OLBHeb;
The Babylonians and Chaldeans; these are known. Pekod, & c.: some reckon these the titles of some of the great commanders in this army, which come against Jerusalem, but they are names of distinct countries or provinces under the Babylonish government; and so Pekod is the province between Tigris and Lycus rivers, in this was old Nineveh, and was the principal province of the kingdom; though some others think Pekod was Bactriana, now called Usbeck, and Corassan, fierce, thievish, and barbarous of old. Shoa; either Sia in Armenia, or the Sohai, among which were the Adiabeni; and this contained the middle part of the kingdom of Babylon, and was Assyria Mediana. Koa bordered on Media; the inhabitants were called Kohai, and dwelt about Arbel, or Arbelis, or Arbela, and comprehended Ganyamela, where a fortress Ganga looks like this Koa, being easily changed from Koa to Ganga by change of the original letters q into "G," and e into "G"; a people too like enough to be cruel and barbarous by their very situation. And all; all these sons or subjects of the Assyrian monarchy, or confederates. Desirable young men, & c.: most of these are already explained Ezekiel 23:6, where they were objects of love, now they are objects of terror; so God turns the occasions of men's sins into occasions of greater terror and punishment. Renowned, Heb. called, or invited, first by the Jews to sin with them, Ezekiel 23:16, now called of God to punish their fellow sinners.