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Micah Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 1
This
chapter treats of the judgments of God on Israel and Judah for their idolatry.
It begins with the title of the whole book in which is given an account of the
prophet
the time of his prophesying
and of the persons against whom he
prophesied
Micah 1:1; next a
preface to this chapter
requiring attention to what was about to be delivered
urged from the consideration of the awful appearance of God
which is
represented as very grand and terrible
Micah 1:2; the
cause of all which wrath that appeared in him was the transgression of Jacob;
particularly their idolatry
as appears by the special mention of their idols
and graven images in the account of their destruction
Micah 1:5; which
destruction is exaggerated by the prophet's lamentation for it
Micah 1:8; and by
the mourning of the inhabitants of the several places that should be involved
in it
which are particularly mentioned
Micah 1:10.
Micah 1:1 The word of the Lord that came
to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham
Ahaz
and Hezekiah
kings
of Judah
which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
YLT
1A word of Jehovah that hath
been unto Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham
Ahaz
Hezekiah
kings of
Judah
that he hath seen concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:
The word of the Lord that
came to Micah the Morasthite
.... So called
either from Mareshah
mentioned Micah 1:15; and was
a city in the tribe of Judah
Joshua 15:44; as
the Targum
Jarchi
Kimchi
and ZacutusF9Juchashin
fol. 12. 1. ; or
rather from Moresheth
from which Moreshethgath
Micah 1:14; is
distinguished; which JeromF11Prolog. in Mic. says was in his time a
small village in the land of Palestine
near Eleutheropolis. Some think these
two cities to be one and the same; but they appear to be different from the
account of JeromF12Epitaph. Paulae
ut supra. (tom. 1. operum
fol.
60. A. B.) elsewhere. The Arabic version reads it
Micah the son of Morathi; so
Cyril
in his commentary on this place
mentions it as the sense of some
that
Morathi was the father of the prophet; which can by no means be assented to:
in the days of Jotham
Ahaz
and Hezekiah
kings of Judah; by which it
appears that he was contemporary with Isaiah
Hoses
and Amos
though they
began to prophesy somewhat sooner than he
even in the days of Uzziah; very
probably he conversed with these prophets
especially Isaiah
with whom he
agrees in many things; his style is like his
and sometimes uses the same
phrases: he
being of the tribe of Judah
only mentions the kings of that nation
most known to him; though he prophesied against Israel
and in the days of
Zachariah
Shallum
Menahem
Pekahiah
Pekah
and Hoshea:
which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem; in the vision
of prophecy; Samaria was the metropolis of the ten tribes of Israel
and is put
for them all; as Jerusalem was of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin
and is put
for them Samaria is mentioned first
because it was the head of the greatest
body of people; and as it was the first in transgression
it was the first in punishment.
Micah 1:2 2 Hear
all you peoples! Listen
O earth
and all that is
in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you
The
Lord from His holy temple.
YLT
2Hear
O peoples
all of
them! Attend
O earth
and its fulness
And the Lord Jehovah is against you for
a witness
The Lord from His holy temple.
Hear
all ye people
.... Or
"the people
all of them"F13עמים
כלם "populi omnes ipsi"
Montanus
Drusius
Piscator
Tarnovius. ; not all the nations of the world
but the nations of
Israel
so called from their several tribes; though someF14So
Burkius. think the rest of the inhabitants of the earth are meant: thee are the
same words which are used by Micaiah the prophet in the times of Ahab
long
before this time
from whom they might be borrowed
1 Kings 22:28. The phrase
in the Hebrew language
as Aben Ezra observes
is very wonderful
and serves to
strike the minds and excite the attention of men; it is like the words of a
crier
in a court of judicature
calling for silence:
hearken
O earth
and all that therein is; or
"its
fulness"F15ומלאה "et plenitude
ejus"
Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus
Drusius
Cocceius
Burkius. ; the
land of Israel and Judah
the whole land of promise
and all the inhabitants of
it; for to them are the following words directed:
and let the Lord God be witness against you; or
"in
you"F16בכם "in vobis"
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
Cocceius. ; the Word of the Lord
as the
Targum; let him who is the omniscient God
and knows all hearts
thoughts
words
and actions
let him bear witness in your consciences
that what I am
about to say is truth
and comes from him; is not my own word
but his; and if
you disregard it
and repent not
let him be a witness against you
and for me
that I have prophesied in his name; that I have faithfully delivered his
message
and warned you of your danger
and reproved you for your sins
and
have kept back nothing I have been charged and entrusted with: and now
you are
summoned into open court
and at the tribunal of the great God of heaven and
earth; let him be a witness against you of the many sins you have been guilty
of
and attend while the indictment is read
the charge exhibited
and the
proof given by
the Lord from his holy temple
from heaven
the
habitation of his holiness; whose voice speaking from thence should be
hearkened to; who from thence beholds all the actions of men
and from whence
his wrath is revealed against their sins
and he gives visible tokens of his
displeasure; and especially when he seems to come forth from thence in some remarkable
instances of his power and providence
as follows:
Micah 1:3 3 For behold
the Lord is coming
out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth.
YLT
3For lo
Jehovah is going
out from His place
And He hath come down
And hath trodden on high places of
earth.
For
behold
the Lord
cometh out of his place
.... Out of heaven
the place of the house of his Shechinah or
Majesty
as the Targum; where his throne is prepared; where he keeps his court
and displays his glory; from whence he removes
not by local motion
since he
is everywhere; but by some manifest exertion of his power
either on the behalf
of his people
or in taking vengeance on his and their enemies; or on them
sinning against him
in which sense it is probably to be understood. It
signifies not change of place
but of his dispensations; going out of his
former customary method into another; removing
as Jarchi has it
from the
throne of mercies to the throne of judgment; doing not acts of mercy
in which
he delights
but exercising judgment
his strange work. So the Cabalistic
writersF17Kabala Denudata
par. 1. p. 408. observe on the passage
that
"it
cannot be understood of place properly taken
according to Isaiah 40:12; for
God is the place of the world
not the world his place; hence our wise men so
expound the text
he cometh forth out of the measure of mercy
and goes into
the measure of justice;'
or
property of it. Some understand this of his leaving the temple at Jerusalem
and giving it up into the hands of the Chaldeans; but the former sense is best:
and will come down
and tread upon the high places of the earth; which are his
footstool; Samaria and Jerusalem
built on mountains
and all other high towers
and fortified places
together with men of high looks and haughty countenances
who exalt themselves like mountains
and swell with pride: these the Lord can
easily subdue and humble
bring low and tread down like the mire of the street;
perhaps there may be an allusion to the high places where idols were
worshipped; and which were the cause of the Lord's wrath and vengeance
and of
his coming forth
in this unusual way
in his providences.
Micah 1:4 4 The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will
split Like wax before the fire
Like waters poured down a steep place.
YLT
4Melted have been the
mountains under Him
And the valleys do rend themselves
As wax from the
presence of fire
As waters cast down by a slope.
And the mountains shall be
molten under him
.... As Sinai was when he descended on it
and as all nations
will be at the general conflagration; but here the words are to be taken
not
literally
but figuratively
for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah
and for the
kings
and princes
and great men in them
that lifted up their heads as high
and thought themselves as secure
as mountains; yet when the judgments of God
should fall upon them
their hearts would melt through fear under him; as well
as all their glory and greatness depart from them
and they be no more what
they were before
but levelled with the meanest subject:
and the valleys shall be cleft: have chasms made in them
by the melting of the mountains
or by the flow of water from the hills: these
may design the lower sort of people
who shall have their share in this
calamity; the inhabitants of the valleys and country villages; who
though mean
and low
shall be lower still
and lose that little substance
that liberty and
those privileges
they had; as valleys may be cleft
and open
and sink into
the lower parts of the earth; so it is signified that these people should be in
a more depressed state and condition:
as wax before the fire; melts
and cannot stand
the force of it; so the mountains should melt at the presence of the Lord; and
kingdoms and states
and the greatest and mightiest of men in them
would not
be able to stand before the fierceness of his wrath; see Psalm 68:2;
and as the waters that are
poured down a steep place; that run with great swiftness
force
and
rapidity
and there is no stopping them; so should the judgments of God come
down upon the lower sort of people
the inhabitants of the valleys; neither
high nor low would escape the indignation of the Lord
or be able to stand
against it
or stand up under it.
Micah 1:5 5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob And for the
sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is
it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they
not Jerusalem?
YLT
5For the transgression of
Jacob [is] all this
And for the sins of the house of Israel. What [is] the
transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what the high places of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
For the transgression of
Jacob is all this
and for the sins of the house of Israel
.... All this
evil
all these calamities and judgments
signified by the above metaphorical
phrases
these did not come by chance
nor without
reason; but were or would
be inflicted
according to the righteous judgment of God
upon the people of
Israel and Judah
for their manifold sins and transgressions
especially their
idolatry: and should it be asked
what is the transgression of Jacob? what
notorious crime has he been guilty of? or what is the iniquity the two tribes
are charged with
that is the cause of so much severity? the answer is
is it not Samaria? the
wickedness of Samaria
the calf of Samaria? as in Hosea 7:1; that is
the worship of the calf of Samaria; is not that idolatry the transgression of
Jacob
or which the ten tribes have given into? it is; and a just reason for
all this wrath to come upon them: or
"who is the transgression of
Jacob?"F18מי פשע
יעקב "quis est praevaricatio Jacobi?" De
Dieu; so Pagninus
Burkius; "quis defectio Jacobi?" Cocceius;
"quis scelus Jacobi?" Drusius. who is the spring and source of it;
the cause
author
and encourager of it? are they not the kings that have reigned
in Samaria from the times of Omri
with their nobles
princes
and great men
who
by their edicts
influence
and example
have encouraged the worship of
the golden calves? they are the original root and motive of it
and to them it
must be ascribed; they caused the people to sin: or
as the Targum
"where
have they of the house of Jacob sinned? is it not in Samaria?'
verily
it is
and from thence
the metropolis of the nation
the sin has spread itself
all over it:
and what are the high places of Judah? or
"who
are they?"F19מי במות יהודה "quis est excelsa
Judae?" Montanus
Drusius
De Dieu; "quis cesla Judae?"
Cocceius; "quis fuit causa excelsorum Jehudae?" Burkius; so Kimchi.
who have been the makers of them? who have set them up
and encouraged idolatrous
worship at them?
are they not Jerusalem? are they not
the king
the princes
and priests
that dwell at Jerusalem? certainly they
are; such as Ahaz
and others
in whose times this prophet lived; see 2 Kings 16:4; or
as the Targum
"where
did they of the house of Judah commit sin? was it not in Jerusalem?'
truly
it was
and even in the temple; here Ahaz built an altar like that at Damascus
and sacrificed on it
and spoiled the temple
and several of the vessels in it
2 Kings 16:10.
Micah 1:6 6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the
field
Places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the
valley
And I will uncover her foundations.
YLT
6And I have set Samaria for
a heap of the field
For plantations of a vineyard
And poured out into a
valley her stones
And her foundations I uncover.
Therefore I will make
Samaria as an heap of the field
and as plantings of a vineyard
.... As a
field ploughed
and laid in heaps; see Micah 3:12; or as
stones gathered out of a field
and out of a vineyard planted
and laid in a
heap; so should this city become a heap of stones and rubbish
being utterly
demolished; and this being done according to the will of God
and through his
instigation of Shalmaneser king of Assyria to it
and by his providence
succeeding his army that besieged it
is said to be done by him. With this
agrees the Vulgate Latin version
"I
will make Samaria as a heap of stones in a field
when a vineyard is planted;'
see
Isaiah 5:2; for the
city
being destroyed
cannot be compared to the plants of a vineyard set in
good order
beautiful and thriving; but
as to heaps of stones in a field
so
to such in a vineyard; or to hillocks raised up there for the plants of vines;
and if the comparison is to plants themselves
it must be to withered ones
that are good for nothing. The note of similitude as is not in the text; and
the words may be read without it
"I will make Samaria an heap of the
field
plantings of a vineyard"F20לעי
השדה למטעי כרם "in acervum agri
in plantationem
vel
plantationes vinae"
Pagninus
Montanus
Tigurine version
Cocceius; as
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Burkius. ; that is
it shall be ploughed up
and made a heap of; turned into a field
and vines planted on it; for which its
situation was very proper
being on a hill where vines used to be planted
and
so should no more be inhabited as a city:
and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley; the stones of
the buildings and walls of the city
which
being on a hill
when pulled down
rolled into the valley; and with as much swiftness and force as waters run down
a steep place
as in Micah 1:4; where the
same word is used as here:
and I will discover the foundations thereof; which should
be fused up
and left bare; not one stone should be upon another; so that there
should be no traces and footsteps of the city remaining
and it should be
difficult to know the place where it stood. This is expressive of the total
desolation and utter destruction of it: this was not accomplished by
Shalmaneser when he took it; for though he carried captive the inhabitants
thereof
he put others in their room; but this was entirely fulfilled
not by
Jonathan Maccabeus
though he is saidF21Paschale Chronicon
p. 181.
apud Reland. Palestina Illustrata
tom. 2. l. 3. p. 980. to besiege it
and
level it with the ground; but by John Hyrcanus; and the account of the
destruction of it by him
as given by JosephusF23Antiqu. l. 13. c.
10. sect. 3.
exactly answers to this prophecy
and
to Hosea 13:16; where
its desolation is also predicted; he says that Hyrcanus
having besieged it a
year
took it; and
not content with this only
he utterly destroyed it
making
brooks to run through it; and by digging it up
so that it fell into holes and
caverns
insomuch that there were no signs nor traces of the city left. It was
indeed afterwards rebuilt by Gabinius the Roman proconsul of Syria
and
restored by Augustus Caesar to Herod
who adorned and fortified it
and called
it by the name of Sebaste
in honour of AugustusF24Ibid. l. 14. c.
5. sect. 3. &. l. 15. c. 7. sect. 3. & c. 8. sect. 5. ; though Benjamin
of Tudela pretends that Ahab's palace might be discerned there in his time
or
the place known where it was
which is not likely; excepting this
his account
is probable.
"From
Luz (he saysF25Itinerarium
p. 38. ) is one day's journey to
Sebaste
which is Samaria; and still there may be perceived there the palace of
Ahab king of Israel; and it is a fortified city on a very high hill
and in it
are fountains; and is a land of brooks of water
and gardens
orchards
vineyards
and olive yards;'
but
since his time
it is become more ruinous. Mr. Maundrell
who some years ago
was upon the spot
gives a fuller account of it;
"this
great city (he saysF26Journey from Aleppo
&c. p. 59. Ed. 7. )
is now wholly converted into gardens; and all the tokens that remain
to
testify that there has ever been such a place
are only on the north side
a
large square piazza
encompassed with pillars; and
on the east
some poor
remains of a great church
said to be built by the Empress Helena
over the
place where St. John Baptist was both imprisoned and beheaded.'
So
say othersF1Universal History
vol. 2. p. 439.
"the
remains of Sebaste
or the ancient Samaria
though long ago laid in ruinous
heaps
and a great part of it turned into ploughed land and garden ground
do
still retain some monuments of its ancient grandeur
and of those noble
edifices in it
with which King Herod caused it to be adorned;'
and
then mention the large square piazza on the north
and the church on the east.
It was twelve miles from Dothaim
and as many from Merran
and four from
Atharoth
according to EusebiusF2In voc. Dothaim
&c. ; and was
as JosephusF3Antiqu. l. 15. c. 8. sect. 5. says
a day's journey
from Jerusalem. Sichem
called by the Turks Naplus
is now the metropolis of
the country of Samaria; Samaria
or Sebaste
being utterly destroyed
as says
Petrus a ValleF4Epist. 14. Morino apud Antiqu. Eccles. Oriental. p.
166.
a traveller in those parts.
Micah 1:7 7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces
And
all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay
desolate
For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot
And they shall
return to the pay of a harlot.”
YLT
7And all her graven images
are beaten down
And all her gifts are burnt with fire
And all her idols I
make a desolation
For
from the hire of a harlot she gathered
and unto the
hire of a harlot they return.
And all the graven images
thereof shall be beaten to pieces
.... By the Assyrian
army
for the sake of the gold and silver of which they were
made
or with
which they were adorned
as was usually done by conquerors to the gods of the
nations they conquered; these were the calf of Samaria
and other idols; and
not only those in the city of Samaria
but in all the other cities of Israel
which fell into the hands of the Assyrian monarch; see Isaiah 10:11;
and all the hires thereof shall be burnt with fire; this the
Targum also interprets of idols; such as escaped the plunder of the soldiers
should be burnt with fire: Kimchi
by "hires"
understands the
beautiful garments
and other ornaments
with which they adorned their idols
which were gifts unto them; and they committing spiritual adultery with them
these are compared to the hire of a harlot: or it may design their fine houses
and the furniture of them
all their substance and riches
which they looked
upon as obtained by entering into alliances with idolatrous nations
and as the
hire and reward of their idolatry; all these should be consumed by fire when
the city was taken:
and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate; such as were
not broke to pieces
nor burnt
should be thrown down
and trampled upon
and
made no account of
or carried away with other spoil. The Targum interprets it
of the houses or temples of their idols
which should be demolished. By this
and the preceding clause it appears
that
besides the golden calf
there were
other idols worshipped in Samaria. In the times of Ahab was the image of Baal
with others
for which he built an altar and a temple in Samaria
and a grove
1 Kings 16:31; and
at the time it was taken by Shalmaneser there were idols in it
as appears from
Isaiah 10:10; and
there were still more after a colony of the Babylonians and others were
introduced into it; the names of which were Succothbenoth
Nergal
Ashima
Nibhaz
Tartak
Adrammelech
and Anammelech. The first of these is thought
by
SeldenF5De Dis Syris Syntagm. 2. c. 7. p. 309. to be Venus; and the
two last
both by him and BrauniusF6Selecta Sacra
l. 4. c. 8. sect.
117. p. 465.
to be the same with Mo
having the signification of a king in
them
as that word signifies
and children being burnt unto them: they are all
difficult to be understood. The account the JewsF7T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 63. 2. Vid. etiam T. Hieros. Avoda Zara
fol. 42. 3
4. give of them is
that "Succothbenoth" were images of a hen and chickens;
"Nergal"
a cock; "Ashima"
a goat without hair;
"Nibhaz"
or "Nibchan"
as sometimes read
a dog; and
"Tartak"
an ass; "Adrammelech"
a mule
or a peacock; and
"Anammelech"
a horse
or a pheasant. And it was not unusual for some
of these creatures to be worshipped by the Heathens
as a cock by the Syrians
and others; a goat by the Mendesians; and the dog Anubis
perhaps the same with
Nibhaz
by the EgyptiansF8Vid. Godwin's Moses and Aaron
l. 4. c. 7.
. And though the inhabitants of Samaria might be better instructed
after
Manasseh and other Jews came to reside among them in later times
still they
retained idolatrous practices; and
even in the times of our Lord
they were
ignorant of the true object of religious worship
John 4:22; and they
are charged by the Jewish writersF9Maimon. in Misn. Beracot
c. 8.
sect. 11. & Bartenora in ib. c. 7. sect. 1. & in Nidda
c. 4. sect. 1.
Shalshelet Hakabala
fol. 15. 2. with worshipping the image of a dove on Mount
Gerizim
and also such strange gods
the teraphim
which Jacob hid under the
oak at Sichem; however
let their idols be what they will they worshipped
they
are now utterly destroyed
according to this prophecy;
for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot
and they
shall return to the hire of an harlot; as all the riches of
Samaria and its inhabitants were gathered together as the reward of their
idolatry
as they imagined
so they should return to idolaters
the Assyrians;
to Nineveh
called the well favoured harlot
Nahum 3:4; the
metropolis of the Assyrian empire; and to the house or temple of those that
worshipped idols
as the Targum; with which they should adorn their idols
or
use them in idolatrous worship: or the sense in general is
that as their
riches were ill gotten
as the hire of a harlot
and which never prospers
so
theirs should come to nothing; as it came
so it should go: according to our
proverb
"lightly come
lightly go". The allusion seems to be to
harlots prostituting themselves in the temples of idols
which was common among
the Heathens
as at Comana and Corinth
as StraboF11Geograph. l. 12.
p. 385. relates; and particularly among the Babylonians and Assyrians
which
may be here referred to: for HerodotusF12Clio
sive l. 1. c. 199.
says
it was a law with the Babylonians that every woman of that country should
once in her life sit in the temple of Venus
and lie with a strange man: here
women used to sit with a crown upon their heads: nor might they return home
until some stranger threw money into their laps
and took them out of the
temple
and lay with them; and he that cast it must say
I implore the goddess
Mylitta for thee; the name by which the Assyrians call Venus; nor was it lawful
to reject the price or the money
be it what it would
for it was converted to
holy uses
and StraboF13Ibid. l. 16. p. 513. affirms much the same.
So the Phoenician women used to prostitute themselves in the temples of their
idols
and dedicate there the hire of their bodies to their gods
thinking
thereby to appease their deities
and obtain good things for themselvesF14Athanasius
contra Gentes
p. 21. .
Micah 1:8 8 Therefore I will wail and howl
I will go stripped and
naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals And a mourning like the
ostriches
YLT
8For this I lament and howl
I go spoiled and naked
I make a lamentation like dragons
And a mourning like
daughters of an ostrich.
Therefore I will wail and
howl
I will go stripped and naked
.... To his shut
putting
off his upper garment; the rough one
such as the prophets used to wear; which
he did as the greater sign of his mourning: sometimes
in such cases
they rent
their garments; at other times they stripped themselves of them
and walked
naked
as Isaiah did
Isaiah 20:3; he
went about like a madman
one disturbed in his mind
bereft of his senses
because of the desolation coming upon Israel; and without his clothes
as such
persons often do: so the word rendered "stripped" signifies
as the
Jewish commentators observe. This lamentation
and with these circumstances
the prophet made in his own person
to show the reality and certainty of their
ruin
and to represent to them the desolate condition they would be in
destitute of all good things
and to them with it; as well as to express the
sympathy of his heart
and thereby to assure them that it was not out of ill
will to them
or a spirit of revenge
that he delivered such a message: or this
he did in the person of all the people
showing what they would do
and that
this would be their case shortly. So the Targum
"for
this they shall wail and howl
and go naked among the spoilers;'
I will make a wailing like the dragons; as in their
fight with elephants
at which time they make a hideous noiseF14Aelian.
de Animal. l. 6. c. 22. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 11. ; and whose hissings have
been very terrible to large bodies of men. AelianusF15Ib. l. 15. c.
21. speaks of a dragon in India
which
when it perceived Alexander's army near
at hand
gave such a prodigious hiss and blast
that it greatly frightened and
disturbed the whole army: and he relatesF16Ib. l. 16. c. 39. of
another
that was in a valley near Mount Pellenaeus
in the isle of Chios
whose hissing was very terrible to the inhabitants of that place; and BochartF17Hierozoic.
par. 2. l. 3. c. 14. col. 437. conjectures that this their hissing is here
referred to; and who observes of the whale
that it has its name from a word in
the Hebrew tongue
which signifies to lament; and which word is here used
and
is frequently used of large fishes
as whales
sea calves
dolphins
&c.
which make a great noise and bellowing
as the sea calf; particularly the
balaena
which is one kind of a whale
and makes such a large and continued
noise
as to be heard at the distance of two miles
as RondeletiusF18Apud
Bochart. ib. par. 1. l. 1. c. 7. col. 47. says; and dolphins are said to make a
moan and groaning like human creatures
as PlinyF19Nat. Hist. l. 9.
c. 9. and SolinusF20Polyhistor. c. 22. report: and Peter Gillius
relates
from his own experience
that lodging one night in a vessel
in which
many dolphins were taken
there were such weeping and mourning
that he could
not sleep for them; he thought they deplored their condition with mourning
lamentation
and a large flow of tears
as men do
and therefore could not help
pitying their case; and
while the fisherman was asleep
took that which was
next him
that seemed to mourn most
and cast it into the sea; but this was of
no avail
for the rest increased their mourning more and more
and seemed
plainly to desire the like deliverance; so that all the night he was in the
midst of the most bitter moaning: wherefore Bochart
who quotes these
instances
elsewhereF21Ut supra
(Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 3. c. 14.)
col. 48. thinks that the prophet compares his mourning with the mourning of
these creatures
rather than with the hissing of dragons. SomeF23Ludolphus
apud Burkium in loc. think crocodiles are here meant; and of them it is
reportedF24Vid. Frantzii Hist. Animal. Sacr. par. 1. c. 26. sect. 2.
that when they have eaten the body of a creature
which they do first
and
come to the head
they weep over it with tears; hence the proverb of crocodiles
tears
for hypocritical ones; but it cannot well be thought
surely
that the
prophet would compare his mourning to that of such a creature. The learned
Pocock thinks it more reasonable that the "jackals" are meant
called
by the Arabians "ebn awi"
rather than dragons; a creature of a size
between a fox and a wolf
or a dog and a fox
which makes a dreadful howling in
the night; by which travellers
unacquainted with it
would think a company of
women or children were howling
and goes before the lion as his provider;
and mourning as the owls; or "daughters of
the owl"F25כבנות יענה
"ut filiae ululae"
Piscator
Burkius; "instar filiarum.
ululae"
Cocceius. So Montanus. ; which is a night bird
and makes a very
frightful noise
especially the screech owl. The Targum interprets it of the
ostrichF26So the Vulgate Latin
Munster
Pagninus
Drusius
Bochartus
and others. ; and it may be meant either of the mourning it makes
when its young are about to be taken away
and it exposes itself to danger on
their account
and perishes in the attempt. AelianusF1De Animal. l.
14. c. 7. reports that they are taken by sharp iron spikes fixed about their
nest
when they are returning to their young
after having been in quest of
food for them; and
though they see the shining iron
yet such is their
vehement desire after their young
that they spread their wings like sails
and
with great swiftness and noise rush into the nest
where they are transfixed
with the spikes
and die: and not only Vatablus observes
that these creatures
have a very mournful voice; but BochartF2Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 2. c.
14. col. c. 228. has shown
from the Arabic writers
that they frequently cry
and howl; and from John de Laet
who affirms that those in the parts about
Brazil cry so loud as to be heard half a mile; and indeed they have their name
from crying and howling. The Targum renders it by a word which signifies
pleasant; and so Onkelos on Leviticus 11:16
by
an antiphrasis
because its voice is so very unpleasant. Or
since the words
may be rendered
"the daughters of the ostrich"F3"Filiarum
struthionis"
Pagninus; "juvenes struthiones"
Tigurine version.
it may be understood of the mourning of its young
when left by her
when
they make a hideous noise and miserable moan
as some observeF4Vid.
Frantz. Hist. Animal. Sacr. par. 2. c. 2. p. 339
342. .
Micah 1:9 9 For her wounds are incurable. For it has come to
Judah; It has come to the gate of My people— To Jerusalem.
YLT
9For mortal [are] her
wounds
For it hath come unto Judah
It hath come to a gate of My people -- to
Jerusalem.
For her wound is
incurable
.... Or her "stroke is desperate"F5אנושה מכותיה "desperata est
plaga ejus"
V. L. "plagae ejus"
Montanus
Drusius. . The ruin
of Samaria
and the ten tribes
was inevitable; the decree being gone forth
and they hardened in their sins
and continuing in their impenitence; and their
destruction was irrevocable; they were not to be restored again
nor are they
to this day; nor will be till the time comes that all Israel shall be saved: or
"she is grievously sick of her wounds"; just ready to die
upon the
brink of ruin
and no hope of saving her; this is the cause and reason of the
above lamentation of the prophet: and what increased his grief and sorrow the
more was
for it is come unto Judah; the calamity has reached
the land of Judah; it stopped not with Israel or the ten tribes
but spread
itself into the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; for the Assyrian army
having
taken Samaria
and carried Israel captive
in a short time
about seven or
eight years
invaded Judea
and took the fenced cities of Judah in Hezekiah's
time
in which Micah prophesied;
he is come unto the gate of my people
even to Jerusalem; Sennacherib
king of Assyria
having taken the fenced cities
came up to the very gates of
Jerusalem
and besieged it
where the courts of judicature were kept
and the
people resorted to
to have justice done them; and Micah
being of the tribe of
Judah
calls them his people
and was the more affected with their distress.
Micah 1:10 10 Tell it not in Gath
Weep not at all; In Beth
Aphrah[a] Roll
yourself in the dust.
YLT
10In Gath tell ye not -- in
Acco weep not
In Beth-Aphrah
in dust roll thyself.
Declare ye it not
at Gath
.... A city of the Philistines
put for all the rest: the phrase
is borrowed from 2 Samuel 1:20;
where the reason is given
and holds good here as there; and the sense is
not
that the destruction of Israel
or the invasion of Judea
or the besieging of
Jerusalem
could be hid from the Philistines; but that it was a thing
desirable
was it possible
since it would be matter of rejoicing to them
and
that would be an aggravation of the distress of Israel and Judah:
weep ye not at all; that is
before the Philistines
or such
like enemies
lest they should laugh and scoff at you; though they had reason
to weep
and did and ought to weep in secret; yet
as much as in them lay
it
would be right to forbear it openly
because of the insults and reproach of the
enemy. The learned RelandF6Palestina Illustrata
tom. 2. p. 534
535. suspects that it should be read
"weep not in Acco": which was
another city in Palestine
to the north from the enemy
as Gath was to the
south; and observes
that there is a like play on wordsF7בכו אל תבכו.
in the words
as in the places after mentioned. Acco is the same with
Ptolemais
Acts 21:7; See Gill
on Acts 21:7. It had
this name from Ptolemy Lagus king of Egypt
who enlarged it
and called it
after his own name; but Mr
MaundrellF8Journey from Aleppo
&c.
p. 54. observes
"now
since it hath been in the possession of the Turks
it has
according to the
example of many other cities in Turkey
cast off its Greek
and recovered some
semblance of its old Hebrew name again
being called Acca
or Acra. As to its
situation (he says) it enjoys all possible advantages
both of sea and land; on
its north and east sides it is compassed with a spacious and fertile plain; on
the west it is washed by the Mediterranean sea; and on the south by a large
bay
extending from the city as far as Mount Carmel;'
in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust; as mourners
used to do
sit in the dust
or cover their heads with it
or wallow in it;
this is allowed to be done privately
in houses or in towns distinct from the
Philistines
as Aphrah or Ophrah was
which was in the tribe of Benjamin
Joshua 18:23;
called here "Aphrah"
to make it better agree with "Aphar"
dust
to which the allusion is: and it may be rendered
"in the house of
dust roll thyself in the dust"; having respect to the condition houses
would be in at this time
mere heaps of dust and rubbish
so that they would
find enough easily to roll themselves in. Here is a double reading; the
"Keri"
or marginal reading
which the Masora directs to
and we
follow
is
"roll thyself": but the "Cetib"
or writing
is
"I have rolled myself"F9התפלשי
"volutavi me"
De Dieu. ; and so are the words of the prophet
who
before says he wailed and howled
and went stripped and naked; here he says
as
a further token of his sorrow
that he rolled himself in dust
and as an
example for Israel to do the like. This place was a village in the times of
JeromF11De locis Hebr. fol. 88. H. and was called Effrem; it was
five miles from Bethel to the east.
Micah 1:11 11 Pass by in naked shame
you inhabitant of Shaphir; The
inhabitant of Zaanan[b] does not
go out. Beth Ezel mourns; Its place to stand is taken away from you.
YLT
11Pass over for thee
O
inhabitant of Shaphir
Naked one of shame. Not gone out hath the inhabitant of
Zaanan
The lamentation of Beth-Ezel doth take from you its standing.
Pass ye away
thou
inhabitant of Saphir
.... A village
according to EusebiusF12Ad vocem σαφειρ.
between Eleutheropolis and Ashkelon; perhaps the same with
Sephoron; it is mentioned among the cities of Judah
in the Greek version of Joshua 15:48. CalmetF13Dictionary
in the word "Saphir". conjectures the prophet intends the city of
Sephoris or Sephora in Galilee. HillerusF14Onomast. Sacr. p. 925. :
takes it to be the same with Parah
mentioned with Ophrah
in Joshua 18:23; so
called from its ornament
neatness
beauty
and elegance
as both words
signify
to which the prophet alludes: now everyone of the inhabitants of this
place are called upon to prepare to go into captivity to Babylon; which would
certainly be their case
though they dwelled in fine buildings
neat houses
and streets well paved. In the margin it is
"thou that dwellest
fairly"F15ישבת שפיר
"habitans pulchre"
Montanus; "habiatrix elegantis loci"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; which some understand of Samaria; others
of Judea; and particularly Jerusalem
beautifully situated
yet should go into
captivity:
having thy shame naked; their city dismantled
their houses plundered
and they stripped of their garments
and the shame of
their nakedness discovered; which must be the more distressing to beautiful
persons
that have dressed neatly
and lived in handsome well built houses
and
elegantly furnished
and now all the reverse;
the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of
Bethezel; or house of Azel
where the posterity of Azel
of the tribe of
Benjamin
dwelt. HillerusF16Ibid. p. 516
951. suspects it to be the
same with Mozah
Joshua 18:26; so
called from Moza
the great grandfather of Azel
1 Chronicles 8:37.
Capellus takes it to be the same with Azal in Zechariah 14:5.
This place being taken and plundered by the enemy occasioned great mourning
among the inhabitants: and it seems to have been taken first
before Zaanan;
perhaps the same with Zenan
Joshua 15:37; and
is here read "Sennan" by Aquila; the inhabitants of which did not
"come forth"
in which there is an allusion to its nameF17צאנן from יצא. Vid. V. L. vers.
either to help them in their distress
or to condole them; they being in fear
of the enemy themselves
and in arms in their own defence
expecting it would
be their turn next
and that they should share the same fate with them. Some
think that under the name of Bethezel is meant Bethel; and of Zaanan
Zion; and
that the sense is
that when Bethel
Samaria
and the ten tribes
were in
distress
they of Zion and Judea did not come to give them any relief; and when
they were carried captive did not mourn with them
were not affected with their
case
nor troubled themselves about them;
he shall receive of him his standing: either the
enemy
as R. Joseph Kimchi
shall receive of the inhabitants of Zaanan his
standing; that is
he shall make them dearly pay for stopping him
for making
him stand and stay so long before their city before he could take it; for all
his loss of time
men
and money
in besieging it; by demolishing their city
plundering their houses
and carrying them captive; who remained he put to
death by the sword. Aben Ezra interprets the word "receive" of
doctrine or learning
as in Proverbs 4:2; and
renders it
"he shall learn"; either Bethezel
or rather Zaanan
shall learn
by the case of Bethezel
and other neighbouring places
what would
be his own case
whether he should stand or fall.
Micah 1:12 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth pined[c] for good
But
disaster came down from the Lord To the
gate of Jerusalem.
YLT
12For stayed for good hath
the inhabitant of Maroth
For evil hath come down from Jehovah to the gate of
Jerusalem.
For the inhabitant of
Maroth waited carefully for good
.... Or
"though they
waited for good"F18כי
"quamvis". ; expected to have it
yet the reverse befell them: or
"verily they were grieved for good"F19כי חלה לטוב
"certe doluit propter bonum"
Vatablus; "siquidem doluit"
Pagninus
Montanus; "quia doluit propter bonum"
Burkius. ; for the
good things they had lost
or were likely to lose; and which they had no more
hope of
when they saw Jerusalem in distress. Grotius thinks
by transposition
of letters
Ramoth is intended by Maroth
or the many Ramahs which were in
Judah and Benjamin; but HillerusF20Onomast. p. 87
951. is of
opinion that Jarmuth is meant
a city of Judah
Joshua 15:35; the
word Maroth signifies "bitterness"; see 1:20;
and
according to others
"rough places"; and may design the
inhabitants of such places that were in great bitterness and trouble because of
the invasion of the enemy
who before that had promised themselves good things
and lived in the expectation of them:
but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem; meaning the
Assyrian army under Sennacherib
which came into the land of Judea by the
order
direction
and providence of God
like an overflowing flood; which
spread itself over the land
and reached to the very gates of Jerusalem
which
was besieged by it
and threatened with destruction: or "because evil came
down"
&c. that is
"because" of that
the inhabitants of
Maroth grieved
or were in pain
as a woman in travail.
Micah 1:13 13 O inhabitant of Lachish
Harness the chariot to the
swift steeds (She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion)
For
the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
YLT
13Bind the chariot to a swift
beast
O inhabitant of Lachish
The beginning of sin [is] she to the daughter
of Zion
For in thee have been found the transgressions of Israel.
O thou inhabitant of
Lachish
bind the chariot to the swift beast
.... Horses
camels
dromedaries
or mules. SomeF21לרכש
"ad equos velocissimos"
Pagninus; "equo veloci"
Montanus;
"angariis sc. equis"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. render the
word swift horse or horses
post horses; others dromedariesF23"Dromadibus"
Vatablus. So Elias. ; and some mulesF24"Mulis"
so some in
Piscator; "ad mulum celerem"
Burkius. the two latter seem more
especially to be meant
either dromedaries
as the word is translated in 1 Kings 4:28; which
is a very swift creature: Isidore saysF25Origin. l. 12. c. 1. p.
102. the dromedary is one sort of camels
of a lesser stature
yet swifter
from whence it has its name
and is used to go more than a hundred miles a day;
this is thought to be what the JewsF26T. Bab. Maccot
fol. 5. 1.
call a flying camel; which the gloss says is a sort of camels that are as swift
in running as a bird that flies; they are lighter made than a camel
and go at
a much greater rate; whereas a camel goes at the rate of thirty miles a day
the dromedary will perform a journey of one hundred and twenty miles in a day;
they make use of them in the Indies for going post
and expresses frequently
perform a journey of eight hundred miles upon them in the space of a weekF1See
Harris's Voyages and Travels
vol. 1. p. 469. : this may serve the better to
illustrate Jeremiah 2:23; and
improve the note there: but whether these were used in chariots I do not find;
only BochartF2Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 4. col. 87. takes notice
of a kind of camel
that has
like the dromedary
two humps on its back
which
the Arabians call "bochet"
and put to chariots: or else mules are
meant
for by comparing the above text in 1 Kings 4:28 with 2 Chronicles 9:24
it looks as if "mules" were there intended; and so the word here used
is rendered in Esther 8:10; and by
their being there said to be used for posts to ride on expresses
it up pears
to be a swift creature. AelianusF3De Animal. l. 16. c. 9. makes
mention of mules in India of a red colour
very famous for running; and mules
were used in the Olympic games
and many riders of them got the victory; and
that these were used in chariots
there is no doubt to be made of it: HomerF4Iliad.
24. l. 324. speaks of mules drawing a four wheeled chariot; so PausaniasF5Eliac.
prior
sive l. 5. p. 302. So Suetonius in Vit. Jul. Caesar. c. 31. "mulis
ad vehiculum junctis". of mules yoked together
and drawing a chariot
instead of horses; and the Septuagint version of Isaiah 66:20;
instead of "in litters and on mules"
renders it
"in
litters" or carriages "of mules": but
be they one or the other
that are here meant
they were creatures well known
and being swift were used
in chariots
to which they were bound and fastened in order to draw them
and
which we call "putting to"; this the inhabitants of LachishF6There
is a likeness in sound between לכיש and רכש. are bid to do
in order to make their escape
and flee
as fast as they could from the enemy
advancing to besiege them; as they were
besieged by the army of Sennacherib
before he came to Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 32:1.
Or these words may be spoken in an ironical and sarcastic way
that whereas
they had abounded in horses and chariots
and frequently rode about their
streets in them
now let them make use of them
and get away if they could; and
may suggest
that
instead of riding in these
they should be obliged to walk
on foot into captivity. Lachish was a city in the tribe of Judah
in the times
of JeromF7De locis Hebr. fol. 92. M. ; it was a village seven miles
from Eleutheropolis
as you go to Daroma or the south;
she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion; lying upon
the borders of the ten tribes
as Lachish did
it was the first of the cities
of Judah that gave into the idolatry of Jeroboam
the worshipping of the
calves; and from thence it spread itself to Zion and Jerusalem; and
being a
ringleader in this sin
should be punished for it: though some think this
refers to their conspiracy with the citizens of Jerusalem against King Amaziah
and the murder of him in this place
now punished for it
2 Kings 14:18;
for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee; not only
their idolatry
but all other sins
with which it abounded; it was a very
wicked place
and therefore no wonder it was given up to destruction. The
Targum is
"for
the transgressors of Israel were found in thee.'
Micah 1:14 14 Therefore you shall give presents to Moresheth Gath;[d] The houses
of Achzib[e] shall
be a lie to the kings of Israel.
YLT
14Therefore thou givest
presents to Moresheth-Gath
The houses of Achzib become a lying thing to the
kings of Israel.
Therefore shalt thou give
presents to Moreshethgath
.... Since Lachish was the cause of leading
Judah into idolatry
and was a city so very wicked; therefore it should be
reduced to such distress as to send messengers with presents to the Philistines
at Moreshethgath
a place near to Gath of the Philistines
and may include that
and other cities of theirs
to come and help them against the Assyrians:
the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel; a city of
Judah
Joshua 15:44; or of
Asher
Joshua 19:29; the
same with Chezib
Genesis 38:5; and
called Ecdippa by JosephusF8Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 22. De Bello
Jud. l. 1. c. 13. sect. 4.
PlinyF9Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19.
and
PtolemyF11Geograph
l. 5. c. 15. . The Jewish writers commonly call
it Cezib
of which theyF12T. Hieros. Sheviith
fol. 36. 2. T. Bab.
Gittin
foi. 7. 2. Misn. Demai
c. 1. sect. 3. say many things about that
and
the land unto it
being subject to tithes
the laws of the seventh year
and
the like. Maimonides and Bartenora sayF13In Misn. Demai
c. 1. sect.
3. it is the name of a place which divided between the land of Israel
which they
possessed who came out of Babylon
and that land which they enjoyed who came
out of Egypt; but the Jews are not agreed about the situation of it. One of
their writersF14Bartenora in Misn. Sheviith
c. 6. 1. & Challa
c. 4. sect. 8. places it to the northeast of the land of Israel; but anotherF15Yom
Tob in Sheviith
c. 6. 1. e Caphtor Uperah
c. 11. observes
and proves from
one that resided in those parts some time
and diligently inquired into and
made his observation on places
that Cezib
and also Aco and Amana
frequently
mentioned with it
were all on the western sea of the land of Israel
that is
the Mediterranean sea; in which he was right
without all doubt: the place is
now called Zib by contraction
of which Mr. MaundrellF16Journey from
Aleppo
&c. p. 33. Ed. 7. gives this account;
"having
travelled about one hour in the plain of Acra
we passed by an old town called
Zib
situate on an ascent close by the seaside; this may probably be the old
Achzib
mentioned Joshua 19:29;
called afterwards Ecdippa; for St. JeromF17De locis Hebr. fol. 88.
I. places Achzib nine miles distant from Ptolemais (or Aco)
towards Tyre
to
which account we found the situation of Zib exactly agreeing.'
Now
the houses or families that dwelt in this place
or the idols' temples there
as some
and the idolatry exercised therein
should be a lie unto
or
disappoint the expectations of
the kings of Israel; which
according to Kimchi
is put for Judah
who placed confidence in them
and had dependence on them:
there is an elegant play on words between Achzib and a "lie"F18אכזיב & אכזב. . The Targum
is
"thou
shall send gifts to the heirs of Gath; the houses of Achzib shall be delivered
to the people
because of the sins of the kings of Israel
who worshipped idols
in them.'
Micah 1:15 15 I will yet bring an heir to you
O inhabitant of
Mareshah;[f] The glory
of Israel shall come to Adullam.
YLT
15Yet the possessor I do
bring in to thee
O inhabitant of Mareshah
To Adullam come in doth the honour
of Israel.
Yet will I bring an heir
unto thee
O inhabitant of Mareshah
.... Another city in the
tribe of Judah
mentioned with Achzib in Joshua 15:44; and
by many thought to be the birth place of this prophet; and
if so
his
faithfulness may be observed in declaring the whole counsel of God
though
against his own fire place; and this must be an aggravation of the sin of the
inhabitants of it
that they had such a prophet that arose from them
and they
regarded him not. There is a beautiful allusion in the word "heir" to
MareshahF19הירש & מרשה.
which signifies an "inheritance"; and here were an "heir"
or heirs for it
as the Targum; not the Persians
as some in Aben Ezra
and in
an Agadah mentioned by Jarchi
who descended from Elam the firstborn of Shem;
and so had a right of inheritance
as those interpreters suppose; but the king
of Assyria
who should invade the land
and seize upon this place among others
and possess it
as if it was his by right of inheritance
having obtained it by
conquest: and this being by the permission and according to the will of God
he
is said to be brought by him to it. Capellus thinks
on the contrary
that
Hezekiah and his posterity are meant:
he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel; another city
in the tribe of Judah
a royal one
Joshua 15:35; said
by Jerom to be in his time no small village
and to be about ten miles from
Eleutheropolis; called the "glory of Israel"
having been a royal
city in Joshua's time
Joshua 12:15; and a
fenced city in the times of Rehoboam
2 Chronicles 11:7;
and Eusebius says it was a large town; and Jerom says it was not a small one in
his time; though some think Jerusalem is meant
the metropolis of the nation
Israel
being put for Judah
as in Micah 1:14; and to
be read
"he that is the enemy and heir shall come to Adullam
yea
to the glory of Israel"F20So Piscator
Juuius
Drusius. ; even
to Jerusalem
the most glorious city in all the tribes; though others are of
opinion that this is the character of the enemy or heir that should come
thither
called so by way of contradiction
as coming to the reproach and
disgrace of Israel; or
ironically
whom Israel before gloried in
when they
had recourse to him for help. The margin of our Bible reads
"the glory of
Israel shall come to Adullam"; that is
the great men
the princes and
heads of the people
shall flee to the cave of AdullamF21"Ad
Adullam veniet gloria Israelis"
Cocceius.
to hide them from the enemy
where David was hid from Saul; see 1 Samuel 22:1.
BurkiusF23He published Annotations on the twelve minor Prophets at
Heilbronn
1753
which he calls a Gnomon
written in imitation of Bengelius's
Gnomon of the New Testament
whose son-in-law it seems he is
and by whom his
work is prefaced.
a very late commentator
takes Adullam for an appellative
and with HillerusF24Onomast. Sacr. p. 739. renders it
"the
perpetuity of the yoke"; and the whole thus
"at the perpetuity of
the yoke
the glory of Israel shall come"; that is
when all things shall
seem to tend to this
that the yoke once laid on Israel by the Gentiles shall
become perpetual
without any hope of deliverance
then shall come the
Deliverer
that is
Jesus
the Glory of Israel; and
adds he
God forbid we should
think of any other subject here; and so he interprets the "heir" in
the preceding clause of the Messiah; and which is a sense far from being
despicable.
Micah 1:16 16 Make yourself bald and cut off your hair
Because of
your precious children; Enlarge your baldness like an eagle
For they shall go
from you into captivity.
YLT
16Make bald and shave
for
thy delightful sons
Enlarge thy baldness as an eagle
For they have removed
from thee!
Make thee bald
and poll
thee for thy delicate children
.... Which is said
either with respect to
Mareshah
or to Adullam
or to the whole land
as Kimchi observes; rather to
the latter; and that either to Israel
or to Judah
or both; the prophecy in
general being concerning them both
Micah 1:1; making
baldness
whether by plucking off the hair
or by shaving it
was used in token
of mourning
Job 1:20; and so it
is designed to express it here: the inhabitants of the land are called to
lamentation and weeping for their children taken from them
whom they dearly
loved
and brought up in a delicate manner. The Targum is
"pluck
off thy hair
and cast it upon the children of thy delight;'
and
Sanctius observes; that it was a custom with the Gentiles to cut off their
hair
and cast it into the graves of their kindred and friends at their
interment
to which be thinks the prophet alludes:
enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; when it moults
and cast
off all its feathers
as it does in old age
and so renews its youth; to which
the allusion seems to be in Psalm 103:5; or
every year
as birds of prey usually do at the beginning of the spring. The
Jewish writersF25Saadiah Gaon apud Kimchi & Ben Melech in Psal.
ciii. 5. & lsa. xl. 31. say this happens to it every ten years; when
finding its feathers heavy and unfit for flying
it makes a tour to the sun
with all its force it can
to get as near it as possible; and
having heated
its plumage excessively
it casts itself into the sea for cooling
and then its
feathers fall off
and new ones succeed; and this it does until it is a hundred
years old; and to its then state of baldness
while it is moulting
is the
allusion here; unless it can be thought any respect is had to that kind of
eagle which is called the bald one. In VirginiaF26See Harris's
Voyages and Travels
vol. 2. p. 229. Lowthorp's Philosoph. Transact. abridged
vol. 3. p. 589. there are three sorts of eagles; one is the grey eagle
about
the size of a kite; another the black eagle
resembling those in England; and a
third the bald eagle
so called because the upper part of the neck and head are
covered with a sort of white down: but the former sort of baldness seems to be
intended
which is at certain stated times
and not what always is
and is only
partial; for it denotes such an universal baldness to be made
as to take in
all the parts of the body where any hair grows; as expressive of the general
devastation that should be made
which would be the cause of this great
mourning:
for they are gone into captivity from thee; that is
the
delicate children of Israel and Judah
and so were as dead unto them
or worse:
this was accomplished in Israel or the ten tribes
partly by Tiglathpileser
and more completely by Shalmaneser
king of Assyria
2 Kings 15:29; and
in Judah or the two tribes
when Sennacherib came and took their fenced cities;
and doubtless some of the inhabitants and their children were carried captive
by him
though not Jerusalem; and therefore cannot be addressed here
as some
do interpret the words
unless the prophecy is to be extended to the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)