"Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?"
Commentary
Gill's Exposition
Is not Calno as Carchemish?.... Jarchi's note is, "as the children of Carchemish are princes and rulers, so are the children of Calno;'' as if this was giving an instance of the grandeur of his subjects; but much better is the Targum, "as Carchemish is subdued before me, shall not Calno be so?'' as I or my
ancestors have conquered the one, it is as easy for me to conquer the other; or as sure as the one is subject to me, so sure shall the other be; for Carchemish was a city belonging to the Assyrians, situated upon the river Euphrates, Ch2 35:20 called by Ammianus (k) Circusium; the Syriac version calls it Barchemosh; and Calno is the same with Calneh in the land of Shinar, a city built by Nimrod, Gen 10:10 in the Septuagint version it is called Chalane, and it is added, "where the tower was built;'' from whence the country, called by Pliny (l) Chalonitis, had its name, the chief city of which was Ctesiphon, thought to be the same with Calneh. Is not Hamath as Arphad? Hamath and Arphad were both cities conquered by the Assyrians; see Kg2 18:34 and are both mentioned along with Damascus, Jer 49:23 . Is not Samaria as Damascus? Damascus was the metropolis of Syria, and was taken by the Assyrians; and Samaria was the metropolis of Ephraim, or the ten tribes; see Isa 7:8 and was as easy to be taken as Damascus was. The Targum is, "as Arphad is delivered into my hands, shall not Hamath be so? As I have done to Damascus, so will I do to Samaria.'' (k) L. 23. c. 5. p. 360. (l) Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 26. and 27.
Source: Gill's Exposition (Public Domain)
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Commentary
Gill's Exposition
Is not Calno as Carchemish?.... Jarchi's note is, "as the children of Carchemish are princes and rulers, so are the children of Calno;'' as if this was giving an instance of the grandeur of his subjects; but much better is the Targum, "as Carchemish is subdued before me, shall not Calno be so?'' as I or my
ancestors have conquered the one, it is as easy for me to conquer the other; or as sure as the one is subject to me, so sure shall the other be; for Carchemish was a city belonging to the Assyrians, situated upon the river Euphrates, Ch2 35:20 called by Ammianus (k) Circusium; the Syriac version calls it Barchemosh; and Calno is the same with Calneh in the land of Shinar, a city built by Nimrod, Gen 10:10 in the Septuagint version it is called Chalane, and it is added, "where the tower was built;'' from whence the country, called by Pliny (l) Chalonitis, had its name, the chief city of which was Ctesiphon, thought to be the same with Calneh. Is not Hamath as Arphad? Hamath and Arphad were both cities conquered by the Assyrians; see Kg2 18:34 and are both mentioned along with Damascus, Jer 49:23 . Is not Samaria as Damascus? Damascus was the metropolis of Syria, and was taken by the Assyrians; and Samaria was the metropolis of Ephraim, or the ten tribes; see Isa 7:8 and was as easy to be taken as Damascus was. The Targum is, "as Arphad is delivered into my hands, shall not Hamath be so? As I have done to Damascus, so will I do to Samaria.'' (k) L. 23. c. 5. p. 360. (l) Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 26. and 27.