Bible Commentaries

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted — Meaning Jerusalem, once a faithful city, now an harlot, Isaiah 1:21 , faedissimum prostibulum, of the kind of those sordid men who are called Borboritae, of their miry filthiness, whom Epiphanius and Oecumenius speak of. The word ( øàé ) here rendered filthy comes from a word that signifieth dung, or that signifieth an example ( παραδειγμα ); and so it is a metaphor taken from light women that are carted in a disgraceful way and made a public example, an infamous instance. It is rendered also gluttonous, or all craw, as Leviticus 1:16 .

“ Ingluvies et tempestas, barathrumque macelli. ”

To the oppressing city! — Praedatrici, that maketh a prey of others (either by force or fraud), as the silly dove is made a prey to the hawk and other ravenous birds.

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She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

She obeyed not the voice — sc. Of her teachers, nor inclined her ear to them that instructed her, as Proverbs 5:13 . Hence she was so filthy and oppressive; who, if she had hearkened to wholesome counsel, and hidden the word of God’s grace in her heart, would have purified herself even as he is pure, 1 John 3:3 , and not have exacted money and grain, but have left off that usury, Nehemiah 5:10 .

She received not correction — Or discipline, as being incurable or incorrigible, pining away in her iniquity, Leviticus 26:39 , and not accepting the chastisement of her sin.

She trusted not in the Lord — But knocked at the creature’s door for help in her distress, and made flesh her arm, her heart departed from the Lord, Jeremiah 17:5 . This God taketh very ill, Jeremiah 2:12-13 , as he hath very great reason; confidence being the least and yet the best we can render to him for all his benefits.

She drew not near to her God — Though he were her God, yet she went as far from him as she could; and, like a wild beast, would not be tamed nor managed by him. Now, if these be undoubted arguments of a filthy and polluted state, as surely they are, what shall we think of ourselves, who are as deeply guilty as ever Jerusalem was in the promises? what shall the Lord do, or what shall he not do, rather, to a nation so incorrigibly flagitious, so obliged, so warned, so shamelessly, so lawlessly wicked?

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Her princes within her [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Her princes within her are roaring lions — Roaring over the meaner sort, and tearing them with their claws. See Trapp on " Micah 3:1 " See Trapp on " Micah 3:2 " See Trapp on " Micah 3:3 "

Her judges are evening wolves — See Habakkuk 1:8 . This rapacity and bribery they had learned (likely) under Manassah and Amon; and exercised under good Josiah, who either knew it not, or could not redress it. Est ergo periculi plena reipublicae forma, quae ab uno dependet, saith Gualther here. And Tertullian telleth us, that one special thing the primitive Christians prayed for the emperor was, that God would send him Senatum fidelem, a faithful senate, pious councillors, good subordinates. Of Aurelian’s council it was said, that by them the good emperor, who might know nothing but as they informed him, was even bought and sold. Alphonsus, King of Aragon, said that princes were for this in a worse condition than other people; because they could seldom hear the truth of things. Augustus bitterly bewailed the death of Varus; because now, said he, I have none about me that will deal truly with me. The Grand Signior goes often abroad that he may receive poor men’s petitions, and right them upon the greatest beshaws, who, bewitched by bribery, have denied them justice. And hence it hath been ever observed, that few of his chief officers die in their beds. These evening wolves many times have not a morrow left them to gnaw the bones in.

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Her prophets [are] light [and] treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

Her prophets are light — Rash, headlong, futilous, debauched (as the French translateth it), aerial, fantastic, weightless, worthless men, such as in whose doctrine there is no authority, in whose life no gravity, staidness, severity, constancy (Rodulphus, Archbishop of Canterberry next after Anselm, was surnamed Nugax for his jesting and toying): like the planet Mercury, they can be good in conjunction with good, and bad with bad; like that French apostate of whom Beza saith that he had religionem ephemeram, for every day a new religion, ab his ad illos, ab illis ad hos leviter iens et levius transiens, double-minded and unstable in all his ways, James 1:8 .

And treacherous persons — Viri perfidiarum, most perfidious persons. This is their true title, whom the world counteth and calleth facile, facetious, fair conditioned, comporting, condescending, people pleasing preachers. Can there be a worse treachery than to betray men’s souls, as your Aiones and Negones do, that cry peace, peace, and so betray men to hell.

Her priests have polluted the sanctuary — Or holy services.

“ Cum coelum terrae commiscent sacra profanis. ”

God looks to be sanctified in all those that draw nigh unto him, Leviticus 10:3 , that they should be singularly holy, handling the word, sancte magis quam scite with greater reverence than knowledge, (as one once told the wanton vestal), and living so that malice itself may be silenced. God of old appointed both the weights and measures of the sanctuary to be twice as large as those of the commonwealth; to show that he expects much more of those that serve him there than he doth of others. See 1 Kings 7:15 cf. 2 Chronicles 3:15 .

They have done violence to the law — sc. By their crafty and perverse glosses, setting it on the rack, as it were, and so making it speak more than it would; tawing it with their teeth, as shoemakers do their upper leather, forcing it two miles when it would go but one, yea, murdering it, as Tertullian saith of some, quod caedem scripturarum faciant, that they slaughter the Scriptures to serve their own purposes; for which cause also he calleth Marcion the heretic, Murem Ponticum, the Rat of Pontus, for his arroding and gnawing the text.

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The just LORD [is] in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

The just Lord is in the midst thereof — The unjust princes were said to be in the midst of Jerusalem as roaring lions, Zephaniah 3:3 . Here the just Lord is also said to be in the midst of her, as a sin revenging judge. He sitteth as God in the midst of those uncircumcised vicegods (as I may in the worst sense best term them), he sets a jealous eye upon all their unrighteous proceedings, and is with them in the judgment. Neither eyeth he them only, but all others in like sort; as the king in the Gospel came in to see his guests. His eye, like a well drawn picture, taketh view of all that come into the room. Oh that we could be in his fear all the day! Oh that we would ever walk in the sense of his presence, and light of his countenance! Noli peccare, nam Deus videt, angeli astant, diabolus accusabit, conscientia testabitur, Infernus cruciabit. Sin not; for God sees you, the good angels stand about you, Satan will accuse you, conscience will give in evidence against you, hell will torment you. A reverend and religious man had this written before his eyes in his study.

He will not do iniquity — i.e. He will not let enormities go unpunished, nor pass by the infirmities of his people without a sensible check, Psalms 99:8 . See Habakkuk 1:13 .

Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light — Daily and diligently doth he both threaten by his prophets and execute with his hand the menaces of his mouth upon those that will not be warned, that refuse to be reformed. He hath in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, 2 Corinthians 10:6 . Maturely he will do it, and accurately; it is his morning’s work, Psalms 101:8 , like as it is theirs to rise early, and corrupt all their doings, Zephaniah 3:7 . He will be up and at it as soon as they.

He faileth not — As he may seem to do when he forbeareth. Non deest, he will not be wanting to his office to proceed against the uncounsellable.

But the unjust knoweth no shame — He can blush no more than a sackbut, as the proverb is. Such an impudence hath sin woaded A bluish dye the ancient British warriors covered themselves with when going to battle to make their appearance more terrible to the enemy. in his face, that he basheth nothing. Et pudet non esse impudentem, he is past all grace, as we say, and as good at resisting the Holy Ghost as ever those Jews were that had a whore’s forehead, Jeremiah 3:3 , sinews of iron and brows of brass, Isaiah 48:4 . When neither fear of God nor shame of the world will rein men in, what hope is there of such? Illum ego periisse dico cui periit pudor, saith Curtius, a heathen. He is an undone man that knoweth no shame. Prevent it in time; for the modest beginnings of sin at first will make way for immodest proceedings. The thickest ice that will bear a cart beginneth with a thin trembling cover, that will not bear a pebble.

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I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

I have cut off the nations — And hanged them up in gibbets, as it were, before your eyes, for your admonition, ut ruina maiorum sit cautela minorum, that their destruction might be your instruction; that, seeing your neighbour’s house on fire, you might look to your own; that, observing others to suffer shipwreck, you might see to your tackling. This is the use God expects we should make of his judgments upon others, Luke 13:3 ; Luke 13:5 ; Luke 17:26 ; Luke 17:29 Matthew 12:13 ; Matthew 12:41-42 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 , and surely he deserveth to be made an example that will not take example by others.

Their towers are desolate — Or, their corners, sc. of their munitions, whereon towers were set. Or, their extremities, q.d. I have overturned them from one end to another. Drusius and Ribera interpreteth it of their princes. See Trapp on " Zephaniah 1:6 "

I made their streets waste, … — See Zephaniah 2:5-6 ; Zephaniah 2:14-15 . To the end, that when my judgments were thus on the earth, the inhabitants of the world (but especially of the Church) might learn righteousness, Isaiah 26:9 ; that the righteous, seeing the vengeance, might wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, Psalms 59:10 , taking warning by his harms. Observe here, by the way, what great account God makes of his people, since for their instance and instruction he thus wasteth the wicked; like as the Persian kings, when their sons had committed a fault, made their servants to be beaten before them.

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I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.

I said, surely thou wilt fear me — As in a school, when one boy is whipped the rest tremble; and as in the commonwealth, poena ad paucos, metus ad omnes; punishment for the few, fear for everybody so it should be in the Church. Other men’s woes should be our warnings; others’ sufferings our sermons; others’ lashes our lessons; God’s house of correction a school of instruction, where we should hear and fear, and do no more so, Deuteronomy 17:13 . He that trembleth not in hearing shall be crushed to pieces in feeling, said that martyr.

And receive instruction — This I promised myself of thee, but am disappointed, Jeremiah 15:3 . See Zephaniah 3:2 , thou art therefore ripe for destruction.

So their dwelling should not be cut off — They should have redeemed their sorrows and saved their city. And this God speaks to others, as weary of speaking any longer to them to so little purpose.

But they rose early and corrupted, … — Manicabant, they made haste, that no time might be lost; they woefully wasted that best part of the day, the morning (which παν εργον οφελλει , furthereth every business), in corrupting their practices, doing evil as they could. Once (saith a reverend man) Peter’s argument was more than probable; These men are not drunk, for it is but the third hour of the day. Now, men are grown such husbands, as that by that time they will return their stocks, and have their brains crowing before day.

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Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination [is] to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, [even] all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, … — Stand forth, and hear your doom; which that ye may know that I do not precipitate or rashly pass upon you, "Wait ye upon me," …; and yet, that ye may not presume upon my patience, know that there is a day set, a determination settled for your full payment.

“ Nostra Deus subitis non damnat crimina poenis:

Compensat longas sed gravitate moras. ”

To gather the nations — To put them up, as it were sheep, into a pound for slaughter. See more of this, Jeremiah 25:15-33

To pour upon them mine indignation — Here is mention made of God’s prey, of his indignation, fierce anger, fire of jealousy against nations and kingdoms; the better to persuade people to that which they are so hardly drawn to believe, viz. that God is not made all of mercy; but, though fury be not in him, to speak properly, Isaiah 27:4 , yet that he will not by any means "clear the guilty," Exodus 34:7 , but punish them severely, taking vengeance of their inventions, Psalms 99:8 .

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