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1 Ignorance, and Shame. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my p••ople to erre, that bite with their teeeh, & cry peace, and he that putteth not into their mouthes, they even prepare warre against hjm. therefore night shall be unto you, that yee shall
not divine, and the Sun shall goe down over the Prophets, and the day shall be darke over them. then shall the Seers be ashamed, and the divi∣ners confounded: yea they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of God, Mic. 3. 5, 6, 7. That bite with their teeth and cry peace] Chald. Par. He that offereth them a feast of flesh; to him they prophecy peace. I am asha∣med to remember, how much it hath been the practise of many, to preach for enter∣tainment, and preferment. They even prepare warre] the Hebrew word will import, sancti∣fie * 1.1 warre: and though I know it be usuall in this sense, yet it puts me in minde of the Popish pretended holinesse, in denouncing warres, and excommunications against such as doe not stop their mouthes, by feeding them with gifts. They shall all cover their lips.] The Sept. translate, they shall all of them curse, for so I chuse to translate their translation, rather then as others do, all shal curse them; because of the Hebrew* 1.2 word for, all, with an affixe after it, signifying all of them reci∣procally: & because of that which follows viz: insteed of, because there is no answer, be∣cause there is none to heare them. Which puts me in minde of what we have known of la∣ter daies especially, both by false teachers amongst themselves, and by Papists from a∣broad; who having endeavour'd to seduce
the people with their false doctrines, when they see it is in vaine, how doe they bite their lips for vexation? If you translate it the other way, there is experience enough of that too, and, I doubt not, there will be more: when those who have been seduced with false doctrines, shall fret themselves, & curse their seducers, and Look upward* 1.3.
2 Destruction. For thus God spake to Ie∣remiah, when he sent him to prophecy to the Jewes, Be not dismaid at their faces, lest I con∣found thee before them, Ier. 1, 17. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. as if he had said, Be not confounded with feare, at their faces, lest I confound thee with destruction, before their faces: so that both thou, and they shall see what a folly it is, to feare men, rather thē God; and how unable they are to protect those that please them, when God who is displeased, is resolved to punish them. The word for dismayd and confound, in the He∣brew is the same; and so likewise the word for their faces, & before thē. which I thought good to intimate, because I have observed in divers places (in the prophecies especially) the like manner of expressing a threat, viz: by the same word, that was mentioned in the sin. perhaps the more to make the persons reflect upon, and keep in memory their sin, to repent of it, and be humbled for it; or to ac∣knowledge
God's justice. So Jer. 28. vers. 17. It is said to Hananiah 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the Lord hath not SENT thee; and vers. 18, he is threatened thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 behold I will SEND thee. (or, I will cast thee,) from off the face of the earth. So ch 23. 26. for abusing and mocking at those words of the Pro∣phets (which they used when they delive∣red their messages) The Burden of the Lord; the people are threatned, that Every man's word shall be his burden* 1.4. so vers. 39, it is said, (if we read according to the Sept. and the Vulgar, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) I will BEARE you quite* 1.5 away, (meaning by captivity:) as if he alluded to the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Burden. I confesse the Vulgar translation in this verse pleases mee well, viz: In carrying I will car∣ry you (Portabo vos portans, &c. agreeing with the Septuagint their 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, answering to their word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which they use for bur∣then:) but not so well in the 33 verse, where they translate for, what burden? I will forsake you: vos estis onus projiciam, quippe vos, yee are the burden, I will fling you off: because I know not how to bring the Hebrew to it, unlesse instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we read (as it is likely the author of that translati∣on did) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: which are the same letters differently p••aced. The words both of the Latin and Greeke translation
may be thus paraphrased: If the people aske, what is the burden of the Lord? tell them, You are my greatest burden: and so you have beene a long time; but now I will fling you off, saith the Lord. or thus, I have let you lye still for a long time, but now I have taken you up, (as a man will take up a potters vessell) and I will dash you to pieces. for so the Septuagint seeme to have conceived of the meaning of this place; translating, for, I will forsake you, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. allidam vos, I will dash you in pieces, which is not unsuitable (especially if it were 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉a 1.6, which I thinke properly sig∣nifies breaking one thing with another, whereas 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉b 1.7 is breaking one thing upon another) with what is said vers. 29. of God's word (which he sends by his Prophets) viz. that it is like a hammer, which breaketh the Rocke in pieces. This their translation suites very well with their word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (the word which they use for burden) comming from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to take. which expression is usually applyed to Prophecies, especially such as were bad; for the Prophets were bid to* 1.8 take up such or such a message, to such or such a people. i. e. either as a burden to lay upon
them; or as a stone, to fling at them. But it is likely, that they did read the Hebrew, not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as we read, (which signifies, I will forsake: but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies, as they translate, I will dash. You may see the like in severall other places, as Hos. 4. 6. &c.
Those words of Micah above quoted, (& the diviners confounded: they shall all cover their lips, ch. 3. 7.) some expound them not of confusion by shame (viz. to see the prophecy of the captivity fulfilled, which they had contradicted:) but of this confusion (as we usually call it) by destruction; making it a proverbiall speech, taken from the custome of covering the faces of such men as were condemned to die, in use (as I thinke) both with Jewes and Gentiles. See Esth. 7. 9. Ezek. 12. 6.
Nehemiah prayed, that God would think upon those Prophets who were hir'd by To∣biah and Sanballat to discourage him from his worke, chap. 6. 14. And Jude pronoun∣ces, Woe, to them that ranne greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward, ver. 11. And therefore certainly such men have cause to feare severe punishment.
So the Septua••. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which (if the Septug did not meane so) seemes to be more genu∣inely ren¦dred, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Isa. 8. 19, 21.
See Such as Mock them.
Our tran∣slation is, I will utter∣ly forget you, fetch¦ing the word from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
This word w••h I TAKE UP (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) against you, Am. 5. 1. TAKE VP a lamentation, Ezek. 28. 12. So it is said of any unpleasing speech, which a man casts at another; he takes it up; TAKE VP a proverbe against, Isa. 14. 4. and, take up a parable against, Mic 2. 4.