8 In measure, when you send them away, you contend with them. He has removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
In measure. This is the second proof of the divine compassion towards all the elect, whom he chastises for this purpose, that they may not perish; and, by mitigating the punishments which he inflicts upon them, he pays such regard to their weakness that he never permits them to be oppressed beyond measure. As to the word vs's'h, (bEsassEah,) in measure, all interpreters agree that it denotes moderation; for otherwise we could not bear the hand of the Lord, and would be overwhelmed by it; but he keeps it back, and "is faithful," as Paul says, "not to suffer us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear." (1-Corinthians 10:13.) Thus also Jeremiah prays to the Lord to "chastise him in judgment," that is, with moderation, accommodating the stripes to his weakness. (Jeremiah 10:24.) In her shooting forth, vslchh, (bEshallEchach.) Interpreters are not agreed as to the meaning of this word. Some think that it means, "by engaging them in internal wars with each other," and others, "that God will punish their sins by that sword which they have drawn and put into his hand." But as I cannot approve of either of those interpretations, I pass them by. I approve more highly of those who interpret it, "in her shootings forth," that is, in plants; so as to mean, that in inflicting punishment, the Lord attacks not only their outward circumstances, but also their persons. We know that the Lord's chastisements are various. The more light and moderate are those by which he takes from us only external blessings, which are called "the good things of fortune." So then God punishes believers in such a manner as not only to afflict their persons, but to take from them what is necessary for the support of life, such as corn, wine, oil, and other things of that kind which the earth produces; for slch(shalach) signifies to "shoot forth," and to "produce." But I have another exposition which comes nearer to the Prophet's meaning, that in shooting forth God contends with the Church, because, though he cuts down the branches and even the trunk, yet his wrath does not extend to the roots, so as to prevent the tree from again shooting forth; for there is always some remaining vigor in the roots, which he never permits to die. And this agrees with what goes before, when he promised (verse 6) that Israel would bring forth "fruit." This explains what he formerly said, in measure; namely, that he will not pull up the root; for the Lord cuts down what appears outwardly, such as branches and leaves, but defends the root and preserves it safe. But, on the other hand, he tears up the reprobate by the roots, and cuts them down in such a manner that they can never rise again. Though he blow with his violent wind. Some translate it, "he blew with his wind," but I think that the meaning is made more clear by saying, "though he blow." He continues the metaphor, by which he had alluded to herbs and plants, which a violent wind causes to wither, but only in appearance; for the root is always safe. Thus though the Lord attacks believers with great violence, and takes away all their beauty and comeliness, so that they appear to be entirely slain, yet he usually preserves in them some internal vigor. In the day of the east wind. When the Prophet spoke of "the day of the east wind," he had his eye on the situation of Judea, to which, as we learn from other passages, that easterly wind was injurious. We know that each country has its own particular wind that is injurious to it; for in some countries the north wind, in others the south wind, and in others the east or equinoctial wind, occasions great damage, throwing down the corn, scorching or spoiling all the fruits, blasting the trees, and scarcely leaving anything in the fields uninjured. By "the east wind" in this passage, is supposed to be meant "the equinoctial wind," which in many countries is very destructive.
In measure - This verse in our translation is exceedingly obscure, and indeed almost unintelligible. Nor is it much more intelligible in Lowth, or in Noyes; in the Vulgate, or the Septuagint. The various senses which have been given to the verse may be seen at length in Vitringa and Rosenmuller. The idea, which I suppose to be the true one, without going into an examination of others which have been proposed, is the following, which is as near as possible a literal translation:
In moderation in sending her (the vineyard)
Away didst thou judge her,
Though carrying her away with a rough tempest
In the time of the east wind.
The word rendered 'measure' (סאסאה sa'se'âh) occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. It is probably derived from סאה se'âh, "a measure;" usually denoting a measure of grain, containing, according to the rabbis, a third part of an ephah, that is, about "a peck." The word used here is probably a contraction of סאה סאה se'âh se'âh literally, "measure by measure," i: e., "moderately," or in moderation. So the rabbis generally understand it. The idea is 'small measure by small measure,' not a large measure at a time; or, in other words, moderately, or in moderation. It refers, I suppose, to the fact that in inflicting judgment on his people, it had not been done with intolerable severity. The calamity had not been so overwhelming as entirely to cut them off, but had been tempered with mercy.
When it shooteth forth - This expression does not convey an intelligible idea. The Hebrew, בשׁלחה beshallechâh - literally, "in sending her forth," from שׁלח shâlach "to send," or "to put forth" - refers, I suppose, to the fact that God had sent her, that is, his vineyard, his people, forth to Babylon; he had cast them out of their own land into a distant country, but when it was done it was tempered with mercy and kindness. In this expression there is indeed a mingling of a metaphor with a literal statement, since it appears rather incongruous to speak of sending forth a "vineyard;" but such changes in expressions are not uncommon in the Hebrew poets.
Thou wilt debate with it - Or, rather, thou hast "judged" it; or hast punished it. The word ריב riyb means sometimes to debate, contend, or strive; but it means also to take vengeance 1-Samuel 25:39, or to punish; to contend with anyone so as to overcome or punish him. Here it refers to the fact that God "had" had a contention with his people, and had punished them by removing them to Babylon.
He stayeth - ( הגה hâgâh). This word means in one form "to meditate," to think, to speak; in another, "to separate," as dross from silver, to remove, to take away Proverbs 25:4-5. Here it means that he "had" removed, or separated his people from their land as with the sweepings of a tempest. The word 'stayeth' does not express the true sense of the passage. It is better expressed in the margin, 'when he removeth it.'
His rough wind - A tempestuous, boisterous wind, which God sends. Winds are emblematic of judgment, as they sweep away everything before them. Here the word is emblematic of the calamities which came upon Judea by which the nation was removed to Babylon; and the sense is, that they were removed as in a tempest; they were carried away as if a violent storm had swept over the land.
In the day of the east wind - The east wind in the climate of Judea was usually tempestuous and violent; Job 27:21 :
The east wind carrieth him away and he departeth;
And, as a storm, hurleth them out of his place.
Jeremiah 18:17 :
I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy.
(Compare Genesis 41:6; Exodus 10:13; Exodus 14:21; Job 38:24; Psalm 78:26; Habakkuk 1:6). This wind was usually hot, noxious, blasting and scorching (Taylor).
In (h) measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.
(h) That is, you will not destroy the root of your Church, though the branches of it seem to perish by the sharp wind of affliction.
In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it,.... Or, "when he sendeth it forth" (x); when God sends forth an affliction on his people, or gives it a commission to them, as all are sent by him, he does it with moderation; he proportions it to their strength, and will not suffer them to be afflicted above what they are able to bear; and as, in afflicting, he debates and contends with his people, having a controversy with them, so he contends with the affliction he sends, and debates the point with it, and checks and corrects it, and will not suffer it to go beyond due bounds; and in this the afflictions of God's people differ from the afflictions of others, about which he is careless and unconcerned:
he stayeth his rough wind in the day of his east wind: when afflictions, like a blustering and blasting east wind, threaten much mischief, and to carry all before them, Jehovah, from whom they have their commission, and who holds the winds in his fist, represses them, stops the violence of them, and gradually abates the force of them, and quite stills them, when they have answered the end for which they are sent: or "he meditateth" (y); or speaketh, as Jarchi interprets it, "by his rough wind in the day of his east wind"; God sometimes meditates hard things against his people, and speaks unto them by the rough dispensations of his providence, admonishes them of their sins, and brings them to a sense and acknowledgment of them, which is his view in suffering them to befall them; or, "he removes by his rough wind" (z); their fruit, so Kimchi interprets it; as a rough wind blows off the blossoms and fruits, so the Lord, by afflictions, removes the unkind blossoms and bad fruit from his people, their sins and transgressions, as it follows.
(x) "in emittendo eam", Montanus. (y) "meditatus est", V. L. so it is used in Psal. i. 2. It sometimes intends a great sound and noise, such as the roaring of a lion, Isaiah. xxxi. 4. and Gussetius here interprets it of thunder, Ebr. Comment. p. 202. so Castalio renders it, "sonans suo duro spiritu". (z) "Removit in vento suo duro", Pagninus, Montanus; "removebit", Vatablus; "abstulit", Tigurine version, Piscator; so Ben Melech observes that the word has the signification of removing in Prov. xxv. 4, 5.
In measure--not beyond measure; in moderation (Job 23:6; Psalm 6:1; Jeremiah 10:24; Jeremiah 30:11; Jeremiah 46:28).
when it shooteth--image from the vine; rather, passing from the image to the thing itself, "when sending her away (namely, Israel to exile; Isaiah 50:1, God only putting the adulteress away when He might justly have put her to death), Thou didst punish her" [GESENIUS].
stayeth--rather, as Margin, "when He removeth it by His rough wind in the day," &c.
east wind--especially violent in the East (Job 27:21; Jeremiah 18:17).
In measure - With moderation. When - When the vine shooteth forth its luxuriant branches, he cuts them off, but so as not to destroy the vine. Contend - God is said to contend with men, when he executes his judgments upon them, Amos 7:4. Stayeth - He mitigates the severity of the judgment. In the day - In the time when he sends forth his east - wind; which he mentions because that wind in those parts was most violent and most hurtful.
*More commentary available at chapter level.