CHAP. XVII.
A prophecy against Syria and Israel; and intimations of mercy to a remnant of Israel, 1-11. The destruction of Sennacherib's army foretold, 12-14.
THE burden of Damascus. Behold, • Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be da ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and & none shall make them afraid.
3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.
a 15:1. 19:1. b 7:8. Gen. Kings 11:24. Chr. 28:5,23. Am. 1:3-5. 9:2.
1 Chr. 18:5. 2 Jer. 49:23-27. Zech. 9:1. Acts
c 8:4. 10:9. 2 Kings 16:9.
d 25:2. 37:26. Jer. 49:2. Mic. 1:6. 3:12.
f 5:17. 7:23-25. Ez. 25:5. Zeph. 2:6.
g Jer. 7:33.
h 7:8,16. 8:4. 10:9. 2 Kings 16: 9. 17:6. Hos. 1:4,6. 3:4. 5:13, 14. 8:8. 9:16,17 10:14. 13:7,8,15, 16. Am. 2:6-9.3:9-15.5:25 -27.6:7-11. 8:14. 9:1-10. Mic. 1:4-9.
e Num. 32:34. Deut. 2:36. 3:12. i 16:14. 28:1-4. Hos. 9:11. Josh. 13:16. Jer. 48:19.
but by submitting to "the Son of David," and devoting themselves and their substance to him; and they who refuse this, will be reduced to extreme misery, without regard to rank or sex. It behoves all therefore to "take counsel:" to renounce their sins, to "do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God:" these are the genuine fruits of "faith which worketh by love;" and all who love Christ will be kind to his poor people, and use their influence to provide for them and protect them in distress.
Extortioners and oppressors may for a time be permitted to afflict them, but they will witness the destruction of every enemy: and such, as will not countenance them in their suffering, shall not share their felicity.
The Redeemer's throne is established in mercy and in righteousness; s; his subjects, who share his mercy, mercy, rely on his truth, and obey his just commands, are "a holy nation;" and those rulers, who copy his example may expect to prosper.-'The pride and enmity of men's hearts commonly render them deaf to the most pressing exhortations to repentance, submission, and the obedience of faith. And many, especially the powerful, affluent, wise, and learned of the world, are very proud, and prone to be exasperated by the counsel of Christ by his faithful ministers; (Notes, Prov . 1:24-31.
Rev. 3:17-19.) and to prefer to it their own lying, unprofitable devices. If the Lord have taught us to value what such men despise, let us be thankful: and let us not envy or covet their transient enjoyments; for we may foresee a season, when they will terminate in weeping and howling.
If "that mind be in us, which was in Christ," our bowels of compassion will be moved for them; we shall weep in the prospect of those miseries, which are coming upon our most indignant enemies; and we shall persist in our endeavors to do them good, "if peradventure God may give them repentance." ( Notes , Luke 19:41-44. 2 Tim . 2:23-26.) But numbers, when driven by distress to their devotions, weary themselves to no purpose; whilst every one goes to his sanctuary to pray; but neglects the mercy-seat, and the great High Priest of Israel, or only pays a hypocritical regard to them.
When the Lord has spoken, and his appointed time arrives; all the glory and prosperity and multitude of the
4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.
7 At that day
k 9:8,21. 10:4.
shall a man look to his
| Judg. 8:2. 1 Kings 19:18. Ez. 36:8-15.37:19-25.39:29. Ob. 5. Mic. 7:1. Rom. 9:27. 11: 4-6,26.
p 10:20,21. 19:22. 22:11. 24:14, 15. 29:18,19,24. Judg. 10:15,16 2 Chr. 30:10,11,18-20. 31-1 35:17,18. Jer. 3:12-14,18-23 31:4-10. Hos. 3:5. 6:1. 14:13. Mic. 7:7.
of Ahaz; and was
CHAP. XVII. V. 1. This prophecy must have been delivered at the time, when the kings of Syria and Israel confederated against Judah. (Notes, 7:1-9,16.) It is called "the burden of Damascus," as foretelling the desolations of that city; but it was at least equally directed against the kingdom of Israel.
It 'was delivered probably soon after the proph'ecies of the seventh and eighth chapters, in the beginning of the reign of Ah 'fulfilled fulfilled by by Tiglath-pileser's Tiglath-pileser's taking taking Damascus, 'and carrying the people captives to Kir, (2 the kingdom of Israel, and carrying a great 'number of the Israelites also captives to As'syria: and still more fully in regard to Israel, by the conquest of the kingdom, and the cap'tivity of the people, effected a few years after 'by Shalmaneser.' Bp . Lowth .-Damascus was afterwards rebuilt; and, after many changes, continues to this day.
It was for a season "taken away from being a city, and made a ruinous heap;" but it was not "swept with the besom of destruction." (14:23. Notes, Jer. 49: 23-27. Am . 1:3-5. Zech . 9:1.)
gs 16:9.) and over-running great part of
' Kings
V. 2. Aroer.] Aroer was a city on the river Arnon, formerly belonging to Moab: ( Marg . Ref. e.-Note, Jer. 48:19-25.) but it might at this time be in the hands of the Syrians. It is, however, far more probable, that there was a district of Syria of the same name, in which several cities were placed. Such coincidences in names are common in all parts of the world.
V. 3. As Syria and Israel had combined, in attempting the ruin of Judah, and of the house of David, they should be visited with similar judgments. ( Note , 1.)-Samaria, the fortress of Israel, would be destroyed, and the kingdom cease from Damascus: nor would the remnant of Syria, which survived the taking of Damascus, any more be established as a kingdom; but, losing all their glory, they would decline like the Israelites, as mingled among other nations, and subject to foreign princes. Accordingly, Syria was first subject to the Assyrians; and successively to the Chaldeans, the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, and oth
Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel .
8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the * images.
9 In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be ta heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling
10 Because thou hast forgotten "the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength, there-thing before the whirlwind.
fore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips.
11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou
q 1:29. 2:18-21.27:9. 30:22. 2 Chr. 34:6,7. Ez. 36:25. Hos. 14:8. Zeph. 1:3. Zech. 13:2. г 2:8. 31:6,7. 44:15,19,20. Hos. 8:4-6. 10:1,2. 13:1,2. Mic. 5: 13,14.
* Or, sun-images. 2 Chr. 14:5. 34:4. marg.
84,5. 6:11-13. 7:16-20.9:912. 24:1-12. 27:10. 28:1-4. Hos. 10:14. 13:15,16. Am. 3: 11-15.7:9. Mic. 5:11. 6:16. 7:
13.
ers, even to this day, when it belongs to the
14 And behold eat evening-tide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the
lot of them that rob us.
z 18:5,6. Job 4:8. Hos. 8:7. 9: 1-4,16. 10:12-15. Joel 1:5- 12. Gal. 6:7,8.
† Or, removed in the day of in- heritance, and there shall be deadly sorrow. 65:13,14. Matt. 8:11,12. Rom. 2:5,8,9.
Or, noise. 9:5.
a 5:26-30. 8:7,8. 28:17. Ps. 18: 4.46:1-3.65:6,7. 93:3,4. Jer. 6:23. Ez. 43:2. Luke 21:25. Or, many. Ps. 29:3. Rev. 17:1,15.
b 10:15,16,33,34. 14:25. 25:4,5.
27:1.30:30-33. 31:8,9. 33:1- 3,9-12. 37:29-38. Ps. 9.6 46:5-11.
c Job 33:11. Mark 4:39-41. d 29:5. 41:15,16. Job 21:18. Ps. 1:4. 35:5. 83:13-15. Dan. 2 35. Hos. 13:3.
|| Or, thistle -down.
e 10:28-32 Ps. 37:36.
2 Kings 19:3,35.
f 33:1. Judg. 5:31. Job 20:29. Prov. 22:23. Jer. 13:25. Ez. 39:10. Hab. 2:16,17. Zeph. 2:9,10.
Ottoman empire:-so exactly has this proph-'all which the Israelites were greatly addicted,
ecy been accomplished!
V. 4-8. The glory and prosperity of the kingdom of Israel would more and more decline, like a man in a consumption: and their enemies would waste them, as the husbandman reaps the harvest, and as the gleaner after him collects the scattered ears. Yet a few individuals would be preserved: as a few grapes or olive-berries are, when the rest are gathered; being situated out of the gatherer's reach. ( Rev. 19:9,10.
Deut . 24:19-21.) These would renounce idolatry, and return to the worship and service of the Lord, looking to him for help, and having respect to his commandments, as the Holy One of Israel; and not to the altars erected to their idols, the work of their own hands. ( Marg . Ref .
Note , 2:6-9.)-After the ravages of Tiglath-pilezer, pilezer, several of the Israelites joined themselves to the Jews in celebrating the passover, and in destroying idolatry. ( Notes , 2 Chr . 30:31:) Afterwards many were incorporated ted with the Jews, Jews, (especially after the Babylonish captivity,) and finally regross idolatry. "The altars dedi'cated to the work of his hands:" ... that is, 'the altars of their idols.' Bp . Lowth .
V. 9. This obscure verse probably means, that the cities of Israel would be as entirely desolated, as those of the Canaanites had been in the conquest of the land by Joshua. The Septuagint render it, 'Thy cities shall be for'saken; as when the Hivites and Amorites for'sook,' (that is, their cities,) 'because of the 'children of Israel; and they shall be desert.' Either this is a mere paraphrase and exposition, or the text from which it was translated differed from that of the present Hebrew Bi
ble.
V. 10, 11. 'The pleasant plants and shoots, 'from a foreign soil, are allegorical expres'sions for strange and idolatrous worship; vi'cious and abominable practices connected with
'tered into with the neighboring nations, ... to 'and their expectations from which should be
'grievously disappointed. Bp . Lowth . The Israelites bestowed indeed much pains about such plants; but when they expected an harvest from them, it proved a ruinous heap; and instead of rejoicing, in possessing the prosperity which they were thus seeking, they had intense grief and desperate sorrow as their reward.
Because thou hast forsaken the true 'God, to follow idols, nothing shall thrive 'with thee; although, like an industrious gar'dener, thou procurest the choicest plants, and 'takest the greatest care to make them grow; ... yet, when thou expectest to reap the fruit 'of thy labors, (so our margin very fitly trans'lates Jom nachalah "the day of inheritance," '...) thou shalt find nothing but loss and dis'appointment.' when thou shalt have made thy shoots to Lowth.
"In the morning, spring forth, even in the day of possession, shall the harvest be taken away, and there shall be sorrow without hope." Bp. Lowth . Bp. Horsley and Mr. Faber think, that the prophet was here led forward to foretel the state of Jacob , or the whole house of Israel, in their present dispersions; in which they do not in general worship idols: yet they have "not respect to the God of Salvation," and are remarkably depressed and disappointed in all their endeavors. ( Note , Hos . 3:4,5.)
V. 12-14. These verses seem to form a detached subject, and describe with great energy the march and ruin of Sennacherib's army. A woe is denounced against his numerous forces collected from many nations; or a summons is given to them. Their noise, and blasphemous rage, and impetuous force, resembled the mighty waters of the sea: but when He, (that is, "the God of Israel,") should rebuke them, they would flee like the chaff, or thistle-down, before the whirlwind. ( Marg .) In the evening Jerusalem would be in con[65
'it; reliance on human aid, and on alliances en-sternation and distress, because of the powerVOL. IV.