Matthew Poole and continuators on Isaiah 65:11

11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord , that forget my holy mountain , that prepare a table for that troop , and that furnish the drink offerings unto their number .

Do not you that are Idolaters, think that these promises belong to you, ye are they that forsake the Lord, that is, the way of the Lord, it is a phrase opposed to a walking with God, our walking with God is in the way of his statutes, forsaking of him, signifieth a declining, or turning aside from that way.

To forget Gods holy Mountain, signifies not to regard the true worship of God, or not to mind it. God calleth Zion his holy Mountain, Ioel 3. 17. and Ierusalem is called Gods holy Mountain. The hill of Zion is called the Mountain of Gods holiness, Psal. 48. 1. as the Temple is called the beauty of holiness, Psal. 29. 2. Psal. 96. 9. their not regarding the worship of God there, but worshipping God or Idols in Gardens, amongst the graves and monuments is what is here called, a forgetting his holy Mountain. Isaiah prophecied in the time of A[illegible: 1+ letters]az, ch. 1. 1. of whom it is said, 2 Chron. 28. 23, 24. that he sacrificed to the Gods of Damascus, that he cut in pieces the vessels of the Lords house, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made him altars in every corner of Hierusalem, and in every several City of Judah he made high places to b[illegible: 1+ letters]rn incense to other Gods. See also more of his practices. v. 2. 3▪ 4. of that chap▪ and 2 Kings 16. 3. 10▪ 11, 12. and there were certainly many of his people that joined with him, in his worship, who are all here said to forget Gods holy Mountain.

And to prepare a table for that troop: The Idols of the ten Tribes, 2 Kings 16. 3. and of the Assrrians, 2 Chron. 28. 23. which were a troop, whereas the God of Israel was one God. And as God had altars, which are sometimes called a table, as in Eze. 41. 22. So they prepared altars for the Idols, as may be read in the a[illegible: 1+ letters]orementioned story of Ahaz: though by preparing a table, here seems rather to be meant the feasts they made upon their sacrifices in their festival days, which was in imitation of [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1+ letters]he true God had commanded his people, Deut. 16. [illegible: 1 word] 15▪ [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] made in honour to their Idols, as appears from [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] 18. 6, 11. Amos 2. 8. 1 Cor. 8. 10.

Nor did they [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] honour to the Idols, but they furnished drink offerings unto their Number. God had appointed Drink-offerings for his honour, and as a piece of homage to him. Exod. 29. 40, 41. Levit. 23. 18, 37. these people had paid this homage to Idols. See Ier. 7. 18. & 19. 13. & 32. 29.

What we translate Number in the Heb. is La Meni to Meni. Avenarius translates it Mercury, an Idol whom Merchants worshipped for good success in trading, others understand it of the Host of Heaven, others of the multitude of their idols, our translation reads it their number. The word coming from an Heb. root, which signifieth to number, is no where else found in Scripture, which makes it hard, too positively to assert the true meaning of it.

Marginal references: Or God.; Or Meni.