7a Chap. 18. e./fn expofation upon the Book;of Jó B. Verf.tz Verf. 12. Hisflrength'hall be hunger-bitten,anddeftruiiion 'hallbe ready on hisPe. r.1 1 The Hebrew is very elegant, and fpeakes in the abfiraft ; =v-i His fßrengthfhall befamine; not famiflied,but famine,his ftrength feJames opt- w. ejnr. ,mall turne famine, or famine thanbe his ftrength. We render, t fully to the fence of the Text, His ftrength lball be hunger. bitten. There are twoopinions about this ftrength; what is meant by it. Firfi, Some underftand it ofhis Children. As ifhaving (hew- ed calamity falling upon his perfon in the former Verfe, he in- tended here to fhew the calamity of his family. His ffirength, that is, his Children lhall be hunger-bitten. And the reafon why this word is applyed to Children, is, becaufe Children, efpeci- ally the firft-borne, are their Parents tlre,ngth. (glen. 49.3. ) 5acob faith ofReuben ; Thouart my frrft-borne, my might, and the beginning-of my Itrenó'th, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency ofpower. All Children are their Parents ltrength, in re- ference to their birth and generation; dutiful! Children are their Parents ftrength,or a flrength to their Parents by defence and pre- fervation. (`TIa1.127. 4, 5. ) As arrowes in the hand ofa migh. ty man,fo are children oftheyouth, happy is- the man that loath his quiverfull of them. Arrowes are offenfive weapons,yet becaufe that which (mites our enemies, is a means of fafety unto us, we may well call thefe living arrowes our defence. yeccb called his youngeft Son 'Benjamin, TheSon of the right hand; as hoping ( fay fome) that Son would prove a flrength, or as his right hand to him;;yet that phrafe doth rather fpeak the neerneffe and dearneffe of that Son to him, whom he would love and take care of, as ofhis right hand. And thus we may Interpret it here, His ftrength 'ballbe hun ger-bitten ; that is, want fhall enter into his family, andeat up his Children : This curie is at once Prophefied and threatned, (Pfal. log. 9, I O. ) Let his children befatherleffe, andhis wife a widdow; let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg; let them feek, alfo their breadout ofdefolate places. It is an auction when Children are left fatherleffe,and the wife a widow ; but for Children to be hunger-bitten,and to beg their bread, or to eat their
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