Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. Ver. 1. _Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops_] Here the virgin, the daughter of Zion, despiseth her adversaries of Assyria and Babylon, a... [ Continue Reading ]
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. Ver. 2. _But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah_] Not so called from Ephratah, Caleb... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. Ver. 3. _Therefore will he give them up_] As a little before the day springeth it is darker than ordinary; so before the day spri... [ Continue Reading ]
And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. Ver. 4. And he shall stand and feed (or rule) in the strength of the Lord] He shall stand, and none shall be able to s... [ Continue Reading ]
And this [man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. Ver. 5. _And this man shall be the peace_] "The man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5; that man, that shall be... [ Continue Reading ]
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver [us] from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. Ver. 6. _And they shall waste the land of Assyria_] Heb. They shall eat it d... [ Continue Reading ]
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. Ver. 7. _And the remnant of Jacob_] The "remnant according to the election of grace," Romans 11:5. These are but a few in... [ Continue Reading ]
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Ver. 8. And the remnant of Jacob … as a lion... [ Continue Reading ]
Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. Ver. 9. _Thine hand shall be lift up upon thine adversaries_] _q.d._ Adversaries thou shalt be sure of, O my Church, but thou shalt have the better of them. Thou shalt keep footing still under the standard... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:_ Ver. 10. _And it shall come to pass in that day_] viz. Of Christ's power and kingdom, Psalms 110:3. The word day here signifies _non spatium diurnum, se... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: Ver. 11. _And I will cut off the cities of thy land_] Thy fenced cities and places of strength, for like reason as before, that thou mayest look upon my name alone as a strong tower, and thereto run and be safe, Proverb... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers: Ver. 12. _And I will cut off witchcrafts, &c._] As before God had promised to take away such things as in themselves are not evil, but only by our abuse; so here he will also remove from his people things s... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. Ver. 13. _Thy graven images also will I cut off_] Sorcery and idolatry are fitly coupled here and elsewhere: for they commonly go together, as in the Pope... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. Ver. 14. _And I will pluck up thy groves, &c._] Wherein thou placest a part of thy happiness (as the Hebrew word importeth), and hast an overly high opinion of them, because anciently frequented by the Fathers, b... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. _And I will execute vengeance in anger_] Upon those that refuse to be reformed, that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Thessalonians 1:8. Such as were the Jews' enemies, the... [ Continue Reading ]