Then said I, ah, Lord God!
&c.] Expressing great sorrow and concern: this "ah" is by way of lamentation. The Targum interprets it as a petition,
``and I said, receive my prayer, O Lord God:''surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem:
``surely behold the false prophets deceive this people, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;''or this may be ironically said, because the false prophets pretended to speak in the name of the Lord; wherefore Jeremiah says, "surely thou hast greatly deceived" "saying, ye shall have peace"; as the false prophets did, ( Jeremiah 6:14 ) : whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul;
``and now behold the sword killeth among the people;''great slaughter is made by it. L'Empereur F23 observes that the word here used signifies, in the Arabic language, to educate or bring up; and then the sense is,
``ah, Lord, thou hast brought up this people with great tenderness, and promised them all manner of happiness; but now thou thunderest out threatenings of calamities of all sorts, and death itself; and assigned a place for the sword to enter into their very souls;''so the Arabic word <arabic> used in the version of ( Acts 22:2 ) ( 1 Timothy 4:6 ) .