themselves from the Assyrians but seek not ayd at my hands nor make me their Protector The word covering here mentioned signifieth either a garment of cloth with which we clothe our selves to defend our selves in the day from the ayr or a covering which we lay on our beds to defend our selves from the cold in the night But by this covering he means metaphorically the ayd and help with which these men would defend and preserve themselves from the fury of Assyrians To add sin to sin i. e. Whereby they add sin to sin the sin of forsaking God and trusting in the arm of flesh to their sin of drunkenness cap. 28.8 and other their sins The Particle That signifies here not the intent but the event or if the intent the intent secundariò or by consequence 2. That walk to go down into Egypt Either here is a redundancy in these words by putting to walk to go down for simply to go down or else which I think rather by their walking to go down into Egypt is signified that they went down into Egypt on foot and thus they might go down more privately and with the less suspicion of what they went about Note that they went not all into Egypt whom the Prophet reprehends here but they chose men as Embassadors to go who went as it is here written as it appears v. 4. And have not asked at my mouth i. e. And have not asked of me whether they should go or no or what course they should take If they had asked of his Prophets they had asked of him To strengthen themselves Supple Against the Assyrians He sheweth here the end of their going into Egypt In the strength of Pharaoh i. e. With the strength of Pharaoh Pharaoh was the common name of the Kings of Egypt as Caesar was of the Emperors of Rome And to trust in the shadow of Egypt i. e. And to procure ayd from Egypt in which they might trust He puts to trust per Metonymiam Effecti for to procure that in which they might trust And he puts the shadow for ayd by a Metaphor taken from the shadow of a tree or tent or the like which defends a man from the heat of the Sun and from hail and storms c. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh q. d. Because ye go down into Egypt to strengthen your selves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh c. 3. The strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame c. The strength of Pharaoh was their shame because they relyed upon his strength and that strength could not help them nor keep them from being overcome and spoyled by the Assyrians but was it self overcome troden down and brought to nought They that hope to bring any thing to pass by any means and cannot bring it to pass as they hoped but fail in their hopes are ashamed and the more ashamed the more pains they took and the more confident they were of the means of bringing their hopes to pass The Prophet makes his Apostrophe here to the men of Judah in the person of God 4. For his Princes were at Zoan c. i. e. This Particle For is here redundant as the Particle And is cap. 2.2 His Princes i. e. The Embassadors of Judah or Jacob or Israel He calls the Embassadors of Judah or Jacob or Israel which were sent into Egypt on this Embassage Princes because they were selected and chosen out of the chief men Zoan Zoan was ancient City of Egypt of which see cap. 19.11 His Princes were at Zoan i. e. His Princes came to Zoan to desire ayd and assistance from the King of Egypt against the King of Assyria whom they feared Hanes Hanes was another City of Egypt which was also called Taphnes seated in the furthermost parts of Egypt towards Ethiopia They came to these two Cities either because the King of Egypt was first at one of these Cities and then removed to the other or else by each of these Cities Egypt may be understood by a Synecdoche and the latter sentence may be a repetition of the former Note that the Prophet speaks here of a thing to come as if it were already past to shew the certainty of that of which he speaks 5. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them Between this and the former Verse we must understand by a Syllepsis That these Embassadors obtained ayd of the Egyptians yet could not the ayd of the Egyptians stand them in any stead wherefore they were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them c. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them i. e. All the Jews which had a hand in sending for the Egyptians and made use of their ayd were ashamed of the Egyptians because though they had obtained ayd from them yet they could not profit them We use to be ashamed of those from whom we expect great matters if we are frustrate of our expectation But a shame and reproach i. e. But a cause of shame and reproach Metonymia Effectus The Egyptians might well be a shame and reproach to these Jews when as the Jews who served the true God did lean towards the Egyptians in their Religion who worshipped Birds and Beasts and creeping things thinking that that was the best means to make them their friends and associates or helpers They might also be a shame and reproach to these Jews in that these Jews carryed or sent so much treasure to them to procure their ayd and yet when all came to all they could not help them 6. The burden of the beasts of the South Supple Will these men carry to the Egyptians This burden here spoken of was the riches and treasures which the Embassadors of the Jews carryed with them upon the backs of beasts to purchase the ayd of the Egyptians when they went into Egypt Of the beasts i. e. Of the Camels and Asses Of the South i. e. Of Egypt which lay on the South of Judea The Beasts of the South These Beasts are called the Beasts of the South because they were appointed to carry these treasures into the South that is into Egypt So that this Genitive case is Genitivus finis Into a Land of trouble and anguish These words from this place to the end of the Verse are thus to be ordered They will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young Asses and their treasures upon the bunches of Camels by the Land of trouble and anguish from whence come the young and old Lion the Viper and fiery flying Serpent to a people that shall not profit them The Prophet mentioneth this the more to upbraid these men with their folly for carrying such riches and treasures with so much danger to so little purpose Into a Land of trouble and anguish i. e. Through a Land of trouble and anguish for this Land was not the ultimate
AN EXPOSITION OF THE Book of the Prophet ISAIAH By the endeavours of W. DAY M. A. late Fellow of King's Colledge in CAMBRIDGE AND NOW An Unworthy Servant of God in the Gospel at MAPLEDURHAM in the County of OXON Totum quod legimus in Divinis libris nitet quidem fulget etiam in Cortice S. HIERONYMUS Epist 13. ad PAULINUM LONDON Printed by G. D. and S. G. for Ioshua Kirton and are to be sold at his Shop in St. Pauls Church-yard at the Sign of the Kings Armes 1654. THE PREFACE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THOU hast here Christian Reader An Exposition of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah The Endeavours of one who is conscious to himself of his own weaknesse upon him who as He is the most Eloquent so is He the most Evangelicall of all the Prophets But what He did He did for his own use and the use of his own Children if it should please God to bring them to the yeares of discretion without any thought of publishing it to the world But being perswaded thereunto by friends He hath now made it publique And if it may prove any way beneficiall to thee or profitable to any one whosoever he be which desireth the knowledge of the Scriptures it shall not repent him I called our Prophet as the most Eloquent So the most Evangelicall of all the Prophets For Our Prophet hath many excellent Prophesies of Christ and of those things which are contained in the Gospel And our Saviour and his Apostles have more Quotations concerning the Gospel and contents thereof out of our Prophet the Prophet Isaiah than they have out of any one nay I may say out of all the other fifteen Prophets besides Yet know that the Gospel and the contents thereof was a Mysterie and was hidden untill these latter dayes in which God spoke unto us by his Sonne Hence the Apostle calls the Gospel The wisdome of God in a Mystery even the hidden wisdome 1 Cor. 2.7 Hence he calls it also The Mystery of his will Eph. 1.9 And the Mystery of the Gospel Eph. 6.19 And the Mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ Colos 2.2 And a Mystery which was kept secret since the world began Rom. 16.25 And a Mystery which had been hid from Ages and Generations but now made manifest to the Saints Col. 1.26 I know that many understand this last place not of the whole Gospel but of part onely of it namely of the calling of the Gentiles But surely if the calling of the Gentiles was a Mystery which had been hid from Ages and Generations what part of the Gospel was not hidden For to goe no farther than our own Prophet what Prophesie was more frequent what more plain if any part of the Prophesies concerning the Gospel was plain than that of the calling of the Gentiles It shall come to passe in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the Mountaines and shall be exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it and many People shall goe and say Come yee and let us goe up to the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and He will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths For out of Zion shall goe forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Hierusalem and He shall judge among the Nations Isaiah Cap. 2. vers 2 3 4. In that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensigne of the People To it shall the Gentiles seek and His rest shall be glorious Isaiah Cap. 11. vers 10. In that day shall five Cities in the Land of Aegypt speak the Language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of Hosts One shall be called the City of Destruction In that day shall there be an Altar to the Lord in the Land of Aegypt and a Pillar in the border thereof to the Lord And it shall be for a signe and for a witnesse unto the Lord of Hosts in the Land of Aegypt And the Lord shall be known to Aegypt and the Aegyptians shall know the Lord Isaiah Cap. 19. vers 18 19 20. It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my Servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles that Thou mayst be my salvation to the ends of the earth Isaiah Cap. 49. vers 6. The Isles shall wait upon me and on my Name shall they trust Isaiah Cap. 51. vers 5. Behold my Servant shall sprinkle many Nations the Kings shall shut their mouthes at Him For that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they consider Isaiah Cap. 52. vers 15. I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Isaiah Cap. 55. vers 8. The abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto Thee the Forces of the Gentiles shall come unto Thee c. Isaiah Cap. 60. vers 5. c. I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them that sought Me not I said behold me behold me unto a Nation that was not called by my Name Isaiah Cap. 65. vers 1. It shall come to passe that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord Isaiah Cap. 60. vers 21. All these are Prophesies concerning the calling of the Gentiles and I know no Prophesies concerning the Gospel more plentifull and more plain than these are If therefore notwithstanding these and many the like Prophesies concerning the calling of the Gentiles the calling of the Gentiles was a Mystery hidden from Ages and Generations then certainly other parts of the Gospel were hidden too especially if we speak of the distinct knowledge thereof Object But you will say the Chaldee Paraphrast and many Jewish Doctors had knowledge of the Messiah before the dayes of the Gospel and understood many places of the Scriptures of the old Testament of the Messiah so that they very well knew the Gospel for what is the Gospel but the History of the Messiah that is the History of Christ and the benefits by him received Answ The Chaldee Paraphrast and other Jewish Doctors believed that the Messiah was to come having received it some way or other and having more than ordinary conceits of him understood many eminent places of the old Testament of the Messiah But yet they were farre from the knowledge of the Gospel For they understood little more of the Messiah than his name for they were altogether ignorant of his divine Nature and his Offices And though they thought that he should be a King yet they thought that he should be but a Temporall King so that they knew not the true Benefits and true Redemption and Salvation which is wrought by Christ
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
shaketh over it i. e. Because of the judgements of God with which he shall threaten them This Phrase is Metaphoricall and is borrowed from a man which shaketh his rod over his Child or Servant when he threatens him and makes as though he would whip him though he whips him not The judgements with which he threatned them of which they were afraid at this time was an invasion or warre to be made upon them by Sennacherib for the Egyptians when they heard that Sennacherib had invaded Judah were afraid of themselves least Sennacherib when he had subdued and destroyed Judah should invade Egypt and lay that waste also And this fear was not a causelesse fear For when our neighbours house is on fire we had need to look to our own the judgements inflicted upon our neighbours are our admonitions and threatnings to us And besides this it is likely that Sennacherib had threatned the Egyptians by word of mouth that he would fall upon them so soon as they had conquered all Judah 17. And the land of Judah shall be a terrour unto Egypt i. e. And the men of Judah shall terrifie the Egyptians and make them afraid Why the Land of Judah should be a terrour unto Egypt and how he sheweth in the latter part of this Verse Every one i e. Every Aegyptian Which maketh mention thereof i. e. Which makes mention of the land of Judah Because of the counsell of the Lord of Hosts which he hath already determined against it i. e. Because of the Counsell of the Lord of Hosts which he hath already determined and would then execute upon the land of Judah or because of those judgements which the Lord should then execute upon the land of Judah according to his determinate counsell He puts the Counsell of the Lord which he had determined to execute for the judgements and punishments which he would execute according to his counsell and determination per Metonymiam causae The judgements and punishments here spoken of were executed upon the Land of Judah by Sennacherib and his mighty hoste which the Egyptians hearing of by certain reports were afraid least that Sennacherib and his hoste when they had done with the Land of Judah would begin with Egypt and when they had once begun would make an end with it Yea likely it is that the Assyrians threatned to warre against Aegypt so soon as they had vanquished the land of Judah 18. In that day i. e. At that time Suple in which Sennacherib shall invade and oppresse the land of Judah Shall five Cityes in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan i. e. Many Cityes in the Land of Egypt shall speak the Hebrew language As upon other occasions before so when Sennacherib first invaded the Land of Judah many of the men of Judah ran away out of their own land for fear of the Assyrians and betook themselves into Aegypt Cap. 11. v. 11 15. And while they were in Egypt they lived religiously observing the Jewes religion By whose holy example many of the Egyptians were won to forsake their Idols and to cleave to the Lord of Hosts which proved happy to Egypt For by reason of this did the Lord in his mercy spare Egypt Because of these Jewes which ran thus into Egypt and those Egyptians which were converted by them and learned of them the Hebrew language doth the Prophet say That five Cityes in the Land of Egypt should speak the language of Canaan Five Cityes i. e. Many Cityes He puts a certaine number for an uncertaine Shall speak the Language of Canaan i. e. Shall speake the Language of the Hâ—brews which lived in the Land of Canaan By this is meant not onely that the Hebrewes which fled out of the Land of Judah which was part of the Land of Canaan but that some Egyptians also should speak the Languâ—ge of Canaan which they should learn of the Hebrews which fled for fear of Sennacherib into Egypt And by this we must also understand that the Hebrâ—ws and Egyptians should confesse and praise God together in those Cityes of Egypt And that the Egyptians should have knowledge of the Law of God which was written in the Hebrew tongue In a more sublime sense the Prophet prophesieth here of the calling of the Gentiles by the Gospel And swear to the Lord of Hosts Supple That they will serve him and that he shall be their God One shall be called the City of destruction Whatsoever this City was or for whatsoever reason it was so called surely this was the name thereof Viz. Ir-heres which is here interpreted the City of destruction Some and they not few render Ir-heres the City of the Sun and think that that famous City Heliopolis which signifieth the City of the Sun was the City here meant but most likely it is that the Prophet here meant some famous City of Egypt and perhaps famous for the Idolatrie there excercised And the Prophet nameth this City by name as a thing which should be strange that the Jewes should live in such a City after their own Law and openly professe the true â—od there where so much false worship and worshipping of Idols was practised and that many of the Egyptians there should serve the Lord with them 19. In that day there shall be an Altar to the Lord in the middest of the land of Egypt i. e. In that day there shall be many in the Land of Egypt which shall openly worship the Lord and serve him both Hebrewes and Egyptians The Altar which he here speakes of was not an Altar for Sacrifice for that was unlawfull but an Altar for a memoriall that they which built it did acknowledge and testifie thereby that the God of Israel was their God Nor must we think that there was any such Altar indeed built in Egypt But the Prophet alludeth to that Altar which the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half Tribe of Manasseh built for this purpose in the borders of Jordan Josh 22. v. 21 22. c. and thereby would expresse that there were such in Egypt as should publiquely worship God and give such sufficient testimonies thereof as the Reubenites and Gadites and the half Tribe of Manasses did by the Altar which they built For it is usuall with the Prophet to expresse like things by like And a Pillar in the border thereof to the Lord. These are the same for sence with the former words And the Prophet seemeth here to allude to that Pillar or that Stone which Joshua set up Josh 24. vers 26. c. 20. And it shall be for a signe and for a witnesse to the Lord of Hosts in the middst of the Land of Egypt Supple That there be many in the Land of Egypt which are addicted to the worship of God and serve him He sheweth here the end why that Altar which he mentioned in v. 19. should be erected And shewing for what end that Altar was erected he would have us
of those Jewes which dwelt out of Jerusaem for they were alwayes most distrustfull of God and sought for help from the Arme of Man They were no doubt afraid of Sennacherib and his Armie before this but now their fear was much encreased And ashamed of Ethiopia i. e. And ashamed that they relyed upon the Ethiopians for help Note that these words of Ethiopia relate not to those words shall be afraid but onely to these shall be ashamed When we expect and hope for great matters from any and come short of our hope and expectation we wax ashamed Ethiopia their expectation i. e. Ethiopia from which they expected aide against Sennacherib and his Armie He puts expectation for them from whom they expected aide The Act of the Object by a Metonymy It is likely that the unbeleeving and distrusting Jewes when they heard of Sennacheribs expedition against Judah sent to Ethiopia for aide aswell as to Egypt Or that when they heard that Tirakah King of Ethiopia came up to warre against Assyria Cap. 37.2 They expected that his making warre against the Assyrians would prove their peace and Sennacheribs overthrow And of Egypt their glory i. e. And of the Egyptians of whose friendship and aide they gloried or boasted He puts glory here for the object in which they gloried That the unbeleeving or distrusting Jews sent for aide to Egypt against the Assyrians See Cap. 30. and 31. 6. And the Inhabitant of this Isle i. e. And the Inhabitants of this City viz. Jerusalem The Inhabitants of Jerusalem did at this time put more confidence in God and build more upon his promises then the other Jewes did The Inhabitant He puts the Inhabitant Collective for the Inhabitants Of this Isle i. e. Of this Citie to wit Jerusalem An Isle or Island as it is most commonly taken signifies a piece of land environed on every side with water yet the Hebrews do call not onely such lands Islands but even such also as lie upon the sea-coasts though they are part of the Continent yea they call any Countrey in general an Isle or Island as Cap. 41. v. 1 5. c. though it be not neer to any Seas or Waters And that becaâ—se as Isles or Islands are severed from the Continent by waters so is every particular Countrey and Land severed from other Lands and Countries by the peculiar Laws and Customes which it hath and not onely Countries and Lands but a single house also which stands alone dis-joyned and separated from other houses and hath an emptie space of ground about it on every side whereon no building stands is called Insula that is an Isle or an Island because such a house is like an Island which stands in the sea or in some lake and is encompassed with waters and by them severed from other parts of the earth And if for this reason a lone house may be called an Isle or Island much more may a Citie But another reason there is for which Jerusalem may be called an Isle here to wit because God was to it at this time a place of broad rivers and streames Cap. 33. verse 21. And did encompasse it so that none could approach to it on any side because of those rivers and streames and that which is so encompassed with rivers and streames may well be called an Isle Shall say Supple In derision of them which trusted in Egypt and Ethiopia In that day Supple In which the King of Assyria shall lead away the Egyptians and the Ethiopians Captives and in which they which are mentioned in the former verse shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory Such is our expectation What the Inhabitants of Jerusalem which trusted in God more then in man say here they say in the person of those which trusted in man more then in God by a Mimesis that they might the more deride them Such is our expectatiâ—n i. e. Such are they become from whom we expâ—cted aide viz. Prisoners and Captives c. Whither we flee for help i. e. To which or to whom we flee for hâ—lp at this time To be delivered i. e. For this end that we may be delivered out of the hands of the Assyrians And how shall we escape i. e. And how shall we escape the hand of the King of Assyria when as the Ethiopians and Egyptians which were stronger then we and on whom we relied could not escape it We have interpreted this speech as spoken sarcotically and in derision yet it may be interpreted also as spoken in grief and in earnest for though God promised to defend Jerusalem at this time and many godly men which were in Jerusalem did beleeve that promise and relye upon it yet there were many ungodly men also in Jerusalem at this time Cap. 22.13 which did not beleeve the promise of God but relied more upon the help of man such as were the Egyptians and the Ethiopians and of these may this place be understood as spoken by them There be that by the Inhabitant of this Isle understand those Jewes which were in Ashdod who were besieged at this time by the Assyrians and there is some probabilitie for this their opinion because the Prophet makes special mention of the Assyrians fighting against Ashdod verse 1. And they which dwelt in Ashdod might be called the Inhabitants of the Isle as the word Isle signifieth the Sea-coast for Ashdod stood on the sea-coast and the inhabitant of this Isle because the Prophet might point as it were at Ashdod when he said This Isle ISAIAH CHAP. XXI THe burden of the desert of the Sea i. e. The heavie calamitie and affliction which shall befall those people which dwell in the Wilderness which is by the Red sea as it was revealed to me by a vision He puts the desert for the people which dwelt in the Desert by a Metonymy and by the Sea he means the red Sea by a Synechdoche By the desert of the sea therefore are meant the Edomites which dwelt in the Desert or Wilderness of Sur or Etham which was neer to the Red sea As whirlewindes in the South passe thorow i. e. As whirlewindes which arise in the South passe thorow the Wilderness from the one end thereof to another He speaks of the South in respect of Judah where he lived where were great Deserts and Wildernesses without wood or tree to break or hinder the force of the winde there therefore a high and great winde must needs be speedie and rush with a mighty force where there was nothing to hinder or break the force thereof So it cometh i. e. So an heavie calamitie or destruction or declaration shall come upon those which dwell in the desert of the sea it shall come speedily and with a mighty force From the Desert By the Desert here he meaneth not the Wilderness of Shur or the Wilderness of Etham which were by the Red sea as he did in the first words of