ספר כריתות Bill of divorcement.¹

footnotes: ¹ The Hebrew text has the words גט כריתות אמכם ובין אשתו. There is no doubt that this passage is corrupt; the original words were perhaps: כריתות אמכם ֗ גט בין איש ובין אשתו; or כריתות ֗ גט ׃ אמכם ֗ ובין אישה the latter suggestion has been adopted for the translation.

Of your mother and her husband.—This verse seems to contradict the prophecy of Jeremiah, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce (3:8); but in fact the latter refers to the kingdom of the ten tribes which will never again be established; comp. She shall no more rise (Am. 5:2); but Isaiah speaks of the kingdom of the house of David, which will be restored by Messiah.

Wherefore when I come, etc. This verse proves that already prophets have tried to make Israel return to the Lord.

Behold I dry up, etc. This proves that the power of God will not fail in redeeming Israel.

מלבוש קדרׂות ═ קדרות With black cloth,² that is, with clouds. Some understand it to refer to an eclipse of the sun, when the sky becomes obscure in the middle of the day, and appears as if covered with sackcloth, which is usually black.

footnotes: ² A. V., With blackness. See c. xlix. Note 23.

The Lord hath given me, etc. The first person refers to the prophet.

למודים Learning.³³. It is an adjective; comp. למד מדבר used to the wilderness (Jer. 2:24); כלמדים as the pupils (at the end of this verse).

footnotes: ³ A. V., Learned. ³ A. V., Learned4The noun which is described by this attribute must be supplied; the adjective may therefore be considered as a substantive meaning the pupils. See c. iii. Note 5.

לדעת לעות את יעף דבר That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. The infinitive לעות is governed by לדעת to know; it is derived from עת time, or it is hap. leg.⁵ By him that is weary, the pupil is meant, who has a hard lesson to learn,⁶ of which he soon becomes tired and weary.

footnotes: ⁵ The Hebrew text seems here to be corrupt. The words והנה לעות לשון עת are written twice, and the explanation of the word יעף which should follow that of לעות, is put in the middle. It may therefore be suggested, that the words והנה לעות לשון עת או היא מלה זרה אין רע לה were intended to be substituted for והנה לעות לשון עת, but were by some misunderstanding misplaced, while the original phrase was allowed to occupy its position. The translation has been made according to this supposition. ⁶ The Hebrew text has דברים קיצים, but יצ seems to be nothing but a mutilated ש; and the original form of the phrase probably was דברים קשים difficult things.

He wakeneth, etc. The Lord stirreth me up every morning; he stirreth up my ear that I may listen as pupils do; for I am a pupil of the Lord.

The Lord God hath opened mine ear, etc. Since the Lord hath opened mine ear, and revealed His plan to me, I have not objected to be His messenger.

I gave my back, etc. I did not care that I had to expose my back to strokes for the sake of His name.

I shall not be ashamed. God will fulfil all the words prophesied by me.

Near is, etc. Near is the time, when I shall appear as justified in my prophecies; then I shall say, Who will, etc.

Behold the Lord, etc. Since God assists me, who will condemn me ? And all those that condemn me by their words, they will wax old as a garment. יבלו They shall wax old. They shall perish.

Who is amongst you, etc. The prophet now addresses those same people, that condemn him.

That walked in darkness, etc. The relative pronoun refers to ירא יי him that feareth the Lord. The meaning of the sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that does not run after material honours and pleasures; let him trust in the Lord, etc.⁷ According to others, the words that walketh in darkness, describe His servant, the prophet,⁸ and the meaning of the whole sentence is, Who is among you, etc., that is, there is none among you, that feareth the Lord, because you see the prophet obtaining no honours from the people. This is the right explanation, and it is confirmed by the words which follow.

footnotes: ⁷ According to this explanation, vers. 10 qualifies the term כלם all of them of the preceding verse. If there be among them any one that acts according to the words of the Lord taught by the prophet, he may trust in the Lord, that he will be saved, and will not be involved in the threatened punishment. ⁸ According to this explanation, this verse contains a rhetorical question, establishing the correctness of the term all of them. There is none among them that acts according to the words of the prophet, who is described here to be walking in darkness, that is, to be exposed to all kinds of trouble and annoyance, but who trusts in the Lord that he will surely be relieved of it.

זיקות Sparks. The meaning of the word must be found from the context.⁹ מאזרי Who compass yourselves.¹⁰

footnotes: ⁹ First, it corresponds to אש fire in the parallel phrase; secondly, it is connected with the verb בערתם ye have kindled. ¹⁰ The verb אזר to compass about, governs two accusatives, the one, זיקות sparks, is the thing which is put round, the other, נפשבם yourselves, which is understood, is the thing round which it is put By the omission of נפשכם the verb becomes similar to a reflective verb.

This. This decree.

למעצבה תשכבון Ye shall lie down in sorrow. You shall die in sorrow. Comp. וישכב דוד and David slept, that is, and David died (1 Kings 2:10); there are, besides, a great many instances of the use of the verb שכב in this sense.