The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

VERS. XLIX.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

For every one shall be salted with fire.

THE great Scaliger is well chastized, and not without cause by b 1.1 John Clopenberg, because he changed the reading here into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Every sacri∣fice shall be salted. See what he saith.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 All, is not to be understood of every man, but of every one of them, Whose worm dyeth not, &c.

The sense of the place is to be fetched from those words, and the sense of those words, from Esai. LXVI. ult. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their Worm shall not dye, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh. Upon which place thus the Jews write: They shall go forth and look, &c. Is not the finger of a man, if it be put into the fire, immediately burnt? But God gives power (or being) to wicked men to re∣ceive

torments. Kimchi upon the place thus, They shall see the carcasses of them full of worms, and fire burning in them: and yet the worms dye not.

The words therefore of our Saviour respect this. Their worm dyeth not, and the fire is not quenched: for every one of them shall be seasoned with fire it self, so as to be∣come unconsumeable, and shall endure for ever to be tormented, as salt preserves from corruption.

That very learned man mentioned before called the common reading very improper. For what is it, saith he, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; To season with fire? Let me retort, And what is it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; To fire with salt? And yet that sense occurs very frequently in the Talmudists. For in them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is to burn (which signifies properly indeed) and very frequently it is, To corrupt any thing with too much salting, so that it cannot be eaten, To be fired with salt. So in this place, To be salted with fire, that it cannot be corrupted or consumed.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Here the discourse is of salting, which was done at the Altar, See Levit. II. 13. c 1.2 In the ascent of the Altar they salted the parts of the sacrifice, and on the top of the Altar they salt the handful of meal, of frankincense, of incense, and the mincha of the Priests, and the mincha of the anoynted Priest, and the mincha of the drink offerings, and the sacri∣fice of birds. Yea 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 d 1.3 The very wood is a Corban of the Mincha, and is to be salted.

But in the former clause the allusion was not to the fire of the Altar, but to the fire in the valley of Hinnom, where dead carcasses, bones and other filthy things were consumed. Carcasses crawl with worms, and insteed of Salt, which secures against worms, they shall be cast into the fire, and shall be seasoned with flames, and yet the worms shall not dey. But he that is a true sacrifice to God, shall be seasoned with the salt of Grace to the in∣corruption of Glory.

Our Saviour speaks in this place with Esaiah, Chap. LXVI. 20. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉—〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. They shall bring their brethren out of all the Nations for a gift to the Lord—as the children of Israel offer their sacrifices to me with Psalms in the house of the Lord. And Vers. 24. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. And they shall go forth, and look upon the limbs of the men that transgressed against me. For their worm shall not dy, and their fire shall not be quenched, &c.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Every sacrifice, saith our Saviour, concerning holy men seasoned with Grace: So the Prophet, They shall bring your Brethren for a gift to the Lord, as the chil∣dren of Israel do the sacrifices.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, shall be seasoned with fire, saith our Saviour, of wicked men: in the same sense Esaiah, They shall be in unquencheable fire, and yet their worm shall not dye.

Their fire, and their worm: Whose? Concerning the former, tis somewhat obscure in our Saviours words, and so indeed, that it is without all obscurity, that he refers his words only to the words of Esaiah. But who they are in Esaiah, is plain enough.

Notes

• b 1.1

  In Spicileg. Scholae sacri∣fic. Problem. 3.
• c 1.2

  Menacoth, fol. 21. 2.
• d 1.3

  Fol. 20. ••.