Pestilence. His wound might be thus described. --- Blood. Thus was he punished for shedding that of innocent people. (Calmet) CHAPTER XXXIII. Arrows. Cambyses thought himself the most skilful at shooting. This was the usual weapon of the Persians (Calmet) and Parthians. (Haydock) Fall. In every part some shall resist Antichrist, who shall be overpowered. (Worthington) --- Cambyses died at Carmel. 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.) 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) 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) 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 iwth material fire. But Catholics shall resist him zealously, and gain the victory. (Worthington) Land, to prevent infection, and to comply with the law, Numbers xix. 16. 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) 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) Amona. Hebrew hamon, (Haydock) means "a multitude." (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "a place for many graves:" Greek: 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) 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." CHAPTER XXXIX. 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) 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) 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) Month; April 30, the year of the world 3430. (Usher) (Calmet) --- In explaining this last most obscure vision: I. The Jews say it was verified after the captivity. But thus the temple would be four miles round, and the city thirty-six, which never was the case. II. Hence more modern Jews assert it will be fulfilled by the Messias. III. Rejecting these errors, Lyranus, &c., suppose that the promise was conditional, and that the sins of the Jews prevented the city and temple from being so large; and that the mystical temple of the Church is also insinuated, into which both Jews and Gentiles shall enter. IV. Though this opinion be probable, it seems better to follow St. Jerome, St. Gregory, &c., who cannot apply al to the Old Testament, nor think that such a huge temple and city were indeed promised, but explain some parts of the captives at their return, as a figure of those redeemed by Christ, and brought into his Church, which is adorned with all graces. Yet the greatest part must be understood of the Church triumphant [in heaven]. (Worthington) --- St. Jerome confesses his ignorance of this subject; and those who have come after him, though they imitate not his modesty, add little to dissipate the mist with which this vision is surrounded. Some have adhered too close to Josephus, while Villalpand has here discovered all the magnificence of Greek and Roman architecture, and has represented the temple six times as large as it really was. It seems that the prophet has described the same temple of Solomon which he had seen, that the dimensions might be preserved, and the hopes of the people kept up; (Calmet) and that they might comprehend what a loss they actually sustained on account of their sins, (Haydock) and might strive to come up to this pattern (Du Hamel) as "near as they should be able," the wealth of the people being much less than Solomon's. (Grotius) --- These arguments do not, however, shew that the buildings were to resemble each other. They vary in many particulars; and the prophet would specify what was to be really executed. He says nothing of the ornamental part, and little of the height, which are the most expensive. (Houbigant) (Preface) --- If some things appear to be too grand for the temple of Solomon, and of Zorobabel, we must reflect that the prophet passes from the figure to the Church of Christ, which is not unusual. (Menochius) --- Alcasar and Bossuet explain it wholly of the Church, so that the letter requires few notes. (Du Hamel) Mountain; Moria, in spirit. On the eastern side, the road to the city was level. Walls were added after the captivity, on the other sides. (Josephus, Jewish Wars vi. 6.) --- City, the temple was so large. --- South, to one coming from the north, though the temple lay on that side of the town, Psalm xlvii. 2. (Calmet) --- Septuagint read mongod, "over-against," instead of mongob, "south," which has perplexed many. (Houbigant) --- Ezechiel was placed on Sion, which was not very high, but here it denotes the Church. Jerusalem was in ruins. (Worthington) Brass: shining. (Haydock) --- This angel waited for the prophet at the northern gate, but introduced him by that looking towards the east, ver. 16. --- Line. It seems never to have been used. (Calmet) Breadth. Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint, "of six cubits, in a cubit and a palm;" imitating that the sacred cubit contained six palms, while the common one had only five, (chap. xliii. 13.; Worthington) being half a yard; (Arbuthnot) or the Hebrew cubit was a hand's breadth larger than the Babylonian, or about 21\'bd inches, (Calmet) which may be styled (Menochius) the sacred cubit. (Arbuthnot) (Haydock) --- Reed. This outer wall (Calmet; Menochius) was to prevent any from falling down the precipice. It was about four yards nine inches in height and thickness, being so solid in order that the ground might not give way. Josephus describes prodigious walls, (Haydock) reaching to the bottom of the mountain, three hundred cubits on the south and west; but then the temple was much enlarged. (Calmet) And. In this verse occurs the first of thirty-four words where the j is allowed by the keri to be omitted in this one chapter, always when it is the sign of the plural number before a suffixed v, and of course by voluntary assimilation. But Camb. Manuscript has the j regularly in the thirty-two of these words. (Kennicott) --- Steps. The ground was not quite level, which caused the buildings to rise one above another more elegantly. There were four great gates. Chamber, for the porters, (Calmet) three on each side of the porch, ver. 10. (Haydock) Thirteen, or twenty-six feet high. Cubits high, or else the elevation is nowhere specified. (Calmet) Slanting, or "lattice." Septuagint, "dark." See 3 Kings vii. 4. (Haydock) --- They were larger within, to afford light, as in Solomon's temple, and in castles. Interpreters disagree in their sentiments: but all allow that God here insinuated that he would reward people in the Old Testament with temporal, and those in the New with spiritual blessings; first with grace in this life, and with glory in the next. (Worthington) --- Yet we must not suppose that the saints of old were deprived of eternal goods. (Haydock) --- About. The other gates had the like ornaments. (Calmet) There were chambers. Gazophylacia, so called, because the priests and Levites kept in them the stores and vessels that belonged to the temple. (Challoner) --- They went all round the courts. The women were in the second story. Villalpand and Capel, who are deemed the most accurate, suppose that there were no chambers below, but an open gallery. There seem, however, to have been chambers also, chap. viii. 7. (Calmet) Lower. So that there was a step up to the threshold. (Haydock) --- Marble was used in all places exposed to the weather. (Josephus, Jewish Wars vi. 14.) Seven. There were eight to the inner court, (ver. 31.) shewing that more perfection is now required, and a greater reward given. (St. Gregory) (Worthington) CHAPTER XL. Five cubits. The parallel passages would intimate "fifty." (Calmet) (Villalpand) --- But the texts all read five, and Maldonat understands the four vacant spaces between the chambers, ver. 7. (Menochius) Gates. Hebrew is very obscure. The holocausts were slain on the north side of the altar, Leviticus i. 11. Borders, to prevent any thing falling. Chaldean, &c., have "hooks." North. The singers occupied two wings. Watch over the sacred ornaments, perfumes, lamps of the sanctuary, &c., Numbers iii. 28. Altar. Not on actual service, (chap. xli. 13.) but to prepare the victims. That side. Septuagint add, "and the opening ( Greek: euros, width) of the gate was 14 cubits, and the breadth of the," &c., (Haydock) or the wall on each side of the door was three cubits, so that the porch was 20 cubits broad. (Calmet) Eleven. 3 Kings vi., says ten. The exact breadth was ten and a half, (Villalpand; Tirinus) or what the pavement covered is there specified according to some. Roman Septuagint has "twelve." But the edition of Basil reads more correctly, ten. (Calmet) --- Yet both ten and eleven may be right, if this temple be different. (Haydock) --- Eight. Hebrew seems corrupt, a being substituted for a. "They mounted by ten steps," as the Septuagint read. Aquila has eleven; Symmachus [has] eight. --- Pillars of brass, 3 Kings vii. 15. (Calmet) --- As they are not measured, they were like Solomon's. (Worthington) The temple. This plan of a temple, which was here shewn to the prophet in a vision, partly had relation to the material temple, which was to be rebuilt: and partly, in a mystical sense, to the spiritual temple of God, the Church of Christ. (Challoner) --- The description seems grander than Solomon's; and yet Zorobabel's temple was meaner than his. Hence this prophecy, and those of Aggeus and Zacharias, cannot be understood of it, but of the Church. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine, City of God xviii. 45.) (Worthington) Front, or door-posts. The temple was 20 cubits broad. Four. Herein it differed from Solomon's chambers, which were in breadth five, six, and seven cubits, in the three stories, respectively. (Calmet) One by another, or one over another: literally, side to side, or side upon side. (Challoner) --- The word side is here equivocal, like Hebrew tsela, sometimes denoting the boards, and at other times the apartments round the temple, except on the west, over against the sanctuary, which seems to be the case here. It is true, we shall not easily find sixty-six chambers. But the Hebrew, &c., have only thirty-three. (Calmet) --- Villalpand rightly translated anterides, (ver. 5.) but here he substitutes trabes, "beams or thick planks," to make it agree with 3 Kings vi. 6., as if the same temple were meant. He also adopts the Vulgate bis. --- Twice. Hebrew pehamim. Yet he afterwards places in his commentary, pedes, "thirty-three feet, that is twenty-two cubits," though feet are never used at all as a measure in Scripture. (Houbigant) Broader, as the wall was not so thick. (Haydock) --- Midst. The two staircases were round in the hollow of the wall, (Menochius) at the eastern end of the chambers. (Josephus) See 3 Kings. (Calmet) House. Because these side-chambers were in the very walls of the temple all around: or it may also be rendered, (more agreeably to the Hebrew) so as to signify, that the thickness of the wall for the side-chambers within was the same as that of the wall without; that is, equally five cubits. (Challoner) --- Protestants, "and that which was left, was the place of the side-chambers that were within." (Haydock) --- To manifest a greater respect for God, the apartments of the priests were twenty-five cubits from the temple, (ver. 10.) and divided by a wall, which Josephus describes as three cubits high. (Antiquities viii. 2.) This wall was at the distance of five cubits from the temple. (Calmet) Prayer, or "separated;" munnach, (Haydock) the inner house, ver. 9. Separate, different from that [in] ver. 9., (Calmet; Hebrew gizra. ; Haydock) between the temple and the priests' apartments, which it may also designate, (Calmet) unless it (Haydock) mean the temple itself, which was divided from the rest, (Menochius) and set aside for prayer, &c. (Haydock) Galleries; Ethecas, or as the more correct manuscripts of St. Jerome read, Ecthetas, seems to be formed from (Calmet) Hebrew athikim, (Haydock) which St. Jerome explains a balcony, portico, or gallery. About. Thus he intimates the inner temple, which was covered with boards. --- Windows. The temple was hidden so far by the chambers; or rather he measured (Calmet) "the ground and up to the windows, which were" shut up with lattices, affording light over the doors (Haydock) and apartments, fifteen cubits from the ground. Two. Before he describes them with four faces. But they varied, (Exodus xxv. 18.) or the other two might be against the wall. (Calmet) --- The cherub signified "knowledge," and the palm-tree victory, to shew that man must be instructed with divine knowledge, and so fight for the victory. The face of man implied that Christ would suffer, and that of a lion announced that he would overcome all his enemies. (Worthington) The threshold was four-square. That is, the gate of the temple was four-square, and so placed as to answer the gate of the sanctuary within. (Challoner) --- It was not an arch, though not a perfect square, 3 Kings vi. 34. Table, or altar of incense, larger than that of Moses, Exodus xxx. 1. Sanctuary. One folding door opened into it, the other into the temple. Other. It was not perhaps necessary to open the large door. Sides, or pilasters. Hebrew, "on the shoulder of the porch, and on the sides of the house, and beams." (Calmet)