Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
Ver. 1. IN the tenth year] The year before Jeruſalem was taken, chap. 24.1.
In the tenth monethmonth] Called Thebeth, Eſtth. 2. and it anſwereth to our January, ſaith Bede, Chronology is the eye of Prophecy, as well as of Hiſtory.
In Euterpt.Ver. 2. Set thy face againſt Pharaoh] This was Pharaoh Ophra, whom Horodotus calleth Apryes, and ſaith, that he gave out that no God, how great ſoever could deprive him of his Kingdom. Dionyſius the tyrant of Sicily alſo was wont to ſay, that his Kingdom was tyed unto him with chaines of adamant: but it proved otherwiſe. Noli gloriari.
And againſt all Egypt] Which held it ſelf able to hold out againſt all the world, and is therefote here threatened at large in this, and the three next Chapters.
Ver. 3. The great dragon] Or Whale, or Crocodile, the figure of Pharaoh; whoſe Princes alſo and people are fitly compared to leſſer fiſhes, and Egypt to waters, wherewith it aboundeth.Oecol. Theſe ſhall all ſuffer together, ſaith the Prophet: Principis enim calamitas, populi clades eſt. Confer Pſal. 74.13, 14.
That lieth in the midst of his rivers] That lieth at eaſe in the ſwolen waters of his Nilus, and battleth.
Which hath ſaid My river is mine own] The river Nilus watereth Egypt and maketh it fruitful beyond credulity. They do but caſt in the ſeed, and have four rich harveſts in leſſe then four moneths, ſay travellers. Hence the Egyptians were generally proud, riotus, and ſuperſtitious above meaſure: Plin. Paneg.Nequitias tellus ſcit dare nulla magis. The moſt poyſonous flies are bred in the ſweeteſt fruit-trees. See on 1 Tim. 6.17.
And I have made it for my ſelf] i. e. Uſeful and ſerviceable to my Country, with much paines and expence, by ditches, channels, water-courſes, &c. Theſe were cleanſed and repaired by the command of Auguſtus Caeſar, Sueton.when he had ſubdued Egypt, and reduced it into a Province. Some render it Ego feci meipſum, I have made my ſelf; a moſt arrogant ſpeech!
Ovid.Sum felix; quis enim neget hoc? felix que manebo;
Hoc quoque quis dubitet? tutum me copia fecit.
Major ſum quam cui poſſit fortuna nocere.
Ver. 4. But I will put hooks in thy chaws] Speaking to Tyru… a Sea-town, Sea-Metaphors were made uſe of. Now he fetcheth them from waters and fiſhes, that he may frame himſelf to his hearers: A good precedent for Preachers.
To ſtick unto thy ſcales] Thy ſubjects ſhall all follow thee into the field, that there you may all fall together. Had they kept themſelves in Egypt, they might have been far ſafer; for that Country could hardly be come at by an enemy. But they went forth to meet their bane, as if they had been ambitious of deſtruction. God had a holy hand in it.
Ver. 5. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderneſſe] As fiſh when they are caught are caſt upon the dry land, and there they dye: for how ſhould a fiſh live out of his own element? It may be the Chaldees ſought Pharaoh and his forces in the Wilderneſſe, killed him and caſt him out unburied; which the Heathens held a great unhappineſſe: for they thought their ghoſts could not paſſe the river Styx, but muſt wander through Hels waſte wilderneſſes, unleſſe their dead bodies were buried.
I have given thee for meat] Whales fleſh is no better worth.
Ver. 6. And all the inhabitants, &c.] Shall feel my power in their juſt deſtruction, though they think themſelves inſuperable.
Becauſe they have been a ſtaff of reed] See this fully expounded in the next words. See alſo on Iſa. 36.6. Jer. 37.7, 8. Egypt was a reedy Country,Lib. 13. cap. 11. as Pliny telleth us. Arando autem ipſa per ſe fluctuat, & in neceſſitate eludit.
Ver. 7. When they took hold of thee by thy hand] i. e. Made a Covenant with thee, and hoped for help from thee. See Job 8.20. The holy Scripture is its own beſt interpreter.
Thou didſt break] So unfaithful are many friends: ſo uncertain are all humane helps.
And madeſt all their loines to be at a ſtand] Thou lefteſt them in the lurch, as we ſay, to ſhift for themſelves as they could.
Ver. 8. And cut off man and beaſt] With both which thou aboundeſt exccedingly: as being a very fruitful Country; populoſa, & pecoroſa.
Ver. 9. Becauſe he hath ſaid, The river is mine, and I have made it] With this proud ſpeech he is twice twitted, ſee ver. 3. The Egytians ſo truſted in their river Nilus, as if they needed no help from heaven. Aegyptus ſine nube ferax, ſaith Claudian.Epigram. 6. And Lucan to like purpoſe:
Terra ſuis contenta bonis, non indiga mercis
Aut Jovis: in ſolo tanta eſt fiducia Nilo.
How much better might God have ſaid to theſe Egyptians, then Veſpaſian did, Haurite à me tanquam à Nilo, Come ye to Me the fountain of living waters, and hew not out thus to your ſelves broken ciſterns that can hold no water! But they uſed in mockery to tell the Grecians, that if God ſhould forget to rain, they might chance to ſtarve for it: they thought the rain was of God, but not the river:
Te propter nullos tellus tua poſt ulat imbres:T…bul. de Nilo.
Arida nec pluvio ſupplicat herba Jovi.
God therefore threateneth hers to dry it up, and ſo he did: Ingratitude forfeiteth all. In the reign of Cleopatra, Nilus overflowed not the banks for two years together, ſaith Seneca: he brings in Callimachus telling of a time, wherein it had not done ſo for nine years ſpace. Hence Ovid,
Creditur Aegyptus caruiſſe juvantibus arva
Imbribus, atque annis ſicca fuiſſe novem,Art. lib. 1. foreign. Athenaeus. foreign. Nazianz..
Thus their gold-flowing and fruit-giving river failed them, becauſe they attributed too much to it. In Joſeph's time they had ſeven years famine.
Ver. 10. And againſt thy rivers] The Jealous God will down with the earthly idol, whatever it be: See on ver. 9.
And I will make the land of Egypt utterly waſt] Heb. waſt of waſts,
From the tower of Syene] i. e. From South to North.
Ver. 11. No foot of man or beaſt ſhall paſſe through it] This was ſolitudo ſolitudinis indeed; a dreadful deſolation. When it fell out, no hiſtory mentioneth: but that it was ſo, is moſt ſure. Oh the diſmal effects of ſin in all ages, as now in ſundry parts of Turkey, utterly unpeopled, though once flouriſhing!
Ver. 12. In the midſt of the Countries] Paleſtine, Moab, Edom, Judea, &c. See Jer. 46.
And her Cities] Which are ſaid to have been 20000. in the reign of Amaſis, the chief whereof were Alexandria, Thebes, Babylon, Memphis, &c.
Ver. 13. Will I gather the Egyptians] God loveth to help men that are forſaken of their hopes. Cyrus ſent them home likely, about that time that he took Babylon; and his ſon Cambyſes had ſomewhat to do to ſubdue them; ſo high they were ſoon grown and head-ſtrong; humbled they were, but not humble: low, but not lowly.
Ver. 14. Into the land of Pathros] A part of the lower Egypt; a corner of the Country ſay ſome; but big enough to hold the remnant that returned.
And they ſhall be there a baſe Kingdom] Reditum & regnum illis promittit, ſed humile, a Kingdom God promiſeth them, but baſe and abject; becauſe ſubject and tributary to the Perſian, ſo that the Iſraelites ſhall no more lean upon it. God oft removeth occaſions of ſin from his people, taketh away their ſtumbling blocks, that they may not fall under his heavy diſpleaſure.
Ver. 15. It ſhall be the baſeſt of the Kingdoms] And worthily for their worſhiping the baſeſt creatures (See Rom. 1.23, 24.) but eſpecially for their faithleſneſſe to Gods Iſrael.
Turk. Hiſt.For I will diminiſh them] As God hath likewiſe done the Perſians at this day (who have undone their confederates, the Egyptians and Georgians) and the Grecians no leſſe; who have now loſt their liberty, and are ſo degenerate by means of the Turkiſh oppreſſion,Ib. 260. that in all Graecia is hardly to be found any ſmall remembrance of the glory thereof.
Ver. 16. And it ſhall be no more the confidence] For I will cut them, and keep them ſhort enough: I will pull their plumes, ſo that they ſhall not ſtretch their wings beyond the neſt: they ſhall have nothing ſo many clients, and adherents.
Which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance] Creature-confidence is ſo hated of God, that it inmindeth him of former miſcarriages alſo, and cauſeth him to plague men for the new and the old together.
Ver. 17. In the ſeven and twentieth year] Of Jeconiah's captivity (as Ezekiel ordinarily counteth) or of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, ſay the Jew-doctours: when as Tyre was overthrown, ſome part of Egypt waſted, Jeremy and Baruch taken into his protection.Sedar-olam.
The Word of the Lord came] This was Ezekil's laſt ſermon, his ſwan-like ſong: ſhewing wherefore and whereby Egypt ſhould be ſo laid waſte.
Ver. 18. To ſerve a great ſervice] For thirteen years together, as ſaith Joſephus.
Every head was made bald] ſc. By continual carrying upon their heads and ſhoulders, earth, wood, and ſtones (for which they were much laughed at by the Tyrian ſouldiers) to fill up that ſtrait of the Sea, which ſeparated Tyre from the Continent, before it could be taken.
Yet he had no wages] The Tyrians, when they ſaw they could hold out no longer, had ſent much of their wealth away to Carthage, and other places: much of it alſo they caſt into the Sea, ſaith Lyra; ſo that Nebuchadnezzar at his entrance found nothing but a bare rock, ſaith Hierom, out of an old Aſſyrian Chronicle.
Ver. 19. Behold I will give the land of Egypt] As pay for his pains at Tyre. God is a liberal pay-maſter, and his retributions are more then bountiful. Serve him therefore with chearfulneſſe.
Turk. Hiſt. 345. lb. 227.Ver. 20. I have given him the land of Egypt] As the great Turk gave his ſouldiers the rich ſpoil of Conſtantinople: and as Tamerlan never forgat the good ſervice of his ſervants, nor left the ſame long unrewarded; often ſaying that day to be loſt, wherein he had not given them ſomething.
Becauſe they wrought for me] By mine inſtinct, though beſide their own intent.
Ver. 21. The horn] i. e. The ſtrength, power and authority, in the Kingdom of Chriſt eſpecially, Luke 1.69.
The opening] Occaſion to bleſſe my Name.
They ſhall know] Nebuchadnezzar alſo and his Babylonians.