Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the
prophets
To their explanations of the laws and judgments of God; to their
admonitions, reproofs, and counsels; these they did not
attentively listen to, nor give credit to them, nor yield
obedience to them; but despised and rejected them, though they
were the true prophets and servants of the Lord; such as Hosea,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others: which spake in thy
name;
they came by the authority of God, being sent by him; they
delivered their message in his name, being his ambassadors; and
which as it was an honour done to this people to have such men
sent unto them, so it was an aggravation of their sin that they
showed no respect to them; since their words were not their own,
but the Lord's, which they spoke to all sorts of persons:
to our kings;
one after another, as to Ahaz, Manasseh, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and
Zedekiah; kings of the house of David, and over the land of
Judah: our princes;
princes of the blood, nobles, and courtiers: and our
fathers;
meaning not only their immediate ancestors, but their subordinate
rulers, civil magistrates, judges or elders of the people, as
Jacchiades interprets it: and to all the people of the
land:
of Judea; the common people, as distinguished from persons of
rank and figure before expressed. These several persons are
named, partly to observe how faithful the prophets were in
delivering their message to all sorts of persons, high and low,
not fearing the faces of any; and partly to show that none could
plead ignorance, or excuse themselves with that, since all had
had sufficient warning and instruction: as also to observe, that
the sin of rejecting the true prophets of the Lord was universal
among them, all were guilty of it.