which the more recent travellers, even though themselves divines (as Dr. Olin), begin to protest. This is the natural recoil of attempts to prove too much, and to find in the language of prophecy a more than usually minute application of the general images and expressions by which the desolation of Edom is described. The prophets foretold those desolations. They foretold many of the attendant circumstances; and they employed expressions and images naturally derived from the well-known position of the Edomites as a people dwelling among rocks and precipices. It is indeed probable that many of these expressions have a special reference to the capital of Petra, to whose wonderful excavated remains so much attention has of late years been directed. The present ruins belong to constructions which were made long after these prophecies were delivered, but the town was then and long before the capital of Edom (2 Kings xiv. 7), and as such there would naturally be a prominent reference to it in the predictions. There is,' says Mr. Kinnear (Cairo, Petra, and Damascus, pp. 155, 159), 'abundant evidence of the com

CHAPTER L.

plete fulfilment of the prophecies against Edom, without descending to these minute and literal details, to which so much importance has been attached. I have seen nothing to confirm the statements we have read of the very minute coincidences between the present condition of the country and the very words of prophecy; as if there were not a plant or animal mentioned in the highly figurative description of the desolation which was to come upon Edom that might not be found in or near the deserted city. The ruins of Petra teach a far more impressive lesson than is to be learned in curiously searching after these minute literalities. We see in her present condition not only the accomplishment of all the denunciations against Edom, but a warning of the certainty with which all God's righteous judgments against sin will be fulfilled; and, if we read the lesson aright, every fragment of the desolated city will seem to address us with the solemn admonition "Think ye that they were sinners above all men because they suffered such things: I tell ye nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish."

2 Declare ye among the nations, and pub

redemption of Israel.

THE word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans 'by Jeremiah the prophet.

conceal not say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

3 For out of the north there cometh up a

2 Heb. lift up.

nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.

5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

6 My people hath been lost sheep their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their "restingplace.

7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

8 'Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken their arrows shall be as of a mighty 'expert man; none shall return in vain.

:

10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.

11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

13 Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. 14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.

15 Shout against her round about she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance. upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. 4 Isa. 48. 20. Chap. 51. 6. 9 Or, of the rebels.

3 Heb. place to lie down in. 7 Chap. 49. 17.

& Or, scythe.

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the 'sickle in the time of harvest for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

17 ¶ Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

18 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

21 ¶ Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the

LORD.

25 The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GoD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

12

26 Come against her "from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

29 Call together the archers against Babylon all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: Rev. 18. 4. Heb. big, or, corpulent. 10 Or, visitation. 11 Heb. from the end. 12 Or, tread her.

5 Or, destroyer.

30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.

13

31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

33 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

34 Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. 36 A sword is upon the 15 liars; and they shall dote a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.

37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

40 "As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

42. They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble : anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

19

20

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

18 Chap. 49. 19.

CHAPS. L. and LI.-These two chapters contain most important and instructive predictions concerning Babylon, every one of which has been fulfilled, as historians and travellers have concurred to demonstrate. The prophecies relate by anticipation the circumstances which should attend, and which did attend, the conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians; and they also describe that condition of the city and country which should be the immediate or final effect of that great overthrow, and which has been and is its condition. We had some intention of taking up the subject rather fully, in a general notice, under these two chapters; but, considering how much we have already said concerning Babylon, in separately illustrating different passages of historical and prophetical Scripture, it seems best to continue the same plan by separately noticing the more prominent circumstances which these chapters offer, omitting further notice of those to which our attention has on former occasions been directed, and reserving some points for future illustration. The reader is aware that the more conspicuous remains

Verse 8. As the ke goats before the flocks.'-It would appear from this that it was customary among the ancient Israelites to have he-goats among their flocks of sheep, and that in travelling the goats went foremost. In Eastern flocks goats are now rarely seen; and we have met with no certain illustration of this practice but that furnished by Campbell, who calls it a 'judicious custom,' and states that it exists in South Africa to this day. The goat,' he says, 'possesses much more fortitude than the sheep, and is more forward in advancing through difficulties, especially in crossing rivers; and the sheep, who are not

fond of such exploits, implicitly follow them. While travelling in Africa, I was obliged to have a small flock of sheep to secure food when game was scarce; and as instigators to bold and rapid travelling I was necessitated always to have a few goats in the flock. They always took the lead, especially in crossing rivers, one of which, the Great Orange River, was about a quarter of a mile across, and there the goats behaved nobly. Had they been rational creatures, I should have returned them public thanks. They always take the lead, seemingly aware of possessing superior powers.'

16. Cut off the sower from Babylon.'-If we understand this of Babylonia or Chaldæa, in the large sense, it has long been accomplished. Herodotus declares that, of all the countries he had seen, none was so suitable as Babylonia for the culture of corn; and says that the returns were generally two hundred, and sometimes three hundred fold. But all is now an utter desert, offering only some patches of cultivation near the few settlements which it contains. But perhaps the prophecy has a more definite application to the city of Babylon itself; for it appears from the ancient historians that it was very loosely built, with detached buildings and large open places; and that much of this spare ground was cultivated and ploughed for corn; so that, in case of a siege, the inhabitants were enabled to support themselves by their internal resources: and the common plan among ancient besiegers, of starving a populous city into a surrender, was impracticable with respect to Babylon. We have already shewn that now the sower is cut off from Babylon,' and that no cultivation does or can take place upon its site.

29. The archers.'-The conquerors of Babylon are repeatedly described as 'archers." The Persians, who are intended, were in ancient times famous for their general and very skilful use of the bow, which was in fact the characterizing arm of that people. Even at present the bow still continues to be a favourite weapon, although in effective use it has been nearly superseded by the gun.

38. A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up.'-This may possibly refer to a circumstance attending the capture of the city by the Persians, which we shall have occasion to notice; but it more probably alludes to the physical condition of the country. The plain in which Babylon stands is exposed to long drought and intense heat in summer, so that the dry soil must have been at all times perfectly barren without artificial irrigation; but with such irrigation the ground is, even at this day, of unexampled fertility, except upon the wide-spread grit and debris of desolated cities. Therefore it was that the land exhibited one of the most extensive and complicated systems of irrigation that the world ever saw. It was overrun with innumerable canals, in all directions-the largest of them navigable, and feeding others, diminishing in importance with their distance from the trunk. These, as well as the parent river, were bordered with innumerable hydraulic machines, by which the water was raised and distributed into the fields and gardens. The same plan is still pursued, to a limited extent, at some spots in the immediate vicinity of the rivers. But it is now literally true of Babylon, that a drought is upon her waters; and they are dried up.' Yet still the lines and ridges of innumerable canals remain, which enable the spectator to trace the general system, and to verify the ancient historians as well as the prophecies of Scripture; the whole being strongly calculated to shew the extent to which human skill and industry were once employed in giving to this now desolate region that fertility for which it was in old times celebrated. This explanation seems to us to give much force to the present prediction, since there can be no country the subsistence of which more entirely depended upon a complicated system of irrigation. Wherever water is applied in this region (with the exception already made), the productive powers of the soil and climate cannot be exceeded; but where that is wanting it becomes a naked desert.

CHAPTER LI.

1 The severe judgment of God against Babylon in revenge of Israel. 59 Jeremiah delivereth the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates, in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon.

THUS saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the 'midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;

2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men ; destroy ye utterly all her host.

4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.

5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

1 Heb. heart.

2 Chap. 50. 8. Revel. 18. 4.

6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.

13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

14 "The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.

15 'He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a 10multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his

treasures.

17 "Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.

20 Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war for "with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;

22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth and I will stretch out mine hand

27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.

28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.

31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her; yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me

10 Or, noise. 15 Heb. everlasting desolations. 19 Heb. inhabitress.