Herdsmen. St. Jerome's manuscripts after Aquila, have "pastorals," (Haydock) pastoralibus. (Calmet) --- Theodotion retains Nokedim. Septuagint read Accarim, (Haydock) substituting r for d, (St. Jerome) and perhaps a for n. (Haydock) --- They have also "Jerusalem," for Israel, though the prophecy reg... [ Continue Reading ]
_Carmel. "God's vineyard," may dente any fruitful mountain. Amos refers to pastoral affairs. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Three---four. That is, for their many unrepented of crimes. (Challoner) --- three is the first number of which we can say "many or all." Four denotes excess. Thus God forgives many sins, yet punishes when they become excessive. (Worthington) --- Thus profane authors say, (Calmet) Terque quaterque p... [ Continue Reading ]
_Plain. The city "Bikhath-Aven," or the latter word, probably denotes Baal, as the Syrians style Baal-Bek, the city which the Greeks call Heliopolis. The valley between the two mountains extending northward, is still called Bucca. --- Pleasure. Hebrew, "Beth Heden." We find Eden in a delightful part... [ Continue Reading ]
_Edom. the Philistines and Tyrians (ver. 9.) exercised this inhumanity on the Idomeans, probably before they had thrown off the yoke of Juda, under Joram, (4 Kings viii. 21.) as the Lord seems concerned for them; (Calmet) or they sold the captive Israelites to Edom, to increase their misery. (St. Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gaza. Ozias, Ezechias, and Psammetichus, ravaged the country, 2 Paralipomenon xxvi. 6., 4 Kings xviii. 8., and Isaias xiv. 29. The Philistines recovered strength; but Nabuchodonosor, Alexander, and the Machabees conquered them again. _... [ Continue Reading ]
_Brethren; for Edom and the Jews sprung from the same stock. Some think that he alludes to the alliance of the king of Tyre and David. But that had long ceased, and was not agreeable to the law; (Exodus xxii. 32., and 3 Kings ix. 13.; Calmet) at least when it was attended with much danger. (Haydock)... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thereof. Salmanasar besieged it five years (Menander) and Nabuchodonosor thirteen, when he destroyed Tyre, Ezechiel xxvi._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sword. Edom was subdued by David, and remained tributary till Joram. It attempted to recover its liberty under Josaphat, though the Hebrew text have improperly Aram, 2 Paralipomenon xx. 2, 23. The two nations were often at variance. (Calmet) --- Cast off. Septuagint, "violated the womb, or the moth... [ Continue Reading ]
_Houses, &c. Septuagint, "its foundations," (Haydock) or the fortified country. (St. Jerome) --- Bosor lay towards Philadelphia, in the ancient territory of Edom. Their strong places were seized by Ozias, by the Chaldeans, and by the Machabees._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Border. They pretended that Galaad belonged to them, Judges xi. 12. David subdued Ammon; but after the division of the kingdom, they recovered their independence, and took occasion to commit these cruelties, while Israel had to contend with Syria. Jeremias (xlix. 1.) speaks of a later period._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Babba, the capital, called also Philadelphia. Ozias and Joatham attacked the people with advantage. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Melchom, the god or idol of the Ammonites, otherwise called Moloch, and Melech; which, in Hebrew, signifies a king, or Melchom their king. (Challoner) --- He assumed the title of "their king," Judges xi. 14., and Jeremias xlix. 3. (Haydock) --- Blind people, who could not see the vanity of such imp... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER I.... [ Continue Reading ]