12.Against the walls. This address is made, not to the Babylonians, as the common version supposes, but rather to the enemies of Babylon.

13. - great waters: i. e. the Euphrates, which passed through it, and its branches or canals, which surrounded it.

20.my battle-hammer. From the use of the battle-hammer or mallet, Judas received the name of Maccabeus, and Charles, the duke of France, famous for his victories over the Saracens, that of Martellus, i. e. the Battle-hammer. Such an instrument is called by the Arabs Derbasch, according to Niebuhr. Tom. ii. 200. From the use of such a weapon, Lat. malleus, came the word maul.

25. — destroying mountain. Babylon seems to be here compared to a volcanic mountain, which has scattered destruction far and wide. The prophet threatens that she shall be burnt out, or become like one of those desolate mountains of which the fires have ceased to burn, and the materials of which have become useless, like cooled lava, so that they are wholly deserted by men.

27. — Ararat, Minni, provinces of Armenia. Ashchenaz, probably near Armenia, if not a province of it. - bristled locusts. See Joel i. 4, and ii. 4, and the notes. The horses may be compared to the locusts, on account of their numbers, as well as their general appearance, and to the bristled locust, on account of the spears and javelins of their riders.

31.- Courier runs, &c.: i. e.

They shall run from different parts, and so fall in with one another, all carrying the same intelligence to the same person, that the city was taken on the side every one came from. Herodotus tells us that, on account of the greatness of the city, the extreme parts of it were taken some time before those who lived in the middle knew of the attack. Lib. I. c. 191.

32. -passages: i. e. the fords together with the fortifications, to prevent the enemy from crossing the river. —reeds: i. e. the reeds upon the marshes, which might prevent the access of the enemy.

10.

33. thrashing-floor when it is thrashed: i. e. when it is trampled upon by cattle and bruised by the thrashing-wain. See Is. xxi. Others suppose the meaning to be, that Babylon is full of wealth, as a thrashing-floor is full of grain in the time of thrashing; but that in a short time her prosperity should be cut down like the harvest, when it is fully ripe.

36. — her sea: i. e. the Euphrates and its channels. The term sea is applied to large rivers by the orientals.

39. In their heat: i. e. while they are heated with wine; I will prepare them a drink, viz. the wine of the divine indignation. See

42.- The sea, &c.: i. e. a numerous army hath come up against Babylon, like the sea, and overwhelmed her. See ver. 55. Others understand the language literally, viz. that Babylon should be overflowed by the Euphrates. A large collection of waters, such as the Nile, the Euphrates, is often called a sea in the Scriptures.

44.-bring forth from his mouth, &c.: i. e. the riches of his temple, the offerings that had been made him from the spoils of conquered countries, and particularly the sacred vessels of the temple of Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar had placed in the temple of his god. See 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7.

53. — mount up, &c.: i. e. in the height of her walls. - height of her strength: i. e. her high fortifications. Herodotus relates that the walls of Babylon were two hundred cubits high and fifty cubits broad. According to him the city was a regular square, each side of which was one hundred and twenty stadia in length.

55. Their waves, &c.: i. e. the enemies of Babylon shall rush in and roar like the waves of the sea, dashing against the shore. 57. make drunk. See note on ver. 39.

64.

So shall Babylon sink. Herodotus relates a similar action of the Phocæans, who, having resolved to leave their country, and never to return to it again, "threw a mass of iron into the sea, and swore that they would never return to Phocæa, till that iron mass should rise and swim on the top." Herod. i. 165. See also Hor. Epod. xvi. 25. — utterly fail: i. e. the Babylonians shall be exhausted, so as never to recover their strength.

LII. It ought to be considered as certain, says Grotius, that this chapter was not here inserted by Jeremiah. For he would not have repeated a history before related in the same book, Ch. xxxix., xl., and in its proper place. Besides, this history is continued to the reign of Evilmerodach, and to the death of Jeconiah, a period later than that of Jeremiah. It cannot, therefore, be doubted, that the chiefs of the captivity, as they were called, wrote this chapter, that it might form an introduction to the Lamentations of Jeremiah, which usually followed the prophecies of Jeremiah. For the subject of the Lamentations is contained in this chapter, which is almost wholly borrowed from the latter part of the second book of Kings, a few things being added from the history of Solomon's temple. See 2 Kings, xxiv., xxv.

19. the candlesticks and the basins.

employed the word basins twice in this verse. tuted in the second instance.

I have inadvertently
Pans may be substi-

NOTES ON LAMENTATIONS.

THERE is no sufficient reason for doubting, that the Lamentations are the productions of Jeremiah, though in regard to their form they have a more artificial character than his prophecies, which at first view suggests the suspicion, that they were written by an imitator of Jeremiah, who had not gone through the calamities which he describes and laments. He may have employed his leisure in writing them during his exile in Egypt.

Each of the five chapters of the Lamentations contains a distinct elegy, consisting of twenty-two periods, according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. And in the first four chapters the versification resembles acrostics. In the three first chapters each verse consists of three lines, and the initial letters of each verse are in the order of the Hebrew alphabet, with the exception that i. 7, and ii. 19, consist of four lines. There is also an exception to the alphabetical order, viz. that in chapters ii., iii., and iv., Pe is put before Ayin. The third chapter differs from the others in having each line begin with the same letter, so that the alphabet is repeated three times. The peculiarity of the fourth chapter is, that each verse consists of only two lines. In the translation, I have, for convenience' sake, made the lines of some of the verses more numerous. The fifth chapter is not acrostic. It contains verses equal in number to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the lines are quite short, whereas in the rest they are long.

It is singular that any man of learning, who had read these lamentations of the prophet over his country's calamities and his own, should have supposed them to be elegies relating to the death of the good king Josiah. There is no allusion to the life or death of Josiah in either of them. If Jeremiah composed an elegy upon his death, as is intimated in 2 Chron. xxxv. 25, it is lost.

I. 1. sit solitary. Jerusalem may by these words be represented as a mourner seeking solitude, and in the attitude of grief; or by "solitary" may be meant "desolate," as a mother bereaved of her children. There are several Roman coins extant, representing on the one side the emperor Vespasian, and on the other, a woman, (the daughter of Zion,) sitting upon the ground under a palm-tree, in a mournful attitude, and having around a heap of arms, shields, &c. The legend is JUDEA CAPTA, JUDEA TAKEN. See Robinson's Calmet, p. 584. — tributary, or obliged to pay tribute-service. This is the common meaning of the word.

2.- her lovers: i. e. the nations with which she had formed allian

ces.

3.- goeth into exile. I am inclined to think, with Michaelis, Blayney, and others, that it was a voluntary migration of the Jews that is here intended; many of whom, previous to the captivity, had left their country, and retired into Egypt, and other parts, to avoid the oppressions and servitude, which they had reason to apprehend from the Chaldeans, who had invaded, or were about to invade their country.

in the straits: i. e. narrow passages, where there is no room to turn to the right or left, no chance to escape. The expression is to be understood metaphorically, as denoting great distress.

4.

- the ways to Zion: i. e. the ways, which lead to Zion, once rejoicing in the multitude that passed over them to keep holy day, mourn because none pass over them.

5.- the head: i. e. her superiors. See Deut. xxviii. 13, 44. 8.- her shame. See Is. xlvii. 3; Ezek. xvi. 37.

9.—her end: i. e. she thought not of the miserable end to which her wickedness would bring her.

14. The yoke, &c. A metaphor drawn from the practice of a husbandman, who, after fastening the yoke upon the cattle, keeps the cords wound round his hand. So she says the yoke of his transgressions, i. e. the consequences of them, is fastened upon her neck, and the cords connected with it wound round the hand of God, so that she could not throw it off. -they are twisted together: i. e. in their consequences, or punishment, my sins are formed, like ropes or other materials, into a yoke which is insupportable.

19. - my lovers: i. e. those whose alliance I had sought, the Egyptians and others. See iv. 17.

20. - turneth itself: i. e. is vehemently agitated, cannot rest. - Death: i. e. natural death by famine or pestilence. A personification. See Jer. ix. 21; Hab. ii. 5.

"Despair

Tended the sick, busiest from couch to couch;
And over them triumphant Death his dart
Shook."

Par. Lost, xi. 489.

II.

nity.

1.

covered with a cloud: i. e. degraded; treated with indig

- his footstool. The ark of the covenant is called God's footstool, 1 Chron. xxviii. 2; Ps. xcix. 5; and for this obvious reason, that when the glory of God appeared sitting as it were enthroned upon the mercy-seat, between the cherubim, the ark below was, as it were, a base, or footstool to the throne. Blayney. Perhaps, however, the whole temple, the peculiar dwelling-place of Jehovah, and the receptacle of the ark, is intended.

3. - every horn: i. e. all her means of defence.

7. They have lifted up: i. e. the enemies triumphed in the desolation of the temple, with as loud a noise, as the people were wont to make in celebrating the praises of God on a solemn festival. Comp. Ps. lxxiv. 4.

the line: i. e. a line of destruction. See Is. xxxiv. 11, and the

11. — My liver, &c. The liver is here regarded as the seat of the feelings, as if he had said, My soul is pierced.

12. mother's bosom: i. e. when, in endeavoring to draw nourishment from the breasts of their exhausted mothers, they breathed their last in their bosoms.

14. prophecies of seduction: i. e. such as seduce from the worship and service of God.

18. · apple of thine eye cease: i. e. from shedding tears.

19. -beginning of the watches: i. e. the first watch of the night, of which there were three with the ancient Hebrews, the first, the middle, and the third or morning watch. See Judges vii. 19; Ex. xiv. 24; 1 Sam. xi. 11. In the New Testament four are mentioned, in conformity with the custom of the Romans.

22. - as on a festal day: i. e. thou hast caused my terrible enemies or calamities to be assembled against me, as my people were wont to assemble in great crowds on festal occasions. Comp. verse 7.

III. It has been supposed by several critics, that the Jewish people is represented in this chapter under the image of a single man. But from verse 14, and 58-63, I am inclined to believe that Jere