of the Scripture Gen. 6.4 29.23 30. that he lay carnally with her and thereupon it follows and she conceived and bear a Son But however clear it is that if this which is here related concerning the birth of this Son of the Prophet was presently after the writing of the forementioned Prophetical roul then his going in to the Prophetess and her conception thereupon was long before and so should rather have been rendred And I had gone in to the Prophetess and she conceived and on the other side if this his going in to the Prophetess was after the writing of this roul then it was well nigh a twelvemonth after e're this his Son was born and that God gave him that following command concerning his name Then said the Lord to me call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz And therefore I question not but that this was a different passage from that related in the two foregoing verses and that some time after the setting up of this roul upon the birth of this his Son he was enjoined to call him by that mysterious name which was written in the roul and that to confirm that foregoing Prophecy and that this name of his child might be a continual memorial of that Prophecy written in the forementioned roul concerning the destruction of the Syrians and the Israelites Ver. 4. For before the child shall have knowledg to cry My father and my mother c. Some understand this indefinitely as they did the like expression before Chap. 7.16 concerning which see the Note there of any new-born child But methinks it is clearly spoken with reference to that which was said in the foregoing verse to wit that before that new-born Son of the Prophets whom God had appointed to be named Maher-shalal-hash-baz should begin to discern his Parents from strangers and be able to speak that which was intended by that name should come to pass and so in these words there is a reason given why God appointed this name to be given to his child namely to make known how suddenly that foretold destruction should come upon those two Kings and their chief Cities For before the child that is this new-born child of the Prophets called Maher-shalal-hash-baz shall have knowledg to cry My father and my mother that within a year or a year and a half or thereabouts the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the King of Assyria that is the Kingdoms of Syria and Damascus shall be plundered and wasted in his sight and at his command or in these words before the King of Assyria there may be an allusion to the custom of carrying the rich spoils they had gotten from any vanquished people before the Conqueror when he returned in triumph into his own Country And it may be read too as it is in the Margent of our Bibles He that is before the King of Assyria that is his Officers and Ministers or his Captains and Commanders shall take away the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria But however it is clear I conceive that the accomplishment of this was when in or about the fourth year of Ahaz Tiglath-pileser the King of Assyria took Damascus and slew Rezin their King and carried away the people into captivity 2 King 16.9 at which time he made great havock also in the land of Israel 1 King 15.29 though he did not take and destroy Samaria as he did Damascus for that was done sometime after by Salmaneser in the days of Hoshea 2 King 17.6 and this some conceive to be the reason why it is said here that the riches of Damascus should be taken away by the Assyrian and that he should only take some spoil in Samaria Ver. 5. The Lord spake also unto me again saying To wit in the same or some other Vision afterwards Ver. 6. Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly c. That is that run on gently and silently not with any such violence and noise as other great rivers do We read of the pool of Siloam Joh. 9.7 and of the tower in Siloam Luk. 13.4 and it is generally said that this Siloam or Shiloah was the same that is else-where called Gihon see the Note 1 King 1.33 a little brook at the foot of Mount Sion which running into Jerusalem or about some part of it must needs be a great refreshing to the inhabitants but could be no great defence to the City and that therefore the weak estate of the Kingdom of Judah at this time is here intended by the waters of Shiloah that go softly concerning which see the Note Psal 46.4 The great question is what people it is of whom the Prophet here saith For so much as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliahs Son the most Expositors understand it of the people of Judah to wit that the generality of them for there were some â— a better temper amongst them whom the Lord afterwards ver 16. calls his Disciples did either 1. Approve of Ahaz his sending for the Assyrian as distrusting their own weak estate and not minding the promise which God had made for their deliverance against the threatned invasion of the two Kings of Syria and Israel and relying wholly upon the mighty army which he would bring with him the warlike noise whereof is here opposed to the soft running of the waters of Shiloah in the confidence whereof they should even rejoice to be fighting with Rezin and Pekah Or 2ly did wish themselves to be in such a rich and flourishing estate as the Israelites and Syrians were and under the command of such potent Kings as Rezin and Pekah were Or 3. that considering to what a low ebb the Kingdom of Judah was brought and how unable they should be to resist the invasion of these two mighty Kings they did indeed desire that these Kings might reign over them or at least that Son of Tabeal mentioned before Chap. 7.6 whom they intended to leave as their Viceroy amongst them and for the better effecting hereof had under-hand some treacherous compliance with them But now because we find not the least mention in the Sacred story of any such intended defection of the men of Judah from Ahaz and the House of David and because it cannot be thought without manifest forcing the Text how it should be well said that the people of Judah did rejoice in Rezin and Remaliahs Son that were coming out against them with such fury and bloody intentions therefore I conceive that others do far better understand by this people here mentioned the people of Israel for so much as this people that is this army of the Israelites and Syrians that are now combined against Judah refuseth the waters of Shiloah that goeth softly that is do slight and scorn the weak estate of Jerusalem that hath no great river for its defence but only the small brook of Shiloah
invading the land with such a mighty army or the grievous destruction that was brought upon them by the Chaldeans in the days of Zedekiah shall not be such that is in every respect so great as was in her vexation that is as it was when the land was vexed and afflicted by those two Invasions of the Assyrians mentioned in the following words when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali which may be meant either first of that Invasion of the land of Israel when Pul the Assyrian made an inroad into the Country in the days of Menahem and then was presently hired with a sum of money to be gone again for which see the Notes 2 King 15.19 which seems to me most probable or else 2. of that Invasion made by Tiglath-pileser which fell chiefly indeed upon the Tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali and wherein they might well be said to be more lightly afflicted because then only some of the Tribes about five of them were carried away captives and not all of them as they were afterwards by Salmanasser for which see the Note 2 King 15.29 And afterward did more grievously afflict her which may be meant of that more grievous hand of God upon the whole Kingdom of the Ten Tribes in the days of Hoshea when by Salmanasser Samaria was taken and the whole people of Israel in a manner were carried away captives into Assyria 2 King 17.3 c. for which see the Notes there Or rather of the Invasion of Tiglath-pileser which may be termed more grievous with respect to the foregoing inroad of Pul which I think is far most probable for whereas it may be and it is usually objected that the Prophet speaks here of calamities that had formerly come upon the land of Israel and it is clear that neither the Invasion by Tiglath-pileser nor that by Salmanasser were come to pass when the Prophet spake this though indeed he lived to see them both accomplished Though to this it may be answered that it was usual with the Prophets to speak of things to come as if they were past and done already only to imply the certainty of them yet I should think that this objection may be better prevented by holding that the Prophet speaks here of two Invasions of the land of Israel that were in a manner past already to wit that of Pul and that of Tiglath-pileser which was now immediately coming upon them and in a manner in being And indeed the following description of that part of the land of Canaan which was to feel the misery of this more grievous affliction agrees best with the Invasion of Tâ—glath-pileser and cannot so well be understood of that of Salmanasser when the whole Kingdom of the Ten Tribes was over-run and dispeopled as first in that this is said to have been by the way of the Sea for this cannot so well be meant of the midland-Sea called the great Sea Josh 1.4 which was the utmost border of the land of Israel westward and very far remote from Jordan which is also here mentioned And that which is said by some is altogether uncertain to wit that the tract of land of which he speaks here is said to have been by the way of the Sea because there was a high-way in those parts about Jordan whereby they carried their wares which were to be transported through the land to the Sea-side which was hereupon called the way of the Sea And therefore I rather think it is meant of that part of the Country which lay upon the Lake of Gennesareth as it is called Luk. 5.1 which was also called the Sea of Cinnereth Josh 13.27 or the Sea of Gennesareth and Mat. 4.18 The Sea of Galilee and Joh. 21.1 The Sea of Tiberias And the like may be said of the following words Beyond Jordan in Galilee of the Nations or as some translate it in populous Galilee for though the whole land of Galilee was divided into two parts the one whereof was called the upper Galilee and the other the lower and some think the lower Galilee is here meant which was in the Tribe of Zebulun and that it was called populous Galilee because it was so full of people and others think the upper Galilee is here meant which was in the Tribe of Naphtali which they say was called Galilee of the Nations because there were many of the Heathens usually inhabiting there in regard that it was near to the Tyrians and Zidonians or for some other reason for which see the Notes Gen. 14.1 Josh 12.23 Judg. 4.2 1 King 9.11 Yet first because it is evident that the Prophet speaks here of a storm that fell upon those parts of the land that lay near to Jordan and not upon the whole Kingdom of the Ten Tribes as that Invasion of Salmanasser did 2. Because it is clear that Tiglath-pileser did indeed subdue and carry into captivity the Tribes without Jordan and those within Jordan to wit on the East-side of it even all the inhabitants both of the upper and lower Galilee which may therefore be here said to be beyond Jordan with respect to those without Jordan that were at the same time carried away into captivity see the Note 2 King 15.29 And 3. because the Evangelist citing this passage of Isaiah Mat. 4.14 15 16. seems to speak of those places about Jordan where our Saviour first Preached the Gospel therefore it seems to me most probable that the Prophet speaks here of the Invasion of Tiglath-pileser Well but however whether this more grievous affliction of the land of Israel be meant of the Invasion of Tiglath-pileser or of that of Salmanasser yet if that judgment which the Prophet in the foregoing Chapter foretold should come upon Judah be meant of that destruction which was made by Nebuchadnezzar in the days of Zedekiah when Jerusalem was taken and both the City and the Temple it self was sacked and burnt and the Jews for the generality were all carried away captives into Babylon which was doubtless the greatest blow that was ever given to the land how can it be said that the dimness then was not such that is so great as it was in her vexation by those two foregoing Invasions of the land of Israel by the Assyrians Indeed if the judgment threatned against Judah in the foregoing Chapter were the Invasion of Sennacherib in the days of Hezekiah which many think most probable that might well be said to be not so great as were the two foregoing Invasions of the land of Israel by the Assyrians But if that threatned in the foregoing Chapter were that dreadful ruin that was made in Jerusalem and in the land of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar how can that be said to have been not so great as those two Invasions of the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes by the Assyrians I answer 1. Because this dimness was not perpetual as the other was The Jews that were carried captives into
their own disobedience and rebellions against that great God that had done this they began to think how dangrous it was for them that must enjoy constant communion with a God that was so zealous of his glory so severe against sinners and so continually ready to break forth in his wrath as a consuming fire to devour them here yea and to punish them with everlasting burnings in hell heareafter who among us say they shall dwell with that devouring fire c. But I rather think that this is intended concerning the terrors wherewith these sinners in Zion should be surprised upon the marching of the Assyrians against Jerusalem Yet withall this must be added that the fire wherewith these wicked wretches profess themselves to be so exceedingly frighted was not simply the Assyrian Army as concluding that they would come and burn the City Jerusalem and lay all waste before them as they had done wherever they came but the wrath of God who upon this ground is indeed called a consuming fire see the Note Deut. 4.24 breaking forth and clearly discovering it self in this invasion of the Assyrians and their carrying all before them with unresistable violence which as it had before consumed the Ten Tribes and at this time a great part of the land of Judea so their guilty consciences made them apprehend it would now likewise devour them in Jerusalem and would never leave burning till all was consumed by it who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings And indeed it is evident that by everlasting burnings here the fire of Hell cannot be meant because in the following verse it is said that the righteous man shall without fear dwell with this fire He that walketh righteously c. It was I say the wrath and vengeance of God in the fury of the Assyrians which these sinners feared would be a consuming fire to them And observable it is that in this their complaint they charge all their danger upon Gods extream severity and not upon themselves Ver. 15. He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he that despiseth the gain of oppression that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes c. That is that rejecteth them with loathing and detestation that stoppeth his ears from heaâ—ing of blood that is that will not endure to hear any motion made of any violence or injury to be offered to the life or livelyhood of his brethren see the Note Chap. 1.15 and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil that is from the sight of any thing that should entice him to evil or that is so far from doing evil himself that he cannot endure to see others do it This is the answer that is returned to that doleful exclamation of the wicked distrustful hypocrites amongst the Jews in the foregoing verse Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire c. Why saith the Prophet He that walketh righteously c. He that will live a holy righteous life may safely dwell with God though he be a consuming fire to wicked ungodly wretches And thus he gives them to understand that if the wrath of God were so terrible to them they must charge it upon their own wickedness not upon Gods severity A good and a righteous man needs not fear it Ver 16. He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks c. That is Such a man shall be as safe and as fearless as if he dwelt in some impregnable Fort built upon inaccessible Rocks the Church of God shall be as munitions of Rocks to him bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure that is he shall not want meat and drink nor any thing necessary for the support of his life no not in the time when Jerusalem shall be besieged by the Assyrians Ver. 17. Thine eyes c. This is a farther promise made to the righteous man of whom the Prophet had spoken in the two foregoing verses Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty that is Hezekiah Though he may be for a time in a very sad and forlorn condition as he was indeed when the Assyrians had wasted the greatest part of his Kingdom and he was glad to crouch to an insolent Tyrant and beg Conditions of Peace of him 2 Kings 18.14 and yet could not prevail but was only abused and scorned by him and at last besieged by his Forces in the City Jerusalem and when upon this occasion he went up to the Temple to implore Gods help having rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth 2 Kings 19.1 yet shall he afterwards Reign in greater Majesty and Glory than ever he did formerly to wit after God had so miraculously destroyed the Assyrian Army after which it is said that many brought presents to Hezekiah so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth 2 Chron. 32.23 they that is thine eyes shall behold the land that is very far off The meaning is that the time should come when they should no longer be cooped up in Jerusalem because the besiegers being all destroyed they might safely and securely go abroad whither they would and travel peaceably into the remotest parts of the land yea if their occasions did so require into foreign Countries Many learned Expositors do otherwise I know understand this last clause as 1. that they should see Embassadors come to Hezekiah from a far Country to wit the Babylonians for which see the Note 2 Kings 20.12 Or 2. that they should see Hezekiah's Kingdom enlarged by the bringing of foreign Countries under his Dominion Or 3. that the Fame of Hezekiah should be carried into Countries a far off But the words of the Text will very hardly bear either of these Expositions And so likewise that which others say that in this whole verse the Prophet speaks to Shebna of whom mention was made before Chap 22.15 telling him that he should see Hezekiah whom he slighted and despised Reigning in great Majesty and Glory and that himself should be banished or carried away Captive into a land a far off it no way suits with the tenor of that which the Prophet is speaking of in this place That which others say is far more probable to wit that under the type of Hezekiah the seeing of Christ in his Glory is here promised to the faithful Though for a time he should live in a low and despised condition and should at last be hanged up between two Thieves upon the Cross when that was fully verified Chap. 53.2 he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him yet afterwards the eyes of his Servants should see this their King in his Beauty and Glory to wit when as the only begotten Son of God he rose triumphantly out of the Grave and ascended into Heaven but especially when he shall come again at the last day in exceeding great
world all Types and Prophesies of the Old Testament were at an end and the Doctrine of the Church was setled in an unchangeable way and thence are those expressions which the Apostles used 1 Joh. 2.18 Little children it is the last time and 1 Cor. 10.11 These things are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come Again by the mountain of the Lords house some understand Christ that stone which became a great mountain Dan. 2.34 35. and upon whom the Church is built as a house upon a hill But far more probably the Church is meant hereby being called the mountain of the Lords house in allusion to Mount Zion whereon the Temple the house of the Lord was built and which was a type of the Church and truly resembled to a mountain as is noted Psal 2.6 And of this mountain of the Lords house it is said That it should be established or prepared as it is in the Margent in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills not only because the Church should be conspicuous to all the World as a city that is set on a hill which cannot be hid Mat. 5.14 the light of the Gospel shining from thence to the enlightening of all Nations but also because it should in regard of Spiritual priviledges and glory excell all the Kingdoms and Estates that were in the world see the Note Psal 68.15 and should be setled in this condition unchangeably all Nations submitting themselves to the Church which is expressed more fully in the next words which contain a clear Prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles And all Nations shall flow unto it that is they shall come in and join themselves to the Church in great numbers voluntarily of their own accord and with great vehemency and fervency of desires like so many rivers running into some one greater stream which is that our Saviour speaks of the Kingdom of Heavens suffering violence Mat. 11.12 See the Notes Psal 34.5 110.3 Ver. 3. And many people shall go and say come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob c. This is added as a farther explanation of the last clause in the foregoing verse and all Nations shall flow unto it for this that multitudes of all Nations should thus encourage one another to join themselves to the Church implys how readily and voluntarily they should flow into it As for this phrase let us go up to the mountain of the Lord c. it is suited to the situation of the Temple to which they went up on every side but yet withal it very fitly expresseth mens joining themselves to the Church which is the Heavenly Jerusalem Heb. 12.22 The Jerusalem which is above Gal. 4.26 to which when men do join themselves they ascend thereby to greater and better things than the greatest do here enjoy and therefore accordingly must take off their hearts from the low and base things of the world and ascend in their affections desires and endeavours to those that are in Heaven prepared for them Phil. 3.20 Col. 3.2 And withal observable it is that in this prediction of the calling of the Gentiles it is clearly hinted that they should join themselves to the Church of the Jews according to that Mat. 8.11 Many shall come from the East and West and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven 2. What a great change there should be betwixt the state of the Church under the Gospel and that under the Law in that the people that might not come near to Sinai have here free access given them to come into Sion And 3ly that the great thing that should encourage the Gentiles to come in should be that they should be there taught of God effectually which is expressed in those words And he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths For out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem That is the Doctrine of the Gospel Some take this to be also the words of the people encouraging one another to go up to the house of God as was before expressed to wit because the word of God was there only to be found But rather they are the words of the Prophet shewing by what means the Nations should be brought thus to join themselves to the Church namely that it should be by the Preaching of the Gospel which should be first published in Jerusalem and should from thence afterward spread abroad into all the world Luk. 24.47 Act. 1.8 See the Note also Psal 110.2 Now this is mentioned as that whereby Zion should be exalted to a high degree of eminency that now the Doctrine of Salvation should go not out of Sinai but out of Zion And it implys some change that should then be in the Doctrine of the Church though in regard of the substance of it it should still be the same Ver. 4. And he shall judg amongst the Nations c. That is the Lord Christ the very God of Jacob to whose house it was said in the foregoing verse the Gentiles should go up God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 shall have the supreme power of Royal authority given him of the Father which is that Christ said Mat. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father And Joh. 5.22 The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto his Son and accordingly he shall reign as King judging and governing and protecting his people and punishing their enemies See the Notes Deut. 32.36 But now especially this is meant of that Spiritual jurisdiction and dominion he should exercise in the Consciences of his people to wit that by the Scepter of his Gospel that Law and Word of the Lord mentioned in the foregoing verse that was to go forth out of Zion he should rule and govern as a just King not amongst the Jews only but amongst the Gentiles also and should subdue their hearts to the obedience of his Kingdom and then acquit and absolve them from all their sins See the Notes Psal 2.8 110.2 3 6. And therefore it is added and shall rebuke many people which I conceive is also principally meant of his convincing them of their sins and the truth of the Gospel Joh. 16.8 whereby they should be brought to give up their names to Christ And they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks c. The meaning is that the converted Nations living as is before said under the Government of Christ though formerly warring continually one against another and seeking to devour and destroy one another should live peaceably together and laying by all thoughts and desires of being hurtful and injurious one to another should only betake themselves to such imployments as tended to the publick good and whereby they should rather promote the welfare than the hurt
like so many hungry Lions that Nation should be that God would bring upon them and with what dreadful fury and rage and hideous clamours they shall fall upon the Jews as particularly when they came to joyn battel with them or to undertake the storming of any place and with what unresistable violence they should seize upon and carry away both the people and wealth of the Kingdom no body either doing or being able to resist them But see the Notes also Psal 74.4 and Job 4.10 Ver. 30. And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea c. That is they shall break in upon them with a noise like that of the roaring Sea when in a storm it beats upon a Ship or when over-bearing the banks it breaks in and over-flows the land and carries all before it like a mighty deluge and if one look unto the land behold darkness and sorrow or distress that is saith some Expositors if one of this savage Nation shall but look towards them the very terror of his countenance shall over-whelm them with the darkness of extream dread and fear and threaten no less than the bringing of the whole land under most extream misery and sorrow But indeed this is far more generally understood by Expositors of the Inhabitants of the land and if one look to the land behold darkness c. that is so miserable shall be the condition of the whole land by reason of the irruption of so potent and cruel an enemy that if any of the people did look towards any part of the land as it were to view and consider the sad condition whereinto they were brought they should see nothing but darkness over-spreading the whole Country which way soever they should look round about them they should no where discover the least likelihood of help there should not be any light of hope and comfort to be seen And because in the first words of the Verse it was said that the enemy should rear against them like the roaring of the sea therefore some conceive that in these words and if one look to the land c. there is an allusion to a Ship in a great storm at Sea from whence the Mariners look to the land as wishing themselves there but see no hope of escape thereby and to the Heavens of which there was mention indeed in the following words but there is no appearance of the least clearing in the sky But I see not but that without any such allusion the following words and the light is darkened in the Heavens thereof that is in the Heavens over the land of Judea may be added to imply that even from thence they should have no hope of help or comfort but all should be darkness there as well as on the land whithersoever they looked upward or downward they should find themselves in a sad and hopeless condition Or else the meaning may be that if any light of hope did appear raising in them any expectation of help and deliverance that should end in nothing but misery and so should only prove a vexation to them or that their misery should be so great that they should take no comfort in the light of Heaven no more than if it were overspread with darkness yea it should be irksome and displeasing to them And indeed this must I conceive be intended if we read this last clause as it is in the Margin of our Bibles And when it is light it shall be dark in the destructions thereof But see the Note Job 18.6 That affliction and sorrow are termed darkness in the Scripture and prosperity and joy and comfort light is apparent in many places See the Notes 2 Sam. 22.29 Job 18.18 Psa 112.4 and Esth 8.16 CHAP. VI. VERSE 1. IN the year that King Uzziah died c. It is not expresly said whether Isaiah saw this Vision immediately before Uzziah died or presently after his death But yet it seems most probable that it was immediately after the death of Uzziah and that this In the year that King Uzziah died is all one as if he said In the very beginning of the reign of Jothan the son of Uzziah presently after the death of his Father Uzziah 1. Because the death of Uzziah seems purposely to be mentioned to note that it was upon that great change that was made by this Kings death that God did now again confirm the Prophet Isaiah in his Prophetical Office The coming in of new Kings doth many times cause great changes and commotions in Kingdoms and therefore to encourage the Prophet against any fears caused by this change the Lord was pleased by this Vision to confirm him again in his Prophetical Office And 2. Because the Prophet seems all along to divide his Prophecy according to the Reigns of the Kings in whose days he prophecied In chap. 11. he names Uzziah as the first of the Kings under whom he prophesied and accordingly it may be probably thought that from thence unto this place we have had the sum of his Prophecies in the reign of Uzziah Then 2. he tells us the Vision he saw and the charge which God gave him in the year that King Uzziah died that is in the very beginning of the reign of Jotham the son of Uzziah who upon the death of Uzziah succeeded him in the throne Again 3. Chap. 7.1 He begins his Prophecy under the Reign of Ahaz the son of Jotham And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham the son of Uzziah c. And then 4. in chap. 14.28 he adds his Prophecies under Hezekiah the son of Ahaz using the same expression he uses here In the year that King Ahaz died was this burden But may some say If the Prophet intended to shew that this Vision was seen after the death of Uzziah why did he not rather say that it was in that reign or in the beginning of the reign of Jotham I answer Because if he had expressed it so it would have been questionable whether it had been in the beginning of Jothams reign when he reigned together with his father and as his Viceroy during all the time of his leprosie or in the beginning of his reign when he came to be King in his own right after the death of his father Uzziah for which see the Notes 2 King 15.5 32. Indeed because we have here a relation of Isaiahs call to his Prophetical Office and because he speaks here of his seeing the Lord ver 5. as a thing he had not been acquainted with therefore there are some that think that this was his first Vision and should therefore have been placed in the beginning of his Prophecy But 1. it is most improbable that he should begin to Prophecy in the year that Uzziah died concerning whom it is noted that he did write the acts of Uzziah first and last 2 Chron. 26.22 2ly Because the Prophet was here enjoined to
how long c. That is how long shall this people continue in this sad condition being blinded and hardened yea and made more and more rebellious and refractory by the Preaching of thy servants the Prophets whom thou sendest unto them as if he had said is there no end or period set to this their rejection And this it seems the Prophet spake both by way of wondering at this judgment denounced out of a sollicitous care for this people and out of pity and compassion towards them and likewise as being carried thereto by a secret instinct from God that in the answer which God returned it might be made known with what great severity he meant to proceed against them Until the cities to wit of Judah be wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate that is until by the incursion of several enemies under the reign of the several Kings that shall successively sit in the Throne of Judah the inhabitants of the land shall be exceedingly wasted and destroyed so that at last both cities and particular houses standing by themselves shall be in a manner left desolate without any to inhabit them And this extream desolation and havock that was made amongst them might be intended concerning that great destruction which was brought upon them by the Babylonians and yet it may be extended also to that extream devastation that was made in that land by the Romans namely by Titus and Vespasian first and afterwards by Hadrian the Emperour But see the Notes Chap. 1.7 5.9 Ver. 12. And the Lord have removed men far away c. To wit the inhabitants of the land whom the Lord in his wrath shall cause to be carried away captives into Assyria and Babylon Countries far remote from the land which God had given them The same expression is again afterward used concerning the Captivity of the Jews in Babylon Chap. 26.15 Thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land that is and by this means the land shall be in a great measure totally in a manner forsaken of her inhabitants and so shall be left desolate It is not therefore Gods forsaking of this people as some think but the lands being forsaken of the people which the Prophet here intends and that was when the people were forcibly carried away into Babylon Yet some I know extend this as is said in the foregoing Note to that great desolation that was made in the land by the Romans when they that were left were dispersed and scattered all the world over Ver. 13. But yet in it shall be a tenth Some learned Expositors do understand this of a tenth King that should sit in the Throne of Judah or of a Decade of Kings that should successively reign in the Kingdom of Judah before that desolation was to come upon the land that was threatned in the foregoing verses And indeed from the time when this was prophesied which was in the days of Jotham the Son of Uzziah see the Note above ver 1. unto the time when the people were carried captives into Babylon by the Chaldeans there were just ten Kings that swayed the Scepter of Judah to wit Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseh Amon Josiah Jehoahaz Jehojakim Jehojachin and Zedekiah But by the general current of Expositors it is far better understood of a small remnant of the people as it were one in ten that should be left in the land according to a like expression Amos 5.3 The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred and that which went forth by a hundred shall leave ten to the house of Israel Lest the faithful should be too much dejected at the mention of that utter devastation that should be made in the land this promise is annexed for their comfort that the people should not be so universally destroyed and rooted out but that there should be a small remnant of them left which may be meant both of those few that were left in the land when the generality of the people were carried away captives into Babylon or of that remnant that should be brought back out of Babylon and setled again in their own land And it may well be that these are the rather called a tenth with respect to the reformation that should be wrought in those that were reserved or to Gods preserving the faithful amongst them from the common destruction thereby to imply that they should be as indeed the tythes of the land was holy to the Lord see the Notes Chap. 4.2 3. And it shall return and shall be eaten c. Some read this as it is in the Margent of our Bibles When it is returned and hath been broused and they take the meaning of the words to be that when that remnant should return out of Babylon that had been so miserably eaten and broused cropt and destroyed both before and in the captivity there should be but a tenth of them in comparison of what they formerly were But if we read the words as they are in our Translation then either no more is intended by this It shall return and shall be eaten then if it had been said it shall be eaten again meaning that this remnant should be again wasted For this is an Hebraism frequent in the Scripture as in Dan. 9.25 the street shall return and be built for the street shall be built again Or else the meaning must needs be that after the return of this remnant this tenth out of Babylon even they should be much wasted and consumed which was often done by the rage of their enemies against them after their return from the Babylonian captivity As a teil-tree and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof That is as when these trees do cast their leaves in winter and so seem to be in a manner quite dead for the time yet there is a lively sap remaining in the root or body of the trees which keeps them alive and so is the substance or subsistence of them by reason whereof in the spring they sprout out again so when my people shall seem to be utterly wasted and destroyed yet there shall be a small remnant left a holy seed see the Note Chap. 1.9 a seed of Saints which shall be as the life and the substance and subsistence of this people by reason of whom this my Church and people shall be continued in all succeeding times so that they shall never be utterly raced out and destroyed Some think the teil-tree or line-tree and the oak are here particularly instanced in because these trees buding forth later in the spring than other trees are longer ere they lose their leaves in the Autumn and so were fitter to represent the Kingdom of Judah which continued in a safe condition after the people of the Ten Tribes
come and destroy the Iâ—raelites according to the Commission which God in his anger against Israel had given him or else as in a way of lamenting the sad miseries that were coming upon his people when the Assyrian should be used as his rod to punish them for their sins which is also repeated in the following words and the staff in their hand is mine indignation The meaning whereof seems to be That as the Assyrians were Gods Rod to correct his people so the staff in their hand the weapons wherewith they came armed and all the power which they had wherewith to fight against the Israelites were but the Instruments of Gods Indignation for the punishing of the people Indeed if we read the first words as they are in the margin of our Bibles Wo to the Assyrian the rod of mine anger then the next clause may be read also as it is there rendred though the staff in their hand is mine indignation And then the drift of this clause must be to imply that though God in his just indignation would make use of the Assyrian for the punishing of his people yet woful destruction would at last come upon the Assyrians for all that so that this is clearly added for the comfort of Gods people to whom the very name of the Assyrians must needs be dreadful because of some incursions they had formerly made into the land of Israel Ver. 6. I will send him against an hypocritical Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge c. That is against the people of Israel that do continually and without ceasing provoke me to wrath against them and against whom therefore I am highly offended and have determined to pour forth my wrath upon them yea this expression the people of my wrath may seem to imply that there was nothing in them but what might justly stir up Gods indignation against them to take the spoil and to take the prey c. which is fully an explanation of what was signified by that Prophetick name given lately to the Prophets Son Maher-shalal-hash-baz for which see the Note Chap. 8.1 Ver. 7. Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so c. To wit That he is imployed by me as the Rod of mine anger or that he is sent by me to punish the wickedness of my people no such thought will ever come into his heart All that he will mind will be the satisfying of his cruel and ambitious desires by conquering Kingdoms and destroying the people As for that which may be objected how then did Rabshakeh say to Hezekiah 2 Kin. 18.25 Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it the Lord said to me Go up against this land and destroy it see how this may be answered in the Note there Ver. 8. For he saith Are not my Princes altogether Kings That is Are not my Nobles and Princes that attend upon me every way equal to Kings in riches glory state and power Or Are not the several King that I have subdued become my Princes holding me as their Soveraign and serving under my command And thus from the pride of the Assyrian the confidence he had in his own greatness and power the Prophet proves what he had said in the foregoing verse that he minded not God in his expedition against the land of Israel but went forth meerly in the proud confidence he had of his own unresistible power Ver. 9. Is not Calno as Carchemish Is not Hamath as Arpad Is not Samaria as Damascus As if he should have said Have not I my Father and other Progenitors subdued all these strong Cities and Provinces as well the one as the other When any one of them stood out against us were they not brought under our power as the other before had been And thus from his prevailing over these he intends to infer that he should certainly prevail over others whom he had not yet subdued and particularly over Jerusalem In 2 King 18.34 we find a like vaunting speech uttered by Rabshakeh wherein some of the places here named are also mentioned And because that and divers other of the vaunting and blasphemous speeches of his there recorded are so like to these wherewith the Prophet doth here set forth the blasphemous pride and self-confidence of the Assyrian it seems most probable that it is that Invasion of Sennacherib that is here pointed at Because Calno or Calneh Amos 6.2 is said to have been in the land of Shinar Gen. 10.10 and Carchemish is expresly said to be a City lying by Euphrates 2 Chron. 35.20 therefore it is thought the most of the places here named were in those parts Ver. 10. As my hand hath found the Kingdoms of the Idols c. That is As I have subdued and gotten to my self by my great power several Kingdoms that were under the patronage and protection of their several Gods and whose graven Images did excel them of Jerusalem and Samaria that is were mightier Gods than theirs But for the better understanding of this passage we must know 1. That to set forth how easily he subdued these Kingdoms he useth this expression As my hand hath found the Kingdoms of the Idols he found it no harder work to take these Kingdoms than it is for a man to take up a birds-nest that he finds in his way as he doth afterwards express himself ver 14. 2ly That his intention was blasphemously to insult not only over the Nations whom he had vanquished and also over their Gods whom he also esteemed Gods not able to defend their people purposely that he might in like manner reproach the God of Jerusalem on whose aid he knew Hezekiah and his people did with much confidence rely for agreable hereto were these blasphemous vauntings of Rabshakeh 2 King 18.33 34 35. and 19.12 3ly That he calls their gods Idols and Graven-Images either because it was the constant course of the heathens to worship their gods in and before Idols and graven Images or else as by way of contempt as not accounting their gods worthy the name of gods in comparison of their great God Nizrech 2 King 19.37 that had advanced the Assyrian Empire to such a mighty height 4ly That the reason why he doth so peremptorily aver that the graven Images of the Kingdoms whom he had vanquished did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria was because they judged of the greatnese and power of their Gods according to the multitude and greatness the riches and prosperity the success and victories of the people that worshipped them and it may be to according to the multitude of Sacrifices that were offered them and the Pomp and Solemnity used in their Worship And observable also it is herein with what horrid Blasphemy by preferring those Idols before the God of Jerusalem this Miscreant makes thr true God less than nothing for an Idol is nothing saith the Apostle 1 Cor.
hath been spoken before Chap. 7. But now if this was prophecied as it is thought by most Expositors in the days of Hezekiah then it may be that Damascus was again taken and totally ruined and destroyed by Shalmaneser in that expedition of his wherein he took Samaria 2 King 18.9 Or else by Sennacherib as he went against Jerusalem 2 King 18.13 For we see before Chap. 10.9 Shalmaneser as it is commonly thought is brought in boasting of the conquest of Damascus by him or his Father And if the City were so ruined at that time and the Inhabitants so slaughtered or carried away captives that it ceased to be a City yet certainly it was repaired and fortified again And therefore we read of another destruction brought upon Syria and Damascus by the Babylonians Jer. 49.23 c. And some think this is that which is here foretold by our Prophet Ver. 2. The Cities of Aroer are forsaken c. Some think this Aroer was a Country in Syria near the River Arnon But others more generally hold that by the Cities of Aroer here are meant the Cities in the land of Israel without Jordan near unto the City Aroer which was scituated by the banks of the River Arnon See Deut. 2.36 and Numb 32.34 Only some hold that those Cities were in the possession of the Syrians when this desolation came upon them and others say that the Prophet here threatens the destruction of the Israelites together with the Syrians because they should be both destroyed together However the meaning of that which is said here that these Citiâ—s of Aroer should be forsaken is that they should be left desolate the Inhabitants being slain or carried away Captives by the Assyrians upon the invasion of Tiglath-pileser or Shalmaneser Whereupon it followeth They shall be for flocks which shall lye down and none shall make them afraid to wit because the Inhabitants should be all gone and so there should be no body to disturb them Ver. 3. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim c. That is say some Damascus being destroyed the Israelites of the ten Tribes see the Note Psal 78.9 shall lose that which was wont to be their fortress and refuge they being wont in their dangers and troubles still to fly to the Syrians of Damascus for defence and succour But I rather conceive that the Prophets intent here is to foretel that the Israelites and Syrians should both be destroyed that were so often joyned together against Judah The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim that is Samaria and all other the strong holds in the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes shall be ruined and destroyed And the Kingdom from Damascus and from the remnant of Syria that is Damascus shall cease to be a Royal City the seat of the Kings of Syria nor shall the Syrians that are left after the ruine of Damascus be a Kingdom any longer or have a King to reign over them their King Rezin being slain see 2 King 16.9 but shall become a Province belonging to Assyria And observable the difference is which the Prophet makes between the destruction of Damascus and Ephraim to wit in this that because the Israelites of the ten Tribes continued a Kingdom even after Tiglathpileser had made great havock amongst them which Damascus did not see the Note 2 King 16.9 Therefore he doth not say That the Kingdom should cease from Ephraim as he doth of Damascus but only that Ephraim's Fortresses should be beaten down and destroyed And then it follows They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel that is the Syrians shall be in the same glorious condiâ—ion with the children of Israel which is spoken Ironically and the meaning is that the Syrians should be stripped of all wherein they had formerly gloried their multitude strength and riches even as the Israelites were The glory of the Israelites came at last to this that they were utterly ruined and carried away captives and so shall it be with Damascus Ver. 4. And in that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin c. This is added by way of explaining that which the Prophet had said in the foregoing verse that the Syrians should be as the glory of the children of Israel to wit that as the glory of the Israelites should be exceedingly impaired so should it be with the Syrians too and that much about the same time See the Note also Chap. 16.14 And the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean See the Note Chap. 10.16 Deut. 32.15 Job 15.27 and Psal 22.29 Ver. 5. And it shall be as when the harvest-man gathereth the corn and reapeth the ears with his arm c. That is When the Judgment before threatned shall be executed on the Israelites it shall be that as the harvest-man doth easily cut down the corn though it grow never so thick and binds and carries it away by whole arm-fulls so shall the Assyrians with ease partly mow down with the Sword and partly carry away into Captivity even the whole body of Israel in a manner though there be never so great multitudes of them so that the Land of Israel shall be left as a corn-field that is newly reaped a very few a little gleaning of them being only left and this was done partly by Tiglath-pileser 2 Kin. 15.29 but more fully by Shalmaneser 2 Kin. 17.6 And it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim that is afterwards those few that are left shall also be carried away even as the scattered ears that are left in a corn-field are with all diligence gathered up and carried away by poor people And this was done by Ezarhaddon Ezra 4.2 As for the valley of Rephaim a valley on the North-side of Jerusalem rendred the valley of Giants Josh 15.8 is expressed by name only because it was famously known for its great fruitfulness Ver. 6. Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it c. That is Though the Assyrians shall thus again and again carry away the Israelites captive out of their Land as is before-said yet shall they not make such a clear riddance of them but that there shall be a gleaning there some few that shall be still left in the Land See the Note Chap. 6.13 As the shaking of an Olive-tree two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof saith the Lord God of Israel which last words are added not only to assure them that what the Prophet had now foretold should certainly come to pass but also to imply that because God's Covenant was with Israel as well as with Judah that he would for ever be their God therefore even of them also there should be a remnant left Ver. 7. At that day shall a man look to his Maker c. That is In that day of their calamity several of the Israelites owning and repenting of their former Idolatry
great things yea even the mightiest and most terrible of them as perceiving that no strength of any people could secure them from his wrath and that this should tend much to the Praise and Glory of God Or 3. the fierce and mighty Nations that had before carried themselves most proudly and rebelliously against God being humbled by these Judgments should be converted to the Faith of Christ and so becoming God's people should praise God for his mercy to them and that not with their lips only but with their lives too as being such as should unfeignedly fear and serve him Ver. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress c. This is mentioned as another of the wonderful works of God for which the Prophet undertakes here to praise his Name namely that as he had destroyed those mighty ones ver 2. so he had also protected and delivered his poor weak afflicted people where by their low condition they were also made low in spirit humbled and so fit for mercy and had been as a strong Fortress to them to secure them from their enemies A refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall to wit that sorely shatters or overturns the wall or at least beats with such violence upon it that it is likely to carry all before it The deliverance of Jerusalem from the siege of Sennacherib and the Jews from their Captivity in Babylon were remarkable accomplishments of this Promise But I see no reason why the place should be restrained to either of these Ver. 5. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers c. That is Thou shalt abate or suppress and put an end to the furious commotions and triumphings of the Heathens the enemies of thy people As the heat in a dry place that is as thou dost many times abate and suppress the heat of the Sun in some dry desert where otherwise there would be no refreshing for the poor Traveller neither water to quench his thirst nor shadowy tree to be a shelter to him Even the heat with the shadow of a cloud That is as thou dost allay or suppress the scorching heat of the Sun by the interposition of some thick Cloud and somtimes by the cooling showers that fall from thence so shalt thou abate and cause to cease the burning rage and heat of the enemies of thy people against them see the Note Exod. 13.21 The branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low That is their Posterity also shall be so ruined and brought down that they shall not be able to hurt God's people any more This must needs be the meaning of this last clause according to our Translation But indeed many of our best Interpreters hold that it should rather be rendred The Song or the triumph of the terrible ones shall be brought low Ver. 6. And in this mountain c. The Prophet having ended his Hymn of Thanksgiving in the foregoing verses wherein he had praised God for those wonderful things which he had foretold should be done by him doth here return again to his Prophetical discourse and sheweth what God would farther do in those glorious times whereof he had spoken Chap. 24.13 And in this Mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things that is Cattel and Fowl fatted usually esteemed the daintiest food A Feast of Wines on the lees that is old and strong Wines not racked but remaining still upon the lees This I conceive our Translation must needs intend And true it is that the remaining of Wines upon the lees for some time doth feed and preserve them and makes them the stronger and the more odoriferous whence is that Jer. 48.11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth and he hath setled on his lees and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel Therefore his taste remained in him and his scent is not changed Yet some I know understand hereby pure refined Wines drawn off from the dregs and lees and therefore not muddy but clear and so hold that the next words are added to explain these Of fat things full of Marrow of Wines on the lees well refined But however all this must be understood Spiritually to wit that in the Church of Christ that Mountain mentioned before Chap. 24.13 whereof Zion was a Type see the Notes Chap. 2.2 3. God would feast his people of all Nations not Jews only but Gentiles too 1. here in this life with the sweet comforts of Christ tendred them in the Gospel and Gospel-Ordinances together with the Gifts and Graces of his Spirit for which see the Notes Psal 22.26 and Prov. 9.2 with respect whereto our Saviour himself doth in like manner compare the preaching of the Gospel to a great Supper Luk. 14 1â— and to a Feast made by a King at the Marriage of his Son Mat. 22.2 â—nd 2. in Heaven hereafter with the fulness of Happiness and Joy wherewith they shall be there satisfied unto all Eternity which Apoc. 19.9 is called the Lambs Marriage-Feast and the Table in the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 2â— 30. and Mat. 8.11 wherewith God shall for ever feast his people See â—â—e Notes Psal 17.15 and 36.8 Some I know would have this understâ—od of God's destroying his and his peoples Enemies But the Context shew plainly that this cannot be here intended And though we should yield â—â— that which others indeed more probably say That the Prophet might have some respect in that which is said here to the occasion which God would give both the Jews and other Nations of exceeding great joy by their deliverance out of the Babylonian Captivity and that in expressing this he compares God to some great King making a Feast to his Nobles and Captains after some great Victory obtained by him Yet certainly this was only looked to as a Type of that greater Spiritual Feast which is here principally intended namely the Celestial Joy which he would bestow upon his people of all Nations in and through Christ first by the glad tydings of the Gospel and afterward by the enjoyment of himself for ever in his Kingdom of Glory Ver. 7. And he well destroy in this mountain c. Here the Prophet begins to recite the dainties they should have in the Feast promised in the foregoing verse that is the benefits that should redound to them by Christ And the first he mentions is that in his Church he will utterly destroy the face of the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread over all Nations that is he will free his people from that blindness and ignorance that vail of darkness which lies naturally upon the minds of all mankind so that they cannot find the way unto Life Eternal and of which the Apostle speaking as with respect unto the Jews saith Which vail is done away in Christ 2
Glory sitting on his Throne to judg the world As for that of their seeing the land that is very far off some understand it of the enlarging of Christs Kingdom even to the remotest parts of the world others of their seeing the land of rest which in the highest Heavens God hath provided for the inheritance of his people Ver. 18. Thine heart shall meditate terror c. First This may be understood of the terrors wherewith they should be perplexed whilst the City Jerusalem should be blocked up by the Assyrians the Prophet putting them in mind hereof purposely to render them the more thankful for the following deliverance to wit that in that time of danger their minds should be continually running upon those things the thought whereof must needs be terrible to them as namely either that they should be still thinking of the heavy pressures and Taxes that would be put upon them when the Assyrians had taken the City and brought them into bondage And so the words following may be added to represent the fear they should be still in of these exactors coming upon them to peel them of what they had Where is the Scribe to wit the Officer that kept the Roul of the Captives and of the Tribute and Taxes they were to pay where is the receiver that is he that gathered the Tribute or Taxes where is he that counted the towers that is the Officer that was to take a survey of the houses that so taking notice of the fairest and stateliest houses he might set the greater Taxes upon them Or else that they should be continually musing with themselves how little hope there was that they should be able to defend the City against so mighty an Army they having neither Soldiers to muster nor Money to pay them nor Forts fitted to keep off the Enemy where is the Scribe or as we say the Muster-master where is the receiver that is the Treasurer or Pay-master that is to pay the Soldiers where is he that counted the towers that is the Officer that is to take a view of the Towers and other parts of the City that by pulling down some and fortifying others the City might be made the more defensible for which see the Note Chap. 22.10 But 2. It may be likewise understood and I think more probably of their calling to mind after God had destroyed the Assyrians the terrors wherewith they had been formerly perplexed Thine heart shall meditate terrors that is When God hath cut off those enemies that were such a terror to thee then thou shalt often with some contentment sit meditating on those terrors which in those times of thy distress were so dreadful to thee And accordingly the words following Where is the Scribe c. may either be taken as a representation of the despairing Speeches they uttered when they were so distracted with fear according to the Expositions before given of them Or else as an insultation over those enemies that had a while since been such a terror to them Where is the Scribe where is the Receiver that is Where are your Muster-masters and your Pay-masters where is he that counted the towers that is the Engineer whose office it was to view the towers of Jerusalem that so order might be given against which part of the City their batteries might be made or what Towers or Galleries were to be raised in the Camp for the battering and assaulting them as if it had been said What is now become of all the great Officers in Sennacheribs Army they are all now gone and shall be no more a terror to us as it follows in the next verse Neither is it improbable that the Apostle doth at least allude to this place in that Expression of his 1 Cor. 1.20 Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe c Ver. 19. Thou shalt not see a fierce people c. That is This fierce people the Assyrians God will destroy and scatter so that thou shalt be quite rid of them neither shall they return any more to be a trouble and a terror to thee a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive of a stammering tongue that thou canst not understand See the Notes Chap. 28.11 and Psal 81.5 Ver. 20. Look upon Zion c. Having in the foregoing verse assured the faithful Jews that they should never more see those enemies that were such a terror to Jerusalem here he triumphs in the preservation of that City Look upon Zion the City of our solemnities that is The City where God hath appointed his people to meet together to worship him in a solemn manner thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation that is Free from the disturbances that were formerly therein the inhabitans living safely and without fear a tabernacle that shall not be taken down to wit as other tents and tabernacles used to be and then to be removed to other places And therefore we must know that Jerusalem is called a Tabernacle with respect to Gods dwelling there in the Temple in the same manner as formerly he did in the Tabernacle made by Moses and withal to imply that though it were in it self a weak place that might as easily be destroyed as a Tabernacle may be taken down yet through Gods protection it should be preserved as being chosen of God to be his setled dwelling place unto the coming of the Messiah See the Notes Psal 78.68 69. and 1 King 9.3 And to the same purpose is that which follows not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken But now under this type of Jerusalem the perpetual peace and safety of the Church of Christ is intended that therein Gods people shall enjoy a peaceable and quiet habitation See the Note Chap. 9.6 That God would so preserve it here in this World that the gates of Hell should never be able to prevail against it and that at last she should be triumphantly setled in an unchangable estate of happiness in Heaven The Tabernacle of the earthly Zion was removed Lam. 2.6 He hath violently taken away his Tabernacle as if it were of a Garden it is in Heaven only that God hath promised his people a continuing City Ver. 21. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams c. As if the Prophet had said Though Jerusalem be not compassed about with any great River as Babylon and Niniveh and many other Cities are but hath only a small brook or two for the watering of it yet that shall be no hinderance to our preservation because the Lord is with us and he wâ—ll be unto us instead of many such broad rivers and streams securing us so that no enemy shall come at us to hurt us See the Note Chap. 26.1 Yea whereas such great Rivers that are in some regard a great defence to Cities have yet this discommodity in them that thereby ships do usually
yet I rather think that here this Expression is used to imply that their joy should be discovered in the chearfulness of their countenances their going up and down with their heads lifted up and perhaps with Crowns and Garlands ever green upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away that is Their former grief and mourning shall vanish quite away as if they had never been But now most fitly may all this be applyed to that great work of our Redemption by Christ whereof those deliverances of the Jews were types and shadows as namely That all Christs redeemed ones turning from their sins shall first come in and joyn themselves to his Church with exceeding great joy yea with everlasting joy joy that shall overcome and swallow up all their sorrows and which no man shall ever be able to take from them Joh. 16.22 And then again that Christ having thus called them to himself would never leave them till he had lodged them in the heavenly Jerusalem where indeed their joy shall be everlasting and without any mixture of sorrow Rev. 21.4 CHAP. XXXVI VERSE 1. NOw it came to pass c. Here the Prophet inserts an Historical relation of Sennacheribs invading the land of Judah and of the wonderful deliverance of Jerusalem by Gods miraculous destroying the Assyrian Army and that purposely to shew how exactly all came to pass herein according to what he had long before foretold concerning these things as they are set down in the foregoing Chapters of this his Prophecy that so this might be a seal to confirm his Prophetical Office to the people and might let them see with what assurance they might expect that all other things which he had foretold or shall foretel hereafter even those things which concern Christ and the days of the Gospel should certainly also be accomplished in their season We have the very same relation almost word for word in 2 King 18.13 c. which makes it very probable that this part of that History was composed by Isaiah and the chief thing requisite to be known for the understanding thereof may be found in the Notes there or in 2 Chron. 32.1 c. Only in that which is said here concerning the time of Sennacherebs invading Judea that it was in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah this is further observable that it was therefore within a while after this good King had made such a Reformation in the Land as never any King before him had made that this grievous storm fell upon him and his Kingdom which must needs be both a great tryal and a great stumbling-block to many But see I say the Notes 2 King 18.13 c. Ver. 2. And the King of Assyria sent Rabshakeh c. and stood by the Conduit of the upper pool in the high way of the Fullers field For this place see the Note before Chap. 7.3 Ver. 3. Then came forth unto him Eliakim Hilkiahs son which was over the house and Shebna the scribe c. What is noted before concerning these two Eliakim and Shebna we may see Chap. 22.15 and 2 King 18.18 Questionless this Eliakim was the same of whom the Prophet had before prophecied that he should be surely setled in that place of high preferment in Hezekiahs Court which now it seems he was in Shebna that was formerly in it being removed See Chap. 22.20 21. c. And we may well think what a shaking it was to the faith of this good man concerning this promise when he was now to go out to beg terms of peace of the proud Tyrant Sennacherib ready in a manner to yield to any Conditions almost which he would be pleased to put upon them As for Shebna here mentioned I conceive as before that it was not Shebna into whose place Eliakim was put because it seems not very probable that Hezekiah would imploy such a wicked wretch so likely to be discontented and so justly therefore to be suspected in such a weighty service as this was Ver. 4. And Rabshakeh said unto them Say ye now to Hezekiah Thus saith the great King the King of Assyria What confidence is this wherein thou trustest That is What confidence is it that hath emboldned thee first to rebel against me and now to stand out against me when I am come with such a mighty Army to reduce thee under my power Ver. 5. I say sayest thou but they are but vain words I have counsel and strength for war In 2 King 18.20 this passage is expressed thus Thou sayest but they are but vain words I have counsel and strength for the war and therefore there it is clear that Rabshakeh chargeth Hezekiah with boasting to the people that they should be well enough able to defend the City against Sennacheribs forces as being sufficiently furnished both with Counsel and Strength for War and withal tells him that these were but vain words that is such as Hezekiah himself knew were but meer boasting words that had no ground of truth in them and therefore would be of no avail for the saving of the City And so likewise if we read that passage in the History of the Kings as it is there rendred in the Margin of our Bibles Thou talkest but they are vain words counsel and strength are for the War according to that Translation of the words it is also clear that Rabshakeh told Hezekiah that he talked at a high rate and uttered many big words thereby to hearten and encourage the people as namely that the Egyptians would come in to their help or that however the Lord Jehovah would surely deliver them if the people would earnestly call upon him for help and that withal he added That all this was to no purpose such vain words would not defend the City there was more requisite for the guarding of the City than so counsel and strength are for the war Well but why is this passage rendred here not as there Thou sayest but I say c I answer That though it be Rabshakeh that saith here I say yet he speaks this in the person of Hezekiah as if he should have said I know well enough what thou talkest and pratest to wit I say I have counsel and strength for war but these are but vain words And therefore indeed those words sayest thou are for the clearing of this well inserted by our Translators I say sayest thou c. now on whom dost thou trust that thou rebellest against me as if he should have said If it be not a vain confidence of thine own sufficient strength whereon thou reliest on whose help is it then that thou trustest in the hope whereof thou hast emboldned thy self to rebel against me Ver. 6. Lo thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed on Egypt c. He terms Egypt or the King of Egypt a staff of reed by way of allusion to those Reeds and Canes of Reeds which grew
not go on and express this in his Prayer was because he was not able to speak any longer for weeping as it is immediately added in the Text and Hezekiah wept sore And so what he could not or perhaps was afraid to ask in words because it was contrary to what God had said should be his tears spake and God heard them But see the Note 2 King 20.3 Ver. 4. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah saying To wit as it is expressed in the Book of Kings afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court so near was the sick bed of this good King to the Throne of God in Heaven even his sighs and groans God heard and was presently careful to have him comforted with a promise of longer life and that for the better strengthning of his faith by the same Messenger that had made known to him the Sentence of Death that God had pronounced against him But see the Note 2 King 20.4 Ver. 5. Go and say to Hezekiah Thus saith the Lord God of David thy Father c. By these words he makes known to Hezekiah that he was mindful of the Covenant he had made with David concerning his continuing of the Kingdom of Judah to his Posterity I have heard thy Prayers I have seen thy tears behold I will add to thy days fifteen years that is To the days thou hast already lived In 2 King there is another particular inserted in the promise here made to wit That on the third day he should go up to the House of the Lord. But for this and the following verse see the Notes 2. King 20.6 Ver. 7. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord c. In 2 King 20.8 It is said that Hezekiah desired a sign of the Prophet Isaiah to assure him that this which he had promised him should certainly be which the Prophet hath likewise noted in the close of this Chapter and that hereupon God by the Prophet made him this promise of a sign for which see the Note there Ver. 8. Behold I will bring again the shadow of the Degrees which is gone down in the Sun-dial of Ahaz ten degrees backward c. In 2 King 20.9 10. it is said that when Hezekiah desired a sign of Isaiah for the strengthning of his faith the Prophet tendered to him two different signs leaving him to his choice which of them he would take namely That the shadow on the Sun-dial should either go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees and that when Hezekiah answered That it was a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees and desired rather that the shadow might return backward ten degrees for all which see the Notes in that place hereupon this promise was made him of bringing back the shadow ten degrees the accomplishment whereof is related in the next words so the Sun returned ten degrees by which degrees it was gone down to wit after the Prophet had prayed that it might be so for this is expresly inserted 2 King 20.11 And Isaiah the Prophet cried unto the Lord and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward c. for all which see the Notes there Yet withal this also is here observable that those words so the same returned ten degrees may well induce us to think that the miracle now wrought was not as some would have it in the going back of the shadow in the Dial of Ahaz whilst the Sun kept on its course but in the retrograde motion of the Sun it self And indeed how else could they in Babylon take notice of this Wonder See the Note 2 King 20.12 And beside the Analogy between the sign and the thing signified depends much upon this Princes are in their Kingdoms as the Sun in the World The bringing back therefore of the Sun when it was hasting to its setting and the lengthning of the day thereby beyond its natural time was most fit to signifie that after the same manner how impossible it might seem considering the desperateness of his disease and the Sentence of Death by God himself pronounced against him Hezekiah should be brought back from the Grave whither he was posting and his life be lengthned out beyond expectation Ver. 9. The writing of Hezekiah King of Judah when he had been sick and was recovered of his sickness That is The Song of Thanksgiving which he composed and committed to writing even as his Father David used to do intending to leave it to posterity as a Monument of his own fainting heart in the time of Gods mercy in recovering him out of his sickness and his hearty thankfulness for it Ver. 10. I said in the cutting off of my days c. That is When I perceived partly by the violence of my sickness but especially by the sentence of death which the Prophet had pronounced against me that God was now hewing me down in great displeasure I began to think within my self or I concluded fully within my self as I lay upon my sick bed I shall go to the gates of the grave that is I am now a dead man See the Note Psal 9.13 I am deprived of the residue of my years that is the years I might have lived by the ordinary course of nature Thus in the first place he acknowledgeth his own weakness and the terrors wherewith he was surprized when he saw himself likely to be cut off by an untimely death in the flower of his age the reasons whereof see before in the Note 2 Kin. 20.3 the more hereby to magnifie the mercy of God to him in his recovery Ver. 11. I said c. See the foregoing Note I shall not see the Lord to wit in his Temple See the Notes Psal 27.4 and 42.2 even the Lord it is twice repeated to set forth how vehemently he was afflicted herewith in the land of the living see the Note Psal 27.13 And indeed his particular expressing of this when he desired a sign of his recovery ver 22. What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord doth plainly show that this was one main thing that troubled him when he lay under the terrors of Death I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the World that is I shall no longer live amongst the Children of men here in this World Or as I shall no more behold God in his Ordinances so I shall also be cut off from the Communion of the Church of the living and so I shall not do that good to the people of God that were under my charge that I desired to do Ver. 12. Mine age is departed c. The time of my life and abode here in this World is at an end and gone and is removed from me as a Shepherds tent who use not to stay long in a place but to remove their tents from one place to another See the Note Job 27.18 I have cut off like a Weaver my life
them 2 Kings 19.2 is a clear evidence that he was a Prophet of great Authority and Esteem in his time even his Prophecy it self is justly esteemed to be of greatest eminency not only for the variety of his Visions and the incomparable Majesty of his Style which shews that he was a man learned and eloquent and that it was not without good effect that his lips were touched by a Seraphim with a fiery coal taken from the Altar Chap. 6.6 7. but especially because there are therein more clear and remarkable Prophecies concerning Christ than in all the Prophets besides whence it is that he is oftner cited by Christ and the Apostles than any of the rest and that the first Text which we find that Christ preached upon was taken out of his Prophecy Luke 4.17 18. And the Fathers do usually upon this account call him the Evangelical Prophet yea and sometimes the fift Evangelist so that in this regard his Name Isaiah which signifieth the Salvation of the Lord did notably suit with the Doctrine which he taught As for that which is said 2 Chron. 26.22 that Isaiah did write the Acts of Uzziah first and last see the Note there The Son of Amoz This may seem to have been added purposely to distinguish this our Prophet from some other Person or Persons that were in his time called by the same Name for that this Amoz the Father of Isaiah was the Prophet Amos is altogether improbable because the Name of Amos the Prophet is in the Hebrew written with other Letters than this is neither is there any good ground for that which is laid down as a general Rule by the Rabbins that where any Prophet hath his Father mentioned together with him there both Father and Son were Prophets And as for that which the Jewish Doctors do also commonly affirm that this Amos the Father of Isaiah was the Son of Jâ—ash King of Judah and Brother to Amaziah his Son and Uncle to Azariah or Uzziah that succeeded him and so that Isaiah was of the Royal Stock of the Kings of Judah and Cousin-German to Uzziah in whose days he began to Prophecy and likewise that he was the Father-in-Law of Manassâ—â— considering that they produce no Authentick Proof for these things I conceive we may well look upon them as uncertain Traditions that deserve no great credit Which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem That is the State and People of the Kingdom of Judah under which the Tribe of Benjamin was comprehended and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem who are particularly mentioned not only because Jerusalem was the Metropolis of that Kingdom but also because in bad times it was most disordered and from thence all wickedness did spread it self all the Land over It is true indeed that there are many things spoken in this Prophecy concerning other Nations yet it is called The Vision of Isaiah which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem because it chiefly concerns them and that which is inserted concerning other Nations is mentioned with respect to their instruction Consolation and Benefit In the days of Uzziah Jotham Ahaz and Hezekiah Kings of Judah Considering that Jotham Reigned sixteen years 2 Kings 15.33 and Ahaz as many 1 Kings 16.2 And that Isaiah prophecied all the time of both their Reigns as is here expressed and considering that of the nine and twenty years of Hezekiah's Reign 2 Kings 18.2 he had Reigned at least fifteen years when Isaiah was sent to reprove him for that vain-glorious Act of his in shewing his Treasures to the Babylonian Embassadors 2 Reg. 20.14 for in his foregoing Sickness which occasioned the coming of these Embassadors to him God had promised that he should live fifteen years longer 2 Kings 20.6 it is clear that Isaiah prophecied under the Reign of these three Kings at least seven and forty years And how many years longer he might prophecy both in the days of Hezekiah after the coming of the Babylonian Embassadors to him and before that under the Reign of Uzziah in whose days it is here said he begun to Prophecy cannot be certainly concluded For though some would conclude that Isaiah began not to Prophecy till the last year of Uzziah's Reign because there is a Vision mentioned Chap. 6.1 which he saw in the Year that King Uzziah died at which time when God had said Whom shall I send c. the Prophet answered Here am I send me yet the truth is that this cannot be justly gathered from thence because that might not be intended of his first Call to his Prophetical Office but of that particular message which God required him at that time to deliver to the Jews concerning which see the Notes there The Jewish Doctors do indeed affirm that Isaiah was put to death in the days of Manasseh being sawn asunder with a Wooden Saw whereto some Expositors conceive the Apostle had respect in the mention that he makes Heb. 11.37 of some that were sawn asunder And if this could be taken for granted it would be clear that he prophecied some considerable time above threescore years for besides the time that he should have Prophecied under Uzziah and Manasseh the two and thirty years of Jotham's and Ahaz's Reigns and the nine and twenty years of Hezekiah's do together make up sixty one years But the truth is that this Tradition concerning the death of Isaiah is altogether groundless and not much to be regarded for that this was not done in the days of Manasseh appears by this that there is no mention here made of his Prophecying in Manasseh's time and how unlikely it was that he should be so cruelly put to death in the days of good Hezekiah we may easily conceive That which is most observable here is that it is clear that he was contemporary with Hosea Amos and Micah who were of the first of the Prophets and that notwithstanding he did faithfully discharge his duty so long a time amongst Gods people yet it was with very little success as is evident by that his complaint Chap. 53.1 Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Ver. 2. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth It may well be that the Prophet begins thus in allusion to the same expression used by Moses Deut. 32.1 for which see the Note there The whole frame of the World the Heavens and the Earth and all the Creatures therein are summoned to hear the following sad complaint which the Lord makes concerning his People and that to imply 1. The stupidity of Gods People that the sensless Creatures were more like to hear him than they were see the Note 1 Kings 13.2 2. That these Creatures by which he had done much good for his People might well bear witness on Gods behalf against their horrid ingratitude see the Note Deut. 4.26 And 3. How prodigious and stupendious a thing it was whereof the Lord complains in the following words even such as the sensless
heart amongst the people is ready to faint Ver. 6. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores c. That is the whole land and all the people therein from the lowest to the highest are in a sad condition having been plagued with variety of judgments over and over so that in the whole body from top to toe there is no part free they have not been closed neither bound up neither mollified with ointment that is there is no means used for the removing of these judgments that are come upon them See the Note Psal 147.3 As that their Neighbours and Confederates never minded to afford them any relief so neither had they power or skill to help themselves and as for that which was the only sure way to cure them of their evils namely their turning to the Lord by unfeigned repentance that was never minded but they obstinately ran on still in their sins and that either because they whose work it was to have administred these means of their cure neglected their duty or else because the people would not follow their direction The drift of all is to shew that the condition of Israel was at present in a manner hopeless and desperate Ver. 7. Your Country is desolate c. What was before expressed figuratively is here repeated in plain terms It is in the Original only your Country desolate or a desolation and therefore some render it in the future tense your Country shall be desolate c. and accordingly conceiving that he spake this in the days of Uzziah because they find it in the beginning of his Prophecy they conceive it to be a Prediction of the desolation that was to come upon the land of Judah in the days of Hezekiah Ahaz and others that succeeded him even unto the Babylonian Captivity Yea and some that read it in the present tense Your Country is desolate c. do yet understand it of the desolation which the Chaldeans should make in the land and conceive that it is expressed as done already only to shew how certainly it should be But because it seems far most probable that the Prophet still proceeds to shew that God had proceeded so far in a way of punishing them that it was in vain to smite them any more therefore I conceive it is best rendered in the present tense Your Country is desolate your Cities are burnt with fire and that it must be understood of desolations past or present when the Prophet spake this to wit of the devastations made either by Tiglath-Pileser in the land of Israel in Jothams days 2 King 15.29 or by Râ—zin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel in the land of Judah in the days of Ahaz see the Notes 2 King 16.5 and by the Philistines 2 Chron. 28.17 or by the Assyrians both in the land of Israel and Judah in the days of Hezekiah 2 King 18.9 13. Isaiah Prophecyed in those times when all these devastations were made both in the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel and therefore this might be spoken with respect to all or either of them there being no necessity why we should conclude that all his Prophesies are set down in order as he delivered them Your land strangers devour it in your presence c. That is foreign Nations yea and some of them such as are of Countries very far off from you as were the Babylonians Deut. 28.4 5. having invaded your land do eat up and consume the fruit of it and that to the great increase of your grief before your faces you being no ways able to help your selves herein And it is desolate as overthrown by strangers which is in the Hebrew And it is desolate as the overthrow of strangers and so some understand it thus That God had made their land desolate according to the destruction which he used to bring upon Heathens such as were meer strangers to God as were those of Sodom and Gomorrha mentioned in the next verse But the meaning rather is That the desolation of their land was according to the overthrow which foreigners and strangers are wont to make in a land who because they expect no benefit from the Country in future times do therefore barbarously make all the havock they can wasting and destroying all that is before them where ever they come Ver. 8. And the Daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a Vineyard c. The Prophet having spoken of the misery of the land in general here he sets forth the misery of Jerusalem the chief City thereof in particular Sometimes the people or inhabitants of Jerusalem are called the Daughter of Zion for which see the Note 2 King 19.21 But here it is the City it self that is so called because the chief part of Jerusalem where the Temple stood was built upon Mount Zion and so with respect to the former splendor and stateliness of that City is compared to a fair and beautiful damsel standing by her mother or with respect to the tender respect that God bare to her And in saying that she was left as a cottage in a Vineyard as a Lodg in a garden of cucumbers he alludes to the custom of that Country where they used to build little Cottages Sheds or Lodges in their Vineyards and Fruit-gardens that those who were appointed to watch their Grapes and other Fruits might lodg there by night and by day might shelter themselves from the rain and from the heat which after the Vintage and the ingathering of their Summer-fruit were usually left ruinated tattered and defaced or at least empty and desolate no body then abiding in them and that because by reason of the wast and havock that was made in the Country round about Jerusalem either by the Assyrians in the days of Hezekiah Chap. 7.17 20. 36.1 2. or by the Syrians and the Israelites and others in the days of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. and by reason the City it self had suffered much it was become a sad spectacle base and contemptible more like one of those poor forlorn cottages and lodges when all the Vines in the Vineyards and all the Fruit in the Gardens were cut up and carried away than such a stately and glorious City as it had formerly been To which purpose also that eighth clause is added as a besieged city implying that the Country was wasted and destroyed round about and Jerusalem it self so exceedingly straitned that there was scarce any going in or out of it in safety as usually it is when the chief City of any Country is besieged Ver. 9. Except the Lord of Hosts c. See the Note Gen. 2.1 Having spoken of the devastation of the land and the low and contemptible estate whereinto the City Jerusalem was brought in comparison of what it had been in former times Here the Prophet adds what mighty havock had been made amongst the inhabitants of the land
therein Ver. 12. For the day of the Lord of hasts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty c. That is upon all the proud and great ones amongst them See the foregoing Note Ver. 13. And upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and upon all the oaks of Bashan Lebanon was famous for goodly tall Cedars See the Note 1 King 5.4 and so was Bashan for mighty strong oaks Ezek. 27.6 Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine Oars Now though the most of Expositors do here by these cedars and oaks understand figuratively the great and weighty and lofty ones that were amongst them their Princes and Nobles their rich and potent men that exalted themselves against God as indeed the Scripture doth elsewhere frequently speak thus of such men as Ezek. 31.3 Behold the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches and with a shadowing shroud c. See also the Note Judg. 9.15 and others do understand hereby their stately buildings made of the timber of these trees as indeed the Prophet Zachary speaks after this manner of the destruction of the gallant houses in Jerusalem Zach. 11.1 2. Open thy doers O Lebanon that the fire may devour thy cedars Howl firr-tree for the cedar is fallen because the mighty are spoiled Howl O ye oakes of Bashan Yet because it seems apparent that the Prophets design in this part of the Chapter is first to foreshew the destruction of the Inhabitants even the greatest amongst them which he hath already done in the three foregoing verses and then afterwards the ruin of all things that were of greatest note and excellency in their land whereof they did most glory and wherein they put the greatest confidence therefore I do not see why this should not be understood literally of the havock the enemy should make in burning up and hewing down the Cedars and Oaks and other stately Trees that grew there in abundance and that the rather with respect to the Idolatry that was daily committed in their Groves where these Trees grew wherewith God was highly offended for which see the Notes Chap. 1.29 30. Ver. 14. And upon all the high mountains and upon all the hills that are lifted up Hereby also some understand great and rich men such as were of great eminency and did over-look and over-top the meaner fort as mountains do the plains And indeed the Scripture doth often speak thus of the great ones of the world figuratively as in Zach. 4.7 Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain And Isa 41.15 Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and make the hills as chaff But here I rather conceive it is meant of the hilly and mountainous parts of the land upon which the Prophet threatens that vengeance should come the rather because their high places were usually there and to let them know that these places which they deemed of impregnable strength and wherein they did so exceedingly glory and trust as places of sure retreat in times of danger should be no refuge to them at all Ver. 15. And upon every high tower and upon every fenced wall Even this also some understand figuratively of men of great strength and power alledging for the proof hereof another place in our Prophet where the same figurative expression is used to wit Chap. 30.25 And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every high hill rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall But I conceive the meaning of these words is only this that no fortifications or place of strength should be any defence to them Ver. 16. And upon all the ships of Tarshish c. See the Note 1 King 10.22 and Psal 48.7 Because they prided themselves much in these their ships of great bulk and burden the defence they were to the Kingdom and the exceeding wealth they brought into them by way of merchandizing the Prophet foretels that these should be also taken or destroyed by the enemy And upon all pleasant Pictures that is all the curious Pictures wherein they so much delighted under which may also be comprehended their Tapistry and Arras Hangings of Image-work their curious wrought Plate and all other the bravery of their houses Some indeed because this is joined here with the ships of Tarshish do particularly restrain this to the goodly Pictures and carved Images wherewith they adorned their ships and that this custom of beautifying their ships was very ancient we may see by that of the Poet Pictasque innare carinas or else to the choice rarities which in their ships they brought from the remote Ports of the world But I think it may better be understood of all their pleasant houshold-ornament or that if any particular be intended it may be their Idolatrous Pictures Ver. 17. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down c. As if he had said And by this universal destruction which God shall bring upon these things before mentioned wherein ye have gloried so much and put so much confidence that shall be accomplished which was before foretold ver 11. The lofty locks of man shall be humbled c. of which see the Note there Ver. 18. And the Idols he shall utterly abolish As if he had said Both you and your Idols before which you have humbled your selves shall be destroyed together so far they shall be from helping you that they shall not be able to secure themselves yet it may be meant of their being destroyed not only by the enemies but also by those that made and worshipped their Idols where they should see with shame how little good they had done them See the Note Chap. 1.31 Ver. 19. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks c. See the Note above ver 10. And from thence that expression seems to have been taken which our Saviour useth Luk. 23.30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us The meaning is that being affrighted with the dreadfulness of Gods Judgments they should be glad to creep into any hole to hide themselves in When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth that is to break in upon them with such fury that their State shall be in a manner shattered to pieces and the hearts of the people shall tremble and shake as it were with an Earthquake Yea because we read of a dreadful Earthquake that was in the days of Uzziah Amos 1.1 Zach. 14.5 we may well think that hereby God did foreshew that terrible concussion of the land whereof the Prophet here speaks Ver. 20. In that day a man shall cast his Idols of silver and his Idols of gold which they made each man for himself to worship to the moles and to the bats To wit as being gods blinder than moles and fitter to lye in darkness and not to come abroad into
were carried away But I rather think that because the teil-tree by reason of its spreading branches and exceeding florid beauty and the oak being a strong tree deeply rooted in the earth and usually very long lived seem most unlike to become as dead in winter therefore they are chosen to set forth the ruin of the State and Kingdom of Judah which by reason of her prosperous and flourishing condition seemed most unlike to be brought so low Or rather because the Church and people of God when they came to spring up again should like these trees spread forth their boughs and branches very far But see the Note also Chap. 1.30 CHAP. VII Vers 1. ANd it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham the son of Uzziah c. See the Note Chap. 6.1 This Ahaz whose father and grandfather Jotham and Uzziah are here mentioned because under these and these only Isaiah had hitherto Prophesied was one of the most wicked Kings of Judah yet in his reign the Prophet Isaiah was sent with many comfortable Prophesies to him and to the people for the support and eneouragement of the faithful as we may well think in those evil times amongst which this is one which is here related the occasion whereof is said to be that Rezin King of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah King of Israel Nations that were usually at great enmity one against another went up towards Jerusalem to war against it for being encouraged by the successful invasions they had already made upon the land of Judah each of them severally by their own forces wherein they had slain many of their great ones that were a chief stay and support of their State and huge multitudes of the flower of the people besides they assured themselves that if they now joined their forces together they should easily subdue this disheartened broken people and thereupon resolved to go up together and besiege Jerusalem which accordingly they did chuckering themselves no doubt with hope of a full conquest and the huge spoil they should carry away from Jerusalem concerning all which see the Notes 2 King 16.5 but could not prevail against it which is premised before-hand to hint how causless those their fears were which are here afterward related and how base their incredulity was and neglect of God Ver. 2. And it was told the house of David saying Syria is confederate with Ephraim c. That is tidings were brought to the Court of Judah to Ahaz the King who was of the lineage of David and to the other Princes and Officers of his Court and State that the Syrians and the Israelites of the Ten Tribes who are here called Ephraim for which see the Note Psal 78.9 had made a confederacy together against Jerusalem But why is this expressed thus that it was told the house of David and not that tidings were brought to Ahaz or to the House or Court of Ahaz I answer that probably we may think it was either 1. To hint the reason why this confederacy against Ahaz should come to nothing namely because he was the lawful heir of the Crown being descended from David and God would make good his promise to David concerning the perpetuity of his Kingdom see the Note 2 Sam. 7.16 Or else as some think to imply how far Ahaz was degenerated from the courage of David and other his holy ancestors as was discovered in that base fear of his at this time which is related in the following words and his heart was moved and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind that is as the leaves of trees will quiver and shake with the first breathing of the wind when a tempest is rising so did their hearts tremble and shake as we use to say like an aspin leaf at the first breath of that report that was brought to them concerning the preparations that were made against them by these two Kings all which is expressed to shew that the deliverance of this people at this time was only of God or to set forth the wonder of the deliverance where both Princes and people were so faint-hearted that they were no way able to make any resistance against the mighty forces that were breaking in upon them Ver. 3. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah c. Though Ahaz sought not to God or his Prophets for help or counsel yet he sent his Prophet to him with a message that he would deliver him and his people from the danger they were in 1. To magnifie the riches of his long-suffering and mercy towards the worst of men 2. To render Ahab and his people the more inexcusable And 3. for the support and comfort of the faithful that were amongst them Go forth now to wit out of the city as appears by that which follows to meet Ahaz he was sent to Ahaz both in regard of the greatness of his terrors and in regard the care of providing for the publick safety lay chiefly upon him Nor was he to stay till the King came back to the City but to go forth to meet him both to express that respect and reverence which was due to him as King and because this was suitable for him that had such good tidings to carry to the King And as for that command that is given the Prophet for carrying his Son along with him Go forth now to meet Ahaz thou and Shear-jashab thy Son we must know 1. That Shear-jashab is being interpreted the remnant shall return 2. That this name had been before given to this Son of the Prophet either by the express command of God or by the secret instinct of Gods Spirit purposely as a sign either 1. of a remnant that should return from the Babylonian captivity which the Prophets did often foretell See the Notes before Chap. 6.13 Or 2. of a remnant that should repent and return unto God from whom they had departed after Sennacheribs army was destroyed before Jerusalem according to that express place Chap. 10.21 The remnant shall return even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God for which see the Note there And indeed many of those that returned out of Babylon were such as had been purged and reformed by their afflictions and brought home unto God See the Notes Chap. 4.2 3. 6.13 And 3ly that the Prophet was enjoined to take this his Son Shear-jashab along with him that he might stand by as a visible sign of the deliverance now promised and of the ground of it to wit Gods purpose still to preserve a remnant in this people that should be as a holy seed for the perpetuating of the Church in future times See the Notes Chap. 1.9 6.13 and upon the 15 and 16 verses of this Chapter And hence it seems probable that the reason why this name Shear-jashab was given to this Prophets Son was commonly known for else his going along with his father to the King
would have been to no purpose at all And then for the place whither the Prophet is sent to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the high-way or causey-way of the fullers field this is thus particularly expressed both to clear the certainty of the story and to assure the Prophet of the certainty of this Prophecy We read of two Pools that were in Jerusalem the one called the lower Pool we find mentioned Chap. 22.9 Ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool because it lay on the west-side of the lower City and another called the upper pool made for the receiving and retaining of the waters that came from the fountain of Gihon and situate on the south-side of the upper City the same as some think that is else-where called the pool of Silâ—ah Joh. 9.8 and which is said to have been nigh to the Kings garden Neh. 3.15 And this is that Pool which is here meant from whence it seems there was a fair way that led to the fullers field which no doubt they had chosen because the waters of this Pool lay conveniently for the washing and whiting of their linnen and here it was that the Prophet was directed to meet with Ahaz and observable it is that it was the very same place where afterwards Sennachenibs Captains that were sent by him to besiege Jerusalem made a stand and summoned Hezekiah to deliver up the City for so it is said 2 King 18.17 They came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool which is in the high-way of the fullers field What the cause was of Ahaz his being in this place is not expressed Some think that hearing of these sad tidings in some place whither he had removed his Court out of the City he was now coming to shelter and secure himself in this his chief City and so the Prophet was sent forth to meet him there and to comfort him with a promise from God concerning the deliverance of Jerusalem that he might not farther dishearten the people by coming in such a fright into the City But then again others conceive that he was gone thither or come thither from some place abroad that he might consult about the fortifying of that place either because they feared it might be a place of advantage for the enemy whereby to enter the City or because it was a matter of so great consequence to secure the waters of this Pool for the use of the City when it should be besieged and so the Prophet was sent thither as it were to tell them in the midst of these their consultations that the Lord whom they minded not would be instead of fortifications to the City and would secure it from the enemy though they were not able to do it And this indeed seems most probable because Rabshakeh when he went to besiege Jerusalem did make his first approaches to the City at this place 2 King 18.17 and at that time Hezekiah had taken all the care he could to secure these waters 2 Chron. 32.3 4. Ver. 4. And say unto him take heed and be quiet c. That is take heed of being thus unquiet and restless in thy mind as thou art beware of all distrust and distrustful fears be not disturbed and distracted but be of a quiet composed mind trusting in God look not after help from the Assyrian or any other foreign aid but rely wholly upon Gods protection and his blessing upon thine own forces And this last we may the more probably think was here intended because it is expresly said 2 King 16.7 that Ahaz did immediately after the invasion of these two Kings send to Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria for aid and therefore it may well be that he had this already in his thoughts Fear not neither be faint-hearted it is in the Hebrew Let not thine heart be tender that is soft and apt to take an impression of fear for the two tails of these smoking fire-brands so he calls these two Kings and their forces of whom Ahaz and his people were so exceedingly afraid by way of contempt and scorn He terms them fire-brands because indeed they were coming out against him with such fury and seeming terror as if they meant to set all the land on a light flame and with fire and sword to consume all before them But withal he calls them only tails of fire-brands which might well be both with respect to what had formerly befallen these Kings for indeed their power had been of late already much wasted the Syrians by three great victories which Joash the King of Israel obtained over them 2 King 13.25 and the Israelites by their own Civil Wars and Conspiracies 2 King 15.10 and likewise with respect to the approaching ruin of both their Kingdoms for it was not long e're Pekah was slain by Hoshea 2 King 15.30 and both the Kingdoms of Syria and Israel were utterly destroyed by the Assyrians so that in this regard they might well be compared to the ends or tails of two fire-brands their dominion and tyranny not being like to last long Yea he terms them not burning but smoaking fire-brands and that to imply that though they might be a great vexation to them as smoke is to the eyes and a great terror and affrightment yet there should be more pride and terror in them than strength and power for the effecting of the mischief they intended which yet must be understood with respect to their great design of taking Jerusalem and the utter subverting of the Kingdom of Judah for otherwise we find that when they raised the siege of Jerusalem and went away the Syrians did make much spoil in other parts of the land And to the same purpose is the following Clause where he calls Pekah by way also of contempt because his father was an obscure private person the son of Remaliah for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria and of the son of Remaliah Ver. 5. Because Syria Ephraim and the son of Remaliah c. Even this also is spoken by way of contempt He vouchsafes not so much as to name these two Kings by the report of whose confederacy they were so exceedingly terrified but terms them the Syrian and the son of Remaliah See the foregoing Note have taken evil counsel against thee that is most unjust wicked and mischievous counsel tending to the utter ruin of Gods people and the utter extirpation of the Kingdom of Judah the race and Royal power of Davids family which is the rather mentioned together with that confident resolution of theirs related in the following verse because all this tended the more to set forth their great danger and so the mercy of the now promised deliverance Ver. 6. Let us go up against Judah c. That is against the Land or Kingdom of Judah And vex it to wit by invading and spoiling the land and by besieging their chief City Jerusalem And let us make a breach therein
for us that is let us violently break in upon it or thorough it and surprize it and make it ours Yet some think that because the great design which they had in their thoughts was the besieging of Jerusalem therefore the breach here intended was the making a breach in the walls thereof at which they might enter and take the City and others understand it of making a breach or division amongst the inhabitants of the land or City that being likely to tend much to their advantage and others of dividing the land betwixt them each of them taking that part which lay most convenient for them But the first Exposition I conceive is the best and most agreeable to that which follows Let us make a breach therein for us and set a King in the midst of it even the son of Tabeal for this man they intended doubtless to set up as a Viceroy or a tributary-Tributary-King over the land and one that should hold the Kingdom of them and be wholly at their disposing But now who this son of Tabeal was is altogether uncertain that which is said by some of his being a Syrian and by others of being some eminent man of the Israelites that was a known enemy to the house of David are but meer conjectures But see the foregoing Note Ver. 7. Thus saith the Lord God It shall not stand neither shall it come to pass That is Though they have with such proud and bold confidence resolved before hand that they will thus dispose the Kingdom of Judah and subject it to themselves yet this which they have thus determined shall not take effect and be established as they have determined it shall be So far shall they be from making the Kingdom of Judah theirs as they have resolved that they shall not be able to effect that which they have determined concerning their taking of the City Jerusalem all they attempt herein shall come to nothing Ver. 8. For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin As if he had said Damascus is the Metropolis or head-city of Syria and Rezin is the King and Head of Damascus these are the bounds which God hath set them and beyond these bounds they shall not extend their power The design they have in hand for the enlarging of their Dominions shall not prosper Neither shall Damascus become the head of Judea by having dominion over that land nor shall Rezin become King of Jerusalem as he makes account to be but Judah and Jerusalem shall continue under the Government under which God hath set them And indeed most fully was this made good within a short time when the Assyrian called into the help of Ahaz took Damascus and carried the people of it captive to Kir and slew Rezin 2 King 16.9 And within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a people That is And the people of Ephraim the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes shall be within threescore and five years so broken in pieces notwithstanding their great confidence in their present confederacy with Rezin and his Syrians that they shall no longer be a people that is a distinct State and people living apart by themselves in their own land and under their own Laws and Princes and Government But now the great question is how these threescore and five years must be reckoned after which the Israelites were to cease to be a people and that because the taking of Samaria by Shalmaneser King of Assyria and his carrying away of the Ten Tribes out of their native Country into his own dominions was in the ninth year of Hoshea which was the sixth of Hezekiah See the Notes 2 King 17.5 6. Now if we account from the beginning of Ahaz his reign to that Captivity of the Israelites that makes in all but two and twenty years for Ahaz reigned in all but sixteen years 2 King 16.2 to which adding the six years of Hezekiah his son in whose sixth year this great calamity befell the Ten Tribes the whole amounts I say to no more than two and twenty years And yet because the Kings of Syria and Israel had before this severally invaded the land of Judah in Ahaz his time as is noted before ver 1. therefore it is most probable that Isaiah Prophesied this in the third year of Ahaz and then from thence to Shalmanesers carrying away the Israelites captive there could be no more than about twenty years The most ordinary answer that is given by Expositors for the resolving of this hard question is that these threescore and five years are to be numbred not from the time when Isaiah spake these words but from the time when the Prophet Amos did first foretell this utter destruction of the land and people of Israel which that he did very expresly is evident in many places of his Prophesie And indeed it is clear that Amos began to Prophecy two years before the Earthquake in the days of Uzziah Amos 1.1 of which there is also mention made Zach. 14.5 Ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the Earthquake in the days of Uzziah Now if this Earthquake was in the seven and twentieth year of Uzziah's reign as the Jewish Writers affirm it was just about the time when Uzziah was smitten with a leprosie then it follows that Amos began to Prophecy in the five and twentieth year of Uzziah from whence if we begin the account of the time prefixed by Amos for the utter ruin of Israel there will be seven and twenty years left behind of the reign of Uzziah for he reigned in all two and fifty years 2 King 15.2 To which if we add the sixteen years of his Son Jothams reign 2 King 15.33 and the sixteen of Ahaz 2 King 16.2 and six of Hezekiah in the sixth year of whose reign Samaria was taken by the Assyrians 2 King 18.10 these make in all just threescore and five years Yea and the same account of years they make up also by reckoning the years of the Kings of Israel for Amos they say began to Prophecy in the seventeenth year of Jeroboam the second who reigned in all forty and one years 2 King 14.23 and if so then he reigned four and twenty years after Amos Prophesied the Captivity of Israel to which adding the ten years of Menahems reign 2 King 15.17 not accounting the short reigns of Zachariah and Shallum which made up together but seven months and the two years of Pekahiah 2 King 15.23 and the twenty years of Pekah 2 King 15.27 and the nine years of Hoshea in whose ninth year Samaria was taken by the Assyrians 2 King 17.6 this also makes just threescore and five years And whereas it may seem strange that Isaiah should speak of the destruction of the Israelites after threescore and five years only because Amos Prophesied of their destruction so many years before it came to pass to this it is answered that Amos did not only
foretel this ruin that should come upon the Kingdom and people of the Ten Tribes but did also prefix the time when it should be namely after threescore and five years which hereupon passing by tradition from one to another was common in mens mouths and was often mentioned by the succeeding Prophets as the period appointed by God to the Kingdom of Israel and that so it is mentioned here by the Prophet Isaiah as if he had said that within that threescore and five years which were so long since foretold and were so commonly spoken of Ephraim should be so broken that they should no longer be a people And indeed could this be made out a very observable aggravation this would have been of Pekah and his Israelites bold prophaneness and contempt of Gods Prophets that after so fair a warning given so long before wherein the time was expresly mentioned when they should cease to be a people they should be so far from fearing the threatned ruin that they should with so much confidence undertake a design for the swallowing up of the Kingdom of Judah But the truth is that this computation of the threescore and five years here mentioned is built upon meer uncertain conjectures as 1. That Amos did foretel that the Israelites should be carried away captives within threescore and five years of which there is no mention at all in his Prophecy And 2. that the great Earthquake two years before which Amos begun to Prophecy was in the seven and twentieth year of Uzziahs reign which can be no way made out from the Scripture Or 3ly that this was just at the time when Uzziah was smitten with a leprosie And 4. that Amos began to Prophecy in the seventeenth year of Jerobeam the second And indeed neither of these two last assertions can agree with the Chronology of the Scripture For 1. if Uzziah reigned but five and twenty or seven and twenty years after he was smitten with leprosie then was Jotham his son born about the time when he was so smitten for he was five and twenty years when his father died 2 King 15.32 33. and how could that be seeing it is expresly said that Uzziah being upon this occasion sequestred from the Government Jotham the Kings son was over the house judging the people of the land See the Note 2 King 15.5 And for the second of Amos beginning to Prophecy in the seventeenth year of Jeroboam the second if Uzziah began to reign in the seven and twentieth year of Jeroboam as it is said 2 King 15.11 then by that acccount Amos should have begun to Prophecy ten years before Uzziah began to reign which is contrary to what is expresly said Amos 1.1 whereby it is apparent that this way of accounting these sixty and five years cannot be justified There is therefore another answer given by others to this great question which is that this breaking of the Israelites whereof the Prophet here speaks was not that when the main body of the Israelites were carried away captives by Shalmaneser in the ninth year of Hoshea 2 King 17.6 which was indeed but two and twenty years after this Prophecy of Isaiah for there were then many of the Israelites left behind in the land of Israel who continued still to be a people by themselves though very much weakened and broken but that when Ezar-hadden the son of Shalmaneser 2 King 19.37 did sweep away all those whom his father had left behind and carried them away captives into his own Countries placing a fuller Colony of other Nations in their room See Ezra 4.2 at which time they were indeed utterly broken from being a people Now that this was threescore and five years after this Prophecy of Isaiah they make out thus Taking it for granted that Isaiah Prophecyed this about the third year of Ahaz there were thirteen years after this of Ahaz his reign 2 King 10.2 to which if we add the twenty and nine years of Hezekiahs reign 2 King 18.2 then if the remainder of the Israelites were carried away by Ezar-bâ—â—don in the three and twentieth year of Manasseh as it may be probably thought because about that time the Assyrians did invade the land of Israel and carried away Manasseh himself captive into Babylon 2 Chron. 33.11 this makes up just threescore and five years And indeed this computation of these years and exposition of this place is by latest Expositors best approved Ver. 9. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is Remaliahs son This must be understood as the like expression was in the foregoing verse concerning Damascus and Rezin to wit that Samaria concerning which see the Note 1 King 16.24 was the head-city of the kingdom of Israel but should never come to be the Metropolis of Judea and that Pekah was the King of Samaria but should never be the King of Jerusalem or have power to dispose of the Kingdom of Judea as they had designed Yet by subjoining this to that which was said immediately before in the close of the foregoing verse concerning the destruction of the Israelites it may seem to imply that Samaria and Pekah Remaliahs son should be so far from having any dominion over Jerusalem that they both should together with the people of Israel be ruined and destroyed which indeed came accordingly to pass for within a year or there-about Pekah was slain by Hoshea See the Note 2 King 15.30 and in Hoshea's reign Samaria was taken by the Assyrians 2 King 18.9 10. If ye will not believe c. Some read it as it is in the Margent Do ye not believe It is because ye are not stable to wit in the faith or in the Covenant whereof you make profession in that you profess your selves to be Gods peculiar people As if he had said If you believe not this promise concerning your deliverance from these two Kings that have conspired against you and thereupon will seek to secure your selves elsewhere by sending to the Assyrian for help as it is clear Ahaz at this time did 2 King 16.7 this is because you are not stedfast and stable in resting and relying upon God as you ought to do and so are over-born with these distrustful fears You have cast off God and so do not put confidence in his help and this is the reason why you regard not this promise But I conceive the words are best translated as they are in our Bibles If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established that is If you will not give credit to this message which I have brought you and rely upon this deliverance which from God I have promised you you shall never be setled in your minds against these terrors and fears or rather you shall not prosper in any design you take in hand for the securing and establishing of your selves you shall not be setled in your present state and condition but shall e're long be ruined and destroyed It
everlasting Father shall call his name The Prince of Peace But the words as they are in the Hebrew will not bear such a reading as many of their own do acknowledg for they stand clearly in the order as they are rendered in our Translation And his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God c. First Wonderful to wit with respect to that incomprehensible wonder of his two natures the Divine and Humane nature united together in one person as likewise with respect to the wonder of his Concepton Death Resurrection and Ascension together with all the miraculous works that were done by him and especially that great and astonishing work of mans Redemption which the Angels themselves did admire 1 Pet. 1.12 2ly Counsellor as being abundantly furnished to reveal all truths to his people and in all things to counsel and direct them what to do See the Note Prov. 8.14 3ly The mighty God which shews clearly that this cannot be understood of Hezekiah or any other mortal man but only of the Lord Christ 4ly The Everlasting-Father to wit because it is he that regenerates the faithful in all ages and is the father of eternity the author of life eternal to all that believe on him And 5ly The Prince of Peace to wit because he should not advance his Kingdom by force of arms but in a way of peace because he makes our peace with God and united Jews and Gentiles together as one people and because he is the sole author of all the peace of his people outward and inward temporal and eternal See the Note Chap. 2.4 Ver. 7. Of the increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end c. This is added with respect to the last Title given to Christ in the foregoing verse The Prince of Peace to wit that the extending of his Principality and Government and the peace and prosperity thereof should never come to an end but should still proceed farther and farther which is especially accomplished by the enlargement of his Kingdom amongst the Gentiles See the Note Psal 2.8 And observable it is that by foretelling the increase of the peace of his Kingdom together with the great extent of his dominions these singular priviledges are implied 1. That his Kingdom should be carried on not by the sword but by the Gospel of peace And 2. that whereas the enlargement of other Princes Kingdoms do usually tend to their ruin it should not be so with his As for that which followeth 1. It is said that this his Government should be upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdom because Christ was Davids son and heir and Davids Kingdom was a type of Christs see the Notes 2 Sam. 7.11 16. Ps 72.1 132.11 And accordingly even in Jerusalem the seat of Davids Kingdom Christ Preached the Gospel and was owned as the Son of David and vanquished the spiritual enemies and from thence the Gospel of the Kingdom went forth into all the world 2ly It is said that this should be to order it and to establish it that is for the well-ordering the strengthening and setling of his Church and Kingdom with judgment and with justice that is with just judgment or by punishing the wicked and protecting and rewarding the righteous See the Notes Psal 89.14 Prov. 16.12 And 3ly it is said that this shall be from henceforth even for ever that is from the time that Christ in mans nature shall undertake the Government of his Church unto all eternity And 4ly because the accomplishing of these great things which he had promised might in the declining estate of Davids Kingdom seem impossible therefore he addeth that clause The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this for which see the Notes 2 King 19.31 Ver. 8. The Lord sent a word in to Jacob c. It is not a matter of any concernment to know whether this be a new Prophecy or a continuation of that which went before clear it is that after the interlacing of the foregoing comfortable promises the Prophet here returns to foretell the judgments that were coming upon the men of Israel and that for the comfort of Judah who were now terrified with the confederacy of Israel with Rezin King of Syria against them The Lord sent a word into Jacob that is the Lord hath by me or rather by the many Prophets that have been sent to them made known the ruin that is coming upon the posterity of Jacob in the Ten Tribes and it hath lighted upon Israel that is it shall light upon Israel however they flatter themselves even upon them it shall fall it shall certainly come upon them as it hath been foretold See the Note before ver 7. Yet there are some Expositors that would have it understood thus and it hath lighted upon Israel that is the word sent unto them was accordingly delivered to them and known amongst them falling amongst them as the seed doth on the ground where it is sown Ver. 9. And all the people shall know c. That is when the judgment threatned shall come upon them then they shall all know to their cost experimentally that it was indeed the word of God that was spoken to them though now they will not believe it but do vainly flatter themselves even Ephraim see the Note Psal 78.9 and the inhabitants of Samaria that is of the Kingdom of Samaria to wit the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes of Israel or rather the inhabitants of the City Samaria the Royal and chief City of that Kingdom who are particularly mentioned by way of intimating to them that they should not escape by the strength of their fortifications but should the rather be destroyed for their vain confidence therein as is more clearly set forth in the following words that say in the pride and stoutness of heart to wit that which is added in the next verse Ver. 10. The bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewn stones c. That is our enemies have beaten down our brick-buildings but we will build them again of hewn stones which will be far more costly and strong and stately the Sycomores are cut down but we will change them into cedars that is they have hewn and broken down our houses made of the timber of Sycamore-trees which was of no great reckoning but we will build others of Cedar-Timber far more stately and lasting Some I know understand this last Clause of planting Cedars in the room of those Sycamore-trees which the enemies had cut down when they made all the spoil they could in the Countrey which cannot so probably be thought to be here intended But however the meaning of these Proverbial Expressions is that though their State and Land had suffer'd much by their Enemies yet they would soon bring all things into a more splendid and glorious condition than ever they had been in before insomuch that the ruines the Enemy had made should prove an advantage to them
as being an occasion of making their Cities more beautiful and their defences and fortifications stronger than they were before And most probable it is that this is meant of that havock which Pul had made in the Land of Israel 2 Kin. 15.19 Or else it must be meant of that which after him Tiglath-Pileser was to make amongst them 2 Kin. 15.29 Vers 11. Therefore the Lord shall set up the Adversaries of Rezin against him c. In shewing how the Judgment threatned against the Israelites should light upon them as the Prophet had said before vers 8. First he tells them how the Lord would raise up Adversaries against Rezin with whom they had made a Confederacy and on whose side they did so much rely and would make them prevail over him which is meant of the Assyrians who did indeed invade Syria and took Damascus their chief City and slew Rezin 2 Kin. 16.9 And then he adds And joyn his enemies together which some would have to be understood of the many Nations that should be joyned together in the Assyrians Army against Rezin But I rather think that having first shewed how the Lord would cut off Rezin in whose Confederacy they so much gloried he then adds that this being done he would then joyn his enemies together that is Israels Enemies to wit those mentioned in the following words Vers 12. The Syrians before and the Philistins behinde c. That is the Syrians in whose help they put so much confidence being subdued by the Assyrian and become his Subjects shall come under his conduct and being joyned with his Forces shall invade the Israelites on one side and the Philistines at the same time shall invade them on the other side And they shall devour Israel with open mouth that is As so many ravenous beasts that with open mouth fall upon their prey they shall with all greadiness and eagerness seek utterly to devour and destroy them For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still For which see the Note Chap. 5.25 Vers 13. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them c. That is they are not reclaimed and brought home to God by the Judgments that God brings upon them and therefore greater must follow Neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts to wit by Prayer and Repentance Vers 14. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail c. That is all of all sorts from the highest to the lowest from the chiefest to the basest and most despised amongst the people see the Note Deut. 28.13 And such another Proverbial Form of Speech is that which follows Branch and rush For thereby seems to be meant both the strong and weak or more particularly their choice young men the beauty of each Family from whence they sprang as the Branch doth out of the Tree and likewise those of the poorer and meaner sort of people And it is said that this should be done in one day that is at one and the same time they should be all cut off suddenly and together Which was done when they were all carried away into Captivity by Shalmaneser and other Nations planted in their stead 2 King 17. But withal observable it is that in setting forth this destruction of the Kingdom of the Tribes he threatens the cutting off the branch not the cutting down of the tree because the root and stock of this people was still to be preserved Nor is it wholly to be disregarded which some add that in those words The Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail He speaks of the Israelites as of a people that were transformed into a beast and that to imply their Wickedness and brutish Sins Vers 15. The ancient and the honourable he is the head c. The Prince and Magistrate he that is of high account for Age or Office he is the Head to wit because the Magistrate doth take care for order and govern the people even as the Head doth the Body As for the word honourable See the Note Chap. 3.3 And the Prophet that teacheth Lies he is the tail And I conceive lying Prophets are so called to imply how base such men were in the esteem both of God and good men according to that which God spake of the wicked Priests Mal. 2.9 I have made you contemptible and base before all the people Yet it might be also spoken with respect to their abject and base outward condition because it is likely that their false Prophets were of the meanest and lowest of the people as Jeroboam's Priests also were See the Note 1 King 12.31 Neither is it wholly to be disregarded what some Learned Expositors have added that the Prophet that taught Lies might well be compared to the Tail 1. Because instead of going before the people with holy Doctrine and an exemplary holy Life and Conversation as it was fit the Lord's Prophets should do they were still ready to comply with the people the great ones especially in saying whatever they would have them say and doing whatsoever they would have them do turning and winding themselves after them even as the tail of a beast follows and turns about which way soever the beast goeth And 2. Because for their Bellies sake even for pieces of Bread as the Prophet Ezekiel saith Ezek. 13.19 they were wont with vile and sordid Flatteries to fawn upon the People and especially those that were in high places even as dogs to whom such lying Prophets are compared Chap. 56.11 use to fawn upon men with wagging their tails Now if it be questioned why the Prophet doth not here explain what was meant in the foregoing verse by branch and rush as well as what was meant by head and tail To this it is answered that the reason of this was because he intended chiefly to strike at those that were the chiefest Offenders and that were a main cause of all the wickedness that was amongst the people Yet it may be that which follows vers 17. may be added to explain that Proverbial expression of the branch and rush Vers 16. For the Leaders of this people cause them to err c. See the Note Chap. 3.12 This is added as a reason why God would cut off both head and tail to wit Because the Leaders were Seducers and the people were so ready to be misled by them Vers 17. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men c. This may be intended to explain what was meant before vers 14. by branch and rush And the meaning is That whereas usually when the people of God do walk as becomes his people the Lord doth rejoyce in them and in seeing them in a prosperous condition according to that Chap. 65.19 I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and that which David saith That the Lord hath pleasure in the Prosperity of his Servants Psal 35.27 See the Note Deut. 28.63
accommodations for their Journey as Cyrus had commanded See the Note Ezra 1.4 and see also Neh. 2.7.9 And the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord see the Note Exod. 15.17 for servants and handmaids that is many of these people shall become servants to the Jews when they are setled in their own Land And this some understand of those Proselites or Strangers that had joyned themselves to the Jews either that they should be as serviceable to the Jews as any servants could be or else that in process of time some of them or their children should be sold to them for servants which was indeed agreeable to God's Law concerning Servants Levit. 25.44 45 46. And others again understand it of the Babylonians who being vanquished by the Medes and Persians should be sold by them to the Jews for slaves or by reason of their penury should voluntarily yield themselves up to be their servants Whereupon it follows And they shall take them captives whose captives they were and they shall rule over their oppressors that is those Nations should be servants to the Jews to whom the Jews had formerly been in bondage which some also extend to the Jews vanquishing and bringing into bondage those Nations after their return out of Babylon in the days of the Maccabees as had before lorded over them But now most Expositors understand all this spiritually as well they may of the conversion of the Gentiles by the Ministry of the Jews in the days of the Gospel to wit that the Jews should by the Preaching of the Gospel bring those Nations under the yoke of Christ to whom they had formerly been captives and hereupon the Gentiles should shew great respect to them as owning them to be God's first-born people and should submit themselves to the word of the Gospel and should be subservient to the believing Jews in labouring to establish Christ's Kingdom in the world and in gathering in his Elect to his Church So that the Dominion here promised to the Jews over the Gentiles is not a Temporal Dominion but a Spiritual their ruling over them in the Lord. See 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5. Lâ—ke 22.25 26. 2 Cor. 1.24 and 1 Pet. 5.3 Ver. 3. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow c. That is when thou shalt be delivered from thy Captivity in Babylon and from all the griefs and fears and sore miseries thou there enduredst Ver. 4. That thou shalt take up this Proverb c. or taunting speech See the Note Numb 21.27 against the King of Babylon to wit Belshazzar the last of the Babylonian Monarchs together with whom that State fell and say How hath the Oppressor ceased the golden City ceased That is the City that was so full of Gold and was so confident in her excessive wealth And therefore set forth by a head of Gold Dan. 2.32 38. and by a golden cup Jer. 51.7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lords hand It is spoken by way of deriding Babels pride and confidence as if it had been said How is it possible that this cruel Tyrant and his golden Monarchy should be thus ruined in one night and so by that means the poor people of God be delivered from their bondage That which we render the golden city some translate the exactress of gold that is the City that drained all the gold from other Nations But our Translation I conceive is the best However observable it is that the word in the Original seems to be Syriack the language then used amongst the Chaldeans Dan. 2.4 and so the Prophet mocks the Chaldees with a word taken from the Chaldean tongue Ver. 5. The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked and the Scepter of the Rulers See the Notes Chap. 9.4 and 10.5 This is in answer to the foregoing question vers 4. as if the Prophet had said Wonder not at the sudden destruction of Babel It is the Lord that hath done it by way of taking vengeance on them for their horrid wickedness and oppression Ver. 6. He who smote the people in wrath c. To wit Not in a way of Justice but of Rage and Fury with a continul stroak that is immoderately and implacably and with extreme cruelty He never thought he had laid on load enough neither was there any pacifying his wrath And therefore the Prophet adds that the like should be done to him He that ruled the Nation in anger is persecuted and none hindereth that is he shall be destroyed inevitably and irreparably he shall not be able to defend himself and for others they shall not be able neither shall they have any mind to do it Ver. 7. The whole earth is at rest and quiet c. That is the Inhabitants of the world that could never be quiet for this proud City They break forth into singing to wit for the downfal of this great oppressing Empire Ver. 8. Yea the Fir-trees rejoice at thee c. Some understand this Figuratively of those States and Princes that had been oppressed formerly by the Babylonians See the Note Chap. 2.13 But it is better understood literally that it should be a joy as it were to the trees of the Forest that the Babylonian was destroyed because he had wont to make such havock in felling down the Fir-trees and as it follows the cedars of Lebanon that were so far from him partly to make passages for his Armies and partly for the building of his Houses and Ships and for the raising of his Bulwarks and other uses in his Wars whereas now the Babylonian being hewed down they should stand quietly in their places without any molestation Since thou art laid down say they no feller is come up against us And indeed it may well be that this is spoken with reference to that which had been said before Chap. 2.13 concerning the great havock that should be made by the Babylonian in the forest of Israel Ver. 9. Hell from beneath c. Or rather the grave from beneath because this agrees best with that which followeth ver 11. Thy pomp is brought down to the grave the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee Having related how all the inhabitants of the earth yea even the senseless creatures the trees should rejoyce at the down-fall of the Babylonian Monarch the Prophet now proceeds to shew in a like poetical strain that not only the living but the dead also from beneath should rejoice at his ruin and death and insult over him To which end he speaks here of Hell or the grave as under the person of some great Prince or King having the dead under his dominion and command Hell or the grave from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy comming whereby seems to be meant either 1. That this Prince of the lower Regions was moved with fear to wit at the report of the coming
which are rendred in our Bibles The brook of the willows may be translated as it is in the Margin The valley of the Arabians therefore the meaning may be either that the Arabians should carry away the spoil of the Moabites Country either as serving under the Assyrians or Babylonians or as afterwards entring the land to pillage and carry away what the Assyrians or Babylonians had left or else that the Assyrians and Babylonians should carry away the prey they had gotten from the Moabites to the valley of the Arabians their Confederates there to be kept a while by them intending afterwards to convey them from thence into their own Countrey But however clear it is that this is mentioned as one cause of the great outcry in the land of Moab of which the Prophet is here speaking Ver. 8. For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab c. That is Because of these grievous miseries that shall come upon the Moabites there shall be a dreadful outcry amongst them all the land over both of them that are slain and of them that flee from the enemy The howling thereof unto Eglaim and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim that is the howling of this cry shall reach unto these places See the Notes Numb 21.16 Ver. 9. For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood c. To wit with the blood of the slaughtered Moabites So that this is also added as a reason of that great out-cry before spoken of that should be in the land Whether Dimon be the name of a River or of a City is altogether uncertain for we find it no where else mentioned However it seems that there was in this place some greater slaughter made amongst the people than in any other part of the land either because they here stood out longest in the defence of some place against the enemy or for some reason that is not expressed And some think that Dimon is the same City that was before ver 2. called Dibon the name being changed and of Dimon called Dibon which signifieth bloody upon that occasion Yea and very many learned Expositors hold that there is an Allusion in these words to the Story in 2 King 3.20 21 23. concerning a stream of water that came running down from the land of Edem into the Wilderness where there was an Army of three Kings that were going against the Moabites which appeared to the Moabites to be blood and were afterward indeed died red with their blood as if the Prophet would have said That as then the stream was onee before died with blood so it should be again Whereas to me it seems more than probable that the waters mentioned in that place were miraculously sent of God for the refreshing of those Armies and were not the waters of a River that did constantly run thorow that Wilderness And therefore for those following words For I will bring more it is in the Original additions upon Dimon I do not think the meaning of that is that whereas those waters were made red with blood at that time when those three Kings slew the Moabites now there should be more blood there because the slaughter of the Moabites by the Babylonians should be far greater than that formerly was by those three Kings The meaning of those words rather is either 1. That God would add streams of blood to the waters of Dimon which running into it from several places should make the river rise and swell more and more Or 2. that God would bring more and greater vengeance upon Dimon than upon other parts of the land the slaughter should be greater there and so more blood should be shed there than in any other place besides Or 3. that God would bring more evils upon Dimon than what he had hitherto spoken of concerning the spoiling of their pastures and the plundering of their goods ver 6 7. even this here mentioned the shedding of their blood in so great abundance yea say some more than that here mentioned to wit that after the miseries brought upon them by the Assyrians the Babylonians should also in process of time utterly destroy them Or 4. That to the judgment here threatned that the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood he would add yet more to wit the judgment set forth in the following words Lions upon him that escapeth of Moab and upon the remnant of the land which though some understand of men fierce and savage as Lions as namely the Babylonian or the Assyrian who though he was only as a Bear to other parts of Moab yet he would be as a Lion to Dimon Yet I rather think it is to be understood literally to wit that those Moabites that had escaped the Sword and were left in the land should be slain by Lions and other wild beasts to wit either in the wilderness whither they should flee to escape the Sword or in their own land which lying desolate Lions should breed in it as it was with the Colonies in Samaria 2 King 17.25 CHAP. XVI VERSE 1. SEnd ye the Lamb to the Ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion There are only two Expositions of this place which can consist with our Translation The first is that by the Lamb here is meant a Sacrifice of Atonement which the Moabites are here stirred up to send to the Temple at Jerusalem Only there is this difference amongst those that do thus conceive of the Lamb to be sent 1. That some think the Prophet doth here seriously advise the Moabites to send Lambs and other such like cattel to be offered up in Sacrifice to God the Ruler of the whole world at the Temple at Jerusalem there to pacifie God's displeasure against them And 2. that others take it to be Ironically spoken and by way of insulting over the Moabites as if he had said You that had wont to despise and blaspheme the God of Israel now that you see your selves in such desperate danger now that you are so miserably destroyed you had best send your Sacrifices to the Ruler of the world at the Temple in Mount Zion But alas if you had a mind to do so it is now you see too late But then the 2. is that by the Lamb which the Moabites are here advised to send to the Ruler of the land is meant the Tribute which they were wont to pay to the King of Judah Because it is evident that the Moabites were subdued by David and became Tributaries to him See the Notes 2 Sam. 8.2 And it is most probable that the Tribute agreed upon was that which is mentioned 2. King 3.4 An hundred thousand Lambs with an hundred thousand Rams with the wool which it seems they paid duly to the Kings of Israel after that Kingdom was divided from the Kingdom of Judah till after the death of Ahab when they refused to pay their Tribute any longer either to
2 King 19.35 so that the drift of this passage seems to be this that considering the calamity that was to come upon Gods people was not like to last long but that they should be speedily setled again peaceably in their own Land the Moabites had no cause to reject the Jews when they fled to them for shelter as fearing lest the Assyrians should be enraged against them for it but rather might do well therein to gratifie the Jews thereby to make them their friends for the time to come And all this we must know is spoken by way of insulting over the Moabites in their destruction because they had not done that which in all reason and equity they should have done Ver. 5. And in mercy shall the throne he established c. Or prepared That is However the Throne of Judah shall be dangerously shaken by the invasion of the Assyrian which shall cause the Jews to flee to thee O Moab yet it shall not be utterly overthrown and ruined but through the mercy and free grace of God it shall be established and setled again in great strength and power for him to whom it belongs Some I know understand those words in mercy of the mercy of the King of Judah whereby his Throne should be established for him and for his Successors But I question not but that it is meant of Gods mercy to the Kingdom of Judah And thereupon it follows and he shall sit upon it in truth c. which words must be understood both of Christ and of Hezekiah as he was a type of Christ Understanding it of Hezekiah the meaning is That he should sit upon the Throne of Judah in truth i. e. certainly or surely firmly and constantly or that he should govern the people sincerely and uprightly in the Tabernacle of David that is in the house and palace of David judging and seeking Judgment and hastning Righteousness that is being careful to execute Judgment and Justice amongst them without partiality and without delay But understanding it of Christ who is indeed principally here intended the meaning then is That God would raise him up out of the Posterity of David and that he should sit upon the Throne of David for ever See the Note Chap. 9.7 protecting his people and executing Judgment upon his and their enemies see the Note Chap. 11.5 And accordingly the drift of this passage seems to be first more particularly that in regard the Assyrian should be destroyed and Hezekiah setled in the Throne of Judah it would be better for the Moabites to side with the Jews than with the Assyrians And 2ly more generally that it was meer solly in the Moabites and others to expect the ruine of the Throne and Kingdom of Judah upon every prevailing of their enemies against them there being a King to arise in the posterity of David who should sit on that Throne and should justly govern and prosperously defend Gods people for ever Ver. 6. We have heard of the pride of Moab c. Some Expositors hold that God speaks here of himself in the Plural Number as in Gen. 1.26 for which see the Note there And others suppose that this is spoken in the name of other people alledging the pride of the Moabites as a reason why it was no wonder to them to hear of their Destruction But more generally it is thought by Expositors that in this word We the Prophet doth include the Lord God himself the Jews and all the neighbour Nations and that it is all one in effect as if he had said That the Pride of Moab was on all sides well known We have heard of the Pride of Moab he is very proud even of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath that is the wrath which out of his great pride and haughtiness he hath discovered against the Jews The full scope of this whole passage may be thus expressed These things-whereto the Moabites have been here advised verse 1 3 4. they ought in all reason to have done but alas they are too proud to do any such thing we have heard of their proud boastings and threats Because they are a great and wealthy people and their Country and Cities are very strong therefore they fear nothing and instead of carrying themselves to the people of God according to the counsel before given them they on the contrary do in their pride deal despitefully and injuriously with them But this their pride shall not secure them but shall rather prove their ruine which is implied in the following words but his lies shall not be so that is their vain confidence their proud boastings and threatnings shall prove but lies that which they vainly and proudly conceit and boast and threaten shall not come to pass Ver. 7. Therefore c. That is because of their horrid pride Moab shall howl for Moab that is say some the living Moabites shall howl for the dead or rather they shall mutually howl one to another or one for another so that as it follows every one shall howl that is there shall be a general howling all the Land over for the foundations of Kir-hareseth See the Note Chap. 15.1 shall ye mourn that is not for the plundring or defacing of it but for the utter subverting of it and razing the very foundations of it and the rather haply because ye thought them invinsible This indeed may be read as it is in the Margin of our Bibles for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mutter And they that read it so conceive the meaning to be That they should mutter within themselves that seeing that Town had formerly stood out against the siege of three Kings for which see the Note 2 King 3.25 and was now in as good strength as ever therefore they should be well enough able to defend it and accordingly they hold that in the following words surely they are stricken the vanity of these their hopes is discovered in that notwithstanding this their muttering the foundations of this their strong Town were stricken that is overthrown or destroyed or they that flattered themselves thus were stricken that is wounded or slain But I conceive the former Translation to be far the best and that in the last words the reason is given why they should mourn for the foundations of Kir-hareseth namely because they should surely be stricken that is razed and ruined Ver. 8. For the fields of Heshbon languish c. That is they lye waste and desert see the Note Chap. 15.4 and the vine of Sibmah a City formerly taken from the Amorites by the Children of Israel Numb 32.38 but now in the possession of the Moabites both were places it seems of great note for their Vineyards so that the mention of these imports that the most pleasant and fruitful of the Land should be destroyed The Lords of the Heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof that is the Princes and Commanders of the armies invading the Land of
foresee nor to prevent the ruin that was coming upon them And 3. That being unable to do any thing that might procure Gods favour which only could tend to true happiness their wisdom in all other regards was no better than folly How say ye unto Pharaoh I am the son of the wise the son of ancient Kings This the Prophet speaks to the Princes and Counsellors of the King of Egypt and some would restrain it to Sithon a foolish King who they say was invaded by the Assyrian in the days of Hezekiah and others to Psammiâ—iâ—hus under whose tyranny much of the calamities here threatned came upon Egypt But it is better I think to understand it of their Kings in general However either it may be taken as an expression of the way how they flattered their King labouring thereby to puff him up with a vain conceit of his own eminent wisdom and of the antiquity of his stock drawn down by a continued line through many generations How say ye unto Pharaoh I am the son of the wise the son of ancient Kings That is why do ye prescribe this form of glorying to him Why do ye perswade him to say thus of himself as if because of this he must needs be well instructed or as if Wisdom together with his Regal Power were his by inheritance and that therefore there was no cause why he should fear any foreign Power Or else it may be taken as spoken to their King by way of vaunting of their own great Wisdom thereby commending themselves to him that they might procure the greater respect to their counsel How say ye unto Pharaoh That is with what face can you that are Pharaoh's Princes and Counsellors say every one of you to him in a boasting way I am the son of the wise the son of ancient Kings That is I have been the Scholar of wise men as those that were trained up in the Schools of the Prophets were called the sons of the Prophets see the Note 1 Kings 20.35 or literally I am descended from wise men and ancient Kings because the Egyptians boasted much of their great Learning as if all Nations had received the knowledg they had in all Arts and Sciences from them and likewise of the antiquity of their Nation and Kingdom that they were many thousand years before any other People which they grounded upon this pretence that Egypt where there was no rain was not drowned as the rest of the world was in the general deluge and because the ancient Kings of those Eastern Countries were men of eminent Wisdom and Learning and had left many Monuments thereof behind them and that especially for Magick and Divination and so others in after-times professed themselves their Scholars or that they were of their Families therefore the Prophet derides them for their vain boastings How say ye unto Pharaoh I am the son of the wise c. as if he should have said Why do ye brag thus as if you were sure to defend the Kingdom by your Wisdom whereas the event will indeed be that you will destroy it by your foolish counsels Ver. 12. Where are they c. This the Prophet speaks to the King of Egypt by way of insulting over him Where are they That is they that boasted themselves to be the Sons of the wise and of ancient Kings Ver. 11. Where are thy wise men That is thy wise Counsellors thy Wizzards and Diviners that pretend to so much skill in foretelling future things What is become of these men now Why do they not appear in this time of thy great danger And let them tell thee now that is As becomes wise and faithful Counsellors let them advise thee of the evil that is coming upon thee and what thou shouldst do to prevent it And let them know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed upon Egypt that is let them see if they can find out and so tell thee what God hath determined to do unto Egypt Ver. 13. The Princes of Zoan are become fools and the Princes of Noph are deceived c. See the Note before ver 11. This Noph was another of Egypts Chief and Royal Cities the same that is elsewhere called in the Hebrew Moph Hos 9.6 Where by our Translators it is rendered Memphis as it is commonly called by profane Writers near unto which the Pyramids were built according to that of the Poet Barbara pyramidum sileat miracula Memphis And it is thought to be the same that at this time is called Grand-Cairo Now having said that the Princes of this City were deceived to wit by the proud and high conceit which they had of themselves or by the just Judgment of God upon them he adds They have also seduced Egypt that is the people of Egypt by their Flatteries and foolish Counsels and false Predictions of peace and prosperity yea by their not foretelling the calamities that were coming upon them Even they that are the stay of the Tribes thereof that is of the several Provinces or Precincts of Egypt for the Prophet in calling them Tribes speaks only after the language and custom of his own Country It is in the Hebrew Even the corners of the tribes thereof that is say some all Egypt from one end to the other Or rather the Princes thereof And that which is intended seems to be that the Princes of Zoan and Noph that were by their place to have been the support and glory of Egypt as the corner-stones are the supports and beauty of a building were the men that had deceived and destroyed the land See the Notes Psal 118.22 and Job 38.6 Ver. 14. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof c. It is in the Hebrew a spirit of perversities that is an erring foolish giddy mind or spirit carrying them away into crooked and cross counsels and courses and putting them upon doing things contrary to all reason and to what they intended tending to the ruin of their State which they thought to advance In the Phrase here used The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit there seems to be an Allusion to the mingling preparing or giving to men a cup of Wine or strong Liquor see the Notes Chap. 5.22 and Prov. 9.2 whereinto something is put that makes men giddy-headed or outrageous and mad And indeed the Judgments of God upon wicked men are often compared hereto in the Scripture see the Notes Job 21.20 Psal 60.3 and 75.8 And thence it followeth here And they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof That is to mistake and act foolishly in every thing they do as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit that is as a man that staggereth that is so extremely drunk that he goes up and down vomiting as he goeth or as a man tumbles about in his vomit As the more such a man rowls himself in his vomit the more he is defiled so the more busling they shall make the worse and
worse their condition should still be The meaning of all is That it was no wonder though the wise men of Egypt should thus play the fools because the Lord should infatuate them Ver. 15. Neither shall there be any work for Egypt which the head or tail branch or rush may do That is Neither the King nor his Wizzards neither high nor low shall be able to advise or do any thing or at least to effect any thing intended or desired that may be any advantage to them to save or help them See the Notes Chap. 9.14 15. Ver. 16. In that day shall Egypt be like unto women c. That is the Egyptians shall be fearful and faint-hearted see the Note above ver 1. and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts which he shaketh over it That is because the Lord God whose wrath and power is irresistible shall by raising up the Assyrians to invade them terrifie Egypt and as it were threaten to destroy it see the Note Chap. 10.32 In this expression of the the Lords shaking his hand over it there seems to be an allusion to Moses his stretching out his hand at Gods command over the Red-sea for the bringing back of the waters thereof upon the Egyptians whereby they were drowned and destroyed Exod. 14.26 27. Ver. 17. And the Land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt c. As if the Prophet had said Yea before the Assyrians shall invade Egypt when the Egyptians shall hear of the Assyrians prevailing in the Land of Judah and the great havock they had made there that Hezekiah had sent the Treasures of his Kingdom and of the Temple to him and had tendered to become his Tributary Vassal and yet could not by all this purchase Peace from him concerning all which see 2 King 18.13 14. this shall exceedingly affright the Egyptians the land of Judah being thus sorely afflicted and endangered shall be a terror unto the land of Egypt 1. Because Judea being such a near neighbouring Country and standing as a wall between them and the Assyrians the land of Judah being subdued there would be a clear way opened for the Assyrian to enter Egypt and little hope there would be that they alone should be able to withstand such a potent Enemy 2. Because of the strict Confederacy that had often been betwixt these two States of Egypt and Judea and the readiness of the Egyptians upon all occasions to help the Jews see 2 King 17.4 and 18.21 which might provoke the Assyrian the more against Egypt And 3. Because if God had not spared his own people the Egyptians might well think that he would much less spare them This I conceive is the true meaning of this place And accordingly it followeth Every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself That is every Egyptian yea some extend this to all other Nations that shall have occasion to speak of the land of Judah to wit of the miseries that are befallen that Country shall be struck with terror the very thinking of the place shall make them tremble Because of the counsel of the Lord of Hosts which he hath determined against it that is because of God's determinate Counsel for the destruction of the Land of Judah which they shall see executed upon it Or because by the ruin brought upon the Land of Judah they shall see that he hath determined also to destroy Egypt Some I know understand this whole verse of the fear wherewith the Egyptians should be surprized when they should hear how wonderfully God had destroyed the Assyrian Army that under Sennacherib had invaded Judea to wit that finding hereby what a mighty God the Jews had to defend them they should not only fear the Lord but also the people of the Lord according to that which the Egyptians said of old Exod. 14.25 Let us flee from the face of Israel for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians and that Deut 28.10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the Name of the Lord and they shall be afraid of thee See also 2 Chron. 32.23 But the former Exposition I judg the more genuine Yet some that understand it so hold it is meant of the destruction brought upon the Land of Judah by the Chaldeans not of the waste that was made therein by the Assyrians Ver. 18. In that day c. That is after these judgements have been fully executed upon Egypt see the Note Chap. 4.2 shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan that is the Hebrew tongue the language which the people of God spake that were planted by God in the Land of Cannaan which is therefore also called the Jews language Neh. 13.24 See the Note also Gen. 11.1 But the meaning is that the inhabitants of certain Cities in Egypt such as God had ordained unto life eternal should embrace the Religion of the Jews and become one people with them professing the same Faith and conversing together with them as if they had been the same people and spake all the same tongue notwithstanding the deadly enmity that had formerly been between the Egyptians and the children of Israel of which see Gen. 43.32 Yea and that they should by their praying to God and praising of God and by the holiness of their speech in every regard manifest themselves to be the people of the Holy God of Israel according to that Zeph. 3.9 Then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent As for the number of five cities here mentioned In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan I do not think that this is spoken with reference to the five Principalities that were formerly in the Land of Egypt 1 Sam. 6.4 for in the times the Prophet was immediately before speaking of Egypt was divided into Twelve Kingdoms Nor that the Prophets intent was hereby to imply that a fith part in five of the Cities of Egypt should embrace the Faith which some hold because of the following clause one shall be called the City of destruction It is only I conceive a certain number put for an uncertain and that which is only intended is that a considerable number of the Cities of Egypt should embrace the Religion of Gods people And because he speaks of the conversion of Cities in general this must needs be meant of their conversion to the Faith in the days of the Gospel not of some few that might be won to embrace the Jewish Religion in the days before Christ by those Jews that should fly into Egypt for shelter upon occasion of any troubles that should be in the Land of Judah And so likewise we must understand those following words and swear to the Lord of hosts to wit that the Egyptians should
descried a far off were even whilst he was speaking those few foregoing words to the Lord drawn so high that they were now as it were breaking in upon Babylon And behold here cometh a Chariot of men with a couple of horsemen see the Note before ver 7. Some indeed there are that do understand these Chariots and Horsemen seen by the Watchman of the people of God flying out of Babylon with bag and baggage But it is far more probable that the Prophet doth all along foretel the Destruction of Babylon And he answered and said Babylon is fallen is fallen c. Some think that this is spoken by the Watchman as giving Babylon for lost upon the sight which he had seen But because of this word answered I do rather think that it was the man which the Watchman had seen in the Chariot that spake this as triumphing in the taking of Babylon or that it was the Prophet that had by Gods appointment in his Vision set this Watchman to watch upon his Watch-Tower But that which seems most probable is That it was the Lord himself that answered this thereby making known to the Prophet what the meaning was of all this Vision which he had seen Babylon is fallen is fallen The redoubling of the word seems to imply both that it should be certainly and suddenly done as likewise what a matter of wonder and joy it would be to those that heard of it and with what attention it was fit to be hearkned to and all the graven Images of her gods even those which Belshazzar had praised Dan. 5.4 he hath broken unto the ground to wit God or the Enemy which God had brought upon them the Mede and Persian and that either by way of making a prey of the Gold and Silver whereof they were made or wherewith they were adorned or by way of triumphing over them as desiring hereby to shew that they had vanquished not only the people of Babylon but their Gods too Now this is added not only to imply what was one great cause of Babylons downfall to wit her horrid Idolatry and why her ruine was proclaimed with so much joy but also as hinting to Gods people that they should beware that they did not ruine themselves by the same sin Ver. 10. O my threshing and the Corn of my Floor c. Some take this as spoken in the name of God to Babylon and that she is called his threshing that is that which was to be threshed by him even as corn is threshed in the Floor as appears by the second clause and the corn of my floor or as it is in the Hebrew the Son of my floor that which comes out of the floor which is added to explain the foregoing words by way of foretelling how she was to be beaten and bruised by the Medes and Persians according to those like Expressions Chap. 41.14 15. Fear not saith the Lord to the men of Israel Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing Instrument having teeth thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as Chaff And Mic. 4.13 Arise and thresh O Daughter of Zion Because the ruine of that mighty Monarchy of Babylon might seem impossible in the Eye of Reason therefore the Lord speaks thus to her O my threshing c. to imply that if God undertook to do it who is with respect hereto in the following words called the Lord of Hosts and the God of Israel it should soon be done as if he had said O Babylon as thou hast threshed my people and many other Nations so thou shalt be now threshed thy self Or O Babylon I will trample thee under my feet as the Corn is trodden on in the floor for in those parts they used to tread out the Corn by the treading of men and oxen and the drawing of Carts over it And indeed in Jer. 51.33 we find the Destruction of the Babylonians threatned under the very same figurative Expression The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor it is time to thresh her yet a little while and the time of her harvest shall come But yet I conceive it is the Jews to whom this is here spoken O my threshing and the Corn of my floor And because the following words are clearly the words of the Prophet That which I have heard from the Lord of hosts the God of Israel have I declared unto you therefore I conceive this must be taken as spoken by the Prophet too and that in a way of pitying them for the sad Condition wherein they would be when they were Captives in Babylon and yet withal to chear them up against that time of their sore Calamity O my threshing and the Corn of my floor as if he should have said O my much pitied Countrymen and Brethren that have been so often threshed as Corn in the floor and so are like to be again when you are Captives in Babylon know for your Comfort that this which I have said concerning the Destruction of Babylon shall certainly come to pass that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts the God of Israel have I declared unto you And therefore you may be fully assured of it Though God may thresh you for a time by wicked men that shall tyrannize over you purposely to purge you from your straw and chaff to cut off the wicked from amongst you and to cleanse you from your sins yet the time shall come when Babylon shall be utterly destroyed as it hath been foretold And it is a clear discovery of Gods Love that he is pleased thus beforehand to reveal this to you Some I know would have it that the Prophet calls the Jews his threshing only because he had foretold how sorely they should be afflicted in Babylon according to that Jer. 1.10 See I have this day set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms to root out and to pull down and to destroy c. But I think that which is before said is sufficient for the satisfying of that Scruple Ver. 11. The burden c. See the Notes Chap. 13.1 and 2 Kings 9.25 of Dumah that is the Inhabitants of Dumah But now what place this Dumah was against which this burdensom prophecy was denounced it is hard to determine Many hold that by Dumah here is meant Idumea As say they Aram in a shorter way of speech is called Ram 1 Chron. 2.9 and so likewise Abram See the Note Job 32.2 so here Idumea is called Dumah which may seem the more probable because in the following words wherein the Prophet begins to relate the burdensom Vision which he had seen concerning Dumah there is mention made of Seir which was in the Country of the Edomites see the Notes Gen. 32.3 and Deut. 2.4 But now because in Gen. 25.14 we find that one of the Sons of Ishmael was called Dumah and it is well known that Ishmaels posterity seated themselves in Arabia therefore many
exceedingly enriched and made powerful and mighty is ruined and destroyed Ver. 17. And it shall come to pass in that day c. That is At that time when this Prophecy against Tyre shall be accomplished that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years that is just for so many years she shall lie in her ruines desolate and forsaken not minded nor regarded either by God or man see the Note Psal 13.1 Because in the following verse Tyre is compared to a harlot forgotten of her Lovers it may well be that in Allusion thereto it is here said That Tyre shall be forgotten that is That her Merchants should no more come at her for traffick But yet the Expression may well be understood more generally as including also Gods disregarding of her of whom it is therefore said afterward ver 17. that he would visit her as it were remembring her again in mercy As for the seventy years the time here prefixed for Tyres lying desolate I question not but that they must be counted from the time that Tyre should be taken by Nebuchadnezzar unto the ruine of the Chaldean Empire and consequently that they are in a manner just the same with the seventy years of the Jews captivity in Babylon and that because we find the Prophets foretold that at the same time when Nebuchadnezzar should destroy Judea and Jerusalem he should also subdue the other neighbouring Nations round about and particularly Tyre See Jer. 25.15 22. and 27.2 3. and Ezek. 26.7 And it is most probable that as the Jews were restored to their liberty upon the breaking of the Babylonian yoke by the Persians so it might be with other Nations too that were under the same bondage And this being so observable it is that Tyre who was punished for rejoycing at Jerusalems Destruction Ezek. 26.2 lay just as many years desolate as Jerusalem did As concerning those words that are added that for seventy years Tyre should be forgotten according to the days of one King Some would have the ground of this Expression to be That threescore and ten years are commonly accounted the time of a mans life that lives long See Psal 90.10 and consequently also of the life of one King and so they would have the words to be the same in effect as if it had been said according to the days of one man But because there is little or no strength in the Reasons they give why it is said according to the days of one King and not of one man I cannot approve of this Exposition The true meaning of the words is That Tyre should lie desolate and forgotten seventy years according to the days of one King that is of one Kingdom so Dan. 7.17 by four Kings is meant four Kingdoms or four different successions of Kings and Dan. 8.21 by the King of Grecia is meant a Succession of the several Kings of Greece and so that which is intended is That Tyre should lye waste so long as the Babylonian Empire should continue After the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot It is in the Hebrew It shall be unto Tyre as the song of an harlot But the meaning is either 1. That Tyre being rebuilt and become a famous Mart again should be as jocund and jolly as ever formerly she had been and as Harlots use to be when they are singing and sporting themselves amongst their Lovers Or 2ly That she should by all the art and skill she could use and by all the fair and pleasing Invitations and Promises she could make seek to win the Nations far and near to return to their old way of trading with her again even as an Harlot that having been forsaken of her Companions by reason of some foul Disease she lay under or some such other occasion doth upon her recovery by singing and all kind of flatteries and wantonness labour to entice and allure her youngsters to return to her again Or 3ly the meaning may be only That she should eagerly buckle her self again to her old way of Traffick wherein she is compared to a singing Harlot not only as I conceive to imply her eager intending her gain and profit which is the only thing the Harlot minds but also the fair and flattering Speeches the Frauds and Deceits wherewith Traders are wont too often to put off their Wares even as Harlots are wont to entice men to be dealing with them Ver. 16. Take an harp go about the City thou harlot that hast been forgotten c. Persisting in the Metaphor began in the last words of the foregoing verse the Prophet speaks here to Tyre as to some forsaken Harlot because it was it seems usual with such Strumpets thus to go playing and singing up and down the Cities thereby to entice their former Customers to look after them again Make sweet melody sing many songs that thou mayest be remembred that is That they may know thou art still living and where thou art to be had But that which is intended hereby is to foretel that Tyre being raised again out of her Ruines should like such an Harlot return again to her old Trade and use all the Devices she could to bring in the Nations to traffick with her again as formerly c. See the foregoing Note And it may well be also that the Prophet doth the rather use these Expressions Take an harp make sweet melody and in Allusion to this City's being formerly much addicted to such kind of Musick whence is that of the Prophet Ezekiel concerning Tyre Chap. 26.13 I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard See also Chap. 28.13 Ver. 17. And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years c. See the Note above ver 15. that the Lord will visit Tyre to wit in mercy raising her up to a prosperous estate again and she shall turn to her hire that is She shall return to her old gainful Trade of Merchandizing and shall commit Fornication with all the Kingdoms of the World c. that is as a Strumpet entertains all comers so shall she have Commerce with all Nations throughout the World and shall as greedily pursue her old filthy Gain by unjust and fraudulent Courses as ever she did Ver 18. And her Merchandise and her hire shall be Holiness to the Lord c. This is by the consent of almost all Expositors spoken of the times when the Inhabitants of Tyre should embrace the Christian Faith to wit That in those times they should consecrate their Merchandise and the Gain they got thereby to the service of God In those words Holiness to the Lord there seems to be an Allusion to that Motto that was engraven on the High Priests golden Frontlet Exod. 28.36 as there is also in Zach. 14.20 In that day shall there be upon the Bells of the Horses HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD but the meaning is That the Tyrians should then bestow
Cor. 3.14 Some I know by this destroying the face of the covering cast over all people do understand Christ's destroying Death and that in the expression here used there is an Allusion to the Face-cloth wherewith the faces of dead men are wont to be covered Joh. 11.44 or to the custom of covering the faces of condemned Malefactors see the Note Esth 7.8 But this of Christ's destroying Death is added in the next verse and the former therefore is rather here intended namely the freeing of his people from that ignorance under which they lay by Nature by the enlightning of the Gospel which was signified by the rending of the Veil of the Temple at the Death of Christ And all this is said should be done in this mountain as before not only because it should be done in the Church made up both of Jews and Gentiles but also because the Gospel whereby this was to be done was at first to go out of Mount Zion See the Notes Chap. 2.3 Ver. 8. He will swallow up death in victory c. That is He will destroy Death for ever as the word in the Original here translated in victory doth properly signifie so that it shall never more prevail over his redeemed ones but Christ shall reign this his last Enemy being destroyed for ever and ever Now though this was done partly by the Death of Christ whereby he abolished Death 2 Tim. 1.10 having by his suffering Death delivered his people â—â—om that Death which their sins had deserved Heb. 2.15 yet it shall chiefly bâ— accomplished at the Resurrection of the just when they shall pass into Lifâ— Eternal after which there shall be no more death Rev. 21.4 for so the Apostâ—â— saith expresly 1 Cor. 15.54 When this corruptible shall put on incorruption and thâ— mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass that Saying â—â—at is written Death is swallowed up in victory And the like may be said of thâ— following words And the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces to wit of his people even as a tender Mother wipes away the tears of her weeping little Child For though God doth this partly by the comforts of his Word and Spirit here yet it is not completely done till they be taken up into Heaven to which estate therefore this passage is applied by St. John Revel 7.17 and 21.4 And so likewise in the next clause And the rebuke or reproach of his people shall be taken away from off all the earth the meaning is that God would free his people from that extreme scorn and contempt which was cast upon them all the world over and from the worlds base and despightful usage of them in their continual afflicting and persecuting of them as if they were a people not worthy to live upon the face of the earth But now the accomplishment of this here principally intended is the exceeding Glory whereunto God's people shall be advanced in Heaven For when God shall take them into this blessed and glorious condition then indeed all the Inhabitants of the earth shall be effectually taken off from that vile and base esteem which they formerly had of them Many good Expositors do I know apply all this to the deliverance of God's people out of Babylon But it is only as looking upon that as a Type of this far greater deliverance promised to God's redeemed ones in and through the Lord Christ Ver. 9. And it shall be said in that day c. That is In that day when these Promises shall be accomplished the people of God shall say to wit with wonder and exceeding great joy for this is as it were the language of the Guests at the Feast mentioned before ver 6. Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us c. Which may be understood 1. in the Type of the rejoycing of God's people at the Lord 's delivering them out of Babylon which they had long expected and came at last to pass according to God's Promise and their earnest expectation And taking it thus observable it is that in this expression of their present joy and confidence in God they do withal covertly judg and condemn themselves because before their being carried into Babylon by their disobeying God's Laws and seeking to foreign Princes for help in their dangers they had not carried themselves towards the Lord as now they found they should have done Or 2. of the people of God's owning Christ at his coming in the flesh and embracing him by Faith when tendred to them in the Gospel as the true God their Lord and Saviour long ago promised them with great joy because of the peace made by him between God and them Or 3. of the Churches triumphing in Christ when he shall come to judge the world and to receive them into his Kingdom of Glory Ver. 10. For in this Mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest That is His powerful Providence shall be constantly and continually over his Church to protect and bless them See the Note Psal 80.17 It is the same in effect with that of our Saviour Mat. 28.20 And lo I am with you alway unto the end of the world And Moab shall be trodden down under him c. That is under his feet Psal 110.1 Moab is here particularly mentioned because none were more constantly and more fiercely bent upon doing mischief to God's people than they were but under these by a Synecdoche all the wicked enemies of his people are intended Even as straw is trodden down for the dunghil to wit the worst of the straw not fit to be reserved for any other use The word which we render trodden down some translate threshed and accordingly they read this verse thus And Moab shall be threshed under him even as straw is threshed in Madmenah and then take Madmenah to be a City of Moab called Madmen Jer. 48.2 and hold that because this City being scituate in a rich Corn-country where there was abundance of straw which was the less regarded thence the Prophet useth this expression here of straw threshed in Madmenah Ver. 11. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim c. Some hold that this is spoken of Moab with relation to the last words in the foregoing verse to wit That as the Swimmer stretcheth forth his hands to swim so he being trodden down by his enemies should in the midst of them stretch forth his hands to beg for mercy both of God and his enemies Or that he should though in vain strive with all possible endeavours to save himself from utter ruin even as a ship-wrack'd man being fallen into the Sea laboureth with all his might by swimming to escape drowning But clearly as I conceive this is spoken of God That he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth
other subordinate Judges that sit in the seat of justice a Spirit of justice an ability to judge rightly of the causes that are brought before them and strength to them that turn the battel to the gate that is and so likewise courage and strength to them that go out to withstand an invading enemy so that they shall not only vanquish them and drive them back but also pursue them to the very gates of their Cities and other strong holds whither they shall flee to shelter themselves and there block them up and it may be take their places of defence as Hezekiah did to the Philistines 2 Kings 18.8 And all this now is added for the comfort of the faithful amongst the Jews that they might not be overwhelmed with grief and fear when they should see their brethren in the neighbour kingdom of Israel as had been now foretold wholly destroyed and carried away Captives Ver. 7. But they also have erred through wine and through strong dring are out of the way c. That is though they have had so fair a warning by the destruction of the ten tribes though Gods Mercy was so wonderful in preserving them from being over-run by the same overbearing enemies that destroyed Israel and though they had Gods Word and Worship continued amongst them which the other tribes had not yet even they of Judah also the Prophet speaks it with a kind of Admiration have trod in the same steps of wickedness wherein the Israelites had gone before them for this may be understood either of their brutish stupidity by reason whereof they carried themselves like so many drunken men void of understanding or rather literally of the sin of drunkenness it self see the Note above ver 1. The Priest and the Prophet to wit their false Prophets have erred through strong drink see the Note Prov. 20.1 They are swallowed up of wine that is as we use to say they are drowned in drink they have swallowed up wine so long that at last they themselves are swallowed up of wine and cease to be reasonable Creatures they are out of the way through strong drink they err in vision they stumble in judgment the first is meant principally of their Prophets and the second of the their Priests see Deut. 17.9 And the Note 2 Chron. 19.8 Ver. 8. For all Tables are full of vomit and filthiness so that there is no place clean That is they spue on their very Tables and all places where they sit and revel together are bespitted and bespawled and every way defiled for the word here translated filthiness doth properly signify or dure or dung so that all tends to shew into what a height of excess and impudency they were grown in regard of this sin Ver. 9. Whom shall be teach Knowledge and whom shall he make to understand Doctrine c. To wit God of whom mention was made before Ver. 5.6 The Lord of hosts shall be for a Crown of Glory and for adiadem of beauty unto the residue of his People c. But rather this is spoken indefinitely and is added as another sad effect of their excess and sensuality as if the Prophet had said the generality of the men of Judah both Priests and Prophets and People being become such drunken sots so stupid and desperately wicked how can any man hope by teaching them to do any good upon them them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts as if he had said one had as good undertake to teach Children a while a go weaned from the breast as to teach such a blockish and self-willed People as these are become Ver. 10. For precept must be upon precept percept upon precept line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little That is As it is with such young Children that are taught to read or to write they must have the same directions and lessons repeated again and again and one day after another if they be taught to read they must be taught letter by letter and line by line a little at one time and a little at another and the same thing over and over many and many times and if they be taught to write the Master must lead their hand letter by letter and line by line and they must write over the same Copy many times and yet when they have thus wearied their Teachers it is little or nothing which they learn so it is with this People what ever course be taken with them whatever diligence is used in teaching them all will be to no purpose Ver. 11. For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this People This is otherwise read by some as it is in the margin For with stammering lips and another tongue he hath spoken to this People and they make the meaning of the words to be either 1. that God by his Prophets had spoken to them as Mothers and Nurses use to speak to their little Children for still say they the Prophet goeth on in the similitude used in the foregoing verses that is he had made known his will to them in a plain and familier manner stooping to their Capacity even as Mothers and Nurses are wont to use new devised words most easy to be pronounced and to speak in a kind of stammering imperfect way as Children use to speak that they may the better teach their Children to speak and that they may the better be understood by them Or 2ly that such was thesottishness of the Jews that in all that God had spoken to them he had been to them as one that stutters or stammers or as an outlandish man that speaks in an unknown Tongue neither of which are understood by those that hear them meaning that they were stupid and brutish and regarded his word no more than if they had not understood one word of what was spoken to them Or 3ly that by way of punishing them for their wickedness he had caused their land to be invaded by nations whose language they understood not But now reading it as it is in our Traslation as a commination of what God would do for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this People the meaning must needs be either that since the word that God had spoken to them by his Prophets had done no more good upon them by reason of their stupidity than if one should undertake to teach new-weaned Children therefore the Lord would take another course with them and speak to them in a rougher way namely by bringing in the Babylonians upon them a nation whose language they should not understand as was long since threatned Deut. 28.49 Or 2ly that he would give them over to such a Spirit of stupidity that no instruction should for the time to come do any good upon them And indeed either of these may well agree with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.21 where he seems to cite this place In the Law
Army and yet when he had gotten the money from them he proceeded in the same hostile manner against them as he did before for which see the Notes 2 King 18.14 17. I know some would have this understood of the people of Judah's breaking Covenant with God and others would have it to be a complaint of the people concerning Gods breaking Covenant with them But it is clear the Prophet speaks this of the Assyrian and so likewise that which follows he hath despised the Cities to wit in that in a boasting way he slighted their strength and rejected their Messengers when they sued to him for peace and made nothing of destroying them utterly and levelling them with the ground not caring to preserve them for himself or his people he regardeth no man that is He neither fears any man nor pitieth any man but as a man void of all humanity makes havock of all where he comes And it may be as some think that in this last clause the Prophet had particular respect to Sennacheribs speaking so reproachfully of Hezekiah and to the scorn he put upon his Nobles when having received that great sum of money of them which Hezekiah had sent him for the purchase of his peace he sent them away in a disgraceful manner without doing that which he had promised See 2 King 18.14 17 22. c. Ver. 9. The earth c. That is The whole land of Judea mourneth and languisheth to wit as being laid waste by the Assyrians See the Note Chap. 24.4 Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down that is It is ashamed because all her lofty trees are hewn down Sharon See the Note Cant. 2.1 is like a wilderness to wit as being in a manner wholly left desolate without man or beast and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits that is They are as a tree that is left bare and hath lost her fruit by reason of the great waste the enemy hath made there The end of the Prophet in naming these particular places was certainly to imply That all the most goodly and fruitful places in the kingdom should be thus destroyed And if that could be made good which some say That Lebanon was in the utmost North parts of Judea and Carmel in the South Basan in the East and Sharon in the West we might well think that these places were purposely singled out to shew that the whole land should be left desolate and waste Some indeed say That the two last here named were not in the Kingdom of Judah but in that of the ten Tribes and therefore hold that by Bashan and Carmel here are figuratively meant the exceeding fruitful and pleasant places in Judea such as Bashan and Carmel were But it is clear that there was a Bashan in Judah's portion See the Note 1 Sam. 25.2 And then besides considering that the whole Kingdom of Israel had been already destroyed in a great measure by the Assyrians the Prophets aim being to shew that the whole land God had given to be the portion of his people should be thus over-run it is no wonder though some places are named that were in the Kingdom of Israel Ver. 10. Now will I rise saith the Lord now will I be exalted now will I lift up my self That is Now that my people are brought into such seeming desperate extremities and now their enemies are grown so exceeding insolent now will I arise and glorifie my self in the destruction of their enemies see the foregoing Notes ver 3 5. and Psal 68.1 Ver. 11. Ye shall conceive chaff ye shall bring forth stubble c. This is spoken to the Assyrians And the words may be understood two several ways either 1. that the Plots which they had conceived against Jerusalem and against Gods people were foolish and the event should be accordingly vain and to no purpose like chaff and stubble nothing worth as if they had sown chaff and stubble had grown up instead of Corn. Or else 2. that their designs against Jerusalem should prove the occasion of their own utter ruine Chaff and stubble are very combustible matter and therefore by saying they should conceive chaff and bring forth stubble is meant that they should plot and bring forth that which should be the means of consuming them And hereto agrees that which follows your breath as fire shall devour you that is as a man by blowing kindles a fire so you by the rage which you breathe forth against God and against his people shall by provoking Gods wrath against you bring destruction upon you and so the fire which you thought to kindle for the burning of others shall consume your selves see the Note Job 15.35 Ver. 12. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime c. That is As hard Chalk-stones are burnt in Kilnes till they become Lime so shall the Lord consume the stoutest of the Soldiers that serve in the Assyrian Army as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire that is they shall be easily and suddenly destroyed even as thorns not growing and green but cut up and seare will soon take fire and are speedily burnt and consumed which is meant of the sudden destruction of the Assyrian Army 2 Kings 19.35 But see the Notes Chap. 27.4 11. and 2 Sam. 23.6 Ver. 13. Hear ye that are far off what I have done c. This may be meant of those Nations that dwelt in Countries far remote from Judea to whom the report should be brought of this great work of God in destroying the Assyrians and delivering Jerusalem And then in the following clause and ye that are near acknowledg my might by those that are near is meant those neighbouring Nations that being nearer to them might have fuller and clearer information and assurance of what God had done Or else by those that are far off may be meant all foreign Nations and by them that are near the Jews that were eye-witnesses of this work of wonder The drift of these words is to imply that the vengeance which God would execute upon the Assyrians should be talked of with admiration far and near all the world over see the like expression Chap. 18.3 Ver. 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites c. That is those wicked wretches in Jerusalem that professing themselves Gods people had yet formally slighted and derided Gods Prophets when they foretold the Judgments that were coming upon them When the evil threatned did come upon them then these secure men were overwhelmed with terrors who among us say they shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings And some think they are supposed to speak this upon occasion of that dreadful slaughter which the Angel of the Lord did in one night make in the Assyrian Camp 2 Kings 19.35 which many hold was done by thunder and lightning from Heaven to wit that being terrified herewith as being conscious to themselves of
dissolved as we find it foretold Mat. 24.29 and 2 Pet. 3.10 and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole that is they shall seem to pass away so that the lights therein shall be no more seen than the writing in a Parchment-scrole can be seen when it is rolled up together and see the Note Psal 102.26 and all their host shall fall down as the leaf falleth off from the vine and as a falling fig from the fig-tree to wit when they are withered and so are easily blown down Ver. 5. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven c. That is In Heaven it is decreed that my sword shall be bathed with the blood of mine enemies see the Note above ver 2. and Psal 119.89 Or the meaning may be that God from Heaven would cause a sword to be drawn against them that should be bathed in their blood according to that of the Apostle the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness Rom. 1.18 behold it shall come down upon Idumea that is upon the Edomites and all the Churches deadly enemies For these are particularly named only because they were always most bitter enemies to the Jews and their Country bordeâ—ed upon Judea and upon the people of my curse that is even upon this people whom I have accursed or and upon all other people whom I have destined to destruction to judgment that is in a way of taking Vengeance on them Ver. 6. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood it is made fat with fatness c. That is It shall be filled with blood c. to wit by reason of the multitudes of them that should be slain and devoured thereby And their blood and fat are expresly named in allusion to their Sacrifices where the blood and the fat were still offered And upon the same respect is that next expression used and with the blood of lambs and gâ—ats with the fat of kidneys of rams where he terms those that were to be slain Lambs and Goats and Rams to imply that the slaughtering of them should be to them as a sweet smelling Sacrifice acceptable to God see the Note Exod. 32.29 Only I conceive that by these lesser sort of Sacrifices the inferior and common sort of people are meant of several ages and conditions young and old the poorer and richer sort For the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah which was then the Metropolis of Idumea and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea that is he hath determined to keep a solemn Festival-day there which is said because on such days they used to offer a multitude of Sacrifices 1 Kings 8.63 Ver. 7. And the unicorns shall come down with them and the bullocks with the bulls c. That is Together with the inferior sort of people of whom he had spoken in the foregoing verse their great and strong and mighty ones their Princes and Nobles Captains and men of War fierce cruel untameable men shall be knocked down and slain And observable it is that amongst these greater sort of Cattel appointed for Sacrifices he mentions Unicorns that never used to be sacrificed purposely to hint unto us that what he speaks here of Sacrifices was to be understood figuratively and their land shall be soaked with blood and their dust made fatness that is their land even the driest part of it shall be battened as with dung by their blood and the fat of their carcases Ver. 8. For it is the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompence for the controversie of Zion That is It is the set time which God hath appointed for taking vengeance on those his enemies and for recompencing abundantly into their bosoms all the wrongs they had done to his people For by the controversie of Zion here is meant the controversie which the Jews had with the Edomites for the mischief they had often done them or the controversie which God would have with them on his peoples behalf Ver. 9. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch and the dust thereof into brimstone and the land thereof shall become burning pitch That is the streams or the land of Bozrah or Idumea In this Rhetorical description of the devastation of this Country there is certainly an allusion as often elsewhere to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha see the Notes Chap. 13.19 and Deut. 29.23 And the meaning seems to be either 1. that their Cities being set on fire should burn like pitch and brimstone Or 2. that the land should be left desolate the inhabitants and all therein being as it were burnt up that is utterly consumed and destroyed see Obad. 1.8 Or 3. that their whole Country even the most fruitful and best watered places thereof should be dry and parched as if it were all pitch and brimstone or burnt up with showers of fire and brimstone as Sodom and Gomorrha were see the Notes Job 18.15 16. Ver. 10. It shall not be quenched night nor day c. That is The burning of this land shall not be quenched It is an Hyperbolical expression signifying that the wrath of God should continually burn against them like an unquenchable fire the smoke thereof shall go up for ever that is continually for a long time from generation to generation it shall lye waste that is for many generations none shall pass through it for ever and ever that is it shall be no more inhabited but shall be desolate for ever Ver. 11. But the cormorant or the pellican and the bittern shall possess it the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it c. See the Notes Chap. 14. 23. and Psal 102.6 and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness that is the plummet or level of emptiness the ground of which expression is that in those times they used to hang a stone upon the line of the level as we now do a plummet of lead The meaning is either 1 that God would order it so that it should never be built again they that should undertake it should find the issue of their labour to be nothing but confusion and emptiness according to that of the Prophet Mal. 1.4 Whereas Edom saith We are impoverished but we will return and build the desolate places thus saith the Lord of hosts They shall build but I will throw down Or 2. that God would lay their whole land utterly waste and desolate The expression here used of doing this by line and level is taken from workmen either that being to pull down some part of a building are wont by line and level to mark out how far it must be pulled down or else that having quite pulled down a building do use those instruments to see the ground be layed level But see the Note 2 Kings 21.13 Ver. 12. They shall call the Nobles thereof to the Kingdom c. That is They that are left of the Edomites shall
invite the Nobles or look out for some of the Nobles to take the Kingly Government upon them that so they might be ordered and defended by them but none shall be there that is there shall be none of their Nobles to be found as being all destroyed or at least none that will undertake the Government see the Notes Chap. 3.6 7. and all her Princes shall be nothing that is they shall be all found to be slain and destroyed or so poor and contemptible that they shall be found as nothing for the undertaking of such a Dignity And thus the Prophet doth covertly deride their former vaunting in the glory of their Kingdom telling them that now they should have a Kingdom without a King Ver. 13. And thorns shall come up in her palaces nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof c. See the Notes Chap. 32.13 14. and it shall be an habitation of Dragons see the Note Job 30.29 and a court for Owls or Ostriches to wit where their Princes had wont to keep their Courts see the Notes Chap. 13.21 22. Ver. 14. The wild beasts of the desart shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island and the Satyr shall cry to his fellow c. See the Notes Chap. 13.21 22. the shrich-owl also shall rest there and find for her self a place of rest to wit because there shall be no body there to disturb her Ver. 15. There shall the great owl make her nest and lay and hatch and gather c. That is her young ones under her shadow that is say some under the shadow of those ruines where she hath made her nest or rather under the shadow of her wings all which imports that these creatures should have their setled abode there and consequently that this desolation of Idumea should continue for a long time Ver. 16. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read c. Some understand this of the book of Gods Law wherein it is often said how tenderly careful God would be of his people and how surely and severely he would punish their enemies and so they take this to be all one as if the Prophet had said Observe whether God hath not there threatned that such desolations shall come upon the wicked enemies of his people as I have foretold Again others understand it of the whole Scripture then written and that because there are many Prophecies therein concerning the destruction of the Edomites see Numb 24.18 Psal 137.7 Amos 1.11 12. But now the most of Expositors and upon better grounds do understand it of the book of the Prophets or rather particularly of the Prophecy of Isaiah which he wrote by the guidance of Gods Spirit as if it had been said When the time shall come of which I have now spoken take the book of the Prophets and read the relation of this which I now prophecy and you shall find that every thing will exactly come to pass which I have now foretold no one of these shall fail that is no one of these beasts and fowl before mentioned none shall want her mate which implies that they should breed and fill the land for my mouth it hath commanded as if he had said I have commanded my Prophet to foretel this or I have ordered it to be done And then speaking in his own person he adds and his spirit it hath gathered them that is God according to what he foretold hath by a secret instinct or by his Almighty power and word of command gathered these creatures together Ver. 17. And he hath cast the lot for them c. That is The wild beasts and fowl before mentioned God hath given them the Land of Iduâ—â—a for their setled habitation and they shall injoy it without disturbance as men do an inheritance that is by lot assigned to them and his hand hath divided it unto them by line that is to each one their several portion see the Notes Psal 16.5 6. they shall possess it for ever from generation to generation shall they dwell therein see the Note before ver 10. CHAP. XXXV VERSE 1. THe wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them c. That is For the destruction of the enemies of Gods people related in the foregoing Chapter and conseqently for the deliverance of his people thereby And the same is intended in the following clause and the desart shall rejoyce and blossom as the rose But now whereas some would have the meaning to be that the very desarts in Judea should rejoyce at this so great a mercy as if the Prophet had said that the very sensless Creatures should triumph for this see the Note Psal 65.12 I rather think that by the wilderness the solitary place and the desart is meant the land of Judea which was by Sennacherib laid waste like a desart see the Note Chap. 33.9 and much more afterwards when the Jews were carried captive into Babylon and consequently that the promise here made that this wilderness and desart should be glad and rejoyce must be understood of the flourishing and joyful condition whereinto this land should be brought when the Assyrians first and the Babylonians afterward should be destroyed Only we must know that under this type a greater mercy is promised to wit That the Church both of Jews and Gentiles under Christ that were in their natural estate as a dry and barren Wilderness void of all goodness and grace should be brought into a blessed flourishing and joyful Condition spiritually and initially in this life but perfectly hereafter in Heaven See the Notes Chap. 32.15 16. And thus even the Edomites that were threatned in the foregoing Chapter to be turned into a wilderness are a part of that desert that should thus triumph in Christs vanquishing of their spiritual Enemies To be sure many Expositors hold That in this mystical sense the Gentiles are principally if not solely intended However ever even in this promise may be included also That when Christ shall destroy the enemies of his Church she that was under those persecutions laid waste as a desert shall then be brought into a flourishing and triumphant Condition Ver. 2. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoyce even with joy and singing c. That is The Wilderness before mentioned See the foregoing Note the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon They that understand this of the very deserts of Judea say that hereby is shown how they should rejoyce and sing to wit by becoming as gloriously fruitful as the most fruitful places of the Land which then must needs be taken hyperbolically But now understanding it of the Church under Christ this Expression might be intended to set forth both her exceeding great Glory in general and more particularly that all the Glory and glorious priviledges which the Church of the Jews formerly enjoyed should be transferred upon her as namely those mentioned by the Apostle Rom. 9.4 the
Chap. 40.25 27. Here he proceeds on in these his Prophecies concernning Christ Behold my servant to wit Christ who though he were the only begotten Son of God yet is here called Gods Servant with respect to his humane nature wherein he took upon him the form of a servant Phil. 2.7 and as man was bound to serve God in a thorough obedience to his Laws but especially because of that singular Office of the Mediator which God had imposed upon him whom I uphold to wit That he may not sink under my wrath which he is to bear for sinners nor under any other difficulty or discouragement which he shall meet with in the discharge of his Office but may thoroughly fulfil it mine elect that is whom from eternity I elected to this service and who is indeed both in regard of the transcendent dignity of his Office and the dearness of his person and his exact discharge of his Office my choice Servant in whom my soul delighteth that is whom I dearly love and through whom and for whose sake only I am well pleased with others Eph. 1.6 I have put my spirit upon him See the Note Chap. 11.2 he shall bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles that is He shall cause his Gospel to be published not to the Jews only but also to the Gentiles and thereby set up his Kingdom amongst them and rule and govern them as his peculiar people See the Notes Chap. 2.3 4. Ver. 2. He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets It is expresly noted of Christ that sometimes in his preaching he lifted up his voice and spake very loud as John 7.37 In the last day that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink The meaning therefore of that which is here prophecied concerning Christ is rather 1. That this great King of the Church should make no great noise in the World that he should come to his people in an humble and low Condition without any of that stir or noise that useth to be where earthly Kings and Potentates come in Pomp and State to any place Or 2ly That he should be most humble and meek and gentle not seeking the applause of men in a boasting way not seeking to awe and keep under his people by loud clamours and threatnings as earthly Kings often use to do nor endeavouring to carry on his Cause in a passionate and clamorous way as men are wont to do that not being able to convince men by strength of Argnment do then assay to overbear men by passionate and loud speaking whence it is that the Apostle joyns wrath and anger and clamour together Eph. 4.31 And this Exposition may seem indeed the more probable because in Matth. 12.19 this place is cited thus He shall not strive nor cry c. and it is purposely cited by the Evangelist in that place to shew how fully that was accomplished in Christ which our Prophet had foretold concerning the Humility Meekness and Calmness of Spirit that should be in the promised Messiah for having related how the Pharisees were enraged against him for a Miracle that he had wrought and how Christ thereupon did not so much as contend with them but only withdrew himself from thence to another place that he might not when they were in such a rage provoke them any further ver 14 15. and charged the people not to make known the Miracles that presently after he wrought in another place ver 16. he adds ver 17 18 19. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet saying Behold my Servant whom I have chosen c. He shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets Ver. 3. A bruised reed shall he not break c. That is Those that are as a cracked and bruised Cane or Reed which men are wont to break in pieces and throw away as good for nothing and the smoking or dimly burning flax shall he not quench that is Those that are as the wick of a Candle that burns dimly or as a snuff that hath more smoke than light and is even ready to go out which men are wont to cast away or at least to put them quite out They that understand this of Cyrus as a type of Christ do apply it thus That he did not despise and destroy the people of God whom he found in Babylon in a low Condition under extream Bondage and Slavery but on the contrary was very tender over them and rescued them out of the hands of their Oppressors and sent them home with honour into their own Country But it is questionless meant of Christ And though it may be extended to his patience and gentleness and forbearance towards the worst as appears by the Evangelists citing this place with respect to Christs yielding-carrage towards the Pharisees See the foregoing Note yet I conceive it is chiefly meant of Christs Gentleness and Clemency towards the weaker sort of Christians and those that are sorely troubled and wounded in Conscience for sin 1. He will not drive those to despair by dealing over-rigorously and roughly with them that are poor brooken-hearted sinners and that are through the Affrightments of Sin and Satan and the weakness of their Faith ready to sink in despair like a wick of a Candle that is even ready to go out but will rather cherish and encourage them and blow up that spark of Faith that is in them And 2ly he will not cast off those that have but a weak measure of Grace Piety and Goodness that are like smoking flax in that the light of Grace is hardly discernable by reason of those strong corruptions wherewith it is in a manner overwhelmed but will bear with them and cherish them till Grace grow stronger in them As for the last clause he shall bring forth Judgment unto truth it is much the same with that ver 1. he shall bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles and the meaning therefore seems to be That by the preaching of the Gospel he should set up his Kingdom among his people faithfully according to what he had promised or that he should judge and govern his people truly according to the rule of the Gospel And thus this may be added by way of explaining the former words namely by shewing that though Christ should deal very gently with the weakest of true Believers and true Penitents yet he would not cherish any in their sins nor shew any favour to Hypocrites and profane obstinate Despisers of the grace that was tendered them Ver. 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged c. That is He shall not faint nor be disheartned from going on in his work by any hard labor or grievous sufferings yea though all the World oppose him he shall courageously go on till he have set Judgment in the earth that is Till by
understand it thus That Heaven and Earth should concur to afford their help for the effecting of that great Deliverance which God had now in hand And 2ly others understand it both of the abundant bliss safety and righteous dealing which Gods people should enjoy by the favour of Cyrus to them and likewise of that fulness of all spiritual Blessings which the Church should enjoy under the Kingdom of Christ But the Exposition formerly given I conceive is the best yet see the Notes Psal 72.6 7. and 85.11 As for the last clause I the Lord have created it it seems added with reference to that which went before ver 7. and that to assure them that how impossible soever that might seem to be which he had promised yet it should certainly come to pass to which purpose he speaks of it as done already I the Lord have created it as if he had said I the Lord who do by mine Almighty power what I please will effect this Ver. 10. Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker c. To wit either by way of opposing what God hath determined to do or by way of murmuring against any Dispensation of his Providence And this might be spoken as by way of declaring in general the evil and danger of opposing or muttering against any Counsel or Acting of Divine Providence upon occasion of that which God had said before that all that was done in the World was done by his all-ruling Providence ver 7. I form the light and create darkness c. yet it seems rather to have been intended more particularly either against the Babylonians to shew that nothing but misery and wo would be the Issue of their opposing what God intended to do or rather against the murmuring of the Jews in Babylon especially as to that which God had now promised to do for them Because the poor Captives in Babylon might think with themselves Why should the Lord bring us his peculiar people under the tyrannical Bondage of such a barbarous Nation if he meant afterward to destroy them and to deliver us and send us back into our own Country Or why should he defer our Deliverance so long Or why should he not raise up one of our own Nation to do it as he hath formerly done even this also some add but bring a Prince from so remote a Country to set us free And so likewise for that which God had promised concerning that great Deliverance by Christ because men might argue within themselves Why was Christ sent no sooner or why should the Jews be cast off and the Gentiles called into their room Against these and all such Arguings with God this is here opposed Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker and then he adds let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou that is What intendest thou to make of me Or why dost thou undertake that which thou art not able to effect or rather Why hast thou made me thus as the Apostle hath expressed it Rom. 9.20 Or thy work He hath no hands that is He hath no hands to do what he hath undertaken or rather He hath no hands fit to undertake such a work or surely he that made me thus rudely and bunglingly either had no hands or made no use of his hands And the drift of this is to shew that if it would be an unreasonable and monstrous thing to think that the clay should quarrel with the Potter about his Workmanship or call him to an account concerning the work he made of it much more unreasonable would it be for man whom God formed out of the earth as the Potter doth his Vessels of clay to contend with his Maker about any thing he doth to him and that the rather because the clay was not made by the Potter whereas man had not only his form and shape but his very being from God and therefore it must needs be free for the Creator to do whatever he pleased with his Creatures But see the Note also Chap. 29.16 Ver. 10. Wo unto him that saith unto his Father What begettest thou c. That is Why dost thou beget me To what end dost thou do it Or why hast thou begotten me so weak so sickly so unhandsome so deformed or of so mean inward parts as I am Or why hast thou begotten me subject to the same Miseries as other men are The drift of the words is the same with that in the foregoing verse to wit to imply that it is as base a thing to call God to an account for any thing he doth as it is for a Child to quarrel with his Parents about their begetting him Ver. 11. Thus saith the Lord the holy one of Israel and his Maker c. To wit as the Potter makes his Vessels of clay for to that said before ver 9. he alludes But see the Notes Chap. 1.4 and 43.1 As for that which follows Ask me of things to come concerning my Sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me it is differently understood by Expositors for some understand it as spoken to the Idolatrous enemies of Gods people and that Ironically as if he had said If you would know what I mean to do with my people the work of my hands or what the work is I mean to do for them you had best enquire of me by my Prophets wherein also there may be again a covert deriding of them because their Idol-gods were not able to foretel future things as he the God of Israel was as before Chap. 41.22 c. and in several places afterward and if you like not what you shall hear I mean to to do you had best command me to do otherwise and so hinder me from doing what I intended or Ask of me c. that is You had best call me to an account and lay your Command upon me not to deliver my people by Cyrus as I have said I will do But others again hold which seems to me more probable that this is spoken to Gods people and that either 1. as seriously advising them what they should do in their fears and low Condition namely That they should seek to him their Father and Maker and commit themselves to his care and expect help from him Ask me of things to come c. as if he had said Instead of seeking to Soothsayers and Magicians enquire of me for which see also the Note Chap. 8.19 Therefore you are overwhelmed with grief in your Miseries because you will not ask Counsel of me whereas if you would enquire of me in this you might as it were command me so ready I would be to inform you and so you might hear what might comfort you how careful I am for you and what a good issue I will give to your troubles Or rather instead of murmuring against me and striving with your Maker ask what you will
from others to be a holy people unto my self and as a People that had by their wickedness made themselves unfit indeed to be my people and delivered them up into thine hands an unclean uncircumcised people that thou mightest carry them out of my Land whithersoever thou pleasedst See the Note Chap. 43.28 Thou didst shew them no mercy upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke The accomplishment whereof see Lam. 5.11 12. The drift therefore of these words is clear namely to shew that though he was willing that his people should smart for their sins yet he was highly offended with their cruel usage of them Yea and this also is hinted that if God spared not his own people when they sinned against him much less would he spare them Ver. 7. And thou saidst I shall be a Lady for ever c. This is added as another cause of Babylons destruction to wit her security and presumptuous confidence concerning the perpetuity of her greatness and which was indeed the root of her pride and cruelty So that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart that is say some That Israel was my peculiar people and that therefore though I made use of thee to correct them for their sins yet there was no likelihood that I would cast them off for ever and consequently thou didst not lay to heart the cruelties thou didst exercise towards them But rather the things they did not lay to heart were the things which were now foretold them those woful miseries which their inhumane dealing with Gods people would at last bring upon them which is further confirmed from the last clause neither didst remember the latter end of it That is what would at length befal thee for thy cruelty to them yet some understand this too of the end of Jerusalem or the people of God namely that they did not bethink themselves that God would at last deliver his people Ver. 8. Therefore hear now this thou that art given to pleasures that dwellest carelesly c. To wit without fear of any change see the Note Judg. 18.7 that sayest in thine heart I am to wit the great Monarch and Empress of the world and none else besides me that is there is no Kingdom like me either for magnificence or sure stability all other are not worth the naming and are as nothing in comparison of mine An arrogant and blasphemous expression wherein she ascribes that to her self which God often mentions as his transcendent peculiar dignity I shall not sit as a Widow neither shall I know the loss of Children that is I shall not sit desolate as a Widow nor want of the Royal issue to sit upon the Throne Or I shall never want a King that shall be as a Husband to me nor be deprived of that numerous people which as my Children live in subjection to me See Rev. 18.7 Ver. 9. But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day c. To wit in that day when Babylon was taken by Cyrus which was done so suddenly and unexpectedly that there was no place for counsel or escape The loss of Children and Widowhood that is the destruction of thy people and thy King Belshazzar amongst the rest See Dan. 5.30 See the feregoing Note They shall come upon thee in their perfection that is both the one and the other shall be fully and to the utmost accomplished upon thee even to the utter destruction of thy Kingdom for the multitude of thy sorceries and for the great abundance of thine enchantments that is for all thy magical arts and practices wherein the Caldeans did abound So that this is mentioned as another cause of their destruction Ver. 10. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness c. To wit either their wicked policies their rapines and oppressions and all other the wicked ways whereby they had raised themselves to their present greatness and whereby they might still hope to secure themselves against all fears and dangers Or 2ly the riches and power which they had gotten by such ways of wickedness Or 3dly all their Magick Arts mentioned in the close of the foregoing Verse and much afterward insisted on whereon they relied much because they thought their Magicians able to foresee and foretel future things and heard nothing but assurance of good from them and likewise able by their Sorceries and Witchcrafts to help them and prejudice their enemies Thou hast said none seeth me That is thou hast flattered thy self as if neither God nor Man could take notice of thy sinful ways and policies See the Notes Chap. 29.15 and Psal 64.5 Thy wisdom and thy knowledg it hath perverted thee That is thy trusting to that which thou esteemest great wisdom and knowledg thy carnal policy or thy great skill in Magick Arts hath deceived thee and mislead thee emboldening thee in thy hardness and causing thee to chucker thy self with groundless hopes and thou hast said in thine heart I am and none else besides me see the Note above ver 8. So that all things considered the drift of this Verse seems to be to shew what was the Root and Spring of that pride and security in the Babylonians mentioned before Ver. 7. as the cause why God would destroy them Ver. 11. Therefore shall evil come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it riseth c. It is in the Hebrew Thou shalt not know the morning thereof and therefore some take the meaning to be either that they should not know what day it should come or that they should take no notice of the apparent signs of their approaching destruction though there should be many things that should be as clear tokens of their approaching ruine as the first dawning of the morning is a token that the Sun is about to rise yet they should never observe them And because the words may be rendered Thou shalt not know the rising thereof it may be the more probably thought that there is a secret nip here given to the practice of their Magicians and Astronomers on whom they so much relied who in their Figure-casting were wont studiously to observe the rising and aspect of the Planets as if it had been said you that by the rising of the Planets pretend or foretel what all days will prove whether fatal or prosperous shall not be able to foresee the rising or the morning of the day of your own destruction And again it may be spoken with reference to the sudden surprisal of Babylon that was taken before the Inhabitants began to fear any danger as all Histories reports But because our Translators have rendred the word thou shalt not know from whence it riseth it is clear that they understand it of their not knowing from what Nation or Countrey their destruction should come upon them the Babylonians not dreaming at that time of any quarrel or evil intention that Cyrus had against them And mischief shall fall upon thee
themselves to my Government And indeed the stretching forth of his Arms seems to imply the enlarging of Gods Kingdom And hereto likewise agrees that which followeth the Isles shall wait upon me see the Notes Chap. 41.1 and 42.4 It may imply the miserable condition of the Gentiles in regard whereof it might be said that they waited for Salvation by Christ even as it is said of the bruit Creatures Psal 104.27 that they wait upon God for his giving them their Meat in due season Or rather the readiness of the Gentiles after their Conversion to obey all the commands of Christ And on mine Arm shall they trust that is they shall in all things rely on my Power and Aid Ver. 6. Lift up your Eyes to the Heavens and look upon the Earth beneath c. As if he should have said consider how wonderfully the whole fabrick of the World is by the mighty Power and provident Care of God over it upheld and preserved For the Heavens shall vanish away like Smoke and the Earth shall wax old like a Garment and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner see the Notes Chap. 34.4 and Psal 102.26 But my Salvation shall be for ever and my Righteousness shall not be abolished of all which the meaning is either 1. That though there should be never such horrid overturnings in the World God would not fail to make good his Promises in the Salvation of his People or 2. That though the whole frame of the World should at last be dissolved yet the promised Salvation should not fail but should continue for ever or 3. which most Expositors like the best that the whole World should rather be broken in pieces and come to nothing than God would not make good his Righteousness and Faithfulness in working that Salvation for his People which he had promised them which is the same with that of our Saviour Luke 21.33 Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my Words shall not pass away Though Gods People may chear up themselves by seeing how God preserves and upholds the whole fabrick of the World yet in the unquestionable certainty of his Promises there is a surer Foundation of Hope and Comfort for them Ver. 7. Hearken unto me ye that know Righteousness c. That is That approve and regard it that live Righteously the People in whose Heart is my Law see the Note Psal 37.31 And this is the third time that they are here called upon to hearken to what is said because it is so hard a thing to chear up those that are in great misery and sorrow Fear ye not the reproach of Men neither be ye afraid of their revilings that is when your Enemies shall reproach you for your Piety and Confidence in God fear them not no not the greatest of them Ver. 8. For the Moth shall eat them up like a Garment and the Worm shall eat them like Wool c. That is like a Woollen Cloth or Garment see the Notes Chap. 50.9 and Psal 39.11 But my Righteousness shall be for ever and my Salvation from Generation to Generation see the Note above ver 6. And as this is meant of that great work of our Salvation by Christ the word Righteousness may have also respect to that everlasting Righteousness whereby Gods People are justified and saved Ver. 9. Awake awake put on Strength O Arm of the Lord c. The Prophet and haply in the name of Gods People doth here pray that God would exert the power of his mighty Arm which he had seemed of late to lay by by destroying his Peoples Enemies as he had promised And this may be meant both of the Babylonians and of the spiritual Enemies of Gods People vanquished by Christ who is therefore by some thought to be the Arm of the Lord here spoken of and seems purposely intended to chear the Hearts of Gods People with the remembrance of his Almighty power Awake as in the ancient days in the Generations of old that is as in times of old when thou hast often delivered thy People and destroyed their Enemies Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab see the Note Psal 87.4 and wounded the Dragon that is destroyed Pharaoh see the Notes Chap. 27.1 and Psal 74.13 14. Now because the strength of Gods Arm is unchangeable and not subject to the least decay therefore these Instances are alleadged as a sure proof that he could do the same still for his People Ver. 11. Therefore c. The Church and People of God do here chear up themselves from the consideration of those great things mentioned in the foregoing Verse which God had done for his People Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with Singing unto Zion c. see the Note Chap. 35.10 Ver. 12. I even I am he that comforteth you c. Here the Prophet speaks again to them in the name of God Who art thou that is What a vain foolish heartless Creature art thou That thou shouldest be afraid of a Man that shall die and of the Son of Man that shall be made as Grass To wit having the Eternal and Almighty God to be your Protector and Saviour See the Note Chap. 40.6 Ver. 13. And forgettest the Lord thy Maker c. See the Notes Chap. 44.1.21 that hath stretched forth the Heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth see the Note Psal 104.2 and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the Oppressor as if he were ready or had made himself ready to destroy That is as if the Enemy were sure to destroy because he was fully resolved and had made ready to do it Intimating that it was their great Sin to be so overwhelmed with fear in their greatest dangers having the promise of God for their deliverance and where is the fury of the Oppressor That is say some what is become of the fury of those that formerly oppressed my People As namely of the Egyptian mentioned before ver 9 10. or of Sennacherib the Assyrian of whom see what is said before Chap. 16.4 Though they were ready to destroy did not their fury soon come to nothing And if God destroyed them is not he able to do the like to the Babylonian too But rather it is spoken with respect to the Babylonian and where is the fury of the Oppressor That is assoon as I begin to contend with him what will become of his Fury It will soon come to nothing Or it may be taken more generally that when ever the Enemies of Gods People do oppress them God can suddenly put an end to their Fury and that he will at last so perfectly deliver his People that they shall no more be in danger of being oppressed by them Ver. 14. The Captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed c. That is Gods poor People that are now Captive in a strange Country shall within a short time be delivered the time hasteneth when they
can believe See the Notes Chap. 51.9 and 52.10 The expression here used to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed seems to be taken from Workmen that are wont to strip up their Sleeves and make bare their Arms when they set themselves to work Ver. 2. For he shall grow up c. Here the reason is given why so few of the Jewish Nation should believe the glad tydings of the Prophets and Apostles concerning Christ and accordingly why so few should entertain him as the promised Messiah namely because of the mean and contemptible condition both of his Person and Kingdom outwardly They expected a Messiah that should come in Princely State as some mighty Monarch that should deliver them from their bondage under the Roman Empire and therefore seeing no such thing â—â— Christ but the quite contrary he being so exceeding low and mean in the World they could not endure to think that he should be their promised Messiah For he shall grow up to wit Christ in his humane Nature of whom the Prophet had spoken in the close of the foregoing Chapter before him that is before God who had sent him into the World as his Servant and so it may be spoken as with relation to that in the foregoing Chapter ver 13. Behold my Servant c. and under whose provident Eye and Protection and Blessing he grew up Or before him that is before the People of the Jews that did so scorn and despise him as a tender Plant and as a Root out of a dry ground a Succour as we usually call them and so the Hebrew word here signifies that springs out of the root of a Tree that grows in a dry sandy barren ground a poor slender Twig in danger to be trodden down by every foot See the Note Chap 11.1 The meaning is That he should be amongst the great ones of his time as such a poor shrivelled Twig amongst many tall and stately Trees he hath no form nor comeliness that is there was no splendor outwardly either in his personal state or in his Kingdom See the Note Chap. 42.14 and when we shall see him this is spoken as in the person of the Jews and as setting forth what the Judgment of Flesh and Blood in all men would have been there is no beauty that we should desire him that is there was no sightliness nothing that was desirable in him at least nothing that should induce Men to desire him as the promised Messiah He lived for thirty years together unknown and in a poor and mean condition and his Church was at first poor and of no esteem and because of this he that was the desire of all Nations Hag. 2.7 was looked upon as one that had nothing desirable in him Ver. 3. He is despised and rejected of men c. Not only not desired as was said in the foregoing Verse but also despised and rejected as a vile abominable person which was that St. Peter charged the Jews with Act. 3.14 But ye denied the holy one and the just c. A man of sorrows that is full of all sorts of sorrows all his life long but especially at his passion so that he might seem to be even made up of sorrows and acquainted with grief that is inured and accustomed to grief all manner of griefs and sufferings were familiar and ordinary with him And we hid as it were our Faces from him which is again spoken of the generality of the Nation of the Jews Some indeed read this as it is in the Margin he hid as it were his face from us and they that render it so understand it of Christs hiding his Face as it were out of shame because of his sad and despicable condition as the Lepers by the Law were appointed to hide and cover their Faces Lev. 13.45 But it is far better rendered in our Translation and we hid as it were our Faces from him to wit by way of loathing him as an abominable Person whom they could not endure to behold or by way of hatred and detestation as being ashamed to own him or to converse with him or lastly by way of disregard or contempt as not thinking him worthy to be in the least minded or looked after And that this last is chiefly intended the following words may incline us to think which seem to be added for the explaining of this he was despised and we esteemed him not whence it is that the Apostle saith Phil. 2.7 That he made himself of no reputation c. Ver. 4. Surely c. Here the Prophet shews why Christ was to live in such a mean and contemptible Estate and to suffer that abundance of grief and sorrow mentioned before ver 3. hereby also to imply the folly of those that stumbled at this namely because he was to take upon him the guilt of our Sins and the punishment which our sins had deserved Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows that is the guilt of our Sins the diseases of the Soul as the word here used in the Original doth properly signifie and all those infirmities griefs sorrows and pains which mans Nature in general is subject and liable to because of Sin for those personal infirmities arising from the several constitutions and complexions of men Christ did not take upon him for thus St. Peter expresseth this as is most probable in allusion to this place 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our Sins in his own body The great question concerning this place is how it is by St. Matthew applyed to the bodily Cures which Christ wrought if it be to be understood as is before related Matth. 8.16 17. He cast out the Spirits with his word and healed all that were sick That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet saying Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses But to this two answers are given by Expositors The first which most agree in is That the Evangelist saith that this Prophecy was fulfilled in these miraculous Cures of Christ because they were a type and sign that he was come to cure them of and deliver them from their Sins the Spiritual diseases of their Souls by these miraculous cures he taught them as it were that he was come to satisfie the Justice of God by bearing the punishment due to their Sins that so their Sins might be pardoned and God being reconciled to them might shew mercy in curing them of their bodily diseases But then the second answer is which seems to me far the clearest and plainest that St. Matthew saith That this Prophecy of Esaias was fullfilled when Christ cured such a multitude of sick and diseased Persons because by his tender pity and bowels of compassion towards those sad afflicted Creatures he shewed plainly that together with our Nature he had assumed the penal infirmities of our Nature and therefore had a sad fellow-feeling of the pains and griefs which those poor wretches
shall never thirst 4. That by these words And he that hath no Money come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without Money and without price to wit any thing given in exchange for them instead of Money I say hereby is not so much meant as I conceive that the Poor are invited to come as well as the Rich as that all are invited to come freely and to accept of that Mercy and Life that is tendered in Christ though they are nothing though they have nothing and can do nothing towards the obtaining of this bliss and happiness even those that are most sensible of their Spiritual Poverty and Indigency in this regard The same that was before meant by coming to the Waters is here again meant by buying Wine and Milk only it is expressed by these other kinds of Food to imply the sweet and comfortable refreshing that Men shall find in this Spiritual Food and that all good that Sinners can want or desire is to be had in Christ and that there is provision for all sorts of People Milk for Children and Wine for those that are of grown years yea and that they shall have as sure an interest in what is tendered without Money and without Price as if they had bought it And 5. That by the frequent repeating and urging of this Invitation is implyed both Mens backwardness in accepting the Grace here tendered them and Gods earnestness that they should be perswaded and won to accept it Ver. 2. Wherefore do ye spend Money for that which is not Bread c. That is That which is not true Food See the Note Chap. 3.1 and your labour that is the Money you have gotten by your labour for that which satisfieth not that is that which will neither asswage your hunger nor nourish you and cause you to live It is as if he had said Why do you so eagerly pursue sparing neither cost nor labour that which will no way profit you that is that which will afford no furtherance for the obtaining of that Soul-satisfying bliss and happiness which in Christ is tendered to you And hereby is meant 1. The greedy pursuit of the things of the World which a Man is not sure to obtain and cannot long hope to enjoy and which whilst he doth enjoy them cannot satisfie the thirst and desires of his Soul nor make him happy 2. All strictness and diligence in false superstitious Will-worships which would provoke God to displeasure instead of pleasing him and were never like to bring them to Life Eternal Matth. 15.9 And 3. All false Doctrines concerning the way of attaining Gods favour here and Eternal Life and Happiness such as that of the Scribes and Pharisees of Mens being saved by their own works and righteousness See Tit. 3.5 Hearken diligently unto me as if he should have said And by a constant observing the direction of my word you shall be sure to prevent all such mistakes and eat you that which is good that is that which is really good that which is Bread indeed that which will indeed procure Gods Love and Favour comfort you here and preserve you unto Life Eternal and let your Soul delight it self in fatness that is you shall have abundance of the choicest and chiefest good even that which will fully delight and satisfie your Soâ—ls See the Note Psal 36.8 Ver. 3. Incline your Ear and come unto me c. See the Note above ver 1. and Psal 45.10 hear and your Souls shall live See the Note Psal 22.26 and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you wherein is implyed 1. A renewing and confirming of that Covenant of Grace which God had made with their Fathers in and through the Lord Christ which was for the substance of it an everlasting Covenant as if he should have said Though you have on your part broken Covenant with me and though in the Babylonian Captivity I may seem to have cast you off and the Kingdom setled upon Davids Posterity may seem to be utterly ruined yet fear not I will renew and confirm that my Covenant with you And 2. The making of a new Covenant with them to wit the Covenant of the New Testament confirmed with the blood of Christ which though it were the same in substance with that which God made with his People under the Old Testament yet it was a new Covenant in regard of the new manner of the dispensation of it many ways and may be here called an everlasting Covenant in opposition to that which was before because it was to continue for ever and not to be abrogated as that which God made with the Jews was As for the following words even the sure Mercies of David some by David here understand Christ as he is elsewhere called Ezek. 34.25 and Hos 3.5 because he was that Messiah whom God had promised of the seed of David and accordingly by the sure Mercies of David they understand those stable Mercies which God had promised and covenanted in and through the Lord Christ the Mediator of the Covenant See the Note Chap. 49.18 to confer upon his People But again others understand it of King David and so by the sure Mercies of David they understand either Mercies that should as surely be performed to his People as those were for which he had engaged himself by Covenant to David or else rather the very Mercies which he had promised to David and in and through him as the Father and Type of Christ unto his Church and People 2 Sam. 7. c. and Psal 89.4 35 c. namely that God would give unto David a Son that should save his People and that should reign over them for ever And hence it was that the Apostle Paul alledged this place to prove the Resurrection of Christ Act. 13.34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the Dead now no more to return to Corruption he said on this wise I will give you the sure Mercies of David For the Promise made to Christ or to David concerning Christ the Eternity of his Kingdom and the Mercies he should procure for his People could not have taken effect if after he was Crucified he had not been raised again from the dead Ver. 4. Behold I have given him c. To wit Christ See the Note Chap. 9.6 who in the foregoing Verse was called David or at least intended as the Son and Successour of David the Mediator of the Covenant the Mercies whereof are there called the sure Mercies of David I saith God the Father have ordained him for a witness to the People that is to make known and testifie to the Gentiles the Counsel of God concerning Mans Salvation and by accomplishing what God had foretold should be to testifie and make good the Faithfulness of God Whence was that of our Saviour to Pilate To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the World that I should bear Witness unto the Truth
and their Redemption by Christ signified thereby and more especially that above Ver. 7. concerning his pardoning penitent Sinners it shall not return unto me void c. that is without effecting what I have said shall be Ver. 12. For ye shall go out with joy c. This is mentioned as the word of promise of which he had said in the foregoing Verse that it should not return void but should surely be accomplished for which see the Notes Chap. 52.11 and ye shall be led forth with peace that is ye shall be led along from Babylon to Judea peaceably and quietly See the Notes Chap. 52.11 under which also may be intended mystically that inward Peace which Christians should enjoy in their passage to Heaven And there seems also to be an allusion in the words to the leading of the Israelites by a Pillar of Cloud as they went through the Wilderness to Canaan The Mountains and the Hills shall break forth before you into singing and all the Trees of the Fields shall clap their Hands that is they shall rejoyce at your joy and welfare See the Notes Chap. 35.1 and 44.23 and 49. Yet there may be an Allusion also in the words to the Mountains ringing with and ecchoing back the joyful shouting and singing of Gods People and to the pleasant noise made in the Arms the Branches and Twigs of the Trees by the sweet gales of Wind which God should send for the refreshing of his People as they went along Ver. 13. Instead of the Thorn shall come up the Firr-Tree and instead of the Briar shall come up the Myrtle-Tree c. Some understand this of Gods making the way of the Jews in their return homeward from Babylon convenient and comfortable and that they should meet with nothing that should be any an annoyance or hindrance to them even as they should go through those vast barren Desarts that lay in their way And so they make this parallel with that Chap. 41.19 for which see the Note there But then others again understand it and I think better of the mighty change that should be in the Land of Judea at their return thither Having say they assured the Jews that their return should be safe and peaceable and comfortable here the Prophet adds That though their Land had so many years in their absence lain desolate over-grown with Briars and Thorns for want of People to till the Ground yet at their return home it should be exceeding fruitful abounding with all useful and pleasant Trees and Plants and that the Face of their Country and State should be every way changed for the better But for this and how it may be also understood spiritually of the great change that should be wrought amongst Christs redeemed ones in the days of the Gospel whereof their return out of Babylon was a type See the Notes Chap. 4.2 and 35.1 2. and 49.11 and it shall be to the Lord for a name that is this deliverance and restitution of his Church and People and this glorious change that shall be wrought amongst them shall bring much Glory to God for an everlasting Sign that shall not be cut off that is it shall be an Everlasting monument of his glorious Power and Goodness to his People by means whereof the Lord shall be for ever praised and his People shall be confirmed in their confidence that God will never forsake them CHAP. LVI VERSE 1. THVS saith the Lord keep ye Judgment and do Justice c. That is Do you all Judges and others that which is exactly just and right The exhortation to repentance begun in the former Chapter Ver. 6 7. is farther here pressed For my Salvation is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed See the Notes Chap. 46.13 and 51.51 It is the same in effect with that which the Baptist Preached Math. 3.2 and Christ also Mark 1.15 The Kingdom of God is at Hand repent ye and believe the Gospel Ver. 2. Blessed is the Man that doth this c. That is That keepeth Judgment and doth Justice as was said in the foregoing Verse See the Note Psal 106.3 and the Son of Man that layeth hold on it that is that doth zealously and constantly keep close to the doing of this that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it that is that is careful to worship God as he hath appointed them for the sanctifying of the Sabbath is here put for the exercising of all the Duties of Religion and Piety and that haply the rather because this they might observe in their Captivity in Babylon whereas many other parts of Gods Worship were only to be performed in the Temple at Jerusalem and keepeth his hand from doing any evil to wit to his Neighbour Ver. 3. Neither let the Son of the Stranger that hath joined himself to the Lord c. That is Let not any Gentile that by Faith in Christ hath joyned himself to my Church and People Speak saying The Lord hath utterly separated me from his People to wit because I am as an Alien and a Stranger and not of the Stock of the Jews neither let the Eunuch say Behold I am a dry Tree that is like a dry Tree barren and without possibility of Issue Because by that Law Deut. 23.1 c. for which see the Notes there an Eunuch and Proselytes that came in from other Nations and joyned themselves to the Church of the Jews were debarred from being admitted into full communion with the Common-wealth and Church of Israel left therefore the Eunuchs or Heathens should think that surely they should not have any share in the Priviledges here promised but only those that were born of Israel and had not any such Note of Infamy upon them and indeed we see how exceedingly even the believing Jews stumbled at the taking in of the Gentiles into the Church of Christ Act. 10.45 and 11.2 3. therefore the Lord doth here assure them that in the days of the Gospel of which he had spoken there should be no such distinction betwixt Jew and Gentile betwixt Person and Person but that those that seemed most vile and contemptible if they came into Christ should be admitted to the same Priviledges with the rest of his People Ver. 4. For thus saith the Lord unto the Eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths c. See the Note above ver 2. and chuse the things that please me that is that upon Judgment rightly informed do sincerely set themselves to do those things that I have commanded them for both Will-worships and Hypocrisie are hereby excluded and take hold of my Covenant that is that do imbrace the mercy tendered to them in my Covenant of Grace and carefully observe to do those things that by their Covenant with me they are bound to do and so adorn their profession of Christianity with a holy Conversation Ver. 5. Even unto them will I give in my House and within my Walls c. To wit within the Walls of my
believing Jews or Zions Watchmen before mentioned ver 6. the Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel are here called upon to go out of her Gates to make way for the Gentiles to come into the Church Again others understand it of the Jews encouraged hereby to press and throng in through the Gates of Jerusalem which though formerly broken down or burnt should at their return ftom Babylon stand open before them ready to receive them And under this Type they conceive that the flocking in of the Gentiles on all sides to the Church is comprehended see the Notes Chap. 26.2 and 60.11 But because in the following Words there is mention made of preparing the way for the Jews return out of Babylon it is not so probable that their pressing into the Gates of Jerusalem should be here set before that it may be rather thought that the Jews are here pressed to hasten speedily and to go through the Gates of the several Cities where they were in Captivity and to get away to their own Country which indeed agreeeth well with that which is said elsewhere see the Notes Chap. 48.20 and 52.11 Yea and some too think that it may be spoken to those to whom the following Words are directed prepare you the way of the People cast up cast up the high-way gather out the Stones for which see the Note Chap. 40.3 lift up a standard for the People see the Note Cap. 49.22 Ver. 11. Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the World c. To wit that which follows say ye to the Daughter of Zion see the Note 2 Kings 19.21 Behold thy Salvation cometh that is thy Redemption and Deliverance or thy Saviour that shall deliver thee for that this last is at least implied is evident by the following Words behold his reward is with him c. Now as this is spoken with respect to the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon the meaning is either that the Lord had by the Proclamation of Cyrus enjoyn'd all Nations should give liberty to his People to return home to their own Land which agrees well with that expression of Cyrus in his Proclamation Ezra 1.2 Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia the Lord God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the Earth c. or else that the Lord by the wonderful manner of that deliverance of the Jews would cause all Nations even to the end of the World to understand that it was done by his Will and Command But now as it is spoken with respect to that great Work of Mans Redemption by Christ whereof the other was a Type the meaning is that the Lord had by the preaching of the Gospel Proclaimed unto all Nations the coming of the promised Messiah that so they might come in and joyn themselves to his Church and indeed that passage say ye to the Daughter of Zion behold thy Salvation cometh is expresly applyed to Christ by the Evangelists Math. 21.5 behold his Reward is with him and his Work before him see the Note Chap. 40.10 Ver. 12. And they shall call them the Holy People the Redeemed of the Lord c. That is upon their miraculous deliverance men shall own them to be the People whom God had Sanctified and set a part to himself to be his own peculiar People see the Note Exod. 19.6 and whom he had made a Holy People and redeemed out of the power of their Enemies see the Notes Chap. 4.3 and 60.21 and thou shalt be called to wit thou O Zion sought out that is of her Husband that had cast her off see the Notes Chap. 34.6 7. Or one over whom God took special care to look after her and recover her when she was lost Or the meaning may be that she should be sought after as one that was in high esteem to wit by the Gentiles that should seek to joyn themselves in one Church with her and so it should be no more said of her as formerly it was this is Zion whom no Man seeketh after Jer. 30.17 A City not forsaken that is neither cast off by God nor left desolate without People as formerly she seemed to be see the Note above ver 4. CHAP. LXIII VERSE 1. WHO is this that cometh from Edom c. Having in the foregoing Chapter Ver. 11. spoken of the Lords coming to save his People as of a thing ready to be done immediately say ye to the Daughter of Zion Behold thy Salvation cometh behold his reward is with him c. Here the Church say some or the Prophet rather as if he had seen in a Vision this great Saviour of his People the Lord God like some great Prince coming from the Slaughter of his Enemies whom he had vanquished in Fight with his Garments all stained with their Blood breaks forth into this expression of admiration who is this that cometh from Edom with Died Garments from Bozrah and that still to assure Gods People that it would not be long ere he would come and deliver them by destroying their Enemies It is questioned by Expositors why it is said that he came from Edom and from Bozrah which was the chief City of Edom. That which was commonly said by the Ancients that the Prophet speaks this of Christ ascending triumphantly into Heaven after his Bloody passion cannot certainly be here intended because it is expresly said afterwards ver 3. that his Garments were Red not with his own Blood but with the Blood of his Enemies Nor is there much probability in that which is said by others that because Edom signifieth Red and Bozrah signifieth a Vintage nothing else is intended by saying that he came from Edom and Bozrah but that his Garments were Blood-red like one that having trod a Winepress hath his Garments all over besprinkled with the Blood of the Grapes it is therefore far more probable which some others say that it is to be understood Literally concerning the destruction of the Edomites that were always bitter Enemies to the Jews Psal 137.7 Or rather that the Edomites are put for the Enemies of Gods People in General especially the Babylonians and that because the Edomites had been successively in all Ages professed deadly Enemies to the Jews and so had manifested themselves to be when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians and by reason of their near Neighbourhood were best known to them see the Notes Ch. 34.5 6. This I conceive is the genuine meaning of the place that this is spoken of God coming like some Victorious Prince from the destruction of the Babylonians and other his Peoples Enemies having his Garments besprinkled with their Blood yet I question not but that under these Victories of God over the Babylonians and other Enemies of his People Christs Victories over their Spiritual Enemies were also Typified As for the following Words they contain a farther Description of this great Saviour of his People this that is glorious in his Apparel that is Clothed with
Ahaziah or Joram his Son See the Notes 2 King 1.1 and 35. Therefore it is thought the Moabites are here advised to pay their wonted Tribute again to the King of Judah Send ye the Lamb that is the Tribute which you formerly paid of Lambs and other cattel to the Ruler of the Land that is to the King of Judah to whom of right you are Vassals ever since David subdued you From Sela some chief City in the South-borders of the Land of Moab which was afterwards taken by Amaziah King of Judah and called Joktheel See the Note 2 King 14.7 To the wilderness that is the wilderness of Jordan in the North-border Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion that is to Jerusalem See the Note Chap. 1.8 Which is all one therefore as if he had said Let all the people all the Land over gather up this Tribute and send it But indeed many Expositors understand this as spoken in a way of derision as if the Prophet had said You had best to prevent the ruin that from Judah will be brought upon you to send the old Tribute again you had wont to pay to Hezekiah the Ruler of the land and it is like in your straits you will think of doing so but alas it will do no good that will not then keep off the destruction which will certainly come upon you Ver. 2. For it shall be that as a wandring bird cast out of the nest or as a nest forsaken so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon A river in the utmost borders of the land of Moab Numb 21.13 The meaning therefore seems to be that as a wandring bird driven out of her nest or as a brood of young birds forsaken of their damme or cast out of their nest do fly up and down not having any body to protect them not knowing whither to go or where to take up their rest so the daughters of Moab that is the Inhabitants of the Towns of Moab or the Moabitish women see Chap. 3.16 17. and Luk. 13.34 even they as well as the men shall flee away out of their Country and wander up and down in desart places not knowing where to settle themselves Or they shall be carried away captives into Assyria over the River Arnon But now we must know that this may be taken as spoken only conditionally to wit that thus it should be with the Moabites if they did not hearken to the advice given them in the foregoing verse But others that understand that which is said in the foregoing verse as spoken Ironically do accordingly understand this as added to shew why there would be no thinking to send a Lamb either by way of pacifying God's anger by Sacrifices or by way of procuring their Peace by paying their former Tribute because instead of that they should flee in great dread from the Sword of the Enemy or should be carried away by the Enemy into Captivity as easily as a bird is driven out of her nest Ver. 3. Take counsel c. That is say some Expositors Consult together how you may escape the destruction that is coming upon you And they that do understand these first words thus do accordingly hold that in the next words the Prophet tells them what would be the best course they could take if they desired to prevent their approaching ruin namely to be courteous and kind to the out-casts of God's people in their distress Execute Judgment make thy shadow as the night c. But I rather conceive that these first words do intend the same thing with those that follow after Take counsel that is Consider with your selves and consult together to wit how you may any way protect and relieve and procure the good of my people in their affliction and distress Execute judgment that is Do that for them which in all Justice and Equity you ought to do be not injurious to my people in their distresses as you have formerly been but shew them that compassion which is due to a people in such misery Make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noon-day that is when my people are driven out of their Country and flee to you to shelter them from their enemies let them be concealed and hidden by you that even at Noon-day they may be as if they were covered with the darkness or shadow of the night when no body can see them or find them out or rather let the harbour and entertainment they find amongst you be as a safe and sweet refuge and refreshment against the noon-day heat of the Assyrians breaking in upon them even as the pillar of the cloud to which haply this Expression doth allude was a covert to the Israelites against the heat of the Sun as they travelled through the VVilderness to Canaan hide the out-casts bewray not him that wandereth that is Hide those that being driven out of their own Land wander up and down amongst you to seek for some place of shelter and do not deliver them up into the hands of their enemies But now all this is understood by many as spoken Ironically Take counsel execute Judgment c. as if he had said Now when the enemy is broken in upon you it may be you will wish you had done what it was indeed your duty to have done to Gods poor people when they were persecuted and pursued by their enemies But alas it is now too late you had wont to reject them and to deal cruelly with them at such times and now you will meet with the same hard measure Ver. 4. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee Moab c. That is those of my people that are driven out of the land which I had given them and that I own still as my people though I have at present in just displeasure against them cast them out for their sins Be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler as if he should have said As at the first bringing of my people out of Egypt you did discover your spleen against them See the Notes Deut. 23.4 so you have done ever since being still ready to side with their enemies that have prevailed against them and to deal hardly with them in their distress but beware do not so still but rather let them have a hiding-place amongst you to shelter them from the rage of their enemies to wit the Assyrians as most Expositors do here conceive But now the drift of all this is only to shew what in all reason the Moabites ought to have done and as some think to insult over their destruction because they had not done so for the Extortioner is at an end the spoiler ceaseth the oppressors are consumed out of the land that is the Land of Judea shall be quite freed from the enemy that came to spoil and oppress her which I say most Expositors understand of the quick dispatch that God made of Sennacherib and his army