The Lord God hath sworn by himself
Because he could swear by no greater, ( Hebrews 6:13
) ; which shows the importance and certainty of the thing sworn
to, and is as follows: saith the Lord, the God of hosts, I
abhor the excellency of Jacob;
or, "the pride of Jacob" F3; of Israel, of the ten tribes,
remarkable for their pride; hence called the crown of pride, (
Isaiah 28:3 )
; it may include all that was glorious, valuable, and excellent
among them, of which they were proud; their kingdom, riches,
wealth, and strength, their fortified cities and towns: if Judah
is comprehended in this, it may regard the temple, which was
their excellency, and in which they gloried. So the Targum
paraphrases it,
``the house of the sanctuary of the house of Jacob;''and in like manner Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it; and hate his palaces;