within the ephah: and he cast the weight of lead 9 upon the mouth thereof. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked; and behold, two women | went forth, and the wind was in their wings: for they had wings as the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephal between the earth and between the hea10 vens. Then said I to the angel who talked with me 11 Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of * Babylon and it shall be established and set there upon its base. : § Hebr. in the midst of. || Or, came. Hebr. Shinar. 8. -he cast her within] The angel caused her to contract herself within the compass of the vessel. 9. two women] Mere agents in the symbolical vision. -was in their wings] Their flight was promoted by the wind. Insolitos docuere nisus Venti. Hor. -lifted up] Thirty-four MSS. and six ed. read NWJ). 10. bear] Twenty-four MSS. and three ed. read .. 11. an house] A mansion, an abiding-place, where, when the ephah is set on its base, the woman denoting Iniquity shall be imprisoned. The meaning of the vision seems to be, that the Babylonish captivity had happened on account of the wickedness committed by the Jews; and that a like dispersion would befal them, if they relapsed into like crimes. Thus the whole chapter will be an awful admonition that multiplied curses, and particularly disper sion and captivity, would be the punishment of national guilt. But Capellus' interpretation well deserves our attention. He considers v. 8, as denoting that God treads on the neck of wickedness, and restrains it from expatiating and v. 9, 10, 11, as signifying that God was propitious to the Jews, and transferred the punishment of iniquity to the Babylonians, whom the weight of the divine vengeance should ever depress. It may be added to the remark of this critic, that Babylon was soon to suffer a signal calamity from the reigning Persian monarch. 1 CHAP. VI. AND again I lifted up mine eyes, and looked and behold, four chariots went forth from between two mountains: and the mountains were mountains 2 of brass. To the first chariot were red horses, and to the second chariot black horses, and to the third 3 chariot white horses, and to the fourth chariot spot4 ted bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel who talked with me, What are these, my 5 lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, 1 "The main design of this eighth and last vision, is to confirm the Jews in their faith and dependence upon God, by shewing them, that, weak and defenseless as they seemed to be, they had nothing to fear from the greatest earthly powers, whilst they remained under the divine protection; since all those powers originally proceeded from the counsels of the Almighty, were the instruments of his providence, and could not subsist nor act but under his permission. Four chariots drawn by horses of different colours represent the four great empires of the world in succession, the Assyrian or Babylonian, the Persian, Grecian, and Roman, distinguishable both by their order and attributes. After this the prophet is favoured with another revelation respecting a kingdom different from all the preceding. By God's command, in the presence of witnesses, and for a memorial to them, he places a crown, or crowns, upon the head of Joshua the highpriest, thereby constituting him a type of Christ the Branch, whom he proclaims as about to come to build the spiritual temple of Jehovah, and to preside over it, both as King and Priest, for the great purpose of peace. The accession of strangers to assist in building the temple is foretold, and given as a proof of the prophet's divine mission." Blaney. 3. -spotted] With white spots, like hail. Kimchi. Bochart Hieroz. p. i. l. ii. c. vii. §. v. guttati, -bay] V. renders, et fortes; as if the reading was 'VDNI. Bochart gives the same sense with , Isai. Ixiii. 1; and thinks that it denotes a bright red, "ruborem . qui plus habet vigoris atque luminis :" and he shews that four horses of different colours were sometimes yoked together by the ancients. See Iphig. in Aul. 220-5. One MS. seems to read on, and fourteen MSS. and two editions read. Now the These are four spirits of the heavens, who go forth 6 from standing before the Lord of all the earth. The 7 black horses, which are thereto, go forth into the north country, and the white go forth after them: and the spotted go forth into the south country. And the bay went forth, and sought to go, even to move to and fro in the earth: and he said, Go: 8 move ye to and fro in the earth. And they moved to and fro in the earth. Then he called me, and spake unto me, saying: See, those that go forth into the vau is never elsewhere inserted between the second and third radicals of a fortis, but on tinctus rubro occurs Isai. lxiii. 1. yon tincti rubro may therefore be the true reading in the place before us. signify particoloured horses, whose two colours were white and red. בררים חמצים My opinion is, that the words 5. spirits] Or angels, the ministers of God's will. See Dan. x. 13, 20, 21. Winds." Blaney. 6. The black horses,-] "As for that in which are the black horses, they &c." Secker. or 7. -sought to go,] They walked fœm, referring to m ." Secker. 8. called me] See py thus used Judges iv. 10, 13. The black horses seem to denote the Persian empire, which, by subduing the Chaldeans, and being about to inflict a second heavy chastisement on Babylon, quieted God's spirit with respect to Chaldea; a country always spoken of as lying to the north of the Jews. See on Zeph. ii. 13. The white horses seem to be the Macedonian empire; which like the Persian, overcame Chaldea. The spotted bay horses seem to be the Roman empire. Capellus says that this description suits it, because it was governed by kings, consuls, dictators, and emperors. It penetrated southward to Egypt and Africa: v. 6: and, as Houbigant observes, "stare loco nesciebat, aut cancellis coerceri:" . 7. Nothing is said of the bloody Assyrian empire, denoted by the red horses; v. 2; because it had passed away. The Roman empire is mentioned twice; v. 6, and v. 7; under each epithet given it v. 3. The two brazen mountains may be merely an ornamental part of the vision: or they may denote God's firm and immutable decrees by which he governs the earth." His righteousness is like great mountains." Ps. xxxvii. 6. Vitringa in Apocalyps. 9 north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying: 10 Take from those of the captivity, from the family of Heldai, and from that of Tobijah, and from that of Jedaiah; and thou shalt go on the same day, and shalt enter into the house of Josiah, the son of ZeII phaniah, who returned from Babylon. And thou shalt take silver and gold, and shalt make crowns; Hebr. came. vi. 1, 2, p. 247, thus interprets the passage: "e medio veluti immutabilium Dei decretorum." -quieted my spirit] The sense of this passage has been quite mistaken by those who read men have quieted my spirit." signifies wind here as well as verse 5. and denotes a judgment or calamity sent by God, as all the four winds. likewise do. So m is used Jer. iv. 11, 12. And signifies to cause to rest or abide, that is to inflict. See Is. xxx. 32. v. 13. xxiv. 13. And the same verb in Kal. signifies to rest or settle upon, as a calamity doth Exod. x. 14. Hence I render. "See, those that went forth against the north country have caused my wind to rest upon the north country." Blaney. Ez. 9. -came unto me] After the night on which the foregoing eight visions were represented to the prophet. 10. from the family of Heldai] One MS. reads "hn nap. --and from that of Tobijah] Many MSS. and some ed. read So V. 6. Ar. Syr. Chald. .ומאת —and thou shalt go] For nnx thou, Houbigant reads On with them, -Josiah] Probably a worker in gold and silver. -who returned] One MS. reads, venit; agreeably to ó. Ar. Syr. "What shall be taken is not said till the next verse: and the words, which are come from Babylon, stand at the end in Hebr. and all old versions. o. Syr. have who is. It should be, whither they are come. So is used Numb. xiii. 27. 1 Kings xii. 2. Secker." 11. make] That is, cause to be made by the artist. -crowns] Syr. Chald. one ed. two MSS. and ó. ed. Pachom. read by a crown. -- "ny is singular. Silver and gold might be used in the same crown. If the former in vnn were omitted, as Ch. omits it, and there is a immediately before it, or if it be superfluous, as often, but not naturally here; the translation would and shalt set one on the head of Joshua, the son of 12 Josedech, the highpriest. 13 unto him, saying: And thou shalt speak Thus speaketh Jehovah God of hosts; Saying: Behold, the man † whose name is The Branch; And he shall branch out from his place; And he shall build the temple of Jehovah; + Hebr. The Branch is his name. be: Behold, the man, whose name is the Branch, shall branch up: and so Joshua would not have the name given him, but only a prophecy made to him on putting this crown on him, just of the same nature with that which was made him when the mitre was put on him, iii. 5, 8. Or if y depended immediately on , it would not prove the presence of that servant, but only assert the certainty of his coming. See Is. xlii. 1. Nw signifies to receive Ps. xxiv. 5. The counsel of peace between them both agrees excellently to Zerubbabel and Joshua." -- 12. The Branch] Zerubbabel. "There cannot be a doubt that the same person is meant by The Branch here who is so called iii. 8. and this has already been shown to be, not Zerubbabel, but the Messiah himself; of whom Joshua is made a type by the crown placed on his head. But to what end should he have been called in to represent Zerubbabel, who was his contemporary, and altogether as ready at hand as himself? Nor will this passage strictly and literally translated answer to any other but him, who was at once both king and priest, and by uniting both characters in himself, was completely qualified to bring about the counsel of peace or reconciliation between God and man." Blaney. And he shall build] After this hemistich follows another of the same import: "Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah." But 6. Ar. Syr. omit the repetition. I consider the present Hebrew text as giving us two different readings of the same clause, one of which should be expunged. "In my opinion this clause is not superfluous, but highly emphatic implying that "Even He," the self same person, who should build the temple of Jehovah, Even He, should have the honour of governing and presiding in it as both king and priest, in both capacities advancing the peace and prosperity of his people." Blaney. 13, shall receive glory]" signifies the glory, the honour |