16. would fain have filled--rather, "was fain to fill," ate greedily
of the only food he could get.
the husks--"the hulls of a leguminous plant which in the East is the
food of cattle and swine, and often the nourishment of the poorest in
times of distress" [STIER].
no man gave . . . him--not this food, for that he had, but
anything better
(Jer 30:14).
This was his lowest depth--perishing unpitied, alone in the
world, and ready to disappear from it unmissed! But this is
just the blessed turning-point; midnight before dawn of day
(2Ch 12:8; 33:11-13;
Jer 2:19).
JFB.
Picture Study Bible