Sheba - A country in Arabia Felix. Raamah - Another people of the same Arabia.
Haran - In Mesopotamia, where Abraham dwelt. Canneh - This is supposed to be the same with Calneh, Gen 10:10, afterwards Ctesiphon, a pleasant city on Tigris. Ashur - Assyria. Chilmad - A country between Assyria and Parthia.
The ships - The ships from all parts of the sea. Did sing - Had their songs to commend thy state.
Thy rowers - Thy governors and counsellors. Great waters - Dangers and difficulties. The east wind - The king of Babylon with his army. Hath broken - As surely will, as if he had already done it. In the midst - Where thou thoughtest thyself impregnable.
All thy company - All that are men fit for war, in the multitudes of people that are in thee. Shall fall - These all shall fall together.
The suburbs - The suburbs, which are nearest the sea, shall first hear the out - cries of pilots, and mariners.
Shall come down - ln the allegory of a miserable shipwreck, the prophet sets forth the fall of Tyre; and in this verse he represents them all shifting out of the sinking ship, in great confusion.
Wallow themselves in ashes - As men use to do in their greatest mournings.
In the sea - Alas! what was once her safeguard, is now her grave.
Went forth - Were landed. Thou filledst - There was enough to supply to the full.
By the seas - The Babylonians, that like seas shall swell, roar, and break in upon thee.
Troubled - They shall not be able to conceal the discomposure of their mind, but will shew it in their countenance.
Shall hiss - Will mock at thy fall.
Hast said - In thy heart. In the seat of God - Safe and impregnable as heaven itself. A man - Subject to casualties, sorrows, and distresses. Set thine heart - Thou hast entertained thoughts, which become none but God.
Wiser - In thy own thoughts. Daniel - Who was then famous for his wisdom.
The beauty - Those beautiful things, in which thy wisdom appeared.
The deaths - Temporal and eternal. Of the uncircumcised - Of the wicked, an accursed death.
Thou sealest up - Thou fanciest that fulness of wisdom, and perfection of beauty are in thee.
In Eden - In the midst of all delights. The workmanship - Now the prophet notes their joys, musick, and songs, both to loud, and to softer musick, as the lute, and tabret in the day of their kings coronation, and all this on instruments of most exquisite make, and of their own artists work; in this they exceeded as in the other. Created - King: in the day of thy coronation.
Cherub - For thy wisdom, power, and excellency, like a cherub, or angel; for the sacredness of thy person, and office, as the anointed of God; for the exercise of thy power, as a shield, as a protector of the weak. And I - I, whom thou forgetest have made thee so. Thou wast - Thou wast advanced to kingly dignity, (which David calls a mountain, Psa 30:7,) a sacred office, and of divine institution. In the midst - Surrounded with stones, that sparkle like fire.
Thou wast perfect - Is not this an irony?
I will cast - Out thy kingly dignity.
Corrupted - Depraved, or lost thy wisdom. Behold thee - That thou mayst be a spectacle, and warning to them.
I will bring thee - Thou shalt be burnt to ashes, and trampled under feet.
All - All that have formerly known thy riches, power, allies, and wisdom.
Zidon - A city, north - west from Canaan, a king's seat of old, and from which Tyre descended. I will be glorified - When my judgments make my justice, power and truth appear, both you, and others shall confess my glory. Sanctified - Owned as holy, reverenced as just, obeyed as sovereign.
And blood - Bloody war by an enemy, that shall bring the war to the gates, nay into the streets of Zidon. Judged - Be punished in the midst of the city. The sword - By the sword of her enemies.
A pricking briar - By these two metaphors the prophet points out the troublesome neighbours of the Jews, such as Moab, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, and Zidon. This never had a full accomplishment yet. But it will, for the scripture cannot be broken.
Sanctified - I was dishonoured by the Jews in the sight of the heathen, and I will be honoured by the Jews in their sight.
The tenth year - Of Jeconiah's captivity.
The great dragon - The crocodile; our prophet, as well as Isaiah, compares the Egyptian king to that devouring serpent, or dragon. That lieth - Not only at rest, but waiting for prey. My river - My kingdom, power, riches, and forces, all the strength and glory of Egypt.
Put hooks - The Allegory is continued. The fish - The people of Egypt. To stick - To adhere to their king.
Leave thee - When thus brought out, I will leave thee. The wilderness - The deserts of Libya and Syene. All the fish - The whole army of the Egyptians. The open fields - There was this king and his army ruined. Gathered - These were not buried, but left in the wilderness, a prey to wild beasts, and birds.
Rent - Didst them much mischief instead of benefiting them, as thou hast promised, Jer 37:7.
Syene - Boundary between Ethiopia and Egypt; that is, all Egypt from north - east to south - west.
Forty years - These forty years began about the thirtieth year of Jeconiah's captivity, and end with the seventieth year of the captivity, which was the first of Cyrus.
Pathros - The southern part of Egypt, in which was the famous city Thebae, known for its hundred gates. Their habitation - The ancient habitation of their fathers. A base - A low, tributary, dependent kingdom.
No more rule - Though in the times of the Ptolemeys, it was considerable, yet then, even then it did not rule the nations about her.
Which - Which sinful reliance on the arm of flesh provoked God to call to mind their other iniquities. When - When they forgot God, and respected Egypt. They - The house of Israel.
In the seven and twentieth year - Of Jeconiah's captivity, the year after the conquest of Tyre.
Caused - The army, and commanders were weary of the siege, but the immovable resolution of the king kept them on. A great service - It was service to the justice of God. It was great service both for hardness of work, heaviness of burdens, and length of the siege, thirteen years together. Made bald - Through age, or sicknesses, or continued wearing of helmets. Peeled - Galled with carrying burdens. No wages - For though Tyre was very rich, when first besieged, much wealth was carried away during the siege, much spent and wasted in the siege, and what was left, preserved by articles of surrender.
Her multitude - Common people, who shall be made captives, and servants or slaves. Her prey - What she had before taken from others. The wages - God will be behind - hand with none, who do any service for him; one way or other he will recompence them. None shall kindle a fire at his altar for nought.
They - The Babylonians. For me - God's work was doing by them, tho' they thought nothing less.
The horn - Jehoiakim, who was then advanced by Evil - Merodach. The opening of the mouth - Thou shalt have liberty, to open thy mouth in comforting the good among them, and to give praise to God.
Ye - Inhabitants of Egypt.