gressors, those are intended, "who, after the mur"der of Gedaliah, went into Epypt, called here "the land of their sojourning. Some of these were to be carried into Chaldea with the cap"tive Egyptians *; though the greater part were "to be consumed t. Some of the obstinately re"bellious Jews might also sojourn in other neigh "bouring countries subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, as Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Tyre; and might thence be taken into captivity." The prophet however is surely speaking of those, who should perish in the course of their being brought back out of the various countries of their dispersion into their own land; not of certain Jews, who were destroyed in Egypt, while others "were led away captive into Chaldea. They are plainly to perish while returning from captivity, not while going into captivity. Nor is this all. His Grace very justly interprets the 41st verse to mean, that the nations shall consider the Lord as a great and holy God, when they observe his deliverance of the Jews, and their obedience to him. But when did any such general veneration of God take place, in consequence of the return of Judah from Babylon? This part of the prediction can only be referred to the universal conversion of the nations after the final restoration of Israel, and during the period of the Millennium. And, if it be thus * Jerem, xliii. 11. Jerem. xliv. 12. referred, referred, then the whole prediction must be similarly referred; as indeed is sufficiently evident from its treating of the restoration of all the house of Jacob out of the various peoples and nations, among which they had been scattered *. PROPHECY XXIV. The overthrow of the mystic Tyre and her prince preparatory to the complete restoration and prosperity of Israel. Ezekiel xxvi. 7. Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people-15. Thus, saith the Lord God to Tyre; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?-21. I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God. xxvi. 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying; 2. And thou, son of man, take up See Abp, Newcome's Ezekiel in loc. a lamen a lamentation for Tyre: 3. And say unto Tyre; O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, à merchant of the nations to many isles; Thus saith the Lord God; O Tyre, thou hast said, I am perfect in beauty. 4. Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 5. They have made all thy planks of fir-trees of Senir they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. 6. Of the oaks of Bashan they have made thine oars: the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory from the isles of Chittim. 7. Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail: blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. 8. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise men, O Tyre, that were in thee, were thy" pilots-10. They of Persia, and of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness-12. Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. 13. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: in the souls of men and vessels of brass they traded in thy market. 14. They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses, and horsemen, and mules. 15. The men of Dedan were thy merchants: many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 16. Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate-19. Dan also and Javan, going to and fro, occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. 20. Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. 21. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats-22. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. 23. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Ashur and Chilmad, were thy merchants. 24. These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar among thy merchandise. 25. The ships of Tarshish were the songs of thy market, and thou wast replenished and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 26. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters the east-wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. 27. Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall VOL. II. C into into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin *. 28. Thy suburbs shall shake† at the sound of the ery of thy pilots. 29. And all, that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land; 30. And shall lift up their voice over thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes. 31. And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart, and bitter wailing. 32. And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, What city is like Tyre, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? 33. When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and thy merchandise. 34. In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. 35. All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall * Thy mariners-thy men of war-shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin.] The whole Antichristian confederacy of the beast, the infidel king, and the vassal sovereigns of the Latin earth, shall be destroyed along with the false prophet in one and the same season of unexampled trouble. Thy suburbs shall shake.] The fall of Babylon shall be felt in the most remote parts of her spiritual empire. |