And he said, This [is] wickedness
A representation of wicked men, who are wickedness itself, as
their inward part is, ( Psalms 5:9 ) and
particularly of the wicked one, the man of sin and son of
perdition, the Roman antichrist and apocalyptic beast; who,
though he is called by this title, "his Holiness", his true and
proper name is "wickedness"; (o
anomov) , that wicked lawless one, ( 2
Thessalonians 2:8 ) yea, wickedness itself, being extremely
wicked, a sink of sin and of all abominations, ( Revelation
17:5 ) ( 18:2 ) .
And he cast it into the midst of the ephah;
that is, wickedness; that it might be kept within bounds, and not
exceed its measure to be filled up: this seems to denote some
restraint on sinners, that they may not be able to go all the
lengths they would; and some rebuke upon them, that they might
not lift up their heads with impunity; and some check upon them,
and their furious rage towards the people of God; and also the
putting of an utter end to sin and sinners, and particularly the
followers of antichrist; see ( Psalms
104:35 ) . And he cast the weight of lead upon the
mouth thereof;
either upon the mouth of the woman, or of the ephah; and, be it
which it will, it was done to keep the woman within the ephah,
and press her down there; and intends the judgments of God upon
sinners; and shows that there is no escaping divine vengeance;
that it falls heavy where it lights, and sinks to the lowest
hell; and that it will continue, being laid on by the firm,
unchangeable, and irrevocable decree of God. Cocceius understands
this of the Saracens and Turks, and the barbarous nations, being
cast into the Roman empire, to restrain the antichristian
tyranny; but it seems better to apply it to the utter destruction
of antichrist, signified by a millstone cast into the sea and
sunk there, never to rise more; see ( Revelation
18:21 ) and with it compare ( Exodus 15:10
) .