But they thought that either fire, or wind, or swift air, or circling stars, or raging water, or luminaries of heaven were gods that rule the world.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 2. Fire. The chief god of the Persians.—Wind. Zephyrus, and so forth—Air. Which is perhaps the wind. Socrates was accused of adoring nothing, but heaven and the clouds, (Aristot. nub.) as the Jews were. Nil præter nubes et Cœli numen adorant. Juv. xiv. 97.—Stars. The zodiac, or pleiads. This species of idolatry was most ancient and general.—Water. The ocean, Neptune, and so forth The Egyptians adored water above all, as the origin of other things. Hence they were punished first by it. Philo, vit. Mor. 1.—Moon. These were mostly the objects of worship, under the names of Baal, Astarte, ( Calmet.) the Phœbus, or Dianæ of the Romans. Bible.