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The former words of this verse are expounded by those that follow; setting up of standards and blowings of trumpets are preparatory to bring armies together. The setting up of standards, and blowing of trumpets, are military signs of the will of those princes or captains-general whose those standards are, and to whom those trumpets belong, that those soldiers who are under their command should gather themselves together to the places where those standards are set up, and those trumpets blown. What this
kingdom of Ararat was, and those of
Minni and
Ashchenaz, is very hard to determine. We read of a mountain called Ararat, where the ark rested after the flood, Gen_8:4. Of Minni we read no where else: most writers think these were two kingdoms within Armenia. Ashchenaz descended from Noah by Japheth, Gen_10:3, Certain it is that the emperor of the Medes had the dominion of these places, from whence it is very probable that either Cyrus or Darius, or both, drew out soldiers to help them to conquer the Chaldeans.
Appoint a captain against her: after people are gathered together for war, the first thing to be done is to put them into military order, constituting a captain-general.
Cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillars. Others read it, like the wasting caterpillar, or like the horrible affrighting caterpillar. Great disputes there are amongst critical interpreters what caterpillars are here meant, the caterpillars being generally smooth; but as we know not the complexion of insects over all the world, so even amongst us we see some caterpillars that look a little rough: that which alone we are here to attend is wily the Median horses are compared to these insects: undoubtedly it is either,
1 With respect to their numbers, for caterpillars in those countries used to come in vast numbers.
2. Or in regard of the horror and trembling caused by them in people when they came, being a great plague to the places which they infested.