|
|
|
|
The <I>young men,</I> who should fight the enemy and defend the city,
|
|
<I>shall fall</I> by the sword <I>in her streets; and all the men of
|
|
war,</I> mighty men, expert in war, and engaged in the service of their
|
|
country, <I>shall be cut off.</I>
|
|
|
|
(2.) The city is laid in ashes
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>):
|
|
|
|
The <I>fire</I> is <I>kindled</I> by the besiegers <I>in the wall,</I>
|
|
but it shall devour all before it, <I>the palaces of Ben-hadad</I>
|
|
particularly, where so much mischief had formerly been hatched against
|
|
God's Israel, for which it is now thus visited.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_30"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_33"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Kedar.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor,
|
|
which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the
|
|
L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.
|
|
29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they
|
|
shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels,
|
|
and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear <I>is</I> on
|
|
every side.
|
|
30 Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of
|
|
Hazor, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath
|
|
taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against
|
|
you.
|
|
31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth
|
|
without care, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, which have neither gates nor bars,
|
|
<I>which</I> dwell alone.
|
|
32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of
|
|
their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them
|
|
<I>that are</I> in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity
|
|
from all sides thereof, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, <I>and</I> a
|
|
desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor <I>any</I>
|
|
son of man dwell in it.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
These verses foretell the desolation that Nebuchadnezzar and his forces
|
|
should make among the people of Kedar (who descended from Kedar the son
|
|
of Ishmael, and inhabited a part of Arabia the Stony), and of the
|
|
kingdoms, the petty principalities, of Hazor, that joined to them, who
|
|
perhaps were originally Canaanites, of the kingdom of Hazor, in the
|
|
north of Canaan, which had Jabin for its king, but, being driven
|
|
thence, settled in the deserts of Arabia and associated themselves with
|
|
the Kedarenes. Concerning this people we may here observe,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. What was their present state and posture? They dwelt in <I>tents</I>
|
|
and had no walls, but <I>curtains</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>),
|
|
|
|
no fortified cities; they had <I>neither gates nor bars,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
They were shepherds, and had no treasures, but stock upon land, no
|
|
money, but flocks and camels. They had no soldiers among them, for
|
|
they were in no fear of invaders, no merchants, for they <I>dwelt
|
|
alone,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
Those of other nations neither came among them nor traded with them;
|
|
but they lived within themselves, content with the products and
|
|
pleasures of their own country. This was their manner of living, very
|
|
different from that of the nations that were round about them. And,
|
|
|
|
1. They were very rich; though they had not trade, no treasures, yet
|
|
they are here said to be a <I>wealthy nation</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>),
|
|
|
|
because they had a sufficiency to answer all the occasions of human
|
|
life and they were content with it. Note, Those are truly rich who have
|
|
enough to supply their necessities, and know when they have enough. We
|
|
need not go to the treasures of kings and provinces, or to the cash of
|
|
merchants, to look for wealthy people; they may be found among
|
|
shepherds <I>that dwell in tents.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. They were very easy: <I>They dwelt without care.</I> Their wealth
|
|
was such as nobody envied them, or, if any did, they might come
|
|
peaceably and enjoy the like; and therefore they feared nobody. Note,
|
|
Those that live innocently and honestly may live very securely, though
|
|
they have <I>neither gates nor bars.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The design of the king of Babylon against them and the descent he
|
|
make upon them: <I>He has taken counsel against you and has conceived a
|
|
purpose against you,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>.
|
|
|
|
That proud man resolves it shall never be said that he, who had
|
|
conquered so many strong cities, will leave those unconquered <I>that
|
|
dwell in tents.</I> It was strange that that eagle should stoop to
|
|
catch these flies, that so great a prince should play at such small
|
|
game; but all is fish that comes to the ambitious covetous man's net.
|
|
Note, It will not always secure men from suffering wrong to be able to
|
|
say that they have done no wrong; not to have given offence will not be
|
|
a defence against such men as Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, how unrighteous
|
|
soever he was in doing it, God was righteous in directing it. These
|
|
people had lived inoffensively among their neighbours, as many do, who
|
|
yet, like them, are guilty before God; and it was to punish them for
|
|
their offences against him that God said
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Arise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.</I> They will
|
|
do it to gratify their own covetousness and ambition, but God orders it
|
|
for the correcting of an unthankful people, and for warning to a
|
|
careless world to expect trouble when they seem to be most safe. God
|
|
says to the Chaldeans
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>Arise, get up to the wealthy nation that dwells without care;</I>
|
|
go and give them an alarm, that none may imagine <I>their mountain
|
|
stands so strong that it cannot be moved.</I>"</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The great amazement that this put them into, and the great
|
|
desolation hereby made among them: <I>They shall cry unto them;</I>
|
|
those on the borders shall send the alarm into all parts of the
|
|
country, which shall be put into the utmost confusion by it; they shall
|
|
cry, "<I>Fear is on every side</I>--We are surrounded by the enemy." the
|
|
very terror of which shall drive them all to their feet and they shall
|
|
none of them have any heart to make resistance. The enemy shall
|
|
<I>proclaim fear upon them,</I> or <I>against them, on every side.</I>
|
|
They need not strike a stroke; they shall shout them out of their
|
|
tents,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>.
|
|
|
|
Upon the first alarm, they shall <I>flee, get far off,</I> and <I>dwell
|
|
deep</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>),
|
|
|
|
as the Edomites,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
|
|
|
|
And it will be found that this <I>fear on every side</I> is not
|
|
groundless, for <I>their calamity</I> shall be <I>brought from all
|
|
sides thereof,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
No marvel there are <I>fears on every side</I> when there are foes on
|
|
every side. The issue will be,
|
|
|
|
1. What they have will be a prey to the Chaldeans; they shall <I>take
|
|
to themselves their curtains and vessels;</I> though they are but plain
|
|
and coarse, and they have better of their own, yet they shall take them
|
|
for spite, and spoil for spoiling sake. <I>They shall carry away their
|
|
tents and their flocks,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Their camels</I> shall be a booty to those that came for nothing
|
|
else,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. It is not said that any of them shall be slain, for they attempt not
|
|
to make any resistance and their tents and flocks are accepted as a
|
|
ransom for their lives; but they shall be dislodged and dispersed;
|
|
though now they dwell <I>in the utmost corners,</I> out of the way, and
|
|
therefore they think out of the reach, of danger (by this character
|
|
those people were distinguished,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+9:23,25,26"><I>ch.</I> ix. 26, 25, 23</A>),
|
|
|
|
yet they shall be <I>scattered</I> thence <I>into all winds,</I> into
|
|
all parts of the world. Note, Privacy and obscurity are not always a
|
|
protection and security. Many that affect to be strangers to the world
|
|
may yet by unthought-of providences be forced into it; and those that
|
|
live most retired may have the same lot with those that thrust
|
|
themselves forth and lie most exposed.
|
|
|
|
3. Their country shall lie uninhabited; for, lying remote and out of
|
|
all high roads, and having neither cities nor lands inviting to
|
|
strangers, none shall care to succeed them, so that <I>Hazor shall be a
|
|
desolation for ever,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>.
|
|
|
|
If busy men be displaced, many strive to get into their placed, because
|
|
they lived great; but here are easy quiet men displaced, and <I>no
|
|
man</I> cared to <I>abide</I> where they did, because they lived
|
|
meanly.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_37"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_38"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer49_39"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec5"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Elam.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>34 The word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> that came to Jeremiah the prophet
|
|
against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of
|
|
Judah, saying,
|
|
35 Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow
|
|
of Elam, the chief of their might.
|
|
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four
|
|
quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds;
|
|
and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall
|
|
not come.
|
|
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies,
|
|
and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon
|
|
them, <I>even</I> my fierce anger, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; and I will send the
|
|
sword after them, till I have consumed them:
|
|
38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from
|
|
thence the king and the princes, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, <I>that</I> I will
|
|
bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This prophecy is dated in the beginning of Zedekiah's reign; it is
|
|
probable that the other prophecies against the Gentiles, going before,
|
|
were at the same time. The Elamites were the Persians, descended from
|
|
Elam the son of Shem
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+10:22">Gen. x. 22</A>);
|
|
|
|
yet some think it was only that part of Persia which lay nearest to the
|
|
Jews which was called <I>Elymais,</I> and adjoined to Media-Elam,
|
|
which, say they, had acted against God's Israel, <I>bore the quiver</I>
|
|
in an expedition against them
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+22:6">Isa. xxii. 6</A>),
|
|
|
|
and therefore must be reckoned with among the rest. It is here
|
|
foretold, in general, that God will <I>bring evil upon them, even</I>
|
|
his <I>fierce anger,</I> and that is evil enough, it has <I>all evil in
|
|
it,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>.
|
|
|
|
In particular,
|
|
|
|
1. Their forces shall be disabled, and rendered incapable of doing them
|
|
any service. The Elamites were famous archers, but, <I>Behold, I will
|
|
break the bow of Elam</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:35"><I>v.</I> 35</A>),
|
|
|
|
will ruin their artillery, and then <I>the chief of their might</I> is
|
|
gone. God often orders it so that that which we most trust to first
|
|
fails us, and that which was <I>the chief of our might</I> proves the
|
|
least of our help.
|
|
|
|
2. Their people shall be dispersed. There shall come enemies against
|
|
them from all parts of the world, and they shall all carry some of them
|
|
away captive into their respective countries; while others shall flee,
|
|
some one way and some another, to shift for themselves, so that
|
|
<I>there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not
|
|
come,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:36"><I>v.</I> 36</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>The four winds</I> shall be brought upon them; the storm shall come
|
|
sometimes from one point and sometimes from another, to toss and hurry
|
|
them several ways. We know not from what point the wind of trouble may
|
|
blow; but, if God encompass us with his favour, we are safe, and may be
|
|
easy, which way soever the storm comes. Fear shall drive them into
|
|
other countries; they shall <I>be dismayed before their enemies;</I>
|
|
but, as if that were not enough, <I>I will send the sword after
|
|
them,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>.
|
|
|
|
Note, God can make his judgments follow those that think by flight to
|
|
escape them and to get out of the reach of them. <I>Evil pursues
|
|
sinners.</I>
|
|
|
|
3. Their princes shall be destroyed and the government quite changed
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:38"><I>v.</I> 38</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>I will set my throne in Elam.</I> The throne of Nebuchadnezzar shall
|
|
be set there, or the throne of Cyrus, who began his conquests with
|
|
Elymais. Or it may be meant of the throne on which God sits for
|
|
judgment; he will make them know that he reigns, that he <I>judges in
|
|
the earth,</I> that <I>kings and princes</I> are accountable to him,
|
|
and that high as they are he is above them. The king of Elam was famous
|
|
of old,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+14:1">Gen. xiv. 1</A>.
|
|
|
|
Chedorlaomer was king of Elam, and a mighty man he was in his day; the
|
|
nations about him served him; his successors, we may suppose, made a
|
|
great figure; but the king of Elam is no more to God than another man.
|
|
When God <I>sets his throne in Elam</I> he <I>will destroy thence the
|
|
king and the princes</I> that are, and set up whom he pleases.
|
|
|
|
4. Yet the destruction of Elam shall not be perpetual
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:39"><I>v.</I> 39</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>In the latter days I will bring again the captivity of Elam.</I>
|
|
When Cyrus had destroyed Babylon, brought the empire into the hands of
|
|
the Persians, the Elamites no doubt returned in triumph out of all the
|
|
countries whither they were scattered, and settled again in their own
|
|
country. But this promise was to have its full and principal
|
|
accomplishment in the days of the Messiah, when we find Elamites
|
|
particularly among those who, when the Holy Ghost was given, heard
|
|
spoken <I>in their own tongues the wonderful works of God</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+2:9,11">Acts ii. 9, 11</A>),
|
|
|
|
and that is the most desirable return of the captivity. <I>If the Son
|
|
make you free, then you shall be free indeed.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
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