John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. You only have I known of all the families of the earth , etc.] All the families or nations of the earth, and all the inhabitants of it, are known by the Lord, as he is the omniscient God; but none had been known by him as a family, or a nation, with that love and affection as this family had been, or distinguished by his favours and blessings as they, not only temporal, but spiritual; besides the land of Canaan, and all the good things in it, they had the law of the Lord, his word, worship, and ordinances, among them; he chose them for himself above all people, and gave peculiar marks of his affection to them, and special instances of his goodness, and of his care over them, and concern for them; (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8 7:6,7 <19E719> Psalm 147:19,20 Romans 9:4,5); therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities ; or “visit upon you” f99 ; or “against you”; in a way of chastisement and correction; they were a family he had highly favoured, and yet departed from him; children he had brought up in a tender manner, and brought out of a most miserable condition, and yet rebelled against him; he had followed and loaded them with his benefits, and they had proved ungrateful to him; he had given them a revelation of his mind and will, and they had rejected it, and therefore knowing, and not doing it, were worthy of more stripes; their sins were more aggravated than others, being against goodness and mercy, light and knowledge; and therefore the Lord was determined to make an example of them; (see 1 Peter 4:17).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - The distinguishing favours of God to us, if they do not restrain from sin, shall not exempt from punishment. They could not expect communio with God, unless they first sought peace with him. Where there is no friendship, there can be no fellowship. God and man cannot wal together, except they are agreed. Unless we seek his glory, we cannot walk with him. Let us not presume on outward privileges, withou special, sanctifying grace. The threatenings of the word and providenc of God against the sin of man are certain, and certainly show that the judgments of God are at hand. Nor will God remove the affliction he ha sent, till it has done its work. The evil of sin is from ourselves, it is our own doing; but the evil of trouble is from God, and is his doing, whoever are the instruments. This should engage us patiently to bear public troubles, and to study to answer God's meaning in them. The whole of the passage shows that natural evil, or troubles, and no moral evil, or sin, is here meant. The warning given to a careles world will increase its condemnation another day. Oh the amazin stupidity of an unbelieving world, that will not be wrought upon by the terrors of the Lord, and that despise his mercies!
Original Hebrew רק7535 אתכם853 ידעתי3045 מכל3605 משׁפחות4940 האדמה127 על5921 כן3651 אפקד6485 עליכם5921 את853 כל3605 עונתיכם׃5771
