Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Zechariah » Chapter 7 » Verse 10

Zechariah 7:10 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

10 And oppress H6231 not the widow, H490 nor the fatherless, H3490 the stranger, H1616 nor the poor; H6041 and let none of you imagine H2803 evil H7451 against H376 his brother H251 in your heart. H3824

Cross Reference

Jeremiah 5:28 STRONG

They are waxen fat, H8080 they shine: H6245 yea, they overpass H5674 the deeds H1697 of the wicked: H7451 they judge H1777 not the cause, H1779 the cause of the fatherless, H3490 yet they prosper; H6743 and the right H4941 of the needy H34 do they not judge. H8199

Isaiah 1:23 STRONG

Thy princes H8269 are rebellious, H5637 and companions H2270 of thieves: H1590 every one loveth H157 gifts, H7810 and followeth H7291 after rewards: H8021 they judge H8199 not the fatherless, H3490 neither doth the cause H7379 of the widow H490 come H935 unto them.

Psalms 72:4 STRONG

He shall judge H8199 the poor H6041 of the people, H5971 he shall save H3467 the children H1121 of the needy, H34 and shall break in pieces H1792 the oppressor. H6231

Psalms 21:11 STRONG

For they intended H5186 evil H7451 against thee: they imagined H2803 a mischievous device, H4209 which they are not able H3201 to perform.

Amos 5:11-12 STRONG

Forasmuch H3282 therefore as your treading H1318 is upon the poor, H1800 and ye take H3947 from him burdens H4864 of wheat: H1250 ye have built H1129 houses H1004 of hewn stone, H1496 but ye shall not dwell H3427 in them; ye have planted H5193 pleasant H2531 vineyards, H3754 but ye shall not drink H8354 wine H3196 of them. For I know H3045 your manifold H7227 transgressions H6588 and your mighty H6099 sins: H2403 they afflict H6887 the just, H6662 they take H3947 a bribe, H3724 and they turn aside H5186 the poor H34 in the gate H8179 from their right.

Amos 4:1 STRONG

Hear H8085 this word, H1697 ye kine H6510 of Bashan, H1316 that are in the mountain H2022 of Samaria, H8111 which oppress H6231 the poor, H1800 which crush H7533 the needy, H34 which say H559 to their masters, H113 Bring, H935 and let us drink. H8354

Micah 2:1-3 STRONG

Woe H1945 to them that devise H2803 iniquity, H205 and work H6466 evil H7451 upon their beds! H4904 when the morning H1242 is light, H216 they practise H6213 it, because it is H3426 in the power H410 of their hand. H3027 And they covet H2530 fields, H7704 and take them by violence; H1497 and houses, H1004 and take them away: H5375 so they oppress H6231 a man H1397 and his house, H1004 even a man H376 and his heritage. H5159 Therefore thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 Behold, against this family H4940 do I devise H2803 an evil, H7451 from which ye shall not remove H4185 your necks; H6677 neither shall ye go H3212 haughtily: H7317 for this time H6256 is evil. H7451

Micah 3:1-4 STRONG

And I said, H559 Hear, H8085 I pray you, O heads H7218 of Jacob, H3290 and ye princes H7101 of the house H1004 of Israel; H3478 Is it not for you to know H3045 judgment? H4941 Who hate H8130 the good, H2896 and love H157 the evil; H7451 who pluck off H1497 their skin H5785 from off them, and their flesh H7607 from off their bones; H6106 Who also eat H398 the flesh H7607 of my people, H5971 and flay H6584 their skin H5785 from off them; and they break H6476 their bones, H6106 and chop them in pieces, H6566 as for the pot, H5518 and as flesh H1320 within H8432 the caldron. H7037 Then shall they cry H2199 unto the LORD, H3068 but he will not hear H6030 them: he will even hide H5641 his face H6440 from them at that time, H6256 as they have behaved themselves ill H7489 in their doings. H4611

Zephaniah 3:1-3 STRONG

Woe H1945 to her that is filthy H4754 and polluted, H1351 to the oppressing H3238 city! H5892 She obeyed H8085 not the voice; H6963 she received H3947 not correction; H4148 she trusted H982 not in the LORD; H3068 she drew not near H7126 to her God. H430 Her princes H8269 within H7130 her are roaring H7580 lions; H738 her judges H8199 are evening H6153 wolves; H2061 they gnaw not the bones H1633 till the morrow. H1242

Zechariah 8:17 STRONG

And let none H376 of you imagine H2803 evil H7451 in your hearts H3824 against his neighbour; H7453 and love H157 no false H8267 oath: H7621 for all these are things that I hate, H8130 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068

Malachi 3:5 STRONG

And I will come near H7126 to you to judgment; H4941 and I will be a swift H4116 witness H5707 against the sorcerers, H3784 and against the adulterers, H5003 and against false H8267 swearers, H7650 and against those that oppress H6231 the hireling H7916 in his wages, H7939 the widow, H490 and the fatherless, H3490 and that turn aside H5186 the stranger H1616 from his right, and fear H3372 not me, saith H559 the LORD H3068 of hosts. H6635

Matthew 23:13 STRONG

But G1161 woe G3759 unto you, G5213 scribes G1122 and G2532 Pharisees, G5330 hypocrites! G5273 for G3754 ye shut up G2808 the kingdom G932 of heaven G3772 against G1715 men: G444 for G1063 ye G5210 neither G3761 go in G1525 yourselves, neither G3756 suffer ye G863 them that are entering G1525 to go in. G1525

Mark 7:21-23 STRONG

For G1063 from within, G2081 out of G1537 the heart G2588 of men, G444 proceed G1607 evil G2556 thoughts, G1261 adulteries, G3430 fornications, G4202 murders, G5408 Thefts, G2829 covetousness, G4124 wickedness, G4189 deceit, G1388 lasciviousness, G766 an evil G4190 eye, G3788 blasphemy, G988 pride, G5243 foolishness: G877 All G3956 these G5023 evil things G4190 come G1607 from within, G2081 and G2532 defile G2840 the man. G444

1 Corinthians 6:10 STRONG

Nor G3777 thieves, G2812 nor G3777 covetous, G4123 nor G3777 drunkards, G3183 nor G3756 revilers, G3060 nor G3756 extortioners, G727 shall inherit G3756 G2816 the kingdom G932 of God. G2316

James 1:14-15 STRONG

But G1161 every man G1538 is tempted, G3985 when he is drawn away G1828 of G5259 his own G2398 lust, G1939 and G2532 enticed. G1185 Then G1534 when lust G1939 hath conceived, G4815 it bringeth forth G5088 sin: G266 and G1161 sin, G266 when it is finished, G658 bringeth forth G616 death. G2288

James 5:4 STRONG

Behold, G2400 the hire G3408 of the labourers G2040 who G3588 have reaped down G270 your G5216 fields, G5561 which G3588 is of G575 you G5216 kept back by fraud, G650 crieth: G2896 and G2532 the cries G995 of them which have reaped G2325 are entered G1525 into G1519 the ears G3775 of the Lord G2962 of sabaoth. G4519

1 John 3:15 STRONG

Whosoever G3956 hateth G3404 his G846 brother G80 is G2076 a murderer: G443 and G2532 ye know G1492 that G3754 no G3756 G3956 murderer G443 hath G2192 eternal G166 life G2222 abiding G3306 in G1722 him. G846

Proverbs 23:10-11 STRONG

Remove H5253 not the old H5769 landmark; H1366 and enter H935 not into the fields H7704 of the fatherless: H3490 For their redeemer H1350 is mighty; H2389 he shall plead H7378 their cause H7379 with thee.

Exodus 23:9 STRONG

Also thou shalt not oppress H3905 a stranger: H1616 for ye know H3045 the heart H5315 of a stranger, H1616 seeing H3588 ye were strangers H1616 in the land H776 of Egypt. H4714

Deuteronomy 24:14-18 STRONG

Thou shalt not oppress H6231 an hired servant H7916 that is poor H6041 and needy, H34 whether he be of thy brethren, H251 or of thy strangers H1616 that are in thy land H776 within thy gates: H8179 At his day H3117 thou shalt give H5414 him his hire, H7939 neither shall the sun H8121 go down H935 upon it; for he is poor, H6041 and setteth H5375 his heart H5315 upon it: lest he cry H7121 against thee unto the LORD, H3068 and it be sin H2399 unto thee. The fathers H1 shall not be put to death H4191 for the children, H1121 neither shall the children H1121 be put to death H4191 for the fathers: H1 every man H376 shall be put to death H4191 for his own sin. H2399 Thou shalt not pervert H5186 the judgment H4941 of the stranger, H1616 nor of the fatherless; H3490 nor take H2254 a widow's H490 raiment H899 to pledge: H2254 But thou shalt remember H2142 that thou wast a bondman H5650 in Egypt, H4714 and the LORD H3068 thy God H430 redeemed H6299 thee thence: therefore I command H6680 thee to do H6213 this thing. H1697

Deuteronomy 27:19 STRONG

Cursed H779 be he that perverteth H5186 the judgment H4941 of the stranger, H1616 fatherless, H3490 and widow. H490 And all the people H5971 shall say, H559 Amen. H543

Psalms 36:4 STRONG

He deviseth H2803 mischief H205 upon his bed; H4904 he setteth H3320 himself in a way H1870 that is not good; H2896 he abhorreth H3988 not evil. H7451

Psalms 140:2 STRONG

Which imagine H2803 mischiefs H7451 in their heart; H3820 continually H3117 are they gathered together H1481 for war. H4421

Proverbs 3:29 STRONG

Devise H2790 not evil H7451 against thy neighbour, H7453 seeing he dwelleth H3427 securely H983 by thee.

Proverbs 6:18 STRONG

An heart H3820 that deviseth H2790 wicked H205 imaginations, H4284 feet H7272 that be swift H4116 in running H7323 to mischief, H7451

Proverbs 22:22-23 STRONG

Rob H1497 not the poor, H1800 because he is poor: H1800 neither oppress H1792 the afflicted H6041 in the gate: H8179 For the LORD H3068 will plead H7378 their cause, H7379 and spoil H6906 the soul H5315 of those that spoiled H6906 them.

Exodus 22:21-24 STRONG

Thou shalt neither vex H3238 a stranger, H1616 nor oppress H3905 him: for ye were strangers H1616 in the land H776 of Egypt. H4714 Ye shall not afflict H6031 any widow, H490 or fatherless child. H3490 If H518 thou afflict H6031 them in any wise, H6031 and they cry H6817 at all H6817 unto me, I will surely H8085 hear H8085 their cry; H6818 And my wrath H639 shall wax hot, H2734 and I will kill H2026 you with the sword; H2719 and your wives H802 shall be widows, H490 and your children H1121 fatherless. H3490

Isaiah 1:16-17 STRONG

Wash H7364 you, make you clean; H2135 put away H5493 the evil H7455 of your doings H4611 from before H5048 mine eyes; H5869 cease H2308 to do evil; H7489 Learn H3925 to do well; H3190 seek H1875 judgment, H4941 relieve H833 the oppressed, H2541 judge H8199 the fatherless, H3490 plead H7378 for the widow. H490

Jeremiah 11:19-20 STRONG

But I was like a lamb H3532 or an ox H441 that is brought H2986 to the slaughter; H2873 and I knew H3045 not that they had devised H2803 devices H4284 against me, saying, Let us destroy H7843 the tree H6086 with the fruit H3899 thereof, and let us cut him off H3772 from the land H776 of the living, H2416 that his name H8034 may be no more remembered. H2142 But, O LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 that judgest H8199 righteously, H6664 that triest H974 the reins H3629 and the heart, H3820 let me see H7200 thy vengeance H5360 on them: for unto thee have I revealed H1540 my cause. H7379

Jeremiah 18:18 STRONG

Then said H559 they, Come, H3212 and let us devise H2803 devices H4284 against Jeremiah; H3414 for the law H8451 shall not perish H6 from the priest, H3548 nor counsel H6098 from the wise, H2450 nor the word H1697 from the prophet. H5030 Come, H3212 and let us smite H5221 him with the tongue, H3956 and let us not give heed H7181 to any of his words. H1697

Jeremiah 22:15-17 STRONG

Shalt thou reign, H4427 because thou closest H8474 thyself in cedar? H730 did not thy father H1 eat H398 and drink, H8354 and do H6213 judgment H4941 and justice, H6666 and then it was well H2896 with him? He judged H1777 the cause H1779 of the poor H6041 and needy; H34 then it was well H2896 with him: was not this to know H1847 me? saith H5002 the LORD. H3068 But thine eyes H5869 and thine heart H3820 are not but for thy covetousness, H1215 and for to shed H8210 innocent H5355 blood, H1818 and for oppression, H6233 and for violence, H4835 to do H6213 it.

Ezekiel 22:7 STRONG

In thee have they set light H7043 by father H1 and mother: H517 in the midst H8432 of thee have they dealt H6213 by oppression H6233 with the stranger: H1616 in thee have they vexed H3238 the fatherless H3490 and the widow. H490

Ezekiel 22:12 STRONG

In thee have they taken H3947 gifts H7810 to shed H8210 blood; H1818 thou hast taken H3947 usury H5392 and increase, H8636 and thou hast greedily gained H1214 of thy neighbours H7453 by extortion, H6233 and hast forgotten H7911 me, saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069

Ezekiel 22:29 STRONG

The people H5971 of the land H776 have used oppression, H6231 H6233 and exercised H1497 robbery, H1498 and have vexed H3238 the poor H6041 and needy: H34 yea, they have oppressed H6231 the stranger H1616 wrongfully. H4941

Commentary on Zechariah 7 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible


Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 7

This chapter treats concerning the nature and use of certain fasts kept by the Jews, on account of the destruction of the temple, and other things; and concerning the message of the former prophets to them, and the effects of it. The occasion of the former was an embassy sent by the Jews to the priests and prophets, to know whether they should continue the fast of the fifth month; upon which the prophet was sent by the Lord unto them. The time of the prophecy is noted, Zechariah 7:1. An account of the embassy is given, of the persons that were sent, and to whom, and upon what account, Zechariah 7:2. The answer of the Lord to it by the prophet, showing the usefulness of fasts to him, and putting them upon hearkening to his voice by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was in great prosperity, Zechariah 7:4 and then they are exhorted by him, in the ministry of the present prophet, to acts of righteousness, several species of which are mentioned; and which were the same they had been exhorted to by the former prophets, but had neglected, and hardened their hearts against all exhortations and instructions, Zechariah 7:8 and were the reason of their captivity and desolation, Zechariah 7:13.


Verse 1

And it came to pass, in the fourth year of King Darius,.... Near two years after the foundation of the temple was laid, Haggai 2:10 and near two years before it was finished, Ezra 6:15 when the work was going forward, and there was a great deal of reason to believe it would be completed:

that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu: which answers to part of our October, and part of November.


Verse 2

When they had sent unto the house of God,.... It is, in the Hebrew text, "when he sent Bethel"; which some, as Kimchi observes, take to be the name of a man that was sent along with those after mentioned; but the Targum and the Septuagint render it, "when", or "after he had sent unto Bethel": not the place so called in Jacob's time; but Jerusalem, where the temple or house of God was now building; and it may be observed, that the words are expressed in the singular number, "when he had sent"F20וישלח "cum misisset, sub. populus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Tarnovius; "et misit", Pagninus, Montanus; "miserat autem sub". Israel, Vatablus; "et miserat", Cocceius; "et misit Bethelum", i. e. "urbem", Burkius. ; and not, as we render them, "when they had sent"; and agreeably, in Zechariah 7:3, it is said, "should I weep", &c. as if these messengers were sent by a single person, and yet a body of people is meant; and not the captives that remained in Babylon, as most interpreters understand it; but the Jews that were returned from thence, and were in Judea, as Junius and Tremellius observe; for to them the answer is returned, and to them does the Lord by the prophet direct his speech throughout the whole chapter. The persons sent were

Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men; who these persons were is not known; they were, no doubt, principal men of the people, by whom they were sent, and the chief of the embassy, and had others with them inferior to them: part of their business at Bethel, or the house of God, was,

to pray before the Lord; that they might be directed aright, and have a proper answer returned to the question they came with. The temple at Jerusalem was the place where men used to go up to pray; see Luke 18:10.


Verse 3

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts,.... That ministered in the sanctuary, as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices, &c. and who were to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7,

and to the prophets; who were then in being, as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi:

saying, Should I weep in the fifth month; which is the month Ab, and answers to July: now on the seventh day of this month, according to 2 Kings 25:8, the temple was burnt by the Chaldeans; and, according to Jeremiah 3:12, it was on the tenth of this month, which day was kept by the Jews as a day of fasting and humiliation, in commemoration of it; and by the Misnic doctorsF21Misn. Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7, 8. T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 29. 1. afterwards was removed, and kept on the ninth day of the said month; but, seeing the temple was in great forwardness of being rebuilt, the question with those Jews was, whether they should continue any longer mourning and fasting on that account:

separating myself: that is, from eating and drinking, and not taking the lawful pleasures and recreations of life:

as I have done these so many years? for the space of seventy years, as in Zechariah 7:5.


Verse 4

Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying. Upon the sending of this embassy, and upon putting this question.


Verse 5

Speak unto all the people of the land,.... Of Judea, who had sent these men on this errand, and whom they represented, and in whose name they spake:

and to the priests; who were consulted on this occasion:

saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth; on the seventh or tenth day of the fifth month Ab, on account of the temple being burnt by Nebuchadnezzar:

and seventh month; the month Tisri, which answers to September; on the third day of this month a fast was kept on account of the murder of Gedaliah, Jeremiah 41:1 though Kimchi says he was slain on the first day of the month; but, because that was a feast day, keeping a day for a fast on this occasion was fixed on the day following:

even those seventy years; of their captivity, during which they kept the above fasts. The Jews sayF23T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 54. 2. there was no fast of the congregation, or public fast, kept in Babylon, but on the ninth of Ab, or the fifth month only; and if so, other fasts here, and in Zechariah 8:19, must be private ones. These seventy years are to be reckoned from the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, when the city was destroyed, to the second or fourth of Darius:

did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? the fast they kept was not according to the command of God, but an appointment of theirs; nor was it directed to his glory; nor was it any profit or advantage to him; and therefore it was nothing to him whether they fasted or not; see Isaiah 58:3.


Verse 6

And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink,.... Either at common meals, or at their festivals:

did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? merely and only for their own refreshment and pleasure, and not for the glory of God; though that ought to be the principal end in eating and drinking, 1 Corinthians 10:31.


Verse 7

Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets,.... As Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others; suggesting that it would have been much better for them to have regarded the exhortations and instructions which the Lord sent them by his servants, which would have prevented their captivity; and so would have had no occasion of fasting and mourning: for those prophecies were delivered out

when Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her; when Jerusalem, and the cities about it, were full of people, and enjoyed all the blessings of life in great plenty; and which would have continued, had they attended to the exhortations, cautions, and warnings given them:

when men inhabited the south and the plain? the land of Judea, as the MisnicF24Misn. Sheviith, c. 9. sect. 2. doctors say, was divided into three parts; the mountainous part, the plain, and the valley. Jerusalem was in the mountainous part, and these are the other two; and not only those parts of the land which were hilly, and those cities that were encompassed with mountains, were in safety and prosperity; but those also that were in the champaign country, and in the low valleys. The "south" was that part of the land of Canaan formerly inhabited by the Amalekites, and which they invaded when David was at Ziklag, Numbers 13:29. Sometimes it was called Negeb, as here; and sometimes Daroma, as frequently in the Jewish writings; in which Judea is often called the south, with respect to Galilee; for they distinguish between the inhabitants of Galilee and the inhabitants of the south country: and say, a disciple might intercalate the year for Galilee, but not for the south, i.e. Judea. It reached from Eleutheropolis to the south of the land, eighteen or twenty miles: it was distinguished by the JewsF25T. Hieros. Maaaser Sheni, fol. 56. 3. & Sanhedrin, fol. 18. 4. into upper and nether Daroma, or south country: the upper consisted of the hilly part of it; the nether of the plain; and by JeromF26De locis Hebr. fol. 91. C. & 92. I. mention is made of interior Daroma, by which there should be an exterior one. The "plain", or "Sephela", was all the champaign country, near to Eleutherepolis, to the north and west; and so the above writerF1Ibid. fol. 94. M. says it was called in his times: now each of these were well inhabited; Daroma, or the southern part; hence it is frequent, in Jewish writingsF2T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 2. 2. & 11. 4. & Succah, fol. 53. 4. , to read of such a Rabbi of Daroma, or the south, as R. Jacob, R. Simlai, and others; and of the elders of the southF3T. Hieros. Erubin, fol. 23. 3. ; and so Jerom speaks of Eremmon, and Duma, large villages, in his days, in Daroma or the south; the one sixteen, the other seventeen miles from Eleutheropolis; and of Ether, Jether, and Jethan, one of which was eighteen, and another twenty miles from itF4Ut supra, fol. 90. K. & 91. C. & 92. I. ; and in the Apocrypha:

"Simon also set up Adida in Sephela, and made it strong with gates and bars.' (1 Maccabees 12:38)

mention is made of Adida in Sephela, fortified, by Simon; and in which also were various other places well stored with inhabitants. This expresses the happy and safe state the Jews were in before their captivity, and in which they would have remained, had they hearkened to the words of the Lord.


Verse 8

And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying. Giving him orders to repeat what the former prophets had said, and to urge the same things on the people which they had before rejected, the rejection of which had issued in their ruin.


Verse 9

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,.... The same things as he had before; for the things following are ever in force, and always to be attended to, and to be regarded and preferred before anything merely ritual and ceremonial; and especially before the traditions and commandments of men, of which nature the above fasts were:

Execute true judgment; or, "judge judgmentF5משפט אמת "judicium veritatis", Montanus, Calvin, Cocceius, Burkius; "jus veritatis", Junius & Tremellius, Tarnovius. of truth"; this is addressed to the judges of the people, that when any cause came before them between man and man, that they would judge righteously, according to the law of God; and, without respect to persons, pass sentence as the truth of the case required:

and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother; whether in want of food, raiment, or in whatsoever distress, whether of body or mind; which is much more acceptable to God than any legal sacrifices, or outward abstinences and humiliations, Hosea 6:6.


Verse 10

And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor,.... Such as have no husband to provide for them, nor father and mother to care for them, and are in a strange land, where they have no friends or acquaintance, and are poor, and can not help themselves. Laws of this kind were frequently inculcated among the Jews; see Deuteronomy 24:14,

and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart; thoughts of evil are sinful, and forbidden by the law of God, as well as actions, which agrees with our Lord's sense of the law, Matthew 5:22, see Leviticus 19:17.


Verse 11

But they refused to hearken,..... That is, the Jews, before the captivity, refusal to give heed to the above exhortations, and obey the voice of God in them:

and pulled away the shoulder; from serving the Lord, and supporting his interest: or "they gave", or presented, "a rebellious shoulder"F6כתף סררת "scapulam aversam", Pagninus; "deflectentem", Montanus; "rebellem", Munster, Tigurine version; "refractarium", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Ben Melech. ; a refractory one, that slides back, like a backsliding or refractory heifer, that will not admit of the yoke, Hosea 4:16 so these could not bear the yoke of the law, nor the burden of duty; nor suffer the words of exhortation, or receive the admonitions given them:

and stopped their ears, that they should not hear; like the deaf adder, Psalm 58:4 they would not hear, and pretended they could not; which was an instance of contempt to the speakers.


Verse 12

Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone,.... The word here used is translated a "diamond" in Jeremiah 17:1 and it is said to be harder than a flint, Ezekiel 3:9. The Jewish writers sayF7Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 12. Pirke Abot. c. 5. sect. 5. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. Kimchi in 1 Reg. vi. 7. Jarchi in Isa. v. 6. it is a worm like a barley corn, so strong as to cut the hardest stones in pieces; Moses (they say) used it in hewing the stones for the two tables of the law, and in fitting the precious stones in the ephod; and Solomon in cutting the stones for the building of the temple; and is so hard that it cannot be broken by iron: and as hard is naturally the heart of man, and which becomes more so by sinning, and obstinate persisting in it, that nothing can remove the hardness of it but the powerful and efficacious grace of God: as hard as the adamant is, it is to be softened by the blood of a goat, as naturalists saysF8Pausan. Arcadica, sive l. 8. p. 485. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 4. ; so the blood of Christ sprinkled on the heart, and a sense of forgiveness of sin by it, will soften the hardest heart:

lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath seat in his Spirit by the former prophets; the words of reproof, admonition, caution, and exhortation, which Jeremiah and others were sent to deliver to them, under the influence of the Spirit of God:

therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts; which brought the Chaldeans upon them, who carried them captive into Babylon.


Verse 13

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried,.... The Lord by the former prophets called them to repentance and obedience:

and they would not hear; his words, nor obey his voice:

so they cried: when they were besieged in Jerusalem, and were carried captive into Babylon:

and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts; so as to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies; see Proverbs 1:24.


Verse 14

But I scattered them with a whirlwind,.... Denoting the fierceness of his wrath, and the strength of his fury, seen in their dispersion:

among all the nations whom they knew not; such as the Babylonians, Medes, and Persians, people before unknown to the Jews:

thus the land was desolate after them; that is, the land of Judea was destitute of inhabitants, or had but few remaining in it, after the Jews were carried captive into Babylon; for the rest, after the death of Gedaliah, fled into Egypt:

that no man passed through, nor returned; neither from Egypt, nor from Babylon, until the seventy years of captivity were ended; nor indeed did any from other nations pass through and fro, or settle in it, during this time, that we have any account of:

for they laid the pleasant land desolate; either the Israelites by their iniquities, which were the cause of it; or the Babylonians, as the instruments of God's vengeance. This pleasant land is the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey; the glory of all lands, for its great fruitfulness, and delightful situation; and especially for being the seat of the divine Majesty, and where his people dwelt, and where his temple was, and he was worshipped; see Ezekiel 20:6 Deuteronomy 8:7.