2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Jer. 7. 33. 3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts. New Translation. 2. Forsaken are the cities of Aroer ; They shall be for flocks, Which shall lie down and none shall make them afraid. 3. And the fortress shall cease from Ephraim, And the kingdom from Damascus, and from the rest of Syria; Saith JEHOVAH of hosts. the kings of Assyria, and particularly by Tiglath-Pileser. This was in the fourth year of Ahaz. 2 Kings xvi. 9. 2. The cities of Aroer. By Aroer here seems to be meant a tract or region of country pertaining to Damascus, in which were situated several cities. Grotius supposes that it was a tract of country in Syria which is called by Ptolemy Aueira, Ausiga. Vitringa supposes that one part of Damascus is meant by this, as Damascus was divided by the river in the same manner that Babylon was. There were several cities of the name of Aroer. One was on the river Arnon in the land of Moab. Deut. ii. 36,'iii. 12, Josh. xii. 3. Burckhardt found this city under the name of Araayr. There was another city of this name further north over against Rabbath-Ammon (Josh. xiii. 25). There was a third city of this name in the tribe of Judah. 1 Sam. xxx. 28. Here it signifies, probably, a region of country belonging to Syria. Of the city of Araayr which Burckhardt visited, nothing is now remarkable but its entire desolation. Are forsaken. Are desolate, and the inhabitants have fled. They shall be for flocks, &c. Utterly desolate. See Note ch. v. 17. 3. The fortress. The strong place of defence; the fortified place. ¶ Shall cease. Shall come to an end; shall cease to be, or shall come to an end, for so the word na shâbăth is often used. Gen. viii. 22, Isa. xxiv. 8, Lam. v. 15. ¶ From Ephraim. The name given to the kingdom of Israel, or to the ten tribes, because Ephraim was the largest of the ten, and was a leading tribe in their counsels. Note ch. vii. 2. Ephraim, or the kingdom of Samaria, is here mentioned in connection with Damascus or Syria, because they were confederated together, 4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. f ch. 10. 16. h Jer, 51. 33. 5 And it shall be as when the, harvest-man gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim. New Translation. 4. And it shall come to pass in that day, That the glory of Jacob shall become thin, 5. And it shall be as when one gathereth the standing harvest, And it shall be like the harvesting in the valley of Rephaim. and because they would be involved in the same overthrow. ¶ And the remnant of Syria. That which is left of the kingdom of Syria after the capital Damascus shall be destroyed. The destruction shall extend through the whole kingdom. They shall be. That is, the Syrians shall be; its glory shall pass away. As the glory of the children of Israel. That is, as the glory, the defences, or the strongly fortified towns and fastnesses of the kingdom of Israel shall pass away or be destroyed, so shall it be with the kingdom of Damascus. As they are allied with each other, they shall fare alike; or, they shall both be destroyed. The Chaldee reads this, " And the dominion shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus.” 4. The glory of Jacob. Jacob is here used to denote the kingdom of Israel, or Samaria. The word glory here denotes dignity, power; that on which they relied, and of which they boasted. I Shall be made thin. Shall be attenuated, or diminished, as a body wastes away by disease, and becomes feeble. The prophet sets forth the calamities of Ephraim by two figures; the first is that of a body that becomes emaciated by sickness; the other that of the harvest when all the fruits are gathered except a few in the upper branches. Vs. 5, 6. ¶ And the fatness of his flesh. That which indicated his prosperity and strength. ¶ Shall wax lean. He shall become feeble, as a man does by wasting sickness. Chaldee, "The riches of his glory shall be removed." 5. And it shall be, &c. This is the other figure by which the prophet sets forth the calamities that were coming upon Ephraim-an image designed to denote the fact that the inhabitants and wealth of the land would be collected and removed, as the husbandman gathers 6 Yet gleaning-grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the 1 Micah 7. 7. outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel. 7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. New Translation. 6. Yet there shall be left gleanings like the shaking of the olive-tree, Two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in the fruitful branches; Saith JEHOVAH God of Israel. 7. In that day shall a man look to his Maker, And his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. his harvest, and leaves only that which is inaccessible in the upper boughs of the tree, or the gleanings in the field. As when the harvest-man gathering the corn. The wheat, the barley, &c. ; for so the word corn-now applied by us almost exclusively to maize-means in the Scriptures. The sense. in this passage is plain. As the farmer cuts down and collects his grain and removes it from the harvest field, so the enemies of Ephraim would come and remove the people and their wealth to a distant land. This received a complete fulfillment when the ten tribes were removed by the Assyrians to a distant land. This was done by Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings xv. 29), and by Salmaneser (2 Kings xvii. 6). And he reapeth the ears with his arm. As he collects the standing grain with one arm so that he can cut it with the sickle in the other hand. The word rendered " reapeth” ¬ qâtzăr means here to collect together as a reaper does the standing grain in his arm. The word rendered ears shibb'lim means here rather the spires or stalks of standing grain. In the valley of Rephaim. Rephaim was a valley near Jerusalem on the south-west. 2 Sam. xv. 18, xxiii. 13, 1 Chron. xi. 15. It seems to have been distinguished for its fertility, and is here used to denote a fertile region in general. The meaning is, they shall be cut down and removed, as the reaper cuts down and removes his crop. 6. Yet gleaning-grapes, &c. They shall not all be removed, or destroyed. A few shall be left, as a man who is gathering grapes or olives will leave a few that are inaccessible on the topmost boughs, or the farthest branches. Those would be usually the poorest, and so it may be implied that those who should be left in Israel would be among the more poor inhabitants of the land. ¶ Two or three. A very few -such as would be left in gathering grapes, or in endeavoring to shake 8 And he shall not look to the altars, respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the 3images. the work of his hands, neither shall New Translation. 3 or, sun images. 8. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, olives from a tree. Instead of confiding Four or five. A very few that would remain on the farthest branches, and that could not be shaken off or reached. 7. At that day. In that time of general calamity that shall come upon Damascus and Ephraim. ¶ Shall a man. That is, every man, or the people in general. Look to his Maker. in their strongly fortified places and their armies, they shall look for aid and protection to the God that made them, and who alone can help them. National afflictions and judgments often have the effect to turn the eyes of even a wicked and rebellious people to God. They feel their danger; they are convinced of their guilt; they see that no one but God can protect them; and for a time they are willing, even by humiliation and fasting, to seek the divine protection. shall have respect, &c. He shall look up to, or regard. One of Israel. The God of Israel; the true God. As the Syrians were allied with the kingdom of Samaria or Ephraim, they were, of course, acquainted with the true God, and in some sense acknowledged him. In these times of impending calamity they would be led to seek him, and implore his aid and protection. There is no reason to believe, however, that they would turn permanently to him, or become his true worshippers. His eyes The Holy 8. And he shall not look to the altars. That is, the altars of the gods which the Syrians worshipped, and the altars of the false gods which had been erected in the land of Israel or Samaria by its wicked kings, and particularly by Ahaz. Ahaz is particularly said to have fancied an altar which he saw at Damascus when on a visit to TiglathPileser, and to have ordered Urijah the priest to construct one like it in Samaria, on which he subsequently offered sacrifice. 2 Kings xvi. 10-13. It is well known, also, that the kings of Israel and Judah often forsook the true God and reared altars to false gods in the high places, and the groves of the land. See 2 Kings xxi. 3, 4, 5. The Ephraimites were particularly guilty in this respect. Hos. viii. 2. "Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto 6 Yet gleaning-grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the I Micah 7. 7. outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel. 7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. New Translation. 6. Yet there shall be left gleanings like the shaking of the olive-tree, Two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in the fruitful branches; Saith JEHOVAH God of Israel. 7. In that day shall a man look to his Maker, And his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. his harvest, and leaves only that, which is inaccessible in the upper boughs of the tree, or the gleanings in the field. As when the harvest-man gathering the corn. The wheat, the barley, &c. ; for so the word corn-now applied by us almost exclusively to maize—means in the Scriptures. The sense. in this passage is plain. As the farmer cuts down and collects his grain, and removes it from the harvest field, so the enemies of Ephraim would come and remove the people and their wealth to a distant land. This received a complete fulfillment when the ten tribes were removed by the Assyrians to a distant land. This was done by Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings xv. 29), and by Salmaneser (2 Kings xvii. 6). And he reapeth the ears with his As he collects the standing grain with one arm so that he can cut it with the sickle in the other hand. The word rendered “ reapeth" p qâtzăr means here to collect together as a reaper does the standing grain in his arm. The word rendered ears shĩbb'lim means here rather the spires or stalks of standing grain. ¶ In the valley of Rephaim. Rephaim was a valley near Jerusalem on the south-west. 2 Sam. xv. 18, xxiii. 13, 1 Chron. xi. 15. It seems to have been distinguished for its fertility, and is here used to denote a fertile region in general. The meaning is, they shall be cut down and removed, as the reaper cuts down and removes his crop. arm. 6. Yet gleaning-grapes, &c. They shall not all be removed, or destroyed. A few shall be left, as a man who is gathering grapes or olives will leave a few that are inaccessible on the topmost boughs, or the farthest branches. Those would be usually the poorest, and so may be implied that those who should be left in Israel would be among the more poor inhabitants of the land, ¶ Two or three. A very few —such as would be left in gathering grapes, or in endeavoring to shake it |