Ver. 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan] Obesae et bene pastae, ye fat bawsons (as we use to call them), ye that are “ Boeotum in patria, crassoque sub aere natae. ” Ye that have hearts as fat as grease, and delight not in God’s law, Psalms 119:70. Ye that cover your faces with fatness, Job 15:27, till both your eyes stand out with it, Psalms 73:7,8 (as fulness breeds forgetfulness, Deuteronomy 32:15, the fed hawk forsakes his master), as untamed heifers fully fed, ye have been unruly and refractory, means of much mischief to my poor afflicted, as was Jezebel to Elijah, Herodias to the Baptist, Eudoxia, the empress, to Chrysostom, Theodora to Belisarius, that brave and noble captain, and others. Poor Tegedine suffered many years’ captivity in misery and irons, by the Turk, for one word in a sermon, which distasted a proud and petulant woman without the least cause. What cruel persecutions raised the Queen Mother of Scotland, about the beginning of the Reformation there! the Queen Mother of France, Katherine de Medicis, for 30 years together! Queen Mary here, being wholly possessed by the bishops, as Alexandra was by the Pharisees, of whom Josephus testifieth that she had the name, but they had all the power of the kingdom! Oh these kine of Bashan, these wanton and wicked women (for so I understand the text after the Jewish doctors Vatablus, Lyra, Lively, &c.), when once they get the reins in their hands there is no hoe with them; when once the devil gets passage, per costam ad cot (as Gregory), by the rib to the heart, what may he not effect? when the hen is suffered to crow, what hope is there of good? David complains of strong bulls of Bashan, Psalms 22:12, but those he might better deal with than with these cursed cows of Bashan that thrust with side and shoulder, and pushed the diseased with their horns, till they had scattered them abroad, Ezekiel 34:21. That are in the mountains of Samaria] Ladies of the court, accustomed to high titles, such as I, that am non aula sed caula natus et educatus, no courtier but carter rather, and used to call a spade a spade, care not to compliment. Which oppress the poor, which crush the needy] As did, much about the same time, Jezebel in Israel, and Athaliah in Judah; and (besides the above mentioned) Dame Alice Piercy, King Edward III’s concubine, an impudent woman; who so far wrought upon the king’s impotencies, and presumed on his favour, that she imprisoned Sir Peter Lamar, speaker in parliament, and intermeddled in courts of justice and other offices; where she herself would sit to effect her desires; which, though in all who are so exalted are ever excessive, yet in a woman most immoderate, as having less of discretion and more of greediness. I have spoken before of Diana Valentina, King Henry II of France’s mistress, to whom he had given all the confiscations of goods made in the kingdom for cause of heresy, whereby many poor Protestants were oppressed, and needy crushed and quashed to pieces; for a poor man in his house is like a snail in his shell; crush that, and you kill his heart. Which say to their masters] Or lords, that is, to their husbands; as Sarah called her husband lord, Genesis 18:12. She in obedience, but these in craft and counterfaisance; that they may the sooner subdue them, and have what they will of them. Bring and let us drink] q.d. Fan nobis potestatem in hos aut illos, saith Mercer: that is, Give us authority over such and such, that we may pick their bones, drink their tears, enrich and feast ourselves with their spoils, make no more scruple to undo them by force or forgery, than to eat a meal’s meat when huntry; or than the luxurious Italians (who have twenty distinct species of liquor, to please the gusto) do, to take off a cup of the most delicious, which they profanely call Lachrymae Christi. the tears of Christ.
Ver. 2. The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness] He hath sworn for more assurance, Hebrews 6:16-18, it being hard to persuade secure sinners of the certainty and infallibility of the threatenings; which yet will as surely befall them without repentance, as the coat is on their back, or the heart in their bodies. And, “by his holiness,” he hath sworn; that is, by himself (as having none greater to swear by); confer Genesis 22:16 Jer 51:14 Isa 45:23 62:8, where God swears by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength. Exodus 17:16, he is brought in laying his hand upon his throne, and swearing to root out Amalek. And so some in this place think, that by God’s holiness is meant heaven, the habitation of his holiness, and of his glory, Isaiah 63:15. But Drusius dislikes that, because swearing by heaven is condemned by Christ, Matthew 5:34. If God be holiness itself, let him be sanctified in righteousness, Isaiah 5:16, and let men swear (when called to it, and not till then; the Hebrew word Neshbang here used is passive, and signifieth to be sworn, rather than to swear) “in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness,” Jeremiah 4:2. Behold, the days come] Certo et cito, surely and suddenly: even those dismal days of blackness and darkness, of greatest calamities; see Amos 5:18,20. And let this prediction be to you as the knuckles of a man’s hand, to write you your destiny; or as a prophet, to read it unto you. That he will take you away] i.e. Ye shall be taken away, and hurried into another country; like as Isaiah 8:4, He shall take away the spoil of Samaria, i.e. It shall be surely taken away; so Luke 12:20, They do require thy soul (απαιτουσι), that is, it shall be required of thee. With hooks] Heb. with thorns, which were wont to be used in fishing, till iron hooks were more frequent. See Job 40:24 Eze 29:4 19:4, They brought him with hooks, that is, with chains, into the land of Egypt. Those that were overcome were wont to be linked and langold together; and so led captive by their conquerors. And your posterity with fishhooks] Heb. that which is last of you; your children, and nephews, as Daniel 11:4. It is foretold of Alexander the Great that none of his race shall succeed him, but strangers. See enemies compared to fishers, Jeremiah 16:16 Hab 1:16; and note, that hereby is intimated, that these insolent dames shall be no more like fat kine, that abide in their pastures; but as fishes hanging on the hook, that are easily pulled up, and quickly carried away with little labour, but much delight to the fisher. See a like comparison from swimming, Isaiah 25:11, the motion wherein is easy and not strong; to show, that God can subdue his stoutest adversaries with greatest ease.