But thou didst trust in thine own beauty
As the Jews did in external gifts bestowed upon them; in their
outward prosperity and grandeur; in their riches, wealth, and
wisdom; and in the extent of their dominions, as in the days of
David and Solomon; and in such things men are apt to; put their
trust and confidence, and to be elated with, and grow proud and
haughty, as a woman because of her beauty: so some professors of
religion trust in a form and profession of it; in speculative
knowledge, and in outward duties and services; being unconcerned
for inward purity and: holiness; and not trusting in the
righteousness of Christ, the real beauty of saints: and
playedst the harlot because of thy renown;
or "name" F2; which the Jews got among the
nations round about them, for their wisdom, riches, and power;
which was a snare unto them, as a woman's beauty is to her; and
they were admired and courted, and complimented by their
neighbours, and so drawn into idolatrous practices, as women into
fornication and adultery by the admirers of them: idolatry, which
is here meant, is frequently signified by playing the harlot, or
by fornication and adultery: or "thou playedst the harlot in thy
name" {c}; alluding to the custom of harlots, notorious infamous
ones, who used to set their names over the apartments, to direct
men unto them; and so it may denote how famous and notorious the
Jews were for their idolatries, and how impudent in them. Jarchi
interprets this of the calf of the wilderness, and other
idolatries which the tribe of Dan committed there; but it rather
respects the idolatries committed from the times of Solomon to
the captivity, which were many, and often repeated; and though
sometimes a stop was put to them by pious princes, yet broke out
again: so trusting in a man's own righteousness, or in any
outward thing, is idolatry; and also false worship and
superstitious observances: and pouredst out thy fornication
on everyone that passed by:
which expresses the multitude of their idolatries; the measure of
them, which ran over; the fondness they had for every idol of
their neighbours; like a common strumpet, that prostitutes
herself to everyone, not only to the men of her own place and
city, but to all strangers and travellers; so the Jews, not
content with the idols they had, embraced all that offered or
their neighbours could furnish them with: his it
was;
or "to him it was"; her desire, her lust, her fornication;
everyone that passed by, that would might enjoy her; so the Jews
were reader to fall in with every idol and every idolatrous
practice. The Targum renders this clause,
``and it is not right for thee to do so;''to commit and multiply idolatry.