Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people
Or, "rejoice, ye nations", who are "his" people; so Kimchi and
Ben Melech interpret it; the Gentiles, who are the Lord's chosen
and covenant people, redeemed and called, and the fulness of them
now brought in, and so matter of great rejoicing; or rather, as
the Septuagint, which is approved and confirmed by the Apostle
Paul, "rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people", ( Romans 15:10
) ; and as it is there applied to the then state of the Christian
church, when Jews and Gentiles were incorporated and united
together; so here it respects future time, when, as the fulness
of the Gentiles will be brought in, so the Jews will be
converted, and the "loammi", ( Hosea 1:9 ) , will be
taken off from them, and they will be reckoned among the people
of God; and Jews and Gentiles will be joined together in the same
Gospel church state, and so are called upon to rejoice in their
common salvation, and in their common blessings and privileges,
and particularly for what follows:
for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will
render
vengeance to his adversaries;
by his servants are meant the martyrs of Jesus, whose blood has
been shed by antichrist, and the antichristian powers, his
adversaries; as the blood of the Waldenses in the valleys of
Piedmont, the Albigenses in Spain, and the Petrobrussians in
France, the Bohemians in Germany, the Wickliffites, Lollards and
the "martyrs" in Queen Mary's days in England, with many others;
and when inquisition is made for blood, the blood of those will
be found out, and vengeance rendered for it:
and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his
people:
or "will atone for" F26, expiate, cleanse, and purge both
land and people; clear the whole earth, which is the Lord's, from
Mahometanism, Paganism, and Popery, and cover it with the
knowledge of the Lord by the everlasting Gospel, which will be
preached to all nations; and particularly the land of Canaan,
laid under an anathema or curse, as threatened, ( Malachi 4:6 ) ; under
which it has lain ever since the destruction of it by the Romans,
and has ever since been inhabited by Pagans, Mahometans, and
Papists; and, though once a land flowing with milk and honey, has
been turned into a barren wilderness, and will thus remain, and
Jerusalem, its metropolis, trodden down by the Gentiles, until
their times are fulfilled; which now will be, and then it will be
restored to its former fruitfulness and fertility, ( Luke 21:24 ) ( Ezekiel
34:25-27 ) ; and will be inhabited by the converted Jews, to
whom the Lord will be pacified, upon the foot or Christ's
atonement, which now will be made known and applied unto them,
with the full and free pardon of all their sins, ( Romans
11:25-27 ) ; and thus ends this most excellent and wonderful
song, which is of such a large extent and compass, as to reach
from the beginning of the Jewish nation, and before it, to the
conversion of the Jews in the latter day; an history of more than
four thousand years already; and how long more is yet to come
before all in it is fulfilled no man call say.