Thine heart shall meditate terror
shall recollect, and think of with pleasure and thankfulness, the
terror they were formerly seized with, when surrounded and
oppressed by their enemies, particularly at the time of the
slaying of the witnesses, which will be a terrible time to the
church and people of God; but when that is over, they will call
it to mind with gratitude, for deliverance from it F5. This
is commonly understood of the terror and consternation the Jews
were in when besieged by the Assyrian army; and so the following
words, Where [is] the scribe? where [is] the receiver?
where [is] he that
counted the towers?
are taken to be either the words of the Jews in their distress,
calling for such and such officers to go to their respective
posts, and do their duty; as the "scribe", or muster master, to
see that he has his full quota of men; the "receiver" or
treasurer, and paymaster of the soldiers, to give the men money
and wages, that they may be encouraged to fight; and "the counter
of towers", or engineer, to take care of the fortifications, and
give directions about them: or else, as now insulting the
Assyrians after the defeat of them, inquiring where were now such
and such officers in their army, whom before they dreaded,
signifying they were all perished and gone. The apostle cites
these words, or at least alludes to them, ( 1
Corinthians 1:20 ) when he says, "where is the wise? where is
the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?" triumphing over
the wise doctors of the Jews, and the philosophers of the
Gentiles, as not being able to face and withstand the power and
wisdom of the Gospel; (See Gill on
1 Corinthians 1:20). So here, when the people of God will
be recovered from their fright, and be brought out of their low
estate, and will have ascended into heaven, or be come into a
glorious church state, they will then triumph over their enemies,
who will be no more, and say, where are the pope and his clergy?
his cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, friars,
&c.; what are become of them? they are all gone, and will be
no more. The Targum is,
``thine heart shall think of great things; where are the scribes? where are the princes? where are the counters? let them come, if they can count the numbers of the slain, the heads of mighty armies;''which may well enough be illustrated by ( Revelation 11:13 ) ( Revelation 19:18 Revelation 19:19 ) .