1_His foundations are in the holy mountains. _Those who conceive that Jerusalem is here meant, as if it were said to _be founded upon the holy mountains, _are in my judgment mistaken; for the relative is in the masculine gender. Some learned men, I am aware, defend this opinion, by supposing that th... [ Continue Reading ]
2_Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion above all the dwellings of Jacob. _Here we are taught that all the excellence of the holy city depended on the free choice which God had made of it. With this agrees what is stated in Psalms 78:60, that God rejected Shiloh, the tribe of Ephraim, and the tabernacle... [ Continue Reading ]
3_Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God! _The reading literally is, _That which is spoken in thee are glorious things. _We must consider the design of the prophet, or rather the object of the Spirit of God, speaking by the mouth of the prophet. From the low and despised condition of the... [ Continue Reading ]
4_I will make mention of Rahab and Babel. _The name of _Rahab _is put for Egypt in many other parts of Scripture; and this signification is very suitable to the present passage, the object of which is to portray the magnificent amplitude of the Church, which as yet was only matter of hope. It is the... [ Continue Reading ]
5_And it shall be said of Zion, Man and man is born in her. _It is asserted, in the 4th verse, That new citizens shall be gathered into the Church of God from different parts of the world; and here the same subject is prosecuted. Another figure is however employed, which is, that strangers by birth... [ Continue Reading ]
6_The Lord will recount, when he writeth the peoples. _The meaning is, that Zion will acquire such renown as to excite all men with the greatest earnestness to desire to be admitted into the number and rank of her citizens. It is a highly honorable condition which is spoken of, the language implying... [ Continue Reading ]
The meaning of this verse is obscure, partly from its abrupt brevity, and partly from the ambiguity of one word. The word _springs _is, beyond all controversy, to be here taken metaphorically; but interpreters are not agreed as to the explanation of the metaphor. Some understand it as denoting _hope... [ Continue Reading ]