V. 10. And I will take my beautiful Rod, and cut it a funder. (That fignifics the breaking God's Covenant, which he made with all the People; and it was broken in that Day ;) fo the Poor of the Flock that waited on me, knew that it was the Word of the Lord.

This is a Defcription of the Chriftians, who knew Chrift's Prophecy of the Deftruction of the City and Temple. This Rod reprefented their beautiful Buildings. The Canaanites were the Original Inhabitants of Judæa; and by them, who were poor, as the Chriftians were, it would be observed, that God had broken his Covenant with the Jews, which he made with Abraham, That his Seed fhould inherit that Land; and in their ftead the Chriftians poffef fed it.

V. 12. And I faid, Give me my Price, if you think good; (or, Give me my Reward ;) if not, forbear: So they weighed for my Price (or Reward) Thirty Pieces of Silver. And the Lord faid unto me, Caft it unto the Potter, or put it into the Furnace: A goodly Price that I was prifed at of them, (and I will fee whether it is valuable, in the fame manner as I was tried for them ;) and I took the Thirty Pieces of Silver, and caft them to the Potter in the House of the Lord, to the Furnace.

Zachary here reprefents the Shepherd of the Flock, which is Chrift, who fed the Jews by his Preaching; and for their Neglect of his Advice, they are defigned for Slaugh. ter; and therefore he cut the Rod which represented his Covenant with Abraham : And they are fuppofed to hire this Shepherd, or give him a Reward of Thirty Pieces of Sil

ver.

This Money is to be tried, as the Shepherd is tried, by the Jews; and the Money was caft into the House of the Lord, for the Potter. This obfcurely intimates, that the Shepherd was ill ufed, and his Price caft into the Temple for the Potter. This Text is plainly corrupted by the Jews, as appears in Matth. 27.

Ver, 14. And I caft away my fecond Staff-Bonds, for Line to measure Land,) to fcatter the Poffeffion made. by Joshua, betwixt Judah and Ifrael. That is, the Romans fhall carry them from their Land, which was mea fured, and divided amongft the Twelve Tribes,

Ezek. 27. Fofeph babet duplicem funiculum There fore the Bonds reprefent the Lands divided by Measure; and the breaking this Staff, is their being carried into Captivity out of that Land, in which there was a Brotherhood betwixt Judab and Ifrael.

V. 15. The Lord faid, Take to thee the Inftrument of a foolish Shepherd. (Zachary had reprefented Chrift as a True Shepherd, as abused by the Flock and fold; but now Zachary muft represent a Foolish Shepherd, who will turn his Flock into an Army; and there is called a Foolish Shepherd,) whom God will raife in the Land, who fhall not vifit those that be cut off (by the Deftrution of Jerufalem,) neither feed the Young, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that that ftandeth ftill; but he fhall eat the Flefh of the Fat, and tear their Claws in pieces.

This is a Defcription of the Mischiefs the Foolisi Shepherd will do to his Flock. The Words in the Septuagint differ; but they are to the fame mischievous Ef fects.

V. 17. Woe to the Idol-Shepherd, (who feeds them with Vanities, and leaveth the Flock,) the Sword fhall be upon his Arm, and on his right Eye: His Arm fhall be dried up, and his right Eye darken'd.

This Foolish Shepherd is Barchochebas, who drew the Jews into a Rebellion in Adrian's Reign. He profeffed himself to be the Meffiah; he led the Jews eighteen Years; and he was at laft flain, with Five hundred Thou Land Jews.

This War happened Sixty four Years after the Deftrution of Jerufalem. This Falle Meffiah ufed great Tyranny

P

ranny and Cruelty to all that refufed to join with him. The right Arm fignifies his Forces; his right Eye, his Po licy, by which he deluded the Vulgar, pretending to be Jacob's Star, which fhould rife. His Name, Benchochab, fig. nifies, the Son of the Stars.

CHAP

CHA P. XII,

The Conquest of Gog, at bis First Invafion of Judea, and Siege of Jerufalem, after the Two Tribes are returned. Then Chrift appears, and the Jews mourn for bim, and are converted,

V. I.

THE

HE Word of the Lord received concerning Ifrael, (called the Burden,) who ftretcheth forth the Hea vens, and layeth the Foundation of the Earth, and formed the Spirit of Man in him; who faith, I will place, I will place Ferufalem as a Porch fhaken by all People round about; and in Judea there fhall be a Siege of Jerufalem, (the vul gar Tranflation fays, Ferufalem fhall be a Cup of Trembling, when they fhall be in the Siege of Judah and Ferufalem.) Jerufalem is here compared to a Part of a Building our of the Houfe, which is expofed to the Shaking by any Perfon; and this Siege has not yet happened fince the Romans deftroy ed it: But the Jews, with their Two Tribes, will return, and then it will happen.

V. 3. And in that Day will I make Jerufalem a burthenfome Stone for all People that burthen themselves with it, tho' all the People of the Earth gather themselves againft ir.

Note, This Prophecy of the treading down of the Gentiles is intimated Rev. 11. The holy Ciry fhall be trod down 42 Months; that is, as in the Gospel, ir fhall be. trod down, till the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.. Since the Romans, the Saracens and Turks have poffeft it: But in time, God will bring back to it the Tribes on its Borders, according to Efdras; and then it will P 2 be

be befieged by Gog and Magog; as Ezekiel gives a larger Account of this War, and of the feveral Nations who will befiege it, Ch.38. and 39. viz. It fhall be in the latter Days; and then there fhall be an Earthquake, every Man's Sword againft his Brother. V. 22. There fhall be a Peftilence, Rain, Hailftones, Fire and Brimftone to deftroy, him. And this fhall be done to make God's Name known in many Nations. Ezek. 39. God promifes to bring back the whole, House of Ifrael, v. 35. which will happen after this Deliverance. And Efdras 13. has the fame Defcription of the Jews double Return: Thofe in the Borders fhall at this time inhabit Ferufalem; and after the Defeat of Gog, (Efdras's Multitude) the Ten Tribes will return.

V.4. In that Day, faith the Lord, I will ftrike every Horle with Aftonishment, and his Rider with Madnefs, and fmite every Horfe with Blindness: (The Thunder and Lightening mentioned by Ezekiel, will make the Horses afraid and blind)

V. 5. The Commanders in Fudab fhall fay in their Hearts, The Inhabitants of Jerufalem fall be my Strength in the Lord of Hofts, their God.

V. 6. The Governors of Judab fhall be as a Brand a mongst the Wood, and as a Lamp in the Straw; and they fhall devour on the right and left, all People round them, and Jerufalem fhall be inhabited in her own Place in Ferufa tem.

V. 7. And the Lord fhall fave the Tents of Judah firft, that the Glory of the Houfe of David, and the Glory of the Inhabitants of Jerufalem do not magnifie themselves against Judah. This fignifies the Valour of the whole Tribe of Fu dab, who fhall defend their Countrey as much as Jerufalem will. Then God will defend the Inhabitants of Ferufalem ; and he that is infirm, fhall be as David, and the Houfe of David as God, as the Angel of the Lord before them. Then all the Nations who come againft Ferufalem, fhall be deAroyed.

Note