in the latter member of the verfe; "but it is taken out from the people; and they dwell fecurely all of them." That is, the Chriftians who have taken it from the Mahometans and thus for the time they shall have poffeffion of it, they will dwell fafely. And it is against these that Gog will come up: and thus will Chriftians, Mahometans, and Pagans, all be brought together to one spot, as above mentioned. And therefore the Prophet proceeds, "And thou shalt go up, as a ftorm cometh, thou shalt be as a cloud to cover the land; thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus faith the LORD God: It shall come to pass at the same time (that) things fhall arise in thine heart, and thou shalt think an evil thought; and fhalt fay, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages: I will go to them that are at reft, that dwell fafely; all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates: To take a spoil and to divide a prey; to turn mine hand against the desolate places that are become inhabited, and against a peo

*Heb. Peoples.
Heb. In that day.

ple

*

ple gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, dwelling in the middle of the earth. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarfhifh, and all the villages thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? haft thou assembled thy company to divide a prey? to carry away filver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to divide great fpoil ?" But this will not be; for they fhall all fall as dung upon the face of the field.

The Prophet then proceeds to fhew the caufe of God's inflicting this fevere punishment on Gog and the nations that fhall come with him which is because they had carried the ten tribes captive, and spilt their blood as water: therefore in the very place that they committed their wickedness, there they are to receive their judgments, ver. 14

16. Therefore prophecy, fon of man, and fay unto Gog, Thus faith the LORD God: In that day, when my people Ifrael dwelt fecurely, dost thou not know † (it) ?” That

banal.

*

Properly, A collection of different nations. Abar

The Archbishop of Armagh reads "W“ rise up,”

inftead

That is, (as Abarbanal obferves) in the days of Sennacherib, when my people Israel dwelt fecurely on the other fide Jordan, and in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and in Samaria, &c. doft thou not remember what thou didft unto them? for, "Thou didst come from thy place, from the north quarters, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horfes, a great company and a mighty hoft. And thou didst come up against my people, as a cloud to cover the land

;

instead of "thou knoweft," his reason for which, he gives in his note, as follows." rife up] Cappellus obferves that , read, which Houbigant and Dathius greatly prefer. The latter critic refers to Jer. vi. 22." 6. recte, ni fallor. Confer Jer. vi. 22. "Secker." All this, is very fine to be fure; and founds pompously in the ears of a mere English reader; or the half taught Hebraift. But the-true Hebraift, views fuch falfe criticism with pity; and smiles at the fuperficial tinfel: for unfortunately for these profound criticks, all this will not help them: for without pointed which way they pleafe, as it is in Scripture; (though I fuppofe that in their great wisdom, they have difcarded the points) does not denote to stir up; for if pointed thus, as in Pfalm cxli. 8. it fignifies to pour out. And if pointed thus Yn it is a noun substantive; and denotes a razor. And if we read with Secker, we must add vau. And after all, this twifting and wire drawing of the poor printed text, will not do: for the proper grammatic form of "thou fhalt rife up,”

(there

(therefore) in the latter days it fhall alfo come to pass, that I will bring thee against my land; that the nations may know me, when I fhall be fanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. For when God fhall have thus punished him, for what he did aforetime to Ifrael, then will his name be fanctified. And therefore, the Prophet says immediately after ver. 17. Thus faith the LORD God: (Art) not thou he of whom I fpake in old time by my * fervants the prophets of Ifrael, who prophefied in those days, (many) years (past), that I would bring thee (here) because of them ?" That is, I would bring thee here, to take vengeance on thee for their fake: for what thou didst unto them. The Prophet therefore, in grand, fublime, and indignant language, with magnificent and terrific imagery; foretells his deftruction; ver. 18-20. "And it fhall come to pass in that day, (even) on the day when Gog fhall come against the land of Ifrael, faith the LORD God, (that) my fury shall rife up in my face. For in my jealoufy, (and) in the fire of my wrath have I

fpoken furely in that day there shall be a great fhaking in the land of Ifrael: So that the fishes of the fea, shall shake at my prefence, and the fowls of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and all the men that (are) upon the face of the earth : and the mountains fhall be thrown down, and the steep places fhall fall, and every wall fhall fall to the ground." The "great shaking" does not denote an earthquake, as Archbishop Newcombe (after Houbigant) has erroneously thought: (See his note on this place) but under this figure, the Prophet has fhewn the dreadful flaughter of the nations, who are compared to "the fishes of the fea," &c. And "the fall of the mountains," &c. denotes the fall of their kings, princes, and great men: the fame as the heavens &c, denote thrones and dignities; (as fhewn Vol. Ift. p. 215. &c.) and therefore, the Prophet immediately explains the figure: ver. 21. "And I will call for a fword against him throughout all my mountains, faith the LORD God: every man's fword shall be against his brother.' That is, the