the Gentiles," the meaning is, according to the opinion of the Targumist, as we have written. Also the meaning of "He shall pass through the sea, affliction," is as I have given it, or it may be taken literally, as is said in Isaiah, "The Lord shall smite the tongue of the Egyptian sea," &c.

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CHAPTER XI.

1. "Open thy doors, O Lebanon."-The commentators have explained this of the overthrow of the Hasmonean dynasty, or of the time of the desolation of the second temple. But it is more consistent to interpret it in con-nexion with the subject immediately preceding, of the destruction of the kings of the nations. This was the opinion of Jonathan, who has rendered the words "Ye nations, open your gates."

2. "Howl, fir-tree." - Jonathan says, kings."

"Howl, ye

"Defenced forest."- must be interpreted as ning, "fenced cities." (2 Kings xix. 25.) is written with, but is read with Yod, but the meaning is the same. However may be also interpreted " vintage,'

And your threshing shall * וְהִשִׂיג לָכֶם בַּיִשׁ אֶת־בָּעִיר as

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reach unto the vintage." (Lev. xxvi. 5.) They are compared to trees of the forest, and are put in connexion with "the vintage," because they were bearing fruit, i. e., they were rich and great, possessors of goods, and cattle, and property.

3. "The howling of the shepherds their glory.”— Their strength, and might, and their glory. The interpretation of the verse is according to the Targum.* But our rabbies, of blessed memory, have interpreted this chapter of the desolation of the second temple, and Lebanon is the holy temple. They say, that forty years before the destruction of the temple, the doors of the sanctuary opened of themselves. Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai reproved them, and said, "O sanctuary, sanc

* The Targum says, "The voice of the crying of the kings, because their provinces are desolated."

tuary! how long wilt thou terrify thyself? I know that thine end is to be left desolate, for Zechariah has prophesied against thee long since, Open thy doors, O Lebanon.'

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4. "Thus saith the Lord; Feed the flock of the slaughter."-Most interpreters explain this paragraph of the past that he told the prophet to prophesy what should happen to Israel until their captivity. Some interpret it of the second temple. They are called "the flock of the slaughter" because they were given into the hands of their enemies to be slain, when they transgressed the commands of the blessed God. My Lord, my father, of blessed memory, has explained, "feed," as an infinitive, to feed," and gives as an example of a similar form,, "that there may be to it a glittering" (Ezek. xxi. 10, Heb. 15), where has the same signification as . The meaning then is,

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The remarkable tradition which Kimchi here quotes, is found in the Talm. Bab. Treatise. Yoma. fol. 39, col. 2, and is as follows :-" Our rabbies have handed down the tradition, that forty years before the destruction of the temple, the lot [for the goat that was to be sacrificed on the day of atonement] did not come out on the right side-neither did the scarlet tongue [that used to be fastened between the horns of the scapegoat] turn white [as, according to tradition, it used to do, to signify that the sins of the people were forgiven]—neither did the western lamp burn -the doors of the sanctuary also opened of their own accord, until R. Johanan, the son of Zakkai, reproved them. He said, O sanctuary, sanctuary! why dost thou trouble thyself? I know of thee that thine end is to be left desolate, for Zechariah, the son of Iddo, has prophesied against thee long since, 'Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.' R. Isaac, the son of Tavlai, says, Why is the temple called Lebanon [white mountain]? Answer: Because it makes white the sins of Israel. Rav Zutra, the son of Tobiah, says, Why is temple called 'forest' (Zech. xi. 2)? Answer: Because it is written, The house of the forest of Lebanon' (1 Kings vii. 2), &c." Lightfoot, on Matt. xxvi. 3, quotes this tradition from the Jerusalem Talmud in nearly the same words; and, on John x. 1, gives his view of this xith chapter of Zechariah, which is worth consulting.

"The Lord said, to feed the flock," but not that he com manded the prophet to feed them himself. God, blessed be He, said to feed them, as he says in verse 7, " And I will feed the flock of the slaughter."

5. "Whose buyers slay them."-And behold they are in the hands of a buyer and seller, who has no mercy. "And they are not guilty."-They do not hold themselves guilty if they kill them.

"They that sell them.". [The plural noun and singular verb signify] that each one of their sellers says, when he sells them, Blessed be the Lord.

"For I am rich."-Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich from the price of these captives. And when the wicked seller says, Blessed be the Lord, it is because he thinks that God is well pleased with the deed, as Sennacherib said, "Am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it?" (Isa. xxxvi. 10) or, it is said because it is the custom of the children of men in this world to thank God for every increase of their gain, whether it be gotten in the way of righteousness or unrighteousness. And on this subject our rabbies, of blessed memory, say, "A thief, when he is in the act of breaking in, calls upon God."

7. The N is quiescent, the has pathach, and theonly a simple sh'va.

"And their own shepherds pitieth them not.”—And God, for he is their own shepherd,* has no pity upon them; and therefore they fell into the hands of their enemies, who buy and sell them. , shepherds, is said in the plural number, similar to the idiom in "iy? Ini?, “Let Israel rejoice in his makers." (Ps. cxlix. 2.) And again, 8, "Where is God my makers." (Job xxxv. 10.)

* This is a remarkable exposition, as furnishing another instance of the plural being applied to God.

6. "For I will no more pity them," unless they better their doings.

"Upon the inhabitants of the land" of Israel.

"Every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king."-They shall destroy them: and their king, he also shall destroy them, whether it be a king of Israel, or a king of the Gentiles, that ruleth over them. S has the signification of 7, "deliver into," &c.,

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And they presented הָעוֹלָה הִמְצִיאוּ אֵלָיו לִנְתָחֶיהָ as

the burnt-offering unto him, with the pieces thereof." (Lev. ix. 13.)

"And they shall smite the land."-Between the one and the other they shall destroy and waste the land of Israel.

"And out of their hand will I not deliver them," because they have sinned against me.

7." And I will feed truly the poor of the flock," 17. -In truth the poor of the flock I found them, when I took them to feed. First, I will explain this paragraph according to the opinion of those commentators who refer it to the past; and although I do not find that any one of them has given a complete commentary, I will explain according as I shall find in my opinion, by the help of the Name, blessed be He.

"And I took unto me two staves."-It is the way of a shepherd to lead the flock with the staff in his hand; but it is said that to feed Israel he took two staves, this is to signify that his mode of leading them was not uniform, but according to their deeds so he led them, and, therefore, two staves are mentioned. And it is said, "The one I called Beauty, and the other Bands." is here

twice pointed with pathach, though it is not in regimen. This is not according to the prevailing custom, but some few similar cases are found. It is said, that he called one of the staves "Beauty," for in pleasantness he led them on the way as David, the king, says, "The Lord is my shep