I have hated them Not the persons, but the ways of them, that regard Hebrew, השׁמרים, hashomerim, that observe; that is, are attached to, depend upon, or expect help from, lying vanities, הבלי שׁוא, hablee shave, vanities of emptiness, or, most vain vanities, such as are foolish, deceitful, and fruitless. By which he means either, 1st, All human and carnal helps and dependances; or any and every arm of flesh, in which those that trust are pronounced accursed, Jeremiah 17:5: or, 2d, idols, which are often called vanities, as Deuteronomy 32:21: or, 3d, curious arts, and all sorts of divinations, whether by the stars, or by the entrails of living creatures, or by the dead, &c., which practices were common and prevalent among the eastern people, and through their example were also practised by many of the Israelites.

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