A fruitfull commentarie vpon the twelue small prophets briefe, plaine, and easie, going ouer the same verse by verse, and shewing every where the method, points of doctrine, and figures of rhetoricke, to the no small profit of all godly and well disposed readers, with very necessarie fore-notes for the vnderstanding of both of these, and also all other the prophets. The text of these prophets together with that of the quotations omitted by the author, faithfully supplied by the translatour, and purged of faults in the Latine coppie almost innumerable, with a table of all the chiefe matters herein handled, and marginall notes very plentifull and profitable; so that it may in manner be counted a new booke in regard of these additions. VVritten in Latin by Lambertus Danæus, and newly turned into English by Iohn Stockwood minister and preacher at Tunbridge.

Vers. 4.

And his feete shall stand in that day vpon the mount of Oliues, which is before Ierusalem on the East side, and the mount of Oliues shall cleaue in the middest thereof: toward the East, and toward the West there shall be a very great val∣ley, and halfe of the mountaine shal remoue toward the North, and halfe of the mountaine toward the South.

* 1.1THe figure Hypotyposis, or a most liuely setting out of the mat∣ter, as it were in his colours, whereby the place (in the which God shall stand to fight against the Iewes) is described, and there is further shewed, that such fortification as the citie hath planted about her by nature, as it were strong holdes and fortes to defend her withall, the same shall either be destroyed, or serue for the munitions of their enemies, that it may the more easilie be vn∣derstood, that the same thing, which the prophet hath threatned shall be brought to passe, and that nothing shall stand against it, or let it, be it neuer so well framed, either by nature or art for the defence and munition or strengthening of that citie. But in this place also there are two things to be noted.* 1.2 First the place, where the Lorde shall stand on the other side, or ouer against the citie. And it is the Mount Oliuet,* 1.3 which in the histories is commonly called Elaeon, or Elaion. This mountaine being seuered from the citie by a valley, and the brooke Cedron, and being onely sixe fur∣longs from it, the Romanes did first of all take, and did fortifie or strengthen it with most strong garrisons, to restraine the out

roades, and issuings or breakings forth of the Iewes. And doubt∣les, as Iosephus teacheth, who is a most notable interpreter of all this prophesie, lib. 6. de Bello Iudaico. cap. 3. the citie was great∣ly pressed, and much annoyed from this mountaine and garrison. Therefore looke in what place their Ancetours some fourtie yeares before tooke Christ, and brought him vnto most cruell torments, in the selfe same place God himselfe stood to punish them most sharplie, and as they had deserued, most hardlie, Iohn 18. Matth. 26. ver. 30. where it is expressed how Christ went with his Disciples after the eating of the Paschal Lamb, vnto Mount Oliuet, where he was taken. Secondly, the casting downe,* 1.4 or the breaking and digging of this mountaine of Oliues, and the ma∣king of it fit for the vse and turne of the enemies, is to be noted. For the souldiars that besieged the citie shall digge it through, that there may be left a great valley in the middest betweene both partes of the mountaine so digged, that the tentes and garrisons of the enemies planted in that place, might bee the safer against the assaultes, and breakings foorth of the besieged Iewes. Final∣lie, this mountaine shall bee so broken off in the ende, to cast downe the fortes of the Iewes, and to annoy the citie, that one part of the mountaine shall fall toward the South, and the o∣ther toward the North. The which thing I iudge then to haue been done, when as the Romanes with most great labour raysed vp that same wall in three dayes (wherewith they compassed a∣bout the whole citie) and brought it through the middest of Mount Oliuet, Ioseph. lib. 6. cap. 13. These things therefore dooth God seuerally recite, that afterward it might bee vnder∣stoode by the very falling out of the matter that this prophesie was true: and that, when as these things should come to passe, the Iewes might knowe that their vtter destruction was neere at hand: and so that they might euen then at the leastwise re∣pent. So GOD shewed vnto the Niniuites, on what side their citie should bee taken, and what at that time should bee the power, and attemptes of the enemies against them, Nahum. 2. verse 6. and cap. 3. and yet neither of these repented for all this

Notes

• * 1.1

  The figure Hy∣potyposis, what this is, see A∣mos, cap. 8. ver. 12.
• * 1.2

  Two things to be noted.
• * 1.3

  1. Where God shall stand to fight against the Iewes.
• * 1.4

  The fitting of this mount Oli∣uet for the vse and turne of the enemies.