the prophecy seems to speak of the judgments generally to be executed in the latter ages.

Verse 10. "For the stars," &c.; rather, with Bishop Lowth, Yea, the stars"

"Yea, the stars of the heavens and their constellations

Shall not vibrate their light:

The solar light shall be darkened * at its source;

The moon shall give no resplendence to its light."

Here Jehovah is the speaker to the middle of the

13th verse.

Verse 11.-" of the terrible," rather, "of tyrants." "the prosperity of the proud, and I will bring down the pride of tyrants."

Verse 13. In this verse God's speech ends abruptly at "place," and the Prophet goes on.

Verse 17. It seems to me that, in this 17th verse, the prophetic threatenings are again particularly turned against the Babylonians; all that precedes, from the beginning of the 9th verse at least, is general. The prophecy opens with a general description of judgment, under the image of Jehovah collecting an army to lead against his enemies. The Prophet threatens (verse 9) that "the earth will be

*Or, "restrained, confined."

made a desolation, and sinners destroyed out of it.” Then Jehovah taking up the discourse, aggravates the menace by describing an entire derangement of the universe, insomuch that the heavens will be convulsed; and the earth will be driven from its orbit, and wander irregularly through the regions of space like a flying fawn, or a flock without a shepherd. After this, to bring the prophecy gradually down to the more immediate object, the image of war, and its havoc, is resumed (verses 15, 16); and in the 17th verse, God, again taking up the discourse in his own person, declares that the Medes shall be employed to overthrow the Babylonian empire.

-" in

Verse 21.-" satyrs shall dance there." hoc loco alienum esset de hircis cogitare-certissime intelliguntur satyri, Gentilibus sic dicti Credebant autem veteres, dæmones in nemoribus, sylvis, desertisque locis Solitos esse, noctu imprimis, apparere formâ et specie satyrorum, h. e. capite cornuto, caprinis pedibus, et caudâ etiam porcina, quos dæmones, lucorum et silvarum præsides, illi satyros, panes, Ægipanes, faunos et sylvanos appellarunt, eosque de nocte inter se convenire, choreas salaces ducere, et sonos edere qualescunque, qui homines terreant.-Sententia mea est, traditionem

de Satyris originem suam traxisse, exanimantibus quibusdam, vere animantibus hujus speciei, Aiyoz Onzos, h. e. simiis caprine speciei et satyrorum quales pinguntur simillimis." Vitringa in Is. vol. i, p. 414.

CHAP. XIV, 1. "For the Lord" rather," Surely Jehovah❞—

upon

"choose Israel" rather, "set his choice Israel." The expression denotes a deliberate and

steady predilection.

Verse 4.-" the golden city."

-"auri tributum,',

"the tribute of gold," Houbigant.

This seems the most natural sense of the word , which occurs only in this place.

-"against the king of Babylon." In the whole sequel of this chapter, it seems to me that the mystical Babylon is intended, but not in exclusion of the literal.

Verse 6." smote the peoples-ruled the nations." The peoples, therefore, and the nations, were become the objects of God's favour, and their wrongs a cause of divine judgments at the time when the faithful utter this song of triumph. -"is persecuted, and none hindereth." participle is naturally active; and as such it is

The

and Hieronymus.

properly rendered by the Vulgate, St Jerome, and Houbigant." persequentem crudeliter." Vulgate quæ, nemine cohibente, persequebatur." Houbigant." which, when it would persecute, met with no restraint." Vitringa says of this version," rectè se haberet si scriptum esset

They therefore who disregard the ". מְרְדָף pro מְרַחֵף

points, must adopt this exposition, upon the authority of Vitringa. Observe, that the three participles

are all in apposi מרדף and רדה,מכה,in this verse

tion with the noun, in the last.

Verses 7, 8. "They break forth into singing. Yea, the fir-trees rejoice," &c. Place the stop, with Hou

ברושים bigant, after

<< The very fir-trees break forth in shouts of joy;

The cedars of Libanus rejoice over thee."

Bishop Newcombe, in his preface to Ezekiel, has given a translation of this ode, in which he follows the same division of this passage; which Bishop Stock also follows.

Verse 11. This 11th verse is categorical, not interrogative. It is rightly rendered in the public

" which didst weaken the nations?" -" qui vulnerabas gentes." Vulgate

and Hieron. ὁ ἀποστέλλων προς παντα τα έθνη. - qui populos sternebas." Houbigant. "which diddest cast lottes upon the nations." Queen Elizabeth's Bible. "that didst subdue the nations." Bishop Lowth. Query...May not the verb 'n have some astrological sense, denoting some malign stellar in. fluence?

Verse 13," the mount of the congregation;" rather, "the mount of the Divine presence." See Bishop Lowth's excellent note, or Vitringa on the place.

The schemes of impious ambition, ascribed in this verse to the Babylonian despot, suit exactly with the character of the Man of Sin as delineated by Daniel and St Paul, and seems to indicate that the prophecy extends to much later times than those of the Babylonian empire. The Babylonian monarchs were in some measure types of Antichrist, as they seem to have affected divine honours. See Judith iii, 8. Vitringa conceives that there is a manifest allusion to Antichrist in this passage.

Verse 14." clouds." The word in the original isy in the singular.

Verse 16.-" consider thee;" rather, "meditate upon thee." -"hæc secum reputabunt." Houbi

gant.