Samarias Downfall, Verse 5
VERSE 16.
Samaria shall become desolate, …or shee hath rebelled against her God, they shall fall by the sword, their Infants shall bee dashed in peeces, and their women with childe shall bee ripped up.
THis Verse contains the end of the Sermon, and ends the Chapter, and therefore those Interpreters do ill, who make it to begin the next Chapter, when this Verse fitly coheres with the precedent Verse; there the Prophet shewed how they should bee plundred, and lose their goods, here hee tells them how they should bee butchered and lose their lives. So that the Prophet doth not here begin any new Sermon, but onelyonly confirms what hee had spoken before of the destruction of Samaria, and the overthrow of the whole Kingdome. So that the words are a clear exposition of the former similies, and a conclusion of the Sermon. Wherein wee have,
1 The dismal downfall of Samaria, Teosham desolabitur, …rom asham desolari, devastare, perire, peccare, quia peccatum est desolationis causa. a Lap. V. L…ights Crit. S. in V. Asham.Samaria shall bee made desolate. The Prophet labours to awaken them by fore-telling the greatness of their punishment.
2 Here is the meritorious cause of this sad destruction, viz. her▪ rebellion, For shee hath rebelled against her God. So that shee hath no cause to complain of God, as if hee dealt hardly with her, for her own rebellion is the true cause of her destruction, and her great provocation hath brought this upon her, as the Church in the like case complains, Lam. 1. 18. The Lord is righteous (in sending sword, plague, and famine upon us) for wee have rebelled against him.
3 Here is the Accent or Aggravation of this their Rebellion,Beae lo hea, in … p…onomen; quia obliteraverant sua ingratitudine adoptionis divinae benefici…m▪ …. it was not against man, but it was against God, yea against her God in Covenant, who had been so good and gracious to her both in Temporals and Spirituals, yet …ee most ignominiously casts off him, and prefers the Calves before him, Hos. 13. 2.
4 Here is set forth the kinde of their destruction, or what manner of death they shall dye, and that is by the Sword, They shall fall by the Sword. They shall not onelyonly lose their Treasure, and their Land, but their Lives also. Hee sayes not▪ All shall fall, but indefinitly, Yee shall fall, i. e. many of the Inhabitants of Samaria, and of the Kingdome of Israel, shall bee slain by the Assyrian.
5 The better yet to awaken them out of their security, hee sets forth the rage of the Assyrian, with its Aggravations, and tells them yet further, That their children should bee dashed in peeces against the walls and stones, and their women with childe should bee ripped up. They should not onelyonly dye themselves, but their little ones also should perish with them.
Samaria shall become desolate] Samaria was a first a City of Syria, built by O…ri King of Israel, who bought the hill thereof from Shemer, and so from him it was called Samaria, 1 King. 16. 24. It was the Royal City, even the chief City of the Kings of Israel, where they kept their Court, and had their special residence, there they reigned, and there they were buried. This was the Metropolis, and Mother-City. All the other Cities of the Kingdome of Israel were called the Daughters of Samaria, Ezek. 16. 46, 55 In Augustus Caesars time it was called Seb…ste, and not long after it was totally ruined. And here let it bee noted once for all, that when the Prophets speak of the ten Tribes onelyonly, sometimes they call them Samaria, sometimes Ephraim, and sometimes Israel, Ioseph, Iezreel, Bethely, Beth-aven; but when they speak of the two Tribes, they usually do it under the name of Iudah, Ierusalem, Benjamin, and the house of David.
2 Samaria was a populous,Urbs amplissim… ut quam viginti stadioru… ambitum comprebendisse …xistimant; c…m arte t…m natura loci munita. strong, well fenced, fortified, furnished City, there were Horses, Charrets, Arms, and Ammunition, all things for defence, 2 King. 10. 1, 2. It was every way well prepared to hold out against an enemy, as appears by the three years …iege of that potent enemy which lay against it; yet notwithstanding all her fortifications, Samaria shall bee made desolate,Meton, subjecti, locus pro incolis. because of her sin; Samaria is here put for the Inhabitants of Samaria, Samaria, i. e. …otum regnum Israelis ab Assyria evertetur. Luther.viz. the Israelites, and synecdochically it is put for the whole Kingdome of Israel as distinct from the Kingdome of Iudah. The Prophet names onelyonly Samaria, because it was the prime City, and all the rest were taken before; there was none left but Samaria, and sin brings down that also. This City was twice besieged, first by the Syrians in Ahabs time, 1 King. 20. 1. and 2. 6. 24. and now by the Assyrians. Phul and Tiglath-pileser had before molested Israel, 2 King. 15. 19, 29. and now comes Salma neser a third King of Assyria (the Church shall never want enemies, especially when shee rebels against God) hee besieges Samaria in the dayes of Hosh…a the last King of Israel, hee takes it, and carries the inhabitants into Captivity, from which they never returned, but were totally rooted up, having continued from Ieroboam their first King, about two hundred and sixty years, about the year of the World 3230, and before Christ, about seven hundred years.
Because shee hath rebelled against her God.] The Lord had used all means to reclaim them▪ his Spirit had long striven with them in the Ministry of those Prophets which hee had in compassion sent amongst them, as Iehu, Semaiah▪ Azariah▪ with Elijah, Elisha, Ioel, sonah, Amos, Micah, and specially this our Prophet Hosea, Martha & Mora… significant rebellare, apostatare, exacerbare, & ad amaritudinem concitare. Ruth 1. 20. Lam. 1. 18.how plainly doth hee tell them (throughout his Prophecie) of their Idolatry, Apostacy, Ingratitude, and of those judgements which were coming on them for those sins? yet nothing will work upon them, but they persist obstinately in their sins, and therefore the Lord resolves to pour out his fury on them. Since they had imbittered his soul with their sins, Hos. 12. 14. and given him gall, who had given them honey, and gave him wormwood for his milk, therefore he now resolves to send on them bitter punishments.
They shall fall by the Sword] i. e. Cadit & Ripheus justissimus unus, Qui fuit in Teucr…s. Virg.They shall dye by the Sword, so the phrase is frequently taken in Scripture, as Lev. 26. 7, 8. Numb. 14. 3, 43. 2 Sam. 1. 12. Psal. 78. 64. Ezek. 5. 12. Hos. 7. 16.
Their Infants shall bee dashed in peeces] This sets forth the great rage and fury of the barbarous Assyr…ans, G…olah, puer, parvulus, recens ablactatusand withall implies the greatness of Samariaes sin, which provoked God to so great wrarh. They should spare neither old nor young, no mercy should bee shewed to women or children, no sex, no age should escape unpunished. Their little infants and sucklings (which usually are spared for their innocency and ignoscency) yet now shall bee dashed in peeces. Souldiers use to shew mercy to women and children, unless they bee sorely provoked; the Assyrians had besieged Samaria three years, and therefore they dealt the more severely with them. Fenced Cities use to hold out long, but when they are conquered, they use to pay for it. Of such kind of ferity and brutish inhumanity we read, 2 King. 15. 16. where the Tyrant Men…hem ripped the Infants of Tiphsal out of their mothers bellies, because their fathers opened not the gates unto him; yet this doth not excuse the malicious cruelty of wicked men who despitefully slay the godly with their seed, such cursed Edomites shall surely and suitably pay for it, Ps. 1. 37. 7. Amos 1. 13. the Assyrians that had dashed in peeces Ephraims children, had at last by way of retaliation his own so served, Nahum 3. 10.
The summe of all is this, q. d. O people of Israel, I have often told you what you will not beleeve, viz. that your destruction is …ear; and therefore now know, that whether you beleeve it or not, yet God will certainly and suddenly execute what hee hath decreed, and fulfil what hee hath spoken by mee; neither have you any cause to complain of cruelty in God, since it is your own rebellion which hath brought this judgement on your own heads. There hath been no means wanting on Gods part to do you good, hee hath sent his Prophets rising early, and coming late unto you. Hee would have cured you, but yee would not bee cured, and therefore now yee shall never bee purged; but your chief City, with the Regions round about it, shall be made a desolation, your men shall fall by the sword, yea your women, and little children shall dye without mercy.