[135] Ezek. 22. 15; Hos. 9. 17; Amos 9. 9; Deut. 28. 25, 64; see also Deut. 4. 27; Neh. 1. 8; Jer. 9. 16.
Moreover, in their dispersion they were to be subjected to continual suffering and persecution. They were to become a proverb, and a byword among all people. Their curses were to be upon them, for a sign and for a wonder, and upon their seed for ever. They were to have a yoke of iron upon their necks; and to have the sword drawn out after them in all lands, etc. Yet, in spite of all this, they were not to be absorbed into other nations, but to remain distinct. They and their seed for ever were to be a separate people, a sign and a wonder at all times; and God would never make a full end of them, as He would of the nations among whom they were scattered. Indeed heaven and earth were to pass away, rather than the Jews cease to be a distinct people.[136]
[136] Deut. 28. 37, 46, 48; Lev. 26. 33; Jer. 24. 9; 29. 18; 30. 11; 31. 35-37.
And here again history has exactly agreed with prophecy. The fate of the Jews, since the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, has actually been dispersion, and this to an extent which is quite unique. It has been combined, moreover, with incessant suffering and persecution, yet they have always remained a separate people. The Jews are still everywhere, though the Jewish nation is nowhere. They are present in all countries, but with a home in none, having been literally scattered among the nations.
We will now examine a single passage in detail, and select the latter part of Deut. 28. The whole chapter is indeed full of prophecies as to the future condition of the Jews, some of which seem to point to the Babylonian captivity, (e.g., v. 36); but after this we come to another and final catastrophe in v. 49. This evidently begins a fresh subject, which is continued without a break till the end of the chapter. And it is specially interesting because, not only is the world-wide dispersion of the Jews, and their continual sufferings, clearly foretold; but also the previous war which led up to it. We have, as is well known, a full account of this in the history of Josephus, and as he never alludes to the prophecy himself (except in the most general terms), his evidence is above suspicion.
Ver. 49. First of all the conquerors themselves are described as a nation from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, etc. And this is very applicable to the Romans, whose general, Vespasian, had come from Britain, and their troops from various countries, who had the eagle as their standard, and whose language, Latin, was unknown to most of the Jews.
50. And the merciless way in which these fierce warriors were to spare neither old nor young was painfully true in their treatment of the Jews.
51. And they also of course destroyed or confiscated their property.
52. Then the war is foretold as one of sieges (he shall besiege thee in all thy gates), rather than of open battles. And this was certainly the case, since a large number of towns, including Jotapata, Gamala, Masada, and Jerusalem itself, suffered terrible sieges. And these were to be continued till the high walls came down, which is very appropriate to the Roman battering rams that were actually used at all these places.
53. Then we have the dreadful famine, due to the severity (or straitness) of the siege, evidently the great siege, that of Jerusalem. This is strongly insisted on, being repeated three times, and it was to drive the wretched inhabitants to cannibalism of the most revolting kind, which it actually did.
54. It was also to lead to considerable strife within the city; even between members of the same family. And this, though by no means common in all sieges, was abundantly fulfilled in the case of Jerusalem.
55. And they were to grudge their nearest relatives a morsel of food; which again exactly agrees with Josephus, who says that parents would fight with their own children for pieces of food.
56. And all this was to be the fate, not only of the poor; but, what is very remarkable, and perhaps unique in the world's history, of the wealthy also. It was even to include one instance at least (perhaps several) of a lady of high position. She is described as not setting her foot upon the ground; which means that she was accustomed to be carried about in a chair, or ride on an ass; and was therefore rich enough to buy anything that could be bought.
57. And she was to eat her own children secretly. Here was the climax of their sufferings. Yet this very detail, so unlikely to have occurred, and so unlikely to have been discovered if it did occur (as it was to be done secretly), is fully confirmed by Josephus. For he mentions one instance that actually was discovered, in which a lady eminent for her family and wealth (Mary, the daughter of Eleazar) had secretly eaten half her own child.[137]
[137] Wars, vi. 3.
58. And these miseries were to come upon the Jews for their disobedience of God's laws; and again Josephus says that their wickedness at this time was so great that if the Romans had not destroyed their city, he thinks it would have been swallowed up by the earth.[138]
[138] Wars, v. 13.
59. Moreover, the plagues of themselves, and of their seed, were to be wonderful, even great plagues, and of long continuance. And no one who has read the account of the siege, and the subsequent treatment of the Jews, will think the description at all exaggerated.
60. And the people are specially threatened with the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of, and this, as said in [Chapter IX.], implies that the passage was written soon after the people left Egypt, and therefore centuries before any siege or dispersion.
61. And it was to end, as it actually did end, in the destruction of the nation, until thou be destroyed.
62. While the Jews that survived were to be left comparatively few in number; which was certainly the case, even allowing that the statement of Josephus that 600,000 perished in the siege may be an exaggeration.
63. And these were to be forcibly expelled from the land of Canaan, which they were just about to conquer. And they actually were so expelled by the Romans, partly after this war, and still more so after their rebellion in A.D. 134, when for many centuries scarcely any Jews were allowed to live in their own country, an event probably unique in history.
64. But instead of being taken away to a single nation, as at the Babylonian captivity, they were now to be scattered over the whole world, among all peoples, from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth. And how marvellously this has been fulfilled is obvious to everyone. No mention is made of a king here, as in ver. 36; so while that suits the Babylonian captivity, this suits the later dispersion, though in each case there is a reference to their serving other gods, for which it must be admitted there is very little evidence.
65. Then we have the further sufferings that the Jews were to undergo in their dispersion. Among these nations they were to find no ease, nor rest for the sole of their foot, but were to have a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and pining of soul. And here, again, the event is as strange as the prophecy. Nowhere else shall we find a parallel to it. For centuries the Jews were not only persecuted, but were often expelled from one country to another, so that they found no rest anywhere, but were driven from city to city, and from kingdom to kingdom.
66. And their life was to hang in doubt night and day;
67. And they were to be in a continual state of fear and alarm; all of which was completely fulfilled.
68. Lastly, we read, that some of the Jews, instead of being dispersed, were to be brought to Egypt again with ships, and to be in bondage there. And this also came true, after the siege, when many of the Jews were sold for slaves, and sent to the mines in Egypt, probably in slave ships.
Everyone must admit that the agreement all through is very remarkable; in fact, the prophecies about the dispersion of the Jews—and we have only examined a single instance in detail—are even more striking than those about the desolation of Assyria and Babylonia, or the degradation of Egypt. And to fully realise their importance, let us suppose that anyone now were to foretell the future of three great nations, saying that one was to be utterly destroyed, and the land desolated; another to sink to be a base kingdom; and the third to be conquered and its inhabitants forcibly expelled, and scattered over the whole world. What chance would there be of any one of the prophecies (leave alone all three) coming true, and remaining true for two thousand years? Yet this would be but a similar case.
What conclusion, then, must be drawn from all these prophecies, so clear in their general meaning, so distinctive in their character, so minute in many of their details, so unlikely at the time they were written, and yet one and all so exactly fulfilled? There appear to be only three alternatives. Either they must have been random guesses, which certainly seems incredible. Or else they must have been due to deep foresight on the part of the writers, which seems equally so; for the writers had had no experience of the permanent desolation of great empires like Assyria and Babylonia, while as to the fate of Egypt and the Jews themselves, history afforded no parallel. Or else, lastly, the writers must have had revealed to them what the future of these nations would be; in which case, and in which case alone, all is plain.