6:8. “…famine…”
“‘The Rabbins deliver. In the first year of that week [of years] that the Son of David is to come, shall that be fulfilled, ‘I will rain upon one city, but I will not rain upon another,’ Amos iv.7. The second year, the arrows of famine shall be sent forth. The third, the famine shall be grievous, and men and women and children, holy men, and men of good works, shall die. And there shall be a forgetfulness of the law among those that learn it. The fourth year, fulness, and not fulness. The fifth year, great fulness; for they shall eat and drink and rejoice and the law shall return to its scholars. The sixth year, voices. (The Gloss is, ‘A fame shall be spread, that the Son of David comes,’ or, ‘they shall sound with a trumpet.’) The seventh year, wars; and in the going out of that seventh year the Son of David shall come.'”
6:9. “…I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God….”
The following passages show that “souls under the altar” refers to those buried in the land of palestine:
The Rabbis taught that the resurrection is to take place from under the Mount of Olives. “‘When the dead shall live again…Mount Olivet is to be rent in two, and all the dead of Israel shall come out thence; yea, those righteous persons, who died in captivity, shall be rolled under the earth, and shall come forth under the Mount of Olivet…'” [1:87-8] (See also Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11-12.)
“‘Whosoever lives within the land of Israel is absolved from iniquity. And whosoever is buried within the land of Israel is as if he were buried under the altar.'” [1:258]
“‘The righteous, even in death, are said to live; and the wicked, even in life, are said to be dead…” ”They are righteous who, in their death, are said to live….”” [2:287-8]
“…Under the throne of glory. We have a long story in Avoth R. Nathan of the angel of death being sent by God to take away the soul of Moses; which when he could not do, ‘God taketh hold of him himself…and treasureth him up under the throne of glory.’ And a little after: ‘Nor is Moses’s soul only placed under the throne of glory; but the souls of other just persons also are reposited under the throne of glory.‘
“Moses, in the words quoted before, is in Paradise; in these words, he is under the throne of glory. In another place ‘he is in heaven ministering before God.’ So that under different phrases is the same thing expressed; and this, however, is made evident, that there…the garden of Eden was not to be understood of an earthly, but a heavenly paradise. That in Rev. vi.9, of ‘souls crying under the altar,” comes pretty near this phrase, of being placed under the throne of glory. For the Jews conceived of the altar as the throne of the Divine Majesty; and for that reason the court of the Sanhedrim was placed so near the altar, that they might be filled with the reverence of the Divine Majesty so near them, while they were giving judgment. Only, whereas there is mention of the souls of the martyrs that had poured out their blood for God, it is an allusion to the blood of the sacrifices that were wont to be poured out at the foot of the altar.” [3:167-168]
6:9. “…the souls of them that were slain for the word of God…”
Lightfoot gives an example of the vicious hatred against Gentiles, and even of fellow Israelites who differ with their religion, that is taught in the traditions of the Jews:
“‘The heretical Israelites, that is, they of Israel that worship idols, or who transgress, to provoke God: also Epicurean Israelites, that is, Israelites who deny the law and the prophets, are by precept to be slain, if any can slay them, and that openly; but if not openly, you may compass their death secretly, and by subtilty.’…’But as to the Gentiles, with whom we have no war, and likewise to the shepherds of smaller cattle, and others of that sort, they do not so plot their death; but it is forbidden them to deliver them from death if they are in danger of it.’ For instance; ‘A Jew sees one of them fallen into the sea; let him by no means lift him out thence: for it is written, ‘Thou shalt not rise up against the blood of thy neighbour:’ but this is not thy neighbour.’ And further; ‘An Israelite, who alone sees another Israelite transgressing, and admonisheth him, if he repents not, is bound to hate him.'” [2:133-4]
Some of the ways Christians were slain are discussed in connection with commentary on Matt. 21:35: “There seems to be an allusion to the punishments and manners of death in the council: 1…which properly signified the flaying off of the skin, is not amiss rendered by interpreters beat; and the word seems to relate to whipping, where forty stripes save one did miserably flay off the skin of the poor man….2. …killed, signifies a death by the sword, as …Four kinds of death are delivered to the Sanhedrim, stoning, burning, killing, and strangling.‘” [2:283-4]
6:10. “… How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth?”
“…’Rabh Nachman Bar Isaac saith, ”Let him not say that they {the Sanhedrin} did not judge judgments of mulcts, but that they did not judge capital judgments. And whence come this? … When they saw that so many murderers multiplied upon them, that they could not well judge and call them to account, they said, It is better for us that we remove from place to place, … for how can we otherwise’ [sitting here and not punishing them] ‘not contract a guilt upon ourselves?”
“They thought themselves obliged to punish murderers while they sat in the room Gazith: … for the place itself engaged them to it. They are the words of the Gemarists. Upon which the Gloss: ‘The room Gazith was half of it within and half of it without the Holy Place. The reason of which was, that it was requisite that the council should sit near the Divine Majesty. Hence it is that they say, ”Whoever constitutes an unfit judge, is as if he planted a grove by the altar of the Lord: as it is written, Judges and officers shalt thou make thee:’ and it follows presently after, ”Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God,”Deut.xvi.18,21. They removed therefore from Gazith, and sat in the Tabernae. Now though the Tabernae were upon the Mountain of the Temple, yet they did not sit so near the Divine Majesty there as they did when they sat in the room Gazith.’
“Let us now, in order, put the whole matter together:
“I. The Sanhedrim were most stupidly and unreasonably remiss in their punishment of capital offenders, going upon this reason especially, that they accounted it so horrible a thing to sentence an Israelite to death. Forsooth, he is of the seed of Abraham, of the blood and stock of Israel; and you must have a care how you touch such a one!
“R. Eliezer Bar R. Simeon had laid hold on some thieves. R. Joshua Bar Korchah sent to him, saying …”O thou vinegar, the son of good wine” [i.e. O thou wicked son of a good father], ”how long wilt thou deliver the people of God to the slaughter?’ He answered and said … ‘I root the thorns out of the vineyard.’ To whom the other, ‘Let the Lord of the vineyard come and root them out himself.” It is worth noting that the very thieves of Israel are the people of God: and O! they must not be touched by any means, but referred to the judgment of God himself.
“… ‘When R. Ismael Bar R. Jose was constituted a magistrate by the king, there happened some such thing to him; for Elias himself rebuked him saying, ”How long wilt thou deliver over the people of God to slaughter?” Hence that which we alleged elsewhere: ‘The Sanhedrim that happens to sentence any one to death within the space of seven years is called ‘a destroyer.’ R. Eleazar Ben Azariah saith, ‘It is so, if they should but condemn one within seventy years.’….
“…’Since the time that homicides multiplied, the beheading the heifer ceased.’ And in that place before quoted in Avodah; ‘When they saw the number of murderers so greatly increase, that they could not sit in judgment upon them, they said, ”Let us remove,” &c.
“So in the case of adultery… ‘Since the time that adultery so openly advanced under the second Temple, they left off trying the adulteress by the bitter water,’ &c.
“So that we see the liberty of judging in capital matters was no more taken from the Jews by the Romans than the beheading of the heifer or the trial of the suspected wife by the bitter waters was taken away by them; which no one will affirm….
“… It is disputed whether they ever returned to their first place Gazith, or no. It is affirmed by the Gloss in Avodah Zarah: ‘When for a time they found it absolutely necessary, they betook themselves again to that room.’ We have the same also elsewhere upon this tradition:
“…’It is a tradition of R. Chaia. From the day wherein the Temple was destroyed, though the Sanhedrim ceased, yet the four kinds of death’ [which were wont to be inflicted by the Sanhedrim] ‘did not cease. For he that had deserved to be stoned to death, he either fell off from some house, or some wild beast tore and devoured him. He that had deserved burning, he either fell into some fire or some serpent bit him. He that had deserved to be slain’ [i.e. with the sword], ‘was either delivered into the hands of a heathen king, or was murdered by robbers. He that had deserved strangling was either drowned in some river, or choked by a squinancy [angina].’
“But it may be objected, Why is it said, ‘From the time that the Temple was destroyed,’ and not, ‘Forty years before the destruction of the Temple?’ To this the Gloss answereth: ‘Sometimes, according to the urgency and necessity of the time, the Sanhedrim returned to the room Gazith,’ &c. It is further excepted … ‘But they never returned to sit in capital causes, or to try murders. For the reason of their removal at first was because the number of homicides so increased upon them.’ &c.
“… When the great council did not sit in Gazith, all courts for capital matters ceased everywhere else. One Gloss saith thus: ‘They took no cognizance of capital matters in any of the lesser sessions, so long as the great Sanhedrim did not sit in the room Gazith.’ Another saith; ‘What time the great Sanhedrim sat in its proper place, where it ought, near the altar, then thou shall make thee judges in all thy gates, to judge in capital causes: but when that removed, then all cognizance about those matters ceased.’
“… The Sanhedrim removed, as we have already seen, from Gazith, forty years before Jerusalem was destroyed: and this is the very thing that was said, ‘Forty years before the destruction of the city, judgment in capital causes was taken away from them.’ And now let the reader judge what should be the reason of their being deprived of this privilege: whether the Romans were in fault; or whether rather the Jews, nay, the Sanhedrim itself, had not brought it upon themselves. When the Sanhedrim flitted from Gazith: all judgment of this kind vanished, and upon what reasons they did thus flit we have learned from their own pens.”
“We will not contend about the time when these forty years should first begin; though I am apt to think they might begin about half a year before Christ‘s death. The words which we have under consideration, spoken by the Sanhedrim to Pilate, seem to refer wholly to the reason we have already mentioned: ‘It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.’ Why is it not lawful? Because, they being forced by the necessity of the times, we retired from the room Gazith, where if we sit not, neither we ourselves nor any court under us can take any cognizance of causes of life and death….
“That must be observed in the evangelists, that when they had had Christ in examination in the palace of the high priest all night, in the morning the whole Sanhedrim met, that they might pass sentence of death upon him. Where then was this that they met? Questionless in the room Gazith; at least if they adhered to their own rules and constitutions: ‘Thither they betook themselves sometimes upon urgent necessity.’ The Gloss before quoted excepts ‘only the case of murder;’ which, amongst all their false accusations, they never charged Christ with….
“It is probable they had not put any one to death as yet, since the time that they had removed out of Gazith; and so might the easier persuade Pilate in that case. But their great design was to throw off the odium of Christ‘s death from themselves, at least amongst the vulgar crowd, fearing them, if the council themselves should have decreed his execution. They seek this evasion, therefore, which did not altogether want some colour and pretext of truth: and it succeeded according to what they did desire; Divine Providence so ordering it, as the evangelist intimates, ver. 32, {John 18}, ‘That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die:’ that is, be crucified, according to the custom of the Romans.
“Whilst I am upon this thought, I cannot but reflect upon that passage, than which nothing is more worthy observation, in the whole description of the Roman beast in the Revelation, chap.xiii.4: ‘The dragon which gave power unto the beast.’ We cannot say this of the Assyrian, Babylonish, or any other monarchy; for the Holy Scriptures do not say it. But reason dictates, and the event itself tells us, that there was something acted by the Roman empire in behalf of the dragon which was not compatible with any other, that is, the putting of the Son of God to death. Which thing we must remember, as often as we recite that article of our creed, ‘He suffered under Pontius Pilate;’ that is, was put to death by the Roman empire.” [3:424-9]
6:11-12. “…that they should rest yet for a little season until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (See 2:10 “ten days”.)
“Hence, Rev. vi. 11, 12 (where the state of the Jewish nation is delivered under the type of six seals), they are slain, who were to be slain for the testimony of the gospel under the fifth seal; and immediately under the sixth, followed the ruin of the nation.” [2:312]
6:12-3. “…the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth….”
On Matt. 24:29 Lightfoot says: “…That is, the Jewish heaven shall perish, and the sun and moon of its glory and happiness shall be darkened, and brought to nothing. The sun is the religion of the church; the moon is the government of the state; and the stars are the judges and doctors of both. Compare Isa. xiii.10, and Ezek. xxxii.7, 8, &c.” [2:319-20]
The priests and prophets represented the sun: “…but when the high priesthood came to be bought with money, and changed yearly, …as the king’s presidents,…are changed every year, from that time forward it [the council] was called the chamber of the presidents.
“Hear the Glosser on this place: ‘The high priests were wicked, and did not fulfil their whole year….Hear also the Gemara: ‘The first Temple stood four hundred and ten years, and there were not above eighteen priests under it. The second stood four hundred and twenty years, and there were more than three hundred under it. Take out forty years of Simeon the Just, eighty of Jochanan, ten of Ismael Ben Phabi, and eleven of Eleazar Ben Harsum, and there doth not remain one whole year to each of the rest.'” [2:329-30]
“… That the destruction of Jerusalem and the whole Jewish state is described as if the whole frame of this world were to be dissolved….
“Rev. vi.12,14; ‘The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, &c. and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together,’ &c. Where, if we take notice of the foregoing plagues, by which, according to the most frequent threatenings, he destroyed that people, viz. the sword, ver. 4, famine, ver.5,6, and the plague, ver.8; withal comparing those words, ‘Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us,’ with Luke xxiii.30; it will sufficiently appear, that by those phrases is understood the dreadful judgment and overthrow of that nation and city. With these also agrees that of Jer.iv, from ver. 22 to 28, and clearly enough explains this phrase. To this appertain those and other such expressions as we meet with, I Cor.x.11, ‘On us the ends of the world are come;’ and I Pet.iv.7, ‘The end of all things is at hand.’
“…With reference to this, and under this notion, the times immediately preceding this ruin are called ‘the last days,’ and the last times, …that is, the last times of the Jewish city, nation, economy. This manner of speaking frequently occurs: which let our St. John himself interpret, 1 John ii.18; ‘There are many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time:’ and that this nation is upon the very verge of destruction, when as it hath already arrived at the utmost pitch of infidelity, apostasy, and wickedness.’
“…With the same reference it is, that the times and state of things immediately following the destruction of Jerusalem are called ‘a new creation,’ ‘new heavens,’ and ‘a new earth,’ Isa.lxv.17; ‘Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth,’ When should that be? Read the whole chapter; and you will find the Jews rejected and cut off; and from that time is that new creation of the evangelical world among the Gentiles.
“Compare 2 Cor.v.17 and Rev.xxi.1,2; where the old Jerusalem being cut off and destroyed, a new one succeeds; and new heavens and a new earth are created.
“2 Pet.iii.13: ‘We according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth.’ The heavens and the earth of the Jewish church and commonwealth must be all on fire, and the Mosaic elements burnt up: but we, according to the promise made to us by Isaiah the prophet, when all these are consumed, look for the new creation of the evangelical state.” [3:452-3]
Davies, [330]: Passages from the TOSEFTA (ed. M.S. Zuckermandel, 1880: “Sukkah 2.6 …. ‘When the luminaries are eclipsed it is an evil sign for all the world … R. Meir said: ‘When the luminaries are eclipsed it is an evil sign for the enemies of Israel because they are accustomed to taking knocks.”
6:13. “ And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.”
As one walked into the countryside from the cities, one might see “…certain tokens hung upon some fig-tree, to show of what year the fruit that grew there was…..In other places, you might see barren trees stigmatized with some mark of infamy. ‘A tree which shook off its fruits before they were ripe…they mark with red, and load it with stones.'” [1:188]
There were cultivated varieties of fig trees and there were others that grew wild by the wayside and in the groves, etc. There were varieties that produced annually and there were other varieties that held both their leaves and their figs for three years, some putting on and some ripening each year. [2:277-282] These latter trees would have always had leaves and figs unless a very severe wind storm stripped them.
6:16. “ And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”
Besides the underground caves dug for mining purposes, there were also the natural caves, but there were also numerous underground passages that were dug deliberately for defense. Josephus mentions these subterraneous passages where wild beasts and robbers lurked. Hyrcanus built some such passages: “‘Out of the rock against the mountain, having cut in two the prominent parts of it, he made dens of many furlongs long….He made the mouths that opened into these dens to be strait, that but one might go in at a time, and no more:….and this he did on purpose for security’s sake, and for avoiding danger, in case he should be besieged by his brethren.’
“These dens, therefore, were cut out of mountains and rocks for the uses of war, that they might serve for refuge and strength. And it is probable that the Canaanites, a warlike and gigantic nation, had digged very many of these caves before the entrance of the Israelites into that land; and that the Israelites also increased the number of them.” [1:190-191]
“…Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, &c.] So they do say, Rev.vi.6 [correctly 6:16]: from whence, among other arguments, it may be reasonably supposed, that that chapter treats of the plagues and afflictions that should forerun the destruction of Jerusalem, and, indeed, the destruction and overthrow itself. Weigh the place accurately; and perhaps thou wilt be of the same mind too. Nay, I may further add, that perhaps this observation might not a little help … in discovering the method of the author of the Book of the Revelation.” [3:210]
“The method of the Book of the Revelation,” in this passage concerning the opening of the seals of a Book, may indeed be observed in this passage. That is, in my view, that the ‘seals’ represent the period of time from Daniel’s sealing of the Book up to the destruction of the nation.
6:16: “…the wrath of the Lamb….”
John the Baptist warned of the wrath to come: “These words respect the very last words of the Old Testament, ‘lest I smite the earth with a curse,’ Mal.iv.[6]; and denote the most miserable destruction of the nation, and now almost ready to fall upon them.
“The receiving of John‘s baptism signed and fenced those that received it from the ruin that was just coming. To this belongs that of St. Peter, Epis.i.ch.iii.20,21: in that manner as Noah and his sons were by water delivered from the flood, ‘so also baptism now, the antitype of that type, saveth us’ from the deluge of divine indignation, which in a short time is to overflow the Jewish nation. Think here, if those that came to baptism brought not their little ones with them to baptism: when, by the plain words of the Baptist, those that are baptized are said to ‘fly from the wrath to come?’ that is, ”the wrath of God,” that was not long hence to destroy the nation by a most sad overthrow.” [2:78]