Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Ver. 1. ANd the Word of the Lord] See chap. 18.1.
Ver. 2. Set thy face] See on chap. 20.46.
And drop thy Word] See Deut. 32.2. Amos 7.16. As drops of rain follow one upon another, ſo do words: Speak thick, ſpeak home, though they forbid thee to drop ſuch vineger or nitre on their galled conſcience, Mic. 2.6, 11.
Toward the holy places] i. e. Againſt the Temple which they ſo cryed up, Jer. 7.5. like ſo many Oyſter-wives, ad ravim uſque.
Ver. 3. Behold I am againſt thee] That's miſery enough: for all the creatures are ſoon againſt ſuch: as a Noble mans ſervants draw their ſwords, when their Lord once draweth.
And will cut off from thee the righteous] Who are ſometimes wrapt up with the wicked in a common calamity. The husbandman cutteth down his corn and weeds together; but for a different end and purpoſe. If the righteous alſo be judged of the Lord, it that they may not be condemned with the world, 1 Cor. 11.31.
Ver. 4. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous] Velut codem contubernio deprehenſos. This is repeated for more aſſurance, becauſe it might ſeem ſtrange. The Sept. hath it The unrighteous and the wicked: The Chaldee, I will make the righteous flee, and deſtroy the wicked. But the Hebrew verity is as before: neither need we wonder, ſith the beſt have their infirmities.
Ver. 5. have drawn forth my ſword] And put it in commiſſion; not to return, till the Circuit ended; till it hath done full execution.
Ver. 6. Sigh therefore—with the breaking of thy loines] Gemituque & geſtu dolorem referas, ſhew greateſt grief, ſuch as is deep and downright:Non ut praficae in funeribus ſolent. ſigh till thy buttons flye; or, as a travelling woman.
Ver. 7. For the tidings] Ol the Chaldaeans comming. This was to the wicked as thoſe knuckles of a mans hand were afterward to Baltaſar, to write them their deſtiny: or as Daniel was to him, to read it unto them. Whenas the righteous man is no whit afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed truſting in the Lord, Pſal. 112.7.
And every heart ſhall melt, &c.] As wax before the fire: which, before the danger, ſeemed to be made all of ſteel or adamant. The wicked, when in adverſity, are wofully deſpondent and creſt-falne: as was the King of Sodom, Gen. 14. Manaſſeh among the buſhes, 2 Chron. 33.12. and others not a few, who in their proſperity ſeem to face the heavens and to draw the devil himſelf to a duel.
And all hands ſhall be feeble] The ſpirits and blood being run to the heart, in that fright, to relieve it.
And all knees ſhall be weak as water] Heb. ſhall go into water, that is, they ſhall bepiſſe themſelves for fear, ſaith Jerom: they ſhall be all on a cold ſweat, ſay others, or their knees ſhall ſhake, inſtar aquae tremulae, and knock together as Belſhazzar's did, Dan. 5.6.
Ver. 8. Again the word] See on chap. 18.1.
Exacutus & exterſus.Ver. 9. A ſword, a ſword is ſharpened] Not only drawn but ſharpened, that it may wound ſwiftly and deadly: fourbiſhed alſo, that it may the more affray, and make the quicker diſpatch. And that no doubt may be made of it, the word ſword is doubled.
Ver. 10. Sould we then make mirth?] Not, if we be in our right minds: for would it not be now a mad mirth, when as we ſhould be moſt ſerious and ſeek God? See Iſa. 22.12, 13, 14. with the Notes.
It contemneth the rod of my ſon] Other Judgements forerun the ſword: which when they will not do the deed, the ſword will then contemn the rod: that is, it will ſet at naught whatever thoſe have done, and come fourbiſhed and ſharpened for the ſlaughter. See ver. 3.
Ver. 11. To give it into the hand of the ſlayer] Nebuchadnezzar; who will therewith lay about him luſtily, as Eleazar once did till his hand clave unto the ſword, 2 Sam. 23.10. or, as ſince Scanderbeg, who killed many hundred Turkes with his own hand,Turk. Hiſt. and fought oft with ſo much eagerneſſe, that the very blood brake forth at his lipps.
Ver. 12. Cry and howl, ſon of man] Whileſt others make mirth, as ver. 10. and are inſolent againſt God. Mourners ſhall be marked, chap. 9.4, comforted, Iſa. 57.18.
Smite therefore upon thy thigh] See on Jer. 31.19.
Ver. 13. Becauſe it is a trial] Sore and ſharp, therefore cry and howl: eſpecially ſince they are not bettered. Hang heavy weights on rotten boughes, they preſently break: the beſt divination of men is at the parting way: See ver. 21.
And what if the ſword contemn even the rod?] q. d. What doth this ſilly rod do here? will they not ſtoop? Will they not put their necks under the yoke of Gods Son? ver. 10. Let me come. I'le make them either bow or break; either yeeld, or bleed.
Ver. 14. Smite thy hands together] So to ſhew what I will do ſhortly, ver. 17.
Let the ſword be doubled the third time] Doubled and trebbled, till it hath made an utter end of this untoward generation.
Which entereth into their privy Chambers] Ferretting, and fetching them out of their lurking-holes.
Oecol.Ver. 15. Ah it is made bright] By this doleful exclamation the Prophet venteth, himſelf, tanquam coràm deformitatem cladis cerneret, as if he had ſeen the execution.
Ver. 16. Go thee one way or other] This he ſpeaketh to the bright and ſharp ſword;Trem. ſtirring it up to make impreſſion that way whereunto it was appointed, quocunque occurrent tibi res comparatae.
Exultat quaſi hortator gladii ſaevientis. Hier.Ver. 17. I will alſo ſmite mine hands together] As animating the enemy, and rejoycing at thy ruine. Chaldee, I will bring revenge upon revenge; — animumque expleſſe juvabit.
Ver. 18. The Word of the Lord] See on chap. 18.1.
Ver. 19. Appoint thee two wayes] Pinge duas vias, ut chap. 4.1. by prophetike action draw out two wayes, by either of which Nebuchadnezzar may march againſt Egypt, his preſent ayme; as the great Turkes now is Italy.
Chuſe it at the head of the way to the City] All this the Jews heard and ſlighted, as being infatuated, and ſo fitted for deſtruction.
Ver. 20. And to Judah in Jeruſalem the defenced] Either againſt the one or the other of them (not againſt both at once,Ne Hercules quidem contra duos. for they were both ſtrong, and Jeruſalem was well aware of it) for they had both revolted from Nebuchadnezzar, and one of them was enough at once to undertake.
Ver. 21. For the King of Babylon ſtood at the parting] Heb. at the mother of the way, ubi via una in duas bifidata eſt.Ubi ſe via findit in ambas. Virg.
To uſe divination] Without which and offering ſacrifice, the very Heathens held it not fit to fight. But this their art of divination was (as One ſaith of Alchymie) Ars falſiſſima & fallaciſſima.
He made his arrows bright] Vulg. he mingled his arrows: that is, ſaith Hierom, he took two arrows, writing upon the one Jeruſalem, and upon the other, Rabbath. Then, putting them into a quiver together, he took one out, being blindfolded: upon which ſeeing Jeruſalem written, he divined that he ſhould go with ſucceſſe againſt Jeruſalem.
He conſulted with images] In which the devil ſometimes ſpake: See Aug. de C. D. lib. 4. cap. 18.
He looked into the liver] This was much practiſed by the Roman Generals:Lucan: as by Caeſar, when he went againſt Pompey.
Ver. 22. To appoint Captains] Heb. raws; fierce and forward to lead on their ſoldiers, let them get off as they could.
To open their mouth] To ſtorm and take it by an onſlaught, and with a general ſlaughter, non ſine barritu militari, vociferatione, & claugore inſolenti.
Ver. 23. And it ſhall be to them as a falſe divination] The Jewes ſhall believe nothing, till wrath comes upon them to the utmoſt. They ſhall laugh at Nebuchadnezzar's fopperies, and think thee, O Ezekiel, to be little wiſer then him:Jun. ludificabuntur te, adeoque teipſum, divinationis nefariae, quam de Nebuchadnetzare praedicas, incuſabunt: but they ſhall rue this their madneſſe.
To them that have ſworn oaths] But cared not at all to keep them. Lingua juravi, Medea. Juſjurandum tanquam mantile adhibent quo nov…e noxae quotidiè extergeantur. Pacuvius.mens injurata eſt.
But he will call to remembrance the iniquity] The perfidy and perjury which they make nothing of. They that harden themſelves in any one ſin, put God in mind, as it were, of the reſt, which he had ſeemed to have forgotten.
Ver. 24. Becauſe ye have made your iniquity] Your old ſins, by an addition of new ones.
Your ſins do appear] You are ſcandalous, ſhameleſſe as Sodom, Iſa. 3.9.
Ver. 25. And thou profane] Or, worthy to be wounded to death.
Wicked Prince] Zedekiah, who now hath his own told him plainly by a Prophet. See the like done, 1 Sam. 13.13. 1 Kings 18.18. 2 Kings 3.13, 14. with the Notes there.
Ver. 26. Remove the diadem] This was a fine linnen cloth wherwith the Kings head uſed to be bound about, and then the crown was ſet on.Diadema of foreign circumligare.
Take off the crown] Our Richard the ſecond, when to be depoſed, was brought forth crowned and in royal robes. Never, ſaith the Chronicler, was Prince ſo gorgeous with leſſe glory, and more grief.
This ſhall not be the ſame] Haec non erit hae…. This crown or kingdom ſhall not be as it hath been.
Exalt him that is low] Jeconiah, or, as ſome will, Chriſt the King of the Church.
And abaſe him that is high] Zedekiah: Juſt the ſame that Cambyſes threatened unto Egypt, foreign. Herod. lib. 2.Let him not henceforth be the Maſter of a mole-hill, nor owner of his own liberty. In him let it appear that Mortality is but the ſtage of Mutability.
Ver. 27. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it] Curvam, curvam, curvam ponam …am, So the Tigurines tranſlate. A crown there ſhall be ſtill; but ſuch as ſhall hang on one ſide of the head as it were. Princes of the people there were. Thoſe three High-Prieſts, Alexander, Aroſtobulus, and Hircanus, who called themſelves Kings, had very ill ſucceſſe.
Ʋntill he come] Chriſt the rightful King of Iſrael. To this text alludeth Nathaniel, Joh. 1.49.
Ver. 28. Concerning the Ammonites] Who had likewiſe rebelled againg Nebuchadnezzar, and were very injurious to Gods people: See Chap. 25.3, 6. Zeph. 2.8, 9.
foreign.
Ver. 29. To bring thee upon the necks of them thee are ſlain] To deal inhumanely with the dead: or to raiſe thy ſelf upon the Jews ruine.
Ver. 30. Shall I cauſe it to return] No, but it ſhall ſtill eat your fleſh, and drink your blood, till none remaineth.
In the land of thy nativity] In thine own neſt, and on thine own dunghil.
Ver. 31. Into the hand of brutiſh men] Or, of burning men, Ardelionum, artificum perditionis.
Saltem cum benedictione. Polan.Ver. 32. Thou ſhalt be no more remembred] The Ammonites were ſo rooted out by the Medes and Perſians, that beſides what we find in the Bible, there is no mention of their name. A type of ſuch as are deſtroyed for ever in hell, being fuel for that black fire, and eternally forgotten.