Edom and Moab and the chief of the Ammonites. 42 Yet when he shall extend his power over the countries, 43 the land of Egypt shall not escape: But he shall have

dominion over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt; and the Libyans

Philadelphia of Ammianus, or the principal cities thereof. The word n's is applied to Amalek, Num. xxiv. 20. But Syriac, as the Bishop of Waterford observes, reads ', "the remnant of the children of Ammon," and Cod. Chis. has αρχη.

Edom and Moab and the Ammonites are thus joined, Jer. xxv. 21, and we meet with them again together, Isai. xi. 14. They were all to the east or south-east of the Dead Sea, and now make a part of the extensive range of the wild Arabs. Thus Mr. Mede understands the last clause of this verse, as referring to the Arabians, or that part of their country which was never subdued by the Turk; but rather sums of money have been continually paid by the Ottoman power for the safe passage of their caravans through the Desart.

42.—the land of Egypt shall not escape.—Selim obtained a complete victory over Egypt, and put an end to the dominion of the Mamalucs in 1517.

43. But he shall have dominion over the treasures—of Egypt.—This relates to the conquest just mentioned, and the effects and consequences of it. See Bp. Newton's 17th Dissertation, and the Authors he refers to, p. 183, &c.

—and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be in his steps.-Many MSS. and some ancient, read ' and 'w with the Vau in each word, which is probably right. Gr. reads, "and of the Libyans and Ethiopians in their strong holds,” εν τοις οχυρωμασιν αυτων. Cod. Chis. EV TW oxλw autov. Vulg. per Libyam quoque et Æthiopiam transibit, Possibly this word "y should be, or may mean, the same with 1 at Isai. xiv. 31, which Bp. Lowth translates "among his levies," and Ar. "in his footsteps;" And thus the French Trans. 66 seront à sa suite." In general the countries beyond Egypt in the more southern as well as western parts of Africa, which were confederate with Egypt, (see Ezek. xxx. 5.) these became obedient to the Turk, were either, according to Syr. his auxiliaries, or ready to

44 and Ethiopians shall be in his steps. But rumours shall disturb him from the east and from the north;

follow his commands, or, with Mr. Mede, should be at his devotion. But this does not appear to be true of Antiochus, at least Jerom observes, that it is not so recorded in history.

By the Libyans must be understood the inhabitants of the desart and the interior countries on the west or south-west parts of Egypt, from 1, a word which has the signification of dry or thirsty. So Lucan,

per calidas Libyæ sitientis arenas.

The Cushites were the descendants of Ham, from his son Cush ; whose original settlement is said to have been at Chuzestan or Susiana ; and his posterity are supposed to have dwelt on the banks of the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf, and thence to have intermixed with the Arabs. But whether from these parts on the other side of the Red Sea, or from Egypt, which was undoubtedly peopled by the race of Ham, it is probable that multitudes of the Cushites migrated towards Ethiopia, that is Arabia Chusæa; and, according to Mr. Bruce, built a city very early at Axum, and pushed their colony down to Atbara and the lower parts of Abyssinia: They studied, as he observes, at Meroe, lived in caves in the mountains, and seem to have had communication with Thebes, the No-Ammon of the prophet Nahum, Chap. iii. 8, above which there are caves in the mountains, inhabited by Troglodytes, as above Meroe. Nahum observes of this famous city, that "Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and there is no end to it: Phut and Lubim were her helpers." Phut may mean the dispersed and scattered Cushites, or the shepherds of Africa, and Lubim the Libyan peasants. These were employed as carriers of goods on camels through the desarts from the earliest ages, and were the chief means of promoting commerce, before navigation and the directing quality of the magnetic needle were well understood.

44. But rumours shall disturb him from the east and from the north.—A great number of MSS. read 11 with the Masoretes, as also in the next clause with for &, which are probably right. Bp. Newton and Mr. Mede think that this and the next verse remain yet to be fulfilled. The Author of Revelation of St. John

45

therefore he shall go forth in great fury to destroy and devote to utter perdition many. And he shall fix the

Considered, has fixed on a remarkable event for this verse, and refers it to the victory of Amurath the IVth. in 1638, over the united forces of the Mengrelians, Georgians, and Circassian Tartars on the north, with the Persians on the east. "The Turk on the report of the union of these nations was apprehensive for his whole dominions; but collecting his forces he crossed the Euphrates, took the city of Bagdad by storm; and having made great havoc over the enemy, returned in triumph to Constantinople, being made complete master of the whole eastern empire." Appen. i. p. 467. Still however it is observable, that some of the words, such as □n, Gr. тov avabeμatiσai, “ to devote to utter perdition," should incline us to think that the war alluded to would be undertaken on a religious account, and as the next verse is allowed by the same Author to be as yet uncompleted, we may readily conceive that both relate to nearly coeval events, and shall both hereafter have a signal accomplishment in the fortunes of the Jews.

45. And he shall fix the tents of his pavilion between the seas.-Gr. and Vulg. consider 17 Aphedno as a proper name; Houbigant says, it is the name of a place on the mountains between the Caspian and Euxine seas. But it seems rather a Syriac appellative, which often occurs in the Talmud, and probably signifies little more than

; so that the tents of his pavilion may mean “his chief or princely tents." The word occurs in Jonathan's Targum, Jerem. xliii. 10, where the Hebrew word that answers to it is 177, a word that in its original sense denotes the beauty and splendour that attends royalty" to fix his royal military tent" seems to imply certain conquest and peaceable possession; "between the seas" must mean the seas near Jerusalem, probably the Dead Sea and the Mediter

ranean.

I have followed the Hebrew literally in the periphrasis of Mount Zion, or the mountainous country on which Jerusalem was built. See Ps. xcvi. 9 and ver. 41 of this Chapter. Here, that is, in the Holy Land, the Turk shall fix his encampments, and shall enjoy a temporary triumph: “But he shall come to his end," see Ezek. xxxix. 2, and Rev. xix. 20, 21, " and there shall be no helper." The powers of Russia and Persia united, according to an ancient tradition,

tents of his pavilion between the seas in the mountain of the glory of holiness; yet he shall come to his end, and no one shall help him.

may probably prove fatal to the Ottoman empire; and the fall of it we may expect to happen in the land of Judea, after the return of the people of Israel, that are now dispersed, into their own country: At least this conjecture has been favoured by writers of note. But when these things shall come to pass, or by what precise means, must be left for time to discover. The fortune of the Turk has doubtless been declining for some years; in the end the ruin of the power that opposes the Church of Christ shall be certain and full; and "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the depths of the sea." Isa. xi. 9.

Though Calmet confines the latter part of this Prophecy to the persecutions of Antiochus against the Jews, yet he observes at the close of this Chapter, that Theodoret, St. Jerom, and many other interpreters, understand it of Antichrist; that it is necessary to acknowledge that Antiochus Epiphanes is one of the most sensible and most expressive figures of this enemy of Jesus Christ, and that these things which the angel foretels of Antiochus, will receive a farther accomplishment before the end of the world.

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CHAPTER XII.

MOREOVER at that time shall rise up Michael the great prince that standeth up for the children of thy people then shall there be a time of trouble; such as never was since the existence of a nation until this time; and in this time shall the people escape, every one that is found written in the book. Then multi

1. Moreover at that time shall rise up Michael.-The 1 at the beginning of this Chapter connects it with the foregoing; and some would join this whole clause to the last verse of Chap. xi. and thus the sense would be, Though none should assist the Antichristian power, or that which was inimical to the church of God, yet Michael should stand up for thy people, to defend the cause of the Jews, and to destroy the enemies of the true religion.

then shall there be a time of trouble.-When the Jews shall be restored, and the church delivered by the great Archangel who is peculiarly employed in embassies of this sort, there shall be such calamities as no nation hath ever before experienced, since men were formed into civil societies. Tribulations are often mentioned in Scripture as preceding extraordinary events, see Ezek. xxx. 2, 3, and especially as ushering in the kingdom of God, whether that kingdom relate to the first or second Advent of the Messiah. See Isai. viii. 22, Jerem. xxx. 7, Mat. xxiv. 21, at which last place an expression is used of like import with this of Daniel. This unusual and extraordinary time of trouble is supposed to correspond with that represented by St. John, to follow upon the pouring out of the seventh vial. Rev. xvi. 18. Yet the people of God shall escape.

every one that is found written in the book.-Whosoever shall be registered or arranged in the class of the pious or faithful. At Ezek. ix. 4, the pious are said to be marked with a Thau in their foreheads, like the capital Chi of the Greeks: See Bp. Newcome on