Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 8. Languish "Are put to shame"] Here the text of Jer. leaves us much at a loss, in a place that seems to be greatly corrupted. The Septuagint join the two last words of this verse with the beginning of the following. Their rendering is: kai ouk entraphsh, ta pedia esebwn.
For ûa ach they must have read la al; otherwise, how came they by the negative, which seems not to belong to this place? Neither is it easy to make sense of the rest without a small alteration, by reading, instead of entraphsh ta, entraphsetai. In a word, the Arabic version taken from the Septuagint, plainly authorizes this reading of the Septuagint, and without the negative; and it is fully confirmed by MSS. Pachom. and i. D.
II., which have both of them entraphsetai pedia esebwn, without the negative; which makes an excellent sense, and, I think, gives us the true reading of the Hebrew text; wbj twmd wmlkn ûa ak nichlemu shadmoth cheshbon. They frequently render the verb µlkn nichlam by entrepomai. And wmlkn nichlemu answers perfectly well to llma umlal, the parallel word in the next line. The MSS. vary in expressing the word µyakn nechaim, which gives no tolerable sense in this place; one reads µyakwn nochaim; two others µyakb bechaim; in another the k caph is upon a rasure of two letters; and the Vulgate instead of it reads µtwkm mecotham, plagas suas. - L.
For the men of Kirhares ye shall make a moan. For the fields of Heshbon are put to shame. This is Bp. Lowth's sense of the passage.
Her branches are stretched out "Her branches extended themselves."] For wfn nitteshu, a MS. has wgn niggeshu; which may perhaps be right.
Compare Jer. xlviii. 32, which has in this part of the sentence the synonymous word w[gn nagau.
The meaning of this verse is, that the wines of Sibmah and Heshbon were greatly celebrated, and in high repute with all the great men and princes of that and the neighbouring countries; who indulged themselves even to intemperance in the use of them. So that their vines were so much in request as not only to be propagated all over the country of Moab to the sea of Sodom, but to have scions of them sent even beyond the sea into foreign countries.
wmlh halemu, knocked down, demolished; that is overpowered, intoxicated. The drunkards of Ephraim are called by the prophet, chap. xxviii. 1, yy ymwlh halumey yayin, drinkers of wine. See Schultens on Prov. xxiii. 25. Gratius, speaking of the Mareotic wine, says of it, Pharios quae fregit noxia reges. CYNEG. 312.
Matthew Henry Commentary
- The Divine judgments about to come upon the Moabites.
This prophecy coming to pass within three years, would confirm the prophet's mission, and the belief in all his other prophecies Concerning Moab it is foretold, Is. 15:1. That their chief citie should be surprised by the enemy. Great changes, and very dismal ones may be made in a very little time. Is. 15:2. The Moabites would have recourse to their idols for relief. Ungodly men, when in trouble, have no comforter. But they are seldom brought by their terrors to approac our forgiving God with true sorrow and believing prayer. Is. 15:3 There should be the cries of grief through the land. It is poor relie to have many fellow-sufferers, fellow-mourners. Is. 15:4. The courag of their soldiers should fail. God can easily deprive a nation of tha on which it most depended for strength and defence. 5. These calamitie should cause grief in the neighbouring parts. Though enemies to Israel yet as our fellow-creatures, it should be grievous to see them in suc distress. In Is. 15:6-9, the prophet describes the woful lamentation heard through the country of Moab, when it became a prey to the Assyrian army. The country should be plundered. And famine is usuall the sad effect of war. Those who are eager to get abundance of thi world, and to lay up what they have gotten, little consider how soon it may be all taken from them. While we warn our enemies to escape from ruin, let us pray for them, that they may seek and find forgiveness of their sins _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew כי3588 שׁדמות7709 חשׁבון2809 אמלל535 גפן1612 שׂבמה7643 בעלי1167 גוים1471 הלמו1986 שׂרוקיה8291 עד5704 יעזר3270 נגעו5060 תעו8582 מדבר4057 שׁלחותיה7976 נטשׁו5203 עברו5674 ים׃3220
