And the Lord rooted them out of the land
Which was true both at the Babylonish captivity by
Nebuchadnezzar, and at their present one by the Romans; and
especially the latter, by whom they have been so rooted out, as
that they have not been able to return to it these 1700 years,
nor to have any inheritance or possession in it; whereas, at the
end of seventy years, they returned from the Babylonish captivity
to their land again: and which was done
in anger, and in wrath, and in great
indignation;
which were most abundantly shown in the utter destruction of
their land, city, and temple, by the Romans:
and cast them another land, as [it is] this
day;
the ten tribes were cast into Assyria, and from thence into the
cities of the Medes, the two tribes into the land of Chaldea, and
now into all lands; and none their own, but another, a strange
and foreign country. The word "cast" denotes the vehemence of the
divine displeasure at them, expressed by the removal of them out
of their own land into another. In the Hebrew word for "cast", a
middle letter in it is greater than usual; the reason of which
perhaps is, that this dealing of God with them might be observed
and taken notice of as very remarkable; and Ainsworth thinks it
is to observe the greatness of the punishment; and the Jews
understand this of the casting away of the ten tribes: and they
gather from hence that the ten tribes shall not return, though
about it they are divided; for so they say in the Misnah
F8,
``the ten tribes shall not return, as it is said, and cast them into another land, as this day; as the day goes and does not return, so they go and return not; these are the words of R. Akiba. R. Eliezer says, as the day brings on darkness and light, so the ten tribes who are now dark shall be enlightened.''