9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as 8 Lam. 3. 22. Rom. 9. 29. Sodom," and we should have beer. like unto Gomorrah. u Gen. 19. 24. the text except a change of the vowel word sometimes translated Sabaoth. points. According to this translation, Rom. ix. 29. James v. 4. The word the meaning will be, that all things means literally armies or military round about the city lay desolate, like hosts. It is applied however to the the withered vines of a cucumber-gar angels which surround the throne of den around the watchman's hut; in God, 1 Kings xxii. 19. 2 Chron. xviii. other words, that the city alone stood 18. Ps. ciii. 21; and to the stars or safe amidst the ruins caused by the constellations that appear to be marenemy, like the hut in a gathered gar-shalled in the sky, Jer. xxxiii. 22. Isa. den of cucumbers." Noyes. According, xl. 26. This host, or the "host of to this interpretation, the word netzūrâ is derived not from tzür, to besiege, to press, to straiten; but from nâtzăr, to preserve, keep, defend. Comp. Ezek. vi. 12. The Hebrew will bear this translation; and the concinnity of the comparison will thus be preserved. I rather prefer, however, the common interpretation, as being more obviously the sense of the Hebrew, and as being sufficiently in accordance with the design of the prophet. The idea then is, that of a city straitened by a siege, yet standing as a temporary habitation, while all the country around was lying in ruins. Jerusalem, alone preserved amidst the desolation spreading throughout the land, will resemble a temporary lodge in the garden-itself soon to be removed or destroyed. The essential idea, whatever translation is adopted, is that of the solitude, loneliness, and temporary continuance of even Jerusalem, while all around was involved in desolation and ruin. 9. Except, &c. It is owing entirely to the mercy of God, that we are not like Sodom. The prophet traces this not to the goodness of the nation, not to any power or merit of theirs, but solely to the mercy of God. This pasBage the Apostle Paul has used in an argument to establish the doctrine of divine sovereignty in the salvation of inen. See Note Rom. ix. 29. The Lord. Heb. JEHOVALI. Note ver. 2. Of hosts. is Tzebhûoth-the heaven," was frequently an object o idolatrous worship. Deut. iv. 19, xvii. JEHOVAH of hosts because he is at the God is called 3. 2 Kings xvii. 16. head of all these armies, as their leader and commander; he marshals and directs them-as a general does the army under his command. This," says Gesenius, "is the most common name of God in Isaiah, and in Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Malachi. It represents him as the ruler of the hosts of heaven, i. e. the angels and the stars. Sometimes, but less frequently, we meet with the appellation Jehovah, God of hosts. Hence, some suppose the expression Jehovah of hosts to be elliptical. But it is not a correct assertion that Jehovah, as a proper name, admits of no genitive. But such relations and adjuncts as depend upon the genitive, often depend upon proper names. So in Arabic, one is called Rebiah of the poor in reference to his liability." The name is given here, because to save any portion of a nation so wicked implied the exercise of the same power as that by which he controlled the hosts of heaven. ¶ Remnant. A small part-that which is left. It means here, that God had spared a portion of the nation, so that they were not entirely overthrown We should have been as Sodom, &c This does not refer to the character of the people, but to their destiny. If God had not interposed to save them they would have been overwhelmed entirely as Sodom was. Comp. Gen. xix. 24,25 10 Hear the word of the LORD, | ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah : 10. Hear the word of the Lord. The message of God. Having stated the calamities under which the nation was groaning, the prophet proceeds to address the rulers, and to state the cause of all these woes. Ye rulers of Sodom. The incidental mention of Sodom in the previous verse gives occasion for this beautiful transition, and abrupt and spirited address. Their character and destiny were almost like those of Sodom, and the prophet therefore openly addresses the rulers as being called to preside over a people like those in Sodom. There could have been no more severe or cutting reproof of their wickedness than to address them as resembling the people whom God overthrew for their enormous crimes. I will not accept them; Neither will I regard the thank-offerings of you! Take thon away from me the noise of thy songs; Is the multitude. There was no deficiency in the amount of offerings. It was admitted that they complied in this respect with the requirements of the law; and that they offered an abundance of sacrifices, so numerous as to be called a multitude- rõbh, a vast number. Hypocrites abound in outward religious observances just in proportion to their neglect of the spiritual requirements of God's word. Comp. Matt. xxiii. 23. Your sacri 11. To what purpose.. What is it to me; or what profit or pleasure can I have in them?' God here replies to an objection which fices. "zibhhhēkhēm, from might be urged by the Jews to the, to slay; especially to slay for representation which had been made of their guilt. The objection would be, that they were strict in the duties of their religion, and that they even abounded in offering victims of sacrifice. God replies in this and the following verses, that all this would be of no use, and would meet with no acceptance unless it were the offering of the heart. He demanded righteousness; and without that, all external offerings would be vain. The same sentiment often occurs in the Old Tes tament. Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings As in obeying the voice of the Lord? 1 Sam. xv. 22. To what purpose shall frankincense be brought Or the rich aromatic reed from a far country? sacrifice. The word used here denotes any sacrifice which was made by blood; but is distinguished from the burntoffering from the fact, that this was not entirely consumed. It is applied to the sin-offering, trespass-offering, thank-offering. The word also stands opposed to the offerings which were made without blood ( mĩnhhâ). Any offering that consisted in an ani mal that was slain came under this general denomination of sacrifice. Ex. x. 25. Lev. xvii. 8. Num. xv. 5. Burnt-offerings. booth, from , âlâh, to go up, ascend. It is applied to a sacrifice that was wholly consumed, or made to ascend on an altar. It answers to the Greek 6ÀóKavaTovholocaust, that which is entirely consumed. Such offerings abounded among the Hebrews. The burnt-offering was wholly consumed of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of 'hegoats. 9 great he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain obla 1 be seen. on the altar, excepting the skin and their requests. Hence," to appear the blood. The blood was sprinkled before God," Heb. to be seen before , אֶת פָּנָי for לֵרָאוֹת פָּנָי ;round the altar, and the other parts of | my face the animal which was slain were laid upon the altar and entirely burned. means to appear in his temple as a worshipper. The phrase occurs in this See Lev. i. This was commonly a sense in the following places: Ex. voluntary offering; and this shows their zeal to comply with the external forms Xxxiv. 23, 24. Deut. xxxi. 11. 1 Sam. i. 22. Ps. xlii. 3. Who hath reof religion. I am full.",quired this. The Jews were required I am satiated. The word is usually applied to food and drink, denoting satisfaction, or satiety. It is used here with great force, denoting that their offerings had been so numerous and so incessant, that God was satiated with them. It means that he was weary, tired, disgusted with them. Thus in ob vii. 4: "I am full-of ossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day." Prov. xxv. 17: Fat, &c. They were required to offer not the lame, or the diseased (Deut. xv. 21. xvii. 1. Lev. xvii. 20. Mal. i. 7, 8); and God admits here that they had externally complied with this requirement. The fat was burned on the altar. I delight not. That is, I delight not in them when offered without the heart; or I delight not in them in comparison with works of righteousness. See Amos v. 21-24. Ps. iv. 9-13, li. 16-19. me. 12. When you come to appear before The temple was in Jerusalem, and was regarded as the habitation, or dwelling place, of the God of Israel. Particularly the most holy place of the temple was deemed the place of his sacred abode. The Shekinah-from shâkhăn, to dwell-the visible symbol of his presence, rested on the cover of the Ark, and from this place he was accustomed to commune with his people, and to give responses to to appear there to worship God (Ex. xxiii. 17. Deut. xvi. 16); but it was not required that they should appear with that spirit and temper. A similar sentiment is expressed in Ps. 1. 16. At your hand. From you. The emphasis in this expression is to be laid on your. Who has asked it of you?" It was indeed the duty of the humble, and the sincere, to tread those courts, but who had required such hypocrites as they were to do it? God sought the offerings of pure worshippers, not those of the hypocritical and the profane. To tread my courts The courts of the temple, were the different areas, or open spaces which surrounded it. None entered the temple itself but the priests. The people worshipped God in the courts assigned them around the temple. In one of those courts was the altar of burntofferings; and the sacrifices were all made there. See Notes on Matt. xxi. 12. To tread his courts was an expression, therefore, equivalent to worship. To tread the courts of the Lord here, has the idea of profanation. Who has required you to tread those courts with this hollow, heartless service? It is often used in the sense of treading down, or trampling on. 2 Kings vii. 17-20. Dan. viii. 7-10. Isa. lxiii. 3-16. 13. Bring no more. God does not intend absolutely to forbid this kind of worship, but he expresses his strong abhorrence of the manner in which it tions: incense is an abomina- | semblies, I cannot away with; tion unto me; the new moons it is iniquity, even the solemn and sabbaths, the calling of as- meeting. z Luke 11. 42. was done. He desired a better state of mind; he preferred purity of heart to all this external homage. ¶ Vain. Heb. offering of vanity-shav. Offerings which were hollow, false, deceitful, and hypocritical. ¶ Oblations. minhhath. This word properly denotes a gift, or present, of any kind (Gen. xxxii. 13), and then especially a present or offering to the Deity. Gen. iv. 3, 4, 5. It does not denote a bloody offering, but what is improperly rendered in the Old Testament, a meat-offering (Lev. ii. 1, vi. 14, ix. 17)-an offering made of flour or fruits, with oil and frankincense. A small part of it was burned upon the altar, and the remainder was eaten by Aaron and his sons with salt. Lev. ii. 1,9, 13. The proper translation would have been meal or flour-offering, rather than meat-offering, since the word meat with us now denotes animal food only. Incense. More properly frank incense. This is an aromatic or odoriferous gum, which is obtained from a tree called Thurifera. Its leaves were like those of a pear-tree. It grew around Mount Lebanon, and in Arabia. The gum was obtained by making incisions in the bark in dogdays. It was much used in worship, not only by the Jews, but by the heathen. When burned it produced an agreeable odour; and hence it is called a sacrifice of sweet smell, an odour acceptable to God. Comp. Phil. iv. 18. That which was burned among the Jews was prepared in a peculiar manner, with a mixture of sweet spices. It was offered by the priest alone, and it was not lawful to prepare it in any other way than that prescribed by the law. See Ex. xxx. 34, &c. ¶ Is an abomination. Is hateful, or an object of abhorrence; that is, as it was offered by them, with hollow service, and with hypocritical The new moons. On the appearance of the new moon, in addi hearts. 3 or, grief. tion to the daily sacrifices, two bullocks, a ram, and seven sheep, with a meal-offering, were required to be offered to God. Num. x. 10, xxviii. 11– 14. The new moon in the beginning of the month Tisri (October), was the beginning of their civil year, and was commanded to be observed as a festival. Lev. xxiii. 24, 25. The appearance of the new moon was announced by the blowing of silver trumpets. Num. x. 10. Hence the annual festival was called sometimes, "the memorial of the blowing of trumpets." The time of the appearance of the new moon was not ascertained, as with us, by astronomical calculation; but persons were stationed, about the time it was to appear, on elevated places in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and when it was discovered, the trumpet was sounded. Moses did not command that this should be observed as a festival except at the beginning of the year, but it is not improbable that the Jews observed each return of the new moon, as such. ¶ And sabbaths. shabbath, from shâbath, to cease to do any thing; to rest from labour. The words here used are all in the singular number, and should have been rendered the new moon, and the sabbath, and the calling of the assembly; though used in a The sabbaths here collective sense. refer not only to the weekly sabbaths, but to all their days of rest. word sabbath means properly a day of rest (Gen. ii. 2,3); and it was applied not only to the seventh day, but particularly to the beginning and the close of their great festivals, which were days of unusual solemnity and sacredness. Lev. xvi. 31. xxiii. 24–39. The The calling of assemblies. The solemn convocations or meetings at their TI cannot away festivals and fasts. with. Heb. I cannot bear, or endure. It is iniquity. That is, in the way in which it is conducted. 15 And when ye" spread forth. a Mic. 3. 4. the soul was full of the subject, and disposed to dwell upon it. ¶ My soul hateth. I hate. Ps. xi. 5. The nouns nephesh, soul, and ♬ rūăhh, spirit, are often used to denote the person himself, and are to be construed as I. Thus Isa. xxvi. 9: "With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will Í seek thee early;" that is, "I myself seek thee; I myself do desire thee." So the phrase, deliver my soul,' lxxxiv. 3, lxxxvi. 13, 14; that thy soul 14 Your new moons and your | am weary to bear them. appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I This is a strong emphatic expression. It is not merely evil, and tending to evil; but it is iniquity itself. There was no mixture of good. Even the solemn meeting. The word which is here used--comes from the verb atzar, which signifies to shut up, or to close; and is applied to the solemnities which concluded their great feasts, as being periods of unusual interest and sacredness. It was applied to such solemnities, because they shut up, or closed the sacred fes--that is, deliver me, Ps. xxii. 20, tivals. Hence that day was called the great day of the feast, as being a day of peculiar solemnity and impressiveness. See Note John vii. 37. Comp. Lev. xxiii. 3-36. In the translation of this word, however, there is a great variety in the ancient versions. Vulg., "Your assemblies are iniquitous. " LXX. "Your new moons, and sabbaths, and great day, I cannot endure; fasting, and idleness." Chald. Paraph., "Sacrifice is abominable before me; and your new moons, and sabbaths, since you will not forsake your sins, so that your prayer may be heard in the time of your assembling." Syriac, "In the beginning of your months, and on the sabbath, you convene an assembly, but I do not eat that [i. e. sacrifices] which has been obtained by fraud and violence." The English translation has, however, probably expressed the correct sense of the Hebrew. 14. Your appointed feasts. That your assemblies convened on regular set times- moedh, from 7pressive statement of the evil effects yâădh, to fix, to appoint. Hengstenberg of sin, than that even Omnipotence (Chris. iii. p. 87) has shown that this was exhausted as with a heavy, opvord (1) is applied in the Scrip- pressive burden. tures only to the sabbath, passover, pentecost, day of atonement, and feast of tabernacles. Prof. Alexander, in loc. It is applied to those festivals, because they were fixed by law to certain periods of the year. This verse is a very impressive repetition of the former, as if is, a trouble. törŭhh. In Deut. So 15. Ye spread forth your hands This is an expression denoting the act of supplication. When we ask for help, we naturally stretch out our hands, as if to receive it. The expression therefore is equivalent to when ye pray, or implore mercy.' Comp |