And the Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shall
set over thee
This was fulfilled both in Jehoiachin and in Zedekiah, kings of Judah, who were carried captive to Babylon, by Nebuchadnezzar, ( 2 Kings 24:15 ) ( 2 Kings 25:6 2 Kings 25:7 ) ;
unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known;
the land of Babylon, which was at a distance from them, and is represented in Scripture as afar off, ( Jeremiah 5:15 ) ; and which the Jews, not being a trading people, or dealing in merchandise in foreign parts, were unacquainted with:
and there shall thou serve other gods, wood and stone;
which they were obliged to do in Babylon, of which it seems best to understand it; for though it may be interpreted of their compliance with the image worship of the Papists in their present condition, as the former clause may be of their rulers and governors, included in the name of king, carried captive by the Romans; who were a nation as little, if not less known than the Babylonians: but the former sense seems to suit best here, as this does with ( Deuteronomy 28:64 ) ; where the language is somewhat different, and very appropriate. The Targum of Jonathan is,
``shall pay tribute to those that worship idols of wood and stone.''