5.14 Hell hath enlarged her self Where he saith Hell hath enlarged her self for Hell hath enlarged her Paunch For he speaks of Hell as of a devouring beast And cap. 13.11 I will punish the world for their evil Where by the world is meant the Babylonians which were but part of the world And cap. 57.8 Thou hast discovered thy self to another than me Where he saith thy self for thy nakedness or thy secret parts Synecdoche Partis or Membri is a figure whereby a member or part of a thing is put fâ—â— the whole An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 1 26. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That is The Lord hath spoken it And cap. 3. verse 9. Woe unto their soul That is we unto them And cap. 13.18 Their eye shall not spare children That is they shall not spare children Trajectio See Hyperbaton Transpositio See Hyperbaton 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is when that sentence which should be last of the two is put-first An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 50. verse 2. Their Fish stinketh because there is no water and dieth with thirst where he saith Their Fish stinketh before he saith It dieth whereas it stunk not before it was dead To these take good Reader the meaning of these words and Characters following Supple Supple signifieth as much as Add. And I use this word often when I add somewhat to the words of the Text by way of exposition to make the sense thereof the plainer As cap. 1. verse 3. But Israel doth not know supple his Lord and Master And cap. 6. verse 1. And his train filled the Temple supple in which he saw the Throne erected E. G. E. G. is the abbreviation of Exempli Gratia and signifieth for examples sake or as for example I. E. I. E. is the abbreviation of Id est and signifieth that is or that is to say Q. D. Q. D. is the abbreviation of Quasi diceres or Quasi diceret And signifieth as if thou shouldst say or as if he should say Scil. Scil. is the abbreviation of Scilicet which signifieth to wit V. G. V.G. is the abbreviation of Verbi Gratia and signifieth for example sake or as for example Viz. Viz. is the abbreviation of Videlicet and signifieth to wit AN EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK of the PROPHET ISAIAH ISAIAH CHAP. I. THE Vision of Isaiah The word Vision is taken here for the Object or thing seen by a Metonymie And so it is most frequently taken in Scripture So that if you ask what a Vision is in the most frequent usage of the Scripture It is certaine Images or Idaeas represented by God to the Phancies or Understandings of men in a trance the meaning whereof the Lord doth make known to them that they might make it known to others Between a Vision and a Dream I mean a Dream sent of God there is little or no difference but onely in this that a dream is sent to a man while he is in a sleep as Gen. 37. Vers 5 6. But a Vision while he is awake as Numb 24. Vers 15 16. Note that a Vision in the Singular number is put here for Visions in the Plural number For it is not one Vision onely which is here spoken of but many Note also that because God did not reveal his will to his Prophets by Visions onely but also by other meanes Hence may a Vision be put to signify that which was revealed as well by other meanes as by Visions by a Synecdoche ISAIAH the Son of AMOS This Amos which was the Father of Isaiah was not that Amos which is reckoned among the lesser Prophets But one Amos which as the Hebrews say was the Brother of Amasiah King of Judah so that Isaiah was of the Tribe of Judah and of the bloud Royall Which he saw What he here saw he saw not with the eyes of his body but of his soul Viz. his phansie or understanding And from this kind of seeing was a Prophet of old called a Seer 1 Sam. 9. Vers 9. Concerning Judah By Judah is here meant the Tribe or Children of Judah which Judah was one of the Sons of Jacob Gen. 49.8 And that per Metonymiam efficientis And per Synecdochen membri Not onely the Tribe of Judah but the Tribe of Benjamin also For when the ten Tribes of Israel revolted from the house of David their King the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin stuck to it and became one people and one Kingdome which from the noblest Tribe and the Tribe of the King was called the Kingdome of Judah And Hierusalem i. e. And the Men or Inhabitants of Hierusalem Hierusalem was the chief City and Metropolis of the Kingdome of Judah in which was seated the Temple of God and the Palace of the Kings of Judah In the dayes of Vzziah This Vzziah is called Azariah 2 Kings 15.1 This first verse is as the Title of the whole book And though Isaiah prophesieth in this book of matters concerning the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Aegyptians and others Yet being that his Prophesies are for the greatest part concerning Judah and Hierusalem this book may have its Title from the greatest part of the Contents thereof And yet that which Isaiah prophecied concerning the Assyrians and the Babylonians and others did some way or other concern Judah and Hierusalem So that this whole book may be well stiled The Vision of Isaiah the Son of Amos concerning Judah and Hierusalem 2. Hear O heavens and give ear O earth He speaks to the Heavens and to the earth which are insensible creatures as though they had sense and understanding by a Prosopopoeia The Lord i. e. God whom He calleth the Lord because he is the Lord of all things in general by right of Creation for He created all things Exod. 20. verse 11. And the Lord of the Jewes and Hebrewes in speciall by right of Redemption for he redeemed them out of Egypt to be his peculiar people Exod. 20. ver 2. Hath spoken Supple saying I have nourished and brought up children By these children He meaneth the Jewes That is the men of Judah and Benjamin which made one people which were called the Jewes who with other the sonnes of Israel were Children of the Lord their God Deut. 14. vers 1 These children of his did God nourish while they were in Egypt by Joseph in the Land of Goshen And when they came out of Egypt He fed them with Manna in the Wildernesse And after that with Milk and Honey in the Land of Canaan Yea at all times He provided for them all things necessary as a careful Father doth for his children And thâ—y have rebelled agâ—inst me i. e. And yet for all that they have rebelled against me They are said to rebell against God which refuse to obey his commâ—ndements see ver 19 20. especially if they follow after strange Gods 3. The Oxe knoweth his Owner q. d. The
Oxe though he be a brute beast yet he knoweth his owner that is obeyeth him when he would have him serve in the Plow or in the cart or in treading out his corn And the Asse his Masters cribb q. d. And the Asse though he be a stupid creature yet he knoweth the Master of his Cribb that is is ready to serve him and to take his burthen upon him at any time Note that these words his Masters cribb are put here by an Hypallage for the Master of his Cribb that is his Master which feedeth him and findeth him with meat and provender in his Cribb Israel That is the Jews which were the children of Jacob who was also called Israel because of the power which He had with God Gen. 32. vers 28. The father to wit Israel is put here for the children to wit the Jewes per Metonymiam Efficientis Note that though this name Israel when it is put for the children of Israel since the daies of Rehoboam is most commonly put for the ten Tribes as when we say such or such a one was King of Israel Because the ten Tribes were the greatest part of the children of Israel in that division which was made under Rehoboam â—et this name Israel is put here for the two Tribes to wit the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin which stuck close to the house of David in that division And the Prophet calls them here by the name of Israel the more to shame them that being descended from Holy Israel they did not imitate the works of their father Israel Doth not know Supple his Lord and Master that is do not obey Him Note that the word know is often taken as well practically as speculatively And signifieth as well action and obedience as speculation and meer knowledge And that per Metonymiam antecedentis because knowledge must goe before obedience for how can we obey him whose will we know not My people Supple the Jewes Doth not consider Supplâ— who hath nourished and brought them up so as to serve and obey Him 4. Ah sinfull Nation This Particle Ah signifieth a detestation and indignation together with an admiration of a thing So that the Prophet doth in these words shew his detestation of and indignation towards the Jewes by reason of their sin admiring that they could thus sin against God who had so nourished them and brought them up A people laden with iniquity He compareth iniquity and sin to a weight as the Apostle also doth Hebr. 12.1 with which he saith this people is heavy laden intimating thereby the great number and heinousnesse of their sinnes These words are governed of the former by Apposition A seed of evill doers By Seed are meant children per Metonymiam materiae because children are born of the Seed of their Parents And it is used sometimes absolutely for men and sometimes relatively for Sons and Daughters in relation to their Fathers or Mothers Some take this word Seed here absolutely for men and those words of evill doers instead of an Epithete signifying as much as wicked or evill working for the Hebrews often put a Substantive of the Genitive case for an Adjective q. d. wicked and evill working men Others take this word Seed here relatively for children in relation to their Parents and those words of evill doers they understand of the Parents of these children q. d. Children of wicked Parents as though the Prophet intended to brand them not onely with their own sin but with the sins of their Parents and fore-Fathers also whom they did imitate Children that are corrupters Supple Of themselves by their own sins and of others by their evill company counsell and example They have forsaken the Lord They are said to forfake the Lord which depart from his ways and keep not his Commandements Psal 18.21 That is which forsake the service of the Lord. Note that here is an Enallage of the person for the Prophet passeth from the second to the third person though he speaketh of the same men a figure which he useth often They have provoked the Holy one of Israel to anger Supple by their sinnes q. d. they have made God to be angry with them by reason of their sinnes and in his anger to punish them The Holy one i e. God Note that Holinesse signifieth the separation of a thing from all things else by way of excellency And therefore God is called the Holy One because he is a Majesty of Peerelesse Power and Peerelesse Wisdome and Peerelesse Goodnesse and because he is Peerelesse in all other his Attributes being separated from all other things and above them all in a most eminent manner The Holy one of Israel i. e. The God of Israel When God is called either the God or the Holy one of Israel we may take Israel for Jacob the son of Isaac as he is taken Gen. 28. vers 21. And God may be said to be the God of Israel that is that God of Jacob because God promised to be with Jacob and to keep him and to be his God Gen. 28.15 And because Jacob again made choice of the Lord for his God Gen. 28.21 Or we may take Israel for the children of Israel as it is taken vers 3. And God may be said to be the God of the children of Israel because he redeemed them out of Egypt Exod. 20. ver 2. And took them to be a peculiar people and treasure to himself Deut. 14.2 And because God shewed them his statutes and his judgements and so dealt with them as that he did not do the like to any nation Ps 147. Vers 19.20 And because they promised to obey hâ—m and serve him and him onely Exod. 20 Vers 19. Deut. 5. Vers 27. Gal. 5. Vers 3. They are gone away backward i. e. They are gone back and cease to follow him That is they have forsaken him For these three last phrases signifie one and the same thing 5. Why should ye be stricken any more q. d. Why should I smite you any more or send any more plagues among you The end why God smiteth and plagueth his people is that they should amend their lives As a Father striketh or whippeth his Son that he should amend his faults Now because God had oftentimes smitten and plagued his people and they were never the better for it and it might be feared that they would be never the better for it if he should afflict and plague them againe Therefore he saith here Why should ye be stricken any more Yâ— will revolt more and more q. d. if I should strike you i. e. if I should plague you or punish you you would not be any whit the better for it yea ye would grow worse and worse They are said to revolt from God who forsake his commandements and will not obey him That which the Prophet here speaks of was fulfilled in Ahaz for it is said of Ahaz that in his distresse he did yet trespasse more and more
places the word fire is as needlesse as a mans Pen is here and is sufficiently intimated in the word burn Concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz q. d. That which I shall tell thee concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz as v. g. who shall be his Mother that shall bear him and who his Father that shall beget him and what his name shall be and what his name shall signifie and portend c. He calleth him here Maher-shalal-hash-baz by a Prolepsis for as yet he was not named as appeareth v. 3. 2. And I took unto me faithfull witnesses to record q. d. And according to what was written and commanded by God in that Roul I married the Prophetess whom God would have me to marry and when I married her I took faithful witnesses to record or bear witnesse of my marriage Here the Prophet comprehends a great deal in few words which may be understood by the context Note that Matrimonie among the Jewes was not wont to be celebrated before lesse than ten witnesses Uriah the Priest and Zechariah the sonne of Jeberechiah This Vriah was High Priest of whom we read 2 King 16.10 and Zachariah was a Prophet of whom we read 2 Chron. 29.13 Note that these were not all the witnesses which Isaiah took to record or bear witnesse of his marriage but onely two of them which two are here named because they were men of great authority to shew that in a matter of great moment he would take witnesses suteable 3. And I went unto the Prophetesse i. e. And I lay with the Prophetesse which was now my wife The Prophetesse Some think that this woman was indued with the gift of Prophesie and therefore called a Prophetess Others think that she is here called a Prophetesse onely because she was the wife of a Prophet Viz. the Prophet Isaiah as we use to call the wife of a Major Majoresse Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz This name Maher-shalal-hash-baz being interpreted is In making to the spoile he hasteneth the prey Or Make speed to the spoil hasten the prey And it was given to the child to signifie that the Assyrians should come speedily and take a great prey from the Syrians and the ten Tribes of Israel 4. Before the Child shall have knowledge to cry my Father and my Mother i. e. Before the child Maher-shalal-hash-baz shall come to so much knowledge as to know his Father and his Mother and call them by their names The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shâ—ll be taken before the King of Assyria i. e. the riches of the Syrians and the spoil of the Kingdome of the ten Tribes of Israel shall be taken and carried away by the Assyrians We read of the fulfilling of this 2 Kings 15.29 and 2 Kings 16.9 and it was fulfilled by Tiglath-Pileser Damascus was the head or chief City of Syria Chap. 7.8 As Samaria was the head or chief City of the ten Tribes and these two Cities are here put to signifie the severall Kingdomes which were subject to them Before the King of Assyria i. e. Before the face of Tiglath-Pilesser King of Assyria by his souldiers and at his command 5. The Lord spake also unto me again That which the Lord spake here containes his threats against the Jewes for that they believed not what he spake against the Syrians and the men of Israel but did for all that rejoyce in Rezin and Remaliah's sonne 6. Forasmuch as this People By this People is meant the men of Judah Where note that all the men of Judah did not refuse the waters of Siloah yet what some of them onely did is imputed to the whole People because of the communion which is between a part and the whole Refuse the waters of Siloah that go softly Siloah was a soft and gentle stream which arose out of Mount Siâ—n in Hierusalem and thence glided gently and softly along into the brook Kidron and by the waters of this soft gentle stream the Prophet doth here Metaphorically mean the house of David that is the King of Judah and the royall seed thereof which descended from David whom he likeneth to the waters of Siloah because as the waters of Siloah were but low and the current thereof but weak So to the eyes of man the house of David was but weak in strength and in a mean and low condition in respect of any humane power it had though it was upheld by the power of God at this time He takes his Metaphor from Siloah because Siloah was well known to the Jewes to whom he spake and because Siloah sprang out of Sion which was a hill in Hierusalem the head City of Judah upon which the Palace of the Kings of Judah was built From this place it appeareth that many of the men of Judah did despise the house of David to whom the Scepter and Kingdome of Judah did belong because it was weak and destitute of humane power at this time and did wish that the Kingdome of Judah were translated to the Syrians and the Kings of Israel who were confederate with the Syrians thinking by these meanes that they should be no more afflicted as they had been by the ten Tribes and by the Syrians And this they did because they heard that the Syrians and the Israelites had made a league together and would joyne their forces to invade Judah and that they thought that Judah would never have been able to resist them Forasmuch as this People refuse At least in their mind and in their private practises The waters of Siloah which goe softly i. e. The house of Judah which is low and destitute of humane power and not sufficient in it self to resist Rezin and Pekah And rejoyce in Rezin and Remaliak's son i. e. And wish that Rezin King of Assyria and Pekah the sonne of Remaliah King of Israel who are joyned together in league were Lords of Judah instead of the house of David To rejoyce Is put here for to desire and wish for per Metonymiam effecti because we rejoyce in that which we desire and wish for when we have obtained it 7. The Lord bringeth upon them i. e. The Lord will bring upon the men of Judah which refuse the waters of Siloah and rejoyce in Rezin and Remaliah's sonne Because waters lie lower than the top and surface of the earth he useth here the Metaphor of waters therefore he saith the Lord bringeth up c. The Lord bringeth up i. e. The Lord will bring up A present is put for a future tense The waters of the river strong and many By the River is here meant Euphrates which is called in Scripture the River 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was a very great River and a River which ran with a very strong and mighty stream and current By the River Euphrates is meant Metaphorically the King of Assyria whom he signifieth by this River rather than by any other River because as Euphrates was a great and a strong mighty River so was
by Salmaneser because of the league which the Syrians had there with the ten Tribes against Assyria 2 Kings 18.9 c. Is taken away for being a City i. e. Shall be destroyed and be no City but an heap of rubbish He puts a Preterperfect for a Future tense as Prophets are wont And it shall be a ruinous heape i. e. And it shall be reduced to a heape of stones and rubbish 2. The Cityeâ— of Aroer are forsaken i. e. The Câ—tyes of Aroer shall be forsaken and left desolate because the Inhabitants shall either flie away or be slaine or carried into Captivity Aroer Aroer was a Tract of land by the brink of the River Arnon which the Reubenites and Gadites and Manassites did possesse of which Deut. 2.36 And of this Aroer do some interpret this place thinking it to have been held by the Syrians at this time Others had rather take it of a Tract of land in Syria called also by the Hebrews Aroer by Ptolomie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall be for flocks i e. Sheep and other Cattle shall feed and lodge there They shall lie down Supple Quietly And none shall make them afraid Because there shall be left none of those Cityes to disquiet them 3. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim i. e. Samaria also shall be taken away from the ten Tribes of Israel which was the Royall City of that Kingdome By the Fortresse is meant Samaria which he calleth a Fortresse from the strength and Fortifications thereof For it was as strong and as well fortified as if the whole City had been a Fortresse so strong and well fortified it was as that Salmaneser besiedged it three yeares before he took it 2 Kings 18.9 10. By Ephraim he meaneth the ten Tribes of Israel See Cap. 7.2 Because Ephraim and Syria joyned in their sin they are here joyned in their punishment and are both so distressed as that the one is not able to help the other And the Kingdome from Damascus So that Damascus shall not be a Royall City and head of a Kingdome as before And the remnant of Syria Supple So that none of the Syrians which shall be left shall come to be Kings of Syria or of the Syrians They shall be as the glory of the Children of Israel i. e. The Syrians though they are very many for number glory of their multitude yet they shall be as the glory or multitude of the Children of Israel that is they shall be brought low and diminished as the Children of Israel shall That is q. d. The Syrians and the Children of Israel though now they are exceeding many for number yet both of them shall be brought low they shall become few in number The glory of a Nation consisted in the multitude of a People And that most commonly the Prophet calls a Nations glory either because they gloried in it themselves or were renowned abroad for it by others That therefore that the Prophet saith here is this as I said viz. that the great multitudes of the Syrians shall become as the great multitudes of the ten Tribes of Israel If you ask what became of the great multitudes of the ten Tribes of Israel he will tell you in the next following verses that they were diminished and brought to a small number Note that the Prophet gives a reason here why he said the remnant of Syria q. d I said the remnant of Syria for the great multitudes and glory of the Syrians shall be as the glory of the Children of Israel it shall be diminished and brought to a remnant as they shall Note that there is no formall Antecedent here going before this Relative They but the Antecedent may easily be understood 4. And in that day it shall come to passe For In that day it shall come to passe c. He puts And for For For he sheweth here in what he likened the Syrians or the glory of Syria to Children of Israel or the glory of Isra l. In that day i. e. At that time in which the Lord wiil scourge the Israelites by Salmaneser The glory of Jacob shall be made thinn i. e. The great multitude of the ten Tribes of Israel shall be diminished and brought low and left as but a remnant This is the sense of these words but the Prophet useth a Metaphor here and puts Jacob the Father for the ten Tribes of Israel which were the Children of Jacob by a Metonymie As Jacob therefore was a single man so doth he there speak of all the ten Tribes as if they were but one single man yet a bigg fat and corpulent man and the multitude and great numbers of the ten Tribes he likeneth to the corpulency and fatnesse of that man For as a man groweth big by his corpulency and the fatnesse of his flesh So doth a Nation or Kingdome by the multitude of its People And as a man growes thin and slender when the corpulency and fatnesse of his flesh abateth So is a Kingdome or Nation diminished and brought low when the multitude of its People is destroyed The glory of Jacob. By the Glory of Jacob is here meant the Corpulency and bignesse of the naturall body of Jacob by which as I said is meant the multitude of the politique body of the people of Israel which multitude is a Peoples glory And the fatnesse of his flesh i. e. And the fatnesse of Jacob's flesh by which he meaneth the multitude of the children of Israel as he did by the glory of Jacob. For as man groweth big by the fatnesse of his flesh so doth a People wax great by their multitude Shall be made lean i. e. Shall be diminished or brought low 5. And it shall be as when the harvest man gathereth the Corn and reapeth the eares with his arme i. e. And the glory that is the multitude of the Children of Israel shall be as when the harvest man gathereth the corn and reapeth the eares with his arme For as the harvest man gathereth the corn and reapeth the eares with his arme that he may carry them out of the field into the barne So shall Salmaneser gather the great multitude of the Children of Israel and fetch them from their severall dwellings to carry them out of their own land into Assyria Note that the Antecedent to this Relative It is the glory or multitude of Israel likened to the glory or fatnesse of Jacobs flesh v. 4. For the Prophet often passeth from the thing signifying to the thing signified Note that these two Phrases gathereth the Corn and reapeth the Eares Are but repetitions and signifie the same thing for the Prophet loves to repeat the same thing by diverse words Or if they signifie divers things by gathering of the corn is meant the gathering and grasping of the standing corn with the left hand in reaping that he may the better cut or reap it with the right hand And by the reaping of the eares is meant the
all should be consumed that do these things And their thoughts Yea their thoughts And is put here for Yea. It shall come that I will gather all Nations These words relate to and follow those words v. 14. And the Hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants for as they so these speak of that happy and glorious condition which the godly Jews should enjoy after their return out of Babylon into their own Land It shall come that I will gather all Nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory i. e. It shall come to passe that I will gather many of all Nations and of all Languages together and they shall come and see those glorious things which I will do for Jerusalem and for my people the Jewes which serve me The meaning is q. d. And it shall come to passe that the glory which I will give my Servants when they come into their own Land shall be so great as that all Nations shall be taken with the fame thereof and many of them shall come to see that their glory which I will give them Note that many of these Nations did not only come to see the glory of the Jewes but did also desire a League of amity with them and many of them also did upon sight of what the Lord had done for them become Proselytes as appeareth v. 2.3 I will gather all Nations i. e. I will gather many of all Nations This he saith to signifie that very many of all Nations and Countries should come to Jerusalem to see the glory which God gave her i. e. the Jews being moved with the fame thereof All Nations i. e. Many of all Nations A Synecdoche Generis Or an Hyperbole God saith here that he would gather all Nations to come and see His Glory because he would bestowe such glory upon Jerusalem and his Servants the Jewes as that all Nations should heare of it and many of all Nations should come and that in great multitudes to Jerusalem to see that glory And all tongues i. e. Men of all Tongues and Languages My glory i. e. That glory which I will give to Jerusalem vers 12. and my Servants the Jewes vers 10. This glory he calleth His because he was the Authour of it 91 And I will set a sign among them i. e. And I will set up an Ensign among the men of Israel that is I will gather the men of Israel together which are scattered abroad and they also shall come and see my glory By them are meant the men of Israel or of the ten Tribes which were scattered abroad whom he calls their Brethren v. 20. and at whom he seemeth to point when he saith I will set a sâ—gn among them And he alludeth here to a Captain or Generall who when he would call his Souldiers together to march any where sets up a Standard or an Ensigne for them to repair to Note here that though the greatest part of the ten Tribes of Israel were destroyed or carried away captive into Assyria and their Common-wealth was brought to naught by Salmaneser 2 Kings 18.11 yet God left a few in the Land of Israel as it were gleaning Grapes and the shaking of the Olive Tree Isaiah 17.6 And besides those that were left in the Land of Israel and those that were carried away Captive into Assyria there were others which fled in their extremity to other Countries to save themselves as to Tarshish Pul Lud c. of which many returned to Jerusalem and lived among their Brethren the Jews when they heard what great things the Lord had done for the people the Jews and what glory he had bestowed upon Jerusalem Among them i. e. By them he meaneth the men of Israel or of the ten Tribes whom he seemeth to point at when he saith among them He maketh particular mention of the men of Israel that is of the ten Tribes because he had said â—e would have no more mercy upon the house of Israel but would utterly take them away Hos 1.6 And I will send those that escape of them to the Nations i. e. And I will send many of the men of Israel which live among the Jewt and have escaped those dangers into which they fell c. These God sent to the Nations not by any express or open command but by his secret providence directing them that way when they had a mind to traffick or the like And God might make these an Instrument of reducing the scattered of Israel rather then any other because of the neer relation which was between them and the dispersed of Israel To Tarshish Tarshish I take to be the same with Tartessus a City in Spain and by a Metonymy the inhabitants of that City Pul Some take Pul to signifie Africa in general others that part of Africa which is neer to Fez and here they take it for the Inhabitants of one or other of these places Lud By Lud is meant the posterity of Lud which were called Lydians of whom Gen. 10.22 That draw the Bow i. e. That are skilful Archers and have strength and knowledge how to draw the Bow well To Tubal By Tubal are meant the children of Tubal which was the son of Japhet Gen. 10.2 To Javan By Javan are meant the children of Javan which was the son of Japhet Gen. 10.2 The Isles afar off q. d. That is To the habitants of the Regions and Countries which are afar off The Hebrews call all Regions and Countries Islands especially if they abut upon the Sea or any great river That have not heard my fame i. e. That have not heard the report of those things which I have done for my servants the Jews Neither have seen my glory i. e. Neither have seen those glorious things which I have done for my servants the Jews Glory is put here per Metonymiam effecti or adjuncti for great acts or things worthy of glory and bringing glory to the author or doer of them And they shall declare my glory amongst the Gentiles i. e. And they shall declare to the Gentiles among whom their Brethren of Israel live the glorious works that I have done for my servants the Jews and the glory which I have bestowed upon Jerusalem 20. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord i. e. And the Gentiles when they hear of my glory shall come themselves and shall bring all your brethren the men of Israel which live among them with them as an offering to the Lord. That which is here meant is that many of these Nations should become proselytes and that many of the children of Israel or ten Tribes should turn to the Lord and dwell among the Jews He speaks to the Jews and he calleth the men of Israel their brethren a lovely name because they were all descended from the same father Jacob. Note that the Lord useth an Enallage of the person here and speaks here of
Exegesis Exegesis is a Figure whereby a Latter sentence is put to expound a Former or Latte words the Former An Example of this we have Isaiah cap. 22. vers 22. where those words I will cloath him with thy Robe and strengthen him with thy girdle are expounded by those which immediatly follow after namely by those I will commit thy government into his hand Hypallage Hypallage is a Figure by which the order of things is inverted An Example of this we have Isaiah cap. 1. vers 3. The asse knoweth his masters cribb where his masters cribb r the cribb of his Master is put for the Master of his Cribb And cap. 25.7 where The face of the covering is put for The covering of the face And cap. 58. verse 5. where A day for a man to aâ—flict his soul is put for For a man to afflict his soul for a Day Hyperbaton Trajectio Transpositio Hyperbaton Trajectio or Transpositio is a Figure whereby words are transposed from the plain Grammaticall Order An Example hereof we have Isaiah 28.1 Wo to the crown of pride to the drunkards of â—phra m whose glorious beauty is a fâ—ding flower which are on the head of the fat valleys c. The Order of which words should be this Wo to the crown of Pride whose glorious beâ—uty is a fading flower to the Drunkards of Ephraim which are on the head of the fat valleys c. Hyperbole Hyperbole is a Figure by which we speak of a thing above the truth thereof An Example of this we have Isaiah cap. 34.3 The Mountains shall be melted with their blood and all the host of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroul and all their host shall fall down as the leaf falleth off from the vine And verse 9. The streames thereof shall be turned into pitch and the dust thereof into brimstone and the land thereof shall become burning pitch it shall not be quenched night nor day the smoke thereof shall go up for ever Ironie An Ironie is a Figure whereby we speak contrary to what we mean thereby to mock him to whom or of whom we speak An Example of this we have Isaiah cap. 10 verse 12. where the Lord saith he would punish the glory of the high looks of the Kings of Assyria And cap. 19. verse 11. where the Prophet saith The counsell of the wise councellors of Pharaoh is become brutish And again verse 12. Where are they where are thy wisemen In which place the Lord did not think that there was any great Glory in the high looks of the King of Assyria or his Prophet that there was any great Wisdom in Pharaohs councellors But what they said they said one to mock Senacherib the other to mock Pharaohs councellors Catachresis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catachresis or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Figure whereby a word is abused for lack of the proper word An Example of this we have cap. 24 30. where the Prophet cals the people of the Jewes that were in the very lowest and poorest conâ—ition The first-born of the poor where there is a great abâ—se of that word The first-born See Notes on that place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That thing is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not absolutely so as it is said to be but onely in some regard An Example we have of this Isaiah cap. 20. vers 3 where Isaiah is said to have walked naked which is to be understood not absolutely as though Isaiah had no cloathes on but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in some regard to wit Because he walked without his sackcloath that is without his uppâ—r Garment Verse 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Figure whereby a virtuous and good man doth out of Modesty make himsâ—lf partaker of other mens vices and other men partakers of his vertues An Example of this we have Isaiah cap. 53.3 4. where the good and godly man telling what was done by the wicked speak thus We hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not surely he hath born our griefes and carried our sorrowes yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted c. When the good and godly men maâ—e themsâ—lves of the number of the wicked and partakers of their wickednesse for this is spoken by them or in their person And themselves partakers of the wickednesse of the wicked so do they here make the wicked partakers also of their vertuâ—s in that they make this godly confession in their name also when they say we hâ—d as it were our faces from him c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a figure by which we speak of greater things in lessening words or in words which lessen the matter An example of this we have Isa cap. 9.17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young 〈◊〉 By which is meâ—nt that the Lord would grievously afflict tâ—em and destroy them almâ—st 〈…〉 dâ—struction And cap. 17.13 The Lord shall rebuke them When the Lord did not onely rebuke them which is nothing else but a chiâ—ing of words but did smite them too tiâ—â— he had destroyed them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the same figure with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Metaphora Metaphora or A Metaphor iâ— a figure whereby we translate and take a word which properly signifieth one thing to signifie another and that by reason of some similitude or likeness which is between those things An example of this we have Isaiah 9.12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind shall devour Israel with open mouth where to devour with open mouth which is properly spoken of Lions and Bears and Wolves and such like ravenous beasts is translated to the Syrians and Philistines because they should destroy Israel as thâ—se ravenous beasts use to destroy the flock and the heard while they devour them Metonymia Metonymia or A Metonymie is manifold the species or kinds thereof follow Metonymia Actus Metonymia Actus is a figure whereby the Act is put for the Object An example of this we have Isaiah cap. 21.2 A grievous Vision is declared to Me. Where Vision which signifieth the Act of seeing is put for the Object or thing seen Metonymia Adjuncti Metonymia Adjuncti is a figure whereby the Adjunct or Accident is put for the Subject to which the Adjunct is adjoyned or for which the Accident is inherent An example of this we have Isaiah 4.5 Upon all the Glory shall be a Defence where Glory is put for the Glorious ones Metonymia Causae Metonymia Causae is a figure whereby the Cause is put for the Effect or thing caused An example whereof we have Isaiah 1.3 But Israel doth not know where Israel the Father is put for the Iews the children of Israel And cap.
Israel that is upon the House or Tribe of Judah and the House or Tribe of Benjamin For a stone of stumbling By a stone of stumbling is meant a stumbling block or stone at which a Man stumbleth A Substantive of the Genitive case being put here by an Hebraisme for an Adjective Now because a Man which runneth and in his running stumbleth at a stone cometh thereby to a great fall And if he flieth before his Enemy he doth not onely come to a great fall but also is overtaken with his enemie and slain So that the stone is to him a cause of hurt by his fall and a cause of his death in that by his fall his Enemie overtook him and slew him Hence it is that to be a stone of stumbling is put Metaphorically for to be a cause of evill to a Man or to bring evill upon a Man yea to be the cause of destruction to him or to bring destruction upon him And for a Rock of offence By a Rock of offence is meant a Rock against which a Man doth offend that is strike or hit his foot and so stumbleth Note that this is but the former sentence repeated and that a Rock here signifieth no more than a Stone there which is called a Rock not because of the Greatnesse but rather because of the hardnesse of it It was no great Stone with which Zipporah circumcised her Child Exod. 4. v. 25. yet it is there called Petra that is a Rock To both the houses of Israel i. e. To both the Tribes of Israel Viz. The Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin which two Viz. Judah and Benjamin were the Sonnes of Jacob who was called Israel When the other ten Tribes revolted from the House of David in the dayes of Rehoboam these continued their obedience 2 Chron. 11.12 Hence we read these two Tribes often joyned together as 2 Chron. 14.8 and 15.2 c. Yet doe both these two Tribes goe often under the name of Judah onely as Chap. 1. v. 1. for reasons there given For a Gin and for a Snare A Gin is an instrument or decive to catch birds And a Snare is an instrument or device made and laid to catch beasts Now because these birds which were taken in the Gin were killed by the Fowler and those Beasts which are taken in the Snare are killed by the Hunter Therefore to be for a Gin and for a Snare is put here by a Metaphor for to be a cause of destruction or to bring destruction upon men So that To be for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence for a gin and for a snare Sgnifieth To afflict and to destroy To the Inhabitants of Hierusalem Note here that both the houses of Israel and the Inhabitants of Hierusalem are put by a Synecdoche for those of both the houses of Israel and of the Inhabitants of Hierusalem which would not fear the Lord but feared Rezin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel and made a conspiracy or confederacy against their own King that they might curry favour with them For a Snâ—re and for a Gin to the Inhabitants of Hierusalem Being that Hierusalem was preserved both when Rezin and Pekah came against it and also when Sennacherib invaded Judah it may be asked how any of the Inhabitants of Hierusalem could be destroyed Answ The Inhabitants of Hierusalem here spoken of as they thought Ahaz too weak to withstand Rezin and Pekah So might they think Hezekiah too weak to withstand Sennacherib and so not trusting themselves in the City when the Armies of the Enemies came against Judah they might get out and perhaps joyne with Sennacherib's men and so perish either by them or with them if they perished not before 15. Shall stumble and fall and be broken i. e. Shall be afflicted and brought to misery A Metaphor from a man which running stumbleth at a stone in his way and falleth and so cometh to hurt And be broken He alludeth to those which in their running stumble at a stone and fall and so break their face or knees or armes or leggs c. And be snared and be taken i. e. And shall be destroyed He alludeth to Birds and Beasts which are taken in Gins and Snares and so killed by the hands of the Hunter or Fowler Bind up the Testimony i. e. Bind up the Roul in which thou hast written that which I have told thee concerning the matter of Rezin and Pekah and the Instructions which I gave thee concerning my People whereby they might know how to carry themselves at that time and wherein thou hast written the calamities which shall befall them which revolt from their own natural King to Strangers These are the words of the Lord to the Prophet Whether these things were written in the same Roul which is mentioned v. 1. or no it matters not onely this is certain that the Prophet wrote these things in a Roul and exposed the Roul to the open view of all that passed by that they might read them He calleth this Roul the Testimony because it testified what the mind of God was in these particulars This Testimony Isaiah had enrouled or written in a Roul or Parchment both that he might the better preserve it and that he might expose it to all men to read and therefore the Lord saith here to him Bind it up q. d. Roul up this Testimony which thou hast engrossed in Parchment and exposed to all men to read and when thou hast rouled it up bind it that it unroul not This Testimony that is this Revelation and Instruction so written and enrouled God had commanded as it seemeth to be laid open and made publique for all to read yea for those which refused Ahaz and desired Rezin and Remaliah's sonne And for this end did he command it to be laid open that all might take warning thereby to rely upon God and make no confederacy against their King But because they which refused Ahaz would not be warned thereby and return to their obedience by this the Lord commands it in anger to be taken away from them and rouled up and bound and sealed and to be shewen onely to his Disciples and left among them that it might be a Testimony to Posterity What gratious warning he gave those Traitors though they would not take his warning And that his Disciples might have the will of God alwayes by them to square their actions according to it Seal the Law among my Disciples q. d. Seal the Law and keep it close from these men and carry it to and lay it open among my Disciples viz. that it may be a Testimony that thou didst warn these Traytors in my name and that my Disciples may have my words near them to rule themselves according to them The Speech is Elleipticall Seal the Law i e. Keep the Law close to wit from these Traitors To Seal signifieth to keep close by a Metaphor taken from the
darknesse comprehended all miseries and Calamities as was said Cap. 5. v. 30. and v. 2. of this Chapter A Present is put here for a Future tense And the people shall be as the fuel of fire i. e. And the people thereof shall be destroyed as the fuell is by the fire No man shall spare his brother He sheweth here how the people shall be as the fuell of fire that is how they shall be destroyed He saith that they shall be destroyed one of another His Brother i. e. His Countrey man or Man of his own Nation q. d. No man shall spare his Country-man or Man of his own Nation though he is his Country man or man of his own Nation The Hebrews called any one which was of their own Nation their Brother according to that which we read Deut. 15. v. 7 12. 20. And he shall snatch And is put here for But and He is put here for These For He hath here the force of a plural number as appeares by the word They following And the words no man going before And he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry i. e. But these shall snatch and tear in pieces their Brethren which stand on their right hand and yet shall not be satisfied but shall go on still and snatch and teare in pieces whomsoever they meet with And he shall eat on the left hand and they shall not be satisfied i. e. And They shall fall upon and devoure their Brethren which are on their left hand and yet shall not be filled but kill and destroy and devoure still Note here the Enalage of the number where he joynes a singular and plural together in the same sentence They shall eat every man the flesh of his own Arme. q. d. They shall devoure or destroy every one his own Brother By the Arme he signifieth Metaphorically a Neighbour or Brother For as the strength of a mans body is in his Arme and with that he helps himself and defends himself when he is assaulted So is one neighbour the strength of another And one Brother the strength of another And Neighbours and brethren when they are assaulted by any force are ready to aide and help one another He saith the flesh of his arme for his arme by a Synecdoche Because the flesh onely is that which is usually eaten What the Prophet said v. 19. that no man should spare his Brother he here amplifieth or proveth under a Metaphor for saith he as Lions or Beares or other wild Beasts which are hunger-bit run raging into the flock or into the heard and there kill and devoure some on this side and some on that and are never satisfied So shall the men of Israel rage and destroy among their Brethren in battle and shall kill all they meet with without mercy 21. Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh i. e. The Children of Manasseh shall eat or devoure the children of Ephraim and the Children of Ephraim shall eat or devoure the Children of Manasseh He persisteth still in the Metaphor of wild Beasts Ephraim and Manasseh are put here by a Metonymie for the Children of Ephraim and Manasseh The Prophet nameth these 2 tribes of Israel the more to exaggerate and set out the greatness of this Calamity For Ephraim Manasseh were not onely the Children of Israel but also the Children of Joseph and therefore neerer allied between themselves than any other Tribes were It is therefore the sign of the greater miserie that they should destroy one another At what time this that the Prophet here prophesieth of came to passe cannot be certainely gathered from the Scripture But this by conjecture Though Salmaneser lead the greatest part of the Children of Israel away Captive and broke the Kingdome of Israel from being any more a Kingdome yet after Salmaneser's departure some of every Tribe were left in the Land of Israel Cap. 17. vers 6. And many which had fled away and hid themselves for fear of Salmaneser returned and dwelt in the Land of Israel againe And between that time and Sennacherib's expedition against Judah they had strengthened themselves and they with others had fortified Samaria for themselves So that Sennacherib had some work there before he marched against Judah as may be gathered with probability out of 2 Kings Cap. 18. v. 23. In that work therefore which Sennacherib had to reduce Samaria and those that rebelled it is likely that he pressed many of the Children of Israel to serve him against Samaria So that now a Child of Israel fought against a Child of Israel and a brother killed and destroyed a brother an Ephramite a Manassite and a Manassite an Ephramite And when he went against Judah It is likely that he carried many of the Children of Israel to serve him and to fight for him in that expedition against Judah And thus it might come to passe which he here saith No man shall spare his Brother they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arme Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh and they together shall be against Judah And they together shall be against Judah This as I said is likely to have been when Sennacherib went in his expedition against Judah and besiedged Hierusalem For Conquerours use to make use of the Conquered to fight their battels and so might he make use of many of the ten Tribes to fight against the Tribe of Judah even against their wills Note that though the men of Israel were enemies to the men of Judah and did often conspire with other nations against Judah while they were a Kingdome and Common-wealth of themselves Yet after their Kingdome was destroyed by Salmaneser and they were no longer a Common-wealth they which remained and dwelt afterwards in the Land did stick close to the men of Judath and were in good Amity and friendship with them And the men of Judah with them againe as affording them such succour and refuge as one wanted and the other could give as may be gathered from Cap. 11. v. 13 14. A great part therefore must it be of the Misery of the ten Tribes that they should be forced to fight against Judah at such a time as Judah and they were such friends and they received all kindnesse at Judah's hands For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still i. e. For all this his anger will not cease against Ephraim or Israel But he will still stretch out his hand against them and smite them After all the misery which is here spoken of the Children of the ten Tribes did suffer much hardship and bitternesse in the Land of their Captivity and elsewhere ISAIAH CHAP. X. WOE unto them that decree unrighteous decrees This Prophesie is denounced against unjust and corrupt Judges And that write grievousnesse which they have prescribed i. e. And that commanded the Clearks and Registers to write and register the grievous Decrees which they have made That write To write
Campus Martius and hath little left of old Rome but onely the name as being not scituated in the same place Neither shall the Arabian pitch Tent there There were Arabians which lived wholly upon their cattle which they drove from place to place for fresh pasture And they themselves lived in Tents which they moved from place to place for the more benefit of their flocks and herds from their living in Tents they were called Arabes Scenitae and from their feeding of cattle Nomades These Arabians bordered upon Chaldea and therefore it had been convenient for them to have pitch'd their Tents and fed their cattle there if there had been good conveniency there for feeding of cattle But he saith the Arabian shall not pitch his Tent there to wit there to feed his cattle because it should not be a place fit to feed cattle by reason of the ruines and rubbish which should be there and the briars and thornes which should grow up there and especially because of the wild beast which he mentioneth in the next verse which should lodge there Yet note that by an Arabian we may understand Metonymically any one which led that kind of life as those Arabians did though he were not an Arabian born that is any Shepheard and so by an Arabian may be meant a Shepheard here as well as a naturall Arabian Neither shall the Shepheards make their fold there i. e. Neither shall the Shepheards feed their sheep there for where Shepheards make their fold they feed their Sheep This is a repetition of the former sentence 21. And their houses i. e. And those ruinous parts of their houses which remain Dolefull Creatures i. e. Creatures which make mournfull cryes and noises And Saytres shall dance there Satyres were reputed as Gods of the woods among the Heathen whose upper parts were like a Man their lower parts like a Goate If you ask what they were indeed Surely they were no other than Devils in such a shape who haunt for the most part remote woods and sollitary places and there appear in strange formes Shall dance there He alludes to the leapping and skipping and dancing of wanton Goates part of whose shapes these Devills assumed 22. And the wild beasts of the Islands i. e. Strange beasts which Inhabite Islands and remote places Note That the Hebrewes call all places near the Seas Islands Shall cry i. e. Shall make hideous noises In their pleasant Palaces i. e. In those which are now pleasant Palaces but then shall be ruinous heapes Her time is near to come i. e. The time in which Babylon shall be thus afflicted is near at hand And her dayes shall not be prolonged i. e. And the dayes which she hath to flourish shall not be many Or thus And her dayes in which these things shall come upon her which I have spoken of shall not be long before they come that is they shall not be deferred These Phrases shew that it was not long before this Prophesie was executed upon Babylon and therefore surely it was executed before the dayes of Cyrus in the dayes which Josephus saith that the Medes destroyed the Assyrian Empire ISAIAH CHAP. XIIII FOR the Lord will have mercy upon Jacob. i. e. For the Lord will have mercy upon the Children of Jacob and his mercy will be shewed in that that he will punish and bring down their enemies and comfort and refresh them In particular he will by the overthrow of Babylon give the Children of Jacob which were held in slavery and in bondage in Babylon opportunity to return to their own land againe Jacob is put here per Metonymiam efficientis for the Children of Jacob. Note that this hath Coherence with the former Chapter and containes a reason why God would deal so severely with the Babylonians and destroy Babylon And will yet choose Israel i. e. And will yet shew that he made choice of Israel for a peculiar people by his love to them Israel is put here by a Metonymie for the Children of Israel who is the same as Jacob For Iacob and Israel are but two names of one man Gen. Chap. 32. v. 28. And to choose signifieth to shew love for God sheweth his love to them whom he maketh choice of And set them in their own land i. e. And bring them which are or shall be Captives in Babylon c. back out of Babylon c. into that Land which he gave them at first to wit the Land of Canaan When Sennacherib invaded Judaea and took many Jewes captive it is likely that he sent them away into Babylon and other places of his Dominions as fast as he took them and as he had the opportunity of a Convoy for them And of these might this place be understood q. d. The Lord will have mercy upon those Jewes the children of Jacob who also is called Israel whom Sennacherib shall send away Captive into Babylon and will yet shew his love to them and set them in their own land againe But it may not so be understood of them but that by Jacob and Israel may be here meant the People of the ten Tribes also q. d. Though the Lord hath utterly cut off the ten Tribes of Israel from being a people and hath sent them into captivity into Babylon and other places of the Assyrians dominions by Tiglah-Pilesser first and Salmanaser afterwards and seemeth to have quite forsaken them for evermore yet will he have mercy upon them and will yet shew his love to them and set them in their own land againe We read expressely that the King of Assyria brought men from Babylon c. and placed them in the Cityes of Samaria instead of the Children of Israel 2 Kigns 17.24 wherefore it is certaine that the Children of Israel many of them were sent at that time back to Babylon for such changes were the Eastern Conquerours wont to make Note here that the Lord never brought back the ten Tribes to be a People and kingdome and Common-wealth of themselves againe as he brought the two Tribes of of Judâ—h and Benjamin after that Nebucadnezzar had carried them away Captive into Babylon But he is said to set the Childdren of Jacob or the Children of the ten Tribes in their Land againâ— because he gave them opportunity to escape out of Babylon and other places of their Captivity and to return back into the land of Canaan which he gave unto their Fathers by the troubles which he brought upon Babylon and the King of Assyria whose power he broke in pieces at this time by the Mâ—des which opportunity many of them made use of and came back into the land of Canaan and dwelt there not onely in the Cityes of Israel but also in the Cityes of Judah which being lately wasted by Sennacherib had roome enough to entertaine them So that any part of the land of Canaan that land which God gave to their forefathers may here be called their own land as England
bound i. e. Are as bound This is a repetition of the former sentence Together i. e. Every one of them This relates to the word All as before Which have fled from far i. e. Which have fled from the farthest parts of thy Land the Land of Judah into thee because thou art the strongest City of the Land encompassed with strong walls and fortified with good bulwarks 4. Therefore said I look away from me Hitherto the Prophet spoke in his own person to Jerusalem now Jerusalem answereth the Prophet in her person For this is as it were a Dialogue between the Prophet and Jerusalem yet all in a Vision The answer which Jerusalem gives for her going up to the house-tops is this that she went thither to weep and lament because the daughter of her people was spoyled Therefore said I look away from me I will weep bitterly q. d. Therefore went I wholly up to the house-tops because I said look away from me I will weep bitterly labor not to comfort me and therefore I said look away from me I will weep bitterly labor not to comfort me because of the spoyling of the daughter of my people c. Here is a Brachylogy a great deal contained in a little Therefore This relates to that which follows namely to that because of the spoyling c. Said I Supple To those which would fain comfort me Look away from me i. e. Think not to comfort me and therefore come not to me neither look upon me or visit me for that end I will weep bitterly labor not to comfort me because of the spoyling of the daughter of my people i. e. For I will weep bitterly and will not be comforted because the daughter of my people is spoyled Note that by the daughter of my people may be meant Samaria onely which was the chief City of the ten Tribes for the Hebrews use to call a City by the name of a daughter or virgin as was observed Cap. 1.8 And the spoyling here spoken of was that which was made by Salmaneser and his Army 2 King 17.5 at which time they besieged Samaria and vexed it with all hostility three years and then overcame it Or the daughter of her people may be taken collectivè for the daughters and thereby may be meant not Samaria onely but also all the Cities of Israel which were all spoyled by Salmaneser's Army Jerusalem calls the people of the ten Tribes her people because of the neerness of kindred and blood which was between them two for the Jews and the ten Tribes of Israel were all the children of one man even Jacob who was also called Israel It may be here objected That it is a thing unlikely that the men of Jerusalem should lament thus at the spoyling of the ten Tribes of Israel when they were spoyled by Salmaneser who would rather rejoyce at it and comfort themselves in it because they were their bitter Enemies Ans That which is here spoken of Jerusalem weeping because of the spoyling of the daughter of her people was represented onely in a Vision and that which is represented in a Vision is not to be conceived always as a thing really and actually done But suppose this to have been actually done there would be no absurdity in the supposition For though the men of Judah and Jerusalem might comfort themselves in the thoughts of the destruction of the ten Tribes before this destruction came yet might they lament it when it did come So did the people of Israel desire to cut off the Tribe of Benjamin who when they had neer cut it off were sorry and wept for what was done Judg. 21.6 Again Jerusalem might lament and weep because of the spoyling of the daughter of her people because she her self was in fear of being spoyled while the daughter of her people was in spoyling 5. It is a day of trouble Supple To the daughter of my people And of treading down i. e. And a day in which the Assyrians under Salmaneser do tread her down And of perplexity Supple To her the daughter of my people By the Lord God of Hosts The Assyrians were but Gods rod and instrument in this trouble treading down and perplexity of the ten Tribes but God himself was the chief cause thereof and therefore he saith it was done by the Lord God of Hosts In the valley of Vision These words relate to those which went immediately before q. d. By the Lord God of Hosts which dwelleth in the valley of Vision that is in Jerusalem By the valley of Vision is meant Jerusalem see vers 1. And the Lord is said to dwell in Jerusalem Psal 135.21 and that because of his especial presence in the Temple which was there Breaking down the walls i. e. And a day of breaking down the walls Supple of Samaria c. by the Assyrians And of crying to the mountains i. e. And a day of the crying of the men of Samaria and Israel to the mountains Of crying to the mountains i. e. Of the crying of the men of Samaria and Israel one to another to fly unto the mountains there to hide themselves because the Assyrians had broken down their Cities Perhaps To the mountains were the words of their cry as if they should say and cry one to another To the mountains To the mountains c. Or by crying to the mountains may be understood loud crying whereby their cry went unto the mountains and did eccho again from thence 6. Elam See cap. 21.2 At this time the Elamites were at the command of the Assyrians though afterwards they would not obey them but helped to ruine them Bare the quiver i. e. Beareth the quiver Supple against Israel q. d. The Elamites war against the daughter of my people with Bow and Arrows A preterperfect tense is put here for a present With charets of men and horsemen q. d. Coming against her with Charets of men and horsemen With charets of men He calls those charets of men here which military men used to ride and to fight in and he calls them charets of men to distinguish them from Charets or Waggons which were to carry provisions in and other necessaries for War Kir By Kir he meaneth the Medes We read of one Kir a chief Citie of Moab Isa cap. 15.1 But this is not that Kir but the Kir here meant was Kir a chief Citie of the Medes of which 2 Kings 16.9 which City by a Metonymy signifies the Medes of Kir and the Medes the inhabitants of Kir are taken by a Synecdoche for the Medes in general Note that the Medes were under the Assyrians at this time though afterwards they revolted and became their matters Vncovered the shield i. e. Maketh use of the shield against her The shield is a defensive peece of Arms but by it understand offensive Arms also He saith uncovered the shield for made use of the shield alluding thereby to the cases and covers wherein they were wont to
of Israel but destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians 6. Turn ye to him Turn ye therefore unto him O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem From whom the children of Israel i. e. From whom the men of Judah I take Israel here for the two Tribes of Judah and Benjamin as cap. 1.3 which two Tribes go often under the name of the men of Judah because Judah was the chief of the two and they two onely of all the Tribes of Israel were faithful to the heirs of David King of Judah Have deeply revolted By forsaking him and seeking to Egypt vers 1. 7. For in that day i. e. And in that day Supple That the Assyrians shall distress you and besiege you For is put here for And. Every man shall cast away his Idol i. e. Let every man cast away his Idols He puts a future tense of the Indicative mood for an Imperative See Cap. 30. vers 22. For a sin q. d. Whereby ye have sinned against God This Particle For is a sign not of the intent but of the event 8. Then shall the Assyrian i. e. Then shall the Assyrians which besiege Jerusalem He puts the Assyrian for the Assyrians the singular for a plural number Not of a mighty man Supple But of an Angel See 2 King 19.35 Not of a mean man Supple But of a mighty Angel When he saith neither of a mighty man nor of a mean man he excludeth all sorts of men But he i. e. But Sennacherib himself King of Assyria Sennacherib was not come to Jerusalem he was coming when the Angel destroyed his Army but was no further then Nob cap. 10.32 He puts a Relative here without an Antecedent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sennacherib himself was not slain by the Angel as appears 2 King 19.36 but escaped and fled into Assyria with fear and shame enough which to a generous nature was worse then death it self From the Sword Supple Of the Angel And his young men i. e. And his Court attendance or they which wait upon him Or by his young men may be meant that part of his Army which did attend him which certainly was of the most able bodyed men though the Commanders thereof might be old and such are young men 2 Sam. 2.14 Shall be discomfited i. e. Though they brag and boast and are very lustie shall be discouraged and become so heartless as that they shall tremble and be afraid at the moving of every leaf 9. And he shall passe over to his strong hold for fear i. e. And Sennacherib himself shall run and not stay for fear till he gets to Nineveh that strong City and to the Castle of that City 2 Kings 19.36 And his Princes i. e. And his Nobles and chief Commanders of that part of his army which was with him Shall be afraid of the Ensign i. e. Shall be afraid if they do but see an Ensign thinking when they see it that some company of their enemies are nigh at hand or do pursue them Whose fire is in Sion i. e. Who hath fire in Sion wherewith to destroy the adversaries thereof or thus whose Altar is in Sion whereon the fire burneth continually to burn the Burnt-offerings which are offered to him Or thus who dwells in Sion for where a man keeps his fire there is his habitation If God have fire in Sion he will use it against the enemies of Sion if he be honored by sacrifice in Sion he will preserve Sion for his honors sake If he dwells in Sion he will not suffer the Assyrians to cast him out of his house but will defend his dwelling place In Sion i. e. In Jerusalem A Synecdoche of the part for the whole And his furnace at Jerusalem By his furnace may be understood his dwelling place by a Metaphor from such tradesmen which use a furnace in their Trade which furnace for their more convenience they have at their dwelling houses yea whatsoever is meant by fire before may be meant by the furnace here because a furnace is of no use without fire and so these may be a repetition of the former words ISAIAH CHAP. XXXII BEhold a King shall reign in righteousness By this King he meant Hezekiah King of Judah whose praises he here declareth but in a more sublime sence is meant Christ Jesus who was King of righteousness and of whom Hezekiah was a Type Note that this cohereth with the former Chapter and containeth a reason why the Lord would destroy the Assyrians namely for Hezekiahs sake See the same reason of the same thing cap. 9.6 and cap. 10.27 and cap. 11.1 Note that as the Lord did destroy the Assyrians which were the enemies of Jerusalem and delivered the Jews for Hezekiahs sake So doth the Lord destroy the spiritual enemies of his Church redeem his faithful people for Christs sake yea and through Christ In righteousness i. e. With righteousness administring Justice equally to every man And Princes By Princes he meaneth such as this King to wit Hezekiah should make Princes that is Judges and Magistrates in the Land In judgement i. e. With Justice 2. And a man c. He repeateth here what he said before and whereas he said a King before he saith a man here but meaneth the same man viz. Hezekiah As an hiding place from the wind i. e. Shall be as a place in which a man may hide himself or keep himself from the blustring wind What is meant by this we shall shew in the latter end of the Verse A covert from the tempest i. e. A covert in which a man may hide or save himself from the tempest As rivers of water in a dry place Rivers of water must needs be a great comfort to Travellers which travel in dry places where they may have the waters of those Rivers to quench their thirst withall As a shadow of a great rock in a weary Land A shadow or shady place is a great refreshing to those which travel in the Summer time in a hot scorching wilderness when they are even scorched with the heat of the Sun He mentioneth the shadow of a rock rather then of a tree because he speaks of a wilderness where there are more rocks then trees In a weary Land i. e. In an hot scorching wilderness which tireth and wearyeth those which travel in it Metonymia Effecti By all these Metaphorical expressions the Prophet meaneth that Hezekiah should right those that suffer wrong and be a great comfort to those that are afflicted in their misery 3. The eyes of them that see By them that see he meaneth Judges and Magistrates whom he called Princes vers 1. whose duty is to see and look though not upon persons yet into the Causes which are brought before them and that throughly too before they give sentence Shall not be dim Their eyes shall not be dim because they shall look acutely into the Causes which are brought before them they shall not be blinded either with ignorance or affection or
over their Servants if they call them their Servants come See the same words used in the same sence Cap. 40.26 and Psal 147.4 And calling though it be of the present tense yet by a Syllepsis includes the preterperfect tense also I the Lord Here he gives an answer to the foregoing questions The first God is called the First because he was before all things and all things which are proceed from him as their first and original Cause And with the last God calls himself not onely the First but also with the Last Because he was and is and will be with all things from the first to the last as the Cause is with the Effect making them preserving them and governing them I am He. Supple Which have done this 5. The Isles saw it and feared i. e. The Inhabitants of the Islands saw what I the Lord did for Abraham and the victories which I gave him and his children and feared What is meant by Isles or Islands see Vers 1. We do not read that the Inhabitants of the Isles feared when they understood of the victory which Abraham had over Chedorlaomer and Tidal and the other Kings and the people which were with them though likely it is they did fear and all that happened then is not recorded But we read that they feared when they heard of the victory which Moses had over the Egyptians Exod. 15.15 and when they heard of the victories which the Israelites had over the Amorites Josh 2.9 10 c. The ends of the Earth i. e. They which dwelt in the ends of the Earth By those which dwelt in the ends of the Earth he meaneth those which dwelt a far off by an Hyperbole D ew neer Supple One to another And came Supple Together or to one place 6. They helped every one his Neighbor i. e. Every one helped his Neighbor with counsel and with ayd against Abraham and his posterity as every one was most in danger Though we read not that the people helped one another and combined against Abrahams person yet we read that they did help one another and combine themselves against Abrahams children as Josh 10. v. 3 5 33 c. And they might have combined also against Abraham himself though we read not of it Be of good courage They encouraged one another with this That they would make them gods which should defend them hereafter from Abraham and his posterity and which should give them the victory over him and them For so stâ—pid were those Heathen Idolaters that though they burnt one part of a tree in the fire yet with the residue they would make themselves a god even a graven Image and fall down unto it and worship it and pray unto it and say Deliver us for thou art our God Cap. 44.17 7. So the Carpenter encouraged the Goldsmith Supple To joyn with him to make a graven Image which might defend them from their Enemies and give them the victory over them Note here that the carpenter did first make the Image out of wood then the goldsmith overlayd it with thin plates of gold And he that smootheth with the hammer Supple Encouraged him that smote the anvil By him that smootheth with the hammer understand the goldsmith which with him that smiteth the anvil beats out thick wedges of gold into thin plates or rather which smootheth the plates with a smaller hammer as the other beats them out with a greater It is ready for the sodering i. e. The work is almost ready for the sodering They were wont to soder the plates of gold together when they had fitted them and this was one of the last works Now the neerer the work-man is to the finishing of the work the harder he will work to finish it so that by this also might he that smootheth with the hammer encourage him that smiteth on the Anvil And he fastened it with nails that it should not be moved q. d. And so when he had finished the Image he fastened it to the wall with nails that it should not fall down And then they all worshipped it saying Thou art our God defend us from Abraham and his house and give us always the victory over them All of this which is not expressed in the Text is yet to be understood by a Syllepsis as appeareth by that which followeth 8. But thou O Israel art my servant q. d. The people therefore worship Idols and serve them But thou O Israel art my servant and dost worship me By Israel is meant the Jews the people of Israel per Metonymiam Efficientis Jacob q. d. Thou Jacob I say c. Jacob is taken here for the sons of Jacob who was also called Israel Gen. 32.28 per Metonymiam Efficientis Whom I have chosen The Lord chose the children of Israel to be his peculiar people because he loved their fathers Deut. 4.37 The seed of Abraham my friend i. e. The children of Abraham my friend Seed is put here for children per Metonymiam Materiae It was a great honor for Abraham to be called the friend of God as he is here called as appears 2 Chron. 20.7 Jam. 2.23 9. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the Earth i. e. Thou whom I have taken from Vr of the Caldees which is a great way hence and brought hither By the ends of the Earth he meaneth a Country a great way off such as Vr of the Caldees was in respect of Judea The Lord is said to have taken the people of Israel from Vr of the Caldees because he took Abraham from thence in whose loyns they were when he took him So Levi was said to pay Tythes to Melchisedec because he was in Abrahams loyns when Abraham payd Tythes to Melchisedec Heb. 7.9 10. And called thee from the chief men thereof Understand this of the honorable men of Caldea of whom Abraham was one whom God separated from the rest and his off-spring in him and brought them to Canaan which he gave them for an inheritance I have chosen thee Supple To serve before me or to be a peculiar people to my self And not cast thee away i. e. And I have not disregarded thee as men do those things which they cast away and as I have disregarded and rejected other Nations This is an Hebrew manner of repetition 10. Fear not thou q. d. Therefore though all the Nations which are about thee hate thee and make them gods and pray to them to curse thee and joyn together against thee yet Fear not thou I will uphold thee i. e. I will preserve thee in the midst of all dangers that they overwhelm thee not This seems to be a Metaphor from a man which is upheld in the midst of deep waters that he sinks not and so be drowned Or from an old man who is upheld by the hand or arm of a younger man as he walks in rugged ways that he falls not With the right hand of my Righteousness i.
his care and protection of them above others he may be said to sanctifie them and they which are thus separated may be said to be sanctified and holy See Notes cap. 4.3 As God therefore may be said to sanctifie a people when he separates them and puts a difference between them and others by his care and protection So when he deprives them of the care and protection which once he afforded them he may be said to profane them or pollute them The Princes of the Sanctuary By the Princes of the Sanctuary understand the chief Priests which ministred in the Temple and ordered things concerning the worship of God there who were called the Princes of the Sanctuary because they had inferior Priests and Levites and Nethinims to serve and attend them in their high Calling And given Jacob to the curse i. e. And have given the children of Jacob the Jews to destruction By Jacob understand the Jews the children of Jacob by a Metonymy And the curse here spoken of is such a curse whereby the thing accursed or the the thing given to the curse was to be destroyed as Josh 6.17 How Jacob that is how many of the Jews which were the children of Jacob were killed and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and his servants see 2 King 25. v. 7 21 c. And Israel i. e. And the Jews the children of Jacob who also was called Israel To reproaches i. e. To the reproach of their Enemies who in their captivity taunted them jeered them and reproached them ISAIAH CHAP. XLIV YEt now hear O Jacob c. This is to be continued with the former Chapter And the sence is q. d. But although I have profaned the Princes of the Sanctuary and have given Jacob to the curse and Israel to reproach because of their sins yet now seeing your repentance Hear O Jacob my servant O Jacob my servant By Jacob he meaneth the Jews which were the children of Jacob the same also he meaneth by Israel 2. That made thee and formed thee from the womb i. e. That made thee a people from the first time that thou wast a people He speaks not of the making and forming of any one particular man which is made and formed in his mothers womb but of the making of a company of men into a people or Body politique yet he aliudes to the making and framing of a man in the womb of his mother Which will help thee Supple In all thy misery and distress Fear not Supple The Babylonians and their gods though thou art a Captive and hardly used in the Land of thy captivity For I will deliver thee and they shall not be able to hinder me See vers 8. And thou Jesurun This name Jesurun is taken out of Deut. 32. vers 15. where Moses gives it to the people of Israel and it signifieth right And it is therefore given to that people because God called them to lead a right or upright life and conversation Yet some think it to be an Hebrew diminutive of the Hebrew word Israel and to signifie as much as Little Israel as though the Lord had called his people here by a diminutive name as Fathers use to call their little children 3. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty The four sentences contained in this Verse signifie all one and the same thing namely That though the Jews were at this time in a poor decayed estate yet God would so bless them as that they should be delivered out of it and should revive and flourish again As the dry and thirsty ground though it be unpleasant and ill-favored to see to while it is so yet being watered it is hereby refreshed and recovereth its greenness and is clothed again with its former lustre I will pour water c. by water is meant rain the plenty whereof is signified by the word pour Vpon him i. e. Upon every Jew He speaketh of a Jew here as of a ground Metaphorically Vpon him that is thirsty i. e. Upon him that is as a thirsty Land that is upon him that is in misery and wants comfort Note that the thirstiness here mentioned is not the thirstiness of a man which is hot and dry and desireth drink to quench his thirst but the dryness of the ground for a dry ground is also called a thirsty ground Cap. 35.7 And to such a ground is the Jew in the depth of his misery and captivity here compared And floods upon the dry ground This is a repetition of the former sentence I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed i. e. I will greatly bless thy children By the Spirit of God is here meant Gods blessing as may appear by the following words which are but a repetition of these And the blessing of God is called the Spirit of God by a Metonymy because it proceedeth from the Spirit of God or from God who is a Spirit By seed are meant here children per Metonymiam Materiae 4. And they shall spring up as among the grass i. e. They shall spring up as young Trees or Plants among the grass which have moysture enough to nourish them and make them flourish 5. One shall say I am the Lords c. q. d. Such blessings will I pour upon them as that they shall confess that I am their God and that they are my servants because of the care I have of them and the favors that I shew to them though now they say My way is bid from the Lord my judgment is passed over from my God as Cap. 40. v. 27. I am the Lords Supple Servant And therefore shall call himself the Lords servant because he shall be sensible of the care which God hath of him and the blessing which he bestoweth upon him and shall in way of recompence resolve to serve the Lord so long as he shall live Another shall call himself by the name of Jacob And therefore shall he call himself by the name of Jacob because he shall see that the Lord hath as great respect to him as he had to Jacob and because he shall resolve to serve the Lord for the blessings which the Lord hath bestowed upon him as Jacob vowed to serve the Lord and did accordingly Gen. 28.21 Another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord Supple That he is his servant and will serve him And sirname himself by the name of Israel Israel is the name of Jacob and it was given to him because of the power which he had with God and prevailed with him Gen. 32.28 For the same reason as one named himself by the name of Jacob in the former part of this Verse doth another sirname himself by the name of Israel in this latter part And for the same reason as one said I am the Lords for the same reason doth the other subscribe with his hand unto the Lord. 6. Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel That the Jews might the more firmly believe what the Lord had
fathers upon their children not because he layeth more upon their children then their children deserve by their own proper sins but because being they are wicked children of wicked Parents he doth not deal so mercifully with them as if they were the children of pious Parents For though the sins of children be equal yet God doth often punish the children of pious Parents with a great deal more mercy then he doth the children of wicked Parents even for their Parents sake And thus to punish the iniquities of the fathers upon their children may very well stand with the Justice of God Which have burnt incense upon the mountains He speaks of those which lived in the days of Amaziah 2 Chron. 25.14 and in the days of Manasseh For note that he speaks to the Jews as if they were even then in captivity And blasphemed me upon the hills Supple By the sacrifices and worship which they have given to other gods The blasphemy here spoken of is a blasphemy of deeds not of words For by sacrificing to and worshipping other gods they gave Divinity which is due onely to the God of Israel to Gods of their own invention by which they said in effect That not the holy One of Israel but they whom they worshipped and to whom they did sacrifice were the true Gods Yet at the doing of such sacrifices the Lord was blasphemed in word too For the Idolaters which lived about Judea were wont to ascribe their wealth and their victories to their Idols and to mock the holy One of Israel whose custom these men imitated Therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom i. e. Yea I will repay the wages due to the works of their Fathers into the bosom of them their children The work is put here for the wages due to the work per Metonymiam efficientis And therefoâ—e is to be taken for Yea. He alludeth to an housholder paying his laborer in corn for his wages which corn he measureth to him c. See Notes vers 6. Their former works He meaneth the punishment due to the sins of the fathers which sins because they were before the sins of the children are therefore called former works Into their bosom i. e. Into the bosom of those which are their children See concerning this phrase vers 6. 8. Thus saith the Lord i. e. Yet for all this Thus saith the Lord. Note that the Particle Yet is here to be understood As the new wine is found in the cluster That is As some good grapes are found in a cluster of naughty grapes By new wine are meant good grapes which have in them and will yield good new wine per Metonymiam Continentis or Efficientis And by the cluster is meant a cluster of naughty grapes in which most of the grapes are naught and which the Lord of the Vineyard is ready to fling away And one saith i. e. And one which seeth the new wine that is the good grapes in the cluster which the Master of the Vineyard is ready to fling away saith Destroy it not q. d. Fling it not away For a blessing is in it i. e. For there is new wine in it that is there are some grapes in it which will yield good wine What he called new wine before he calleth a blessing now for whatsoever is conducible to the life of man the Hebrews call a blessing See Deut. 28.2 Joel 2.14 So will I do Between these and the former words understand these or the like words And thereupon the Lord of the Vineyard picketh off from the naughty cluster the good grapes which will yield good wine and reserveth them So will I do i. e. So will I gather those which are good out of this rebellious people For my servants sake See Cap. 63.17 That I may not destroy them all i. e. That I may not destroy all the people of the Jews but save a remnant of them 9. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob i. e. For I will bring out of those Jews which are captives in Babylon a remnant and that remnant will I place again in their own Land And is put here for For. By a seed he meaneth a little remnant or small number of the Jews which God would save though he destroyed the rest And those few he calleth a seed because a seed is but a little thing in respect of the whole plant and also because he would so bless them as that they should multiply and encrease and become a great Nation as great store of fruit and great trees spring out of a little seed By Jacob are meant the Jews the children of Jacob per Metonymiam Efficientis And out of Judah i. e. Out of the Jews which were the children of Judah By Judah are meant the Jews which were the children of Judah who was the son of Jacob Gen. 49.1 8. An inheritor of my mountains i. e. A seed or a remnant which shall inherit the mountains of Judea Judea was a mountainous Country therefore he putteth the mountains for the whole Land of Judah by a Synecdoche and God calleth that Land his Land because he kept a peculiar right in it See Cap. 63.17 And mine Elect i. e. For those which I make choyce of to inherit my mountains which are such as fear me and have sought me And for For as before Shall inherit it i. e. Shall inherit my mountains or my Land Note here the Enallage of the numbers how he changeth the plural into a singular number And my servants i. e. And they which worship me and serve me Shall dwell there Supple In peace and in rest though now they are captives in Babylon and there oppressed These did God bring out of Babylon and seat in this Land by Cyrus Ezra 1. 10. And Sharon shall be a field of flocks i. e. And Sharon though it be now desolate and without cattel shall abound so with sheep for their sakes as that it shall be as one great fold of sheep it shall be so full of sheep as sheepfolds use to be Concerning Sharon see cap. 35.2 And the vally of Achor a place for herds to lye down in The valley of Achor was a fruitful valley neer Jericho where Achan was stoned to death Josh 7.25 26. This valley the Lord saith shall become a fruitful walk for cattel to walk and quietly to lie down in though at the time he speaketh it was desolate through the desolation that the Babylonians had made For my people that have sought me i. e. For the good of my people which have sought me in their affliction This he adds lest that that fertility which he speaks of may be thought to be intended for the good of the Babylonians and others under them which inhabited the Land of Judah during the time that the Jews were captives in Babylon and not for the Jews 11. But ye are they which forsake the Lord The Lord makes this Apostrophe to the wicked
himself in the third person For an offering to the Lord When he calls them an offering to the Lord he speaks metaphorically for to speak properly they were no offering but therefore doth he call them an offering because as an offering is brought in honor of the Lord so would the Nations bring them to the Lord in honor of the Lord because they were once his people and he would now accept of them Out of all Nations When Salmaneser invaded the Land of Israel many of the men of that Land fled to all Nations abroad to save their lives where they lived and begat children which are they which are here said to be brought as an offering to the Lord. Vpon Horses and in Charets and in Litters and upon Mules and upon swift beasts By these is signified the accommodation with which the Nations should accommodate the men of Israel in their way to Judea Vpon swift beasts As Dromedaries To my holy mountain Jerusalem q. d. To my holy mountain that is To Jerusalem Note here again the Enallage of the person how God speaks of himself in the first person when he spoke in the third just before Gods holy mountain was mount Sion upon which the Temple which was destroyed by the Babylonians was built and on which the Temple which was to be built after the Babylonish captivity was to be built And therefore was it called the holy mountain because it was hallowed or set apart for that use This mountain was within Jerusalem and therefore was part of Jerusalem and is here put by a Synecdoche for all Jerusalem But he seemeth to make mention of the holy mountain and to say that they should bring them to the holy mountain because he likened them to an offering and offerings used to be brought to the holy mountain that is to the Temple which stood on that mountain Note that these men were brought not to the Land of Israel though they were men of Israel but to Jerusalem because the men of Israel never made a Common-wealth of themselves after the days of Salmaneser but all which returned into the Land of Canaan were incorporated into the Common-wealth of Judah And hence is this Allegory of their being brought as an offering to the holy mountain Jerusalem As the children of Israel bring an offering i. e. With as much joy and gladness and with as much respect to the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering c. By the children of Israel may be meant here not the children of the ten Tribes only but the children of Judah also yea rather these then they An offering He alludeth to the meat-offering of which Lev. 2. In a clean vessel i. e. In a dish or platter which is not polluted with any legal uncleanness In the similitude here used the Horses and Charets and Litters and Mules and swift beasts on which the men of Israel were brought answereth to the clean vessel here mentioned in which the children of Israel brought their offering Into the House of the Lord i. e. Into the Temple which is the House of God 21. And I will also take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord q.d. And I will not onely cause them to wit your brethren to be brought as an offering to me the Lord to Jerusalem but I will also take of them for Priests and Levites saith the Lord. Or thus q. d. And I will not onely take of you O ye Jews but I will also take of them to wit your brethren which shall be brought as an offering to me for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. Note that as the word Priests so is the word Levites here a word denoting not the tribe but the office of the Levites who were by their office to minister in the things appertaining to the Temple or Tabernacle under the Priests Numb 3. And of these their brethren or men of Israel the Lord saith he would take Priests and Levites to signifie that the glory which he the Lord would give to Jerusalem and to the Jews should be so great as that the men of Israel who had rejected the Lord should be moved thereby to return to the Lord and serve him so as that the Lord should delight in them again though he had rejected them for rejecting him It may be asked what they were whom the Lord would take out of these men of Israel which were to be brought as an offering to him for Priests and Levites Ans He would take for Priests such as were of the linage of Aaron and for Levites those other that were of the Tribe of Levi. But what new love and kindness was this for God to take these for Priests and Levites at this time when God had appointed these and onely these to be the one Priests the other Levites for ever before he brought them first into the Land of Canaan For to take of the men here mentioned for Priests and Levites intimateth that they were not Priests and Levites before whom he would take now Ans True it is That God chose Aaron and his sons for Priests and the rest of the Tribe of Levi to minister to him under them in the Tabernacle and Temple before he brought the Israelites into the Land of Canaan But as for those Priests and Levites which dwelt among the ten Tribes they were exceeding wicked as the ten Tribes were And therefore when the Lord would have no mercy upon the house of Israel but utterly take them away Hos 1.6 and said unto them Ye are not my people and I will not be your God Hos 1.9 As he rejected the whole people from being his people so he rejected those of the Tribe of Levi which dwelt among them from being Priests and Levites to him Yea he expresly said to the sons of Aaron which dwelt among them Because ye have rejected knowledge I will also reject you that ye shall be no Priests to me Hos 4.6 And what he said to them we must understand of the Levites also that they should not minister any more to him Now if God when he had thus rejected all the sons of Aaron which dwelt among the ten Tribes from being Priests and the rest of the sons of Levi from being Levites unto him did afterwards accept of some of them for Priests and Levites to himself it was a new love and a new kindness in the Lord towards them 22. For as the new Heavens and the new Earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your seed and your name remain By the new Heavens he meaneth the Heavens which he would renew in respect of their qualities of which see cap. 65.17 which though they were dark and cloudy now he would make clear and resplendent in his due time And by the new Earth he meaneth the Earth which he would renew in respect of her qualities of which see also cap. 65.17 For he would make
or Literall or Historicall or Meaner sense of the Heavens and that Metaphorically And the Heavens are said to sound out and speak the praises of God all the world over because they are seen to all the world to be so excellently made as that men may understand thereby the eternall power and God-head of him that made them But as they are spoken in the First or Literall or Historicall or Meaner sense of the Heavens Metaphorically So are they spoken of the Apostles who preached the Gospel in all the world in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense properly Rom. 10. v. 18. And note here that Saint Paul alledgeth these words of the Psalmist in that place of the Romanes not by Accommodation onely that is not because they are words fit for his purpose without any relation to the intent of the Prophet David in that place but he alledgeth them as words intended by the Prophet David as a man inspired by the Holy Ghost to signifie that for which he there alledgeth them as he that seriously considereth the Text and Context must needs confesse But if you ask me how the Prophet David though inspired by the Holy Ghost can signifie by those words in that place the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles throughout the world Take these my Notions such as they are in a place of much difficulty and controversie The work of Christ in the whole redemption of Man is as a new Creation and hath resemblance thereunto intended by the Holy Ghost Hence we read 1 Cor. 5. v. 1 7. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Old things are passed away behold all things are become new And Gal. 6. v. 15. In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision availeth any thing but a new Creature The Psalmist therefore while he speakes of the Heavens which is the highest and lightest and chiefest part of the materiall world and the glory which they bring to God their Maker doth in a mysticall sense foretell of the Apostles and the glory which they shall bring to the Lord who gave them to be Apostles by their preaching For in the new world which Christ framed that is in the Church of Christ the Apostles are the highest and chiefest Creatures hence in the similitude of an house they are likened to the foundations which are the chiefest parts and most to be regarded in a building Ephes 2.20 And they are the lightest also for our Saviour saith to them Yee are the light of the world Matth. 5. vers 14. But to return to that from which we may seem to have digressed That which our Prophet saith of himself in the first sense Cap. 18. v. 12. I and the children which thou hast given me is said also by Christ of himself in the Second and Sublime sense Heb. 2. v. 13. But it is spoken by Isaiah otherwise than it is by Christ for it is spoken by Isaiah properly for he was the naturall father of these children which he speakes of But Christ is called the Father of these Children which he speakes of onely by a Metaphor So in these woâ—ds Isaiah 25. v. 8. He will swallow up death in victory Death as the words are considered in the First Literall Historicall and Meaner sense is to betaken Metonymically for Sorrow Or if Death be taken for that which deprives a man of life the meaning of the words is this That the Lord will destroy death that it shall kill no more But as the words are taken in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense as they are taken 1 Cor. 15. v. 55. Death is to be taken properly for the deprivation of life And the sense of the words is That the Lord will so destroy death and triumph over it as that he will restore those which are dead to life again So Isaiah 35. v. 4. In the words which we read there to wit Then shall the lame leap as an Hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing The lame and the dumb as the words are taken in the First or Literall or Historicall and Meaner sense are taken Metaphorically for those that are in such extremity of grief as that they have no desire either to talke or to walk but sit as dumb and lame men But in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense they are taken properly for him that is lame indeed And him that is dumb indeed Matth. 11. vers 5. The Fifth and last thing that I desired to betaken notice of was this That though in many Histories â—as I may call them and Prophesies of those holy Writers there be sometimes one sometimes more sentences which signifie immediately by their words not onely some passage or passages which appertain to the First Literall Historicall or Meaner Sense But also some passage or passages which appertain to the Second Mysticall and Sublime Sense Yet it is not necessary neither is it alwayes so yea it is very seldome so that every sentence of the whole Prophesie or History as I may call it doth signifie immediately by its words those passage or passages which appertain to the Second Mysticall or Sublime sense as they doe those passages which appertain to the First or Historical or Meaner Sense Which some not observing where they have assuredly found a sentence belonging to some passage of the Sublime sense thinking therefore that the whole Context must necessarily thereunto appertain word by word have attempted to construe the Context word by word accordingly and have rack'd the words yet have they not made them speak good sense But that it is not necessary nor is it alwayes true that where one sentence is found appertaining word by word to the Second Mysticall or Sublime sense the sentences adjoyning must therefore appertain to the same sense word by word is evident by these examples following for Exod. 12. v. 46. Those words Neither shall yee break a bone thereof appertain in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense to our Saviour Christ John 19. v. 36. But though that sentence appertaineth word by word to our Saviour Christ in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense yet cannot the sentences preceding or following be construed of him word by word as he which readeth them must needs confesse So that sentence 2 Sam. 7.14 I will be his Father and he shall be my Sonne is spoke of our Saviour Christ in the Second Mysticall and Sublime sense Heb. 1. v. 5. Yet cannot the words following in that verse be understood of him to wit If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men So those words Isaiah 1. v. 9. Except the Lord of Hosts had left unto us a very small remnant we should have been as Sodome and we should have been like unto Gomorrah signifie in the and Second Mysticall and Sublime sense that many should perish through unbelief and that a Remnant onely should be saved according to the election
in whom and in whose daies that which the Prophet here speaketh of was fullfilled Read 2 Kings Chap. 24.25 Note that whereas the Prophet spoke hitherto in his own person he speaketh here in the person of God 5. And the people shall be oppressed q. d. And then the people shall be oppressed He sheweth the misery of that Kingdome or Common-wealth wherein Children beare all the rule which is no better than an Anarchie and the fruites of both are alike The Child The Child is taken here in regard of his Age. Against the Ancient i. e. Against the Old Man The base against the honourable i. e. An ordinary Common man against a Noble man 6. When a man shall take hold of his brother That which the Prophet here speaketh is curte and concise which is made full and plaine thus q. d. And every one seeing this disorder and oppression and being weary of it shall desire those which are richer and better apparrelled than themselves to interest themselves in the government of the Common-wealth and to apply their whole endeavour to keep it up from falling into utter ruine But yet when a man shall take hold of his brother c. When a man shall takâ— hold of his brother q. d When a man as every man being weary of that Confusion will be glad to have and will endeavour to get a good Ruler shall take hold of his brother that he may make his request known to him See Chap. 4.1 Of his Brother Put an Emphasis upon this word Brother q. d. But yet when a man shall lay hold upon another though he be his brother i. e. his kinsman c. He will lay hold on his brother rather than another man because he is more likely to prevaile with him because of the neerenesse of his bloud than with a stranger Of the house of his Father i. e. Of the family and nere bloud and kinred of his Father Because any one of the Nation of the Jewes might be called a Brother Deut. 15.12 He sheweth here that he meaneth a Brother in a neerer and stricter acception Viz. A Brother or Kinsman which is near of Kinn to his own Father and therefore one bound to him in a neerer link of love than a Common Jew Note that the word House signifieth a family or kinred not in Scripture onely but in Prophane Authors also And it seemeth to signifie so per Metonymiam Continentis For at the first they onely were said to be of an house which lived together in the same house as the Father and Children of him begot which lived under the same Roof But in Processe of time the word came to be of a larger extent as the word Family did Thou hast â—lothing i. e. Thou hast very good Apparel and art very well clothed It is requisite that a Magistrate or Ruler be better apparelled than other Men that he cometh not into contempt with the Vulgar for his mean garments By clothing some understand by a Synecdoche all things requisite to make a Ruler q. d. Thou art fit to make a Ruler and wantest nothing which is requisite thereunto be thou therefore our Ruler c. Others take it plainly without a figure and observe from hence the lamentable condition of this People and the great scarcity of Men fit to beare Rule which was such as that if they saw a Man but a little better clad or apparelled than another they were earnest with him to be a Ruler or a Governour Be thou our Ruler This signifieth not that they would have him King but that they would have him in an Inferiour place of Rule in which they hoped that he might doe some good And let this Ruine be under thine hand By ruine is here meant Metonymice that which is tottering and ready to fall to ruine he meaneth the Kingdome or Common-wealth of Judah which here he compareth under this Metaphor to a ruinous house In the whole Sentence there is an Hypallage for he saith Let this Ruine be under thine hand for Let thine hand be under this Ruine or Put thine hand under this Ruinous State to lift it up or keep it that it falls no further to ruine It is observed that the Scripture doth often mixe Metaphors and begin with one and end with another So doth it here for when it saith under this Ruine it alludeth to a Ruinous house ready to fall But when it saith Put under thine hand it alludeth to a man putting his hand under another mans burthen which is ready to fall and so lifting it up again For when an house is ready to fall we use not to put under our hand but set props to it to keep it up But we put our hands under a burthen and so help it 7. In that day shall he swear saying c. q. d. He shall not take many dayes or any long time to consider of it as men usually doe in weighty businesses but in the very sâ—me day in which the motion and request is made to him he shall give his resolute answer and swear saying c. Shall Hâ— sweare q d. He shall not simply deny and say Hâ— will not be a healer but He shall sweare that He will not be a healer and this he shall doe that they may know that He is resolutely bent against it and therefore they trouble Him and themselves in vain about it I will not be an healer This answereth to that Let the Ruinâ— be under thine hand and it is as if he should say This Ruine shall not be under my hand or I will not put my hand under this Ruine For the sense is the same though the Metaphor be not the same For there he compareth the Kingdome of Judah to a rotten or ruinous House Here he compareth it to a wounded body wherefore in allusion thereunto he saith He will not be an Healer It is the part and duty of all in Authority and Rule not onely to preserve a Common-wealth or Kingdome in a flourishing condition but to use all meanes possible when they see it declining to keep it from utter ruine But such was the miserable condition of this Kingdome at this time as that they that were in Authority did rather hasten than hinder the ruine thereof and so desperate as that they which were not in Authority would keep themselves out of Authority For in my house is neither bread nor clothing This answereth to that in the former verse Thou hast clothing The Argument which was there used to perswade him to take some Rule upon him for the good of the Common-wealth was this Thou hast clothing be thou therefore our Ruler The Antecedent of which Argument he here deâ—â—â—eth sâ—â—ing In my house is neither bread noâ— clothing Neither brâ—ad to eat or at least not bread in so plentiful a manner as bâ—cometh a Rulers house Nor clothing to put on at least such clothing as you speak of clothâ—ng fit for the Ruler of a
did rejoyce in hope to have utterly destroyed Judah and Hierusalem and made them desolate But the successe did not answer his hope whereby he should augment and increase his joy For contrariwise to his great grief and sorrow his great Army was destroyed by an Angel in one night and Hierusalem which was therewith besiedged was delivered and he himself fain to fly with shame They joy before Thee i. e. But the men of Judah and especially of Hierusalem whom Sennacharib's great Army shall afflict shall rejoyce before Thee O Lord for that Army which afflicted them shall be destroyed and they shall be delivered He puts the Relative They here without an Anetcedent pointing as it were at the Men of Judah and Hierusalem when he speakes it He makes also an Apostrophe to God According to the joy in Harvest and as Men rejoyce when they divide the spoil Husbandmen were wont to shew a great deal of mirth in Harvest time when they gathered in their fruit as you may see Cap. 16. v. 10. and Jer. 48.33 And so were Souldiers when â—hey had the spoil of a City or a Field given them to divide among themselves 4. For thou hast broken c. i. e. For thou wilt break c. A Preterperfect for a Future Tense The yoak of his Burden i. e. The heavy or burthensome yoak which Sennacharib and his predecessors either have or shall put upon the neck of them the Men of Judah and Hierusalem When he saith of his Burthen He puts a Substantive of the Genitive Case for an Adjective after the Hebrew manner For he puts it for Burdensome Note here the Enallage of the number For he saith His here in the Singular Number speaking of the men of Judah and Hierusalem as of one Man when he spake of them as of many in the Plurall Number in the foregoing verse The Substantive therefore or Antecedent of this Relative His is Israel which is as much to say as the Jewes or men of Judah and Hierusalem And the stâ—ffe of his shoulder And the staffe with which Sennacharib will smite or beat them upon the shoulders He puts his shoulder for their shoulders as before and alludeth to such as strike another with a staffe who when they strike another strike him commonly upon the shoulders The rod of his Oppressour i. e. The rod with which Sennacharib their Oppressour will smite them or whip them He puts His for Theirs as before The Yoak the Staffe and the Rod are here Metaphorically put to signifie the great power which Sennacharib had which power he did abuse to the oppression and affliction of the Men of Judah and Hierusalem Or they are put to signifie the great oppression and affliction it self whereby he did in any kind oppresse or afflict the Men of Judah and Hierusalem which oppression and affliction ceased so soon as ever Sennacharib's Army was destroyed by the Angel As in the day of Midian i. e. As thou didst break the Yoak and the Staffe and the Rod whereby the Midianites oppressed thy people Israel in the day in which thou didst vanquish and destroy the Midianites by the hand of Gideon Judges 7. Midian is put here for the Midianites per Metonymiam Efficientis For the Midianites were the Children of Midian which was the son of Abraham by Keturah Gen. 25.2 That he calls the day of Midian in which the Midianites were overthrown and destroyed suddenly and miraculously and without the losse of any ones life on Israels part And that which he saith here is this that as the Israelites were delivered and the Midianites overthrown and destroyed suddenly and miraculously without the loss of any ones life on Israels part So shall the Men of Judah and Hierusalem be delivered and the Assyrians overthrown and destroyed suddenly and miraculously and without the losse of any ones life on the men of Judahs part 5. For every battle c. Here the Prophet sheweth that the Aâ— yrians shall be overthrown as the Midianites were that is suddainly miraculously and without the losse of any ones life on the part of the Men of Judah and Hierusalem Every battle of the warriour i. e. Every battle which is ordinarily fought between warriours Is with confused noise i. e. Is fought with confused noise and in it are heard the clattering of swords and the cries of some killing and woundingâ— and the groanes of others wounded and dying c. And garments rouled in bloud i. e. And with effusion and shedding of much bloud not of their bloud onely which are overcome but of thâ—irs also which doe overcome by which the Garments which they wear are as bloudy as if they were rouled in bloud Yea they are sometimes rouled in the bloud of the slain while enemies fling one another upon the ground and there scuffle for the Mastery But this Supple Battle or whatsoever else we shall call it in which Sennacharib's Army shall be destroyed Shall be with burning and fewell of fire i. e. Shall be accomplished by fire For the Lord shall heap together much wood and set that wood on fire and fling the Assyrians thereon and there burn them as a sacrifice See Cap. 10.16 and 30.33 By burning understand fire per Metonymiam effecti or Adjuncti And by fewel of fire understand wood The Prophet doth almost every where where he speakes of the destruction of the Army of Sennacherib describe it as done by fire which hath made the Hebrews think that it was done by fire indeed by the Ministerie of an Angel though others do think that it is described by fire onely because it was suddainly done and without any noise or clamour and without damage or losse on Judah's side as fire is Active and they for whom or in whose behalf a fire is kindled suffer no harm by the kindling thereof but good rather 6. For unto us a Child is born By Vs he meaneth the men of Judah and by this Child Hezekiah the Sonne of Ahaz who succeeded his Father in the Throne 2 King 16. v. 20. The meaning of the words is this q. d. There is a Child born even Hezekiah by name for our welfare and salvation who are Jewes For whose sake God will break the forces of Sennacherib when they shall oppresse us and besiedge us The Prohet giveth the reason or sheweth the motive here which would move God to do such things for them as he spoke of v. 4. q. d. And this will the Lord do for Hezekiah 's sake for unto us a Child is born even Hezekiah c. Note that this word Child is used sometimes of those which are of good years as it is of Jacob's Sonnes Gen. 32.22 As well as it is of a Child new born When the Prophet foretels of the delivery of Hierusalem from the power of Sennacherib he tells for the most part that it is for a King's sake even Hezekiah's that the Lord would work this deliverance See Cap. 10. vers 27. And Cap. 11.
hatred against Judah And these were cut all off by Salmaneser And then And may be taken here for For q.d. For the the Adversaries of Judah those Adversaries I mean which he had in Ephraim shall be cut off Ephraim shall not Envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim q. d. I say that the men of Israel shall not envy the men of Judah and vex them neither shall the men of Judah vex the men of Israel But they both shall live together as friends in one Common-wealth under one King namely Hezekiah When he saith Ephraim shall not envy Judah he doth as it were resume those words which he used in the beginning of the Verse Viz. Ephraim shall not envy Judah which he intermitted or suspended before he had perfected what he would say by reason of those words And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off 14. But they i. e. But both the men of Judah and they of the ten Tribes of Israel which shall live under Hezekiah in the land of Judah They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines i. e. They shall joyn together and set upon the Philistines and shall prevail against them and make them run away and turn their backs upon them so that they shall pursue them and fly upon their shoulders All this is continued by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in these words They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines The like whereof we read Gen. 49.8 The History of this Victory over the Philistines See 2 Kings 18.8 The Philistines towards the Wâ—st This he saith because the Philistines dwelt Westward of Judaea They shall spoile them of the East By them of the East he meaneth the Arabians which dwelt East from Judaea From these he saith he shall take the Prey Together Referre th s word to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they q. d. But they together shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines they together shall spoile them of the East They shall lay their hands upon Edom and Moab i. e. They shall subdue the Edomites and Moabites To lay the hand upon them is put here per Metonymiam adjuncti for to subdue them Edom and Moab are put per Metonymiam causae for the Edomites and Moabites Fathers for the Children And the Children of Ammon shall obey them i. e. And they shall vanquish and overcome the Ammonites and make them their servants To obey is put here for to be vanquished and overcome Per Metonymiam effecti Because they which are vanquished and overcome use to obey and be at the beck and command of their Conquerors and become their Subjects or Servants rather It is likely that these Arabians and Edomites and Moabites and Ammonites which are here spoken of were Auxiliaries to the Philistines at the time here spoken of and served them against the Kingdome of Judah and so were overcome when the Philistines were overcome 15. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Aegyptian Sea i. e. And the Lord shall divide the Red Sea and dry it up so as to make a passage through it as upon dry land that his People which are in Aegypt may come safely without any impediment from Aegypt to their own Land He saith the Tongue of the Aegyptian Sea that is the tongue of the red Sea which divided Aegypt from Arabia because Geographers liken that Sea to the Tongue of a beast So did they liken the whole earth to a Sling Europe to a Woman Spaine to a Beasts hide c. The meaning of these words are That the Lord shall bring his People which fled into Aegypt to save themselves when Tiglah-Pileser and Salmaneser and Sennacherib invaded their Land with their Armies safe out of Aegypt againe into the land of Judah And this his meaning the Prophet expresseth in this manner in allusion to that which God did when he brought the Israelites out of Aegypt by the hand of Moses for then he divided the Red Sea and brought them safe through it as on dry land Exod. 14.21 22. For the Hebrews do love to expresse like things by like and one thing by the Circumstances of another This Verse hath its immediate relation and dependance upon the twelfe verse And with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river and shall smite it By this River is meant the great River Euphrates which ran on the West of Assyria For when the River is put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Scripture doth commonly mean the River Euphrates And here he compares the mighty wind to a Rod which a man holds in his hand and whipps or strikes another with by a Metaphor And in it he hath a double allusion First To the Rod wherewith Moses smote the Red Sea to divide it Exod. 14. v. 21. Then to the strong East wind wherewith God caused the Sea to go back and made the Sea dry land Exod. 14.21 By all this his meaning is onely this that the Lord will bring his People many of them which either fled or were carried away captive into Assyria in the dayes of Tiglah-Pileser Salmaneser or Sennacherib without any let or hinderance into their own Countryes againe In the seaven streames There is which saith that the seaven streams was the name of a noted place in the River Euphrates if any such place there was it may be fit to this place Otherwise I conceive that In is put for Into as many Interpretations render it and that the sense is that he shall smite it and divide the River Euphrates into seven that is putting a certaine for an uncertaine number into many streames When a great River is divided into many streams it becomes fordable and is easie to be passed over That therefore which is meant by dividing the River into seaven streams is this that it shall be made fordable And by that againe this is onely meant that Euphrates shall be no hinderance to the People of Israel in their Return from Assyria to Judaea Make men go over i. e. Over the Channel thereof wherein it ran 16. And there shall be an high way Suple Through the River Euphrates From Assyria i. e. For those which are in Assyria to come from thence Like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Aegypt Supple So shall it be to the Remnant of the Lord's People when they come out of Assyria for as when the Israelites came out of Aegypt the Red Sea was divided to make an high way for them to passe over So shall the River Euphrates be divided for the Remnant of the Lords People that they may passe over it when they come out of Assyria ISAIAH CHAP. XII AND in that day i. e. At that time in which the Lord shall destroy the Assyrians and deliver Hierusalem as it is said Cap. 10. and in which he shall recover the remnant of his People and bring them againe into their own Countrey as is
Land That is because thou hast destroyed the people of thy Land He puts the Land for the People thereof by a Metonymie But how did Sennacherib destroy the People of his Land Answer Perhaps Sennacherib was such a one as Nero was which delighted or sported himself in the death of his People Or therefore might Sennacherib be said to destroy his People because by his pride and blasphemy he provoked God to cut off his mighty Army by an Angel in which Army he had so many of his people as that the Aethiopian said of the Assyrians at that time that they were a Nation scattered and peeled to wit by reason of the great multitude of men which Sennacherib had taken out of Assyria and carried with him to invade Judea Cap. 18. v. 2. And indeed it is a Tradition among the Jewes that Sennacherib's Subjects were extreamly incensed against him for that losse especially they which had any Fathers or Sonnes or Brothers or any near Kinn therein Any of these Reasons may be reason enough to a rabble to ransack the Sepulchres of the dead and to draw out the body of a Tyrant or such as they were incensed against from thence to use it reproachfully The seed of evill doers See Chap. 1. v. 4. Shall never be renowned i. e. Shall never be had in that memory as the righteous shall Psal 109. v. 15. 21. Prepare slaughter for his Children q. d. O yee Medes prepare your selves and come and slay the Children of Sennacherib This Apostrophe is to the Medes who as I said about this time did break in pieces the Empire of the Assyrians of which Sennacherib was late King Note here that he of whom the former part of this Proverb was made was dâ—ad before God called to the Medes to prepare slaughter for his Children and before Babylon was destroyed as will appear to those that attentively read this Proverb or Song And so was Sennacherib He therefore is the subject of the former part of this Proverb or Song and to none doth it agree so well as to him For the iniquity of their Fathers i. e. For the iniquity of Sennacherib their Father Salmanaser their Grand-father and Tiglah-Pilesar their great Grand-father who had grievously oppressed as other people so especially the Children of Israel That they doe not rise Supple To that power and glory which their Father Sennacherib once had Nor possesse the Land Supple Which their Fatheâ— possessed Nor fill â—he 〈◊〉 of the world with Cities i e. And that they build not Cities upon the face of the earth as their Fathers have done Proud Tyrants though they pulld own and destroy Cities in some places yet they build again in other that they may become famous thereby to present and future ages And for the most part they call the Cities which they build after their own names as Alexander Caesarea Antiochia were called from Alexander Caesar and Antiochus 22. The name i. e. All which are called by his name as being of his bloud He puts the name for the party named by a Metonymie And remnant i. e. And those which remain alive of his bloud It is likely that many of Sennacherib's house and race were slain in his warres as it often happeneth to the Kinred and Children of other Princes and therefore he saith the remnant supple of Sennacherib's Kinn And Son and Nephew Supple Of Sennacherib 23. I will make it also a possession for the Bittern i. e. I will also make Babylon it self a place for the Bittern where it may haunt and abide quietly and not be de disturbed by any man A Bittern is a solitary fowl or bird which delighteth in fenny places and waters And pooles of water Babylon stood in a marish and fenny ground yea where Babylon stood it was at first all water called a Sea as Eusebius reporteth in the latter part of the ninth Book of his Evangelicall Preparation out of Abydenus very likely therefore it is that a great part of it if not all lay so low as that it was fain to be defended from the inundation and overflowing of the River Euphrates and other waters by banks which banks being broken down by the Medes Babylon or at least a great part of it must needs become a pool or pooles of water And I will sweep it with the Besome of destruction i. e. And I will utterly destroy every man out of it He alludes to a maide which sweepeth her house that she may purge it and cleanse it from all the dirt and dust and filth that is therein For as such a one so sweepeth her house as that she leaves not the least piece of dust or dirt or filth in it So saith the Prophet will the Lord so cleanse Babylon of the wicked and filthy Inhabitants thereof as that he will leave none in it but destroy them all The besome of destruction i. e. The destructive besome or a besome which shall destroy them He puts a Substantive of the Genitive case for an Adjective as the Hebrews are wont and takes destruction actively Note that this Verse containes an Answer to that Question which was moved vers 4. How is the golden City ceased For here he answers that Babylon the Golden City ceased through the Power of God who made it a possession for the Bittern and Pools of water who also swept it with the besom of destruction Here ends the Proverb which he began v. 5. 24. The Lord of Host hath sworn saying c. This is a Prophesie distinct from that which went before which yet seemes here to be added because it concerns Sennacherib as the former part of this Chapter did As I have thought Supple To do So shall it come to passe Supple Which I have thought of It shall stand A purpose is said to stand which we alter not till we have effected what we purposed 25. That I will break the Assyrian This is that which the Lord thought and shall come to passe And which he purposed and shall stand The Assyrian By the Assyrian he means Sennacherib first who was King of Assyria by way of excellency Then he meanes Sennabherib's Army by a Metonymie In my land i. e. In Judaea Why Judaea was called the land of the Lord See v. 2. And upon my Mountaines id est Upon the Mountaines of Judaea my Land Judaea was a Mountainous Countrey and Hierusalem was encompassed with mountaines Psal 125.2 on which Sennacherib's Army was slaine This was performed 2 Kings Chap. 19.35 Then shall his yoake i. e. The yoake of Sennacherib the Assyrian which he hath put upon the necks of the men of Judah the People of God What he meanes by the yoak See Cap. 9.4 and 10.27 From off them i. e. From off the men of Judah but especially of Hierusalem He puts here a Relative without an Antecedent and seems to point at them of whom he speaks And his burden depart from off their shoulders This is the same for
sence with the former words 26. This is the purpose which is purposed upon the whole earth He puts the whole earth by a Metomymie for all the Nations and Inhabitants of the earth And by all the Nations or Inhabitants of the earth he meaneth those of all Nations which were in Sennacherib's Armie for Sennacherib's Armie consisted of almost all kind of Nations in the known world by an Hyperbole or Synechdoche The sence of this place is this q. d. This is the purpose which is purposed by the Lord upon all the Nations and Inhabitants of the earth which shall serve Sennacherib in his Armie against Judah and Hierusalem to wit to break them The Prophet speaketh this in his own person repeating in other words what God had said v. 25. and attesting of it And this is the hand which is stretched out upon all Nations i. e And this is the Judgement or Punishment which shall be inflicted and is ready to fall upon all Nations He puts the hand here for the judgement or punishment executed with the hand per Metonymiam efficientis And speakes here of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to a man which stretcheth out his hand to strike who then threatneth and resolveth and is ready to strike when his hand is stretched out Or when he saith this is the hand which is stretched out upon all Nations He may point as it were at Gods hand as though he saw it stretched out upon all Nations which stretching out of Gods hand upon all Nations did sufficiently shew what he purposed against them Vpon all the Naâ—ions i. e. Upon all those men of severall Nations which were in Sennacherib's Army 27. For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed c. Between this and the former verse we must understand these or the like words And this shall come to passe which God hath purposâ—d and he shall smite them upon whom his hand is stretched out q. d. And this shall come to passe which God hath purposed and he shall smite them upon whom his hand is stretched out for the Lord of Host hath purposed c. Hath purposed Supple To break the whole earth that is all the men of the earth which shall serve Sennacherib in his Army against Judah and Hierusalem And who can disanull it i. e. And who can disanull his purpose And his hand is stretched out Supple To smite all the men of all the Nations which shall serve Sennacherib against Judah and Hierusalem And who shall turne it backe Suple That he should not smite him 28. In the year that King Ahaz died was this burden Ahaz was the Father of Hezekiah who succeeded Ahaz in the Kingdome That therefore which is here spoken was delivered either a little before Hezekiah came to the Crown or when he was newly crowned Note that this Verse is to be referred not to that which went before but to that which followeth after This burden He meaneth the burden of Palestina of which he is about to speake What a burden signifieth in this place learne from the like Chap. 13. v. 1. 29 Rejoyce not thou whole Palestina Vzziah the Grandfather of Ahaz and great Grandfather of Hezekiah was a great scourge of the Philistines and exceedingly prevailed against them 2 Chron. 26.6 At whose death the Philistines did generally rejoyce throughout all Palestina because such a scourge was taken away from them In allusion therefore to this generall joy of the Philistines throughout all Palestina at the death of Vzziah the Prophet saith Rejoyce not thou whole Palestina Palestina He puts Palestina here by a Metonymie for the Philistines the Inhabitants of Palestina Because the rod of him that smote thee is broken i. e. At this that the Rod of Vzziah who smote thee and mightily afflicted thee is broken By the rod of Vzziah is meant Metaphorically the power of Vzziah which he used against the Philistines which rod was then broken when Vzziah died For out of the Serpents root shall come forth a Cockatrice By the Serpent is here meant Metaphorically Vzziah because as a Serpent stingeth so did Vzziah sting the Philistines By the Cockatrice is meant Hezekiah because the Cockatrice is a more dangerous Serpent and stingeth worse than that which he here calls by the generall name of a Serpent And Hezekiah was a more dangerous enemy and afflicted the Philistines more than Vzziah had done 2 King 18.8 Out of the Serpents root In these words he alludeth to a shoot or branch which shooteth or springeth out of the root of a tree or plant And his fruit i. e. Yea the Serpents fruit q. d. Yea Hezekiah which is the great grand-child of Vzziah of whom I speak under the Metaphor of a Serpent c. And is put here for Yea. Shall be a fiery flying Serpent He likeneth Hezekiah here to a fiery flying Serpent because as a fiery flying Serpent is more hurtfull than an ordinary Serpent yea than a Cockatrice so was Hezekiah farre more hurtfull unto the Philistines than Vzziah was The fiery flying Serpent commeth suddainly upon a man and cannot easily be avoided because he flies and when he cometh he stingeth deadly because he is a fiery Serpent These kind of Serpents were called fiery Serpents not because they were of a fiery nature but by reason of the effects which they produced which was that by their biting or stinging they did so inflame him whom they bit or stung as that he was thereby as hot as fire as we use to speak This Sentence is a Repetition of the former and both of them seem to be Proverbs used by the Hebrews when they would signifie that a worse or a more terrible man shall succeede a better or lesse terrible 30. And the first-born of the Poor i. e. And they which are in an exceeding poor and low condition He meanes hereby the men of Judah which were brought very low in the daies of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28.5 c. When he saith the first-born of the poor for him that is in an extream poor and low condition he useth a Catachresticall Metaphor For because the first-born Sonne excelleth all his Fathers Children in wealth and other priviledges of his birth-right therefore doth he call them which are the poorest in condition of all men the first-born of the poor as excelling and surpassing all which are poore and miserable in poverty and misery Shall feed Supple in safety under him i. e. shall live quietly and peaceably without fear under Hezekiah In the word feed there is a Metaphor drawn from Cattle which are kept in safety while they feed from wolves and other ravenous beasts by the Shepheard And the needy This is a Repetition of those words And the first-borne of the poor Shall lye down in safety These are for sence the same with those words shall feed and in these also there is a Metaphor taken from Cattle which lie down and couch safely from ravenous beasts by the custody of
Shepheards and their dogs And I will kill thy root But I will kill thy principall men O Palestina with famine He puts And for But And by the root he meaneth the principall men by a Metaphor from a tree whose principall part is the root He speakes here in the person of God And he shall slay thy remnant i. e. And Hezekiah shall slay with the sword those that escape the famine By He he meaneth the Cockatrice and fiery flying Serpent that is Hezekiah whom he signifieth by those Metaphors 31. Howle O Gate q. d. Lament ye Cityes of the Philistines or Palestina for the miseries which shall come upon you He saith howle for lament by a Metaphor from doggs and wolves which howle and make a dolefull noise He saith O Gate for O ye Cityes or O ye which inhabite the Cityes of Palestina where first he puts a Gate for Gates A Singular for a Plural number Then by Gates he meaneth the Townes and Cityes which have Gates by a Synechdoche Then by the Townes and Cityes he meaneth the Inhabitants of those Townes or Cityes by a Metonymie Thou whole Palestina art dissolved i. e. All ye Inhabitants of Palestina shall faint and melt away with fear By Palestina he meaneth the Inhabitants of Palestina by a Metonymie And he saith that they are dissolved for they shall be dissolved after a Prophetique way Putting a Praeterperfect tense for a Future And he saith ye shall be dissolved or melted as he said and every mans heart shall melt Cap. 13.7 The Notes upon which place see For the Phrase and Metaphor is the same with this There shall come from the North a smoak By this Smoak he meaneth either Hezekiah whom he signifieth by smoak because as smoak is quick in its motion and hurteth the eyes So Hezekiah was quick in his expedition against the Philistines and was very hurtfull to them and did sore vex them Or by this smoak he meaneth a great Armie of the men of Judah marching against the Philistines by a Metonymie For great Armies in their march raise a dust which is seen a farre off like a Cloud or Smoak From the North. i e. From Judaea or the land of Judah which lay North of Palestina or the land of the Philistines But did not Palestina or the land of the Philistines lye West of Judaea or the land of Judah Cap. 11.14 How then is it here said that the land of Judah or Judaea lay North of the land of the Philistines or Palestina Answer Palestina did neither lie directly West nor directly South from Judaea but between the South the West points So that to speak without exactnesse and as they commonly speak it might indifferently be said to lye either South or West of Judaea and Judaea North or East of that And none shall be alone i. e. And none shall separate himself and abide apart from the rest of his brethren the Jewes but all shall march together as one man with one mind against Palestina He seemeth here to allude to a stragling sheep which separates herself from the flock and keeps alone In his appointed times i. e. In the times which Hezekiah shall appoint for a muster or for his expedition against Palestina By his times he meaneth the times of Hezekiah who was signified above by a Cockatrice and fiery flying Serpent that is the times which Hezekiah should appoint for his Armies mustering or marching Not his times who should be appointed to muster or march at such times 32. What shall one then answer the messenger of the Nation q. d. And at that time the Nation of the Philistines shall send Messengers or Embassadors into the Land of Judah to Hezekiah to make peace with him and his people and shall plead hard for peace putting Hezekiah and his People in mind of the uncertainty of warre but when they shall speak of the uncertainty of warre what Answer shall be given them What shall one then answer c. i. e. And what Answer shall be given them And seems to be left here to be understood Of the Nation i. e. Of the Nation of the Philistines That the Lord hath founded Zion i. e. To the messengers of the Nation i. e. Of the Philistines that shall come to entreat a peace and put Hezekiah and his People in mind of the uncertainty of warrs that thereby they may obtaine a peace This Answer shall be given Viz. That the Lord hath founded Zion The Lord hath founded Zion i e. The Lord hath given Zion a promise of certaine victory By Zion and Hill a part of Hierusalem is meant Hierusalem it self by a Synechdoche And by Hierusalem are meant the Inhabitants of Hierusalem by a Metonymie and by the Inhabitants of Hierusalem which were but part of the Inhabitants of Judah all the men or Inhabitants of Judah are meant by a farther Synechdoche And by the Inhabitants of Judah the hope of these men by another Metonymie God is said to found Zion that is to settle or build the hopes of Zion upon a sure foundation Because he gave her his promise upon which she built her hope as upon a firme foundation And the poor of his people i. e. And his poor People the Jewes which now are in a low and a poor condition This Phrase the poor of his people is like that of Saint Paul's the signe of Circumcision Rom. 4.11 For as the signe of Circumcision is no more than this Circumcision which is a signe So the poor of his people is no more than this his people which are poor Shall trust in it i. e. Shall trust in that foundation i. e. In that promise and build their hopes upon it The Antecedent Viz. Foundation which is the Antecedent to this Relative It is not formally and plainly here expressed But yet it may be plainly understood from the fore-going words The foundation which is here meant is as I said Gods Promise made to the poor Jewes of certaine Victorie over the Philistines upon which Promise the Jewes did rely and build their hope as it were a Superstructure upon a sure Foundation and therefore would not hearken to their mortall Enemies the Philistines when they desired peace by their Embassadors and pleaded for it by arguments fetcht from the uncertainty of warre The Promise that the Jewes should prevaile over the Philistines is contained in the 29 and 30 Verses of this Chapter ISAIAH CHAP. XV. THE burden of Moab What is meant by the burden here learn from Chap. 13. vers 1. Moab is put here for the Moabites the the Father for the Children Moab was the Sonne of Lot which he had by his eldest daughter Gen. 19. v. 36.37 Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste Here is somewhat to be understood Viz. Howle or lament ye Moabites So that the full sentence is this Howle O ye sonnes of Moab because Ar of Moab shall be laid waste in the night In the night That is suddainly and
unwilling to go of themselves or make no such haste as they would have them Into a large Country i. e. Into Assyria which was a large Country and of vast Dominions By these words he signifieth the place into which Shebna shall be carried away captive and intimates that he should endure an hard and cruel captivity for the Assyrians were cruel and without mercy to their captives Cap. 14. The question will be here How and when this Shebna was carryed away captive It is likely that this Shebna was put out of Court and banished the Land being a stranger or the City at least for some displeasure or other which the King conceived against him probably for the reason mentioned in Notes vers 15. And that the Assyrians under Sennacherib meeting with him when they came into Judah took him and sent him away captive among other captives which they had into Assyria or the Dominions thereof There shalt thou dye Hence may that appear which I said before That this Shebna was not that Shebna which was Secretary to Hezekiah Cap. 36. vers 22. though he were of the same name And there i. e. And when thou art there or then for Adverbs of Place be sometimes put for Adverbs of Time The Charets of thy glory i. e. Thy Charets which now thy glory forsooth rideth in in Jerusalem Of thy glory i. e. Of thee which art now so glorious A mans glory may be sometimes put by a Metonymical Periphrasis for a man himself as a Kings Majesty for a King and so may it be put here yet not without a Sarcasm or Irony Again a substantive of the Genitive case is put often by the Hebrews for an adjective and so Of thy glory may be put for glorious q. d. Thy glorious Charets By his glorious Charets is meant the great honor which he received from the King for such was Shebna's honor as that he was the chief of all the Kings Court and so next to the King And the Eastern Kings were wont to honor their Favorites and to shew their love and respect to them by the horses and charets which they gave them to ride in or upon as appears Gen. 41.43 Esth 6.8 Shall be the shame of thy Lords house q. d. Shall be a blot to Hezekiah and his house because he so much honored thee whom the Lord himself shall so abase and dishonor and as it were stigmatize and mark out for thy unworthiness 19. I will drive thee from thy station i. e. I will drive thee from that honorable place in which thou art set He speaks here in the person of God Thy station A station signifies sometimes an Harbor for ships sometimes a place appointed for Soldiers to stand and watch in here it is taken metaphorically for a Place or Office Shall he i. e. The King Hezekiah A Relative is put here without an Antecedent after the manner of the Hebrews or else the Lord speaketh here of himself in the third person In this pulling down of Shebna from his honor God was the principal Cause Hezekiah if yet Hezekiah be here meant was but his instrument 20. In that day Supple In which I shall drive thee from thy station c. He speaks still in the person of God I will call my servant Eliakim c. That which is here spoken of Eliakim you may see fulfilled 2 King 18.18 37. I will clothe him with thy robe i. e. I will place him in thy Office and honor him with that honor which thou now hast in thy Masters the Kings house The robe was an Ensign of an honor and a badge of some eminent place and it is likely that he that was over the Kings house had a peculiar robe appertaining to his Office Thy robe He meaneth either the same individual robe which he wore as though that robe was to pass from hand to hand or else he meaneth a robe like to him and the same every way for fashion to signifie the same Office in which he was And strengthen him with thy girdle As Nobles and men in place had gallant robes according to their place so had they also girdles suitable to their robes wherewith they were girded He saith And strengthen him with thy girdle for And gird him with thy girdle because it is a strength to the back to be girded about the loyns He may also allude to the strength that is to the power which a great man hath by his Office whereof the girdle is here a badge I will commit thy Government into his hands He speaks that plainly here which he spoke in a Figure before Thy Government i. e. The Government which thou hast And he shall be a Father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem i. e. And he shall be a Prince and Ruler over the inhabitants of Jerusalem He saith He shall be a Father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for He shall be a Prince and a Ruler to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to shew that he shall be a good Prince and a good Ruler over the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah for a good Prince and a good Ruler ruleth after a fatherly manner and with the like affection to the people as a father beareth to his children It seemeth that he who was the Kings Treasurer and which was over his house was by his place a Prince also and a Magistrate and Ruler over all the people of the Land as the Kings Treasurer and other great Officers heretofore had great authority in our Land by vertue of their places in the Court. The house of Judah i. e. The children of Judah which was the son of Jacob Concerning the sence of the word house and the reason thereof see cap. 3.6 22. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder q. d. And I will give him the chiefest power and authority in the Kings Court. The key or keys are a Symbol or Ensign of the chiefest Power and Authority for he which hath the keys of an house can open and shut the doors thereof and go in and out at his pleasure and let in and keep out whom he will And hence it is that Kings and Conquerors when they take possession of Cities have the keys thereof delivered to them by which Ceremony they are known to be yea they are actually made Lords thereof and the City is become subject to them The Key i. e. The Keys A singular for a plural number Of the house of David i. e. Of the house of Hezekiah the King who was the son of David David is put here per Metonymiam Efficientis for the son of David Or else every King of Judah might be called David from David that pious King and Prophet as every Emperor of Rome was called Caesar from Julius Caesar the first Emperor thereof Will I lay upon his shoulder This he saith either in allusion to Porters of Cities and of great mens houses who having many and those
heavy keyes to carry cast them over their shoulders and so carry them for their greater ease Or in allusion to the Government signified here by the Keys which is indeed a burden and burdens are usually layd upon the shoulders and so born So he shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open Supple The doors of Davids house By this is Allegorically meant the absolute power which Eliakim should have in the Kings Court which should be such as whatsoever he commanded should be done and whatsoever he forbids should not be medled with 23. I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place c. A nail is to be taken here for a peg or pin which is driven into a post or wall and whereon they use to hang Cups and Pots and Flagons and the like Eliakim is here likened to a nail fastened in a sure place first in regard of that high place which he had in the Kings Court for as such nails use to be fastened on high over the heads of men so Eliakim was advanced above all the servants of the King Secondly in regard of the tenancy of his place For as a nail which is fastened in a sure place holds its own and doth not fall so did Eliakim keep his place and lost it not nor was removed from it as Shebna was But thirdly and lastly He is likened to a nail fastened in a sure place chiefly in respect of that power which he had to advance his kinred as appears by the next Verse For as a nail which is droven in and fastened in a sure place bears whatsoever cups or vessels hang upon it and breaks not and whatsoever is hanged upon it hangs aloft so had Eliakim power to advance all his kinred to honor and to sustain them and keep them in it and his power did not fail in advancing any one of them or keeping them in their place to which he advanced them In a sure place This he saith because many walls moulder and many posts fail into which such nails or pins are driven And he shall be a glorious throne to his fathers house i. e. And I will make him as a glorious Throne to all his kindred This signifieth the same thing as a nail fastened in a sure place did For first Being that a throne is a stately seat and elevated and lifted up aloft from the ground it signifies the honor and high place that Eliakim should have in the Kings Court Secondly Being that the throne is never wanting to the Palace or the Kings Palace is never without the Throne it signifies that Eliakim should never be removed from the place which he had in the Kings Court But thirdly and that chiefly As a throne sustaineth him that sitteth thereon and he that sitteth thereon sitteth on high because a Throne is mounted aloft it signifies that Eliakims kindred should rest upon him for honor and preferment and he should advance them every one And for this chiefly was he said to be a glorious throne to his fathers house But you will say that thrones are onely the seats of Kings and if Eliakim should be as a throne to his kindred it would imply that he should make them Kings Ans As thrones are the seats so crowns are the wearing onely of Kings yet by a Metaphor crowns are attributed to meaner men as Prov. 12.4 and 14.24 and 16.31 and 17.6 And as the Crown so may the Throne also be attributed to them by a Metaphor To his fathers house i. e. To his Fathers family that is to his kindred 24. And they shall hang upon him all the vessels of his fathers house i. e. All the vessels of his fathers house shall hang on him For the Verb is to be taken here indefinitely These words relate immediately to those I will fasten him as a Nail in a sure place and shew in what Eliakim shall be like a Nail he shall be farther like a Nail in this That as the vessels which are hung upon a nail depend upon the nail and the nail bears them up aloft so shall all the kindred of Eliakim depend upon Eliakim for honor and advancement and they shall have honor and advancement by him Vpon him He speaks of Eliakim as of a nail or pin by a Metaphor All the glory of his fathers house By the glory of his fathers house he meaneth first the glorious cups and flaggons and such like vessels which belonged to his Fathers house But secondly he meaneth all his kindred which he here signifieth under the Metaphor of Cups and Flaggons c. And these may he call the glory of his fathers house or family not onely because they are signified by those glorious vessels but also because a family hath cause to glory of such as they were because they were vertuous before Eliakim preferred them and were honorable by his preferment The off-spring and the issue q.d. Yea the off-spring and the issue of that off-spring that is sons and sons sons the least and youngest of his kin He speaks of the off-spring and of the issue here as of vessels which are hung upon a pin or nail He mentioneth these particularly to shew that Eliakim shall advance all his kindred for if any of them should be neglected and not advanced it would be such as these are Note how the Prophet in this Allegory passeth from his Allegory to the thing meant by the Allegory and returns from the thing meant to his Allegory again All the vessels of small quantity He expresseth here under terms of his first Allegory what he said plainly just before to wit the off-spring and the issue that is even Nephews and Neeces of his kindred q. d. Not onely the Brothers and Sisters and the Sons and the Daughters but also the off-spring and issue of them From the vessels of Cups to all the vessels of Flagons Here is an Elleipsis thus to be made up q. d. All the vessels of his fathers house shall they hang upon him from the vessels of Cups which are the smallest to the vessels of Flagons which are the greatest vessels which used to be hanged upon a nail that is He shall advance all his fathers kindred from the highest to the lowest from the youngest to the eldest The vessels of Cups i. e. Cups which are vessels This is sach a manner of phrase as was observed Cap. 14.32 To all the vessels of Flagons i. e. To the greatest vessels the vessels of Flagons All signifieth here the greatest the most for number the greatest for qu ntity Not much unlike to this is the acception of this word Ephes 1.3 The vessels of Flagons i. e. Flagons which are vessels The like phrase as a little before What is said of the Nail in this Verse the like is left here to be understood of the Throne q. d. And upon him shall sit all the glorious persons of his Fathers house from the childe to the old
alwayes Phil. 4.4 and which the Psalmist useth I le sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise unto my God while I have my being Psal 104.33 I le call upon him as long as I live Psal 116.2 which kinde of phrases contain a Hyperbole and signifie onely frequent and often acts In the bitternesse of my soul i. e. Because of the grief of my soul which grief I have conceived from that that I have offended so gracious a God as the Lord is Note that Tò In is put here for Tò Because of for the Hebrews use this Preposition In instead of many other Prepositions Note also that bitterness is put here by a Metaphor and Metonymy of the cause joyned together for griefe because bitter things are grievous to the taster 16. By these things men live i. e. By such things as these are which thou hast done for me and promised to me many men which are never so dangerously sick and nigh unto death recover their health again and live Note here that the Hebrews have no Potentiall Mood but use an Indicative for a Potentiall and so an Indicative is here taken for a Potentiall men live for men may live and by men are understood men in any dangerous condition of life Per Synecdochen Generis And in all these things is the life of my spirit By all these things which thou hast done for me and promised me shall I certainly be revived and live who was neer unto death and therefore afflicted with grief and sorrow He puts my spirit for me a part for the whole man by a Synecdoche and a Present for a Future Tense By all these things he means the visitation whereby God did visite him in mercy by his Prophet the promise which God made to him of adding fifteen years to his dayes vers 5. the promise of delivering Jerusalem from the hand of the King of Assyria v. 6. God giving him a sign to confirme what he promised v. 7 2. His apointing a plaister of figs for his recovery v. 21. c. So wilt thou recover me q. d. As thou hast said so wilt thou recover me from my sickness 17. Behold for peace I had great bitternesse i. e. Behold for health I had a great sicknesse He puts peace for health and peace may signifie health per Synecdochen Generis for after the Hebrew manner of speaking peace signifies all prosperity and all good things under which health is contained Again peace may signifie health because in health the humors of the body rage not neither do they so disquiet a man as they do in sickness and there is a great harmony and concord between the elements and the qualities of the body in health which is not in sicknesse And he puts bitternesse for sicknesse by a Metaphor because as bitternesse is grievous to the pallat so is sicknesse to the whole body To my soul i. e. To me A part is put here for the wholeman by a Synecdoche Delivered it i. e. Delivered my soul that is delivered me From the pit of my corruption i. e. From the grave in which the dead bodies corrupt and putrifie For thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy back i. e. For thou hast forgiven me all my sinnes In these words there is contained an elegan◠Metaphor for because we cannot see those things which are behind our backs he saith thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy back for thou beholdest not my sinnes and those sinnes which God seeth not nor beholdes he is said to pardon See Psal 51.9 Note that in the Scripture phrase God is said to forgive a man his sinnes when he takes away any punishment from him which he either feareth or suffereth by reason of his sinnes And here because he took away that grievous sicknesse which he had inflicted upon Hezekiah for his sins he is said to cast all his sins behind his back or to forgive him all his sins See Notes Cap. 33.24 18. For the grave cannot praise thee i. e. For the dead which lye in the grave cannot praise thee He puts the grave for the dead which lye in the grave per Metonymiam Subjecti or Continentis These words shew the end or finall cause why God did forgive Hezekiah his sinnes and deliver his soul from the pit q. d. And therefore didst thou cast all my sinnes behind thy back and deliver my soul from the pit of corruption that I might praise thee for they which are dead cannot praise thee c. Death cannot celebrate thee i. e. The dead cannot celebrate thee He puts death for the dead per Metonymiam Adjuncti They that go down to the pit i. e. The dead which are carried to the grave and there buried Cannot hope for thy truth q. d. Cannot so much as hope for thy truth much lesse can they declare it and praise thee for it The truth of God is to be taken here for the goodnesse and mercy of God shewn to men But the goodnesse and mercy of God in relation to some former promise and to be performed according to that promise Hence we read goodness and truth and mercy often joyned together as Gen. 24.27 and 32.10 and Psal 115.1 why could not they which went down to the pit hope for the Lords truth Answer Because all their thoughts perished Psal 146.4 The living the living he shall praise thee q. d. But the living the living both can and shall praise thee Supple For this thy mercy which thou hast shewed me Note that this Particle He is redundant here as it is often elsewherr and that by an Hebraisme The father to the children shall make known thy truth q. d. Fathers shall make known unto their children the goodnesse and mercy which thou hast shewed to me and shall praise thee for it Thy truth i. e. Thy mercy and goodnesse which thou hast shewn to me in restoring me to my health I said that the truth of God is taken for the mercy and goodness of God but the mercy and goodnesse of God as it is shewed in relation to some former promise v. 18. To what promise therefore doth this relate Answer It relateth to that v. 5. I will adde unto thy dayes fifteen years or it may relate to that promise which God made to David 1 Kings 2.4 For by this mercy of God whereby Hezekiah was redeemed from the grave came Hezekiah to have a Son who succeeded Him in the Thron according to the promise of God made to David 20. The Lord was ready to save me q. d. When I was sick unto death the Lord was ready to save me We will sing i. e. I and my people or I and the fathers and their children v. 19. will sing My songs i. e. The songs which I have made or shall make in the praise of the Lord for his goodnesse and mercy shewed to me In the house of the Lord. i. e. In the Temple 21. For Isaiah
she hath suffered in her captivity is at an end Her warfare Because warfare is full of labor and hardship therefore is warfare put here for labor and hardship And when he saith Her warfare is accomplished he seems to allude to those years in which a man might be compelled to serve in war and after which age he was free from that burthen For she hath received at the Lords hand double for all her sin Some interpret these words thus For she shall receive at the Lords hands twice as great blessings as she hath suffered punishments thereat And so blessings are here to be understood and sin is to be taken for punishment for sin as it is also taken Cap. 5.18 and a Preterperfect-tense is put for a Future This place thus expounded hath its like Cap. 61.7 But others expound these words thus q. d. For she hath suffered great punishments at the Lords hands for her sin Supple By which the Lord is now moved to pity and compassion towards her upon her repentance As a Father is moved to pity his Child whom he hath grievously chastised for his faults when he seeth him sorry for his faults Note that the word double signifieth with the Hebrews as much as great and abundant as Jer. 17.18 Bring upon them the day of evil and destroy them with double destruction And 1 Tim. 5.18 Let the Elders which rule well be counted worthy of double honor In both which places double is put for great or abundant Note also that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 punishments is to be understood in the word double This was delivered by the Prophet long before the Jews were in captivity yet it is spoken as though the Jews were even then in captivity and had been long therein Thus do Prophets speak of things to come as if they were present 3. The voyce of him that cryeth in the wilderness i. e. The voyce of the Cryer is heard in the wilderness saying or I hear the voyce of the Cryer crying in the wilderness and saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He speaks as though he heard the voyce of him that cryed and by this he sheweth the certainty and the suddenness of the Jews delivery and return out of the captivity of Babylon In the wilderness He meaneth the wilderness between Babylon and Judea Prepare ye the way of the Lord i. e. Prepare ye the way in which the Lord is to walk or march from Babylon to Judea with his people the Jews How they should prepare the way of the Lord he sheweth in the following words of this and the next Verse Make straight in the Desart a high-way for our God i. e. Make in the wilderness an high-way for our God to walk in and let it be straight Straight By straight is meant not onely that which hath no windings and turnings but also that which hath no risings and fallings but is plain and that by a Syllepsis When as the way here spoken of was for the Jews to pass out of Babylon into their own Land Why he saith it was for their God I shall tell at the fifth Verse In the Desart Between Babylon and Judea there were great Desarts and waste places to which the Prophet here alludes 4. Every valley shall be exalted i. e. Let every valley which is in the way be filled up and evened or made plain with the other groâ—nd He putteth here a Future tense for an Imperative mood And this Verse is an Exegesis of the latter part of the former Verse And every mountain and hill shall be made low i. e. Let every mountain and hill be digged down and levelled with the other ground And the crooked shall be made straight i. e. And let the crooked ways be made straight Because of great Bogs and Mires and Precipices and the like accidents in the way Many a way goeth crooked and winding to avoyd those Bogs and Mires and Precipices which would be made straight to the great advantage of the Traveller if those Bogs and Mires and Precipices were filled with stones and earth c. And to such hath the Prophet here respect 5. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed i. e. For the glorious Lord shall come out of Babylon and march openly with his people to Judea through the wilderness And is put here for For. He puts also the glory of the Lord here for the Lord himself which is glorious per Metonymiam Adjuncti And he saith shall be revealed for shall come openly as it is said The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven 2 Thess 1.7 And all flesh shall see it together i. e. And all people shall see him Supple as he passeth by He seems to allude here to the manner of men who when any great Prince is to pass by with a great company attending him in a glorious manner they gather themselves together in great multitudes and stand to see him as he passeth by Note here that what the Prophet saith in the third and fourth Verses of this Chapter is spoken in allusion to what was wont to be done for great Princes and their Retinue when they were to remove from place to place who had Harbingers and way-makers sent before to take care that the way by which they were to pass was clean and plain and even and workmen to do what they commanded them in preparing the way This whole description of preparing a way for the Lord is brought onely to signifie that the Jews in their return out of captivity from Babylon into Judea should have an easie passage thither without any stop in their way What we read of here Xerxes had done for him by his servants in after-times to the full sounding of the letter of whom Justin reports Quod montes in planum deducebat c. Convexa vallium aequabat Justin lib. 2. cap. 10. fin The Prophet saith Prepare ye the way of THE LORD and make straight an high-way for OUR GOD And he saith that the GLORY OF THE LORD shall be revealed that is That the GLORIOUS LORD shall pass gloriously from Babylon to Judea in the sight of all men But why is it that he speaks thus Ans When the Israelites were redeemed from the bondage in which they lived in Egypt the Lord himself brought them out and marched before them For the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of Cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of Fire to give them light to go by day and by night Exod. 13.21 In allusion therefore to what God did then when he delivered the Israelites out of Egypt the Prophet speaks here of God when he should deliver the Jews out of Babylon as though God would in a visible and glorious manner march before them then also as he did when he brought them out of Egypt though indeed he would not For note that the Hebrews do often understand like things by like and so describe them See Notes
by his name whereas they call an ordinary servant not by his name but with an hisse or a whistle or the like Thou art mine i. e. Thou art my servant yea my peculiar servant and therefore I will have a care of thee These words contain the meaning of those that went immediately before 2. When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee c. This and the other sentences which follow in this verse are proverbiall kinds of speeches and signifie all one and the same thing namely that the Lord will keep him safe in all dangers 3. Thy God And therfore will protect thee and provide for thee I gave Egypt for thy ransome Ethiopia and Seba for thee i. e. When Senacherib King of Assyria warred against thee and left Ashardhaddon his sonne to govern Assyria in his absence and to supply him with men and all things necessary for the absolute conquest of Judaea And Asharhaddon thought now to doe his utmost for subduing thee and destroying thy Land I diverted him and imployed his forces against Tirakah King of Ethiopia and the Egyptians and Sabaeans which accompanied him in his expedition against Assyria all whom I made a prey to the Assyrians sword and so I preserved thee Concerning Tirakah King of Egypt his expedition against Assyria See Cap. 37.9 and Cap. 18. where the event of his Expedition is foretold which was that hee should be overcome by the Assyrians Egypt By Egypt understand the Egyptians by a Metonymy And by the Egyptians those Egyptians which warred under Tirakah King of Ethiopia when he went in expedition against Assyria by a Synechdoche For thy ransome i. e. That I might deliver thee from the danger of the Assyrians and preserve thee A ransome properly taken is the price which is given for the redemption of a Captive by the mutuall consent of the redeemer and him of whom the Captive is redeemed when therefore he saith He gave Egypt for thy ransome c. He speaketh Metaphorically Ethiopia Ethiopia is a large Region lying beyond Egypt Southward Here it is taken by a Metonymy for the Ethiopians those Ethiopians which served under Tirakah their King against Assyria Seba. Seba was the Son of Cush Gen. 10.7 which was the father of the Sabaeans which inhabited Arabia the Happy And it is taken here for the Sabaeans the children of Seba or Laba even these Sabaeans that served under Tirakah King of Ethiopia in the expedition aforesaid For Thee i. e. For thy ransome or that I might deliver thee from the fury of the Assyrians Since thou wast precious in my sight i. e. Since the time that I made thee a peculiar Treasure to my selfe Exod. 19.5 That is since the time that I brought thee out of Egypt and cast a favourable eye upon thee Thou hast been honourable i. e. Thou hast been honourable in the sight of the Nations by reason of these great things which I have done for thee And I have loved thee i. e. And I have shewed my love unto thee Metonymia Efficientis Therefore will I give men for thee q. d. I am I say The Lord thy God the holy one of Israel thy Saviour and I have given Egypt for thy ransome c. and I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee c. God is not like man but whom he loveth he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 And his former blessings are a motive to blesse againe whom he hath blest before I will give men for thee i. e. I will give men for thy ransom that I may redeeme thee out of the Babylonish captivity This was fulfilled when God gave the Babylonians as a prey to Cyrus by reason of which the Jewes which were held Captives by the Babylonians were delivered out of that Captivity And people for thy life i. e. And people to save thy life This is a repetition of the former Sentence 5. I will bring thy seed from the East and gather thee from the West c When the Babylonians invaded Iudaea they carried many of the Jewes away Captive into Babylon which lay Eastward from Iudaea and many of the Iewes fled Westward and many Northward and many Southward to save their lives and there lived in a kinde of Exile These therefore doth God here promise to bring backe againe into their own Land And he brought those of the Captivity into their own Land by the meanes of Cyrus Ezra 1. And the other hearing how mercifully God had dealt with them of the Captivity returned to their own Countrey againe not without joy and gladnesse of heart I will bring thy Seed i. e I will bring thy children O Iacob c. Metonymia Materiae And gather thee i. e. And gather thy Children Metonymia Efficientis 6. I will say to the North i. e. I will say to the Northerne people or people which dwell in the North parts of the earth Give up i. e. Give up my people which is among you into mine hands Bring my sonnes from farre i. e. All you which live a farre off bring the children of Israel which are to me as my sonnes which dwell among you into their owne Land 7. Even every one that is called by my name i. e. Bring yee even every one that is mine What is Gods is called by Gods name as v.g. The Son of God the Daughter of God As that which is Pauls is called by the name of Paul as Pauls cloake And what is Peters is called by the name of Peter as Peters sword c. And every thing which is owned is called by the name of its owner For I have created him i. e. I have made him For my glory i. e. That my glory That is that my power and my fidelity and my goodnesse may appeare in his preservation And that he may glorifie me and serve me onely because of these great things which I have determined and will doe for him I have formed him yea I have made him supple that I may be glorified in him and by him 8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deafe that have eares Bring forth the Idolls that have â—yes but see not and have eares but heare not Psa 115.6 This manner of speaking carrieth contempt with it As the Lord when he had told what he would doe for his people the Iewes and how he would deliver them out of the Babylonians Captivity made that his telling or foretelling of this an argument of his divinity And called upon the Idolaters and their Idols to bring what reasons they could The Idols to prove their own divinity and the Idolaters to prove the divinity which they gave to their Idols and in particular to shew whether they did ever foretell of that which God said He would bring to passe namely the delivery out of the Babylonish Captivity and bringing them to their own Land againe Cap. 42. v. 21 22 c. So doth he here and so often as he
to wit light and darkness peace and evil It may be asked Why the Lord doth here mention this That he is the Author of prosperity and adversity c. Ans He doth it that that which he promiseth in the next following Verse may be received with the greater credit and that it may be known that he is able to do what there he promiseth 8. Drop down ye Heavens from above What the Lord would have the Heavens to drop down is mentioned in the words following to wit Righteousness By the Heavens are meant the Skies Under this commâ—nd which he gives to the Heavens and to the Skies there lieth a divine promise for what the Lord commands the Heavens and the Skies to do that he will bring to pass himself Let the Skies pour down Righteousness q. d. Yea let the Skies pour down Righteousness And is put here for Yea and in the word pour down there is an emphasis And thâ—se words seem to be a correction of the former By this the Lord sheweth the abundance of righteousness which he would send which he compareth here to rain in abundance Righteousness By righteousness is meant the deliverance and salvatiâ—n whereby the Jews were delivered and saved out of the hands of the Babylonians and other the blessings which he bestowed upon them after their delivery and salvation And this deliverance and salvation and these blessings thâ— Lord calls righteousness per Metonymiam Efficientis because they were an effect of his righteâ—usness that is of his fidelity or faithfulness in keeping promise for God had promised to deliver the Jews and to save them out of the hands of the Babylonians and to bless them exceedingly Again This deliverance and salvation and these blessings might also be called righteousness because they were an effect of the righteousness that is of the justice of God for it was a righteous and just thing with God to comfort his people and to deliver them and to bless them and to destroy their Enemies when they had received at his hands double for all their sins as Cap. 40. vers 1 2. See 2 Thess cap. 1. vers 6 7. Note that when he saith Let the Skies pour down righteousness he compareth righteousness to the rain And though righteouâ—ness be the fruit which should spring out of the Earth by this rain yet he calls this rain by the name of righteousness because righteousness was produced thereby So we usually say of a sweet showre that it raineth grass because it causeth the grass to grow out of the ground in great abundance But you will say What is then meant by the Heavens or the Skies and their rain and what is meant by the Earth Ans Similitudes and Metaphors must not be racked and every part examined but enough it is if we understand the whole meaning by the whole but yet by the Heavens and by the Eâ—rth Cyruâ— may be understood here who delivered the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity and enriched them greatly and gave them many priviledges and by the rain may be mâ—â—nt those means which Cyrus usâ—d fâ—r this purpose Let the Earth open i. e. And let the Earth open to receive what the Skieâ— pour down This Conjunction And is here to be understood And let them bring forth Salvation i. e. And let the Skies and the Earth togethâ—r bring forth salvation as the Earth and the Heavens by their showres bring forth grass By salvation understand here meerly the delivery of the Jews out of tâ—e hands of the Babylonians by Cyrus And let righteousness spring up together i. e. And let righteousness spring up by their concourse that is by the concourse of the Heavens and of the Earth together with it that is together with salvation That rigâ—teousness and salvation may not signifie the same thing in this place I conceive that righteousness is to be taken here in a more strict signification then it was taken before in this Verse and that here it signifieth onely those blessings which the Lord bestowed upon tâ—e Jews by Cyrus after he had delivered them or saved them out of the hands of the Babylonians whereas in the former part of the Verse it signified both that salvation or deliverance and those blessings too I the Lord have created it i. e. I the Lord have appointed it to bâ— so or I the Lord will create that is I will bring it to pass or I will have it so In this last sence a preterperfect is put for a futâ—re tense 9. Wo unto hiâ— that striveth with his Maker This is spoken to the unbelieving and murmuâ—ing Jew For the unbelieving and murmuring Jew hearing God say Drop down ye Heavenâ— and let the Skies pour down righâ—â—ousâ—â—ss might out of an unbelieving heart murmur against God and say to him Thou sayst Drop down ye Heavens from above c. but thou art not able to make the Heavens drop down or the Skies to pour down righteousness as thou sayst Wherefore the Lord doth by way of prevention first reprove those men for their sauciness and murmuring against him in Vers 9 10. and then in vers 11. he assureth them that are believing of his power and love to them and that he can and will deliver them and save them and bless them as he said Vers 8. Vnto him that striveth with his Maker i. e. Wo to him that speaketh against God to his face even against God which made him for God will rebuke him for it This strife is a strife of words Let the potsheard strive with the potsheard of the Earth q. d. Let one potsheard strive with another and let it not strive with the Potter and let one man strive with another and not with God who made him Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou i. e. Shall the Clay contemn the Potter and say to him in contempt What makest thou If he should say so to the Potter the Potter would break it presently in pieces What makest thou This is spoke with contempt as though the Potter could not make an handsom pot q. d. What goest thou about to make dost thou go about to make a neat or handsom pot that 's past thy skill Or thy wâ—rk Or shall thy work O Pâ—tter say of thee He useth an Apostrophe here to the Potter He hath no hands Supple Able or cunning enough to make an handsom vessel When he saith He hath no hands he doth not say absolutely that he hath no hands but relatively that is he hath not hands fit or cunning enough to make an handsom vessel 10. Wo to him that saith to his Father What begettest thou q. d. Wo to him that being born lame or blinde or deformed saith to his Father What begettest thou Thou hast begotten a lame or blinde or deformed childe but thou canst not beget a well-favored and perfect childe Or to the Woman Supple Which brought him forth that is to his Mother What hast thou
brought forth q. d. Thou hast brought forth a lame or blinde or deaf or deformed childe but thou canst not bring forth a childe which is of perfect limbs and senses and which is well-favored Whosoever shall say this to his Father or his Mother Wo be to him for certainly the Lord will judge him for this his repining and irreverent speech against his Parents And if they shall not escape judgement which thus repine and murmur and shew themselves thus irreverent against their Parents much lesse shall they escape which doe irreverently repine and murmur against God 11. Thus saith the Lord c. The Lord having in the two former verses reprehended the murmuring Jew for repining and striving against him doth here assure the meek and believing Jew of his love to his people and his ability to deliver them and blesse them confirming what he said vers 8. And his maker i. e. And the maker of Israel The Lord is said to be the maker of Israel because he made Israel that is the children of Israel to be a People yea a peculiar people to himself But he speaks here of them as of a single person and alludeth to a Potter making a vessel Ask me of things to come concerning my sons i. e. Ask me how mercifully and well I will deal with the children of Israel which are my sons in time to come though now they be captives My sons The Lord called the children of Israel his sons because he delt with them as a father doth with his sons And concerning the work of my hands command ye me This is a repetition of the former sentence Concerning the work of my hands Whom he called his sons in the former Verse he calls the work of his hands here even the children of Israel and he calls them the work of his hands in allusion to a Potter because he was their Maker that is because it was he which made them a people Command ye me Supple To tell you what I intend to do with or for the work of my hands This is like that speech of Moses to Pharaoh Exod. 8.9 Glory over me c. though it be from a more worthy person And God speaks of himself as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12. I have made the Earth c. Between this and the former Verse something is left to be understood that the sence may be this viz. And what I shall tell you concerning my sons and the work of my hands I shall be able to bring to pass for that you may not doubt of my power know that I have made the Earth c. What therefore is too hard for me I with my hands have stretched out the Heavens i. e. I even I made the Heavens with my hands Where note that the Heavens were not first made and afterwards stretched out like a curtain but their substance and expansion were created both at once When he saith my hands he speaks of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to a work-man who doth what he doth by the skill and strength of his hands And all their host have I commanded i. e. And all the Stars of the Heavens have I created By the host of the Heavens he meaneth the Sun and Moon and Stars which he calleth an host because of their number and order in which regard they are like to an Host or Army He saith I commanded them for I created them for he commanded and they were created Psal 148.5 He said Let there be lights in the firmament of the Heaven c. and it was so Gen. 1.14 15 16 By this also he may signifie the command and power which he hath over the Host of Heaven for when he calls unto them they stand up together cap. 48.13 13. I have raised him up in righteousness i. e. I will raise up Cyrus according to my word and my promise A preterperfect tense is put here for a future Him That is Cyrus A Relative is put here without an Antecedent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In righteousness i. e. For my righteousness sake In is put here for For And by righteousness is meant that righteousness which is observed in keeping promise which is commonly called fidelity and truth Note here that when God bad his people to ask him what he would do concerning his sons and the work of his hands in time to come vers 11. that it is to be supposed that his people did ask him that question and upon their asking he gives them an answer here saying I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness and I will direct all his ways he shall build my City c. I will direct all his ways i. e. I will direct him in all his ways They cannot go amiss or have any other then good success in their ways whom God directeth He shall build my City i. e. He shall build Jerusalem which the Caldees have burnt down Cyrus is said to have built Jerusalem because he furnished the Jews with power and necessaries to build it My City Jerusalem is called the City of God because he chose it for the place of his worship Psal 132.13 And he shall let go my Captives i. e. And when he hath overcome Babylon he shall let go those children of Israel which are my sons which were there in captivity Not for price nor reward q. d. And though he let them go he shall ask no ransom of them but shall let them go freely 14. Thus saith the Lord the labor of Egypt c. In the former Verse the Lord said that Cyrus would let his captives go not for price nor for reward therefore here the Lord saith that because Cyrus would let his Captives go not for price or reward that he the Lord would reward him for this his magnificence to his captives for the Lord is never behind-hand with them that serve him The labor of Egypt i. e. Those riches which the Egyptians have got by their labor And the merchandize of Aethiopia i. e. And the wealth which the Aethiopians have got by their merchandize And of the Sabeans men of stature i. e. And the wealth of the Sabeans though they be men of a great stature and therefore lusty and strong and like to preserve their own Shall come over unto thee i. e. Shall come from being theirs to be thine And they shall be thine i. e. And the Aegyptians Aethiopians and Sabeans themselves shall be thine They shall come after thee in chains they shall come over q. d. Yea the Aegyptians and Aethiopians and Sabeans themselves shall submit themselves to thee and yield to thy mercy They shall come after thee Entreating thy mercy or entreating thee to accept of them for thy people In chains shall they come over i. e. They shall come to thee with chains on their hands or necks or feet as Captives to shew their humble submission to thee In chains They that were
up q. d. Some plague or other shall consume them and eat them up as the moth eateth up an old garment By the moth is meant some such plague or other as the Lord useth to send upon obstinate and rebellious sinners to consume them by a Metaphor taken from a moth which eateth woollen garments 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord This Sermon begun as I said at the fifth verse and from that place hitherto the Prophet hath spoken of his own commendation partly by asserting the truth thereof partly by answering Objections made against it and this he did not out of vain-glory but to vindicate himself and his authority from contempt that his Ministry might be the more fruitful Here he having vindicated himself and his authority from contempt begins his message and first he addresseth himself to those which were obedient to Gods Word saying Who is among you which feareth the Lord That feareth the Lord i. e. Which feareth to offend the Lord. The fear of the Lord is put Synecdochicè for all manner of worship and honor due to the Lord. That obeyeth the voyce of his servant i. e. That obeyeth the Word of the Lord which he speaketh to him by his servant Of his servant By the Lords servant here may be meant Isaiah himself whom God sent with this message to his people That walketh in darkness q. d. Though he doth live in misery and affliction and sorrow Darkness is put often in the Scripture for misery and affliction and sorrow The Prophet speaketh to these Jews as if they were even now in misery and affliction by their captivity in Babylon And hath no light i. e. And hath no joy or comfort at all or hope of comfort that he can see As darkness is often put for misery and affliction and sorrow so light is put for prosperity and comfort and joy Let him trust in the Name of the Lord q. d. Let him trust in the Lord and he will deliver him and send him prosperity and joy In the Name of the Lord i. e. In the Lord. And stay upon his God i. e. And rely upon his God for deliverance for he will deliver him A Metaphor from a man leaning or staying himself upon a staff 11. But behold all ye that kindle a fire q. d. But behold all ye that sin against God He makes an Apostrophe here to the sinners and disobedient Sin is compared here to a fire and well it may be because as fire consumeth the wood in which it is so doth sin destroy the wicked man See cap. 9.18 That compass your selves about with sparks This is the same with the former sentence For sin is like sparks of fire which compass tow or some such combustible matter For as such sparks do quickly set the tow on fire and consume it so doth sin speedily consume the sinner whom it doth beset Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled q. d. Go on and sport your selves in the pleasure of your sins This is an Ironical concession like that of the Preacher Eccles 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart chear thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou c. As he resembleth sin to fire so he resembleth the pleasure of sin to the light of the fire because all light is pleasant and cheareth the spirits and to the sparks of the fire because children use to make their pastime and sport with the sparks of fire This shall ye have of mine hand i. e. But this shall ye have of me q. d. But take this from me or thus much I will tell you Of mine hand i. e. Of me A part put for the whole man by a Synecdoche Ye shall lie down in sorrow i. e. Ye shall dye in your sorrowful condition that is in the captivity under which ye groan for ye shall never be delivered out of it Ye shall lie down i. e. Ye shall dye See cap. 43.17 ISAIAH CHAP. LI. HArken to me ye that follow righteousness This is to be continued with the last part of the foregoing chapter as part of the Sermon there begun He turneth his speech again to the obedient and those which fear God to whom he addressed himself at the first Cap. 50.10 Look unto the Rock whence ye are hewn This is a proverbial kinde of speech the meaning whereof is explained in the second verse By the Rock therefore is meant Abraham and Sarah the Father and Mother of the Jews not Abraham alone for he is but a partial cause of children but Abraham and Sarah together For in procreation of children the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man By those which are hewn out of the Rock are meant the Jews which were the children of Abraham and Sarah and which are here resembled to the stones which men hew out of a Rock And to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged i. e. And to the pit or quarry from whence ye are digged This is a repetition of the former sentence The hole of the pit The hole of the pit is put periphrastically for the pit or quarry it self which is an hole 2. Look unto Abraham your father and Sarah which bare you This is an explanation of those words which went immediately before For I called him alone i. e. For I called him out of Vr of the Caldees when he had no children Gen. 12.1 The Prophet speaks here in the person of the Lord. Him i. e. Abraham your father Alone i. e. When he was without children And blessed him He blessed him with abundance of wealth And encreased him He encreased him by giving him a seed as the Stars of Heaven for multitude When God called Abraham out of Vr of the Caldees Sarah went along with him Gen. 12.5 And when he blessed him and encreased him he blessed and encreased Sarah also But yet Sarah is not mentioned here in any of these particulars because God appeared onely to Abraham Gen. 12.1 and blessed him and encreased him principally and Sarah onely for his sake 3. For the Lord shall comfort Sion q. d. Look I say unto the Rock from whence you are hewn c. Look unto Abraham your father c. For as the Lord called Abraham alone and blessed him and encreased him So will he call Sion though she is now alone as cap. 54.6 and 49.21 and will bless her with abundance of wealth and will encrease her by giving her many children as cap. 49.20 By Sion is meant Jerusalem of which he speaks as of a woman by a Prosopopoeia Hence you may see to what end the Prophet did bid the righteous to look to the Rock from whence they were hewn c. and to look to Abraham their father c. v. 1 2. It was that they might by what he saith of
for sin bâ—t a puniâ—hment or affliction in general which is inflicted upon a man not for sin but with a pretence onely of sin and for a subject of affliction and punishment that is For any one which is afflicted and punished if he be afflicted or punishâ—d as if he were guilty though he be not guilty As the word CHETE which signifieth sin as ASCHAM doth signifieth sometime by a Metonymy a punishment injustly inflicted because it is inflicted not upon one that is guilty but upon one that is only thought to be guilty as will appear Genes 31.39 And sometimes again it signifies him that is so punished That therefore which is here rendered an offering for sin must be rendered a punishment or a subject of punishment and affliction or else we must interpret an offering for sin a punishment or subject of punishment and affliction making Tò an offering for sin of eqâ—al latitude with the Hebrew word ASCHAM for which we may have a warrant even from the Apostle For the Apostle doth sometimes make a word of another language to be of equal latitude with an Hebrew word though in its own nature it is too narrow for it So doth he make the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to speak the truth to be of equal signification with the Hebrew word AMAN which signifieth not onely to speak truth but also to be firm and constant Eph. 4.15 But more of this in the Preface Note that whereas many passages of this book have a twofold sence one relating to some History before Christ another to something more neerly concerning Christ and this Prophecy relateth both to Jeremy as the Type and to Christ as the Antitype And whereas the words in the Hebrew Text are so ordered and chosen as that they do signifie both these sences which cannot so well be expressed in any other language as in that The Translators of our Bible aymed more at that sence which immediatâ—ly concerned Christ as being more sublime and as it were the kernel whereas the otâ—er is but as it were the shell then at the other Wherefore they not having words to signifie both sences so fit as they are signified in the Hebrew chose words which signified what is immediately prophecyed of Christ the Antitype rather then what is prophecyed of the Type The Lord is said here to make Jeremy a punishment or a subject of punishment and affl ction because he suffered the Jews to punish him and afflict him who though he spoke nothing to them but the Word of the Lord yet did they punish him and afflict him as a Malefactor as for other reasons so because he prophecyed against Jerusalem and against the Temple Jer. 26. He shall see his seed q. d. He shall even then beget children By seed he meaneth children but not natural children but spiritual begotten not by the seed of the flesh but by the seed of the Word Thus doth Saint Paul call himself a father and sâ—ith that he begot the Corinthians through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. v. 15. See the like 1 Pet. 1.23 In a word Those whom Je emy won to God by his Ministry are here called his seed or his children It is a greater wonder for Jeremy to beget spiritual children in his afflictions then if he had been never afflicted for afflictions occasion offences and are as stumbling blocks in the way of those which would come to God He shall prolong his dayâ— q. d. And though thou dost bruise him and put him to grief yet he shall prolong his days Jeremy lived a long time considering his afflictions and persecutions yea he lived a good while after he was carryed away into Egypt And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands i. e. And he shall convert many and bring thâ—m into the right way which have erred which is a work which is well pleasing to the Lord and which it was the Lord will and pleasure to commit to him 11. He shall see of the travel of his Soul i. e. He shall see the fruits of his pains and travel which he shall take in converting and turning many to God The travel of his Soul i. e. His travel The Soul which is but a part is put here for the whole man And shall be satisfied i. e. And shall take content and delight therein These words contain a Metaphor and a Metonymy the Metaphor is taken from a man which hath hungered and thirsted and now is satisfied with meat and drink The Metonymy consisteth in that that such fulness or satisfaction bringeth content and a kinde of delight with it Now as a man which hath been pinched with hunger and thirst taketh delight and content in his fulness when he is satisfied so did Jeremy who hungered and thirsted after the Conversion of the Jews take delight and content in their conversion whom he had converted By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many i. e. My servant Jeremy who notwithstanding the calumny of the Jews is a righteous man and performeth my work uprightly shall by the knowledge which he hath of my Will and of my Law bring many who have sinned to repentance whereby they shall be justified from their sins For he shall bear their iniquities i. e. For he shall take away their sins He speaketh of sins or iniquities here as of dirt or filth by a Metaphor which he that takes away that he might cleanse the place which is defiled herewith taketh up upon his shoulders in a Basket and so carryeth or beareth away Jeremy took away the sins of many by preaching to them the Word of God and by reclaiming them by his holy conversation If Paul may be said to save some by his preaching and conversation Rom. 10.14 and he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way may be said to save a Soul Jam. 5.20 Then may Jeremy also be said to justifie many and to bear or take away their iniquities by his preaching and holy living 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoyl with the strong c. This is spoken of Jeremy in the person of God and that which the Lord saith here of Jeremy was performed when the Babylonians took Judah and Jerusalem For when the Babylonians had took Jerusalem and had conquered Judah with the sword Nebuzaradan Captain of the Guard of King Nebuchadnezzar did so much respect Jeremy as that he gave him victuals and a reward and gave him the choyce of his dwelling to dwell where he himself would Jer. 40.5 See also Jer. 15.11 Therefore I will divide him a portion c. This Relative word Therefore relates not so much to what went before though it may also relate to that as to what followeth after in this Verse to wit to that Because he hath poured out his Soul unto death c. q. d. Because he hath poured out his Soul unto death
between Christ and those believers 8. I hid my face from thee i. e. I was angry with thee A Metaphor taken from men who will not look upon those with whom they are very angry This verse is a repetition of the former And this repetition is for the more vehement Asseveration of what is spoken With everlasting kindnesse i. e. With kindnesse which shall endure a long time or many Generations 9. For this is as the waters of Noah i. e. For this That I have been wrath with thee shall be as the waters of Noah In what his anger shall be like the waters of Noah he sheweth in the ensuing words The waters of Noah by the waters of Noah he meaneth The waters which overwhelmed the earth and drowned all living Creatures in the dayes of Noah I have sworne that the waters of Noah should no more goe over the earth He alludeth to Gen. 9.11 where the Lord saith I will establish my Covenant with you neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a Floud neither shall there any more be a Floud to destroy the earth Obj. You may say that in that place of Genesis God doth not Sweare or make mention of any Oath How therefore is it said here I have sworne that the waters of Noah should no more goe over the earth Ans In that place of Genesis there is no explicite mention made of any Oath but yet it is implicitely involved that God did sweare at that time for God saith there that he will establish a Covenant Now solemne Covenants were wont to be confirmed with an Oath Hence I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworne to David my servant saith the Lord Ps 89.3 Nor rebuke thee i. e. Nor chide thee But where God chideth he punisheth too even by his chiding for his words are operative 10. For the Mountaines shall depart and the Hills be removed i. e. For the Mountaines may depart and be removed out of their place Neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed Neither shall the Covenant which I have made with thee In which Covenant I for my part have bound my selfe to give thee my peace Note here that the word peace signifieth all manner of good things and all prosperity in the Hebrew Dialect And all good things and all prosperity are from God So that God may well call peace his peace Yet the Covenant of my peace may be put for my covenant of peace but which way soever we take it the Sense is the same Note that the peace and mercy which God promised to the Iewes was by covenant Now in a covenant there be two parties and each party hath his condition and part of the covenant to performe wherefore if the Iewes performed not their part in the covenant and observed not the condition to which they were bound God was not bound on his part to performe what hee promised because his promise was conditionall Note that when he saith Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed he speakes of his covenant as of a corporall thing and alludeth to the removing of the Hills which he speakes of a little before in this verse 11. O thou afflicted tossed with tempest c. This is an Apostrophe to the Temple of Hierusalem which the Babylonians burned downe and was built againe after the Babylonish captivity To which Temple he speakes as he did to Sion as to a woman and a woman afflicted and tossed to and fro By a Prosopopoeia As Sion so the Temple is here a Type of Christs Church which is called the House of God Hebr. 10.21 1 Tim. 3.15 and 1 Pet. 4.17 Note that the Prophet speakes this to the Temple in the person of God Afflicted To wit by the Babylonians Tossed with tempest This is a Metaphor taken from a ship which is tossed and driven to and fro in the Sea by tempestuous winds and weather And not comforted behold c. i. e. And which hast no man to comfort thee behold Supple I the Lord will comfort thee I will lay thy stones with faire colours Iosephus writes that the very out-side of the Temple which he saw was curiously wrought with stones of divers colours And what stones were provided for the Temple which Solomon built See 1 Chron. 29.2 And the same stones did they use in building and adorning the Second Temple as farre as they were able to procure them as were used in building and adorning the First And lay the foundations with Saphir A Saphir is a pretious stone worne now in Rings of a sky colour 12. And I will make thy windowes of Agates An Agate is the name of a pretious stone which is sometimes of one sometimes of another colour And thy Gates of Carbuncles A Carbuncle is a pretious stone red and sparkling so called ab igniti carbonis colore i. e. From the colour of a live fire-coale And all thy Borders i. e. And all the Borders of thy Building 13. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord i. e. The Lord shall teach all thy children For he shall send his servants the Prophets as namely Haggai Zachary and Malachy to thy children that they may teach them and instruct them in his wayes Thy children By her children are meant the Jewes who were wont to goe up and worship in the Temple All thy children shall be taught of the Lord These words as they are meant of the children of the Temple in the first sense so in the second and more sublime sense they are meant of the children of the Church even the Church of Christ whom the Father will teach whatsoever they are to learne or believe Iohn 6.45 The children of the Temple being herein a Type of the children of the Church And great shall be the peace of thy children i. e. And thy children shall enjoy great prosperity 14. In righteousnesse shalt thou be established i. e. Thou shalt be established in peace and prosperity as I have said or according to my word By rtghteousnesse understand the truth and fidelity of God in performing what he saith or promiseth Or thus In righteousnesse thou shalt be established i. e. Thou shalt be established in peace and prosperity by thy righteousnesse i. e. By walking uprightly before me where In is put for By. Thou shalt be farre from oppression i. e. Thou shalt be farre from being oppressed by any as thou hast been of late and art still oppressed by the Babylonians Oppression is taken here passively For thou shalt not feare i. e. For thou shalt not have cause so much as to feare a-any oppressour And from terrour i. e. Thou shalt be farre from the dread or terrour of oppression 15. They shall surely be gathered together i. e. Behold they which wish thee evill and which are malitiously bent against thee shall gather themselves together to hinder thy building and thy peace Here is the Relative They put without
Kings 14.9 Psal 22.12 Ezech. 31.3 Shall come unto thee i. e. Shall be brought unto thee For what purpose the Cedar should be brought he tells towards the end of this verse Note that this is another reason why the gates of Ierusalem should stand open continually and hereby is intimated also that the Syrians which possessed mount Lebanon should be subdued by the Jewes or at least should so farre either stand in feare of them or respect them as that they should furnish them with all things for the use of the Temple which their Country could afford For it must be either by the good will or by a conquest of this people that the Jewes could have these Trees brought to Jerusalem but Strabo relates that the Jewes did subdue this people by the sword To beautifie the place of my sanctuary i. e. To adorne my Temple for the Temple was adorned by the wood of these Trees being curiously wrought And I will make the place of my feet glorious i. e. For I will make my Temple glorious The place of my feet By the place of Gods feet is meant the Arke then by the Arke which stood in the Sanctum Sanctorum is meant the Temple Per metonymiam contenti The Arke is called the place of Gods feet as appeareth 1 Chron. 28.2 And therefore was it called the place of Gods feet because in the two ends of the mercy seat which covered the Arke there were two Cherubins of gold looking one towards another and spreading out their wings one towards another and by the spreading out of their wings making as it were a seat to sit upon Upon the wings of the Cherubins so stretched out was the Lord supposed to sit in shape of a man and to rest his feet upon the Arke And therefore was the Arke called the place of his feet See Exod. Cap. 25. v. 17 18 19 20 21 22. 14. The sonnes also of them which afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee q. d. So glorious also shalt thou be that not onely they which were thy friends but they also which afflicted thee as enemies shall be moved with thy glory and come and honour and reverence thee if not for love yet for feare and sâ—e to thee for thy favour and for thy friendship This is another reason why the gates of Hierusalem should stand open continually to wit because the sonnes of them that had afflicted Sion should come bending to thee The sonnes of them which afflicted thee i. e. The children of those that afflicted thee Or they themselves which afflicted thee O Sion For the Hebrewes put the sonnes of such and such for such and such themselves Shall come bending unto thee Supple In token of honour and reverence towards thee See this fulfilled in part Ezra 4. v. 1.2 Shall bow themselves at the soles of thy feet i. e. Shall bow themselves down even to the ground in most humble manner in signe of the greater respects to thee And they shall call thee the City of the Lord q. d. And when they speake unto thee and call thee they shall say O thou City of the Lord And this they shall say to shew the great esteeme which they have of thee and that they greatly reverence thee Sion or Jerusalem might be called the City of the Lord aswell in regard of the love which the Lord had to her as of the Temple which was scituate in Jerusalem which was the Lords house The Sion of the holy one of Israel i. e. The Sion of the Lord who is the holy One of Israel 15. Forsaken Supple Of me as of thine husband and of thy children thinâ— Inhabitants during the Babylonish captivity Anâ— hated Supple Of me as of thine husband against whom thou hast plaid the whore And of the Babylonians as of my Instruments which I called to pâ—nish thee who out of hatred to thee have laid thee waste and desolate So that no man went through thee i. e. So that no man went through thy Streets I will make thee an eternall excellence i. e. I will make thee most excellent and glorious for a long time to come The Hebrewes when they would signifie a thing in the Superlative degree They use an Abstract for a Concrete so here when the Prophet would signifie that Sion should be most excellent saith that she shall be an excellency An eternall excellency i. e. Most excellent a long time The Hebrewes are somewhat hyperbolicall in their expression of time and duration and that that shall be eternall and everlasting which shall last onely a long time A joy of many generations i. e. Such a one as in which many generations successively shall rejoyce Note that joy is put here per Metonymium objecti for the thing in which we joy and many generations for the men of many generations per Metonymiam Efficientis When the Lord made Jerusalem an eternall excellency and a joy of many generations then did all men flock to her and tread her streets though none went through her before Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles i. e. Thou shalt draw the riches of the Gentiles to thy selfe and be enriched by them He useth a Metaphor taken from a sucking child milking his Nurses breasts and resembleth Riches to the milk which he drawes by sucking And shalt suck the breasts of Kings Hee persists in the Metaphor of a sucking child In the 49 Chapter vers 27. The Prophet saith That Kings shall be their i. e. the Jewes nursing fathers and that the same with this Thou shalt suck the breast of Kings Whe he saith The breast of Kings his Metaphor is Catachresticall For children use to suck not the brests of men but of women And thou shalt know i. e. For thou shalt know and that by experience And is put here for for Thy Saviour and thy Redeemer Supple which will save thee and redeem thee out of the hands of the Babylonians The Mighty one of Israel i. e. The mighty God whom Israel worshipped and who loved Israel By Israel may be here meant either Jacob himselfe who was named Israel Gen. 32.28 or the Jewes â—he children of Jacob. The Lord addeth this viz. The mighty God of Israel to shew that what he hath said here should surely be effected for there be but two things required to bring any thing to passe A power and a will to doe God sheweth his power in that he calleth himselfe the Mighty one his will in that he calls himselfe the Mighty one of Israel for by that he sheweth his love to the children of Israel 17. For Brasse I will bring Gold c. q. d. whereas now thou art poore I will make thee exceeding rich so as Gold shall be as plentifull with thee then as Brasse is now c. Thus rich God made Sion by the Gentiles whom he made as Conduit-pipes to convey these his favours to them so as these words are an explication of those Thou shalt
besides And of thy glory i. e. And from the habitation of thy glory that is from thy glorious habitation He saith of glory for glorious as he said of holiness for holy Or else both holiness and glory may be put here per Metonymiam adjuncti for God himself q. d. From the habitation of thee that is from thine habitation who art holy and glorious Where is thy zeal i. e. Where is that love which thou hast heretofore shewed to us thy people in the days of our forefathers Zeal is oftentimes put for love but ardent love And thy strength i. e. And where is thy strength which thou hast heretofore shewed in delivery of us thy people out of the hands of our Enemies And the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercies towards me q. d. And where are those sighs and those groans towards me which thy pity and compassion was wont to move toward the sons of Israel This is also spoken in the person of a Jew The sounding of the bowels I take to be sighs and groans proceeding from the bowel◠that is proceeding from pity and compassion For the bowels being deemed the seat and subject of pity and compassion are often taken by a Metonymy for pity and compassion it self Ingemuit miserans graviter saith the Poet Virgil. lib. 10. Aenead vers 823. He out of pity sighed or groaned grievously Are they restrained i. e. Are thy zeal and thy strength and the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies restrained and kept in that they should not shew themselves towards me 16. Doubtless thou art our Father q. d. Surely thou livest and art still our Father and therefore wilt take notice of us as of thy children and of the miserable condition in which we are Though Abraham be ignorant of us i. e. Though Abraham who was our Father according to the flesh is now dead and therefore neither knoweth us nor our condition And Israel acknowledge us not i. e. And though Israel who was also our Father according to the flesh is now dead and therefore acknowledgeth us not though we were his sons Why was Abraham ignorant of them and why did not Israel acknowledge them at this time Ans Because Abraham and Israel were both dead at this time and so all their thoughts perished Psal 146.4 Thou O Lord art our Father i. e. Thou O Lord I say livest and art our Father Our Redeemer The people of the Jews calleth the Lord their Redeemer because he had redeemed them at all times out of the hands of their Enemies Thy Name is from everlasting i. e. Thou art from everlasting and so being from everlasting shalt be to everlasting for that which hath no beginning shall have no ending By this he preferred God as a Father before Abraham and before Jacob For though Abraham and Jacob were both their Fathers yet they were mortal and both dead and so had no longer any knowledge and care of them as a Father had of his children But God is everlasting and dyeth not and so can always both take notice and have a care of them which are his Thy Name i. e. Thou See Cap. 30. vers 27. He putteth the Lord in minde that he is their Father and Redeemer thereby to move him more vehemently to compassion 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to err from thy ways i. e. O Lord why hast thou suffered us so long to be oppressed by the Babylonians and by that means hast made us to err from thy Commandments Note that if the rod of the wicked lieth long upon the righteous it maketh them to put forth their hands to iniquity Psa 125.3 Hence it is that he saith here O Lord why hast thou made us to err from thy ways for Why hast thou so long oppressed us or suffered us to be oppressed per Metonymiam Effectus From thy ways i. e. From thy Commandments in which thou hast appointed us to walk And hardened our heart from thy Fear q. d. And why hast thou hardened our heart so as that we fear thee not God is said to harden their hearts so as he was said to make them err from his ways that is by prolonging their misery and captivity in Babylon Return i. e. Return unto us in mercy and deliver us out of our captivity and misery now after the time that thou hast been angry with us Anger oftentimes maketh one man to depart from another who returneth again when his anger is over and his wrath appeased In allusion therefore to such a one doth he say here Return speaking of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For thy servants sake i. e. For our sake who are thy servants lest if thou return not unto us we be utterly consumed The tribes of thine inheritance i. e. The Tribes to whom thou gavest the Land of Canaan which is thine inheritance to dwell in These words are governed of the former by Apposition and those which he called the Lords servants there he calls the Tribes of the Lords inheritance here for the people of the Lord were divided into Tribes Exod. 28.21 Though the people of Israel were sometimes called the Lords inheritance because the Lord chose them for himself to be his own as a mans inheritance is his own yet here the Land of Canaan which God gave them to dwell in and not the people themselves is called Gods inheritance as will appear by the next Verse And the Land of Canaan might be called Gods inheritance because God reserved to himself a peculiar right in that Land Levit. 25.23 18. The people of thy Holiness have possessed it but a little while i. e. Thy people or thy holy people the Jews have possessed the Land of Canaan which is thine inheritance but a little while Supple Therefore bring us back again O Lord out of our captivity in Babylon into thine inheritance that we may possess it yet longer according to thy promise He saith that they had possessed the Land of Canaan the Lords inheritance but a little while though they had possessed it◠eight or nine hundred years because the Lord promised that they should inherit it for ever Exod. 32.13 And what is eight or nine hundred years to that which is for ever The people of thine Holiness Of thine Holiness may be put here for Of thee Gods Holiness being put for God himself per Metonymiam Adjuncti q. d. Thy people Or the substantive of the Genitive case may be put here for an Adjective as the Hebrews often put it and so the people of thine Holiness may be put for thine holy people And the Jews the children of Israel might be called Gods holy people because God took them to himself and separated them from all the people in the Earth to be his servants for Holiness is nothing else but a separation from others by way of eminency It i. e. Thine inheritance mentioned Vers 17. Our adversaries have broken down
have not heard i. e. For no man since the beginning of the world hath ever heard or shall hear c. These words relate to that passage of the third verse viz. which we looked not for and shew that he might well say which wâ— looked not for for since the beginning of the world no man ever heard or saw what God had prepared and was ready to doe for them who wait for him Men have not heard Men have not heard nor shall hear These words contain not onely a praeterperfect Tense but the praesent and future also by a Syllepsis Nor perceived by the eare These are the same with the former words except you will say that by hearing is meant hearing from the reports of others perceiving by the eare is meant hearing immediately themselves Neither hath the eye seen i. e. Neither hath the eye of any one seen or shall see Supple before it commeth to passe Besides thee q. d. But onely thou O Lord who knowest what thou wilt doe and what thou hast prepared before it be done What he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him i. e. What thou O God hast prepared and art ready in thy good time to doe for them that wait for thee Note here the Enallage of the person for he speaketh of God in the Third person to whom he spoke just before and speaketh immediately after in the second For him i. e. For them A singular for a plurall number collective That waiteth for him i. e. Which depend upon thee or trust in thee and will not depart from thee but wait upon thee till thoâ— hast mercy upon them 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse i. e. Thou preventest him with thy blessings who rejoyceth to work righteousnesse Thou meetest him c. This is that which he saith Cap. 65.24 Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will heare But the words are metaphoricall taken from a man meeting his friend before he comes to him An example whereof we have Luke 15.20 This sheweth that no man knoweth what God hath prepared for his untill it commeth to passe For God meetes those which are his and preventeth them with his blessings before they think of it That rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse i. e. Which rejoyceth to work Righteousnesse Here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two words to expresse one thing Those that remember thee in thy waies i. e. Even those which remember the Covenant which they have made with thee by walking in those waies which thou hast appointed for them to walk in That is by walking in thy commandements These are a repetition or amplification of these words That rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse That remember thee i. e. That remember thy Covenant or the Covenant which they have made with thee A metonymie in the word thee Bâ—hold thou art wroth q.d. But behold thou art wroth with us and shewest no kindnesse unto us though thou meetest us which rejoyce to work righteousnesse and remember thee in thy waies God shewed his wrath towards them by giving them over into the hands of the Babylonians and suffering them to remain so long in captivity as they did In those is continuance i. e. To those supple which rejoyce to work righteousnesse and which remember thee in thy waies There is continuance Supple of thy love and of their happy estate In for To. And we shall be saved q. d. And we supple which are now in the hands of our enemies shall be saved out of their hands Supple if we were such as they are That is if we did rejoyce and work righteousnesse and remember thee O Lord in thy waies as they doe This sentence is very concise and so are many more in this chapter But we are all as an unclean thing i. e. But we are not such as they are but we are all impure and defiled by reason of our iniquities As an unclean thing He alludeth to those things which the Ceremoniall law of Moses made unclean such was the cloath and the timber and the stones c. in which the Leprosie was found which things were either to be burned or cast away Levit. 13. v. 55 56 57. 14. v. 46 47. And all our righteousnesses i. e. And all our works or all our actions and doings Though all their works were sinnes yet he calls them their Righteousnesses by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because most of the Jewes accounted them themselves as well done and called them themselves Righteousnesses See the like manner of Phrase Cap. 47.12 Are as filthy rags i. e. As rags which are pulled off from mattrie soares or rags which are defiled with the menstruous bloud of a woman which the Law made unclean Or as some other rags which were fitter to be cast away or burned then to be kept or used And we all doe fade as a leafe Wherefore we do all fade away in the land of our captivity as a leafe which the winde hath blown from the Tree whereon it grew and flourished fadeth away and withereth And is put here for wherefore And our iniquities have like a wind taken us away i. e. For our iniquities have taken us away from our dwellings and habitations where we lived in prosperity and peace as a winde taketh the leafe away from the Tree whereon it flourished and have brought us into Babylon And for For. Their Iniquity is said to take them away because God suffered the Babylonians to take them away because of their iniquities 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy Name i. e. And yet there is none that calleth upon thee or prayeth unto thee in his miserable esâ—ate Note thâ— And is put here for yet and that this universall particle none is not to be universally taken here for none absolutely but for few q. d. There are but few that call upon thee Thy Name That is thee See Cap. 63.16 That stirreth up himselfe to take hold on thee q. d. There be but few that endeavour to stop thy judgements by begging pardon at thy hands This phrase is Allegoricall and alludeth to a man who is strucken down and yet he that struck him down still smites him and strikes him yet he that is strucken down lieth still along and suffereth him that struck him down to strike him still and raiseth not up himselfe to lay hold on his arm that he may strike him no more See Cap. 27.5 For thou hast hid thy face from us i. e. Though thou art angry with us See Cap. 8.17 Cap. 54.8 For is put here for though But now O Lord Supple We call upon thee we beseech thee therefore to heare us Thou art our Father Supple Therefore as a father pittieth his children so doe thou pitty us and have mercy upon us We are the clay i. e. We are the vessels which thou hast made Clay is put here per metonymiam materiae for vessels made of Clay And thou
and to whom he made great promises in Cyrus cap. 45.2 3 4 c. That was not calâ—ed by my Name i. e. That is not mine that is not mine by peculiar choyce as the Jews were Concerning this phrase see Cap. 63. vers 19. Note that Cyrus and the Persians lighting upon the Will of God here and doing it were a type of the Gentiles embracing the Gospel which is the Will of God concerning man and walking according to it And therefore the Apostle in the second and sublime sence maketh use of this Verse to shew that the believing of the Gentiles was foretold of old Rom. 10.20 2. I have spred out my hand all the day long to a rebellious people i. e. I have spred out my hand all the day long to my people the Jews which are a stubborn and a rebellious people c. In the first Verse the Lord shewed that he had heard the prayer which was made to him in the two former Chapters and that the Medes and Persians should perform his pleasure concerning the overthrow of the Babylonians and the redemption of the Jews according to that prayer But lest any one should think that he intended to redeem the wicked and irrepentant Jews he sheweth here that he had no such intent but because the greatest part of the Jews were wicked and irrepentant he would take vengeance of them to the full and destroy them yet he would redeem the better part to wit those which were sorry for their sins and were mindful of his service I have spred out my hands to a rebellious people i. e. I have invited a people to come unto me and have spred out my hands as being ready to receive them in mine arms but they would not come unto me Or thus I have preached to my people the Jews and called upon them to repent and turn from their evil ways but they would not hear Because the spreading out of the hands was a gesture which was wont to be used by those which preached to the people either to raise attention as Acts 26.1 or to move affection The spreading out of the hands may be put here for preaching All the day long q. d. Without ceasing To a rebellious people This people were that part of the Jews which would not accept of Gods invitation nor give ear when he preached to them by his Prophets but would run on still in their transgressions Note here that these rebellious Jews which would not accept of Gods invitation nor hear him when he preached unto them by his Prophets were a type of those obstinate and unbelieving Jews which would not believe the Gospel when the Gospel was preached unto them Rom. 10.21 That walketh in a way that is not good i. e. Which do that which is evil After their own thoughts i. e. That walketh after their own lusts 3. A people that provoketh me to anger Supple By their sins To my face The Lord speaks here of himself as of a man to shew their impudency in sinning and the greatness of their provocation For men are more provoked with that contumely which is done to their face then with that which is done behinde their back And they are more impudent in sin which commit sin before the face of one that looketh on then which commit it in private where they are not seen That sacrificeth in Gardens Idolaters were wont to sacrifice in Gardens and in Groves and it seemeth the Jews many of them did so sacrifice while they were captives in Babylon contrary to Gods command Deut. 12.13 14. And burneth incense upon Altars of brick This was contrary to the words of God Exod. 30. v. 1. Howsoever they sinned by burning Incense out of the Temple 4. Which remain among the graves They did remain among the graves that they might consult with evil spirits which haunt those places Or that they might use some kinde of Necromancy or other which was forbidden Deut. 18.11 And lodge in the monuments This is a repetition of the foregoing sentence For sepulchers are called monuments because of the monuments which are there erected to the memory of the dead Which eat Swines flesh Contrary to the Law Levit. 11.7 Deut. 14.8 And broth of abominable things is in their vessels i. e. And which have in their vessels broth made of the flesh of unclean beasts such as were forbidden to be eaten Levit. 11. and Deuter. 14. and therefore were abominable for a man to eat 5. Which say Supple To other men notwithstanding their own wickedness Hypocrites as they are Stand by thy self i. e. Keep off Come not neer to me Supple To pollute me with thy company These are a smoke in my nose i. e. These are a vexation to me as smoke is to the eyes or the nose of a man A fire that burneth all the day i. e. Such as kindle my wrath by their wickedness continually or such as vex me all the day long He likeneth these men to fire either because they did kindle Gods wrath against themselves as fire kindleth the wood Or else because as fire raiseth a smoke which vexeth the eyes and nose of a man so did they commit sins dayly by which they did vex the Holy One of Israel 6. It is written before me i. e. That which these men have done and do do shall not be forgotten but I will keep it in continual remembrance He alludeth to the Books of Records which Kings use to have and to read in as Eâ—th 6.1 This Particle It is a Relative without any formal Antecedent which is a thing frequent with the Hebrews Or it relateth to all the sins before mentioned without observing the number I will not keep silence Supple But will rebuke them in my fierce anger Gods rebuke goeth not with his actual afflicting and punishing and therefore though rebuke with men signifieth but words yet with God it signifieth deeds also But will recompence Supple Their iniquities as it followeth in the next verse that is I will pay them as much punishment as their sins deserve Even recompence into their bosom By the bosom is meant the lap And he alludeth to an housholder paying his laborer his wages in corn which corn the laborer takes of him in the lap of his garment and so carryeth it to his own home For in those days men went in loose garments as well as women though different in fashion 7. Your iniquities i. e. Their iniquities These words relate to the word recompence in the former Verse Note here the confusion of the persons how he confounds the second person with the third and saith Your for their iniquities The like we read cap. 1.29 And the iniquities of your fathers together i. e. And the iniquities of their fathers together A question will here presently arise How it can stand with the Justice of God to punish the iniquities of the fathers upon their children Answ God is said to punish the iniquities of the
is fire and much wood q. d. There is a pile in it and that pile is very great consisting of fire and much wood While Tophet was employed to Idolatry and Moloch was there worshipped there was a pile or piles of wood there continually provided to burn their children withall to Moloch To this pile or piles of wood doth the Prophet here allude and saith that the pile of Tophet which is prepared for the Assyrians to burn them up and consume them as the children of Idolaters were wont to be burned to Moloch and consumed is very great by which the Prophet signifies either that the Assyrians which besieged Jerusalem should be destroyed by fire which is according to the Tradition of the Hebrews or that they should be destroyed as suddenly as if it were by fire as others are of opinion So that herein is a double allusion first to the pile of wood which was wont to be provided here for the sacrificing of children secondly to the manner of the destruction of the Assyrians by the Angel which was by fire or as in as quick a manner as if it had been done by fire The breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it By this he denoteth the anger of the Lord against the Assyrians and speaketh of God as of an angry man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and alludes to the breath of an angry man which is exceeding hot and proceeds from his nostrils and from his mouth like a stream See Notes vers 28. ISAIAH CHAP. XXXI WO to them that go down to Egypt The subject of this Chapter is the same with the former See therefore notes on cap. 30.1 For help Supple Against the Assyrians under Sennacherib And stay on horses ii e. And put their confidence in horses which they hope to procure from Egypt The word stay is metaphoricall taken from a Staff which is the stay of a man which leaneth on it In Charets i. e. In warlike Charets which they likewise expect from Egypt Because they are many q. d. Which stay or trust in the number or multitude of Horses and Charets because it is great But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel Supple To ask strength of him Neither seek the Lord Supple For his counsel and advise what he would have them to do in this invasion of the Assyrians See cap. 30.1 2. Yet he also is wise q. d. Yet they might have asked counsel of the Lord and sought to him for advice for he is wise as well as they whom they make their Counsellors And will bring evil q. d. And because they have despised his wisdom in passing him by and asking counsel at others mouths he will bring evill upon these wicked men whereby they shall know that he is so wise as to know when he is neglected and that he is strong also And will not call back his words Supple By which he hath threatned to bring evill upon them He threatned a Wo against them in the former Chapter and he threatneth the like in this But will arise Supple Like a Lion Against the house of evil doers i. e. Against the family of these men which went down into Egypt for Horses and Charets and rely upon them but asked not counsel at God nor relyed on him And against the help of them that work iniquity i. e. And against the aid and auxiliary forces of these men which have committed this sin i. e. Against the Egyptians which come to help them 3. Now the Egyptians are men and not God The Prophet prevents an Objection here for sinful man might say yea but it is not so easie a thing as you speak of for the Holy One of Israel to overthrow the Egyptians which are these mens help and the force of horses which they will bring To which the Prophet answers q. d. Yea but it is an easie matter for the Lord to overthrow the Egyptians and their horses for the Egyptians are men not God and their horses flesh and not spirit Are men And therefore weak creatures yea they are but as the grass that withereth and as the flower of the field which fadeth away cap. 40.6 7. And not God For God is but One but such a One as the nations are but as the drop of a Bucket and as the small dust of the Ballance in comparison of him Cap. 40.15 And their Horses flesh And therefore weak and no better then grass cap. 40.6 And not spirit As God is who is therefore of great strength yea omnipotent because he is an uncreated Spirit When the Lord shall stretch out his hand i. e. Therefore when the Lord smiteth them He alludes to the stretching out or lifting up of the arm or hand in striking and speaks of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Both he that helpeth i. e. Both the Egyptians which help these perverse Jews against the Assyrians And he that is holpen i. e. And these perverse Jews which have help and aid from the Egyptians Shall fall down i. e. Shall be beaten down They all i. e. All the Egyptians which come to the help of these Jews and all these Jews which procured the help of the Egyptians Shall fail together Shall perisn together by the Assyrians 4. For thus hath the Lord spoken i. e. Moreover or But yet or Yet neverthelesse for one of these is the Particle For put thus hath the Lord spoken c. Is called forth against him Supple To keep him from the sheep or greater cattle which he would make his prey He will not be afraid of their voice Supple Whereby they think to fright him and scare him away The Pronoun He is redundant here after the Hebrew manner Nor abase himself Nor carry himself basely by running away Come down Supple Out of heaven or come down from between the Cherubins He speaks of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To fight Supple Against the Assyrian whose multitude shall not make him afraid For Mount Sion i. e. For Jerusalem See Cap. 1.8 And the hill thereof i. e. And the hill of Zion This is a repetition of the former words 5. As birds flying Supple Defend their young ones Flying i. e. Extending and stretching out their wings over them as they do when they fly See cap. 6. v. 2. Thus hens defend their chickens or flying that is flying against the Kite or Hawk or man which would take their young ones away thus many birds which are otherwise timerous do defend their young ones Defending also he will deliver it i. e. He will defend it and deliver it from the Assyrians And passing over i. e. And passing over it while he destroyeth all other the Cities and Villages of Judah which did distrust him and seek for help to the Egyptians He alludeth to that place of Exodus cap. 12.13 where the Lord seeing the blood upon the side-posts and the upper door-posts of the houses of the children of Israel passed over the Children