the verbal noun, which has yet to be more fully explained. Thus both Hebrew and English describe Judah's conversion as synchronical with his receiving the tribal masses of the ten in the Holy Land. Scott, who closely follows Lowth (and, like him, places the conversion before the restoration), has the following curious remark on vers. 60—63:—“ All these events would concur in humbling the Jews for their sins, and they would then remember all their shameful behaviour to their merciful God, which would cover them with confusion," &c., &c. If Judah's remembrance of his way and repentance imply his conversion (as they must), this language goes far to admit that the circumstances of the restoration are what concur to the conversion. The consequence of such an admission is plain. But there is another argument to show that the conversion is after the restoration. To the end that "thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done in that thou art a comfort unto them." (Ver. 54.) The argument is precisely similar to that at ver. 61. The verbal noun is employed, by thy being a comfort unto them, i.e., by the fact, and, therefore, at the time, that thou art a comfort unto them, at the time of which the prophet is speaking. More accurately rendered of a future, at the time that thou shalt be. This time is that when the captivity of Samaria and her daughters is recovered to Jerusalem and her daughters. Ezekiel is delivering a prophecy in the strict sense of the term, and describing (as before carefully explained) the end or effect of God's bringing back the captivities. And this verbal noun must be translated with a present force, as to the time of which Ezekiel is prophesying: “in that thou art a comfort unto them,” at the time of which I speak. But the time is future; therefore it is in effect, "in that thou shalt be a comfort unto them" at the time of which I speak. Which force is fully given by the more literal translation, "in thy being a comfort unto them" at the time which I am foretelling. All these passages involving the use of the verbal noun will be collated and examined in the next prophecy at p. 63. Meanwhile, let it be noted, Jerusalem at that time will be a comfort to Samaria and her daughters, and, even in that fact, will find additional cause of confusion and repentance. Thus Judah's conversion is fixed for a time when he is to be a comfort to his brethren in the Holy Land, and, therefore, after the restoration. The strict meaning of the phrase "comfort unto them" is not essential to the validity of this argument. E Still we may observe that there is no reason for rejecting the conclusion that the comfort intended is a spiritual comfort, wherein Judah's repentance and conversion contributes to, and confirms Israel's. I take the meaning of the word in the sense in which Isaiah employs it (chap. xli. 1): "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Judah heralding this precious truth to Israel is the "comfort unto them" which Ezekiel predicts. A prediction which, combined with the others,-"I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant' (ver. 61); and "when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger," tends to convince us that precedence in conversion as in restoration, will be in some sense and degree the privilege of Judah. It is, however, but right to admit that this interpretation is not justified by Lowth nor Scott. Lowth says, speaking of Samaria and Sodom, "In the meantime, thou, Jerusalem, shalt bear the shame and punishment due to thy sins, and shalt be some sort of comfort to thy neighbours in being a companion with them in punishment as thou hast been in iniquity." Scott says, speaking of the same, "As they had kept the inhabitants of Sodom and Samaria in countenance by their crimes, and thus been a comfort unto them, so Jerusalem should never be reinstated in her former glory, nor the Jews be wholly restored from their captivity, until Sodom and Samaria are restored likewise." Without presuming to contradict the commentators, I shall merely observe that it seems difficult to understand how Jerusalem's backslidings and punishments could be a comfort to Sodom, or keep her in countenance, when she was at the bottom of the Dead Sea. Surely this is one of those occasions when commentators need the services of a "figure of speech." Besides which, Ezekiel is prophesying, and the expression is not to be taken present to the time at which he speaks, but of which he is speaking. And if Sodom be understood figuratively to represent Gentiles, the comfort they are described as receiving is not from Judah's sins and penalties, but from his recovery and conversion, at the time when they, too, are being recovered and converted. [4.] Such are the arguments with which this prophecy supplies us to justify a belief that the conversion of Israel will take place after the restoration. But there remains yet to be considered one verse of a very important character, as descriptive of some features in that restoration. "When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to thy former estate." (Ver. 55.) This, of course, places the recovery and settlement in Palestine of all the tribes at about the same time— a prediction very important on that account; but now I wish to mark particularly the expression ? former estate. It has been used before, and briefly commented on (p. 32), but it is not unworthy of further attention. In the passage chap. xxxvi., it was used in a most general sense: "And I will settle you after your old estates" (Ezek. xxxvi. 11); but here its application is several. Jerusalem and her daughters are to return to their former estate, status pristinus, Noldius, p. 585, city with city; and Samaria and her daughters to their former estate also, city with city. This seems so minute and several a description of territorial possession, that we can hardly escape the inference that the twelve tribes will not only be restored to their own land, but also to distinct and peculiar lots in it. "Set thee up way-marks, make thee high heaps; set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities" (Jerem. xxxi. 21), said especially of the ten. But the expression implies even more; their status pristinus will import not only their territorial possession, but the social conditions under which they lived-those cities wits their political and social institutions; in short, the Mosaical poin directed for their national reconstitution; perhaps even-bu forbear. I would rather establish the fact of the restoration tun arouse customary prejudices by enlarging upon its details. Gr us observe, the restoration of a nation involves a national constru and also that this verse 55 yields another type for provi 1/20 prophecy yet unfulfilled. [5.] "Sodom and her daughters" have been mentione irrespective of any specific interpretation of the pist perhaps, is not, strictly speaking, a part of our subject, beansreasons why it should not be passed over unnoticed. F a turn has been given to the use of this expression ancient and modern, as though the recovery an .... daughters here denoted an impossibility. "Sooner shall the Sodomites arise out of the salt sea," &c., &c. (M. Henry; see also "Critici Sacri.") But this is an error. The prophet is foretelling affirmatively events which certainly shall take place. It is prophecy in the peculiar meaning of the word, and this is made evident at ver. 61: "Nevertheless I will remember . . . . I will establish unto thee..... thou shalt remember . . . . I will give them unto thee.".... Whatever, therefore, may be the precise meaning of "Sodom and her daughters," we are at least convinced of this, that when Ezekiel predicts "bringing back the captivity of Sodom and her daughters," he foretells affirmatively something which will certainly take place. .... What is that something? What is meant by "Sodom and her daughters?" Now it is clear that as the captivity of "Jerusalem and her daughters," and "Samaria and her daughters," necessarily imply people, and not territory alone; so the captivity of "Sodom and her daughters must mean people also. But when Ezekiel spake, the original literal people of Sodom were extinct; they had no descendants; hence the people of the literal Sodom could not be meant, and that Ezekiel's hearers knew. Some other nationalities are therefore meant by "Sodom and her daughters." What nationalities? Now the Sodomites were Gentiles; the Sodomites were Gentiles of the patriarchal age, and, therefore, in the covenant of God; for from Adam to Abraham circumcised, that is, throughout the antediluvian and patriarchal ages, the covenant of God was with the Gentiles. The Sodomites were Gentiles in covenant with God, but backslidden, or apostatized. The Sodomites were the worst of backslidden or apostatized Gentiles. From these considerations it follows, that "Sodom and her daughters," as used by Ezekiel to represent people, must mean the worst of backslidden or apostatized Gentiles included in the covenant of God. This in a prophecy not yet fulfilled, i.e., at a time when the only covenant is the Christian. When backslidden or apostate Christian Churches shall be restored to their former estate, then Jerusalem and Samaria, the two and the ten, shall be restored to their former estate. The recovery of the twelve tribes of Jacob, and the overthrow of all apostasy from Christ are synchronized by Ezekiel. "Under the name of 'Sodom and her daughters' the whole body of the Gentiles is mystically designated. Their conversion to the faith of Christ is here foretold; and this conversion, agreeably to various other prophecies, is immediately connected with the conversion and restoration both of Israel and Judah." (Faber's "Rest. of Israel," Vol. ii., p. 7.) This is not quite accurate, but nearly so. Not Gentiles at large, but backslidden, apostate Churches of Gentiles actually embraced in the covenant of Christ are here intended, whose recovery to their former pure estate, as well as the conversion of heathen Gentiles, is immediately connected with the restoration and conversion of Israel. And Samaria is called the elder sister because she was elder than Judah in apostasy; and the Gentile fallen Churches, or Sodom, the younger, because they are younger than Judah in apostasy. But it may be said, this interpretation of "Sodom and her daughters" makes that captivity spiritual; therefore the captivities of Jerusalem and Samaria are only spiritual, and are only to be spiritually brought back. Not so: the prediction concerning "Sodom and her daughters," as intending people, was one which Ezekiel's hearers might not indeed correctly understand, but certainly could not (people being intended) mis-understand; and therein lies an important distinction. "Sodom and her daughters," intending people, might be dark to them; what people were meant they might not know; but that the people of literal Sodom could not be meant they did knowfor they were extinct. Otherwise, however, of Jerusalem and Samaria. It was impossible for Ezekiel's hearers to give a literal meaning to "Sodom and her daughters" as intending people, and equally impossible for them to give a figurative meaning to Jerusalem and Samaria as intending people. Ezekiel's prediction amounted to this: "When the captivities of your literal Jerusalem and Samaria shall be brought back, then the captivity of that represented by Sodom shall be brought back too." Not that I care to exclude even a literal territorial meaning (the only literal meaning possible) for " Sodom and her daughters," the recovery of the site of the cities of the plain, accepting Mr. Bickersteth's opinion: "Just as the law not to muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn was a real law of the Jewish jurisprudence, though emblematically intended to instruct men in the maintenance of ministers. Thus there is a reality and truth in the promises to Israel, and let us yield our minds to this first without reserve, and without attempting to set aside express and plain predictions by hard, and uncertain, and difficult solutions. God's wisdom is indeed very deep and beyond all our thoughts; but the foolishness of God is wiser than man. He is more |