INTRODUCTION.
ISAIAH, son of Amoz (not Amos); contemporary of Jonah, Amos, Hosea, in Israel, but younger than they; and of Micah, in Judah. His call to a higher degree of the prophetic office ( Isa 6:1-13) is assigned to the last year of Uzziah, that is, 754 B.C. The first through fifth chapters belong to the closing years of that reign; not, as some think, to Jotham's reign: in the reign of the latter he seems to have exercised his office only orally, and not to have left any record of his prophecies because they were not intended for all ages. The first through fifth and sixth chapters are all that was designed for the Church universal of the prophecies of the first twenty years of his office. New historical epochs, such as occurred in the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah, when the affairs of Israel became interwoven with those of the Asiatic empires, are marked by prophetic writings. The prophets had now to interpret the judgments of the Lord, so as to make the people conscious of His punitive justice, as also of His mercy. Isa 7:1-10:4 belong to the reign of Ahaz. The thirty-sixth through thirty-ninth chapters are historical, reaching to the fifteenth year of Hezekiah; probably the tenth through twelfth chapters and all from the thirteenth through twenty-sixth chapters, inclusive, belong to the same reign; the historical section being appended to facilitate the right understanding of these prophecies; thus we have Isaiah's office extending from about 760 to 713 B.C., forty-seven years. Tradition (Talmud) represents him as having been sawn asunder by Manasseh with a wooden saw, for having said that he had seen Jehovah ( Ex 33:20; 2Ki 21:16; Heb 11:37). 2Ch 32:32 seems to imply that Isaiah survived Hezekiah; but "first and last" is not added, as in 2Ch 26:22, which makes it possible that his history of Hezekiah was only carried up to a certain point. The second part, the fortieth through sixty-sixth chapters, containing complaints of gross idolatry, needs not to be restricted to Manasseh's reign, but is applicable to previous reigns. At the accession of Manasseh, Isaiah would be eighty-four; and if he prophesied for eight years afterwards, he must have endured martyrdom at ninety-two; so Hosea prophesied for sixty years. And Eastern tradition reports that he lived to one hundred and twenty. The conclusive argument against the tradition is that, according to the inscription, all Isaiah's prophecies are included in the time from Uzziah to Hezekiah; and the internal evidence accords with this.
His WIFE is called the prophetess [ Isa 8:3], that is, endowed, as Miriam, with a prophetic gift.
His CHILDREN were considered by him as not belonging merely to himself; in their names, Shearjashub, "the remnant shall return" [ Isa 7:3, Margin], and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, "speeding to the spoil, he hasteth to the prey" [ Isa 8:1, Margin], the two chief points of his prophecies are intimated to the people, the judgments of the Lord on the people and the world, and yet His mercy to the elect.
His GARMENT of sackcloth ( Isa 20:2), too, was a silent preaching by fact; he appears as the embodiment of that repentance which he taught.
His HISTORICAL WORKS.--History, as written by the prophets, is retroverted prophecy. As the past and future alike proceed from the essence of God, an inspired insight into the past implies an insight into the future, and vice versa. Hence most of the Old Testament histories are written by prophets and are classed with their writings; the Chronicles being not so classed, cannot have been written by them, but are taken from historical monographs of theirs; for example, Isaiah's life of Uzziah, 2Ch 26:22; also of Hezekiah, 2Ch 32:32; of these latter all that was important for all ages has been preserved to us, while the rest, which was local and temporary, has been lost.
The INSCRIPTION ( Isa 1:1) applies to the whole book and implies that Isaiah is the author of the second part (the fortieth through sixty-sixth chapters), as well as of the first. Nor do the words, "concerning Judah and Jerusalem" [ Isa 1:1], oppose the idea that the inscription applies to the whole; for whatever he says against other nations, he says on account of their relation to Judah. So the inscription of Amos, "concerning Israel" [ Am 1:1], though several prophecies follow against foreign nations. EWALD maintains that the fortieth through sixty-sixth chapters, though spurious, were subjoined to the previous portion, in order to preserve the former. But it is untrue that the first portion is unconnected with those chapters. The former ends with the Babylonian exile ( Isa 39:6), the latter begins with the coming redemption from it. The portion, the fortieth through forty-sixth chapters, has no heading of its own, a proof that it is closely connected with what precedes, and falls under the general heading in Isa 1:1. JOSEPHUS (The Antiquities of the Jews, 11. 1, sec. 1, 2) says that Cyrus was induced by the prophecies of Isaiah ( Isa 44:28; 45:1, 13) to aid the Jews in returning and rebuilding the temple Ezr 1:1-11 confirms this; Cyrus in his edict there plainly refers to the prophecies in the second portion, which assign the kingdoms to him from Jehovah, and the duty of rebuilding the temple. Probably he took from them his historical name Cyrus (Coresh). Moreover, subsequent prophets imitate this second portion, which E WALD assigns to later times; for example, compare Jer 50:1-51:64 with Isaiah's predictions against Babylon [ Is 13:1-14:23]. "The Holy One of Israel," occurring but three times elsewhere in the Old Testament [ 2Ki 19:22; Ps 78:41; 89:18; Jer 50:29; 51:5], is a favorite expression in the second, as in the first portion of Isaiah: it expresses God's covenant faithfulness in fulfilling the promises therein: Jeremiah borrows the expression from him. Also Ecclesiasticus 48:22-25 ("comforted"), quotes Isa 40:1 as Isaiah's. Lu 4:17 quotes Isa 61:1, 2 as Isaiah's, and as read as such by Jesus Christ in the synagogue.
The DEFINITENESS of the prophecies is striking: As in the second portion of isaiah, so in Mic 4:8-10, the Babylonian exile, and the deliverance from it, are foretold a hundred fifty years before any hostilities had arisen between Babylon and Judah. On the other hand, all the prophets who foretell the Assyrian invasion coincide in stating, that Judah should be delivered from it, not by Egyptian aid, but directly by the Lord. Again Jeremiah, in the height of the Chaldean prosperity, foretold its conquest by the Medes, who should enter Babylon through the dry bed of the Euphrates on a night of general revelry. No human calculation could have discovered these facts. EICHORN terms these prophecies "veiled historical descriptions," recognizing in spite of himself that they are more than general poetical fancies. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah was certainly written ages before the Messiah, yet it minutely portrays His sufferings: these cannot be Jewish inventions, for the Jews looked for a reigning, not a suffering, Messiah.
Rationalists are so far right that THE PROPHECIES ARE ON A GENERAL BASIS whereby they are distinguished from soothsaying. They rest on the essential idea of God. The prophets, penetrated by this inner knowledge of His character, became conscious of the eternal laws by which the world is governed: that sin is man's ruin, and must be followed by judgment, but that God's covenant mercy to His elect is unchangeable. Without prophetism, the elect remnant would have decreased, and even God's judgments would have missed their end, by not being recognized as such: they would have been unmeaning, isolated facts. Babylon was in Isaiah's days under Assyria; it had tried a revolt unsuccessfully: but the elements of its subsequent success and greatness were then existing. The Holy Ghost enlightened his natural powers to discern this its rise; and his spiritual faculties, to foresee its fall, the sure consequence, in God's eternal law, of the pride which pagan success generates--and also Judah's restoration, as the covenant-people, with whom God, according to His essential character, would not be wroth for ever. True conversion is the prophet's grand remedy against all evils: in this alone consists his politics. Rebuke, threatening, and promise, regularly succeed one another. The idea at the basis of all is in Isa 26:7-9; Le 10:3; Am 3:2.
The USE OF THE PRESENT AND PRETERITE in prophecy is no proof that the author is later than Isaiah. For seers view the future as present, and indicate what is ideally past, not really past; seeing things in the light of God, who "calls the things that are not as though they were." Moreover, as in looking from a height on a landscape, hills seem close together which are really wide apart, so, in events foretold, the order, succession, and grouping are presented, but the intervals of time are overlooked. The time, however, is sometimes marked ( Jer 25:12; Da 9:26). Thus the deliverance from Babylon, and that effected by Messiah, are in rapid transition grouped together by THE LAW OF PROPHETIC SUGGESTION; yet no prophet so confounds the two as to make Messiah the leader of Israel from Babylon. To the prophet there was probably no double sense; but to his spiritual eye the two events, though distinct, lay so near, and were so analogous, that he could not separate them in description without unfaithfulness to the picture presented before him. The more remote and antitypical event, however, namely, Messiah's coming, is that to which he always hastens, and which he describes with far more minuteness than he does the nearer type; for example, Cyrus (compare Isa 45:1 with Isa 53:1-12). In some cases he takes his stand in the midst of events between, for example, the humiliation of Jesus Christ, which he views as past, and His glorification, as yet to come, using the future tense as to the latter (compare Isa 53:4-9 with 53:10-12). Marks of the time of events are given sparingly in the prophets: yet, as to Messiah, definitely enough to create the general expectation of Him at the time that He was in fact born.
The CHALDÆISMS alleged against the genuineness of the second portion of Isaiah, are found more in the first and undoubted portion. They occur in all the Old Testament, especially in the poetical parts, which prefer unusual expressions, and are due to the fact that the patriarchs were surrounded by Chaldee-speaking people; and in Isaiah's time a few Chaldee words had crept in from abroad.
His SYMBOLS are few and simple, and his poetical images correct; in the prophets, during and after the exile, the reverse holds good; Haggai and Malachi are not exceptions; for, though void of bold images, their style, unlike Isaiah's, rises little above prose: a clear proof that our Isaiah was long before the exile.
Of VISIONS, strictly so called, he has but one, that in the sixth chapter; even it is more simple than those in later prophets. But he often gives SIGNS, that is, a present fact as pledge of the more distant future; God condescending to the feebleness of man ( Isa 7:14; 37:30; 38:7).
The VARIETIES IN HIS STYLE do not prove spuriousness, but that he varied his style with his subject. The second portion is not so much addressed to his contemporaries, as to the future people of the Lord, the elect remnant, purified by the previous judgments. Hence its tenderness of style, and frequent repetitions ( Isa 40:1): for comforting exhortation uses many words; so also the many epithets added to the name of God, intended as stays whereon faith may rest for comfort, so as not to despair. In both portions alike there are peculiarities characteristic of Isaiah; for example, "to be called" equivalent to to be: the repetition of the same words, instead of synonyms, in the parallel members of verses; the interspersing of his prophecies with hymns: "the remnant of olive trees," &c., for the remnant of people who have escaped God's judgments. Also compare Isa 65:25 with Isa 11:6.
The CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT favors the opinion that Isaiah himself collected his prophecies into the volume; not Hezekiah's men, as the Talmud guesses from Pr 25:1. All the portions, the dates of which can be ascertained, stand in the right place, except a few instances, where prophecies of similar contents are placed together: with the termination of the Assyrian invasion (the thirty-sixth through thirty-ninth chapters) terminated the public life of Isaiah. The second part is his prophetic legacy to the small band of the faithful, analogous to the last speeches of Moses and of Jesus Christ to His chosen disciples.
The EXPECTATION OF MESSIAH is so strong in Isaiah, that JEROME To Paulinus calls his book not a prophecy, but the gospel: "He is not so much a prophet as an evangelist." Messiah was already shadowed forth in Ge 49:10, as the Shiloh, or tranquillizer; also in Psalms 2, 45, 72, 110. Isaiah brings it out more definitely; and, whereas they dwelt on His kingly office, Isaiah develops most His priestly and prophetic office; the hundred tenth Psalm also had set forth His priesthood, but His kingly rather than, as Isaiah, His suffering, priesthood. The latter is especially dwelt on in the second part, addressed to the faithful elect; whereas the first part, addressed to the whole people, dwells on Messiah's glory, the antidote to the fears which then filled the people, and the assurance that the kingdom of God, then represented by Judah, would not be overwhelmed by the surrounding nations.
His STYLE (HENGSTENBERG, Christology of the Old Testament,) is simple and sublime; in imagery, intermediate between the poverty of Jeremiah and the exuberance of Ezekiel. He shows his command of it in varying it to suit his subject.
The FORM is mostly that of Hebrew poetical parallelism, with, however, a freedom unshackled by undue restrictions.
JUDAH, the less apostate people, rather than Israel, was the subject of his prophecies: his residence was mostly at Jerusalem. On his praises, see Ecclesiasticus 48:22-25. Christ and the apostles quote no prophet so frequently.
1. THE GENERAL TITLE OR PROGRAM applying to the entire
book: this discountenances the Talmud tradition, that he
was sawn asunder by Manasseh.
Isaiah--equivalent to "The
Lord shall save"; significant of the subject of
his prophecies. On "vision," see
1Sa 9:9; Nu 12:6; and see my
Introduction.
Judah and Jerusalem--Other nations
also are the subjects of his prophecies; but only in their
relation to the Jews (
Isa 13:1-23:18); so also the ten tribes of Israel are
introduced only in the same relation (
Isa 7:1-9:21). Jerusalem is particularly specified,
being the site of the temple, and the center of the
theocracy, and the future throne of Messiah (
Ps 48:2, 3, 9; Jer 3:17). Jesus Christ is the
"Lion of the tribe of Judah" (
Re 5:5).
Uzziah--called also Azariah (
2Ki 14:21; 2Ch 26:1, 17, 20). The Old Testament
prophecies spiritually interpret the histories, as the New
Testament Epistles interpret the Gospels and Acts. Study
them together, to see their spiritual relations. Isaiah
prophesied for only a few years before Uzziah's death;
but his prophecies of that period (
Isa 1:1-6:13) apply to Jotham's reign also, in
which he probably wrote none; for
Isa 7:1-25 enters immediately on Ahaz' reign, after
Uzziah in
Isa 6:1-13; the prophecies under Hezekiah follow next.
2. The very words of Moses (
De 32:1); this implies that the law was the charter
and basis of all prophecy (
Isa 8:20).
Lord--Jehovah; in
Hebrew, "the self-existing and promise-fulfilling,
unchangeable One." The Jews never pronounced this holy
name, but substituted Adonai. The English Version,
LORD in capitals, marks the Hebrew
"Jehovah," though Lord is rather
equivalent to "Adonai" than
"Jehovah."
children-- (
Ex 4:22).
rebelled--as sons (
De 21:18) and as subjects, God being king in the
theocracy (
Isa 63:10). "Brought up," literally,
"elevated," namely, to peculiar privileges (
Jer 2:6-8; Ro 9:4, 5).
3. (
Jer 8:7).
crib--the stall where it is fed (
Pr 14:4). Spiritually the word and ordinances.
Israel--The whole nation, Judah as
well as Israel, in the restricted sense. God regards His
covenant-people in their designed unity.
not know--namely, his Owner, as the
parallelism requires; that is, not recognize Him as
such (
Ex 19:5, equivalent to "my people,"
Joh 1:10, 11).
consider--attend to his Master
(
Isa 41:8), notwithstanding the spiritual food
which He provides (answering to "crib" in the
parallel clause).
4. people--the peculiar designation of God's elect
nation (
Ho 1:10), that they should be "laden with
iniquity" is therefore the more monstrous. Sin is a
load (
Ps 38:4; Mt 11:28).
seed--another appellation of God's
elect (
Ge 12:7; Jer 2:21), designed to be a "holy
seed" (
Isa 6:13), but, awful to say,
"evildoers!"
children--by adoption (
Ho 11:1), yet "evildoers"; not only so, but
"corrupters" of others (
Ge 6:12); the climax. So "nation--people--seed
children."
provoked--literally,
"despised," namely, so as to provoke (
Pr 1:30, 31).
Holy One of Israel--the peculiar
heinousness of their sin, that it was against their
God (
Am 3:2).
gone . . .
backward--literally, "estranged" (
Ps 58:3).
5. Why--rather, as Vulgate, "On what
part." Image from a body covered all over with marks
of blows (
Ps 38:3). There is no part in which you have not been
smitten.
head . . . sick,
&c.--not referring, as it is commonly quoted, to their
sins, but to the universality of their
punishment. However, sin, the moral disease of the
head or intellect, and the heart, is doubtless
made its own punishment (
Pr 1:31; Jer 2:19; Ho 8:11). "Sick,"
literally, "is in a state of sickness"
[GESENIUS]; "has passed into sickness" [M
AURER].
6. From the lowest to the highest of the people; "the
ancient and honorable, the head, the prophet that
teacheth lies, the tail." See
Isa 9:13-16. He first states their wretched condition,
obvious to all (
Isa 1:6-9); and then, not previously, their irreligious
state, the cause of it.
wounds--judicially inflicted (
Ho 5:13).
mollified with ointment--The art of
medicine in the East consists chiefly in external
applications (
Lu 10:34; Jas 5:14).
7. Judah had not in Uzziah's reign recovered from the
ravages of the Syrians in Joash's reign (
2Ch 24:24), and of Israel in Amaziah's reign (
2Ch 25:13, 23, &c.). Compare Isaiah's
contemporary (
Am 4:6-11), where, as here (
Isa 1:9, 10), Israel is compared to "Sodom and
Gomorrah," because of the judgments on it by
"fire."
in your presence--before your eyes:
without your being able to prevent them.
desolate, &c.--literally,
"there is desolation, such as one might look for from
foreign" invaders.
8. daughter of Zion--the city (
Ps 9:14), Jerusalem and its inhabitants (
2Ki 19:21): "daughter" (feminine,
singular being used as a neuter collective noun),
equivalent to sons (
Isa 12:6, Margin) [MAURER]. Metropolis or
"mother-city" is the corresponding term. The idea
of youthful beauty is included in
"daughter."
left--as a remnant escaping the
general destruction.
cottage--a hut, made to give temporary
shelter to the caretaker of the vineyard.
lodge--not permanent.
besieged--rather, as "left,"
and
Isa 1:9 require, preserved, namely, from the
desolation all round [MAURER].
9. Jehovah of Sabaoth, that is, God of the angelic and starry hosts ( Ps 59:5; 147:4; 148:2). The latter were objects of idolatry, called hence Sabaism ( 2Ki 17:16). God is above even them ( 1Ch 16:26). "The groves" were symbols of these starry hosts; it was their worship of Sabaoth instead of the Lord of Sabaoth, which had caused the present desolation ( 2Ch 24:18). It needed no less a power than His, to preserve even a "remnant." Condescending grace for the elect's sake, since He has no need of us, seeing that He has countless hosts to serve Him.
10. Sodom--spiritually ( Ge 19:24; Jer 23:14; Eze 16:46; Re 11:8).
11. God does not here absolutely disparage sacrifice, which
is as old and universal as sin (
Ge 3:21; 4:4), and sin is almost as old as the world;
but sacrifice, unaccompanied with obedience of heart and
life (
1Sa 15:22; Ps 50:9-13; 51:16-19; Ho 6:6).
Positive precepts are only means; moral
obedience is the end. A foreshadowing of the gospel, when
the One real sacrifice was to supersede all the shadowy
ones, and "bring in everlasting righteousness"
(
Ps 40:6, 7; Da 9:24-27; Heb 10:1-14).
full--to satiety; weary of
burnt offerings--burnt whole, except
the blood, which was sprinkled about the altar.
fat--not to be eaten by man, but burnt
on the altar (
Le 3:4, 5, 11, 17).
12. appear before me--in the temple where the Shekinah,
resting on the ark, was the symbol of God's presence
(
Ex 23:15; Ps 42:2).
who hath required this--as if you were
doing God a service by such hypocritical offerings (
Job 35:7). God did require it (
Ex 23:17), but not in this spirit (
Mic 6:6, 7).
courts--areas, in which the
worshippers were. None but priests entered the temple
itself.
13. oblations--unbloody; "meat (old English
sense, not flesh) offerings," that is, of
flour, fruits, oil, &c. (
Le 2:1-13). Hebrew, mincha.
incense--put upon the sacrifices, and
burnt on the altar of incense. Type of prayer (
Ps 141:2; Re 8:3).
new moons--observed as festivals (
Nu 10:10; 28:11, 14) with sacrifices and blowing of
silver trumpets.
sabbaths--both the seventh day and the
beginning and closing days of the great feasts (
Le 23:24-39).
away with--bear, MAURER translates,
"I cannot bear iniquity and the solemn
meeting," that is, the meeting associated with
iniquity--literally, the closing days of the feasts;
so the great days (
Le 23:36; Joh 7:37).
14. appointed--the sabbath, passover, pentecost, day of
atonement, and feast of tabernacles [HENGSTENBERG]; they
alone were fixed to certain times of the year.
weary-- (
Isa 43:24).
15. (
Ps 66:18; Pr 28:9; La 3:43, 44).
spread . . . hands--in
prayer (
1Ki 8:22). Hebrew, "bloods," for
all heinous sins, persecution of God's servants
especially (
Mt 23:35). It was the vocation of the prophets to
dispel the delusion, so contrary to the law itself (
De 10:16), that outward ritualism would satisfy God.
16. God saith to the sinner, "Wash you,"
&c., that he, finding his inability to "make"
himself "clean," may cry to God, Wash me,
cleanse me (
Ps 51:2, 7, 10).
before mine eyes--not mere outward
reformation before man's eyes, who cannot, as
God, see into the heart (
Jer 32:19).
17. seek judgment--justice, as magistrates, instead
of seeking bribes (
Jer 22:3, 16).
judge--vindicate (
Ps 68:5; Jas 1:27).
18. God deigns to argue the case with us, that all may see
the just, nay, loving principle of His dealings with men
(
Isa 43:26).
scarlet--the color of Jesus
Christ's robe when bearing our "sins" (
Mt 27:28). So Rahab's thread (
Jos 2:18; compare
Le 14:4). The rabbins say that when the lot used to be
taken, a scarlet fillet was bound on the
scapegoat's head, and after the high priest had
confessed his and the people's sins over it, the fillet
became white: the miracle ceased, according to them,
forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem, that is,
exactly when Jesus Christ was crucified; a remarkable
admission of adversaries. Hebrew for
"scarlet" radically means double-dyed; so
the deep-fixed permanency of sin in the heart, which
no mere tears can wash away.
snow-- (
Ps 51:7). Repentance is presupposed, before sin can be
made white as snow (
Isa 1:19, 20); it too is God's gift (
La+5:21,Ac+5:31">Jer 31:18, end; La 5:21; Ac
5:31).
red--refers to "blood" (
Isa 1:15).
as wool--restored to its original
undyed whiteness. This verse shows that the old fathers did
not look only for transitory promises (Article VII, Book
of Common Prayer). For sins of ignorance, and such
like, alone had trespass offerings appointed for them;
greater guilt therefore needed a greater sacrifice, for,
"without shedding of blood there was no
remission"; but none such was appointed, and yet
forgiveness was promised and expected; therefore spiritual
Jews must have looked for the One Mediator of both Old
Testament and New Testament, though dimly understood.
19, 20. Temporal blessings in "the land of their possession" were prominent in the Old Testament promises, as suited to the childhood of the Church ( Ex 3:17). New Testament spiritual promises derive their imagery from the former ( Mt 5:5).
20. Lord hath spoken it--Isaiah's prophecies rest on the law ( Le 26:33). God alters not His word ( Numbers 23. 19).
21. faithful--as a wife (
Isa 54:5; 62:5; Ho 2:19, 20).
harlot-- (
Eze 16:28-35).
righteousness lodged-- (
2Pe 3:13).
murderers--murderous
oppressors, as the antithesis requires (see on Isa 1:15; 1Jo
3:15).
22. Thy princes and people are degenerate in "solid
worth," equivalent to "silver" (
Jer 6:28, 30; Eze 22:18, 19), and in their use of
the living Word, equivalent to "wine" (
So 7:9).
mixed--literally,
"circumcised." So the Arabic, "to
murder" wine, equivalent to dilute it.
23. companions of thieves--by connivance (
Pr 29:24).
gifts-- (
Eze 22:12). A nation's corruption begins with its
rulers.
24. Lord . . . Lord--Adonai,
JEHOVAH.
mighty One of Israel--mighty to take
vengeance, as before, to save.
Ah--indignation.
ease me--My long tried patience will
find relief in at last punishing the guilty (
Eze 5:13). God's language condescends to human
conceptions.
25. turn . . . hand--not in wrath, but in
grace (
Zec 13:7), "upon thee," as
Isa 1:26, 27 show; contrasted with the enemies,
of whom He will avenge Himself (
Isa 1:24).
purely--literally, "as alkali
purifies."
thy dross--not thy sins, but
the sinful persons (
Jer 6:29); "enemies" (
Isa 1:24); degenerate princes (see on Isa 1:22), intermingled with the elect
"remnant" of grace.
tin--Hebrew, bedil, here the
alloy of lead, tin, &c., separated by smelting from the
silver. The pious Bishop Bedell took his motto from this.
26. As the degeneracy had shown itself most in the
magistrates (
Isa 1:17-23), so, at the "restoration," these
shall be such as the theocracy "at the first" had
contemplated, namely, after the Babylonish restoration in
part and typically, but fully and antitypically under
Messiah (
Isa 32:1; 52:8; Jer 33:7; Mt 19:28).
faithful--no longer "an
harlot."
27. redeemed--temporarily, civilly, and morally; type of
the spiritual redemption by the price of
Jesus Christ's blood (
1Pe 1:18, 19), the foundation of "judgment"
and "righteousness," and so of pardon. The
judgment and righteousness are God's first
(
Isa 42:21; Ro 3:26); so they become man's when
"converted" (
Ro 8:3, 4); typified in the display of God's
"justice," then exhibited in delivering His
covenant-people, whereby justice or
"righteousness" was produced in them.
converts--so MAURER. But
Margin, "they that return of her," namely the
remnant that return from captivity. However, as Isaiah had
not yet expressly foretold the Babylonian captivity, the
English Version is better.
28. destruction--literally, "breaking into shivers" ( Re 2:27). The prophets hasten forward to the final extinction of the ungodly ( Ps 37:20; Re 19:20; 20:15); of which antecedent judgments are types.
29. ashamed-- (
Ro 6:21).
oaks--Others translate the
"terebinth" or "turpentine tree."
Groves were dedicated to idols. Our Druids took their name
from the Greek for "oaks." A sacred tree
is often found in Assyrian sculpture; symbol of the starry
hosts, Saba.
gardens--planted enclosures for
idolatry; the counterpart of the garden of Eden.
30. oak--Ye shall be like the "oaks," the object of your "desire" ( Isa 1:29). People become like the gods they worship; they never rise above their level ( Ps 135:18). So men's sins become their own scourges ( Jer 2:9). The leaf of the idol oak fades by a law of necessary consequence, having no living sap or "water" from God. So "garden" answers to "gardens" ( Isa 1:29).
31. strong--powerful rulers (
Am 2:9).
maker of it--rather, his work. He
shall be at once the fuel, "tow," and the cause
of the fire, by kindling the first "spark."
both--the wicked ruler, and "his
work," which "is as a spark."
1. The inscription.
The word--the revelation.
2. Same as
Mic 4:1. As Micah prophesied in Jotham's reign, and
Isaiah in Uzziah's, Micah rests on Isaiah, whom he
confirms: not vice versa. H ENGSTENBERG on slight grounds
makes
Mic 4:1 the original.
last days--that is, Messiah's:
especially the days yet to come, to which all prophecy
hastens, when "the house of the God of
Jacob," namely, at Jerusalem, shall be the center
to which the converted nations shall flock together (
Mt 13:32; Lu 2:31, 32; Ac 1:6, 7); where "the
kingdom" of Israel is regarded as certain and the
time alone uncertain (
Ps 68:15, 16; 72:8, 11).
mountain of the Lord's house
. . . in the top, &c.--the temple on Mount
Moriah: type of the Gospel, beginning at Jerusalem, and,
like an object set on the highest hill, made so conspicuous
that all nations are attracted to it.
flow--as a broad stream (
Isa 66:12).
3. If the curse foretold against Israel has been literally
fulfilled, so shall the promised blessing be literal. We
Gentiles must not, while giving them the curse, deny them
their peculiar blessing by spiritualizing it. The Holy
Ghost shall be poured out for a general conversion
then (
Jer 50:5; Zec 8:21, 23; Joe 2:28).
from Jerusalem-- (
Lu 24:47) an earnest of the future relations of
Jerusalem to Christendom (
Ro 11:12, 15).
4. judge--as a sovereign umpire, settling all controversies
(compare
Isa 11:4). LOWTH translates "work,"
"conviction."
plowshares--in the East resembling a
short sword (
Isa 9:6, 7; Zec 9:10).
5. The connection is: As Israel's high destiny is to be a blessing to all nations ( Ge 12:3), let Israel's children walk worthy of it ( Eph 5:8).
6. Therefore--rather, "For": reasons why there is
the more need of the exhortation in
Isa 2:5.
thou--transition to Jehovah: such
rapid transitions are natural, when the mind is full of a
subject.
replenished--rather, filled, namely,
with the superstitions of the East, Syria, and
Chaldea.
soothsayers--forbidden (
De 18:10-14).
Philistines--southwest of Palestine:
antithesis to "the east."
please themselves--rather, join hands
with, that is, enter into alliances, matrimonial and
national: forbidden (
Ex 23:32; Ne 13:23, &c.).
7. gold--forbidden to be heaped together (
De 17:17). Solomon disobeyed (
1Ki 10:21, 27).
horses . . .
chariots--forbidden (
De 17:16). But Solomon disobeyed (
1Ki 20:26). Horses could be used effectively for war in
the plains of Egypt; not so in the hilly Judea. God
designed there should be as wide as possible a distinction
between Israel and the Egyptians. He would have His people
wholly dependent on Him, rather than on the ordinary means
of warfare (
Ps 20:7). Also horses were connected with idolatry (
2Ki 23:11); hence His objection: so the transition to
"idols" (
Isa 2:8) is natural.
8. ( Ho 8:4). Not so much public idolatry, which was not sanctioned in Uzziah's and Jotham's reign, but (see 2Ki 15:4, 35) as private.
9. mean--in rank: not morally base: opposed to "the
great man." The former is in Hebrew, Adam, the
latter, ish.
boweth--namely, to idols. All
ranks were idolaters.
forgive . . . not--a threat
expressed by an imperative. Isaiah so identifies himself
with God's will, that he prays for that which he knows
God purposes. So
Re 18:6.
10. Poetical form of expressing that, such were their sins,
they would be obliged by God's judgments to seek a
hiding-place from His wrath (
Re 6:15, 16).
dust--equivalent to "caves of the
earth," or dust (
Isa 2:19).
for fear, &c.--literally,
"from the face of the terror of the Lord."
11. lofty looks--literally, "eyes of pride" (
Ps 18:27).
humbled--by calamities. God will so
vindicate His honor "in that day" of judgments,
that none else "shall be exalted" (
Zec 14:9).
12. Man has had many days: "the day of the Lord"
shall come at last, beginning with judgment, a never-ending
day in which God shall be "all in all" (
1Co 15:28; 2Pe 3:10).
every--not merely person, as
English Version explains it, but every thing
on which the nation prided itself.
13. cedars . . . oaks--image for haughty nobles
and princes (
Am 2:9; Zec 11:1, 2; compare
Re 19:18-21).
Bashan--east of Jordan, north of the
river Jabbok, famous for fine oaks, pasture, and cattle.
Perhaps in "oaks" there is reference to their
idolatry (
Isa 1:29).
14. high . . . hills--referring to the "high places" on which sacrifices were unlawfully offered, even in Uzziah's (equivalent to Azariah) reign ( 2Ki 15:4). Also, places of strength, fastnesses in which they trusted, rather than in God; so
15. tower . . . wall--Towers were often
made on the walls of cities.
fenced--strongly fortified.
16. Tarshish--Tartessus in southwest Spain, at the
mouth of the Guadalquivir, near Gibraltar. It includes the
adjoining region: a Phœnician colony; hence its
connection with Palestine and the Bible (
2Ch 9:21). The name was also used in a wide sense for
the farthest west, as our West Indies (
Isa 66:19; Ps 48:7; 72:10). "Ships of
Tarshish" became a phrase for richly laden and
far-voyaging vessels. The judgment shall be on all
that minister to man's luxury (compare
Re 18:17-19).
pictures--ordered to be destroyed (
Nu 33:52). Still to be seen on the walls of
Nineveh's palaces. It is remarkable that whereas all
other ancient civilized nations, Egypt, Assyria, Greece,
Rome, have left monuments in the fine arts, Judea, while
rising immeasurably above them in the possession of
"the living oracles," has left none of the
former. The fine arts, as in modern Rome, were so often
associated with polytheism, that God required His people in
this, as in other respects, to be separate from the nations
(
De 4:15-18). But Vulgate translation is perhaps
better, "All that is beautiful to the sight"; not
only paintings, but all luxurious ornaments. One
comprehensive word for all that goes before (compare
Re 18:12, 14, 16).
17. Repeated from Isa 2:11, for emphatic confirmation.
18. idols--literally, "vain things," "nothings" ( 1Co 8:4). Fulfilled to the letter. Before the Babylonian captivity the Jews were most prone to idolatry; in no instance, ever since. For the future fulfilment, see Zec 13:2; Re 13:15; 19:20.
19. The fulfilment answers exactly to the threat (
Isa 2:10).
they--the idol-worshippers.
caves--abounding in Judea, a hilly
country; hiding-places in times of alarm (
1Sa 13:6).
shake . . . earth--and the
heavens also (
Heb 12:26). Figure for severe and universal judgments.
20. moles--Others translate "mice." The sense is,
under ground, in darkness.
bats--unclean birds (
Le 11:19), living amidst tenantless ruins (
Re 11:13).
22. The high ones ( Isa 2:11, 13) on whom the people trust, shall be "brought low" ( Isa 3:2); therefore "cease from" depending on them, instead of on the Lord ( Ps 146:3-5).
1. For--continuation of
Isa 2:22.
Lord of hosts--therefore able to do as
He says.
doth--present for future, so certain
is the accomplishment.
stay . . . staff--the same
Hebrew word, the one masculine, the other feminine,
an Arabic idiom for all kinds of support.
What a change from the previous luxuries (
Isa 2:7)! Fulfilled in the siege by Nebuchadnezzar and
afterwards by Titus (
Jer 37:21; 38:9).
2. Fulfilled (
2Ki 24:14).
prudent--the Hebrew often means
a "soothsayer" (
De 18:10-14); thus it will mean, the diviners, on whom
they rely, shall in that day fail. It is found in a good
sense (
Pr 16:10), from which passage the Jews interpret it
a king; "without" whom Israel long has been
(
Ho 3:4).
ancient--old and experienced (
1Ki 12:6-8).
3. captain of fifty--not only captains of thousands, and
centurions of a hundred, but even semi-centurions of fifty,
shall fail.
honourable--literally, "of
dignified aspect."
cunning--skilful. The mechanic's
business will come to a standstill in the siege and
subsequent desolation of the state; artisans are no mean
"stay" among a nation's safeguards.
eloquent orator--rather, as
Vulgate, "skilled in whispering," that is,
incantation (
Ps 58:5). See
Isa 8:19, below; and on "prudent," see on Isa 3:2.
4. children--in ability for governing; antithesis to the
"ancient" (see
Isa 3:12; Ec 10:16).
babes--in warlike might; antithesis to
"the mighty" and "man of war."
5. The anarchy resulting under such imbecile rulers (
Isa 3:4); unjust exactions mutually; the forms of
respect violated (
Le 19:32).
base--low-born. Compare the marks of
"the last days" (
2Ti 3:2).
6. Such will be the want of men of wealth and ability, that
they will "take hold of" (
Isa 4:1) the first man whom they meet, having any
property, to make him "ruler."
brother--one having no better
hereditary claim to be ruler than the "man"
supplicating him.
Thou hast clothing--which none of us
has. Changes of raiment are wealth in the East (
2Ki 5:5).
ruin--Let our ruined affairs be
committed to thee to retrieve.
7. swear--literally, "lift up," namely, his hand;
the gesture used in solemn attestation. Or, his voice, that
is, answer; so Vulgate.
healer--of the body politic, incurably
diseased (
Isa 1:6).
neither . . . clothing--so
as to relieve the people and maintain a ruler's
dignity. A nation's state must be bad indeed, when none
among men, naturally ambitious, is willing to accept
office.
8. Reason given by the prophet, why all shrink from the
government.
eyes of his glory--to provoke His
"glorious" Majesty before His "eyes"
(compare
Isa 49:5; Hab 1:13). The Syriac and LOWTH, by a
slight change of the Hebrew, translate, "the
cloud of His glory," the Shekinah.
9. show--The Hebrew means, "that which may be
known by their countenances" [GESENIUS and
WEISS]. But MAURER translates, "Their respect for
person"; so Syriac and Chaldee. But the
parallel word "declare" favors the other view.
KIMCHI, from the Arabic, translates "their
hardness" (
Job 19:3, Margin), or impudence of countenance
(
Jer 3:3). They have lost not only the substance of
virtue, but its color.
witness--literally,
"corresponds" to them; their look answers to
their inner character (
Ho 5:5).
declare-- (
Jude 13). "Foaming out their own
shame"; so far from making it a secret,
"glorying" in it (
Php 3:19).
unto themselves--Compare "in
themselves" (
Pr 1:31; 8:36; Jer 2:19; Ro 1:27).
10. The faithlessness of many is no proof that all
are faithless. Though nothing but croaking of frogs is
heard on the surface of the pool, we are not to infer there
are no fish beneath [BENGEL]. (See
Isa 1:19, 20).
fruit of doings-- (
Pr 1:31) in a good sense (
Ga 6:8; Re 22:14). Not salvation by works, but by
fruit-bearing faith (
Isa 45:24; Jer 23:6). GESENIUS and WEISS translate,
Declare as to the righteous that, &c. MAURER,
"Say that the righteous is blessed."
11. ill--antithesis to "well" (
Isa 3:10); emphatic ellipsis of the words italicized.
"Ill!"
hands--his conduct; "hands"
being the instrument of acts (
Ec 8:12, 13).
12. (See
Isa 3:4).
oppressors--literally,
"exactors," that is, exacting princes (
Isa 60:17). They who ought to be
protectors are exactors; as unqualified for rule
as "children," as effeminate as
"women." Perhaps it is also implied that they
were under the influence of their harem, the women of their
court.
lead--Hebrew, "call thee
blessed"; namely, the false prophets, who
flatter the people with promises of safety in sin; as the
political "rulers" are meant in the first
clause.
way of thy paths-- (
Jer 6:16). The right way set forth in the law.
"Destroy"--Hebrew, "Swallow up,"
that is, cause so utterly to disappear that not a vestige
of it is left.
13. standeth up--no longer sitting in silence.
plead--indignant against a wicked
people (
Isa 66:16; Eze 20:35).
14. ancients--Hence they are spoken of as "taken
away" (
Isa 3:1, 2).
vineyard--the Jewish theocracy (
Isa 5:1-7; Ps 80:9-13).
eaten up--"burnt"; namely,
by "oppressive exactions" (
Isa 3:12). Type of the crowning guilt of the husbandmen
in the days of Jesus Christ (
Mt 21:34-41).
spoil . . . houses-- (
Mt 23:14).
15. What right have ye to beat, &c. (
Ps 94:5; Mic 3:2, 3).
grind--by exactions, so as to leave
them nothing.
faces--persons; with the additional
idea of it being openly and palpably done.
"Presence," equivalent to "face"
(Hebrew).
16. Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
&c.--Luxury had become great in Uzziah's prosperous
reign (
2Ch 26:5).
stretched forth--proudly elevated (
Ps 75:5).
wanton--rather, "making the eyes
to glance about," namely, wantonly (
Pr 6:13) [MAURER]. But LOWTH, "falsely setting off
the eyes with paint." Women's eyelids in the East
are often colored with stibium, or powder of lead (see on
Job 42:14;
Jer 4:30, Margin).
mincing--tripping with short
steps.
tinkling--with their ankle-rings on
both feet, joined by small chains, which sound as they
walk, and compel them to take short steps; sometimes little
bells were attached (
Isa 3:18, 20).
17. smite with a scab--literally, "make bald,"
namely, by disease.
discover--cause them to suffer the
greatest indignity that can befall female captives, namely
to be stripped naked, and have their persons exposed (
Isa 47:3; compare with
Isa 20:4).
18. bravery--the finery.
tinkling--(See
Isa 3:16).
cauls--network for the head. Or else,
from an Arabic root, "little suns,"
answering to the "tires" or neck-ornaments,
"like the moon" (
Jud 8:21). The chumarah or crescent is also worn
in front of the headdress in West Asia.
19. chains--rather, pendants, hanging about the neck, and
dropping on the breast.
mufflers--veils covering the face,
with apertures for the eyes, close above and loosely
flowing below. The word radically means
"tremulous," referring to the changing effect of
the spangles on the veil.
20. bonnets--turbans.
ornaments of the legs--the short
stepping-chains from one foot to another, to give a
measured gait; attached to the "tinkling
ornaments" (
Isa 3:16).
headbands--literally,
"girdles."
tablets--rather, "houses of the
breath," that is, smelling boxes
[Vulgate].
earrings--rather, amulets suspended
from the neck or ears, with magic formulæ inscribed;
the root means to "whisper" or
"conjure."
21. nose jewels--The cartilage between the nostrils was bored to receive them; they usually hung from the left nostril.
22. Here begin entire articles of apparel. Those
before were single ornaments.
changeable--from a root, "to put
off"; not worn commonly; put on and off on special
occasions. So, dress-clothes (
Zec 3:4).
mantles--fuller tunics with sleeves,
worn over the common one, reaching down to the feet.
wimples--that is, mufflers, or hoods.
In
Ru 3:15, "veils"; perhaps here, a broad
cloak, or shawl, thrown over the head and body.
crisping pins--rather, money bags (
2Ki 5:23).
23. glasses--mirrors of polished metal (
Ex 38:8). But the Septuagint, a transparent,
gauze-like, garment.
hoods--miters, or diadems (
Isa 62:3; Zec 3:5).
veils--large enough to cover the head
and person. Distinct from the smaller veils
("mufflers") above (
Ge 24:65). Token of woman's subjection (
1Co 11:10).
24. stink--arising from ulcers (
Zec 14:12).
girdle--to gird up the loose Eastern
garments, when the person walked.
rent--the Septuagint, better, a
"rope," an emblem of poverty; the poor have
nothing else to gird up their clothes with.
well-set hair-- (
1Pe 3:3, 4).
baldness-- (
Isa 3:17).
stomacher--a broad plaited
girdle.
sackcloth-- (
2Sa 3:31).
burning--a sunburnt countenance, owing
to their hoods and veils being stripped off, while they had
to work as captives under a scorching sun (
So 1:6).
25. Thy men--of Jerusalem.
26. gates--The place of concourse personified is
represented mourning for the loss of those multitudes which
once frequented it.
desolate . . . sit upon
. . . ground--the very figure under which Judea
was represented on medals after the destruction by Titus: a
female sitting under a palm tree in a posture of
grief; the motto, Judæa capta (
Job 2:13; La 2:10, where, as here primarily, the
destruction by Nebuchadnezzar is alluded to).
that day--the calamitous period described in previous
chapter.
seven--indefinite number among the
Jews. So many men would be slain, that there would be very
many more women than men; for example, seven women,
contrary to their natural bashfulness, would sue to
(equivalent to "take hold of,"
Isa 3:6) one man to marry them.
eat . . . own
bread--foregoing the privileges, which the law (
Ex 21:10) gives to wives, when a man has more than
one.
reproach--of being unwedded and
childless; especially felt among the Jews, who were looking
for "the seed of the woman," Jesus Christ,
described in
Isa 4:2; Isa 54:1, 4; Lu 1:25.
2. In contrast to those on whom vengeance falls, there is a
manifestation of Jesus Christ to the "escaped of
Israel" in His characteristic attributes,
beauty and glory, typified in Aaron's
garments (
Ex 28:2). Their sanctification is promised as
the fruit of their being "written" in the book of
life by sovereign love (
Isa 4:3); the means of it are the "spirit of
judgment" and that of "burning" (
Isa 4:4). Their "defense" by the special
presence of Jesus Christ is promised (
Isa 4:5, 6).
branch--the sprout of JEHOVAH. Messiah
(
Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zec 3:8; 6:12; Lu 1:78,
Margin). The parallel clause does not, as MAURER
objects, oppose this; for "fruit of the earth"
answers to "branch"; He shall not be a dry, but a
fruit-bearing branch (
Isa 27:6; Eze 34:23-27). He is "of the
earth" in His birth and death, while He is also
"of the Lord" (Jehovah) (
Joh 12:24). His name, "the Branch," chiefly
regards His descent from David, when the family was low
and reduced (
Lu 2:4, 7, 24); a sprout with more than David's
glory, springing as from a decayed tree (
Isa 11:1; 53:2; Re 22:16).
excellent-- (
Heb 1:4; 8:6).
comely-- (
So 5:15, 16; Eze 16:14).
escaped of Israel--the elect remnant
(
Ro 11:5); (1) in the return from Babylon; (2) in the
escape from Jerusalem's destruction under Titus; (3) in
the still future assault on Jerusalem, and deliverance of
"the third part"; events mutually analogous, like
concentric circles (
Zec 12:2-10; 13:8, 9, &c.; 14:2; Eze 39:23-29; Joe
3:1-21).
3. left in Zion--equivalent to the "escaped of
Israel" (
Isa 4:2).
shall be called--shall be (
Isa 9:6).
holy-- (
Isa 52:1; 60:21; Re 21:27).
written--in the book of life,
antitypically (
Php 4:3; Re 3:5; 17:8). Primarily, in the
register kept of Israel's families and
tribes.
living--not "blotted out"
from the registry, as dead; but written there as
among the "escaped of Israel" (
Da 12:1; Eze 13:9). To the elect of Israel,
rather than the saved in general, the special
reference is here (
Joe 3:17).
4. When--that is, After.
washed-- (
Zec 13:1).
filth--moral (
Isa 1:21-25).
daughters of Zion--same as in
Isa 3:16.
purged--purified by judgments;
destroying the ungodly, correcting and refining the
godly.
blood-- (
Isa 1:15).
spirit--Whatever God does in the
universe, He does by His Spirit, "without the
hand" of man (
Job 34:20; Ps 104:30). Here He is represented using His
power as Judge.
burning-- (
Mt 3:11, 12). The same Holy Ghost, who sanctifies
believers by the fire of affliction (
Mal 3:2, 3), dooms unbelievers to the fire of perdition
(
1Co 3:13-15).
5. create--The "new creation" needs as much
God's creative omnipotence, as the material creation
(
2Co 4:6; Eph 2:10). So it shall be in the case of the
Holy Jerusalem to come (
Isa 65:17, 18).
upon--The pillar of cloud stood over
the tabernacle, as symbol of God's favor and presence
(
Ex 13:21, 22; Ps 91:1). Both on individual
families ("every dwelling") and on the
general sacred "assemblies" (
Le 23:2). The "cloud" became a
"fire" by night in order to be seen by the
Lord's people.
upon all the glory--"upon the
glorious whole"; namely, the Lord's people and
sanctuary [MAURER]. May it not mean, "Upon whatever
the glory (the Shekinah spoken of in the previous
clause) shall rest, there shall be a defense." The
symbol of His presence shall ensure also safety. So it was
to Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea (
Ex 14:19, 20). So it shall be to literal Jerusalem
hereafter (
Zec 2:5). Also to the Church, the spiritual
"Zion" (
Isa 32:18; 33:15-17; Heb 12:22).
tabernacle--Christ's body (
Joh 1:14). "The word 'tabernacled'
(Greek for 'dwelt') among us" (
Joh 2:21; Heb 8:2). It is a "shadow from the
heat" and "refuge from the storm" of divine
wrath against man's sins (
Isa 25:4). Heat and storms are violent in the East; so
that a portable tent is a needful part of a traveller's
outfit. Such shall be God's wrath hereafter, from which
the "escaped of Israel" shall be sheltered by
Jesus Christ (
Isa 26:20, 21; 32:2).
covert--answering to
"defense" (
Isa 4:5). The Hebrew for defense in
Isa 4:5, is "covering"; the lid of the ark or
mercy seat was named from the same Hebrew word,
caphar; the propitiatory; for it, being
sprinkled with blood by the high priest once a year, on the
day of atonement, covered the people typically from
wrath. Jesus Christ is the true Mercy Seat, on whom the
Shekinah rested, the propitiatory, or atonement,
beneath whom the law is kept, as it was literally within
the ark, and man is covered from the storm. The
redeemed Israel shall also be, by union with Him, a
tabernacle for God's glory, which, unlike that in the
wilderness, shall not be taken down (
Isa 38:20).
Isa 5:1-30. PARABLE OF JEHOVAH'S VINEYARD.
A new prophecy; entire in itself. Probably delivered about the same time as the second and third chapters, in Uzziah's reign. Compare Isa 5:15, 16 with Isa 2:17; and Isa 5:1 with Isa 3:14. However, the close of the chapter alludes generally to the still distant invasion of Assyrians in a later reign (compare Isa 5:26 with Isa 7:18; and Isa 5:25 with Isa 9:12). When the time drew nigh, according to the ordinary prophetic usage, he handles the details more particularly ( Isa 7:1-8:22); namely, the calamities caused by the Syro-Israelitish invasion, and subsequently by the Assyrians whom Ahaz had invited to his help.
1. to--rather, "concerning" [GESENIUS], that is,
in the person of My beloved, as His representative
[VITRINGA]. Isaiah gives a hint of the distinction and yet
unity of the Divine Persons (compare He with
I,
Isa 5:2, 3).
of my beloved--inspired by Him; or
else, a tender song [CASTALIO]. By a slight change of
reading "a song of His love" [HOUBIGANT].
"The Beloved" is Jehovah, the Second Person, the
"Angel" of God the Father, not in His character
as incarnate Messiah, but as God of the Jews
(
Ex 23:20, 21; 32:34; 33:14).
vineyard-- (
Isa 3:14; Ps 80:8, &c.). The Jewish
covenant-people, separated from the nations for His glory,
as the object of His peculiar care (
Mt 20:1; 21:33). Jesus Christ in the
"vineyard" of the New Testament Church is the
same as the Old Testament Angel of the Jewish
covenant.
fruitful hill--literally, "a
horn" ("peak," as the Swiss
shreckhorn) of the son of oil; poetically, for
very fruitful. Suggestive of isolation, security,
and a sunny aspect. Isaiah alludes plainly to the Song of
Solomon (
So 6:3; 8:11, 12), in the words "His
vineyard" and "my Beloved" (compare
Isa 26:20; 61:10, with So 1:4; 4:10). The transition
from "branch" (
Isa 4:2) to "vineyard" here is not unnatural.
2. fenced--rather, "digged and trenched" the
ground to prepare it for planting the vines [MAURER].
choicest vine--Hebrew, sorek;
called still in Morocco, serki; the grapes had
scarcely perceptible seeds; the Persian kishmish or
bedana, that is, "without seed" (
Ge 49:11).
tower--to watch the vineyard against
the depredations of man or beast, and for the use of the
owner (
Mt 21:33).
wine-press--including the wine-fat;
both hewn, for coolness, out of the rocky undersoil of the
vineyard.
wild grapes--The Hebrew
expresses offensive putrefaction, answering to the corrupt
state of the Jews. Fetid fruit of the wild vine [MAURER],
instead of "choicest" grapes. Of the poisonous
monk's hood [GESENIUS]. The Arabs call the fruit of the
nightshade "wolf grapes" (
De 32:32, 33; 2Ki 4:39-41). JEROME tries to specify the
details of the parable; the "fence,"
angels; the "stones gathered out,"
idols; the "tower," the "temple
in the midst" of Judea; the "wine-press,"
the altar.
3. And now, &c.--appeal of God to themselves, as in Isa 1:18; Mic 6:3. So Jesus Christ, in Mt 21:40, 41, alluding in the very form of expression to this, makes them pass sentence on themselves. God condemns sinners "out of their own mouth" ( De 32:6; Job 15:6; Lu 19:22; Ro 3:4).
4. God has done all that could be done for the salvation of sinners, consistently with His justice and goodness. The God of nature is, as it were, amazed at the unnatural fruit of so well-cared a vineyard.
5. go to--that is, attend to me.
hedge . . . wall--It had
both; a proof of the care of the owner. But now it shall be
trodden down by wild beasts (enemies) (
Ps 80:12, 13).
6. I will . . . command--The parable is partly
dropped and Jehovah, as in
Isa 5:7, is implied to be the Owner: for He alone, not
an ordinary husbandman (
Mt 21:43; Lu 17:22), could give such a
"command."
no rain--antitypically, the
heaven-sent teachings of the prophets (
Am 8:11). Not accomplished in the Babylonish captivity;
for Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah
prophesied during or after it. But in gospel times.
7. Isaiah here applies the parable. It is no mere
human owner, nor a literal vineyard that is
meant.
vineyard of the Lord--His only
one (
Ex 19:5; Am 3:2).
pleasant--"the plant of his
delight"; just as the husbandman was at pains to
select the sorek, or "choicest vine" (
Isa 5:2); so God's election of the Jews.
judgment--justice. The play upon words
is striking in the Hebrew, He looked for
mishpat, but behold mispat
("bloodshed"); for tsedaqua, but behold
tseaqua (the cry that attends anarchy, covetousness,
and dissipation,
Isa 5:8, 11, 12; compare the cry of the rabble by which
justice was overborne in the case of Jesus Christ,
Mt 27:23, 24).
Isa 5:8-23. SIX DISTINCT WOES AGAINST CRIMES.
8. (
Le 25:13; Mic 2:2). The jubilee restoration of
possessions was intended as a guard against avarice.
till there be no place--left for any
one else.
that they may be--rather, and ye
be.
the earth--the land.
9. In mine ears . . . the Lord--namely, has
revealed it, as in
Isa 22:14.
desolate--literally, "a
desolation," namely, on account of the national
sins.
great and fair--houses.
10. acres--literally, "yokes"; as much as one
yoke of oxen could plow in a day.
one--only.
bath--of wine; seven and a half
gallons.
homer . . . ephah--Eight
bushels of seed would yield only three pecks of produce (
Eze 45:11). The ephah and bath, one-tenth of an homer.
11. Second Woe--against intemperance.
early--when it was regarded especially
shameful to drink (
Ac 2:15; 1Th 5:7). Banquets for revelry began earlier
than usual (
Ec 10:16, 17).
strong drink--Hebrew, sichar,
implying intoxication.
continue--drinking all day till
evening.
12. Music was common at ancient feasts (
Isa 24:8, 9; Am 6:5, 6).
viol--an instrument with twelve
strings [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 8.10].
tabret--Hebrew, toph, from the
use of which in drowning the cries of children sacrificed
to Moloch, Tophet received its name. Arabic,
duf. A kettle drum, or tambourine.
pipe--flute or flageolet: from a
Hebrew root "to bore through"; or else,
"to dance" (compare
Job 21:11-15).
regard not . . . Lord--a
frequent effect of feasting (
Job 1:5; Ps 28:5).
work . . . operation--in
punishing the guilty (
Isa 5:19; Isa 10:12).
13. are gone--The prophet sees the future as if it
were before his eyes.
no knowledge--because of their foolish
recklessness (
Isa 5:12; Isa 1:3; Ho 4:6; Lu 19:44).
famished--awful contrast to their
luxurious feasts (
Isa 5:11, 12).
multitude--plebeians in
contradistinction to the "honorable men," or
nobles.
thirst-- (
Ps 107:4, 5). Contrast to their drinking (
Isa 5:11). In their deportation and exile, they shall
hunger and thirst.
14. hell--the grave; Hebrew, sheol; Greek, hades;
"the unseen world of spirits." Not here,
"the place of torment." Poetically, it is
represented as enlarging itself immensely, in order to
receive the countless hosts of Jews, which should perish
(
Nu 16:30).
their--that is, of the Jewish
people.
he that rejoiceth--the drunken
reveller in Jerusalem.
15. (Compare Isa 2:9, 11, 17). All ranks, "mean" and "mighty" alike; so "honorable" and "multitude" ( Isa 5:13).
16. God shall be "exalted" in man's view,
because of His manifestation of His "justice" in
punishing the guilty.
sanctified--regarded as holy by
reason of His "righteous" dealings.
17. after their manner--literally, "according to their
own word," that is, at will. Otherwise, as
in their own pasture [GESENIUS]: so the Hebrew
in
Mic 2:12. The lands of the Scenite tent dwellers (
Jer 35:7). Arab shepherds in the neighborhood shall
roam at large, the whole of Judea being so desolate as to
become a vast pasturage.
waste . . . fat ones--the
deserted lands of the rich ("fat,"
Ps 22:29), then gone into captivity;
"strangers," that is, nomad tribes shall make
their flocks to feed on [MAURER]. Figuratively, "the
lambs" are the pious, "the fat ones" the
impious. So tender disciples of Jesus Christ (
Joh 21:15) are called "lambs"; being meek,
harmless, poor, and persecuted. Compare
Eze 39:18, where the fatlings are the rich and great
(
1Co 1:26, 27). The "strangers" are in this
view the "other sheep not of the" the Jewish
"fold" (
Joh 10:16), the Gentiles whom Jesus Christ shall
"bring" to be partakers of the rich privileges
(
Ro 11:17) which the Jews ("fat ones,"
Eze 34. 16) fell from. Thus "after their (own)
manner" will express that the Christian Church should
worship God in freedom, released from legal bondage (
Joh 4:23; Ga 5:1).
18. Third Woe--against obstinate perseverance in sin, as if
they wished to provoke divine judgments.
iniquity--guilt, incurring punishment
[MAURER].
cords, &c.--cart-rope--Rabbins
say, "An evil inclination is at first like a fine
hair-string, but the finishing like a
cart-rope." The antithesis is between the slender
cords of sophistry, like the spider's web (
Isa 59:5; Job 8:14), with which one sin draws on
another, until they at last bind themselves with great
guilt as with a cart-rope. They strain every nerve
in sin.
vanity--wickedness.
sin--substantive, not a verb: they
draw on themselves "sin" and its penalty
recklessly.
19. work--vengeance (
Isa 5:12). Language of defiance to God. So Lamech's
boast of impunity (
Ge 4:23, 24; compare
Jer 17:15; 2Pe 3:3, 4).
counsel--God's threatened purpose
to punish.
20. Fourth Woe--against those who confound the distinctions
of right and wrong (compare
Ro 1:28), "reprobate," Greek,
"undiscriminating: the moral perception
darkened."
bitter . . . sweet--sin is
bitter (
Jer 2:19; 4:18; Ac 8:23; Heb 12:15); though it seem
sweet for a time (
Pr 9:17, 18). Religion is sweet (
Ps 119:103).
21. Fifth Woe--against those who were so "wise in their own eyes" as to think they knew better than the prophet, and therefore rejected his warnings ( Isa 29:14, 15).
22, 23. Sixth Woe--against corrupt judges, who,
"mighty" in drinking "wine" (a boast
still not uncommon), if not in defending their country,
obtain the means of self-indulgence by taking bribes
("reward"). The two verses are closely joined
[MAURER].
mingle strong drink--not with
water, but spices to make it intoxicating (
Pr 9:2, 5; So 8:2).
take away the righteousness--set aside
the just claims of those having a righteous cause.
24. Literally, "tongue of fire eateth" (
Ac 2:3).
flame consumeth the chaff--rather,
withered grass falleth before the flame (
Mt 3:12).
root . . .
blossom--entire decay, both the hidden source
and outward manifestations of prosperity, perishing
(
Job 18:16; Mal 4:1).
cast away . . . law--in its
spirit, while retaining the letter.
25. anger . . . kindled-- (
2Ki 22:13, 17).
hills . . . tremble--This
probably fixes the date of this chapter, as it refers to
the earthquake in the days of Uzziah (
Am 1:1; Zec 14:5). The earth trembled as if conscious
of the presence of God (
Jer 4:24; Hab 3:6).
torn--rather, were as dung (
Ps 83:10).
For all this, &c.--This burden of
the prophet's strains, with dirge-like monotony, is
repeated at
Isa 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4. With all the past calamities,
still heavier judgments are impending; which he specifies
in the rest of the chapter (
Le 26:14, &c.).
26. lift . . . ensign--to call together the
hostile nations to execute His judgments on Judea
(
Isa 10:5-7; 45:1). But for mercy to it, in
Isa 11:12; 18:3.
hiss-- (
Isa 7:18). Bees were drawn out of their hives by the
sound of a flute, or hissing, or whistling
(
Zec 10:8). God will collect the nations round Judea
like bees (
De 1:44; Ps 118:12).
end of the earth--the widely distant
subject races of which the Assyrian army was made up (
Isa 22:6). The ulterior fulfilment took place in the
siege under Roman Titus. Compare "end of the
earth" (
De 28:49, &c.). So the pronoun is singular
in the Hebrew, for "them,"
"their," "whose" (him, his, &c.),
Isa 5:26-29; referring to some particular nation
and person [H ORSLEY].
27. weary--with long marches (
De 25:18).
none . . .
slumber--requiring no rest.
girdle--with which the ancient loose
robes used to be girded for action. Ever ready for march or
battle.
nor the latchet . . .
broken--The soles were attached to the feet, not by upper
leather as with us, but by straps. So securely clad that
not even a strap of their sandals gives way, so as to
impede their march.
28. bent--ready for battle.
hoofs . . . flint--The
ancients did not shoe their horses: hence the value of hard
hoofs for long marches.
wheels--of their chariots. The
Assyrian army abounded in cavalry and chariots (
Isa 22:6, 7; 36:8).
29. roaring--their battle cry.
30. sorrow, and the light is darkened--Otherwise,
distress and light (that is, hope and fear) alternately
succeed (as usually occurs in an unsettled state of
things), and darkness arises in, &c.
[MAURER].
heavens--literally,
"clouds," that is, its sky is rather
"clouds" than sky. Otherwise from a different
Hebrew root, "in its destruction" or ruins.
HORSLEY takes "sea . . . look unto the
land" as a new image taken from mariners in a coasting
vessel (such as all ancient vessels were), looking for
the nearest land, which the darkness of
the storm conceals, so that darkness and distress
alone may be said to be visible.
Isa 6:1-13. VISION OF JEHOVAH IN HIS TEMPLE.
Isaiah is outside, near the altar in front of the temple. The doors are supposed to open, and the veil hiding the Holy of Holies to be withdrawn, unfolding to his view a vision of God represented as an Eastern monarch, attended by seraphim as His ministers of state ( 1Ki 22:19), and with a robe and flowing train (a badge of dignity in the East), which filled the temple. This assertion that he had seen God was, according to tradition (not sanctioned by Isa 1:1; see Introduction), the pretext for sawing him asunder in Manasseh's reign ( Heb 11:37). Visions often occur in the other prophets: in Isaiah there is only this one, and it is marked by characteristic clearness and simplicity.
1. In . . . year . . . Uzziah
died--Either literal death, or civil when he
ceased as a leper to exercise his functions as king
[Chaldee], (
2Ch 26:19-21). 754 B.C. [CALMET] 758 (Common
Chronology). This is not the first beginning of
Isaiah's prophecies, but his inauguration to a higher
degree of the prophetic office:
Isa 6:9, &c., implies the tone of one who had
already experience of the people's obstinacy.
Lord--here Adonai, Jehovah in
Isa 6:5; Jesus Christ is meant as speaking in
Isa 6:10, according to
Joh 12:41. Isaiah could only have "seen"
the Son, not the divine essence (
Joh 1:18). The words in
Isa 6:10 are attributed by Paul (
Ac 28:25, 26) to the Holy Ghost. Thus the
Trinity in unity is implied; as also by the thrice
"Holy" (
Isa 6:3). Isaiah mentions the robes, temple, and
seraphim, but not the form of God Himself. Whatever it was,
it was different from the usual Shekinah: that was on the
mercy seat, this on a throne; that a cloud and fire, of
this no form is specified: over that were the cherubim,
over this the seraphim; that had no clothing, this had a
flowing robe and train.
2. stood--not necessarily the posture of standing;
rather, were in attendance on Him [MAURER], hovering
on expanded wings.
the--not in the Hebrew.
seraphim--nowhere else applied to
God's attendant angels; but to the fiery flying
(not winged, but rapidly moving) serpents, which bit
the Israelites (
Nu 21:6), called so from the poisonous
inflammation caused by their bites. Seraph is to
burn; implying the burning zeal, dazzling
brightness (
2Ki 2:11; 6:17; Eze 1:13; Mt 28:3) and serpent-like
rapidity of the seraphim in God's service. Perhaps
Satan's form as a serpent (nachash) in
his appearance to man has some connection with his original
form as a seraph of light. The head of the serpent was the
symbol of wisdom in Egypt (compare
Nu 21:8; 2Ki 18:4). The seraphim, with six wings and
one face, can hardly be identified with the cherubim, which
had four wings (in the temple only two) and four
faces (
Eze 1:5-12). (But compare
Re 4:8). The "face" and "feet"
imply a human form; something of a serpentine form (perhaps
a basilisk's head, as in the temples of Thebes) may
have been mixed with it: so the cherub was compounded of
various animal forms. However, seraph may come from a root
meaning "princely," applied in
Da 10:13 to Michael [MAURER]; just as cherub comes from
a root (changing m into b), meaning
"noble."
twain--Two wings alone of the six were
kept ready for instant flight in God's service; two
veiled their faces as unworthy to look on the holy God, or
pry into His secret counsels which they fulfilled (
Ex 3:6; Job 4:18; 15:15); two covered their feet, or
rather the whole of the lower parts of their
persons--a practice usual in the presence of Eastern
monarchs, in token of reverence (compare
Eze 1:11, their bodies). Man's service a
fortiori consists in reverent waiting on, still more
than in active service for, God.
3. (
Re 4:8). The Trinity is implied (on "Lord,"
see on Isa 6:1). God's
holiness is the keynote of Isaiah's whole
prophecies.
whole earth--the Hebrew more
emphatically, the fulness of the whole earth is His
glory (
Ps 24:1; 72:19).
4. posts of . . . door--rather, foundations of
the thresholds.
house--temple.
smoke--the Shekinah cloud (
1Ki 8:10; Eze 10:4).
5. undone-- (
Ex 33:20). The same effect was produced on others by
the presence of God (
Jud 6:22; 13:22; Job 42:5, 6; Lu 5:8; Re 1:17).
lips--appropriate to the context which
describes the praises of the lips, sung in alternate
responses (
Ex 15:20, 21; Isa 6:3) by the seraphim: also
appropriate to the office of speaking as the prophet
of God, about to be committed to Isaiah (
Isa 6:9).
seen--not strictly Jehovah Himself (
Joh 1:18; 1Ti 6:16), but the symbol of His
presence.
Lord--Hebrew,
"JEHOVAH."
6. unto me--The seraph had been in the temple, Isaiah
outside of it.
live coal--literally, "a hot
stone," used, as in some countries in our days, to
roast meat with, for example, the meat of the sacrifices.
Fire was a symbol of purification, as it takes the dross
out of metals (
Mal 3:2, 3).
the altar--of burnt offering, in the
court of the priests before the temple. The fire on it was
at first kindled by God (
Le 9:24), and was kept continually burning.
7. mouth . . . lips--(See on
Isa 6:5). The mouth was touched because it was
the part to be used by the prophet when inaugurated.
So "tongues of fire" rested on the
disciples (
Ac 2:3, 4) when they were being set apart to
speak in various languages of Jesus.
iniquity--conscious unworthiness of
acting as God's messenger.
purged--literally,
"covered," that is, expiated, not by any physical
effect of fire to cleanse from sin, but in relation to the
altar sacrifices, of which Messiah, who here
commissions Isaiah, was in His death to be the antitype: it
is implied hereby that it is only by sacrifice sin can be
pardoned.
8. I . . . us--The change of number indicates the
Trinity (compare
Ge 1:26; 11:7). Though not a sure argument for
the doctrine, for the plural may indicate merely
majesty, it accords with that truth proved
elsewhere.
Whom . . . who--implying
that few would be willing to bear the self-denial
which the delivering of such an unwelcome message to the
Jews would require on the part of the messenger (compare
1Ch 29:5).
Here am I--prompt zeal, now that he
has been specially qualified for it (
Isa 6:7; compare
1Sa 3:10, 11; Ac 9:6).
9. Hear . . . indeed--Hebrew, "In
hearing hear," that is, Though ye hear the
prophet's warnings again and again, ye are
doomed, because of your perverse will (
Joh 7:17), not to understand. Light enough is
given in revelation to guide those sincerely seeking to
know, in order that they may do, God's will;
darkness enough is left to confound the wilfully blind (
Isa 43:8). So in Jesus' use of parables (
Mt 13:14).
see . . . indeed--rather,
"though ye see again and again," yet,
&c.
10. Make . . . fat-- (
Ps 119:17). "Render them the more hardened by thy
warnings" [MAURER]. This effect is the fruit, not of
the truth in itself, but of the corrupt state of
their hearts, to which God here judicially gives them
over (
Isa 63:17). GESENIUS takes the imperatives as futures.
"Proclaim truths, the result of which
proclamation will be their becoming the more
hardened" (
Ro 1:28; Eph 4:18); but this does not so well as the
former set forth God as designedly giving up sinners
to judicial hardening (
Ro 11:8; 2Th 2:11). In the first member of the
sentence, the order is, the heart, ears, eyes; in
the latter, the reverse order, the eyes, ears,
heart. It is from the heart that corruption
flows into the ears and eyes (
Mr 7:21, 22); but through the eyes and ears
healing reaches the heart (
Ro 10:17), [BENGEL]. (
Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2; Zec 7:11; Ac 7:57; 2Ti 4:4). In
Mt 13:15, the words are quoted in the
indicative, "is waxed gross" (so the
Septuagint), not the imperative, "make
fat"; God's word as to the future is as certain as
if it were already fulfilled. To see with one's
eyes will not convince a will that is opposed to the
truth (compare
Joh 11:45, 46; 12:10, 11). "One must love
divine things in order to understand them"
[PASCAL].
be healed--of their spiritual malady,
sin (
Isa 1:6; Ps 103:3; Jer 17:14).
11. how long--will this wretched condition of the nation
being hardened to its destruction continue?
until-- (
Isa 5:9) --fulfilled primarily at the Babylonish
captivity, and more fully at the dispersion under the Roman
Titus.
12. (
2Ki 25:21).
forsaking--abandonment of dwellings by
their inhabitants (
Jer 4:29).
13. and it shall return, and . . . be
eaten--Rather, "but it shall be again given
over to be consumed": if even a tenth survive
the first destruction, it shall be destroyed by a second
(
Isa 5:25; Eze 5:1-5, 12), [MAURER and HORSLEY]. In
English Version, "return" refers to the poor
remnant left in the land at the Babylonish captivity (
2Ki 24:14; 25:12), which afterwards fled to Egypt in
fear (
2Ki 25:26), and subsequently returned thence
along with others who had fled to Moab and Edom (
Jer 40:11, 12), and suffered under further divine
judgments.
tell--rather, "terebinth" or
"turpentine tree" (
Isa 1:29).
substance . . . when
. . . cast . . . leaves--rather,
"As a terebinth or oak in which, when they
are cast down (not 'cast their leaves,'
Job 14:7), the trunk or stock remains,
so the holy seed (
Ezr 9:2) shall be the stock of that land."
The seeds of vitality still exist in both the land and the
scattered people of Judea, waiting for the returning spring
of God's favor (
Ro 11:5, 23-29). According to Isaiah, not all Israel,
but the elect remnant alone, is destined to
salvation. God shows unchangeable severity towards sin, but
covenant faithfulness in preserving a remnant, and to it
Isaiah bequeaths the prophetic legacy of the second part of
his book (the fortieth through sixty-sixth chapters).
Isa 7:1-9:7. PREDICTION OF THE ILL SUCCESS OF THE SYRO-ISRAELITISH INVASION OF JUDAH--AHAZ'S ALLIANCE WITH ASSYRIA, AND ITS FATAL RESULTS TO JUDEA--YET THE CERTAINTY OF FINAL PRESERVATION AND OF THE COMING OF MESSIAH.
In the Assyrian inscriptions the name of Rezin, king of Damascus, is found among the tributaries of Tiglath-pileser, of whose reign the annals of seventeen years have been deciphered. For the historical facts in this chapter, compare 2Ki 15:37-16:9. Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel, as confederates, advanced against Jerusalem. In the first campaign they "smote Ahaz with a great slaughter" ( 2Ch 28:5). Their object was probably to unite the three kingdoms against Assyria. Egypt seems to have favored the plan, so as to interpose these confederate kingdoms between her own frontier and Assyria (compare Isa 7:18, "Egypt"; and 2Ki 17:4, Hoshea's league with Egypt). Rezin and Pekah may have perceived Ahaz' inclination towards Assyria rather than towards their own confederacy; this and the old feud between Israel and Judah ( 1Ki 12:16) occasioned their invasion of Judah. Ahaz, at the second inroad of his enemies (compare 2Ch 28:1-26 and 2Ki 15:37, with Isa 16:5), smarting under his former defeat, applied to Tiglath-pileser, in spite of Isaiah's warning in this chapter, that he should rather rely on God; that king accordingly attacked Damascus, and slew Rezin ( 2Ki 16:9); and probably it was at the same time that he carried away part of Israel captive ( 2Ki 15:29), unless there were two assaults on Pekah--that in 2Ki 15:29, the earlier, and that in which Tiglath helped Ahaz subsequently [G. V. SMITH]. Ahaz was saved at the sacrifice of Judah's independence and the payment of a large tribute, which continued till the overthrow of Sennacherib under Hezekiah ( Isa 37:37; 2Ki 16:8, 17, 18; 2Ch 28:20). Ahaz' reign began about 741 B.C., and Pekah was slain in 738 [WINER].
1. Ahaz--In the first years of his reign the design of the
two kings against Judah was carried out, which was formed
in Jotham's reign (
2Ki 15:37).
Syria--Hebrew, Aram (
Ge 10:22, 23), originally the whole region between the
Euphrates and Mediterranean, including Assyria, of
which Syria is an abbreviation; here the region
round Damascus, and along Mount Libanus.
Jerusalem--An actual siege of it took
place, but was foiled (
2Ki 16:5).
2. is confederate with--rather, is encamped upon the
territory of Ephraim [MAURER], or better, as Rezin was
encamped against Jerusalem, "is supported
by" [LOWTH] Ephraim, whose land lay between Syria
and Judah. The mention of "David" alludes, in sad
contrast with the present, to the time when David made
Syria subject to him (
2Sa 8:6).
Ephraim--the ten tribes.
as . . . trees of
. . . wood--a simultaneous agitation.
3. Go forth--out of the city, to the place where Ahaz was
superintending the works for defense and the cutting off of
the water supply from the enemy, and securing it to the
city. So
Isa 22:9; 2Ch 32:4.
Shearjashub--that is, A remnant shall
return (
Isa 6:13). His very name (compare
Isa 7:14; Isa 8:3) was a standing memorial to Ahaz and
the Jews that the nation should not, notwithstanding the
general calamity (
Isa 7:17-25; Isa 8:6-8), be utterly destroyed (
Isa 10:21, 22).
conduit--an aqueduct from the pool or
reservoir for the supply of the city. At the foot of Zion
was Fount Siloah (
Isa 8:6; Ne 3:15; Joh 9:7), called also Gihon, on the
west of Jerusalem (
2Ch 32:30). Two pools were supplied from it, the
Upper, or Old (
Isa 22:11), or King's (
Ne 2:14), and the Lower (
Isa 22:9), which received the superfluous waters of the
upper. The upper pool is still to be seen, about seven
hundred yards from the Jaffa gate. The highway leading to
the fullers' field, which was in a position near water
for the purposes of washing, previous to drying and
bleaching, the cloth, was probably alongside the aqueduct.
4. Take heed, &c.--that is, See that thou be
quiet (not seeking Assyrian aid in a fit of panic).
tails--mere ends of firebrands,
almost consumed themselves (about soon to fall before the
Assyrians,
Isa 7:8), therefore harmless.
smoking--as about to go out; not
blazing.
son of Remaliah--Pekah, a usurper (
2Ki 15:25). The Easterners express contempt by
designating one, not by his own name, but by his
father's, especially when the father is but little
known (
1Sa 20:27, 31).
6. vex--rather, "throw into consternation"
[GESENIUS].
make a breach--rather, "cleave it
asunder." Their scheme was to divide a large portion
of the territory between themselves, and set up a vassal
king of their own over the rest.
son of Tabeal--unknown; a
Syrian-sounding name, perhaps favored by a party in
Jerusalem (
Isa 3:6, 9, 12).
7. ( Isa 8:10; Pr 21:30).
8. head--that is, in both Syria and Israel the
capital shall remain as it is; they shall not conquer
Judah, but each shall possess only his own dominions.
threescore and five . . .
not a people--As these words break the symmetry of the
parallelism in this verse, either they ought to be placed
after "Remaliah's son," in
Isa 7:9, or else they refer to some older prophecy of
Isaiah, or of Amos (as the Jewish writers represent),
parenthetically; to which, in
Isa 7:8, the words, "If ye will not believe
. . . not be established," correspond in
parallelism. One deportation of Israel happened
within one or two years from this time, under
Tiglath-pileser (
2Ki 15:29). Another in the reign of Hoshea,
under Shalmaneser (
2Ki 17:1-6), was about twenty years after. But the
final one which utterly "broke" up Israel so as
to be "not a people," accompanied by a
colonization of Samaria with foreigners, was under
Esar-haddon, who carried away Manasseh, king of Judah,
also, in the twenty-second year of his reign, sixty-five
years from the utterance of this prophecy (compare
Ezr 4:2, 3, 10, with 2Ki 17:24; 2Ch 33:11) [USHER]. The
event, though so far off, was enough to assure the people
of Judah that as God, the Head of the theocracy, would
ultimately interpose to destroy the enemies of His
people, so they might rely on Him now.
9. believe, . . . be established--There is a paronomasia, or play on the words, in the Hebrew: "if ye will not confide, ye shall not abide." Ahaz brought distress on himself by distrust in the Lord, and trust in Assyria.
11. Ask thee--since thou dost not credit the prophet's
words.
sign--a miraculous token to assure
thee that God will fulfil His promise of saving Jerusalem
(
Isa 37:30; 38:7, 8). "Signs," facts then
present or near at hand as pledges for the more distant
future, are frequent in Isaiah.
ask . . . in . . .
depth--literally, "Make deep . . . ask
it," that is, Go to the depth of the earth or of
Hades [Vulgate and LOWTH], or, Mount high for it
(literally, "Make high"). So in
Mt 16:1. Signs in heaven are contrasted with the
signs on earth and below it (raising the dead) which Jesus
Christ had wrought (compare
Ro 10:6, 7). He offers Ahaz the widest limits within
which to make his choice.
12. neither . . . tempt--hypocritical pretext of keeping the law ( De 6:16); "tempt," that is, put God to the proof, as in Mt 4:7, by seeking His miraculous interposition without warrant. But here there was the warrant of the prophet of God; to have asked a sign, when thus offered, would not have been a tempting of God. Ahaz' true reason for declining was his resolve not to do God's will, but to negotiate with Assyria, and persevere in his idolatry ( 2Ki 16:7, 8, 3, 4, 10). Men often excuse their distrust in God, and trust in their own devices, by professed reverence for God. Ahaz may have fancied that though Jehovah was the God of Judea and could work a sign there, that was no proof that the local god of Syria might not be more powerful. Such was the common heathen notion ( Isa 10:10, 11; 36:18-20).
13. Is it a small thing?--Is it not enough for you (
Nu 16:9)? The allusion to "David" is in order
to contrast his trust in God with his degenerate
descendant Ahaz' distrust.
weary--try the patience of.
men--prophets. Isaiah as yet had given
no outward proof that he was from God; but now God has
offered a sign, which Ahaz publicly rejects. The sin is
therefore now not merely against "men,"
but openly against "God." Isaiah's manner
therefore changes from mildness to bold reproof.
14. himself--since thou wilt not ask a sign, nay, rejectest
the offer of one.
you--for the sake of the house of
believing "David" (God remembering His
everlasting covenant with David), not for unbelieving
Ahaz' sake.
Behold--arresting attention to the
extraordinary prophecy.
virgin--from a root, "to lie
hid," virgins being closely kept from men's gaze
in their parents' custody in the East. The
Hebrew, and the Septuagint here, and
Greek (
Mt 1:23), have the article, the virgin, some
definite one known to the speaker and his hearers;
primarily, the woman, then a virgin, about immediately to
become the second wife, and bear a child, whose attainment
of the age of discrimination (about three years) should be
preceded by the deliverance of Judah from its two invaders;
its fullest significancy is realized in "the
woman" (
Ge 3:15), whose seed should bruise the serpent's
head and deliver captive man (
Jer 31:22; Mic 5:3). Language is selected such as,
while partially applicable to the immediate event,
receives its fullest, most appropriate, and
exhaustive accomplishment in Messianic events. The New
Testament application of such prophecies is not a strained
"accommodation"; rather the temporary fulfilment
of an adaptation of the far-reaching prophecy to the
present passing event, which foreshadows typically the
great central end of prophecy, Jesus Christ (
Re 19:10). Evidently the wording is such as to apply
more fully to Jesus Christ than to the prophet's son;
"virgin" applies, in its simplest sense, to the
Virgin Mary, rather than to the prophetess who ceased to be
a virgin when she "conceived";
"Immanuel," God with us (
Joh 1:14; Re 21:3), cannot in a strict sense apply to
Isaiah's son, but only to Him who is presently called
expressly (
Isa 9:6), "the Child, the Son, Wonderful (compare
Isa 8:18), the mighty God." Local and
temporary features (as in
Isa 7:15, 16) are added in every type; otherwise it
would be no type, but the thing itself. There are
resemblances to the great Antitype sufficient to be
recognized by those who seek them; dissimilarities enough
to confound those who do not desire to discover them.
call--that is, "she
shall," or as Margin, "thou, O Virgin,
shalt call;" mothers often named their children
(
Ge 4:1, 25; 19:37; 29:32). In
Mt 1:23 the expression is strikingly changed into,
"They shall call"; when the prophecy
received its full accomplishment, no longer is the
name Immanuel restricted to the prophetess' view
of His character, as in its partial fulfilment in her son;
all shall then call (that is, not literally), or
regard Him as peculiarly and most fitly
characterized by the descriptive name,
"Immanuel" (
1Ti 3:16; Col 2:9).
name--not mere appellation, which
neither Isaiah's son nor Jesus Christ bore literally;
but what describes His manifested attributes; His
character (so
Isa 9:6). The name in its proper destination was not
arbitrary, but characteristic of the individual; sin
destroyed the faculty of perceiving the internal being;
hence the severance now between the name and the character;
in the case of Jesus Christ and many in Scripture, the Holy
Ghost has supplied this want [O LSHAUSEN].
15. Butter--rather, curdled milk, the acid of which is
grateful in the heat of the East (
Job 20:17).
honey--abundant in Palestine (
Jud 14:8; 1Sa 14:25; Mt 3:4). Physicians directed that
the first food given to a child should be honey, the next
milk [BARNABAS, Epistle]. HORSLEY takes this as
implying the real humanity of the Immanuel Jesus Christ,
about to be fed as other infants (
Lu 2:52).
Isa 7:22 shows that besides the fitness of milk and
honey for children, a state of distress of the
inhabitants is also implied, when, by reason of the
invaders, milk and honey, things produced
spontaneously, shall be the only abundant articles of
food [MAURER].
that he may know--rather, until He
shall know.
evil . . . choose
. . . good--At about three years of age moral
consciousness begins (compare
Isa 8:4; De 1:39; Jon 4:11).
16. For--The deliverance implied in the name
"Immanuel," and the cessation of distress as to
food (
Isa 7:14, 15), shall last only till the child grows to
know good and evil;
for . . . the land that
. . . abhorrest . . . forsaken of
. . . kings--rather, desolate shall be the land,
before whose two kings thou art alarmed [HENGSTENBERG and
GESENIUS].
the land--namely, Syria and Samaria
regarded as one (
2Ki 16:9; 15:30), just two years after this
prophecy, as it foretells. HORSLEY takes it, "The land
(Judah and Samaria) of (the former of) which thou art the
plague (literally, 'thorn') shall be
forsaken," &c.; a prediction thus, that Judah and
Israel (appropriately regarded as one
"land") should cease to be kingdoms (
Lu 2:1; Ge 49:10) before Immanuel came.
Isa 7:17-25. FATAL CONSEQUENCES OF AHAZ' ASSYRIAN POLICY.
Though temporary deliverance ( Isa 7:16; 8:4) was to be given then, and final deliverance through Messiah, sore punishment shall follow the former. After subduing Syria and Israel, the Assyrians shall encounter Egypt ( 2Ki 23:29), and Judah shall be the battlefield of both ( Isa 7:18), and be made tributary to that very Assyria ( 2Ch 28:20; 2Ki 16:7, 8) now about to be called in as an ally ( Isa 39:1-6). Egypt, too, should prove a fatal ally ( Isa 36:6; 31:1, &c.).
18. hiss--whistle, to bring bees to settle (see on Isa 5:26).
fly--found in numbers about the arms
of the Nile and the canals from it (
Isa 19:5-7; 23:3), here called "rivers."
Hence arose the plague of flies (
Ex 8:21). Figurative, for numerous and
troublesome foes from the remotest parts of Egypt, for
example, Pharaoh-nechoh.
bee-- (
De 1:44; Ps 118:12). As numerous in Assyria as the fly
in marshy Egypt. Sennacherib, Esar-haddon, and
Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this prediction.
19. rest--image of flies and bees kept up. The enemy shall
overspread the land everywhere, even in
"desolate valleys."
thorns--wild, contrasted with
"bushes," which were valued and objects of
care (see Margin).
20. razor--The Assyrians are to be God's
instrument of devastating Judea, just as a razor sweeps
away all hair before it (
Isa 10:5; Eze 29:19, 20).
hired--alluding to Ahaz' hiring
(
2Ki 16:7, 8) Tiglath-pileser against Syria and Israel;
namely,
by them beyond the river--namely, the
Euphrates; the eastern boundary of Jewish geographical
knowledge (
Ps 72:8); the river which Abram crossed; the Nile also
may be included (
Isa 7:18) [G. V. SMITH]. GESENIUS translates,
"With a razor hired in the parts beyond the
river."
head . . . feet--the
whole body, including the most honored parts. To cut
the "beard" is the greatest indignity to an
Easterner (
Isa 50:6; 2Sa 10:4, 5; Eze 5:1).
Isa 7:21-25. THE COMING DESOLATE STATE OF THE LAND OWING TO THE ASSYRIANS AND EGYPTIANS.
21. nourish--that is, own.
young cow--a heifer giving milk.
Agriculture shall cease, and the land become one great
pasturage.
22. abundance--by reason of the wide range of land lying
desolate over which the cows and sheep (including goats)
may range.
butter--thick milk, or
cream.
honey--(See on Isa
7:15). Food of spontaneous growth will be the
resource of the few inhabitants left. Honey shall be
abundant as the bees will find the wild flowers abounding
everywhere.
23. where there were, &c.--where up to that time there was so valuable a vineyard as to have in it a 1000 vines, worth a silverling (shekel, about 2s. 3d.; a large price) each, there shall be only briers ( So 8:11). Vineyards are estimated by the number of the vines, and the goodness of the kind of vine. Judea admits of a high state of cultivation, and requires it, in order to be productive; its present barrenness is due to neglect.
24. It shall become a vast hunting ground, abounding in wild beasts (compare Jer 49:19).
25. shall be--rather, "were once."
digged--in order to plant and rear
vines (
Isa 5:6).
there shall not come--that is, none
shall come who fear thorns, seeing that thorns shall abound
on all sides [MAURER]. Otherwise, "Thou shalt not come
for fear of thorns" [GESENIUS]. Only cattle
shall be able to penetrate the briery ground.
lesser cattle--sheep and goats.
The first seven verses of the ninth chapter belong to this section. The eighth chapter continues the subject of the seventh chapter, but at a later period (compare Isa 8:4 with Isa 7:16); implying that the interval till the accomplishment is shorter now than then. The tone of Isa 8:17, 21, 22, expresses calamity more immediate and afflictive than Isa 7:4, 15, 22.
1. great--suitable, for letters large enough to be read by
all.
roll--rather, tablet of wood,
metal, or stone (
Isa 30:8; Hab 2:2); sometimes coated with wax, upon
which characters were traced with a pointed instrument, or
iron stylus; skins and papyrus were also used (
Isa 19:7).
man's pen--that is, in ordinary
characters which the humblest can read (so
Hab 2:2). Hebrew, enosh means a "common
man," is contrasted with the upper ranks (
Re 21:17; Ro 3:5). Not in hieroglyphics. The object was
that, after the event, all might see that it had been
predicted by Isaiah.
concerning--the title and subject of
the prophecy.
Maher-shalal-hash-baz--"They
(that is, the Assyrians) hasten to the spoil (namely, to
spoil Syria and Samaria), they speed to the prey"
[GESENIUS]. Otherwise, "The spoil (that is, spoiler)
hastens, the rapine speeds forward" [MAURER].
2. I took--rather, "The Lord said to me, that I should
take," &c. [MAURER].
Uriah--an accomplice of Ahaz in
idolatry, and therefore a witness not likely to assist the
prophet of God in getting up a prophecy after the
event (
2Ki 16:10). The witnesses were in order that when the
event should come, they might testify that the tablet
containing the prophecy had been inscribed with it at the
time that it professed.
Zechariah-- (
2Ch 29:13).
3. prophetess--perhaps the same as the "virgin" ( Isa 7:14), in the interim married as Isaiah's second wife: this is in the primary and temporary sense. Immanuel is even in this sense distinct from Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Thus nineteen months at least intervene from the prophecy ( Isa 7:14), nine before the birth of Immanuel, and ten from that time to the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz: adding eleven or twelve months before the latter could cry, "Father" ( Isa 8:4), we have about three years in all, agreeing with Isa 7:15, 16.
4. before, &c.--within a year.
6. waters of Shiloah . . . softly--Their source is on the southeast of Zion and east of Jerusalem. It means "sent," the water being sent through an aqueduct ( Joh 9:7). Figurative for the mild, though now weak, sway of the house of David; in the highest sense Shiloah expresses the benignant sway of Jehovah in the theocracy, administered through David. Contrast to the violent Euphrates, "the river" that typifies Assyria ( Isa 8:7; Re 17:15). "This people" refers both to Israel, which preferred an alliance with Rezin of Syria to one with the kings of Judah, and to Judah, a party in which seems to have favored the pretentions of the son of Tabeal against David's line ( Isa 7:6); also to Judah's desire to seek an Assyrian alliance is included in the censure (compare Isa 7:17). Isa 8:14 shows that both nations are meant; both alike rejected the divine Shiloah. Not "My people," as elsewhere, when God expresses favor, but "this people" ( Isa 6:9).
7. therefore--for the reason given in
Isa 8:6, the Assyrian flood, which is first to
overflood Syria and Samaria, shall rise high enough to
reach rebel Judah also (
Isa 8:8).
the river--Euphrates swollen in spring
by the melting of the snow of the Armenian mountains
(compare
Isa 8:6; Isa 7:20).
all his glory--Eastern kings travel
with a gorgeous retinue.
channels--natural and artificial in
the level region, Mesopotamia.
8. pass through--The flood shall not stop at Syria and
Samaria, but shall penetrate into Judea.
the neck--When the waters reach to the
neck, a man is near drowning; still the head is not
said to be overflowed. Jerusalem, elevated on hills, is the
head. The danger shall be so imminent as to reach near it
at Sennacherib's invasion in Hezekiah's reign; but
it shall be spared (
Isa 30:28).
wings--the extreme bands of the
Assyrian armies, fulfilled (
Isa 36:1; 37:25).
thy land, O Immanuel--Though
temporarily applied to Isaiah's son, in the full
sense this is applicable only to Messiah, that Judea is
His, was, and still is, a pledge that, however sorely
overwhelmed, it shall be saved at last; the
"head" is safe even now, waiting for the times of
restoration (
Ac 1:6); at the same time these words imply that,
notwithstanding the temporary deliverance from Syria and
Israel, implied in "Immanuel," the greatest
calamities are to follow to Judah.
9. Associate yourselves--rather, "Raise tumults,"
or, Rage, that is, Do your worst [MAURER], referring
perhaps to the attack of Rezin and Pekah on
Jerusalem.
and . . . be broken in
pieces--rather, "yet ye shall be thrown into
consternation." Imperative in the
Hebrew, according to the idiom whereby the second of
two imperatives implies the future, namely, the
consequence of the action contained in the first (so
Isa 6:9). The name "Immanuel" in
Isa 8:8 (compare
Isa 8:10) suggests the thought of the ultimate safety
of Immanuel's land, both from its present two
invaders, and even from the Assyrians, notwithstanding the
grievous flood, wherewith the previous verses foretell they
shall deluge it. The succession of the house of David
cannot be set aside in Judah, for Immanuel Messiah is to be
born in it as heir of David, of whom Isaiah's son is
but a type (
Isa 9:4, 6).
give ear . . . far
countries--witness the discomfiture of Judah's enemies.
The prophecy probably looks on also to the final
conspiracy of Antichrist and his supporters against the
Heir of David's throne in the latter days and their
utter overthrow [HORSLEY].
gird yourselves . . . gird
yourselves--The repetition expresses vehemently the
certainty of their being thrown into
consternation (not as English Version,
"broken in pieces").
10. the word--of command, for the assault of
Jerusalem.
God is with us--"Immanuel"
implies this (
Nu 14:9; Ps 46:7).
11. with a strong hand--or else, "when He grasped me
with His hand" [HORSLEY]. MAURER, as English
Version, "with the impetus of His hand," that
is, the felt impulse of His inspiration in my mind (
Jer 15:17; Eze 1:3; 3:14, 22; 37:1).
way of . . . people--their
distrust of Jehovah, and the panic which led them and Ahab
to seek Assyrian aid.
12-16. The words of Jehovah.
confederacy--rather, a conspiracy; an
appropriate term for the unnatural combination of
Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea
and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of
blood and hereditary religion [MAURER].
to all . . . say--rather, of
all which this people calleth a conspiracy [G. V.
SMITH].
their fear--namely, object of fear:
the hostile conspiracy.
be afraid--rather [MAURER], "nor
make others to be afraid."
13. Sanctify--Honor His holy name by
regarding Him as your only hope of safety (
Isa 29:23; Nu 20:12).
him . . .
fear--"fear" lest you provoke His wrath by your
fear of man and distrust of Him.
14. sanctuary--inviolable asylum, like the altar of the
temple (
1Ki 1:50; 2:28; Eze 11:16; compare
Pr 18:10); namely, to those who fear and trust in
Him.
but . . . offence--that is,
a rock over which they should fall to their hurt; namely
those who would not believe.
both . . . houses--Israel
and Judah. Here again the prophecy expands beyond the
temporary application in Ahaz' time. The very stone,
Immanuel, which would have been a sanctuary on
belief, becomes a fatal stumbling-block through
unbelief. Jesus Christ refers to this in
Mt 21:44. (Compare
De 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31, 37; Da 2:34; Ro 9:33; 1Pe
2:8).
gin--trap, in which birds are
unexpectedly caught (
Lu 21:35; 1Th 5:2). So at the destruction of Jerusalem
under Titus.
15. stumble . . . taken--images from the means used in taking wild animals.
16. Bind up . . . seal--What Isaiah had before
briefly noted by inscribing Maher-shalal-hash-baz in
a tablet, fixed up in some public place, he
afterwards wrote out more in detail in a parchment
roll (
Isa 30:8); this he is now to seal up, not merely
in order that nothing may be added to, or taken from it, as
being complete, but to imply that it relates to distant
events, and is therefore to be a sealed and not
understood testimony (
Isa 6:9, 10), except in part among God's
"disciples," that is, those who "sanctify
the Lord" by obedient trust (
Ps 25:14). Subsequent revelations would afterwards
clear up what now was dark. So the Apocalypse explains what
in Daniel was left unexplained (compare
Da 8:26; 12:9). "The words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end"; but
Re 22:10, "Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy . . . for the time is at hand"
(compare
Re 5:1, 5, 9),
testimony--attested by Uriah and
Zechariah (
Isa 8:2).
law--the revelation just given, having
the force of a law.
disciples--not as MAURER, Uriah and
Zechariah (compare
Joh 7:17; 15:15).
17. I--Whatever the rest of the nation may do, I
will look to Jehovah alone.
that hideth . . .
face--though He seems now to withdraw His
countenance from Judah (the then representative
of "the house of Jacob"). Let us wait and
trust in, though we cannot see, Him (
Isa 50:10; 54:8; Hab 2:3; Lu 2:25, 38).
18. I and the children--Isaiah means "salvation of
Jehovah"; His children's names, also (
Isa 7:3, 14; 8:3), were "signs" suggestive of
the coming and final deliverance.
wonders--that is, symbols of the
future (
Isa 20:3; Zec 3:8). "Behold I . . .
me" is quoted in
Heb 2:13 to prove the manhood of the Messiah.
This is the main and ultimate fulfilment of
the prophecy; its temporary meaning is applied to
Ahaz' time. Isaiah typically, in
Isa 8:17, 18, personates Messiah, who is at once
"Father" and "Son," Isaiah and
Immanuel, "Child" and "Mighty
God," and is therefore called here a
"wonder," as in
Isa 9:6, "Wonderful." Hence in
Heb 2:13, believers are called His
"children"; but in
Isa 8:11, 12, His "brethren." On "the
Lord hath given me," see
Joh 6:37, 39; 10:29; 17:12.
which dwelleth in . . .
Zion--and will therefore protect Jerusalem.
19. Seek unto--Consult in your national difficulties.
them . . . familiar
spirits--necromancers, spirit charmers. So Saul, when he
had forsaken God (
1Sa 28:7, &c.), consulted the witch of En-dor in
his difficulties. These follow in the wake of idolatry,
which prevailed under Ahaz (
2Ki 16:3, 4, 10). He copied the soothsaying as he did
the idolatrous "altar" of Damascus (compare
Le 20:6, which forbids it,
Isa 19:3).
wizards--men claiming supernatural
knowledge; from the old English, "to
wit," that is, know.
peep--rather "chirp
faintly," as young birds do; this sound was generally
ascribed to departed spirits; by ventriloquism the
soothsayers caused a low sound to proceed as from a grave,
or dead person. Hence the Septuagint renders the
Hebrew for "necromancers" here
"ventriloquists" (compare
Isa 29:4).
mutter--moan.
should not, &c.--The answer which
Isaiah recommends to be given to those advising to have
recourse to necromancers.
for the living, &c.--"should
one, for the safety of the living, seek unto
(consult) the dead?" [GESENIUS]. LOWTH renders it,
"In place of (consulting) the living, should
one consult the dead?"
20. To the law, &c.--the revelation of God by His
prophet (
Isa 8:16), to which he directs them to refer those who
would advise necromancy.
if they speak not . . . it
is because--English Version understands
"they" as the necromancers. But the Hebrew
rendered "because" is not this but
"who"; and "if not," ought rather to be
"shall they not"; or, truly they shall
speak according to this word, who have no morning
light (so the Hebrew, that is, prosperity after
the night of sorrows) dawning on them [MAURER and G.
V. SMITH]. They who are in the dark night of trial, without
a dawn of hope, shall surely say so, Do not seek, as we
did, to necromancy, but to the law," &c. The
law perhaps includes here the law of Moses,
which was the "Magna Charta" on which prophetism
commented [KITTO].
21, 22. More detailed description of the despair, which
they shall fall into, who sought necromancy instead of God;
Isa 8:20 implies that too late they shall see
how much better it would have been for them to have sought
"to the law," &c. (
De 32:31). But now they are given over to despair.
Therefore, while seeing the truth of God, they only
"curse their King and God"; foreshadowing the
future, like conduct of those belonging to the
"kingdom of the beast," when they shall be
visited with divine plagues (
Re 16:11; compare
Jer 18:12).
through it--namely, the land.
hardly bestead--oppressed with
anxiety.
hungry--a more grievous famine than
the temporary one in Ahaz' time, owing to Assyria;
then there was some food, but none now
(
Isa 7:15, 22; Le 26:3-5, 14-16, 20).
their king . . .
God--Jehovah, King of the Jews (
Ps 5:2; 68:24).
look upward . . . unto the
earth--Whether they look up to heaven, or down towards
the land of Judea, nothing but despair shall present
itself.
dimness of anguish--darkness of
distress (
Pr 1:27).
driven to darkness--rather,
"thick darkness" (
Jer 23:12). Driven onward, as by a sweeping storm. The
Jewish rejection of "their King and God,"
Messiah, was followed by all these awful calamities.
Isa 9:1-7. CONTINUATION OF THE PROPHECY IN THE EIGHTH CHAPTER.
1. Nevertheless, &c.--rather, "For darkness
shall not (continually) be on it (that is, the land) on
which there is (now) distress" [HENGSTENBERG and
MAURER]. The "for" refers, not to the words
immediately preceding, but to the consolations in
Isa 8:9, 10, 17, 18. Do not despair, for,
&c.
when at the first, &c.--rather,
"as the former time has brought contempt on the land
of Zebulun and Naphtali (namely, the deportation of their
inhabitants under Tiglath-pileser,
2Ki 15:29, a little before the giving of this
prophecy); so shall the after-coming time bring honor to
the way of the sea (the district around the lake of
Galilee), the land beyond (but HENGSTENBERG, "by the
side of") Jordan (Perea, east of Jordan,
belonging to Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh), the circle
(but H ENGSTENBERG, "Galilee") (that is, region)
of the "Gentiles" [MAURER, H ENGSTENBERG,
&c.]. Galil in Hebrew is a
"circle," "circuit," and from it came
the name Galilee. North of Naphtali, inhabited by a mixed
race of Jews and Gentiles of the bordering Phœnician
race (
Jud 1:30; 1Ki 9:11). Besides the recent deportation by
Tiglath-pileser, it had been sorely smitten by Ben-hadad of
Syria, two hundred years before (
1Ki 15:20). It was after the Assyrian deportation
colonized with heathens, by Esar-haddon (
2Ki 17:24). Hence arose the contempt for it on the part
of the southern Jews of purer blood (
Joh 1:46; 7:52). The same region which was so darkened
once, shall be among the first to receive Messiah's
light (
Mt 4:13, 15, 16). It was in despised Galilee that He
first and most publicly exercised His ministry; from it
were most of His apostles. Foretold in
De 33:18, 19; Ac 2:7; Ps 68:27, 28, Jerusalem, the
theocratic capital, might readily have known Messiah; to
compensate less favored Galilee, He ministered mostly
there; Galilee's very debasement made it feel its need
of a Saviour, a feeling not known to the self-righteous
Jews (
Mt 9:13). It was appropriate, too, that He who was both
"the Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of
His people Israel," should minister chiefly on the
border land of Israel, near the Gentiles.
2. the people--the whole nation, Judah and Israel.
shadow of death--the darkest misery of
captivity.
3. multiplied . . . nation--primarily, the rapid
increase of Israelites after the return from
Babylon; more fully and exhaustively the rapid spread of
Christianity at first.
not increased the joy--By a slight
change in the Hebrew, its (joy) is substituted by
some for not, because "not increased the
joy" seems opposite to what immediately follows,
"the joy," &c. HENGSTENBERG, retains
not thus: "Whose joy thou hadst not
increased," (that is, hadst diminished).
Others, "Hast thou not increased the joy?" The
very difficulty of the reading, not, makes it less
likely to be an interpolation. HORSLEY best explains it:
The prophet sees in vision a shifting scene, comprehending
at one glance the history of the Christian Church to
remotest times--a land dark and thinly peopled--lit up by a
sudden light--filled with new inhabitants--then struggling
with difficulties, and again delivered by the utter and
final overthrow of their enemies. The influx of Gentile
converts (represented here by "Galilee of the
Gentiles") soon was to be followed by the growth of
corruption, and the final rise of Antichrist, who is to be
destroyed, while God's people is delivered, as in the
case of Gideon's victory over Midian, not by man's
prowess, but by the special interposition of God.
before thee--a phrase taken from
sacrificial feasts; the tithe of harvest was eaten
before God (
De 12:7; 14:26).
as men rejoice . . . divide
. . . spoil--referring to the judgments on the
enemies of the Lord and His people, which usually accompany
revelations of His grace.
4. The occasion of the "joy," the deliverance not
only of Ahaz and Judah from the Assyrian tribute (
2Ki 16:8), and of Israel's ten tribes from the
oppressor (
2Ki 15:19), but of the Jewish Christian Church from its
last great enemy.
hast--the past time for the future, in
prophetic vision; it expresses the certainty of the
event.
yoke of his burden--the yoke with
which he was burdened.
staff of . . . shoulder--the
staff which strikes his shoulder [MAURER]; or the wood,
like a yoke, on the neck of slaves, the badge of servitude
[ROSENMULLER].
day of Midian-- (
Jud 7:8-22). As Gideon with a handful of men conquered
the hosts of Midian, so Messiah the "child" (
Isa 9:6) shall prove to be the "Prince of
peace," and the small Israel under Him shall overcome
the mighty hosts of Antichrist (compare
Mic 5:2-5), containing the same contrast, and alluding
also to "the Assyrian," the then enemy of the
Church, as here in Isaiah, the type of the last great
enemy. For further analogies between Gideon's victory
and the Gospel, compare
2Co 4:7, with Jud 7:22. As the "dividing of the
spoil" (
Isa 9:3) was followed by that which was "not
joy," the making of the idolatrous ephod (
Jud 8:24-27), so the gospel victory was soon followed
by apostasy at the first, and shall be so again after the
millennial overthrow of Antichrist (
Re 20:3, 7-9), previous to Satan's last doom (
Re 20:10).
5. every battle, &c.--rather, "every greave of (the warrior who is) armed with greaves in the din of battle, and the martial garment (or cloak, called by the Latins sagum) rolled in blood, shall be for burning, (and) fuel for fire" [MAURER]. All warlike accoutrements shall be destroyed, as no longer required in the new era of peace ( Isa 2:4; 11:6, 7; Ps 46:9; Eze 39:9; Mic 5:5, 10; Zec 9:9, 10). Compare Mal 4:1, as to the previous burning up of the wicked.
6. For--the ground of these great expectations,
unto us--for the benefit of the Jews
first, and then the Gentiles (compare "unto
you,"
Lu 2:11).
son . . . given-- (
Ps 2:7). God's gratuitous gift, on which man had no
claim (
Joh 3:16; Ro 6:23).
government . . . upon
. . . shoulder--The ensign of office used to be
worn on the shoulder, in token of sustaining
the government (
Isa 22:22). Here the government on Messiah's
shoulder is in marked antithesis to the "yoke
and staff" of the oppressor on Israel's
"shoulder" (
Isa 9:4). He shall receive the kingdom of the earth
from the Father, to vindicate it from the misrule of those
to whom it was entrusted to hold it for and under the Most
High, but who sought to hold it in defiance of His right;
the Father asserts His right by the Son, the "Heir of
all things," who will hold it for Him (
Da 7:13, 14).
name . . . called--His
essential characteristics shall be.
Wonderful--(See on
Isa 8:18;
Jud 13:18, Margin;
1Ti 3:16).
Counsellor-- (
Ps 16:7; Ro 11:33, 34; 1Co 1:24; Col 2:3).
mighty God-- (
Isa 10:21; Ps 24:8; Tit 2:13) HORSLEY translates:
"God the mighty man." "Unto us
. . . God" is equivalent to
"Immanuel" (
Isa 7:14).
everlasting Father--This marks Him as
"Wonderful," that He is "a child," yet
the "everlasting Father" (
Joh 10:30; 14:9). Earthly kings leave their people
after a short reign; He will reign over and bless them
for ever [H ENGSTENBERG].
Prince of Peace--(See on Isa 9:5;
Ge 49:10; Shiloh, "The
Tranquillizer"). Finally (
Ho 2:18). Even already He is "our peace" (
Lu 2:14; Eph 2:14).
7. Of . . . increase . . . no end--His
princely rule shall perpetually increase and be unlimited
(
Da 2:44).
throne of David-- (
1Ki 8:25; Ps 2:6; 132:11; Jer 3:17, 18
Eze 34:23-26; 37:16, 22; Lu 1:32, 33; Ac 2:30).
judgment . . . justice--It
is not a kingdom of mere might, and triumph of force over
enemies, but of righteousness (
Isa 42:21; Ps 45:6, 7), attainable only in and by
Messiah.
zeal, &c.--including not only
Christ's hidden spiritual victory over Satan at the
first coming, but the open one accompanied with
"judgments" on Antichrist and every enemy at the
second coming (
Isa 59:17; Ps 9:6-8).
Isa 9:8-10:4. PROPHECY AS TO THE TEN TRIBES.
Delivered a little later than the previous one. The ninth and tenth chapters ought to have been so divided. The present division into chapters was made by Cardinal Hugo, in A.D. 1250; and into verses, by Robert Stephens, the famous printer of Paris, in 1551. After the Assyrian invasion of Syria, that of Ephraim shall follow ( 2Ki 16:9); Isa 9:8-11, 17-20, foretell the intestine discords in Israel after Hoshea had slain Pekah (A.D. 739), that is, just after the Assyrian invasions, when for seven years it was stripped of magistrates and torn into factions. There are four strophes, each setting forth Ephraim's crime and consequent punishment, and ending with the formula, "For all this His anger is not turned away," &c. ( Isa 9:12, 17, 21, and Isa 10:4).
8. Heading of the prophecy; (
Isa 9:8-12), the first strophe.
unto Jacob--against the ten
tribes [LOWTH].
lighted upon--fallen from heaven by
divine revelation (
Da 4:31).
9. know--to their cost: experimentally (
Ho 9:7).
Samaria--the capital of Ephraim
(compare as to phrase,
Isa 1:1).
10. bricks--in the East generally sun-dried, and therefore
soon dissolved by rain. Granting, say the Ephraimites to
the prophet's threat, that our affairs are in a ruinous
state, we will restore them to more than their former
magnificence. Self-confident unwillingness to see the
judgments of God (
Isa 26:11).
hewn stones-- (
1Ki 5:17).
sycamores--growing abundantly on the
low lands of Judea, and though useful for building on
account of their antiseptic property (which induced the
Egyptians to use them for the cases of their mummies), not
very valuable. The cedar, on the other hand, was
odorous, free from knots, durable, and precious (
1Ki 10:27). "We will replace cottages with
palaces."
11. adversaries of Rezin--the Assyrians, who shall first
attack Damascus, shall next advance "against
him" (Ephraim). This is the punishment of
Ephraim's pride in making light (
Isa 9:10) of the judgment already inflicted by God
through Tiglath-pileser (
2Ki 15:29). A second Assyrian invasion (see on
Isa 7:1) shall follow. The reading
"princes" for "adversaries" in uncalled
for.
join--rather, "arm"; cover
with armor [MAURER].
his--Rezin's.
12. Syrians--Though now allies of Ephraim, after
Rezin's death they shall join the Assyrians against
Ephraim. "Together," in
Isa 9:11, refers to this. Conquering nations often
enlist in their armies the subject races (
Isa 22:6; compare
2Ki 16:9; Jer 35:11), [ABEN EZRA, GESENIUS]. HORSLEY
less probably takes "Syrians before," as the
Syrians to the east, that is, not Rezin's subjects,
but the Assyrians: "Aram" being the common
name of Syrians and Assyrians.
Philistines--of Palestine.
behind--from the west: in
marking the points of the compass, Orientalists face the
east, which is before them: the west is behind.
The right hand is the south: the left, the
north.
devour--as a ravenous beast (
Isa 1:20; Jer 10:25; 30:16; Nu 14:9).
For all this, &c.--The burden of
each strophe.
13-17. Second strophe.
turneth not--the design of God's chastisements; not fulfilled in their case; a new cause for punishment ( Jer 2:20; 5:3).
14. head and tail--proverbial for the highest and
lowest (
De 28:13, 44).
branch and rush--another image for the
same thought (
Isa 19:15). The branch is elevated on the top of
the tree: the rush is coarse and low.
15. ancient--the older.
honourable--the man of rank.
prophet . . . lies,
. . . tail--There were many such in Samaria (
1Ki 22:6, 22, 23; compare as to "tail,"
Re 9:19).
16. leaders, &c.--(See Isa 3:12, Margin, and see on Isa 3:12.)
17. no joy--the parallelism, "neither . . .
mercy," shows that this means, He shall have no
such delight in their youthful warriors, however much
they be the nation's delight and reliance, as to
save them from the enemy's sword (
Isa 31:8; compare
Jer 18:21).
fatherless, &c.--not even the
usual objects of His pity (
Ps 10:14, 18; 68:5; Jer 49:11; Ho 14:3) shall be
spared.
hypocrite--rather, a libertine,
polluted [HORSLEY].
folly--wickedness (
Ps 14:1).
still--Notwithstanding all these
judgments, more remain.
18-21. Third strophe.
burneth--maketh consumption, not only spreading
rapidly, but also consuming like fire: sin is its
own punishment.
briers . . . thorns--emblem
of the wicked; especially those of low rank (
Isa 27:4; 2Sa 23:6).
forest--from the humble
shrubbery the flame spreads to the vast forest;
it reaches the high, as well as the
low.
mount up like . . .
smoke--rather. "They (the thickets of the
forest) shall lift themselves proudly aloft [the
Hebrew is from a Syriac root, a cock,
expressing stateliness of motion, from his strutting gait,
HORSLEY], in (in passing into) volumes of ascending
smoke" [MAURER].
19. darkened--namely, with smoke (
Isa 9:18). The Septuagint and Chaldee
render it, "is burnt up," so MAURER, from an
Arabic root meaning "suffocating heat."
no man . . . spare
. . . brother--intestine discord snapping asunder
the dearest ties of nature.
20. hungry--not literally. Image from unappeasable hunger,
to picture internal factions, reckless of the most tender
ties (
Isa 9:19), and insatiably spreading misery and death on
every side (
Jer 19:9).
eat--not literally, but destroy
(
Ps 27:2; Job 19:22).
flesh of . . . arm--those
nearest akin: their former support (helper) (
Isa 32:2) [MAURER].
21. Manasseh, Ephraim--the two sons of Joseph. So closely united as to form between them but one tribe; but now about to be rent into factions, thirsting for each other's blood. Disunited in all things else, but united "together against their brother Judah" ( 2Ki 15:10, 30).
Isa 10:1-4. Fourth strophe.
1. them that decree--namely, unrighteous judges.
write grievousness, &c.--not the
scribes, but the magistrates who caused unjust
decisions (literally, "injustice" or
"grievousness") to be recorded by them (
Isa 65:6) [MAURER], (
Isa 1:10, 23).
2. To turn aside, &c.--The effect of their conduct is
to pervert the cause of the needy [HORSLEY]. In English
Version "from judgment" means "from
obtaining justice."
take away the right--"make
plunder of the right" (rightful claim) [HORSLEY].
3. what will ye do--what way of escape will there be for
you?
visitation--of God's wrath (
Isa 26:14; Job 35:15; Ho 9:7).
from far--from Assyria.
leave . . . glory--rather,
"deposit (for safekeeping) your wealth"
[LOWTH]. So
Ps 49:17.
4. Without me--not having Me to "flee to" (
Isa 10:3).
bow down--Bereft of strength they
shall fall; or else, they shall lie down fettered.
under . . . under--rather,
"among" (literally, "in the place of")
[HORSLEY]. The "under" may be, however,
explained, "trodden under the (feet of the)
prisoners going into captivity," and
"overwhelmed under the heaps of slain on
the battlefield" [MAURER].
Isa 10:5-34 and Isa 11:12. DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIANS; COMING OF MESSIAH; HYMN OF PRAISE.
Isa 10:9, 11 show that Samaria was destroyed before this prophecy. It was written when Assyria proposed (a design which it soon after tried to carry out under Sennacherib) to destroy Judah and Jerusalem, as it had destroyed Samaria. This is the first part of Isaiah's prophecies under Hezekiah. Probably between 722 and 715 B.C. (see Isa 10:27).
5. O Assyrian, &c.--rather, "What, ho (but MAURER, Woe to the) Assyrian! He is the rod and staff of Mine anger (My instrument in punishing, Jer 51:20; Ps 17:13). In their hands is Mine indignation" [HORSLEY, after JEROME]. I have put into the Assyrians' hands the execution of Mine indignation against My people.
6. send him--"Kings' hearts are in the hand of the
Lord" (
Pr 21:1).
hypocritical--polluted
[HORSLEY].
nation--Judah, against whom
Sennacherib was forming designs.
of my wrath--objects of My
wrath.
give . . . charge-- (
Jer 34:22).
and to tread, &c.--HORSLEY
translates: "And then to make him (the
Assyrian) a trampling under foot like the mire of the
streets" (so
Isa 10:12; Isa 33:1; Zec 10:5). But see
Isa 37:26.
7. meaneth not so--He is only thinking of his own schemes,
while God is overruling them to His purposes.
think--intend. Sinners' plans are
no less culpable, though they by them unconsciously fulfil
God's designs (
Ps 76:10; Mic 4:12). So Joseph's brethren (
Ge 50:20; Pr 16:4). The sinner's motive, not
the result (which depends on God), will be the test
in judgment.
heart to destroy . . . not a
few--Sennacherib's ambition was not confined to Judea.
His plan was also to conquer Egypt and Ethiopia (
Isa 20:1-6; Zec 1:15).
8-11. Vauntings of the Assyrians. Illustrated by the
self-laudatory inscriptions of Assyria deciphered by
HINCKS.
princes . . . kings--Eastern
satraps and governors of provinces often had the title and
diadem of kings. Hence the title, "King of
kings," implying the greatness of Him who was
over them (
Eze 26:7; Ezr 7:12).
9. Is not . . . as--Was there any one of these
cities able to withstand me? Not one. So Rab-shakeh vaunts
(
Isa 36:19).
Calno--Calneh, built by Nimrod (
Ge 10:10), once his capital, on the Tigris.
Carchemish--Circesium, on the
Euphrates. Taken afterwards by Necho, king of Egypt; and
retaken by Nebuchadnezzar: by the Euphrates (
Jer 46:2).
Hamath--in Syria, north of Canaan (
Ge 10:18). Taken by Assyria about 753 B.C. From it
colonists were planted by Assyria in Samaria.
Arpad--near Hamath.
Samaria--now overthrown.
Damascus-- (
Isa 17:1, 3).
10, 11. found--unable to resist me: hath overcome
(so
Ps 21:8).
and whose--rather, "and
their." This clause, down to "Samaria," is
parenthetical.
excel--were more powerful. He regards
Jerusalem as idolatrous, an opinion which it often had
given too much ground for: Jehovah was in his view the mere
local god of Judea, as Baal of the countries where
it was adored, nay, inferior in power to some national gods
(
Isa 36:19, 20; 37:12). See in opposition,
Isa 37:20; 46:1.
As my hand . . . shall I
not, as I have--a double protasis. Agitation makes one
accumulate sentences.
12. whole work--His entire plan is regard to the
punishment of the Jews (
Isa 10:5-7).
Zion--the royal residence, the court,
princes and nobles; as distinguished from
"Jerusalem," the people in general.
fruit--the result of, that is, the
plants emanating from.
stout--Hebrew, "greatness
of," that is, pride of.
glory--haughtiness.
13. I am prudent--He ascribes his success to his own
prudence, not to God's providence.
removed the bounds--set aside old, and
substituted new boundaries of kingdoms at will. A criminal
act, as Jehovah Himself had appointed the boundaries of the
nations (
De 32:8).
treasures--"hoarded
treasures" [HORSLEY].
put down . . . inhabitants
like, &c.--rather, "as a valiant man, I have
brought down (from their seats) those
seated" (namely, "on thrones"; as in
Ps 2:4; 29:10; 55:19). The Hebrew for "He
that abideth," is He that sitteth on a throne);
otherwise, "I have brought down (as captives
into Assyria, which lay lower than Judea;
therefore 'brought down,' compare
Isa 36:1, 10), the inhabitants" [MAURER].
14. nest--implying the ease with which he carried off all
before him.
left--by the parent bird.
none . . . moved
. . . wing--image from an angry bird resisting
the robbery of its "nest."
peeped--chirped even low (
Isa 8:19). No resistance was offered me, of deed, or
even word.
15. Shall the instrument boast against Him who uses it?
Through free in a sense, and carrying out his own
plans, the Assyrian was unconsciously carrying out
God's purposes.
shaketh it--moves it back and
forward.
staff . . . lift
. . . itself . . . no wood--rather,
"as if the staff (man, the instrument of
God's judgments on his fellow man) should set aside
(Him who is) not wood" (not a mere instrument,
as man). On "no wood" compare
De 32:21, "that which is not God;"
Isa 31:8 shows that God is meant here by "not
wood" [MAURER].
16. fat ones-- (
Isa 5:17). The robust and choice soldiers of Assyria
(
Ps 78:31, where "fattest" answers in the
parallelism to "chosen," or "young
men," Margin).
leanness--carrying out the image on
"fat ones." Destruction (
Ps 106:15). Fulfilled (
Isa 37:36).
his glory--Assyria's
nobles. So in
Isa 5:13, Margin;
Isa 8:7.
kindle--a new image from fire
consuming quickly dry materials (
Zec 12:6).
17, 18. light of Israel--carrying out the image in the end of Isa 10:16. Jehovah, who is a light to Israel, shall be the "fire" ( De 4:24; Heb 12:29) that shall ignite the "thorns," (the Assyrians, like dry fuel, a ready prey to flame).
18. glory of his forest--The common soldiers, the
princes, officers, &c., all alike
together, shall be consumed (see on
Isa 9:18).
in one day-- (
Isa 37:36).
fruitful field--literally,
"Carmel," a rich mountain in the tribe of Asher.
Figurative for Sennacherib's mighty army. Perhaps
alluding to his own boasting words about to be uttered (
Isa 37:24), "I will enter the forest of his
Carmel."
soul and body--proverbial for utterly;
the entire man is made up of soul and
body.
as when a standard bearer
fainteth--rather, "they shall be as when a sick
man" (from a Syriac root) wastes
away." Compare "leanness," that is, wasting
destruction (
Isa 10:16) [MAURER]. Or, "there shall be an entire
dissipation, like a perfect melting"
(namely, of the Assyrian army) [HORSLEY].
19. rest--those who shall survive the destruction of the
host.
his forest--same image as in
Isa 10:18, for the once dense army.
child . . . write--so few
that a child might count them.
20-22. The effect on the "remnant" (contrasted with the Assyrian remnant, Isa 10:19); namely, those who shall be left after the invasion of Sennacherib, will be a return from dependence on external idolatrous nations, as Assyria and Egypt ( 2Ki 18:21; 16:7-9), to the God of the theocracy; fulfilled in part in the pious Hezekiah's days; but from the future aspect under which Paul, in Ro 9:27, 28 (compare "short work" with "whole work," Isa 10:12, here), regards the whole prophecy, the "remnant," "who stay upon the Lord," probably will receive their fullest realization in the portion of Jews left after that Antichrist shall have been overthrown, who shall "return" unto the Lord ( Isa 6:13; 7:3; Zec 12:9, 10; 14:2, 3; Zep 3:12).
21. mighty God-- ( Isa 9:6) the God who shall have evinced such might in destroying Israel's enemies. As the Assyrians in Sennacherib's reign did not carry off Judah captive, the returning "remnant" cannot mainly refer to this time.
22. yet--rather in the sense in which Paul quotes it ( Ro 9:27), "Though Israel be now numerous as the sand, a remnant only of them shall return"--the great majority shall perish. The reason is added, Because "the consumption (fully completed destruction) is decreed (literally, decided on, brought to an issue), it overfloweth ( Isa 30:28; 8:8) with justice"; that is, the infliction of just punishment ( Isa 5:16) [MAURER].
23. even determined--"A consumption, and whatever
is determined," or decreed [MAURER].
midst--Zion, the central point of the
earth as to Jehovah's presence.
land--Israel. But the
Septuagint, "in the whole habitable
world." So English Version (
Ro 9:28), "upon the earth."
24. Therefore--Return to the main proposition,
Assyria's ultimate punishment, though employed as
God's "rod" to chastise Judea for a
time.
O my people--God's tenderness
towards His elect nation.
after the manner of Egypt--as Egypt
and Pharaoh oppressed thee. Implying, too, as Israel was
nevertheless delivered from them, so now it would be
from the Assyrian Sennacherib. The antithesis in
Isa 10:26 requires this interpretation [MAURER].
25. For--Be not afraid (
Isa 10:24), for, &c.
indignation . . . cease--The
punishments of God against Israel shall be consummated and
ended (
Isa 26:20; Da 11:36). "Till the indignation be
accomplished," &c.
mine anger--shall turn to their (the
Assyrians') destruction.
26. slaughter of--"stroke upon."
Midian-- (
Isa 9:4; Jud 7:25).
as his rod was upon the sea--rather,
understanding "stroke" from the previous clause,
"according to the stroke of His rod upon the Red
Sea" (
Ex 14:16, 26). His "rod" on the Assyrian (
Isa 10:24, 26) stands in bold contrast to the Assyrian
used as a "rod" to strike others (
Isa 10:5).
after the manner of Egypt--as He
lifted it up against Egypt at the Red Sea.
27. his burden--the Assyrians' oppression (
Isa 9:3). Judah was still tributary to Assyria;
Hezekiah had not yet revolted, as he did in the beginning
of Sennacherib's reign.
because of-- (
Ho 10:15).
the anointing--namely,
"Messiah" (
Da 9:24). Just as in
Isa 9:4-6, the "breaking of the yoke of" the
enemies' "burden and staff" is attributed to
Messiah, "For unto us a child is
born," &c., so it is here. MAURER not so well
translates, "Because of the fatness"; an image of
the Assyrians fierce and wanton pride drawn from a well-fed
bull tossing off the yoke (
De 32:15). So
Isa 10:16 above, and
Isa 5:17, "fat ones."
28-32. Onward gradual march of Sennacherib's army
towards Jerusalem, and the panic of the inhabitants vividly
pictured before the eyes.
come to--come upon as a sudden
invader (
Ge 34:27).
Aiath--same as Ai (
Jos 7:2; Ne 7:32). In the north of Benjamin; so the
other towns also; all on the line of march to
Jerusalem.
Michmash--nine miles northeast of
Jerusalem.
laid up . . . carriages--He
has left his heavier baggage (so
"carriages" for the things carried,
Ac 21:15) at Michmash, so as to be more lightly
equipped for the siege of Jerusalem. So
1Sa 17:22; 25:13; 30:24 [JEROME and MAURER].
29. passage--the jaws of the wady or defile at Michmash (
1Sa 13:23; 14:4, 5).
lodging--their quarters for the night,
after having passed the defile which might have been easily
guarded against them.
Ramah--near Geba; seven miles from
Jerusalem.
Gibeah of Saul--his birthplace and
residence, in Benjamin (
1Sa 11:4), distinct from Gibeah of Judah (
Jos 15:57).
30. daughter of Gallim--Gallim and her sons (see on
Isa 1:8; 2Ki 19:21). "Cry aloud in
consternation."
Laish--not the town in Dan (
Jud 18:7), but one of the same name near Jerusalem
(1 Maccabees 9:9).
Anathoth--three miles from Jerusalem
in Benjamin; the birthplace of Jeremiah. "Poor"
is applied to it in pity, on account of the impending
calamity. Others translate, Answer her, O Anathoth.
31. Madmenah--not the city in Simeon (
Jos 15:31), but a village near Jerusalem.
removed--fled from fear.
gather themselves to flee--"put
their goods in a place of safety" [MAURER].
32. that day--literally, "As yet this (one
only) day (is allowed to the soldiers) for remaining
(halting for rest) at Nob"; northeast of Jerusalem on
Olivet; a town of the priests (
Ne 11:32).
daughter--rightly substituted for the
Chetib reading, house. His "shaking his
hand" in menace implies that he is now at Nob,
within sight of Jerusalem.
33. bough--literally, the "beauty" of the tree;
"the beautiful branch."
high ones of stature--"the
upright stem," as distinguished from the
previous "boughs" [HORSLEY].
34. This verse and Isa 10:33 describe the sudden arrest and overthrow of Sennacherib in the height of his success; Isa 10:18, 19; Eze 31:3, 14, &c., contain the same image; "Lebanon" and its forest are the Assyrian army; the "iron" axe that fells the forest refers to the stroke which destroyed the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians ( 2Ki 19:35). The "Mighty One" is Jehovah ( Isa 10:21; Isa 9:6).
From the local and temporary national deliverance the prophet passes by the law of suggestion in an easy transition to the end of all prophecy--the everlasting deliverance under Messiah's reign, not merely His first coming, but chiefly His second coming. The language and illustrations are still drawn from the temporary national subject, with which he began, but the glories described pertain to Messiah's reign. Hezekiah cannot, as some think, be the subject; for he was already come, whereas the "stem of Jesse" was yet future ("shall come") (compare Mic 4:11, &c.; 5:1, 2; Jer 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16; Ro 15:12).
1. rod--When the proud "boughs" of
"Lebanon" (
Isa 10:33, 34, the Assyrians) are lopped, and the vast
"forests cut down" amidst all this rage, a
seemingly humble rod shall come out of Jesse
(Messiah), who shall retrieve the injuries done by the
Assyrian "rod" to Israel (
Isa 10:5, 6, 18, 19).
stem--literally, "the stump"
of a tree cut close by the roots: happily expressing the
depressed state of the royal house of David, owing
to the hostile storm (
Isa 10:18, 19), when Messiah should arise from it, to
raise it to more than its pristine glory.
Lu 2:7 proves this (
Isa 53:2; compare
Job 14:7, 8; see on Isa
8:6).
Branch--Scion. He is nevertheless also
the "root" (
Isa 11:10; Re 5:5; 22:16. "Root and
offspring" combines both,
Zec 3:8; 6:12).
2. Spirit of the Lord--JEHOVAH. The Spirit by which the
prophets spake: for Messiah was to be a Prophet (
Isa 61:1; De 18:15, 18). Seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit are specified, to imply that the perfection
of them was to be in Him. Compare "the seven
Spirits" (
Re 1:4), that is, the Holy Ghost in His perfect
fulness: seven being the sacred number. The prophets
had only a portion out of the "fulness" in
the Son of God (
Joh 1:16; 3:34; Col 1:19).
rest--permanently; not merely
come upon Him (
Nu 11:25, 26).
wisdom-- (
1Co 1:30; Eph 1:17; Col 2:3).
understanding--coupled with
"wisdom," being its fruit. Discernment and
discrimination (
Mt 22:18; Joh 2:25).
counsel . . . might--the
faculty of forming counsels, and that of
executing them (
Isa 28:29). Counsellor (
Isa 9:6).
knowledge--of the deep things of God
(
Mt 11:27). The knowledge of Him gives us true knowledge
(
Eph 1:17).
fear of the Lord--reverential,
obedient fear. The first step towards true
"knowledge" (
Job 28:28; Ps 111:10).
3. make him of quick understanding--literally,
"quick-scented in the fear of Jehovah";
endowed with a singular sagacity in discerning the genuine
principle of religious fear of God, when it lies dormant in
the yet unawakened sinner (
Mt 12:20; Ac 10:1-48; 16:14) [HORSLEY]. But MAURER,
"He shall delight in the fear of God." The
Hebrew means "to delight in the odors" of
anything (
Ex 30:38; Am 5:21); "smell," that is,
"delight in."
after . . . sight--according
to mere external appearances (
Joh 7:24; 8:15; Jas 2:1; 1Sa 16:7). Herein Messiah is
represented a just Judge and Ruler (
De 1:16, 17).
reprove--"decide," as the
parallelism shows.
after . . . ears--by mere
plausible hearsays, but by the true merits of each case (
Joh 6:64; Re 2:23).
4. judge--see that impartial justice is done them.
"Judge" may mean here "rule," as in
Ps 67:4.
reprove--or, "argue";
"decide." But LOWTH, "work conviction
in."
earth--Compare with
Mt 5:5, and Re 11:15.
earth--its ungodly inhabitants,
answering to "the wicked" in the parallel, and in
antithesis to the "poor" and "meek,"
namely, in spirit, the humble pious (
Mt 5:3). It is at the same time implied that "the
earth" will be extraordinarily wicked when He shall
come to judge and reign. His reign shall therefore be
ushered in with judgments on the apostates (
Ps 2:9-12; Lu 18:8; Re 2:27).
rod of . . .
mouth--condemning sentences which proceed from His mouth
against the wicked (
Re 1:16; 2:16; 19:15, 21).
breath of . . . lips--his
judicial decisions (
Isa 30:28; Job 15:30; Re 19:20; 20:9-12). He as the
Word of God (
Re 19:13-15) comes to strike that blow which shall
decide His claim to the kingdom, previously usurped by
Satan, and "the beast" to whom Satan delegates
his power. It will be a day of judgment to the Gentile
dispensation, as the first coming was to the Jews. Compare
a type of the "rod" (
Nu 17:2-10).
5. righteousness . . . girdle-- ( Re 1:13; 19:11). The antitypical High Priest ( Ex 28:4). The girdle secures firmly the rest of the garments ( 1Pe 1:13). So "truth" gives firm consistency to the whole character ( Eph 5:14). In Isa 59:17, "righteousness" is His breastplate.
6. wolf . . . lamb--Each animal is coupled with that one which is its natural prey. A fit state of things under the "Prince of Peace" ( Isa 65:25; Eze 34:25; Ho 2:18). These may be figures for men of corresponding animal-like characters ( Eze 22:27; 38:13; Jer 5:6; 13:23; Mt 7:15; Lu 10:3). Still a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Eden, is a more likely interpretation. Compare Ge 2:19, 20, with Ps 8:6-8, which describes the restoration to man, in the person of "the Son of man," of the lost dominion over the animal kingdom of which he had been designed to be the merciful vicegerent under God, for the good of his animal subjects ( Ro 8:19-22).
7. feed--namely, "together"; taken from the
second clause.
straw--no longer flesh and
blood.
8. play--literally, "delight" himself in
sport.
cockatrice--a fabulous serpent
supposed to be hatched from the egg of a cock. The
Hebrew means a kind of adder, more venomous than the
asp; BOCHART supposes the basilisk to be meant, which was
thought to poison even with its breath.
9. my holy mountain--Zion, that is, Jerusalem. The seat of
government and of Messiah's throne is put for the whole
earth (
Jer 3:17).
sea--As the waters find their way into
every cavern of its depths, so Christianity shall
pervade every recess of the earth (
Hab 2:14). As
Isa 11:1-5 describe the personal qualities of
Messiah, and
Isa 11:6-9 the regenerating effects of His coming on
creation, so
Isa 11:10-16 the results of it in the restoration of
His people, the Jews, and the conversion through
them of the Gentiles.
10. root--rather, "shoot from the root" (compare
Note, see on Isa 11:1;
Isa 53:2; Re 5:5; 22:16).
stand--permanently and prominently, as
a banner lifted up to be the rallying point of an army or
people (
Isa 5:26; Joh 12:32).
the people--peoples, answering
to "the Gentiles" in the parallel member.
to it . . . seek--diligently
(
Job 8:5). They shall give in their allegiance to the
Divine King (
Isa 2:2; 60:5; Zec 2:11). HORSLEY translates, "Of
Him shall the Gentiles inquire"; namely,
in a religious sense, resort as to an oracle for
consultation in difficulties" (
Zec 14:16). Compare
Ro 15:12, which quotes this passage, "In
Him shall the Gentiles trust."
rest--resting-place (
Isa 60:13; Ps 132:8, 14; Eze 43:7). The sanctuary in
the temple of Jerusalem was "the resting-place of the
ark and of Jehovah." So the glorious Church which is
to be is described under the image of an oracle to which
all nations shall resort, and which shall be filled with
the visible glory of God.
11. set . . . hand--take in hand the work.
Therefore the coming restoration of the Jews is to be
distinct from that after the Babylonish captivity, and yet
to resemble it. The first restoration was literal,
therefore so shall the second be; the latter, however, it
is implied here, shall be much more universal than the
former (
Isa 43:5-7; 49:12, 17, 18; Eze 37:21; Ho 3:5; Am 9:14,
15;
Mic 4:6, 7; Zep 3:19, 20; Zec 10:10; Jer 23:8). As to
the "remnant" destined by God to survive the
judgments on the nation, compare
Jer 46:28.
Pathros--one of the three divisions of
Egypt, Upper Egypt.
Cush--either Ethiopia, south of Egypt,
now Abyssinia, or the southern parts of Arabia, along the
Red Sea.
Elam--Persia, especially the southern
part of it now called Susiana.
Shinar--Babylonian Mesopotamia, the
plain between the Euphrates and the Tigris: in it Babel was
begun (
Ge 10:10). In the Assyrian inscriptions RAWLINSON
distinguishes three periods: (1) The Chaldean; from 2300
B.C. to 1500, in which falls Chedorlaomer (
Ge 14:1-17), called in the cuneiform characters Kudur
of Hur, or Ur of the Chaldees, and described as the
conqueror of Syria. The seat of the first Chaldean empire
was in the south, towards the confluence of the Tigris and
Euphrates. (2) The Assyrian, down to 625 B.C. (3) The
Babylonian, from 625 to 538 B.C., when Babylon was taken by
the Persian Cyrus.
islands of . . . sea--the
far western regions beyond the sea [JEROME].
12. In the first restoration Judah alone was restored, with
perhaps some few of Israel (the ten tribes): in the future
restoration both are expressly specified (
Eze 37:16-19; Jer 3:18). To Israel are ascribed the
"outcasts" (masculine); to Judah the
"dispersed" (feminine), as the former have been
longer and more utterly castaways (though not finally) than
the latter (
Joh 7:52). The masculine and feminine conjoined express
the universality of the restoration.
from the four corners of the
earth--Hebrew, "wings of the earth."
13. envy . . . of Ephraim . . .
Judah--which began as early as the time (
Jud 8:1; 12:1, &c.). Joshua had sprung from, and
resided among the Ephraimites (
Nu 13:9; Jos 19:50); the sanctuary was with them for a
time (
Jos 18:1). The jealousy increased subsequently
(
2Sa 2:8, &c.; 19:41; 20:2; 3:10); and even before
David's time (
1Sa 11:8; 15:4), they had appropriated to themselves
the national name Israel. It ended in disruption (
1Ki 11:26, &c.; 1Ki 12:1-33; compare
2Ki 14:9; Ps 78:56-71).
adversaries of Judah--rather,
"the adversaries from Judah"; those of
Judah hostile to the Ephraimites [M AURER]. The
parallelism "the envy of Ephraim," namely,
against Judah, requires this, as also what follows; namely,
"Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex
Ephraim" (
Eze 37:15, 17, 19).
14. With united forces they shall subdue their foes (
Am 9:12).
fly--as a bird of prey (
Hab 1:8).
upon the shoulders--This expresses an
attack made unexpectedly on one from behind. The
image is the more apt, as the Hebrew for
"shoulders" in
Nu 34:11 is used also of a maritime coast ("side
of the sea": Hebrew, "shoulder of the
sea," Margin). They shall make a sudden
victorious descent upon their borders southwest of
Judea.
them of the east--Hebrew,
"children of the East," the Arabs, who, always
hostile, are not to be reduced under regular government,
but are only to be despoiled (
Jer 49:28, 29).
lay . . . hand upon--take
possession of (
Da 11:42).
Edom--south of Judah, from the Dead
Sea to the Red Sea; "Moab"--east of Jordan and
the Dead Sea.
Ammon--east of Judea, north of Moab,
between the Arnon and Jabbok.
15. There shall be a second exodus, destined to eclipse
even the former one from Egypt in its wonders. So the
prophecies elsewhere (
Ps 68:22; Ex 14:22; Zec 10:11). The same deliverance
furnishes the imagery by which the return from Babylon is
described (
Isa 48:20, 21).
destroy--literally,
"devote," or "doom," that is, dry up;
for what God dooms, perishes (
Ps 106:9
Na 1:4).
tongue--the Bubastic branch of the
Nile [VITRINGA]; but as the Nile was not the
obstruction to the exodus, it is rather the west tongue or
Heroöpolite fork of the Red Sea.
with . . . mighty wind--such
as the "strong east wind" (
Ex 14:21), by which God made a way for Israel through
the Red Sea. The Hebrew for "mighty" means
terrible. MAURER translates, "With the terror
of His anger"; that is, His terrible
anger.
in the seven streams--rather,
"shall smite it (divide it by smiting)
into seven (many) streams, so as to be easily
crossed" [LOWTH]. So Cyrus divided the river Gyndes,
which retarded his march against Babylon, into three
hundred sixty streams, so that even a woman could cross it
[HERODOTUS, 1.189]. "The river" is the Euphrates,
the obstruction to Israel's return "from
Assyria" (
Isa 11:16), a type of all future impediments to the
restoration of the Jews.
dry shod--Hebrew, "in
shoes." Even in sandals they should be able to pass
over the once mighty river without being wet (
Re 16:12).
16. highway--a highway clear of obstructions (
Isa 19:23; 35:8).
like as . . . Israel
. . . Egypt-- (
Isa 51:10, 11; 63:12, 13).
Isa 12:1-6. THANKSGIVING HYMN OF THE RESTORED AND CONVERTED JEWS.
Just as Miriam, after the deliverance of the Red Sea ( Isa 11:16), celebrated it with an ode of praise ( Ex 15:1-19).
2. Lord JEHOVAH--Jah, Jehovah. The repetition
of the name denotes emphasis, and the unchangeableness of
God's character.
strength . . . song
. . . salvation--derived from
Ex 15:2; Ps 118:14. The idea of salvation was
peculiarly associated with the feast of tabernacles
(see
Isa 12:3). Hence the cry "Hosanna,"
"Save, we beseech thee," that accompanied
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on that day (the
fifteenth of the seventh month) (
Mt 21:9; compare with
Ps 118:25, 26); the earnest of the perfected
"salvation" which He shall bring to His people at
His glorious second appearance at Jerusalem (
Heb 9:28). "He shall appear the second time
without sin unto salvation." Compare
Re 21:3, "The tabernacle of God is with
men." Compare
Lu 9:33, "three tabernacles: one for
thee," &c. (the transfiguration being a pledge
of the future kingdom), (
Ps 118:15; Zec 14:16). As the Jew was reminded by the
feast of tabernacles of his wanderings in tents in the
wilderness, so the Jew-Gentile Church to come shall call to
mind, with thanksgiving, the various past ways whereby God
has at last brought them to the heavenly "city of
habitation" (
Ps 107:7).
3. draw water . . . salvation--an expressive
image in a hot country. On the last day of the feast of
tabernacles the Jews used to bring water in a golden
pitcher from the fountain of Siloam, and pour it, mingled
with wine, on the sacrifice on the altar, with great
rejoicing. This is the allusion in Jesus' words on
"the last day of the feast" (
Joh 7:2, 37-39). The pouring out of water indicated
repentance (
1Sa 7:6; compare, as to the Jews' repentance
hereafter,
Zec 12:10). There shall be a latter outpouring
of the Spirit like the former one on pentecost (
Joe 2:23).
wells--not mere streams, which
may run dry, but ever-flowing fountains (
Joh 4:14; 7:38), "Out of his belly (that is, in
and from himself)--living water" (
Isa 42:18; Ps 84:6; Zec 13:1; Re 7:17).
4. make mention--Hebrew, "cause it to be remembered."
5. Sing, &c.--alluding to Ex 15:21.
6. inhabitant of Zion--Hebrew,
"inhabitress"; so "daughter of Zion,"
that is, Zion and its people.
in the midst of thee--of Jerusalem
literally (
Jer 3:17; Eze 48:35; Zep 3:15, 17; Zec 2:10).
Isa 13:1-22. THE THIRTEENTH THROUGH TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTERS CONTAIN PROPHECIES AS TO FOREIGN NATIONS.--THE THIRTEENTH, FOURTEENTH, AND TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTERS AS TO BABYLON AND ASSYRIA.
The predictions as to foreign nations are for the sake of the covenant people, to preserve them from despair, or reliance on human confederacies, and to strengthen their faith in God: also in order to extirpate narrow-minded nationality: God is Jehovah to Israel, not for Israel's sake alone, but that He may be thereby Elohim to the nations. These prophecies are in their right chronological place, in the beginning of Hezekiah's reign; then the nations of Western Asia, on the Tigris and Euphrates, first assumed a most menacing aspect.
1. burden--weighty or mournful prophecy [G
ROTIUS]. Otherwise, simply, the prophetical
declaration, from a Hebrew root to put forth
with the voice anything, as in
Nu 23:7 [MAURER].
of Babylon--concerning Babylon.
2. Lift . . . banner-- (
Isa 5:26; 11:10).
the high mountain--rather, "a
bare (literally, "bald," that is, without
trees) mountain"; from it the banner could be seen
afar off, so as to rally together the peoples against
Babylon.
unto them--unto the Medes (
Isa 13:17), the assailants of Babylon. It is remarkable
that Isaiah does not foretell here the Jews'
captivity in Babylon, but presupposes that event,
and throws himself beyond, predicting another
event still more future, the overthrow of the city of
Israel's oppressors. It was now one hundred
seventy-four years before the event.
shake . . .
hand--beckon with the hand--wave the hand to direct
the nations to march against Babylon.
nobles--Babylonian. Rather, in a bad
sense, tyrants; as in
Isa 14:5, "rulers" in parallelism to
"the wicked"; and
Job 21:28 [MAURER].
3. sanctified ones--the Median and Persian soldiers
solemnly set apart by Me for the destruction of
Babylon, not inwardly "sanctified," but
designated to fulfil God's holy purpose
(
Jer 51:27, 28; Joe 3:9, 11; where the Hebrew for
prepare war is "sanctify" war).
for mine anger--to execute it.
rejoice in my highness--"Those
who are made to triumph for My honor"
[HORSLEY]. The heathen Medes could not be said to
"rejoice in God's highness" MAURER
translates, "My haughtily exulting ones" (
Zep 3:11); a special characteristic of the Persians [H
ERODOTUS,1.88]. They rejoiced in their own highness,
but it was His that they were unconsciously
glorifying.
4. the mountains--namely, which separate Media and Assyria,
and on one of which the banner to rally the hosts is
supposed to be reared.
tumultuous noise--The Babylonians are
vividly depicted as hearing some unwonted sound like the
din of a host; they try to distinguish the sounds, but can
only perceive a tumultuous noise.
nations--Medes, Persians, and
Armenians composed Cyrus' army.
5. They--namely, "Jehovah," and the armies which
are "the weapons of His indignation."
far country--Media and Persia,
stretching to the far north and east.
end of heaven--the far east (
Ps 19:6).
destroy--rather, "to seize"
[HORSLEY].
6. day of the Lord--day of His vengeance on Babylon (
Isa 2:12). Type of the future "day of wrath"
(
Re 6:17).
destruction--literally, "a
devastating tempest."
from the Almighty--not from mere man;
therefore irresistible. "Almighty," Hebrew,
Shaddai.
7. faint . . . melt--So Jer 50:43; compare Jos 7:5. Babylon was taken by surprise on the night of Belshazzar's impious feast ( Da 5:30). Hence the sudden fainting and melting of hearts.
8. pangs--The Hebrew means also a
"messenger." HORSLEY, therefore, with the
Septuagint translates, "The heralds (who
bring word of the unexpected invasion) are
terrified." MAURER agrees with English
Version, literally, "they shall take hold of pangs
and sorrows."
woman . . . travaileth-- (
1Th 5:3).
amazed--the stupid, bewildered gaze of
consternation.
faces . . .
flames--"their visages have the livid hue of
flame" [HORSLEY]; with anguish and indignation.
9. cruel--not strictly, but unsparingly just;
opposed to mercy. Also answering to the cruelty (in
the strict sense) of Babylon towards others (
Isa 14:17) now about to be visited on itself.
the land--"the earth"
[HORSLEY]. The language of
Isa 13:9-13 can only primarily and partially
apply to Babylon; fully and exhaustively, the
judgments to come, hereafter, on the whole earth. Compare
Isa 13:10 with Mt 24:29; Re 8:12. The sins of Babylon,
arrogancy (
Isa 13:11; Isa 14:11; 47:7, 8), cruelty, false
worship (
Jer 50:38), persecution of the people of God (
Isa 47:6), are peculiarly characteristic of the
Antichristian world of the latter days (
Da 11:32-37; Re 17:3, 6; 18:6, 7, 9-14, 24).
10. stars, &c.--figuratively for anarchy,
distress, and revolutions of kingdoms (
Isa 34:4; Joe 2:10; Eze 32:7, 8; Am 8:9; Re 6:12-14).
There may be a literal fulfilment finally,
shadowed forth under this imagery (
Re 21:1).
constellations--Hebrew, "a
fool," or "impious one"; applied to the
constellation Orion, which was represented as an
impious giant (Nimrod deified, the founder of Babylon)
chained to the sky. See on Job
38:31.
11. world--the impious of the world (compare
Isa 11:4).
arrogancy--Babylon's besetting sin
(
Da 4:22, 30).
the terrible--rather, tyrants
[HORSLEY].
12. man . . . precious--I will so cut off Babylon's defenders, that a single man shall be as rare and precious as the finest gold.
13. Image for mighty revolutions ( Isa 24:19; 34:4; Hab 3:6, 10; Hag 2:6, 7; Re 20:11).
14. it--Babylon.
roe--gazelle; the most timid and
easily startled.
no man taketh up--sheep defenseless,
without a shepherd (
Zec 13:7).
every man . . . to his own
people--The "mingled peoples" of foreign lands
shall flee out of her (
Jer 50:16, 28, 37; 51:9).
15. found--in the city.
joined--"intercepted"
[MAURER]. "Every one that has withdrawn
himself," namely, to hide in the houses
[GESENIUS].
16. ( Ps 137:8, 9).
17. Medes-- (
Isa 21:2; Jer 51:11, 28). At that time they were
subject to Assyria; subsequently Arbaces, satrap of Media,
revolted against the effeminate Sardanapalus, king of
Assyria, destroyed Nineveh, and became king of Media, in
the ninth century B.C.
not regard silver--In vain will one
try to buy his life from them for a ransom. The heathen
XENOPHON (Cyropædia, 5,1,10) represents Cyrus
as attributing this characteristic to the Medes,
disregard of riches. A curious confirmation of this
prophecy.
18. bows--in the use of which the Persians were particularly skilled.
19. glory of kingdoms-- (
Isa 14:4; 47:5; Jer 51:41).
beauty of . . .
excellency--Hebrew, "the glory of the
pride" of the Chaldees; it was their glory and
boast.
as . . . Gomorrah--as
utterly (
Jer 49:18; 50:40; Am 4:11). Taken by Cyrus, by clearing
out the canal made for emptying the superfluous waters of
the Euphrates, and directing the river into this new
channel, so that he was able to enter the city by the old
bed in the night.
20. Literally fulfilled.
neither . . . Arabian pitch
tent--Not only shall it not be a permanent residence, but
not even a temporary resting-place. The Arabs,
through dread of evil spirits, and believing the ghost of
Nimrod to haunt it, will not pass the night there (compare
Isa 13:21).
neither . . . shepherds--The
region was once most fertile; but owing to the Euphrates
being now no longer kept within its former channels, it has
become a stagnant marsh, unfit for flocks; and on the
wastes of its ruins (bricks and cement) no grass grows.
21. wild beasts--Hebrew, tsiyim, animals dwelling in
arid wastes. Wild cats, remarkable for their howl
[BOCHART].
doleful creatures--"howling
beasts," literally, "howlings"
[MAURER].
owls--rather, "ostriches"; a
timorous creature, delighting in solitary deserts and
making a hideous noise [BOCHART].
satyrs--sylvan demi-gods--half man,
half goat--believed by the Arabs to haunt these ruins;
probably animals of the goat-ape species [VITRINGA].
Devil-worshippers, who dance amid the ruins on a
certain night [J. WOLFF].
22. wild beasts of the islands--rather,
"jackals"; called by the Arabs "sons of
howling"; an animal midway between a fox and a wolf
[BOCHART and MAURER].
cry--rather, "answer,"
"respond" to each other, as wolves do at night,
producing a most dismal effect.
dragons--serpents of various species,
which hiss and utter dolorous sounds. Fable gave them
wings, because they stand with much of the body elevated
and then dart swiftly. MAURER understands here another
species of jackal.
her time . . . near--though
one hundred seventy-four years distant, yet
"near" to Isaiah, who is supposed to be speaking
to the Jews as if now captives in Babylon (
Isa 14:1, 2).
Isa 14:1-3. THE CERTAINTY OF DELIVERANCE FROM BABYLON.
Isa 14:4-23. THE JEWS' TRIUMPHAL SONG THEREAT.
"It moves in lengthened elegiac measure like a song of lamentation for the dead, and is full of lofty scorn" [HERDER].
Isa 14:24-27. CONFIRMATION OF THIS BY THE HEREFORETOLD DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB;
a pledge to assure the captives in Babylon that He who, with such ease, overthrew the Assyrian, could likewise effect His purpose as to Babylon. The Babylonian king, the subject of this prediction, is Belshazzar, as representative of the kingdom ( Da 5:1-31).
1. choose--"set His choice upon." A deliberate
predilection [HORSLEY]. Their restoration is grounded on
their election (see
Ps 102:13-22).
strangers--proselytes (
Es 8:17; Ac 2:10; 17:4, 17). TACITUS, a heathen
[Histories, 5.5], attests the fact of numbers of the
Gentiles having become Jews in his time. An earnest of the
future effect on the heathen world of the Jews'
spiritual restoration (
Isa 60:4, 5, 10; Mic 5:7; Zec 14:16; Ro 11:12).
2. the people--of Babylon, primarily. Of the whole Gentile
world ultimately (
Isa 49:22; 66:20; 60:9).
their place--Judea (
Ezr 1:1-6).
possess--receive in possession.
captives--not by physical, but by
moral might; the force of love, and regard to Israel's
God (
Isa 60:14).
3. rest-- ( Isa 28:12; Eze 28:25, 26).
Isa 14:4-8. A CHORUS OF JEWS EXPRESS THEIR JOYFUL SURPRISE AT BABYLON'S DOWNFALL.
The whole earth rejoices; the cedars of Lebanon taunt him.
4. proverb--The Orientals, having few books, embodied their
thoughts in weighty, figurative, briefly expressed gnomes.
Here a taunting song of triumph (
Mic 2:4; Hab 2:6).
the king--the ideal representative of
Babylon; perhaps Belshazzar (
Da 5:1-31). The mystical Babylon is ultimately
meant.
golden city--rather, "the
exactress of gold" [MAURER]. But the old translators
read differently in the Hebrew,
"oppression," which the parallelism favors
(compare
Isa 3:5).
5. staff--not the scepter (
Ps 2:9), but the staff with which one strikes others,
as he is speaking of more tyrants than one (
Isa 9:4; 10:24; 14:29) [MAURER].
rulers--tyrants, as the parallelism
"the wicked" proves (compare see on Isa 13:2).
6. people--the peoples subjected to Babylon.
is persecuted--the Hebrew is
rather, active, "which persecuted them, without
any to hinder him" [Vulgate, JEROME, and
HORSLEY].
7. they--the once subject nations of the whole earth. HOUBIGANT places the stop after "fir trees" ( Isa 14:8), "The very fir trees break forth," &c. But the parallelism is better in English Version.
8. the fir trees--now left undisturbed. Probably a kind of
evergreen.
rejoice at thee-- (
Ps 96:12). At thy fall (
Ps 35:19, 24).
no feller--as formerly, when thou wast
in power (
Isa 10:34; 37:24).
Isa 14:9-11. THE SCENE CHANGES FROM EARTH TO HELL.
Hades (the Amenthes of Egypt), the unseen abode of the departed; some of its tenants, once mighty monarchs, are represented by a bold personification as rising from their seats in astonishment at the descent among them of the humbled king of Babylon. This proves, in opposition to WARBURTON [The Divine Legation], that the belief existed among the Jews that there was a Sheol or Hades, in which the "Rephaim" or manes of the departed abode.
9. moved--put into agitation.
for thee--that is, "at
thee"; towards thee; explained by "to meet thee
at thy coming" [MAURER].
chief ones--literally,
"goats"; so rams, leaders of the flock; princes
(
Zec 10:3). The idea of wickedness on a
gigantic scale is included (
Eze 34:17; Mt 25:32, 33). MAGEE derives
"Rephaim" (English Version, "the
dead") from a Hebrew root, "to resolve
into first elements"; so "the deceased" (
Isa 26:14) "ghosts" (
Pr 21:16). These being magnified by the imagination of
the living into gigantic stature, gave their name to
giants in general (
Ge 6:4; 14:5; Eze 32:18, 21). "Rephaim,"
translated in the Septuagint, "giants"
(compare see on Job 26:5,
6). Thence, as the giant Rephaim of Canaan were
notorious even in that guilty land, enormous
wickedness became connected with the term. So the
Rephaim came to be the wicked spirits in Gehenna,
the lower of the two portions into which Sheol is divided.
10. They taunt him and derive from his calamity consolation
under their own (
Eze 31:16).
weak--as a shade bereft of blood and
life. Rephaim, "the dead," may come from a
Hebrew root, meaning similarly "feeble,"
"powerless." The speech of the departed closes
with
Isa 14:11.
11. "Pomp" and music, the accompaniment of
Babylon's former feastings (
Isa 5:12; 24:8), give place to the corruption and the
stillness of the grave (
Eze 32:27).
worm--that is bred in putridity.
worms--properly those from which the
crimson dye is obtained. Appropriate here; instead of the
crimson coverlet, over thee shall be
"worms." Instead of the gorgeous couch,
"under thee" shall be the maggot.
Isa 14:12-15. THE JEWS ADDRESS HIM AGAIN AS A FALLEN ONCE-BRIGHT STAR.
The language is so framed as to apply to the Babylonian king primarily, and at the same time to shadow forth through him, the great final enemy, the man of sin, Antichrist, of Daniel, St. Paul, and St. John; he alone shall fulfil exhaustively all the lineaments here given.
12. Lucifer--"day star." A title truly belonging
to Christ (
Re 22:16), "the bright and morning star," and
therefore hereafter to be assumed by Antichrist. GESENIUS,
however, renders the Hebrew here as in
Eze 21:12; Zec 11:2, "howl."
weaken--"prostrate"; as in
Ex 17:13, "discomfit."
13. above . . . God--In
Da 8:10, "stars" express earthly
potentates. "The stars" are often also used
to express heavenly principalities (
Job 38:7).
mount of the congregation--the place
of solemn meeting between God and His people in the
temple at Jerusalem. In
Da 11:37, and 2Th 2:4, this is attributed to
Antichrist.
sides of the north--namely, the sides
of Mount Moriah on which the temple was built; north
of Mount Zion (
Ps 48:2). However, the parallelism supports the notion
that the Babylonian king expresses himself according to his
own, and not Jewish opinions (so in
Isa 10:10) thus "mount of the congregation"
will mean the northern mountain (perhaps in Armenia)
fabled by the Babylonians to be the common meeting-place
of their gods. "Both sides" imply the
angle in which the sides meet; and so the expression
comes to mean "the extreme parts of the
north." So the Hindus place the Meru, the
dwelling-place of their gods, in the north, in the
Himalayan mountains. So the Greeks, in the northern
Olympus. The Persian followers of Zoroaster put the
Ai-bordsch in the Caucasus north of them. The allusion to
the stars harmonizes with this; namely, that those near the
North Pole, the region of the aurora borealis
(compare see on Job 23:9;
Job 37:22) [MAURER, Septuagint, Syriac].
14. clouds--rather, "the cloud," singular. Perhaps there is a reference to the cloud, the symbol of the divine presence ( Isa 4:5; Ex 13:21). So this tallies with 2Th 2:4, "above all that is called God"; as here "above . . . the cloud"; and as the Shekinah-cloud was connected with the temple, there follows, "he as God sitteth in the temple of God," answering to "I will be like the Most High" here. Moreover, Re 17:4, 5, represents Antichrist as seated in BABYLON, to which city, literal and spiritual, Isaiah refers here.
15. to hell--to Sheol (
Isa 14:6), thou who hast said, "I will ascend into
heaven" (
Mt 11:23).
sides of the pit--antithetical to the
"sides of the north" (
Isa 14:13). Thus the reference is to the sides
of the sepulcher round which the dead were arranged in
niches. But MAURER here, as in
Isa 14:13, translates, "the extreme,"
or innermost parts of the sepulchre: as in
Eze 32:23 (compare
1Sa 24:3).
Isa 14:16-20. THE PASSERS-BY CONTEMPLATE WITH ASTONISHMENT THE BODY OF THE KING OF BABYLON CAST OUT, INSTEAD OF LYING IN A SPLENDID MAUSOLEUM, AND CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THEIR SENSES THAT IT IS HE.
16. narrowly look--to be certain they are not
mistaken.
consider--"meditate upon"
[HORSLEY].
17. opened not . . . house . . . prisoners--But MAURER, as Margin, "Did not let his captives loose homewards."
18. All--that is, This is the usual practice.
in glory--in a grand mausoleum.
house--that is, "sepulchre,"
as in
Ec 12:5; "grave" (
Isa 14:19). To be excluded from the family sepulcher
was a mark of infamy (
Isa 34:3; Jer 22:19; 1Ki 13:22; 2Ch 21:20; 24:25;
28:27).
19. cast out of--not that he had lain in the grave
and was then cast out of it, but "cast out
without a grave," such as might have been
expected by thee ("thy").
branch--a useless sucker
starting up from the root of a tree, and cut away by the
husbandman.
raiment of those . . .
slain--covered with gore, and regarded with abhorrence as
unclean by the Jews. Rather, "clothed (that is,
covered) with the slain"; as in
Job 7:5, "My flesh is clothed with worms and clods
of dust" [M AURER].
thrust through--that is, "the
slain who have been thrust through," &c.
stones of . . . pit--whose
bodies are buried in sepulchres excavated amidst stones,
whereas the king of Babylon is an unburied
"carcass trodden under foot."
20. not . . . joined with them--whereas the
princes slain with thee shall be buried, thou shalt
not.
thou . . . destroyed
. . . land--Belshazzar (or Naboned)
oppressed his land with wars and tyranny, so that he was
much hated [XENOPHON, Cyropædia 4.6, 3; 7.5,
32].
seed . . . never be
renowned--rather, "shall not be named for ever";
the Babylonian dynasty shall end with Belshazzar; his
family shall not be perpetuated [HORSLEY].
Isa 14:21-23. GOD'S DETERMINATION TO DESTROY BABYLON.
21. Prepare, &c.--charge to the Medes and Persians, as
if they were God's conscious instruments.
his children--Belshazzar's (
Ex 20:5).
rise--to occupy the places of their
fathers.
fill . . . with
cities--MAURER translates, "enemies," as the
Hebrew means in
1Sa 28:16; Ps 139:20; namely, lest they inundate the
world with their armies. VITRINGA translates,
"disturbers." In English Version the
meaning is, "lest they fill the land with such
cities" of pride as Babylon was.
22. against them--the family of the king of Babylon.
name--all the male
representatives, so that the name shall become extinct (
Isa 56:5; Ru 4:5).
remnant--all that is left of them. The
dynasty shall cease (
Da 5:28-31). Compare as to Babylon in general,
Jer 51:62.
23. bittern--rather, "the hedgehog" [MAURER and
GESENIUS]. STRABO (16:1) states that enormous hedgehogs
were found in the islands of the Euphrates.
pools--owing to Cyrus turning the
waters of the Euphrates over the country.
besom--sweep-net [MAURER], (
1Ki 14:10; 2Ki 21:13).
Isa 14:24-27. A FRAGMENT AS TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB.
This would comfort the Jews when captives in Babylon, being a pledge that God, who had by that time fulfilled the promise concerning Sennacherib (though now still future), would also fulfil His promise as to destroying Babylon, Judah's enemy.
24. In this verse the Lord's thought (purpose) stands in antithesis to the Assyrians' thoughts ( Isa 10:7). (See Isa 46:10, 11; 1Sa 15:29; Mal 3:6).
25. That--My purpose, namely, "that."
break . . . yoke-- (
Isa 10:27).
my mountains--Sennacherib's army
was destroyed on the mountains near Jerusalem (
Isa 10:33, 34). God regarded Judah as peculiarly His.
26. This is . . . purpose . . . whole
earth--A hint that the prophecy embraces the present world
of all ages in its scope, of which the purpose concerning
Babylon and Assyria, the then representatives of the world
power, is but a part.
hand . . . stretched out
upon--namely, in punishment (
Isa 5:25).
27. ( Da 4:35).
Isa 14:28-32. PROPHECY AGAINST PHILISTIA.
To comfort the Jews, lest they should fear that people; not in order to call the Philistines to repentance, since the prophecy was probably never circulated among them. They had been subdued by Uzziah or Azariah ( 2Ch 26:6); but in the reign of Ahaz ( 2Ch 28:18), they took several towns in south Judea. Now Isaiah denounces their final subjugation by Hezekiah.
28. In . . . year . . . Ahaz died--726 B.C. Probably it was in this year that the Philistines threw off the yoke put on them by Uzziah.
29. Palestina--literally, "the land of
sojourners."
rod . . . broken--The
yoke imposed by Uzziah (
2Ch 26:6) was thrown off under Ahaz (
2Ch 28:18).
serpent's root--the stock of Jesse
(
Isa 11:1). Uzziah was doubtless regarded by the
Philistines as a biting "serpent." But though the
effects of his bite have been got rid of, a more deadly
viper, or "cockatrice" (literally,
"viper's offspring," as Philistia would
regard him), namely, Hezekiah awaits you (
2Ki 18:8).
30. first-born of . . . poor--Hebraism, for the
most abject poor; the first-born being the foremost
of the family. Compare "first-born of death" (
Job 18:13), for the most fatal death. The Jews,
heretofore exposed to Philistine invasions and alarms,
shall be in safety. Compare
Ps 72:4, "Children of the needy," expressing
those "needy in condition."
feed--image from a flock feeding in
safety.
root--radical destruction.
He shall slay--Jehovah shall. The
change of person, "He" after "I," is a
common Hebraism.
31. gate--that is, ye who throng the gate; the chief place
of concourse in a city.
from . . . north--Judea,
north and east of Palestine.
smoke--from the signal-fire, whereby a
hostile army was called together; the Jews'
signal-fire is meant here, the "pillar of cloud and
fire," (
Ex 13:21; Ne 9:19); or else from the region devastated
by fire [MAURER]. GESENIUS less probably refers it to the
cloud of dust raised by the invading army.
none . . . alone
. . . in . . . appointed times--Rather,
"There shall not be a straggler among his (the
enemy's) levies." The Jewish host shall
advance on Palestine in close array; none shall fall back
or lag from weariness (
Isa 5:26, 27), [LOWTH]. MAURER thinks the Hebrew
will not bear the rendering "levies" or
"armies." He translates, "There is not one
(of the Philistine watch guards) who will remain
alone (exposed to the enemy) at his post,"
through fright. On "alone," compare
Ps 102:7; Ho 8:9.
32. messengers of the nation--When messengers come from
Philistia to enquire as to the state of Judea, the reply
shall be, that the Lord . . . (
Ps 87:1, 5; 102:16).
poor-- (
Zep 3:12).
Isa 15:1-9. THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CHAPTERS FORM ONE PROPHECY ON MOAB.
LOWTH thinks it was delivered in the first years of Hezekiah's reign and fulfilled in the fourth when Shalmaneser, on his way to invade Israel, may have seized on the strongholds of Moab. Moab probably had made common cause with Israel and Syria in a league against Assyria. Hence it incurred the vengeance of Assyria. Jeremiah has introduced much of this prophecy into his forty-eighth chapter.
1. Because--rather, "Surely"; literally, "(I
affirm) that" [MAURER].
night--the time best suited for a
hostile incursion (
Isa 21:4; Jer 39:4).
Ar--meaning in Hebrew,
"the city"; the metropolis of Moab, on the south
of the river Arnon.
Kir--literally, "a citadel";
not far from Ar, towards the south.
He--Moab personified.
Bajith--rather, "to the
temple" [MAURER]; answering to the
"sanctuary" (
Isa 16:12), in a similar context.
to Dibon--Rather, as Dibon was in a
plain north of the Arnon, "Dibon (is gone up) to
the high places," the usual places of sacrifice in the
East. Same town as Dimon (
Isa 15:9).
to weep--at the sudden calamity.
over Nebo--rather "in Nebo";
not "on account of" Nebo (compare
Isa 15:3) [MAURER]. The town Nebo was adjacent to the
mountain, not far from the northern shore of the Dead Sea.
There it was that Chemosh, the idol of Moab, was worshipped
(compare
De 34:1).
Medeba--south of Heshbon, on a hill
east of Jordan.
baldness . . . beard cut
off--The Orientals regarded the beard with peculiar
veneration. To cut one's beard off is the greatest mark
of sorrow and mortification (compare
Jer 48:37).
3. tops of . . . houses--flat; places of resort
for prayer, &c., in the East (
Ac 10:9).
weeping abundantly--"melting away
in tears." HORSLEY prefers "descending to
weep." Thus there is a "parallelism by alternate
construction" [LOWTH], or chiasmus;
"howl" refers to "tops of houses."
"Descending to weep" to "streets" or
squares, whither they descend from the housetops.
4. Heshbon--an Amorite city, twenty miles east of Jordan;
taken by Moab after the carrying away of Israel (compare
Jer 48:1-47).
Elealeh--near Heshbon, in
Reuben.
Jahaz--east of Jordan, in Reuben. Near
it Moses defeated Sihon.
therefore--because of the sudden
overthrow of their cities. Even the armed men, instead of
fighting in defense of their land, shall join in the
general cry.
life, &c.--rather, "his soul
is grieved" (
1Sa 1:8) [MAURER].
5. My--The prophet himself is moved with pity for Moab.
Ministers, in denouncing the wrath of God against sinners,
should do it with tender sorrow, not with exultation.
fugitives--fleeing from Moab, wander
as far as to Zoar, on the extreme boundary south of the
Dead Sea. HORSLEY translates, "her nobility," or
"rulers" (
Ho 4:18).
heifer, &c.--that is, raising
their voices "like a heifer" (compare
Jer 48:34, 36). The expression "three years
old," implies one at its full vigor (
Ge 15:9), as yet not brought under the yoke; as Moab
heretofore unsubdued, but now about to be broken. So
Jer 31:18; Ho 4:13. MAURER translates,
"Eglath" (in English Version, "a
heifer") Shelishijah (that is, the
third, to distinguish it from two others of the same
name).
by the mounting up--up the
ascent.
Luhith--a mountain in Moab.
Horonaim--a town of Moab not far from
Zoar (
Jer 48:5). It means "the two poles," being
near caves.
cry of destruction--a cry appropriate
to the destruction which visits their country.
6. For--the cause of their flight southwards ( 2Ki 3:19, 25). "For" the northern regions and even the city Nimrim (the very name of which means "limpid waters," in Gilead near Jordan) are without water or herbage.
7. Therefore--because of the devastation of the land.
abundance--literally, "that which
is over and above" the necessaries of life.
brook of . . . willows--The
fugitives flee from Nimrim, where the waters have failed,
to places better watered. Margin has "valley of
Arabians"; that is, to the valley on the boundary
between them and Arabia-Petræa; now Wady-el Arabah.
"Arabia" means a "desert."
8. Eglaim-- (
Eze 47:10), En-eglaim. Not the Agalum of
EUSEBIUS, eight miles from Areopolis towards the south; the
context requires a town on the very borders of Moab or
beyond them.
Beer-elim--literally, "the well
of the Princes"--(so
Nu 21:16-18). Beyond the east borders of Moab.
9. Dimon--same as Dibon (
Isa 15:2). Its waters are the Arnon.
full of blood--The slain of Moab shall
be so many.
bring more--fresh calamities, namely,
the "lions" afterwards mentioned (
2Ki 17:25; Jer 5:6; 15:3). VITRINGA understands
Nebuchadnezzar as meant by "the lion"; but it is
plural, "lions." The "more," or
in Hebrew, "additions," he explains of the
addition made to the waters of Dimon by the streams of
blood of the slain.
Isa 16:1-14. CONTINUATION OF THE PROPHECY AS TO MOAB.
1. lamb--advice of the prophet to the Moabites who had fled
southwards to Idumea, to send to the king of Judah the
tribute of lambs, which they had formerly paid to
Israel, but which they had given up (
2Ki 3:4, 5). David probably imposed this tribute before
the severance of Judah and Israel (
2Sa 8:2). Therefore Moab is recommended to gain the
favor and protection of Judah, by paying it to the
Jewish king. Type of the need of submitting to Messiah (
Ps 2:10-12; Ro 12:1).
from Sela to--rather, "from Petra
through (literally, 'towards') the
wilderness" [MAURER]. "Sela" means "a
rock," Petra in Greek; the capital of
Idumea and Arabia-Petræa; the dwellings are mostly
hewn out of the rock. The country around was a vast common
("wilderness") or open pasturage, to which the
Moabites had fled on the invasion from the west (
Isa 15:7).
ruler of the land--namely, of
Idumea, that is, the king of Judah; Amaziah had become
master of Idumea and Sela (
2Ki 14:7).
2. cast out of . . . nest--rather, "as a
brood cast out" (in apposition with "a
wandering bird," or rather, wandering birds),
namely, a brood just fledged and expelled from the nest in
which they were hatched [HORSLEY]. Compare
Isa 10:14; De 32:11.
daughters of Moab--that is, the
inhabitants of Moab. So
2Ki 19:21; Ps 48:11; Jer 46:11; La 4:22 [MAURER].
at the fords--trying to cross the
boundary river of Moab, in order to escape out of the land.
EWALD and MAURER make "fords" a poetical
expression for "the dwellers on Arnon,"
answering to the parallel clause of the same sense,
"daughters of Moab."
3-5. GESENIUS, MAURER, &c., regard these verses as an
address of the fugitive Moabites to the Jews for
protection; they translate
Isa 16:4, "Let mine outcasts of Moab dwell
with thee, Judah"; the protection will be refused by
the Jews, for the pride of Moab (
Isa 16:6). VITRINGA makes it an additional advice to
Moab, besides paying tribute. Give shelter to the
Jewish outcasts who take refuge in thy land (
Isa 16:3, 4); so "mercy" will be shown thee
in turn by whatever king sits on the "throne" of
"David" (
Isa 16:5). Isaiah foresees that Moab will be too
proud to pay the tribute, or conciliate Judah by
sheltering its outcasts (
Isa 16:6); therefore judgment shall be executed.
However, as Moab just before is represented as itself an
outcast in Idumea, it seems incongruous that it
should be called on to shelter Jewish outcasts. So
that it seems rather to foretell the ruined state of Moab
when its people should beg the Jews for shelter, but
be refused for their pride.
make . . . shadow as
. . . night . . . in . . .
noonday--emblem of a thick shelter from the glaring noonday
heat (
Isa 4:6; 25:4; 32:2).
bewray . . .
wandereth--Betray not the fugitive to his pursuer.
4. Rather, "Let the outcasts of Moab dwell with
thee" (Judah) [HORSLEY].
for the extortioner, &c.--The
Assyrian oppressor probably.
is at an end--By the time that Moab
begs Judah for shelter, Judah shall be in a condition to
afford it, for the Assyrian oppressor shall have
been "consumed out of the land."
5. If Judah shelters the suppliant Moab, allowing him to
remain in Idumea, a blessing will redound to Judah itself
and its "throne."
truth . . . judgment
. . . righteousness--language so divinely framed
as to apply to "the latter days" under King
Messiah, when "the Lord shall bring again the
captivity of Moab" (
Ps 72:2; 96:13; 98:9; Jer 48:47; Ro 11:12).
hasting--"prompt in
executing."
6. We--Jews. We reject Moab's supplication for his
pride.
lies--false boasts.
not be so--rather, "not
right"; shall prove vain (
Isa 25:10; Jer 48:29, 30; Zep 2:8). "It shall not
be so; his lies shall not so effect it."
7. Therefore--all hope of being allowed shelter by the Jews
being cut off.
foundations--that is,
"ruins"; because, when houses are pulled down,
the "foundations" alone are left (
Isa 58:12). Jeremiah, in the parallel place (
Jer 48:31), renders it "men," who are the
moral foundations or stay of a city.
Kirhareseth--literally, "a
citadel of brick."
surely they are stricken--rather,
joined with "mourn"; "Ye shall mourn
utterly stricken" [MAURER and HORSLEY].
8. fields--vine-fields (
De 32:32).
vine of Sibmah--near Heshbon: namely,
languishes.
lords of . . . heathen--The
heathen princes, the Assyrians, &c., who invaded Moab,
destroyed his vines. So Jeremiah in the parallel place (
Jer 48:32, 33). MAURER thinks the following words
require rather the rendering, "Its (the vine of
Sibmah) shoots (the wines got from them) overpowered (by
its generous flavor and potency) the lords of the
nations" (
Ge 49:11, 12, 22).
come . . . Jazer--They (the
vine shoots) reached even to Jazer, fifteen miles from
Heshbon.
wandered--They overran in wild
luxuriance the wilderness of Arabia, encompassing
Moab.
the sea--the Dead Sea; or else some
lake near Jazer now dry; in
Jer 48:32 called "the sea of Jazer"; but see
on Jer 48:32 (
Ps 80:8-11).
9. I--will bewail for its desolation, though I belong to
another nation (see on Isa
15:5).
with . . . weeping of
Jazer--as Jazer weeps.
shouting for . . .
fallen--rather, "Upon thy summer fruits and
upon thy luxuriant vines the shouting (the battle
shout, instead of the joyous shout of the
grape-gatherers, usual at the vintage) is fallen" (
Isa 16:10; Jer 25:30; 51:14). In the parallel passage
(
Jer 48:32) the words substantially express the same
sense. "The spoiler is fallen upon thy summer
fruits."
10. gladness--such as is felt in gathering a rich harvest. There shall be no harvest or vintage owing to the desolation; therefore no "gladness."
11. bowels--in Scripture the seat of yearning compassion.
It means the inward seat of emotion, the heart, &c. (
Isa 63:15; compare
Isa 15:5; Jer 48:36).
sound . . . harp--as its
strings vibrate when beaten with the plectrum or hand.
12. when it is seen that--rather, "When Moab shall have appeared (before his gods; compare Ex 23:15), when he is weary (that is, when he shall have fatigued himself with observing burdensome rites; 1Ki 18:26, &c.), on the high place (compare Isa 15:2), and shall come to his sanctuary (of the idol Chemosh on Mount Nebo) to pray, he shall not prevail"; he shall effect nothing by his prayers [MAURER].
13. since that time--rather, "respecting that time" [HORSLEY]. BARNES translates it, "formerly" in contrast to "but now" ( Isa 16:14): heretofore former prophecies ( Ex 15:15; Nu 21:29) have been given as to Moab, of which Isaiah has given the substance: but now a definite and steady time also is fixed.
14. three years . . . hireling--Just as a hireling has his fixed term of engagement, which neither he nor his master will allow to be added to or to be taken from, so the limit within which Moab is to fall is unalterably fixed ( Isa 21:16). Fulfilled about the time when the Assyrians led Israel into captivity. The ruins of Elealeh, Heshbon, Medeba, Dibon, &c., still exist to confirm the inspiration of Scripture. The accurate particularity of specification of the places three thousand years ago, confirmed by modern research, is a strong testimony to the truth of prophecy.
Isa 17:1-11. PROPHECY CONCERNING DAMASCUS AND ITS ALLY SAMARIA, that is, Syria and Israel, which had leagued together (seventh and eighth chapters).
Already, Tiglath-pileser had carried away the people of Damascus to Kir, in the fourth year of Ahaz ( 2Ki 16:9); but now in Hezekiah's reign a further overthrow is foretold ( Jer 49:23; Zec 9:1). Also, Shalmaneser carried away Israel from Samaria to Assyria ( 2Ki 17:6; 18:10, 11) in the sixth year of Hezekiah of Judah (the ninth year of Hoshea of Israel). This prophecy was, doubtless, given previously in the first years of Hezekiah when the foreign nations came into nearer collision with Judah, owing to the threatening aspect of Assyria.
1. Damascus--put before Israel (Ephraim, Isa 17:3), which is chiefly referred to in what follows, because it was the prevailing power in the league; with it Ephraim either stood or fell ( Isa 7:1-25).
2. cities of Aroer--that is, the cities round Aroer, and
under its jurisdiction [GESENIUS]. So "cities with
their villages" (
Jos 15:44); "Heshbon and all her cities" (
Jos 13:17). Aroer was near Rabbahammon, at the river of
Gad, an arm of the Jabbok (
2Sa 24:5), founded by the Gadites (
Nu 32:34).
for flocks-- (
Isa 5:17).
3. fortress . . . cease--The strongholds shall be
pulled down (Samaria especially:
Ho 10:14; Mic 1:6; Hab 1:10).
remnant of Syria--all that was left
after the overthrow by Tiglath-pileser (
2Ki 16:9).
as the glory of . . .
Israel--They shall meet with the same fate as Israel, their
ally.
4. glory of Jacob--the kingdom of Ephraim and all that they
rely on (
Ho 12:2; Mic 1:5).
fatness . . . lean--(See on
Isa 10:16).
5. harvestman, &c.--The inhabitants and wealth of
Israel shall be swept away, and but few left behind just as
the husbandman gathers the corn and the fruit, and leaves
only a few gleaning ears and grapes (
2Ki 18:9-11).
with his arm--He collects the standing
grain with one arm, so that he can cut it with the sickle
in the other hand.
Rephaim--a fertile plain at the
southwest of Jerusalem toward Beth-lehem and the country of
the Philistines (
2Sa 5:18-22).
6. in it--that is, in the land of Israel.
two or three . . . in the
top--A few poor inhabitants shall be left in Israel, like
the two or three olive berries left on the topmost boughs,
which it is not worth while taking the trouble to try to
reach.
7. look to his Maker--instead of trusting in their fortresses-- ( Isa 17:3; Mic 7:7).
8. groves--A symbolical tree is often found in Assyrian
inscriptions, representing the hosts of heaven
("Saba"), answering to Ashteroth or Astarte, the
queen of heaven, as Baal or Bel is the king. Hence the
expression, "image of the grove," is explained
(
2Ki 21:7).
images--literally, "images to the
sun," that is, to Baal, who answers to the sun, as
Astarte to the hosts of heaven (
2Ki 23:5; Job 31:26).
9. forsaken bough--rather "the leavings of
woods," what the axeman leaves when he cuts down the
grove (compare
Isa 17:6).
which they left because of--rather,
"which (the enemies) shall leave for the children of
Israel"; literally, "shall leave (in departing)
from before the face of the children of Israel"
[MAURER]. But a few cities out of many shall be left to
Israel, by the purpose of God, executed by the Assyrian.
10. forgotten . . . God of . . .
salvation . . . rock-- (
De 32:15, 18).
plants--rather, "nursery
grounds," "pleasure-grounds" [MAURER].
set in--rather, "set them,"
the pleasure-grounds.
strange slips--cuttings of plants from
far, and therefore valuable.
11. In the day . . . thy plant--rather, "In
the day of thy planting" [HORSLEY].
shalt . . . make
. . . grow--MAURER translates, "Thou didst
fence it," namely, the pleasure-ground. The
parallel clause, "Make . . . flourish,"
favors English Version. As soon as thou plantest, it
grows.
in the morning--that is, immediately
after; so in
Ps 90:14, the Hebrew, "in the
morning," is translated "early."
but . . . shall be a
heap--rather, "but (promising as was the prospect) the
harvest is gone" [HORSLEY].
in . . . day of
grief--rather, "in the day of (expected)
possession" [MAURER]. "In the day of
inundation" [HORSLEY].
of desperate sorrow--rather, "And
the sorrow shall be desperate or irremediable." In
English Version "heap" and "sorrow"
may be taken together by hendiadys. "The heap of the
harvest shall be desperate sorrow" [ROSENMULLER].
Isa 17:12-18:7. SUDDEN DESTRUCTION OF A GREAT ARMY IN JUDEA (namely that of the Assyrian Sennacherib), AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE EVENT TO THE ETHIOPIAN AMBASSADORS.
The connection of this fragment with what precedes is: notwithstanding the calamities coming on Israel, the people of God shall not be utterly destroyed ( Isa 6:12, 13); the Assyrian spoilers shall perish ( Isa 17:13, 14).
12. Woe . . . multitude--rather, "Ho
(Hark)! a noise of," &c. The prophet in
vision perceives the vast and mixed Assyrian hosts
(Hebrew, "many peoples," see on Isa 5:26): on the hills of Judah (so
"mountains,"
Isa 17:13): but at the "rebuke" of God, they
shall "flee as chaff."
to the rushing . . . that
make--rather, "the roaring . . .
roareth" (compare
Isa 8:7; Jer 6:23).
13. shall . . . shall--rather, "God rebuketh
(
Ps 9:5) them, and they flee--are chased";
the event is set before the eyes as actually present, not
future.
chaff of . . .
mountains--Threshing floors in the East are in the open air
on elevated places, so as to catch the wind which
separates the chaff from the wheat (
Ps 88:13; Ho 13:3).
rolling thing--anything that rolls:
stubble.
14. eventide . . . before morning--fulfilled to
the letter in the destruction "before morning" of
the vast host that "at eveningtide" was such a
terror ("trouble") to Judah; on the phrase
see
Ps 90:6; 30:5.
he is not--namely, the enemy.
us--the Jews. A general declaration of
the doom that awaits the foes of God's people (
Isa 54:17).
Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacherib's hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors, now in Jerusalem, to bring word of it to their own nation; and he calls on the whole world to witness the event ( Isa 18:3). As Isa 17:12-14 announced the presence of the foe, so Isa 18:1-7 foretells his overthrow.
1. Woe--The heading in English Version, "God
will destroy the Ethiopians," is a mistake arising
from the wrong rendering "Woe," whereas the
Hebrew does not express a threat, but is an
appeal calling attention (
Isa 55:1; Zec 2:6): "Ho." He is not speaking
against but to the Ethiopians, calling on
them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the
destruction of their enemies.
shadowing with wings--rather,
"land of the winged bark"; that is,
"barks with wing-like sails, answering to vessels of
bulrushes" in
Isa 18:2; the word "rivers," in the
parallelism, also favors it; so the Septuagint and
Chaldee [EWALD]. "Land of the clanging sound of
wings," that is, armies, as in
Isa 8:8; the rendering "bark," or
"ship," is rather dubious [M AURER]. The armies
referred to are those of Tirhakah, advancing to meet the
Assyrians (
Isa 37:9). In English Version,
"shadowing" means protecting--stretching
out its wings to defend a feeble people, namely, the
Hebrews [VITRINGA]. The Hebrew for "wings"
is the same as for the idol Cneph, which was
represented in temple sculptures with wings (
Ps 91:4).
beyond--Meroe, the island between the
"rivers" Nile and Astaboras is meant, famed for
its commerce, and perhaps the seat of the Ethiopian
government, hence addressed here as representing the whole
empire: remains of temples are still found, and the name of
"Tirhakah" in the inscriptions. This island
region was probably the chief part of Queen Candace's
kingdom (
Ac 8:27). For "beyond" others translate less
literally "which borderest on."
Ethiopia--literally, "Cush."
HORSLEY is probably right that the ultimate and
fullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration
of the Jews in the Holy Land through the instrumentality of
some distant people skilled in navigation (
Isa 18:2; Isa 60:9, 10; Ps 45:15; 68:31; Zep 3:10).
Phœnician voyagers coasting along would speak of all
Western remote lands as "beyond" the
Nile's mouths. "Cush," too, has a wide sense,
being applied not only to Ethiopia, but Arabia-Deserta and
Felix, and along the Persian Gulf, as far as the Tigris (
Ge 2:13).
2. ambassadors--messengers sent to Jerusalem at the time
that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah
against the expected attack of Sennacherib (
Isa 37:9).
by . . . sea--on the
Nile (
Isa 19:5): as what follows proves.
vessels of bulrushes--light canoes,
formed of papyrus, daubed over with pitch: so the
"ark" in which Moses was exposed (
Ex 2:3).
Go--Isaiah tells them to take back the
tidings of what God is about to do (
Isa 18:4) against the common enemy of both Judah and
Ethiopia.
scattered and peeled--rather,
"strong and energetic" [MAURER]. The
Hebrew for "strong" is literally, "drawn
out" (Margin;
Ps 36:10; Ec 2:3). "Energetic," literally,
"sharp" (
Hab 1:8, Margin; the verb means to
"sharpen" a sword,
Eze 21:15, 16); also "polished." As HERODOTUS
(3:20, 114) characterizes the Ethiopians as "the
tallest and fairest of men," G. V. SMITH translates,
"tall and comely"; literally,
"extended" (
Isa 45:14, "men of stature") and
polished (the Ethiopians had "smooth, glossy
skins"). In English Version the reference is to
the Jews, scattered outcasts, and loaded with
indignity (literally, "having their hair torn
off," HORSLEY).
terrible--the Ethiopians famed
for warlike prowess [ROSENMULLER]. The Jews who,
because of God's plague, made others to fear the like
(
De 28:37). Rather, "awfully remarkable"
[HORSLEY]. God puts the "terror" of His people
into the surrounding nations at the first (
Ex 23:27; Jos 2:9); so it shall be again in the latter
days (
Zec 12:2, 3).
from . . . beginning
hitherto--so English Version rightly. But GESENIUS,
"to the terrible nation (of upper Egypt) and further
beyond" (to the Ethiopians, properly so called).
meted out--Hebrew, "of
line." The measuring-line was used in
destroying buildings (
Isa 34:11; 2Ki 21:13; La 2:8). Hence, actively, it
means here "a people meting out,--an
all-destroying people"; which suits the context better
than "meted," passively [MAURER]. HORSLEY,
understanding it of the Jews, translates it,
"Expecting, expecting (in a continual attitude of
expectation of Messiah) and trampled under foot"; a
graphic picture of them. Most translate, of strength,
strength (from a root, to brace the sinews),
that is, a most powerful people.
trodden down--true of the Jews. But
MAURER translates it actively, a people "treading
under foot" all its enemies, that is,
victorious (
Isa 14:25), namely, the Ethiopians.
spoiled--"cut up." The Nile
is formed by the junction of many streams in Abyssinia, the
Atbara, the Astapus or Blue river (between which two rivers
Meroe, the "Ethiopia" here meant, lies), and the
Astaboras or White river; these streams wash down
the soil along their banks in the "land" of Upper
Egypt and deposit it on that of Lower Egypt. G. V. SMITH
translates it, "Divide." HORSLEY takes it
figuratively of the conquering armies which have
often "spoiled" Judea.
3. see ye . . . hear ye--rather, "ye shall see . . . shall hear." Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah ("He") is about to do. He will "lift up an ensign," calling the Assyrian motley hosts together ( Isa 5:26) on "the mountains" round Jerusalem, to their own destruction. This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa 17:12, 13. The same motive, which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt, led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakah's aid ( Isa 36:6; 37:9). Ethiopia, Egypt, and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy, 713 B.C. See notes on the twenty-second chapter, where a difference of tone (as referring to a different period) as to Ethiopia is observable. HORSLEY takes the "ensign" to be the cross, and the "trumpet" the Gospel trumpet, which shall be sounded more loudly in the last days.
4. take . . . rest . . . consider--I
will calmly look on and not interpose, while all
seems to promise success to the enemy; when figuratively,
"the sun's heat" and "the night
dews" ripen their "harvest"; but
"before" it reaches its maturity I will destroy
it (
Isa 18:5; Ec 8:11, 12).
like a clear heat--rather, "at
the time of the clear (serene) heat" [MAURER].
upon herbs--answering to
"harvest" in the parallel clause. MAURER
translates, "in the sunlight" (
Job 31:26; 37:21; Hab 3:4).
like . . . dew--rather,
"at the time of the dew cloud." God's
"silence" is mistaken by the ungodly for consent;
His delay in taking vengeance for forgetfulness (
Ps 50:21); so it shall be before the vengeance which in
the last day shall usher in the restoration of the Jews (
Isa 34:1-8; 57:11, end of the verse,
2Pe 3:3-10).
5. For--rather, "But."
perfect--perfected. When the
enemy's plans are on the verge of completion.
sour grape . . .
flower--rather, "when the flower shall become the
ripening grape" [MAURER].
sprigs--the shoots with the
grapes on them. God will not only disconcert their present
plans, but prevent them forming any future ones. HORSLEY
takes the "harvest" and vintage here as referring
to purifying judgments which cause the excision of the
ungodly from the earth, and the placing of the faithful in
a state of peace on the earth: not the last judgment
(
Joh 15:2; Re 14:15-20).
6. birds . . . beasts--transition from the image "sprigs," "branches," to the thing meant: the Assyrian soldiers and leaders shall be the prey of birds and beasts, the whole year through, "winter" and "summer," so numerous shall be their carcasses. HORSLEY translates the Hebrew which is singular: "upon it," not "upon them"; the "it" refers to God's "dwelling-place" ( Isa 18:4) in the Holy Land, which Antichrist ("the bird of prey" with the "beasts," his rebel hosts) is to possess himself of, and where he is to perish.
7. present . . . people scattered and peeled--For
the right rendering, see on Isa
18:2. The repetition of epithets enhances the honor
paid to Jehovah by so mighty a nation. The
Ethiopians, wonder-struck at such an interposition of
Jehovah in behalf of His people, shall send gifts to
Jerusalem in His honor (
Isa 16:1; Ps 68:31; 72:10). Thus translate: "a
present . . . from a people." Or
translate, as English Version; "the
present" will mean "the people" of Ethiopia
converted to God (
Ro 15:16). HORSLEY takes the people converted to
Jehovah, as the Jews in the latter days.
place of the name--where Jehovah
peculiarly manifests His glory;
Ac 2:10 and 8:27 show how worshippers came up to
Jerusalem from Egypt" and "Ethiopia."
Frumentius, an Egyptian, in the fourth century, converted
Abyssinia to Christianity; and a Christian church, under an
abuna or bishop, still flourishes there. The full
accomplishment is probably still future.
The nineteenth and twentieth chapters are connected, but with an interval between. Egypt had been held by an Ethiopian dynasty, Sabacho, Sevechus, or Sabacho II, and Tirhakah, for forty or fifty years. Sevechus (called So, the ally of Hoshea, 2Ki 17:4), retired from Lower Egypt on account of the resistance of the priests; and perhaps also, as the Assyrians threatened Lower Egypt. On his withdrawal, Sethos, one of the priestly caste, became supreme, having Tanis ("Zoan") or else Memphis as his capital, 718 B.C.; while the Ethiopians retained Upper Egypt, with Thebes as its capital, under Tirhakah. A third native dynasty was at Sais, in the west of Lower Egypt; to this at a later period belonged Psammetichus, the first who admitted Greeks into Egypt and its armies; he was one of the dodecarchy, a number of petty kings between whom Egypt was divided, and by aid of foreign auxiliaries overcame the rest, 670 B.C. To the divisions at this last time, GESENIUS refers Isa 19:2; and Psammetichus, Isa 19:4, "a cruel lord." The dissensions of the ruling castes are certainly referred to. But the time referred to is much earlier than that of Psammetichus. In Isa 19:1, the invasion of Egypt is represented as caused by "the Lord"; and in Isa 19:17, "Judah" is spoken of as "a terror to Egypt," which it could hardly have been by itself. Probably, therefore, the Assyrian invasion of Egypt under Sargon, when Judah was the ally of Assyria, and Hezekiah had not yet refused tribute as he did in the beginning of Sennacherib's reign, is meant. That Assyria was in Isaiah's mind appears from the way in which it is joined with Israel and Egypt in the worship of Jehovah ( Isa 19:24, 25). Thus the dissensions referred to ( Isa 19:2) allude to the time of the withdrawal of the Ethiopians from Lower Egypt, probably not without a struggle, especially with the priestly caste; also to the time when Sethos usurped the throne and entered on the contest with the military caste, by the aid of the town populations: when the Saitic dynasty was another cause of division. Sargon's reign was between 722-715 B.C. answering to 718 B.C., when Sethos usurped his throne [G. V. SMITH].
1. burden--(See on Isa 13:1).
upon . . . cloud-- (
Ps 104:3; 18:10).
come into Egypt--to inflict vengeance.
"Egypt," in Hebrew, Misraim, plural form,
to express the two regions of Egypt. BUNSEN observes, The
title of their kings runs thus: "Lord of Upper and
Lower Egypt."
idols--the bull, crocodile, &c.
The idols poetically are said to be "moved" with
fear at the presence of one mightier than even they were
supposed to be (
Ex 12:12; Jer 43:12).
2. set--stir up. GESENIUS translates,
"arm."
Egyptians against the Egyptians--Lower
against Upper: and Saitic against both. (See
Isa 3:10). NEWTON refers it to the civil wars between
Apries and Amasis at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's
invasion; also between Tachos, Nectanebus, and the
Mendesians, just before Ochus subdued Egypt.
kingdom against kingdom--The
Septuagint has "nome against nome"; Egypt was
divided into forty-two nomes or districts.
3. spirit--wisdom, for which Egypt was famed (
Isa 31:2; 1Ki 4:30; Ac 7:22); answering to
"counsel" in the parallel clause.
fail--literally, "be poured
out," that is, be made void (
Jer 19:7). They shall "seek" help from
sources that can afford none, "charmers," &c.
(
Isa 8:19).
charmers--literally, "those
making a faint sound"; the soothsayers imitated the
faint sound which was attributed to the spirits of the dead
(see on Isa 8:19).
4. cruel lord--"Sargon," in Hebrew it is lords; but plural is often used to express greatness, where, one alone is meant ( Ge 39:2). The parallel word "king" (singular) proves it. NEWTON makes the general reference to be to Nebuchadnezzar, and a particular reference to Cambyses, son of Cyrus (who killed the Egyptian god, Apis), and Ochus, Persian conquerors of Egypt, noted for their "fierce cruelty." GESENIUS refers it to Psammetichus, who had brought into Egypt Greek and other foreign mercenaries to subdue the other eleven princes of the dodecarchy.
5. the sea--the Nile. Physical calamities, it is observed in history, often accompany political convulsions ( Eze 30:12). The Nile shall "fail" to rise to its wonted height, the result of which will be barrenness and famine. Its "waters" at the time of the overflow resemble "a sea" [PLINY, Natural History, 85.11]; and it is still called El-Bahr," "the sea," by the Egyptians ( Isa 18:2; Jer 51:36). A public record is kept at Cairo of the daily rise of the water at the proper time of overflow, namely, August: if it rises to a less height than twelve cubits, it will not overflow the land, and famine must be the result. So, also, when it rises higher than sixteen; for the waters are not drained off in time sufficient to sow the seed.
6. they shall turn the rivers--rather, "the streams
shall become putrid"; that is, the artificial streams
made for irrigation shall become stagnant and offensive
when the waters fail [MAURER]. HORSLEY, with the
Septuagint, translates, "And waters from the sea
shall be drunk"; by the failure of the river water
they shall be reduced to sea water.
brooks of defence--rather,
"canals of Egypt"; "canals,"
literally, "Niles," Nile canals, the
plural of the Egyptian term for the great river. The
same Hebrew word, Matzor, whence comes
Mitzraim, expresses Egypt, and a place of
"defense." HORSLEY, as English Version
translates it, "embanked canals,"
reeds . . . flags--the
papyrus. "Reed and rush"; utter withering.
7. paper-reeds--rather, pastures, literally, "places
naked" of wood, and famed for rich herbage, on the
banks of the Nile [G ESENIUS]. Compare
Ge 13:10; De 11:10. HORSLEY translates, "nakedness
upon the river," descriptive of the appearance of a
river when its bottom is bare and its banks stripped of
verdure by long drought: so Vulgate.
the brooks--the river.
mouth--rather, "the source"
[Vulgate]. "Even close to the river's
side vegetation shall be so withered as to be scattered
in the shape of powder by the wind" (English
Version, "driven away") [HORSLEY].
8. fishers--The Nile was famed for fish (
Nu 11:5); many would be thrown out of employment by the
failure of fishes.
angle--a hook. Used in the
"brooks" or canals, as the "net" was in
"the waters" of the river itself.
9. fine flax--GESENIUS, for "fine," translates,
"combed"; fine "linen" was worn by the
rich only (
Lu 16:19). Egypt was famous for it (
Ex 9:31; 1Ki 10:28; Pr 7:16; Eze 27:7). The processes
of its manufacture are represented on the Egyptian tombs.
Israel learned the art in Egypt (
Ex 26:36). The cloth now found on the mummies was
linen, as is shown by the microscope. WILKINSON
mentions linen from Egypt which has five hundred forty (or
two hundred seventy double) threads in one inch in the
warp; whereas some modern cambric has but a hundred sixty
[BARNES].
networks--rather, white cloth
(
Es 1:6; 8:16).
10. in the purposes--rather, "the foundations,"
that is, "the nobles shall be broken" or brought
low: so
Isa 3:1; Ps 11:3; compare
Isa 19:13, "The princes--the stay of the
tribes. The Arabs call a prince "a pillar of
the people" [MAURER]. "Their
weaving-frames" [HORSLEY]. "Dykes"
[BARNES].
all that make sluices,
&c.--"makers of dams," made to confine the
waters which overflow from the Nile in artificial
fish-ponds [HORSLEY]. "Makers of gain," that is,
the common people who have to earn their livelihood, as
opposed to the "nobles" previously [MAURER].
11. Zoan--The Greeks called it Tanis, a city of Lower
Egypt, east of the Tanitic arms of the Nile, now
San; it was one the Egyptian towns nearest to Palestine
(
Nu 13:22), the scene of Moses' miracles (
Ps 78:12, 43). It, or else Memphis, was the capital
under Sethos.
I am . . . son of the wise
. . . kings--Ye have no advice to suggest to
Pharaoh in the crisis, notwithstanding that ye boast of
descent from wise and royal ancestors. The priests were the
usual "counsellors" of the Egyptian king. He was
generally chosen from the priestly caste, or, if from the
warrior caste, he was admitted into the sacred order, and
was called a priest. The priests are, therefore, meant by
the expression, "son of the wise, and of ancient
kings"; this was their favorite boast (H ERODOTUS,
2.141; compare
Am 7:14; Ac 23:6; Php 3:5). "Pharaoh" was the
common name of all the kings: Sethos, probably, is here
meant.
12. let them know--that is, How is it that, with all their boast of knowing the future [DIODORUS, 1.81], they do not know what Jehovah of hosts . . .
13. Noph--called also Moph; Greek, Memphis (
Ho 9:6); on the western bank of the Nile, capital of
Lower Egypt, second only to Thebes in all Egypt: residence
of the kings, until the Ptolemies removed to Alexandria;
the word means the "port of the good" [P
LUTARCH]. The military caste probably ruled in it:
"they also are deceived," in fancying
their country secure from Assyrian invasion.
stay of . . .
tribes--rather, "corner-stone of her castes"
[MAURER], that is, the princes, the two ruling castes, the
priests and the warriors: image from a building which rests
mainly on its corner-stones (see on Isa
19:10;
Isa 28:16; Ps 118:22; Nu 24:17, Margin;
Jud 20:2; 1Sa 14:28, Margin;
Zec 10:4).
14. err in every work thereof--referring to the anarchy arising from their internal feuds. HORSLEY translates, "with respect to all His (God's) work"; they misinterpreted God's dealings at every step. "Mingled" contains the same image as "drunken"; as one mixes spices with wine to make it intoxicating ( Isa 5:22; Pr 9:2, 5), so Jehovah has poured among them a spirit of giddiness, so that they are as helpless as a "drunken man."
15. work for Egypt--nothing which Egypt can do to extricate
itself from the difficulty.
head or tail--high or low (
Isa 19:11-15, and
Isa 19:8-10).
branch or rush--the lofty palm branch
or the humble reed (
Isa 9:14, 15; 10:33, 34).
16. like . . . women--timid and helpless (
Jer 51:30; Na 3:13).
shaking of . . . hand--His
judgments by means of the invaders (
Isa 10:5, 32; 11:15).
17. Judah . . . terror unto Egypt--not by itself:
but at this time Hezekiah was the active subordinate ally
of Assyria in its invasion of Egypt under Sargon. Similarly
to the alliance of Judah with Assyria here is
2Ki 23:29, where Josiah takes the field against
Pharaoh-nechoh of Egypt, probably as ally of Assyria
against Egypt [G. V. SMITH]. VITRINGA explains it that
Egypt in its calamities would remember that prophets of
Judah had foretold them, and so Judah would be "a
terror unto Egypt."
thereof--of Judah.
it--Egypt.
18-22. In that day, &c.--Suffering shall lead to
repentance. Struck with "terror" and
"afraid" (
Isa 19:17) because of Jehovah's judgments, Egypt
shall be converted to Him: nay, even Assyria shall join in
serving Him; so that Israel, Assyria, and Egypt, once
mutual foes, shall be bound together by the tie of a common
faith as one people. So a similar issue from other
prophecies (
Isa 18:7; 23:18).
five cities--that is, several
cities, as in
Isa 17:6; 30:17; Ge 43:34; Le 26:8. Rather, five
definite cities of Lower Egypt (
Isa 19:11, 13; 30:4), which had close intercourse with
the neighboring Jewish cities [MAURER]; some say,
Heliopolis, Leontopolis (else Diospolis), Migdol, Daphne
(Tahpanes), and Memphis.
language of Canaan--that is, of the
Hebrews in Canaan, the language of revelation; figuratively
for, They shall embrace the Jewish religion: so
"a pure language" and conversion to
God are connected in
Zep 3:9; as also the first confounding and
multiplication of languages was the punishment of the
making of gods at Babel, other than the One God. Pentecost
(
Ac 2:4) was the counterpart of Babel: the separation of
nations is not to hinder the unity of faith; the full
realization of this is yet future (
Zec 14:9; Joh 17:21). The next clause, "swear to
the Lord of Hosts," agrees with this view; that is,
bind themselves to Him by solemn covenant (
Isa 45:23; 65:16; De 6:13).
city of destruction--Onias; "city
of the sun," that is, On, or Heliopolis; he
persuaded Ptolemy Philometer (149 B.C.) to let him build a
temple in the prefecture (nome) of Heliopolis, on the
ground that it would induce Jews to reside there, and that
the very site was foretold by Isaiah six hundred years
before. The reading of the Hebrew text is, however,
better supported, "city of destruction";
referring to Leontopolis, the site of Onias' temple:
which casts a reproach on that city because it was
about to contain a temple rivalling the only sanctioned
temple, that at Jerusalem. MAURER, with some manuscripts,
reads "city of defense" or
"deliverance"; namely, Memphis, or some
such city, to which God was about to send "a
saviour" (
Isa 19:20), to "deliver them."
19. altar--not for sacrifice, but as the
"pillar" for memorial and worship (
Jos 22:22-26). Isaiah does not contemplate a
temple in Egypt: for the only legal temple was at
Jerusalem; but, like the patriarchs, they shall have altars
in various places.
pillar--such as Jacob reared (
Ge 28:18; 35:14); it was a common practice in Egypt to
raise obelisks commemorating divine and great events.
at the border--of Egypt and Judah, to
proclaim to both countries the common faith. This passage
shows how the Holy Spirit raised Isaiah above a
narrow-minded nationality to a charity anticipatory of
gospel catholicity.
20. it--the altar and pillar.
a sign--(of the fulfilment of
prophecy) to their contemporaries.
a witness--to their descendants.
unto the Lord--no longer, to their
idols, but to Jehovah.
for they shall cry--or, "a sign
. . . that they cried, . . . and
He sent to them a saviour"; probably,
Alexander the Great (so "a great one"), whom
the Egyptians welcomed as a deliverer (Greek, Soter,
a title of the Ptolemies) out of the hands of the Persians,
who under Cambyses had been their "oppressors."
At Alexandria, called from him, the Old Testament was
translated into Greek for the Greek-speaking Jews,
who in large numbers dwelt in Egypt under the Ptolemies,
his successors. Messiah is the antitype ultimately intended
(compare
Ac 2:10, "Egypt").
21. oblation--unbloody.
22. return--for heathen sin and idolatry are an
apostasy from primitive truth.
heal--as described (
Isa 19:18-20).
23. highway--free communication, resting on the highest
basis, the common faith of both (
Isa 19:18; Isa 11:16). Assyria and Egypt were joined
under Alexander as parts of his empire: Jews and proselytes
from both met at the feasts of Jerusalem. A type of gospel
times to come.
serve with--serve Jehovah with
the Assyrians. So "serve" is used absolutely (
Job 36:11).
24. third--The three shall be joined as one nation.
blessing--the source of blessings to
other nations, and the object of their benedictions.
in the midst of the land--rather,
"earth" (
Mic 5:7). Judah is designed to be the grand center of
the whole earth (
Jer 3:17).
25. Whom--rather, "Which," namely, "the
land," or "earth," that is, the people of it
[MAURER].
my people--the peculiar designation of
Israel, the elect people, here applied to Egypt to express
its entire admission to religious privileges (
Ro 9:24-26; 1Pe 2:9, 10).
work of my hands--spiritually (
Ho 2:23; Eph 2:10).
Isa 20:1-6. CONTINUATION OF THE SUBJECT OF THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER, BUT AT A LATER DATE. CAPTIVITY OF EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA.
In the reign of Sargon (722-715 B.C.), the successor of Shalmaneser, an Assyrian invasion of Egypt took place. Its success is here foretold, and hence a party among the Jews is warned of the folly of their "expectation" of aid from Egypt or Ethiopia. At a later period ( Isa 18:1-7), when Tirhakah of Ethiopia was their ally, the Ethiopians are treated as friends, to whom God announces the overthrow of the common Assyrian foe, Sennacherib. Egypt and Ethiopia in this chapter ( Isa 20:3, 4) are represented as allied together, the result no doubt of fear of the common foe; previously they had been at strife, and the Ethiopian king had, just before Sethos usurpation, withdrawn from occupation of part of Lower Egypt. Hence, "Egypt" is mentioned alone in Isa 19:1-25, which refers to a somewhat earlier stage of the same event: a delicate mark of truth. Sargon seems to have been the king who finished the capture of Samaria which Shalmaneser began; the alliance of Hoshea with So or Sabacho II of Ethiopia, and his refusal to pay the usual tribute, provoked Shalmaneser to the invasion. On clay cylindrical seals found in Sennacherib's palace at Koyunjik, the name of Sabacho is deciphered; the two seals are thought, from the inscriptions, to have been attached to the treaty of peace between Egypt and Assyria, which resulted from the invasion of Egypt by Sargon, described in this chapter; 2Ki 18:10 curiously confirms the view derived from Assyrian inscriptions, that though Shalmaneser began, Sargon finished the conquest of Samaria; "they took it" (compare 2Ki 17:4-6). In Sargon's palace at Khorsabad, inscriptions state that 27,280 Israelites were led captive by the founder of the palace. While Shalmaneser was engaged in the siege of Samaria, Sargon probably usurped the supreme power and destroyed him; the siege began in 723 B.C., and ended in 721 B.C., the first year of Sargon's reign. Hence arises the paucity of inscriptions of the two predecessors of Sargon, Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser; the usurper destroyed them, just as Tiglath-pileser destroyed those of Pul (Sardanapalus), the last of the old line of Ninus; the names of his father and grandfather, which have been deciphered in the palace of his son Sennacherib, do not appear in the list of Assyrian kings, which confirms the view that he was a satrap who usurped the throne. He was so able a general that Hezekiah made no attempt to shake off the tribute until the reign of Sennacherib; hence Judah was not invaded now as the lands of the Philistines and Egypt were. After conquering Israel he sent his general, Tartan, to attack the Philistine cities, "Ashdod," &c., preliminary to his invasion of Egypt and Ethiopia; for the line of march to Egypt lay along the southwest coast of Palestine. The inscriptions confirm the prophecy; they tell us he received tribute from a Pharaoh of "Egypt"; besides destroying in part the Ethiopian "No-ammon," or Thebes ( Na 3:8); also that he warred with the kings of "Ashdod," Gaza, &c., in harmony with Isaiah here; a memorial tablet of him is found in Cyprus also, showing that he extended his arms to that island. His reign was six or seven years in duration, 722-715 B.C. [G. V. SMITH].
1. Tartan--probably the same general as was sent by
Sennacherib against Hezekiah (
2Ki 18:17). GESENIUS takes "Tartan" as a
title.
Ashdod--called by the Greeks Azotus
(
Ac 8:40); on the Mediterranean, one of the
"five" cities of the Philistines. The taking of
it was a necessary preliminary to the invasion of Egypt, to
which it was the key in that quarter, the Philistines being
allies of Egypt. So strongly did the Assyrians fortify it
that it stood a twenty-nine years' siege, when it was
retaken by the Egyptian Psammetichus.
sent--Sargon himself remained behind
engaged with the Phœnician cities, or else led the
main force more directly into Egypt out of Judah [G. V.
SMITH].
2. by--literally, "by the hand of" (compare
Eze 3:14).
sackcloth--the loose outer garment of
coarse dark hair-cloth worn by mourners (
2Sa 3:31) and by prophets, fastened at the waist by a
girdle (
Mt 3:4; 2Ki 1:8; Zec 13:4).
naked--rather, "uncovered";
he merely put off the outer sackcloth, retaining still the
tunic or inner vest (
1Sa 19:24; Am 2:16; Joh 21:7); an emblem to show that
Egypt should be stripped of its possessions; the very dress
of Isaiah was a silent exhortation to repentance.
3. three years--Isaiah's symbolical action did not
continue all this time, but at intervals, to keep it
before the people's mind during that period
[ROSENMULLER]. Rather, join "three years" with
"sign," a three years' sign, that is,
a sign that a three years' calamity would come on Egypt
and Ethiopia [BARNES], (
Isa 8:18). This is the only instance of a strictly
symbolical act performed by Isaiah. With later prophets, as
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, such acts were common. In some cases
they were performed, not literally, but only in prophetic
vision.
wonder--rather, "omen";
conveying a threat as to the future [G. V. SMITH].
upon--in reference to, against.
4. buttocks uncovered--BELZONI says that captives are found represented thus on Egyptian monuments ( Isa 47:2, 3; Na 3:5, 8, 9), where as here, Egypt and Ethiopia are mentioned as in alliance.
5. they--the Philistine allies of Egypt who trusted in it for help against Assyria. A warning to the party among the Jews, who, though Judah was then the subordinate ally of Assyria, were looking to Egypt as a preferable ally ( Isa 30:7). Ethiopia was their "expectation"; for Palestine had not yet obtained, but hoped for alliance with it. Egypt was their "glory," that is, boast ( Isa 13:19); for the alliance with it was completed.
6. isle--that is, coast on the Mediterranean--Philistia,
perhaps Phœnicia (compare
Isa 23:2; 11:11; 13:22; Ps 72:10).
we--emphatical; if Egypt, in which we
trusted, was overcome, how shall we, a small weak
state, escape?
Isa 21:1-10. REPETITION OF THE ASSURANCE GIVEN IN THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH CHAPTERS TO THE JEWS ABOUT TO BE CAPTIVES IN BABYLON, THAT THEIR ENEMY SHOULD BE DESTROYED AND THEY BE DELIVERED.
He does not narrate the event, but graphically supposes himself a watchman in Babylon, beholding the events as they pass.
1. desert--the champaign between Babylon and Persia; it was
once a desert, and it was to become so again.
of the sea--The plain was covered with
the water of the Euphrates like a "sea" (
Jer 51:13, 36; so
Isa 11:15, the Nile), until Semiramis raised great dams
against it. Cyrus removed these dykes, and so converted the
whole country again into a vast desert marsh.
whirlwinds in the south-- (
Job 37:9; Zec 9:14). The south wind comes upon Babylon
from the deserts of Arabia, and its violence is the greater
from its course being unbroken along the plain (
Job 1:19).
desert--the plain between Babylon and
Persia.
terrible land--Media; to guard against
which was the object of Nitocris' great works
[HERODOTUS, 1.185]. Compare as to "terrible"
applied to a wilderness, as being full of unknown dangers,
De 1:29.
2. dealeth treacherously--referring to the military
stratagem employed by Cyrus in taking Babylon. It may be
translated, "is repaid with treachery"; then the
subject of the verb is Babylon. She is repaid in her
own coin;
Isa 33:1; Hab 2:8, favor this.
Go up--Isaiah abruptly recites the
order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the
instruments of His vengeance (
Isa 13:3, 17).
Elam--a province of Persia, the
original place of their settlement (
Ge 10:22), east of the Euphrates. The name
"Persia" was not in use until the captivity; it
means a "horseman"; Cyrus first trained the
Persians in horsemanship. It is a mark of authenticity that
the name is not found before Daniel and Ezekiel
[BOCHART].
thereof--the "sighing"
caused by Babylon (
Isa 14:7, 8).
3. Isaiah imagines himself among the exiles in Babylon and
cannot help feeling moved by the calamities which come on
it. So for Moab (
Isa 15:5; 16:11).
pain--(Compare
Isa 13:8; Eze 30:4, 19; Na 2:10).
at the hearing--The Hebrew may
mean, "I was so bowed down that I could not
hear; I was so dismayed that I could not
see" (
Ge 16:2; Ps 69:23) [MAURER].
4. panted--"is bewildered" [BARNES].
night of my pleasure--The prophet
supposes himself one of the banqueters at Belshazzar's
feast, on the night that Babylon was about to be taken by
surprise; hence his expression, "my
pleasure" (
Isa 14:11; Jer 51:39; Da 5:1-31).
5. Prepare the table--namely, the feast in Babylon; during
which Cyrus opened the dykes made by Semiramis to confine
the Euphrates to one channel and suffered them to overflow
the country, so that he could enter Babylon by the channel
of the river. Isaiah first represents the king ordering the
feast to be got ready. The suddenness of the irruption of
the foe is graphically expressed by the rapid turn in the
language to an alarm addressed to the Babylonian princes,
"Arise," &c. (compare
Isa 22:13). MAURER translates, "They
prepare the table," &c. But see
Isa 8:9.
watch in . . .
watchtower--rather, "set the watch." This done,
they thought they might feast in entire security. Babylon
had many watchtowers on its walls.
anoint . . . shield--This
was done to prevent the leather of the shield becoming hard
and liable to crack. "Make ready for
defense"; the mention of the "shield"
alone implies that it is the Babylonian revellers who are
called on to prepare for instant self-defense.
HORSLEY translates, "Grip the oiled shield."
6. Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth--God's direction to Isaiah to set a watchman to "declare" what he sees. But as in Isa 21:10, Isaiah himself is represented as the one who "declared." H ORSLEY makes him the "watchman," and translates, "Come, let him who standeth on the watchtower report what he seeth."
7. chariot, &c.--rather, "a body of riders," namely, some riding in pairs on horses (literally, "pairs of horsemen," that is, two abreast), others on asses, others on camels (compare Isa 21:9; Isa 22:6). "Chariot" is not appropriate to be joined, as English Version translates, with "asses"; the Hebrew means plainly in Isa 21:7, as in Isa 21:9, "a body of men riding." The Persians used asses and camels for war [MAURER]. HORSLEY translates, "One drawn in a car, with a pair of riders, drawn by an ass, drawn by a camel"; Cyrus is the man; the car drawn by a camel and ass yoked together and driven by two postilions, one on each, is the joint army of Medes and Persians under their respective leaders. He thinks the more ancient military cars were driven by men riding on the beasts that drew them; Isa 21:9 favors this.
8. A lion--rather, "(The watchman) cried, I am as a lion"; so as is understood ( Isa 62:5; Ps 11:1). The point of comparison to "a lion" is in Re 10:3, the loudness of the cry. But here it is rather his vigilance. The lion's eyelids are short, so that, even when asleep, he seems to be on the watch, awake; hence he was painted on doors of temples as the symbol of watchfulness, guarding the place (Hor. Apollo) [HORSLEY].
9. chariot of men--chariots with men in them; or rather,
the same body of riders, horsemen two abreast, as in
Isa 21:7 [MAURER]. But HORSLEY, "The man drawn in
a car with a pair of riders." The first half of this
verse describes what the watchman sees; the second
half, what the watchman says, in consequence of what
he sees. In the interval between
Isa 21:7 and Isa 21:9, the overthrow of Babylon by the
horsemen, or man in the car, is accomplished. The overthrow
needed to be announced to the prophet by the watchman,
owing to the great extent of the city. H ERODOTUS (1.131)
says that one part of the city was captured some time
before the other received the tidings of it.
answered--not to something said
previously, but in reference to the subject in the mind of
the writer, to be collected from the preceding discourse:
proclaimeth (
Job 3:2, Margin;
Da 2:26; Ac 5:8).
fallen . . . fallen--The
repetition expresses emphasis and certainty (
Ps 92:9; 93:3; compare
Jer 51:8; Re 18:2).
images--Bel, Merodach, &c. (
Jer 50:2; 51:44, 52). The Persians had no images,
temples, or altars, and charged the makers of such with
madness [HERODOTUS 1.131]; therefore they dashed the
Babylonian "images broken unto the ground."
10. my threshing--that is, my people (the Jews) trodden
down by Babylon.
corn of my floor--Hebrew,
"my son of the floor," that is, my people,
treated as corn laid on the floor for threshing; implying,
too, that by affliction, a remnant (grain) would be
separated from the ungodly (chaff) [MAURER]. HORSLEY
translates, "O thou object of my unremitting
prophetic pains." See
Isa 28:27, 28. Some, from
Jer 51:33, make Babylon the object of the threshing;
but Isaiah is plainly addressing his countrymen, as the
next words show, not the Babylonians.
Isa 21:11, 12. A PROPHECY TO THE IDUMEANS WHO TAUNTED THE AFFLICTED JEWS IN THE BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY.
One out of Seir asks, What of the night? Is there a hope of the dawn of deliverance? Isaiah replies, The morning is beginning to dawn (to us); but night is also coming (to you). Compare Ps 137:7. The Hebrew captives would be delivered, and taunting Edom punished. If the Idumean wish to ask again, he may do so; if he wishes an answer of peace for his country, then let him "return (repent), come" [B ARNES].
11. Dumah--a tribe and region of Ishmael in Arabia (
Ge 25:14; 1Ch 1:30); now called Dumah the Stony,
situated on the confines of Arabia and the Syrian desert; a
part put for the whole of Edom. V ITRINGA thinks
"Dumah," Hebrew, "silence," is
here used for Idumea, to imply that it was soon to be
reduced to silence or destruction.
Seir--the principal mountain in
Idumea, south of the Dead Sea, in Arabia-Petræa.
"He calleth" ought to be rather, "There
is a call from Seir."
to me--Isaiah. So the heathen Balak
and Ahaziah received oracles from a Hebrew prophet.
Watchman--the prophet (
Isa 62:6; Jer 6:17), so called, because, like a
watchman on the lookout from a tower, he announces future
events which he sees in prophetic vision (
Hab 2:1, 2).
what of the night--What tidings have
you to give as to the state of the night? Rather,
"What remains of the night?" How much of
it is past? [MAURER]. "Night" means calamity (
Job 35:10; Mic 3:6), which, then, in the wars between
Egypt and Assyria, pressed sore on Edom; or on Judah (if,
as BARNES thinks, the question is asked in mockery of the
suffering Jews in Babylon). The repetition of the
question marks, in the former view, the anxiety of the
Idumeans.
12. Reply of the prophet, The morning (prosperity)
cometh, and (soon after follows) the night
(adversity). Though you, Idumeans, may have a gleam of
prosperity, it will soon be followed by adversity again.
Otherwise, as BARNES, "Prosperity cometh (to the Jews)
to be quickly followed by adversity (to you, Idumeans, who
exult in the fall of Jerusalem, have seized on the southern
part of their land in their absence during the captivity,
and now deride them by your question)" (
Isa 34:5-7). This view is favored by
Ob 10-21.
if ye will inquire, inquire--If ye
choose to consult me again, do so (similar phrases occur in
Ge 43:14; 2Ki 7:4; Es 4:16).
return, come--"Be converted to
God (and then), come" [GESENIUS]; you will then
receive a more favorable answer.
Isa 21:13-17. PROPHECY THAT ARABIA WOULD BE OVERRUN BY A FOREIGN FOE WITHIN A YEAR.
Probably in the wars between Assyria and Egypt; Idumea and Arabia lay somewhat on the intermediate line of march.
13. upon--that is, respecting.
forest--not a grove of trees, but a
region of thick underwood, rugged and inaccessible; for
Arabia has no forest of trees.
travelling companies--caravans: ye
shall be driven through fear of the foe to unfrequented
routes (
Isa 33:8; Jud 5:6; Jer 49:8 is parallel to this
passage).
Dedanim--In North Arabia (
Ge 25:3; Jer 25:23; Eze 25:13; 27:20; a different
"Dedan" occurs
Ge 10:7).
14. Tema--a kindred tribe: an oasis in that region (
Jer 25:23). The Temeans give water to the faint and
thirsting Dedanites; the greatest act of hospitality in the
burning lands of the East, where water is so scarce.
prevented--that is, anticipated the
wants of the fugitive Dedanites by supplying bread (
Ge 14:18).
their bread--rather, "his
(the fugitive's) bread"; the bread due to
him, necessary for his support; so "thy
grave" (
Isa 14:19), [MAURER].
15. they--the fugitive Dedanites and other Arabs.
16. years of . . . hireling--(See on Isa 16:14).
Kedar--a wandering tribe (
Ps 120:5). North of Arabia-Petræa, and south of
Arabia-Deserta; put for Arabia in general.
17. residue . . . diminished--The remnant of Arab warriors, famous in the bow, left after the invasion, shall be small.
Isa 22:1-14. PROPHECY AS TO AN ATTACK ON JERUSALEM.
That by Sennacherib, in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah; Isa 22:8-11, the preparations for defense and securing of water exactly answer to those in 2Ch 32:4, 5, 30. "Shebna," too ( Isa 22:15), was scribe at this time ( Isa 36:3) [MAURER]. The language of Isa 22:12-14, as to the infidelity and consequent utter ruin of the Jews, seems rather to foreshadow the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Zedekiah's reign, and cannot be restricted to Hezekiah's time [LOWTH].
1. of . . . valley of vision--rather,
"respecting the valley of visions"; namely,
Jerusalem, the seat of divine revelations and visions,
"the nursery of prophets" [JEROME], (
Isa 2:3; 29:1; Eze 23:4, Margin;
Lu 13:33). It lay in a "valley" surrounded by
hills higher than Zion and Moriah (
Ps 125:2; Jer 21:13).
thee--the people of Jerusalem
personified.
housetops--Panic-struck, they went up
on the flat balustraded roofs to look forth and see whether
the enemy was near, and partly to defend themselves from
the roofs (
Jud 9:51, &c.).
2. art--rather, "wert"; for it could not
now be said to be "a joyous city" (
Isa 32:13). The cause of their joy (
Isa 22:13) may have been because Sennacherib had
accepted Hezekiah's offer to renew the payment of
tribute, and they were glad to have peace on any terms,
however humiliating (
2Ki 18:14-16), or on account of the alliance with
Egypt. If the reference be to Zedekiah's time, the joy
and feasting are not inapplicable, for this recklessness
was a general characteristic of the unbelieving Jews (
Isa 56:12).
not slain with the sword--but with the
famine and pestilence about to be caused by the coming
siege (
La 4:9). MAURER refers this to the plague by
which he thinks Sennacherib's army was destroyed, and
Hezekiah was made sick (
Isa 37:36; 38:1). But there is no authority for
supposing that the Jews in the city suffered such
extremities of plague at this time, when God
destroyed their foes. BARNES refers it to those slain in
flight, not in open honorable "battle";
Isa 22:3 favors this.
3. rulers--rather, "generals" (
Jos 10:24; Jud 11:6, 11).
bound--rather, "are
taken."
by the archers--literally, "by
the bow"; so
Isa 21:17. Bowmen were the light troops, whose province
it was to skirmish in front and (
2Ki 6:22) pursue fugitives (
2Ki 25:5); this verse applies better to the attack of
Nebuchadnezzar than that of Sennacherib.
all . . . in thee--all found
in the city (
Isa 13:15), not merely the "rulers" or
generals.
fled from far--those who had fled
from distant parts to Jerusalem as a place of safety;
rather, fled afar.
4. Look . . . from me--Deep grief seeks to be
alone; while others feast joyously, Isaiah mourns in
prospect of the disaster coming on Jerusalem (
Mic 1:8, 9).
daughter, &c.--(see on Isa 1:8; La
2:11).
5. trouble . . . by the Lord--that is, sent by or
from the Lord (see on Isa 19:15;
Lu 21:22-24).
valley of vision--(See on Isa 22:1). Some think a valley near Ophel is
meant as about to be the scene of devastation (compare see
on Isa 32:13,14).
breaking . . . walls--that
is, "a day of breaking the walls" of the
city.
crying to the mountains--the mournful
cry of the townsmen "reaches" to (MAURER
translates, towards) the mountains, and is echoed
back by them. JOSEPHUS describes in the very same language
the scene at the assault of Jerusalem under Titus. To this
the prophecy, probably, refers ultimately. If, as some
think, the "cry" is that of those escaping
to the mountains, compare
Mt 13:14; 24:16, with this.
6. Elam--the country stretching east from the Lower Tigris,
answering to what was afterwards called Persia (see on Isa 21:2). Later, Elam was a province
of Persia (
Ezr 4:9). In Sennacherib's time, Elam was subject
to Assyria (
2Ki 18:11), and so furnished a contingent to its
invading armies. Famed for the bow (
Isa 13:18; Jer 49:35), in which the Ethiopians alone
excelled them.
with chariots of men and
horsemen--that is, they used the bow both in
chariots and on horseback. "Chariots of men,"
that is, chariots in which men are borne, war chariots
(compare see on Isa 21:7; Isa 21:9).
Kir--another people subject to Assyria
(
2Ki 16:9); the region about the river Kur, between the
Caspian and Black Seas.
uncovered--took off for the battle the
leather covering of the shield, intended to protect the
embossed figures on it from dust or injury during the
march. "The quiver" and "the shield"
express two classes--light and heavy armed troops.
7. valleys--east, north, and south of Jerusalem: Hinnom on
the south side was the richest valley.
in array at the gate--Rab-shakeh stood
at the upper pool close to the city (
Isa 36:11-13).
8. he discovered the covering--rather, "the veil of
Judah shall be taken off" [HORSLEY]: figuratively for,
exposing to shame as a captive (
Isa 47:3; Na 3:5). Sennacherib dismantled all "the
defensed cities of Judah" (
Isa 36:1).
thou didst look--rather, "thou
shalt look."
house of . . . forest--The
house of armory built of cedar from the
forest of Lebanon by Solomon, on a slope of Zion called
Ophel (
1Ki 7:2; 10:17; Ne 3:19). Isaiah says (
Isa 22:8-13) his countrymen will look to their own
strength to defend themselves, while others of them
will drown their sorrows as to their country in
feasting, but none will look to Jehovah.
9. Ye have seen--rather, "Ye shall see."
city of David--the upper city, on
Zion, the south side of Jerusalem (
2Sa 5:7, 9; 1Ki 8:1); surrounded by a wall of its own;
but even in it there shall be "breaches."
Hezekiah's preparations for defense accord with this
(
2Ch 32:5).
ye gathered--rather, "ye shall
gather."
lower pool--(See on Isa 22:11). Ye shall bring together into
the city by subterranean passages cut in the rock of Zion,
the fountain from which the lower pool (only mentioned
here) is supplied. See on Isa 7:3;
2Ki 20:20; 2Ch 32:3-5, represent Hezekiah as having
stopped the fountains to prevent the Assyrians getting
water. But this is consistent with the passage here. The
superfluous waters of the lower pool usually flowed into
Hinnom valley, and so through that of Jehoshaphat to the
brook Kedron. Hezekiah built a wall round it,
stopped the outflowing of its waters to debar the foe
from the use of them, and turned them into the city.
10. numbered--rather, "ye shall number," namely,
in order to see which of them may be pulled down with the
least loss to the city, and with most advantage for the
repair of the walls and rearing of towers (
2Ch 32:5).
have ye broken down--rather, "ye
shall break down."
11. Ye made . . . a ditch--rather, "Ye shall
make a reservoir" for receiving the water.
Hezekiah surrounded Siloah, from which the old (or
king's, or upper) pool took its rise, with a wall
joined to the wall of Zion on both sides; between these two
walls he made a new pool, into which he directed the waters
of the former, thus cutting off the foe from his supply of
water also. The opening from which the upper pool received
its water was nearer Zion than the other from which the
lower pool took its rise, so that the water which flowed
from the former could easily be shut in by a wall, whereas
that which flowed from the latter could only be brought in
by subterranean conduits (compare see on Isa 22:9;
Isa 7:3; 2Ki 20:20; 2Ch 32:3-5, 30; Ecclesiasticus
48:17). Both were southwest of Jerusalem.
have not looked . . .
neither had respect--answering by contrast to "Thou
didst look to the armor, ye have seen ('had
respect', or 'regard to') the breaches"
(
Isa 22:8, 9).
maker thereof--God, by whose command
and aid these defenses were made, and who gave this
fountain "long ago." G. V. SMITH translates,
"Him who doeth it," that is, has brought
this danger on you--"Him who hath prepared it from
afar," that is, planned it even from a distant time.
12. did the Lord God call--Usually the priests gave
the summons to national mourning (
Joe 1:14); now JEHOVAH Himself shall give it; the
"call" shall consist in the presence of a
terrible foe. Translate, "shall call."
baldness--emblem of grief (
Job 1:20; Mic 1:16).
13. Notwithstanding Jehovah's "call to mourning" ( Isa 22:12), many shall make the desperate state of affairs a reason for reckless revelry ( Isa 5:11, 12, 14; Jer 18:12; 1Co 15:32).
Isa 22:15-25. PROPHECY THAT SHEBNA SHOULD BE DEPOSED FROM BEING PREFECT OF THE PALACE, AND ELIAKIM PROMOTED TO THE OFFICE.
In Isa 36:3, 22; 37:2, we find Shebna "a scribe," and no longer prefect of the palace ("over the household"), and Eliakim in that office, as is here foretold. Shebna is singled out as the subject of prophecy (the only instance of an individual being so in Isaiah), as being one of the irreligious faction that set at naught the prophet's warnings ( Isa 28:1-33:24); perhaps it was he who advised the temporary ignominious submission of Hezekiah to Sennacherib.
15. Go, get thee unto--rather, "Go in to" (that
is, into the house to).
treasurer--"him who dwells in the
tabernacle" [JEROME]; namely, in a room of the temple
set apart for the treasurer. Rather, "the king's
friend," or "principal officer of the
court" (
1Ki 4:5; 18:3; 1Ch 27:33, "the king's
counsellor") [MAURER]. "This" is prefixed
contemptuously (
Ex 32:1).
unto Shebna--The Hebrew for
"unto" indicates an accosting of Shebna with
an unwelcome message.
16. What . . . whom--The prophet accosts Shebna
at the very place where he was building a grand sepulcher
for himself and his family (compare
Isa 14:18; Ge 23:1-20; 49:29; 50:13). "What
(business) hast thou here, and whom hast thou (of
thy family, who is likely to be buried) here, that thou
buildest," &c., seeing that thou art soon to
be deposed from office and carried into captivity?
[MAURER].
on high--Sepulchres were made in the
highest rocks (
2Ch 32:33, Margin).
habitation for himself--compare
"his own house" (
Isa 14:18).
17. carry . . . away with . . .
captivity--rather, "will cast thee away with a mighty
throw" [MAURER]. "Mighty," literally,
"of a man" (so
Job 38:3).
surely cover--namely, with shame,
where thou art rearing a monument to perpetuate thy fame
[VITRINGA]. "Rolling will roll thee," that is,
will continually roll thee on, as a ball to be
tossed away [MAURER]. Compare
Isa 22:18.
18. violently turn and toss--literally, "whirling He
will whirl thee," that is, He will, without
intermission, whirl thee [MAURER]. "He will whirl
thee round and round, and (then) cast thee away," as a
stone in a sling is first whirled round repeatedly, before
the string is let go [LOWTH].
large country--perhaps Assyria.
chariots . . . shall be the
shame of thy lord's house--rather, "thy splendid
chariots shall be there, O thou disgrace of thy lord's
house" [NOYES]; "chariots of thy glory" mean
"thy magnificent chariots." It is not meant that
he would have these in a distant land, as he had in
Jerusalem, but that he would be borne thither in ignominy
instead of in his magnificent chariots. The Jews say that
he was tied to the tails of horses by the enemy, to whom he
had designed to betray Jerusalem, as they thought he was
mocking them; and so he died.
19. state--office.
he--God. A similar change of persons
occurs in
Isa 34:16.
20. son of Hilkiah--supposed by KIMCHI to be the same as Azariah, son of Hilkiah, who perhaps had two names, and who was "over the household" in Hezekiah's time ( 1Ch 6:13).
21. thy robe--of office.
girdle--in which the purse was
carried, and to it was attached the sword; often adorned
with gold and jewels.
father--that is, a counsellor and
friend.
22. key--emblem of his office over the house; to
"open" or "shut"; access rested with
him.
upon . . . shoulder--So keys
are carried sometimes in the East, hanging from the
kerchief on the shoulder. But the phrase is rather
figurative for sustaining the government on one's
shoulders. Eliakim, as his name implies, is here
plainly a type of the God-man Christ, the son of
"David," of whom Isaiah (
Isa 9:6) uses the same language as the former clause of
this verse. In
Re 3:7, the same language as the latter clause is found
(compare
Job 12:14).
23. nail . . . sure place--Large nails or pegs
stood in ancient houses on which were suspended the
ornaments of the family. The sense is: all that is valuable
to the nation shall rest securely on him. In
Ezr 9:8 "nail" is used of the large spike
driven into the ground to fasten the cords of the tent
to.
throne--resting-place to his family,
as applied to Eliakim; but "throne," in the
strict sense, as applied to Messiah, the antitype (
Lu 1:32, 33).
24. Same image as in
Isa 22:23. It was customary to "hang" the
valuables of a house on nails (
1Ki 10:16, 17, 21; So 4:4).
offspring and the issue--rather,
"the offshoots of the family, high and low"
[VITRINGA]. Eliakim would reflect honor even on the
latter.
vessels of cups--of small capacity:
answering to the low and humble
offshoots.
vessels of flagons--larger vessels:
answering to the high offshoots.
25. nail . . . fastened--Shebna, who was
supposed to be firmly fixed in his post.
burden . . . upon it--All
that were dependent on Shebna, all his emoluments and rank
will fail, as when a peg is suddenly "cut down,"
the ornaments on it fall with it. Sin reaches in its
effects even to the family of the guilty (
Ex 20:5).
Isa 23:1-18. PROPHECY RESPECTING TYRE.
MENANDER, the historian, notices a siege of Tyre by Shalmaneser, about the time of the siege of Samaria. Sidon, Acco, and Old Tyre, on the mainland, were soon reduced; but New Tyre, on an island half a mile from the shore, held out for five years. Sargon probably finished the siege. Sennacherib does not, however, mention it among the cities which the Assyrian kings conquered (thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh chapters). The expression, "Chaldeans" ( Isa 23:13), may imply reference to its siege under Nebuchadnezzar, which lasted thirteen years. Alexander the Great destroyed New Tyre after a seven months' siege.
1. Tyre--Hebrew, Tsur, that is,
"Rock."
ships of Tarshish--ships of Tyre
returning from their voyage to Tarshish, or Tartessus in
Spain, with which the Phœnicians had much commerce
(
Eze 27:12-25). "Ships of Tarshish" is a
phrase also used of large and distant-voyaging merchant
vessels (
Isa 2:16; 1Ki 10:22; Ps 48:7).
no house--namely, left; such was the
case as to Old Tyre, after Nebuchadnezzar's
siege.
no entering--There is no house
to enter (
Isa 24:10) [G. V. SMITH]. Or, Tyre is so laid waste,
that there is no possibility of entering the harbor
[B ARNES]; which is appropriate to the previous
"ships."
Chittim--Cyprus, of which the cities,
including Citium in the south (whence came
"Chittim"), were mostly Phœnician (
Eze 27:6). The ships from Tarshish on their way to Tyre
learn the tidings ("it is revealed to them") of
the downfall of Tyre. At a later period Chittim denoted the
islands and coasts of the Mediterranean (
Da 11:30).
2. Be still--"struck dumb with awe." Addressed to
those already in the country, eye-witnesses of its ruin (
La 2:10); or, in contrast to the busy din of
commerce once heard in Tyre; now all is hushed and
still.
isle--strictly applicable to New Tyre:
in the sense coast, to the mainland city, Old Tyre
(compare
Isa 23:6; Isa 20:6).
Zidon--of which Tyre was a colony,
planted when Zidon was conquered by the Philistines of
Ascalon. Zidon means a "fishing station"; this
was its beginning.
replenished--with wealth and an
industrious population (
Eze 27:3, 8, 23). Here "Zidon," as the oldest
city of Phœnicia, includes all the Phœnician
towns on the strip of "coast." Thus, Eth-baal,
king of Tyre [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 8.3,2], is
called king of the Sidonians (
1Ki 16:31); and on coins Tyre is called the metropolis
of the Sidonians.
3. great waters--the wide waters of the sea.
seed--"grain," or crop, as
in
1Sa 8:15; Job 39:12.
Sihor--literally,
"dark-colored"; applied to the Nile, as the
Egyptian Jeor, and the Greek Melas, to
express the "dark, turbid" colors given to its
waters by the fertilizing soil which it deposits at its
yearly overflow (
Jer 2:18).
harvest of the river--the growth of
the Delta; the produce due to the overflow of the Nile:
Egypt was the great granary of corn in the ancient world
(
Ge 41:1-57; 42:1-38; 43:1-34).
her revenue--Tyrian vessels carried
Egyptian produce obtained in exchange for wine, oil, glass,
&c., into various lands, and so made large
profits.
mart-- (
Eze 27:3). No city was more favorably situated for
commerce.
4. Zidon--called on, as being the parent country of Tyre ( Isa 23:12), and here equivalent to Phœnicia in general, to feel the shame (as it was esteemed in the East) of being now as childless as if she never had any. "I (no more now) travail, nor bring forth," &c. "Strength of the sea," that is, stronghold, namely, New Tyre, on a rock (as "Tyre" means) surrounded by the sea ( Eze 26:4, 14-17; so Venice was called "Bride of the sea"; Zec 9:3).
5. As, &c.--rather, "When the report (shall reach) the people of Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report concerning Tyre" (namely, its overthrow). So JEROME, "When the Egyptians shall hear that so powerful a neighboring nation has been destroyed, they must know their own end is near" [LOWTH, &c.].
6. Pass . . . over--Escape from Tyre to your colonies as Tarshish (compare Isa 23:12). The Tyrians fled to Carthage and elsewhere, both at the siege under Nebuchadnezzar and that under Alexander.
7. Is this silent ruin all that is left of
your once joyous city (
Isa 23:12)?
antiquity--The Tyrian priests boasted
in HERODOTUS' time that their city had already existed
2300 years: an exaggeration, but still implying that it was
ancient even then.
her own feet--walking on foot as
captives to an enemy's land.
8. Who--answered in
Isa 23:9, "The Lord of hosts."
crowning--crown-giving; that is, the
city from which dependent kingdoms had arisen, as Tartessus
in Spain, Citium in Cyprus, and Carthage in Africa (
Eze 27:33).
traffickers--literally,
"Canaanites," who were famed for commerce
(compare
Ho 12:7, Margin).
9. Whoever be the instruments in overthrowing haughty
sinners, God, who has all hosts at His command, is the
First Cause (
Isa 10:5-7).
stain--rather, "to profane";
as in
Ex 31:14, the Sabbath, and other objects of
religious reverence; so here, "the pride of all
glory" may refer to the Tyrian temple of Hercules, the
oldest in the world, according to ARRIAN (
Isa 2:16); the prophet of the true God would naturally
single out for notice the idol of Tyre [G. V. SMITH]. It
may, however, be a general proposition; the
destruction of Tyre will exhibit to all how God mars the
luster of whatever is haughty (
Isa 2:11).
10. a river--Hebrew, "the river," namely,
Nile.
daughter of Tarshish--Tyre and its
inhabitants (
Isa 1:8), about henceforth, owing to the ruin of Tyre,
to become inhabitants of its colony, Tartessus: they would
pour forth from Tyre, as waters flow on when the
barriers are removed [L OWTH]. Rather, Tarshish, or
Tartessus and its inhabitants, as the phrase usually means:
they had been kept in hard bondage, working in silver and
lead mines near Tarshish, by the parent city (
Eze 26:17): but now "the bond of restraint"
(for so "strength," Margin,
"girdle," that is, bond,
Ps 2:3, ought to be translated) is removed, since Tyre
is no more.
11. He--Jehovah.
kingdoms--the Phœnician cities
and colonies.
the merchant city--rather,
Canaan, meaning the north of it, namely,
Phœnicia. On their coins, they call their country
Canaan.
12. he--God.
rejoice--riotously (
Isa 23:7).
oppressed--"deflowered";
laying aside the figure "taken by storm"; the
Arabs compare a city never taken to an undefiled virgin
(compare
Na 3:5, &c.).
daughter of Zidon--Tyre: or else, sons
of Zidon, that is, the whole land and people of
Phœnicia (see on Isa 23:2)
[MAURER].
Chittim--Citium in Cyprus (
Isa 23:1).
there also . . . no
rest--Thy colonies, having been harshly treated by thee,
will now repay thee in kind (see on Isa
23:10). But VITRINGA refers it to the calamities which
befell the Tyrians in their settlements subsequently,
namely, Sicily, Corcyra, Carthage, and Spain, all flowing
from the original curse of Noah against the posterity of
Canaan (
Ge 9:25-27).
13. Behold--Calling attention to the fact, so humiliating
to Tyre, that a people of yesterday, like the Chaldees,
should destroy the most ancient of cities, Tyre.
was not--had no existence as a
recognized nation; the Chaldees were previously but a rude,
predatory people (
Job 1:17).
Assyrian founded it--The Chaldees
("them that dwell in the wilderness") lived a
nomadic life in the mountains of Armenia originally
(Arphaxad, in
Ge 10:22, refers to such a region of Assyria near
Armenia), north and east of Assyria proper. Some may have
settled in Mesopotamia and Babylonia very early and given
origin to the astrologers called Chaldees in later
times. But most of the people had been transferred only a
little before the time of this prophecy from their original
seats in the north to Mesopotamia, and soon afterwards to
South Babylonia. "Founded it," means
"assigned it (the land) to them who had
(heretofore) dwelt in the wilderness" as a permanent
settlement (so in
Ps 104:8) [MAURER]. It was the Assyrian policy to
infuse into their own population of the plain the fresh
blood of hardy mountaineers, for the sake of recruiting
their armies. Ultimately the Chaldees, by their powerful
priest-caste, gained the supremacy and established the
later or Chaldean empire. HORSLEY refers it to Tyre,
founded by an Assyrian race.
towers thereof--namely, of Babylon,
whose towers, HERODOTUS says, were "set up" by
the Assyrians [BARNES]. Rather, "The Chaldees
set up their siege-towers" against Tyre, made
for the attack of high walls, from which the besiegers
hurled missiles, as depicted in the Assyrian sculptures [G.
V. SMITH].
raised up--rather, "They lay
bare," namely, the foundations of "her
(Tyre's) palaces," that is, utterly
overthrew them (
Ps 137:7).
14. strength--stronghold (compare Eze 26:15-18).
15. forgotten--Having lost its former renown, Tyre shall be
in obscurity.
seventy years--(so
Jer 25:11, 12; 29:10).
days of one king--that is, a dynasty.
The Babylonian monarchy lasted properly but seventy years.
From the first year of Nebuchadnezzar to the taking of
Babylon, by Cyrus, was seventy years; then the subjected
nations would be restored to liberty. Tyre was taken in the
middle of that period, but it is classed in common with the
rest, some conquered sooner and others later, all, however,
alike to be delivered at the end of the period. So
"king" is used for dynasty (
Da 7:17; 8:20): Nebuchadnezzar, his son Evil-merodach,
and his grandson, Belshazzar, formed the whole dynasty (
Jer 25:11, 12; 27:7; 29:10).
shall Tyre sing as . . .
harlot--It shall be to Tyre as the song of the harlot,
namely, a harlot that has been forgotten, but who attracts
notice again by her song. Large marts of commerce are often
compared to harlots seeking many lovers, that is, they
court merchants of all nations, and admit any one for the
sake of gain (
Na 3:4; Re 18:3). Covetousness is closely akin to
idolatry and licentiousness, as the connection (
Eph 5:5; Col 3:5) proves (compare
Isa 2:6-8, 16).
16. Same figure [ Isa 23:15] to express that Tyre would again prosper and attract commercial intercourse of nations to her, and be the same joyous, self-indulging city as before.
17. visit--not in wrath, but mercy.
hire--image from a harlot: her
gains by commerce. After the Babylonian dynasty was
ended, Tyre was rebuilt; also, again, after the destruction
under Alexander.
18. merchandise . . . holiness--Her traffic and
gains shall at last (long after the restoration mentioned
in
Isa 23:17) be consecrated to Jehovah. Jesus Christ
visited the neighborhood of Tyre (
Mt 15:21); Paul found disciples there (
Ac 21:3-6); it early became a Christian bishopric, but
the full evangelization of that whole race, as of the
Ethiopians (
Isa 18:1-7), of the Egyptians and Assyrians (
Isa 19:1-25), is yet to come (
Isa 60:5).
not treasured--but freely expended in
His service.
them that dwell before the Lord--the
ministers of religion. But HORSLEY translates, "them
that sit before Jehovah" as
disciples.
durable clothing--Changes of raiment
constituted much of the wealth of former days.
Isa 24:1-23. THE LAST TIMES OF THE WORLD IN GENERAL, AND OF JUDAH AND THE CHURCH IN PARTICULAR.
The four chapters (the twenty-fourth through the twenty-seventh) form one continuous poetical prophecy: descriptive of the dispersion and successive calamities of the Jews ( Isa 24:1-12); the preaching of the Gospel by the first Hebrew converts throughout the world ( Isa 24:13-16); the judgments on the adversaries of the Church and its final triumph ( Isa 24:16-23); thanksgiving for the overthrow of the apostate faction ( Isa 25:1-12), and establishment of the righteous in lasting peace ( Isa 26:1-21); judgment on leviathan and entire purgation of the Church ( Isa 27:1-13). Having treated of the several nations in particular--Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Edom, and Tyre (the miniature representative of all, as all kingdoms flocked into it)--he passes to the last times of the world at large and of Judah the representative and future head of the churches.
1. the earth--rather, "the land" of Judah (so in Isa 24:3, 5, 6; Joe 1:2). The desolation under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
2. as with the people, so with the priest--All alike shall share the same calamity: no favored class shall escape (compare Eze 7:12, 13; Ho 4:9; Re 6:15).
4. world--the kingdom of Israel; as in
Isa 13:11, Babylon.
haughty--literally, "the
height" of the people: abstract for concrete, that is,
the high people; even the nobles share the general
distress.
5. earth--rather, "the land."
defiled under . . .
inhabitants--namely, with innocent blood (
Ge 4:11; Nu 35:33; Ps 106:38).
laws . . . ordinance
. . . everlasting covenant--The moral
laws, positive statutes, and national
covenant designed to be for ever between God and them.
6. earth--the land.
burned--namely, with the consuming
wrath of heaven: either internally, as in
Job 30:30 [ROSENMULLER]; or externally, the prophet has
before his eyes the people being consumed with the
withering dryness of their doomed land (so
Joe 1:10, 12), [MAURER].
7. mourneth--because there are none to drink it [BARNES].
Rather, "is become vapid" [HORSLEY].
languisheth--because there are none to
cultivate it now.
8. ( Re 18:22).
9. with a song--the usual accompaniment of feasts.
strong drink--(See on Isa 5:11). "Date wine"
[HORSLEY].
bitter--in consequence of the national
calamities.
10. city of confusion--rather, "desolation." What
Jerusalem would be; by anticipation it is called so.
HORSLEY translates, "The city is broken down; it is a
ruin."
shut up--through fear; or rather,
"choked up by ruins."
11. crying for wine--to drown their sorrows in drink ( Isa 16:9); Joe 1:5, written about the same time, resembles this.
12. with destruction--rather "crash" [GESENIUS]. "With a great tumult the gate is battered down" [HORSLEY].
13. the land--Judea. Put the comma after "land," not after "people." "There shall be among the people (a remnant left), as the shaking (the after-picking) of an olive tree"; as in gathering olives, a few remain on the highest boughs ( Isa 17:5, 6).
14. They--those who are left: the remnant.
sing for the majesty of the Lord--sing
a thanksgiving for the goodness of the Lord, who has so
mercifully preserved them.
from the sea--from the distant lands
beyond the sea, whither they have escaped.
15. in the fires--VITRINGA translates, "in the caves." Could it mean the fires of affliction ( 1Pe 1:7)? They were exiles at the time. The fires only loose the carnal bonds off the soul, without injuring a hair, as in the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. LOWTH reads, in the islands ( Eze 26:18). Rather translate for "fires," "in the regions of morning light," that is, the east, in antithesis to the "isles of the sea," that is, the west [MAURER]. Wheresoever ye be scattered, east or west, still glorify the Lord ( Mal 1:11).
16. Songs to God come in together to Palestine from distant
lands, as a grand chorus.
glory to the righteous--the burden of
the songs (
Isa 26:2, 7). Amidst exile, the loss of their temple,
and all that is dear to man, their confidence in God is
unshaken. These songs recall the joy of other times and
draw from Jerusalem in her present calamities, the cry,
"My leanness." HORSLEY translates, "glory to
the Just One"; then My leanness expresses his
sense of man's corruption, which led the Jews,
"the treacherous dealers" (
Jer 5:11), to crucify the Just One; and his deficiency
of righteousness which made him need to be clothed with the
righteousness of the Just One (
Ps 106:15).
treacherous dealers--the foreign
nations that oppress Jerusalem, and overcome it by
stratagem (so in
Isa 21:2) [BARNES].
17. This verse explains the wretchedness spoken of in Isa 24:16. Jeremiah ( Jer 48:43, 44) uses the same words. They are proverbial; Isa 24:18 expressing that the inhabitants were nowhere safe; if they escaped one danger, they fell into another, and worse, on the opposite side ( Am 5:19). "Fear" is the term applied to the cords with feathers of all colors which, when fluttered in the air, scare beasts into the pitfall, or birds into the snare. HORSLEY makes the connection. Indignant at the treatment which the Just One received, the prophet threatens the guilty land with instant vengeance.
18. noise of . . . fear--the shout designed to
rouse the game and drive it into the pitfall.
windows . . . open--taken
from the account of the deluge (
Ge 7:11); the flood-gates. So the final
judgments of fire on the apostate world are compared to the
deluge (
2Pe 3:5-7).
19. earth--the land: image from an earthquake.
20. removed like a cottage--(See on Isa
1:8). Here, a hanging couch, suspended from the
trees by cords, such as NIEBUHR describes the Arab keepers
of lands as having, to enable them to keep watch, and at
the same time to be secure from wild beasts. Translate,
"Shall wave to and fro like a hammock" swung
about by the wind.
heavy upon it--like an overwhelming
burden.
not rise again--not meaning, that it
never would rise (
Isa 24:23), but in those convulsions it would
not rise, it would surely fall.
21. host of . . . high ones--the heavenly host, that is, either the visible host of heaven (the present economy of nature, affected by the sun, moon, and stars, the objects of idolatry, being abolished, Isa 65:17; 60:19, simultaneously with the corrupt polity of men); or rather, "the invisible rulers of the darkness of this world," as the antithesis to "kings of the earth" shows. Angels, moreover, preside, as it were, over kingdoms of the world ( Da 10:13, 20, 21).
22. in the pit--rather, "for the pit" [HORSLEY].
"In the dungeon" [MAURER]. Image from
captives thrust together into a dungeon.
prison--that is, as in a prison. This
sheds light on the disputed passage,
1Pe 3:19, where also the prison is figurative:
The "shutting up" of the Jews in Jerusalem under
Nebuchadnezzar, and again under Titus, was to be followed
by a visitation of mercy "after many
days"--seventy years in the case of the former--the
time is not yet elapsed in the case of the latter. HORSLEY
takes "visited" in a bad sense, namely, in wrath,
as in
Isa 26:14; compare
Isa 29:6; the punishment being the heavier in the fact
of the delay. Probably a double visitation is intended,
deliverance to the elect, wrath to hardened unbelievers; as
Isa 24:23 plainly contemplates judgments on proud
sinners, symbolized by the "sun" and
"moon."
23. (
Jer 3:17). Still future: of which Jesus' triumphal
entry into Jerusalem amidst hosannas was a pledge.
his ancients--the elders of His
people; or in general, His ancient people, the Jews. After
the overthrow of the world kingdoms. Jehovah's shall be
set up with a splendor exceeding the light of the sun and
moon under the previous order of things (
Isa 60:19, 20).
Isa 25:1-12. CONTINUATION OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. THANKSGIVING FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE APOSTATE FACTION, AND THE SETTING UP OF JEHOVAH'S THRONE ON ZION.
The restoration from Babylon and re-establishment of the theocracy was a type and pledge of this.
1. wonderful-- (
Isa 9:6).
counsels of old-- (
Isa 42:9; 46:10). Purposes planned long ago; here, as
to the deliverance of His people.
truth--Hebrew, Amen;
covenant-keeping, faithful to promises; the peculiar
characteristic of Jesus (
Re 3:14).
2. a city . . . heap--Babylon, type of the seat
of Antichrist, to be destroyed in the last days (compare
Jer 51:37, with Re 18:1-24, followed, as here, by the
song of the saints' thanksgiving in
Re 19:1-21). "Heaps" is a graphic picture of
Babylon and Nineveh as they now are.
palace--Babylon regarded, on account
of its splendor, as a vast palace. But MAURER translates,
"a citadel."
of strangers--foreigners, whose
capital pre-eminently Babylon was, the metropolis of the
pagan world. "Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers from the covenants of promise" (
Isa 29:5; Eph 2:12; see in contrast,
Joe 3:17).
never be built-- (
Isa 13:19, 20, &c.).
3. strong people--This cannot apply to the Jews; but other
nations on which Babylon had exercised its cruelty (
Isa 14:12) shall worship Jehovah, awed by the judgment
inflicted on Babylon (
Isa 23:18).
city--not Babylon, which shall then be
destroyed, but collectively for the cities of the
surrounding nations.
4. the poor . . . needy--the Jews, exiles from
their country (
Isa 26:6; 41:17).
heat--calamity (
Isa 4:6; 32:2).
blast--that is, wrath.
storm--a tempest of rain, a
winter flood, rushing against and overthrowing the wall of
a house.
5. Translate, "As the heat in a dry land (is brought down by the shadow of a cloud, so) thou shalt bring down the tumult (the shout of triumph over their enemies) of strangers (foreigners); and as the heat by the shadow of the cloud (is brought low), so the branch (the offspring) of the terrible ones shall be brought low." PARKHURST translates the Hebrew for "branch," the exulting song. JEROME translates the last clause, "And as when the heat burns under a cloud, thou shalt make the branch of the terrible ones to wither"; the branch withering even under the friendly shade of a cloud typifies the wicked brought to ruin, not for want of natural means of prosperity, but by the immediate act of God.
6. in this mountain--Zion: Messiah's kingdom was to
begin, and is to have its central seat hereafter, at
Jerusalem, as the common country of "all nations"
(
Isa 2:2, &c.).
all people-- (
Isa 56:7; Da 7:14; Lu 2:10).
feast--image of felicity (
Ps 22:26, 27; Mt 8:11; Lu 14:15; Re 19:9; compare
Ps 36:8; 87:1-7).
fat things--delicacies; the rich
mercies of God in Christ (
Isa 55:2; Jer 31:14; Job 36:16).
wines on the lees--wine which has been
long kept on the lees; that is, the oldest and most
generous wine (
Jer 48:11).
marrow--the choicest dainties (
Ps 63:5).
well refined--cleared of all dregs.
7. face of . . . covering--image from mourning, in which it was usual to cover the face with a veil ( 2Sa 15:30). "Face of covering," that is, the covering itself; as in Job 41:13, "the face of his garment," the garment itself. The covering or veil is the mist of ignorance as to a future state, and the way to eternal life, which enveloped the nations ( Eph 4:18) and the unbelieving Jew ( 2Co 3:15). The Jew, however, is first to be converted before the conversion of "all nations"; for it is "in this mountain," namely, Zion, that the latter are to have the veil taken off ( Ps 102:13, 15, 16, 21, 22; Ro 11:12).
8. Quoted in
1Co 15:54, in support of the resurrection.
swallow up . . . in
victory--completely and permanently "abolish" (
2Ti 1:10; Re 20:14; 21:4; compare
Ge 2:17; 3:22).
rebuke--(Compare
Mr 8:38; Heb 11:26).
9. And it shall be said in that day, &c.--"After
death has been swallowed up for ever, the people of God,
who had been delivered from the hand of death, shall say to
the Lord, Lo, this is our God, whom unbelievers
regarded as only a man" [JEROME]. "The
words are so moulded as to point us specially to the person
of the Son of God, who 'saves' us; as He vouchsafed
to Israel temporal saving, so to His elect He appears for
the purpose of conferring eternal salvation"
[VITRINGA]. The Jews, however, have a special share
in the words, This is our God (see on Isa 25:6).
we have waited--"Waited" is
characteristic of God's people in all ages (
Ge 49:18; Tit 2:13).
we will be glad and rejoice in his
salvation--compare
Ps 118:24, which refers to the second coming of Jesus
(compare
Ps 118:26, with Lu 13:35).
10. rest--as its permanent protector; on
"hand" in this sense; compare
Ezr 7:6, 28.
Moab--while Israel is being protected,
the foe is destroyed; Moab is the representative of all the
foes of God's people.
under him--Rather, "in his own
place" or "country" (
Ex 10:23; 16:29).
for the dunghill--Rather, "in the
water of the dung heap," in which straw was trodden to
make it manure (
Ps 83:10). HORSLEY translates either, "in the
waters of Madmenah," namely, for the making of bricks;
or as the Septuagint, "as the
threshing-floor is trampled by the
corn-drag" (see Margin;
Mic 4:11-13).
11. he--Jehovah shall spread His hands to strike the
foe on this side and on that, with as little effort as a
swimmer spreads forth his arms to cleave a passage through
the water [CALVIN]. (
Zec 5:3). LOWTH takes "he" as Moab, who, in
danger of sinking, shall strain every nerve to save
himself; but Jehovah (and "he") shall
cause him to sink ("bring down the pride" of
Moab,
Isa 16:6).
with the spoils of . . .
hands--literally, "the craftily acquired spoils"
of his (Moab's) hands [BARNES]. Moab's pride, as
well as the sudden gripe of his hands (namely, whereby he
tries to save himself from drowning) [LOWTH].
"Together with the joints of his hands,"
that is, though Moab struggle against Jehovah hand and foot
[MAURER].
12. fortress--the strongholds of Moab, the representative of the foes of God's people [BARNES]. Babylon [MAURER]. The society of infidels represented as a city ( Re 11:8).
Isa 26:1-21. CONNECTED WITH THE TWENTY-FOURTH AND TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTERS. SONG OF PRAISE OF ISRAEL AFTER BEING RESTORED TO THEIR OWN LAND.
As the overthrow of the apostate faction is described in the twenty-fifth chapter, so the peace of the faithful is here described under the image of a well-fortified city.
1. strong city--Jerusalem, strong in Jehovah's
protection: type of the new Jerusalem (
Ps 48:1-3), contrasted with the overthrow of the
ungodly foe (
Isa 26:4-7, 12-14; Re 22:2, 10-12, &c.).
salvation . . . walls-- (
Isa 60:18; Jer 3:23; Zec 2:5). MAURER translates,
"Jehovah makes His help serve as walls" (
Isa 33:20, 21, &c.).
bulwarks--the trench with the
antemural earthworks exterior to the wall.
2. Address of the returning people to the gates of
Jerusalem (type of the heavenly city,
Heb 12:22); (
Ps 24:7, 9; 118:19). Antitypically (
Re 22:14; 21:25, 27).
righteous nation--that had not
apostatized during the captivity. HORSLEY translates,
"The nation of the Just One," namely, the Jews.
3. mind . . . stayed-- ( Ps 112:7, 8). Jesus can create "perfect peace" within thy mind, though storms of trial rage without ( Isa 57:19; Mr 4:39); as a city kept securely by a strong garrison within, though besieged without (so Php 4:7). "Keep," literally, "guard as with a garrison." H ORSLEY translates, (God's) workmanship (the Hebrew does not probably mean "mind," but "a thing formed," Eph 2:10), so constantly "supported"; or else "formed and supported (by Thee) Thou shalt preserve (it, namely, the righteous nation) in perpetual peace."
4. Lord JEHOVAH--Hebrew, Jah, Jehovah. The union of the two names expresses in the highest degree God's unchanging love and power (compare Ps 68:4). This passage, and Isa 12:2; Ex 6:3; Ps 83:18, are the four in which the English Version retains the JEHOVAH of the original. MAURER translates, "For JAH (the eternal unchangeable One, Ex 3:14) is JEHOVAH, the rock of ages" (compare Isa 45:17; De 32:15; 1Sa 2:2).
5. lofty city--Babylon; representative of the stronghold of the foes of God's people in all ages ( Isa 25:2, 12; 13:14).
6. poor-- ( Isa 25:4), the once afflicted Jewish captives. "Foot shall tread," is figurative for exulting in the fall of God's enemies ( Re 18:20).
7. uprightness--rather, "is direct," that is, is
directed by God to a prosperous issue, however many
be their afflictions in the meantime (as in the case of the
Jewish exiles); the context requires this sense (
Ps 34:19; Pr 3:6; 11:5), [MAURER]: thus "way"
means God's dealings with the righteous (
Ps 37:23).
most upright-- (
De 32:4).
dost weigh-- (
1Sa 2:3; Pr 5:21). Rather, "thou dost make plain
and level" [MAURER], removing all obstacles (
Isa 40:3, 4).
8. way of thy judgments--We have waited for Thy proceeding
to punish the enemy (
Isa 26:9, 10) [MAURER]. HORSLEY translates
Isa 26:7, 8, "The path of the Just One is
perfectly even; an even road Thou wilt level for the Just
One, even the path of Thy laws, O Jehovah. We have
expected Thee."
name . . . remembrance--the
manifested character of God by which He would be
remembered (
Isa 64:5; Ex 3:15).
9. With, . . . soul . . . I--literally,
"I . . . my soul," in apposition; the
faithful Jews here speak individually. The overthrow
of the foe and the restoration of the Jews are to follow
upon prayer on the part of the latter and of all
God's people (
Isa 62:1-4, 6, 7; Ps 102:13-17).
in the night-- (
Ps 63:6; So 3:1).
world . . . learn
. . . righteousness--the remnant left after
judgments (
Ps 58:10, 11; Zec 14:16).
10. uprightness--rather, as in Isa 26:7, "prosperity," answering to "favor" in the parallelism, and in antithesis to "judgments in the earth" ( Isa 26:9); where prosperity attends the wicked as well as the just, "he will not learn righteousness," therefore judgments must be sent that he may "learn" it [MAURER].
11. lifted up--to punish the foes of God's people. They
who will not see shall be made to
"see" to their cost (
Isa 5:12).
their envy at the people--that is,
"Thy people." LOWTH translates, "They shall
see with confusion Thy zeal for Thy
people."
fire of . . . enemies--that
is, the fire to which Thine enemies are doomed (
Isa 9:18).
12. peace--God's favor, including all blessings, temporal and spiritual, opposed to their previous trials ( Ps 138:8).
13. other lords--temporal; heathen kings (
2Ch 12:8; 28:5, 6), Nebuchadnezzar, &c. Spiritual
also, idols and lusts (
Ro 6:16-18).
by thee only--It is due to Thee alone,
that we again worship Thee as our Lord [MAURER]. "(We
are) Thine only, we will celebrate Thy name"
[HORSLEY]. The sanctifying effect of affliction (
Ps 71:16; 119:67, 71).
14. They--The "other lords" or tyrants (
Isa 26:13).
shall not live--namely, again.
deceased--Hebrew,
"Rephaim"; powerless, in the land of shades (
Isa 14:9, 10).
therefore--that is, inasmuch as.
Compare "therefore" (
Ge 18:5; 19:8).
15. hast--prophetical preterite (
Isa 9:3).
hast removed . . . far
. . . ends of . . . earth--rather,
"Thou hast extended far all the borders of the
land" [VITRINGA].
16. visited--sought.
poured out-- (
Ps 62:8), as a vessel emptying out all its
contents.
prayer--literally, "a whispered
prayer," Margin, "a secret sighing"
to God for help (compare
Jer 13:17; De 8:16).
17. An image of anguish accompanied with expectation, to be followed by joy that will cause the anguish utterly to be forgotten. Zion, looking for deliverance, seemingly in vain, but really about to be gloriously saved ( Mic 4:9, 10-13; 5:1-3; Joh 16:21, 22).
18. brought forth wind--MICHAELIS explains this of the
disease empneumatosis. Rather, "wind" is a
figure for that which proves an abortive effort. The
"we" is in antithesis to "Thy,"
"my" (
Isa 26:19), what we vainly attempt, God
will accomplish.
not wrought . . .
deliverance in . . . earth--literally, "the
land (Judea) is not made security," that is, is
not become a place of security from our enemies.
neither . . . world
fallen--The "world" at large, is in antithesis to
"the earth," that is, Judea. The world at enmity
with the city of God has not been subdued. But MAURER
explains "fallen," according to Arabic
idiom, of the birth of a child, which is said to
fall when being born; "inhabitants of the world
(Israel,
Isa 24:4; not the world in general) are not yet
born"; that is, the country as yet lies desolate, and
is not yet populated.
19. In antithesis to
Isa 26:14, "They (Israel's foes) shall not
live"; "Thy (Jehovah's) dead men (the Jews)
shall live," that is, primarily, be restored,
spiritually (
Isa 54:1-3), civilly and nationally (
Isa 26:15); whereas Thy foes shall not; ultimately, and
in the fullest scope of the prophecy, restored to life
literally (
Eze 37:1-14; Da 12:2).
together with my dead body--rather,
"my dead body," or "bodies" (the Jewish
nation personified, which had been spiritually and civilly
dead; or the nation, as a parent, speaking of the
bodies of her children individually, see on Isa 26:9, "I," "My"):
Jehovah's "dead" and "my dead" are
one and the same [H ORSLEY]. However, as Jesus is the
antitype to Israel (
Mt 2:15), English Version gives a true sense,
and one ultimately contemplated in the prophecy:
Christ's dead body being raised again is the source
of Jehovah's people (all, and especially
believers, the spiritual Israelites) also being raised (
1Co 15:20-22).
Awake-- (
Eph 5:14), spiritually.
in dust--prostate and dead,
spiritually and nationally; also literally (
Isa 25:12; 47:1).
dew--which falls copiously in the East
and supplies somewhat the lack of rain (
Ho 14:5).
cast out . . . dead--that
is, shall bring them forth to life again.
20. enter . . . chambers--When God is about to take vengeance on the ungodly, the saints shall be shut in by Him in a place of safety, as Noah and his family were in the days of the flood ( Ge 7:16), and as Israel was commanded not to go out of doors on the night of the slaying of the Egyptian first-born ( Ex 12:22, 23; Ps 31:20; 83:3). The saints are calmly and confidently to await the issue ( Ex 14:13, 14).
21. (
Mic 1:3; Jude 14).
disclose . . . blood-- (
Ge 4:10, 11; Job 16:18; Eze 24:7, 8). All the innocent
blood shed, and all other wrongs done, so long seemingly
with impunity, shall then be avenged (
Re 16:6).
Isa 27:1-13. CONTINUATION OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH, TWENTY-FIFTH, AND TWENTY-SIXTH CHAPTERS.
At the time when Israel shall be delivered, and the ungodly nations punished, God shall punish also the great enemy of the Church.
1. sore--rather, "hard,"
"well-tempered."
leviathan--literally, in
Arabic, "the twisted animal," applicable to
every great tenant of the waters, sea-serpents, crocodiles,
&c. In
Eze 29:3; 32:2; Da 7:1, &c. Re 12:3, &c.,
potentates hostile to Israel are similarly described;
antitypically and ultimately Satan is intended (
Re 20:10).
piercing--rigid [LOWTH]. Flying
[MAURER and Septuagint]. Long, extended, namely, as
the crocodile which cannot readily bend back its body
[HOUBIGANT].
crooked--winding.
dragon--Hebrew, tenin; the
crocodile.
sea--the Euphrates, or the expansion
of it near Babylon.
2. In that day when leviathan shall be destroyed, the
vineyard (
Ps 80:8), the Church of God, purged of its blemishes,
shall be lovely in God's eyes; to bring out this
sense the better, L OWTH, by changing a Hebrew
letter, reads "pleasant," "lovely," for
"red wine."
sing--a responsive song
[LOWTH].
unto her--rather, "concerning
her" (see on Isa 5:1); namely,
the Jewish state [MAURER].
3. lest any hurt it--attack it [MAURER]. "Lest aught be wanting in her" [HORSLEY].
4. Fury is not in me--that is, I entertain no longer anger
towards my vine.
who would set . . . in
battle--that is, would that I had the briers, &c. (the
wicked foe;
Isa 9:18; 10:17; 2Sa 23:6), before me! "I would go
through," or rather, "against them."
5. Or--Else; the only alternative, if Israel's enemies
wish to escape being "burnt together."
strength--rather, "the refuge
which I afford" [MAURER]. "Take hold,"
refers to the horns of the altar which fugitives often
laid hold of as an asylum (
1Ki 1:50; 2:28). Jesus is God's
"strength," or "refuge" which sinners
must repair to and take hold of, if they are to have
"peace" with God (
Isa 45:24; Ro 5:1; Eph 2:14; compare
Job 22:21).
6. He--Jehovah. Here the song of the Lord as to His
vineyard (
Isa 27:2-5) ends; and the prophet confirms the
sentiment in the song, under the same image of a
vine (compare
Ps 92:13-15; Ho 14:5, 6).
Israel . . . fill
. . . world-- (
Ro 11:12).
7. him . . . those--Israel--Israel's enemies.
Has God punished His people as severely as He has those
enemies whom He employed to chastise Israel? No! Far from
it. Israel, after trials, He will restore; Israel's
enemies He will utterly destroy at last.
the slaughter of them that are slain
by him--rather, "Is Israel slain according to
the slaughter of the enemy slain?" the
slaughter wherewith the enemy is slain [MAURER].
8. In measure--not beyond measure; in moderation (
Job 23:6; Ps 6:1; Jer 10:24; 30:11; 46:28).
when it shooteth--image from the vine;
rather, passing from the image to the thing itself,
"when sending her away (namely, Israel to
exile;
Isa 50:1, God only putting the adulteress
away when He might justly have put her to death), Thou
didst punish her" [G ESENIUS].
stayeth--rather, as Margin,
"when He removeth it by His rough wind in the
day," &c.
east wind--especially violent in the
East (
Job 27:21; Jer 18:17).
9. By this--exile of Israel (the "sending away,"
Isa 27:8).
purged--expiated [HORSLEY].
all the fruit--This is the whole
benefit designed to be brought about by the
chastisement; namely, the removal of his (Israel's) sin
(namely, object of idolatry;
De 9:21; Ho 10:8).
when he--Jehovah; at the destruction
of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, His instrument. The Jews
ever since have abhorred idolatry (compare
Isa 17:8).
not stand up--shall rise no more
[HORSLEY].
10. city--Jerusalem; the beating asunder of whose altars
and images was mentioned in
Isa 27:9 (compare
Isa 24:10-12).
calf feed-- (
Isa 17:2); it shall be a vast wild pasture.
branches--resuming the image of the
vine (
Isa 27:2,6).
11. boughs . . . broken off--so the Jews are
called (
Ro 11:17, 19, 20).
set . . . on fire--burn them
as fuel; "women" are specified, as probably it
was their office to collect fuel and kindle the fire for
cooking.
no understanding--as to the ways of
God (
De 32:28, 29; Jer 5:21; Ho 4:6).
12. Restoration of the Jews from their dispersion,
described under the image of fruits shaken from trees and
collected.
beat off--as fruit beaten off a tree
with a stick (
De 24:20), and then gathered.
river--Euphrates.
stream of Egypt--on the confines of
Palestine and Egypt (
Nu 34:5; Jos 15:4, 47), now Wady-el-Arish,
Jehovah's vineyard, Israel, extended according to His
purpose from the Nile to the Euphrates (
1Ki 4:21, 24; Ps 72:8).
one by one--gathered most carefully,
not merely as a nation, but as individuals.
13. great trumpet--image from the trumpets blown on the
first day of the seventh month to summon the people to a
holy convocation (
Le 23:24). Antitypically, the gospel trumpet (
Re 11:15; 14:6) which the Jews shall hearken to in the
last days (
Zec 12:10; 13:1). As the passover in the first month
answers to Christ's crucifixion, so the day of
atonement and the idea of "salvation" connected
with the feast of tabernacles in the same seventh month,
answer to the crowning of "redemption" at
His second coming; therefore redemption is put last
in
1Co 1:30.
Assyria--whither the ten tribes had
been carried; Babylonia is mainly meant, to which Assyria
at that time belonged; the two tribes were restored, and
some of the ten accompanied them. However,
"Assyria" is designedly used to point
ultimately to the future restoration of the ten
fully, never yet accomplished (
Jer 3:18).
Egypt--whither many had fled at the
Babylonish captivity (
Jer 41:17, 18). Compare as to the future restoration,
Isa 11:11, 12, 16; 51:9-16 ("Rahab" being
Egypt).
The twenty-eighth through thirty-third chapters form almost one continuous prophecy concerning the destruction of Ephraim, the impiety and folly of Judah, the danger of their league with Egypt, the straits they would be reduced to by Assyria, from which Jehovah would deliver them on their turning to Him; the twenty-eighth chapter refers to the time just before the sixth year of Hezekiak's reign, the rest not very long before his fourteenth year.
1. crown of pride--Hebrew for "proud
crown of the drunkards," &c. [HORSLEY],
namely, Samaria, the capital of Ephraim, or Israel.
"Drunkards," literally (
Isa 28:7, 8; Isa 5:11, 22; Am 4:1; 6:1-6) and
metaphorically, like drunkards, rushing on to their
own destruction.
beauty . . .
flower--"whose glorious beauty or ornament is a fading
flower." Carrying on the image of
"drunkards"; it was the custom at feasts to
wreathe the brow with flowers; so Samaria,
"which is (not as English Version, 'which
are') upon the head of the fertile valley," that
is, situated on a hill surrounded with the rich valleys as
a garland (
1Ki 16:24); but the garland is "fading," as
garlands often do, because Ephraim is now close to ruin
(compare
Isa 16:8); fulfilled 721 B.C. (
2Ki 17:6, 24).
2. strong one--the Assyrian (
Isa 10:5).
cast down--namely, Ephraim (
Isa 28:1) and Samaria, its crown.
with . . . hand--with
violence (
Isa 8:11).
3. crown . . . the drunkards--rather, "the crown of the drunkards."
4. Rather, "the fading flower, their glorious beauty
(
Isa 28:1), which is on the head of the fat (fertile)
valley, shall be as the early fig" [G. V. SMITH]. Figs
usually ripened in August; but earlier ones (Hebrew
bikkurah, Spanish bokkore) in June, and were
regarded as a delicacy (
Jer 24:2; Ho 9:10; Mic 7:1).
while it is yet--that is,
immediately, without delay; describing the
eagerness of the Assyrian Shalmaneser, not merely to
conquer, but to destroy utterly Samaria; whereas
other conquered cities were often spared.
5-13. The prophet now turns to Judah; a gracious promise to
the remnant ("residue"); a warning lest through
like sins Judah should share the fate of Samaria.
crown--in antithesis to the
"fading crown" of Ephraim (
Isa 28:1, 3).
the residue--primarily, Judah,
in the prosperous reign of Hezekiah (
2Ki 18:7), antitypically, the elect of God; as
He here is called their "crown and
diadem," so are they called His (
Isa 62:3); a beautiful reciprocity.
6. Jehovah will inspire their magistrates with justice, and
their soldiers with strength of spirit.
turn . . . battle to
. . . gate--the defenders of their country who
not only repel the foe from themselves, but drive him to
the gates of his own cities (
2Sa 11:23; 2Ki 18:8).
7. Though Judah is to survive the fall of Ephraim, yet
"they also" (the men of Judah) have perpetrated
like sins to those of Samaria (
Isa 5:3, 11), which must be chastised by God.
erred . . . are out of the
way--"stagger . . . reel." Repeated, to
express the frequency of the vice.
priest . . . prophet--If the
ministers of religion sin so grievously, how much more the
other rulers (
Isa 56:10, 12)!
vision--even in that most sacred
function of the prophet to declare God's will revealed
to them.
judgment--The priests had the
administration of the law committed to them (
De 17:9; 19:17). It was against the law for the priests
to take wine before entering the tabernacle (
Le 10:9; Eze 44:21).
9, 10. Here the drunkards are introduced as scoffingly
commenting on Isaiah's warnings: "Whom will
he (does Isaiah presume to) teach knowledge? And
whom will He make to understand instruction? Is it
those (that is, does he take us to be) just weaned,
&c.? For (he is constantly repeating, as if to little
children) precept upon precept," &c.
line--a rule or law. [MAURER]. The
repetition of sounds in Hebrew tzav latzav, tzav latzav,
qav laqav, qav laquav, expresses the scorn of the
imitators of Isaiah's speaking; he spoke
stammering (
Isa 28:11). God's mode of teaching offends by its
simplicity the pride of sinners (
2Ki 5:11, 12; 1Co 1:23). Stammerers as they were
by drunkenness, and children in knowledge of God, they
needed to be spoken to in the language of children, and
"with stammering lips" (compare
Mt 13:13). A just and merciful retribution.
11. For--rather, "Truly." This is Isaiah's reply to the scoffers: Your drunken questions shall be answered by the severe lessons from God conveyed through the Assyrians and Babylonians; the dialect of these, though Semitic, like the Hebrew, was so far different as to sound to the Jews like the speech of stammerers (compare Isa 33:19; 36:11). To them who will not understand God will speak still more unintelligibly.
12. Rather, "He (Jehovah) who hath said to
them."
this . . . the
rest--Reference may be primarily to "rest" from
national warlike preparations, the Jews being at the time
"weary" through various preceding calamities, as
the Syro-Israelite invasion (
Isa 7:8; compare
Isa 30:15; 22:8; 39:2; 36:1; 2Ki 18:8). But
spiritually, the "rest" meant is that to be found
in obeying those very "precepts" of God (
Isa 28:10) which they jeered at (compare
Jer 6:16; Mt 11:29).
13. But--rather, "Therefore," namely, because
"they would not hear" (
Isa 28:12).
that they might go--the designed
result to those who, from a defect of the will,
so far from profiting by God's mode of instructing,
"precept upon precept," &c., made it into a
stumbling-block (
Ho 6:5; 8:12; Mt 13:14).
go, and fall--image appropriately from
"drunkards" (
Isa 28:7, 8, which they were) who in trying to "go
forward fall backward."
14. scornful--(See on Isa 28:9).
15. said--virtually, in your conduct, if not in
words.
covenant--There may be a tacit
reference to their confidence in their "covenant"
with the Assyrians in the early part of Hezekiah's
prosperous reign, before he ceased to pay tribute to them,
as if it ensured Judah from evil, whatever might befall the
neighboring Ephraim (
Isa 28:1). The full meaning is shown by the
language ("covenant with death--hell," or
sheol) to apply to all lulled in false security
spiritually (
Ps 12:4; Ec 8:8; Jer 8:11); the godly alone are in
covenant with death (
Job 5:23; Ho 2:18; 1Co 3:22).
overflowing scourge--two metaphors:
the hostile Assyrian armies like an overwhelming
flood.
pass through--namely, through Judea on
their way to Egypt, to punish it as the protector of
Samaria (
2Ki 17:4).
lies--They did not use these
words, but Isaiah designates their sentiments by
their true name (
Am 2:4).
16. Literally, "Behold Me as Him who has
laid"; namely, in My divine counsel (
Re 13:8); none save I could lay it (
Isa 63:5).
stone--Jesus Christ; Hezekiah
[MAURER], or the temple [EWALD], do not realize the
full significancy of the language; but only in type point
to Him, in whom the prophecy receives its exhaustive
accomplishment; whether Isaiah understood its
fulness or not (
1Pe 1:11, 12), the Holy Ghost plainly contemplated its
fulfilment in Christ alone; so in
Isa 32:1; compare
Ge 49:24; Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42; Ro 10:11; Eph
2:20.
tried--both by the devil (
Lu 4:1-13) and by men (
Lu 20:1-38), and even by God (
Mt 27:46); a stone of tested solidity to bear the vast
superstructure of man's redemption. The tested
righteousness of Christ gives its peculiar merit to His
vicarious sacrifice. The connection with the context is,
though a "scourge" shall visit Judea (
Isa 28:15), yet God's gracious purpose as to the
elect remnant, and His kingdom of which "Zion"
shall be the center, shall not fail, because its rests on
Messiah (
Mt 7:24, 25; 2Ti 2:19).
precious--literally, "of
preciousness," so in the Greek, (
1Pe 2:7). He is preciousness.
corner-stone-- (
1Ki 5:17; 7:9; Job 38:6); the stone laid at the corner
where two walls meet and connecting them; often
costly.
make haste--flee in hasty alarm; but
the Septuagint has "be ashamed"; so
Ro 9:33, and 1Pe 2:6, "be confounded,"
substantially the same idea; he who rests on Him shall not
have the shame of disappointment, nor flee in sudden panic
(see
Isa 30:15; 32:17).
17. line--the measuring-line of the plummet. HORSLEY
translates, "I will appoint judgment for the rule, and
justice for the plummet." As the corner-stone stands
most perpendicular and exactly proportioned, so Jehovah,
while holding out grace to believers in the
Foundation-stone, will judge the scoffers (
Isa 28:15) according to the exact justice of the
law (compare
Jas 2:13).
hail--divine judgment (
Isa 30:30; 32:19).
18. disannulled--obliterated, as letters traced on a waxen
tablet are obliterated by passing the stylus over it.
trodden down--passing from the
metaphor in "scourge" to the thing meant, the
army which treads down its enemies.
19. From the time, &c.--rather, "As often as it
comes over (that is, passes through), it shall overtake
you" [HORSLEY]; like a flood returning from time to
time, frequent hostile invasions shall assail Judah,
after the deportation of the ten tribes.
vexation . . . understand
. . . report--rather, "It shall be a terror
even to hear the mere report of it" [MAURER], (
1Sa 3:11). But G. V. SMITH, "Hard treatment
(HORSLEY, 'dispersion') only shall make you to
understand instruction"; they scorned at the simple
way in which the prophet offered it (
Isa 28:9); therefore, they must be taught by the severe
teachings of adversity.
20. Proverbial, for they shall find all their sources of confidence fail them; all shall be hopeless perplexity in their affairs.
21. Perazim--In the valley of Rephaim (
2Sa 5:18, 20; 1Ch 14:11), there Jehovah, by David,
broke forth as waters do, and made a breach
among the Philistines, David's enemies, as
Perazim means, expressing a sudden and complete
overthrow.
Gibeon-- (
1Ch 14:16; 2Sa 5:25, Margin); not Joshua's
victory (
Jos 10:10).
strange--as being against His own
people; judgment is not what God delights in; it is, though
necessary, yet strange to Him (
La 3:33).
work--punishing the guilty (
Isa 10:12).
22. mockers--a sin which they had committed (
Isa 28:9, 10).
bands--their Assyrian bondage (
Isa 10:27); Judah was then tributary to Assyria; or,
"lest your punishment be made still more severe"
(
Isa 24:22).
consumption--destruction (
Isa 10:22, 23; Da 9:27).
23. Calling attention to the following illustration from husbandry ( Ps 49:1, 2). As the husbandman does his different kinds of work, each in its right time and due proportion, so God adapts His measures to the varying exigencies of the several cases: now mercy, now judgments; now punishing sooner, now later (an answer to the scoff that His judgments, being put off so long, would never come at all, Isa 5:19); His object being not to destroy His people any more than the farmer's object in threshing is to destroy his crop; this vindicates God's "strange work" ( Isa 28:21) in punishing His people. Compare the same image, Jer 24:6; Ho 2:23; Mt 3:12.
24. all day--emphatic; he is not always ploughing:
he also "sows," and that, too, in accordance with
sure rules (
Isa 28:25).
doth he open--supply
"always." Is he always harrowing?
25. face--the "surface" of the ground: "made
plain," or level, by harrowing.
fitches--rather, "dill," or
"fennel"; Nigella romana, with black seed,
easily beaten out, used as a condiment and medicine in the
East. So the Septuagint, "cummin" was used
in the same way.
cast in . . . principal
wheat--rather, plant the wheat in rows (for wheat
was thought to yield the largest crop, by being planted
sparingly [PLINY, Natural History, 18.21]);
[MAURER]; "sow the wheat regularly" [HORSLEY].
But GESENIUS, like English Version, "fat,"
or "principal," that is, excellent wheat.
appointed barley--rather, "barley
in its appointed place" [MAURER].
in their place--rather, "in its
(the field's) border" [MAURER].
26. to discretion--in the due rules of husbandry; God first taught it to man ( Ge 3:23).
27. The husbandman uses the same discretion in threshing.
The dill ("fitches") and cummin, leguminous and
tender grains, are beaten out, not as wheat, &c., with
the heavy corn-drag ("threshing instrument"), but
with "a staff"; heavy instruments would crush and
injure the seed.
cart wheel--two iron wheels armed with
iron teeth, like a saw, joined together by a wooden axle.
The "corn-drag" was made of three or four wooden
cylinders, armed with iron teeth or flint stones fixed
underneath, and joined like a sledge. Both instruments cut
the straw for fodder as well as separated the corn.
staff--used also where they had but a
small quantity of corn; the flail (
Ru 2:17).
28. Bread corn--corn of which bread is made.
bruised--threshed with the
corn-drag (as contrasted with dill and cummin, "beaten
with the staff"), or, "trodden out" by the
hoofs of cattle driven over it on the threshing-floor [G.
V. SMITH], (
De 25:4; Mic 4:13).
because--rather, "but"
[HORSLEY]; though the corn is threshed with the heavy
instrument, yet he will not always be thus threshing
it.
break it--"drive over it
(continually) the wheel" [MAURER].
cart--threshing-drag.
horsemen--rather, "horses";
used to tread out corn.
29. This also--The skill wherewith the husbandman duly adjusts his modes of threshing is given by God, as well as the skill ( Isa 28:26) wherewith he tills and sows ( Isa 28:24, 25). Therefore He must also be able to adapt His modes of treatment to the several moral needs of His creatures. His object in sending tribulation (derived from the Latin tribulum, a "threshing instrument," Lu 22:31; Ro 5:3) is to sever the moral chaff from the wheat, not to crush utterly; "His judgments are usually in the line of our offenses; by the nature of the judgments we may usually ascertain the nature of the sin" [B ARNES].
Isa 29:1-24. COMING INVASION OF JERUSALEM: ITS FAILURE: UNBELIEF OF THE JEWS.
This chapter opens the series of prophecies as to the invasion of Judea under Sennacherib, and its deliverance.
1. Ariel--Jerusalem; Ariel means "Lion of God,"
that is, city rendered by God invincible: the lion is
emblem of a mighty hero (
2Sa 23:20). Otherwise "Hearth of God," that
is, place where the altar-fire continually burns to God (
Isa 31:9; Eze 43:15, 16).
add . . . year to
year--ironically; suffer one year after another to glide on
in the round of formal, heartless "sacrifices."
Rather, "add yet another year" to the one just
closed [MAURER]. Let a year elapse and a little more (
Isa 32:10, Margin).
let . . . kill
sacrifices--rather, "let the beasts (of another year)
go round" [MAURER]; that is, after the completion of a
year "I will distress Ariel."
2. Yet--rather, "Then."
heaviness . . .
sorrow--rather, preserving the Hebrew paronomasia,
"groaning" and "moaning."
as Ariel--either, "the city shall
be as a lion of God," that is, it shall emerge
from its dangers unvanquished; or "it shall be as the
altar of burnt offering," consuming with fire
the besiegers (
Isa 29:6; Isa 30:30; 31:9; Le 10:2); or best, as
Isa 29:3 continues the threat, and the promise
of deliverance does not come till
Isa 29:4, "it shall be like a hearth of
burning," that is, a scene of devastation by fire [G.
V. SMITH]. The prophecy, probably, contemplates
ultimately, besides the affliction and deliverance in
Sennacherib's time, the destruction of Jerusalem by
Rome, the dispersion of the Jews, their restoration, the
destruction of the enemies that besiege the city (
Zec 14:2), and the final glory of Israel (
Isa 29:17-24).
3. I--Jehovah, acting through the Assyrian, &c.,
His instruments (
Isa 10:5).
mount--an artificial mound
formed to out-top high walls (
Isa 37:33); else a station, namely, of warriors,
for the siege.
round about--not fully realized
under Sennacherib, but in the Roman siege (
Lu 19:43; 21:20).
forts--siege-towers (
De 20:20).
4. Jerusalem shall be as a captive, humbled to the dust. Her voice shall come from the earth as that of the spirit-charmers or necromancers ( Isa 8:19), faint and shrill, as the voice of the dead was supposed to be. Ventriloquism was doubtless the trick caused to make the voice appear to come from the earth ( Isa 19:3). An appropriate retribution that Jerusalem, which consulted necromancers, should be made like them!
5. Moreover--rather, "Yet"; yet in this extremity
help shall come, and the enemy be scattered.
strangers--foreign enemies, invaders
(
Isa 25:2).
it shall be--namely, the destruction
of the enemy.
at an instant--in a moment (
Isa 30:23).
6. Thou--the Assyrian army.
thunder, &c.--not literally, in
the case of the Assyrians (
Isa 37:36); but figuratively for an awful judgment (
Isa 30:30; 28:17). The ulterior fulfilment, in the case
of the Jews' foes in the last days, may be more literal
(see as to "earthquake,"
Zec 14:4).
7. munition--fortress.
8. Their disappointment in the very height of their
confident expectation of taking Jerusalem shall be as great
as that of the hungry man who in a dream fancies he eats,
but awakes to hunger still (
Ps 73:20); their dream shall be dissipated on the fatal
morning (
Isa 37:36).
soul--simply his appetite: he
is still thirsty.
9. Stay--rather, "Be astounded"; expressing the
stupid and amazed incredulity with which the Jews received
Isaiah's announcement.
wonder--The second imperative, as
often (
Isa 8:9), is a threat; the first is a simple
declaration of a fact, "Be astounded, since you choose
to be so, at the prophecy, soon you will be amazed
at the sight of the actual event" [M AURER].
cry . . . out
. . . cry--rather, "Be ye blinded (since you
choose to be so, though the light shines all round you),
and soon ye shall be blinded" in good earnest to your
sorrow [MAURER], (
Isa 6:9, 10).
not with wine--but with spiritual
paralysis (
Isa 51:17, 21).
ye . . . they--The change
from speaking to, to speaking of them,
intimates that the prophet turns away from them to a
greater distance, because of their stupid unbelief.
10. Jehovah gives them up judicially to their own hardness
of heart (compare
Zec 14:13). Quoted by Paul, with variations from the
Septuagint,
Ro 11:8. See
Isa 6:10; Ps 69:23.
eyes; the prophets, &c.--rather,
"hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads
(Margin; see also
Isa 3:2), the seers, He hath covered." The
Orientals cover the head to sleep; thus "covered"
is parallel to "closed your eyes" (
Jud 4:19). Covering the face was also preparatory to
execution (
Es 7:8). This cannot apply to the time when Isaiah
himself prophesied, but to subsequent times.
11. of all--rather, "the whole vision."
"Vision" is the same here as
"revelation," or "law"; in
Isa 28:15, the same Hebrew word is translated,
"covenant" [M AURER].
sealed-- (
Isa 8:16), God seals up the truth so that even the
learned, because they lack believing docility, cannot
discern it (
Mt 13:10-17; 11:25). Prophecy remained comparatively a
sealed volume (
Da 12:4, 9), until Jesus, who "alone is
worthy," "opened the seals" (
Re 5:1-5, 9; 6:1).
12. The unlearned succeed no better than the learned, not from want of human learning, as they fancy, but from not having the teaching of God ( Isa 54:13; Jer 31:34; Joh 6:45; 1Co 2:7-10; 1Jo 2:20).
13. precept of men--instead of the precepts of God, given by His prophets; also worship external, and by rule, not heartfelt as God requires ( Joh 4:24). Compare Christ's quotation of this verse from the Septuagint.
14. ( Hab 1:5; Ac 13:41). The "marvellous work" is one of unparalleled vengeance on the hypocrites: compare "strange work," Isa 28:21. The judgment, too, will visit the wise in that respect in which they most pride themselves; their wisdom shall be hid, that is, shall no longer appear, so as to help the nation in its distress (compare 1Co 1:19).
15. seek deep to hide--rather, "That seek to hide deeply," &c. (compare Isa 30:1, 2). The reference is to the secret plan which many of the Jewish nobles had of seeking Egyptian aid against Assyria, contrary to the advice of Isaiah. At the same time the hypocrite in general is described, who, under a plausible exterior, tries to hide his real character, not only from men, but even from God.
16. Rather, "Ah! your perverseness! just as if the potter should be esteemed as the clay!" [MAURER]. Or, "Ye invert (turn upside down) the order of things, putting yourselves instead of God," and vice versa, just as if the potter should be esteemed as the clay [HORSLEY], ( Isa 45:9; 64:8).
17. turned--as contrasted with your "turnings
of things upside down" (
Isa 29:16), there shall be other and better
turnings or revolutions; the outpouring of the Spirit
in the latter days (
Isa 32:15); first on the Jews; which shall be followed
by their national restoration (see on
Isa 29:2; Zec 12:10)
then on the Gentiles (
Joe 2:28).
fruitful field--literally, "a
Carmel" (see on Isa 10:18).
The moral change in the Jewish nation shall be as great as
if the wooded Lebanon were to become a fruitful field, and
vice versa. Compare
Mt 11:12, Greek: "the kingdom of heaven
forces itself," as it were, on man's
acceptance; instead of men having to seek Messiah, as they
had John, in a desert, He presents Himself before
them with loving invitations; thus men's hearts, once a
moral desert, are reclaimed so as to bear fruits of
righteousness: vice versa, the ungodly who seemed
prosperous, both in the moral and literal sense, shall be
exhibited in their real barrenness.
18. deaf . . . blind--(Compare Mt 11:5). The spiritually blind, &c., are chiefly meant; "the book," as Revelation is called pre-eminently, shall be no longer "sealed," as is described ( Isa 29:11), but the most unintelligent shall hear and see ( Isa 35:5).
19. meek--rather, the afflicted godly: the idea is,
virtuous suffering (
Isa 61:1; Ps 25:9; 37:11) [BARNES].
poor among men--that is, the poorest
of men, namely, the pious poor.
rejoice--when they see their
oppressors punished (
Isa 29:20, 21), and Jehovah exhibited as their
protector and rewarder (
Isa 29:22-24; Isa 41:17; Jas 2:5).
20. terrible--namely, the persecutors among the Jewish
nobles.
scorner-- (
Isa 28:14, 22).
watch for--not only commit iniquity,
but watch for opportunities of committing it, and make it
their whole study (see
Mic 2:1; Mt 26:59; 27:1).
21. Rather, "Who make a man guilty in his
cause" [GESENIUS], that is, unjustly condemn him.
"A man" is in the Hebrew a poor man, upon
whom such unjust condemnations might be practiced with more
impunity than on the rich; compare
Isa 29:19, "the meek . . . the
poor."
him that reproveth--rather,
"pleadeth"; one who has a suit at issue.
gate--the place of concourse in a
city, where courts of justice were held (
Ru 4:11; Pr 31:23; Am 5:10, 12).
just--one who has a just cause; or,
Jesus Christ, "the Just One" [HORSLEY].
for a thing of naught--rather,
"through falsehood," "by a decision that is
null in justice" [BARNES]. Compare as to Christ,
Pr 28:21; Mt 26:15; Ac 3:13, 14; 8:33.
22. Join "saith . . . concerning the house
of Jacob."
redeemed--out of Ur, a land of
idolaters (
Jos 24:3).
not now--After the moral revolution
described (
Isa 29:17), the children of Jacob shall no longer give
cause to their forefathers to blush for them.
wax pale--with shame and
disappointment at the wicked degeneracy of his posterity,
and fear as to their punishment.
23. But--rather, "For."
he--Jacob.
work of mine hands--spiritually, as
well as physically (
Isa 19:25; 60:21; Eph 2:10). By Jehovah's agency
Israel shall be cleansed of its corruptions, and shall
consist wholly of pious men (
Isa 54:13, 14; 2:1; 60:21).
midst of him--that is, his land. Or
else "His children" are the Gentiles adopted
among the Israelites, his lineal descendants (
Ro 9:26; Eph 3:6) [HORSLEY].
24. They . . . that erred-- (
Isa 28:7).
learn doctrine--rather, "shall
receive discipline" or "instruction."
"Murmuring" was the characteristic of
Israel's rebellion against God (
Ex 16:8; Ps 106:25). This shall be so no more.
Chastisements, and, in HORSLEY'S view, the piety of the
Gentiles provoking the Jews to holy jealousy (
Ro 11:11, 14), shall then produce the desired effect.
Isa 30:1-32. THE THIRTIETH THROUGH THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTERS REFER PROBABLY TO THE SUMMER OF 714 B.C., AS THE TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER TO THE PASSOVER OF THAT YEAR.
Jewish ambassadors were now on their way to Egypt to seek aid against Assyria ( Isa 30:2-6, 15; 31:1). Isaiah denounces this reliance on Egypt rather than on Jehovah. God had prohibited such alliances with heathen nations, and it was a leading part of Jewish polity that they should be a separate people ( Ex 23:32; De 7:2).
1. take counsel--rather, as
Isa 30:4, 6 imply, "execute counsels."
cover . . . covering--that
is, wrap themselves in reliances disloyal towards Jehovah.
"Cover" thus answers to "seek to hide deeply
their counsel from the Lord" (
Isa 29:15). But the Hebrew is literally,
"who pour out libations"; as it was by these that
leagues were made (
Ex 24:8; Zec 9:11), translate, "who make a
league."
not of--not suggested by My
Spirit" (
Nu 27:21; Jos 9:14).
that they may add--The
consequence is here spoken of as their
intention, so reckless were they of sinning: one sin
entails the commission of another (
De 29:19).
2. walk--are now setting out, namely, their ambassadors (
Isa 30:4).
Egypt--See on Isa
19:1; Isa 20:1.
Pharaoh--the generic name of the kings
of Egypt, as Cæsar was at Rome. The word in
Egyptian means "king" [JOSEPHUS,
Antiquities, 8.6,2]. Phra, "the sun,"
was the hieroglyphic symbol and title of the king.
shadow--image from shelter against
heat: protection (
Ps 121:5, 6).
3. shame--disappointment. Egypt, weakened by its internal dissensions, can give no solid help.
4. his--Judah's (compare
Isa 9:21).
at Zoan--are already arrived there on
their errand to Pharaoh (see
Isa 19:11).
came to Hanes--are come there. West of
the Nile, in central Egypt: Egyptian Hnes; the
Greek Heracleopolis: perhaps the Anysis of HERODOTUS
(2.137); according to GROTIUS, Tahpanhes contracted
(
Jer 43:7-9); the seat of a reigning prince at the time,
as was Zoan, hence the Jewish ambassadors go to both.
5. ( Jer 2:36.)
6. burden--the prophecy as to, &c. [MAURER]; so the
Septuagint, the fresh inscription here marks
emphatically the prediction that follows. Or, rather,
Isaiah sees in vision, the ambassador's beasts
burdened with rich presents travelling
southwards (namely, to Egypt,
Da 11:5, 6), and exclaims, Oh, the burden of
treasure on the beasts! &c. (
Ho 8:9; 12:1).
land of trouble--the desert between
Palestine and Egypt, destitute of water and abounding in
dangerous animals (
De 8:15; Jer 2:6).
flying serpent-- (
Isa 14:29), a species which springs like a dart from
trees, on its prey.
will carry--rather, present,
"carry," namely, as presents to Egypt (
1Ki 15:19).
young asses--rather, "full-grown
asses" [MAURER].
7. "Egypt is vanity, and to no purpose will they
help" [G. V. SMITH].
strength--Hebrew, Rabah, a
designation for Egypt (
Isa 51:9; Ps 87:4), implying her haughty
fierceness; translate, "Therefore I call her
Arrogance that sitteth still." She who boasted of the
help she would give, when it came to the test, sat still
(
Isa 36:6). English Version agrees with
Isa 30:15; Isa 7:4.
8. table--a tablet (
Hab 2:2), which should be set in public, containing the
prophecy in a briefer form, to be read by all.
a book--namely, a parchment roll,
containing the prophecy in full, for the use of distant
posterity. Its truth will be seen hereafter when the event
has come to pass. See on Isa 8:1; Isa 8:16.
for ever and ever--rather read,
"For a testimony for ever"
[Chaldee, JEROME, LOWTH]: "testimony is often
joined to the notion of perpetuity (
De 31:19, 21, 26).
9. lying--unfaithful to Jehovah, whose covenant they had taken on them as His adopted children ( Isa 59:13; Pr 30:9).
10. (
Mic 2:6, 11; 3:5).
See not--as you now do, foretelling
misfortune.
Prophesy not . . . right
things--Not that they avowedly requested this, but their
conduct virtually expressed it. No man,
professedly, wished to be deceived; but many seek a
kind of teaching which is deceit; and which, if they would
examine, they might know to be such (
1Ki 22:13). The Jews desired success to be foretold as
the issue of their league with Egypt, though ill had been
announced by God's prophet as the result; this
constituted the "deceits."
11. Depart from the true "way" (so in
Ac 19:9, 23) of religion.
cause . . . to cease--Let us
hear no more of His name. God's holiness is what
troubles sinners most.
12. Holy One--Isaiah so little yields to their wicked
prejudices that he repeats the very name and truth which
they disliked.
this word--Isaiah's exhortation to
reliance on Jehovah.
oppression--whereby they levied the
treasures to be sent to conciliate Egypt (
Isa 30:6).
perverseness--in relying on Egypt,
rather than on Jehovah.
13. Image from a curve swelling out in a wall ( Ps 62:3); when the former gives way, it causes the downfall of the whole wall; so their policy as to Egypt.
14. he--the enemy; or rather, God (
Ps 2:9; Jer 19:11).
It--the Jewish state.
potter's vessel--earthen and
fragile.
sherd--a fragment of the vessel large
enough to take up a live coal, &c.
pit--cistern or pool. The swell of the
wall is at first imperceptible and gradual, but at last it
comes to the crisis; so the decay of the Jewish state.
15. returning and rest--turning back from your embassy to
Egypt, and ceasing from warlike preparations.
quietness--answering to "wait for
Him (God)" (
Isa 30:18).
16. flee--not as fugitives, but we will speed our
course; namely, against the Assyrians, by the help of
cavalry supplied by Egypt (
Isa 31:1). This was expressly against the Mosaic law
(
De 17:16; see on Isa 2:7;
Ho 14:3).
shall . . . flee--literally,
"before your enemies"; their sin and its
punishment correspond.
17. One thousand--A thousand at once, or,
"As one man" [MAURER].
rebuke--the battle cry.
shall ye--at the rebuke of five shall
ye, namely, all (in contrast to the "one
thousand") flee so utterly that even two shall not be
left together, but each one shall be as solitary "as
a signal staff" [G. V. SMITH], or "a
banner on a hill" (
Isa 5:26; 11:12). The signal staff was erected to rally
a nation in war. The remnant of Jews left would be beacons
to warn all men of the justice of God, and the truth of His
threatenings. GESENIUS (from
Le 26:8; De 32:30) arbitrarily inserts "ten
thousand." "At the rebuke of five shall ten
thousand of you flee."
18. therefore--on account of your wicked perverseness (
Isa 30:1, 2, 9, 15, 16), Jehovah will delay to
be gracious [H ORSLEY]. Rather, wait or delay
in punishing, to give you time for repentance (
Isa 30:13, 14, 17) [MAURER]. Or, "Yet
therefore" (namely, because of the distress spoken of
in the previous verses; that distress will lead the Jews to
repentance, and so Jehovah will pity them)
[GESENIUS].
be exalted--Men will have more
elevated views of God's mercy; or else, "He will
rise up to pity you" [G. V. SMITH]. Or (taking the
previous clause as MAURER, "Therefore Jehovah
will delay" in punishing you, "in order that
He may be gracious to you," if ye repent), He will
be far removed from you (so in
Ps 10:5, far above out sight); that is, He will
not immediately descend to punish, "in order that He
may have mercy," &c.
judgment--justice; faithfulness to His
covenant.
wait--compare
Isa 30:15, wait, namely, for His times of having mercy.
19. (
Isa 65:9). The restoration from Babylon only typifies
the full accomplishment of the prophecy (
Isa 30:18-33).
weep no more-- (
Isa 25:8).
thy cry-- (
Isa 26:8, 9; Jer 29:12-14).
20. Rather, "The Lord will give"; the
"though" is not in the original.
bread of adversity--He will not deny
you food enough to save you in your adversity (
1Ki 22:27; Ps 127:2).
be removed--rather, "hide
themselves"; they shall no more be forced to hide
themselves from persecution, but shall be openly received
with reverence [MAURER]. Contrast with this
Ps 74:9; Am 8:11.
21. word--conscience, guided by the Holy Spirit ( Joh 16:13).
22. covering of . . . images--rather, "images" (formed of wood or potter's clay, and) "covered with silver." Hezekiah, and afterwards Josiah, defiled them ( 2Ki 23:8, 10, 14, 16; 2Ch 31:1; compare Isa 2:20; De 7:25).
23. rain of--rather, "for thy seed."
Physical prosperity accompanies national piety; especially
under the Old Testament. The early rain fell soon
after the seed was sown in October or November; the
latter rain in the spring, before the ripening of the
corn. Both were needed for a good harvest.
increase--the produce.
fat--bread made of the best wheat
flour (compare
Ge 49:20; De 32:14).
24. ear--that is, till. Asses were employed in tillage, as
well as oxen (
De 22:10).
clean--rather, salted provender
[GESENIUS]. The Arab proverb is, "Sweet provender is
as bread to camels--salted provender as
confectionery." The very cattle shall share the coming
felicity. Or else, well-fermented maslin, that is,
provender formed of a mixture of various substances: grain,
beans, vetches, hay, and salt.
winnowed--not as it is usually given
to cattle before it is separated from the chaff; the grain
shall be so abundant that it shall be given winnowed.
shovel--by which the grain was thrown
up in the wind to separate it from the chaff.
fan--an instrument for winnowing.
25. Even the otherwise barren hills shall then be
well-watered (
Isa 44:3).
the day, &c.--when the disobedient
among the Jews shall have been slain, as foretold in
Isa 30:16: "towers," that is, mighty men (
Isa 2:15). Or else, the towers of the Assyrian
Sennacherib, or of Babylon, types of all enemies
of God's people.
26. Image from the heavenly bodies to express the increase
of spiritual light and felicity. "Sevenfold"
implies the perfection of that felicity, seven being
the sacred number. It shall also be literally fulfilled
hereafter in the heavenly city (
Isa 60:19, 20; Re 21:23, 24; 22:5).
breach--the wound, or calamity, sent
by God on account of their sins (
Isa 1:5).
27. name of . . . Lord--that is, Jehovah Himself
(
Ps 44:5; 54:1); represented as a storm approaching and
ready to burst over the Assyrians (
Isa 30:30, 31).
burden . . . is
heavy--literally, "grievousness is the flame,"
that is, the flame which darts from Him is grievous. Or
else (as the Hebrew means an "uplifting")
the uprising cloud is grievous [G. V. SMITH]; the
gathering cloud gradually rising till it bursts.
28. (
Isa 11:4; 2Th 2:8).
reach . . . neck--the most
extreme danger; yet as the head, or capital of
Judah, was to be spared (
Isa 8:8), so the head, or sovereign of Assyria,
Sennacherib, should escape.
sieve of vanity--Rather, "the
winnowing fan of destruction" [LOWTH] (
Isa 41:16).
bridle in . . . jaws--as
prisoners are represented in the Assyrian inscriptions (
Isa 37:29).
causing . . . to err-- (
Isa 63:17). "People," Hebrew,
"peoples," namely, the various races composing
the Assyrian armies (
Isa 5:26).
29. the night . . . solemnity--As in the passover
night ye celebrate your deliverance from Egypt, so shall ye
celebrate your rescue from Assyrian bondage. Translate,
"the solemnity" (
Ex 12:42).
goeth with a pipe--or flute. They used
to go up to Jerusalem ("the mountain of the
Lord," Zion) at the three feasts with music and
gladness (
De 16:16; Ezr 2:65; Ps 122:1-4).
30. Jehovah's "glorious voice," raised
against the enemy (
Isa 30:27), is again mentioned here, in contrast to the
music (
Isa 30:29) with which His people shall come to worship
Him.
lighting down of . . . arm--
(
Isa 30:32; Ps 38:2). The descent of His arm in
striking.
scattering--namely, a blast that
scatters, or an "inundation" [MAURER].
31. The Assyrian rod which beat shall itself be beaten, and that by the mere voice of the Lord, that is, an unseen divine agency ( Isa 10:5, 24).
32. grounded--rather, "decreed,"
"appointed" [MAURER].
staff--the avenging rod.
him--the Assyrian; type of all
God's enemies in every age. Margin and MAURER
construe, "Every passing through (infliction,
Isa 28:15) of the appointed rod, which, &c., shall
be with tabrets," that is, accompanied with joy on the
part of the rescued peoples.
battles of shaking--that is, shock of
battles (
Isa 19:16; compare "sift . . .
sieve,"
Isa 30:28).
with it--namely, Assyria.
33. Tophet--literally, "A place of abomination"; the valley of the sons of Hinnom, southeast of Jerusalem, where Israel offered human sacrifices to Moloch by fire; hence a place of burning ( 2Ki 23:10; Jer 7:31). Latterly Gehinnom or Gehenna, that is, valley of Hinnom, was the receptacle of the refuse of the city, to consume which fires were constantly burning. Hence it came to express hell, the place of torment. In the former sense it was a fit place to symbolize the funeral pyre of the Assyrian army (not that it actually perished there); the Hebrews did not burn, but buried their dead, but the heathen Assyrians are to be burnt as a mark of ignominy. In the latter sense Tophet is the receptacle "prepared for the devil (antitype to the king, Isa 14:12-15) and his angels," and unbelieving men ( Mt 5:22; 25:41; Mr 9:43, 44).
Isa 31:1-9. THE CHIEF STRENGTH OF THE EGYPTIAN ARMIES LAY IN THEIR CAVALRY.
1. and stay on horses, and trust in chariots--In their level and fertile plains horses could easily be used and fed ( Ex 14:9; 1Ki 10:28). In hilly Palestine horses were not so easily had or available. The Jews were therefore the more eager to get Egyptian chariots as allies against the Assyrian cavalry. In Assyrian sculptures chariots are represented drawn by three horses, and with three men in them (see Isa 36:9; Ps 20:7; Da 9:13).
2. he also is wise--as well as the Egyptian priests, so
famed for wisdom (
Ac 7:22), but who are "fools" before Him (
Isa 19:11). He not only devises, but executes what He
devises without "calling back His words" (
Nu 23:19).
home--the whole race.
help--the Egyptian succor sought by
the Jews.
3. not spirit--not of divine power (
Ps 56:4; 146:3, 5; Zec 4:6).
he that helpeth--Egypt.
holpen--Judah.
4. (
Isa 42:13; Ho 11:10).
roaring on--"growling over"
his prey.
abase himself--be disheartened or
frightened.
5. As in the image of "the lion," the point of
comparison is the fearless might of Jehovah; so in that of
the birds, it is His solicitous affection (
De 32:11; Ps 91:4; Mt 23:37).
flying--Rather, "which
defend" their young with their wings; "to
fly" is a secondary meaning of the Hebrew word
[MAURER]. "Hovering over" to protect their young
[G. V. SMITH].
passing over--as the destroying angel
passing over, so as to spare the blood-marked houses
of the Israelites on the first passover (
Ex 12:13, 23, 27). He passed, or leaped forward
[LOWTH], to destroy the enemy and to spare His
people.
6. The power and love of Jehovah, just mentioned, are the
strongest incentives for returning to Him (
Eze 16:62, 63; Ho 6:1).
ye . . . Israel--The change
of person marks that when they return to the Lord, He will
address them in more direct terms of communion in the
second person; so long as they were revolters, God
speaks of them, as more at a distance, in the third
person, rather than to them.
7. In the day of trial the idols will be found to render no
help and will therefore be cast away. Compare as to the
future restoration and conversion of Israel simultaneously
with the interposition of Jehovah in its defense,
Zec 12:9-14; 13:1, 2.
for a sin--that is, whereby especially
you contracted guilt (
1Ki 12:30).
8. Assyrian--Sennacherib, representative of some powerful
head of the ungodly in the latter ages [HORSLEY].
sword, not of . . . mighty
. . . mean man--but by the unseen sword of
God.
flee--Sennacherib alone fled
homewards after his army had been destroyed (
Isa 37:37).
young men--the flower of his
army.
discomfited--rather, "shall be
subject to slavery"; literally, "shall be liable
to tribute," that is, personal service (
De 20:11; Jos 9:21) [MAURER]. Or, not so well,
"shall melt away" [ROSENMULLER].
9. Rather, "shall pass beyond his
strongholds"; he Shall not stop to take refuge in it
through fear (
Jud 20:47; Jer 48:28) [GESENIUS].
ensign--the banner of Jehovah
protecting the Jews [MAURER].
fire . . .
furnace--"light" and "fire," namely, of
Jehovah's altar at Jerusalem (
Isa 29:1). Perhaps "furnace," as
distinguished from "fire," may mean that His
dwelling-place (His hearth) was at Jerusalem (compare
Isa 4:5); or else the fiery furnace awaiting all
the enemies who should attack Jerusalem.
Isa 32:1-20. MESSIAH'S KINGDOM; DESOLATIONS, TO BE SUCCEEDED BY LASTING PEACE, THE SPIRIT HAVING BEEN POURED OUT.
The times of purity and happiness which shall follow the defeat of the enemies of Jehovah's people ( Isa 32:1-8). The period of wrath before that happy state ( Isa 32:9-14). The assurance of the final prosperity of the Church is repeated ( Isa 32:15-20).
1. king--not Hezekiah, who was already on the throne,
whereas a future time is contemplated. If he be
meant at all, it can only be as a type of Messiah the King,
to whom alone the language is fully applicable (
Ho 3:5; Zec 9:9; see on Isa
11:3-5). The kingdom shall be transferred from the
world kings, who have exercised their power against
God, instead of for God, to the rightful King of
kings (
Eze 21:27; Da 7:13, 14).
princes--subordinate; referring to all
in authority under Christ in the coming kingdom on earth,
for example, the apostles, &c. (
Lu 22:30; 1Co 6:2; 2Ti 2:12; Re 2:26, 27; 3:21).
2. a man--rather, the man Christ [LOWTH]; it is as
"the Son of man" He is to reign, as it was as Son
of man He suffered (
Mt 26:64; Joh 5:27; 19:5). Not as MAURER explains,
"every one of the princes shall be,"
&c.
rivers--as refreshing as water and the
cool shade are to the heated traveller (
Isa 35:6, 7; 41:18).
3. them that see--the seers or prophets.
them that hear--the people under
instruction (
Isa 35:5, 6).
4. rash--rather, "the hasty"; contrast
"shall not make haste" (
Isa 28:16); the reckless who will not take time to
weigh religious truth aright. Or else, the well-instructed
[HORSLEY].
stammers--those who speak confusedly
on divine things (compare
Ex 4:10-12; Jer 1:6; Mt 10:19, 20). Or, rather, those
drunken scorners who in stammering style imitated
Isaiah's warnings to mock them [MAURER] (
Isa 28:7-11, 13, 14, 22; 29:20); in this view,
translate, "speak uprightly" (agreeably to
the divine law); not as English Version, referring
to the distinctness of articulation, "plainly."
5. vile--rather, "fool" [LOWTH]; that is, ungodly
(
Ps 14:1; 74:18).
liberal--rather,
"noble-minded."
churl--rather, "fraudulent"
[GESENIUS].
bountiful--religiously. The atheistic
churl, who envies the believer his hope "full of
immortality," shall no longer be held as a patriot
struggling for the emancipation of mankind from
superstition [HORSLEY].
6. vile . . . villainy--rather, "the
(irreligious) fool . . . (his) folly."
will speak--rather,
"present"; for (so far is the "fool"
from deserving the epithet "noble-minded") the
fool "speaketh" folly and "worketh,"
&c.
hypocrisy--rather,
"profligacy" [HORSLEY].
error--impiety, perverse
arguments.
hungry--spiritually (
Mt 5:6).
7. churl--"the fraudulent"; this verse refers to
the last clause of
Isa 32:5; as
Isa 32:6 referred to its first clause.
speaketh right--pleadeth a just cause
(
Isa 29:21); spiritually, "the poor man's
cause" is the divine doctrine, his rule of faith and
practice.
8. liberal--rather, "noble-minded."
stand--shall be approved under the
government of the righteous King.
9-20. Address to the women of Jerusalem who troubled themselves little about the political signs of the times, but lived a life of self-indulgence ( Isa 3:16-23); the failure of food through the devastations of the enemy is here foretold, being what was most likely to affect them as mothers of families, heretofore accustomed to every luxury. V ITRINGA understands "women--daughters" as the cities and villages of Judea ( Eze 16:1-63). See Am 6:1.
10. Many days and years--rather, "In little more than
a year" [MAURER]; literally, "days upon a
year" (so
Isa 29:1).
vintage shall fail--through the
arrival of the Assyrian invader. As the wheat harvest is
omitted, Isaiah must look for the invasion in the summer or
autumn of 714 B.C., when the wheat would have been secured
already, and the later fruit "gathering," and
vintage would be still in danger.
11. strip you--of your gay clothing. (See Isa 2:19, 21).
12. lament for . . . teats--rather, shall smite on their breasts in lamentation "for thy pleasant fields" ( Na 2:7) [MAURER]. "Teats" in English Version is used for fertile lands, which, like breasts, nourish life. The transition from "ye" to "they" ( Isa 32:11, 12) is frequent.
13. (
Isa 5:6; 7:23).
houses of joy--pleasure-houses outside
of Jerusalem, not Jerusalem itself, but other cities
destroyed by Sennacherib in his march (
Isa 7:20-25). However, the prophecy, in its full
accomplishment, refers to the utter desolation of
Judea and its capital by Rome, and subsequently,
previous to the second coming of the King (
Ps 118:26; Lu 13:35; 19:38); "the joyous
city" is in this view, Jerusalem (
Isa 22:2).
14. palaces--most applicable to Jerusalem (see on Isa 32:13).
multitude . . . left--the
noisy din of the city, that is, the city with its noisy
multitude shall lie forsaken [MAURER].
forts--rather, "Ophel" (that
is, the mound), the term applied specially to the declivity
on the east of Zion, surrounded with its own wall (
2Ch 27:3; 33:14; 2Ki 5:24), and furnished with
"towers" (or watchtowers), perhaps referred to
here (
Ne 3:26, 27).
for ever--limited by thee,
"until," &c.,
Isa 32:15, for a long time.
15. This can only partially apply to the spiritual revival
in Hezekiah's time; its full accomplishment belongs to
the Christian dispensation, first at Pentecost (
Joe 2:28; Ac 2:17), perfectly in coming times (
Ps 104:30; Eze 36:26; 39:29; Zec 12:10), when the
Spirit shall be poured on Israel, and through it on the
Gentiles (
Mic 5:7).
wilderness . . . fruitful
field . . . forest--when Judea, so long waste,
shall be populous and fruitful, and the land of the enemies
of God shall be desolate. Or, "the field, now
fruitful, shall be but as a barren forest in comparison
with what it shall be then" (
Isa 29:17). The barren shall become fruitful by
regeneration; those already regenerate shall bring forth
fruits in such abundance that their former life shall seem
but as a wilderness where no fruits were.
16. judgment--justice.
wilderness--then reclaimed.
fruitful field--then become more
fruitful (
Isa 32:15); thus "wilderness" and
"fruitful field" include the whole land of
Judea.
17. work--the effect (
Pr 14:34; Jas 3:18).
peace--internal and external.
18. sure . . . quiet--free from fear of invasion.
19. Literally, "But it shall hail with coming down of the forest, and in lowness shall the city (Nineveh) be brought low; that is, humbled." The "hail" is Jehovah's wrathful visitation ( Isa 30:30; 28:2, 17). The "forest" is the Assyrian host, dense as the trees of a forest ( Isa 10:18, 19, 33, 34; Zec 11:2).
20. While the enemy shall be brought "low," the
Jews shall cultivate their land in undisturbed
prosperity.
all waters--well-watered places (
Isa 30:25). The Hebrew translation,
"beside," ought rather to be translated,
"upon" (
Ec 11:1), where the meaning is, "Cast thy seed
upon the waters when the river overflows its banks; the
seed will sink into the mud and will spring up when the
waters subside, and you will find it after many days in a
rich harvest." Before sowing, they send oxen, &c.,
into the water to tread the ground for sowing. CASTALIO
thinks there is an allusion to the Mosaic precept, not to
plough with an ox and ass together, mystically implying
that the Jew was to have no intercourse with Gentiles; the
Gospel abolishes this distinction (
Col 3:11); thus the sense here is, Blessed are ye that
sow the gospel seed without distinction of race in the
teachers or the taught. But there is no need of supposing
that the ox and ass here are yoked together; they
are probably "sent forth" separately, as in
Isa 30:24.
Isa 33:1-24. THE LAST OF ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES AS TO SENNACHERIB'S OVERTHROW.
Isa 33:1, 8, 9, describe the Assyrian spoiler; strong as he is, he shall fall before Jehovah who is stronger ( Isa 33:2-6, 10-12). The time is the autumn of 713 B.C.
1. and thou--that is, though thou wast not spoiled--though
thou wast not dealt treacherously with (see on Isa 24:16), thy spoiling and treachery are
therefore without excuse, being unprovoked.
cease--When God has let thee do thy
worst, in execution of His plans, thine own turn shall come
(compare
Isa 10:12; 14:2; Hab 2:8; Re 13:10).
2. us; we . . . their . . . our--He
speaks interceding for His people, separating himself in
thought for a moment from them, and immediately returns to
his natural identification with them in the word
"our."
every morning--each day as it dawns,
especially during our danger, as the parallel "time of
trouble" shows.
3. the tumult--the approach of Jehovah is likened to an
advancing thunderstorm (
Isa 29:6; 30:27), which is His voice (
Re 1:15), causing the people to "flee."
nation--the Assyrian levies.
4. The invaders' "spoil" shall be left behind
by them in their flight, and the Jews shall gather
it.
caterpillar--rather, "the
wingless locust"; as it gathers; the Hebrew
word for "gathers" is properly used of the
gathering of the fruits of harvest (
Isa 32:10).
running to and fro--namely, in
gathering harvest fruits.
he--rather, "they."
them--rather, "it," that is,
the prey.
6. wisdom--sacred; that is, piety.
thy--Hezekiah's; or rather,
"Judea's." "His" refers to the
same; such changes from the pronoun possessive of the
second person to that of the third are common in
Hebrew poetry.
treasure--Not so much material wealth
as piety shall constitute the riches of the nation (
Pr 10:22; 15:16).
7-9. From the vision of future glory Isaiah returns to the
disastrous present; the grief of "the valiant
ones" (parallel to, and identical with, "the
ambassadors of peace"), men of rank, sent with
presents to sue for peace, but standing "without"
the enemy's camp, their suit being rejected (
2Ki 18:14, 18, 37). The highways deserted through fear,
the cities insulted, the lands devastated.
cry-- (
Isa 15:4).
8. broken . . . covenant--When Sennacherib
invaded Judea, Hezekiah paid him a large sum to leave the
land; Sennacherib received the money and yet sent his army
against Jerusalem (
2Ki 18:14, 17).
despised--make slight of as unable to
resist him (
Isa 10:9; 36:19); easily captures them.
9. (
Isa 24:4).
Lebanon--personified; the allusion may
be to the Assyrian cutting down its choice trees (
Isa 14:8; 37:24).
Sharon--south of Carmel, along the
Mediterranean, proverbial for fertility (
Isa 35:2).
Bashan--afterwards called Batanea (
Isa 2:13).
fruits--rather, understand
"leaves"; they lie as desolate as in winter.
10. The sight of His people's misery arouses Jehovah;
He has let the enemy go far enough.
I--emphatic; God Himself will do what
man could not.
11. Ye--the enemy.
conceive chaff-- (
Isa 26:18; 59:4).
your breath--rather, your own
spirit of anger and ambition [MAURER], (
Isa 30:28).
12. (
Isa 9:19; Am 2:1). Perhaps alluding to their being
about to be burnt on the funeral pyre (
Isa 30:33).
thorns--the wicked (
2Sa 23:6, 7).
13. far off--distant nations.
near--the Jews and adjoining peoples
(
Isa 49:1).
14. sinners in Zion--false professors of religion among the
elect people (
Mt 22:12).
hypocrites--rather, "the
profane"; "the abandoned" [HORSLEY].
who, &c.--If Jehovah's wrath
could thus consume such a host in one night, who could
abide it, if continued for ever (
Mr 9:46-48)? Fire is a common image for the divine
judgments (
Isa 29:6; 30:30).
among us--If such awful judgments have
fallen on those who knew not the true God, how infinitely
worse shall fall on us who, amid religious
privileges and profession, sin against God, (
Lu 12:47, 48; Jas 4:17)?
15. In contrast to the trembling "sinners in
Zion" (
Isa 33:14), the righteous shall be secure amid all
judgments; they are described according to the Old
Testament standpoint of righteousness (
Ps 15:2; 24:4).
stoppeth . . . ears
. . . eyes--"Rejoiceth not in iniquity"
(
1Co 13:6; contrast
Isa 29:20; Ps 10:3; Ro 1:32). The senses are avenues
for the entrance of sin (
Ps 119:37).
16. on high--heights inaccessible to the foe (
Isa 26:1).
bread . . . waters--image
from the expected siege by Sennacherib; however besieged by
trials without, the godly shall have literal and spiritual
food, as God sees good for them (
Isa 41:17; Ps 37:25; 34:10; 132:15).
17. Thine--the saints'.
king in . . . beauty--not as
now, Hezekiah in sackcloth, oppressed by the enemy, but
King Messiah (
Isa 32:1) "in His beauty" (
So 5:10, 16; Re 4:3).
land . . . very far
off--rather, "the land in its remotest extent"
(no longer pent up as Hezekiah was with the siege); see
Margin. For Jerusalem is made the scene of the
king's glory (
Isa 33:20, &c.), and it could not be said to be
"very far off," unless the far-off land be
heaven, the Jerusalem above, which is to follow the
earthly reign of Messiah at literal Jerusalem (
Isa 65:17-19; Jer 3:17; Re 21:1, 2, 10).
18. meditate--on the "terror" caused by the
enemy, but now past.
where, &c.--the language of the
Jews exulting over their escape from danger.
scribe--who enrolled the army
[MAURER]; or, who prescribed the tribute to be paid
[ROSENMULLER]; or, who kept an account of the spoil.
"The principal scribe of the host" (
2Ki 25:19; Jer 52:25). The Assyrian records are free
from the exaggerations of Egyptian records. Two scribes are
seen in every Assyrian bas-relief, writing down the various
objects brought to them, the heads of the slain, prisoners,
cattle, sheep, &c.
receiver--"weigher,"
Margin. LAYARD mentions, among the Assyrian
inscriptions, "a pair a scales for weighing the
spoils."
counted . . . towers--he
whose duty it was to reconnoitre and report the strength of
the city to be besieged.
19. fierce people--The Assyrians shall not be allowed to
enter Jerusalem (
2Ki 19:32). Or, thou shalt not any longer see fierce
enemies threatening thee as previously; such as the
Assyrians, Romans, and the last Antichristian host that is
yet to assail Jerusalem (
De 28:49, 50; Jer 5:15; Zec 14:2).
stammering--barbarous; so
"deeper," &c., that is, unintelligible. The
Assyrian tongue differed only in dialect from the
Hebrew, but in the Assyrian levies were many of
non-Semitic race and language, as the Medes, Elamites,
&c. (see on Isa 28:11).
20. solemnities--solemn assemblies at the great feasts (see
on Isa 30:29; Ps 42:4; Ps 48:12).
not . . . taken down
. . . removed--image from captives
"removed" from their land (
Isa 36:17). There shall be no more "taking
away" to an enemy's land. Or else, from nomads
living in shifting tents. The saints, who sojourned once in
tabernacles as pilgrims, shall have a "building of
God--eternal in the heavens" (
2Co 5:1; Heb 11:9, 10; compare
Isa 54:2).
stakes--driven into the ground; to
these the "cords" were fastened. Christ's
Church shall never fall (
Mt 16:18). So individual believers (
Re 3:12).
21. there--namely, in Jerusalem.
will be . . .
rivers--Jehovah will be as a broad river surrounding our
city (compare
Isa 19:6; Na 3:8), and this, too, a river of such a
kind as no ship of war can pass (compare
Isa 26:1). Jerusalem had not the advantage of a river;
Jehovah will be as one to it, affording all the advantages,
without any of the disadvantages of one.
galley with oars--war vessels of a
long shape, and propelled by oars; merchant vessels were
broader and carried sail.
gallant--same Hebrew word as
for "glorious," previously; "mighty"
will suit both places; a ship of war is meant. No
"mighty vessel" will dare to pass where the
"mighty Lord" stands as our defense.
22. Lord--thrice repeated, as often: the Trinity (
Nu 6:24-26).
judge . . . lawgiver
. . . king--perfect ideal of the theocracy, to be
realized under Messiah alone; the judicial, legislative,
and administrative functions as king to be exercised by Him
in person (
Isa 11:4; 32:1; Jas 4:12).
23. tacklings--Continuing the allegory in
Isa 33:21, he compares the enemies' host to a war
galley which is deprived of the tacklings or cords by which
the mast is sustained and the sail is spread; and which
therefore is sure to be wrecked on "the broad
river" (
Isa 33:21), and become the prey of Israel.
they--the tacklings, "hold not
firm the base of the mast."
then--when the Assyrian host shall
have been discomfited. Hezekiah had given Sennacherib three
hundred talents of silver, and thirty of gold (
2Ki 18:14-16), and had stripped the temple of its gold
to give it to him; this treasure was probably part of the
prey found in the foe's camp. After the invasion,
Hezekiah had so much wealth that he made an improper
display of it (
2Ki 20:13-15); this wealth, probably, was in part got
from the Assyrian.
the lame--Even the most feeble shall
spoil the Assyrian camp (compare
Isa 35:6; 2Sa 5:6).
24. sick--SMITH thinks the allusion is to the beginning of the pestilence by which the Assyrians were destroyed, and which, while sparing the righteous, affected some within the city ("sinners in Zion"); it may have been the sickness that visited Hezekiah ( Isa 38:1-22). In the Jerusalem to come there shall be no "sickness," because there will be no "iniquity," it being forgiven ( Ps 103:3). The latter clause of the verse contains the cause of the former ( Mr 2:5-9).
Isa 34:1-17. JUDGMENT ON IDUMEA.
The thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth chapters form one prophecy, the former part of which denounces God's judgment against His people's enemies, of whom Edom is the representative; the second part, of the flourishing state of the Church consequent on those judgments. This forms the termination of the prophecies of the first part of Isaiah (the thirty-sixth through thirty-ninth chapters being historical) and is a kind of summary of what went before, setting forth the one main truth, Israel shall be delivered from all its foes, and happier times shall succeed under Messiah.
1. All creation is summoned to hear God's judgments (
Eze 6:3; De 32:1; Ps 50:4; Mic 6:1, 2), for they set
forth His glory, which is the end of creation (
Re 15:3; 4:11).
that come forth of it--answering to
"all that is therein"; or Hebrew,
"all whatever fills it," Margin.
2. utterly destroyed--rather, "doomed them to an utter
curse" [HORSLEY].
delivered--rather,
"appointed."
3. cast out--unburied (
Isa 14:19).
melted--washed away as with a
descending torrent.
4. (
Ps 102:26; Joe 2:31; 3:15; Mt 24:29).
dissolved-- (
2Pe 3:10-12). Violent convulsions of nature are in
Scripture made the images of great changes in the
human world (
Isa 24:19-21), and shall literally accompany
them at the winding up of the present dispensation.
scroll--Books were in those days
sheets of parchment rolled together (
Re 6:14).
fall down--The stars shall fall when
the heavens in which they are fixed pass away.
fig tree-- (
Re 6:13).
5. sword-- (
Jer 46:10). Or else, knife for sacrifice for God
does not here appear as a warrior with His sword, but as
one about to sacrifice victims doomed to slaughter
[VITRINGA]. (
Eze 39:17).
bathed--rather
"intoxicated," namely, with anger (so
De 32:42). "In heaven" implies the place
where God's purpose of wrath is formed in
antithesis to its "coming down" in the next
clause.
Idumea--originally extending from the
Dead Sea to the Red Sea; afterwards they obtained
possession of the country east of Moab, of which Bozrah was
capital. Petra or Selah, called Joktheel (
2Ki 14:7), was capital of South Edom (see on Isa 16:1). David subjugated Edom (
2Sa 8:13, 14). Under Jehoram they regained independence
(
2Ch 21:8). Under Amaziah they were again subdued, and
Selah taken (
2Ki 14:7). When Judah was captive in Babylon, Edom, in
every way, insulted over her fallen mistress, killed many
of those Jews whom the Chaldeans had left, and hence was
held guilty of fratricide by God (Esau, their ancestor,
having been brother to Jacob): this was the cause of the
denunciations of the prophets against Edom (
Isa 63:1, &c.; Jer 49:7; Eze 25:12-14; 35:3-15; Joe
3:19; Am 1:11, 12; Ob 8, 10, 12-18; Mal 1:3,4).
Nebuchadnezzar humbled Idumea accordingly (
Jer 25:15-21).
of my curse--that is, doomed to
it.
to judgment--that is, to execute it.
6. filled--glutted. The image of a sacrifice is
continued.
blood . . . fat--the parts
especially devoted to God in a sacrifice (
2Sa 1:22).
lambs . . .
goats--sacrificial animals: the Idumeans, of all
classes, doomed to slaughter, are meant (
Zep 1:7).
Bozrah--called Bostra by the
Romans, &c., assigned in
Jer 48:24 to Moab, so that it seems to have been at one
time in the dominion of Edom, and at another in that of
Moab (
Isa 63:1; Jer 49:13, 20, 22); it was strictly not in
Edom, but the capital of Auranitis (the Houran).
Edom seems to have extended its dominion so as to include
it (compare
La 4:21).
7. unicorns--Hebrew, reem: conveying the idea of
loftiness, power, and pre-eminence (see on Job 39:9), in the Bible. At one
time the image in the term answers to a reality in nature;
at another it symbolizes an abstraction. The rhinoceros was
the original type. The Arab rim is two-horned: it
was the oryx (the leucoryx, antelope, bold and
pugnacious); but when accident or artifice deprived it of
one horn, the notion of the unicorn arose. Here is meant
the portion of the Edomites which was strong and
warlike.
come down--rather, "fall
down," slain [LOWTH].
with them--with the "lambs and
goats," the less powerful Edomites (
Isa 34:6).
bullocks . . . bulls--the
young and old Edomites: all classes.
dust--ground.
8. recompenses for the controversy of Zion--that is, the year when God will retaliate on those who have contended with Zion. Her controversy is His. Edom had thought to extend its borders by laying hold of its neighbor's lands and has instigated Babylon to cruelty towards fallen Judah ( Ps 137:7; Eze 36:5); therefore Edom shall suffer the same herself ( La 4:21, 22). The final winding up of the controversy between God and all enemies of Him and His people is also foreshadowed ( Isa 61:2; 63:4; 66:14-16; Mal 4:1, 3; 2Th 1:7, 8, 9; Re 11:18; 18:20; 19:2).
9. Images from the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah ( Ge 19:24-28; so De 29:23; Jer 49:17, 18).
10. It--The burning pitch, &c. (
Isa 34:9).
smoke . . . for ever-- (
Re 14:11; 18:18; 19:3).
generation to generation-- (
Mal 1:4).
none . . . pass
through--Edom's original offense was: they would not
let Israel pass through their land in peace to
Canaan: God recompenses them in kind, no traveller
shall pass through Edom. VOLNEY, the infidel, was
forced to confirm the truth of this prophecy: "From
the reports of the Arabs, southeast of the Dead Sea,
within three days' journey are upwards of thirty
ruined towns, absolutely deserted."
11. cormorant--The Hebrew is rendered, in
Ps 102:6, "pelican," which is a seafowl, and
cannot be meant here: some waterfowl (katta,
according to BURCKHARDT) that tenants desert places is
intended.
bittern--rather, "the
hedgehog," or "porcupine" [GESENIUS] (
Isa 14:23).
owl--from its being enumerated among
water birds in
Le 11:17; De 14:16. MAURER thinks rather the heron or
crane is meant; from a Hebrew root, "to
blow," as it utters a sound like the blowing of a horn
(
Re 18:2).
confusion--devastation.
line . . . stones--metaphor
from an architect with line and plummet-stone (see
on Isa 18:2; Isa
28:17); God will render to it the exact measure of
justice without mercy (
Jas 2:13; 2Ki 21:13; La 2:8; Am 7:7, 8).
emptiness--desolation. Edom is now a
waste of "stones."
12. Rather, "As to her nobles, there shall be none there who shall declare a kingdom," that is, a king [M AURER]; or else, "There shall be no one there whom they shall call to the kingdom" [ROSENMULLER] ( Isa 3:6, &c.). Idumea was at first governed by dukes ( Ge 36:15); out of them the king wan chosen when the constitution became a monarchy.
13. dragons--(See on Isa 13:21; Isa 13:22).
court for owls--rather, "a
dwelling for ostriches."
14. wild beasts of the desert . . .
island--rather, "wild cats . . .
jackals" (
Isa 13:21).
screech owl--rather, "the night
specter"; in Jewish superstition a female, elegantly
dressed, that carried off children by night. The text does
not assert the existence of such objects of
superstition, but describes the place as one which
superstition would people with such beings.
15. great owl--rather, "the arrow snake," so
called from its darting on its prey [GESENIUS].
lay--namely, eggs.
gather under her shadow--rather,
"cherishes" her young under, &c. (
Jer 17:11).
16. book of the Lord--the volume in which the various
prophecies and other parts of Scripture began henceforward
to be collected together (
Isa 30:8; Da 9:2).
Seek--(so
Isa 8:16, 20; Joh 5:39; 7:52).
no one . . . fail--of these
prophecies (
Mt 5:18).
none shall want . . .
mate--image from pairing of animals mentioned,
Isa 34:15 ("mate"); no prediction shall want
a fulfilment as its companion. Or rather, "none of
these wild animals (just spoken of) shall be wanting: none
shall be without its mate" to pair and breed with, in
desolate Idumea.
my . . . his--Such changes
of person are frequent in Hebrew poetry.
them--the wild beasts.
17. cast . . . lot--As conquerors apportion lands by lot, so Jehovah has appointed and marked out ("divided") Edom for the wild beasts ( Nu 26:55, 56; Jos 18:4-6).
Isa 35:1-10. CONTINUATION OF THE PROPHECY IN THE THIRTY-FOURTH CHAPTER.
See on Isa 34:1, introduction there.
1. solitary place--literally, "a dry place,"
without springs of water. A moral wilderness is
meant.
for them--namely, on account of the
punishment inflicted according to the preceding prophecy on
the enemy; probably the blessings set forth in this chapter
are included in the causes for joy (
Isa 55:12).
rose--rather, "the
meadow-saffron," an autumnal flower with bulbous
roots; so Syriac translation.
2. glory of Lebanon--its ornament, namely, its cedars (
Isa 10:34).
excellency of Carmel--namely, its
beauty.
Sharon--famed for its fertility.
see . . . glory of the Lord
. . . excellency-- (
Isa 40:5, 9). While the wilderness which had neither
"glory" nor "excellency" shall have
both "given to it," the Lord shall have all the
"glory" and "excellency" ascribed to
Him, not to the transformed wilderness (
Mt 5:16).
3. Strengthen . . . hands . . . confirm . . . knees--The Hebrew for "strengthen" refers to the strength residing in the hand for grasping and holding a thing manfully; "confirm," to the firmness with which one keeps his ground, so as not to be dislodged by any other [MAURER]. Encourage the Jews, now desponding, by the assurance of the blessings promised.
4. fearful--"hasty," Margin; that is, with
a heart fluttered with agitation.
with--the Hebrew is more
forcible than the English Version: "God will
come, vengeance! even God, a recompense!" The sense is
the same.
5, 6. Language figuratively, descriptive of the joy felt at the deliverance from Assyria and Babylon; literally, true of the antitypical times of Messiah and His miracles (see Margin references, Mt 11:5; Lu 7:2; 2Jo 5, 8; Ac 3:2).
6. leap--literally, "fulfilled" (
Ac 3:8; 14:10).
sing--joyful thanksgiving.
in . . . wilderness
. . . waters-- (
Isa 41:18).
7. parched ground--rather, "the mirage (Hebrew,
Sharab, 'the sun's heat') shall become a
(real) lake." The sun's rays refracted on the
glowing sands at midday give the appearance of a lake of
water and often deceive the thirsty traveller (compare
Jer 2:13; Isa 41:18).
dragons--rather,
"jackals."
each--namely, jackal.
grass--rather, "a dwelling
or receptacle (answering to the previous habitation)
for reeds," &c. (which only grow where there is
water,
Job 8:11). Where once there was no water, water shall
abound.
8. highway--such a causeway (raised way, from a
Hebrew root, "to cast up") as was used for
the march of armies; valleys being filled up, hills and
other obstructions removed (
Isa 62:10; compare
Isa 40:3, 4).
way of holiness--Hebraism for
"the holy way." H ORSLEY translates, "the
way of the Holy One;" but the words that follow, and
Isa 35:10, show it is the way leading the redeemed back
to Jerusalem, both the literal and the heavenly (
Isa 52:1; Joe 3:17; Re 21:27); still Christ at His
coming again shall be the Leader on the way, for which
reason it is called, "The way of the Lord"
(
Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1).
it shall be for those: the wayfaring
men--rather, "He (the Holy One) shall be with them,
walking in the way" [HORSLEY].
though fools--rather, "And (even)
fools," that is, the simple shall not go astray,
namely, because "He shall be with them" (
Mt 11:25; 1Co 1:26-28).
9. No lion--such as might be feared on the way through the wilderness which abounded in wild beasts, back to Judea. Every danger shall be warded off the returning people ( Isa 11:6-9; Eze 34:25; Ho 2:18). Compare spiritually, Pr 3:17.
10. Language: literally, applying to the return from
Babylon; figuratively and more fully to the completed
redemption of both literal and spiritual Israel.
joy upon . . . heads-- (
Ps 126:2). Joy manifested in their countenances. Some
fancy an allusion to the custom of pouring oil "upon
the head," or wearing chaplets in times of public
festivity (
Ec 9:8).
Isa 36:1-22. SENNACHERIB'S INVASION; BLASPHEMOUS SOLICITATIONS; HEZEKIAH IS TOLD OF THEM.
This and the thirty-seventh through thirty-ninth chapters form the historical appendix closing the first division of Isaiah's prophecies, and were added to make the parts of these referring to Assyria more intelligible. So Jer 52:1-34; compare 2Ki 25:1-30. The section occurs almost word for word ( 2Ki 18:13, 17-20; 19:1-37); 2Ki 18:14-16, however, is additional matter. Hezekiah's "writing" also is in Isaiah, not in Kings ( Isa 38:9-20). We know from 2Ch 32:32 that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah. It is, therefore, probable, that his record here ( Isa 36:1-39:8) was incorporated into the Book of Kings by its compiler. Sennacherib lived, according to Assyrian inscriptions, more than twenty years after his invasion; but as Isaiah survived Hezekiah ( 2Ch 32:32), who lived upwards of fifteen years after the invasion ( Isa 38:5), the record of Sennacherib's death ( Isa 37:38) is no objection to this section having come from Isaiah; 2Ch 32:1-33 is probably an abstract drawn from Isaiah's account, as the chronicler himself implies ( 2Ch 32:32). Pul was probably the last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful satrap, who contrived to possess himself of supreme power and found a new dynasty (see on Isa 20:1). No attempt was made by Judah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during his vigorous reign. The accession of his son Sennacherib was thought by Hezekiah the opportune time to refuse the long-paid tribute; Egypt and Ethiopia, to secure an ally against Assyria on their Asiatic frontier, promised help; Isaiah, while opposed to submission to Assyria, advised reliance on Jehovah, and not on Egypt, but his advice was disregarded, and so Sennacherib invaded Judea, 712 B.C. He was the builder of the largest of the excavated palaces, that of Koyunjik. HINCKS has deciphered his name in the inscriptions. In the third year of his reign, these state that he overran Syria, took Sidon and other Phœnician cities, and then passed to southwest Palestine, where he defeated the Egyptians and Ethiopians (compare 2Ki 18:21; 19:9). His subsequent retreat, after his host was destroyed by God, is of course suppressed in the inscriptions. But other particulars inscribed agree strikingly with the Bible; the capture of the "defensed cities of Judah," the devastation of the country and deportation of its inhabitants; the increased tribute imposed on Hezekiah--thirty talents of gold--this exact number being given in both; the silver is set down in the inscriptions at eight hundred talents, in the Bible three hundred; the latter may have been the actual amount carried off, the larger sum may include the silver from the temple doors, pillars, &c. ( 2Ki 18:16).
1. fourteenth--the third of Sennacherib's reign. His ultimate object was Egypt, Hezekiah's ally. Hence he, with the great body of his army ( 2Ch 32:9), advanced towards the Egyptian frontier, in southwest Palestine, and did not approach Jerusalem.
2. Rab-shakeh--In
2Ki 18:17, Tartan and Rab-saris are joined with him.
Rab-shakeh was probably the chief leader; Rab is a
title of authority, "chief-cup-bearer."
Lachish--a frontier town southwest of
Jerusalem, in Judah; represented as a great fortified city
in a hilly and fruitful country in the Koyunjik
bas-reliefs, now in the British Museum; also, its name is
found on a slab over a figure of Sennacherib on his
throne.
upper pool--the side on which the
Assyrians would approach Jerusalem coming from the
southwest (see on Isa 7:3).
3. Eliakim--successor to Shebna, who had been "over
the household," that is, chief minister of the king;
in
Isa 22:15-20, this was foretold.
scribe--secretary,
recorder--literally, "one who reminds"; a
remembrancer to keep the king informed on important facts,
and to act as historiographer. In
2Ki 18:18, the additional fact is given that the
Assyrian envoys "called to the king," in
consequence of which Eliakim, &c., "came out to
them."
4. great king--the usual title of the Persian and Assyrian kings, as they had many subordinate princes or kings under them over provinces ( Isa 10:8).
5. counsel--Egypt was famed for its wisdom.
6. It was a similar alliance with So (that is, Sabacho, or else Sevechus), the Ethiopian king of Egypt, which provoked the Assyrian to invade and destroy Israel, the northern kingdom, under Hoshea.
7. The Assyrian mistakes Hezekiah's religious reforms
whereby he took away the high places (
2Ki 18:4) as directed against Jehovah. Some of
the high places may have been dedicated to Jehovah, but
worshipped under the form of an image in violation
of the second commandment: the "brazen serpent,"
also (broken in pieces by Hezekiah, and called
Nehushtan, "a piece of brass," because it was
worshipped by Israel) was originally set up by
God's command. Hence the Assyrian's allegation
has a specious color: you cannot look for help from
Jehovah, for your king has "taken away His
altars."
to Jerusalem-- (
De 12:5, 11; Joh 4:20).
8. give pledges--a taunting challenge. Only give the guarantee that you can supply as many as two thousand riders, and I will give thee two thousand horses. But seeing that you have not even this small number (see on Isa 2:7), how can you stand against the hosts of Assyrian cavalry? The Jews tried to supply their weakness in this "arm" from Egypt ( Isa 31:1).
9. captain--a governor under a satrap; even he commands more horsemen than this.
10. A boastful inference from the past successes of Assyria, designed to influence the Jews to surrender; their own principles bound them to yield to Jehovah's will. He may have heard from partisans in Judah what Isaiah had foretold ( Isa 10:5, 6).
11. Syrian--rather, "Aramean": the language
spoken north and east of Palestine, and understood by the
Assyrians as belonging to the same family of languages as
their own: nearly akin to Hebrew also, though not
intelligible to the multitude (compare
2Ki 5:5-7). "Aram" means a "high
land," and includes parts of Assyria as well as
Syria.
Jews' language--The men of Judah
since the disruption of Israel, claimed the Hebrew
as their own peculiarly, as if they were now the only true
representatives of the whole Hebrew twelve tribes.
ears of . . . people on
. . . wall--The interview is within hearing
distance of the city. The people crowd on the wall, curious
to hear the Assyrian message. The Jewish rulers fear that
it will terrify the people and therefore beg Rab-shakeh to
speak Aramean.
12. Is it to thy master and thee that I am sent? Nay, it is to the men on the wall, to let them know (so far am I from wishing them not to hear, as you would wish), that unless they surrender, they shall be reduced to the direst extremities of famine in the siege ( 2Ch 32:11, explains the word here), namely, to eat their own excrements: or, connecting, "that they may eat," &c., with "sit upon the wall"; who, as they hold the wall, are knowingly exposing themselves to the direst extremities [MAURER]. Isaiah, as a faithful historian, records the filthy and blasphemous language of the Assyrians to mark aright the true character of the attack on Jerusalem.
13. Rab-shakeh speaks louder and plainer than ever to the men on the wall.
15. The foes of God's people cannot succeed against them, unless they can shake their trust in Him (compare Isa 36:10).
16. agreement . . . by . . .
present--rather, "make peace with me";
literally, "blessing" so called from the mutual
congratulations attending the ratification of peace.
So Chaldee. Or else, "Do homage to
me" [HORSLEY].
come out--surrender to me; then you
may remain in quiet possession of your lands till my return
from Egypt, when I will lead you away to a land fruitful as
your own. Rab-shakeh tries to soften, in the eyes of the
Jews, the well-known Assyrian policy of weakening the
vanquished by deporting them to other lands (
Ge 47:21; 2Ki 17:6).
19. Hamath . . . Arphad--(See on Isa 10:9).
Sepharvaim--literally, "the two
scribes"; now Sipphara, on the east of Euphrates,
above Babylon. It was a just retribution (
Pr 1:31; Jer 2:19). Israel worshipped the gods of
Sepharvaim, and so colonists of Sepharvaim were planted in
the land of Israel (thenceforth called Samaria) by the
Assyrian conqueror (
2Ki 17:24; compare
2Ki 18:34).
Samaria--Shalmaneser began the siege
against Hoshea, because of his conspiring with So of Egypt
(
2Ki 17:4). Sargon finished it; and, in his palace at
Khorsabad, he has mentioned the number of Israelites
carried captive--27,280 [G. V. S MITH].
20. (Compare Isa 10:11; 2Ch 32:19). Here he contradicts his own assertion ( Isa 36:10), that he had "come up against the land with the Lord." Liars need good memories. He classes Jehovah with the idols of the other lands; nay, thinks Him inferior in proportion as Judah, under His tutelage, was less than the lands under the tutelage of the idols.
21. not a word--so as not to enter into a war of words with the blasphemer ( Ex 14:14; Jude 9).
22. clothes rent--in grief and horror at the blasphemy ( Mt 26:65).
Isa 37:1-38. CONTINUATION OF THE NARRATIVE IN THE THIRTY-SIXTH CHAPTER.
1. sackcloth--(See on Isa
20:2).
house of the Lord--the sure resort of
God's people in distress (
Ps 73:16, 17; 77:13).
2. unto Isaiah--implying the importance of the prophet's position at the time; the chief officers of the court are deputed to wait on him (compare 2Ki 22:12-14).
3. rebuke--that is, the Lord's rebuke for His
people's sins (
Ps 149:7; Ho 5:9).
blasphemy--blasphemous railing of
Rab-shakeh.
the children, &c.--a proverbial
expression for, We are in the most extreme danger and have
no power to avert it (compare
Ho 13:13).
4. hear--take cognizance of (
2Sa 16:12).
reprove--will punish him for the
words, &c. (
Ps 50:21).
remnant--the two tribes of the kingdom
of Judah, Israel being already captive. Isaiah is entreated
to act as intercessor with God.
6. servants--literally, "youths," mere lads,
implying disparagement, not an embassy of venerable elders.
The Hebrew is different from that for
"servants" in
Isa 37:5.
blasphemed me-- (
Isa 36:20).
7. blast--rather, "I will put a spirit (
Isa 28:6; 1Ki 22:23) into him," that is, so
influence his judgment that when he hears the report (
Isa 37:9, concerning Tirhakah), he shall return
[GESENIUS]; the "report" also of the destruction
of his army at Jerusalem, reaching Sennacherib, while he
was in the southwest of Palestine on the borders of Egypt,
led him to retreat.
by the sword-- (
Isa 37:38).
8. returned--to the camp of his master.
Libnah--meaning
"whiteness," the Blanche-garde of
the Crusaders [STANLEY]. EUSEBIUS and JEROME place it more
south, in the district of Eleutheropolis, ten miles
northwest of Lachish, which Sennacherib had captured (see
on Isa 36:2). Libnah was in Judea
and given to the priests (
1Ch 6:54, 57).
9. Tirhakah--(See on Isa 17:12; Isa 18:6). Egypt was in part governed
by three successive Ethiopian monarchs, for forty or fifty
years: Sabacho, Sevechus, and Tirhakah. Sevechus retired
from Lower Egypt owing to the resistance of the priests,
whereupon Sethos, a prince-priest, obtained supreme power
with Tanis (Zoan in Scripture), or Memphis, as his capital.
The Ethiopians retained Upper Egypt under Tirhakah, with
Thebes as the capital. Tirhakah's fame as a conqueror
rivalled that of Sesostris; he, and one at least, of the
Pharaohs of Lower Egypt, were Hezekiah's allies against
Assyria. The tidings of his approach made Sennacherib the
more anxious to get possession of Jerusalem before his
arrival.
sent--
2Ki 19:9 more fully expresses Sennacherib's
eagerness by adding "again."
10. He tries to influence Hezekiah himself, as
Rab-shakeh had addressed the people.
God . . . deceive--(Compare
Nu 23:19).
11. all lands-- ( Isa 14:17). He does not dare to enumerate Egypt in the list.
12. Gozan--in Mesopotamia, on the Chabour (
2Ki 17:6; 18:11). Gozan is the name of the
district, Chabour of the river.
Haran--more to the west. Abraham
removed to it from Ur (
Ge 11:31); the Carroe of the Romans.
Rezeph--farther west, in Syria.
Eden--There is an ancient village,
Adna, north of Baghdad. Some think Eden to be the name
of a region (of Mesopotamia or its vicinity)
in which was Paradise; Paradise was not Eden itself (
Ge 2:8). "A garden in Eden."
Telassar--now Tel-afer, west of Mosul
[LAYARD]. Tel means a "hill" in
Arabic and Assyrian names.
13. Hena . . . Ivah--in Babylonia. From Ava colonists had been brought to Samaria ( 2Ki 17:24).
14. spread--unrolled the scroll of writing. God "knows our necessities before we ask Him," but He delights in our unfolding them to Him with filial confidence ( 2Ch 20:3, 11-13).
16. dwellest--the Shekinah, or fiery symbol of God's
presence, dwelling in the temple with His people, is
from shachan, "to dwell" (
Ex 25:22; Ps 80:1; 99:1).
cherubim--derived by transposition
from either a Hebrew root, rachab, to
"ride"; or rather, barach, to
"bless." They were formed out of the same mass of
pure gold as the mercy seat itself (
Ex 25:19, Margin). The phrase, "dwellest
between the cherubim," arose from their position at
each end of the mercy seat, while the Shekinah, and the
awful name, JEHOVAH, in written letters, were in the
intervening space. They are so inseparably associated with
the manifestation of God's glory, that whether the Lord
is at rest or in motion, they always are mentioned with Him
(
Nu 7:89; Ps 18:10). (1) They are first mentioned (
Ge 3:24) "on the edge of" (as "on the
east" may be translated) Eden; the Hebrew for
"placed" is properly to "place in a
tabernacle," which implies that this was a local
tabernacle in which the symbols of God's presence were
manifested suitably to the altered circumstances in which
man, after the fall, came before God. It was here that Cain
and Abel, and the patriarchs down to the flood, presented
their offerings: and it is called "the presence of the
Lord" (
Ge 4:16). When those symbols were removed at the close
of that early patriarchal dispensation, small models of
them were made for domestic use, called, in Chaldee,
"seraphim" or "teraphim." (2) The
cherubim, in the Mosaic tabernacle and Solomon's
temple, were the same in form as those at the outskirts of
Eden: compound figures, combining the distinguishing
properties of several creatures: the ox, chief among the
tame and useful animals; the lion among the wild ones; the
eagle among birds; and man, the head of all (the original
headship of man over the animal kingdom, about to be
restored in Jesus Christ,
Ps 8:4-8, is also implied in this combination). They
are, throughout Scripture, represented as distinct from
God; they could not be likenesses of Him which He forbade
in any shape. (3) They are introduced in the third or
gospel dispensation (
Re 4:6) as "living creatures" (not so
well translated "beasts" in English
Version), not angels, but beings closely connected with
the redeemed Church. So also in
Eze 1:5-25; 10:1-22. Thus, throughout the three
dispensations, they seem to be symbols of those who in
every age should officially study and proclaim the manifold
wisdom of God.
thou alone--literally, "Thou
art He who alone art God of all the kingdoms";
whereas Sennacherib had classed Jehovah with the heathen
gods, he asserts the nothingness of the latter and the sole
lordship of the former.
17. ear . . . eyes--singular, plural. When we wish to hear a thing we lend one ear; when we wish to see a thing we open both eyes.
18. have laid waste--conceding the truth of the Assyrian's allegation ( Isa 36:18-20), but adding the reason, "For they were no gods."
19. cast . . . gods into . . . fire--The policy of the Assyrians in order to alienate the conquered peoples from their own countries was, both to deport them elsewhere, and to destroy the tutelary idols of their nation, the strongest tie which bound them to their native land. The Roman policy was just the reverse.
20. The strongest argument to plead before God in prayer, the honor of God ( Ex 32:12-14; Ps 83:18; Da 9:18, 19).
21. Whereas thou hast prayed to me--that is, hast not relied on thy own strength but on Me (compare 2Ki 19:20). "That which thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib, I have heard" ( Ps 65:2).
22. Transition to poetry: in parallelism.
virgin . . .
daughter--honorable terms. "Virgin" implies that
the city is, as yet, inviolate. "Daughter" is an
abstract collective feminine personification of the
population, the child of the place denoted (see on
Isa 23:10; Isa
1:8). Zion and her inhabitants.
shaken . . . head--in scorn
(
Ps 22:7; 109:25; Mt 27:39). With us to shake the head
is a sign of denial or displeasure; but gestures have
different meanings in different countries (
Isa 58:9; Eze 25:6; Zep 2:15).
23. Whom--not an idol.
24. said--virtually. Hast thou within thyself?
height--imagery from the Assyrian
felling of trees in Lebanon (
Isa 14:8; 33:9); figuratively for, "I have carried
my victorious army through the regions most difficult of
access, to the most remote lands."
sides--rather, "recesses"
[G. V. SMITH].
fir trees--not cypresses, as some
translate; pine foliage and cedars are still found on the
northwest side of Lebanon [STANLEY].
height of . . . border--In
2Ki 19:23, "the lodgings of his borders."
Perhaps on the ascent to the top there was a place of
repose or caravansary, which bounded the usual attempts of
persons to ascend [BARNES]. Here, simply, "its extreme
height."
forest of . . .
Carmel--rather, "its thickest forest."
"Carmel" expresses thick luxuriance (see on Isa 10:18; Isa
29:17).
25. digged, and drunk water--In
2Ki 19:24, it is "strange waters." I
have marched into foreign lands where I had to dig wells
for the supply of my armies; even the natural destitution
of water there did not impede my march.
rivers of . . . besieged
places--rather, "the streams (artificial canals from
the Nile) of Egypt." "With the sole of my
foot," expresses that as soon as his vast armies
marched into a region, the streams were drunk up
by them; or rather, that the rivers proved no
obstruction to the onward march of his armies.
So
Isa 19:4-6, referring to Egypt, "the
river--brooks of defense--shall be dried up."
HORSLEY, translates the Hebrew for "besieged
places," "rocks."
26. Reply of God to Sennacherib.
long ago--join, rather, with "I
have done it." Thou dost boast that it is all by
thy counsel and might: but it is I who, long ago,
have ordered it so (
Isa 22:11); thou wert but the instrument in My hands
(
Isa 10:5, 15). This was the reason why "the
inhabitants were of small power before thee" (
Isa 37:27), namely, that I ordered it so; yet thou art
in My hands, and I know thy ways (
Isa 37:28), and I will check thee (
Isa 37:29). Connect also, "I from ancient times
have arranged ('formed') it." However,
English Version is supported by
Isa 33:13; 45:6, 21; 48:5.
27. Therefore--not because of thy power, but because I made
them unable to withstand thee.
grass--which easily withers (
Isa 40:6; Ps 37:2).
on . . . housetops--which
having little earth to nourish it fades soonest (
Ps 129:6-8).
corn blasted before it be grown
up--SMITH translates, "The cornfield (frail and
tender), before the corn is grown."
28. abode--rather, "sitting down" ( Ps 139:2). The expressions here describe a man's whole course of life ( De 6:7; 28:6; 1Ki 3:7; Ps 121:8). There is also a special reference to Sennacherib's first being at home, then going forth against Judah and Egypt, and raging against Jehovah ( Isa 37:4).
29. tumult--insolence.
hook in . . . nose--Like a
wild beast led by a ring through the nose, he shall be
forced back to his own country (compare
Job 41:1, 2; Eze 19:4; 29:4; 38:4). In a bas-relief of
Khorsabad, captives are led before the king by a cord
attached to a hook, or ring, passing through the under lip
or the upper lip, and nose.
30. Addressed to Hezekiah.
sign--a token which, when fulfilled,
would assure him of the truth of the whole prophecy as to
the enemy's overthrow. The two years, in which they
were sustained by the spontaneous growth of the earth, were
the two in which Judea had been already ravaged by
Sennacherib (
Isa 32:10). Thus translate: "Ye did eat
(the first year) such as groweth of itself, and in the
second year that . . . but in this third
year sow ye," &c., for in this year the land
shall be delivered from the foe. The fact that Sennacherib
moved his camp away immediately after shows that the
first two years refer to the past, not to the future
[ROSENMULLER]. Others, referring the first two years to the
future, get over the difficulty of Sennacherib's
speedy departure, by supposing that year to have been
the sabbatical year, and the second year the jubilee; no
indication of this appears in the context.
31. remnant--Judah remained after the ten tribes were carried away; also those of Judah who should survive Sennacherib's invasion are meant.
33. with shields--He did come near it, but was not allowed
to conduct a proper siege.
bank--a mound to defend the assailants
in attacking the walls.
34. (See Isa 37:29, 37; Isa 29:5-8).
35. I will defend--Notwithstanding Hezekiah's
measures of defense (
2Ch 32:3-5), Jehovah was its true
defender.
mine own sake--since Jehovah's
name was blasphemed by Sennacherib (
Isa 37:23).
David's sake--on account of His
promise to David (
Ps 132:17, 18), and to Messiah, the heir of David's
throne (
Isa 9:7; 11:1).
36. Some attribute the destruction to the agency of the
plague (see on Isa 33:24), which
may have caused Hezekiah's sickness, narrated
immediately after; but
Isa 33:1, 4, proves that the Jews spoiled the corpses,
which they would not have dared to do, had there been on
them infection of a plague. The secondary agency seems,
from
Isa 29:6; 30:30, to have been a storm of hail, thunder,
and lightning (compare
Ex 9:22-25). The simoon belongs rather to Africa and
Arabia than Palestine, and ordinarily could not produce
such a destructive effect. Some few of the army, as
2Ch 32:21 seems to imply, survived and accompanied
Sennacherib home. HERODOTUS (2.141) gives an account
confirming Scripture in so far as the sudden discomfiture
of the Assyrian army is concerned. The Egyptian priests
told him that Sennacherib was forced to retreat from
Pelusium owing to a multitude of field mice, sent by one of
their gods, having gnawed the Assyrians'
bow-strings and shield-straps. Compare the
language (
Isa 37:33), "He shall not shoot an arrow
there, nor come before it with shields," which
the Egyptians corrupted into their version of the story.
Sennacherib was as the time with a part of his army, not at
Jerusalem, but on the Egyptian frontier, southwest of
Palestine. The sudden destruction of the host near
Jerusalem, a considerable part of his whole army, as well
as the advance of the Ethiopian Tirhakah, induced him to
retreat, which the Egyptians accounted for in a way
honoring to their own gods. The mouse was the Egyptian
emblem of destruction. The Greek Apollo was called
Sminthian, from a Cretan word for "a
mouse," as a tutelary god of agriculture, he was
represented with one foot upon a mouse, since field mice
hurt corn. The Assyrian inscriptions, of course, suppress
their own defeat, but nowhere boast of having taken
Jerusalem; and the only reason to be given for Sennacherib
not having, amidst his many subsequent expeditions recorded
in the monuments, returned to Judah, is the terrible
calamity he had sustained there, which convinced him that
Hezekiah was under the divine protection. R AWLINSON says,
In Sennacherib's account of his wars with Hezekiah,
inscribed with cuneiform characters in the hall of the
palace of Koyunjik, built by him (a hundred forty feet long
by a hundred twenty broad), wherein even the Jewish
physiognomy of the captives is portrayed, there occurs a
remarkable passage; after his mentioning his taking two
hundred thousand captive Jews, he adds, "Then I prayed
unto God"; the only instance of an inscription wherein
the name of G OD occurs without a heathen adjunct. The
forty-sixth Psalm probably commemorates Judah's
deliverance. It occurred in one "night,"
according to
2Ki 19:35, with which Isaiah's words, "when
they arose early in the morning," &c., are
in undesigned coincidence.
they . . . they--"the
Jews . . . the Assyrians."
37. dwelt at Nineveh--for about twenty years after his disaster, according to the inscriptions. The word, "dwelt," is consistent with any indefinite length of time. "Nineveh," so called from Ninus, that is, Nimrod, its founder; his name means "exceedingly impious rebel"; he subverted the existing patriarchal order of society, by setting up a system of chieftainship, founded on conquest; the hunting field was his training school for war; he was of the race of Ham, and transgressed the limits marked by God ( Ge 10:8-11, 25), encroaching on Shem's portion; he abandoned Babel for a time, after the miraculous confusion of tongues and went and founded Nineveh; he was, after death, worshipped as Orion, the constellation (see on Job 9:9; Job 38:31).
38. Nisroch--Nisr, in Semitic, means
"eagle;" the termination och, means
"great." The eagle-headed human figure in
Assyrian sculptures is no doubt Nisroch, the same as
Asshur, the chief Assyrian god; the corresponding goddess
was Asheera, or Astarte; this means a "grove," or
sacred tree, often found as the symbol of the heavenly
hosts (Saba) in the sculptures, as Asshur the
Eponymus hero of Assyria (
Ge 10:11) answered to the sun or Baal, Belus, the title
of office, "Lord." This explains "image of
the grove" (
2Ki 21:7). The eagle was worshipper by the ancient
Persians and Arabs.
Esar-haddon--In
Ezr 4:2 he is mentioned as having brought colonists
into Samaria. He is also thought to have been the king who
carried Manasseh captive to Babylon (
2Ch 33:11). He built the palace on the mound
Nebbiyunus, and that called the southwest palace of
Nimroud. The latter was destroyed by fire, but his name and
wars are recorded on the great bulls taken from the
building. He obtained his building materials from the
northwest palaces of the ancient dynasty, ending in Pul.
Isa 38:1-22. HEZEKIAH'S SICKNESS; PERHAPS CONNECTED WITH THE PLAGUE OR BLAST WHEREBY THE ASSYRIAN ARMY HAD BEEN DESTROYED.
1. Set . . . house in order--Make arrangement as
to the succession to the throne; for he had then no son;
and as to thy other concerns.
thou shall die--speaking according to
the ordinary course of the disease. His being spared
fifteen years was not a change in God's mind, but an
illustration of God's dealings being unchangeably
regulated by the state of man in relation to Him.
2. The couches in the East run along the walls of houses. He turned away from the spectators to hide his emotion and collect his thoughts for prayer.
3. He mentions his past religious consistency, not as a
boast or a ground for justification; but according to the
Old Testament dispensation, wherein temporal rewards (as
long life, &c.,
Ex 20:12) followed legal obedience, he makes his
religious conduct a plea for asking the prolongation of his
life.
walked--Life is a journey; the pious
"walk with God" (
Ge 5:24; 1Ki 9:4).
perfect--sincere; not absolutely
perfect, but aiming towards it (
Mt 5:45); single-minded in walking as in the presence
of God (
Ge 17:1). The letter of the Old Testament legal
righteousness was, however, a standard very much below the
spirit of the law as unfolded by Christ (
Mt 5:20-48; 2Co 3:6, 14, 17).
wept sore--JOSEPHUS says, the reason
why he wept so sorely was that being childless, he was
leaving the kingdom without a successor. How often
our wishes, when gratified, prove curses! Hezekiah lived to
have a son; that son was the idolater Manasseh, the chief
cause of God's wrath against Judah, and of the
overthrow of the kingdom (
2Ki 23:26, 27).
4. In 2Ki 20:4, the quickness of God's answer to the prayer is marked, "afore Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him"; that is, before he had left Hezekiah, or at least when he had just left him, and Hezekiah was in the act of praying after having heard God's message by Isaiah (compare Isa 65:24; Ps 32:5; Da 9:21).
5. God of David thy father--God remembers the covenant with
the father to the children (
Ex 20:5; Ps 89:28, 29).
tears-- (
Ps 56:8).
days . . . years--Man's
years, however many, are but as so many days
(
Ge 5:27).
6. In
2Ki 20:8, after this verse comes the statement which is
put at the end, in order not to interrupt God's message
(
Isa 38:21, 22) by Isaiah (
Isa 38:5-8).
will deliver--The city was
already delivered, but here assurance is given, that
Hezekiah shall have no more to fear from the
Assyrians.
7. sign--a token that God would fulfil His promise that Hezekiah should "go up into the house of the Lord the third day" ( 2Ki 20:5, 8); the words in italics are not in Isaiah.
8. bring again--cause to return (
Jos 10:12-14). In
2Ki 20:9, 11, the choice is stated to have been given
to Hezekiah, whether the shadow should go forward, or go
back, ten degrees. Hezekiah replied, "It is a light
thing (a less decisive miracle) for the shadow to go down
(its usual direction) ten degrees: nay, but let it return
backward ten degrees"; so Isaiah cried to Jehovah that
it should be so, and it was so (compare
Jos 10:12, 14).
sundial of Ahaz--HERODOTUS (2.109)
states that the sundial and the division of the day into
twelve hours, were invented by the Babylonians; from them
Ahaz borrowed the invention. He was one, from his
connection with Tiglath-pileser, likely to have done so (
2Ki 16:7, 10). "Shadow of the degrees" means
the shadow made on the degrees. J OSEPHUS thinks these
degrees were steps ascending to the palace of Ahaz;
the time of day was indicated by the number of steps
reached by the shadow. But probably a sundial, strictly so
called, is meant; it was of such a size, and so placed,
that Hezekiah, when convalescent, could witness the miracle
from his chamber. Compare
Isa 38:21, 22 with 2Ki 20:9, where translate, shall
this shadow go forward, &c.; the dial was no doubt
in sight, probably "in the middle court"
(
2Ki 20:4), the point where Isaiah turned back to
announce God's gracious answers to Hezekiah. Hence this
particular sign was given. The retrogression of the shadow
may have been effected by refraction; a cloud denser than
the air interposing between the gnomon and dial would cause
the phenomenon, which does not take from the miracle, for
God gave him the choice whether the shadow should go
forward or back, and regulated the time and place.
BOSANQUET makes the fourteenth year of Hezekiah to be 689
B.C., the known year of a solar eclipse, to which he
ascribes the recession of the shadow. At all events, there
is no need for supposing any revolution of the relative
positions of the sun and earth, but merely an effect
produced on the shadow (
2Ki 20:9-11); that effect was only local, and
designed for the satisfaction of Hezekiah, for the
Babylonian astronomers and king "sent to enquire of
the wonder that was done in the land" (
2Ch 32:31), implying that it had not extended to their
country. No mention of any instrument for marking time
occurs before this dial of Ahaz, 700 B.C. The first mention
of the "hour" is made by Daniel at Babylon (
Da 3:6).
9-20. The prayer and thanksgiving song of Hezekiah is only given here, not in the parallel passages of Second Kings and Second Chronicles. Isa 38:9 is the heading or inscription.
10. cutting off--ROSENMULLER translates, "the
meridian"; when the sun stands in the zenith: so
"the perfect day" (
Pr 4:18). Rather, "in the tranquillity of
my days," that is, that period of life when I might
now look forward to a tranquil reign [M AURER]. The
Hebrew is so translated (
Isa 62:6, 7).
go to--rather, "go
into," as in
Isa 46:2 [MAURER].
residue of my years--those which I had
calculated on. God sends sickness to teach man not to
calculate on the morrow, but to live more wholly to God, as
if each day were the last.
11. Lord . . . Lord--The repetition, as in
Isa 38:19, expresses the excited feeling of the
king's mind.
See the Lord (Jehovah)--figuratively
for "to enjoy His good gifts." So, in a similar
connection (
Ps 27:13). "I had fainted, unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
living"; (
Ps 34:12), "What man is he that desireth life that
he may see good?"
world--rather, translate: "among
the inhabitants of the land of stillness," that
is, Hades [MAURER], in parallel antithesis to "the
land of the living" in the first clause. The
Hebrew comes from a root, to "rest" or
"cease" (
Job 14:6).
12. age--rather, as the parallel "shepherd's
tent" requires habitation, so the Arabic
[GESENIUS].
departed--is broken up, or shifted, as
a tent to a different locality. The same image occurs (
2Co 5:1; 2Pe 1:12, 13). He plainly expects to exist,
and not cease to be in another state; as the shepherd still
lives, after he has struck his tent and removed
elsewhere.
I have cut off--He attributes to
himself that which is God's will with
respect to him; because he declares that will. So
Jeremiah is said to "root out" kingdoms, because
he declares God's purpose of doing so (
Jer 1:10). The weaver cuts off his web from the loom
when completed.
Job 7:6 has a like image. The Greeks represented the
Fates as spinning and cutting off the threads of each
man's life.
he--God.
with pining sickness--rather,
"from the thrum," or thread, which tied the loom
to the weaver's beam.
from day . . . to
night--that is, in the space of a single day between
morning and night (
Job 4:20).
13. I reckoned . . . that--rather, I composed (my mind, during the night, expecting relief in the "morning," so Job 7:4): for ("that" is not, as in the English Version, to be supplied) as a lion He was breaking all my bones [V ITRINGA] ( Job 10:16; La 3:10, 11). The Hebrew, in Ps 131:2, is rendered, "I quieted." Or else, "I made myself like a lion (namely, in roaring, through pain), He was so breaking my bones!" Poets often compare great groaning to a lion's roaring, so, Isa 38:14, he compares his groans to the sounds of other animals ( Ps 22:1) [MAURER].
14. Rather, "Like a swallow, or a crane" (from a
root; "to disturb the water," a bird frequenting
the water) [MAURER], (
Jer 8:7).
chatter--twitter: broken sounds
expressive of pain.
dove--called by the Arabs the daughter
of mourning, from its plaintive note (
Isa 59:11).
looking upward--to God for
relief.
undertake for--literally, "be
surety for" me; assure me that I shall be restored (
Ps 119:122).
15-20. The second part of the song passes from prayer to
thanksgiving at the prayer being heard.
What shall I say?--the language of one
at a loss for words to express his sense of the unexpected
deliverance.
both spoken . . . and
. . . done it-- (
Nu 23:19). Both promised and performed (
1Th 5:24; Heb 10:23).
himself--No one else could have done
it (
Ps 98:1).
go softly . . . in the
bitterness--rather, "on account of the
bitterness"; I will behave myself humbly in
remembrance of my past sorrow and sickness from which I
have been delivered by God's mercy (see
1Ki 21:27, 29). In
Ps 42:4, the same Hebrew verb expresses the slow
and solemn gait of one going up to the house of God; it is
found nowhere else, hence R OSENMULLER explains it, "I
will reverently attend the sacred festivals in the
temple"; but this ellipsis would be harsh; rather
metaphorically the word is transferred to a calm,
solemn, and submissive walk of life.
16. by these--namely, by God's benefits, which
are implied in the context (
Isa 38:15, "He hath Himself done it"
"unto me"). All "men live by
these" benefits (
Ps 104:27-30), "and in all these is the life of my
spirit," that is, I also live by them (
De 8:3).
and (wilt) make me to live--The
Hebrew is imperative, "make me to
live." In this view he adds a prayer to the
confident hope founded on his comparative convalescence,
which he expressed, "Thou wilt recover me"
[MAURER].
17. for peace--instead of the prosperity which I had
previously.
great bitterness--literally,
"bitterness to me, bitterness"; expressing
intense emotion.
in love--literally,
"attachment," such as joins one to another
tenderly; "Thou hast been lovingly attached to me from
the pit"; pregnant phrase for, Thy love has gone down
to the pit, and drawn me out from it. The "pit"
is here simply death, in Hezekiah's sense;
realized in its fulness only in reference to the
soul's redemption from hell by Jesus Christ (
Isa 61:1), who went down to the pit for that purpose
Himself (
Ps 88:4-6; Zec 9:11, 12; Heb 13:20). "Sin"
and sickness are connected (
Ps 103:3; compare
Isa 53:4, with Mt 8:17; 9:5, 6), especially under the
Old Testament dispensation of temporal sanctions; but even
now, sickness, though not invariably arising from sin in
individuals, is connected with it in the general moral
view.
cast . . . behind
back--consigned my sins to oblivion. The same phrase occurs
(
1Ki 14:9; Ne 9:26; Ps 50:17). Contrast
Ps 90:8, "Thou hast set our iniquities
before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy
countenance."
18. death--that is, the dead; Hades and its inhabitants (
Job 28:22; see on Isa 38:11).
Plainly Hezekiah believed in a world of disembodied
spirits; his language does not imply what skepticism has
drawn from it, but simply that he regarded the disembodied
state as one incapable of declaring the praises of God
before men, for it is, as regards this world, an
unseen land of stillness; "the living" alone can
praise God on earth, in reference to which only he
is speaking;
Isa 57:1, 2 shows that at this time the true view of
the blessedness of the righteous dead was held, though not
with the full clearness of the Gospel, which "has
brought life and immortality to light" (
2Ti 1:10).
hope for thy truth-- (
Ps 104:27). Their probation is at an end. They can no
longer exercise faith and hope in regard to Thy
faithfulness to Thy promises, which are limited to the
present state. For "hope" ceases (even in the
case of the godly) when sight begins (
Ro 8:24, 25); the ungodly have "no hope" (
1Th 4:13). Hope in God's truth is one of the
grounds of praise to God (
Ps 71:14; 119:49). Others translate, "cannot
celebrate."
19. living . . . living--emphatic repetition, as
in
Isa 38:11, 17; his heart is so full of the main object
of his prayer that, for want of adequate words, he repeats
the same word.
father to the children--one generation
of the living to another. He probably, also, hints
at his own desire to live until he should have a child, the
successor to his throne, to whom he might make known and so
perpetuate the memory of God's truth.
truth--faithfulness to His
promises; especially in Hezekiah's case, His promise of
hearing prayer.
20. was ready--not in the Hebrew; "Jehovah was
for my salvation," that is, saved me (compare
Isa 12:2).
we--I and my people.
in the house of the Lord--This song
was designed, as many of the other Psalms, as a form
to be used in public worship at stated times, perhaps on
every anniversary of his recovery; hence "all the days
of our life."
lump of figs--a round cake of figs
pressed into a mass (
1Sa 25:18). God works by means; the meanest of which He
can make effectual.
boil--inflamed ulcer, produced by the
plague.
22. house of the Lord--Hence he makes the praises to be sung there prominent in his song ( Isa 38:20; Ps 116:12-14, 17-19).
Isa 39:1-8. HEZEKIAH'S ERROR IN THE DISPLAY OF HIS RICHES TO THE BABYLONIAN AMBASSADOR.
1. Merodach-baladan--For a hundred fifty years before the
overthrow of Nineveh by Cyaxares the Mede, a succession of
rulers, mostly viceroys of Assyria, ruled Babylon, from the
time of Nabonassar, 747 B.C. That date is called "the
Era of Nabonassar." Pul or Phallukha was then
expelled, and a new dynasty set up at Nineveh, under
Tiglath-pileser. Semiramis, Pul's wife, then retired to
Babylon, with Nabonassar, her son, whose advent to the
throne of Babylon, after the overthrow of the old line at
Nineveh, marked a new era. Sometimes the viceroys of
Babylon made themselves, for a time, independent of
Assyria; thus Merodach-baladan at this time did so,
encouraged by the Assyrian disaster in the Jewish campaign.
He had done so before, and was defeated in the first year
of Sennacherib's reign, as is recorded in cuneiform
characters in that monarchs palace of Koyunjik.
Nabopolassar was the first who established,
permanently, his independence; his son, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised Babylon to the position which Nineveh once occupied;
but from the want of stone near the Lower Euphrates, the
buildings of Babylon, formed of sun-dried brick, have not
stood the wear of ages as Nineveh has.
Merodach--an idol, the same as the god
of war and planet Mars (
Jer 50:2). Often kings took their names from their
gods, as if peculiarly under their tutelage. So Belshazzar
from Bel.
Baladan--means "Bel is his
lord." The chronicle of EUSEBIUS contains a fragment
of BEROSUS, stating that Acises, an Assyrian viceroy,
usurped the supreme command at Babylon. Merodach- (or
Berodach-) baladan murdered him and succeeded to the
throne. Sennacherib conquered Merodach-baladan and left
Esar-haddon, his son, as governor of Babylon.
Merodach-baladan would naturally court the alliance of
Hezekiah, who, like himself, had thrown off the yoke of the
Assyrian king, and who would be equally glad of the
Babylonian alliance against Assyria; hence arose the
excessive attention which he paid to the usurper.
sick--An additional reason is given
(
2Ch 32:31). "The princes of Babylon sent to
enquire of the wonder that was done in the land";
namely, the recession of the shadow on Ahaz' sundial;
to the Chaldean astronomers, such a fact would be
especially interesting, the dial having been invented at
Babylon.
2. glad--It was not the mere act, but the spirit of it,
which provoked God (
2Ch 32:25), "Hezekiah rendered not again according
to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted
up"; also compare
2Ch 32:31. God "tries" His people at
different times by different ways, bringing out "all
that is in their heart," to show them its varied
corruptions. Compare David in a similar case (
1Ch 21:1-8).
precious things--rather, "the
house of his (aromatic) spices"; from a Hebrew
root, to "break to pieces," as is done to
aromatics.
silver . . . gold--partly
obtained from the Assyrian camp (
Isa 33:4); partly from presents (
2Ch 32:23, 27-29).
precious ointment--used for anointing
kings and priests.
armour--or else vessels in general;
the parallel passage (
2Ch 32:27), "treasuries . . . for
shields," favors English Version. His
arsenal.
3. What . . . whence--implying that any
proposition coming from the idolatrous enemies of God, with
whom Israel was forbidden to form alliance, should have
been received with anything but gladness. Reliance
on Babylon, rather than on God, was a similar sin to the
previous reliance on Egypt (
Isa 30:1-31:9).
far country--implying that he had done
nothing more than was proper in showing attention to
strangers "from a far country."
4. All--a frank confession of his whole fault; the king submits his conduct to the scrutiny of a subject, because that subject was accredited by God. Contrast Asa ( 2Ch 16:7-10).
5. Lord of hosts--who has all thy goods at His disposal.
6. days come--one hundred twenty years afterwards. This is the first intimation that the Jews would be carried to Babylon--the first designation of their place of punishment. The general prophecy of Moses ( Le 26:33; De 28:64); the more particular one of Ahijah in Jeroboam's time ( 1Ki 14:15), "beyond the river"; and of Am 5:27, "captivity beyond Damascus"; are now concentrated in this specific one as to "Babylon" ( Mic 4:10). It was an exact retribution in kind, that as Babylon had been the instrument of Hezekiah and Judah's sin, so also it should be the instrument of their punishment.
7. sons . . . from thee--The sons which Hezekiah
(as JOSEPHUS tells us) wished to have (see on Isa 28:3, on "wept sore") will be
among the foremost in suffering.
eunuchs--fulfilled (
Da 1:2, 3, 7).
8. peace . . . in my days--The punishment was not, as in David's case ( 2Sa 24:13-15), sent in his time. True repentance acquiesces in all God's ways and finds cause of thanksgiving in any mitigation.
Isa 40:1-31. SECOND PART OF THE PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH.
The former were local and temporary in their reference. These belong to the distant future, and are world-wide in their interest; the deliverance from Babylon under Cyrus, which he here foretells by prophetic suggestion, carries him on to the greater deliverance under Messiah, the Saviour of Jews and Gentiles in the present eclectic Church, and the restorer of Israel and Head of the world-wide kingdom, literal and spiritual, ultimately. As Assyria was the hostile world power in the former part, which refers to Isaiah's own time, so Babylon is so in the latter part, which refers to a period long subsequent. The connecting link, however, is furnished ( Isa 39:6) at the close of the former part. The latter part was written in the old age of Isaiah, as appears from the greater mellowness of style and tone which pervades it; it is less fiery and more tender and gentle than the former part.
1. Comfort ye, comfort ye--twice repeated to give double
assurance. Having announced the coming captivity of the
Jews in Babylon, God now desires His servants, the prophets
(
Isa 52:7), to comfort them. The scene is laid in
Babylon; the time, near the close of the captivity; the
ground of comfort is the speedy ending of the captivity,
the Lord Himself being their leader.
my people . . . your
God--correlatives (
Jer 31:33; Ho 1:9, 10). It is God's covenant
relation with His people, and His "word" of
promise (
Isa 40:8) to their forefathers, which is the ground of
His interposition in their behalf, after having for a time
chastised them (
Isa 54:8).
2. comfortably--literally, "to the heart"; not
merely to the intellect.
Jerusalem--Jerusalem though then in
ruins, regarded by God as about to be rebuilt; her
people are chiefly meant, but the city is
personified.
cry--publicly and emphatically as a
herald cries aloud (
Isa 40:3).
warfare--or, the appointed time
of her misery (
Job 7:1, Margin;
Job 14:14; Da 10:1). The ulterior and Messianic
reference probably is the definite time when the
legal economy of burdensome rites is at an end (
Ga 4:3, 4).
pardoned--The Hebrew expresses
that her iniquity is so expiated that God now
delights in restoring her.
double for all her sins--This can
only, in a very restricted sense, hold good of Judah's
restoration after the first captivity. For how can it be
said her "warfare was accomplished," when as yet
the galling yoke of Antiochus and also of Rome was before
them? The "double for her sins" must refer to the
twofold captivity, the Assyrian and the Roman; at the
coming close of this latter dispersion, and then only, can
her "iniquity" be said to be
"pardoned," or fully expiated [HOUBIGANT].
It does not mean double as much as she deserved, but
ample punishment in her twofold captivity. Messiah
is the antitypical Israel (compare
Mt 2:15, with Ho 11:1). He indeed has
"received" of sufferings amply more than
enough to expiate "for our sins" (
Ro 5:15, 17). Otherwise (cry unto her) "that she
shall receive (blessings) of the Lord's
hand double to the punishment of all her sins"
(so "sin" is used,
Zec 14:19, Margin) [LOWTH]. The English
Version is simpler.
3. crieth in the wilderness--So the Septuagint and
Mt 3:3 connect the words. The Hebrew accents,
however, connect them thus: "In the wilderness prepare
ye," &c., and the parallelism also requires this,
"Prepare ye in the wilderness," answering
to "make straight in the desert." Matthew
was entitled, as under inspiration, to vary the connection,
so as to bring out another sense, included in the Holy
Spirit's intention; in
Mt 3:1, "John the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness," answers thus to "The voice of
one crying in the wilderness." M AURER takes
the participle as put for the finite verb (so in
Isa 40:6), "A voice crieth." The
clause, "in the wilderness," alludes to
Israel's passage through it from Egypt to Canaan (
Ps 68:7), Jehovah being their leader; so it shall be at
the coming restoration of Israel, of which the restoration
from Babylon was but a type (not the full realization; for
their way from it was not through the
"wilderness"). Where John preached (namely, in
the wilderness; the type of this earth, a moral
wilderness), there were the hearers who are ordered
to prepare the way of the Lord, and there was to be
the coming of the Lord [BENGEL]. John, though he was
immediately followed by the suffering Messiah, is rather
the herald of the coming reigning Messiah, as
Mal 4:5, 6 ("before the great and
dreadful day of the Lord"), proves.
Mt 17:11 (compare
Ac 3:21) implies that John is not exclusively meant;
and that though in one sense Elias has come, in another he
is yet to come. John was the figurative Elias,
coming "in the spirit and power of Elias"
(
Lu 1:17);
Joh 1:21, where John the Baptist denies that he was the
actual Elias, accords with this view.
Mal 4:5, 6 cannot have received its exhaustive
fulfilment in John; the Jews always understood it of the
literal Elijah. As there is another consummating advent of
Messiah Himself, so perhaps there is to be of his
forerunner Elias, who also was present at the
transfiguration.
the Lord--Hebrew, Jehovah; as
this is applied to Jesus, He must be Jehovah (
Mt 3:3).
4. Eastern monarchs send heralds before them in a journey
to clear away obstacles, make causeways over valleys, and
level hills. So John's duty was to bring back the
people to obedience to the law and to remove all
self-confidence, pride in national privileges, hypocrisy,
and irreligion, so that they should be ready for His coming
(
Mal 4:6; Lu 1:17).
crooked--declivities.
5. see it--The Septuagint for "it," has
"the salvation of God." So
Lu 3:6 (compare
Lu 2:30, that is, Messiah); but the Evangelist probably
took these words from
Isa 52:10.
for--rather, "All flesh shall see
that the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it"
[BENGEL].
6. The voice--the same divine herald as in
Isa 40:3.
he--one of those ministers or prophets
(see on Isa 40:1) whose duty it was,
by direction of "the voice," to "comfort the
Lord's afflicted people with the promises of brighter
days."
All flesh is grass--The connection is,
"All human things, however goodly, are
transitory: God's promises alone steadfast"
(
Isa 40:8, 15, 17, 23, 24); this contrast was already
suggested in
Isa 40:5, "All flesh . . . the mouth
of the Lord."
1Pe 1:24, 25 applies this passage distinctly to the
gospel word of Messiah (compare
Joh 12:24; Jas 1:10).
7. spirit of the Lord--rather, "wind of Jehovah"
(
Ps 103:16). The withering east wind of those countries
sent by Jehovah (
Jon 4:8).
the people--rather, "this
people" [LOWTH], which may refer to the Babylonians
[ROSENMULLER]; but better, mankind in general, as in
Isa 42:5, so
Isa 40:6, "all flesh"; this whole
race, that is, man.
9. Rather, "Oh, thou that bringest good things to
Zion; thou that bringest good tidings to
Jerusalem." "Thou" is thus the
collective personification of the messengers who
announce God's gracious purpose to Zion (see on Isa 40:1);
Isa 52:7 confirms this [Vulgate and GESENIUS].
If English Version be retained, the sense will be
the glad message was first to be proclaimed to Jerusalem,
and then from it as the center to all "Judea, Samaria,
and the uttermost parts of the earth" (
Lu 24:47, 49; Ac 1:8) [VITRINGA and
HENGSTENBERG].
mountain--It was customary for those
who were about to promulgate any great thing, to ascend a
hill from which they could be seen and heard by all (
Jud 9:7; Mt 5:1).
be not afraid--to announce to the
exiles that their coming return home is attended with
danger in the midst of the Babylonians. The gospel minister
must "open his mouth boldly" (
Pr 29:25; Eph 6:19).
Behold--especially at His second
coming (
Zec 12:10; 14:5).
10. with strong hand--or, "against the strong";
rather, "as a strong one" [MAURER]. Or, against
the strong one, namely, Satan (
Mt 12:29; Re 20:2, 3, 10) [VITRINGA].
arm--power (
Ps 89:13; 98:1).
for him--that is, He needs not to seek
help for Himself from any external source, but by His own
inherent power He gains rule for Himself (so
Isa 40:14).
work--or, "recompense for his
work"; rather, "recompense which He gives for
work" (
Isa 62:11; Re 22:12).
11. feed--including all a shepherd's
care--"tend" (
Eze 34:23; Ps 23:1; Heb 13:20; 1Pe 2:25).
carry--applicable to Messiah's
restoration of Israel, as sheep scattered in all lands,
and unable to move of themselves to their own land
(
Ps 80:1; Jer 23:3). As Israel was "carried from
the womb" (that is, in its earliest days) (
Isa 63:9, 11, 12; Ps 77:20), so it shall be in
"old age" (that is, its latter days) (
Isa 46:3, 4).
gently lead--as a thoughtful shepherd
does the ewes "giving suck" (Margin) (
Ge 33:13, 14).
12. Lest the Jews should suppose that He who was just
before described as a "shepherd" is a mere man,
He is now described as GOD.
Who--Who else but GOD could do so?
Therefore, though the redemption and restoration of His
people, foretold here, was a work beyond man's power,
they should not doubt its fulfilment since all things are
possible to Him who can accurately regulate the
proportion of the waters as if He had measured them
with His hand (compare
Isa 40:15). But MAURER translates: "Who can
measure," &c., that is, How immeasurable are the
works of God? The former is a better explanation (
Job 28:25; Pr 30:4).
span--the space from the end of the
thumb to the end of the middle finger extended; God
measures the vast heavens as one would measure a small
object with his span.
dust of the earth--All the
earth is to Him but as a few grains of dust
contained in a small measure (literally, "the
third part of a larger measure").
hills in a balance--adjusted in their
right proportions and places, as exactly as if He had
weighed them out.
13. Quoted in Ro 11:34; 1Co 2:16. The Hebrew here for "directed" is the same as in Isa 40:12 for "meted out"; thus the sense is, "Jehovah measures out heaven with His span"; but who can measure Him? that is, Who can search out His Spirit (mind) wherewith He searches out and accurately adjusts all things? MAURER rightly takes the Hebrew in the same sense as in Isa 40:12 (so Pr 16:2; 21:2), "weigh," "ponder." "Direct," as in English Version, answers, however, better to "taught" in the parallel clause.
14. path of judgment--His wisdom, whereby He so beautifully adjusts the places and proportions of all created things.
15. of--rather, (hanging) from a bucket
[MAURER].
he taketh up . . . as a very
little thing--rather, "are as a mere grain of dust
which is taken up," namely, by the wind; literally,
"one taketh up," impersonally (
Ex 16:14) [MAURER].
isles--rather,
"lands" in general, answering to "the
nations" in the parallel clause; perhaps lands,
like Mesopotamia, enclosed by rivers [JEROME] (so
Isa 42:15). However, English Version,
"isles" answers well to "mountains" (
Isa 40:12), both alike being lifted up by the power of
God; in fact, "isles" are mountains upheaved from
the bed of the sea by volcanic agency; only that he seems
here to have passed from unintelligent creatures (
Isa 40:12) to intelligent, as nations and
lands, that is, their inhabitants.
16. All Lebanon's forest would not supply fuel enough
to burn sacrifices worthy of the glory of God (
Isa 66:1; 1Ki 8:27; Ps 50:8-13).
beasts--which abounded in Lebanon.
17. (
Ps 62:9; Da 4:35).
less than nothing--MAURER translates,
as in
Isa 41:24, "of nothing" (partitively;
or expressive of the nature of a thing), a mere
nothing.
vanity--emptiness.
18. Which of the heathen idols, then, is to be compared to this Almighty God? This passage, if not written (as BARNES thinks) so late as the idolatrous times of Manasseh, has at least a prospective warning reference to them and subsequent reigns; the result of the chastisement of Jewish idolatry in the Babylonish captivity was that thenceforth after the restoration the Jews never fell into it. Perhaps these prophecies here may have tended to that result (see 2Ki 23:26, 27).
19. graven--rather, an image in general; for it is
incongruous to say "melteth" (that is, casts out
of metal) a graven image (that is, one of carved
wood); so
Jer 10:14, "molten image."
spreadeth it over--(See on Isa 30:22).
chains--an ornament lavishly worn by
rich Orientals (
Isa 3:18, 19), and so transferred to their idols.
Egyptian relics show that idols were suspended in houses by
chains.
20. impoverished--literally, "sunk" in
circumstances.
no oblation--he who cannot
afford to overlay his idol with gold and silver (
Isa 40:19).
tree . . . not rot--the
cedar, cypress, oak, or ash (
Isa 44:14).
graven--of wood; not a molten
one of metal.
not be moved--that shall be durable.
21. ye--who worship idols. The question emphatically
implies, they had known.
from the beginning-- (
Isa 41:4, 26; 48:16). God is the beginning (
Re 1:8). The tradition handed down from the very
first, of the creation of all things by God at the
beginning, ought to convince you of His omnipotence and of
the folly of idolatry.
22. It is he--rather, connected with last verse, "Have
ye not known?"--have ye not understood Him that
sitteth . . .? (
Isa 40:26) [MAURER].
circle--applicable to the globular
form of the earth, above which, and the vault of sky around
it, He sits. For "upon" translate
"above."
as grasshoppers--or locusts in His
sight (
Nu 13:33), as He looks down from on high (
Ps 33:13, 14; 113:4-6).
curtain--referring to the awning which
the Orientals draw over the open court in the center of
their houses as a shelter in rain or hot weather.
23. (
Ps 107:4; Da 2:21).
judges--that is, rulers; for these
exercised judicial authority (
Ps 2:10). The Hebrew, shophtee, answers to the
Carthaginian chief magistrates, suffetes.
24. they--the "princes and judges" (
Isa 40:23) who oppose God's purposes and God's
people. Often compared to tall trees (
Ps 37:35; Da 4:10).
not . . . sown--the seed,
that is, race shall become extinct (
Na 1:14).
stock--not even shall any shoots
spring up from the stump when the tree has been cut down:
no descendants whatever (
Job 14:7; see on Isa
11:1).
and . . . also--so the
Septuagint. But MAURER translates, "They
are hardly (literally, 'not yet', as in
2Ki 20:4) planted (&c.) when He (God) blows
upon them."
blow--The image is from the hot east
wind (simoon) that "withers" vegetation.
whirlwind . . . stubble--
(
Ps 83:13), where, "like a wheel," refers to
the rotatory action of the whirlwind on the stubble.
25. (Compare Isa 40:18).
26. bringeth out . . . host--image from a general
reviewing his army: He is Lord of Sabaoth, the heavenly
hosts (
Job 38:32).
calleth . . . by
names--numerous as the stars are. God knows each in all its
distinguishing characteristics--a sense which
"name" often bears in Scripture; so in
Ge 2:19, 20, Adam, as God's vicegerent,
called the beasts by name, that is, characterized
them by their several qualities, which, indeed, He
has imparted.
by the greatness . . .
faileth--rather, "by reason of abundance of (their
inner essential) force and firmness of strength, not
one of them is driven astray"; referring to the
sufficiency of the physical forces with which He has
endowed the heavenly bodies, to prevent all disorder in
their motions [HORSLEY]. In English Version the
sense is, "He has endowed them with their peculiar
attributes ('names') by the greatness of His
might," and the power of His strength (the
better rendering, instead of, "for that He is
strong").
27. Since these things are so, thou hast no reason to think
that thine interest ("way," that is, condition,
Ps 37:5; Jer 12:1) is disregarded by God.
judgment is passed over from--rather,
"My cause is neglected by my God; He passes by my
case in my bondage and distress without noticing
it."
my God--who especially might be
expected to care for me.
28. known--by thine own observation and reading of
Scripture.
heard--from tradition of the
fathers.
everlasting, &c.--These attributes
of Jehovah ought to inspire His afflicted people with
confidence.
no searching of his
understanding--therefore thy cause cannot, as thou sayest,
escape His notice; though much in His ways is
unsearchable, He cannot err (
Job 11:7-9). He is never "faint" or
"weary" with having the countless wants of His
people ever before Him to attend to.
29. Not only does He "not faint" (
Isa 40:28) but He gives power to them who do
faint.
no might . . . increaseth
strength--a seeming paradox. They "have no might"
in themselves; but in Him they have strength,
and He "increases" that strength (
2Co 12:9).
30. young men--literally, "those selected"; men picked out on account of their youthful vigor for an enterprise.
31. mount up-- ( 2Sa 1:23). Rather, "They shall put forth fresh feathers as eagles" are said to renovate themselves; the parallel clause, "renew their strength," confirms this. The eagle was thought to moult and renew his feathers, and with them his strength, in old age (so the Septuagint, Vulgate, Ps 103:5). However, English Version is favored by the descending climax, mount up--run--walk; in every attitude the praying, waiting child of God is "strong in the Lord" ( Ps 84:7; Mic 4:5; Heb 12:1).
Isa 41:1-29. ADDITIONAL REASONS WHY THE JEWS SHOULD PLACE CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S PROMISES OF DELIVERING THEM; HE WILL RAISE UP A PRINCE AS THEIR DELIVERER, WHEREAS THE IDOLS COULD NOT DELIVER THE HEATHEN NATIONS FROM THAT PRINCE.
1. (
Zec 2:13). God is about to argue the case; therefore
let the nations listen in reverential silence. Compare
Ge 28:16, 17, as to the spirit in which we ought to
behave before God.
before me--rather (turning),
"towards me" [MAURER].
islands--including all regions
beyond sea (
Jer 25:22), maritime regions, not merely isles in the
strict sense.
renew . . . strength--Let
them gather their strength for the argument; let them
adduce their strongest arguments (compare
Isa 1:18; Job 9:32). "Judgment" means here,
to decide the point at issue between us.
2. Who--else but God? The fact that God "raiseth
up" Cyrus and qualifies him for becoming the conqueror
of the nations and deliverer of God's people, is a
strong argument why they should trust in Him. The future is
here prophetically represented as present or past.
the righteous man--Cyrus; as
Isa 44:28; 45:1-4, 13; 46:11, "from the
East," prove. Called "righteous," not so
much on account of his own equity [HERODOTUS, 3.89], as
because he fulfilled God's righteous will in
restoring the Jews from their unjust captivity. Raised
him up in righteousness. The Septuagint takes
the Hebrew as a noun "righteousness."
MAURER translates, "Who raised up him whom salvation
(national and temporal, the gift of God's
'righteousness' to the good,
Isa 32:17; compare
Isa 45:8; 51:5) meets at his foot" (that is,
wherever he goes). Cyrus is said to come from the
East, because Persia is east of Babylon; but in
Isa 41:25, from the north, in reference to
Media. At the same time the full sense of
righteousness, or righteous, and of the whole
passage, is realized only in Messiah, Cyrus' antitype
(Cyrus knew not God,
Isa 45:4). He goes forth as the Universal Conqueror of
the "nations," in righteousness making war (
Ps 2:8, 9; Re 19:11-15; 6:2; 2:26, 27). "The idols
He shall utterly abolish" (compare
Isa 7:23, with Isa 2:18). Righteousness was always
raised up from the East. Paradise was east of Eden. The
cherubim were at the east of the garden. Abraham was called
from the East. Judea, the birthplace of Messiah, was in the
East.
called . . . to
. . . foot--called him to attend His (God's)
steps, that is, follow His guidance. In
Ezr 1:2, Cyrus acknowledges Jehovah as the Giver of his
victories. He subdued the nations from the Euxine to the
Red Sea, and even Egypt (says XENOPHON).
dust-- (
Isa 17:13; 29:5; Ps 18:42). Persia, Cyrus' country,
was famed for the use of the "bow" (
Isa 22:6). "Before him" means "gave them
into his power" (
Jos 10:12). MAURER translates, "Gave his (the
enemy's) sword to be dust, and his (the enemy's)
bow to be as stubble" (
Job 41:26, 29).
3. Cyrus had not visited the regions of the Euphrates and westward until he visited them for conquest. So the gospel conquests penetrated regions where the name of God was unknown before.
4. Who--else but God?
calling . . . generations
from . . . beginning--The origin and position of
all nations are from God (
De 32:8; Ac 17:26); what is true of Cyrus and his
conquests is true of all the movements of history from
the first; all are from God.
with the last--that is, the last (
Isa 44:6; 48:12).
5. feared--that they would be subdued.
drew near, and came--together, for
mutual defense.
6. Be of good courage--Be not alarmed because of Cyrus, but make new images to secure the favor of the gods against him.
7. One workman encourages the other to be quick in
finishing the idol, so as to avert the impending
danger.
nails--to keep it steady in its place.
Wisdom 13:15, 16, gives a similar picture of the
folly of idolatry.
8. Contrast between the idolatrous nations whom God will
destroy by Cyrus, and Israel whom God will deliver by the
same man for their forefathers' sake.
servant--so termed as being chosen by
God to worship Him themselves, and to lead other peoples to
do the same (
Isa 45:4).
Jacob . . . chosen-- (
Ps 135:4).
my friend--literally, "loving
me."
9. Abraham, the father of the Jews, taken from the remote
Ur of the Chaldees. Others take it of Israel, called out of
Egypt (
De 4:37; Ho 11:1).
from the chief men--literally,
"the elbows"; so the joints; hence the
root which joins the tree to the earth; figuratively,
those of ancient and noble stock. But the parallel
clause "ends of the earth" favors GESENIUS, who
translates, "the extremities of the
earth"; so JEROME.
10. be not dismayed--literally, anxiously to look at one
another in dismay.
right hand of my righteousness--that
is, My right hand prepared in accordance with My
righteousness (faithfulness to My promises) to uphold thee.
11. ashamed--put to the shame of defeat (compare Isa 54:17; Ro 9:33).
12. seek . . . and . . . not find--said
of one so utterly put out of the way that not a trace of
him can be found (
Ps 37:36).
thing of naught--shall utterly perish.
13. ( De 33:26, 29).
14. worm--in a state of contempt and affliction, whom all
loathe and tread on, the very expression which Messiah, on
the cross, applies to Himself (
Ps 22:6), so completely are the Lord and His people
identified and assimilated. God's people are as
'worms' in humble thoughts of themselves, and in
their enemies' haughty thoughts of them; worms, but not
vipers, or of the serpent's seed." [HENRY].
men--The parallelism requires the word
"men" here to have associated with it the idea of
fewness or feebleness. LOWTH translates,
"Ye mortals of Israel." The
Septuagint, "altogether diminutive." MAURER
supports English Version, which the Hebrew
text best accords with.
the Lord--in general.
and thy redeemer--in particular; a
still stronger reason why He should "help" them.
15. God will make Israel to destroy their enemies as the
Eastern corn-drag (
Isa 28:27, 28) bruises out the grain with its teeth,
and gives the chaff to the winds to scatter.
teeth--serrated, so as to cut up the
straw for fodder and separate the grain from the
chaff.
mountains . . .
hills--kingdoms more or less powerful that were hostile to
Israel (
Isa 2:14).
16. fan--winnowed (compare
Mt 3:12).
whirlwind . . . scatter
them-- (
Job 27:21; 30:22).
17. poor and needy--primarily, the exiles in Babylon.
water--figuratively, refreshment,
prosperity after their affliction. The language is so
constructed as only very partially to apply to the local
and temporary event of the restoration from Babylon; but
fully to be realized in the waters of life and of the
Spirit, under the Gospel (
Isa 30:25; 44:3; Joh 7:37-39; 4:14). God wrought no
miracles that we read of, in any wilderness, during the
return from Babylon.
faileth--rather, "is
rigid" or parched [HORSLEY].
18. Alluding to the waters with which Israel was
miraculously supplied in the desert after having come out
of Egypt.
high places--bare of trees, barren,
and unwatered (
Jer 4:11; 14:6). "High places . . .
valleys" spiritually express that in all
circumstances, whether elevated or depressed,
God's people will have refreshment for their souls,
however little to be expected it might seem.
19. (
Isa 32:15; 55:13).
shittah--rather, the
"acacia," or Egyptian thorn, from which the gum
Arabic is obtained [LOWTH].
oil tree--the olive.
fir tree--rather, the
"cypress": grateful by its shade.
pine--GESENIUS translates, "the
holm."
box tree--not the shrub used for
bordering flower beds, but [GESENIUS] a kind of cedar,
remarkable for the smallness of its cones, and the upward
direction of its branches.
20. consider--literally, "lay it (to heart)"; turn (their attention) to it. "They" refers to all lands ( Isa 41:1; Ps 64:9; 40:3). The effect on the Gentiles of God's open interposition hereafter in behalf of Israel shall be, they shall seek Israel's God ( Isa 2:3; Zec 8:21-23).
21. A new challenge to the idolaters (see
Isa 41:1, 7) to say, can their idols predict future
events as Jehovah can (
Isa 41:22-25, &c.)?
your strong reasons--the reasons for
idol-worship which you think especially strong.
22. what shall happen--"Let them bring near and
declare future contingencies" [HORSLEY].
former things . . . the
latter end of them--show what former predictions the idols
have given, that we may compare the event ("latter
end") with them; or give new prophecies ("declare
things to come") (
Isa 42:9), [MAURER]. BARNES explains it more
reconditely, "Let them foretell the entire
series of events, showing, in their order, the
things which shall first occur, as well as those
which shall finally happen"; the false prophets
tried to predict isolated events, having no mutual
dependency; not a long series of events mutually and
orderly connected, and stretching far into futurity. They
did not even try to do this. None but God can do it
(
Isa 46:10; 44:7, 8). "Or . . . things to
come" will, in this view, mean, Let them, if they
cannot predict the series, even predict plainly
any detached events.
23. do good . . . evil--give any proof at all of
your power, either to reward your friends or punish your
enemies (
Ps 115:2-8).
that we may be dismayed, and behold it
together--MAURER translates, "That we (Jehovah and the
idols) may look one another in the face (that is, encounter
one another,
2Ki 14:8, 11), and see" our respective powers by a
trial. HORSLEY translates, "Then the moment we behold,
we shall be dismayed." "We" thus, and in
English Version, refers to Jehovah and His worshippers.
24. of nothing--(See on Isa 40:17).
The Hebrew text is here corrupt; so English
Version treats it.
abomination--abstract for concrete:
not merely abominable, but the essence of
whatever is so (
De 18:12).
chooseth you--as an object of worship.
25. raised up--in purpose: not fulfilled till a hundred
fifty years afterwards.
north--In
Isa 41:2, "from the East"; both are true: see
the note there.
call . . . my
name--acknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success to
Me; this he did in the proclamation (
Ezr 1:2). This does not necessarily imply that Cyrus
renounced idolatry, but hearing of Isaiah's prophecy
given a hundred fifty years before, so fully realized in
his own acts, he recognized God as the true God, but
retained his idol (so Naaman,
2Ki 5:1-27; compare
2Ki 17:33, 41; Da 3:28; 4:1-3, 34-37).
princes--the Babylonian satraps or
governors of provinces.
mortar--"mire"; He shall
tread them under foot as dirt (
Isa 10:6).
26. Who--of the idolatrous soothsayers? When this prophecy
shall be fulfilled, all shall see that God foretold as to
Cyrus, which none of the soothsayers have.
beforetime--before the event
occurred.
He is righteous--rather, "It is
true"; it was a true prophecy, as the event shows.
"He is righteous," in English Version,
must be interpreted, The fulfilment of the idol's words
proves that he is faithful.
showeth, &c.--rather, "there
was none (of the soothsayers) that showed . . .
declared--no one has heard your words" foretelling the
event.
27. Rather, "I first will give to Zion and to Jerusalem the messenger of good tidings, Behold, behold them!" The clause, "Behold . . . them" (the wished-for event is now present) is inserted in the middle of the sentence as a detached exclamation, by an elegant transposition, the language being framed abruptly, as one would speak in putting vividly as it were, before the eyes of others, some joyous event which he had just learned [LUDOVICUS DE DIEU] (compare Isa 40:9). None of the idols had foretold these events. Jehovah was the "first" to do so (see Isa 41:4).
28. no counsellor--no one of the idolatrous soothsayers who
could inform (
Nu 24:14) those who consulted them what would
take place. Compare "counsel of His
messenger" (
Isa 44:26).
when I asked--that is, challenged
them, in this chapter.
29. confusion--"emptiness" [BARNES].
Isa 42:1-25. MESSIAH THE ANTITYPE OF CYRUS.
God's description of His character ( Isa 42:1-4). God addresses Him directly ( Isa 42:5-7). Address to the people to attend to the subject ( Isa 42:8, 9). Call to all, and especially the exile Jews to rejoice in the coming deliverance ( Isa 42:10-25).
1. my servant--The law of prophetic suggestion leads Isaiah
from Cyrus to the far greater Deliverer, behind whom the
former is lost sight of. The express quotation in
Mt 12:18-20, and the description can apply to
Messiah alone (
Ps 40:6; with which compare
Ex 21:6; Joh 6:38; Php 2:7). Israel, also, in its
highest ideal, is called the "servant" of God (
Isa 49:3). But this ideal is realized only in the
antitypical Israel, its representative-man and Head,
Messiah (compare
Mt 2:15, with Ho 11:1). "Servant" was the
position assumed by the Son of God throughout His
humiliation.
elect--chosen by God before the
foundation of the world for an atonement (
1Pe 1:20; Re 13:8). Redemption was no afterthought to
remedy an unforeseen evil (
Ro 16:25, 26; Eph 3:9, 11; 2Ti 1:9, 10; Tit 1:2, 3). In
Mt 12:18 it is rendered "My beloved"; the
only beloved Son, beloved in a sense distinct from all
others. Election and the love of God are
inseparably joined.
soul--a human phrase applied to God,
because of the intended union of humanity with the
Divinity: "I Myself."
delighteth--is well pleased with, and
accepts, as a propitiation. God could have
"delighted" in no created being as a
mediator (compare
Isa 42:21; 63:5; Mt 3:17).
spirit upon him-- (
Isa 11:2; 61:1; Lu 4:18; Joh 3:34).
judgment--the gospel dispensation,
founded on justice, the canon of the divine rule and
principle of judgment called "the law" (
Isa 2:3; compare
Isa 42:4; 51:4; 49:6). The Gospel has a discriminating
judicial effect: saving to penitents;
condemnatory to Satan, the enemy (
Joh 12:31; 16:11), and the wilfully impenitent (
Joh 9:39).
Mt 12:18 has, "He shall show," for
"He shall bring forth," or "cause to go
forth." Christ both produced and
announced His "judgment." The Hebrew
dwells most on His producing it; Matthew on His
announcement of it: the two are joined in Him.
2. Matthew [
Mt 12:19] marks the kind of "cry" as that of
altercation by quoting it, "He shall not
strive" (
Isa 53:7).
street--the Septuagint
translates "outside." An image from an
altercation in a house, loud enough to be heard in the
street outside: appropriate of Him who "withdrew
Himself" from the public fame created by His miracles
to privacy (
Mt 12:15;
Mt 12:34, there, shows another and sterner aspect of
His character, which is also implied in the term
"judgment").
3. bruised--"It pleased the Lord to bruise
Him" (
Isa 53:5, 10; Ge 3:15); so He can feel for the
bruised. As
Isa 42:2 described His unturbulent spirit towards His
violent enemies (
Mt 12:14-16), and His utter freedom from love of
notoriety, so
Isa 42:3, His tenderness in cherishing the first spark
of grace in the penitent (
Isa 40:11).
reed--fragile: easily "shaken
with the wind" (
Mt 11:7). Those who are at best feeble, and who besides
are oppressed by calamity or by the sense of sin.
break--entirely crush or condemn.
Compare "bind up the broken-hearted" (
Isa 50:4; 61:1; Mt 11:28).
flax--put for the lamp-wick,
formed of flax. The believer is the lamp (so the
Greek,
Mt 5:15; Joh 5:35): his conscience enlightened by the
Holy Ghost is the wick. "Smoking" means
"dimly burning," "smouldering," the
flame not quite extinct. This expresses the positive side
of the penitent's religion; as "bruised
reed," the negative. Broken-hearted in himself, but
not without some spark of flame: literally, "from
above." Christ will supply such a one with grace as
with oil. Also, the light of nature smouldering in the
Gentiles amidst the hurtful fumes of error. He not only did
not quench, but cleared away the mists and superadded the
light of revelation. See JEROME, To Algasia,
Question 2.
truth--
Mt 12:20 quotes it, "send forth judgment unto
victory." Matthew, under the Spirit, gives the
virtual sense, but varies the word, in order to bring out a
fresh aspect of the same thing. Truth has in itself the
elements of victory over all opposing forces. Truth
is the victory of Him who is "the truth"
(
Joh 14:6). The gospel judicial sifting
("judgment") of believers and unbelievers, begun
already in part (
Joh 3:18, 19; 9:39), will be consummated
victoriously in truth only at His second coming;
Isa 42:13, 14, here, and
Mt 12:32, 36, 41, 42, show that there is reference to
the judicial aspect of the Gospel, especially
finally: besides the mild triumph of Jesus coming in mercy
to the penitent now (
Isa 42:2), there shall be finally the judgment
on His enemies, when the "truth" shall be
perfectly developed. Compare
Isa 61:1-3, where the two comings are similarly joined
(
Ps 2:4-6, 8; Re 15:2, 4; 19:11-16). On
"judgment," see on Isa
42:1.
4. fail--faint; man in religion may become as the
almost expiring flax-wick (
Isa 42:3), but not so He in His purposes of
grace.
discouraged--literally,
"broken," that is, checked in zeal by
discouragements (compare
Isa 49:4, 5). ROSENMULLER not so well translates,
"He shall not be too slow on the one hand, nor run
too hastily on the other."
judgment--His true religion, the canon
of His judgments and righteous reign.
isles . . . wait,
&c.--The distant lands beyond sea shall put their
trust in His gospel way of salvation.
Mt 12:21 virtually gives the sense, with the inspired
addition of another aspect of the same thing, "In his
name shall the Gentiles trust" (as
"wait for" here means,
Isa 30:18). "His law" is not something
distinct from Himself, but is indeed Himself, the
manifestation of God's character ("name") in
Christ, who is the embodiment of the law (
Isa 42:21; Jer 23:6; Ro 10:4). "Isles" here,
and in
Isa 42:12, may refer to the fact that the populations
of which the Church was primarily formed were Gentiles of
the countries bordering on the Mediterranean.
5. Previously God had spoken of Messiah; now (
Isa 42:5-7) He speaks to Him. To show to all
that He is able to sustain the Messiah in His appointed
work, and that all might accept Messiah as commissioned by
such a mighty God, He commences by announcing Himself as
the Almighty Creator and Preserver of all things.
spread . . . earth-- (
Ps 136:6).
6. in righteousness--rather, "for a righteous
purpose" [LOWTH]. (See
Isa 42:21). God "set forth" His Son "to
be a propitiation (so as) to declare His (God's)
righteousness, that God might be just, and (yet) the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (
Ro 3:25, 26; compare see on Isa
41:2;
Isa 45:13; 50:8, 9).
hold . . . hand--compare as
to Israel, the type of Messiah,
Ho 11:3.
covenant--the medium of the covenant,
originally made between God and Abraham (
Isa 49:8). "The mediator of a better
covenant" (
Heb 8:6) than the law (see
Isa 49:8; Jer 31:33; 50:5). So the abstract
"peace," for peace-maker (
Mic 5:5; Eph 2:14).
the people--Israel; as
Isa 49:8, compared with
Isa 42:6, proves (
Lu 2:32).
7. blind--spiritually (
Isa 42:16, 18, 19; Isa 35:5; Joh 9:39).
prison-- (
Isa 61:1, 2).
darkness--opposed to "light"
(
Isa 42:6; Eph 5:8; 1Pe 2:9).
8. God turns from addressing Messiah to the people.
Lord--JEHOVAH: God's
distinguishing and incommunicable name, indicating
essential being and immutable faithfulness (compare
Ex 6:3; Ps 83:18; 96:5; Ho 12:5).
my--that is due to Me, and to Me
alone.
9. former things--Former predictions of God, which were now
fulfilled, are here adduced as proof that they ought to
trust in Him alone as God; namely, the predictions as to
Israel's restoration from Babylon.
new--namely, predictions as to
Messiah, who is to bring all nations to the worship of
Jehovah (
Isa 42:1, 4, 6).
spring forth--The same image from
plants just beginning to germinate occurs in
Isa 43:19; 58:8. Before there is the slightest
indication to enable a sagacious observer to infer the
coming event, God foretells it.
10. new song--such as has never before been sung, called
for by a new manifestation of God's grace, to express
which no hymn for former mercies would be appropriate. The
new song shall be sung when the Lord shall reign in
Jerusalem, and all "nations shall flow unto it"
(
Isa 2:2; 26:1; Re 5:9; 14:3).
ye that go down to the sea--whose
conversion will be the means of diffusing the Gospel to
distant lands.
all . . . therein--all the
living creatures that fill the sea (
Ps 96:11) [MAURER]. Or, all sailors and voyagers
[GESENIUS]. But these were already mentioned in the
previous clause: there he called on all who go upon
the sea; in this clause all animals in the sea; so
in
Isa 42:11, he calls on the inanimate wilderness to lift
up its voice. External nature shall be so renovated as to
be in unison with the moral renovation.
11. cities--in a region not wholly waste, but mainly so,
with an oasis here and there.
Kedar--in Arabia-Deserta (
Isa 21:16; Ge 25:13). The Kedarenians led a nomadic,
wandering life. So Kedar is here put in general for that
class of men.
rock--Sela, that is, Petra, the
metropolis of Idumea and the Nabathœan Ishmaelites.
Or it may refer in general to those in Arabia-Petræa,
who had their dwellings cut out of the rock.
the mountains--namely, of Paran, south
of Sinai, in Arabia-Petræa [VITRINGA].
12. glory . . . islands-- ( Isa 24:15).
13-16. Jehovah will no longer restrain His wrath: He will
go forth as a mighty warrior (
Ex 15:3) to destroy His people's and His enemies,
and to deliver Israel (compare
Ps 45:3).
stir up jealousy--rouse His
indignation.
roar--image from the battle cry of a
warrior.
14. long time--namely, during the desolation of Israel (
Isa 32:14).
holden my peace--(Compare
Ps 50:21; Hab 1:2).
cry like a travailing woman,
&c.--Like a woman in parturition, who, after having
restrained her breathing for a time, at last, overcome with
labor pain, lets out her voice with a panting sigh; so
Jehovah will give full vent to His long pent-up wrath.
Translate, instead of "destroy . . .
devour"; I will at once breathe hard and pant,
namely, giving loose to My wrath.
15. I will destroy all My foes.
mountains--in Palestine usually
planted with vines and olives in terraces, up to their
tops.
islands--rather, "dry
lands." God will destroy His foes, the heathen, and
their idols, and "dry up" the fountains of
their oracles, their doctrines and institutions, the symbol
of which is water, and their schools which promoted
idolatry [VITRINGA].
16. blind--God's people, Israel, in captivity, needing
a guide. In the ulterior sense the New Testament Church,
which was about to be led and enlightened by the Son of God
as its leader and shepherd in the wilderness of the Roman
empire, until it should reach a city of habitation. "A
way . . . they knew not," refers to the
various means ployed by Providence for the establishment of
the Church in the world, such as would never have occurred
to the mind of mere man. "Blind," they are
called, as not having heretofore seen God's ways in
ordering His Church.
make darkness light, &c.--implies
that the glorious issue would only be known by the event
itself [VITRINGA]. The same holds good of the
individual believer (
Isa 30:21; Ps 107:7; compare
Ho 2:6, 14; Eph 5:8; Heb 13:5).
17. turned back . . . ashamed--disappointed in their trust; the same phrase occurs in Ps 35:4.
18. deaf--namely, to the voice of God.
blind--to your duty and interest;
wilfully so (
Isa 42:20). In this they differ from "the
blind" (
Isa 42:16). The Jews are referred to. He had said, God
would destroy the heathen idolatry; here he remembers that
even Israel, His "servant" (
Isa 42:19), from whom better things might have been
expected, is tainted with this sin.
19. my servant--namely, Israel. Who of the heathen is so
blind? Considering Israel's high privileges, the
heathen's blindness was as nothing compared with that
of Israelite idolaters.
my messenger . . .
sent--Israel was designed by God to be the herald of His
truth to other nations.
perfect--furnished with institutions,
civil and religious, suited to their perfect
well-being. Compare the title, "Jeshurun," the
perfect one, applied to Israel (compare
Isa 44:2), as the type of Messiah [VITRINGA]. Or
translate, the friend of God, which Israel was by
virtue of descent from Abraham, who was so called (
Isa 41:8), [GESENIUS]. The language, "my
servant" (compare
Isa 42:1), "messenger" (
Mal 3:1), "perfect" (
Ro 10:4; Heb 2:10; 1Pe 2:22), can, in the full
antitypical sense, only apply to Christ. So
Isa 42:21 plainly refers to Him. "Blind" and
"deaf" in His case refer to His endurance of
suffering and reproach, as though He neither saw nor heard
(
Ps 38:13, 14). Thus there is a transition by contrast
from the moral blindness of Israel (
Isa 42:18) to the patient blindness and deafness of
Messiah [H ORSLEY].
20. observest--Thou dost not keep them. The
"many things" are the many proofs which all along
from the first God had given Israel of His goodness and His
power (
De 4:32-38; 29:2-4; Ps 78:1-72; 105:1-45).
he--transition from the second to the
third person. "Opening . . . ears,"
that is, though he (Israel) hath his ears open (see on Isa 6:10). This language, too (see on
Isa 42:19), applies to Messiah as
Jehovah's servant (
Isa 50:5; Ps 40:6).
21. his righteousness--not His people's, but His own; Isa 42:24 shows that they had no righteousness ( Isa 45:24; 59:16). God is well pleased with His Son ("in whom My soul delighteth," Isa 42:1), "who fulfils all righteousness" ( Mt 3:15) for them, and with them for His sake (compare Isa 42:6; Ps 71:16, 19; Mt 5:17; Ro 10:3, 4; Php 3:9). Perhaps in God's "righteousness" here is included His faithfulness to His promises given to Israel's forefathers [R OSENMULLER]; because of this He is well pleased with Israel, even though displeased with their sin, which He here reproves; but that promise could only be based on the righteousness of Messiah, the promised seed, which is God's righteousness.
22. holes--caught by their foes in the caverns where
they had sought refuge [BARNES]. Or bound in subterranean
dungeons [MAURER].
prison-houses--either literal prisons,
or their own houses, whence they dare not go forth for fear
of the enemy. The connection is: Notwithstanding God's
favor to His people for His righteousness' sake (
Isa 42:21), they have fallen into misery (the
Babylonish and Romish captivities and their present
dispersion), owing to their disregard of the divine law:
spiritual imprisonment is included (
Isa 42:7).
none saith, Restore--There is no
deliverer (
Isa 63:5).
23. A call that they should be warned by the past judgments of God to obey Him for the time to come.
24. Who--Their calamity was not the work of chance, but
God's immediate act for their sins.
Jacob . . . Israel
. . . we--change from the third to the first
person; Isaiah first speaking to them as a prophet,
distinct from them; then identifying himself with them, and
acknowledging His share in the nation's sins (compare
Jos 5:1).
25. him--Israel (
Isa 42:24).
strength of battle--violence of
war.
it--the battle or war (compare
Isa 10:16).
knew not--knew not the lesson of
repentance which the judgment was intended to teach (
Isa 5:13; 9:13; Jer 5:3).
Isa 43:1-28. A SUCCESSION OF ARGUMENTS WHEREIN ISRAEL MAY BE ASSURED THAT, NOTWITHSTANDING THEIR PERVERSITY TOWARDS GOD ( Isa 42:25), HE WILL DELIVER AND RESTORE THEM.
1. But now--notwithstanding God's past just judgments
for Israel's sins.
created--not only in the general
sense, but specially created as a peculiar people
unto Himself (
Isa 43:7, 15, 21; Isa 44:2, 21, 24). So believers,
"created in Christ Jesus" (
Eph 2:10), "a peculiar people" (
1Pe 2:9).
redeemed--a second argument why they
should trust Him besides creation. The Hebrew
means to ransom by a price paid in lieu of the
captives (compare
Isa 43:3). Babylon was to be the ransom in this case,
that is, was to be destroyed, in order that they might be
delivered; so Christ became a curse, doomed to death, that
we might be redeemed.
called . . . by
. . . name--not merely "called" in
general, as in
Isa 42:6; 48:12; 51:2, but designated as His own
peculiar people (compare
Isa 45:3, 4; Ex 32:1; 33:12; Joh 10:3).
2. rivers . . . not overflow thee--so in passing
Jordan, though at its "overflow," when its
"swellings" were especially dangerous (
Jos 3:15; Jer 12:5).
waters . . . fire--a
proverbial phrase for the extremest perils (
Ps 66:12; also
Ps 138:7). Literally fulfilled at the Red Sea (
Ex 14:21, 22), and in the case of the three youths cast
into the fiery furnace for conscience' sake (
Da 3:25, 27).
3. Egypt for thy ransom--Either Egypt or Israel must perish; God chose that Egypt, though so much more mighty, should be destroyed, in order that His people might be delivered; thus Egypt stood, instead of Israel, as a kind of "ransom." The Hebrew, kopher, means properly "that with which anything is overlaid," as the pitch with which the ark was overlaid; hence that which covers over sins, an atonement. Nebuchadnezzar had subdued Egypt, Ethiopia (Hebrew, Cush), and Saba (descended from Cush, Ge 10:7, probably Meroe of Ethiopia, a great island formed by the Astaboras and the Nile, conquered by Cambyses, successor of Cyrus). Cyrus received these from God with the rest of the Babylonian dominions, in consideration of his being about to deliver Israel. However, the reference may be to the three years' war in which Sargon overcame these countries, and so had his attention diverted from Israel (see on Isa 20:1) [VITRINGA]. But the reference is probably more general, namely, to all the instances in which Jehovah sacrificed mighty heathen nations, when the safety of Israel required it.
4. Since--All along from the beginning; for there was never
a time when Israel was not Jehovah's people. The
apodosis should be at, "I will give." "Since
ever thou wast precious in My sight, honorable, and that I
loved thee, I will give," &c. [MAURER]. GESENIUS,
as English Version, takes "Since" to mean,
"Inasmuch as." If the apodosis be as in
English Version, "Since thou wast precious"
will refer to the time when God called His people out of
Egypt, manifesting then first the love which He had from
everlasting towards them (
Jer 31:3; Ho 11:1); "honorable" and
"loved," refer to outward marks of honor
and love from God.
men . . .
people--other nations for thee (so
Isa 43:3).
thy life--thy person.
5. (
De 30:3).
seed--descendants scattered in all
lands. VITRINGA understands it of the spiritual
"seed" of the Church produced by mystical
regeneration: for the expression is, "bring," not
"bring back." This sense is perhaps included, but
not to the exclusion of the literal Israel's
restoration (
Jer 30:10, 11; Am 9:9; Zec 2:6-13).
6. Give up--namely, My people.
sons . . . daughters--The
feminine joined to the masculine expresses the complete
totality of anything (
Zec 9:17).
7. called by my name--belong to Israel, whose people, as
sons of God, bear the name of their Father (
Isa 44:5; 48:1).
for my glory-- (
Isa 43:21; Isa 29:23).
8. Solemn challenge given by God to the nations to argue
with Him the question of His superiority to their idols,
and His power to deliver Israel (
Isa 41:1).
blind people--the Gentiles, who also,
like Israel (
Isa 42:19), are blind (spiritually), though having
eyes; that is, natural faculties, whereby they might know
God (
Ro 1:20, 21) [LOWTH]. Or else, the Jews [V ITRINGA].
9. who . . . can declare this--who among the
idolatrous soothsayers hath predicted this; that is,
as to Cyrus being the deliverer of Israel?
former--predictions, as in
Isa 42:9 [MAURER]. Or, things that shall first come to
pass (see on Isa 41:21, 22)
[BARNES].
let them bring forth their
witnesses--as I do mine (
Isa 43:10).
justified--declared veracious in their
pretended prophecies.
or--rather, "and"; let men
hear their prediction and say, from the event, It is
verified (see on Isa 41:26).
10. Ye--the Jews, to whom I have given predictions,
verified by the event; and in delivering whom I have so
often manifested My power (see
Isa 43:3, 4; Isa 44:8).
and my servant--that is, the whole
Jewish people (
Isa 41:8).
believe--trust in.
formed--before I existed none
of the false gods were formed. "Formed"
applies to the idols, not to God.
Re 1:11 uses the same language to prove the Godhead of
Jesus, as Isaiah here to prove the Godhead of
Jehovah.
11. Lord--Jehovah.
saviour--temporally, from Babylon:
eternally, from sin and hell (
Ho 13:4; Ac 4:12). The same titles as are applied to
God are applied to Jesus.
12. declared--predicted the future (
Isa 41:22, 23).
saved--the nation, in past times of
danger.
showed--namely, that I was God.
when . . . no strange god,
&c.--to whom the predictions uttered by Me could be
assigned. "Strange" means foreign,
introduced from abroad.
13. before--literally, from the time of the first
existence of day.
let--Old English for
"hinder" (
Isa 14:27). Rather, translate, "undo it"
[HORSLEY].
14. sent--namely, the Medes and Persians (
Isa 10:5, 6; 13:3).
brought down--"made to go
down" to the sea (
Isa 42:10), in order to escape the impending
destruction of Babylon.
nobles--rather, "fugitives,"
namely, the foreigners who sojourned in populous Babylon
(
Isa 13:14), distinct from the Chaldeans [MAURER].
whose cry is in the ships--exulting in
their ships with the joyous sailors--cry, boastingly; their
joy heretofore in their ships contrasts sadly with their
present panic in fleeing to them (
Isa 22:2; Zep 2:15). Babylon was on the Euphrates,
which was joined to the Tigris by a canal, and flowed into
the Persian Gulf. Thus it was famed for ships and commerce
until the Persian monarchs, to prevent revolt or invasion,
obstructed navigation by dams across the Tigris and
Euphrates.
15. creator of Israel-- (
Isa 43:1).
your--proved to be specially
yours by delivering you.
16, 17. Allusion to the deliverance of Israel and overthrow of Pharaoh in the Red Sea, the standing illustration of God's unchanging character towards His people ( Ex 14:21, 22, 27, 28).
17. the power--the might of the enemies host, every mighty
warrior.
they shall lie down together--as
Pharaoh's army sank "together" in a watery
grave.
18. So wonderful shall be God's future interpositions in your behalf, that all past ones shall be forgotten in comparison. Plainly the future restoration of Israel is the event ultimately meant. Thus the "former things" are such events as the destruction of Sennacherib and the return from Babylon. "Things of old" are events still more ancient, the deliverance from Egypt and at the Red Sea, and entry into Canaan [VITRINGA].
19. new--unprecedented in its wonderful character (
Isa 42:9).
spring forth--as a germinating herb: a
beautiful image of the silent but certain gradual
growth of events in God's providence (
Mr 4:26-28).
way in . . .
wilderness--just as Israel in the wilderness, between the
Red Sea and Canaan, was guided, and supplied with water by
Jehovah; but the "new" deliverance shall be
attended with manifestations of God's power and love,
eclipsing the old (compare
Isa 41:17-19). "I will open a way, not merely in
the Red Sea, but in the wilderness of the whole world; and
not merely one river shall gush out of the rock, but many,
which shall refresh, not the bodies as formerly, but the
souls of the thirsty, so that the prophecy shall be
fulfilled: 'With joy shall ye draw water out of the
wells of salvation'" [J EROME]. "A way"
often stands for the true religion (
Ac 9:2; 18:26). "Rivers" express the
influences of the Holy Spirit (
Joh 7:37-39). Israel's literal restoration
hereafter is included, as appears by comparing
Isa 11:15, 16.
20. beast--image of idolaters, defiled with blood and
pollutions, dwelling like dragons, &c., in the wastes
of Gentile ignorance: even they shall be converted. Or
else, literally, such copious floods of water shall be
given by God in the desert, that the very beasts shall (in
poetic language) praise the Lord (
Ps 148:10) [JEROME].
dragons--"serpents," or else
jackals (see on Isa 13:22).
owls--rather, "ostriches."
21. This people--namely, The same as "My people, My
chosen" (see
Isa 43:1, 7; Ps 102:18).
my praise--on account of the many and
great benefits conferred on them, especially their
restoration.
22. But--Israel, however, is not to think that these
divine favors are due to their own piety towards God. So
the believer (
Tit 3:5).
but--rather, "for."
weary of me-- (
Am 8:5, 6; Mal 1:13), though "I have not
wearied thee" (
Isa 43:23), yet "thou hast been weary of Me."
23. small cattle--rather, the "lamb" or
"kid," required by the law to be daily offered to
God (
Ex 29:38; Nu 28:3).
sacrifices--offered any way; whereas
the Hebrew for "holocaust," or "burnt
offering," denotes that which ascends as an
offering consumed by fire.
I have not caused thee to serve--that
is, to render the the service of a slave (
Mt 11:30; Ro 8:15; 1Jo 4:18; 5:3).
offering--bloodless (
Le 2:1, 2).
wearied--antithetical to
Isa 43:22, "Thou hast been weary of
Me." Though God in the law required such offerings,
yet not so as to "weary" the worshipper, or to
exact them in cases where, as in the Babylonish captivity,
they were physically unable to render them; God did not
require them, save in subordination to the higher moral
duties (
Ps 50:8-14; 51:16, 17; Mic 6:3, 6-8).
24. bought--for "sweet cane" (aromatic
calamus) was not indigenous to Palestine, but had to be
bought from foreign countries (
Jer 6:20). It was used among the Hebrews to make the
sacred ointment (
Ex 30:23). It is often offered as a mark of
hospitality.
filled--satiated (
Jer 31:14). God deigns to use human language to adapt
Himself to human modes of thought.
made me to serve--though "I have
not caused thee to serve" (
Isa 43:23). Our sin made the Son of God to become
"a servant." He served to save us
from servile bondage (
Php 2:7; Heb 2:14, 15).
wearied me--Though I have "not
wearied thee" (
Isa 43:23; see
Isa 1:14).
25. I, even I--the God against whom your sin is committed,
and who alone can and will pardon. (
Isa 44:22).
for mine own sake-- (
Isa 48:9, 11). How abominable a thing sin is, since it
is against such a God of grace! "Blotted out" is
an image from an account-book, in which, when a debt is
paid, the charge is cancelled or blotted
out.
not remember . . . sins--
(
Jer 31:34). When God forgives, He forgets; that is,
treats the sinner as if He had forgotten his sins.
26. Put me in remembrance--Remind Me of every plea which thou hast to urge before Me in thy defense. Image from a trial ( Isa 1:18; 41:1). Our strongest plea is to remind God of His own promises. So Jacob did at Mahanaim and Peniel ( Ge 32:9, 12). God, then, instead of "pleading against us with His great power," "will put His strength" in us ( Job 23:6); we thus become "the Lord's remembrancers" ( Isa 62:6, Margin). "Declare God's righteousness" vindicated in Jesus Christ "that thou mayest be justified" ( Ro 3:26; compare Isa 20:1-6, and Ps 143:2).
27. first father--collectively for "most ancient
ancestors," as the parallelism
("teachers") proves [M AURER]. Or, thy chief
religious ministers or priests [GESENIUS].
Adam, the common father of all nations, can hardly be
meant here, as it would have been irrelevant to mention
his sin in an address to the Jews specially.
Abraham is equally out of place here, as he is
everywhere cited as an example of faithfulness, not of
"sin." However, taking the passage in its
ultimate application to the Church at large, Adam may be
meant.
teachers--literally,
"interpreters" between God and man, the priests
(
Job 33:23; Mal 2:7).
28. profaned the princes-- (
Ps 89:39; La 2:2, 6, 7). I have esteemed, or treated,
them as persons not sacred. I have left them to suffer the
same treatment as the common people, stripped of their holy
office and in captivity.
princes of the
sanctuary--"governors of" it (
1Ch 24:5); directing its holy services; priests.
curse--Hebrew, cherim, a
"solemn anathema," or
"excommunication."
reproaches-- (
Ps 123:3, 4).
Isa 44:1-28. CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER.
1-5. Yet--Though thou hast sinned, yet hear God's
gracious promise as to thy deliverance.
chosen-- (
Isa 41:8).
2. (
Isa 43:1, 7).
formed . . . from
. . . womb--(So
Isa 44:24; Isa 49:1, 5). The sense is similar to that
in
Isa 1:2, "I have nourished and brought up
children."
Jesurun--A diminutive term of
endearment applied to Israel. The full title of affection
was Israelun; contracted it became Jeshurun, with an
allusion to the Hebrew root, jashar,
"upright," "perfect" (see on Isa 42:19, note on "He that is
perfect") [GESENIUS], (
De 32:15).
3. (
Isa 41:18).
him . . . thirsty--rather,
"the land" (
Isa 35:6, 7), figuratively for man thirsting
after righteousness (
Mt 5:6).
floods--the abundant influences
of the Holy Spirit, stronger than "water."
spirit--including all spiritual and
temporal gifts, as the parallel, "blessing,"
proves (
Isa 11:2; 32:15).
seed-- (
Isa 59:21).
4. they--thy "seed" and "offspring" (
Isa 44:3).
as among--needlessly inserted in
English Version. Rather, "The seed shall spring up
as willows among the grass beside canals of water"
[HORSLEY]. Or, "They shall spring up among the grass
(that is, luxuriantly; for what grows in the midst of grass
grows luxuriantly) as willows by the water-courses,"
which makes the parallel clauses better balanced [MAURER].
5. The third clause answers in parallelism to the first,
the fourth to the second.
I am the Lord's-- (
Jer 50:5; 1Co 6:19, 20; 2Co 8:5).
call himself by the name of Jacob--The
Gentiles (as the result of the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit on Israel, the Lord's "seed," first)
shall join themselves to the children of Jacob, in order to
worship their God (compare
Isa 43:7; Ps 49:11). Or, "calls," that is,
invokes and celebrates the name of Jacob, attaches
himself to his nation and religion [M AURER], (
Ps 24:6).
subscribe . . . hand unto
. . . Lord--in solemn and public covenant,
pledging himself to God's service (compare
Ne 9:38), before "witnesses" (
Heb 12:1), after the manner of a civil contract (
Jer 32:10, 12, 44). So the Christian in the sacraments
[BARNES]. Literally, "shall fill his hand with letters
(
Ex 32:15; Eze 2:10) in honor of Jehovah"; or
"shall write upon his hand, I am Jehovah's"
(compare
Isa 49:16; Re 13:16); alluding to the puncture with ink
on the hand, whereby a soldier marked himself as bound to
his commander; and whereby the Christians used to mark
themselves with the name of Christ [LOWTH]. The former view
is simpler.
surname himself . . .
Israel--MAURER and GESENIUS interpret this as the
Hebrew sanctions, answering to their rendering of the
parallel second clause, "calls blandly (speaks
in honorable terms of) the name of Israel." Retaining
English Version, we must, from the Hebrew
understand it thus, "Surname himself by the
honorable name of Israel" (
Isa 45:4).
6. Here follows an argument for Jehovah, as the only God, and against the idols, as vanity (see on Isa 41:4; Isa 43:1; Isa 43:10-12).
7. Who but God can predict future events and declare also
the order and time of each (see on Isa 41:22, 23; Isa
45:21)?
call--"openly proclaim" (
Isa 40:6) things to come [MAURER]. Or, "call
forth" the event; command that it happen (
Isa 46:11; 48:15), [BARNES].
set . . . in order--There is
no chance or confusion; all events occur in the
order best fitted to subserve God's plans.
for me--It is FOR GOD that all things
exist and take place (
Re 4:11). But MAURER translates, "Let him set
it forth (
Job 37:19) to me."
since . . . ancient
people--I have given the Jews predictions of the future
ever since I appointed them as My people in ancient times;
therefore they were qualified to be His witnesses (
Isa 44:8). As to their being God's "ancient
(everlasting) people," see
De 32:7-9; Jer 31:3; the type of the redeemed Church
(
Eph 1:4).
8. be afraid--literally, "be astounded," or
"distracted with fear."
from that time--namely, from the time
that "I appointed the ancient people" (
Isa 44:7). From the time of Abraham's call, his
family were the depositories of the predictions of the
Redeemer, whereas the promise of Cyrus was not heard of
till Isaiah's time; therefore, the event to the
prediction and accomplishment of which God appeals in proof
of His sole Godhead, is the redemption of man by a
descendant of Abraham, in whose person "the ancient
people" was first formally "appointed." The
deliverance of the Jews, by Cyrus, is mentioned afterwards
only as an earnest of that greater mercy [HORSLEY].
no God--Hebrew, tsur,
"rock" (
De 32:4); that is, a stronghold to take refuge in, and
a solid foundation to build on.
9. (
Isa 40:18, 20; 41:29).
delectable things--the idols in which
they take such pride and delight.
not profit-- (
Hab 2:18).
they are their own
witnesses--contrasted with, "Ye are My
witnesses" (
Isa 44:8). "They," that is, both the makers
and the idols, are witnesses against themselves, for the
idols palpably see and know nothing (
Ps 115:4-8).
that they may be ashamed--the
consequence deducible from the whole previous argument, not
merely from the words immediately preceding, as in
Isa 28:13; 36:12. I say all this to show that they are
doomed to perish with shame, which is their only
fitting end.
10. Who . . . ?--Sarcastic question: "How debased the man must be who forms a god!" It is a contradiction in terms. A made god, worshipped by its maker ( 1Co 8:4)!
11. his fellows--the associates of him who makes an idol;
or of the idol (see
De 7:26; Ps 115:8; Ho 4:17).
they are of men--They are mortal men
themselves; what better, then, can the idol be than its
maker?
gathered together . . .
stand up--as in a court of justice, to try the issue
between God and them (see on Isa
41:1; Isa 41:21).
yet--wrongly inserted in English
Version. The issue of the trial shall be, "they
shall fear," &c.
12. tongs--rather, "prepareth (to be supplied) an
axe," namely, with which to cut down the tree
designed as the material of the idol. The "smith"
(Hebrew, "workman in iron") here answers
to the "carpenter" (Hebrew, "workman
in wood"). "He worketh it (the axe, not
the idol, which was wood, not metal) in the coals,"
&c. The axe was wrought, not cast. The smith
makes the axe for the carpenter.
hungry . . . drinketh no
water--so eager is he to expedite his work while the iron
is hot. If the god were worth anything, it would not let
him grow "faint" with hunger and thirst.
WILLIAMS, the missionary, states that the South Sea
islanders when they make an idol abstain from food and
drink.
13. After the smith's work in preparing the instruments
comes the carpenter's work in forming the idol.
rule--rather, "line"
[BARNES].
with a line--rather, a
"pencil," [HORSLEY]. Literally, "red
ochre," which he uses to mark on the wood the outline
of the figure [LOWTH]. Or best, the stylus or graver, with
which the incision of the outline is made [GESENIUS].
planes--rather, "chisels" or
"carving tools," for a plane would not answer for
carving.
compass--from a Hebrew root,
"to make a circle"; by it, symmetry of form is
secured.
according to . . . beauty of
a man--irony. The highest idea the heathen could form of a
god was one of a form like their own. JEROME says,
"The more handsome the statue the more august the god
was thought." The incarnation of the Son of God
condescends to this anthropomorphic feeling so natural to
man, but in such a way as to raise man's thoughts up to
the infinite God who "is a spirit."
that it may remain in . . .
house--the only thing it was good for; it could not hear
nor save (compare Wisdom 13:15).
14. Description of the material out of which the idol is
formed.
cypress--rather, from Hebrew
root, "to be hard," the holm oak," an
evergreen abundant in Palestine [GESENIUS].
strengtheneth--literally, "and he
getteth strength to himself in the trees of the
forest;" that is, he layeth in a great store of
timber [LOWTH]. Or, "chooseth," as
"madest strong for thyself," that is, hast chosen
(
Ps 80:15, 17) [GESENIUS]. But English Version
gives a good sense: "strengtheneth"; that is,
rears to maturity; a meaning suitable also to the context
of
Ps 80:15, 17, where Israel is compared to a vine
planted by Jehovah [M AURER].
rain doth nourish it--Though the man
planted the tree, yet he could not make it grow. In
preparing to make an idol, he has to depend on the true God
for rain from heaven (
Jer 14:22).
15. The same tree that furnishes the material for the god
is in part used as fuel for a fire to cook his meals and
warm himself!
thereto--rather, "he falleth down
before them," that is, such images [MAURER].
16. part . . . part--not distinct parts, but
the same part of the wood (compare
Isa 44:17).
eateth--that is, cooks so as to eat
(
Isa 44:19).
I have seen--I feel its power.
18. he, &c.--God hath given them over to judicial blindness; not His direct physical, but His providential agency in administering His moral government, is meant ( Isa 6:9, 10). "Shut," literally, "daubed," plastered up; it is an Eastern custom in some cases to seal up the eyes of offenders.
19. considereth--literally, "layeth it to heart,"
(
Isa 42:25; Jer 12:11).
abomination--the scriptural term for
an idol, not merely abominable, but the essence of
what is so, in the eyes of a jealous God (
1Ki 11:5, 7).
20. feedeth on ashes--figuratively, for the idolater
delights in what is vain (
Pr 15:14; Ho 12:1). "Feedeth on wind." There
is an allusion, perhaps, also, to the god being made of a
tree, the half of which was reduced to ashes by fire
(
Isa 44:15-17); the idol, it is implied, was no better,
and could, and ought, to have been reduced to ashes like
the other half.
deceived heart--The heart and will
first go astray, then the intellect and life (
Ro 1:28; Eph 4:18).
lie in . . . right hand--Is
not my handiwork (the idol) a self-deceit?
21. Remember--"Be not like the idolaters who consider
not in their heart" (
Isa 44:19).
these--things just said as to the
folly of idol-worship.
my servant--not like the idolaters,
slaves to the stock of a tree (
Isa 44:19). See
Isa 44:1, 2.
thou . . . not
. . . forgotten of me--Therefore thou
oughtest to "remember" Me.
22. blotted out--the debt of thy sin from the
account-book in which it was entered (
Ex 32:32, 33; Re 20:12).
as a thick cloud--scattered away by
the wind (
Ps 103:12).
as a cloud--a descending gradation.
Not only the "thick cloud" of the heavier
"transgressions," but the "cloud"
("vapor" [LOWTH], not so dense, but
covering the sky as a mist) of the countless
"sins." These latter, though not thought much of
by man, need, as much as the former, to be cleared away by
the Sun of righteousness; else they will be a mist
separating us from heaven (
Ps 19:12, 13; 1Jo 1:7-9).
return . . . for--The
antecedent redemption is the ground of, and motive to,
repentance. We do not repent in order that He may
redeem us, but because He hath redeemed us (
Zec 12:10; Lu 24:47; Ac 3:18,19). He who believes in
his being forgiven cannot but love (
Lu 7:43, 47).
23. Call to inanimate nature to praise God; for it also
shall share in the coming deliverance from "the
bondage of corruption" (
Ro 8:20, 21).
done it--effected redemption for both
the literal and spiritual Israel.
lower parts, &c.--antithetical to
"heavens"; "mountains,"
"forest," and "tree," are the
intermediate objects in a descending gradation (see
Ps 96:11, 12).
24-28. Confirmation of His promises to the Church and
Israel, by various instances of His omnipotence; among
these the restoration of the Jews by Cyrus.
alone--literally, "Who was with
Me?" namely, when I did it; answering to "by
Myself," in the parallel clause (compare similar
phrases,
Ho 8:4; Joh 5:30) [MAURER].
25. tokens--prognostics; the pretended miracles which they
gave as proofs of their supernatural powers.
liars-- (
Jer 50:36). Conjurers; or, astrologers; men leading a
retired contemplative life in order to study divination by
the signs of the stars [V ITRINGA].
backward--with shame at their
predictions not being verified. "To turn away the
face" is to frustrate defeat (
Isa 36:9; 1Ki 2:15). The "wise men" are the
diviners who, when Babylon was attacked by Cyrus, predicted
his overthrow.
26. servant--in a collective sense, for the prophets
in general, who foretold the return from Babylon; answering
to "His messengers" (plural, in the
parallel clause) [MAURER]. Antitypically, and ultimately,
Messiah, who is the consummating embodiment of all
the prophets and messengers of God (
Mal 3:1; Mt 21:34, 36, 37; Joh 10:36); hence the
singular, "His servant."
counsel--predictions; prophets'
counsels concern the future (compare
"counsellor,"
Isa 41:28).
Jerusalem--regarded prophetically, as
lying in ruins.
27. Referring to the Euphrates, which was turned into a different channel, close to Babylon, by Cyrus, who thereby took the city. "The deep" is applied to Euphrates as "sea" ( Jer 51:32, 36). "Rivers" refers to the artificial canals from the Euphrates made to irrigate the country; when it was turned off into a different bed (namely, a lake, forty miles square, which was originally formed to receive the superfluous water in an inundation), the canals became dry.
28. my shepherd--type of Messiah (
Isa 40:11; Ps 23:1; 77:20; Eze 34:23).
all my pleasure--so Messiah (
Isa 42:1; 53:10). This is the first time Cyrus is
named expressly; and that, a hundred fifty years before
the time when in 550 B.C. he began his reign. The name
comes from the Persian khorschid, "the
sun"; kings often taking their names from the gods;
the sun was worshipped as a god in Persia.
saying--rather, "and that
saith"; construed with God, not with
Cyrus. God's word is instantaneously efficient in
accomplishing His will.
to . . . to--or,
"of Jerusalem . . . of the
temple," as previously, the same Hebrew word is
translated, "of Cyrus" [BARNES].
English Version is more graphic. Cyrus, according to
JOSEPHUS, heard of this prophecy of Isaiah delivered so
long before; hence he was induced to do that which was so
contrary to Oriental policy, to aid in restoring the
captive Jews and rebuilding their temple and city.
Isa 45:1-25. THE SUBJECT OF THE DELIVERANCE BY CYRUS IS FOLLOWED UP.
Isa 45:1-7. These seven verses should have been appended to previous chapter, and the new chapter should begin with Isa 45:8, "Drop down," &c. [HORSLEY]. Reference to the deliverance by Messiah often breaks out from amidst the local and temporary details of the deliverance from Babylon, as the great ultimate end of the prophecy.
1. his anointed--Cyrus is so called as being set apart
as king, by God's providence, to fulfil His special
purpose. Though kings were not anointed in Persia,
the expression is applied to him in reference to the
Jewish custom of setting apart kings to the regal
office by anointing.
right hand . . .
holden--image from sustaining a feeble person by holding
his right hand (
Isa 42:6).
subdue nations--namely, the Cilicians,
Syrians, Babylonians, Lydians, Bactrians, &c.; his
empire extended from Egypt and the Mediterranean to the
Indian Ocean, and from Ethiopia to the Euxine Sea.
loose . . . girdle
loins--that is, the girdle off the loins; and so
enfeeble them. The loose outer robe of the Orientals,
when girt fast round the loins, was the emblem of strength
and preparedness for action; ungirt, was indicative of
feebleness (
Job 38:3; 12:21); "weakeneth the strength
of the mighty" (Margin), "looseth the
girdle of the strong." The joints of
(Belshazzar's) loins, we read in
Da 5:6, were loosed during the siege by Cyrus,
at the sight of the mysterious handwriting on the palace
walls. His being taken by surprise, unaccoutred, is
here foretold.
to open . . . gates--In the
revelry in Babylon on the night of its capture, the inner
gates, leading from the streets to the river, were left
open; for there were walls along each side of the Euphrates
with gates, which, had they been kept shut, would have
hemmed the invading hosts in the bed of the river, where
the Babylonians could have easily destroyed them. Also, the
gates of the palace were left open, so that there was
access to every part of the city; and such was its extent,
that they who lived in the extremities were taken prisoners
before the alarm reached the center of the palace.
[HERODOTUS, 1.191].
2. crooked . . . straight-- (
Isa 40:4), rather, "maketh mountains plain"
[LOWTH], that is, clear out of thy way all opposing persons
and things. The Keri reads as in
Isa 45:13, "make straight"
(Margin).
gates of brass-- (
Ps 107:16). HERODOTUS (1.179) says, Babylon had a
hundred massive gates, twenty-five on each of the four
sides of the city, all, as well as their posts, of
brass.
bars of iron--with which the gates
were fastened.
3. treasures of darkness--that is, hidden in subterranean
places; a common Oriental practice. Sorcerers pretended to
be able to show where such treasures were to be found; in
opposition to their pretensions, God says, He will really
give hidden treasures to Cyrus (
Jer 50:37; 51:13). PLINY (Natural History,,
33:3) says that Cyrus obtained from the conquest of Asia
thirty-four thousand pounds weight of gold, besides golden
vases, and five hundred thousand talents of silver, and the
goblet of Semiramis, weighing fifteen talents.
that thou mayest know--namely, not
merely that He was "the God of Israel," but that
He was Jehovah, the true God.
Ezr 1:1, 2 shows that the correspondence of the event
with the prediction had the desired effect on Cyrus.
which call . . . thy
name--so long before designate thee by name (
Isa 43:1).
4. (See on Isa 41:8; Isa 43:14).
surnamed--that is, designated to carry
out My design of restoring Judah (see on Isa 44:5; Isa 44:28;
Isa 45:1). MAURER here, as in
Isa 44:5, translates, "I have addressed thee by
an honorable name."
hast not known me--previous to
My calling thee to this office; after God's
call, Cyrus did know Him in some degree (
Ezr 1:1-3).
5. (
Isa 42:8; 43:3, 11; 44:8; 46:9).
girded thee--whereas "I will
loose (the girdle off) the loins of kings" (
Isa 45:1), strengthening thee, but
enfeebling them before thee.
though . . . not known me--
(
Isa 45:4). God knows His elect before they are
made to know Him (
Ga 4:9; Joh 15:16).
6. From the rising to the setting of the sun, that is, from east to west, the whole habitable world. It is not said, "from north to south," for that would not imply the habitable world, as, "from east to west" does ( Ezr 1:1, &c.). The conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, the capital of the world, and the overthrow of Babylon and restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, who expressly acknowledged himself to be but the instrument in God's hands, were admirably suited to secure, throughout the world, the acknowledgment of Jehovah as the only true God.
7. form . . . create--yatzar, to give
"form" to previously existing matter.
Bara, to "create" from nothing the chaotic
dark material.
light . . .
darkness--literally (
Ge 1:1-3), emblematical also, prosperity to
Cyrus, calamity to Babylon and the nations to be
vanquished [GROTIUS] . . . Isaiah refers also to
the Oriental belief in two coexistent, eternal principles,
ever struggling with each other, light or good, and
darkness or evil, Oromasden and Ahrimanen.
God, here, in opposition, asserts His sovereignty over both
[V ITRINGA].
create evil--not moral evil (
Jas 1:13), but in contrast to "peace" in the
parallel clause, war, disaster (compare
Ps 65:7; Am 3:6).
8. Drop--namely, the fertilizing rain (
Ps 65:12).
skies--clouds; lower than the
"heavens."
righteousness--that is, the dews of
the Holy Spirit, whereby "righteousness" shall
"spring up." (See latter end of the verse).
earth--figuratively for the hearts
of men on it, opened for receiving the truth by
the Holy Ghost (
Ac 16:14).
them--the earth and the heavens.
HORSLEY prefers: "Let the earth open, and let
salvation and justice grow forth; let it bring them
forth together; I the Lord have created
him" (
Isa 45:13). MAURER translates, "Let all kinds of
salvation (prosperity) be fruitful" (
Ps 72:3, 6, 7). The revival of religion after the
return from Babylon suggests to the prophet the diffusion
of Messiah's Gospel, especially in days still
future; hence the elevation of the language to a pitch
above what is applicable to the state of religion after the
return.
9. Anticipating the objections which the Jews might raise
as to why God permitted their captivity, and when He did
restore them, why He did so by a foreign prince, Cyrus, not
a Jew (
Isa 40:27, &c.), but mainly and ultimately, the
objections about to be raised by the Jews against
God's sovereign act in adopting the whole Gentile world
as His spiritual Israel (
Isa 45:8, referring to this catholic diffusion
of the Gospel), as if it were an infringement of their
nation's privileges; so Paul expressly quotes it (
Ro 9:4-8, 11-21).
Let . . . strive--Not in the
Hebrew; rather, in apposition with "him,"
"A potsherd among the potsherds of the
earth!" A creature fragile and worthless as the
fragment of an earthen vessel, among others equally so, and
yet presuming to strive with his Maker! English
Version implies, it is appropriate for man to strive
with man, in opposition to
2Ti 2:24 [GESENIUS].
thy . . . He--shall thy work
say of thee, He . . . ?
10. If it be wrong for a child, born in less favorable circumstances, to upbraid his parents with having given him birth, a fortiori, it is, to upbraid God for His dealings with us. Rather translate, "a father . . . a woman." The Jews considered themselves exclusively God's children and were angry that God should adopt the Gentiles besides. Woe to him who says to one already a father, Why dost thou beget other children? [HORSLEY].
11. Ask . . . command--Instead of striving with
Me in regard to My purposes, your wisdom is in prayer to
ask, and even command Me, in so far as it is
for My glory, and for your real good (
Mr 11:24; Joh 16:23, 13, latter part of the verse;
1Jo 3:22).
sons-- (
Isa 54:13; Ga 3:26).
work of my hands--spiritually (
Eph 2:10); also literal Israel (
Isa 60:21). MAURER translates, instead of
"command," Leave it to Me, in My dealings
concerning My sons and concerning the work of My hands, to
do what I will with My own. LOWTH reads it interrogatively,
Do ye presume to question Me and dictate to Me (see
Isa 45:9, 10)? The same sense is given, if the words be
taken in irony. But English Version is best.
12. The same argument for prayer, drawn from God's
omnipotence and consequent power, to grant any request,
occurs in
Isa 40:26-31.
I, even my hands--so Hebrew (
Ps 41:2), "Thou . . . thy hand"
(both nominatives, in apposition).
13. him--Cyrus, type of Messiah, who redeems the captives
of Satan "without money and without price" (
Isa 55:1), "freely" (gratuitously) (
Isa 52:3; 61:1; Zec 9:11; Ro 3:24).
in righteousness--to fulfil My
righteous purpose (see on Isa 41:2;
Isa 42:6; Jer 23:6).
14. The language but cursorily alludes to Egypt, Ethiopia,
and Seba, being given to Cyrus as a ransom in lieu of
Israel whom he restored (
Isa 43:3), but mainly and fully describes the
gathering in of the Gentiles to Israel (
Ac 2:10, 11; 8:27-38), especially at Israel's
future restoration (
Isa 2:2; 14:1, 2; 19:18-22; 60:3-14; 49:23; Ps 68:31;
72:10, 11).
labour--wealth acquired by labor (
Jer 3:24).
Sabeans . . . of
stature--the men of Meroe, in Upper Egypt. HERODOTUS (3.30)
calls the Ethiopians "the tallest of men" (see on
Isa 18:2; 1Ch 11:23).
thee--Jerusalem ("my city,"
Isa 45:13).
in chains-- (
Ps 149:8). "The saints shall judge the world"
(
1Co 6:2) and "rule the nations with a rod of
iron" (
Zec 14:12-19; Re 2:26, 27). The "chains," in
the case of the obedient, shall be the easy yoke of
Messiah; as "the sword of the Spirit" also is
saving to the believer, condemnatory to the unbeliever (
Joh 12:48; Heb 4:12; Re 19:15).
God is in thee-- (
Jer 3:19).
15. God that hidest thyself--HORSLEY, after JEROME, explains this as the confession of Egypt, &c., that God is concealed in human form in the person of Jesus. Rather, connected with Isa 45:9, 10, the prophet, contemplating the wonderful issue of the seemingly dark counsels of God, implies a censure on those who presume to question God's dealings ( Isa 55:8, 9; De 29:29). Faith still discerns, even under the veil, the covenant-keeping "God of Israel, the Saviour" ( Isa 8:17).
16. ashamed--"disappointed" in their expectation of help from their idols (see on Isa 42:17; Psalm 97. 7).
17. in the Lord-- (
Isa 45:24, 25), contrasted with the idols which cannot
give even temporary help (
Isa 45:16); in Jehovah there is
everlasting salvation (
Isa 26:4).
not . . . ashamed--opposed
to the doom of the idolaters, who, in the hour of need,
shall be "ashamed" (see on
Isa 45:16).
18. (See on Isa 45:12).
not in vain, he formed it to be
inhabited--Therefore, Judah, lying waste during the
Babylonish captivity, shall be peopled again by the exiles.
The Jews, from this passage, infer that, after the
resurrection, the earth shall be inhabited, for there can
be no reason why the earth should then exist in vain
any more than now (
2Pe 3:13).
19. not . . . secret--not like the heathen
oracles which gave their responses from dark caverns, with
studied obscurity (
Isa 48:16). Christ plainly quotes these words, thereby
identifying Himself with Jehovah (
Joh 18:20).
I said not . . . Seek
. . . in vain--When I commanded you to seek Me
(Jehovah did so,
Isa 45:11, "Ask Me," &c.), it was not in
order that ye might be sent empty away (
De 32:47). Especially in Israel's time of trial,
God's interposition, in behalf of Zion hereafter, is
expressly stated as about to be the answer to prayer (
Isa 62:6, 7-10; Ps 102:13-17, 19-21). So in the case of
all believers, the spiritual Israel.
righteousness--that which is
veracious: not in the equivocal terms of heathen responses,
fitly symbolized by the "dark places" from
which they were uttered.
right--true (see on Isa 41:26).
20. escaped of the nations--those of the nations who shall have escaped the slaughter inflicted by Cyrus. Now, at last, ye shall see the folly of "praying to a god that cannot save" ( Isa 45:16). Ultimately, those that shall be "left of all the nations which shall come against Jerusalem" are meant ( Zec 14:16). They shall then all be converted to the Lord ( Isa 66:23, 24; Jer 3:17; Zec 8:20-23).
21. Challenge the worshippers of idols (
Isa 41:1).
take counsel together--as to the best
arguments wherewith to defend the cause of idolatry.
who . . . from that time--
(
Isa 41:22, 23; see on Isa 44:8).
Which of the idols has done what God hath, namely,
foretold, primarily as to Cyrus; ultimately as to the final
restoration of Israel hereafter? The idolatry of Israel
before Cyrus' time will have its counterpart in the
Antichrist and the apostasy, which shall precede
Christ's manifestation.
just . . . and
. . . Saviour--righteous in keeping His
promises, and therefore a Saviour to His people. Not
only is it not inconsistent with, but it is the result of,
His righteousness, or justice, that He should
save His redeemed (
Isa 42:6, 21; Ps 85:10, 11; Ro 3:26).
22. Look . . . and be ye saved--The second imperative expresses the result which will follow obedience to the first ( Ge 42:18); ye shall be saved ( Joh 3:14, 15). Nu 21:9: "If a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived." What so simple as a look? Not do something, but look to the Saviour ( Ac 16:30, 31). Believers look by faith, the eye of the soul. The look is that of one turning (see Margin) to God, as at once "Just and the Saviour" ( Isa 45:21), that is, the look of conversion ( Ps 22:27).
23. sworn by myself--equivalent to, "As I live,"
as
Ro 14:11 quotes it. So
Nu 14:21. God could swear by no greater, therefore He
swears by Himself (
Heb 6:13, 16).
word . . . in
righteousness--rather, "the truth (see on Isa 45:19) is gone forth from My mouth, the
word (of promise), and it shall not return (that is, which
shall not be revoked)" [LOWTH]. But the accents favor
English Version.
tongue . . . swear--namely,
an oath of allegiance to God as their true King (see on Isa 19:18; Isa
65:16). Yet to be fulfilled (
Zec 14:9).
24. Rather, "Only in Jehovah shall men say
of me (this clause is parenthetical), is there
righteousness" (which includes salvation,
Isa 45:21, "a just God and a
Saviour,"
Isa 46:13), &c. [MAURER].
strength--namely, to save.
shall men come--Those who have set
themselves up against God shall come to Him in penitence
for the past (
Isa 19:22).
ashamed-- (
Isa 45:16; Isa 54:17; 41:11).
25. all . . . Israel--the spiritual Israel (
Ro 2:29) and the literal Israel, that is, the final
remnant which shall all be saved (
Isa 45:17; Ro 11:26).
justified--treated as if they
were just, through Christ's righteousness and death (
Jer 23:5).
glory--literally, "sing" in
His praise (
Jer 9:24; 1Co 1:31).
Isa 46:1-13. BABYLON'S IDOLS COULD NOT SAVE THEMSELVES, MUCH LESS HER. BUT GOD CAN AND WILL SAVE ISRAEL: CYRUS IS HIS INSTRUMENT.
1. Bel--the same as the Phœnician Baal, that is,
lord, the chief god of Babylon; to it was dedicated the
celebrated tower of Babylon, in the center of one of the
two parts into which the city was divided, the palace being
in the center of the other. Identical with the sun,
worshipped on turrets, housetops, and other high places, so
as to be nearer the heavenly hosts (Saba) (
Jer 19:13; 32:29; Zep 1:5). GESENIUS identifies Bel
with the planet Jupiter, which, with the planet Venus
(under the name Astarte or Astaroth), was worshipped in the
East as the god of fortune, the most propitious star to be
born under (see on Isa 65:11).
According to the Apocryphal book, Bel and the
Dragon, Bel was cast down by Cyrus.
boweth . . .
stoopeth--falleth prostrate (
Isa 10:4; 1Sa 5:3, 4; Ps 20:8).
Nebo--the planet Mercury or Hermes, in
astrology. The scribe of heaven, answering to the Egyptian
Anubis. The extensive worship of it is shown by the many
proper names compounded of it: Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuzar-adan, Nabonassar, &c.
were upon--that is, were a
burden (supplied from the following clause) upon. It
was customary to transport the gods of the vanquished to
the land of the conquerors, who thought thereby the more
effectually to keep down the subject people (
1Sa 5:1, &c.; Jer 48:7; 49:3; Da 11:8).
carriages--in the Old English sense of
the things carried, the images borne by you: the
lading (
Ac 21:15), "carriages," not the vehicles, but
the baggage. Or, the images which used to be carried by
you formerly in your solemn processions [MAURER].
were heavy loaden--rather, are put
as a load on the beasts of burden [MAURER]. HORSLEY
translates, "They who should have been your
carriers (as Jehovah is to His people,
Isa 46:3, 4) are become burdens" (see on Isa 46:4).
2. deliver--from the enemies' hands.
burden--their images laid on the
beasts (
Isa 46:1).
themselves--the gods, here also
distinguished from their images.
3. in contrast to what precedes: Babylon's idols, so far from bearing its people safely are themselves borne off, a burden to the laden beast; but Jehovah bears His people in safety even from the womb to old age ( Isa 63:9; De 32:11; Ps 71:6, 18). God compares Himself to a nurse tenderly carrying a child; contrast Moses' language ( Nu 11:12).
4. old age--As
"your"--"you"--"you," are not
in the Hebrew, the sentiment is more general than
English Version, though of course it includes
the Jews from the infancy to the more advanced age of their
history (
Isa 47:6).
I am he--that is, the same (
Ps 102:27; Joh 8:24; Heb 13:8).
I will bear . . . carry--Not
only do I not need to be borne and carried
Myself, as the idols (
Isa 46:1).
5. ( Isa 40:18, 25).
6. ( Isa 40:19, 20; 41:7.) They lavish gold out of their purses and spare no expense for their idol. Their profuseness shames the niggardliness of professors who worship God with what cost them nothing. Sin is always a costly service.
7. cry . . . can . . . not . . . save-- ( Isa 45:20, with which contrast Isa 45:19).
8. show yourselves men--Renounce the childishness of
idolatry as shown in what precedes (
1Co 14:20; 16:13; Eph 4:14). In order to be
manly we must be godly; for man was made
"in the image of God," and only rises to his true
dignity when joined to God; virtue is derived from
the Latin vir, "a man."
bring . . . to mind--rather,
"lay it to heart."
transgressors--addressed to the
idolaters among the Jews.
9. former--namely, proofs of the sole Godship of Jehovah, from predictions fulfilled, and interpositions of God in behalf of Israel ( Isa 45:5).
10. (
Isa 45:21; 41:22, 23; 44:26).
yet--not in the Hebrew.
Translate, "What had not been done"
[HORSLEY].
do all my pleasure-- (
Isa 53:10; Ro 9:19).
11. ravenous bird--Cyrus so called on account of the
rapidity of his marches from the distant regions of Persia
to pounce on his prey (see on Isa
41:2; Isa 41:25; Jer 49:22; Eze 17:3). The standard of Cyrus,
too, was a golden eagle on a spear (see the heathen
historian, XENOPHON, 7, where almost the same word is used,
aetos, as here, ayit).
executeth my counsel-- (
Isa 44:28; 45:13). Babylon represents, mystically, the
apostate faction: the destruction of its idols symbolizes
the future general extirpation of all idolatry and
unbelief.
purposed . . . also do it--
(
Isa 43:13).
12. stout-hearted--stubborn in resisting God (
Ps 76:5; Ac 7:51).
far from righteousness-- (
Isa 59:9; Hab 2:4).
13. near--antithetical to "far" (
Isa 46:12; Isa 51:5; 56:1; 61:10, 11; Ro 10:6-8).
righteousness--answering to
"salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it
means here, "my righteous deliverance";
righteous, because proving the truth of God's
promises, and so contrived as to not compromise, but
vindicate, His righteousness (
Isa 42:21; Ro 3:26).
Zion . . . my glory--rather,
"I will give salvation in Zion; to Israel (I will
give) my glory" [HORSLEY]. (
Isa 63:11; Ps 14:7; Lu 2:32).
Isa 47:1-15. THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON IS REPRESENTED UNDER THE IMAGE OF A ROYAL VIRGIN BROUGHT DOWN IN A MOMENT FROM HER MAGNIFICENT THRONE TO THE EXTREME OF DEGRADATION.
1. in the dust--(See on Isa 3:26;
Job 2:13; La 2:10).
virgin--that is, heretofore
uncaptured [HERODOTUS, 1.191].
daughter of Babylon--Babylon and its
inhabitants (see on Isa 1:8; Isa 37:22).
no throne--The seat of empire was
transferred to Shushan. Alexander intended to have made
Babylon his seat of empire, but Providence defeated his
design. He soon died; and Seleucia, being built near,
robbed it of its inhabitants, and even of its name, which
was applied to Seleucia.
delicate--alluding to the effeminate
debauchery and prostitution of all classes at banquets and
religious rites [CURTIUS, 5.1; HERODOTUS, 1.199; BARUCH,
6.43].
2. millstones--like the querns or hand-mills, found
in this country, before the invention of water mills and
windmills: a convex stone, made by the hand to turn in a
concave stone, fitted to receive it, the corn being ground
between them: the office of a female slave in the East;
most degrading (
Job 31:10; Mt 24:41).
uncover thy locks--rather, "take
off thy veil" [H ORSLEY]: perhaps the removal of the
plaited hair worn round the women's temples is
included; it, too, is a covering (
1Co 11:15); to remove it and the veil is the badge of
the lowest female degradation; in the East the head is the
seat of female modesty; the face of a woman is
seldom, the whole head almost never, seen bare (see
on Isa 22:8).
make bare the leg--rather "lift
up (literally, 'uncover'; as in lifting up the
train the leg is uncovered) thy flowing train."
In Mesopotamia, women of low rank, as occasion requires,
wade across the rivers with stript legs, or else entirely
put off their garments and swim across. "Exchange thy
rich, loose, queenly robe, for the most abject condition,
that of one going to and fro through rivers as a slave, to
draw water," &c.
uncover . . . thigh--gather
up the robe, so as to wade across.
3. not meet . . . as a man--rather, "I will not meet a man," that is, suffer man to intercede with me--give man an audience [HORSLEY]. Or, "I will not make peace with any man," before all are destroyed. Literally, "strike a league with"; a phrase arising from the custom of striking hands together in making a compact [MAURER], (see on Pr 17:18; Pr 22:26; 11:15, Margin). Or else from striking the victims sacrificed in making treaties.
4. As for--rather supply, "Thus saith our Redeemer" [MAURER]. LOWTH supposes this verse to be the exclamation of a chorus breaking in with praises, "Our Redeemer! Jehovah of hosts," &c. ( Jer 50:34).
5. Sit--the posture of mourning (
Ezr 9:4; Job 2:13; La 2:10).
darkness--mourning and misery (
La 3:2; Mic 7:8).
lady of kingdoms--mistress of the
world (
Isa 13:19).
6. reason for God's vengeance on Babylon: in executing
God's will against His people, she had done so with
wanton cruelty (
Isa 10:5, &c.; Jer 50:17; 51:33; Zec 1:15).
polluted my inheritance-- (
Isa 43:28).
the ancient--Even old age was
disregarded by the Chaldeans, who treated all alike with
cruelty (
La 4:16; 5:12) [ROSENMULLER]. Or, "the
ancient" means Israel, worn out with calamities in the
latter period of its history (
Isa 46:4), as its earlier stage of history is called
its "youth" (
Isa 54:6; Eze 16:60).
7. so that--Through thy vain expectation of being a queen
for ever, thou didst advance to such a pitch of insolence
as not to believe "these things" (namely, as to
thy overthrow,
Isa 47:1-5) possible.
end of it--namely, of thy insolence,
implied in her words, "I shall be a lady for
ever."
8. given to pleasures--(See on Isa
47:1). In no city were there so many incentives to
licentiousness.
I am . . . none
. . . beside me-- (
Isa 47:10). Language of arrogance in man's mouth;
fitting for God alone (
Isa 45:6). See
Isa 5:8, latter part.
widow . . . loss of
children--A state, represented as a female, when it has
fallen is called a widow, because its king is
no more; and childless, because it has no
inhabitants; they having been carried off as captives (
Isa 23:4; 54:1, 4, 5; Re 18:7, 8).
9. in a moment--It should not decay slowly, but be suddenly
and unexpectedly destroyed; in a single night it was taken
by Cyrus. The prophecy was again literally fulfilled when
Babylon revolted against Darius; and, in order to hold out
to the last, each man chose one woman of his family,
and strangled the rest, to save provisions. Darius impaled
three thousand of the revolters.
in . . . perfection--that
is, "in full measure."
for . . . for--rather,
"notwithstanding the . . .
notwithstanding"; "in spite of" [LOWTH]. So
"for" (
Nu 14:11). Babylon was famous for "expiations or
sacrifices, and other incantations, whereby they tried to
avert evil and obtain good" [D IODORUS SICULUS].
10. wickedness--as in
Isa 13:11, the cruelty with which Babylon
treated its subject states.
None seeth me-- (
Ps 10:11; 94:7). "There is none to exact
punishment from me." Sinners are not safe, though
seeming secret.
Thy wisdom--astrological and
political (
Isa 19:11, &c., as to Egypt).
perverted--turns thee aside from the
right and safe path.
11. from whence it riseth--Hebrew, "the dawn
thereof," that is, its first rising. Evil shall come
on thee without the least previous intimation
[ROSENMULLER]. But dawn is not applied to
"evil," but to prosperity shining out
after misery (
Isa 21:12). Translate, "Thou shall not see any
dawn" (of alleviation) [M AURER].
put . . . off--rather, as
Margin, "remove by expiation"; it shall be
never ending.
not know--unawares: which thou dost
not apprehend. Proving the fallacy of thy divinations and
astrology (
Job 9:5; Ps 35:8).
12. Stand--forth: a scornful challenge to Babylon's
magicians to show whether they can defend their city.
laboured--The devil's service is a
laborious yet fruitless one (
Isa 55:2).
13. wearied--(compare
Isa 57:10; Eze 24:12).
astrologers--literally, those who form
combinations of the heavens; who watch conjunctions
and oppositions of the stars. "Casters of the
configurations of the sky" [HORSLEY]. GESENIUS
explains it: the dividers of the heavens. In casting a
nativity they observed four signs:--the horoscope,
or sign which arose at the time one was born; the
mid-heaven; the sign opposite the horoscope towards the
west; and the hypogee.
monthly prognosticators--those who at
each new moon profess to tell thereby what is about to
happen. Join, not as English Version, "save
. . . from those things," &c.;
but, "They that at new moons make known from (by means
of) them the things that shall come upon thee"
[MAURER].
14. (
Isa 29:6; 30:30).
not . . . a coal--Like
stubble, they shall burn to a dead ash, without leaving a
live coal or cinder (compare
Isa 30:14), so utterly shall they be destroyed.
15. Thus, &c.--Such shall be the fate of those
astrologers who cost thee such an amount of trouble and
money.
thy merchants, from thy youth--that
is, with whom thou hast trafficked from thy earliest
history, the foreigners sojourning in Babylon for the sake
of commerce (
Isa 13:14; Jer 51:6, 9; Na 3:16, 17) [BARNES]. Rather,
the astrologers, with whom Babylon had so many
dealings (
Isa 47:12-14) [HORSLEY].
to his quarter--literally,
"straight before him" (
Eze 1:9, 12). The foreigners, whether soothsayers or
merchants, shall flee home out of Babylon (
Jer 50:16).
Isa 48:1-22. THE THINGS THAT BEFALL BABYLON JEHOVAH PREDICTED LONG BEFORE, LEST ISRAEL SHOULD ATTRIBUTE THEM, IN ITS "OBSTINATE" PERVERSITY, TO STRANGE GODS ( Isa 48:1-5).
1. the waters of Judah--spring from the fountain of
Judah (
Nu 24:7; De 33:28; Ps 68:26; Margin).
Judah has the "fountain" attributed to it,
because it survived the ten tribes, and from it Messiah was
to spring.
swear by . . . Lord-- (
Isa 19:18; 45:23; 65:16).
mention--in prayers and praises.
not in truth-- (
Jer 5:2; Joh 4:24).
2. For--Ye deserve these reproofs; "for" ye call yourselves citizens of "the holy city" ( Isa 52:1), but not in truth ( Isa 48:1; Ne 11:1; Da 9:24); so the inscription on their coins of the time of the Maccabees. "Jerusalem the Holy."
3. former--things which have happened in time past to
Israel (
Isa 42:9; 44:7, 8; 45:21; 46:10).
suddenly--They came to pass so
unexpectedly that the prophecy could not have resulted from
mere human sagacity.
4. obstinate--Hebrew, "hard" (
De 9:27; Eze 3:7, Margin).
iron sinew--inflexible (
Ac 7:51).
brow brass--shameless as a harlot (see
Jer 6:28; 3:3; Eze 3:7, Margin).
5. (See on Isa 48:1; Isa 48:3).
6. Thou, &c.--So "ye are my witnesses" (
Isa 43:10). Thou canst testify the prediction was
uttered long before the fulfilment: "see all
this," namely, that the event answers to the
prophecy.
declare--make the fact known as a
proof that Jehovah alone is God (
Isa 44:8).
new things--namely, the deliverance
from Babylon by Cyrus, new in contradistinction from
former predictions that had been fulfilled (
Isa 42:9; 43:19). Antitypically, the prophecy has in
view the "new things" of the gospel treasury (
So 7:13; Mt 13:52; 2Co 5:17; Re 21:5). From this point
forward, the prophecies as to Messiah's first and
second advents and the restoration of Israel, have a
new circumstantial distinctness, such as did not
characterize the previous ones, even of Isaiah. Babylon, in
this view, answers to the mystical Babylon of
Revelation.
hidden--which could not have been
guessed by political sagacity (
Da 2:22, 29; 1Co 2:9, 10).
7. Not like natural results from existing causes, the
events when they took place were like acts of
creative power, such as had never before been
"from the beginning."
even before the day when--rather
[MAURER], "And before the day (of their occurrence)
thou hast not heard of them"; that is, by any human
acuteness; they are only heard of by the present inspired
announcement.
8. heardest not--repeated, as also "knewest not,"
from
Isa 48:7.
from that time--Omit "that."
"Yea, from the first thine ear did not open
itself," namely, to obey them [ROSENMULLER].
"To open the ear" denotes obedient attention (
Isa 50:5); or, "was not opened" to
receive them; that is, they were not declared by Me
to thee previously, since, if thou hadst been informed
of them, such is thy perversity, thou couldst not have been
kept in check [MAURER]. In the former view, the sense of
the words following is, "For I knew that, if I had not
foretold the destruction of Babylon so plainly that there
could be no perverting of it, thou wouldst have perversely
ascribed it to idols, or something else than to Me"
(
Isa 48:5). Thus they would have relapsed into idolatry,
to cure them of which the Babylonian captivity was sent: so
they had done (
Ex 32:4). After the return, and ever since, they have
utterly forsaken idols.
wast called--as thine appropriate
appellation (
Isa 9:6).
from the womb--from the beginning of
Israel's national existence (
Isa 44:2).
9. refrain--literally, "muzzle"; His wrath, after
the return, was to be restrained a while, and then,
because of their sins, let loose again (
Ps 78:38).
for thee--that is, mine anger
towards thee.
10. (See on Isa 1:25).
with silver--rather, "for
silver." I sought by affliction to purify thee, but
thou wast not as silver obtained by melting, but as
dross [GESENIUS]. Thy repentance is not complete: thou art
not yet as refined silver. ROSENMULLER explains, "not
as silver," not with the intense heat needed to
melt silver (it being harder to melt than gold), that is,
not with the most extreme severity. The former view is
better (
Isa 1:25; 42:25; Eze 22:18-20, 22).
chosen--or else [LOWTH], tried
. . . proved: according to GESENIUS, literally,
"to rub with the touchstone," or to cut in pieces
so as to examine (
Zec 13:9; Mal 3:3; 1Pe 1:7).
11. how should my name--MAURER, instead of "My
name" from
Isa 48:9, supplies "My glory" from the next
clause; and translates, "How (shamefully) My glory has
been profaned!" In English Version the sense
is, "I will refrain (
Isa 48:9, that is, not utterly destroy thee), for why
should I permit My name to be polluted, which it would be,
if the Lord utterly destroyed His elect people" (
Eze 20:9)?
not give my glory unto another--If God
forsook His people for ever, the heathen would attribute
their triumph over Israel to their idols; so
God's glory would be given to another.
12-15. The Almighty, who has founded heaven and earth, can,
and will, restore His people.
the first . . . last-- (
Isa 41:4; 44:6).
13. spanned--measured out (
Isa 40:12).
when I call . . . stand up
together-- (
Isa 40:26; Jer 33:25). But it is not their creation so
much which is meant, as that, like ministers of God,
the heavens and the earth are prepared at His command to
execute His decrees (
Ps 119:91) [ROSENMULLER].
14. among them--among the gods and astrologers of the
Chaldees (
Isa 41:22; 43:9; 44:7).
Lord . . . loved him; he
will, &c.--that is, "He whom the Lord hath loved
will do," &c. [LOWTH]; namely, Cyrus (
Isa 44:28; 45:1, 13; 46:11). However, Jehovah's
language of love is too strong to apply to Cyrus, except as
type of Messiah, to whom alone it fully applies (
Re 5:2-5).
his pleasure--not Cyrus' own, but
Jehovah's.
15. brought--led him on his way.
he--change from the first to the third
person [BARNES]. Jehovah shall make his (Cyrus')
way prosperous.
16. not . . . in secret-- (
Isa 45:19). Jehovah foretold Cyrus' advent, not
with the studied ambiguity of heathen oracles, but
plainly.
from the time, &c.--From the
moment that the purpose began to be accomplished in the
raising up of Cyrus I was present.
sent me--The prophet here speaks,
claiming attention to his announcement as to Cyrus, on the
ground of his mission from God and His Spirit. But he
speaks not in his own person so much as in that of Messiah,
to whom alone in the fullest sense the words apply (
Isa 61:1; Joh 10:36). Plainly,
Isa 49:1, which is the continuation of the forty-eighth
chapter, from
Isa 48:16, where the change of speaker from God (
Isa 48:1, 12-15) begins, is the language of Messiah.
Lu 4:1, 14, 18, shows that the Spirit combined with the
Father in sending the Son: therefore "His Spirit"
is nominative to "sent," not
accusative, following it.
17. teacheth . . . to profit--by affliction, such as the Babylonish captivity, and the present long-continued dispersion of Israel ( Heb 12:10).
18. peace-- (
Ps 119:165). Compare the desire expressed by the same
Messiah (
Mt 23:37; Lu 19:42).
river-- (
Isa 33:21; 41:18), a river flowing from God's
throne is the symbol of free, abundant, and ever flowing
blessings from Him (
Eze 47:1; Zec 14:8; Re 22:1).
righteousness--religious
prosperity; the parent of "peace" or
national prosperity; therefore "peace"
corresponds to "righteousness" in the parallelism
(
Isa 32:17).
19. sand--retaining the metaphor of "the sea" (
Isa 48:18).
like the gravel thereof--rather, as
the Hebrew, "like that (the offspring) of its
(the sea's) bowels"; referring to the countless
living creatures, fishes, &c., of the sea, rather than
the gravel [MAURER]. JEROME, Chaldee, and
Syriac support English Version.
his name . . . cut
off--transition from the second person, "thy," to
the third "his." Israel's name was cut off
"as a nation" during the Babylonish captivity;
also it is so now, to which the prophecy especially looks
(
Ro 11:20).
20. Go . . . forth . . . end of the
earth--Primarily, a prophecy of their joyful deliverance
from Babylon, and a direction that they should leave it
when God opened the way. But the publication of it "to
the ends of the earth" shows it has a more world-wide
scope antitypically;
Re 18:4 shows that the mystical Babylon is ultimately
meant.
redeemed . . . Jacob-- (
Isa 43:1; 44:22, 23).
21. Ezra, in describing the return, makes no mention of God cleaving the rock for them in the desert [KIMCHI]. The circumstances, therefore, of the deliverance from Egypt ( Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11; Ps 78:15; 105:41) and of that from Babylon, are blended together; the language, while more immediately referring to the latter deliverance, yet, as being blended with circumstances of the former not strictly applicable to the latter, cannot wholly refer to either, but to the mystic deliverance of man under Messiah, and literally to the final restoration of Israel.
22. Repeated ( Isa 57:21). All the blessings just mentioned ( Isa 48:21) belong only to the godly, not to the wicked. Israel shall first cast away its wicked unbelief before it shall inherit national prosperity ( Zec 12:10-14; 13:1, 9; 14:3, 14, 20, 21). The sentiment holds good also as to all wicked men ( Job 15:20-25, 31-34).
Isa 49:1-26. SIMILAR TO CHAPTER 42:1-7 ( Isa 49:1-9).
Messiah, as the ideal Israel ( Isa 49:3), states the object of His mission, His want of success for a time, yet His certainty of ultimate success.
1. O isles--Messiah is here regarded as having been
rejected by the Jews (
Isa 49:4, 5), and as now turning to the Gentiles, to
whom the Father hath given Him "for a light and
salvation." "Isles" mean all regions
beyond sea.
from the womb-- (
Isa 44:2; Lu 1:31; Joh 10:36).
from . . . bowels
. . . mention of my name--His name
"Jesus" (that is, God-Saviour) was designated by
God before His birth (
Mt 1:21).
2. my mouth . . . sword-- (
Isa 11:4; Re 19:15). The double office of the Word of
God, saving and damnatory, is implied (
Isa 50:4; Joh 12:48; Heb 4:12).
shaft-- (
Ps 45:5). "Polished," that is, free from all
rust, implies His unsullied purity.
in . . . quiver
. . . hid me--Like a sword in its scabbard, or a
shaft in the quiver, Messiah, before His appearing, was
hid with God, ready to be drawn forth at the moment God
saw fit [HENGSTENBERG]; also always protected by
God, as the arrow by the quiver (
Isa 51:16).
3. Israel--applied to Messiah, according to the true import
of the name, the Prince who had power with
God in wrestling in behalf of man, and who prevails (
Ge 32:28; Ho 12:3, 4). He is also the ideal Israel, the
representative man of the nation (compare
Mt 2:15 with Ho 11:1).
in whom . . . glorified--
(
Joh 14:13; 17:1-5).
4. I--Messiah.
in vain--comparatively in the case of
the greater number of His own countrymen. "He
came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (
Isa 53:1-3; Lu 19:14; Joh 1:11; 7:5). Only a hundred
twenty disciples met after His personal ministry was ended
(
Ac 1:15).
yet . . . my judgment
. . . with the Lord--Ultimately, God will do
justice to My cause, and reward (Margin for
"work," compare
Isa 40:10; 62:11) My labors and sufferings. He was
never "discouraged" (
Isa 42:4; 50:7, 10). He calmly, in spite of seeming ill
success for the time, left the result with God, confident
of final triumph (
Isa 53:10-12; 1Pe 2:23). So the ministers of Christ (
1Co 4:1-5; 1Pe 4:19).
5. The reason why He was confident that His work would be
accepted and rewarded, namely, because He is "glorious
in the eyes of Jehovah," &c.
to bring Jacob again to him-- (
Mt 15:24; Ac 3:26).
Though Israel be not
gathered--metaphor from a scattered flock which the
shepherd gathers together again; or a hen and her chickens
(
Mt 23:37). Instead of the text "not," the
Keri has the similar Hebrew word, "to
Him," which the parallelism favors: "And that
Israel may be gathered to Him."
yet--rather, parenthetically.
"For I am glorious, &c., and My God is My
strength." Then (
Isa 49:6) resuming the words from the beginning of
Isa 49:5, "He saith" (I repeat), &c.
HORSLEY explains, "Notwithstanding the incredulity of
the Jews, Messiah shall be glorified in the conversion of
the Gentiles," reading as English Version: but
if the Keri be read, "Israel shall at one time
or other be gathered, notwithstanding their incredulity
during Messiah's sojourn on earth."
6. It is a light thing--"It is too little that Thou
shouldest," [HENGSTENBERG], that is, It is not enough
honor to Thee to raise up Jacob and Israel,
but I design for Thee more, namely, that Thou shouldest be
the means of enlightening the Gentiles (
Isa 42:6, 7; 60:3).
the preserved--namely, those remaining
after the judgments of God on the nation--the elect remnant
of Israel reserved for mercy. LOWTH, with a slight but
needless change of the Hebrew, translates for
"tribes" and "preserved," the
"scions"--the "branches."
7. whom man despiseth--Hebrew, "the despised of
soul," that is, by every soul, by all men (
Isa 52:14, 15; 53:3; 50:6-9; Ps 22:6). LOWTH
translates, "whose person is
despised."
abhorreth--literally, "who is an
abomination to the nation" (
Lu 23:18-23). The Jews contemptuously call Him always
Tolvi, "the crucified." I prefer, on
account of Goi, the Hebrew term for
nation being usually applied to the Gentiles,
and that for people to the Jews (
Ho 1:9; so the Greek terms respectively also
Laos and Ethne,
Ro 9:25), to take "nation" here collectively
for the Gentile world, which also spurned Him (
Ps 2:1-3; Ac 4:25-27).
servant of rulers-- (
Mt 17:27). He who would not exert His power against the
rulers (
Mt 26:52, 53).
shall see--namely the fulfilment of
God's promises (
Isa 49:3, 6), "when He (shall be) a
light to the Gentiles."
arise--to reverence Thee (
Ps 72:10, 11; Php 2:10).
princes also--rather, for the
parallelism, supply the ellipsis, thus, "Princes
shall see and shall worship."
faithful--namely, to His
promises.
choose thee--as God's elect
(
Isa 42:1).
8. Messiah is represented as having asked for the grace of
God in behalf of sinners; this verse contains God the
Father's favorable answer.
an acceptable time--"In a time of
grace" [HENGSTENBERG]. A limited time (
Isa 61:2; 2Co 6:2). The time judged by God to be the
best fitted for effecting the purposes of His grace by
Messiah.
heard thee-- (
Ps 2:8; Heb 5:7).
day of salvation--when "the
fulness of time" (
Ga 4:4) shall have come. The day of salvation is
"to-day" (
Heb 4:7).
helped--given Thee the help needed to
enable Thee, as man, to accomplish man's
salvation.
preserve--from the assaults and
efforts of Satan, to divert Thee from Thy voluntary death
to save man.
covenant of the people--(See on Isa 42:6). "The people,"
in the singular, is always applied exclusively to
Israel.
establish the earth--rather, "to
restore the land," namely, Canaan to Israel.
Spiritually, the restoration of the Church (the
spiritual Israel) to the heavenly land forfeited by
man's sin is also included.
cause to inherit . . .
desolate heritages--image from the desolate state of Judea
during the Babylonish captivity. Spiritually, the Gentile
world, a moral waste, shall become a garden of the Lord.
Literally, Judea lying desolate for ages shall be possessed
again by Israel (compare
Isa 61:7, "in their land"). Jesus, the
antitype of, and bearing the same name as Joshua (
Heb 4:8), shall, like him, divide the land among its
true heirs (
Isa 54:3; 61:4).
9. (
Isa 42:7; Zec 9:12).
prisoners--the Jews bound in legal
bondage.
them . . . in darkness--the
Gentiles having no light as to the one true God
[VITRINGA].
Show yourselves--not only see but be
seen (
Mt 5:16; Mr 5:19). Come forth from the darkness of your
prison into the light of the Sun of righteousness.
in the ways, &c.--In a desert
there are no "ways," nor "high places,"
with "pastures"; thus the sense is: "They
shall have their pastures, not in deserts, but in
cultivated and inhabited places." Laying aside the
figure, the churches of Christ at the first shall be
gathered, not in obscure and unknown regions, but in the
most populous parts of the Roman empire, Antioch,
Alexandria, Rome, &c. [VITRINGA]. Another sense
probably is the right one. Israel, on its way back to the
Holy Land, shall not have to turn aside to devious paths in
search of necessaries, but shall find them in all
places wherever their route lies; so ROSENMULLER. God
will supply them as if He should make the grass grow
in the trodden ways and on the barren high
places.
10. Messiah will abundantly satisfy all the wants, both of literal Israel on their way to Palestine, and of the spiritual on their way to heaven, as their Shepherd ( Isa 65:13; Mt 5:6), also in heaven ( Re 7:16, 17).
11. my--All things are God's.
mountains a way--I will remove all
obstructions out of the way (
Isa 40:4).
exalted--that is, cast up (
Isa 57:14; 62:10); for instance, over valleys. VITRINGA
explains "mountains" as great kingdoms,
Egypt, Syria, &c., subjected to Rome, to facilitate the
spreading of the Gospel; "highways," the
Christian doctrine wherein those who join the Church
walk, and which, at the time of Constantine, was to be
raised into prominence before all, and publicly protected
(
Isa 35:8, 9).
12. Sinim--The Arabians and other Asiatics called China Sin, or Tchin; the Chinese had no special name for themselves, but either adopted that of the reigning dynasty or some high-sounding titles. This view of "Sinim" suits the context which requires a people to be meant "from far," and distinct from those "from the north and from the west" [GESENIUS].
13. So Re 12:12. God will have mercy on the afflicted, because of His compassion; on His afflicted, because of His covenant.
14. Zion--the literal Israel's complaint, as if God had forsaken her in the Babylonian captivity; also in their dispersion previous to their future restoration; thereby God's mercy shall be called forth ( Isa 63:15-19; Ps 77:9, 10; 102:17).
15. ( Isa 44:21; Ps 103:13; Mt 7:11).
16. Alluding to the Jews' custom (perhaps drawn from Ex 13:9) of puncturing on their hands a representation of their city and temple, in token of zeal for them [LOWTH], ( So 8:6).
17. Thy children--Israel (
Isa 49:20, 21; Isa 43:6). JEROME reads, for "Thy
children," "Thy builders"; they that
destroyed thee shall hasten to build thee.
haste--to rebuild thy desolate
capital.
shall go forth--Thy destroyers shall
leave Judea to Israel in undisturbed possession.
18. As Zion is often compared to a bride (
Isa 54:5), so the accession of converts is like bridal
ornaments ("jewels,"
Isa 62:3; Mal 3:17). Her literal children are,
however, more immediately meant, as the context refers to
their restoration; and only secondarily to her
spiritual children by conversion to Christ. Israel
shall be the means of the final complete conversion of the
nations (
Mic 5:7; Ro 11:12, 15).
as a bride--namely, binds on her
ornaments.
19. land of thy destruction--thy land once the scene of
destruction.
too narrow-- (
Isa 54:1, 2; Zec 10:10).
20. children . . . after . . .
other--rather, "the children of thy widowhood,"
that is, the children of whom thou hast been bereft during
their dispersion in other lands (see on
Isa 47:8) [MAURER].
again--rather, "yet."
give place--rather, "stand close
to me," namely, in order that we may be the more able
to dwell in in the narrow place [HORSLEY].
Compare as to Israel's spiritual children, and
the extension of the gospel sphere,
Ro 15:19, 24; 2Co 10:14-16. But
Isa 49:22 (compare
Isa 66:20) shows that her literal children are
primarily meant. GESENIUS translates, "Make
room."
21. Who, &c.--Zion's joyful wonder at the
unexpected restoration of the ten tribes.
Secondarily, the accession of spiritual Israelites to the
mother church of Jerusalem from the Gentiles is meant. This
created surprise at first (
Ac 10:45; 14:27; 15:3, 4).
lost . . . am desolate, a
captive, and removing to and fro--rather, "bereaved of
. . . have been barren, an exile and
outcast" [HORSLEY]. She had been "put away"
by Jehovah, her husband (
Isa 50:1); hence her wonder at the children begotten
to her.
22. lift . . . hand--that is, beckon to (see on
Isa 13:2).
standard-- (
Isa 11:12).
bring . . . sons in
. . . arms--The Gentiles shall aid in restoring
Israel to its own land (
Isa 60:4; 66:20). Children able to support themselves
are carried on the shoulders in the East; but infants, in
the arms, or astride on one haunch (
Isa 60:12). "Thy sons" must be distinct from
"the Gentiles," who carry them; and
therefore cannot primarily refer to converts among the
Gentiles.
23. lick . . . dust--that is, kiss thy feet in
token of humble submission.
for they . . . not
. . . ashamed . . . wait for me--The
restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful
waiting on the Lord (
Isa 30:18, 19; Ps 102:16, 17; Zec 12:10; 14:3).
24. the prey--Israel, long a prey to mighty Gentile
nations, whose oppression of her shall reach its highest
point under Antichrist (
Da 11:36, 37, 41, 45).
lawful captive--the Jews justly
consigned for their sins (
Isa 50:1) as captives to the foe. Secondarily, Satan
and Death are "the mighty" conquerors of man,
upon whom his sin give them their "lawful" claim.
Christ answers that claim for the sinners, and so the
captive is set free (
Job 19:25; 14:14; Mt 12:29; Ho 6:2, where
Isa 49:4 shows the primary reference is to
Israel's restoration, to which the
resurrection corresponds;
Isa 26:19; Eph 4:8; Heb 2:14, 15). Others not so well
translate, "the captives taken from among the
just Israelites."
25. (
Isa 53:12; Ps 68:18; Col 2:15).
contend with him, &c.-- (
Isa 54:17).
26. feed . . . own flesh--a phrase for
internal strifes (
Isa 9:20).
own blood--a just retribution for
their having shed the blood of God's servants (
Re 16:6).
sweet wine--that is, must, or new
wine, the pure juice which flows from the heap of grapes
before they are pressed; the ancients could preserve it for
a long time, so as to retain its flavor. It was so mild
that it required a large quantity to intoxicate; thus the
idea here is that very much blood would be shed (
Re 14:10, 20).
all flesh shall, &c.--the effect
on the world of God's judgments (
Isa 66:15, 16, 18, 19; Re 15:3, 4).
Isa 50:1-11. THE JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL WERE PROVOKED BY THEIR CRIMES, YET THEY ARE NOT FINALLY CAST OFF BY GOD.
1. Where . . . mothers divorcement--Zion is
"the mother"; the Jews are the children; and God
the Husband and Father (
Isa 54:5; 62:5; Jer 3:14). GESENIUS thinks that God
means by the question to deny that He had given
"a bill of divorcement" to her, as was often done
on slight pretexts by a husband (
De 24:1), or that He had "sold" His and her
"children," as a poor parent sometimes did (
Ex 21:7; 2Ki 4:1; Ne 5:5) under pressure of his
"creditors"; that it was they who sold themselves
through their own sins. MAURER explains, "Show
the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom
. . . ; produce the creditors to whom ye have
been sold; so it will be seen that it was not from any
caprice of Mine, but through your own fault, your mother
has been put away, and you sold" (
Isa 52:3). HORSLEY best explains (as the antithesis
between "I" and "yourselves" shows,
though LOWTH translates, "Ye are sold")
I have never given your mother a regular bill of
divorcement; I have merely "put her away" for a
time, and can, therefore, by right as her husband still
take her back on her submission; I have not made you, the
children, over to any "creditor" to satisfy a
debt; I therefore still have the right of a father over
you, and can take you back on repentance, though as
rebellious children you have sold yourselves to sin
and its penalty (
1Ki 21:25).
bill . . . whom--rather,
"the bill with which I have put her
away" [MAURER].
2. I--Messiah.
no man--willing to believe in and obey
Me (
Isa 52:1, 3). The same Divine Person had
"come" by His prophets in the Old Testament
(appealing to them, but in vain,
Jer 7:25, 26), who was about to come under the New
Testament.
hand shortened--the Oriental emblem of
weakness, as the long stretched-out hand is of power
(
Isa 59:1). Notwithstanding your sins, I can still
"redeem" you from your bondage and
dispersion.
dry up . . . sea-- (
Ex 14:21). The second exodus shall exceed, while it
resembles in wonders, the first (
Isa 11:11, 15; 51:15).
make . . . rivers
. . . wilderness--turn the prosperity of
Israel's foes into adversity.
fish stinketh--the very judgment
inflicted on their Egyptian enemies at the first exodus (
Ex 7:18, 21).
3. heavens . . . blackness--another of the
judgments on Egypt to be repeated hereafter on the last
enemy of God's people (
Ex 10:21).
sackcloth-- (
Re 6:12).
4. Messiah, as "the servant of Jehovah" (
Isa 42:1), declares that the office has been assigned
to Him of encouraging the "weary" exiles of
Israel by "words in season" suited to their case;
and that, whatever suffering it is to cost Himself, He does
not shrink from it (
Isa 50:5, 6), for that He knows His cause will triumph
at last (
Isa 50:7, 8).
learned--not in mere human learning,
but in divinely taught modes of instruction and eloquence
(
Isa 49:2; Ex 4:11; Mt 7:28, 29; 13:54).
speak a word in season-- (
Pr 15:23; 25:11). Literally, "to succor by
words," namely, in their season of need, the
"weary" dispersed ones of Israel (
De 28:65-67). Also, the spiritual "weary" (
Isa 42:3; Mt 11:28).
wakeneth morning by morning,
&c.--Compare "daily rising up early" (
Jer 7:25; Mr 1:35). The image is drawn from a master
wakening his pupils early for instruction.
wakeneth . . . ear--prepares
me for receiving His divine instructions.
as the learned--as one taught by Him.
He "learned obedience," experimentally, "by
the things which He suffered"; thus gaining that
practical learning which adapted Him for
"speaking a word in season" to suffering men (
Heb 5:8).
5. opened . . . ear--(See on
Isa 42:20;
Isa 48:8); that is, hath made me obediently
attentive (but M AURER, "hath informed me of my
duty"), as a servant to his master (compare
Ps 40:6-8, with Php 2:7; Isa 42:1; 49:3, 6; 52:13; 53:11;
Mt 20:28; Lu 22:27).
not rebellious--but, on the contrary,
most willing to do the Father's will in proclaiming and
procuring salvation for man, at the cost of His own
sufferings (
Heb 10:5-10).
6. smiters--with scourges and with the open hand (
Isa 52:14; Mr 14:65). Literally fulfilled (
Mt 27:26; 26:27; Lu 18:33). To "pluck the
hair" is the highest insult that can be offered an
Oriental (
2Sa 10:4; La 3:30). "I gave" implies the
voluntary nature of His sufferings; His example corresponds
to His precept (
Mt 5:39).
spitting--To spit in another's
presence is an insult in the East, much more on one; most
of all in the face (
Job 30:10; Mt 27:30; Lu 18:32).
7. Sample of His not being "discouraged" (
Isa 42:4; 49:5).
set . . . face like
. . . flint--set Myself resolutely, not to be
daunted from My work of love by shame or suffering (
Eze 3:8, 9).
8. (
Isa 49:4). The believer, by virtue of his oneness with
Christ, uses the same language (
Ps 138:8; Ro 8:32-34). But "justify" in
His case, is God's judicial acceptance and
vindication of Him on the ground of His own
righteousness (
Lu 23:44-47; Ro 1:4; 1Ti 3:16, with which compare
1Pe 3:18); in their case, on the ground of His
righteousness and meritorious death imputed to them
(
Ro 5:19).
stand together--in judgment, to try
the issue.
adversary--literally, "master of
my cause," that is, who has real ground of accusation
against me, so that he can demand judgment to be given in
his favor (compare
Zec 3:1, &c. Re 12:10).
9. (Compare "deal," or "proper,"
Isa 52:13, Margin;
Isa 53:10; Ps 118:6; Jer 23:5).
as a garment-- (
Isa 51:6, 8; Ps 102:26). A leading constituent of
wealth in the East is change of raiment, which is always
liable to the inroads of the moth; hence the frequency of
the image in Scripture.
10. Messiah exhorts the godly after His example (
Isa 49:4, 5; 42:4) when in circumstances of trial
("darkness,"
Isa 47:5), to trust in the arm of Jehovah alone.
Who is, &c.--that is, Whosoever
(
Jud 7:3).
obeyeth . . .
servant--namely, Messiah. The godly "honor the Son,
even as they honor the Father" (
Joh 5:23).
darkness-- (
Mic 7:8, 9). God never had a son who was not sometimes
in the dark. For even Christ, His only Son, cried out,
"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?"
light--rather, "splendor";
bright sunshine; for the servant of God is never wholly
without "light" [VITRINGA]. A godly man's way
may be dark, but his end shall be peace and light. A wicked
man's way may be bright, but his end shall be utter
darkness (
Ps 112:4; 97:11; 37:24).
let him trust in the name of the
Lord--as Messiah did (
Isa 50:8, 9).
11. In contrast to the godly (
Isa 50:10), the wicked, in times of darkness, instead
of trusting in God, trust in themselves (kindle a
light for themselves to walk by) (
Ec 11:9). The image is continued from
Isa 50:10, "darkness"; human devices for
salvation (
Pr 19:21; 16:9, 25) are like the spark that goes out in
an instant in darkness (compare
Job 18:6; 21:17, with Ps 18:28).
sparks--not a steady light, but
blazing sparks extinguished in a moment.
walk--not a command, but implying that
as surely as they would do so, they should lie down
in sorrow (
Jer 3:25). In exact proportion to mystic Babylon's
previous "glorifying" of herself shall be her
sorrow (
Mt 25:30; 8:12; Re 18:7).
Isa 51:1-23. ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE FAITHFUL REMNANT OF ISRAEL TO TRUST IN GOD FOR DELIVERANCE, BOTH FROM THEIR LONG BABYLONIAN EXILE, AND FROM THEIR PRESENT DISPERSION.
1. me--the God of your fathers.
ye . . . follow after
righteousness--the godly portion of the nation;
Isa 51:7 shows this (
Pr 15:9; 1Ti 6:11). "Ye follow
righteousness," seek it therefore from Me, who
"bring it near," and that a righteousness
"not about to be abolished" (
Isa 51:6, 7); look to Abraham, your father (
Isa 51:2), as a sample of how righteousness before Me
is to be obtained; I, the same God who blessed him, will
bless you at last (
Isa 51:3); therefore trust in Me, and fear not
man's opposition (
Isa 51:7, 8, 12, 13). The mistake of the Jews,
heretofore, has been, not in that they "followed after
righteousness," but in that they followed it "by
the works of the law," instead of "by
faith," as Abraham did (
Ro 9:31, 32; 10:3, 4; 4:2-5).
hole of . . . pit--The idea
is not, as it is often quoted, the inculcation of humility,
by reminding men of the fallen state from which they have
been taken, but that as Abraham, the quarry, as it
were (compare
Isa 48:1), whence their nation was hewn, had been
called out of a strange land to the inheritance of Canaan,
and blessed by God, the same God is able to deliver and
restore them also (compare
Mt 3:9).
2. alone--translate, "I called him when he was but one" ( Eze 33:24). The argument is: the same God who had so blessed "one" individual, as to become a mighty nation ( Ge 12:1; 22:7), can also increase and bless the small remnant of Israel, both that left in the Babylonish captivity, and that left in the present and latter days ( Zec 14:2); "the residue" ( Isa 13:8, 9).
3. For--See for the argument, see on Isa
51:2.
the garden of the Lord--restoration of
the primeval paradise (
Ge 2:8; Eze 28:13; Re 2:7).
melody--Hebrew,
"psalm." God's praises shall again be heard.
4. my people--the Jews. This reading is better than that of
GESENIUS: "O peoples . . . nations,"
namely, the Gentiles. The Jews are called on to hear and
rejoice in the extension of the true religion to the
nations; for, at the first preaching of the Gospel, as in
the final age to come, it was from Jerusalem that
the gospel law was, and is, to go forth (
Isa 2:3).
law . . . judgment--the
gospel dispensation and institutions (
Isa 42:1, "judgment").
make . . . to
rest--establish firmly; found.
light, &c.-- (
Isa 42:6).
5. righteousness . . . near--that is, faithful
fulfilment of the promised deliverance, answering to
"salvation" in the parallel clause (
Isa 46:13; 56:1; Ro 10:8, 9). Ye follow after
"righteousness"; seek it therefore, from Me, and
you will not have far to go for it (
Isa 51:1).
arms--put for Himself; I by My
might.
judge-- (
Isa 2:3, 4; Ps 98:9).
isles, &c.-- (
Isa 60:9).
arm-- (
Ro 1:16), "the power of God unto (the Gentiles as
well as the Jews) salvation."
6. (
Isa 40:6, 8; Ps 102:26; Heb 1:11, 12).
vanish away--literally, "shall be
torn asunder," as a garment [MAURER]; which
accords with the context.
in like manner--But GESENIUS,
"Like a gnat"; like the smallest and vilest
insect. JEROME translates, as English Version, and
infers that "in like manner" as man, the heavens
(that is, the sky) and earth are not to be annihilated, but
changed for the better (
Isa 65:17).
righteousness--My faithfully fulfilled
promise (see on Isa 51:5).
7. know righteousness--(See on Isa 51:1).
8. (See on Isa 50:9; Job 4:18-20). Not that the moth eats men up, but they shall be destroyed by as insignificant instrumentality as the moth that eats a garment.
9. Impassioned prayer of the exiled Jews.
ancient days-- (
Ps 44:1).
Rahab--poetical name for Egypt (see on
Isa 30:7).
dragon--Hebrew, tannin. The
crocodile, an emblem of Egypt, as represented on coins
struck after the conquest of Egypt by Augustus; or rather
here, "its king," Pharaoh (see on Isa 27:1;
Ps 74:13, 14; Eze 32:2, Margin;
Eze 29:3).
10. it--the arm.
Art not Thou the same Almighty power
that . . . ? dried the sea--the Red Sea (
Isa 43:16; Ex 14:21).
11. (
Isa 35:10).
Therefore--assurance of faith; or else
the answer of Jehovah corresponding to their prayer. As
surely as God redeemed Israel out of Egypt, He shall redeem
them from Babylon, both the literal in the age following,
and mystical in the last ages (
Re 18:20, 21). There shall be a second exodus (
Isa 11:11-16; 27:12, 13).
singing--image from the custom of
singing on a journey when a caravan is passing along the
extended plains in the East.
everlasting joy-- (
Jude 24).
sorrow . . . flee away-- (
Re 21:4).
12. comforteth-- (
Isa 51:3; Isa 40:1).
thou--Zion.
son of man--frail and dying as his
parent Adam.
be made as grass--wither as grass (
Isa 40:6, 7).
13. (
Isa 40:12, 26, 28), the same argument of comfort drawn
from the omnipotence of the Creator.
as if . . . ready,
&c.--literally, "when he directs," namely,
his arrow, to destroy (
Ps 21:12; 7:13; 11:2) [MAURER].
14. captive exile--literally, one bowed down as a
captive (
Isa 10:4) [MAURER]. The scene is primarily Babylon, and
the time near the close of the captivity. Secondarily, and
antitypically, the mystical Babylon, the last enemy of
Israel and the Church, in which they have long suffered,
but from which they are to be gloriously delivered.
pit--such as were many of the ancient
dungeons (compare
Jer 38:6, 11, 13; Ge 37:20).
nor . . . bread
. . . fail-- (
Isa 33:16; Jer 37:21).
15. divided . . . sea--the Red Sea. The same Hebrew word as "make to rest" ( Isa 51:4). Rather, "that terrify the sea," that is, restrain it by My rebuke, "when its waves roar" [GESENIUS]. The Hebrew favors MAURER, "that terrify the sea so that the waves roar." The sense favors GESENIUS ( Jer 5:22; 31:35), or English Version ( Isa 51:9, 10, which favors the special reference to the exodus from Egypt).
16. Addressed to Israel, embodied in "the servant of
Jehovah" (
Isa 42:1), Messiah, its ideal and representative Head,
through whom the elect remnant is to be restored.
put my words in thy mouth--true of
Israel, the depository of true religion, but fully realized
only in Israel's Head and antitype, Messiah (
Isa 49:2; 50:4, 5; 59:21; De 18:18; Joh 3:34).
covered . . . in
. . . shadow of . . . hand--protected
thee (see on Isa 49:2).
plant--rather, "fix" as a
tabernacle; so it ought to be rendered (
Da 11:45). The "new creation," now going on
in the spiritual world by the Gospel (
Eph 2:10), and hereafter to be extended to the visible
world, is meant (
Isa 65:17; 66:22; compare
Isa 13:13; 2Pe 3:10-13).
Zion--Its restoration is a leading
part in the new creation to come (
Isa 65:17, 19).
17. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, &c.-- (
Isa 52:1).
drunk--Jehovah's wrath is compared
to an intoxicating draught because it confounds the
sufferer under it, and makes him fall (
Job 21:20; Ps 60:3; 75:8; Jer 25:15, 16; 49:12; Zec 12:2;
Re 14:10); ("poured out without mixture";
rather, "the pure wine juice mixed with intoxicating
drugs").
of trembling--which produced trembling
or intoxication.
wrung . . . out--drained the
last drop out; the dregs were the sediments from various
substances, as honey, dates, and drugs, put into the wine
to increase the strength and sweetness.
18. Following up the image in Isa 51:17, intoxicated and confused by the cup of God's anger, she has none to guide her in her helpless state; she has not yet awakened out of the sleep caused by that draught. This cannot apply to the Babylonish captivity; for in it they had Ezekiel and Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, as "guides," and soon awoke out of that sleep; but it applies to the Jews now, and will be still more applicable in their coming oppression by Antichrist.
19. two--classes of evils, for he enumerates four,
namely, desolation and destruction to the
land and state; famine and the sword to the
people.
who shall be sorry for thee--so as to
give thee effectual relief: as the parallel clause,
"By whom shall I comfort thee?" shows (
La 2:11-13).
20. head of all . . . streets-- (
La 2:19; 4:1).
wild bull--rather, "oryx"
[JEROME], or gazelle [GESENIUS], or wild goat [BOCHART];
commonly in the East taken in a net, of a wide sweep, into
which the beasts were hunted together. The streets of
cities in the East often have gates, which are closed at
night; a person wishing to escape would be stopped by them
and caught, as a wild animal in a net.
21. drunken . . . not with wine-- ( Isa 29:9; compare Isa 51:17, 20, here; La 3:15).
22. pleadeth . . . cause-- (
Ps 35:1; Jer 50:34; Mic 7:9).
no more drink it-- (
Isa 54:7-9). This cannot apply to Israel after the
return from Babylon, but only to them after their final
restoration.
23. (
Isa 49:26; Jer 25:15-29; Zec 12:2).
Bow down that . . . go
over--Conquerors often literally trod on the necks of
conquered kings, as Sapor of Persia did to the Roman
emperor Valerian (
Jos 10:24; Ps 18:40; 66:11, 12).
Isa 52:1-15. FIRST THROUGH THIRTEEN VERSES CONNECTED WITH FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER.
Zion long in bondage ( Isa 51:17-20) is called to put on beautiful garments appropriate to its future prosperity.
1. strength--as thy adornment; answering to "beautiful
garments" in the parallel clause. Arouse thyself from
dejection and assume confidence.
the holy city-- (
Ne 11:1; Re 21:2).
no more . . . unclean-- (
Isa 35:8; 60:21; Joe 3:17; Re 21:27). A prophecy never
yet fulfilled.
uncircumcised--spiritually (
Eze 44:9; Ac 7:51).
2. from the dust--the seat of mourners (
Job 2:12, 13).
arise, and sit--namely, in a more
dignified place: on a divan or a throne [LOWTH], after
having shaken off the dust gathered up by the flowing dress
when seated on the ground; or simply, "Arise, and sit
erect" [MAURER].
bands of . . . neck--the
yoke of thy captivity.
3. As you became your foes' servants, without their paying any price for you ( Jer 15:13), so they shall release you without demanding any price or reward ( Isa 45:13), (where Cyrus is represented as doing so: a type of their final restoration gratuitously in like manner). So the spiritual Israel, "sold under sin," gratuitously ( Ro 7:14), shall be redeemed also gratuitously ( Isa 55:1).
4. My people--Jacob and his sons.
went down--Judea was an elevated
country compared with Egypt.
sojourn--They went there to stay only
till the famine in Canaan should have ceased.
Assyrian--Sennacherib. Remember how I
delivered you from Egypt and the Assyrian; what, then, is
to prevent Me from delivering you out of Babylon (and the
mystical Babylon and the Antichrist in the last
days)?
without cause--answering to "for
naught" in
Isa 52:5; it was an act of gratuitous oppression
in the present case, as in that case.
5. what have I here--that is, what am I called on to do?
The fact "that My people is taken away (into
captivity;
Isa 49:24, 25) for naught" (by gratuitous
oppression,
Isa 52:4; also
Isa 52:3, and see on Isa 52:3)
demands My interposition.
they that rule--or
"tyrannize," namely, Babylon, literal and
mystical.
make . . . to howl--or,
raise a cry of exultation over them [MAURER].
blasphemed--namely, in Babylon:
God's reason for delivering His people, not their
goodness, but for the sake of His holy name (
Eze 20:9, 14).
6. shall know in that day--when Christ shall reveal Himself to Israel sensibly; the only means whereby their obstinate unbelief shall be overcome ( Ps 102:16; Zec 12:10; 14:5).
7. beautiful . . . feet--that is, The
advent of such a herald seen on the distant
"mountains" (see on Isa
40:9; Isa 41:27; Isa 25:6, 7; So
2:17) running in haste with the long-expected
good tidings, is most grateful to the desolated city (
Na 1:15).
good tidings--only partially applying
to the return from Babylon. Fully, and antitypically, the
Gospel (
Lu 2:10, 11), "beginning at Jerusalem" (
Lu 24:47), "the city of the great King" (
Mt 5:35), where Messiah shall, at the final restoration
of Israel, "reign" as peculiarly Zion's God
("Thy God reigneth"; compare
Ps 2:6).
8. watchmen--set on towers separated by intervals to give
the earliest notice of the approach of any messenger with
tidings (compare
Isa 21:6-8). The Hebrew is more forcible than
English Version, "The voice of thy
watchmen" (exclamatory as in
So 2:8). "They lift up their voice! together they
sing."
eye to eye--that is, close at hand,
and so clearly [GESENIUS];
Nu 14:14, "face to face";
Nu 12:8, "mouth to mouth." Compare
1Co 13:12; Re 22:4, of which Simeon's sight of the
Saviour was a prefiguration (
Lu 2:30). The watchmen, spiritually, are ministers and
others who pray for the peace of Jerusalem (
Isa 62:6, 7),
bring again--that is, restore. Or
else, "return to" [MAURER].
9. (
Isa 14:7, 8; 42:11).
redeemed--spiritually and nationally
(
Isa 48:20).
10. made bare . . . arm--metaphor from warriors
who bare their arm for battle (
Eze 4:7).
all . . . earth
. . . see . . . salvation of
. . . God--The deliverance wrought by God for
Israel will cause all nations to acknowledge the Lord (
Isa 66:18-20). The partial fulfilment (
Lu 3:6) is a forerunner of the future complete
fulfilment.
11. (
Isa 48:20; Zec 2:6, 7). Long residence in Babylon made
many loath to leave it: so as to mystical Babylon (
Re 18:4).
ye . . . that bear
. . . vessels of the Lord--the priests and
Levites, whose office it was to carry the vessels of the
temple (
Jer 27:18). Nebuchadnezzar had carried them to Babylon
(
2Ch 36:18). Cyrus restored them (
Ezr 1:7-11).
be . . . clean--by
separating yourselves wholly from Babylonian idolaters,
mystical and literal.
12. not . . . with haste--as when ye left Egypt
(
Ex 12:33, 39; De 16:3; compare Note, see on Isa 28:16). Ye shall have time to
cleanse yourselves and make deliberate preparation for
departure.
Lord--Jehovah, as your Leader in front
(
Isa 40:3; Ex 23:20; Mic 2:13).
rereward--literally, "gather
up," that is, to bring up the rear of your host. The
transition is frequent from the glory of Messiah in His
advent to reign, to His humiliation in His advent to
suffer. Indeed, so are both advents accounted one, that He
is not said, in His second coming, to be about to
return, but to come.
13. Here the fifty-third chapter ought to begin, and the
fifty-second chapter end with
Isa 52:12. This section, from here to end of the
fifty-third chapter settles the controversy with the Jews,
if Messiah be the person meant; and with infidels, if
written by Isaiah, or at any time before Christ. The
correspondence with the life and death of Jesus Christ is
so minute, that it could not have resulted from conjecture
or accident. An impostor could not have shaped the
course of events so as to have made his character and
life appear to be a fulfilment of it. The writing is,
moreover, declaredly prophetic. The quotations of it
in the New Testament show: (1) that it was, before the time
of Jesus, a recognized part of the Old Testament; (2) that
it refers to Messiah (
Mt 8:17; Mr 15:28; Lu 22:37; Joh 12:38; Ac 8:28-35; Ro
10:16; 1Pe 2:21-25). The indirect allusions to it still
more clearly prove the Messianic interpretation; so
universal was that interpretation, that it is simply
referred to in connection with the atoning virtue of
His death, without being formally quoted (
Mr 9:12; Ro 4:25; 1Co 15:3; 2Co 5:21; 1Pe 1:19; 2:21-25;
1Jo 3:5). The genuineness of the passage is certain;
for the Jews would not have forged it, since it is
opposed to their notion of Messiah, as a triumphant
temporal prince. The Christians could not have
forged it; for the Jews, the enemies of Christianity, are
"our librarians" [PALEY]. The Jews try to evade
its force by the figment of two Messiahs, one a suffering
Messiah (Ben Joseph), the other a triumphant Messiah (Ben
David). HILLEL maintained that Messiah has already come in
the person of Hezekiah. BUXTORF states that many of the
modern Rabbins believe that He has been come a good while,
but will not manifest Himself because of the sins of the
Jews. But the ancient Jews, as the Chaldee paraphrast,
Jonathan, refer it to Messiah; so the Medrasch
Tauchuma (a commentary on the Pentateuch); also Rabbi
Moses Haddarschan (see HENGSTENBERG, Christology of the
Old Testament). Some explain it of the Jewish
people, either in the Babylonish exile, or in their
present sufferings and dispersion. Others, the pious
portion of the nation taken collectively, whose sufferings
made a vicarious satisfaction for the ungodly. Others,
Isaiah, or Jeremiah [G ESENIUS], the prophets
collectively. But an individual is plainly
described: he suffers voluntarily, innocently,
patiently, and as the efficient cause of the righteousness
of His people, which holds good of none other but Messiah
(
Isa 53:4-6, 9, 11; contrast
Jer 20:7; 15:10-21; Ps 137:8, 9).
Isa 53:9 can hold good of none other. The objection
that the sufferings (
Isa 53:1-10) referred to are represented as
past, the glorification alone as future (
Isa 52:13-15; 53:11, 12) arises from not seeing that
the prophet takes his stand in the midst of the
scenes which he describes as future. The greater nearness
of the first advent, and the interval between it and the
second, are implied by the use of the past tense as
to the first, the future as to the second.
Behold--awakening attention to the
striking picture of Messiah that follows (compare
Joh 19:5, 14).
my servant--Messiah (
Isa 42:1).
deal prudently--rather,
"prosper" [GESENIUS] as the parallel clause
favors (
Isa 53:10). Or, uniting both meanings, "shall
reign well" [H ENGSTENBERG]. This verse sets forth in
the beginning the ultimate issue of His sufferings, the
description of which follows: the conclusion (
Isa 53:12) corresponds; the section (
Isa 52:13; 53:12) begins as it ends with His final
glory.
extolled--elevated (
Mr 16:19; Eph 1:20-22; 1Pe 3:22).
14, 15. Summary of Messiah's history, which is set
forth more in detail in the fifty-third chapter. "Just
as many were astonished (accompanied with aversion,
Jer 18:16; 19:8), &c.; his visage, &c.; so
shall He sprinkle," &c.; Israel in this answers to
its antitype Messiah, now "an astonishment and
byword" (
De 28:37), hereafter about to be a blessing and means
of salvation to many nations (
Isa 2:2, 3; Mic 5:7).
thee; his--Such changes of persons are
common in Hebrew poetry.
marred--Hebrew,
"disfigurement"; abstract for concrete; not only
disfigured, but disfigurement itself.
more than man--CASTALIO translates,
"so that it was no longer that of a man" (compare
Ps 22:6). The more perfect we may suppose the
"body prepared" (
Heb 10:5) for Him by God, the sadder by contrast was
the "marring" of His visage and form.
15. sprinkle many--GESENIUS, for the antithesis to "be
astonished," translates, "shall cause
. . . to exult." But the word universally in
the Old Testament means either to sprinkle with
blood, as the high priest makes an expiation (
Le 4:6; 16:18, 19); or with water, to purify (
Eze 36:25; compare as to the Spirit,
Ac 2:33), both appropriate to Messiah (
Joh 13:8; Heb 9:13, 14; 10:22; 12:24; 1Pe 1:2). The
antithesis is sufficient without any forced rendering.
Many were astonished; so many (not merely men,
but) nations shall be sprinkled. They were amazed at
such an abject person claiming to be Messiah; yet it
is He who shall justify and purify. Men were dumb
with the amazement of scorn at one marred more than the
lowest of men, yet the highest: even kings
(
Isa 49:7, 23) shall be dumb with awe and
veneration ("shut . . . mouths";
Job 29:9, 10; Mic 7:16).
that . . . not
. . . told them--the reason why kings shall so
venerate them; the wonders of redemption, which had not
been before told them, shall then be announced to them,
wonders such as they had never heard or seen parallelled
(
Isa 55:1; Ro 15:21; 16:25, 26).
Isa 53:1-12. MAN'S UNBELIEF: MESSIAH'S VICARIOUS SUFFERINGS, AND FINAL TRIUMPH FOR MAN.
The speaker, according to HORSLEY, personates the repenting Jews in the latter ages of the world coming over to the faith of the Redeemer; the whole is their penitent confession. This view suits the context ( Isa 52:7-9), which is not to be fully realized until Israel is restored. However, primarily, it is the abrupt exclamation of the prophet: "Who hath believed our report," that of Isaiah and the other prophets, as to Messiah? The infidel's objection from the unbelief of the Jews is anticipated and hereby answered: that unbelief and the cause of it (Messiah's humiliation, whereas they looked for One coming to reign) were foreseen and foretold.
1. report--literally, "the thing heard,"
referring to which sense Paul says, "So, then, faith
cometh by hearing" (
Ro 10:16, 17).
arm--power (
Isa 40:10); exercised in miracles and in saving
men (
Ro 1:16; 1Co 1:18). The prophet, as if present during
Messiah's ministry on earth, is deeply moved to see
how few believed on Him (
Isa 49:4; Mr 6:6; 9:19; Ac 1:15). Two reasons
are given why all ought to have believed: (1) The
"report" of the "ancient prophets." (2)
"The arm of Jehovah" exhibited in Messiah while
on earth. In HORSLEY'S view, this will be the penitent
confession of the Jews, "How few of our nation, in
Messiah's days, believed in Him!"
2. tender plant--Messiah grew silently and insensibly, as a
sucker from an ancient stock, seemingly dead (namely, the
house of David, then in a decayed state) (see on Isa 11:1).
shall grow . . .
hath--rather, "grew up . . .
had."
before him--before Jehovah. Though
unknown to the world (
Joh 1:11), Messiah was observed by God, who
ordered the most minute circumstances attending His
growth.
root--that is, sprout from a
root.
form--beautiful form: sorrow had
marred His once beautiful form.
and when we shall see--rather, joined
with the previous words, "Nor comeliness
(attractiveness) that we should look (with delight)
on Him."
there is--rather, "was." The
studied reticence of the New Testament as to His form,
stature, color, &c., was designed to prevent our
dwelling on the bodily, rather than on His moral beauty,
holiness, love, &c., also a providential protest
against the making and veneration of images of Him. The
letter of P. LENTULUS to the emperor Tiberius, describing
His person, is spurious; so also the story of His sending
His portrait to Abgar, king of Edessa; and the alleged
impression of His countenance on the handkerchief of
Veronica. The former part of this verse refers to His birth
and childhood; the latter to His first public appearance
[VITRINGA].
3. rejected--"forsaken of men" [G
ESENIUS]. "Most abject of men." Literally,
"He who ceases from men," that is, is no
longer regarded as a man [HENGSTENBERG]. (See on Isa 52:14;
Isa 49:7).
man of sorrows--that is, whose
distinguishing characteristic was sorrows.
acquainted with--familiar by constant
contact with.
grief--literally, "disease";
figuratively for all kinds of calamity (
Jer 6:14); leprosy especially represented this,
being a direct judgment from God. It is remarkable Jesus is
not mentioned as having ever suffered under sickness.
and we hid . . .
faces--rather, as one who causes men to
hide their faces from Him (in aversion) [MAURER]. Or,
"He was as an hiding of the face before it," that
is, as a thing before which a man covers his face in
disgust [HENGSTENBERG]. Or, "as one before whom is the
covering of the face"; before whom one covers the face
in disgust [GESENIUS].
we--the prophet identifying himself
with the Jews. See HORSLEY'S view (see on Isa 53:1).
esteemed . . .
not--negative contempt; the previous words express
positive.
4. Surely . . . our griefs--literally,
"But yet He hath taken (or borne)
our sicknesses," that is, they who despised Him
because of His human infirmities ought rather to have
esteemed Him on account of them; for thereby "Himself
took OUR infirmities" (bodily diseases).
So
Mt 8:17 quotes it. In the Hebrew for
"borne," or took, there is probably the
double notion, He took on Himself vicariously (so
Isa 53:5, 6, 8, 12), and so He took away; His
perfect humanity whereby He was bodily afflicted for
us, and in all our afflictions (
Isa 63:9; Heb 4:15) was the ground on which He cured
the sick; so that Matthew's quotation is not a mere
accommodation. See Note 42 of A RCHBISHOP MAGEE,
Atonement. The Hebrew there may mean to
overwhelm with darkness; Messiah's time of darkness
was temporary (
Mt 27:45), answering to the bruising of His
heel; Satan's is to be eternal, answering to the
bruising of his head (compare
Isa 50:10).
carried . . . sorrows--The
notion of substitution strictly.
"Carried," namely, as a burden.
"Sorrows," that is, pains of the mind; as
"griefs" refer to pains of the body (
Ps 32:10; 38:17).
Mt 8:17 might seem to oppose this: "And bare our
sicknesses." But he uses "sicknesses"
figuratively for sins, the cause of them. Christ
took on Himself all man's "infirmities;" so
as to remove them; the bodily by direct miracle, grounded
on His participation in human infirmities; those of the
soul by His vicarious suffering, which did away with the
source of both. Sin and sickness are ethically
connected as cause and effect (
Isa 33:24; Ps 103:3; Mt 9:2; Joh 5:14; Jas 5:15).
we did esteem him stricken--judicially
[LOWTH], namely, for His sins; whereas it was for
ours. "We thought Him to be a leper"
[JEROME, Vulgate], leprosy being the direct divine
judgment for guilt (
Le 13:1-59; Nu 12:10, 15; 2Ch 26:18-21).
smitten--by divine judgments.
afflicted--for His sins; this was the
point in which they so erred (
Lu 23:34; Ac 3:17; 1Co 2:8). He was, it is true,
"afflicted," but not for His sins.
5. wounded--a bodily wound; not mere mental sorrow;
literally, "pierced"; minutely appropriate to
Messiah, whose hands, feet, and side were pierced (
Ps 22:16). The Margin, wrongly, from a
Hebrew root, translates, "tormented."
for . . . for-- (
Ro 4:25; 2Co 5:21; Heb 9:28; 1Pe 2:24; 3:18) --the
cause for which He suffered not His own, but our
sins.
bruised--crushing inward and outward
suffering (see on Isa 53:10).
chastisement--literally, the
correction inflicted by a parent on children for
their good (
Heb 12:5-8, 10, 11). Not punishment strictly;
for this can have place only where there is guilt, which He
had not; but He took on Himself the chastisement whereby
the peace (reconciliation with our Father;
Ro 5:1; Eph 2:14, 15, 17) of the children of God was
to be effected (
Heb 2:14).
upon him--as a burden; parallel to
"hath borne" and "carried."
stripes--minutely prophetical of His
being scourged (
Mt 27:26; 1Pe 2:24).
healed--spiritually (
Ps 41:4; Jer 8:22).
6. Penitent confession of believers and of Israel in the
last days (
Zec 12:10).
sheep . . . astray-- (
Ps 119:176; 1Pe 2:25). The antithesis is, "In
ourselves we were scattered; in Christ we are collected
together; by nature we wander, driven headlong to
destruction; in Christ we find the way to the gate of
life" [C ALVIN]. True, also, literally of Israel
before its coming restoration (
Eze 34:5, 6; Zec 10:2, 6; compare with
Eze 34:23, 24; Jer 23:4, 5; also
Mt 9:36).
laid--"hath made to light
on Him" [LOWTH]. Rather, "hath made to rush upon
Him" [MAURER].
the iniquity--that is, its
penalty; or rather, as in
2Co 5:21; He was not merely a sin offering
(which would destroy the antithesis to
"righteousness"), but "sin for us"; sin
itself vicariously; the representative of the aggregate
sin of all mankind; not sins in the
plural, for the "sin" of the world is
one (
Ro 5:16, 17); thus we are made not merely
righteous, but righteousness, even "the
righteousness of God." The innocent was
punished as if guilty, that the guilty might be
rewarded as if innocent. This verse could be said of
no mere martyr.
7. oppressed--LOWTH translates, "It was
exacted, and He was made answerable." The verb
means, "to have payment of a debt sternly
exacted" (
De 15:2, 3), and so to be oppressed in general;
the exaction of the full penalty for our sins in His
sufferings is probably alluded to.
and . . . afflicted--or,
and yet He suffered, or bore Himself patiently,
&c. [HENGSTENBERG and MAURER]. LOWTH'S translation,
"He was made answerable," is hardly admitted by
the Hebrew.
opened not . . . mouth--
Jer 11:19; and David in
Ps 38:13, 14; 39:9, prefiguring Messiah (
Mt 26:63; 27:12, 14; 1Pe 2:23).
8. Rather, "He was taken away (that is, cut off) by
oppression and by a judicial sentence"; a hendiadys
for, "by an oppressive judicial sentence" [LOWTH
and HENGSTENBERG]. GESENIUS not so well, "He was
delivered from oppression and punishment" only by
death. English Version also translates, "from
. . . from," not "by . . .
by." But "prison" is not true of Jesus, who
was not incarcerated; restraint and bonds (
Joh 18:24) more accord with the Hebrew.
Ac 8:33; translate as the Septuagint: "In
His humiliation His judgment (legal trial) was taken
away"; the virtual sense of the Hebrew as
rendered by LOWTH and sanctioned by the inspired writer of
Acts; He was treated as one so mean that a fair trial was
denied Him (
Mt 26:59; Mr 14:55-59). HORSLEY translates, "After
condemnation and judgment He was
accepted."
who . . . declare
. . . generation--who can set forth (the
wickedness of) His generation? that is, of His
contemporaries [ALFORD on
Ac 8:33], which suits best the parallelism, "the
wickedness of His generation" corresponding to
"oppressive judgment." But L UTHER, "His
length of life," that is, there shall be no end of
His future days (
Isa 53:10; Ro 6:9). CALVIN includes the days of His
Church, which is inseparable from Himself.
HENGSTENBERG, "His posterity." He, indeed, shall
be cut off, but His race shall be so numerous that
none can fully declare it. CHYRSOSTOM, &c., "His
eternal sonship and miraculous incarnation."
cut off--implying a violent
death (
Da 9:26).
my people--Isaiah, including himself
among them by the word "my" [HENGSTENBERG].
Rather, JEHOVAH speaks in the person of His prophet,
"My people," by the election of grace (
Heb 2:13).
was he stricken--Hebrew,
"the stroke (was laid) upon Him." GESENIUS says
the Hebrew means "them"; the collective
body, whether of the prophets or people, to which the Jews
refer the whole prophecy. But JEROME, the Syriac,
and Ethiopiac versions translate it "Him";
so it is singular in some passages;
Ps 11:7, His;
Job 27:23, Him;
Isa 44:15, thereto. The Septuagint, the
Hebrew, lamo, "upon Him," read the similar
words, lamuth, "unto death," which would
at once set aside the Jewish interpretation, "upon
them." O RIGEN, who laboriously compared the
Hebrew with the Septuagint, so read it, and
urged it against the Jews of his day, who would have denied
it to be the true reading if the word had not then really
so stood in the Hebrew text [L OWTH]. If his sole
authority be thought insufficient, perhaps lamo may
imply that Messiah was the representative of the
collective body of all men; hence the equivocal
plural-singular form.
9. Rather, "His grave was appointed," or
"they appointed Him His grave" [HENGSTENBERG];
that is, they intended (by crucifying Him with two
thieves,
Mt 27:38) that He should have His grave "with the
wicked." Compare
Joh 19:31, the denial of honorable burial being
accounted a great ignominy (see on Isa
14:19;
Jer 26:23).
and with . . . rich--rather,
"but He was with a rich man," &c.
GESENIUS, for the parallelism to "the wicked,"
translates "ungodly" (the effect of riches
being to make one ungodly); but the Hebrew
everywhere means "rich," never by itself ungodly;
the parallelism, too, is one of contrast; namely, between
their design and the fact, as it was ordered
by God (
Mt 27:57; Mr 15:43-46; Joh 19:39, 40); two rich men
honored Him at His death, Joseph of Arimathæa, and
Nicodemus.
in his death--Hebrew,
"deaths." LOWTH translates, "His tomb";
bamoth, from a different root, meaning "high
places," and so mounds for sepulture (
Eze 43:7). But all the versions oppose this, and the
Hebrew hardly admits it. Rather translate,
"after His death" [H ENGSTENBERG]; as we
say, "at His death." The plural,
"deaths," intensifies the force; as Adam by sin
"dying died" (
Ge 2:17, Margin); that is, incurred death,
physical and spiritual. So Messiah, His substitute, endured
death in both senses; spiritual, during His temporary
abandonment by the Father; physical, when He gave up the
ghost.
because--rather, as the sense demands
(so in
Job 16:17), "although He had done no,"
&c. [HENGSTENBERG], (
1Pe 2:20-22; 1Jo 3:5).
violence--that is, wrong.
10. Transition from His humiliation to His
exaltation.
pleased the Lord--the secret of His
sufferings. They were voluntarily borne by Messiah, in
order that thereby He might "do Jehovah's
will" (
Joh 6:38; Heb 10:7, 9), as to man's redemption; so
at the end of the verse, "the pleasure of the
LORD shall prosper in His hand."
bruise--(see
Isa 53:5);
Ge 3:15, was hereby fulfilled, though the Hebrew
word for "bruise," there, is not the one used
here. The word "Himself," in Matthew, implies a
personal bearing on Himself of our maladies,
spiritual and physical, which included as a
consequence His ministration to our bodily ailments:
these latter are the reverse side of sin; His bearing on
Him our spiritual malady involved with it His bearing
sympathetically, and healing, the outward: which is its
fruits and its type. HENGSTENBERG rightly objects to M
AGEE'S translation, "taken away," instead of
"borne," that the parallelism to
"carried" would be destroyed. Besides, the
Hebrew word elsewhere, when connected with sin,
means to bear it and its punishment (
Eze 18:20). Matthew, elsewhere, also sets forth His
vicarious atonement (
Mt 20:28).
when thou, &c.--rather, as
Margin, "when His soul (that is, He) shall have
made an offering," &c. In the English
Version the change of person is harsh: from Jehovah,
addressed in the second person (
Isa 53:10), to Jehovah speaking in the first person in
Isa 53:11. The Margin rightly makes the prophet
in the name of Jehovah Himself to speak in this
verse.
offering for sin-- (
Ro 3:25; 1Jo 2:2; 4:10).
his seed--His spiritual posterity
shall be numerous (
Ps 22:30); nay, more, though He must die, He shall
see them. A numerous posterity was accounted a high
blessing among the Hebrews; still more so, for one to live
to see them (
Ge 48:11; Ps 128:6).
prolong . . . days--also
esteemed a special blessing among the Jews (
Ps 91:16). Messiah shall, after death, rise again to an
endless life (
Ho 6:2; Ro 6:9).
prosper-- (
Isa 52:13, Margin).
11. Jehovah is still speaking.
see of the travail--He shall see such
blessed fruits resulting from His sufferings as amply to
repay Him for them (
Isa 49:4, 5; 50:5, 9). The "satisfaction," in
seeing the full fruit of His travail of soul in the
conversion of Israel and the world, is to be realized in
the last days (
Isa 2:2-4).
his knowledge--rather, the
knowledge (experimentally) of Him (
Joh 17:3; Php 3:10).
my . . . servant--Messiah
(
Isa 42:1; 52:13).
righteous--the ground on which He
justifies others, His own righteousness (
1Jo 2:1).
justify--treat as if righteous;
forensically; on the ground of His meritorious
suffering, not their righteousness.
bear . . . iniquities-- (
Isa 53:4, 5), as the sinner's substitute.
12. divide--as a conqueror dividing the spoil after a
victory (
Ps 2:8; Lu 11:22).
him--for Him.
with . . .
great--HENGSTENBERG translates, "I will give Him the
mighty for a portion"; so the Septuagint. But
the parallel clause, "with the strong," favors
English Version. His triumphs shall be not merely
among the few and weak, but among the many and
mighty.
spoil . . . strong-- (
Col 2:15; compare
Pr 16:19). "With the great; with the mighty,"
may mean, as a great and mighty hero.
poured out . . . soul--that
is, His life, which was considered as residing in the blood
(
Le 17:11; Ro 3:25).
numbered with, &c.--not that He
was a transgressor, but He was treated as
such, when crucified with thieves (
Mr 15:28; Lu 22:37).
made intercession, &c.--This
office He began on the cross (
Lu 23:34), and now continues in heaven (
Isa 59:16; Heb 9:24; 1Jo 2:1). Understand
because before "He was numbered . . . He
bare . . . made intercession." His
meritorious death and intercession are the cause of His
ultimate triumph. M AURER, for the parallelism, translates,
"He was put on the same footing with the
transgressors." But English Version agrees
better with the Hebrew, and with the sense and fact
as to Christ. MAURER'S translation would make a
tautology after "He was numbered with the
transgressors"; parallelism does not need so servile a
repetition. "He made intercession for,"
&c., answers to the parallel, "He was numbered
with," &c., as effect answers to
cause, His intercession for sinners being the effect
flowing from His having been numbered with them.
Isa 54:1-17. THE FRUIT OF MESSIAH'S SUFFERINGS, AND OF ISRAEL'S FINAL PENITENCE AT HER PAST UNBELIEF ( Isa 53:6): HER JOYFUL RESTORATION AND ENLARGEMENT BY JEHOVAH, WHOSE WRATH WAS MOMENTARY, BUT HIS KINDNESS EVERLASTING.
Israel converted is compared to a wife ( Isa 54:5; Isa 62:5) put away for unfaithfulness, but now forgiven and taken home again. The converted Gentiles are represented as a new progeny of the long-forsaken but now restored wife. The pre-eminence of the Hebrew Church as the mother Church of Christendom is the leading idea; the conversion of the Gentiles is mentioned only as part of her felicity [HORSLEY].
1. Sing--for joy (
Zep 3:14).
barren--the Jewish Church once
forsaken by God, and therefore during that time destitute
of spiritual children (
Isa 54:6).
didst not bear--during the Babylonian
exile primarily. Secondarily, and chiefly, during
Israel's present dispersion.
the children--the Gentiles adopted by
special grace into the original Church (
Isa 54:3; Isa 49:20, 21).
than . . . married
wife--than were her spiritual children, when Israel was
still a married wife (under the law, before the Babylonian
exile), before God put her away [M AURER]. So Paul
contrasts the universal Church of the New Testament with
the Church of the Old Testament legal dispensation, quoting
this very passage (
Ga 4:27). But the full accomplishment of it is yet
future.
2. (
Isa 49:19, 20; Jer 31:31-36, 38, 39). Thy children
shall be so many that thy borders must be extended to
contain them.
curtains--the cloth forming the
covering of the tent.
spare not--give abundantly the means
for the enlargement of the Church (
2Co 9:5-7).
cords . . . stakes--The more
the tent is enlarged by lengthening the cords by which the
cloth covering is fastened to the ground, the more the
stakes supporting the tent need to be strengthened; the
Church is not merely to seek new converts, but to
strengthen those she has in the faith. The image is
appropriate, as the tabernacle was the symbol of the old
Israelitish Church (see on Isa
33:20).
3. break forth--rather, "burst forth" with
increase; thy offspring shall grow, answering to "thy
seed" in the parallel clause.
thy seed--Israel and her children, as
distinguished from "the Gentiles."
desolate cities--of Israel (
Isa 44:26).
4. (
Isa 41:10, 14).
shame of thy youth--Israel's
unfaithfulness as wife of Jehovah, almost from her
earliest history.
reproach of widowhood--Israel's
punishment in her consequent dismissal from God and
barrenness of spiritual children in Babylon and her present
dispersion (
Isa 54:1; Isa 49:21; Jer 3:24, 25; 31:19; Ho 2:2-5).
5. (
Isa 62:5; Jer 3:14). That God was Israel's
"Maker," both as individuals and as the
theocratic kingdom, is the pledge of assurance that He will
be her Redeemer (
Isa 43:1-3). Hebrew, "makers
. . . husbands"; plural for
singular, to denote excellency.
of Israel . . . whole
earth--Not until He manifests Himself as God of
Israel shall He appear as God of the whole earth
(
Ps 102:13, 15, 16; Zec 14:5, 9).
6. called--that is, recalled: the prophetic past for the
future.
forsaken--that had been
forsaken.
when thou--or, "when she
was rejected"; one who had been a wife of youth (
Eze 16:8, 22, 60; Jer 2:2) at the time when
(thou, or) she was rejected for infidelity [MAURER].
"A wife of youth but afterwards rejected"
[LOWTH].
7. small moment--as compared with Israel's coming
long prosperity (
Isa 26:20; 60:10). So the spiritual Israel (
Ps 30:5; 2Co 4:17).
gather thee--to Myself from thy
dispersions.
8. In a little wrath--rather, "In the overflowing of
wrath"; as
Pr 27:4, Margin, [GESENIUS]. The wrath, though
but "for a moment," was overflowing while it
lasted.
hid . . . face-- (
Isa 8:17; Ps 30:7).
everlasting--in contrast to "for
a moment."
9. I am about to do the same in this instance as in Noah's flood. As I swore then that it should not return ( Ge 8:21; 9:11), and I kept that promise, so I swear now to My people, and will perform My promise, that there shall be no return of the deluge of My wrath upon them. LOWTH, on insufficient authority, reads (the same will I do now as), "in the days of Noah."
10. (
Isa 51:6; Ps 89:33, 34; Ro 11:29).
covenant of my peace-- (
2Sa 23:5). The covenant whereby I have made thee at
peace with Me.
11. not comforted--by anyone; none gave her help or
comfort.
lay . . . with fair
colours--rather, "lay . . . in cement of
vermilion" [LOWTH]. The Hebrew for
"fair colors" means stibium, the paint
with which Eastern women painted their eyelids and
eyelashes (
2Ki 9:30). The very cement shall be of the most
beautiful color (
Re 21:18-21).
12. windows--rather, "battlements"; literally,
"suns"; applied to battlements from their
radiated appearance.
agates--rather,
"rubies."
carbuncles--literally, "sparkling
gems"; the carbuncle when held to the sun becomes like
a burning coal.
all thy borders--rather, "thy
whole circuit," consisting of precious stones.
The glory of the Church on earth, when the Hebrew Church,
according to the original design, shall be the metropolis
of Christendom.
13. Quoted by the Saviour (
Joh 6:45), to prove that in order to come to Him, men
must be "drawn" by the Father. So
Jer 31:34; Mic 4:2; 1Co 2:10; Heb 8:10; 10:16; 1Jo
2:20.
great . . . peace--generally
(
Ps 119:165). Specially referring to the peaceful
prosperity which shall prevail under Messiah in the
latter days (
Isa 2:4, 9:6).
14. righteousness--the characteristic of the reign of
Messiah (
Isa 11:4, 5; Ps 72:2, 4; Re 19:11).
far from oppression, &c.--far from
suffering oppression; "for thou shall have
nothing to fear."
15. gather together, &c.--that is, If it should happen
that enemies "gather together" against thee (
Ps 2:2), they will not have been sent by
Me (compare
Ho 8:4) as instruments of My wrath (nay, it will
be with My disapproval); for "whosoever shall gather
together," &c. (
Ps 59:3).
fall for thy sake--rather, "shall
come over to thy side" [LOWTH]. Literally,
"fall to thee" (
Jer 21:9; 39:9). To be fully fulfilled to
Jerusalem hereafter (
Zec 14:16).
16. The workman that forms "weapons against thee"
(
Isa 54:17) is wholly in My power, therefore thou
needest not fear, having Me on thy side.
for his work--rather, "by his
labor [HORSLEY]. "According to the exigencies of his
work" [MAURER].
waster to destroy-- (
Isa 10:5-7; 37:26, 27; 45:1-6). Desolating conquerors
who use the "instruments" framed by "the
smith." The repetition of the "I" implies,
however, something in the latter half of the verse
contrasted with the former understand it, therefore, thus:
"I have in My power both him who frames arms and him
who destroys them (arms)" [ROSENMULLER].
17. tongue . . . condemn--image from a court of
justice. Those who desire to "condemn" thee
thou shalt "condemn" (
Ex 11:7; Jos 10:21; Ps 64:8; Ro 8:1, 33).
righteousness . . . of me--
(
Isa 45:24; 46:13). Rather, "(this is) their
justification from Me." Their enemies would
"condemn" them, but I justify and vindicate them,
and so they condemn their enemies.
Isa 55:1-13. THE CALL OF THE GENTILE WORLD TO FAITH THE RESULT OF GOD'S GRACE TO THE JEWS FIRST.
1. every one--After the special privileges of Israel
(
Isa 54:1-17) there follow, as the consequence, the
universal invitation to the Gentiles (
Lu 24:47; Ro 11:12, 15).
Ho--calls the most earnest
attention.
thirsteth--has a keen sense of need
(
Mt 5:6).
waters . . . wine and
milk--a gradation. Not merely water, which is needed
to maintain life at all, but wine and milk to
strengthen, cheer, and nourish; the spiritual blessings of
the Gospel are meant (
Isa 25:6; So 5:1; Joh 7:37). "Waters,"
plural, to denote abundance (
Isa 43:20; 44:3).
no money--Yet, in
Isa 55:2, it is said, "ye spend money." A
seeming paradox. Ye are really spiritual bankrupts: but
thinking yourselves to have money, namely, a devotion of
your own making, ye lavish it on that "which is not
bread," that is, on idols, whether literal or
spiritual.
buy . . . without
money--another paradox. We are bought, but not with
a price paid by ourselves (
1Co 6:20; 1Pe 1:18, 19). In a different sense we are to
"buy" salvation, namely, by parting with
everything which comes between us and Christ who has bought
it for us and by making it our own (
Mt 13:44, 46; Lu 12:33; Re 3:18).
2. not bread-- (
Hab 2:13). "Bread of deceit" (
Pr 20:17). Contrast this with the "bread of
life" (
Joh 6:32, 35; also
Lu 14:16-20).
satisfieth not-- (
Ec 1:8; 4:8).
hearken . . . and eat--When
two imperatives are joined, the second expresses the
consequence of obeying the command in the first (
Ge 42:18). By hearkening ye shall eat. So in
Isa 55:1, "buy and eat." By buying, and so
making it your own, ye shall eat, that is,
experimentally enjoy it (
Joh 6:53). Compare the invitation (
Pr 9:5, 6; Mt 22:4).
fatness-- (
Ps 36:8; 63:5).
3. me . . . live--by coming to me ye shall
live: for "I am the life"
(
Joh 14:6).
everlasting covenant-- (
Jer 32:40; 2Sa 23:5).
with you . . .
David--God's covenant is with the antitypical David,
Messiah (
Eze 34:23), and so with us by our identification with
Him.
sure--answering to
"everlasting," irrevocable, unfailing, to be
relied on (
Ps 89:2-4, 28, 29, 34-36; Jer 33:20, 21; 2Sa 7:15, 16; 2Co
1:18-20).
mercies of David--the mercies of grace
(
Isa 63:7; Joh 1:16) which I covenanted to give to
David, and especially to Messiah, his antitype. Quoted in
Ac 13:34.
4. him--the mystical David (
Eze 37:24, 25; Jer 30:9; Ho 3:5). Given by God (
Isa 49:6).
witness--He bore witness even unto
death for God, to His law, claims, and plan of redeeming
love (
Joh 18:37; Re 1:5). Revelation is a
"testimony"; because it is propounded to be
received on the authority of the Giver, and not merely
because it can be proved by arguments.
commander--"preceptor"
[HORSLEY]; "lawgiver" [BARNES].
to the people--rather,
"peoples."
5. thou--Jehovah addresses Messiah.
call . . . run--God must
call, before man can, or will, run (
So 1:4; Joh 6:44). Not merely come, but
run eagerly.
thou knowest not--now as thy people
(so in
Mt 7:23).
nation . . .
nations--gradation; from Israel, one nation, the
Gospel spread to many nations, and will do so more
fully on Israel's conversion.
knew not thee-- (
Isa 52:15; Eph 2:11, 12).
because of . . . thy God
. . . glorified thee-- (
Isa 60:5, 9; Zec 8:23); where similar language is
directed to Israel, because of the identification of
Israel with Messiah, who is the ideal Israel (
Mt 2:15; compare with
Ho 11:1; see
Ac 3:13).
6. The condition and limit in the obtaining of the
spiritual benefits (
Isa 55:1-3): (1) Seek the Lord. (2) Seek Him while He
is to be found (
Isa 65:1; Ps 32:6; Mt 25:1-13; Joh 7:34; 8:21; 2Co 6:2; Heb
2:3; 3:13, 15).
call--casting yourselves wholly on His
mercy (
Ro 10:13). Stronger than "seek"; so
"near" is more positive than "while He may
be found" (
Ro 10:8, 9).
near--propitious (
Ps 34:18; 145:18).
7. unrighteous--Hebrew, "man of iniquity";
true of all men. The "wicked" sins more openly in
"his way"; the "unrighteous" refers to
the more subtle workings of sin in the
"thoughts." All are guilty in the latter respect,
thought many fancy themselves safe, because not openly
"wicked in ways" (
Ps 94:11). The parallelism is that of gradation. The
progress of the penitent is to be from negative
reformation, "forsaking his way," and a farther
step, "his thoughts," to positive repentance,
"returning to the Lord" (the only true
repentance,
Zec 12:10), and making God his God, along with
the other children of God (the crowning point;
appropriation of God to ourselves: "to
our God"). "Return" implies that man
originally walked with God, but has apostatized. Isaiah
saith, "our God," the God of the believing
Israelites; those themselves redeemed desire others to come
to their God (
Ps 34:8; Re 22:17).
abundantly pardon--Literally,
"multiply to pardon," still more than "have
mercy"; God's graciousness is felt more and more
the longer one knows Him (
Ps 130:7).
8. For--referring to Isa 55:7. You need not doubt His willingness "abundantly to pardon" (compare Isa 55:12); for, though "the wicked" man's "ways," and "the unrighteous man's thoughts," are so aggravated as to seem unpardonable, God's "thoughts" and "ways" in pardoning are not regulated by the proportion of the former, as man's would be towards his fellow man who offended him; compare the "for" ( Ps 25:11; Ro 5:19).
9. ( Ps 57:10; 89:2; 103:11). "For" is repeated from Isa 55:8. But MAURER, after the negation, translates, "but."
10. The hearts of men, once barren of spirituality, shall
be made, by the outpouring of the Spirit under Messiah, to
bear fruits of righteousness (
Isa 5:6; De 32:2; 2Sa 23:4; Ps 72:6).
snow--which covers plants from frost
in winter; and, when melted in spring, waters the
earth.
returneth not--void; as in
Isa 55:11; it returns not in the same shape, or without
"accomplishing" the desired end.
bud--germinate.
11. ( Mt 24:35). Rain may to us seem lost when it falls on a desert, but it fulfils some purpose of God. So the gospel word falling on the hard heart; it sometimes works a change at last; and even if so, it leaves men without excuse. The full accomplishment of this verse, and Isa 55:12, 13, is, however, to be at the Jews' final restoration and conversion of the world ( Isa 11:9-12; 60:1-5, 21).
12. go out--from the various countries in which ye (the
Jews) are scattered, to your own land (
Eze 11:17).
led--by Messiah, your
"Leader" (
Isa 55:4; Isa 52:12; Mic 2:12, 13).
mountains . . . trees,
&c.--images justly used to express the seeming sympathy
of nature with the joy of God's people. For, when sin
is removed, the natural world shall be delivered from
"vanity," and be renewed, so as to be in unison
with the regenerated moral world (
Isa 44:23; Ps 98:8; Ro 8:19-22).
13. thorn--emblem of the wicked (
2Sa 23:6; Mic 7:4).
fir tree--the godly (
Isa 60:13; Ps 92:12). Compare as to the change wrought,
Ro 6:19.
brier--emblem of uncultivation (
Isa 5:6).
myrtle--Hebrew, Hedes, from
which comes Hedassah, the original name of Esther.
Type of the Christian Church; for it is a lowly, though
beautiful, fragrant, and evergreen shrub (
Ps 92:13, 14).
for a name . . . everlasting
sign--a perpetual memorial to the glory of Jehovah (
Jer 13:11; 33:9).
Isa 56:1-12. THE PREPARATION NEEDED ON THE PART OF THOSE WHO WISH TO BE ADMITTED TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
1. judgment--equity. John the Baptist preached similarly a
return to righteousness, as needed to prepare men for
Messiah's first coming (
Lu 3:3, 8-14). So it shall be before the second coming
(
Mal 4:4-6).
near to come-- (
Mt 3:2; 4:17), also as to the second coming (
Isa 62:10, 11; Lu 21:28, 31; Ro 13:11, 12; Heb
10:25).
righteousness--answering to
"salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it
means righteousness which bringeth salvation (
Isa 46:13; Ro 3:25, 26).
2. (
Lu 12:43).
the man--Hebrew, enosh, "a
man in humble life," in contradistinction to
Hebrew, ish, "one of high rank." Even the
humblest, as "the stranger" and "the
eunuch" (
Isa 56:4, 6), are admissible to these privileges.
this . . . it--what follows:
"keeping the Sabbath," &c. (
Isa 58:13, 14; Eze 20:12). A proof that the Sabbath, in
the spirit of its obligation, was to be binding
under the Gospel (
Isa 66:23). That gospel times are referred to is plain,
from the blessing not being pronounced on the man who
observed the sacrificial ritual of the Jewish
law.
layeth hold--image from one grasping
firmly some precious object which he is afraid of having
forcibly snatched from him. The "Sabbath" here
includes all the ordinances of divine worship under the new
gospel law.
keepeth . . . hand
. . . from . . . evil--The observance
of the second table of the law; as the "Sabbath"
referred to the first table. Together, they form the whole
duty of man, the worship of God and a holy life.
3. God welcomes all believers, without distinction of
persons, under the new economy (
Ac 10:34, 35).
joined . . . to
. . . Lord-- (
Nu 18:4, 7). "Proselytes."
separated--Proselytes from the
Gentiles were not admitted to the same privileges as native
Israelites. This barrier between Jews and Gentiles was to
be broken down (
Eph 2:14-16).
eunuch-- (
Ac 8:27, &c.). Eunuchs were chamberlains over
harems, or court ministers in general.
dry tree--barren (compare
Lu 23:31); not admissible into the congregation of
Israel (
De 23:1-3). Under the Gospel the eunuch and stranger
should be released from religious and civil disabilities.
4. please me--sacrifice their own pleasure to mine.
take hold--so "layeth hold"
(see on Isa 56:2).
5. in mine house--the temple, the emblem of the Church (
1Ti 3:15). They shall no longer be confined as
proselytes were, to the outer court, but shall be admitted
"into the holiest" (
Heb 10:19, 20).
a place--literally, "a
hand."
than of sons--Though the eunuch is
barren of children (
Isa 56:3), I will give him a more lasting name than
that of being father of sons and daughters (regarded as a
high honor among the Hebrews) (
Joh 1:12; 10:3; 1Jo 3:1; Re 2:17; 3:12).
6. join . . . Lord-- ( Jer 50:6). Conditions of admission to the privileges of adoption.
7. Even them-- (
Eph 2:11-13).
to my holy mountain--Jerusalem, the
seat of the Lord's throne in His coming kingdom (
Isa 2:2; Jer 3:17).
joyful-- (
Ro 5:11).
burnt offerings . . .
sacrifices--spiritual, of which the literal were types (
Ro 12:1; Heb 13:15; 1Pe 2:5).
accepted-- (
Eph 1:6).
altar-- (
Heb 13:10), spiritually, the Cross of Christ, which
sanctifies our sacrifices of prayer and praise.
house . . . for all
people--or rather, "peoples." No longer
restricted to one favored people (
Mal 1:11; Joh 4:21, 23; 1Ti 2:8). To be fully realized
at the second coming (
Isa 2:2-4). No longer literal, but spiritual sacrifice,
namely, "prayer" shall be offered (
Ps 141:2; 51:17; Mal 1:11; Mt 21:13).
8. Jehovah will not only restore the scattered outcasts of Israel ( Isa 11:12; Ps 147:2) to their own land, but "will gather others ('strangers') to him (Israel), besides those gathered" (Margin, "to his gathered"; that is, in addition to the Israelites collected from their dispersion), ( Joh 10:16; Eph 1:10; 2:19).
9. beasts--Gentile idolatrous nations hostile to the Jews,
summoned by God to chastise them (
Jer 12:7-9; 50:17; Eze 34:5): the Chaldeans and
subsequently the Romans. The mention of the "outcasts
of Israel" (
Isa 56:8) brings in view the outcasting, caused by the
sins of their rulers (
Isa 56:10-12).
to devour--namely, Israel.
10. His watchmen--Israel's spiritual leaders (
Isa 62:6; Eze 3:17).
dumb dogs--image from bad
shepherds' watchdogs, which fail to give notice, by
barking, of the approach of wild beasts.
blind-- (
Mt 23:16).
sleeping, lying down--rather,
"dreamers, sluggards" [LOWTH]. Not merely
sleeping inactive, but under visionary
delusions.
loving to slumber--not merely
slumbering involuntarily, but loving it.
11. greedy--literally, "strong" (that is,
insatiable) in appetite (
Eze 34:2, 3; Mic 3:11).
cannot understand--unable to
comprehend the wants of the people, spiritually: so
Isa 56:10, "cannot bark."
look to . . . own way--that
is, their own selfish interests; not to the spiritual
welfare of the people (
Jer 6:13; Eze 22:27).
from his quarter--rather, "from
the highest to the lowest" [LOWTH]. "From his
quarter"; that is, from one end to the other of them,
one and all (
Ge 19:4).
12. fetch wine--language of the national teachers
challenging one another to drink. BARNES translates,
"I will take another cup" (
Isa 5:11).
to-morrow, &c.--Their
self-indulgence was habitual and intentional:
not merely they drink, but they mean to continue so.
Isa 57:1-21. THE PEACEFUL DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS FEW: THE UNGODLINESS OF THE MANY: A BELIEVING REMNANT SHALL SURVIVE THE GENERAL JUDGMENTS OF THE NATION, AND BE RESTORED BY HIM WHO CREATES PEACE.
In the midst of the excesses of the unfaithful watchmen ( Isa 56:10, 11, 12), most of the few that are godly perish: partly by vexation at the prevailing ungodliness; partly by violent death in persecution: prophetical of the persecuting times of Manasseh, before God's judgments in causing the captivity in Babylon; and again those in the last age of the Church, before the final judgments on the apostasy ( 2Ki 21:16; Mt 23:29-35, 37; Re 11:17). The Hebrew for "perisheth," and "is taken away," expresses a violent death ( Mic 7:2).
1. no man layeth it to heart--as a public calamity.
merciful men--rather, godly
men; the subjects of mercy.
none considering--namely, what was the
design of Providence in removing the godly.
from the evil--Hebrew, from the
face of the evil, that is, both from the moral evil on
every side (
Isa 56:10-12), and from the evils about to come in
punishment of the national sins, foreign invasions, &c.
(
Isa 56:9; 57:13). So Ahijah's death is represented
as a blessing conferred on him by God for his piety (
1Ki 14:10-13; see also
2Ki 22:20).
2. Or, "he entereth into peace"; in
contrast to the persecutions which he suffered in
this world (
Job 3:13, 17). The Margin not so well
translates, "he shall go in peace" (
Ps 37:37; Lu 2:29).
rest--the calm rest of their bodies in
their graves (called "beds,"
2Ch 16:14; compare
Isa 14:18; because they "sleep" in them, with
the certainty of awakening at the resurrection,
1Th 4:14) is the emblem of the eternal "rest"
(
Heb 4:9; Re 14:13).
each one walking in . . .
uprightness--This clause defines the character of those who
at death "rest in their beds," namely, all who
walk uprightly.
3. But . . . ye--In contrast to "the
righteous" and their end, he announces to the
unbelieving Jews their doom.
sons of the sorceress--that is, ye
that are addicted to sorcery: this was connected with the
worship of false gods (
2Ki 21:6). No insult is greater to an Oriental than any
slur cast on his mother (
1Sa 20:30; Job 30:8).
seed of the
adulterer--Spiritual adultery is meant: idolatry and
apostasy (
Mt 16:4).
4. sport yourselves--make a mock (
Isa 66:5). Are ye aware of the glory of Him whom you
mock, by mocking His servants ("the righteous,"
Isa 57:1)? (
2Ch 36:16).
make . . . wide mouth-- (
Ps 22:7, 13; 35:21; La 2:16).
children of transgression,
&c.--not merely children of transgressors, and a
seed of false parents, but of transgression
and falsehood itself, utterly unfaithful to God.
5. Enflaming yourselves--burning with lust towards
idols [GESENIUS]; or else (compare Margin),
in the terebinth groves, which the Hebrew and
the parallelism favor (see on Isa
1:29) [MAURER].
under . . . tree-- (
2Ki 17:10). The tree, as in the Assyrian sculptures,
was probably made an idolatrous symbol of the heavenly
hosts.
slaying . . . children--as a
sacrifice to Molech, &c. (
2Ki 17:31; 2Ch 28:3; 33:6).
in . . . valleys--the valley
of the son of Hinnom. Fire was put within a hollow brazen
statue, and the child was put in his heated arms; kettle
drums (Hebrew, toph) were beaten to drown the
child's cries; whence the valley was called Tophet (
2Ch 33:6; Jer 7:3).
under . . . clifts--the
gloom of caverns suiting their dark superstitions.
6. The smooth stones, shaped as idols, are the gods chosen
by thee as thy portion (
Ps 16:5).
meat offering--not a bloody sacrifice,
but one of meal and flour mingled with oil.
"Meat" in Old English meant food, not
flesh, as it means now (
Le 14:10).
Should I receive comfort--rather,
"Shall I bear these things with patience?"
[HORSLEY].
7. Upon . . . high mountain . . . bed--image from adultery, open and shameless ( Eze 23:7); the "bed" answers to the idolatrous altar, the scene of their spiritual unfaithfulness to their divine husband ( Eze 16:16, 25; 23:41).
8. "Remembrance," that is, memorials of thy
idolatry: the objects which thou holdest in remembrance.
They hung up household tutelary gods "behind
the doors"; the very place where God has directed them
to write His laws "on the posts and gates" (
De 6:9; 11:20); a curse, too, was pronounced on putting
up an image "in a secret place" (
De 27:15).
discovered thyself--image from an
adulteress.
enlarged . . . bed--so as to
receive the more paramours.
made . . . covenant--with
idols: in open violation of thy "covenant" with
God (
Ex 19:5; 23:32). Or, "hast made assignations with
them for thyself" [HORSLEY].
thy bed . . . their bed--The
Jews' sin was twofold; they resorted to places of
idolatry ("their bed"), and they received
idols into the temple of God ("thy
bed").
where--rather, "ever since
that" [HORSLEY]. The Hebrew for
"where" means "room"
(Margin), a place; therefore, translate, "thou
hast provided a place for it" (for "their
bed"), namely, by admitting idolatrous altars in thy
land [BARNES]; or "thou choosest a (convenient) place
for thyself" in their bed [MAURER] (
Isa 56:5).
9. the king--the idol which they came to worship,
perfumed with oil, like harlots (
Jer 4:30; Eze 23:16, 40). So "king" means
idol (
Am 5:26; Zep 1:5); (malcham meaning
"king") [ROSENMULLER]. Rather, the king of
Assyria or Egypt, and other foreign princes, on
whom Israel relied, instead of on God; the
"ointment" will thus refer to the presents (
Ho 12:1), and perhaps the compliances with
foreigners' idolatries, whereby Israel sought to gain
their favor [LOWTH] (
Isa 30:6; Eze 16:33; 23:16; Ho 7:11).
send . . . messengers far
off--not merely to neighboring nations, but to those
"far off," in search of new idols, or else
alliances.
even unto hell--the lowest possible
degradation.
10. greatness of . . . way--the length of
thy journey in seeking strange gods, or else foreign aid
(
Jer 2:23, 24). Notwithstanding thy deriving no good
from these long journeys (so, "send . . .
far off,"
Isa 57:9), thou dost not still give up hope (
Jer 2:25; 18:12).
hast found . . . life of
. . . hand--for "thou still findest life
(that is, vigor) enough in thy hand" to make new idols
[MAURER], or to seek new alliance ("hand" being
then taken for strength in general).
grieved--rather, "therefore thou
art not weak" [MAURER]; inasmuch as having
"life in thy hand," thou art still strong in
hope.
11. Israel wished not to seem altogether to have
denied God. Therefore they "lied" to Him. God
asks, Why dost thou do so? "Whom dost thou fear?
Certainly not Me; for thou hast not remembered
Me." Translate, "seeing that thou hast not
remembered Me."
laid it to . . .
heart--rather, "nor hast Me at heart"; hast no
regard for Me; and that, because I have been long silent
and have not punished thee. Literally, "Have I not
held My peace, and that for long? and so thou fearest Me
not" (
Ps 50:21; Ec 8:11). It would be better openly to
renounce God, than to "flatter Him" with lies of
false professions (
Ps 78:36) [LUDOVICUS DE D IEU]. However,
Isa 51:12, 13 favors English Version of the
whole verse; God's "silent" long-suffering,
which was intended to lead them to repentance, caused them
"not to fear Him" (
Ro 2:4, 5).
12. declare--I will expose publicly thy (hypocritical) righteousness. I will show openly how vain thy works, in having recourse to idols, or foreign alliances, shall prove ( Isa 57:3).
13. When thou criest--In the time of thy trouble.
companies--namely, of idols, collected
by thee from every quarter; or else, of foreigners,
summoned to thy aid.
wind . . . carry
. . . away-- (
Job 21:18; Mt 7:27).
vanity--rather, "a breath"
[LOWTH].
possess . . . land
. . . inherit--that is, the literal land of Judea
and Mount Zion; the believing remnant of Israel shall
return and inherit the land. Secondarily, the heavenly
inheritance, and the spiritual Zion (
Isa 49:8; Ps 37:9, 11; 69:35, 36; Mt 5:5; Heb 12:22).
"He that putteth his trust in Me," of whatever
extraction, shall succeed to the spiritual patrimony of the
apostate Jew [H ORSLEY].
14. shall say--The nominative is, "He that
trusteth in Me" (
Isa 57:13). The believing remnant shall have every
obstacle to their return cleared out of the way, at the
coming restoration of Israel, the antitype to the return
from Babylon (
Isa 35:8; 40:3, 4; 62:10, 11).
Cast . . . up--a high road
before the returning Jews.
stumbling-block--Jesus had been so to
the Jews, but will not be so then any longer (
1Co 1:23); their prejudices shall then be taken
out of the way.
15. The pride and self-righteousness of the Jews were the stumbling block in the way of their acknowledging Christ. The contrition of Israel in the last days shall be attended with God's interposition in their behalf. So their self-humiliation, in Isa 66:2, 5, 10, &c., precedes their final prosperity ( Zec 12:6, 10-14); there will, probably, be a previous period of unbelief even after their return ( Zec 12:8, 9).
16. For--referring to the promise in
Isa 57:14, 15, of restoring Israel when
"contrite" (
Ge 6:3; 8:21; Ps 78:38, 39; 85:5; 103:9, 13, 14; Mic
7:18). God "will not contend for ever"
with His people, for their human spirit would thereby
be utterly crushed, whereas God's object is to chasten,
not to destroy them (
La 3:33, 34; Mic 7:8, 9). With the ungodly He is
"angry every day" (
Ps 7:11; Re 14:11).
spirit . . . before me--that
is, the human spirit which went forth from Me (
Nu 16:22), answering to "which I have made"
in the parallel clause.
17. covetousness--akin to idolatry; and, like it, having
drawn off Israel's heart from God (
Isa 2:7; 56:11; 58:3; Jer 6:13; Col 3:5).
hid me-- (
Isa 8:17; 45:15).
went on frowardly--the result of
God's hiding His face (
Ps 81:12; Ro 1:24, 26).
18. Rather, "I have seen his ways (in sin), yet
will I heal him," that is, restore Israel spiritually
and temporally (
Jer 33:6; 3:22; Ho 14:4, 5) [HORSLEY].
I will . . . restore
comforts unto him and to his mourners--However, the phrase,
"his mourners," favors English Version;
"his ways" will thus be his ways of
repentance; and God's pardon on "seeing"
them answers to the like promise (
Isa 61:2, 3; Jer 31:18, 20).
19. fruit of . . . lips--that is, thanksgivings
which flow from the lips. I make men to return thanks to Me
(
Ho 14:2; Heb 13:15).
Peace, peace--"perfect
peace" (see
Isa 26:3, Margin;
Joh 14:27). Primarily, the cessation of the troubles
now afflicting the Jews, as formerly, under the
Babylonian exile. More generally, the peace which the
Gospel proclaims both to Israel "that is near,"
and to the Gentiles who are "far off" (
Ac 2:39; Eph 2:17).
20. when it cannot rest--rather, "for it can have no rest" ( Job 15:20, &c.; Pr 4:16, 17). English Version represents the sea as occasionally agitated; but the Hebrew expresses that it can never be at rest.
21. (
Isa 48:22; 2Ki 9:22).
my God--The prophet, having God as
his God, speaks in the person of Israel, prophetically
regarded as having now appropriated God and His
"peace" (
Isa 11:1-3), warning the impenitent that, while they
continue so, they can have no peace.
Isa 58:1-14. REPROOF OF THE JEWS FOR THEIR DEPENDENCE ON MERE OUTWARD FORMS OF WORSHIP.
1. aloud--Hebrew, "with the throat," that
is, with full voice, not merely from the lips (
1Sa 1:13). Speak loud enough to arrest attention.
my people--the Jews in Isaiah's
time, and again in the time of our Lord, more zealous for
externals than for inward holiness. ROSENMULLER thinks the
reference to be to the Jews in the captivity practising
their rites to gain God's favor and a release; and that
hence, sacrifices are not mentioned, but only
fasting and Sabbath observance, which they could
keep though far away from the temple in Jerusalem. The same
also applies to their present dispersion, in which they
cannot offer sacrifices, but can only show their
zeal in fastings, &c. Compare as to our
Lord's time,
Mt 6:16, 23; Lu 18:12.
2. Put the stop at "ways"; and connect "as a nation that," &c. with what follows; "As a nation that did righteousness," thus answers to, "they ask of Me just judgments" (that is, as a matter of justice due to them, salvation to themselves, and destruction to their enemies); and "forsook not the ordinance of their God," answers to "they desire the drawing near of God" (that God would draw near to exercise those "just judgments" in behalf of them, and against their enemies) [MAURER]. So JEROME, "In the confidence, as it were, of a good conscience, they demand a just judgment, in the language of the saints: Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity." So in Mal 2:17, they affect to be scandalized at the impunity of the wicked, and impugn God's justice [HORSLEY]. Thus, "seek Me daily, and desire (English Version not so well, 'delight') to know My ways," refers to their requiring to know why God delayed so long in helping them. English Version gives a good, though different sense; namely, dispelling the delusion that God would be satisfied with outward observances, while the spirit of the law, was violated and the heart unchanged ( Isa 58:3-14; Eze 33:31, 32; compare Joh 18:28), scrupulosity side by side with murder. The prophets were the commentators on the law, as their Magna Charta, in its inward spirit and not the mere letter.
3. Wherefore--the words of the Jews: "Why is it that,
when we fast, Thou dost not notice it" (by delivering
us)? They think to lay God under obligation to their
fasting (
Ps 73:13; Mal 3:14).
afflicted . . . soul-- (
Le 16:29).
Behold--God's reply.
pleasure--in antithesis to their boast
of having "afflicted their soul"; it was
only in outward show they really enjoyed themselves.
GESENIUS not so well translates,
"business."
exact . . . labours--rather,
"oppressive labors" [MAURER]. HORSLEY,
with Vulgate, translates, "Exact the whole upon
your debtors"; those who owe you labor (
Ne 5:1-5, 8-10, &c.).
4. ye shall not fast--rather, "ye do not fast at this time, so as to make your voice to be heard on high," that is, in heaven; your aim in fasting is strife, not to gain the ear of God [MAURER] ( 1Ki 21:9, 12, 13). In English Version the sense is, If you wish acceptance with God, ye must not fast as ye now do, to make your voice heard high in strife.
5. for a man to afflict his soul--The pain felt by
abstinence is not the end to be sought, as if it
were meritorious; it is of value only in so far as it leads
us to amend our ways (
Isa 58:6, 7).
bow . . . head
. . . sackcloth--to affect the outward tokens, so
as to "appear to men to fast" (
Mt 6:17, 18; 1Ki 21:27; Es 4:3).
6. loose . . . bands of wickedness--that is, to
dissolve every tie wherewith one has unjustly bound his
fellow men (
Le 25:49, &c.). Servitude, a fraudulent contract,
&c.
undo . . . heavy
burdens--Hebrew, "loose the bands of the
yoke."
oppressed--literally, "the
broken." The expression, "to let go free,"
implies that those "broken" with the yoke of
slavery, are meant (
Ne 5:10-12; Jer 34:9-11, 14, 16). JEROME interprets it,
broken with poverty; bankrupt.
7. deal--distribute (
Job 31:16-21).
cast out--rather, reduced
[HORSLEY].
naked . . . cover him-- (
Mt 25:36).
hide . . . thyself--means to
be strange towards them, and not to relieve them in their
poverty (
Mt 15:5).
flesh--kindred (
Ge 29:14). Also brethren in common descent from Adam,
and brethren in Christ (
Jas 2:15).
8. light--emblem of prosperity (
Isa 58:10; Job 11:17).
health--literally, a long bandage,
applied by surgeons to heal a wound (compare
Isa 1:6). Hence restoration from all past
calamities.
go before thee--Thy conformity to the
divine covenant acts as a leader, conducting thee to peace
and prosperity.
glory . . . reward--like the
pillar of cloud and fire, the symbol of God's
"glory," which went behind Israel,
separating them from their Egyptian pursuers (
Isa 52:12; Ex 14:19, 20).
9. Then . . . call . . . answer--when
sin is renounced (
Isa 65:24). When the Lord's call is not
hearkened to, He will not hear our "call" (
Ps 66:18; Pr 1:24, 28; 15:29; 28:9).
putting forth of . . .
finger--the finger of scorn pointed at simple-minded godly
men. The middle finger was so used by the Romans.
speaking vanity--every
injurious speech [LOWTH].
10. draw out thy soul--"impart of thine own
subsistence," or "sustenance" [HORSLEY].
"Soul" is figurative for "that wherewith
thou sustainest thy soul," or "life."
light . . . in
obscurity--Calamities shall be suddenly succeeded by
prosperity (
Ps 112:4).
11. satisfy . . . in drought-- (
Isa 41:17, 18). Literally, "drought," that
is, parched places [M AURER].
make fat--rather,
"strengthen" [NOYES]. "Give thee the free
use of thy bones" [JEROME], or, "of thy
strength" [HORSLEY].
watered garden--an Oriental picture of
happiness.
fail not--Hebrew, "deceive
not"; as streams that disappoint the caravan which had
expected to find water, as formerly, but find it dried up
(
Job 6:15-17).
12. they . . . of thee--thy people, the
Israelites.
old waste places--the old ruins of
Jerusalem (
Isa 61:4; Eze 36:33-36).
foundations of many generations--that
is, the buildings which had lain in ruins, even to their
foundations, for many ages; called in the parallel
passage (
Isa 61:4), "the former desolations";
and in the preceding clause here, "the old
waste places." The literal and spiritual restoration
of Israel is meant, which shall produce like blessed
results on the Gentile world (
Am 9:11, 12; Ac 15:16, 17).
be called--appropriately: the name
truly designating what thou shalt do.
breach--the calamity wherewith God
visited Israel for their sin (
Isa 30:26; 1Ch 15:13).
paths to dwell in--not that the
paths were to be dwelt in, but the paths
leading to their dwellings were to be restored;
"paths, so as to dwell in the land"
[MAURER].
13. (
Isa 56:2; Ne 13:15-22). The Sabbath, even under the new
dispensation, was to be obligatory (
Isa 66:23).
foot--the instrument of motion
(compare
Pr 4:27); men are not to travel for mere
pleasure on the Sabbath (
Ac 1:12). The Jews were forbidden to travel on it
farther than the tabernacle or temple. If thou keep thy
foot from going on thy own ways and "doing thy
pleasure," &c. (
Ex 20:10, 11).
my holy day--God claims it as
His day; to take it for our pleasure is to rob Him of
His own. This is the very way in which the Sabbath is
mostly broken; it is made a day of carnal pleasure instead
of spiritual "delight."
holy of the Lord--not the predicate,
but the subject; "if thou call the holy (day) of
Jehovah honorable"; if thou treat it as a day to be
honored.
him--or else, it, the
Sabbath.
not doing . . . own
way--answering to, "turn away thy foot from the
Sabbath."
nor finding . . .
pleasure--answering to, "doing thy pleasure."
"To keep the Sabbath in an idle manner is the sabbath
of oxen and asses; to pass it in a jovial manner is the
sabbath of the golden calf, when the people sat down to eat
and drink, and rose again to play; to keep it in surfeiting
and wantonness is the sabbath of Satan, the devil's
holiday" [BISHOP ANDREWES].
nor speaking . . .
words--answering to, "call Sabbath a delight
. . . honorable." Man's "own
words" would "call" it a
"weariness"; it is the spiritual nature given
from above which "calls it a delight" (
Am 8:5; Mal 1:13).
14. delight . . . in . . . Lord--God
rewards in kind, as He punishes in kind. As we
"delight" in keeping God's
"Sabbath," so God will give us
"delight" in Himself (
Ge 15:1; Job 22:21-26; Ps 37:4).
ride upon . . . high
places--I will make thee supreme lord of the land;
the phrase is taken from a conqueror riding in his chariot,
and occupying the hills and fastnesses of a country
[VITRINGA], (
De 32:13; Mic 1:3; Hab 3:19). Judea was a land of
hills; the idea thus is, "I will restore thee to
thine own land" [CALVIN]. The parallel words,
"heritage of Jacob," confirm this (
Ge 27:28, 29; 28:13-15).
mouth of . . . Lord
. . . spoken it--a formula to assure men of the
fulfilment of any solemn promise which God has made (
Isa 40:5).
Isa 59:1-21. THE PEOPLE'S SIN THE CAUSE OF JUDGMENTS: THEY AT LAST OWN IT THEMSELVES: THE REDEEMER'S FUTURE INTERPOSITION IN THEIR EXTREMITY.
The reason why Jehovah does not deliver His people, notwithstanding their religious services ( Isa 58:3), is not want of power on His part, but because of their sins ( Isa 59:1-8); Isa 59:9-15 contain their confession; Isa 59:16-21, the consequent promise of the Messiah.
1. hand . . . shortened--(See on Isa 50:2).
ear heavy-- (
Isa 6:10).
2. hid--Hebrew, "caused Him to hide" ( La 3:44).
3. (
Isa 1:15; Ro 3:13-15).
hands . . . fingers--Not
merely the "hands" perpetrate deeds of
grosser enormity ("blood"), but the
"fingers" commit more minute acts of
"iniquity."
lips . . . tongue--The
lips "speak" openly "lies,"
the tongue "mutters" malicious
insinuations ("perverseness"; perverse
misrepresentations of others) (
Jer 6:28; 9:4).
4. Rather, "No one calleth an adversary into court
with justice," that is, None bringeth a just suit:
"No one pleadeth with truth."
they trust . . .
iniquity--(So
Job 15:35; Ps 7:14).
5. cockatrice--probably the basilisk serpent,
cerastes. Instead of crushing evil in the egg, they
foster it.
spider's web--This refers not to
the spider's web being made to entrap, but to
its thinness, as contrasted with substantial
"garments," as
Isa 59:6 shows. Their works are vain and transitory (
Job 8:14; Pr 11:18).
eateth . . . their eggs--he
who partakes in their plans, or has anything to
do with them, finds them pestiferous.
that which is crushed--The egg,
when it is broken, breaketh out as a viper; their
plans, however specious in their undeveloped form like the
egg, when developed, are found pernicious. Though the viper
is viviparous (from which "vi-per" is derived),
yet during gestation, the young are included in eggs, which
break at the birth [BOCHART]; however, metaphors often
combine things without representing everything to the life.
6. not . . . garments--like the "fig leaves" wherewith Adam and Eve vainly tried to cover their shame, as contrasted with "the coats of skins" which the Lord God made to clothe them with ( Isa 64:6; Ro 13:14; Ga 3:27; Php 3:9). The artificial self-deceiving sophisms of human philosophy ( 1Ti 6:5; 2Ti 2:16, 23).
7. feet--All their members are active in
evil; in
Isa 59:3, the "hands, fingers, lips, and
tongue," are specified.
run . . . haste-- (
Ro 3:15). Contrast David's "running and
hasting" in the ways of God (
Ps 119:32, 60).
thoughts--not merely their acts, but
their whole thoughts.
8. peace--whether in relation to God, to their own
conscience, or to their fellow men (
Isa 57:20, 21).
judgment--justice.
crooked--the opposite of
"straightforward" (
Pr 2:15; 28:18).
9. judgment far--retribution in kind because they
had shown "no judgment in their goings"
(
Isa 59:8). "The vindication of our just
rights by God is withheld by Him from us."
us--In
Isa 59:8 and previous verses, it was "they,"
the third person; here, "us . . . we,"
the first person. The nation here speaks: God thus making
them out of their own mouth condemn themselves; just
as He by His prophet had condemned them before.
Isaiah includes himself with his people and speaks in their
name.
justice--God's justice
bringing salvation (
Isa 46:13).
light--the dawn of returning
prosperity.
obscurity--adversity (
Jer 8:15).
10. grope--fulfilling Moses' threat (
De 28:29).
stumble at noon . . . as
. . . night--There is no relaxation of our evils;
at the time when we might look for the noon of relief,
there is still the night of our calamity.
in desolate places--rather, to suit
the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile
(literally, "fat";
Ge 27:28) fields [GESENIUS] (where all is promising)
we are like the dead (who have no hope left them);
or, where others are prosperous, we wander
about as dead men; true of all unbelievers (
Isa 26:10; Lu 15:17).
11. roar--moan plaintively, like a hungry bear which growls
for food.
doves-- (
Isa 38:14; Eze 7:16).
salvation--retribution in kind:
because not salvation, but "destruction" was
"in their paths" (
Isa 59:7).
12. (
Da 9:5, &c.).
thee . . .
us--antithesis.
with us--that is, we are
conscious of them (
Job 12:3, Margin;
Job 15:9).
know--acknowledge they are our
iniquities.
13. The particulars of the sins generally confessed in Isa 59:12 ( Isa 48:8; Jer 2:19, 20). The act, the word, and the thought of apostasy, are all here marked: transgression and departing, &c.; lying (compare Isa 59:4), and speaking, &c.; conceiving and uttering from the heart.
14. Justice and righteousness are put away from our legal
courts.
in the street--in the forum, the place
of judicature, usually at the gate of the city (
Zec 8:16).
cannot enter--is shut out from the
forum, or courts of justice.
15. faileth--is not to be found.
he that departeth . . .
prey--He that will not fall in with the prevailing iniquity
exposes himself as a prey to the wicked (
Ps 10:8, 9).
Lord saw it--The iniquity of Israel,
so desperate as to require nothing short of Jehovah's
interposition to mend it, typifies the same necessity for a
Divine Mediator existing in the deep corruption of man;
Israel, the model nation, was chosen to illustrate his
awful fact.
16. no man--namely, to atone by his righteousness for the
unrighteousness of the people. "Man" is emphatic,
as in
1Ki 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the
cause of fallen men (
Isa 41:28; 63:5, 6; Jer 5:1; Eze 22:30).
no intercessor--no one to interpose,
"to help . . . uphold" (
Isa 63:5).
his arm-- (
Isa 40:10; 51:5). Not man's arm, but
His alone (
Ps 98:1; 44:3).
his righteousness--the "arm"
of Messiah. He won the victory for us, not by mere
might as God, but by His invincible
righteousness, as man having "the Spirit without
measure" (
Isa 11:5; 42:6, 21; 51:8; 53:11; 1Jo 2:1).
17. Messiah is represented as a warrior armed at all points, going forth to vindicate His people. Owing to the unity of Christ and His people, their armor is like His, except that they have no "garments of vengeance" (which is God's prerogative, Ro 12:19), or "cloak of zeal" (in the sense of judicial fury punishing the wicked; this zeal belongs properly to God, 2Ki 10:16; Ro 10:2; Php 3:6; "zeal," in the sense of anxiety for the Lord's honor, they have, Nu 25:11, 13; Ps 69:9; 2Co 7:11; 9:2); and for "salvation," which is of God alone ( Ps 3:8), they have as their helmet, "the hope of salvation" ( 1Th 5:8). The "helmet of salvation" is attributed to them ( Eph 6:14, 17) in a secondary sense; namely, derived from Him, and as yet only in hope, not fruition ( Ro 8:24). The second coming here, as often, is included in this representation of Messiah. His "zeal" ( Joh 2:15-17) at His first coming was but a type of His zeal and vengeance against the foes of God at His second coming ( 2Th 1:8-10; Re 19:11-21).
18. deeds--Hebrew, "recompenses";
"according as their deeds demand"
[MAURER]. This verse predicts the judgments at the
Lord's second coming, which shall precede the final
redemption of His people (
Isa 66:18, 15, 16).
islands--(See on
Isa 41:1). Distant countries.
19. (
Isa 45:6; Mal 1:11). The result of God's judgments
(
Isa 26:9; 66:18-20).
like a flood-- (
Jer 46:7, 8; Re 12:15).
lift up a standard--rather, from a
different Hebrew root, "shall put him to
flight," "drive him away" [MAURER]. LOWTH,
giving a different sense to the Hebrew for
"enemy" from that in
Isa 59:18, and a forced meaning to the Hebrew
for "Spirit of the Lord," translates, "When
He shall come as a river straitened in its course,
which a mighty wind drives along."
20. to Zion--
Ro 11:26 quotes it, "out of Zion."
Thus Paul, by inspiration, supplements the sense from
Ps 14:7: He was, and is come to Zion, first with
redemption, being sprung as man out of Zion. The
Septuagint translates "for the sake of
Zion." Paul applies this verse to the coming
restoration of Israel spiritually.
them that turn from-- (
Ro 11:26). "shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob"; so the Septuagint, Paul herein gives
the full sense under inspiration. They turn from
transgression, because He first turns them from it, and it
from them (
Ps 130:4; La 5:21).
21. covenant with them . . . thee--The covenant
is with Christ, and with them only as united
to Him (
Heb 2:13). Jehovah addresses Messiah the representative
and ideal Israel. The literal and spiritual Israel are His
seed, to whom the promise is to be fulfilled (
Ps 22:30).
spirit . . . not depart
. . . for ever-- (
Jer 31:31-37; Mt 28:20).
Isa 60:1-22. ISRAEL'S GLORY AFTER HER AFFLICTION.
An ode of congratulation to Zion on her restoration at the Lord's second advent to her true position as the mother church from which the Gospel is to be diffused to the whole Gentile world; the first promulgation of the Gospel among the Gentiles, beginning at Jerusalem [ Lu 24:47], is an earnest of this. The language is too glorious to apply to anything that as yet has happened.
1. Arise--from the dust in which thou hast been sitting as
a mourning female captive (
Isa 3:26; 52:1, 2).
shine--or, "be enlightened; for
thy light cometh"; impart to others the spiritual
light now given thee (
Isa 60:3). The Margin and GESENIUS translate,
"Be enlightened"; be resplendent with posterity;
imperative for the future indicative, "Thou shalt be
enlightened" (
Isa 58:8, 10; Eph 5:8, 14).
glory of the Lord--not merely the
Shekinah, or cloud of glory, such as rested above the ark
in the old dispensation, but the glory of the Lord in
person (
Jer 3:16, 17).
is risen--as the sun (
Mal 4:2; Lu 1:78, Margin).
2. darkness . . . earth--the rest of the
earth: in contrast with "light . . .
upon thee" (
Isa 60:1). The earth will be afterwards enlightened
through Israel (
Isa 9:2).
be seen--conspicuously: so the
Hebrew.
3. (
Isa 2:3; 11:10; 43:6; 49:22; 66:12).
kings-- (
Isa 49:7, 23; 52:15).
thy rising--rather, "thy
sun-rising," that is, "to the brightness that
riseth upon thee."
4. Lift up . . . eyes--Jerusalem is addressed as
a female with eyes cast down from grief.
all they . . . they--The
Gentile peoples come together to bring back the dispersed
Hebrews, restore their city, and worship Jehovah with
offerings.
nursed at thy side--rather
"carried at thy side." It is the custom in the
East to carry the children astride on the hip, with the
arms around the body (
Isa 66:12).
5. see-- (
Isa 60:4), namely, the bringing back of thy sons.
flow together--rather, "overflow
with joy" [LOWTH]; or, from a different
Hebrew root, "be bright with joy"
[GESENIUS] (
Job 3:4).
fear--rather, beat with the
agitation of solemn joy at the marvellous sight
[HORSLEY] (
Jer 33:9).
be enlarged--swell with
delight. Grief, on the contrary, contracts the
heart.
abundance of . . . sea--the
wealth of the lands beyond the sea, as in
Solomon's time, the type of the coming reign of the
Prince of peace.
converted--rather, "be
turned," instead of being turned to purposes of
sin and idolatry.
forces--rather, "riches."
6. camels--laden with merchandise; the camel is "the
ship of the desert" (compare
Isa 30:6).
cover thee--so many of them shall
there be.
dromedaries--They have one hunch on
the back, whereas the camel has two: distinguished
for swiftness (
Jer 2:23).
Midian--east of the Elanitic branch of
the Red Sea, and stretching northward along Mount Seir.
Associated with the Ishmaelites in traffic (
Ge 37:25, 28).
Ephah--part of Midian, east of the
Dead Sea. It abounded in camels (
Jud 6:5).
Sheba--in Arabia-Felix, famed for
frankincense and gold (
Ps 72:15; Jer 6:20), which they traded in (
Isa 45:14; Job 6:19; Eze 27:22).
7. Kedar-- (
Isa 21:16; So 1:5), in the south of Arabia-Deserta, or
north of Arabia-Petræa; they traded in flocks (
Eze 27:21).
Nebaioth--son of Ishmael, as was
Kedar. Father of the Nabatheans in
Arabia-Petræa.
minister--by coming up as an
acceptable sacrifice.
come up with acceptance--that is,
acceptably. The rams offering themselves voluntarily
(
Ps 68:30; Ro 12:1; 1Pe 2:5), without waiting for any
other priest, answer to believers strong in faith and
lamb-like meekness; and in the white fleece-like robe of
sanctity [VITRINGA].
house of my glory--the temple (
Eze 41:1-26; Hag 2:7, 9; Mal 3:1).
8. The prophet, seeing in vision new hosts approaching quickly like a cloud of doves, asks who they are.
9. (see on Isa 42:4).
Tarshish first--The ships of
Tartessus (see on Isa 2:16;
Isa 23:1, that is, vessels that trade to the most
distant regions) will be among the foremost to bring
back the scattered Israelites (
Isa 66:20).
their silver--The nations among whom
the Jews have been scattered shall help them with their
money in returning (
Isa 60:5-7, 11, 16), as was the case at the return from
Babylon (
Ezr 1:4; compare
Ps 68:30, 31).
unto the name . . . to the
Holy One--rather, because of the name--because
of the Holy One (compare
Isa 55:5) [LOWTH].
10. kings . . . minister unto thee--(See on Isa 60:7;
Isa 49:23).
in my wrath I smote thee-- (
Isa 54:7, 8; 57:17).
11. (
Re 21:25). The gates are ever open to receive new
offerings and converts (
Isa 26:2; Ac 14:27; Re 3:8). In time of peace
the gates of a city are open: so, under the Prince of
peace, there shall be no need of barring gates against
invaders.
forces--riches.
be brought--as willing captives to the
truth; or, if not willingly, be bought by
judgments to submit to Israel (
Isa 60:12, 14). GESENIUS explains it, "may come
escorted by a retinue."
12. For--the reason which will lead Gentile kings and people to submit themselves; fear of the God in Israel ( Zec 14:17).
13. glory--that is, the trees which adorned Lebanon;
emblem of men eminent in natural gifts, devoting all that
is in them to the God of Israel (
Ho 14:5, 6).
fir . . . pine
. . . box--rather, "the cypress
. . . ilex . . . cedar."
place of my sanctuary--Jerusalem (
Jer 3:17).
place of my feet--no longer the
ark (
Jer 3:16), "the footstool" of Jehovah (
Ps 99:5; 132:7; 1Ch 28:2); but "the place of His
throne, the place of the soles of His feet, where He will
dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for
ever," in the new temple (
Eze 43:7).
14. The sons--Their fathers who
"afflicted" Israel having been cut off by divine
judgments (
Isa 14:1, 2; 49:23).
The Zion of the Holy One--The royal
court of the Holy One. MAURER translates, "Zion,
the sanctuary (holy place) of Israel" (
Isa 57:15; Ps 46:4).
15. forsaken-- (
Ps 78:60, 61).
no man went through thee--Thy land was
so desolate that no traveller, or caravan, passed through
thee; true only of Israel, not true of the Church (
La 1:4).
excellency--glory, that is, for ever
honored.
16. suck--Thou shalt draw to thyself and enjoy all that is
valuable of the possessions of the Gentiles, &c. (
Isa 49:23; 61:6; 66:11, 12).
know--by the favors bestowed on thee,
and through thee on the Gentiles.
17. Poetically, with figurative allusion to the furniture
of the temple; all things in that happy age to come shall
be changed for the better.
exactors--namely, of tribute.
righteousness--All rulers in restored
Jerusalem shall not only be peaceable and righteous, but
shall be, as it were, "peace" and
"righteousness" itself in their administration.
18. (
Isa 2:4). Not only shall thy walls keep thee
safe from foes, but "Salvation" shall serve
as thy walls, converting thy foes into friends, and so
ensuring thee perfect safety (
Isa 26:1, 2).
gates--once the scene of
"destruction" when victorious foes burst through
them (
Ne 1:3); henceforth to be not only the scene of
praises, but "Praise" itself; the
"gates," as the place of public concourse, were
the scene of thanksgivings (
2Ch 31:2; Ps 9:14; 24:7; 100:4). "Judah," the
favored tribe, means "praise."
19. The sun and moon, the brightest objects by day and night, shall be eclipsed by the surpassing glory of God manifesting Himself to thee ( Isa 30:26; Zec 2:5; Re 21:23; 22:5).
20. There shall be no national and spiritual obscuration
again as formerly (
Joe 2:10; Am 8:9).
mourning . . . ended-- (
Isa 25:8; Re 21:4).
21. all righteous-- (
Isa 4:3; 52:1; Re 21:27).
inherit . . . land-- (
Isa 49:8; 54:3; 65:9; Ps 37:11, 22; Mt 5:5).
branch of my planting-- (
Isa 61:3; Ps 92:13; Mt 15:13).
work of my hands--the converted
Israelites (
Isa 29:23; 45:11).
that I may be glorified--the final end
of all God's gracious dealings (
Isa 49:3; 61:3).
22. little one--Even one, and that the smallest in number
and rank, shall be multiplied a thousandfold in both
respects (
Mic 5:2; Mt 13:31, 32).
his time--not our time;
we might wish to hasten it, but it will come in due
time, as in the case of Jesus' first coming (
Ga 4:4); so in that of the restoration of Israel and
the conversion of the world (
Isa 66:8; Hab 2:3; Ac 1:7; Heb 10:37).
Isa 61:1-11. MESSIAH'S OFFICES: RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.
Messiah announces His twofold commission to bring gospel mercy at His first coming, and judgments on unbelievers and comfort to Zion at His second coming ( Isa 61:1-9); the language can be applied to Isaiah, comforting by his prophecies the exiles in Babylon, only in a subordinate sense.
1. is upon me; because . . . hath anointed
me--quoted by Jesus as His credentials in preaching (
Lu 4:18-21). The Spirit is upon Me in preaching,
because Jehovah hath anointed Me from the womb (
Lu 1:35), and at baptism, with the Spirit "without
measure," and permanently "abiding" on Me
(
Isa 11:2; Joh 1:32; 3:34; Ps 45:7; with which compare
1Ki 1:39, 40; 19:16; Ex 29:7). "Anointed" as
Messiah, Prophet, Priest, and King.
good tidings--as the word
"gospel" means.
the meek--rather, "the
poor," as
Lu 4:18 has it; that is, those afflicted with calamity,
poor in circumstances and in spirit (
Mt 11:5).
proclaim liberty-- (
Joh 8:31-36). Language drawn from the deliverance of
the Babylonian captives, to describe the deliverance from
sin and death (
Heb 2:15); also from the "liberty proclaimed"
to all bond-servants in the year of jubilee (
Isa 61:2; Le 25:10; Jer 34:8, 9).
opening of the prison--The
Hebrew rather is, "the most complete
opening," namely, of the eyes to them that are
bound, that is, deliverance from prison, for
captives are as it were blind in the darkness of
prison (
Isa 14:17; 35:5; 42:7) [EWALD]. So
Lu 4:18 and the Septuagint interpret it;
Lu 4:18, under inspiration, adds to this, for the
fuller explanation of the single clause in the
Hebrew, "to set at liberty them that are
bruised"; thus expressing the double
"opening" implied; namely, that of the eyes (
Joh 9:39), and that of the prison (
Ro 6:18; 7:24, 25; Heb 2:15). His miracles were
acted parables.
2. acceptable year--the year of jubilee on which
"liberty was proclaimed to the captives" (
Isa 61:1; 2Co 6:2).
day of vengeance--The "acceptable
time of grace" is a "year"; the time of
"vengeance" but "a day" (so
Isa 34:8; 63:4; Mal 4:1). Jesus (
Lu 4:20, 21) "closed the book" before this
clause; for the interval from His first to His second
coming is "the acceptable year"; the day of
vengeance" will not be till He comes again (
2Th 1:7-9).
our God--The saints call Him
"our God"; for He cometh to
"avenge" them (
Re 6:10; 19:2).
all that mourn--The "all"
seems to include the spiritual Israelite mourners,
as well as the literal, who are in
Isa 61:3 called "them that mourn in
Zion," and to whom
Isa 57:18 refers.
3. To appoint . . . to give--The double verb,
with the one and the same accusative, imparts glowing
vehemence to the style.
beauty for ashes--There is a play on
the sound and meaning of the Hebrew words, peer,
epher, literally, "ornamental headdress" or
tiara (
Eze 24:17), worn in times of joy, instead of a
headdress of "ashes," cast on the head in
mourning (
2Sa 13:19).
oil of joy--Perfumed ointment was
poured on the guests at joyous feasts (
Ps 23:5; 45:7, 8; Am 6:6). On occasions of grief its
use was laid aside (
2Sa 14:2).
garment of praise--bright-colored
garments, indicative of thankfulness, instead of those that
indicate despondency, as sackcloth (
Joh 16:20).
trees of righteousness--Hebrew,
terebinth trees; symbolical of men strong in
righteousness, instead of being, as heretofore, bowed down
as a reed with sin and calamity (
Isa 1:29, 30; 42:3; 1Ki 14:15; Ps 1:3; 92:12-14; Jer
17:8).
planting of . . . Lord--(See
on Isa 60:21).
that he might be glorified-- (
Joh 15:8).
4. old wastes--Jerusalem and the cities of Judah which long lay in ruins (see on Isa 58:12).
5. stand--shall wait on you as servants ( Isa 14:1, 2; 60:10).
6. But ye--as contrasted with the "strangers."
Ye shall have no need to attend to your flocks and
lands: strangers will do that for you; your
exclusive business will be the service of Jehovah as His
"priests" (
Ex 19:6, which remains yet to be realized; compare as
to the spiritual Israel,
Isa 66:21; 1Pe 2:5, 9; Re 1:6; 5:10).
Ministers-- (
Eze 44:11).
eat . . . riches of
. . . Gentiles-- (
Isa 60:5-11).
in their glory . . . boast
yourselves--rather, "in their splendor ye shall be
substituted in their stead"; ye shall substitute
yourselves [MAURER].
7. double--Instead of your past share, ye shall have not
merely as much, but "double" as much reward (
Isa 40:2; Zec 9:12; compare the third clause in this
verse).
confusion--rather,
"humiliation," or "contumely."
rejoice--They shall celebrate with
jubilation their portion [MAURER]. Transition from the
second to the third person.
in their land--marking the reference
to literal Israel, not to the Church at large.
everlasting joy-- (
Isa 35:10).
8. judgment--justice, which requires that I should restore
My people, and give them double in compensation for their
sufferings.
robbery for burnt offering--rather,
from a different Hebrew root, the spoil of
iniquity [HORSLEY]. So in
Job 5:6. Hating, as I do, the rapine, combined
with iniquity, perpetrated on My people by
their enemies, I will vindicate Israel.
direct . . . work in
truth--rather, "I will give them the reward of
their work" (compare
Isa 40:10, Margin;
Isa 49:4, Margin;
Isa 62:11, Margin) in faithfulness.
9. known--honorably; shall be illustrious (
Ps 67:2).
people--rather,
"peoples."
seed . . . blessed-- (
Isa 65:23).
10. Zion (
Isa 61:3) gives thanks for God's returning favor
(compare
Lu 1:46, 47; Hab 3:18).
salvation . . .
righteousness--inseparably connected together. The
"robe" is a loose mantle thrown over the other
parts of the dress (
Ps 132:9, 16; 149:4; Re 21:2; 19:8).
decketh himself with ornaments--rather
"maketh himself a priestly headdress,"
that is, a magnificent headdress, such as was worn by the
high priest, namely, a miter and a plate, or crown of gold
worn in front of it [AQUILA, &c.]; appropriate to the
"kingdom of priests," dedicated to the offering
of spiritual sacrifices to God continually (
Ex 19:6; Re 5:10; 20:6).
jewels--rather, "ornaments"
in general [BARNES].
11. (
Isa 45:8, 55:10, 11; Ps 72:3; 85:11).
bud--the tender shoots.
praise-- (
Isa 60:18; 62:7).
Isa 62:1-12. INTERCESSORY PRAYERS FOR ZION'S RESTORATION, ACCOMPANYING GOD'S PROMISES OF IT, AS THE APPOINTED MEANS OF ACCOMPLISHING IT.
1. I--the prophet, as representative of all the praying
people of God who love and intercede for Zion (compare
Isa 62:6, 7; Ps 102:13-17), or else Messiah (compare
Isa 62:6). So Messiah is represented as unfainting in
His efforts for His people (
Isa 42:4; 50:7).
righteousness thereof--not its own
inherently, but imputed to it, for its restoration to
God's favor: hence "salvation" answers
to it in the parallelism. "Judah" is to be
"saved" through "the Lord our
(Judah's and the Church's)
righteousness" (
Jer 23:6).
as brightness--properly the bright
shining of the rising sun (
Isa 60:19; 4:5; 2Sa 23:4; Pr 4:18).
lamp--blazing torch.
2. (
Isa 11:10; 42:1-6; 49:7, 22, 23; 60:3, 5, 16).
new name--expression of thy new and
improved condition (
Isa 62:4), the more valuable and lasting as being
conferred by Jehovah Himself (
Isa 62:12; Isa 65:15; Re 2:17; 3:12).
3. (
Zec 9:16)
in . . . hand of
. . . Lord--As a crown is worn on the
head, not "in the hand," hand must
here be figurative for "under the Lord's
protection" (compare
De 33:3). "All His saints are in thy hand."
His people are in His hand at the same time that
they are "a crown of glory" to Him (
Re 6:2; 19:12); reciprocally, He is "a
crown of glory and a diadem of beauty" to them (
Isa 28:5; compare
Mal 3:17).
4. be termed--be "forsaken," so as that
that term could be applicable to thee.
Hephzi-bah-- (
2Ki 21:1), the name of Hezekiah's wife, a type of
Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was of Messiah (
Isa 32:1): "my delight is in her."
Beulah--"Thou art married."
See the same contrast of Zion's past and future state
under the same figure (
Isa 54:4-6; Re 21:2, 4).
land . . . married--to
Jehovah as its Lord and Husband: implying not only
ownership, but protection on the part of the Owner
[HORSLEY].
5. thy sons--rather, changing the points, which are of no
authority in Hebrew, "thy builder" or
"restorer," that is, God; for in the parallel
clause, and in
Isa 62:4, God is implied as being "married"
to her; whereas her "sons" could hardly be said
to marry their mother; and in
Isa 49:18, they are said to be her bridal
ornaments, not her husband. The plural form,
builders, is used of God in reverence as
"husbands" (see on Isa
54:5).
over the bride--in the possession of
the bride (
Isa 65:19; Jer 32:41; Zep 3:17).
6. I--Isaiah speaking in the person of the Messiah.
watchmen upon . . .
walls--image from the watches set upon a city's wall to
look out for the approach of a messenger with good tidings
(
Isa 52:7, 8); the good tidings of the return of the
Jewish exiles from Babylon, prefiguring the return from the
present dispersion (compare
Isa 21:6-11; 56:10; Eze 3:17; 33:7). The watches in the
East are announced by a loud cry to mark the vigilance of
the watchmen.
ye that . . . mention
. . . Lord--Hebrew, "ye that are the
Lord's remembrancers"; God's servants who by
their prayers "put God in remembrance" of His
promises (
Isa 43:26); we are required to remind God, as if
God could, which He cannot, forget His promises (
Ps 119:49; Jer 14:21).
7. no rest--Hebrew, "silence"; keep not
silence yourselves, nor let Him rest in
silence. Compare as to Messiah Himself, "I will not
hold . . . peace . . . not rest"
(
Isa 62:1); Messiah's watchmen (
Isa 62:6, 7) imitate Him (
Isa 62:1) in intercessory "prayer without
ceasing" for Jerusalem (
Ps 122:6; 51:18); also for the spiritual Jerusalem, the
Church (
Lu 18:1, 7; Ro 1:9).
a praise--(See on
Isa 61:11;
Zep 3:20).
8. sworn by . . . right hand--His mighty
instrument of accomplishing His will (compare
Isa 45:23; Heb 6:13).
sons of . . .
stranger--Foreigners shall no more rob thee of the
fruit of thy labors (compare
Isa 65:21, 22).
9. eat . . . and praise--not consume it on their
own lusts, and without thanksgiving.
drink it in . . .
courts--They who have gathered the vintage shall
drink it at the feasts held in the courts surrounding the
temple (
De 12:17, 18; 14:23, &c.).
10. What Isaiah in the person of Messiah had engaged in (
Isa 62:1) unrestingly to seek, and what the watchmen
were unrestingly to pray for (
Isa 62:7), and what Jehovah solemnly promised (
Isa 62:8, 9), is now to be fulfilled; the Gentile
nations are commanded to "go through the gates"
(either of their own cities [ROSENMULLER] or of Jerusalem
[MAURER]), in order to remove all obstacles out of
"the way of the people (Israel)" (see on
Isa 7:14;
Isa 40:3; 52:10-12).
standard--for the dispersed Jews to
rally round, with a view to their return (
Isa 49:22; 11:12).
11. salvation--embodied in the Saviour (see
Zec 9:9).
his work--rather, recompense
(
Isa 40:10).
12. Sought out--Sought after and highly prized by Jehovah; answering to "not forsaken" in the parallel clause; no longer abandoned, but loved; image from a wife ( Isa 62:4; Jer 30:14).
Isa 63:1-19. MESSIAH COMING AS THE AVENGER, IN ANSWER TO HIS PEOPLE'S PRAYERS.
Messiah, approaching Jerusalem after having avenged His people on His and their enemies, is represented under imagery taken from the destruction of "Edom," the type of the last and most bitter foes of God and His people (see Isa 34:5, &c.).
1. Who--the question of the prophet in prophetic
vision.
dyed--scarlet with blood (
Isa 63:2, 3; Re 19:13).
Bozrah--(See on Isa
34:6).
travelling--rather, stately;
literally, "throwing back the head"
[GESENIUS].
speak in righteousness--answer of
Messiah. I, who have in faithfulness given a promise of
deliverance, am now about to fulfil it. Rather, speak
of righteousness (
Isa 45:19; 46:13); salvation being meant as the
result of His "righteousness" [MAURER].
save--The same Messiah that destroys
the unbeliever saves the believer.
2. The prophet asks why His garments are "dyed"
and "red."
winefat--rather, the
"wine-press," wherein the grapes were trodden
with the feet; the juice would stain the garment of him who
trod them (
Re 14:19, 20; 19:15). The image was appropriate, as the
country round Bozrah abounded in grapes. This final blow
inflicted by Messiah and His armies (
Re 19:13-15) shall decide His claim to the kingdoms
usurped by Satan, and by the "beast," to whom
Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to
the hostile Gentiles, as His first coming was a day of
judgment to the unbelieving Jews.
3. Reply of Messiah. For the image, see
La 1:15. He "treads the wine-press" here not
as a sufferer, but as an inflicter of
vengeance.
will tread . . . shall be
. . . will stain--rather preterites, "I trod
. . . trampled . . . was sprinkled
. . . I stained."
blood--literally, "spirited
juice" of the grape, pressed out by treading
[GESENIUS].
4. is--rather, "was." This assigns the reason why
He has thus destroyed the foe (
Zep 3:8).
my redeemed--My people to be
redeemed.
day . . . year--here, as in
Isa 34:8; 61:2, the time of "vengeance" is
described as a "day"; that of grace and of
"recompense" to the "redeemed," as a
"year."
5. The same words as in Isa 59:16, except that there it is His "righteousness," here it is His "fury," which is said to have upheld Him.
6. Rather, preterites, "I trod down
. . . made them drunk." The same
image occurs
Isa 51:17, 21-23; Ps 75:8; Jer 25:26, 27.
will bring down . . .
strength to . . . earth--rather, "I
spilled their life-blood (the same Hebrew
words as in
Isa 63:3) on the earth" [LOWTH and
Septuagint].
7. Israel's penitential confession and prayer for
restoration (
Ps 102:17, 20), extending from
Isa 63:7 to 64:12.
loving-kindnesses . . .
praises . . . mercies . . .
loving-kindnesses--The plurals and the repetitions
imply that language is inadequate to express the full
extent of God's goodness.
us--the dispersed Jews at the time
just preceding their final restoration.
house of Israel--of all ages; God was
good not merely to the Jews now dispersed, but to Israel in
every age of its history.
8. he--Jehovah "said," that is, thought, in
choosing them as His covenant-people; so "said"
(
Ps 95:10). Not that God was ignorant that the Jews
would not keep faith with Him; but God is here said,
according to human modes of thought to say within
Himself what He might naturally have expected,
as the result of His goodness to the Jews; thus the
enormity of their unnatural perversity is the more
vividly set forth.
lie--prove false to Me (compare
Ps 44:17).
so--in virtue of His having
chosen them, He became their Saviour. So the
"therefore" (
Jer 31:33). His eternal choice is the ground of
His actually saving men (
Eph 1:3, 4).
9. he was afflicted--English Version reads the
Hebrew as the Keri (Margin), does,
"There was affliction to Him." But the
Chetib (text) reads, "There was no
affliction" (the change in Hebrew being only of
one letter); that is, "In all their affliction there
was no (utterly overwhelming) affliction" [GESENIUS];
or, for "Hardly had an affliction befallen
them, when the angel of His presence saved
them" [MAURER]; or, as best suits the parallelism,
"In all their straits there was no straitness in His
goodness to them" [HOUBIGANT], (
Jud 10:16; Mic 2:7; 2Co 6:12).
angel of his presence--literally,
"of His face," that is, who stands before Him
continually; Messiah (
Ex 14:19; 23:20, 21; Pr 8:30), language applicable to
no creature (
Ex 32:34; 33:2, 14; Nu 20:16; Mal 3:1).
bare them-- (
Isa 46:3, 4; 40:11; Ex 19:4; De 32:11, 12).
10. vexed--grieved (
Ps 78:40; 95:10; Ac 7:51; Eph 4:30; Heb 3:10,
17).
he fought--rather, "He it was
that fought," namely, the angel of His presence
[HORSLEY], (
La 2:5).
11. remembered--Notwithstanding their perversity, He
forgot not His covenant of old; therefore He did not
wholly forsake them (
Le 26:40-42, 44, 45; Ps 106:45, 46); the Jews make this
their plea with God, that He should not now forsake
them.
saying--God is represented, in human
language, mentally speaking of Himself and His former acts
of love to Israel, as His ground for pitying them
notwithstanding their rebellion.
sea--Red Sea.
shepherd--Moses; or if the
Hebrew be read plural, "shepherds,"
Moses, Aaron, and the other leaders (so
Ps 77:20).
put . . . Spirit
. . . within him--Hebrew, "in the
inward parts of him," that is, Moses; or it refers to
the flock, "in the midst of his people" (
Nu 11:17, 25; Ne 9:20; Hag 2:5).
12. The right hand of Moses was but the instrument;
the arm of God was the real mover (
Ex 15:6; 14:21).
dividing the water-- (
Ne 9:11; Ps 78:13).
13. deep--literally, "the tossing and roaring
sea."
wilderness--rather, the "open
plain" [HORSLEY], wherein there is no obstacle to
cause a horse in its course the danger of stumbling.
14. As a beast . . . rest--image from a herd led
"down" from the hills to a fertile and
well-watered "valley" (
Ps 23:2); so God's Spirit "caused Israel to
rest" in the promised land after their weary
wanderings.
to make . . . name--(So
Isa 63:12; 2Sa 7:23).
15. Here begins a fervent appeal to God to pity Israel now
on the ground of His former benefits.
habitation of . . .
holiness-- (
Isa 57:15; De 26:15; 2Ch 30:27; Ps 33:14; 80:14).
zeal . . . strength--evinced
formerly for Thy people.
sounding of . . .
bowels--Thine emotions of compassion (
Isa 16:11; Jer 31:20; 48:36; Ho 11:8).
16. thou . . . father--of Israel, by right not
merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (
Isa 64:8; De 32:6; 1Ch 29:10).
though Abraham . . .
Israel--It had been the besetting temptation of the Jews to
rest on the mere privilege of their descent from faithful
Abraham and Jacob (
Mt 3:9; Joh 8:39; 4:12); now at last they renounce
this, to trust in God alone as their Father,
notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. Even
though Abraham, our earthly father, on whom we have prided
ourselves, disown us, Thou wilt not (
Isa 49:15; Ps 27:10). Isaac is not mentioned, because
not all his posterity was admitted to the covenant,
whereas all Jacob's was; Abraham is specified because
he was the first father of the Jewish race.
everlasting--an argument why He should
help them, namely, because of His everlasting
immutability.
17. made us to err--that is, "suffer" us to err
and to be hardened in our heart. They do not mean to deny
their own blameworthiness, but confess that through their
own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind (
Isa 6:9, 10; Ps 119:10; Ro 1:28).
Return-- (
Nu 10:36; Ps 90:13).
18. people of . . . holiness--Israel dedicated as
holy unto God (
Isa 62:12; De 7:6).
possessed--namely, the Holy Land, or
Thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause,
which is parallel to this (compare
Isa 64:10, 11; Ps 74:6-8).
thy--an argument why God should help
them; their cause is His cause.
19. thine . . . never--rather, "We are Thine from of old; Thou barest not rule over them" [BARNES]. LOWTH translates, "We for long have been as those over whom Thou hast not ruled, who are not called by Thy name"; "for long" thus stands in contrast to "but a little while" ( Isa 63:18). But the analogy of Isa 63:18 makes it likely that the first clause in this verse refers to the Jews, and the second to their foes, as English Version and B ARNES translate it. The Jews' foes are aliens who have unjustly intruded into the Lord's heritage.
Isa 64:1-12. TRANSITION FROM COMPLAINT TO PRAYER.
1. rend . . . heavens--bursting forth to execute
vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe (
Ps 18:9; 144:5; Hab 3:5, 6).
flow down-- (
Jud 5:5; Mic 1:4).
2. Oh, that Thy wrath would consume Thy foes as the fire. Rather, "as the fire burneth the dry brushwood" [GESENIUS].
3. When--Supply from
Isa 64:2, "As when."
terrible things-- (
Ps 65:5).
we looked not for--far exceeding the
expectation of any of our nation; unparalleled before (
Ex 34:10; Ps 68:8).
camest down--on Mount Sinai.
mountains flowed--Repeated from
Isa 64:1; they pray God to do the very same
things for Israel now as in former ages. GESENIUS,
instead of "flowed" here, and "flow" in
Isa 64:1, translates from a different Hebrew
root, "quake . . . quaked"; but
"fire" melts and causes to flow,
rather than to quake (
Isa 64:2).
4. perceived by the ear--Paul (
1Co 2:9) has for this, "nor have entered into the
heart of man"; the virtual sense, sanctioned by his
inspired authority; men might hear with the outward ear,
but they could only by the Spirit "perceive" with
the "heart" the spiritual significancy of
God's acts, both those in relation to Israel, primarily
referred to here, and those relating to the Gospel
secondarily, which Paul refers to.
O God . . . what he
. . . prepared--rather, "nor hath eye seen
a god beside thee who doeth such
things." They refer to God's past
marvellous acts in behalf of Israel as a plea for His now
interposing for His people; but the Spirit, as Paul by
inspiration shows, contemplated further God's
revelation in the Gospel, which abounds in marvellous
paradoxes never before heard of by carnal ear, not to be
understood by mere human sagacity, and when foretold by the
prophets not fully perceived or credited; and even after
the manifestation of Christ not to be understood save
through the inward teaching of the Holy Ghost. These are
partly past and present, and partly future; therefore Paul
substitutes "prepared" for "doeth,"
though his context shows he includes all three. For
"waiteth" he has "love Him"; godly
waiting on Him must flow from love, and not mere fear.
5. meetest--that is, Thou makest peace, or enterest into
covenant with him (see on Isa
47:3).
rejoiceth and worketh--that is, who
with joyful willingness worketh [GESENIUS] (
Ac 10:35; Joh 7:17).
those--Thou meetest "those,"
in apposition to "him" who represents a class
whose characteristics "those that," &c., more
fully describes.
remember thee in thy ways-- (
Isa 26:8).
sinned--literally,
"tripped," carrying on the figure in
"ways."
in those is continuance--a plea to
deprecate the continuance of God's wrath;
it is not in Thy wrath that there is continuance (
Isa 54:7, 8; Ps 30:5; 103:9), but in Thy ways
("those"), namely, of covenant mercy to Thy
people (
Mic 7:18-20; Mal 3:6); on the strength of the
everlasting continuance of His covenant they infer by
faith, "we shall be saved." God
"remembered" for them His covenant (
Ps 106:45), though they often "remembered
not" Him (
Ps 78:42). CASTELLIO translates, "we have sinned
for long in them ('thy ways'), and could we then be
saved?" But they hardly would use such a plea when
their very object was to be saved.
6. unclean thing--legally unclean, as a leper. True of
Israel, everywhere now cut off by unbelief and by God's
judgments from the congregation of the saints.
righteousness--plural,
"uncleanness" extended to every particular
act of theirs, even to their prayers and praises. True
of the best doings of the unregenerate (
Php 3:6-8; Tit 1:15; Heb 11:6).
filthy rags--literally, a
"menstruous rag" (
Le 15:33; 20:18; La 1:17).
fade . . . leaf-- (
Ps 90:5, 6).
7. stirreth--rouseth himself from spiritual
drowsiness.
take hold-- (
Isa 27:5).
8. father-- (
Isa 63:16).
clay . . . potter-- (
Isa 29:16; 45:9). Unable to mould themselves aright,
they beg the sovereign will of God to mould them unto
salvation, even as He made them at the first, and is
their "Father."
9. (
Ps 74:1, 2).
we are . . . thy people--
(
Jer 14:9, 21).
10. holy cities--No city but Jerusalem is called "the holy city" ( Isa 48:2; 52:1); the plural, therefore, refers to the upper and the lower parts of the same city Jerusalem [VITRINGA]; or all Judea was holy to God, so its cities were deemed "holy" [MAURER]. But the parallelism favors V ITRINGA. Zion and Jerusalem (the one city) answering to "holy cities."
11. house--the temple.
beautiful--includes the idea of
glorious (
Mr 13:1; Ac 3:2).
burned-- (
Ps 74:7; La 2:7; 2Ch 36:19). Its destruction under
Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
pleasant things--Hebrew,
"objects of desire"; our homes, our city, and all
its dear associations.
12. for these things--Wilt Thou, notwithstanding these calamities of Thy people, still refuse Thy aid ( Isa 42:14)?
Isa 65:1-25. GOD'S REPLY IN JUSTIFICATION OF HIS DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL.
In Isa 64:9, their plea was, "we are all Thy people." In answer, God declares that others (Gentiles) would be taken into covenant with Him, while His ancient people would be rejected. The Jews were slow to believe this; hence Paul says ( Ro 10:20) that Isaiah was "very bold" in advancing so unpopular a sentiment; he implies what Paul states ( Ro 2:28; 9:6, 7; 11:1-31), that "they are not all (in opposition to the Jews' plea, Isa 64:9) Israel which are of Israel." God's reason for so severely dealing with Israel is not changeableness in Him, but sin in them ( Isa 65:2-7). Yet the whole nation shall not be destroyed, but only the wicked; a remnant shall be saved ( Isa 65:8-10, 11-16). There shall be, finally, universal blessedness to Israel, such as they had prayed for ( Isa 65:17-25).
1. I am sought--Hebrew, "I have granted
access unto Me to them," &c. (so
Eze 14:3, "Should I be inquired of";
Eph 2:18).
found--
Ro 10:20 renders this, "I was made manifest."
As an instance of the sentiment in the clause, "I am
sought," &c., see
Joh 12:21; of the sentiment in this clause,
Ac 9:5. Compare as to the Gentile converts,
Eph 2:12, 13.
Behold me-- (
Isa 45:22).
nation . . . not called by
my name--that is, the Gentiles. God retorts in their own
words (
Isa 63:19) that their plea as being exclusively
"called by His name" will not avail, for
God's gospel invitation is not so exclusive (
Ro 9:25; 1:16).
2. spread out . . . hands--inviting them
earnestly (
Pr 1:24).
all . . . day--continually,
late and early (
Jer 7:13).
rebellious people--Israel, whose
rebellion was the occasion of God's turning to the
Gentiles (
Ro 11:11, 12, 15).
way . . . not good--that is,
the very reverse of good, very bad (
Eze 36:31).
3. continually--answering to "all the day" (
Isa 65:2). God was continually inviting them, and they
continually offending Him (
De 32:21).
to my face--They made no attempt to
hide their sin (
Isa 3:9). Compare "before Me" (
Ex 20:3).
in gardens--(See on Isa 1:29;
Isa 66:17; Le 17:5).
altars of brick--Hebrew,
"bricks." God had commanded His altars to be of
unhewn stone (
Ex 20:25). This was in order to separate them, even in
external respects, from idolaters; also, as all
chiselling was forbidden, they could not inscribe
superstitious symbols on them as the heathen did. Bricks
were more easily so inscribed than stone; hence their use
for the cuneiform inscriptions at Babylon, and also for
idolatrous altars. Some, not so well, have supposed that
the "bricks" here mean the flat brick-paved
roofs of houses on which they sacrificed to the sun,
&c. (
2Ki 23:12; Jer 19:13).
4. remain among . . . graves--namely, for
purposes of necromancy, as if to hold converse with the
dead (
Isa 8:19, 20; compare
Mr 5:3); or, for the sake of purifications, usually
performed at night among sepulchres, to appease the manes
[MAURER].
monuments--Hebrew, "pass
the night in hidden recesses," either the
idol's inmost shrines ("consecrated
precincts") [HORSLEY], where they used to sleep, in
order to have divine communications in dreams [JEROME]; or
better, on account of the parallel "graves,"
sepulchral caves [MAURER].
eat swine's flesh--To eat it at
all was contrary to God's law (
Le 11:7), but it much increased their guilt that they
ate it in idolatrous sacrifices (compare
Isa 66:17). VARRO (On Agriculture, 2.4) says
that swine were first used in sacrifices; the Latins
sacrificed a pig to Ceres; it was also offered on occasion
of treaties and marriages.
broth--so called from the
"pieces" (Margin) or fragments of bread
over which the broth was poured [GESENIUS]; such broth,
made of swine's flesh, offered in sacrifice, was
thought to be especially acceptable to the idol and was
used in magic rites. Or, "fragments (pieces) of
abominable foods," &c. This fourth clause explains
more fully the third, as the second does the first
[MAURER].
is in--rather, literally, "is
their vessels," that is, constitute their vessels'
contents. The Jews, in our Lord's days, and ever since
the return from Babylon, have been free from idolatry;
still the imagery from idolatrous abominations, as being
the sin most loathsome in God's eyes and that most
prevalent in Isaiah's time, is employed to describe the
foul sin of Israel in all ages, culminating in their
killing Messiah, and still rejecting Him.
5. (
Mt 9:11; Lu 5:30; 18:11; Jude 19). Applicable to the
hypocritical self-justifiers of our Lord's time.
smoke--alluding to the smoke of their
self-righteous sacrifices; the fire of God's
wrath was kindled at the sight, and exhibited itself in
the smoke that breathed forth from His nostrils; in
Hebrew the nose is the seat of anger; and the
nostrils distended in wrath, as it were, breathe forth
smoke [R OSENMULLER] (
Ps 18:8).
6. written before me--"it is decreed by Me,"
namely, what follows (
Job 13:26), [MAURER]; or, their guilt is recorded
before Me (compare
Da 7:10; Re 20:12; Mal 3:16).
into . . . bosom-- (
Ps 79:12; Jer 32:18; Lu 6:38). The Orientals used the
loose fold of the garment falling on "the bosom"
or lap, as a receptacle for carrying things. The sense thus
is: I will repay their sin so abundantly that the
hand will not be able to receive it; it will need the
spacious fold on the bosom to contain it
[ROSENMULLER]. Rather it is, "I will repay it to
the very person from whom it has emanated."
Compare "God did render the evil of the men of Shechem
upon their heads" (
Jud 9:57; Ps 7:16) [GESENIUS].
7. Their sin had been accumulating from age to age until
God at last repaid it in full.
mountains-- (
Isa 57:7; Eze 18:6; 20:27, 28; Ho 4:13).
their--"Your" had preceded.
From speaking to, He speaks of them; this
implies growing alienation from them and greater
distance.
work--the full recompense of
their work (so
Isa 49:4).
8. new wine--as if some grapes having good
wine-producing juice in them, be found in a cluster
which the vinedresser was about to throw away as bad, and
one saith, &c.
blessing--that is, good wine-producing
juice (compare
Jud 9:13; Joe 2:14).
so--God will spare the godly
"remnant," while the ungodly mass of the nation
shall be destroyed (
Isa 1:9; 6:13; 10:21; 11:11, 12-16).
my servants--the godly remnant. But
HORSLEY, "for the sake of my servant,
Messiah."
9. seed--"the holy seed" (
Isa 6:13), a posterity from Jacob, designed to
repossess the Holy Land, forfeited by the sin of the former
Jews.
my mountains--Jerusalem and the rest
of Judea, peculiarly God's (compare
Isa 2:2; 11:9; 14:32).
it--the Holy Land.
elect-- (
Isa 65:15, 22).
10. Sharon--(See on Isa 33:9; Isa 35:2).
Achor--meaning "trouble"; a
valley near Jericho, so called from the trouble caused to
Israel by Achan's sin (
Jos 7:24). "The valley of Achor," proverbial
for whatever caused calamity, shall become proverbial for
joy and prosperity (
Ho 2:15).
11. holy mountain--Moriah, on which the temple was.
troop--rather "Gad," the
Babylonian god of fortune, the planet Jupiter, answering to
Baal or Bel; the Arabs called it "the Greater Good
Fortune"; and the planet Venus answering to Meni,
"the Lesser Good Fortune" [GESENIUS, KIMCHI,
&c.]. Tables were laid out for their idols with all
kinds of viands, and a cup containing a mixture of wine and
honey, in Egypt especially, on the last day of the year
[JEROME].
drink offering--rather, "mixed
drink."
number--rather, "Meni"; as
goddess of fortune she was thought to number the
fates of men. VITRINGA understands Gad to be the sun; Meni
the moon, or Ashtaroth or Astarte (
1Ki 11:33).
12. number--"doom" you. Alluding to the
"number," as Meni (
Isa 65:11) means. Retribution in kind, the punishment
answering to the sin (compare
2Ch 36:14-17).
I called, ye . . . not
answer--"I called," though "none had
called" upon Me (
Isa 64:7); yet even then none "answered" (
Pr 1:24). Contrast with this God and His people's
mutual fellowship in prayer (
Isa 65:24).
13. eat--enjoy all blessings from me (
So 5:1).
hungry-- (
Am 4:6; 8:11). This may refer to the siege of Jerusalem
under Titus, when 1,100,000 are said to have perished by
famine; thus
Isa 65:15 will refer to God's people without
distinction of Jew and Gentile receiving "another
name," namely, that of Christians [H OUBIGANT].
A further fulfilment may still remain, just before the
creation of the "new heavens and earth," as the
context,
Isa 65:17, implies.
14. howl-- ( Isa 15:2; Mt 8:12).
15. curse--The name of "Jew" has been for long a
formula of execration (compare
Jer 29:22); if one wishes to curse another, he can
utter nothing worse than this, "God make thee what the
Jew is!" Contrast the formula (
Ge 48:20) [MAURER].
my chosen--the elect Church, gathered
from Jews and Gentiles, called by "another name,"
Christians (
Ac 11:26). However (see on Isa
65:13), as "My chosen," or "elect,"
in
Isa 65:9, refers to the "seed of Jacob,"
the believing Jews, hereafter about to possess their
land (
Isa 65:19, 22), are ultimately meant by "My
chosen," as contrasted with the unbelieving Jews
("ye"). These elect Jews shall be called by
"another," or a new name, that is, shall
no longer be "forsaken" of God for unbelief, but
shall be His "delight" and "married" to
Him (
Isa 62:2, 4).
thee--unbelieving Israel.
Isaiah here speaks of God, whereas in the preceding
sentences God Himself spake. This change of persons
marks without design how completely the prophet realized
God with him and in him, so that he passes, without
formally announcing it, from God's words to his own,
and vice versa, both alike being from God.
16. That he--rather, "he who," &c.
blesseth, &c.-- (
Ps 72:17; Jer 4:2).
God of truth--very God, as opposed to
false gods; Hebrew, Amen: the very name of
Messiah (
2Co 1:20; Re 3:14), faithful to His promises (
Joh 1:17; 6:32). Real, substantial, spiritual, eternal,
as opposed to the shadowy types of the law.
sweareth, &c.--God alone shall be
appealed to as God (
Isa 19:18; De 6:13; Ps 63:11).
troubles--that is, sins, provocations
[LOWTH]. Rather, calamities caused by your sins; so
far from these visiting you again, the very
remembrance of them is "hid from Mine eyes"
by the magnitude of the blessings I will confer on you (
Isa 65:17, &c.). [MAURER].
17. As Caleb inherited the same land which his feet trod on
(
De 1:36; Jos 14:9), so Messiah and His saints shall
inherit the renovated earth which once they trod while
defiled by the enemy (
Isa 34:4; 51:16; 66:22; Eze 21:27; Ps 2:8; 37:11; 2Pe 3:13;
Heb 12:26-28
Re 21:1).
not be remembered--See on Isa 65:16, note on "troubles";
the words here answer to "the former . . .
forgotten," &c. The former sorrows of the earth,
under the fall, shall be so far from recurring, that their
very remembrance shall be obliterated by the many mercies I
will bestow on the new earth (
Re 21:4-27).
18. rejoice for ever . . . Jerusalem-- ( Isa 51:11). "Everlasting joy . . . Zion." Spiritually ( 1Th 5:16).
19. (
Isa 62:5).
weeping . . . no more-- (
Isa 25:7, 8; 35:10; Re 7:17; 21:4), primarily, foretold
of Jerusalem; secondarily, of all the
redeemed.
20. The longevity of men in the first age of the world
shall be enjoyed again.
thence--from that time forward.
infant of days--that is, an infant who
shall only complete a few days; short-lived.
filled . . . days--None
shall die without attaining a full old age.
child . . . die
. . . hundred years--that is, "he that dieth
an hundred years old shall die a mere child"
[LOWTH].
sinner . . . hundred
. . . be accursed--"The sinner that dieth at
an hundred years shall be deemed accursed," that is,
his death at so early an age, which in those days the
hundredth year will be regarded, just as if it were mere
childhood, shall be deemed the effect of God's special
visitation in wrath [R OSENMULLER]. This passage proves
that the better age to come on earth, though much superior
to the present will not be a perfect state; sin and death
shall have place in it (compare
Re 20:7, 8), but much less frequently than now.
21. (See on Isa 62:8; Am 9:14).
22. They shall not experience the curse pronounced (
Le 26:16; De 28:30).
tree--among the most long-lived
of objects in nature. They shall live as long as the trees
they "plant" (compare
Isa 61:3, end of verse;
Ps 92:12).
enjoy--Hebrew,
"consume," "wear out"; they shall live
to enjoy the last of it (
Isa 62:9).
23. bring forth for trouble--literally, "for
terror," that is, "They shall not bring forth
children for a sudden death" (
Le 26:16; Jer 15:8).
seed . . . blessed-- (
Isa 61:9).
offspring with them-- (
Ho 9:12). "Their offspring shall be with
themselves" [M AURER]; not "brought forth"
only to be cut off by "sudden death" (see the
parallel clause).
24. Contrast Isa 64:7, "none . . . calleth," &c.; and see on Isa 65:12, "I called, ye did not answer." MAURER translates, "They shall hardly (literally, "not yet") call, when (literally, "and") I will answer; they shall be still speaking, when I will hear" ( Ps 32:5; Da 9:20, 21).
25. (See on Isa 11:6).
and the lion shall eat straw like the
bullock--(See on Isa 11:7).
and dust--rather, "but
dust," &c. The curse shall remain on the
serpent [HORSLEY], (
Ge 3:14; Mic 7:17). "To lick the dust"
is figurative of the utter and perpetual degradation
of Satan and his emissaries (
Isa 49:23; Ps 72:9). Satan fell self-tempted;
therefore no atonement was contrived for him, as there was
for man, who fell by his temptation (
Jude 6; Joh 8:44). From his peculiar connection with
the earth and man, it has been conjectured that the
exciting cause of his rebellion was God's declaration
that human nature was to be raised into union with the
Godhead; this was "the truth" concerning the
person of the Son of God which "he abode not in";
it galled his pride that a lower race was to be raised to
that which he had aspired to (
1Ti 3:6). How exultingly he might say, when man fell
through him, "God would raise manhood into
union with Himself; I have brought it down below the
beasts by sin!" At that very moment and spot he was
told that the seed of the abhorred race, man, should bruise
his head (
1Jo 3:8). He was raised up for this, to show forth
God's glory (
Ex 9:16; Ro 9:17). In his unfallen state he may have
been God's vicegerent over the earth and the animal
kingdom before man: this will account for his assuming the
form of a serpent (
Ge 3:1). Man succeeded to that office (
Ge 2:19, 20), but forfeited it by sin, whence Satan
became "prince of this world"; Jesus Christ
supplants the usurper, and as "Son of man"
regains the lost inheritance (
Ps 8:4-8). The steps in Satan's overthrow are
these: he is cast out, first, from heaven (
Re 12:7-9) on earth; next, he is bound a thousand years
(
Re 20:2, 3); finally, he is cast into the lake of fire
for ever (
Re 20:10).
the serpent's meat--(See on Isa 11:8).
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all
my holy mountain--(See on Isa 11:9).
Isa 66:1-24. THE HUMBLE COMFORTED, THE UNGODLY CONDEMNED, AT THE LORD'S APPEARING: JERUSALEM MADE A JOY ON EARTH.
This closing chapter is the summary of Isaiah's prophecies as to the last days, hence the similarity of its sentiments with what went before.
1. heaven . . . throne . . . where is
. . . house . . . ye build--The same
sentiment is expressed, as a precautionary proviso for the
majesty of God in deigning to own any earthly temple as
His, as if He could be circumscribed by space (
1Ki 8:27) in inaugurating the temple of stone; next, as
to the temple of the Holy Ghost (
Ac 7:48, 49); lastly here, as to "the tabernacle
of God with men" (
Isa 2:2, 3; Eze 43:4, 7; Re 21:3).
where--rather, "what is this
house that ye are building, &c.--what place is this for
My rest?" [VITRINGA].
2. have been--namely, made by Me. Or, absolutely,
were things made; and therefore belong to Me,
the Creator [JEROME].
look--have regard.
poor--humble (
Isa 57:15).
trembleth at . . . word--
(
2Ki 22:11, 19; Ezr 9:4). The spiritual temple of the
heart, though not superseding the outward place of worship,
is God's favorite dwelling (
Joh 14:23). In the final state in heaven there shall be
"no temple," but "the Lord God" Himself
(
Re 21:22).
3. God loathes even the sacrifices of the wicked (
Isa 1:11; Pr 15:8; 28:9).
is as if--LOWTH not so well omits
these words: "He that killeth an ox (presently after)
murders a man" (as in
Eze 23:39). But the omission in the Hebrew of
"is as if"--increases the force of the
comparison. Human victims were often offered by the
heathen.
dog's neck--an abomination
according to the Jewish law (
De 23:18); perhaps made so, because dogs were venerated
in Egypt. He does not honor this abomination by using the
word "sacrifice," but uses the degrading term,
"cut off a dog's neck" (
Ex 13:13; 34:20). Dogs as unclean are associated with
swine (
Mt 7:6; 2Pe 2:22).
oblation--unbloody: in antithesis to
"swine's blood" (
Isa 65:4).
burneth--Hebrew, "he who
offereth as a memorial oblation" (
Le 2:2).
they have chosen--opposed to the two
first clauses of
Isa 66:4: "as they have chosen their own
ways, &c., so I will choose their delusions.
4. delusions-- (
2Th 2:11), answering to "their own ways" (
Isa 66:3; so
Pr 1:31). However, the Hebrew means rather
"vexations," "calamities," which also
the parallelism to "fears" requires; "choose
their calamities" means, "choose the
calamities which they thought to escape by their own
ways."
their fears--the things they feared,
to avert which their idolatrous "abominations"
(
Isa 66:3) were practised.
I called . . . none
. . . answer--(See on Isa
65:12; Isa 65:24; Jer 7:13).
did . . . chose--not only
did the evil deed, but did it deliberately as a
matter of choice (
Ro 1:32). "They chose that in which
I delighted not"; therefore, "I will
choose" that in which they delight not, the
"calamities" and "fears" which they
were most anxious to avert.
before mine eyes--(See on Isa 65:3).
5. tremble at . . . word--the same persons as in
Isa 66:2, the believing few among the Jews.
cast you out for my name's
sake--excommunicate, as if too polluted to worship with
them (
Isa 65:5). So in Christ's first sojourn on earth
(
Mt 10:22; Joh 9:22, 34; 16:2; 15:21). So it shall be
again in the last times, when the believing shall be few
(
Lu 18:8).
Let the Lord be glorified--the mocking
challenge of the persecutors, as if their violence towards
you was from zeal for God. "Let the Lord show Himself
glorious," namely, by manifesting Himself in your
behalf; as the parallelism to, "He shall appear
to your joy," requires (as in
Isa 5:19; compare
Isa 28:15; 57:4). So again Christ on the cross (
Mt 27:42, 43).
appear to your joy--giving you
"joy" instead of your "rebuke" (
Isa 25:8, 9).
6. God, from Jerusalem and His "temple," shall
take vengeance on the enemy (
Eze 43:1-8; Zec 12:2, 3; 14:3, 19-21). The abrupt
language of this verse marks the suddenness with which God
destroys the hostile Gentile host outside: as
Isa 66:5 refers to the confounding of the unbelieving
Jews.
voice of noise--that is, the
Lord's loud-sounding voice (
Ps 68:33; 29:3-9; 1Th 4:16).
7. she--Zion.
Before . . . travailed
. . . brought forth--The accession of numbers,
and of prosperity to her, shall be sudden beyond all
expectation and unattended with painful effort
(
Isa 54:1, 4, 5). Contrast with this case of the future
Jewish Church the travail-pains of the
Christian Church in bringing forth "a man
child" (
Re 12:2, 5). A man child's birth is in the East a
matter of special joy, while that of a female is not so;
therefore, it here means the manly sons of the
restored Jewish Church, the singular being used
collectively for the plural: or the many sons being
regarded as one under Messiah, who shall then be
manifested as their one representative Head.
8. earth--rather, to suit the parallelism, "is a
country (put for the people in it) brought
forth in one day?" [LOWTH]. In English
Version it means, The earth brings forth its
productions gradually, not in one day (
Mr 4:28).
at once--In this case, contrary to the
usual growth of the nations by degrees, Israel starts into
maturity at once.
for--rather, "is a nation born at
once, that Zion has, so soon as she travailed,
brought forth?" [MAURER].
9. cause to bring forth, and shut--rather, "Shall I
who beget, restrain the birth?" [LOWTH], (
Isa 37:3; Ho 13:13); that is, Shall I who have begun,
not finish My work of restoring Israel? (
1Sa 3:12; Ro 11:1; Php 1:6).
shut--(compare
Re 3:7, 8).
10. love . . . mourn for her-- ( Ps 102:14, 17, 20; 122:6).
11. suck-- (
Isa 60:5, 16; 61:6; 49:23).
abundance--Hebrew, "the
ray-like flow of her opulence," that is, with
the milk spouting out from her full breasts (answering to
the parallel, "breast of her consolations") in
ray-like streams [GESENIUS].
12. extend--I will turn peace (prosperity) upon her,
like a river turned in its course [GESENIUS]. Or, "I
will spread peace over her as an
overflowing river" [BARNES], (
Isa 48:18).
flowing stream--as the Nile by its
overflow fertilizes the whole of Egypt.
borne upon . . . sides--(See
on Isa 60:4).
her . . . her--If
"ye" refers to the Jews, translate, "ye
shall be borne upon their sides . . . their
knees," namely, those of the Gentiles, as
in
Isa 49:22; and as "suck" (
Isa 60:16) refers to the Jews sucking the
Gentile wealth. However, English Version gives a
good sense: The Jews, and all who love Jehovah (
Isa 66:10), "shall suck, and be borne" by
her as a mother.
13. mother-- (
Isa 49:15).
comforteth-- (
Isa 40:1, 2).
14. bones--which once were "dried up" by the
"fire" of God's wrath (
La 1:13), shall live again (
Pr 3:8; 15:30; Eze 37:1, &c.).
flourish . . . herb-- (
Ro 11:15-24).
known toward--manifested in behalf of.
15. (
Isa 9:5; Ps 50:3; Hab 3:5; 2Th 1:8; 2Pe 3:7).
chariots . . . whirlwind--
(
Jer 4:13).
render--as the Hebrew elsewhere
(
Job 9:13; Ps 78:38) means to "allay" or
"stay wrath." MAURER translates it so here: He
stays His anger with nothing but fury,"
&c.; nothing short of pouring out all His fiery fury
will satisfy His wrath.
fury--"burning heat"
[LOWTH], to which the parallel, "flames of fire,"
answers.
16. Rather, "With fire will Jehovah judge, and with
His sword (He will judge) all flesh." The parallelism
and collocation of the Hebrew words favor this (
Isa 65:12).
all flesh--that is, all who are
the objects of His wrath. The godly shall be hidden
by the Lord in a place of safety away from the scene of
judgment (
Isa 26:20, 21; Ps 31:20; 1Th 4:16, 17).
17. in . . . gardens--Hebrew and the
Septuagint rather require, "for (entering into)
gardens," namely, to sacrifice there [MAURER].
behind one tree--rather,
"following one," that is, some idol or other,
which, from contempt, he does not name [MAURER]. VITRINGA,
&c., think the Hebrew for "one,"
Ahhadh, to be the name of the god; called Adad
(meaning One) in Syria (compare
Ac 17:23). The idol's power was represented by
inclined rays, as of the sun shining on the earth. GESENIUS
translates, "following one," namely,
Hierophant ("priest"), who led the rest in
performing the sacred rites.
in . . . midst--namely, of
the garden (see on Isa 65:3,
4).
mouse--legally unclean (
Le 11:29) because it was an idol to the heathen (see on
Isa 37:36;
1Sa 6:4). Translate, "the field mouse," or
"dormouse" [B OCHART]. The Pharisees with their
self-righteous purifications, and all mere formalists, are
included in the same condemnation, described in language
taken from the idolatries prevalent in Isaiah's times.
18. know--not in the Hebrew. Rather, understand the
words by aposiopesis; it is usual in threats to leave the
persons threatened to supply the hiatus from their own
fears, owing to conscious guilt: "For I
. . . their works and thoughts," &c.;
namely, will punish [MAURER].
it shall come--the time is come
that I will, &c. [MAURER].
gather . . .
nations--against Jerusalem, where the ungodly Jews
shall perish; and then the Lord at last shall fight for
Jerusalem against those nations: and the survivors (
Isa 66:19) shall "see God's glory" (
Zec 12:8, 9; 14:1-3, 9).
tongues--which have been many
owing to sin, being confounded at Babel, but which shall
again be one in Christ (
Da 7:14; Zep 3:9; Re 7:9, 10).
19. sign--a banner on a high place, to indicate the
place of meeting for the dispersed Jewish exiles,
preparatory to their return to their land (
Isa 5:26; 11:12; 62:10).
those that escape of them--the Gentile
survivors spared by God (see on Isa
66:18;
Zec 14:16).
Isa 2:2, 3; Mic 5:7; and Zec 14:16-19 represent it, not
that the Jews go as missionaries to the Gentiles, but that
the Gentiles come up to Jerusalem to learn the Lord's
ways there.
Tarshish--Tartessus in Spain, in the
west.
Pul--east and north of Africa:
probably the same as Philœ, an island in the
Nile, called by the Egyptians Pilak, that is, the
border country, being between Egypt and Ethiopia
[BOCHART].
Lud--the Libyans of Africa (
Ge 10:13), Ludim being son of Mizraim (Egypt): an
Ethiopian people famous as bowmen (
Jer 46:9): employed as mercenaries by Tyre and Egypt
(
Eze 27:10; 30:5).
Tubal--Tibarenians, in Asia Minor,
south of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and Araxes.
Or, the Iberians [J OSEPHUS]. Italy [JEROME].
Javan--the Greeks; called Ionians,
including all the descendants of Javan, both in Greece and
in Asia Minor (
Ge 10:2-4).
my glory . . . Gentiles--
(
Mal 1:11).
20. they--the Gentiles (
Isa 66:19).
bring . . . your
brethren--the Jews, back to the Holy Land (
Isa 49:22). It cannot mean the mere entrance of the
Jews into the Christian Church; for such an entrance would
be by faith, not upon "horses, litters, and
mules" [HOUBIGANT]. "Offering" is
metaphorical, as in
Ro 15:16.
horses--not much used by the Jews. The
Gentiles are here represented as using their modes
of conveyance to "bring" the Jews to
Jerusalem.
chariots--as these are not found in
Oriental caravans, translate, "vehicles," namely,
borne, not drawn on wheels.
litters--covered sedans for the
rich.
upon swift beasts--dromedaries: from
Hebrew root, "to dance," from their
bounding motion, often accelerated by music [BOCHART].
Panniers were thrown across the dromedaries' back for
poorer women [HORSLEY].
21. of them--the Gentiles.
priests . . . Levites--for
spiritual worship: enjoying the direct access to God which
was formerly enjoyed by the ministers of the temple alone
(
1Pe 2:9; Re 1:6).
22. ( Isa 65:17; 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1).
23. Literally, "As often as the new moon (shall be) in
its own new moon," that is, every month (
Zec 14:16).
sabbath--which is therefore
perpetually obligatory on earth.
all flesh-- (
Ps 65:2; 72:11).
before me--at Jerusalem (
Jer 3:16, 17).
24. go forth, and look--as the Israelites looked at the
carcasses of the Egyptians destroyed at the Red Sea (
Ex 14:30; compare
Isa 26:14-19; Ps 58:10; 49:14; Mal 4:1-3).
carcasses, &c.-- (
Isa 66:16), those slain by the Lord in the last great
battle near Jerusalem (
Zec 12:2-9; 14:2-4); type of the final destruction of
all sinners.
worm . . . not die-- (
Mr 9:44, 46, 48). Image of hell, from bodies left
unburied in the valley of Hinnom (whence comes
Gehenna, or "hell"), south of Jerusalem,
where a perpetual fire was kept to consume the
refuse thrown there (
Isa 30:33). It shall not be inconsistent with true love
for the godly to look with satisfaction on God's
vengeance on the wicked (
Re 14:10). May God bless this Commentary, and
especially its solemn close, to His glory, and to the
edification of the writer and the readers of it, for
Jesus' sake!