Abraham v. 2. believe that the Lord was able to do what he saith in this verse that the Lord would do for Sion for that which he saith here that the Lord would do for Sion is in a manner the same that he saith the Lord did for Abraham vers 2. But if that which he saith the Lord would do for Sion here be in a manner the same as that was which he saith the Lord did for Abraham vers 2. why doth he not say the Lord will call Sion alone and bless her and encrease her as he said of Abraham vers 2. but saith The Lord will comfort Sion Ans Before this call of Abraham Abraham had been never called of God nor had he been blessed with that wealth which he afterwards enjoyed neither had he had any children at all so that he was not grieved for the loss of these things because he never had these things to lose But Sion had been called of God for she had been the wife of God but was put away and had been blessed with much wealth but was bereft of it and had had many children but was deprived of them by the Babylonians by reason of which she was in much sorrow and grief of heart at this time Therefore doth the Prophet say of Sion The Lord shall comfort Sion rather then as he did of Abraham the Lord shall call Sion alone and bless her and encrease her though her comfort consisted in a manner in the same things He will comfort all her waste places and he will make her wilderness like Eden and her Desart like the Garden of the Lord. These words are an amplification or declaration of those words which went immediately before to wit of those The Lord shall comfort Zion and tell how the Lord would comfort her He shall comfort all her waste places By the waste places of Zion are meant those dwelling places which the Babylonians had either broken down or made desolate without inhabitant these places he saith the Lord would comfort by building up those which were broken down and filling both the one and the other with children of Zion that is with Jews See cap. 49.9 If the Lord would fill the waste places of Zion with children of Zion then would God call Zion again though she were alone that she might have children by him and then would he encrease Zion with children as he did Abraham vers 2. And he will make her wilderness like Eden i. e. And he will make all the Land of Judah which lieth now untilled and neglected and fruitless as a wilderness like unto Eden for beauty fruitfulness by which she shall gather great store of wealth Like Eden Eden was the most fruitful and pleasant Country of the East in which the Lord planted Paradise Gen. 2.10 And her Desart like the garden of the Lord q. d. Yea he will make her Desart like the Garden of the Lord. By the Garden of the Lord is meant Paradise or that Garden which the Lord planted in Eden Gen. 2.10 Therein i. e. In Sion by reason of the comforts which the Lord will give her 4. Harken unto me This is spoken in the person of God to the Jews as if they were now in captivity in Babylon For a Law shall proceed from me i. e. For I will give a command concerning your delivery out of Babylon Note that the word Law among the Hebrews signifieth not onely a Law strictly taken but also any Word of God whatsoever See cap. 1.10 And I will make my judgment to rest Supple Upon Babylon which vexeth you and useth you cruelly in your captivity A judgment is said to rest upon a people when it remaineth long upon them For a light of the people i. e. That the Heathen may know by this my judgment which I will make to rest upon Babylon that I am the Lord. That is said to be a light to the people which is any way the cause to them of saving knowledge 5. My righteousness is neer i. e. My truth and fidelity is come neer unto you to make good that promise which I made to you concerning your delivery out of Babylon Righteousness is taken here for fidelity and truth of which he speaks as of a person by a Prosopopoeia My salvation is gone forth i. e. My saving power is gone forth to wit to save you out of the hand of the Babylonians Salvation is put here for Gods saving power as it is also put sometimes for God himself as cap. 12.2 per Metonymiam Effecti And he speaks of it as he did of righteousness as of a person yea as of a Champion by a Prosopopoeia And mine arm shall judge the people And I will punish and smite the Babylonians and other people that joyn with them to afflict you my servants the Jews The Isles shall wait upon me q. d. The Heathen when they shall see my judgment upon the Babylonians and those that joyn with them shall know that I am the true God and shall forsake their Idols and wait upon me for Salvation in their distress The Isles Concerning the meaning of this word Isles see cap. 49.1 And on mine arm shall they trust i. e. And they shall trust in me by reason of my power and strength The arm is put here for the whole man The arm I say which argues a mans power and strength This came to pass when many Heathen seeing what the Lord did to the Babylonians for his people the Jews sake forsook thâ—ir Idolatry and became Proselytes 6. My salvation shall be for ever i. e. My saving power shall never fail See v. 5. And my righteousness i. e. And my truth and fidelity by which I perform whatsoever I have promised 7. Harken unto me ye that know righteousness He speaks to the righteous among the Jews which feared him That know righteousness i. e. That love righteousness and make much of it The people in whose heart is my Law i. e. The people which love my Law Fear ye not the reproach of men neither be afraid of their reâ—ilings q. d. Though the Babylonians who hold you in captivity reproach you and revile you and call you by ignominious names yet being they are but men fear them not neither be afraid of them 8. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment i. e. For the sword or some plague or other shall consume them as the moth consumeth a garment See Cap. 50. vers 9. And the worm shall eat them like wool i. e. And the sword or some plague or other shall consume them as the worm eateth and consumeth the wool But my righteousness shall be for ever and my salvation from generation to generation i. e. But my Truth and my saving Power shall never fail and if they never fail then shall ye be safe when they which reproach you shall be consumed 9. Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord The Prophet speaks this to
to the heat and God to a shadow for as the shadow of a Cloud or an house or Tent or Tree doth defend a Traveller from the scorching heat of the Sun in hot Countries so did God defend the Jews in Hierusalem from the fierce anger and fury of the Assyrians When the blast of the terrible onâ—s i. e. When the fury of the Assyrianâ— c. The Assyrians were at this time terrible to all that dwelt about them especially to the men of Judah and Hierusalem whose fury and anger against them and their City He compares to a blast of winde which is violent for the time bâ—t yet it was but as a blaâ—t and for a time because God soon brought it to an end As a storm i. e. Was as a violent and fierce storm for a storm though it be there yet it is fierce and violent Is for Was. Against the wall i. e. Against the walls of his City to wit Hierusalem which thâ— Assyrians desired to ruine He saith Wall for Walls a singular for a plural number 5. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers i. e. For thou shalt pull down and abate the wrath of the Assyrians By a noise he meaneth wrath per metonymiam effecti for angry men brawl and make a great noise and stir in their passion wherefore this is given as a sign of a meeke man that he doth not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets cap. 42.2 I conceive that this and that which followeth is not part of the Song but that the Prophet speaks this by way of prophecy to shew that the Jew in that day may justly and truly sing that Song or that part of the Song which is contained in the fourth verse for the matter thereof shall prove true And therefore I understand that causall Particle For in the beginning of this verse But if this be to be taken for part of the Song then is a future tense put here for a praeterperfect tense and the Tenses are here much confounded Of strangers They were accounted all strangers to the Hebrews which were not the Sonnes of Abraham Isaac and Jacob But he meanes not here any strangers in generall but the Assyrians in particular Per synecdochen Generis And the Assyrians were such strangers to the Jews as that the Jews understood not their Language Cap. 28.11 Cap. 33.19 As the heat in a drie place Supple is abated and brought down He speaks of the heat of the Sun which if it be excessive is grievous in all places but especially in a place of drought Even the heat Supple in a dry place By the shadow of a Cloud i. e. By a shadow caused by a Cloud He sheweth here how the heat of the Sun is abated or brought down The branch of the terrible ones i. e. The branches of the Assyrians He puts branch for branches a singular for a plurall number And by the terrible ones he meaneth the Assyrians as verse 4. This Genitive Case is a Genitive of Identity And therefore when he saith the branch or branches of the Assyrians it is as if he should say the Assyrians which I call branches because I compare them to the branches of a Tree see cap. 10.33 where he hath the same comparison Shall be brought low i. e. shall be cut down 6. And in this Mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of all things c. The Mountain here meant is Mount Sion in Hierusalem the place where God dwelt What a mighty slaughter the Lord made of the Assyrianâ— whâ—n they besieged Jerusalem is well known 2 Kings 19.35 And what a joy it was to all the Neighbouring Nations to hear of this slaughter we may easily conceive because the Assyrians were mighty hunters and oppressors of men subduing all people which dwelt near unto them to themselves and making them their vassalls and tributaries that therefore the Prophet might express the joy which all people shoâ—ld conceive at the slaughter which the Lord would make of the Assyrians about Jerusalem he doth by way of allegory make the Lord like the Master of a Feast inviting all people to his house to feed upon the flesh of their enemies which he would slay and to drink and make themsâ—lves merry with their blood which he would shed for feasts are to make them merry which are invited thereunto A feast of fat things i. e. A feast of fat Cattle as Rams and Lambs and Goats and Bullocks by which are metaphorically meant the Assyrians which God would then slay for those which God slaies in his wrath are often likened to fat Cattle as Cap. 34.6 Ezek. 39.18 A feast of wines on the Lees i. e. A feast in which there is variety and plenty of wine well setled and purged from the Lees or grounds He saith Wâ—nes on or upon the Lees for wines purgâ—d from the Lees because as the wine growes clâ—aâ— and is purged from the Lees the Lees fall to the bottom of the Vessel and so the wine is above the Lees. Well refined i. e. Well purâ—ed There are a Repetition and exposition of those words Wines â—n the Lees. As by fat things were metaâ—horically meant the Assyrians which were slain so by wine on the Lees is meant the blood of the Assyrians which was shed in that slaughter 7. He will destroy in this Mountain the face of the covering cast over all people Here is an Hypallage in these words for he saith He will deâ—troy the face of the Covering for he will destroy the covering of the face And by the Covering of the face he meaneth such a Covering as they were wont to weare over the face therewith to hide it Note that they which were heavy and sorrowfull were wont to cast a vail or covering over their faces in the time of their sorrow and heaviness as may appear 2 Sam. 15.30 19.4 and Hierem. 14.3 and Esther 6.12 Hence may the vail or covering of the face be taken Per metonymiam adjuncti to signifie sorrow and heaviness it self Wherefore when the Prophet saith that the Lord will destroy the face of the coverâ—ng cast over all people his meaning is That he would take away sorrow and heaviness from all people by destroying the Assyrians which made all people which lived about them to droop and to be of a sorrowfull heart because of the cruelty and daily oppression which they used towards them The Lord is said to destroy the face of the covering of all people in Mount Sion because from thence he destroyed the Assyrians and thither he did invite them and there interteine all people Yet note that a singular number may be put for a plurall and Mountain for Mountains both in this and the former verse And then by the Mountains may be understood those Mountains about Hierusalem on which the Assyrians were slain by the Angell And the vail that is spread over all Nations This is
force of Arms but they should not prevail against it or take it The ground of the Proverbs seem to be taken from a woman who having companyed with her husband thinks she hath conceived by him and is in hope that she shall bring forth a man-childe into the world but she is deceived for her conception was a false conception and she bringeth forth nought Chaff and stubble are as nought and so to be here taken Your breath as fire shall devour you q. d. Your wrath and indignation against my people shall be your ruine and destruction By their breath he means their anger per Metonymiam Effecti because anger makes a mans breath hot See cap. 30.33 And their breath that is their anger is said to devoure them as fire because their anger towards the Jewâ— should provoke God to destroy them by his Angel in revenge of his people whom they oppressed 12. And the people q. d. And the people which ye have gathered together to serve you in your siege against Jerusalem Shall be as the burning lime i. e. Shall be as chalk which men burn in a Kilne to make lime of Therefore shall they be like to such chalk because they shall be burned in the fire as such chalk is burned Of lime That is Of chalk of which they make lime The burnings of lime are put here per Metonymiam Adjuncti for lime or chalk that is burned As thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire We have often observed that this destruction of the Assyrians is described as done by fire whether is was accomplished by fire indeed as the Hebrews think or whether it was said to be done by fire because it was as suddain and as fearful as if it had bin done by fire 13. Hear ye that are a far off what I have done c. This is an Epiphonema to exhort and stirre up all people to praise God for this his marvelous act of destroying the Assyrians where the Lord is brought in speaking of a thing to come as if it were already past 14. The sinners in Sion are afraid By these sinners he means those which would not beleeve Isaiahs Prophecy concerning the Lords delivery of Jerusalem from the Assyrians and the Assyrians destruction of whom also we read cap. 29. v. 9 10. And therefore were afraid of the Assyrians and took secret counsel either to surrender all into the Assyrians hands or otherwise to comply with the Assyrians that so the Assyrians might spare them and would not trust in the Lord their God for safety As for the connexion of these words with the former it is q. d. I have told you that the Lord will preserve Jerusalem and destroy the Assyrians yet will not the sinners in Sion beleeve it but are afraid of the Assyrians and say who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire c In Sion i. e. In Jerusalem A Synecdoche of a part for the whole Are afraid Viz. Of the Assyrians Fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrits By the Hypocrits he meaneth those sinners which he spoke of in the fore-going sentence whom he calls Hypocrits because they did frequent the Temple and served God with their mouths but would not beleeve his word which he spake by Isaiah in their heart nor trust in him See Cap. 29.13 Or he calls them Hypocrits because they dissembled by their countenance and carriage what they had in their minde and thoughts Who amongst us Supple Say they Who amongst us c. q. d. Who even amongst us say they which dwell in Jerusalem though a fenced City Who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring firâ— q. d. The Assyrians have now possessed all the Land and they which will dwell in the Land must dwell with them but who even amongst us of Jerusalem can dwell with them in the Land in safety so long as he is out of friendship with them for they are as a devouring fire and everlasting burnings to all that are out of friendship with them and will not in time submit to them say they Shall dwell i. e. Shall dwell safely They liken the Assyrians to devouring fire because as the devouring fire consumeth all combustible matter which is near it so did the Assyrians destroy all the neighbouring people and all people which they approached to with their forces which would not submit to them and make their peace with them Who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings This is every way a repetiti of the former sentence By burnings he means fire Per Metonymiam Adjuncti and by everlasting burnings he meanes unquenchable fire or fire that cannot be quenched untill it hath consumed all Note that the Hypocrits did not speak these words openly but they said them in their heart where God took notice of them and revealed them to his Prophet Isaiah Note also that they spoke them in their heart out of the fear that they had of the Assyrians and out of a desire they had to make their peace with them 15. He that walketh righteously The Prophet here answers the question which the sinners in Sion make in the former Verse As if he should say to those sinners Ye ask saying Who amongst us shall dwell with the devouring fire Who amongst us shall dwell with the eâ—erlasting burnings As though it were so that none could dwell in the Land no not in Jerusalem in safety by reason of the Assyrians but such as had made their peace with them But I will tell you who shall dwell with the devouring fire I will tell you who shall dwell with the everlasting burnings Even he that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly By these which walk righteously and speak uprightly the Prophet meaneth such as did believe his words concerning the preservation of Jerusalem against the Assyrians and did trust in God whom he here describes by their Adjuncts Note that the Prophet describes these men which believed his Prophecy concerning the preservation of Jerusalem from the Assyrians by signs and attributes contrary to those by which he described those which would not believe this his Prophecy and trust in God for delivery from the Assyrians Cap. 29.20 21. For they which would not believe his Prophecies there did not onely not believe what he said but did persecute him and seek to take away his life and took bribes some of them for that end contrary to what they did which believed his sayings here for they here hated all such wicked doings He that despiseth the gain of Oppressions i. e. He that despiseth gain gotten or to be gotten by Oppressions and therefore will not for gain oppress the Lords servants as they did Cap. 29.21 That shaketh his hands from holding of bribes i. e. He that will not take a bribe to do any wrong but hateth it He alludeth here to the manner of men who if they touched by chance any foul or unclean thing shake their hands that they may cast it off if