Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Jeremiah · Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI.
Ver. 1. NOw it came to paſſe in the ſeventh monethmonth] Within two or three moneths after the deſtruction of Jeruſalem. So ſoon did this wicked wretch, ſo ſpurred on by ambition (which ever rideth without reines) renew the miſerable fate of his forlorn Country. And the like did Barcocab and his ſeditions complices after the laſt devaſtation: thereby bringing upon themſelves again the Roman forces, who thereupon, under Adrian the Emperour, utterly took away both their place and their Nation.
That Iſhmael of the ſeed royal] And therefore affecting the Kingdom, or at leaſt the ruledom: and envying that Gedaliah (a new man, or muſhrom rather) ſhould be preferred before him.
And the Princes of the King] Who had been Princes, and Grandees, as the Hebrew hath it, in Zedekiak's dayes: with whom, likely, they fled and eſcaped, ſtealing away by night, though he could not, 2 King. 25.4.
Even ten men with him] Whom Iſhmael had promiſed, probably, to reſtore to their Principalities, when he ſhould be King or Viceroy at leaſt under Baalis King of Ammon, the great Engineer of all the enſuing miſchief wrought by Iſhmael and theſe ten Deſperado's together with their retinue.
Came unto Gedaliah] To whom before they had done homage: and now came, pretending to give him a friendly viſite.
Tuta frequenſque via eſt per amici fallere nomen:
Tuta frequenſque licet ſit via, crimen habet.
And there they did eat bread] i. e. They feaſted. Much treachery and cruelty hath been exerciſed at feaſts. Abſolom ſlew Amnon at a feaſt: ſo did Zimri King Elah: ſo did Alexander, Philotas: ſo doth the great Turk, many of his Baſhaws; the black gown is caſt upon them as they ſit with him at ſupper, and then they are ſtrangled.
Ver. 2. Then aroſe Iſhmael] Taking the opportunity, when Gedaliah and his gueſts were mero graves, ſaith Joſephus, merry with wine: and ſo, leſſe able to reſiſt.Turk. Hiſt.
And the ten men that were with] They and their followers being pugnaces & audaces, barbarous and brutiſh perſons, skilful to deſtroy, Ezek. 21.31.
And ſmot Gedaliah the ſon of Ahikam] See on ver. 1.
And ſlew him whom the King of Babylon had made Governour] Yea for that very cauſe, per invidiam & libidinem regnandi: So true is that of the Tragedian,
Simul iſta mundi conditor poſuit Deus,Sen. in Thebaide.
Odium atque regnum. —
Ver. 3. Iſhmael alſo ſlew all the Jews that were with him] Not the Chaldaeans only: his ſword knew no difference; but, being fleſhed in blood, he killed all that came in his way; and the rather that his wickedneſſe might not be noticed (Mortui non mordent) but that he might carry on his bloody deſigne the better.
Ver. 4. And no man knew it] Heb. A man knew not. See on ver. 3.
Ver. 5. That there came cert in from Shechem and from Shilo] Innocent men, qui ne verbulo quidem immanem beſtiam offenderant, who had not ſo much as by the leaſt word offended this brutiſh butcherly man: but came in the ſimplicity of their hearts to worſhip God, and to wait upon Gedaliah, by the way: which laſt ſeemeth to be Iſhmaels main quarrel againſt them. See here Eccleſ. 9.12. with the Notes.
Having their beards ſhaven and their cloathes rent, and having cut themſelves] Theſe might be well-minded men: though partly through ignorance of the Law in thoſe blind times, and partly through exceſſe of paſſion, they went too far, Heathen-like, in their outward expreſſions of ſorrow (Levit. 19.27. Deut. 14.1.) for the publike calamity of their Country.
To bring them to the houſe of the Lord] i. e. To the place where Gods houſe lately had been, though now razed and ruined: that there they might worſhip as they could, and bewail the deſolation of the City and Temple, as Hierom ſaith the Jews did yearly the deſtruction of the ſecond Temple; hiring the Roman Souldiers, that kept it,Vide peſſimum ingenium: luget ut lugentes perdat. Oecolamp. to let them come to the place, and weep over it.
Ver. 6. And Iſhmael came forth of Mizp…h, to meet them] This was another manner of meeting then that at Mizpeh in Samuels dayes, 1 Sam. 7. O tempora! O mores!
Weeping all along as he went] O deep diſſimulation, and Crocodiles-tears! That creature, having killed ſome living beaſt, lyeth upon the dead body, waſheth the head thereof with her warm tears: which ſhe afterwards devouteth together with the body. Tears (ſaith the Author of the Turkiſh Hiſtory ſpeaking of Andronicus another Iſhmael) by nature were ordained to expreſſe the heavineſſe of the heart, flowing from the eyes as ſhowers of rain from the clouds: In good men, the moſt certain ſigns of greateſt grief, and ſureſt teſtimonies of inward torment; but in Andronicus you are not ſo:Turk. Hiſt. fol. 56. you proceed of joy: you promiſe not to the diſtreſſed pitty or compaſſion, but death and deſtruction. How many mens eyes have you put out? how many have you drowned? how many have you devoured? Thus He, and much more to like purpoſe.
Come to Gedaliah the ſon of Ahikam] This he ſaith fraudulently, like Sinon in the Poet, that he might fiſh and find out how they ſtood affected to Gedaliah whom he ſo deadly hated, that he ſlaughtered theſe poor folk for once owning him, or owing him any ſervice.
Ver. 7. Iſhmael the ſon of Nethaniah ſlew them] This hell-hound having once (as other hounds) dipt his tongue in blood, can put no period to his unparalleld cruelty.
He and the men that were with him] His ſlaughter-ſlaves, his Aſſaſſines to help him: for he alone could not have done this bloody execution, unleſſe he had taken as much time thereunto as that Popiſh villain did in doing to death thoſe poor Proteſtants of Calabria Anno 1550. For as Iſhmael here brought theſe Eighty innocent men into the midſt of the City as into a pound, and there ſlew them: ſo Eighty-eight poor Profeſſours of the truth according to godlineſſe, being all thruſt up in one houſe together, as in a ſheep fold, the Executioner comes in (ſaith Mr. Fox) and among them takes one and blindfolds him with a muffler about his eyes, and ſo leads him forth to a larger place; where be commandeth him to kneel down: which being done, he cutteth his throat, and ſo leaving him half dead, and taking his butchers knife and muffler all of gore blood,Act. & Mon. …59. commeth again to the reſt, and ſo leadeth them one after another till he had diſpatcht them all.
Ver. 8. But there were ten men found among them] Qui miro aſtu ſibi ab indigna morte provident, who pleaded for their lives, were ſpared.
Slay us not, for we have treaſures in the feild] And theſe we will willingly part with for the redemption of our lives. They knew that Souldiers would do much for mony: and what is wealth in compariſon of life? Wicked worldlings would ſay the like to Death, if their tale might be heard. Henry Beauford Cardinal, Biſhop of Wincheſter, Fox Mart. vol. 1. p. 925.and Chancellour of England, in the reign of Henry the ſixt, perceiving that he muſt dye, murmured at death, that his riches could not reprieve him, till a further time.
So he forbare and ſlew them not] Ambition and Covetouſneſſe ſtrove for maſtery in this man; and here covetouſneſſe conquereth cruelty: This alſo was it that put him upon carrying his poor country-men captive, as hoping to make prize of them.
Ver. 9. Now the pit — was it which Aſa the King had made for fear of Baaſha] He had made it for ſome unknown uſe in the wars: and now is was filled with the dead bodies of men, for a puniſhment ſay ſome, of his confederating with Benhadad King of Syria: Ʋt ſemper impiorum foedera & confilia nobis ſint ſuſpecta.
Ver. 10. Then Iſhmael carried away captive]
Auri ſacra fames quid non mortalia cogit
Pectora? —
Even the Kings daughters] His own kinſwomen, whom the Babylonian had ſpared. It may be he meant to marry one of them (as our Richard the third would have done his neice Elizabeth) and ſo to have reigned in her right.
And all the people that remained in Mizpah] Who found leſſe favour from a falſe brother, then they had done from a profeſſed enemy: ſo hath the Church ever done from hereticks, then from heathens.
Ver. 11. But when Johanan the ſon of Kareah and all the Captaines—heard of all the evil] Iſhmael did what he could to conceale the wickedneſſe, till he had gotten away with his prize: but Rumour outran him, even Fama malum, quo non aliud velocius …llum.
Ver. 12. Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Iſhmael] This act of theirs carrieth the commendation of fortitude, of charity and of piety; like as did that of Abraham in reſcuing Lot: of Gideon and Jehoſaphat in delivering the Iſraelites from their barbarous and blood-thirſty enemies: of Scanderbeg, Hunniades, Guſtavus King of Sweden, &c. Unleſſe Iſmael and Johanan did as Iſmael the Perſian King and Selymus the great Turk, who fighting for the Empire of the Eaſt,Turk. hiſt. 515. masked their aſpiring thoughts under the veile of zeale to their Religion. It well appeareth now to the world that neither of them were right, whatever they pretended.
And they found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon] Where, in Davids dayes, thoſe youngſters of Helkath-hazzurim had ſheathed their ſwords in their fellows bowels, 2 Sam. 2.16.
Ver. 13. Then they were glad] God, when he pleaſeth, can ſuddenly and beyond all hope, exhilarate men in the midſt of miſeries, and give deliverance.Turk. hiſt. 269. The like hereunto befell the poor Chriſtian captives when Hunniades had overthrown Meſites the Turks General.
Ver. 14. So all the people — caſt about and returned] Their hearts were with Johanan before the battle, as the Athenians were with Flamimus the Roman General, who came to reſcue them, though their bodies were detained by the tyrants within the walls of their City.
Ver. 15. But Iſmael the ſon of Nethaniah eſcaped] But with what honour, with what conſcience could this Judas live among the Ammonites? ſurely this defeat could not but be more ſhame to him before the King of Ammon, and more vexation to his proud heart then death it ſelf. The like befell Stukely the Engliſh traitour in Spain.
Ver. 16. Then took Johanan — all the remnant] This evil act of theirs doth quite overturn the glory of the former: whileſt againſt the ancient command of God, the Covenant made with the Chaldees, and the conſent of the Prophets, they will needs down to Egypt, to lean upon that broken reed, that never did them good, but evil.
Ver. 17. And they departed] They rouſed from place to place: but being out of Gods precincts they were alſo out of his protection: and could expect no good.
And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham which is by Bethlehem] Where it ſeemeth that David (or Solomon, 1 King. 2.7.) had given him ſome lands, which he called by his own name (as men love to do, Pſal. 49.11.) Goruth Chimham. Joſephus ſaith there is a village near Bethlehem that is ſtill ſo called. See 2 Sam. 19.38.
To go to enter into Egypt] This was to go out of Gods bleſſing (as we uſe to ſay) into the worlds warm ſun-ſhine: this was to put themſelves into the puniſhing hands of the living God.
Ver. 18. Becauſe of the Chaldaeans, for they were afraid of them] But they ſhould rather have ſanctified the Lord God in their hearts, and made him their dread, as Eſay 8.13. The fear of man bringeth a ſnare: but whoſo putteth his trust in the Lord ſhall be ſafe, Prov. 29.25. See the Notes there.
Ob incuſtodiā.Becauſe Iſhmael the ſon of Nethaniah had ſlain Gedaliah] And together with him many Chaldaeans, whom Johanan and his captaines ſhould have cautioned and better guarded; as the King of Babylon would better tell them, they thought, and withall puniſh them for their neglect.