- And in:
- This dungeon, which seems to have belonged to one of Zedekiah's sons, appears to have been a most dreadful place; the horrors of which were probably augmented by the cruelty of the jailor. "The eastern people," observes Sir J. Chardin, "have not different prisons for the different classes of criminals; the judges do not trouble themselves about where the prisoners are confined, or how they are treated, considering it merely as a place of safety; and all that they require of the jailor is, that the prisoner be forthcoming when called for. As to the rest, he is master to do as he pleases; to treat him well or ill; to put him in irons or not; to shut him up close, or hold him in easier restraint; to admit people to him, or to suffer nobody to see him. If the jailor and his servants have large fees, let the person be the greatest rascal in the world, he shall be lodged in the jailor's own apartment, and the best part of it; and on the contrary, if those that have imprisoned a man give the jailor greater presents, or that he has a greater regard for them, he will treat the prisoner with the greatest inhumanity." This adds a double energy to those passages which speak of "the sighing of the prisoner," and to Jeremiah's supplicating that he might not be remanded to the dungeon of Jonathan ("Then thou shalt sayª° unto¹ them, I¹ presentedª° my supplicationª beforeª the king,ª that he would not¹ cause me to returnª° to Jonathan's²¹ house,ª to dieª° there.¹" {Jer 38:26} + "Therefore hearª° now,¹ I pray thee,¹ O my lordª the king:ª let my supplication,ª I pray thee,¹ be acceptedª° beforeª thee; that thou cause me not¹ to returnª° to the houseª of Jonathanª the scribe,ª° lest¹ I dieª° there.¹" {Jer 37:20}). "And, behold,¹ all¹ the womenª that¹ are leftª° in the kingª of Judah'sª houseª [shall be] brought forthª° to¹ the kingª of Babylon'sª princes,ª and those¹ [women] shall say,ª° Thy friendsª²¹ have set¹ thee on,²° and have prevailedª° against thee: thy feetª are sunkª° in the mire,ª [and] they are turned awayª° back.ª" {Jer 38:22} + "And they tookª° him, and castª° him into a pit:ª and the pitª [was] empty,ª [there was] no¹ waterª in it." {Gen 37:24} + "He brought me upª° also out of an horribleª pit,ª¹ out of the miryª clay,ª¹ and setª° my feetª upon¹ a rock,ª [and] establishedª° my goings.ª" {Psa 40:2} + "I sinkª° in deepª mire,ª where [there is] no¹ standing:ª I am comeª° into deepª waters,ª where the floodsª overflowª° me." {Psa 69:2} + "Deliverª° me out of the mire,ª¹ and let me not¹ sink:ª° let me be deliveredª° from them that hateª°¹ me, and out of the deepª¹ waters.ª ... Let not¹ the waterfloodªª overflowª° me, neither¹ let the deepª swallow me up,ª° and let not¹ the pitª shutª° her mouthª upon¹ me." {Psa 69:14-15} + "Mine enemiesª° chased²° me sore,ª° like a bird,ª without cause.ª ... I called²° upon¹ thy name,ª O LORD,ª out of the low² dungeon.ª¹¹" {Lam 3:52-55} + "As for thee¹ also,¹ by the bloodª of thy covenantª I have sent forthª° thy prisonersª out of the pitª¹ wherein [is] no¹ water.ª" {Zch 9:11}
|
