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north of Judea*. Though Michaelis thinks it denotes Armeniat.

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The Prophet goes on to defire him to prepare for the war. Prepare even prepare thyfelf, thou and all thy company that are affembled unto thee; and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be vifited in the latter years thou shalt come into the land brought back from the sword, (and) gathered out of many people, unto the mountains of Ifrael which have been conti

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as gathered from among the different nations; but properly fignifies an affemblage of many people and denotes a collection of the different Chriftian nations, that will then be in poffeffion of the holy land; having lately difpoffeffed the Mahometans of it: and in this manner it was continually defolate; as being first laid wafte by the Romans; afterwards taken by the Saracens; then by the Christians afterwards by the Turks; and now again by the Chriftians, as mentioned

*

Geogr. O. Teft. p. 124.

+ Spic. geogr. page 76.

Heb. Thy affembly: or, Congregation.

in

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 Mahome'tans 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 fhall come to pass at the fame time (that) things shall arife 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 defolate 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 Tarfhish, 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 shall 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 shall 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, doft thou not know † (it) ?”

banal.

That

*Properly, A collection of different nations. Abar

The Archbishop of Armagh reads "rife up,"

instead

That is, (as Abarbanal obferves) in the day's of Sennacherib, when my people Ifrael 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 reafon for which, he gives in his note, as follows." rife up] Cappellus obferves that ó, read, which Houbigant and Dathius greatly prefer. The latter critic refers to jer. vi. 22" W 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 false criticism with pity; and fmiles at the fuperficial tinfel: for unfortunately for thefe profound criticks, all this will not help them for without pointed which way they please, as it is in Scripture; (though I fuppofe that in their great wifdom, they have discarded the points) does not denote to fir up; for if pointed thus, as in Pfalm cxli. 8. it fignifies to pour out. And if pointed thus it is a noun fubftantive; 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,"

תעורר,is

VOL. II.

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(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

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have thus punished him, for what he did aforetime to Ifrael, then will his name be fanctified. And therefore, the Prophet fays immediately after ver. 17. "Thus faith the LORD God: (Art) not thou he of whom I fpake in old time by my* fervants the phets of Ifrael, who prophefied in those days, (many) years (paft), 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 fhall rife face. For in my jealoufy, (and) in the fire of my wrath have I

up

in my

* Heb. By the hand of.

fpoken

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