5.18 Wo to them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity where inquity is put for calamities and plagues which iniquity procureth and bringeth upon a man To this Metonymie may we reduce the Metonymie called Metonymia Antecedentis Metonymia Continentis Metonymia Continentis is a figure whereby the thing containing is put for the thing contained An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 23.1 Houle ye Ships of Tarshish where the Ships are put for them which are or fail in Ships And cap. 51.17 Which hast drunken at the hand of the Lord the Cup of his Fury Where the Cup is put for the drink or liquor in the Cup. Metonymia Efficientis for Metonymia Causae Metonymia Effecti Metonymia Effecti is a figure whereby the effect is put for its Cause An example of this you may have Isaiah 5.7 He looked for righteousness but behold a cry Where the Cry is put for Oppressions which causeth the poor to Cry And cap. 24.16 My leanness My leanness Where leanness is put for sorrow and grief of Heart which causeth lâ—â—nness in the body To this Metonymie may be reduced the Metonymie called Metonymia Consequentis Metonymia Materiae Metonymia Materiae is a figure whereby the matter of which a thing is made is put for the thing it self which is made of that matter An example hereof we have Isaiah cap 9.10 The Bricks are fallen down Where Bricks are put for housen made of Bricks And cap. 61.9 Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles Where seed is put for children because children are made of the seed of their Parents And cap. 10.34 He shall cut down the Thickets of the Forrest with Iron Where Iron is put for an Axe made of Iron Metonymia Subjecti Metonymia Subjecti is a figure whereby the subject is put for the Adjunct or Accident which it doth any way sustain An example of this you have Isaiah 7.20 The Lord shall shave with a Rasor the Head and the Hair of the Feet Where the Head is put for the hair of the Head And Philip. 2.1 If there be any consolation in Christ If any bowels and mercies where bowels is put for pitty and compassion And Isaiah 19.1 The heart of Egypt shall melt that is the courage of the Egyptians shall fail where there is a double Metonymie of the Subject For first the Heart is put for the Courage And then Egypt is put for the Egyptians or Inhabitants of Egypt Where note that when we speak De Metonymia Subjecti or of the Metonymie of the Subject The word Subject is to be taken in a larger sense than the Logicians take it For the Earth may be called a subject in respect of the men that live upon it And so may the thing containing in respect of the thing contained And Metonymia Continentis may be reduced to this Metonymie of the Subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a figure whereby we imitate another mans words or gestures An example hereof we have Isaiah cap. 10. Ver. 13. Thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God I will also sit upon the Mount of the Congregation In which words the Lord doth imitate the speech of Sennacharib And cap. 19.11 How say you unto Pharaoh I am the son of the wise The son of ancient King Where the Prophet imitates the words of the Counsellors of the King of Egypt Parenthesis Parenthesis is a figure whereby a clause is comprehended within another sentence which clause may be left out and yet the sence of the sentence be compleat without it An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 16.6 We have heard of the pride of Moab He is very proud even of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath where that clause He is very proud is comprehended within that sentence we have heard of the Pride of Moab even of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath and yet the sence of the sentence is perfect without it Periphrasis Periphrasis is a figure whereby we express one word by many An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 5.8 That they may be placed alone in the midst of the Earth where in the midst of the Earth is no more than in the Earth And cap. 3.27 Behold the Name of the Lord commeth where the name of the Lord is put for the Lord. Prosopopoeia Prosopopoeia as Divines most commonly use it is a figure whereby we attriâ—ute reason and understanding to things which have neither reason nor understanding as though they were persons that is individual substances endued with reason or understanding An example hereof we have Isaiah cap. 1. Verse 2. Hearken O Heavens and give Ear O Earth c. Where he speaks to the Heavens and to the Earth as though they were persons endued with reason and understanding And cap. 3.26 Her gates shall lament and mourn and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground Where the material City of Ierusalem and her gates are spoken of as if they were women A Sarcasme Sarcasme is a nipping kind of taunting and scoffing An example hereof you have Isaiah cap. 14.10 Art thou also become weak as wee Art thou become like unto us Secundum quid See 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Concessio Syllepsis Syllepsis is a figure whereby we comprehend in a word or sentence more than the word or sentence doth properly or naturally signifie An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 26. verse 7. Thou most upright doest weigh the path of the just Where by weighing is not onely meant trying in the ballance but finding also to be good upon trial And cap 3.6 When a man shalâ— take hold of his Brother of the house of his Father saying thou hast clothing be thou our Ruler Where this sentence is comprehended Then shall a man take hold of his Brother of the house of his Father saying Thou hast clothing be thou our Ruler q. d. Then shâ—â— a man take hold of his Brother of the house of his Father saying Thou hast clothing be thou our Ruler But when A man shall take hold of his Brother c. Synecdoche Synecdoche is of divers sorts as may apâ—ear by what followeth Synecdoche Generis is a figure whereby the Genus is put for the Species An example of this we may have Mark 16.15 Preach the Gospel to every Creature Where the Creature in general is put for Man in special And Isaiah 66. verse 23. All flesh shall come to worship before me Where all Flesh is put for all Men. Senecdoche Speciei is a figure whereby the Species is put for the Genus An example of this we have Isaiah 2.4 Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation Where by the sword is meant any weapon Synecdoche Integri is a figure whereby the whole is put for a member or for a part of the whole An example hereof you may have Isaiah
they shall be but poor Helpers and poor deliverers for they themselves shall come to naught and be as the chaffe which the winde carries away Vanity shall take them q. d. They shall prove but vaine things But he that putteth his trust in me q.d. Bâ—t he which shall be carried away into Babylon with thee if he putteth not his trust in such Idolls as you doe but putteth his trust in me who am the living God in the mid'st of his afflictions Shall possesse the Land i. e. He shall returne out of Babylon and possesse his owne land even the land of Iudah againe And shall inherit mine holy mountaine i. e. And shall inherit Mount Sion and dwell there 14. And shall say Supple to the way labourers Cast ye up Cast ye up i. e. Cast ye up cast ye up the earth and make a cause-way for the people of the Lord to passe by from Babylon to their owne Land Thus doe they make good wayes in Moorish and Fenny grounds which otherwayes are very bad for Travellers to wit by casting up the earth and making a causway to this manner of making wayes God doth he therefore allude when he saith Cast ye up cast ye up as if he should say prepare ye the wayes and make them good c. and as Cap. 40.3 Take up the stumbling blocke out of the way of my people q. d. Take away the dirt and stones and other impediments that lye in the way from Babylon to Judaea That the Jewes my brethren and countrey-men may not stumble or be hindred in their journey from Babylon into their own Lands The meaning of this place is this that those Jewes which did trust in the Lord in the land of Babylon the land of their Captivity should returne safe out of Babylon and have no hinderance or want of any thing in their way as they passed from Babylon to Judaea Of my people These words may relate either to him that saith cast ye up cast yâ— up c. and then when he saith of my people it is as if he should say of my brethren and country men or they may relate to the Lord who saith of him who trusteth in him that he shall say cast ye up cast ye up 15. The high and lofty one i. e. The high and lofty God That inhabiteth eternity i. e. Who alone is eternall He speakes of Eternity as of an house or Pallace which a King or a Prince inhabiteth as his own peculiar possession in which no other man hath any right but himselfe Whose name is holy i. e. Who is holy that is who is separate from all other by way of excellency above all Whose name i. e. Who. The name of God is put here for God himselfe Holy To be holy signifieth to be separate and be above all others by way of eminency I dwell in the high and holy place i. e. I dwell in heaven which is high in regard of the earth and which is a place separate and above sublunary things The holy place Though heaven be a place in which righteousnesse dwelleth 2 Pet. 1.13 and into which no uncleane or unholy thing shall enter Rev. 21.27 yet I take not that to be the meaning of the word holy here but heaven is called here the holy place because it is separated in a most glorious manner from all sublunary things and is above them all For this word holy in its originall signification signifieth a separation from other things by way of excellency as I have often said With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit q.d. And yet for all that I dwell in the high and holy place I dwell also with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit I dwell with him i. e. I am present with him by my favour and tokens of my love to him c. for God is said among the Hebrewes to be with and to dwell with him whom he favours and shewes kindnesse to That is of a contrite and humble spirit i. e. That trembleth at my words when he is reproved and humbleth himselfe for his sinnes A contrite spirit is opposed to an obstinate spirit which will not yeild to any reproofe and it is so called by a Metaphor taken from such a stone as will breake in pieces at the knock of a hammer or the like As a contrite spirit is opposed to an obstinate spirit so an humble spirit is opposed to a proud spirit To revive the spirit of the humble i. e. To comfort and refresh the heart of the humble when they are made sad and oppressed with any griefe or sorrow 16. For I will not contend for ever i. e. I will not alwayes be angry Supple with him which is of an humble and contrite spirit but will in time breake off mine anger towards him To contend is properly spoken of those which sue and plead one against another in a Court of justice which because it is seldome done without anger it is put here by a Metaphor for to be angry with For the spirit should faile before me i. e. For the spirit of a man would faint in my presence as being over-whelmed with horrour and despaire Supple if I should be alwayes wroth with him And the soules which I have made Supple Would faile or faint away if I should be angry with them for ever Note here that the spirit and soules which are but parts are put by a Synecdoche for the whole men By these words which I have made The Lord doth either intimate his compassion upon these men as being his own creatures therefore to be pittied by him as Psalm 138.8 Or else he doth hereby intimate that he knowes that what he saith is true viz. That the soules and spirits of men would faile if he should be alwayes wroth with them because he made them and therefore he knew what their condition was Note here that when God smiteth his people he is often moved to stay his hand so that he doth not utterly destroy them or utterly discourage them upon consideration of the frailty of their nature especially if they relent at his words and humble themselves before him as Psalm 103. v. 14. c. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him i. e. I was angry with Jacob i. e. with the Jewes which were the children of Jacob and smote him for his covetousnesse Note here that the smiting here meant was the judgement which he executed upon the Jewes by the Babylonians who took them and carried them captive into Babylon and there afflicted them Note Secondly that though he mentioneth covetousnesse yet that was not the only sinne for which he smote the Iewes and delivered them over into the Babylonians hands but the sinnes which caused this were many whereof he mentioneth sometimes one sometimes another but seldome altogether Note Thirdly that this is spoken as though the Jewes were at this time captive in Babylon
5.14 Hell hath enlarged her self Where he saith Hell hath enlarged her self for Hell hath enlarged her Paunch For he speaks of Hell as of a devouring beast And cap. 13.11 I will punish the world for their evil Where by the world is meant the Babylonians which were but part of the world And cap. 57.8 Thou hast discovered thy self to another than me Where he saith thy self for thy nakedness or thy secret parts Synecdoche Partis or Membri is a figure whereby a member or part of a thing is put fâ—â— the whole An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 1 26. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That is The Lord hath spoken it And cap. 3. verse 9. Woe unto their soul That is we unto them And cap. 13.18 Their eye shall not spare children That is they shall not spare children Trajectio See Hyperbaton Transpositio See Hyperbaton 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is when that sentence which should be last of the two is put-first An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 50. verse 2. Their Fish stinketh because there is no water and dieth with thirst where he saith Their Fish stinketh before he saith It dieth whereas it stunk not before it was dead To these take good Reader the meaning of these words and Characters following Supple Supple signifieth as much as Add. And I use this word often when I add somewhat to the words of the Text by way of exposition to make the sense thereof the plainer As cap. 1. verse 3. But Israel doth not know supple his Lord and Master And cap. 6. verse 1. And his train filled the Temple supple in which he saw the Throne erected E. G. E. G. is the abbreviation of Exempli Gratia and signifieth for examples sake or as for example I. E. I. E. is the abbreviation of Id est and signifieth that is or that is to say Q. D. Q. D. is the abbreviation of Quasi diceres or Quasi diceret And signifieth as if thou shouldst say or as if he should say Scil. Scil. is the abbreviation of Scilicet which signifieth to wit V. G. V.G. is the abbreviation of Verbi Gratia and signifieth for example sake or as for example Viz. Viz. is the abbreviation of Videlicet and signifieth to wit AN EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK of the PROPHET ISAIAH ISAIAH CHAP. I. THE Vision of Isaiah The word Vision is taken here for the Object or thing seen by a Metonymie And so it is most frequently taken in Scripture So that if you ask what a Vision is in the most frequent usage of the Scripture It is certaine Images or Idaeas represented by God to the Phancies or Understandings of men in a trance the meaning whereof the Lord doth make known to them that they might make it known to others Between a Vision and a Dream I mean a Dream sent of God there is little or no difference but onely in this that a dream is sent to a man while he is in a sleep as Gen. 37. Vers 5 6. But a Vision while he is awake as Numb 24. Vers 15 16. Note that a Vision in the Singular number is put here for Visions in the Plural number For it is not one Vision onely which is here spoken of but many Note also that because God did not reveal his will to his Prophets by Visions onely but also by other meanes Hence may a Vision be put to signify that which was revealed as well by other meanes as by Visions by a Synecdoche ISAIAH the Son of AMOS This Amos which was the Father of Isaiah was not that Amos which is reckoned among the lesser Prophets But one Amos which as the Hebrews say was the Brother of Amasiah King of Judah so that Isaiah was of the Tribe of Judah and of the bloud Royall Which he saw What he here saw he saw not with the eyes of his body but of his soul Viz. his phansie or understanding And from this kind of seeing was a Prophet of old called a Seer 1 Sam. 9. Vers 9. Concerning Judah By Judah is here meant the Tribe or Children of Judah which Judah was one of the Sons of Jacob Gen. 49.8 And that per Metonymiam efficientis And per Synecdochen membri Not onely the Tribe of Judah but the Tribe of Benjamin also For when the ten Tribes of Israel revolted from the house of David their King the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin stuck to it and became one people and one Kingdome which from the noblest Tribe and the Tribe of the King was called the Kingdome of Judah And Hierusalem i. e. And the Men or Inhabitants of Hierusalem Hierusalem was the chief City and Metropolis of the Kingdome of Judah in which was seated the Temple of God and the Palace of the Kings of Judah In the dayes of Vzziah This Vzziah is called Azariah 2 Kings 15.1 This first verse is as the Title of the whole book And though Isaiah prophesieth in this book of matters concerning the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Aegyptians and others Yet being that his Prophesies are for the greatest part concerning Judah and Hierusalem this book may have its Title from the greatest part of the Contents thereof And yet that which Isaiah prophecied concerning the Assyrians and the Babylonians and others did some way or other concern Judah and Hierusalem So that this whole book may be well stiled The Vision of Isaiah the Son of Amos concerning Judah and Hierusalem 2. Hear O heavens and give ear O earth He speaks to the Heavens and to the earth which are insensible creatures as though they had sense and understanding by a Prosopopoeia The Lord i. e. God whom He calleth the Lord because he is the Lord of all things in general by right of Creation for He created all things Exod. 20. verse 11. And the Lord of the Jewes and Hebrewes in speciall by right of Redemption for he redeemed them out of Egypt to be his peculiar people Exod. 20. ver 2. Hath spoken Supple saying I have nourished and brought up children By these children He meaneth the Jewes That is the men of Judah and Benjamin which made one people which were called the Jewes who with other the sonnes of Israel were Children of the Lord their God Deut. 14. vers 1 These children of his did God nourish while they were in Egypt by Joseph in the Land of Goshen And when they came out of Egypt He fed them with Manna in the Wildernesse And after that with Milk and Honey in the Land of Canaan Yea at all times He provided for them all things necessary as a careful Father doth for his children And thâ—y have rebelled agâ—inst me i. e. And yet for all that they have rebelled against me They are said to rebell against God which refuse to obey his commâ—ndements see ver 19 20. especially if they follow after strange Gods 3. The Oxe knoweth his Owner q. d. The
To come against Judah By this he sheweth how easily God can do this For if he doth but hisse he saith they will come at his Hisse He speakes of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Note here that it is not the property of a Captaine to hisse to his Souldiers when he would have them come but the property rather of Masters to their Servants wherefore note againe that it is usuall with the Prophet to mingle Metaphors and begin with one and go on with another From the end of the earth i. e. To come from the end of the earth He speaketh of the earth after the manner of the vulgar who conceive the earth to be flat not Circular and so to have ends properly taken And he saith From the ends of the earth by an Hyperbole for from farre 27. None shall be weary i. e. None of them shall be weary of his journey though he cometh so farre As he commended these men for their speed in the last words of the former Verse so he commends them here for their strength Nor stumble For weaknesse or wearynesse None shall slumber nor sleep He commends them here for their watchfullnesse and vigilancie Neither shall the Girdle of their Loines be loosed nor the latchet of their shoes be broken i. e. Neither shall they put off their Armes that they may be ready to march at all times and to go upon service upon all occasions The Girdle here mentioned is that with which they girded on their Armour and that at which their swords hung He saith Nor shall the latchet of their shoes be broken For neither shall they untie their shoe-latchet because the latchet of the shoe is often broken in untying He commends their diligence and readinesse here upon all occasions Yet it is not improbable that he commendeth here the strength and good case of their Armour and defensive Armes as he commends their offensive Armes or weapons in the next verse following 28. Whose Arrows are sharp q. d. Their Arrowes are sharpe He commendeth them here for the goodnesse of their weapons with which he saith They shall be well appointed For what he saith of their Arrowes must be understood proportionably by a Synecdoche of all other their weapons And all their Bowes bent This shewes that they wanted not strings to their bows and that their bowes were not at fault or out of repaire This sheweth also their readinesse to offend and fight against the Jewes Their horses hoofes shall be counted like flint i. e. The hoofes of the horses which they shall bring with them shall be as hard as flint so that they shall not easily be foundred with long Marches and hard wayes nor need to be shod with iron shoes And their wheeles like a whirlewind i. e. And the wheeles of the Chariots which they make use of in their warres shall be as swift and as quick as a whirlewind Or by the wheeles we may by a Synechdoche understand the Chariots themselves which shall be so many as that they shall make a noise in their March like a Whirlewinde and be heard before they are seen Or thus q. d. And their Horses with which they use to draw their Chariots shall be so swift as that the Chariots which they draw shall fly like a Whirlewind The two first expositions speak the praise of the Chariots which are commendable both for their speed and agility and also for their number But the third speakes the praises of their Horses which he might commend here from their swiftnesse as he did before for the soundnesse of their feet 29. Their roaring shall be like a Lyon q. d. As a Lyon which is hunger-bit roareth after his Prey So shall the Assyrians roare when they fall upon the men of Judah By this Metaphor of a Lyon the Prophet would shew the greedinesse and the cruelty which the Assyrians would use to the men of Judah Their roaring c. He alludes here to the ancient custome of Souldiers who at the instant of their onset and joyning battle with their Enemies did use to give a shoute and cry aloude And this they did partly to encourage themselves and partly to terrifie and daunt their enemies and the louder the cry was the more effectuall it was for these ends See more in Notes Cap. 42. v. 13. This kind of cry or shouting the Greeks called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latines Barritus They shall roare like young Lions Which are more terrible and fierce than the old Lions And lay hold of the prey c. This is spoken properly of the Lion but Metaphorically of the Assyrians and signifieth that the Assyrians shall lay hold on the men of Judah and on their goods and cattle as on their Prey And carry them away See cap. 10. v. 16. None shall deliver it Supple Out of their hands no more than they can the Prey out of the Lions pawes 30. And in that day q. d. Yea in that day Viz. In which the Assyrians shall fall upon the men of Judah And is put here for Yea. They shall roare against them like the roaring of the Sea i. e. The Assyrians shall roare against the men of Judah like the roaring of the Sea Like the roaring of the Sea The roaring of the Sea is more terrible than the roaring of the Lyon or the young Lyon and there is lesse mercy in the Sea where it prevaileth than in any of them two Observe therefore the Gradation which the Prophet useth comparing the Shoute of the Assyrians First to the roaring of a Lyon which is fierce then to the roaring of a young Lion which is fiercer then to the roaring of the Sea which is the fiercest of all And this he doth to set out the judgements of God in the more terrible manner that his Auditors or Readers may be the more affected with them Vnto the land Viz. of Judah Behold darknesse i. e. Behold calamity and misery As light is often put by the Hebrewes for Prosperity and Mirth So is Darknesse put for Adversity and Sorrow And the light is darkned c. It is usuall with the Scriptures to make the Heaven and the Earth after a Poeticall manner Sympathizing with men in great changes as if they were sensible of and affected with what befalls them Of which see Notes Vers 25. and Chap. 2. v. 19. Now because the subject here is matter of Sorrow the Prophet bringeth in the Heavens and the great Lights of the world Sympathizing with the Jewes in that Passion and shewing themselves Sorrowfull And this he maketh them to do by clothing themselves with Cloudes as it were with sackcloth and not shining so bright and cleare as usually they do or by turning their light into darknesse for darknesse best suiteth with grief and sorrow as light doth with joy and mirth when therefore he saith The light is darkned the sence is q. d Behold such sorrow grief as shall cause the very heavens over them
neither his proper name nor his title of King here but calls him onely the Son of Remaliah who was but a private man out of contempt 5. Because Syria c. Note that this relates not to what went before but to what followes after q. d. Because Syria Ephraim and Remaliah's sonne have done this therefore thus saith the Lord c. Ephraim i. e. The ten Tribes of Israel See v. 2. Have taken evill counsell against thee i. e. Have taken counsell and consulted together to destroy thee He calls it evill counsell because they intended evill and mischief against Judah to destroy him utterly and took counsell together accordingly 6. Let us go up against Judah i. e. Let us warre together against the Tribe of Judah And vex it i. e. And vex Hierusalem the chief City thereof with a close siedge or a fierce storme This Relative It is put here without an Antecedent as the Hebrewes often put it but the Antecedent is easie to be understood to wit Hierusalem Let us make a breach therein i. e. Let us make a breach in the walls thereof and so force our way into it For us i. e. For us to enter the City And set a King in the midst of it i. e. And when we have taken it let us depose or destroy Ahaz and set up a King of our own in it In the midst of it i. e. In it A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even the Sonne of Tabeal Tabeal seemeth to be the name of some Syrian And this man they would make as Vice-Roy or as a Tributary to themselves 7. Thus saith the Lord God q. d. Therefore thus saith the Lord God It shall not stand i. e. The evill counsell which they have taken against thee shall not stand for I will overthrow it Neither shall it come to passe q. d. Neither shall it take effect 8. For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin q. d. For the chief City and Metropolis of Syria is Damascus and the King of Damascus is Rezin Supple Let Rezin therefore content himself with this that he is King of Damascus and the Kingdome thereunto belonging for he shall not come to be King of Judah and Hierusalem to bear rule there Here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And within threescore and five yeares shall Ephraim be broken that it shall no more a People In the fifth Verse of this Chapter he said That Syria Ephraim and the son of Remaliah had taken evill counsell against Ahaz And in the same order which he spoke of them in that place doth he prophesie against them in this First against Syria in the first words of this Verse then against Ephraim in these present words and then against the Sonne of Remaliah in the following Verse Within threescore and five yeares This must not be so understood as though the Prophet would have the account of this threescore and five yeares to begin at that time in which he thus spoke But the account must begin as Interpreters either generally or for the most part agree from the time that Amos did foretell the ruine of the kingdome of Israel who foretold the ruine thereof threescore and five years before it came to passe The sence therefore of this place is this q. d. Within threescore and five yeares which threescore and five yeares began long since even when Amos first prophesied of the totall destruction of Ephraim and which are since well nigh expired shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a People Ephraim i. e. The ten tribes of Israel as vers 2. That it be not a People So that their State and Common-wealth and Kingdome shall be overthrowne This was brought to passe by Salmanasser 2 King 17.6 Joseph lib. 9. Antiq. cap. 14. 9. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is Remaliah 's sonne q. d. And in the mean time the chief City or Metropolis of Israel is Samaria and the King of Samaria is Remaliahs sonne Supple Let Remaliah's sonne therefore content himself with this that he is King of Samaria and the Kingdome thereunto appertaining for he shall not enlarge his dominions and be King over Judah and Hierusalem or rule there Here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as before If ye will not believe Supple The words which I have spoken unto you from the Lord and relie on him Ye shall not be established i. e. Ye shall not be free from fear nor setled in your mindes but your heart shall be still moved as the trees are moved with the wind The establishment which he here speaketh of is opposed to that motion proceeding from fear or that trembling which he speakes of v. 2. 11. Aske thee a signe of the Lord thy God Supple for confirmation of what I have said to thee in his name if thou will not believe me and he will give it thee Aske it either in the depth i. e. Aske this signe to be shewen or given thee either in the earth The earth is called here the depth because it is deep that is low in respect of the Heavens Or in the Height above Or in the Heavens which are above the earth as Vers 9. That the Sun should stand still as it did it the dayes of Joshua c. The Heavens are called the Height here because they are high above the earth By the depth and the height that is by heaven and earth we may understand all other places as well as them by a Synecdoche 12. I will not ask Supple a sign of the Lord. Neither will I tempt the Lord. q d. For I will not tempt the Lord that I should offend him for that is forbidden Deut. 6 v. 16. Then doe we tempt God when we will not believe that he will save us or help us according to his promise except he shewes us a Miracle as may be gathered from Exod. 17. v. 2. and 7. and Luke 11. v. 16. But the case may be such as that we may desire a sign and not tempt God as appeareth by Gideon Judg. 6. v. 36 37. and by Ezekiah 2 Kings 20. v. 8. And they tempt not him who ask a sign with his leave or at his bidding as Ahaz might have asked a sign here Wherefore this seeming honest and godly Answer which Ahaz here gave did not proceed out of Piety and Religion towars God but out of Hypocrisie For if Ahaz had minded Pietie and Religion towards God he would have trusted in God and not have trusted in the King of Assyria for help as he did For he sent to Tiglath-Pilesser for help 2 Kings 16. v. 7. Ahaz therefore desired rather to seem godly than to be godly 13. Hear ye now O House of David i. e. Hear ye now O Ahaz the King and ye Nobles which are descended from David He sheweth here that not onely Ahaz but the Nobles the Kinsmen of Ahaz did distrust God as well as Ahaz and approve of the
22. And they shall look unto the earth To wit for succour from other men or Nations being their King cannot succour them And behold trouble and darknesse q.d. But whether they look up to heaven to God or downwards to the earth to men They shall find no aid or relief but they shall see trouble and darknesse on every side For God will be angry with them from above and their enemies shall possesse all things and keep all things from them in the earth beneath c. And is put here for But. Darknesse i. e. Calamity and Misery A Metaphor Dimnesse of anguish i. e. Sore vexing and tormenting Misery or Calamity Note that it is usuall with the Hebrewes to put a Substantive of the Genitive Case for an Adjective Wherefore when he saith Dimnesse of anguish it is as if he had said Sore vexing and tormenting dimnesse i. e. Sore vexing and torminting misery or calamity Note that both Darknesse and Dimnesse do signifie here the same thing Viz. Misery or Calamity For the Hebrewes do usually put words which signifie darkness to signifie all kind of Misery or â—alamity See Cap. 5. v 30. Note also that this word Dimnesse doth not signifie lesse in this place than the word Darknesse doth But is put here for Darknesse and with these words Of anguish added to it It signifieth more than the word Darknesse signifieth by it self For the Prophet useth a Gradation here q. d. Behold trouble and darknesse yea dimnesse or darknesse of anguish q. d. Behold trouble and Miserie yea sore vexing and tormenting trouble and misery And they shall be driven into darknesse Viz. As wild beasts are driven into a net or Toile which they cannot escape Into darknesse The word Darknesse signifieth otherwise here than it did in the former sentence Nor is it wonder being that Metaphoricall words signifie variously in the former sentence therefore the word Darknesse signified Miserie but here it signifieth a state or condition of mind in which a man knoweth not what to do or what course or counsel to take being even at his wits ends And that by a Metaphor drawn from bodily darknesse For as in such a case we cannot see to do any thing with our bodily eyes so in this case we cannot see with the eyes of our mind what to do ISAIAH CHAP. IX NEverthelesse the dimnesse shall not be such c. This dependeth upon the former Chapter and containeth a mitigation of the great calamity affliction which was there threatned against the men of Judah For in the last Verse of that Chapter he said that there should be in Judah dimnesse of anguish and here he saith That Neverthelesse the dimnesse shall not be such as was in her vexation c. The dimnesse shall not be such as was in her vexation i. e. The Misery and Calamity which shall befall the Land of Judah shall not be so great as the Misery and Calamity which shall befall the Land of Israel in the time of Her vexation As was in her vexation i. e. As shall be in the time of the Vexation of the Land of Israel He puts a Relative here without an Antecedent as the Hebrews use often pointing as it were to the Land of Israel when he saith Her vexation And he puts a Preterperfect for a Future tense When this time of Vexation was the next words shew When at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Nepthali i. e. When he shall lightly afflict the Land of Zebulun and the Land of Nepthali The Land of Zebulun and the Land of Nepthali were parts of Galilee Zebulun of the lower Galilee and Nepthali of the upper Galilee and are here put by a Synecdoche to signifie all Galilee consisting of the upper and lower which Galilee was a part and but a part of the land of Israel or of the Kingdome of the ten Tribes This lighter affliction which is here prophesied of was that which was made by Tiglah-Pilesser who came against the King of Israel and grievously afflicted that part of the Land of Israel which was called Galilee 2 King 15. v. 29. And this part of the affliction of the Land of Israel here spoken of seemeth to have been wrought by Tiglah-Pilesser when Ahaz hired him to come up and save him out of the hand of the King of Syria and the King of Israel 2 Kings 16.7 And afterwards did more grievously afflict her i. e. And shall afterwards more grievously afflict the Land of Israel He useth a Preterperfect or Preterimperfect tense for a Future By the way of the Sea By the way of the Sea is meant the Tract or Region of Land which borders upon the Sea And by the Sea is meant the Sea of Tyberias which is also called the Lake of Gennasaret Beyond Jordan i. e. Near to Jordan For so is this praeposition observed to signifie John 1.28 and elsewhere in relation to the Hebrew Jordan was the chiefest and most noted river of all the Land of Canaan It arose neer unto Mount Libanus which was in the utmost parts of the Land of Israel where were two fountaines or springs one called Jor the other Dan which after a little space joyned their waters and made and named the River Jordan This river ran into the Sea of Tyberias and then breaking out of that Sea ran along with a greater streame while it fell into the dead Sea In Galilee of the Nations By Galilee of the Nations some take the Vpper some the Lower Galilee and both give their particular reasons why the Galilee which they mean should distinctively be called Galilee of the Nations But I rather take Galilee of the Nations for all Galilee conteining the Vpper and Lower Galilee together And Galilee so taken is called Galilee of the Nations not as by a Note of distinction but as by a note of declaration as if he should say in Galilee which is so populous and frequented and inhabited with men of divers Countries and Nations Galilee was frequented and inhabited by men of other Countries and Nations because it was a rich and fertile Countrey and convenient for merchandise because of the convenience of the Seas and the Rivers for Galilee reached from the Sea of Tiberias to the Mediterranean Sea so that it invited many forreign Merchants and Strangers thither And the Prophet seemeth to mention this populousnesse of Galilee here that he might make the desolation more grievous which should be begun by Tiglah-Pileser and should be finished therein by Salmaneser For note that this latter affliction was wrought by Salmanâ—ser of which you may read 2 King 17. v. 5. Note here that this affliction and desolation which Salmaneser made by the way of the Sea and beyond Jordan in Galilee of the Nations must be understood by a Synecdoche of the affliction and desolation of all the Land of Israel for Salmaneser made a desolation in all the Land and carried all away captive though it
in the Person of God who as Lord of Hosts commands certaine Officers of the Army which he had prepared and appointed to march against Babylon to gather his Army together for that purpose Lift ye c. He speakes here to Standdard-Bearers or Ensignes of the Mede's Army Lift ye up a Banner Supple that the Souldiers of my Army may repaire to it and gather themselves together in a Bodie Vpon the high Mountaines i. e. Upon an high Mountaine And therefore upon an high Mountaine that it might be seen the farther off and so more notice might be taken of it for the resort of Souldiers to it Exalt the voice unto them i. e. Cry aloud to them and bid them repaire unto their Colours Vnto them i. e. Unto the Souldiers of the Army which I have provided He puts a Relative here without an Antecedent after the Hebrew manner Shake the hand i. e. Becken to them with the hand to come to their Colours When we becken with the hand we move or shake the hand though when we shake the hand we do not alwayes becken with it So that here is a Synechdoche generis We call to them which are within hearing we becken to them which are farther off That they may goe into the Gates of the Nobles i. e. That they may come together march against Babylon and enter it and plunder it and lay it waste The Gates of the Nobles i e. The City of the Nobles He puts the Gates here for the whole City by a Synecdoche By the Gates or City of the Nâ—bles he meanes Babylon which was called the City of the Nobles because most of the Nobles lived there as being one of the royall Cities of the Empire of the Assyrians 3. I have commanded my sanctified ones i. e. I have commanded those which I have set apart for this purpose supple to come together and march to Babylon and to enter it and plunder it and lay it waste Sanctifi d ones They are called sanctified ones which are separated and set apart for any businesse For to sanctifie signifieth properly to separate or set apart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Châ—ysostome what meanes that that the Lord sanctified the seventh day the meaning is that he set it apart I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger i. e. I have also called those men of valour which I have appointed for the execution of mine anger upon Babylon supple to come and execute my anger upon it For mine Anger i. e. Whom I have appointed for the execution of mine anger supple upon Babylon A Metonymie and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even them that rejoyce in my Highnesse i. e. Even them which rejoyce in doing what I would have them doe In my highnesse i. e. In doing what I would have them doe Here are many figures couched For first he saith In my Highnesse for in me By a Periphrasis So we say of a Prince the Princes Highnesse Secondly he saith In me for in my will and in my pleasure per Metonymiam Efficientis Thirdly he saith In my will and in my pleasure for in doing my will and pleasure per Metonymiam Objecti One Souldier that goeth joyfully and with a good mind upon any service is better than ten that care not whether they goe or no. All this is spoken in the person of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. The noise of a multitude in the Mountaines q. d. Heark there is a noise of a multitude of men in the Mountaines of Media The sentence is defective and is to be supplied with the words heark there is The Prophet speakes here as though he heard on a suddain the whole Army of God met together in the Mountaines of Media at the command of the Lord of Hosts to march against Babylâ—n and as though he would have others to attend and kearken By which he signifieth that the Medes shall certainly come with an Army against Babylon and that speedily too When he saith the noise of a multitude in the Mountaines he alludeth to the quality of the Land of Media which was mountainous Of the Kingdomes of the Nations gathered together He saith of the Kingdomes of the Nations gathered together because with the Medes the people of many other Kingdomes of the Nations were joyned in this expedition The Lord mustereth the Hoste of the battle i. e. The Lord doth already gather his Army together which he intendeth to send against Babylon Least they to whom the Prophet spoke in the words immediately going before might doubt what the reason of that noise was which they heard in the Mountaines here he tells them what the reason of it is It is from this that the Lord mustered the Host of the battle which he intended against Babylon The Host of the battle i e. The warlike Host A Substantive of the Genitive case put for an Adiective 5. They come from a farre Country They are comming already they are already upon their march c. Who are meant by this They the following words shew they are the Lord and the weapons of his indignation whose noise they heard in the Mountaines From a farre Country Although the Medes themselves were not farre from Babylon yet many people which joyned with the Medes were From the end of the Heaven i. e. From the end of the earth where heaven and earth seem to meet together The Prophet speakes here in the phrase of the common and vulgar sort of people which think that the heaven is Semicircular like a Bow and that there it ends where the sight is bounded and that there it is joyned to the earth as the Bow to the string He mentioneth their farre coming because farre comers are for the most part more covetous and fierce than others and would seem to doe something to their enemies worthy of their farre coming and hard paines and such are more formidable to their enemies than others are The weapons of his indignation i. e. The Medes whom he maketh use of to execute his wrath upon Babylon as a man maketh use of his weapons to revenge himself upon his enemies A Metaphor To destroy the whole Land i. e. To destroy the whole Land of Babylon or Babylonia 6. Howle yee i. e. Lament yee men of Babylon He useth a Metaphor in the word howle taken from Dogs or Wolves or the like and an Apostrophe to the Babylonians in the word Yee For the day of the Lord. i. e. The day in which the Lord will pour out his vengeance upon you It shall come as a destruction i. e. It shall come as a day of destruction He saith a destruction for a day of destruction per Metonymiam Adjuncti Or thus that destruction which the Lord will bring upon Babylon in that day shall come as a dâ—struction c. As a destruction from the Almighty That destruction is said to come from Almighty God which is an inevitable and a full destruction and such
shall be as if the light of seven days were put into the light of one day and should cause the light to be seven times more intense and greater then usually it is By what is here said of the light of the Sun and the Moon is meant that there should be matter of great joy and rejoycing at this time For as darkness doth both in divine and humane Writings signifie a sad state of things and great adversity So on the contrary light doth signifie a joyful face of things and great prosperity We observed also Cap. 5.30 and elsewhere that the Scriptures do make the Heaven and the Earth after a pathetical manner to sympathize with men in great Accidents as if they were sensible of and affected with what befell them Thus do they make the Heavens to keep in their light in sad Events as Cap. 5.30 and 13.10 And here it makes the Sun and Moon to shine more bright then ordinary at joyful Accidents In the day i. e. At the time That the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people i. e. That the Lord delivereth his people which shall be besieged by Sennacheribs Army in Jerusalem and distressed from all their misery and distress Note that the Prophet useth a Metaphor here taken from a Chirurgeon which bindeth up the bones of his Patient which are broken after his Art and and knits them together and so heals them The breach i. e. The broken limbs or bones He useth here Metonymiam Adjuncti a breach for limbs or bones broken By this breach or broken limbs and bones he meaneth Metaphorically the distressed estate of the Jews which were besieged in Jerusalem And the stroke of their wound i. e. And the wound which they received or which was made in their flesh by a stroke Hypallage Here he signifieth the same things by the wound made by a stroke in the flesh as he did before by the breach made in the bones to wit the distressed estate of the Jews which were besieged in Jerusalem by Sennacheribs Host 27. Behold the Name of the Lord cometh i. e. Behold the Lord cometh The Prophets puts the Name of the Lord for the Lord himself after the Hebrew manner per Metonymiam Adjuncti q. d. The Lord cometh The Prophet proves here what he said vers 25. That there shall be a great slaughter of the Assyrians and that the Towers shall fall Cometh from far i. e. Cometh on a sudden and unlooked for as they come which come from far the hour of whose coming we know not of Or He cometh from far i. e. He cometh from Heaven See cap. 26.21 What the Lord cometh for we shall see in the next Verse Burning with anger i. e. Being exceeding angry Supple with the Assyrians which besiege Jerusalem The Prophet speaks here of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to the boyling of a mans blood about the heart when he is angry whereby he is exceeding hot And the burden thereof is heavy q. d. and so heavy is his anger as that the Assyrians against whom it is kindled will not be able to bear it Or so heavy is the burden of his anger as that he is not able to bear it and therefore he will not ease himself of it by avenging himself upon the Assyrians Note here what a mixture the Prophet useth of Metaphors His lips are full of indignation i. e. He storms and rageth exceedingly He alludeth to angry men which storm and rage exceedingly in their anger His tongue is as a devouring fire This is for sence the same with the former words But because the Lord did so storm and rage against the Assyrians as that he did destroy them in his anger the Prophet saith His tongue was as a devouring fire Yet happily the Prophet may also allude to the breath which proceeds from the mouth of an angry man while he storms and rageth which is as smoke proceeding from fire 28. And his breath as an overflowing stream The breath of an angry man while he storms and rageth proceeds like smoke from his mouth and his nose yea as our Prophet saith here like a stream For as he takes in more ayr at such a time to refrigerate the heat of his heart so doth he violently send out more again by respiration while he chafeth and stormeth But the Prophet doth not onely liken his breath to a stream but to an overflowing stream that is to a stream of water which by reason of Snow or Rain overfloweth its banks and reacheth up to the middle of a mans neck whereby the whole man is welnigh drowned Shall reach He confoundeth tenses here for this should be of the same tense with the former Verbs Shall reach to the midst of the neck He likeneth the breath of the Lord in this his anger to an overflowing stream which reacheth to the midst of a mans neck because as such a stream doth drown as it were all parts of a mans body but onely his head so did the Lord in his anger destroy all the Assyrians by his Angel 2 King 19.35 Sennacherib onely which was their head and some few with him escaping 2 King 19.36 To sift the Nations with a sieve of vanity i. e. To destroy the Nations and tread them under foot And this was done by the Angel of the Lord 2 King 19.25 These words relate to those Behold the Name of the Lord cometh and shew the end of his coming q. d. The Name of the Lord cometh to sift the Nations c. This phrase is metaphorical for the understanding of which observe That when men sift corn with a sieve that which goeth through the sieve which is commonly nothing else but dust and trumpery is cast away and so cometh to be troden under foot as being unprofitable and that onely is reserved and set by which remaineth in the sieve after sifting which is the clean grain Observe secondly That when we sift corn we sift it for this end that we may sever the dust and trumpery from the good corn or grain Now if we sift the corn in a broken sieve or a wide-hole sieve so that all passeth through as well the corn and grain as the dust and trumpery we spend our labor in vain and such a sieve may be called a sieve of vanity or a vain sieve because we lose our labor in sifting in it When therefore the Prophet saith That he will sift them with a sieve of vanity his meaning is that he will sift them in such a sieve as lets all through which is put into it And because when men usually sift corn they fling away that which goeth through the sieve and falleth to the Earth and tread it under their feet hence the Prophet saith That the Lord will sift the Nations with a sieve of vanity for he will destroy them and tread them all under feet joyning two Metaphors together The Nations By this is meant Sennacheribs
Hostility against that City yet he came not thither he came no farther then Nob Cap. 10.32 And there he heard of that destruction of his Army which lay before Hierusalem which turned him with all haste and feare towards his owne Land and he staied not till he came to Nineveh v. 37. And return Supple upon hearing of that rumour Into his owne Land He returned to Nineveh verse 37. which was the chief City of Assyria And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land Sennacherib was slaine with the sword by his two sons Adramelech and Sharezer as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his God v. 38. 8. So Rabshakeh returned c. This relates to the 21 or 22. verse of the former Chapter Note that though Rabshakeh returned himself yet he left his Armie before Jerusalem Against Libnah Libnah was a City of the Tribe of Judah belonging to the Priests Josh 21.13 9. And he heard say i. e. And the King of Assyria heard say He is come forth to make war with thee Tirakah King of Ethiopia came forth out of his own Countrey with an Armie not to encounter Sennacherib in Judea but to set upon Assyria the Kingdome of Sennacherib in Sennacherib's absence See cap. 18. He sent Messengers saying Sennacherib did not onely send a Message by those Messengers by words of mouth but he sent by them a Letter also to Hezekiah though it be here omitted for brevity sake verse 14. Sennacherib used all meanes possible to terrifie Hezekiah to a Surrender when he heard of the march of Tirakah King of Ethiopia that he might the better attend the motion of Tirakah's Armie 10. Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah c. The Assyrian doth repeat here and beat upon what he said Cap. 36.14 He doth not mention the weakness and perfidiousnesse of Egypt nor the scarcity of Souldiers in Jerusalem As he did Cap. 36. v. 6 8. because now he understood that Hezekiah did rely onely upon God and therefore he doth endeavour to afright him from that by telling him with what ill Successe others had relied upon their Gods Gozan By Gozan he meanes the people which lived near to the River Gozan which was a River of the Medes 2 Kings 17.6 Haran This seemeth to have been a City of Media near the River Gozan 1 Chron. 5.26 Though some make it a City of Mesopotamia Gen. 11.31 Rezeph There is no other mention of Rezeph in the whole Scripture but here and in the same Story 2 Kings 19.12 And therefore it is not easie to determine where it was seated Some therefore place it in Syria some in Mesopotamia others in Arabia The Children of Eden i. e. The People of Eden Eden was a Region of Mosopotamia in which Paradise was planted Gen. 2.8 Which were in Telassar It can hardly be gathered from Scripture where this Telassar was situate But it seemeth to have been a Region either of Syria or Mesopotamia Here upon some occasion or other did the people which were born in Eden dwell at this time 13. Where is the King of Hamath c. See Cap. 36.19 Henah This is thought to have been a City of the Medes Ivah This is thought to have been a Region of the Assyrians 14. And spread it before the Lord. Hezekiah did spread Sennacheribs Letter before the Lord for the Lord to seâ— it and to read it because the Contents thereof were chiefely against the Lord that he being moved with the blasphemies and indignities therein contained might take vengeance upon Sennacherib and defend his owne people against him And Hezekiah did this because the Lord doth often accommodate himselfe to the fashion of men and men are eagerly stirred up to revenge when they see that which offends them before their eyes 16. That dwellest between the Cherubins In the two ends of the Mercy-Seat there were two Cherubins or Angels made of Gold of beaten work And these Cherubins did stretch forth their wings on high and their faces did look one towards another Exod. 25. v. 18 19 20. Between these two Cherubins was the Lord wont to manifest his presence and to sit Exod. 25. ver 22. Numbers 7.29 Hence was the Lord said to dwell between the Cherubins Psalm 80.1 And to sit between the Cherubins Psal 99.1 Thou art the God even Thou alone of all the Kingdomes of the earth This acknowledgement or confession doth Hezekiah here make in opposition to the many gods of the Nations which Sennacherib mentioned Cap. 36.18 and Cap. 37.12 And in full beliefe of this doth he make his prayer to the Lord. Thou hast made heaven and earth By Heaven and Earth understand also all things which are therein contained by a Metonymie He sheweth by this that the Right and Title to all the Kingdoms of the earth is the Lords and there is no God truely so called but the Lord onely 17. And heare Supple The blasphemous words which Sennacherib hath written against thee It is likely that Hezekiah did not onely spread Sennacherib's letter before the Lord for the Lord to see the blasphemy therein written but did also read it himselfe unto the Lord and therefore he desireth the Lord to hear it while he reads it And see Supple The blasphemous words which Sennacherib hath written in this Letter And heare Supple And see q. d. yea hear I say and see c. The living God i. e. Thee Here is an Enallage of the Person 18. Of a truth Lord the Kings of Assyria have laid waste all the Nations c. i. e. Hezekiah confesseth it here to be true which Sennacherib said v. 12. but draws a better conclusion from thence then Sennacherib did Laid waste the Nations This phrase is like that Cap. 24.6 viz. They that dwell therein are desolate Look therefore upon the Notes there 20. Now therefore O Lord our God save us from his hand that all the Kingdomes of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord even Thou onely It might be known to all the Kingdomes of the earth that the Lord God of Israel was the onely Lord God if he would but save his people out of the hands of the Assyrians out of whose hands no God was able to save his people For all the Kingdomes of the earth were perswaded that the God of every people would do his uttermost to save his people whereas therefore other Gods did not save their People and the God of Israel did save his they would conclude that he was God alone That thou art the Lord. i. e. That thou onely art the onely Lord and God 22. This is the word which the Lord hath spoken i. e. This is the word which I the Lord have spoken He puts the third for the first person by an Enallage The Virgin the daughter of Sion So Cap. 1.8 He cals Sion or Jerusalem a Virgin for the same reason that he calls her a Daughter that is for her beauty Hath despised thee and
his flock which he feeds and for which he provides whatsoever is needful He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom i. e. He shall gather the lambs together and take them up in his arms and carry them in his lap or bosom The meaning is that he shall take care and provide even for the poorest and weakest of all the Jews and bring them into their own Land safe again And shall gently lead those which are with young Supple Lest he should tire them or kill them by hard travel He saith And shall lead those which are with young because Shepherds were wont to go before their sheep as well as follow them for their sheep knew them well and were taught to follow them See Psal 80.1 Joh. 10.4 That which the Prophet meaneth by this Metaphor of a Shepherd is onely this That the Lord should bring his people the Jews out of Babylon where they were in captivity into their own Land with as great care and safety as a Shepherd doth lead his flock from place to place 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand The Prophet speaks of God here as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a vast and great man is he who can hold all the waters of the Sea and all Rivers and Fountains in the hollow of his hand and therewith measure them And meted out Heaven with a span He speaks of God as of a man as before and a vast and great man is he whose stand is so big as that he can therewith span the Heavens at once And comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure He speaketh still of God as of a man and a vast man and strong is he that can put all the dust of the Earth in a measure and as easily take it up as we can a measure of dust of a pinte or less And weighed the mountains in the scales and the hills in a ballance He speaketh still of God as of a man And a vast man he is and of great strength which can weigh all the mountains of the Earth in scales and all the hills thereof in a ballance as easily as we can weigh that which is but of a drachm weight Note that after those words viz. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out Heaven with the span and comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance These or the like words are to be understood Hath not the Lord In this Verse the Prophet sheweth the power and might of God And that he doth two ways First by describing God as a man of a vast stature which he doth while he saith that he measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the Heavens with a span c. And secondly by telling that the Lord made Heaven and Earth which he doth while he telleth us that he measured the Waters and the dust of the Earth and meted the Heavens and weighed the hills and the mountains Note that when God created all things he created them in measure and number and weight as the Wise-man speaks Wisd 11.20 Therefore it is that the Prophet when he would tell us that God created the Heavens and the Earth and all things therein contained thereby to shew us Gods might and his power and strength saith That he measured the Waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out Heaven with a Span and comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure and weighed the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in a Ballance alluding to Architects who measure the particular parts of their buildings and the materials thereof that they may be proportionable part to part and all and every part to the whole But it may be asked here how the Prophet cometh here to speak of Gods power and might Ans He doth it to prevent a tacite Objection For whereas the Prophet said that the Lord would come with a strong hand against the Babylonians and deliver his people which were in captivity c. A weak Jew might object and say Yea but is the Lord God of might enough to come against that mighty people the Babylonians and to deliver his people which are in captivity under them out of their hands c. To which the Prophet here answereth That he is of might enough to come against the Babylonians as mighty as they are and to deliver his people which are in captivity under them out of their hands when he saith Who hath measured the Waters in the hollow of his hand c. For he that could do that and the Lord did it had might enough to come against the Babylonians and deliver the Jews out of their hands For he that could do that had not his equal for might and power 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord or being his Counsellor hath taught him q. d. Who was the Lords Counsellor to direct him and teach him how he should make the World and order the things therein contained when he had made them 14. Who instructed him and taught him in the path of judgment i. e. Who instructed the Lord and taught him in the way of judgment that is Who instructed him and taught him wisdom and discretion when he built and ordered the World These Interrogatives have the force of Negatives q. d. There was none which did instruct him He did all these things by his own wisdom and judgment It may be asked How the Prophet cometh to speak here of the wisdom and judgment of God To which I answer That the Prophet doth it to prevent a tacite Objection which a weak Jew might make For a weak Jew might go on and say Yea but the Babylonians are a subtil and politique people as well as a strong Though therefore we should grant that God had strength enough to come against the Babylonians yet he may not have judgment and discretion enough to manage that strength And vis consilii expers mole ruit suâ Strength without judgment and discretion will ruine it self In answer to which the Prophet here saith that God wanted not judgment and discretion to manage his strength For who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord c. 15. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket i. e. The Nations are as a thing of nought in respect of God As a drop of a bucket i. e. As a drop of water which hangs to the side or bottom of a bucket which if it falls off no body regardeth And are counted as the small dust of the ballance This is a repetition of the former sentence By the small dust of the ballance is meant any light thing that sticks to the scale or ballance and is of no moment so light it is to turn the scale any way He taketh up the Isles as a very little
thing i. e. He can take up the Isles as if they were but a very little thing and cast them whither he will and shake out tâ—e inhabitants thereof and then what will become of the inhabitants By the Isles understand after the Hebrew manner those Lands which lie neer to Seas or Rivers especially Mesapotamia Assyria Armenia which were under the Babylonians Yea by the Isles may be understood any Lands or any Countries as Cap. 20. vers 16. Cap. 41.1 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering i. e. And when we consider the greatness and power of our God all the trees of Lebanon would not be sufficient for wood nor all the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering if we should go about to offer him a burnt-offering answerable to him and worthy of him 17. Before him i. e. In respect of him They are counted to him i. e. They are counted or esteemed of him or they are accounted and esteemed in comparison of him And vanity i. e. They are counted vanity i. e. less then nought A question may here be asked Why the Prophet doth thus vilifie the Nations in the 15 16 and 17 Verses And how these Verses cohere with the former Ans The Prophet doth vilifie the Nations here in answer to another tacite Objection which a weak Jew might make For a weak Jew might say Suppose God had power and strength enough to come against the Babylonians and to deliver his people out of their hands and wisdom and discretion to manage that strength yet surely he hath not power and strength to come against all those Nations which will joyn with the Babylonians For the Babylonians have many Nations to joyn with them when they go forth to battel In answer to this Objection the Prophet saith here That the Lord is able to deal with all Nations though all Nations should joyn with the Babylonians For behold saith he the Nations are as a drop of a bucket c. 18. To whom then will ye liken God q. d. To which then of the Heathen gods will ye liken our God that ye should as meanly esteem of our God as of him The Prophet takes occasion here to speak against Idols and Idolatry For whereas the Jews which were to be carryed into captivity into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar were to live among Idolaters they were to be admonished of the Law of God which forbad Idols and of his Nature which was such as that it was not like silver or gold or the work of mans hand that they might not be drawn from God to serve Idols as the Babylonians did What likeness will ye compare to him q. d. Which of the Heathen gods will ye compare to him that ye should so highly esteem of any of the gods of the Heathen as ye do of him What likeness He calleth the gods of the Heathen Likenesses because they were but Idols the likenesses of something in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the Water under the Earth 19. The work-man melteth a graven image i. e. The work-man melteth Silver or Copper or Brass or some other baser mettal and casteth it into an Image which after he polisheth by engraving And the Goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold i. e. And the Goldsmith doth afterwards gild it over or overlay it with thin plates of gold And casteth silver chains These chains were either to put upon the neck of the Idol for ornament as some say or they were to fasten the Idol to some wall or post that it should not fall as others say 20. He that is so impoverished i. e. He that is so poor That he hath no oblation i. e. That he hath no mony to buy Brass or Copper or Silver or Gold to offer for an oblation to his God that an Image or Idol may be made thereof An Oblation is taken here for Silver or Gold or Brass or the like mettal And Oblation in general for such an oblation in special by a Synecdoche Then it is taken per Metonymiam efficientis for mony or means to purchase Silver or Gold or the the like mettal which he may offer to make an Image or Idol thereof Chooseth a tree that will not rot Pliny praiseth the Cypress and the Vine and the Juniper tree and the Mullerry tree for this purpose That shall not be moved Supple Because it is nailed or otherwise fastened to some wall or post So that the work of the cuning Work-man was first to make a graven Image out of the Tree then when he had made it to fasten it to some place or other Here is left to be understood some such words as these are And will you liken your God to one of these graven Images Or one of these graven Images to our God 21. Have ye not known c. i. e. Have ye not known that which I tell you in the next Verse viz. That God sitteth upon the circle of the Earth c. From the beginning Supple Of the World From the Foundations of the Earth i. e. From the time that the Foundations of the Earth were layd that is from the time that the World was first created The laying of the Foundations of the Earth are put by a Synecdoche membri for the Creation of the World of which he speaks Metaphorically as of a House which hath Foundations 22. It is he that sitteth upon the Circle of the Earth It is God which sitteth as a King and Governor upon the Circle of the Earth The Circle of the Earth By the Circle of the Earth may be meant the Earth its self which is of a round figure Or by the Circle of the Earth may be meant the Heavens which environ the Earth as the circumference of a Circle doth the center thereof Are as grashoppers i. e. Are as very little things in respect of him That stretcheth out the Heavens i. e. It is he that stretcheth out the Heavens c. 23. That bringeth the Princes to nothing i. e. It is he that bringeth the Princes and the great ones of the Earth to nothing By this he intimates how easily God can destroy the King of Babylon and his Nobles and his Princes The Judges of the Earth Whom he called Princes before he calleth Judges here for Princes are Judges in their Dominions As vanity i. e. Less then nought See Vers 17. 24. Yea they shall not be planted yea they shall not be sown yea their stock shall not take root in the Earth Those Princes and Judges which he spoke of in the former Verse were such as were already in honor and in a flourishing condition which notwithstanding he saith the Lord bringeth to nought Here he saith That the Lord cannot onely bring Princes and Judges which are in honor and in a flourishing condition to nought But if he so please he can blight those which never were in honor from the very womb that they shall
to wit light and darkness peace and evil It may be asked Why the Lord doth here mention this That he is the Author of prosperity and adversity c. Ans He doth it that that which he promiseth in the next following Verse may be received with the greater credit and that it may be known that he is able to do what there he promiseth 8. Drop down ye Heavens from above What the Lord would have the Heavens to drop down is mentioned in the words following to wit Righteousness By the Heavens are meant the Skies Under this commâ—nd which he gives to the Heavens and to the Skies there lieth a divine promise for what the Lord commands the Heavens and the Skies to do that he will bring to pass himself Let the Skies pour down Righteousness q. d. Yea let the Skies pour down Righteousness And is put here for Yea and in the word pour down there is an emphasis And thâ—se words seem to be a correction of the former By this the Lord sheweth the abundance of righteousness which he would send which he compareth here to rain in abundance Righteousness By righteousness is meant the deliverance and salvatiâ—n whereby the Jews were delivered and saved out of the hands of the Babylonians and other the blessings which he bestowed upon them after their delivery and salvation And this deliverance and salvation and these blessings thâ— Lord calls righteousness per Metonymiam Efficientis because they were an effect of his righteâ—usness that is of his fidelity or faithfulness in keeping promise for God had promised to deliver the Jews and to save them out of the hands of the Babylonians and to bless them exceedingly Again This deliverance and salvation and these blessings might also be called righteousness because they were an effect of the righteousness that is of the justice of God for it was a righteous and just thing with God to comfort his people and to deliver them and to bless them and to destroy their Enemies when they had received at his hands double for all their sins as Cap. 40. vers 1 2. See 2 Thess cap. 1. vers 6 7. Note that when he saith Let the Skies pour down righteousness he compareth righteousness to the rain And though righteouâ—ness be the fruit which should spring out of the Earth by this rain yet he calls this rain by the name of righteousness because righteousness was produced thereby So we usually say of a sweet showre that it raineth grass because it causeth the grass to grow out of the ground in great abundance But you will say What is then meant by the Heavens or the Skies and their rain and what is meant by the Earth Ans Similitudes and Metaphors must not be racked and every part examined but enough it is if we understand the whole meaning by the whole but yet by the Heavens and by the Eâ—rth Cyruâ— may be understood here who delivered the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity and enriched them greatly and gave them many priviledges and by the rain may be mâ—â—nt those means which Cyrus usâ—d fâ—r this purpose Let the Earth open i. e. And let the Earth open to receive what the Skieâ— pour down This Conjunction And is here to be understood And let them bring forth Salvation i. e. And let the Skies and the Earth togethâ—r bring forth salvation as the Earth and the Heavens by their showres bring forth grass By salvation understand here meerly the delivery of the Jews out of tâ—e hands of the Babylonians by Cyrus And let righteousness spring up together i. e. And let righteousness spring up by their concourse that is by the concourse of the Heavens and of the Earth together with it that is together with salvation That rigâ—teousness and salvation may not signifie the same thing in this place I conceive that righteousness is to be taken here in a more strict signification then it was taken before in this Verse and that here it signifieth onely those blessings which the Lord bestowed upon tâ—e Jews by Cyrus after he had delivered them or saved them out of the hands of the Babylonians whereas in the former part of the Verse it signified both that salvation or deliverance and those blessings too I the Lord have created it i. e. I the Lord have appointed it to bâ— so or I the Lord will create that is I will bring it to pass or I will have it so In this last sence a preterperfect is put for a futâ—re tense 9. Wo unto hiâ— that striveth with his Maker This is spoken to the unbelieving and murmuâ—ing Jew For the unbelieving and murmuring Jew hearing God say Drop down ye Heavenâ— and let the Skies pour down righâ—â—ousâ—â—ss might out of an unbelieving heart murmur against God and say to him Thou sayst Drop down ye Heavens from above c. but thou art not able to make the Heavens drop down or the Skies to pour down righteousness as thou sayst Wherefore the Lord doth by way of prevention first reprove those men for their sauciness and murmuring against him in Vers 9 10. and then in vers 11. he assureth them that are believing of his power and love to them and that he can and will deliver them and save them and bless them as he said Vers 8. Vnto him that striveth with his Maker i. e. Wo to him that speaketh against God to his face even against God which made him for God will rebuke him for it This strife is a strife of words Let the potsheard strive with the potsheard of the Earth q. d. Let one potsheard strive with another and let it not strive with the Potter and let one man strive with another and not with God who made him Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou i. e. Shall the Clay contemn the Potter and say to him in contempt What makest thou If he should say so to the Potter the Potter would break it presently in pieces What makest thou This is spoke with contempt as though the Potter could not make an handsom pot q. d. What goest thou about to make dost thou go about to make a neat or handsom pot that 's past thy skill Or thy wâ—rk Or shall thy work O Pâ—tter say of thee He useth an Apostrophe here to the Potter He hath no hands Supple Able or cunning enough to make an handsom vessel When he saith He hath no hands he doth not say absolutely that he hath no hands but relatively that is he hath not hands fit or cunning enough to make an handsom vessel 10. Wo to him that saith to his Father What begettest thou q. d. Wo to him that being born lame or blinde or deformed saith to his Father What begettest thou Thou hast begotten a lame or blinde or deformed childe but thou canst not beget a well-favored and perfect childe Or to the Woman Supple Which brought him forth that is to his Mother What hast thou
brought forth q. d. Thou hast brought forth a lame or blinde or deaf or deformed childe but thou canst not bring forth a childe which is of perfect limbs and senses and which is well-favored Whosoever shall say this to his Father or his Mother Wo be to him for certainly the Lord will judge him for this his repining and irreverent speech against his Parents And if they shall not escape judgement which thus repine and murmur and shew themselves thus irreverent against their Parents much lesse shall they escape which doe irreverently repine and murmur against God 11. Thus saith the Lord c. The Lord having in the two former verses reprehended the murmuring Jew for repining and striving against him doth here assure the meek and believing Jew of his love to his people and his ability to deliver them and blesse them confirming what he said vers 8. And his maker i. e. And the maker of Israel The Lord is said to be the maker of Israel because he made Israel that is the children of Israel to be a People yea a peculiar people to himself But he speaks here of them as of a single person and alludeth to a Potter making a vessel Ask me of things to come concerning my sons i. e. Ask me how mercifully and well I will deal with the children of Israel which are my sons in time to come though now they be captives My sons The Lord called the children of Israel his sons because he delt with them as a father doth with his sons And concerning the work of my hands command ye me This is a repetition of the former sentence Concerning the work of my hands Whom he called his sons in the former Verse he calls the work of his hands here even the children of Israel and he calls them the work of his hands in allusion to a Potter because he was their Maker that is because it was he which made them a people Command ye me Supple To tell you what I intend to do with or for the work of my hands This is like that speech of Moses to Pharaoh Exod. 8.9 Glory over me c. though it be from a more worthy person And God speaks of himself as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12. I have made the Earth c. Between this and the former Verse something is left to be understood that the sence may be this viz. And what I shall tell you concerning my sons and the work of my hands I shall be able to bring to pass for that you may not doubt of my power know that I have made the Earth c. What therefore is too hard for me I with my hands have stretched out the Heavens i. e. I even I made the Heavens with my hands Where note that the Heavens were not first made and afterwards stretched out like a curtain but their substance and expansion were created both at once When he saith my hands he speaks of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to a work-man who doth what he doth by the skill and strength of his hands And all their host have I commanded i. e. And all the Stars of the Heavens have I created By the host of the Heavens he meaneth the Sun and Moon and Stars which he calleth an host because of their number and order in which regard they are like to an Host or Army He saith I commanded them for I created them for he commanded and they were created Psal 148.5 He said Let there be lights in the firmament of the Heaven c. and it was so Gen. 1.14 15 16 By this also he may signifie the command and power which he hath over the Host of Heaven for when he calls unto them they stand up together cap. 48.13 13. I have raised him up in righteousness i. e. I will raise up Cyrus according to my word and my promise A preterperfect tense is put here for a future Him That is Cyrus A Relative is put here without an Antecedent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In righteousness i. e. For my righteousness sake In is put here for For And by righteousness is meant that righteousness which is observed in keeping promise which is commonly called fidelity and truth Note here that when God bad his people to ask him what he would do concerning his sons and the work of his hands in time to come vers 11. that it is to be supposed that his people did ask him that question and upon their asking he gives them an answer here saying I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness and I will direct all his ways he shall build my City c. I will direct all his ways i. e. I will direct him in all his ways They cannot go amiss or have any other then good success in their ways whom God directeth He shall build my City i. e. He shall build Jerusalem which the Caldees have burnt down Cyrus is said to have built Jerusalem because he furnished the Jews with power and necessaries to build it My City Jerusalem is called the City of God because he chose it for the place of his worship Psal 132.13 And he shall let go my Captives i. e. And when he hath overcome Babylon he shall let go those children of Israel which are my sons which were there in captivity Not for price nor reward q. d. And though he let them go he shall ask no ransom of them but shall let them go freely 14. Thus saith the Lord the labor of Egypt c. In the former Verse the Lord said that Cyrus would let his captives go not for price nor for reward therefore here the Lord saith that because Cyrus would let his Captives go not for price or reward that he the Lord would reward him for this his magnificence to his captives for the Lord is never behind-hand with them that serve him The labor of Egypt i. e. Those riches which the Egyptians have got by their labor And the merchandize of Aethiopia i. e. And the wealth which the Aethiopians have got by their merchandize And of the Sabeans men of stature i. e. And the wealth of the Sabeans though they be men of a great stature and therefore lusty and strong and like to preserve their own Shall come over unto thee i. e. Shall come from being theirs to be thine And they shall be thine i. e. And the Aegyptians Aethiopians and Sabeans themselves shall be thine They shall come after thee in chains they shall come over q. d. Yea the Aegyptians and Aethiopians and Sabeans themselves shall submit themselves to thee and yield to thy mercy They shall come after thee Entreating thy mercy or entreating thee to accept of them for thy people In chains shall they come over i. e. They shall come to thee with chains on their hands or necks or feet as Captives to shew their humble submission to thee In chains They that were
there that he will not give his glory to another That is to Idols he would teach the house of Jacob that he is the onely true God And that the Idols of the Heathen are not gods that they may not give that glory which is due and proper to him to Idols q. d. I said I will not give my glory to another that is to Idols Being therefore I am so jealous of my glory hearken unto me O house of Jacob and know that not they but I am the true God Jacob Jacob is put here Per Metonymiam efficiâ—ntis for the Jewes the children of Jacob. And Israel Israel is put here for the Jewes the children of Israel Per metonymiam efficientis My called i. e. Whom I have called above all people of the world to serve me and to be a peculiar people to my selfe I am he i. e. I am he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is I am the most high and the most mighty God I am the first I also am the last q. d. I am he before whom none was and after whom none shall be Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth i. e. I have also laid the foundation of the earth with mine own hand He speakes of God here as of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts the hand which is but part of man for the whole man The foundation of the earth He either speakes of the earth as of an house which hath a foundation by a metaphor Or we must take the foundation of the earth in the same kinde of speech as when St. Paul saith the signe of Circumcision Rom. 4.11 And so we must conceive that the world is as an house and the earth which is the lowest part of the world is as the foundation thereof And my right hand hath spanned the Heavens i. e. And I made the Heavens with my right hand He speakes of God as of a man Per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to a Carpenter or Architect which when he is to make any part of an house doth first measure it out with his rule or his span that he might make it in just measure And this his measuring is put here by a Syllepsis for the whole framing and making therâ—of See Cap. 40. v. 12. When I call unto them they stand up together i. e. When I command them to doe any thing they are ready to doe my commands He alludes here to the matter of dutifull Servants whom if their master calleth they stand up and are ready to doe what their master would have them to doe And indeed the earth and the heavens too are Gods servants Psal 119.91 This is an argument by which the Lord proveth himselfe to be the true God 14. All yee assemble your selves c. The Lord called here to the Gentiles or Nations which worshipped Idols and bids them come in in the sight of the house of Jacob to maintain the divinity of their Idols that the house of Jacob seeing that they were not able to maintaine the Divinity of their Idols against the Lord might not be led away to Idols but serve the Lord. Which among them i. e. Which among all your gods or all your Idols He puts here a relative without an antecedent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pointing as it were to their Idols Hath declared these things i. e. Hath declared these things which I have declared concerning the destruction of the Babylonians or Chaldaeans by Cyrus Here he puts againe a Relative without an Antecedent The Lord hath loved him c. i. e. The Lord hath loved Cyrus Note that the Lord speaks here of himself in the third person Note also that this Relative Him is put without an Antecedent but thereby is meant Cyrus Note again that because neither the Idolaters nor their Idols could say that they had declared the things concerning the destruction of Babylon by Cyrus The Lord doth here as it were insulting over them declare what Cyrus should doe to Babylon to shew that whatsoever had been declared concerning that he had declared it And this is an argument to shew the Jewes that the Idols of the Heathens were no gods And a second argument to shew that he was the onely God The Lord might be said to love Cyrus in that he gave good successe to his Armies and to his expeditions He will doe his pleasure on Babylon i. e. Cyrus shall doe upon Babylon what the pleasure of the Lord is to be done thereon It was the pleasure of the Lord that Babylon should be overthrown And his arme shall be heavy on the Chaldaeans i. e. And the Arme of Cyrus shall light heavy upon the Chaldaeans to afflict them and destroy them He alludeth to a man which striketh with a strong blow and the fall of whose Arme is heavy He mentioneth not here the delivery of the Jewes out of Babylon though that was part of those things which were declared but only the overthrow of the Babylonians Because all the doubt was of the overthrow of the Babylonians being they were so potent And none doubted but the Jewes might be delivered out of their Captivity if the Babylonians were overthrown I even I have spoken Supple it and therefore it shall come to passe Note the Enallage again of the person how he passeth from the third to the first person I have called him Supple To doe my pleasure I have brought him Supple Out of Persia in an expedition against Babylon A Praeterperfect Tense is put here for a Future And he shall make his way prosperous i. e. And whatsoever he undertakes shall succeed well 16. Come yee neer unto me Supple O yee Sonnes of Jacob. This the Prophet speakes in his owne person This from this place to the end of the Chapter may be well accounted as part of the former Sermon or at least it may be well joyned with it for the principall Subject of this is to shew what prosperity should befall the Jewes after the Arme of Cyrus had beene upon the Chaldaeans And the former Sermon ended with that that the Arme of Cyrus should be upon the Chaldaeans and prosper Heare yee this That I shall speake unto you verse 17 c. I have not spoken in secret from the beginning q.d. I have not spoken any thing in private at any time heretofore but have openly made knowne unto you all the minde of the Lord which hath been revealed unto me That which the Prophet speakes here from this place to the end of the verse is not that which he chiefly bids them heare for that followeth in verse 17. but it is a Prooemiall speech to win their attention and to make them the more to heed what he hath to speake The argument is not much unlike unto that which St. Paul useth to the Elders of Ephesus Acts 20.20 Yee know how I kept nothing backe with was profitable unto you but have shewed you and have taught you publikely
take darkness for prisons the meaning of these words are Come ye out of prison out of the prison which was dark and wherein no man could see you into the light where ye may be seen They shall feed in the ways c. Between this and that which went immediately before we must understand these or the like words For the Jews which are prisoners in Babylon shall come forth out of their prisons and they which are there in darkness shall shew themselves and shall return into their own Land to inherit the desolate heritages thereof and as they go they shall feed in the ways home-ward c. The Prophet sheweth here how plentifully the Lord will provide for the Jews in their return out of captivity into their own Land See the like cap. 48.21 They shall feed i. e. They shall have abundance of food whereon to feed He alludeth here to the feeding of sheep or cattel but speaks of the Jews themselves They shall feed in the ways And if God provideth food for them in the ways they need not go out of their way nor slack their journey for want of food And their pastures shall be in all high places q. d. And though they travel over Hills and Mountains which are usually dry and barren yet shall all the Hills and the Mountains over which they travel yield them pastures in abundance He alludeth still to the feeding of sheep or cattel 10. They shall not hunger and thirst Supple By the way which they go though their way be through the desarts See cap. 48.21 Neither shall the heat nor the Sun smite them q. d. Though they are to travel through an hot scorching Wilderness as they travel from Babylon to the Land of Judah yet shall not the heat nor the Sun hurt them or offend them Neither the heat nor the Sun i. e. Neither the heat of the Sun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them i. e. For the Lord who hath mercy on them shall lead them Supple as a careful and skilful shepherd leadeth his flock The Lord speaks here of himself in the thiâ—d person and alludes to a shepherd leading his sheep for shepherds were wont not onely to follow their sheep and drive them but also to go before them and lead them See Psal 80.1 Even by the springs of waters shall he guide them He persists still in the Metaphor of a shepherd Where springs of waters are there are waters enough to quench and keep from thirst there are pastures for food adjoyning to the springs by reason of the moysture and there are vapors arising from the springs to allay the extremity of heat with their coolness and Willows growing thereby to shadow from the scorching beams of the Sun 11. And I will make all my mountains a way i. e. And I will pull down all my mountains by which they are to go and make them low that I may make away over them yea an easie way for the Jews to pass See cap. 40.4 The meaning of this phrase is That the Jews shall find nothing to hinder them in their way home-ward no not in the mountainous Wilderness The Lord speaks here of himself in his own person though he spoke of himself in the third person in the Verse before He speaks also of himself as of a way-maker which maketh a way for a King and his Court or for a General and his Army whereas he spoke of himself before as of a shepherd And my high-ways shall be exalted And my high-ways or Causey-ways Supple which lie through the valleys shall be exalted that the mountains being pulled down and the high-ways or causey-ways of the valleys exalted the whole way from Babylon to Judea may be plain and even without Hill or Dale In valleys because the grounds are for the most part moorish and rotten they use to make a way of stones and the like higher then the surface of the ground which therefore he calls an High-way and we usually a Causey Behold these shall come from far q. d. And moreover behold these Jews which are now in the East shall come from the East to their own Land By these he meaneth the Jews which were in the East after the Land of Judah was wasted by the Babylonians whom he nameth not because he doth as it were point at them with his finger From far i. e. From the East for so doth the Context require that we should interpret it The Prophet therefore useth a Synecdoche generis and putteth a far place in general for the East in special And lo these from the North i. e. And lo these Jews which are now in the North shall come from the North to their own Land And from the West i. e. And these which are in the West shall come from the West c. And these from the Land of Sinim i. e. And these which are in the South shall come from the South c. The Land of Sinim Sinim is the name of a people which are also called Sinites Gen. 10.17 These dwelt in the South of Judea about the Wilderness of Sin Wherefore their Land in particular is put here for any Southern Land in general Though when the Babylonians invaded Judea they carryed away most of them which escaped the sword captives into Babylon yet many escaped into all the quarters of the Earth where they lived as Exiles until they heard of the delivery of their Countrymen out of Babylon and of Cyrus's favor to them at the hearing of which they also returned to their own home again 13. Sing O Heaven and be joyful O Earth He speaks to the material Heaven and the material Earth as though they had sense and reason by a Prosopopoeia as he doth cap. 1.2 The Prophet speaketh here in his own person and having shewed his authority from God and Gods respect to him in order to his Ministry in the former part of this Chapter he doth here begin to tell the message which God gave him in charge to tell and which was part of his Ministry For God hath comforted his people i. e. For God will comfort his people the Jews which have suffered much misery and sorrow by reason of the Babylonians He puts here a Preterperfect for a Future tense Vpon his afflicted i. e. upon his afflicted people the Jewes The comfort and mercy which is here promised consisted in bringing the afflicted Jewes home to their own Land yea even to Hierusalem after the Babylonish captivity 14. But Sion i. e. But Hierusalem Hierusalem was the mother of the Jewes as St. Paul intimates Gal. 4.25 By Sion is meant Hierusalem and the materiall City of Hierusalem is brought here in the person of a woman yea of a mother speaking and complaining c. by a Prosopopoeia as Cap. 40.9 And under the feigned person of Sion is shewed the State and condition of the Jewes at the time here spoken of But Zion said
the Lord in his own person yet it may be understood of the Lords speaking thus to himself and stirring up himself for this work See the like cap. 63.11 Because the Lord had suffered his people to lie in captivity a long time and did not shew his power in their deliverance he might seem to be like a man asleep therefore he saith Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord Supple That thou mayst deliver thy people out of Babylon as thou hast promised Put on strength He alludeth to a mans putting on his garments when he awaketh which he did put off and lay aside when he went to sleep O arm of the Lord i. e. O powerful God He speaks of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts the arm which is but part for the whole man by a Synecdoche as Vers 5. As in the ancient days and in the generations of old Supple When thou didst bring the children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab i. e. Art not thou He which didst cut and hew the Egyptians to pieces It This relateth to that O thou arm of the Lord by which as I said is meant the Lord himself Rahab By Rahab is meant Egypt and by Egypt the Egyptians as Psal 87. v. 4. And Egypt was called Rahab because of her pride for Rahab signifieth one that is proud and Egypt carryed her self proudly at least towards Israel Exod. 18.11 And wounded the Dragon Supple Even to death By the Dragon he meaneth Pharaoh King of Egypt whom the Lord overthrew in the red Sea For the Prophet calls tyrants by that name See cap. 27.1 10. Art not thou it which hath dryed the Sea c. He meaneth by the Sea the red Sea which the Lord divided and through which he made a dry way for his people of Israel to pass when he brought them out of Egypt Exod. 14.21 The waters of the great deep q. d. Even the waters of the red Sea which was very deep For the ransomed to pass over i. e. For the Israelites which thou didst redeem out of Egypt from the bondage which they suffered there to pass over This is mentioned here to strengthen the faith of the people in God For if God had power to do such things heretofore he hath as much power to do the like now and to redeem his people out of Babylon now as he had to redeem them out of Egypt in times past 11. The redeemed of the Lord i. e. The Jews which are now in captivity in Babylon He calleth these Jews the redeemed of the Lord by anticipation for as yet they were not redeemed though afterwards they were Shall return Supple Out of Babylon where they are captive And come with singing unto Sion i. e. And come back with a great deal of joy to Jerusalem Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads He resembleth joy to a crown therefore he saith that it shall be upon their heads q. d. They shall be crowned with everlasting joy See cap. 35.10 And sorrow and mourning Supple Which they now suffer by reason of their captivity 12. I even I am he that comforteth you This is spoken in the person of the Lord to Zion who fearing the great power of the Babylonians could not receive that comfort from the promises of God as she should do I even I c. q. d. I the Lord who am the true and Almighty God even I am he that comforteth you c. That comforteth you i. e. That comforteth you now by my promises of your redemption and will comfort you hereafter by performing what I promise Who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall dye q. d. What a fearful woman art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of the Babylonians because they are many which yet are but men and shall dye This was that which made the Lords promise of the redemption of the Jews out of Babylon so hardly to be believed to wit the strength and abundance of men which the Babylonians had and therefore the Lord would take this Objection or stumbling block away Who art thou This in the Hebrew is of the Feminine gender and therefore is spoken to Zion whom he speaks to as to a woman or a mother by a Prosopopoeia as cap. 49.14 And of the son of man which shall be made as grass i. e. And of the son of man which shall be cut down and wither as the grass This is a repetition of the former sentence The son of man Every man livinâ— as he is man himself so is he the son of a man 13. And forgettest the Lord thy Maker i. e. And art not mindf ll of the power of the Lord which made thee who because he made thee will have mercy upon thee That hath stretched out the Heavens and layd the foundations of the Earth Supple And therefore is of exceeding great power power enough to turn the Babylonians to nothing Hath stretched out the Heavens i. e. Hath made the Heavens See Cap. 45. vers 12. And layd the foundations of the Earth See cap. 55.13 And hast feared continually every day Supple Lest thou and thy children should be destroyed by hard usage and by famine Because of the fury of the oppressor i. e. Because of the fury of the Babylonian which oppresseth thee and thy children As if he were ready to destroy i. e. As if he i. e. the Babylonian thy oppressor would instantly destroy thee and thy children by hard usage and by starving And where is the fury of the oppressor i. e. And what I pray you is become of the fury of the Oppressor This is to be pronounced with contempt to vilifie the power and fury of the Babylonian when Zion feared And he speaketh as if the Babylonians were already destroyed 14. The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed q. d. Behold notwithstanding all the fury of the Oppressor the captive Exile already hasteneth that he may be loosed The captive Exile i. e. The Jew which is captive in Babylon and liveth there as an Exile or banished man Hasteneth that he may be loosed i. e. Maketh haste already that he may be loosed supple out of prison that is out of the Land of his captivity from being a captive any longer He likeneth the Land of Babylon in which the Jews were captive to a prison and alludeth thereunto as cap. 42.7 He speaketh here as though the captived Jews were even then hastening to get out of their captivity But how did they hasten that they might be loosed Ans By sending Zorobbabel to Cyrus to entreat him to let them go free And this was after Cyrus had subdued Babylon so that the Lord might well say as he did Vers 13. And wheâ—e is the fury of the Oppressor And that he should not dye in the pit i. e. And that he
should not dye in the dungeon as many of his Brethren have dyed through such hardness as he hath there suffered heretofore and which you are now afraid of By the pit is meant that part of the prison which is called the Dungeon which is as a pit under ground But by this also he meaneth Babylon or the Land of the Jews captivity by a Metaphor Nor that his bread should fail i. e. And that he might not be starved in captivity for want of bread as many of his brethren have been and which you now fear Supple And he shall prevail 15. But I am the Lord thy God that divided the Sea c. The Lord prevents an Objection here which Sion might make For Sion might say But for all this I have cause to be afraid and to fear continually every day for the Babylonians are men which are maliciously bent against me and their fury is such as that it cannot be withstood To which the Lord here answers saying I 'l grant that the Babylonians are men maliciously bent against thee but yet I am the Lord who am more mighty then all the men of the Earth thy God who will have a care of thee and protect thee whose friendship is more to be esteemed of then their enmity to be feared who divided the sea whose waves roared and therefore am able to chastise them be their fury never so great and tumultuous against thee The Lord of Hosts is my Name therefore can I give victory to whom I please and trample under feet whom I will That divided the sea whose waves roared He alludes to the division which he made in the red Sea for his people Israel to pass through which he divided notwithstanding the roaring of the waves Exod. 14. v. 16 21. The Lord of Hosts is his Name i. e. The Lord of Hosts is my Name He putteth here the third for the first person for the Lord speaketh here of himself This Name The Lord of Hosts intimateth a great deal of power and the Lord mentioneth it here to uphold Sion against the conceit which she had of the great power of the Babylonians her Enemies or Oppressors 16. And I have put my words in thy mouth c. And that it may be known that I have not onely power to redeem thee O Zion and thy children the Jews but will also to restore all prosperity and joy to you and where power and will meet together the effect must needs follow I have put my words in thy mouth O Isaiah The Lord maketh a sudden Apostrophe to Isaiah And have covered thee with the shadow of mine hand See cap. 49.2 That I may plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth q. d. That I may plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth Supple As I have determined to plant and lay them upon the Jews repentance i. e. That I may make new Haevens and a new Earth according to what I have decreed when the Jews have repented That these words are not literally to be understood but onely Metaphorically is plain and manifest and denyed by none Quest. But what is it which is meant by them Answ The meaning is as if he should say that I may put a new face on things and make the Heavens to give their light and the Earth to flourish and be verdant as when they were at first created that is That I may bring back all joy and gladness into the Land of Judah where there is now sorrow and grief c. For the understanding of which sence note that the Scripture saith of the Heavens in times of great calamity that they are darkened and that the Stars of Heaven give not their light neither doth the Sun and the Moon cause their their light to shine as cap. 50.30 cap. 13.10 And on the contrary in times of great prosperity it saith of the Heavens that they give their light and that the light of ths Moon is as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun is seven-fold as the light of seven days c. as cap. 30. v. 26. Therefore to make new Heavens is to make the Heavens to give their light as brightly and as clearly as when they were at first created and that signifieth to give or reduce great prosperity and great joy And as for the Earth during the time of the Babylonish captivity the Land of Judah was accounted as a Wilderness and as a Desart because of the barrenness and squalidity thereof vers 3. When therefore the Lord saith that he will lay the foundations of the Earth his meaning is that he will make the Earth to flourish and be as verdant as when it was at first created and that signifieth that he will take away that barrenness and squalidity under which the Land of Judah lay during the captivity and make it as Eden yea even as the Garden of the Lord as it was at the first Creation as is said vers 3. Where note that by the Heavens are particularly here meant the Heavens which were over the Land of Judah as cap. 5.30 And by the Earth is particularly meant the Land of Judah as cap. 24.17 c. and that by a Synecdoche By this therefore that the Lord saith That he will plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth is meant that he will make the Land of Judah a joyful and a fruitful Land But it may be here asked How it is to be understood that the Lord here saith that he put his words into Isaiabs mouth c. that he the Lord might plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth that is That he the Lord might give great prosperity and joy to the Land of Judah and make the Land of Judah a joyful and a fruitful Land Ans As the Lord took away all prosperity and joy out of the Land of Judah and made it a barren and a doleful Land because of the sins of the Jews which dwelt therein so he was determined to reduce all joy and prosperity into it and to make it a fruitful and a flourishing Land again if the Jews would repent them of their sins That therefore they might be induced to repent he put his words into Isaiahs mouth and covered him with the shadow of his hand that upon his words they might repent and upon their repentance he the Lord might bring back all joy and fruitfulness into the Land of Judah And thus is the Lord said to put his words into Isaiahs mouth that he the Lord might plant the Heavens and lay the foundations of the Earth That I may plant the Heavens Here is a Metaphor taken from a Gardiners planting Trees or Herbs And lay the foundations of the Earth Here is a Metaphor from a Builder And say unto Sion thou art my people This might the Lord say when he had brought back the Jews out of Babylon to Sion and clothed Sion with them as
are your doings and dealings with men as my doings are for I use to deal well with them which offend me but you use not so to do The note of similitude As is here again to be understood 9. So are my ways higher then your ways By ways are here meant deeds or actions by a Metaphor as vers 8. Though it be generally true that all the actions and deeds of God do as far exceed our deeds and actions as the Heaven doth exceed the Earth yea infinitely further yet understand this place particularly of the mercy and goodness and clemency of the Lord q. d. As the Heaven doth far exceed the Earth so doth my clemency and mercy and loving kindness to men far exceed yours 10. For as the rain i. e. And as the rain For for And. As the rain cometh down and the snow from Heaven i. e. As the rain and the snow come down out of the ayr Heaven is often put for the Ayr so the birds of the Ayr are called the fowle of Heaven Ier. 3.9 And returneth not thither Supple Without watering the Earth and making it fruitful for otherwise the rain and the snow are drawn up again by the Sun in vapors 11. So shall my Word that goeth out of my mouth i. e. So shall the Word which I speak become effectual and whatsoever I say shall come to passe It shall not returne unto me voyd i e It shall not be ineffectual as their words are which cannot perform what they say Note that the Prophet useth here a Metaphor taken from an Embassador which a King sends out upon some business but he cannot effect what his King gave him in command and therefore returneth re infecta But God saith that his Word shall not return so 12. For ye shall go out with joy q. d. Wherefore because I have often said it ye shall go out O ye my people the Iews with joy out of the Land of your captivity where ye have been kept in hard bondage For is put here for Wherefore and the Lord makes a sudden Apostrophe to the Iews upon occasion of what he said concerning his Word in Vers 10 11. and in consideration of those often promises which he had made to the Iews of their Redemption And he led forth with peace For the Lord will go before you as your Captain Cap. 52.12 The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing q.d. So great shall your joy be as that the very mountains and the hills shall sing for joy before you as ye go from Babylâ—n to Ierusalem to to see your joy The Prophet doth often give sense and reason to inanimate things after a Poetical manner 13. Instead of the Thorne shall come up the Kirr-tree and instead of the Bryar shall come up the Mirtle-tree q. d. For instead of those which have afflicted you there shall arise those which will profit you and entreat you with all kindnesse Note that the Causal Particle For is here to be understood and to be referred to those words Vers 12. For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace The Thorn and the Bryar are prickly plants which will prick those which have to do with them by which are here meant in particulur Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and his race which did afflict and oppress the Iews with hard bondage in the time of their captivity But the Fir is a tree which besides other commodities yeilds a covert from the tempest and a shadow from the scorching heat of the Sun and the Mirtle besides many other benefits yeilds a sweet Oyl which refresheth the senses and makes Wine which comforteth the stomack it yeildeth also pleasant and fragrant branches to trim up and adorn the house By the Fir therefore and the Mirtle is here meant Cyrus who subdued the Babylonians and so delivered the Iews out of their hands and sent them home into their own Country with many royal favors of which read Ezra 1. And it shall be to the Lord for a name i. e. And this which the Lord will do for you shall bring to the Lord great renown Or thus q. d. And this which the Lord will do for you shall be a thing so notable and so glorious as that God shall thereby purchase himself a new Name q. d. As God purchased himself a new Name when he delivered Isaac and was called therefore Iehovah-jireh Gen. 22.14 And as Generals and Emperors by their great atchievements get new names as Scipio got him the name of Africanus by his Victories in Africa c. So shall God get him a new name for his great redemption of and munificence to his people Which yet understand not so as though God had any new name thereupon but that he deserved a new name thereby For a name i. e. The cause of a name Take the word Name either properly or for renown For an everlasting signe i. e. And for an everlasting Trophy and monument of his goodnesse to his people That shall not be cut off i. e. That shall never be pulled down or abolished He alludeth to the custome of conquerours who set up lasting Trophies and monuments for their glory in token and remembrance of some memorable victory obtained or some great matter performed by them but their Trophies and monuments are abolished by time but this of the Lord shall not be cut off ISAIAH CHAP. LVI KEepe ye judgement and doe justice i. e. Keep my Law and doe that which is your bounden duty therein O ye Jewes which are captive in Babylon Iudgement and Iustice are taken here for that duty which we owe to God in keeping his commandements and therefore is it called judgement and justice because God may justly exact it of us and we wrong God if we doe it not For my salvation is neer to come i. e. For my saving power wherewith I will save you from your enemies and deliver you out of the Babylonish captivity is at hand to save you Concerning the notion of this word Salvation as I have given it See Cap. 51. Vers 5 6. And my righteousnesse i. e. And my faithfulnesse whereby I have promised to save you see Cap. 51. vers 6 7. concerning the notion of this word also To be revealed i. e. To come so that it may be seen of all men see cap. 40.5 2. Blessed is the man that doth this This relative this relateth to that To wit that that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it And keepeth his hand from doing any evil and blessed is such a man for he shall be redeemed out of captivity and brought home with joy to Sion That keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it q. d. That is That keepeth holy the Sabbath day and doth nothing therein whereby to profane it By keeping the Sabbath from polluting it understand by a Synecdoche all other precepts also of the first Table and the whole duty of man to God And keepeth his hand
i. e. In the Land of Judah Here is a Synecdoche integri where the whole Earth is put for a part to wit Judea In the God of Truth That which is here rendered Truth is in the Original Amen which word is not an Adverb but a Noun and signifieth Truth that is stability Note here therefore that this word Truth signifieth stability in this place and therefore it signifieth stability because it is equivalent to the Hebrew word Amen which signifieth not onely truth but stability also So doth the Apostle take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth truth for stability Ephes 4.15 as Beza well noteth upon that place God is called here the God of truth that is of stability because he shewed himself to be the God of these his servants which he called truth or stability by giving them stability in their own Land when as they had been tossed with tempest and removing to and fro in the Land of their captivity Shall swear by the God of truth i. e. Shall make mention of the God of truth when he sweareth saying If I speak false the God of truth deal so and so with me Because the former troubles are forgotten i. e. Because my servants shall forget their former troubles whereby they were tossed and carryed to and fro as though they had never been and shall enjoy a constant stability in their own Land The Lord giveth the reason here why he would call his servants truth and why he himself should be called the God of truth Are forgotten i. e. Shall be forgotten He puts a present for a future tense or else these words are to be understood as relating to the time in which men should bless themselves in the God of truth at which time all the trouble of these servants of the Lord should be forgotten as being now past And because they are hid from mine eyes Those troubles which the servants of the Lord endured are said to be hid from the Lords eyes because they were quite taken away and brought to an end 17. For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth He confirmeth here what he said in the former Verse to wit That the former troubles should be forgotten and hid from his eyes When he saith that he would create new Heavens and a new Earth the meaning is That he would make a new face and state of things far more happy and more glorious and desirable then what his servants did now enjoy He would bring them out of such a depth of misery to such an height of happiness as that they should think themselves to be in a new world I create new Heavens The Lord saith that he would create new Heavens because he would make the Heavens brighter then they were at this time For whereas they were now black and cloudy and lowring he would make them bright and clear and full of light so that they should appear as new Heavens This is an expression which the Holy Ghost often useth when he would signifie joy and gladness and an happy estate which should be given to those which had been in misery And the ground of it seemeth to be either this That he makes the Heavens to sympathize with men and as to look black and dark when men are in misery as cap. 5.30 so to shine out when they are in prosperity as cap. 30.26 Or this That to the man which is of joyful heart all things seem pleasant whereas to him that is sorrowful all things seem sad because we receive and look upon things not as they are in themselves but as we are affected and as we are in our selves When therefore God giveth a joyful heart or that which may create joy he may be said to create new Heavens And a new Earth This is also an expression which the Holy Ghost often useth when he would signifie joy and gladness and an happy estate the ground whereof seemeth to be the very same with the ground of the former expression To which we may add That at this time the Land of Judah lay waste and desolate which should be tilled and manured and look as though it were not the same Land when the Lord should bring his people again out of Babylon into that their own Land Note here that the Holy Ghost seemeth to use such high expressions for such mean things because such mean things were types of greater things yea such things as these expressions signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the former shall not be remembred or come into minde i. e. And so glorious shall the new Heavens and the new Earth be over the old as that the old shall not be remembred or thought of that is So far shall the new face and state of things be above the old as that the old shall be quite forgotten 18. But be ye glad and rejoyce c. The Lord maketh an Apostrophe here to his servants which harkened unto his voyce whereas he spoke from the eleventh verse hitherto to them which forsook his Law But be ye glad Note that this Adversative Particle But relates to those Judgments which the Lord threatened to those which forsook his Law in the twelfth Verse and forward q. d. I said to them which forsake my Law that I would number them to the sword c. But notwithstanding be ye glad For ever Ever among the Hebrews is often put to signifie onely a long time Which I create i. e. In that great thing which I will do The Hebrews use this word create of every great and notable work of God I create Jerusalem a rejoycing i. e. I will make Jerusalem exceeding joyful He puts a rejoycing for exceeding joyful an Abstract for a Concrete and this he doth often And when he puts an Abstract thus for a Concrete he would signifie an excess of what he speaks of He speaks also of Jerusalem here as of a woman by a Prosopopoeia Her people a joy i. e. And the people which dwell in her exceeding glad Here is an Abstract again put for a Concrete 19. I will rejoyce in Jerusalem i. e. I will rejoyce and take delight in Jerusalem to do her good See Deut. 28.63 And the voyce of weeping shall be no more heard in her q. d. And though there hath been heard the voyce of weeping and mourning and lamenting in Jerusalem caused by the Babylonians yet there shall be no more such a voyce heard in her 20. There shall be no more thence an Infant of days i. e. There shall be no more carryed out of Jerusalem to the grave an Infant dying in his Infancy The Lord doth here begin to tell what blessings he would bestow upon his servants after their return out of their captivity into their own Land again The first whereof is long life a blessing desired of all and a blessing like to that Exod. 23.26 The number of thy days will I fulfil Nor an old man that hath not fulfilled his days i.
e. Nor shall a man though he be come to the verge of old age be carryed out of Jerusalem to the grave until he hath come to the extremity of old age that is neither shall a man dye in Jerusalem though he be old before he be exceeding old An old man Note that the old man here is opposed to an Infant and so signifieth not a very old man but one that may be called an old man in respect of an Inâ—ant or one that is on the verge onely of old age That hath not filled his days He calleth those a mans days which are requisite to the making up of a good old age and which a man might reach to by the course of Nature if no casualty did cut him off which ordinarily are an hundred years as the next words shew For the childe shall dye an hundred years old i. e. For the childe shall live an hundred years before he dyeth But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed He prevents an Objection here For whereas God promiseth here the blessing of long life onely unto his servants and would have it taken as a peculiar blessing to them so that the sinners should have no part in it It might be objected That this is not such a peculiar and special blessing of the righteous or of his servants as he would make it to be for the sinners also fulfil their days and live an hundred years The Lord therefore prevents this Objection saying that though the sinner liveth till he be an hundred years old yet he shall be accursed and therefore accursed because in his life time the plagues of God shall fall upon him and in his death he shall be taken away with an unusual destruction See Job 21. v. 7 8 c. to vers 20. Note therefore that it is not onely a long life which the Lord here promiseth to his servants but a blessed long life a life which shall be accompanyed with length of joy and happiness And they shall build houses i. e. And my people shall build houses And inhabit them i. e. And shall live to inhabit them And eat the fruit thereof i. e. And shall live to eat the fruit thereof 22. For as the days of a tree are the days of my people i. e. For my people shall live as long as the tree which they shall plant so that they which plant the tree shall live to eat all the fruit thereof Are the days of my people i. e. The days of my people shall be A present is put here for a future tense Mine Elect See Vers 9. Mine Elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands i. e. Mine Elect shall live long that they may long inhabit the houses which they shall build 23. They shall not labor in vain i. e. They shall not build houses which they shall not enjoy nor plant Vineyards which they shall not eat for this would be labor in vain which was a curse which God threatened to the wicked Levit. 26.16 and Deut. 28.30 Nor bring forth for trouble i. e. Neither shall they bring forth children whose untimely death shall bring them sorrow and trouble of minde This is a short repetition of what he said in the three foregoing verses They are the seed of the blessed of the Lord i. e. They are the true children of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob whom the Lord blessed in themselves and in their seed as well as in themselves And their off-spring with them q. d. And so are their children as well as they wherefore they also shall live to build and to plant and to enjoy what they builded and planted 24. And it shall come to pass before they call I will answer i. e. And if any evil befall them I will take it away before they complain This is another blessing which the Lord promiseth his people after their return out of captivity 25. The Wolf and the Lamb shall feed together See cap. 11.6 The Lion shall eat straw like the Bullock See cap. 11.7 And dust shall be the Serpents meat i. e. And the Serpent shall live upon the dust onely so that he shall be contented with that and shall not fasten upon man to do him any harm nor yet upon any beast That Serpents live upon the dust see Gen. 3.14 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain See cap. 11.9 This Verse containeth another blessing which the Lord promiseth his people after their captivity which is this That they shall live peaceably and quietly in their Land without any fear of violence there shall be no robbers no man-slayers there ISAIAH CHAP. LXVI THus saith the Lord The Heaven is my throne and the Earth is my footstool where is the house that ye build for me This may be very well continued with the former Chapter For whereas the Lord found fault with the wicked and hypocritical part of the Jews which were in captivity for that they forsook him and forgot his holy mountain c. Cap. 65.11 and threatened them grievously in the former Chapter They were ready to clear themselves and to plead not guilty and to shew that they were faithful servants of the Lord and to say That whereas they did frequent the Temple and did offer their due sacrifices while the Temple stood and they were suffered to live in the Land of Judah So if ever they should come into that Land again they would build up the Temple which the Babylonians had destroyed and would offer sacrifices to the Lord as they were wont to do The Lord therefore in the beginning of this Capter takes away these vain arguments of theirs and shews that to build him a Temple was not such an acceptable piece of service as they deemed nor would he take pleasure in their sacrifices being they were such men as they were that is Idolatrous and wicked men The Heaven is my throne The Heaven is my Chair of state whereon I sit And the Earth is my footstool i. e. And the Earth is my stool on which I rest my feet When he saith The Heaven is my throne and the Earth is my footstool he alludeth to the manner of earthly Kings who as they had glorious thrones to sit on so had they their footstools though not so glorious to rest their feet upon And the Lord is here compared to a man of an immense greatness for he must needs be of an immense greatness who is so big as to sit upon the Heavens as his seat and to rest his feet upon the Earth as his footstool for so his upper parts must be higher by much then the highest Heavens Where is the house that ye build unto me i. e. Where then shall that house be which ye say you will build for me for Heaven and Earth are not able to contain an house big enough to contain me Here is a present tense twice put for a future This people which said that
himself in the third person For an offering to the Lord When he calls them an offering to the Lord he speaks metaphorically for to speak properly they were no offering but therefore doth he call them an offering because as an offering is brought in honor of the Lord so would the Nations bring them to the Lord in honor of the Lord because they were once his people and he would now accept of them Out of all Nations When Salmaneser invaded the Land of Israel many of the men of that Land fled to all Nations abroad to save their lives where they lived and begat children which are they which are here said to be brought as an offering to the Lord. Vpon Horses and in Charets and in Litters and upon Mules and upon swift beasts By these is signified the accommodation with which the Nations should accommodate the men of Israel in their way to Judea Vpon swift beasts As Dromedaries To my holy mountain Jerusalem q. d. To my holy mountain that is To Jerusalem Note here again the Enallage of the person how God speaks of himself in the first person when he spoke in the third just before Gods holy mountain was mount Sion upon which the Temple which was destroyed by the Babylonians was built and on which the Temple which was to be built after the Babylonish captivity was to be built And therefore was it called the holy mountain because it was hallowed or set apart for that use This mountain was within Jerusalem and therefore was part of Jerusalem and is here put by a Synecdoche for all Jerusalem But he seemeth to make mention of the holy mountain and to say that they should bring them to the holy mountain because he likened them to an offering and offerings used to be brought to the holy mountain that is to the Temple which stood on that mountain Note that these men were brought not to the Land of Israel though they were men of Israel but to Jerusalem because the men of Israel never made a Common-wealth of themselves after the days of Salmaneser but all which returned into the Land of Canaan were incorporated into the Common-wealth of Judah And hence is this Allegory of their being brought as an offering to the holy mountain Jerusalem As the children of Israel bring an offering i. e. With as much joy and gladness and with as much respect to the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering c. By the children of Israel may be meant here not the children of the ten Tribes only but the children of Judah also yea rather these then they An offering He alludeth to the meat-offering of which Lev. 2. In a clean vessel i. e. In a dish or platter which is not polluted with any legal uncleanness In the similitude here used the Horses and Charets and Litters and Mules and swift beasts on which the men of Israel were brought answereth to the clean vessel here mentioned in which the children of Israel brought their offering Into the House of the Lord i. e. Into the Temple which is the House of God 21. And I will also take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord q.d. And I will not onely cause them to wit your brethren to be brought as an offering to me the Lord to Jerusalem but I will also take of them for Priests and Levites saith the Lord. Or thus q. d. And I will not onely take of you O ye Jews but I will also take of them to wit your brethren which shall be brought as an offering to me for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. Note that as the word Priests so is the word Levites here a word denoting not the tribe but the office of the Levites who were by their office to minister in the things appertaining to the Temple or Tabernacle under the Priests Numb 3. And of these their brethren or men of Israel the Lord saith he would take Priests and Levites to signifie that the glory which he the Lord would give to Jerusalem and to the Jews should be so great as that the men of Israel who had rejected the Lord should be moved thereby to return to the Lord and serve him so as that the Lord should delight in them again though he had rejected them for rejecting him It may be asked what they were whom the Lord would take out of these men of Israel which were to be brought as an offering to him for Priests and Levites Ans He would take for Priests such as were of the linage of Aaron and for Levites those other that were of the Tribe of Levi. But what new love and kindness was this for God to take these for Priests and Levites at this time when God had appointed these and onely these to be the one Priests the other Levites for ever before he brought them first into the Land of Canaan For to take of the men here mentioned for Priests and Levites intimateth that they were not Priests and Levites before whom he would take now Ans True it is That God chose Aaron and his sons for Priests and the rest of the Tribe of Levi to minister to him under them in the Tabernacle and Temple before he brought the Israelites into the Land of Canaan But as for those Priests and Levites which dwelt among the ten Tribes they were exceeding wicked as the ten Tribes were And therefore when the Lord would have no mercy upon the house of Israel but utterly take them away Hos 1.6 and said unto them Ye are not my people and I will not be your God Hos 1.9 As he rejected the whole people from being his people so he rejected those of the Tribe of Levi which dwelt among them from being Priests and Levites to him Yea he expresly said to the sons of Aaron which dwelt among them Because ye have rejected knowledge I will also reject you that ye shall be no Priests to me Hos 4.6 And what he said to them we must understand of the Levites also that they should not minister any more to him Now if God when he had thus rejected all the sons of Aaron which dwelt among the ten Tribes from being Priests and the rest of the sons of Levi from being Levites unto him did afterwards accept of some of them for Priests and Levites to himself it was a new love and a new kindness in the Lord towards them 22. For as the new Heavens and the new Earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your seed and your name remain By the new Heavens he meaneth the Heavens which he would renew in respect of their qualities of which see cap. 65.17 which though they were dark and cloudy now he would make clear and resplendent in his due time And by the new Earth he meaneth the Earth which he would renew in respect of her qualities of which see also cap. 65.17 For he would make
it fruitful and verdent whereas it was barren and squalid at this time And by these are figuratively meant the new glorious and flourishing state of things which he would make for his people the Jews in their own Land after their captivity For as the new Heavens i. e. Moreover as the new Heavens c. For for Moreover Shall remain i. e. Shall be and remain the Heavens clear and resplendent and the Earth fruitful and verdent the Heavens in a glorious the Earth in a flourishing estate So shall your seed and your name remain i. e. So your seed and your posterity shall be and remain in a glorious and flourishing condition By your seed he meaneth their children per Metonymiam Materiae And by your name he meaneth the same to wit their posterity For a seed or posterity bear the name of their Parents or Ancestors See cap. 14.22 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me i. e. And it shall come to pass that men of all Nations and Countries Gentiles and Israelites as well as Jews being moved with that glory which I will give you shall come and worship me in my holy Temple at Jerusalem not onely every new Moon or from one new Moon to another but every Sabbath from one Sabbath to another that is not onely one month but every week Note that the first day of every Month or the day of every new Moon on which the Moon changed was an holy day and to be kept holy Numb 10.10 So was the seventh day in every week which was called the Sabbath day Exod. 20.10 11. Shall all flesh i. e. Men of all kindred and Nations Flesh is put here per Synecdochen partis for men and all signifieth here not all of all kindes but some of all kindes not singula generum but genera singulorum 24. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me i. e. And men shall go forth into the fields and shall see the dead bodies of those that have transgressed against me whom I have slain lie there unburyed as not being worthy of a burial Note that this word They is to be taken indefinitely here and that this Verse relateth not to that which went immediately before but to the seventeenth Verse as we shall say hereafter Of the men that have transgressed against me What these men were and what their transgression see Vers 17. In these words They shall go forth and look upon c. is included a frequent act and an act repeated many days as we may gather from those words For their worm shall not dye which signifie that their dead bodies should lie unburied a long time to wit Till the Worms had quite devoured them which should be long first For their worm shall not dye q. d. For the Worms which shall breed in their carcasses for Worms do naturally breed out of the corruption of dead bodies shall not dye till they have quite devoured their carcasses and that shall not be under a long time Worm is put here for Worms Worms that breed naturally out of the corruption of dead bodies which he calls their Worms because they shall breed out of the corruption or putrefaction of their dead bodies or carcasses Such Worms use not to dye until they have eaten up all the flesh of the dead bodies whereby they were sustained Shall not dye i. e. Shall not quickly dye but it shall be a long time before it dyeth Note that though he saith absolutely It shall not dye yet the meaning is not that it shall not dye at all but it shall not dye in a long time For the Hebrews in an Hyperbolical kinde of speech say that that shall not be which shall not be a long time Neither shall their fire be quenched I take this to be a repetition of the former sentence and that he calleth either the worm which breedeth in a dead body fire because both the worm and the fire are of a consuming and devouring nature Or else that preternatural heat which is the cause of putrefaction or whatsoever else is the cause thereof Neither shall their fire be quenched Supple For a long time Note that our Saviour speaking of Hell maketh mention of these words saying Where the worm dyeth not and the fire is not quenched Mark 9.44 alluding no doubt to this place of our Prophet viz. Their worm shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched But why doth our Saviour do this Why doth he quote this place when he speaks of the everlasting punishment of Hell when our Prophet speaketh thereby of the temporal punishment of those which transgressed against God Answ The temporal punishments of those which transgressed against God during the time of the Law were Types of the eternal punishments which the damned should endure in Hell and while the Scripture speaks of the Type it doth often fit many passages to the Antitype yea and that in greater propriety of words then to the Type one of which is this present passage which though it fits the Type that is the temporal punishment of those that transgressed against God yet it fits the Antitype in a greater propriety of words for the punishment of Hell is truly and absolutely everlasting and the Worm that is there never dyeth and the fire that is there is never quenched when as the worm of the Type after a time dyeth and the fire thereof is after a time quenched And they shall be an abhorring to all flesh i. e. And all men which shall come neer to them to look upon them shall abhor and loath them so abominable shall their sight be and so loathsom the stink that proceedeth out of their carcasses Abhorring is put here by a Metonymy for Abhorrend Note that this last verse hath its immediate connexion with and relation to the seventeenth verse and that that it is so far dis-joyned from it proceedeth from the earnestness of the Prophets spirit by which he was in a manner compelled to interpose many things before he made an end of what he had to speak in the seventeenth Verse The like we read Ephes 2 1-5 and Ephes 3 1-13 where the Apostle begins matters but compleats them not till he hath first spoken of many other things FINIS Reader thou art desired to read the places here noted according to these Emendations PAge 2 colume 1 line 43 read The vision of Isaiah the Son of Amos which he saw concerning Judah and Hierusalem p 3 c 1 l 9 r. doth not p 3 c 2 l 43 r. the Gâ—d p 5 c 1 l 32 r. the Kings p 8 c 1 l 49 r. of blowing Trumpets p 9 c 2 l 51 r. in his cause p 11 c 2 l 7 r. an Adulteresse p 11 c 2 l 24 r. lodged in it p 11 c 2 l 53 r. thy