“And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.”
Arrows. Cambyses thought himself the most skilful at shooting. This was the usual weapon of the Persians (Calmet) and Parthians. (Haydock)
“Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. sort: Heb. wing to be: Heb. to devour”
Fall. In every part some shall resist Antichrist, who shall be overpowered. (Worthington) — Cambyses died at Carmel.
“And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. carelessly: or, confidently”
Islands; in the naval forces, or in the places of his dominion where discord shall prevail. (Calmet) — Cambyses resolved to attack Ethiopia, the people near the temple of Ammon, and the Carthaginians: but his troops refused to go against the latter, and many were smothered in the sands, or starved to death in the other expeditions. (Just. i.; Lucan x., &c.)
“And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves , and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: handstaves: or, javelins burn them: or, make a fire of them”
Years; for a long time, ver. 12. Little fuel is necessary there. Mariana (Hist. xi. 24. A.[The year of the Lord] 1212.) mentions, that the arms of the Moors supplied Spain four years with fuel. (Calmet)
“So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.”
Prey. The Jews relate that Zorobabel went out to oppose these nations, and took so much plunder as to be able to begin the temple. (Theodoret)
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. noses: or, mouths Hamongog: that is, The multitude of Gog”
East of the Mediterranean and of Carmel, the high road from Assyria to Egypt, (Genesis xxxvii. 2.; Calmet) where the Romans had a station at Legion. (Eusebius) — Called, or shall be, Isaias vii. 14., and lx. 14. (Calmet) — Valley. Septuagint, “Gai, the grave of Gog.” Protestants, “the valley of Haman-Gog,” ver. 16. (Haydock) — Antichrist will not be burnt with material fire. But Catholics shall resist him zealously, and gain the victory. (Worthington)
“And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.”
Land, to prevent infection, and to comply with the law, Numbers xix. 16.
“Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.”
Day. It does not occur in the calendar. Yet Comestor and [Denis] the Carthusian mentions Cambysa, the day when Bethulia was delivered, Judith xvi. 31. The history of Judith may perhaps relate to the defeat of this prince. The embellishments will not injure the truth. The Jews immediately after his death recommence the building of the temple, (1 Esdras iv.; Aggeus i. 14.) which they are forced to discontinue, till Hystaspes confirmed the decree of Cyrus. This was the grand object of their desires, and therefore the day when Cambyses fell was ever memorable to them. (Calmet, Diss.) — So will that be for Christians, when Antichrist shall be no more. (Menochius)
“And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. set up: Heb. build”
Buriers. These might be foreign slaves, or Jews, who followed this employment. (Calmet) — They would be habitually (Haydock) unclean, and their company would be carefully avoided. Those who sought after the dead remains, contracted no uncleanness. (Calmet)
“And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land. Hamonah: that is, The multitude”
Amona. Hebrew hamon, (Haydock) means “a multitude.” (Calmet) — Septuagint, “a place for many graves:” poluandrion. (Haydock) — So many would be buried there, that the place might justly receive such a name; though we find no such city in the neighbourhood. (Calmet) — Rabbath, of Ammon, was sometimes so called. (Haydock)
“Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. goats: Heb. great goats”
That are. Hebrew, “and of meries, (a species of oxen, in Syria.; Bellon. ii. 50.) all of them from Basan,” beyond the Jordan, a most fertile country. Septuagint, “all calves fattened.”
“And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.”
Sword. I could as easily have protected them against the Chaldeans as against this prince, if their sins had not been in the way. (Calmet) — These bring on the ruin of God’s people more than the power of the enemy. (Worthington)
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;”
Israel. All who please may now return. Hystaspes was very favourable to them. He married Esther, raised Mardochai to great power, and sent Esdras into Judea with ample privileges. Many returned under him, Artazerxes, and Alexander [the Great]. — Jealous. I will restore the people to favour, and will protect them (Calmet) like a husband. (Haydock)
“Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. which: Heb. by my causing of them, etc”
There, except such as refused to return. They have entire liberty. This and what follows was not fully accomplished till the propagation of the gospel. God wished all to embrace it; and though Israel has been partly blind, they will enter the Church after the Gentiles, Romans xii. 26. (Calmet)