ruled by me And I have robbed their Treasures i. e. And I have got their wealth to my self And I have put down the Inhabitants i. e. And I have subdued the Inhabitants supple which did inhabit and dwell in strang places or which did inhabit the Thrones and royal Pallaces of the earth by mine own strength Like a valiant man i. e. Like a valiant man as I am And my hand hath found as a neast the riches of the people q. d. And I have taken by my might the riches of the people with as great ease as a countrey man takes young birds out of a neast He puts here the hard for the whole man by a Synechdoche and to find for to get and to take by an Hebraisme And a neast for the young birds in the neast by a Metonymie And to find for to take away that which he hath found And as one that gathereth eggs that are left c. q. d. Yea as one taketh and gathereth eggs which the Hen or Bird hath forsaken which is easier than to take Birds And is put here for Yea. Have I gathered all the earth i. e. Have I gathered and taken all the spoiles and Treasures of the earth By the earth he meaneth the spoiles and Treasures of the earth by a Metonymie And there was none that moved the wing or opened the mouth â—r peeped c. i. e. And there was none which did or durst resist me or as much as murmure against me This Phrase is Metaphoricall wherein the Prophet alludes to Birds whereof some fly with the wing at those which come near them to take away their eggs or their young ones as the Hen Some strike at them with the wing as the Pidgeon Some open the mouth and peck them Some peep onely and make a mournfull noise as small Birds 15. Shall the Axe beast it self against him that heweth therewith From the thirteenth verse hitherto the Prophet personated Sennacharib by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here he speaks either in his own Person or in the person of God Shall the Axe boast it self against him that heweth therewith This and the following sentences of this verse are proverbiall The sense whereof is as if he should say Shall they that are but Gods Instruments advance themselves against God They advance themselves against God and boast against him who attribute that to themselves which is to be attributed to him Now the strength and power and other meanes by which Sennacharib did such great things was from God not from himself Cap. 37. v. 26. Therefore this boasting of Sennacharib was an advancing and boasting of himself against God Him that shaketh it i. e. Him that useth it and saweth therewith He saith shaketh it for useth it by a Metonymie because the saw shaketh while it is used As if the rod should shake it self c As if the rod should brussle and exalt it self and lift it self up in pride or disdain A rod being small and slender at the top shaketh when it is lifted up Therefore he puts shaking it self here by a Metonymie for lifting it self up c. Against them that lift it up Supple To smite or strike naughty men therewith as though it could lift up it self for that purpose and need not another to lift it up As if the staffe Supple Wherewith Offenders are beaten Should lift it self up Supple In pride and contempt against him that used it and did strike with it and say that he himself of himself did strike or smite As if it were no wonder i. e. As if it were not a senselesse thing which cannot move it self but a man or more than a man that could strike at his pleasure 16. Therefore i. e. Because Sennacharib doth thus senslesly advance himself aginst the Lord Therefore c Among his fat ones By fat ones are meant Metaphorically the great Captains and Officers of Sennacharibs Army of whom he boasted v. 8. Leannesse By leann sse he meanes death and destruction as Psal 106. v. 15. which therefore may signifie death and destruction because the death and destruction of the body usually followeth sicknesse which consumeth the body and makes it lean Or by leannesse may be meant Metaphorically any low estate For we say of a corpulent and fat man when that any sicknesse hath wasted his fat and his flesh that it hath pulled him down And of such men as are here meant the Prophet when he speakes of such a judgement as he doth here saith That they shall be brought low Cap. 2. v. 12. He maketh choice of the word leannesse here that he might oppose it to the fatnesse of the fat ones And under his glory he shall kindle a burning i. e. He shall consume his great Army by fire By his glory he meaneth his Armie for the Hebrews call the Army and Military strength of a King his Glory because he is wont to glory of it and to confide in it and to be glorified for it of others This Army of Sennacherib he compares here to a Sacrifice which is laid upon the wood and the fire upon the Altar and so consumed A burning i. e. A fire He putteth a burning here for fire per Metonymiam adjuncti Like the burning of a fire i. e. Even a burning of fire q d. A burning even a burning of fire Note that words which commonly signifie likenesse do sometimes neverthelesse signifie Identitie As John 1.14 We behold his glory speaking of Christ the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father where that common note of similitude As signifieth an Identity for Christ was in truth the onely begotten of the Father So also 2 Cor. 3.18 We all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord where the last as though it goeth commonly for a note of similitude is taken for a note of Identity For this change is truly made by the Spirit of the Lord. And as elsewhere so here this particle like or as signifieth Identity There is nothing more active than fire therefore the Prophet doth expresse the great and suddaine destruction of Sennacherib's Army in one night as if it were caused by true and real fire Yea the Hebrewes say that it was really performed by true fire See Notes Cap. 9. v. 5. 17. And the light of Israel By the light of Israel is meant the Lord the God of Israel who is called the Light of Israel here because he did enlighten them with his word or rather because he did cheere them and make them joyfull in misery by his Salvation For light with the Hebrewes signifieth joy and mirth and prosperity And at the time here prophesied of he was a light to them when he delivered them from Sennacherib's Army and consumed that Army When he saith The light of Israel he hath some allusion to the light of fire or to fire
chief-Officers to the tall trees The common Souldiers to the Briars and thornes thereof where note that the Prophet passeth here from his first to another Metaphor which thing is usuall with him And the haughty i. e And the high Trees Shall be humbled i. e. Shall be felled down This is a repetition of the former sentence 34. And he shall cut down the Thickets of the Forrest By the Thickets of the Forrest he meanneth here the Briars and Thornes which grow thick in the Forrest And by them are meant the common Souldiers of Sennacherib's Army The thickets of the Forrest are taken otherwise here than they are taken cap. 9.18 With iron i. e. With an Instrument of iron as v. g. An Ax. Metonymia materiae The Prophet alludes here to a Woodman And Lebanon i. e. And the whole forrest i. e. The whole Army Lebanon was a famous Forrest lying on the outmost borders of the land of Canaan Northwards which abounded with tall Cedars and other goodly Trees Shall fall i. e. Shall be cut down By a mighty one By this is meant the Angel of the Lord which shewed his might in killing of Sennacherib's Army For he slew an hundred fourscore and five thousand in one night 2 Kings 19.35 ISAIAH CHAP. XI AND there shall come forth a Rod out of the stemme of Jesse This Rod was Hezekiah for whose sake God destroyed the Assyrians This Chapter therefore depends upon the former and containes a reason why the Lord would destroy the Assyrians as is mentioned in the later part of the former Chapter The reason whereof is because Hezekiah was to be King at that time who would prove a godly and religious King and therefore God would so favour him as that for his sake he would destroy the Assyrians This reason also the Prophet gives of the destruction of the Assyrians Army when he mentioneth it Cap. 9.6 and Cap. 10.27 Therefore the Particle And may be here rendered For q. d. For there shall come forth a rod out of the stemme of Jesse c. But here some do object That Hezekiah cannot be here meant by this Rod which should come out of the stemme of Jesse For it is not here said that this Rod is come forth but that it shall come forth out of the stemme of Jesse But Hezekiah was come out of the stemme of Jesse already and was sprung up and was of good years at the time of this Prophesie for before this time the Prophet was sent to Ahaz who was then King of Judah Cap. 7. And that was before this in order of time for it is set down in the book before it And if the Prophet prophesied to Ahaz when he was King before he declared this Prophesie then must Hezekiah be at that time at least nine yeares old for Ahaz raigned but sixteen yeares 2 Kings 16.2 and Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz his Father immediately and when Hezekiah began to raign he was twenty five yeares old 2 Kings 18. v. 2. By this Rod therefore we cannot understand Hezekiah In Answer to this I say First that though the Prophesie which the Prophet prophesied to Ahaz be set down and registred in order before this Prophesie as that being registred in the seventh this in the eleventh Chapter yet it doth not follow for that reason that that Prophesie was before this in order of time For it is confessed by all Interpreters that the Prophesies of Isaiah are not registred in this book in the same order of time as they were at the first delivered Secondly I may answer that because neither the particular time of the destruction of the Assyrianâ— Army nor the time when the Assyrians would invade Judah nor who should raign over Judah at that time was as yet distinctly known The Prophet might speak of Hezekiah as yet to rise or spring out though he was already born Thirdly The Prophet speakes here of Hezekiah not as of a private person but as of a King And therefore though he was born before this yet because he was not a King before this he might say there shall come forth a Rod out of the stemme of Jesse c. Howsoever we read Cap. 14.29 Rejoyce not thou whole Palestina because the Rod of him that smote thee is broken For out of the Serpents Root shall come forth a Cockatrice And his fruit shall be a fiery flying Serpent Where that by the Cockatrice and fiery flying Serpent is meant Hezekiah is generally agreed by all And it was spoken in the year that Ahaz died Cap. 14. vers 28. at which time Hezekiah was about twenty five yeares old Compare 2 Kings 16.20 with 2 Kings 18.2 If therefore any one be not satisfied with the former Answers let him tell how the Prophet could say Out of the Serpents root shall come a fiery flying Serpent c. when as Hezekiah was born already and what he saies in satisfaction to that place will likewise satisfie this Note that though Hezekiah be meant here by this Rod and by this Branch in the first and meaner sence yet in the second and more sublime sence Christ Jesus is here meant See what we said Chap. 9. v. 6. There shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his root Here Hezekiah is compared by a Metaphor to a Rod or Twig which sprouts out of the stem of a Tree and to a Branch or Shoot which springs out of the Root of a Tree And Jesse is compared in one place to a stemme out of which the Rod in the other to a Root of a Tree out of which the Branch groweth Jesse was the Father of David Matt. 1.6 Of whom by divers descents Hezekiah came Matth. 1. v. 6 7 8 9. which is the reason that the Prophet here saith There shall come forth a Rod out of the stemme of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his Root The stemme of Jesse The Prophet saith the stemme of Jesse and the root of Jesse as St. Paul saith the signe of Circumcision Rom. 4.11 where the Genitive case is a Genitive case of Identity For it is as if he should say The stemme Jesse and the root Jesse and as if St. Paul should say the signe Circumcision 2. And the spirit of the Lord. By the Spirit of the Lord is here meant the gifts of Gods Spirit per Metonymiam efficientis which gifts he rehearseth in the next words Shall rest upon him i. e. Shall be given him and alwayes remaine with him for rest signifieth Permanencie The Spirit of wisedome i. e. The gift of wisdome By Wisdome understand knowledge of divine matters Vnderstanding By Vnderstanding is signified Knowledge in naturall things The spirit of Counsel By Counsell understand Prudence by which he was able to give good advise in Civil matters yea and in matters concerning Religion to See cap. 9. v. 6. And might By might understand the might and fortitude of mind which enableth a man
to do with valour and to suffer with Patience and Constancie The Spirit of knowledge By knowledge understand by a Synecdoche generis the knowledge of interpreting expounding Scriptures And of the fear of the Lord By the fâ—ar of the Lord understand the duties of man towards God 3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. q. d. And that Spirit of the Lord shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and in things which concern mans duty towards God The Prophet as he shewed what that Spirit of the Lord was which he spoke of v. 2. in it self and in its own nature that it was a Spirit of wisedome and understanding a Spirit of counsell and might a Spirit of knowledge and the of fear of the Lord So here he sheweth what it shall be in its effects and what effects it shall produce in Hezekiah It shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord expert in knowledge strong and stout in courage and might ready in counsel prompt in understanding and excellent in wisdome These are the effects which that Spirit should produce in Hezekiah yet the Prophet mentioneth but one of these for brevities sake and leaves the rest to us to be understood out of the former verse where he shewes the nature of this Spirit If you aske why the Prophet mentioneth this effect of the Spirit namely he or it shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord rather than any of the other I answer because he made mention last of that Spirit as it was the Spirit of the fear of the Lord of which to be of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord is an immediate effect And the Hebrewes when they repeate or descant upon the particulars which they have rehearsed use an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and begin with the last first And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes i. e. And Supple by virtue of that Spirit which shall rest upon him when he shall sit in judgement and give sentence upon any man he shall not judge according to the outward appearance of things For such unwary Judges as do so are often decieved by the specious shewes of Hypocrites But he shall dive into the heart and truth thereof He puts the sight of the eyes for the outward Object of the eyes by a Metonymie Neither reprove after the hearing of his eares i. e. Neither shall he reprove any one which is brought before him as a Delinquent according to the Tales which are told him or according to the flying reports which come to his eares which are for the most part false But he shall examine and search out the truth and reprove according to that As he puts the sight of the eyes for the thing seen just before So here he puts the hearing of the eares for the things heard or the tales told him 4. With righteousnesse shall he judge the Poor He instructeth in the judgement of the Poor because they are still opprest by corrupt Judges And therefore to judge them with righteoâ—snesse or to give an upright sentence in their cause sheweth evidently the justice or uprightnesse of the Judge And reprove with equity This is a repetition of the former sentence Because Judges when they judge or give sentence do reprove directly or indirectly the party which doth wrong hence to reprove may be taken for to judge For the meek of the earth i e. For the good and comfort of the Poor of the Land By the Meeke he meaneth the Poor per Metonymiam adjuncti For meekenesse and humility use to be the companions of Poverty And by the earth he meaneth the Land of Judah by a Synecdoche of a part for the whole And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth i. e. And he shall condemne those wicked men to the rod to be whipt which deserve the Rod. By the earth he meaneth the wicked of the Land where there is first a Metonymie whereby the earth is put for the men which inhabite the earth And then there is a Synecdoche whereby the Inhabitants of the earth in generall are put for the wicked which inhabite the Land of Judah in particular By the rod of his mouth he meaneth the sentence of condemnation which proceedeth out of the mouth of him the Judge whereby the Malefactor is condemned to be whipt or smitten with a rod For because a Malefactor which is condemned to the rod by the sentence which proceedeth out of the Judges mouth is smitteâ— with the rod according to the Judges Sentence therefore doth he call the sentence of the Judge whereby he doth sentence or condemne the Malefactor to the rod a smiting with the rod of the mouth And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked i. e. By the sentence which proceedeth as the breath out of his lips shall he condemn the wicked which deserve death to death and his sentence shall be executed upon them and they shall be slain accordingly The wicked Supple Which deserve death 5. And righteousnesse shall be the girdle of his loynes and faithfullnesse the girdle of his reines i. e. And he shall have Righteous and Faithful men alwayes about him which shall encompasse him as a girdle doth the loines and reines He commends him here from his Counsellors and attendants The Hebrews often leave the note of similitude to be understood as so it is left to be understood here in this place Righteousnesse is put here per Metonymiam adjuncti for righteous men An Abstract for a Concrete And Faithfullnesse for faithfull men A Girdle is a strength to the loines and an ornament to the whole man being usually more rich and costly thâ—n the other garments are So are righteous Counsellors the strength of a King Prov. 11. v. 14. and 15.22 compared with Prov. 25.5 And they are an Ornament also to him Psal 101. Thus some interpret this place But because Virtues which are the Ornaments of the mind are often compared to the Ornaments of apparrel which adorne the body as to a Robe and to a Diademe Job 29. v. 14. and because he speakes here of the Virtues of Hezekiah I take righteousnesse and faithfullnesse here rather for the Virtues of righteousnesse and faithfullnesse than for righteous and faithfull men And I take And for For q. d. For righteousnesse shall be as the Girdle of his loines which doth adorne him and faithfullnesse shall be as a girdle of his reines which is an Ornament to him Righteousnesse Righteousnesse according to this last interpretation is a Virtue inherent in a Judge by which he doth administer justice impartially to the poor aswell as to the rich Faithfullnesse Faithfullnesse signifieth the same according to the last interpretation as righteousnesse doth And faithfullness comes to signifie righteousnesse in this place Because in that covenant which Israel made with the Lord the
of bringing his hopes to passe He shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches By this He is meant Allegorically Esarhaddon the Sonne or the Lieutenant of Sennacherib King of Assyria who made head against Tirakah King of Aethiopia when he invaded Assyria whom he here compareth to a Gardner And a Relative is put here without an Antecedent By the Sprigs are meant the mean men and Common Souldiers of Tirakah's Army By the Branches the great men and Commanders and Officers thereof 6. They shall be left together i. e. And they both sprigs and branches shall be left all of them c. Together i. e. All of them as Chap. 1. v. 28. They shall be left together unto the foules of the Mountaines and to the Beast of the earth For what end they shall be left to them the next wordes signifie And the fowles shall summer upon them Birds use to feed upon the sprigs and branches of trees that therefore which he saith here is this that the Birds shall find meat for themselves upon the sprigs and branches of this Vine when they shall be cut down all the summer following And all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them Beasts use to browse upon the sprigs and branches of trees especially in Winter when grasse is short That therefore which he saith here is this that the beasts of Assyria shall brouse and feed upon the sprigs and branches of this Vine all the Winter And the meaning of these two Phrases is this that the Carkases of the Aethiopians shall be meat for the foules of the Mountaines and the beasts of the field a Summer and a Winter that is a whole year Where note that the Assyrians did cast out the Aethiopians which they had slaine and would not give them a buriall In that time i. e. Yet in that time He meaneth the time in which the aforesaid things should be done in Assyria that is in which the Army of Tirakah should be destroyed in Assyria in the absence of Sennacherib by the Assyrians Shall the present be brought unto the Lord of Hosts of a people scattered and peeled c. q. d. The Assyrians which are abroad with Sennacerib warring against Hierusalem shall be overthrown and part of their spoiles shall be brought by the men of Judah and Hierusalem as a Present to the Lord of Hosts He alludes here to the gift or present which was wont to be offered to the Lord out of the Spoiles and Prey which was taken in warre of which read Numb 31.28 and 2 Sam. 8.11 Of a people scattered and peeled That is of the Assyrians See v. 2. The Prophet here repeateth all those contumelious words which Tirakah King of Aethiopia used in the description of the Assyrians v. 2. approving them as true but yet such as might be better used by others than by the Aethiopians Therefore he repeates them with a kind of Sarcasme deriding thereby Tirakah and Aethiopia who first used them A Nation meted out These words are governed of those from a people terrible by Apposition Meted out i. e. Appointed by God himself to destruction Whose land the Rivers have spoiled See v. 2. To the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts i. e. To the Temple of God which is his place The name of the Lord is put here Periphrastically or Metonymically for the Lord himself Or To the place of the Name of the Lord of Host may signifie To the place which is called by the name of the Lord of Hosts which place is his Temple and is called the Temple of the Lord of Hosts The Mount Sion This is governed of the former words by Apposition Mount Sion was a Mount in Hierusalem upon which the Temple of God was built and may here be put for the Temple it self by a Metonymie ISAIAH CHAP. XIX THE Burden See Chap. 13.1 The Lord rideth upon a swift Cloud i e. The Lord will ride upon a swift Cloud as upon an Horse That is The Lord will come with spred into Egypt And the Idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence i. e. And the Idols of Egypt shall be moved with fear and trembling to see him come He speakes of Idols though they be but stocks and stones as of men by a Metaphor or Prosopopoeia And the heart of Egypt i. e. And the heart of the Egyptians Egypt is put by a Metonymie for the Egyptians the Inhabitants of Egypt The heart of Egypt shall melt See the meaning and reason of this Phrase Chap. 13. v. 7. In the middst of it i. e. In it or them A Periphrasis of the Hebrews 2. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians i. e. I will set the Egyptians at variance and at fighting one with the other The prophet speakes here in the Person of God This Prophesie relates near unto the same times to which the former Prophesies did For Sethon the Priest of Vulcan King of Egypt was Contemporary with Sennacherib King of Assyria for Sennacherib waged warre against Sethon After the death of Sethon Egypt was divided under twelve Kings whereof Psammitichus was one which Psammitichus the other eleven expelled and banished into the Marshes of Egypt but he at length got a power of men and made warre against all the other eleven Kings and overcame them and slew them and so came to rule all Aegypt over which he ruled Lordly at first that he might be feared as many Conquerours use to do and that he might suppresse them which had a hand in his banishment though the latter part of his Raigne was with much Clemency And Kingdome against Kingdome He speakes this by Anticipation for as yet Egypt was in one Kingdome 3. And the spirit of Egypt shall faile i. e. And the judgement or counsell of the Egyptians shall faile By the Spirit is meant here sound judgement or counsell For the Hebrewes among many significations which they have of this word spirit any habit or quality of the mind they call by the name of Spirit By Aegypt is meant the Aegyptians by a Metonymie In the midst thereof See v. 1. And thâ—y shall seek to Idols Supple For Counsell and direction in these their streights The Devils were wont to be in the Idols of the Heathen and give Answers to those that came to aske counsell of the Idols Hence Saint Paul speaking of Sacrificing to Idols saith that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice to Idols they sacrifice to Devills 1 Cor. 10.20 And to the charmers and to them which have familiar spirits and to wizzards Happily by these he meaneth the Priests and Mystae of the Idols But see Chap. 8. verse 19. 4. And the Egypians will I give over into the hand of a cruell Lord. By this Lord is meant Psammitichus who when he was in subduing the eleven Kings and their Party Lorded it with cruelty though when he had quitted all he Raigned mildly
because they were accounted wise and Politique would be accounted wise and politique too Ancient Kings The Egyptians boasted much of their Antiquity and the antiquity of their Kings Where are they where are thy wise men q. d. Where are they which brag thus of their wisdome He useth an Apostrophe here to the King And let them tell thee now and let them know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed Here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a transposition of sentences The Order is this let them know what the Lord hath purposed upon Egypt and let them tell thee now And the sence is this Let them hearken to me and let them know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed to do upon Egypt and when they know let them tell thee I pray what course thou wert best to take to avoid what he hath purposed The first And is here Redundant When he saith let them tell thee now It is as if he should say let them tell thee I pray and the words are spoken with a Sarcasme That a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a transposition of Sentences is not unusuall in Scripture see Chap. 28. vers 1. and Hebrews Chap. 2. v. 9. Note that what the Prophet speakes here to the King of Zoan i. e. to one of the eleven Kings of Egypt which expelled Psammitichus and his Counsellours must be understood of the King of Noph also and of all other the Kings of Egypt which reigned at that time and their Counsellors as spoken to them also 13. The Princes of Zoan are become fools The Prophet speakes this as though he had heard what Counsell the Princes or State-Counsellours of the severall Kings of Egypt had given to their respective Kings when he had told them what the Lord of Hosts had purposed to do upon Egypt The Counsell which these Counsellors gave every one to his King was to look to his own one in this and another in that manner They never thought or advised that the eleven Kings should joyne together in one as one against Psammttichus So whilst every one fought singlie in his own defence they were at length all overcome by their common enemy The Princes of Noph are deceivd i. e. The State-Counsellors of the King of Noph are deceived in their Counsels giving that for good counsell to their King which is pernicious Noph was a famous City in Egypt called once Memphis now Grand Cairo By the Princes of Noph he meaneth the State-Counsellors of one of the eleven Kings of Egypt Viz. that King who had Noph in his Kingdome where the board of this Councell was And what he saith of the Counsellors of this King must be understood of the Counsellors of all the other Kings of Egypt also They have also seduced Egypt q. d. Not onely men of the common sort but they also who are of the Grandees and Oracles of the land have seduced the Egyptians by giving unto them pernicious Counsell Even they that are the stay of the Tribes thereof i. e. Even the Princes and Counsellors which are by their places the stay of the respective Kingdomes in which they live even they have seduced the Kingdomes in which they lived by their Counsels and brought them to ruine The stay These Princes are called the stay of their Countrey because they are so by their places and should be so by their Actions and Counsels Note that this word stay is a Mâ—taphoricall word of which Chap. 3.1 Of the Tribes i. e. Of the severall divisions or severall Kingdomes of Aegypt 14. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the middest thereof i. e. The Lord hath mingled folly with the drink in Egypt and hath made the Princes and state-Counsellours of Egypt to drink thereof I said verse 3. that the Hebrewes call any habit or quallity or act of the mind be it good or bad by the name of Spirit by reason whereof he puts a perverse spirit here for folly and he calls it a perverse spirit because it was contrary to sound counsell When he saith the Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the middest thereof he compareth the perverse spirit either to some poyson or to some intoxicating drink which is mingled with ordinary drink and he would have us by mingling of this perverse spirit to understand also that the Lord gave the Princes and state-Counsellors of Egypt the Cup which he mingled with that perverse spirit and made them to drink of it For they which mingle a Cup after that manner mingle it that it may be drunk The meaning of this place is that the Lord had infatuated the Counsels of the Princes and State-Counsellors of Aegypt And they have caused Egypt to erre in every word thereof That is and they to wit the Princes of Zoan and the Princes of Noph the stay of the Tribes of Egypt being made drunk with the Cup of this perverse spirit have made the common Egyptians which were ready to do what they advised them to to erre in whatsoever they did as if they were drunk also with the same Cup. To erre in every work To erre in the work which they undertake signifieth here to run to and fro backward and forward and to be very busie in a work but so as that they cannot get out of it or bring it to a good end That this is the meaning of these words both the next words the verse next following shew As a drunken man staggereth in his vomit A drunkard in his drunkennesse being not able to stand falls down upon the ground where he disgorgeth his filthy stomack From whence while he strives to rise he staggers and falls back againe into his beastlie vomite and thus doth he often strive to rise and often staggers and falls back againe into his vomit which the Prophet calls staggering in his vomit This place might hapily seem more plain if it had been thus rendered And they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit 15. Nither shall there be any worke for Egypt i. e. Neâ—ther shall there be any work which shall be profitable for Aegypt Which the head or taile branch or rush may do i. e. Which the highest or the lowest strongest or the weakest shall be able to perfect or bring to passe q. d. none of all the Egyptians shall be able to do that which is profitable for their wellfare Concerning those Metaphoricall words The head or taile branch or rush See Cap. 9.14 May do i e. Can do 16. In that day i. e. At that time in which God shall afflict the land of Judah by Sennacherib Here is a Relative put without an Antecedent And this is the beginning of a new Sermon Shall Egypt be like unto women i. e. The Egyptians shall be very much afraid and in that like women for women are naturally timerous and fearfull Because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts which he
exhorting the men of Jerusalem to bear the siege of Jerusalem patiently thus bespeaks them Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers and shut the doors about thee hide thy self as it were a little while until the indignation be overpast Cap. 26.20 11. There is a crying for wine in the streets i. There shall be heard in the streets a crying and lamenting for want of wine This cry might come from within the houses though it were heard without in the streets Wine was the ordinary drink of the Hebrews as it is now of many people wherefore being that the Assyrians had spilt all their Wine they must needs cry for want of drink All joy is darkened i. e. All joy shall be turned into mourning The Prophet speaks here of joy as of light which is taken away by darkness and indeed joy is often resembled to light and call'd by the name of light in the Scriptures And the gate i. e. And the Gates of the City A singular for a plural number In the gates of the City their Courts of Justice and publique Assemblies were wont to be held therefore he mentioneth these particularly 13. When thus it shall be i. e. q. d. Yet when thus it shall be In the midst of the Land i. e. In the Land viz. of Israel In the midst of the Land is put for in the Land by an Hebrew Periphrasis Among the people Supple Of the ten Tribes There shall be as the shaking of an Olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done i. e. There shall be a few of the many thousands of Israel left See cap. 17.6 14. They shall lift up their voyce i. e. Those Jews which live by the sea-coast upon the borders of the Land of Israel shall lift up their voyce by way of rejoycing He seemeth to point at the men of Judah which lived by the sea-coast upon the borders of the Land of Israel when he saith They shall lift up their voyce and so to tell whom he meaneth For the Majesty of the Lord i. e. Because of the Lord that is because of the goodness of the Lord which he will shew at this time towards them in delivering them from the hand of Salmaneser when he shall destroy the ten Tribes The Majesty of the Lord is put here for the Lord himself as when we say of a King the Kings Majesty for the King himself And the Lord is put here for the goodness and mercy of the Lord per Metonymiam Subjecti They shall cry aloud from the Sea He meaneth by these the Jews which lived in Joppa and other places nigh the sea side towards the Land of Israel And he mâ—ntioneth their joy more particularly then he doth the joy of any other of the people of the Jews though all the Jews were delivered at this time because they were nigher the danger then any other of that people were as lying next to the Land of Israel which Salmaneser destroyed and were as is very probable much oppressed with the free quarter of Salmaneseâ—'s Army by Land and forced with the rest of the maritime Towns to provide him a Navy to fight against Tyre by Sea For when Salmaneser had destroyed the Land of Israel he made War against Tyre and put the Maritime Towns to furnish him with a Fleet of ships and to provide for it and afterwards blockt up Tyre five years as we read in Joseph lib. 9. Antiquit. cap. 14. In which time all Maritime Towns suffered no doubt much by the Assyrians 15. Wherefore glorifie ye the Lord in the fires c. I take that which we read in this Verse to be the song which these men sung which song beginneth abruptly as passionate songs and sayings often do whether they proceed from joy or any other passion If it were entire it might be this The Lord hath delivered us from the Assyrians wherefore glorifie ye the Lord in the fires even the Name of the Lord God of Israel ye that dwell in the Isles of the Sea In the fires That is In the fires of understanding and of zeal q. d. Glorifie ye the Lord with understanding as understanding what the Lord hath done for you and with ardency of spirit and true zeal as giving him praise for what he hath done for you not lightly and for fashion sake but feelingly and heartily Note that the Preposition In among the Hebrews serveth in the place of almost all other Prepositions whatsoever and here it may be put for With. Note also that fire by reason of its light may signifie knowledge and understanding and by reason of its heat may signifie zeal and fervency or ardency of spirit by a Metaphor And he may say fires in the plural number not fire in the singular to signifie these two things understanding and zeal Even the Name of the Lord God of Isrâ—el i. e. Even the Lord God of Israel Note that the word Name is here redundant by an Hebrew Elegancy Or that the Name is put for the thing it self whose name it is In the Isles of the Sea i. e. In Joppa and the sea-coasts where ye live and let your songs and exclamations of joy be heard from thence Note that the Hâ—brews call not onely those Lands which are environed and compassed about with the Sea Isles or Islandâ— but also those parts of the Continent which lie neer to the Sea 16. From the utmost part of the Earth have we heard songs i. e. We who live in Jerusalem shall hear songs of rejoycing from the utmost part of our Land By the Earth he meaneth the Land of Judah by a Synecdoche The songs which he meaneth were to be songs of rejoycing because of their deliverance from Salmaneser such as that was vers 15. Even glory to the righteous i. e. Even songs containing the glory of God the righteous One Glory may here signifie any attribute of God which makes him glorious and here it signifies his mercy and goodness to wit his mercy and goodness which he shewed to the Jews and especially those which lived about Joppa in delivering them from Salmaneser per Metonymiam Adjuncti It is also further put for songs which contain or speak of that mercy and goodness of God and the praises thereof per Metonymiam Subjecti To the righteous i. e. To the praise of the righteous One that is to the praise of God By the righteous or righteous One is meant God who as he is called the holy One 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so mâ—y he be called the righteous One He is called the righteous One because of his faithfulness at this time in preserving his people the Jews or because of his goodness at this time to them for righteousness is taken sometimes for goodness even in this sence as when Joseph was said to be a righteous or a just man Matth. 1. vers 19. Note that a song to the righteous signifieth a song sung in the praise of
attaine to the end which God hath propounded to us by holy actions as we come by the way to the place to which we would go Of the just i. e. Of the just men Supple which hide themselves in Jerusalem from the Assyrians He puts here a Singular for a Plural number by an Enallage Is uprightnesse i. e. Is upright and without hypocrisie He saith uprightnesse for upright using an Abstract for a Concrete per Metonymiam Adjuncti Thou most upright i. e. Thou O God which art the most upright Dost weigh the path of the just i. e. Dost examin the wayes or the actions of these just men and dost finde them to be truly upright Dost weigh i e. Dost examin This word is metaphoricall taken from the weighing of such merchantable Commodities as are sold by weight or from the weighing of gold in scales to know whether it be weight or no. Note that the word weight is to be taken here not onely for to examine but also to finde good upon examination by a Syllepsis The path i. e. The way that is the actions as before 8. Yea in the way of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee i. e. Yea when thy judgements and chastisements and afflictions brought upon us by the Assyrians have been upon us we have not fainted or started aside but have waited for thee that is for thy salvation and for thy coming to deliver us This is a great argument of true and sincere uprightnesse not to be offended because of afflictions and persecutions but to put our trust in God even when he doth chastise us and afflict us Note here the Enallage first of the number for he speaks of the just in the Plural number whereas he spoke of them in the Singular number just before then of the person for he speaks of them here in the first person making himself one of the number whereas he spoke of them there in the third Have we waited for thee i. e. For thy coming See cap. 25.9 Or for thee that is for thy help or for thy loving kindnesse The desire of our soule is to thy name i. e. The desire of our soul hath been to thee as to the object thereof that is we have heartily desired thee thy presence to help us or we have heartily desired thy loving kindness towards us A Present is here put for a Preterperfect tense To thy name i. e. To thee An Hebrew Periphrase And to the remembrance of thee i. e. And to the remembrance of those things which thou hast done for them which trust in thee and of the promises which thou hast made to us for by the remembrance of thâ—se things are we sustained in the midst of all our afflictions Of thee i. e. Of the things which thou hast done for them which trust in thee and of the promises which thou hast made to us for God may be and is often put especially in the Psalmes for his actions and his attributes by a metonymy of the cause and of the subject 9. With my soule have I desired thee i. e. And I thy servant have also with my soule desired and prayed for thy mercy and loving kindness towards us thy people In the night Supple At which time I have bin waking when others have been asleep It is probable which some say that this Song ended at the eight verse and that Isaiah himself fore-seeing by this song what God would do for the righteous and their prayers and how he would deale with the proud becomes a suiter to God for the salvation of the poor Jews from the fury of the Assyrians and for the destruction of those Assyrians their proud and deadly enemies Will I seâ—k thee i. e. I will seek thy mercy and loving-kindness and pray for it What we desire and seek for truly sincerely at Gods hands we pray to him for for that is the means appointed to us to obtaine from him for call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee saith the Lord Psal 50.15 Ask and it shall be given you saith our Saviour Mat. 7.7 Early i. e. Betimes in the morning when my spirits are fresh and before I doe any other thing yea while others are yet scarce awake For when thy judgements are in the earth Between these and the former words we must understand this or the like prayer or petition viz. Shew us therefore thy mercy and loving-kindness O Lord and take away thy judgements from us which trust in thee and poure them out upon our enemies the wicked Assyrians which fear not thy Name When thy judgements are in the earth i. e. When thy judgements are upon the Inhabitants of the earth that is upon the Assyrians Note that in is put here for on or upon and that by the earth are meant the Inhabitants of the earth by a metonymy and by the Inhabitants of the earth in generall are meant the Assyrians in particular whom he calls the Inhabitants of the world in the next words and againe in the eighteen verse The Inhabitants of the world i. e. The Assyrians See verse 18. Will learn righteousness And so by consequence will not use oppression as now they do towards us 10. Let favour be shewed to the wicked i. e. If thou sparest him that is wicked and dost suffer him to go unpunished and to escape thy judgements By the wicked in generall he meaneth the Assyrians in particular by a Synecdoche He will not learn righteousnesse i. e. He will not learn righteousnesse and so by consequence will not leave off to do evill and to oppresse In the Land of uprightnesse c. q.d. Yea though he be in a Land where uprightnesse is professed and practiseâ— such as the Land of Judah is and liveth among righteous men whose example might move him to deale righteously yet if thou dost not smite him but sparest him he will do unrightly The Laâ—d of uprightnesse i. e. The upright Land for the Hebrews put a Substantive of the Genitive Case for an Adjective And a Land is called a Land of uprightnesse or an upright Land because of the Inhabitants thereof which are upright men and professe and practise uprightnesse therein He will deale unjustly i. e. He will do wrong And will not behold the Majesty of the Lord. i. e. And will not take notice of the power of God over all men and of his justice so as to reverence and feare him and leave off to deal unjustly to do wrong for fear of him The Majesty of the Lord By the Majesty of the Lord is meant the Lord himselfe See cap. 24.14 And by the Lord himselfe is meant the power and justice of the Lord by a Metonymy Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see i. e. Yea though thou dost threaten them for their evill doings and art ready to smite them if thou dost not smite them they will take no notice of it but
and hungry as ever he was And behold he eateth i. e. And behold he eateth in his dream that is he dreameth that he eateth His soul is empty i. e. He is empty for he hath not eaten indeed The soul is put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche And behold he drinketh Subaudi In his dream that is behold he dreameth that he drinketh He is faint Supple For want of drink having not drunk indeed And his soul hath appetite i. e. And he hath an appetite to eat and to drink that is He is still hungry and thirsty for hunger and thirst are but an appetite or desire of meat and drink He puts the soul here again for the whole man by a Synecdoche as before So shall all the multitude of the nations be that fight against Mount Sion q.d. Even so I say shall all the multitude of the nations be which fight against Ariel 9. Stay your selves and wonder When the Prophet had prophesied of the destruction of the Assyrians which should besiege Ariel that is Which should besiege Jerusalem his auditors would not believe this his Prophesie whereupon the Prophet calls to those which passe by or to the faithfull party of the Jews to stay and wonder at these men because they would not understand and beleeve so plain a word or vision of the Lord as this was Stay your selves Supple All that passe by And wonder Supple At the unbelief and blindness of these men Câ—â— ye out and cry They are drunk but not with wine i. e. Cry ye out and say of these men They are drunk but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drink Cry ye out and cry i. e. Cry ye out and say or cry ye out yea cry saying They are drunk but not with wine This is that which he would have them cry They are drunken c. They are said to be drunken in the scripture phrase which have received abundance and are filled as it were with that with which they are said to be drunken and that by a Metaphor from drunken men which have drunk abundance and are full of wine or strong drink and then especially when they doe by reason of that with which they are said to be drunken any way resemble a drunken man in any thing as this people do here in that they seem to be stupid and void of understanding and to have lost the use of reason for the time like to the drunken men that are said to be drunken in the Scripture phrase which have abundance and are filled as it were with that which they are said to be drunken will appear from hence because they which are said here to be drunken but not with wine are therefore said to be drunken because the Lord hath powred out upon them the spirit of deep sleep and powring out argueth abundance of that which is powered out He speaks here of those people in Jerusem which would not beleeve what he prophesied unto them concerning the Assyrians encamping against Jerusalem and the deliverance thereof and the destruction of the Assyrians for though many in Jerusalem did beleeve yet many again beleeved not But not with wine With what then were they drunk They were drunk with the spirit of sleep v. 10. They stagger i. e. They are drunken for drunken men use to stagger as they go Metonymia Effecti The sense of this is the very same with the former sentence 10. For the Lord hath poured out upon you c. This the Prophet speaks in his own person and makes an Apostrophe to those unbeleevers which would not beleeve this his Prophesie wherein he gives a reason why they which passe by may justly wonder and say of them they are drunk but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drink And the reason is this because God had poured upon them and so had made them drunken that is had filled them with the spirit of deep sleep For the Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of deep sleep He useth a Metaphor here taken from liquid things which are poured out of some vessel in abundance When he saith the Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of deep sleep It is as if he should say he hath poured upon them a deepe sleep without any other addition for the word spirit is often redundant among the Hebrews by an elegancie That which the Lord poured out upon these men he calleth the spirit of deep sleep because it made them senseless and blinde as he is senseless and seeth not who is in a sleep And hath closed your eyes Supple So that you cannot see that is So that you cannot beleeve what is spoken This is metaphorically to be understood of the minde which is the eye of the soul The Prophets See cap. 28.7 The Seers Prophets were wont to be called Seers See notes cap. 1.1 He hath covered Supple With a vaile which he hath cast over their faces so they cannot see This is also metaphorically to be understood and all these three phrases signifie one and the same thing to wit that God had blinded their minde and their understanding that they could not understand and beleeve the vision which he had delivered to them concerning Jerusalem and the deliverance thereof 11. And the vision of all c. And my Prophesie wherein I prophesied to you of the encamping of the Assyrians against Jerusalem and the Lords preservation thereof and the destruction of the Assyrians is not understood that is is not believed of you but is as a word of a book that is sealed As the word of a book that is sealed The words of a book which is shut and sealed up cannot be known or understood no not by him which is learned because he cannot come to read the words which are written in such a book how then can he believe them Of a book which is sealed He alludes to the use of the ancients which were wont to seal their books that is their rouls when they laid them by See cap. 8.16 12. And the book is deliverd to him c. i. e. And the book is unsealed and opened and delivered to him that is not learned I am not learned i. e. I cannot read for I never learned to know letters The meaning of all this place is q.d. The Prophesie whereby I have prophesied to you of all these things concerning the siege and the preservation of Jerusalem and the destruction of her enemies is understood and beleeved no more by you then the words of a book which is sealed up are understood and beleeved of a learned man or the words of a book which is opened is understood and beleeved of an ignorant and illiterate man Note that by their not understanding here is meant their not believing the Prophesies of God and his words for the Scripture useth to tax Infidelity by the name of Ignorance because it profiteth not to know the word of God except
him Or of corrupt Judges who had taken a bribe of his Enemies to condemn him whose wickedness was the greater that they would be corrupted to do such a piece of injustice for a small matter How these men were consumed we told Vers 14. 22. Therefore thus saith the Lord c. This relates to the 17 18 19 20 and 21 Verses as an inference deduced from thence q. d. And because Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forrest and because the deaf upon that shall hear the words of the Book c. Therefore thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham concerning the House of Jacob c. Who redeemed Abraham God redeemed Abraham out of Vr of the Caldees from Idolatry Genes 12.1 and he redeemed him out of danger in Egypt Genes 12.20 and he redeemed him out of the like danger in Gerar Gen. 20.9 And Abraham is mentioned as redeemed here because as the Lord redeemed him so for his sake would he redeem his posterity at this time Concerning the house of Jacob i. e. Concerning Jacob and his children the Jews For the Father is part yea the chief part of the house Jacob shall not now be ashamed i. e. Being that the Lord will turn Lebanon into a fruitful field and the fruitful field into a forrest so that the deaf shall hear the words of the Book c. when this cometh to pass Jacob shall not now be ashamed though he hath been ashamed heretofore The Prophet useth a Prosopopoeia here whereby he brings in Jacob as though he were alive though he were dead long before Jacob shall not now be ashamed Supple For the disobedience and infidelity and unbelief of his children For they which would not believe the Vision mentioned vers 14. shall be all consumed and all they which watch for iniquity shall be cut off but the meek shall survive and all they that have erred shall return into the right way The misdemeanor of the son is the shame of the Parents in allusion to which he here saith Jacob shall not now be ashamed Nor shall his face now wax pale Supple For fear q. d. Neither shall he now be afraid as he hath been lest his children should be utterly destroyed by the Assyrians through the wrath of God so that they be no more a people for the Assyrian is brought to nought vers 20. 23. When he seeth his children the work of mine hands i. e. When he seeth his children whom I have delivered out of the hands of the Assyrians A deliverance out of eminent and unavoydable danger of death is as it were a new Creation therefore doth the Lord call the Jews the work of his hands because he delivered them from the Assyrians In the midst of him i. e. In the midst of the Land which I gave him Gen. 28.13 Jacob himself is put here by a Metonymy for the Land which God gave Jacob as Moab is put for the Land of Moab Jerem. 40.11 Note that in the midst of the Land is put by an Hebrew redundancy for in the Land They shall sanctifie my Name q. d. They to wit his children shall sanctifie and praise my Name for their deliverance out of the hands of the Assyrians And if they shall sanctifie his Name He shall see them sanctifying it and so shall not be afraid for them but rejoyce rather My Name i. e. Me. An Hebraism And shall fear the God of Israel i. e. And they shall fear to offend the God of Israel and shall serve him and worship him And if they shall fear the God of Israel Jacob shall see that they fear him and so he shall not be ashamed for their sakes 24. They also that erred in spirit i. e. They also that erred in judgment and opinion thinking that Jerusalem would not have been delivered out of the hands of the Assyrians and that the Assyrians would not have been destroyed as they were He speaks of such that erred rather out of weakness and by being ignorantly misled then out of pride and malice as those scorners did mentioned vers 20. Shall come to understanding i. e. Shall experimentally know that what the Prophet prophecyed concerning the deliverance of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Assyrians was true They that murmured It is probable that many otherwise none of the worst when they were distressed and found some hardship in the siege of Jerusalem did murmur against Isaiah who prophecyed of the deliverance of Jerusalem and did what he could to hold up their drooping spirits with that hope Shall learn doctrine i. e. Shall learn the Instruction of the Lord which shall teach them not to murmur any more at his Prophets in whatsoever case they are ISAIAH CHAP. XXX WO to the rebellious children i. e. When the report was first spred abroad of Sennacheribs intent to march out of Assyria with an huge Army the Jews which lived out of Jerusalem in other parts of the Land of Judah and many also which lived in Jerusalem were distracted and in doubt what to do to preserve themselves Some thought it best to comply with the Assyrians and to practise with them for the surrender or giving up of the whole Land into their hands Others thought it best to call in the Egyptians to their ayd And this did they both in so foul a manner as that the one scrupled not to profess the Religion of the Assyrians and the other of the Egyptians to save their lives Onely King Hezekiah and some few with him chose rather to trust in the promises of God which he had promised by Isaiah then to do as the others did Against those which thought it best to call in the ayd of the Egyptians and endeavored to bring them into help them doth the Prophet here inveigh To the rebellious children It is rebellion in man to do any thing against the Will of God as these men did by distrusting God and trusting in the arm of flesh See cap. 1.20 That take counsel Supple How to save themselves from the fury of Sennacherib and the Assyrians But not of me q. d. But not of my Prophets whose counsel is my counsel That cover with a covering but not of my Spirit Note that the word Spirit is a word of many significations with the Hebrews but among the many significations which it hath any act of the Will or Understanding is called the spirit And any quality or ability of doing is called the spirit so that the spirit may here signifie counsel and advice or it may signifie power and protection And the meaning of this place may be this q. d. And which cover themselves with a covering but not of my advising or to which I advised them Or the meaning of this place may be this q. d. And which cover themselves with a covering but not with the covering of my power and protection that is which get themselves ayd to defend
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
his similitudes doth often give more respect in his expressions to the thing signified by his similitude then to the thing from which his similitude is taken 12. They shall call the Nobles to the Kingdom i. e. After this slaughter and desolation the common people which are left alive shall hearing of the death of their King call for the Nobles of the Land to govern the Kingdom or to choose a King out of them By They are meant the Commons of the Land of Idumea which are left alive where a Relative is put without an Antecedent and by the Kingdom is meant the Government of the Kingdom But none shall be there i. e. But none of the Nobles shall be left in the Land All her Princes shall be nothing i. e. All the Nobles of Idumea shall be nothing that is they shall be slain Whom he called Nobles before be calls Princes here 13. And thorns shall come up in her palaces i. e. And thorns shall come up in the places where now her palaces stand See Cap. 32.13 14. In the fortresses i. e. In the compass of ground where her Fortresses and strong Cities stood 14. The wilde beasts of the desart shall also meet with the wilde beasts of the Islands Supple There i. e. All manner of wilde beasts shall meet there The wilde beasts of the Desart i. e. The wilde beasts which use to live in the Desart and Wilderness With the wilde beasts of the Islands i. e. With strange wilde beasts such as inhabit Islands and remote places neer the Sea See Cap. 13.22 The Satyre See Cap. 13.21 The Satyre shall cry to his fellow i. e. One Satyre shall cry there to another so that there shall be more Satyres there then one Shall cry The cry here meant is a cry of mirth and joy See Cap. 13.21 15. Gather under her shadow i. e. Gather her young ones under her wings He putteth her shadow for her wings per Metonymiam Effecti because birds cover their young ones with their wings as with a shadow The Vultures The Vulture is a ravenous bird which loveth desolate places 16. Seek ye out of the Book of the Lord and read q. d. When this desolation shall come to pass which I have spoken of in this Chapter then take ye into your hands the Book of this my Prophecy and read it and mark it well and observe from thence what solitary creatures I have said shall dwell in Idumea after this desolation He calls the Book of this his Prophecy the Book of the Lord either because he did write it at the commandment of the Lord or because he wrote nothing in it but what he heard of the Lord. Not one shall fail i. e. Not one of these solitary creatures shall fail of being there None shall want her mate q. d. Every one shall be there with her mate or fâ—llow and their being there every one with their mate or fellow sheweth that they shall not come thither to fly away again presently but shall make their abode there For my mouth it hath commanded it i. e. For I will command them every one to come and dwell there with her mate The Prophet speaks here in the person of God and yet speaks of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts the mouth for the whole man by a Synecdoche he puts also a preterfect for a future tense It hath commanded it The Particle It is redundant here after the Hebrew manner Commanded it i. e. Commanded that every one shall come and dwell there And his Spirit i. e. And the Lord. The Prophet speaks here in his own person and he speaks of God as of a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts the spirit which is but part for the whole man Or by his Spirit he meaneth his power for any quality or ability of doing do the Hebrews call Spirit It This Pronoun It is redundant here by an Hebraism as it is once before in this Verse Hath gathered them i. e. Will gather these solitary creatures together in Idumea when it is layd desolate mate with mate And he hath cast the lot for them i. e. And he will give them every one an inheritance and a several place of abode in that Land viz. the Land of Idumea He puts here a preterperfect for a future tense and he alludes here to the division of the Land of Canaan to the Tribes of Israel by lot of which you may read Josh 18.8 c. where Joshua did cast lots when the Land was divided into several divisions which division should be given to which Tribe for his inheritance And his hand hath divided it unto them i. e. And he will divide it unto them He puts the hand for he a part for the whole man and by he he meaneth the Lord of whom he speaks as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prophet persists still in his allusion to the division of the Land of Canaan for an inheritance to the several Tribes of Israel where the Land was first divided into so many parts then the lot was cast which Tribe should inherit which part Joshua cap. 18. Note here that the division which we spoke of was before the casting of lots for the Land of Canaan was first divided into so many parts then did Joshua cast lots what Tribe should inherit what part The Prophet therefore useth here an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he doth also Cap. 1.6 and elsewhere By line He alludes here to the manner of measuring and dividing Lands which was wont to be done by a line See Josh 17.5 14. and 19.9 where the Hebrew hath it line and lines whereas it is rendered portions by our Translators See also Psal 78.55 where the Kingly Prophet speaking of the division of Canaan to the Tribes of Israel and the manner thereof saith He cast out the Heathen also before them and divided them an inheritance by line and made the Tribes of Israel to dwell in their Tents From generation to generation See vers 10. ISAIAH CHAP. XXXV THe wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad for them This cohereth with the former Chapter and seemeth to have been delivered at the same time And the sence of this place is this q.d. And when the indignation of the Lord shall have passed upon all Nations Cap. 34.2 and his Sword shall have come down upon Idumea Cap. 34.5 then shall the happiness of the Jews be such as that the very Earth or Land of Judah shall be glad and rejoyce for this their happiness The wilderness c. By the wilderness he meaneth Judea which the Assyrians made like a wilderness in the days of Hezekiah by depopulating and laying waste the Cities and Towns cutting down the trees and hedges treading down the Vines and Vineyards trampling under feet the grass and fruit of the field and killing and driving out the Husbandmen thereof so that there were none
Cap. 4.5 And see Cap. 52. v. 12. where he saith to the Jews The Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rearward For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it i. e. For the Lord hath spoken it who cannot lye and therefore what he hath spoken shall come to pass The Prophet speaks of the Lord as of a man by a Prosopopoeia and puts the mouth which is but part for the whole man by a Synecdoche 3. The voyce of him that cryeth in the wilderness What is meant by these words as they are taken in the first sence and as they concern the Redemption of the Jews out of Babylon ye have heard Now in the second and more sublime sence by the voyce of him that cryeth in the wilderness the Holy Ghost meaneth John the Baptist Mat. 3.3 For as the Cryer here cryeth to the people to prepare the way of the Lord so did John the Baptist cry to the people of his time to repent and so to prepare a way for the coming of the Lord Christ And as the voyce of this Cryer was heard in the wilderness which lay between Babylon and Judea so was the voyce of John heard in a wilderness too to wit the wilderness of Judea Matt. 3.1 Where note that as by the captivity of the Jews in Babylon is signified our spiritual captivity and misery under sin and Satan so by the deliverance of the Jews out of that their captivity is signified our spiritual Redemption by Christ Jesus In the Prophecy therefore of the deliverance of the Jews out of the captivity of Babylon there be many passages which as in a first sence they concern things which appertain to the deliverance of the Jews so in a second sence they concern things which appertain to the Redemption which was wrought by Christ Jesus 6. The voyce said Cry i. e. A voyce said to me Cry And he said what shall I cry i. e. And I said what shall I cry The Prophet speaks of himself here in a third person The like may you read of one speaking of himself in the third person cap. 21. vers 12. All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field i. e. And the voyce said unto me cry and say with a loud voyce thus All flesh that is all men which are made of flesh are as the grass and all their glory and goodliness is as the flower of the field The Note of similitude is here left to be understood 7. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it As when a red burning wind bloweth upon the grass or upon the flower the grass withereth and the flower fadeth because thereof Even so for the Apodosis is left to be understood when God is angry with all or any kinde of flesh that is when he is angry with any men whatsoever they are he can easily consume them even with the breath of his nostrils and they shall perish By the Spirit of God is meant the wind which he brings out of his treasures when he would have it blow Psal 13.7 and yet not any wind but that which the Country-man calls a red wind which bliteth Trees and Herbs and Flowers Surely the people is grass q. d. Surely therefore the people that thou art afraid of even the people of the Babylonians are as grass 8. But the Word of our God shall stand for ever q. d. But the Word of our God shall never fail And therefore the Word whereby he hath spoken comfort to you and promised you deliverance out of the Babylonish captivity shall stand firm and come to pass maugre the Babylonians You may gather by what hath been said what coherence these three last Verses had with the former The coherence is this In the five first Verses the Prophet prophecyeth to the Jews Deliverance out of the Babylonish captivity but the Jews being at this time sore oppressed and seeing themselves weak and the Babylonians strong and mighty in power were like to give but little credence to the Prophets words and despair of ever being delivered That therefore they might lift up their heads and hope for deliverance according to the Word of God and might not fear the strength and mighty power of the Babylonians the Lord did for their sakes by way of prevention shew the Prophet a Vision in which the voyce of the Lord bids the Prophet to tell his Country-men that all flesh and the Babylonians as well as others were as grass therefore they need not fear them or any other men 9. O Sion that bringest good tydings i. e. O Jerusalem that bringest good tydings to the other Cities of Judah c. This seems to begin a new Sermon Sion is taken here for Jerusalem a part for the whole And he speaks to the material Jerusalem as if she were a person indeed as he doth often elsewhere by a Prosopopoeia The good tydings which Sion here brings are mentioned in the tenth and eleventh Verses Get thee up into the high mountain Supple and there proclaim the good tydings which thou bringest that they may be the Father-head O Jerusalem that bringest good tydings c. This is a repetition of the former sentence with which repetition the Prophet is much delighted Say unto the Cities of Judah i. e. Say unto other the Cities of Judah He speaks here of the Cities of Judah as of women by a Prosopopoeia as he did of Sion or Jerusalem Behold your God i. e. Behold your God cometh unto you See Vers 3. 10. Behold the Lord will come with a strong hand Behold the Lord himself will come with a strong hand against the Babylonians who hold us captive and will deliver us out of their hands And his arm shall rule i. e. And he shall now rule He shall rule over us as a King over his Subjects though till now the Babylonians have had dominion over us And he shall rule over the Babylonians as a Lord over his Vassals and a Conqueror over his Enemies though hitherto they have reigned as Conquerors and Lords themselves He speaks here of God as of man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and puts a part to wit the arm for the whole man by a Synecdoche the arm I say wherein the strength of man is most seen For him These words are redundant by an Hebrew elegancy Behold his reward is with him Supple To reward all such of his people as have waited for him And his work i. e. And his reward Work is put here for the reward of a work by a Metonymy And this is a repetition of the former sentence Is before him i. e. Is in a readiness See Cap. 62.11 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd q. d. He shall bring his people out of Babylon into their own Cities And while he bringeth them he shall be to them as a shepherd is to
his flock which he feeds and for which he provides whatsoever is needful He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom i. e. He shall gather the lambs together and take them up in his arms and carry them in his lap or bosom The meaning is that he shall take care and provide even for the poorest and weakest of all the Jews and bring them into their own Land safe again And shall gently lead those which are with young Supple Lest he should tire them or kill them by hard travel He saith And shall lead those which are with young because Shepherds were wont to go before their sheep as well as follow them for their sheep knew them well and were taught to follow them See Psal 80.1 Joh. 10.4 That which the Prophet meaneth by this Metaphor of a Shepherd is onely this That the Lord should bring his people the Jews out of Babylon where they were in captivity into their own Land with as great care and safety as a Shepherd doth lead his flock from place to place 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand The Prophet speaks of God here as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a vast and great man is he who can hold all the waters of the Sea and all Rivers and Fountains in the hollow of his hand and therewith measure them And meted out Heaven with a span He speaks of God as of a man as before and a vast and great man is he whose stand is so big as that he can therewith span the Heavens at once And comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure He speaketh still of God as of a man and a vast man and strong is he that can put all the dust of the Earth in a measure and as easily take it up as we can a measure of dust of a pinte or less And weighed the mountains in the scales and the hills in a ballance He speaketh still of God as of a man And a vast man he is and of great strength which can weigh all the mountains of the Earth in scales and all the hills thereof in a ballance as easily as we can weigh that which is but of a drachm weight Note that after those words viz. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out Heaven with the span and comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance These or the like words are to be understood Hath not the Lord In this Verse the Prophet sheweth the power and might of God And that he doth two ways First by describing God as a man of a vast stature which he doth while he saith that he measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the Heavens with a span c. And secondly by telling that the Lord made Heaven and Earth which he doth while he telleth us that he measured the Waters and the dust of the Earth and meted the Heavens and weighed the hills and the mountains Note that when God created all things he created them in measure and number and weight as the Wise-man speaks Wisd 11.20 Therefore it is that the Prophet when he would tell us that God created the Heavens and the Earth and all things therein contained thereby to shew us Gods might and his power and strength saith That he measured the Waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out Heaven with a Span and comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure and weighed the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in a Ballance alluding to Architects who measure the particular parts of their buildings and the materials thereof that they may be proportionable part to part and all and every part to the whole But it may be asked here how the Prophet cometh here to speak of Gods power and might Ans He doth it to prevent a tacite Objection For whereas the Prophet said that the Lord would come with a strong hand against the Babylonians and deliver his people which were in captivity c. A weak Jew might object and say Yea but is the Lord God of might enough to come against that mighty people the Babylonians and to deliver his people which are in captivity under them out of their hands c. To which the Prophet here answereth That he is of might enough to come against the Babylonians as mighty as they are and to deliver his people which are in captivity under them out of their hands when he saith Who hath measured the Waters in the hollow of his hand c. For he that could do that and the Lord did it had might enough to come against the Babylonians and deliver the Jews out of their hands For he that could do that had not his equal for might and power 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord or being his Counsellor hath taught him q. d. Who was the Lords Counsellor to direct him and teach him how he should make the World and order the things therein contained when he had made them 14. Who instructed him and taught him in the path of judgment i. e. Who instructed the Lord and taught him in the way of judgment that is Who instructed him and taught him wisdom and discretion when he built and ordered the World These Interrogatives have the force of Negatives q. d. There was none which did instruct him He did all these things by his own wisdom and judgment It may be asked How the Prophet cometh to speak here of the wisdom and judgment of God To which I answer That the Prophet doth it to prevent a tacite Objection which a weak Jew might make For a weak Jew might go on and say Yea but the Babylonians are a subtil and politique people as well as a strong Though therefore we should grant that God had strength enough to come against the Babylonians yet he may not have judgment and discretion enough to manage that strength And vis consilii expers mole ruit suâ Strength without judgment and discretion will ruine it self In answer to which the Prophet here saith that God wanted not judgment and discretion to manage his strength For who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord c. 15. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket i. e. The Nations are as a thing of nought in respect of God As a drop of a bucket i. e. As a drop of water which hangs to the side or bottom of a bucket which if it falls off no body regardeth And are counted as the small dust of the ballance This is a repetition of the former sentence By the small dust of the ballance is meant any light thing that sticks to the scale or ballance and is of no moment so light it is to turn the scale any way He taketh up the Isles as a very little
setting judgment in the Earth See the like phrase Cap. 7.6 And the Isles shall wait for his Law q. d. And when he hath made known my judgments the inhabitants of the Isles shall look for the fulfilling and accomplishment of these my judgments In such credit shall my servant be By Isles the Hebrews mean not onely those places which are environed with the Sea but those also which are neer to the Sea and to great Rivers and Waters as was said cap. 41. v. 1. Yea every particular Land may be called an Isle as we shewed cap. 20.6 But by Isles here are meant not the Isles themselves but the inhabitants of the Isles by a Metonymy His Law The word Law is sometimes taken in a large sence for any Word of God whatsoever See Notes cap. 1.10 And here it is taken first for the judgments of God denounced then by a Metonymy for the fulfilling or accomplishment of those judgments This testimony from the beginning of the Chapter hitherto the Lord gave of the Prophet that his words might finde the better entertainment with them that should hear him while he lived or read his Writings after his death 5. Thus saith the Lord Thus say I the Lord Supple To my servant Isaiah The Lord speaketh here of himself in the third person And stretched them out Supple Like the curtains of a Tent or Tabernacle to dwell in See cap. 40. v. 22. He that spreadeth forth the Earth and that which cometh out of it i. e. I that made the Earth and all things that spring out of it The Prophet alludeth here to the spreading forth of a sheet or some other cloth or to the spreading forth of a garment which was folded up before see Heb. 1.12 And he alludeth to this while he speaketh of Gods making the Earth and all that cometh out thereof Because when God made the Earth and that which cometh out thereof he made them quanta that is he gave them quantity and extension so soon as ever he gave them their substantial Being And spirit to them that walk therein i. e. And Breath to every living creature Spirit is taken here for Breath Therein i. e. Thereon The Lord doth here magnifie his power First That he might the more encourage his Prophet in the execution of that business on which he sets him Secondly That all men may be the better perswaded of the event of what he foretels Thirdly That he might shew himself to be greater then the gods of the Heathen who worshipped Idols 6. I the Lord have called thee i. e. I the Lord have called thee O Isaiah my servant to do the work which I have appointed for thee to do In righteousness i. e. In good-will towards thee or in that wise that thou shalt see my goodness towards thee whilest thou art doing that work to which I have called thee Righteousness is put here for goodness as it is also cap. 41.10 I will hold thine hand i. e. I will preserve thee Supple Until thou hast done all my work Concerning the reason of this phrase see cap. 41.10 And give thee for a Covenant of the people These words must needs be figuratively that is Metonymically understood The meaning therefore of these words is this q.d. I will give thee to be a Remembrancer of my people the Jews that thou mayst put them in minde of the Covenant which they their fathers made with me and they have broken and to be a means to them to renew their Covenant again For a light of the Gentiles i. e. And for a light to the Gentiles Tò And is here to be understood Isaiah was a light to the Gentiles in that he shewed them the vanity of the Idols which they worshipped and taught them that there was but one God who created Heaven and Earth And this he doth in many places of this Book of his Prophecy 7. To open the blinde eyes i. e. To instruct those which are ignorant yea very ignorant ignorant of the Vanity of Idols and ignorant of the Unity of the Godhead c. By eyes he meaneth the eyes of the understanding which are blinde through ignorance Note that these words To open the blind eyes relate to those words which went immediately before viz. For a light to the Gentiles To bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house i. e. And to bring my people the Jews which are in captivity in Babylon out of that their captivity Tò And is here to be understood Note that these words To bring the prisoners from the prisons and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house relate to those words of the sixth Verse I will give thee for a Covenant of the people The Prophet speaks here of the captivity of the Jews as of an Imprisonment and compares the Land of their captivity to a prison both because they could no more get out thence then a prisoner can get out of a prison as also because it was as irksom to them as a prison is to a prisoner Yea it may be that many of them were shut up in houses and there kept to hard work as in prisons The Prophet is therefore said to bring the prisoners out of prison that is the Jews out of their captivity because he did by his admonitions bring the Jews to think of the Covenant which they had broken and the sins which they had committed and bewail them and amend their lives and renew their Covenant with God which moved God to free them and deliver them out of captivity and bring them to their own Land again But you will say that Isaiah was dead before the Jews were carryed captive into Babylon which was a long time before their delivery thence How then could he so admonish them as that they should repent them of their sins and amend their lives and renew their Covenant with God by his Admonitions and so move God to deliver them Ans Though Isaiah were dead yet might he be said to admonish them because of his Writings which he directed to them by a Prophetique Spirit So Moses though he was dead many years before was said to command the Jews which lived in our Saviours time Mark 10.3 And so the Jews called themselves Moses's Disciples Joh. 9.28 And them that sit in darkness out of the prison house Though darkness be oftentimes put figuratively for misery and affliction yet I conceive that the Prophet alludeth here to prisons which use to be dark having but few windows and those small ones too that the walls of the prison might be the stronger and especially to Dungeons which are under ground Note that this is but a repetition of the former sentence 8. I am the Lord q. d. I am the Lord the onely God which created Heaven and Earth who am of my self but give Being to all things c. That is my Name i. e. That is the Name
e. They are all kept in holes and dark places that is in dungeons and prisons and there they lie in chains so that they are not able to get out no more then a bird can get out of the snare in which it is taken or the wilde beast out of the toyl in which it is caught They are hid in prison houses i. e. They lie in prison houses as men forgotten and quite out of minde so that none think upon them to set them free The Scripture saith of a thing forgotten that it is hid as Cap. 41.27 They are for a prey i. e. They are made as a prey to their enemies And none delivereth i. e. And none delivers them out of their Enemies hands For a spoyl i. e. They are made as a spoyl And none saith Restore i. e. And none saith to them which imprisoned them and which spoyled them Restore the men again out of prison or Restore the goods which thou hast taken from them that is And none is able to rescue them or any way to help them 23. Who amongst you will give ear to this i. e. Who amongst you will give ear to what I shall now say This Relative this relates to that which followeth and he speaks still to those which he spoke to vers 18. and taketh away the Objection which was made vers 22. Who will harken and hear for the time to come i. e. Who will harken and hear what I shall say that he may believe what God shall speak concerning the delivery of the Jews out of captivity for the time to come and that he may also learn not to sin herâ—after 24. Who gave Jacob for a spoyl i. e. Who gave us Jews which are the children of Jacob for a spoyl to the Babylonians Jacob is taken here for the Jews the children of Jacob and the Prophet speaks here as if the Jews were in captivity to the Babylonians at this time and as if he were present with them And he speaks to them of themselves though by an Enallage he useth a third person for a first or second And Israel to the robbers This is a repetition of the former sentence Did not the Lord By this he gives them to understand that as the Lord gave them for a spoyl to the robbers so the Lord could rescue them again and deliver them out of the hands of the robbers so that they need not doubt of his power in this matter For they would not walk in his ways Observe the Enallage of the person here how he passeth from the first to the third from we to they The Prophet sheweth the reason here why the Lord gave the Jews over as a spoyl to the robbers and the reason is because they sinned and would not walk in his ways By which he intimates that being they had broken off their sins by repentance the Lord would be willing to take them again out of those hands into which he had given them So that where neither will nor power is wanting there is no reason to doubt of the success or effect 25. He hath poured upon him i. e. He hath poured upon Jacob or Israel mentioned v. 24. Note here again the Enallage of the number how he passeth from a plural to the singular number The strength of battel i. e. Most vehement wars such as he was not able to withstand In these words there is an Hypallage for he saith The strength of battel for The battel of strength and the battel of strength for strong or most strong battel For a Substantive of the Genitive case is often put for an Adjective He hath set him on fire round about i. e. And the fury of his anger did set on fire his Cities and his dwelling places round about He saith him for his Cities and dwelling places by a Metonymy So Virgil Jam proximus ardet Vcalegon for Jam proxima ardet Vcalegonis domus Virgil. Aenead lib. 2. See the History of that which he here speaks of 2 King 25.9 and Jer. 39.8 Yet he knew not i. e. Yet he did not understand or take notice that this was from the Lord as a punishment for his sins he knew not the cause of it And it burned him i. e. It burned to the ground his Cities and dwelling houses Yet he layd it not to his heart i. e. Yet he did not seriously consider it which if he had done he would have considered from whom it came and what was the cause thereof and so have repented That which the Prophet here saith came not to pass while after he had written this yet being endued with a prophetique spirit he speaks of it as though it had been done long before yea he speaks as though he himself were among his Country-men the Jews in the Babylonish captivity though he were dead long before that time ISAIAH CHAP. XLIII BVt now Supple That thou knowest that it was the Lord which gave thee as a spoile into the hands of the Babylonians and that sinne was the cause thereof and thou hast repented thee of thy sinnes Thus saith the Lord q. d. Though heretofore he poured forth the fury of his anger and the strength of the battle upon thee yet now that thou mayest know that he is well pleased with thee upon thy repentance for his righteousnesse sake thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel c. Thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob By Jacob are meant the Jewes the children of Jacob per metonymiam efficientis The Lord is said to have created Jacob that is the children of Jacob because he took them to himselfe for a peculiar people and made them a Commonwealth of themselves This hath its immediate connexion with the former Chapter and had been better to have been continued with that than to have been divided from it and made the head of a severall Chapter as now it is And he that formed thee O Israel This sentence is for the sence the same with that which went before But when hee saith he that formed thee he useth a metaphor taken from Potters making or forming pots For I have redeemed thee q. d. For I have redeemed thee divers times out of the hands of thine enemies and oppressors as the Egyptians the Midianites the Philistines c. And as I have redeemed thee out of their hands so will I redeem thee out of the hands of the Babylonians Yet it may be that he speakes here peculiarly of the redemption by which he redeemed his people Israel out of Egypt to be to him a peculiar people and an holy Nation I have called thee by thy name q. d. Thou art my chosen servant whom I have made choice of to serve me in a speciall manner and whom I greatly regard He alludes here to the manner of great men who when they call a servant to them whom they like and whom they preferre before others they call him
c. From the beginning i. e. At any time heretofore From the time that it was there am I q. d. I have not been negligent in the performance of my duty but from the time that I have been called to be a Prophet I have been diligent in my calling From the time that it was i. e. From the time that the gift of Prophecy was Supple given to me or was in me Here is a Relative without an Antecedent There am I i. e. Therein have I spent my labour and travell and doe yet spend it Note that this verbe I am though it be of the present Tense yet by a Syllepsis it comprehends the time past also Note also that where a man spends his whole labour and travell there he may be said to be himselfe Per Metonymiam efficientis The like argument to this which the Prophet here useth to move attention doth the Apostle use 1 Cor. 15.10 His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vaine but I laboured c. And now the Lord God and his spirit hath sent me i. e. And now at this time hath the Lord sent me to you with this message And his spirit Many of the ancients doe interpret this spirit of the Holy Ghost the third person in the blessed Trinity But yet because the Scripture speakes often of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Spirit is taken oftentimes for the Soul The Sense may be this And now the Lord God yea his soule hath sent me q. d. And now the Lord God hath sent me yea he hath sent me with all his Soule Which expression signifieth a great deale of Affection of him that sends to him to whom he sends This is the third argument by which the Prophet would move attention and how powerfull an argument this is Eglon King of Moab may shew who when Ehud said unto him I have a message from God unto thee Eglon arose presently out of his Seat Judges 3.20 which argument is the stronger when it is enforced with the love of God 17. Thus saith the Lord c. This is that which the Prophet speakes to them to heare verse 16. Thy Redeemer q.d. Which hath redeemed thee out of the hands of the Aegyptians and Moabits and Midianits and Assyrians and will redeeme thee out of the hands of the Babylonians The holy one of Israel i. e. The holy one whom Israel worshippeth I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit i. e. I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee such things as that if thou observest them thou shalt profit thy selfe by them for in observing my words there is great reward Which leadeth thee by the way which thou shouldst goe i. e. Which directeth thee as a guide doth a Traveller in the way wherein thou shouldst goe if thou wouldst be safe and happy The Commandements of God are often compared to a way because as by walking in the way we come to the place which we desire So doe we come to the happinesse which we long after by keeping the Commandements of the Lord. Note that that which the Lord speakes here in this and the two following verses is not that which he chiefly intends in this speech but that which he chiefly intends is to tell the house of Iacob of their delivery out of Babylon and of the afflictions which shall befall the Babylonians their enemies verse 20 21 22. And in this 17 18 19. verses he doth insinuate himselfe into the heart of his people by manifesting his love and compassion towards them that they may receive what he hath to say to them with the greater desire and beliefe 18. O that thou hadst hearkned to my Commandements i. e. O that thou hadst obeyed my Commandements heretofore This passionate Speech sheweth the love and compassion which the Lord had to his people Then had thy peace been as a River i. e. Then had not thy peace failed but had been as a River which runs continually and is not dryed up And as a River waters the earth and makes all things to flourish and look green So should thy peace have cheered thee and made all things to flourish within thee This peace which th y enjoyed was taken away by the Babylonians because of their sinnes And thy righteousnesse as the waves of the Sea The keeping of Gods commandements is righteousnesse But it is not that which is here meant by righteousnesse but the fruites of that righteousnesse and the blessings which God would have bestowed upon his people for keeping his commandments Per Metonymiam efficientis If therefore they had kept Gods commandements the blessings which God would have bestowed upon them as fruites of that their Righteousnesse should have been as the waves of the Sea Supple for abundance 19. Thy Seed i. e. Thy children Metonymia materiae Should have been as the Sand Supple for number And the off-spring of thy bowels i. e. And the off-spring which commeth out of thy bowels Like the gravell thereof i. e. Like the gravell of the Sea Soe some understanding Sea from verse 18. Others like the gravell that is like the little stones of the Sand Supple for multitude His name should not have been cut off q.d. Thou shouldst not have been cut off Supple as thou hast been by the Babylonians by reason of which thou art diminished and become few in number He speakes not here of a totall cutting off as verse 9. but a Partiall His name Note that his name is put here for He and He is put for thou by an Enallage of the Person For he speakes here of the house of Jacob in the third person to whom he spake in the Second immediately before Note that the word name doth often signifie a person as Act. 1.15 The number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty that is the number of the persons together were about an hundred and twenty And Rev. 3.4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments that is thou hast a few persons even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments Note Secondly that this word name taken in this Nation is sometimes added Periphrastically to another word signifying or intimating a Person And yet augmenteth not the signification thereof as Isa 30.27 The name of the Lord commeth from farre that is the Lord commeth from farre c. Cap. 48.9 For my names sake will I deferre mine anger that is for mine owne sake will I deferre mine anger And 1 Iohn 32.3 This is his commandement that we should believe in the name of his Sonne Jesus Christ That is this is his commandement that we should believe in his Sonne Jesus Christ Now as the word name is Periphrastically added in those places without any augmentation of the signification so it is here and so His name is no more than He. Nor destroyed Supple As thou hast been of late by the
was well pleased In a day of salvation have I helped thee q. d. And thou hast prayed to me for help against thine Enemies in a day as it were of salvation and I have granted thy request for I will help thee against them In a day of salvation What he calleth an acceptable time before he calls a day of salvation here and he calls it a day of salvation in allusion to the day in which a King had received some great salvation and deliverance Have I helped thee i. e. I have promised to help thee That Isaiah did pray unto God at this time is intimated in that that God saith that he had heard him But what was it which he prayed for Ans We may gather from the following words what he prayed for That therefore that he prayed for was this First That it would please God to preserve him and keep him safe from his Enemies which were many until he had performed his Ministry Secondly That it would pleale him so to bless his Ministry about which he was sent that thereby the people of the Jews which were carryed into Babylon by reason of their sins might be reduced to their obedience and so redeemed out of the Babylonish captivity and return safe into their own Land again It may be here objected That Isaiah was dead long before the Babylonish captivity how therefore could he reduce the captive Jews to their obedience and so bring them out of captivity again Ans Though Isaiah were dead a long time before the captivity of the Jews in Babylon yet may he be said to reduce them to obediâ—nce and so bring them out of captivity again because they were reduced to their obedience by the reading of his Writings which he by a Prophetique Spirit wrought for them and to them and when they returned to their obedience the Lord raised up Cyrus to deliver them out of captivity and send them home free So was Moses said to teach and to be a Master Mark 10.3 Joh. 9.28 though he was dead long before That the Jews in their captivity had these Prophecies and Writings of Isaiah among them and read them and believed them and were bettered by them is evident by that that they shewed Cyrus out of them those things that concerned himself by which he was not a little moved to deliver them and send them home free out of captivity That which is here spoken of Isaiah is in a more sublime sence spoken also of Christ as well appears 2 Cor. 6.2 of whom Isaiah was here a Type As therefore Isaiah prayed to God that He would preserve him against his Enemies that they might not destroy him until he had performed his Ministry and God heard him So did Christ pray that God the Father would save him from death and was heard in that he feared Heb. 5.7 And as Isaiah was a Covenant to the people and prayed that the Jews might be delivered out of their captivity by his Ministry and was heard So was Christ a Covenant to the people in that he was the Mediator of the new Covenant between God and man and he makes continual intercession for us that we may be delivered out of the power of darkness and come to his heavenly Kingdom Heb. 7.25 and is heard in this his intercession I will preserve thee i. e. For I will preserve thee out of the hands of thine Enemies so that they shall not destroy thee until thou hast finished my work And give thee for a Covenant of the people i. e. And I will make thee a Restorer or Reviver of the Covenant which was between my people and me Isaiah is said to be a Covenant of the people because he was the Restorer or Reviver of the Covenant which was between the people of the Jews and their God But how did Isaiah restore or revive the Covenant which was between the people of the Jews and their God Ans He did it by his Sermons to the Jews For whereas the Jews had broken and forsaken the Covenant which they had made with God by their sins and were therefore sent into captivity By reading of Isaiahs Sermons they were touched in heart and repented them of their sins and renewed their Covenant with God as they had done before this in the days of Josiah and as they did after this in the days of Nehemiah Of the people i. e. Of the people of the Jews To establish the Earth i. e. That thou mayst make the Land of Judah stable and sure that I destroy it not for the sins of my people but preserve it for my people to dwell in See cap. 45.18 Upon the repentance of the Jews and their renewing their Covenant with the Lord the Lord would not destroy the Land of Judah but preserve it for the Jews to dwell in Wherefore because the Jews repented and renewed their Covenant by Isaiahs Ministry Isaiah is said to establish the Earth that is the Land of Judah The Earth By the Earth is meant the Land of Judah which was but part of the whole Earth per Synecdochen Generis To cause to inherit the desolate heritaâ—es i. e. That thou mayst cause the people of the Jews which are carryed away captive into Babylon and who have left their heritages which they had in the Land of Judah desolate to return into their own Land and inherit their desolate heritages again He speaks as if the Jews were captives even then when he spoke As Isaiah was said to establish the Earth so is he here said to cause to inherit the desolate heritages 9. That thou mayst say to the prisoners Go forth Supple Out of prison that is That thou mayst bring the Jews which are captive in Babylon out of the Land of their captivity By the prisoners he meaneth the Jews which were captives for captives are often resembled to prisoners and the Land of their captivity to a prison See cap. 42. vers 7. To them that sit in darkness i. e. To the Jews which are in sorrow by reason of their captivity or to the Jews which are in dark places such as prisons are They which are overwhelmed with sorrow do love to get into dark places where they may neither see nor be seen there to weep See cap. 47.5 Hence they that are in darkness may be put here for them which are in great sorrow And yet as I said the Prophet by darkness may mean Prisons per Metonymiam adjuncti For prisons are usually dark and this darkness the Jews made not choyce of but were forced to Shew your selves i. e. Come out of the dark places in which you have hid your selves and shew your selves in the light They which get into dark places by reason of sorrow come not out thence into the light until they have shook off their sorrow When therefore he saith Shew your selves it is as if he should say You have no longer cause to be sad be ye therefore joyful Yet if we
that time which was between the building of the Temple and the deliverance out of the Babylonish Captivity was the middle time which is the most flourishing time of life For from the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt which time was as I may so call it the time of Israels birth for while Israel was in Egypt he was but as it were an embrio in the womb but when the Lord brought him out of Egypt he made him a People and Commonwealth of himself I say from the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt to the building of the Temple by Solomon were 480 years from the building of the Temple by Solomon to the end of the Babylonish captivity were 452 years from the end of the Babylonish captivity to the Incarnation of Christ 525 years So that that shame which he calls the shame of her youth here I take to be the same with the reproach of her widowhood mentioned in the next sentence for our Prophet is frequent in such repetitions And it is called the shame of her youth because it happened to her in her youth And shall not remember the reproach of thy Widdow-hood This is a repetition of the former sentence And what he calls the shame of her youth there he calls the shame of her Widdow-hood here Because this shame and reproach befell her when God had put her away from him from being his wife Cap. 50.1 which was all the time of the Babylonish captivity 5. For thy maker is thy Husband And therefore will doe the office of an Husband to thee in protecting thee and delivering thee and in givâ—ng thee children by which thy shame and â—eproach shall be taken away Ob. If the Lord were Sions Husband how could Sion be a Widdow Ans The Lord had married Sion and afterwards put her away and then tooke her to wife againâ—â— So that betweene the Lords putting her away and taking her againe Sion was a Widdow Ob. But a man when he had put away his wife and she became another mans could not take her for his wife again Deut. 24.4 Ans What man could not doe which was under the Law God might do which was above the Law Therefore thus we read Jer. 3.1 They say If a man put away his wife and she goe from him and become another mans shall he returne to her againe shall not that land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the Harlot yet return again to me saith the Lord. The Lord of Hosts is his name The Lord of Hosts is He And therefore he is able to subdue the Babylonians which cause thy feare and thy shame Thy Redeemer the Holy one of Israel i. e. And the holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer who as he is able so also is willing to Redeeme thee oâ—t of the hands of the Babylonians and to take away thy reproach because he is the Holy One That is because he is the God of Israel The God of the whole earth shall he be called To wit because he will make it manifest by his power which he will shew in your Redemption that he is Lord of all the earth and that he can doe therein whatsoever he pleaseth 6. For the Lord hath called thee i. e. For the Lord hath called thee Supple to his Bed or to be his wife againe These words relate to those words thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth and shalt not remember the â—eproach of thy Widdowhood any more vers 4. As a proofe thereof as the fifth verse was As a woman forsaken i. e. Who wa st or when thou wast as a woman forsaken of all her friends How Sion was forsaken See Lament 1.2 Note that this Particle As is not to be taken here as a note of Similitude but of Identity as it is often taken For Sion was not onely as a woman forsaken but a woman forsaken indeed And grieved in spirit i. e. And who wa st or when thou wast as a woman grieved in spirit and mourning because she was afflicted and had none to comfort her And a wife of youth i. e. Yea who wa st or when thou wast as a wife which had plaid the Harlot in her youth The Prophet may call her a wife of youth which is naught and played the Harlot in in her youth by the like Metonymie as he calleth the waters which drowned the world in the dayes of Noah the waters of Noah v. 4. A wife which is naught and playeth the Harlot in her youth proveth the most notorious strumpet of all For lust reigneth in her more than it doth in the aged and her affections are hotter and more unbrideled When thou wast refused i. e. When the Lord had refused thee and cast thee off from being his wife and therefore thou couldst not expect to be taken to be his wife againe That the Lord should call Sion when she was as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit speakes the great goodnesse and loving kindnesse of the Lord to her for such a woman seldome findeth friends But that he should call her again and make her his wife when she had played the Harlot in her youth and he had put her away for her whoredomes speakes yet his greater goodnesse and loving kindnesse And as to say that the Lord called her as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit And a woman of youth when she was refused speakes the loving kindnesse and goodnesse of the Lord to Sion So may it cheere Sion and make her more confident of the goodnesse and loving kindenesse of the Lord. For otherwise she had good cause to doubt whether the Lord would look upon her and call her to his bed when she was as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit And when she had played the Harlot in the dayes of her youth and had beene divorced for her whoredomes 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee It was seventy yeares that the Lord forsook Sion Jer. 25.11 Yet this is but a small time and but as a very little moment in regard of that time in which he had or would have had mercy upon her if she had kept his Covenant v. 10. Have I forsaken thee Supple And given thee over to be afflicted by the Babylonians But in great mercy will I gather thee This is spoken in relation to the Jewes the children of Sion which as they were scattered here and there in many Countreyes in the time of their Captivity so did the Lord gather them together out of those Countreyes when he brought them back to Sion See Cap. 44.18 Note here that he speakes of the Jewes as of Sion her selfe And of Sion her selfe as of the Iewes when he saith I will gather thee And that because of the great relation and Iove which was between Sion and her children So Christ saith Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me Acts 9.4 when he persecuted onely those that believed in Christ because of the great affection and love which was
they shall be but poor Helpers and poor deliverers for they themselves shall come to naught and be as the chaffe which the winde carries away Vanity shall take them q. d. They shall prove but vaine things But he that putteth his trust in me q.d. Bâ—t he which shall be carried away into Babylon with thee if he putteth not his trust in such Idolls as you doe but putteth his trust in me who am the living God in the mid'st of his afflictions Shall possesse the Land i. e. He shall returne out of Babylon and possesse his owne land even the land of Iudah againe And shall inherit mine holy mountaine i. e. And shall inherit Mount Sion and dwell there 14. And shall say Supple to the way labourers Cast ye up Cast ye up i. e. Cast ye up cast ye up the earth and make a cause-way for the people of the Lord to passe by from Babylon to their owne Land Thus doe they make good wayes in Moorish and Fenny grounds which otherwayes are very bad for Travellers to wit by casting up the earth and making a causway to this manner of making wayes God doth he therefore allude when he saith Cast ye up cast ye up as if he should say prepare ye the wayes and make them good c. and as Cap. 40.3 Take up the stumbling blocke out of the way of my people q. d. Take away the dirt and stones and other impediments that lye in the way from Babylon to Judaea That the Jewes my brethren and countrey-men may not stumble or be hindred in their journey from Babylon into their own Lands The meaning of this place is this that those Jewes which did trust in the Lord in the land of Babylon the land of their Captivity should returne safe out of Babylon and have no hinderance or want of any thing in their way as they passed from Babylon to Judaea Of my people These words may relate either to him that saith cast ye up cast yâ— up c. and then when he saith of my people it is as if he should say of my brethren and country men or they may relate to the Lord who saith of him who trusteth in him that he shall say cast ye up cast ye up 15. The high and lofty one i. e. The high and lofty God That inhabiteth eternity i. e. Who alone is eternall He speakes of Eternity as of an house or Pallace which a King or a Prince inhabiteth as his own peculiar possession in which no other man hath any right but himselfe Whose name is holy i. e. Who is holy that is who is separate from all other by way of excellency above all Whose name i. e. Who. The name of God is put here for God himselfe Holy To be holy signifieth to be separate and be above all others by way of eminency I dwell in the high and holy place i. e. I dwell in heaven which is high in regard of the earth and which is a place separate and above sublunary things The holy place Though heaven be a place in which righteousnesse dwelleth 2 Pet. 1.13 and into which no uncleane or unholy thing shall enter Rev. 21.27 yet I take not that to be the meaning of the word holy here but heaven is called here the holy place because it is separated in a most glorious manner from all sublunary things and is above them all For this word holy in its originall signification signifieth a separation from other things by way of excellency as I have often said With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit q.d. And yet for all that I dwell in the high and holy place I dwell also with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit I dwell with him i. e. I am present with him by my favour and tokens of my love to him c. for God is said among the Hebrewes to be with and to dwell with him whom he favours and shewes kindnesse to That is of a contrite and humble spirit i. e. That trembleth at my words when he is reproved and humbleth himselfe for his sinnes A contrite spirit is opposed to an obstinate spirit which will not yeild to any reproofe and it is so called by a Metaphor taken from such a stone as will breake in pieces at the knock of a hammer or the like As a contrite spirit is opposed to an obstinate spirit so an humble spirit is opposed to a proud spirit To revive the spirit of the humble i. e. To comfort and refresh the heart of the humble when they are made sad and oppressed with any griefe or sorrow 16. For I will not contend for ever i. e. I will not alwayes be angry Supple with him which is of an humble and contrite spirit but will in time breake off mine anger towards him To contend is properly spoken of those which sue and plead one against another in a Court of justice which because it is seldome done without anger it is put here by a Metaphor for to be angry with For the spirit should faile before me i. e. For the spirit of a man would faint in my presence as being over-whelmed with horrour and despaire Supple if I should be alwayes wroth with him And the soules which I have made Supple Would faile or faint away if I should be angry with them for ever Note here that the spirit and soules which are but parts are put by a Synecdoche for the whole men By these words which I have made The Lord doth either intimate his compassion upon these men as being his own creatures therefore to be pittied by him as Psalm 138.8 Or else he doth hereby intimate that he knowes that what he saith is true viz. That the soules and spirits of men would faile if he should be alwayes wroth with them because he made them and therefore he knew what their condition was Note here that when God smiteth his people he is often moved to stay his hand so that he doth not utterly destroy them or utterly discourage them upon consideration of the frailty of their nature especially if they relent at his words and humble themselves before him as Psalm 103. v. 14. c. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse was I wroth and smote him i. e. I was angry with Jacob i. e. with the Jewes which were the children of Jacob and smote him for his covetousnesse Note here that the smiting here meant was the judgement which he executed upon the Jewes by the Babylonians who took them and carried them captive into Babylon and there afflicted them Note Secondly that though he mentioneth covetousnesse yet that was not the only sinne for which he smote the Iewes and delivered them over into the Babylonians hands but the sinnes which caused this were many whereof he mentioneth sometimes one sometimes another but seldome altogether Note Thirdly that this is spoken as though the Jewes were at this time captive in Babylon
in these words we have in hand and cap. 63.5 an allusion to a King arming himself for a Battel that he might war against his Enemies in the behalf of his Subjects whom they have wronged So that I conceive that the words in hand must be interpreted some such way as followeth His arm brought salvation to him q. d. He hath brought salvation out of his armory and made use of it He speaks of salvation here as of a piece of armor wherewith a Soldier is armed If you ask what piece of armor it is which he alludeth to the next Verse will tell you where he calls it the helmet of salvation Note that the arm which is but a part is put here for the whole man by a Synecdoche Object But you will say that the Hebrew being translated word for word is not His arm brought salvation to him but His arm hath saved him Ans Be it so yet there may be the same meaning and the same allusion in these words as was in the former For the meaning of these words His arm hath saved him may be this He hath made himself safe that is He hath armed himself supple with salvation For armor is a safeguard to the body which is therewith armed And his righteousness it sustained him Rather And his righteousness doth sustain him q. d. And his righteousness armeth him that is is upon him as a piece of armor to preserve him If you ask what piece of armor he alludes to the next verse will tell you that it is a brestplate But note that in these words It sustained him or It sustaineth him there is a Metaphor borrowed from a staff which a man hath in his hand whereby he is sustained or upheld while he leaneth upon it but we must transfer this Metaphor to the having on or being armed with a brest-plate For as a staff which a man hath in his hand doth preserve him and keep him from falling so doth the brestplate which a man hath on him or with which he is armed preserve him and keep him from wounds Such kinde of mingling or confounding or transferring Metaphors our Prophet often useth Note that the Pronoune It is here redundant by an Hebraisme What is meant by Righteousnesse here See in the next verse following 17. For he put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate Better For he hath put on righteousnesse as a breast-plate A breast-plate is a piece of ormour which defendeth the heart and the vitall parts to a breast-plate therefore doth he liken righteousnesse that is the justnesse of the cause of warre because there is no greater comfort to the heart of a man nor any thing that can give him greater assurance or on which he may more rely for safety and preservation in the Battle than this that he knoweth that his cause of taking up armes is just By righteousnesse therefore I understand the just cause which the Lord had in taking up armes or making Warre upon his enemies the Babylonians the justnesse of whose cause you may read Cap. 47. v. 6. c. An helmet of salvation upon his head i. e. And salvation as an helmet upon his head An Helmet is a piece of armour which is to guard and defend the head wherein the braines lye which are the Mint of the Animall spirits which being wounded death presently followeth Nothing can yeild more safety than salvation it selfe for where salvation is there can be no hurt otherwise salvation were not salvation Therefore the Lord saith that he will appoint Hierusalem salvation for walls Cap. 26.1 And therefore doth the Lord take salvation here for his own Helmets Note that this salvation which the Lord here takes is to protect himselfe not to save his people For salvation is here as an Helmet and an Helmet is for the safety onely of him which weareth it and therefore the Lord is said to put on an Helmet of salvation to shew that he is invincible and can receive no hurt By this that the Prophet saith that the Lord hath put on righteousnesse as a breast-plate and salvation as an Helmet upon his head we may learne that God is a just God and therefore draweth not out his sword against a man to punish him without a cause and that he is invincible and therefore is not afraid to set upon the most potent enemies so that all men have just reason to stand in awe of him St. Paul Ephes 6. v. 14 17. describing the whole armour of a Christian seemeth to allude to this place And he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing i. e. And he hath put on garments made of vengeance for his clothing Vengeance is to be taken here for a desire of executing vengeance upon his enemies And he was clad with zeale as with a cloake i. e. And he is clad c. By zeale may be meant the zeale and love which he bore to his owne honour which honour of his had been given to Idols even the Idols of the Babylonians if he had suffered the Babylonians alwayes to oppresse his own people And the zeal and love which he bore to his owne people whom the Babylonians did make to houle Cap. 52.5 And the zeal and indignation for zeal intimates as well indignation as love which he bore towards the Babylonians for his own honour's and his peoples sake Besides their garments of ordinary wearing in times of peace most of the most ancient people of the world had their garments extraordinary which they wore upon their armour in time of Warre of which you may read Alex ab Alexand Genial Dier lib. 1 Cap. 20. c. And not to ordinary garments worne in time of peace but to these warlike garments doth our Prophet seem to allude when he saith And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as with a cloake 18. According to their deeds accordingly will he repay fury to his adversaries i. e. He will recompence his adversaries who have without mercy oppressed his people he will recompence them I say with such effects of his fury as they have deserved Fury Fury is put here for miseries and calamities and other the effects of Gods fury and wrath Per metonymiam efficientis His adversaries He meaneth the Babylonians whom therefore God calleth his adversaries because they did most cruelly oppresse and shew no mercy at all to his people when they were in Captivity Recompence to his enemies By Recompence is meant that which they have deserved that is the like cruell usage as they had used towards the Jewes And this is a Repetition of the former sentence To the Islands he will repay recompence By Islands understand the Inhabitants of the Islands by a Metonymie and by these Islands understand Mesopotamia and other Islands which were neer to Tigris and Euphrates For Mesopotamia was an Iland or Islands made by those two Rivers Tigris and Euphrates But the Hebrewes call not onely that
Land an Island which is quite invironed with waters but that also that lyeth by the Seas or Rivers sides Yea they call every particular Nation an Island so that by Islands here may be meant all those Nations which were subject to the King of Babylon taking Island Per metonymiam continentis for Islanders or Inhabitants of Islands as I said This is also a Repetition of the former sentence 19. So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West So shall all the people of the Western parts of the world feare the Lord when they shall see or heare how he hath recompenced the Babylonians for their cruelty to his people The name of the Lord is put here for the Lord himselfe Per metonymiam adjuncti And his glory from the rising of the Sun i. e. And all the people which live in the Easterne parts of the world shall likewise feare him His glory i. e. The glory of the Lord that is the glorious Lord. The glory of the Lord is put for the glorious Lord Per metonymiam adjuncti By these words So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West and his glory from the rising of the Sun is meant that they shall feare the Lord all the world over Two parts of the world to wit the West and the East being put for the whole world by a Synecdoche When the enemy shall come in like a floud q.d. Cyrus shall come with the Medes and the Persians in upon the Babylonians like a Floud or overflowing River and when he shall so come c. Like a Floud He alludeth to the overflowing of the River of Euphrates whereon Babylon stood which overflowing did by its Inundations mightily annoy and endammage the Babylonians The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him q.d. Then shall the Lord himselfe in his fury beare the Standard before Cyrus and the Medes and Persians against the Babylonians and fight for Cyrus and Medes and Persians against them By the spirit of the Lord is meant the Lord himselfe but as he was enraged with fury Per metonymiam adjuncti For note first that the Prophet speaketh here of God as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then note that the word spirit among other significations which it hath among the Hebrewes signifieth the motions and passions of the Soul as love anger or wrath or fury c. And here it signifieth anger or wrath or fury as it signified love Cap. 48.16 If you aske how this word spirit commeth to be taken for the motions or passions of the soul some answer Per metonymiam efficientis because the motions or passions of the soul arise from that soul which is a spirit and Per metonymiam subjecti because they are received in the foul as in their subject others answer that therefore the motions and passions of the minde are called a spirit because the word spirit intimateth that which hath motion and the motions or passions of the soul stirre the man in whom they are and move him to action Note that in the particle him a Singular number is put for a Plurall by an Enallage 20. And the Redeemer shall come to Sion And then the Redeemer to wit Cyrus shall bring redemption to Sion that is to Hierusalem Cyrus came not to Sion in person but she came even to Sion by his favours to her and by the effects of his victory over the Babylonians In Jacob i. e Among the Jewes which were the children of Jacob. 21. As for me i. e. For as for my part Vndâ—rstand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for here This is my covenant to them i. e. This is that which I promise to doe for them by the Covenant which I make with them To them i. e. To those which turne from transgression in Jacob. My spirit that is upon thee i. e. Those words which thou hast uttered by vertue of that spirit which is upon thee O Isaiah The Lord makes an Apostrophe here to Isaiah By the Spirit is here meant first the gift of Prophecy for such gifts of God are by the Hebrewes called the spirit of the Lord see Cap. 61.1 Then by the gift of Prophesie is meant the Prophecy or Speeches or Words of God proceeding from or uttered by vertue of that gift of Prophecy by a Metonymy And my words which I have put into thy mouth q. d. That is to say The words concerning that which I will do for them which turn from transgressions in Jacob which I have sent thee to speak and to make known This Conjunction And is a note of explication and signifieth as much as That is to say For note that these words My words which I have put into thy mouth are an explication of those My Spirit which is upon thee Shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed i. e. Shall never be forgotten but shall so be fulfilled as that thou and thy children and thy childrens children after thee shall always speak of them saying The Lord hath said thus and thus by his Servant Isaiah and he hath made good what he said for whatsoever he said by him he hath performed The meaning of this place is this as if the Lord should say This which I have said shall certainly come to pass for what I have said I will covenant to perform The words which Isaiah spoke are therefore said not to depart out of his mouth nor out of the mouth of his children or childrens children because he and his children and childrens children should always make mention of those words and talk of them and of the goodness of God in fulfilling them and that with praise and thanksgiving saying The Lord said by the mouth of his servant Isaiah that he would send a Redeemer to Sion and to them that turn from transgression in Jacob c. And what he said by the mouth of Isaiah he hath performed c. Blessed therefore be the Name of the Lord for ever Yet note that these words do not signifie that the words which the Lord had put into the mouth of Isaiah should never actually depart out of his mouth and out of the mouth of his seed but that the Lord would do such things as should deserve the perpetual remembrance of those words and that those words should never depart out of their mouths ISAIAH CHAP. LX. ARise c. i. e. Arise out of the dust or from the ground whereon thou hast sat mourning during the time of thy captivity See cap. 3.26 and 52.2 This the Prophet speaketh by his Prophetique spirit to Sion or to Jerusalem as though shee were in captivity and the time of her captivity were expired telling her that now she should be redeemed out of captivity and he speaks to Sion or Jerusalem which was a City as to a woman by a Prosopopoeia Shine Receive that light which is cast upon thee and shine by the
giver of light such light as shall farre exceed the light of the Sun and of the Moon and that an everlasting light too Light is taken here for the giver of light Per metonymiam efficientis by which figure the Sun is also called a light as a little before so also Gen. 1.16 The Lord is called the everlasting light because he is a light that is a Sun which never goeth downe See Psal 84.11 Whereas the Lord is here said to be a light or giver of light By light understand prosperity And thy God thy glory This is a repetition of the Sentence going immediately before and what he called light there he calleth glory here For light is a glorious thing God therefore is said here to be Sions glory Per metonymiam efficientis Because he gave glory that is light that is prosperity to Sion which light that is which prosperity might be called glory Per metonymiam adjuncti because it was glorious and Sions glory Per metonymiam efficientis because it rendred Sion glorious The Lord is said in this sense to give glory Psal 84.11 Note here that St. John in his revelation Cap. 21. v. 23. alludeth to this verse of our Prophet but he doth not only allude to it as to words which he may turne to his purpose but he alludes to it also as to a place principally intended to set out the glorious state of Christs Church And indeed so these words are intended in the second and sublime sense For though in the first sense they speake only of the prosperity which the Jewes should have after their captivity in Babylon Yet in the second and sublime sense they speake the glory and Blisse which Christs Church should receive after her delivery from sinne and ignorance and the power of the Devill For those temporall and bodily blessings which God bestowed upon the Jewes after their captivity were a Type of those spirituall and eternall blessings which God would give unto Christs Church after their delivery from sinne and ignorance and the power of the Devill And these words being understood of that blisse which the Church of Christ shall enjoy in Heaven may be understood as they said without any figure for in Heaven the Sunne shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightnesse shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light c. 20. Thy Sun shall no more goe downe Thy Sun shall no more goe downe as the Sun in the firmament useth to goe downe and set daily Sions Sun went downe when God withdrew his favour from her and delivered her into the hands of the Babylonians to be afflicted and oppressed by them But it rose againe when he delivered them again out of the hands of the Babylonians by Cyrus and vouchsafed her his favour Neither shall thy Moon withdraw it selfe Neither shall thy Moon set any more as the Moon in the firmament useth to set when it goeth under the earth For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light i. e. For the Lord shall be thy Sun and thy Moon which shall be above thine Horizon and shine upon thee everlastingly without intermission By light understand here the Sun and the Moon which are called lights because they give light as Genes 1.16 But the Lord is called Sions Sun and Moon onely by a Metaphor because he gave light that is prosperity and joy day and night to Sion as the Sun imparts his light by day and the Moon imparts her light by night to the Inhabitants of the Earth And the dayes of the mourning shall be ended He speaks of that mourning which the Babylonians caused by their oppression and hard usage of her in her captivity By this we may understand what he meant by light to wit prosperity and joy 21. Thy people also shall be all righteous i. e. Most of thy children which shall returne out of Babylon and come and dwell in thee shall be righteous All is put here for the greater part not for All without exception The greatest part of those which returned to Sion out of captivity were righteous and good men though the most part of those which went into captivity were wicked because the Sword and the Famine and diseases had consumed the greatest part of the wicked and many of them which remained alive returned not but remained still in Babylon Cap. 57. v. 20 21. See the like Cap. 1.25 See also Cap. 4.4 Note here that in these words thy people also shall be all righteous the Verbe shall be is supplyed by the Interpreter so that the words of themselves are these thy people all righteous which may be as if he should say thy people to wit all the righteous so that the meaning of this plurall may be this q. d. Thy people that is to say all the righteous shall inherit the Land for ever c. They shall inherit the Land for ever i. e. And they shall inherit the Land of Judah for a long time The Branch of my planting q. d. Even the branch of my planting c. This is governed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they to wit Thy people by Apposition And he calleth the people of Sion here the branch of his planting by Anticipation But the branch of his planting hee calls them because hee would though he had not as yet plant them in their own land and cause them there to take root downwards and beare fruit upwards as he speaks Chap. 37.31 The work of my hands This also is governed of the former words by Apposition God calls the people of Sion the work of his hands because he would bring them out of their miserable thraldome and give them great prosperity and joy yea because he would plant them as a young slip or Tree in their own land and there cause them to flourish That I may be glorified Supple for that which I will doe to them that is to thy people A little one shall become a thousand i. e. And so I will blesse them as that a little Family in or among thy people shall grow into a thousand families And a small one a strange Nation i. e. And a small familie shall become a mighty Nation This is a repetition of the former sentence I the Lord will hasten it in his time i. e. I the Lord will make hast to accomplish this which I have said that it may be fulfilled in the due time that I have appointed for it His time i. e. My time or the time that I have appointed for it Here is an Enallage of the person where the Lord on a sudden speaks of himselfe in the third person See the like Chap. 51.15 ISAIAH CHAP. LXI THe Spirit of the Lord is upon me i. e. By the Spirit of the Lord is meant that Spirit of prophecie which is the gift of God q.d. The Lord God hath endued me with the gift of Prophecie c. Note that among the
many significations which this word Spirit hath in the Hebrew language it signifieth any quality of the mind whether it be permanent or whether it be transeunt And if the quality be good and given of God as this of Prophecie is it is called the Spirit of the Lord. And such a quality as it may be called a Spirit per Metonymiam subjecti because it is received in the soule which is a spirit so it may be called a spirit per Metonymiam efficientis because it is given of God who is a Spirit This the Prophet speakes in his own person of himselfe Yet in this he was an eminent Type of Christ of whom in the second and sublime sence these words also are to be understood See Luke 4.18 Because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tydings i. e. because the Lord hath designed and separated me to preach good tidings c. He alludeth to that ceremonie of the Law whereby they which were designed and separated me to the office of a Prophet were designed and separated thereunto by the Ceremony of Anoynting See 1 Kings 19.16 By the same Ceremony of Anoynting were they separated to the Office of a Priest Exod. 29.21 And by the same were they separated also to the Office of a King 1 Sam. 16. v. 12 13. 2 Sam. 2.4 1 King 1.45 2 Kings 9.3 To preach good tydings to the meek The meeke to which Isaiah was to preach good tydings were those of the captive Jewes which were meek in heart and humble in Spirit and the good tidings which he came to preach was the good tidings of their delivery out of Babylon by Cyrus These good tidings did Isaiah preach to them by his Writings though he himself dyed before the captivity Note here that as these good tydings in their first sence do signifie the tydings of the delivery of the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity by Cyrus So in the second and sublime sence they signifie the good tydings of mans salvation whereby he is saved from the captivity of sin and of the Devil by Christ of which latter that former was a type He hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted i. e. He hath sent me to comfort the sorrowful heart by my Prophecies This is a repetition of the former sentence and the Prophet useth here a Metaphor taken from a leg or an arm of a man which is broken which while the Chyrurgeon healeth he swadleth and bindeth up after he hath set the bone He hath sent me c. These words shew what these words mean viz. He hath anointed me To proclaim liberty to the captives i. e. To declare to the Jews which are captive in Babylon that they shall be delivered out of that their captivity And the opening of the prison to them that are bound i. e. And the enlarging of them which lie in prison bound in chains This is for sence the same with the foregoing words Note that the Jews which were carryed captive into Babylon were not chained and put up in prison as great Malefactors were wont therefore that which is here spoken is to be taken metaphorically For because the Jews could not go out of those Cities and places at large which were assigned them in their captivity therefore doth he by a metaphor call them prisoners and the places of their captivity prisons 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord i. e. He hath sent me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord For these words are either to be referred to them to wit He hath sent me or they are to be repeated here To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord Supple To the Jews which are in captivity that is to proclaim that the time in which the Lord will redeem is at hand The acceptable year i. e. The year or time in which the Lord is well pleased and in which he will dispense his favors and shew his magnificence by giving gifts as a King unto his people and by delivering those which had offended out of prison This speech is metaphorical but concerning the Metaphor see Cap. 49.8 And the day of vengeance of our God i. e. And the time in which the Lord will pour out his vengeance upon his Enemies that is upon the Babylonians which have held his people in an hard captivity One and the same time may be an acceptable time and yet a day of vengeance an acceptable time in respect of the Kings subjects and a day of vengeance in respect of his Enemies whom he may put to death having taken them captive on that solemn day and the more to celebrate the day and the more to shew his love and care to his people To comfort all that mourn i. e. To comfort all that mourn by reason of their hard usage in Babylon if they mourn likewise for their sins 3. To appoint to them that mourn in Zion i. e. To tell that the Lord will appoint to them that mourn among the people of the Jews which are in Babylon Note that the Prophet suspends this sentence till the next words and there perfects it That mourn See Vers 2. In Zion i. e. Among the people of the Jews supple which are in Babylon Zion is often put by a Prosopopoeia as a woman yea as the mother of the Jews and it is put here by a Metonymy for the Jews themselves To give unto them beauty for ashes Here the Prophet doth perfect the sentence which he left imperfect and in suspence in the former words so that those words and these together are thus to be read or construed q. d. To tell that the Lord will appoint to them that mourn in Zion that is that he will give to them beauty for ashes c. Beauty Beauty is put here per Metonymiam Adjuncti for beautiful garments such as they were wont to wear in times of joy For ashes By ashes is here meant sackcloth basked in ashes such as they were wont to wear in times of mourning for in times of mourning they were wont to put on sackcloth and sit in ashes Or by beauty may be meant the beauty of the face which they were wont to wash and make as beautiful as they could in times of solemn joy and by ashes are meant the ashes which stuck upon the face and made it ill-favoâ—ed in the time of sorrow and mourning and publique calamities for at such times they were not onely wont to sit in ashes but to sprinkle ashes upon their heads If you ask how the Prophet did appoint or give to them which mourn in Zion beauty for ashes I answer He did it by prophecying to them that God would give them beauty in stead of ashes as Jeremy is said to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down to build and to plant Cities because he foretold and prophecyed that they should be rooted out and pulled down and destroyed and thrown down and builded and
planted Jer. 1.10 See Notes cap. 6.10 The oyl of joy for mourning i. e. Joy for mourning When he saith the oyl of joy he alludeth to the sweet oyls and ointments with which they were wont to anoint themselves in times of joy Of which see Psa 23.5 104.15 and Mat. 6.17 The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness i. e. Gladness for heaviness By praise he meaneth gladness and that either because gladness is a thing in it self praise-worthy or because it produceth praise to God while they which rejoyce praise God for his benefits to them and for the cause of their rejoycing When he saith the garment of praise or of gladness he alludeth to the garments which they were wont to use in days of publique rejoycing which were better then those which they wore on ordinary days as they which they wore on days of sorrow and humiliation were worse Or by the garments of praise may be meant such garments which they were wont to wear on the days of praise and publique thanksgiving when they praised God for some great mercy received and by such garments may be meant the joy and gladness of heart which the people had when they wore those garments by a Metonymy For the spirit of heaviness The word spirit signifieth here a passion but it is here redundant as it is often among the Hebrews so that the spirit of heaviness is no more then heaviness That they might be called trees of righteousness That is That they to whom I preach may by my preaching become trees of righteousness that is such trees as the Lord will plant in the Land of Judea there to flourish for ever The meaning is that they might by his preaching stir up themselves to take hold of the gracious promises of the Lord that so they might go out of captivity and inherit their own Land that is the Land of Judea for ever For if they did stir up themselves to take hold of the gracious promises of the Lord by Faith the Lord would surely deliver them out of captivity and bring them to their own home again Note here first that he saith that they might be called for that they might be See the like cap. 7.14 9.6 Note secondly that this that they might be called or that they might be trees of righteousness is the same with that That they might inherit their own Land even the Land of Judah for ever Cap. 60.21 For he useth a Metaphor here and in this Metaphor he compareth the Land of Judah or Judea to an Orchard or a Vineyard and the inheritors of that Land to a tree which taketh root in that Orchard or Vineyard So that these words That they might be called the trees of righteousness are no more then this That they might go out of the Land of their captivity and inherit their own Land even the Land of Judah for ever Trees of righteousness i. e. Righteous and holy trees A substantive of the Genitive case is put here for an Adjective By why doth he say That they might be trees of righteousness that is righteous or holy trees Ans To shew that he desired that they might be trees agreeable to the soyl wherein they were to be planted that they agreeing with the soyl the soyl with them they might always flourish therein Now the soyl wherein they were to be planted was Judea and no other trees were to be planted in that soyl to wit Judea then holy and righteous trees neither was it seemly that there should for Judea was the holy Land as Jerusalem was the holy City Matth. 4.5 27.53 And it was not meet to plant any other Trees or Plants in the holy Land then such as were holy and righteous For men will not set Nettles or plant Bryars and Thorns in a choyce Vineyard or Orchard Secondly the trees which were to be planted in Judea were to be planted by the Lord who is holy and righteous And would the Lord plant any other trees in his Orchard or Vineyard but such as he liked and approved And he could like and approve of none but what were righteous being that he himself is righteous But you will say Who ever heard of holy trees or rightrous trees What trees and yet holy or righteous Trees are without sense but righteousness presupposeth sense and reason too Answ The Prophet speaks here of men under the metaphor of trees and therefore he saith righteous trees or trees of righteousness and he hath respect not to trees when he mentioneth righteousness but to the men signified by the trees For it is usual with the Prophet as to confound Metaphors so to confound that which is metaphorical and figurative with that which is real and without a figure The planting of the Lord i. e. Plants planted of the Lord. Planting is put here for plants or trees planted per Metonymiam adjuncti And this is a repetition of the former words That he might be glorified That is That he might receive honor and praise and glory by this his planting of them in their own Land and making them thus to flourish 4. And they shall build the old wastes i. e. And they which are now captives and mourn in Babylon shall build up those Cities and Towns which the Assyrians and the Babylonians and other the Enemies of the Jews have layd waste in Judea They shall raise up the former desolations i. e. They shall build up those places which the Assyrians and the Babylonians and other the Enemies of the Jews pulled down and made desolate in Judea in former time Desolations are put here for desolate places or Cities per metonymiam adjuncti The desolations of many generations i. e. The place and Cities which have layn waste and desolate many ages See cap. 58. vers 12. 5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks i. e. Strangers which are not Jews born nor of the stock of Abraham shall serve you and be your shepherds c. Note that this word stand signifieth to be ready at hand as the servant is at the hand of his Master to do his will when he calls him for standing is the posture of one which is in a readiness to do any thing See Cap. 48.13 As this word stand signifieth a readiness to do any service so to feed the flock to be plow-men to be vine-dressers limits the service and shews in what they shall serve them Note here the Enallage of the person how he speaks to them in the second person of whom he spoke in the third just before And the sons of the alien shall be your plow-men What he called strangers before he calls the sons of the aliens here who he saith shall be their plow-men to fallow and plow their Lands and sow their Corn and reap it and bring it in c. And your Vine-dressers Supple To dress your Vines and to do all the labor and toyl which a Vineyard requireth That
them Num. 21.6 and did afterwards when he brought them into the land which he promised to their fathers often raise up enemies against them as the Philistines and the Ammonites and the Moabites and Midianites and Syrians c. 11. Then he remembred the daies of old yet he remembred what he did in favour of hiâ— people in the daies of old that he might shew them favour still Then for yet Moses and his people i. e. He remembred what he did for his people by Moses by whoÌ„ he brought them out of Egypt and did so great favours for them in former times Moses i. e. He remembred Moses viz. that he used him as an instrument to do his people good And his people q. d. And he remembred his people viz. That he had done great things for them by the hand of Moses Saying where is he that brought them out of the sea q.d. Saying where is he that divided the Râ—d Sea and brought his people safe through it hath he forgotten his people or forsaken them for whom he did so great things Note here that this is the speech of God arguing with himselfe and stirring up himselfe to pitty his people and to doe for them as he had done formerly for his names sake And God speaks to himselfe of himselfe though he saith where is he c. With the Shepheard of his Flock i. e. with or by the hand of Moses who was as the shepheard of his flock With is put here for by and is a signe of the instrument and Moses is likened to a Shepherd and the children of Israel whom Moses brought out of Egypt to a flock of sheep See Psal 77.20 Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him i. e. Where is that God which put his holy Spirit in Moses for the good of his people By the holy Spirit is meant all those gifts which God gave to Moses to enable him to be a Conductor and Protector of his people as the gift of Prophecy and of Wisdom and of Courage and of Fortitude c. For all the qualities of the Soul the Hebrews call by the name of the spirit and those qualities which the Lord giveth the Spirit of the Lord. 12. That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm That is Which led them like sheep by the hand of Moses Psal 77.20 working many miracles for them by his power With his glorious arm These words signifie the miracles which God did for his people under Moses as the dividing of the Sea c. which miracles he wrought by his glorious arm that is by his power which made him glorious in which work God was the principal Cause and Moses his Instrument Dividing the waters before them i. e. Dividing the waters of the red Sea before them that they might pass through the same to the Land which he had given them See Exod. 14.21 To make himself an everlasting Name i. e. By which he got himself everlasting honor and glory 13. That led them through the deep as an horse in the wilderness i. e. That led them through the red Sea by dividing the waters thereof and drying it by an East-wind Exod. 14.21 as easily and as firmly as an horse goeth or runneth up and down in the hard and dry wilderness That they should not stumble i. e. So that they did not so much as stumble To stumble signifieth by a Metaphor to come to harm as cap. 8.15 But it may be here properly taken for he that goes in muddy places such as is the bottom of the Sea cannot ordinarily make haste but he will stumble in pulling out one foot after another out of the mud But though the channel of the Sea was deep and the Sea were but newly divided for the people of Israel to pass through it yet did God so provide for his people that the mud caused them not to stumble 14. As a beast goeth down into the valley i. e. As a beast which is heavy laden goeth down a steep hill into the valley for he goeth easily and warily and with a great deal of care and circumspection that he fall not The Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest i. e. So did the Lord lead his people to their rest for he led them easily and warily with a great deal of care and circumspection that they should not be over-travelled and fall down by the way through weariness Deut. 8.4 and that they should not come to any other hurt Note that this is spoken in the person of a Jew for whom the Prophet composed this prayer where the Jew attesteth what the Lord said before and beareth witness to it as to the truth and encourageth himself from thence to ask of the Lord the like favors for himself and his brethren in their captivity in Babylon as he the Lord vouchsafed that his people in the days of old The Spirit of the Lord i. e. The Lord. By the Spirit of the Lord is here meant the goodness of the Lord for he speaks of God here as of a man by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And all the qualities and passions of a mans Soul the Hebrews call the spirit By the spirit therefore of the Lord is here meant as I said the goodness of the Lord and the spirit or goodness of the Lord is put per Metonymiam adjuncti for the Lord himself Caused him to rest i. e. Led his people to their rest that is to the Land of Canaan which is called their rest Psal 95.11 and Deut. 12.9 because it was the end and period of all their travels The Lord is said to cause his people to rest because he did lead them through the red Sea and through the wilderness to the place of their rest that is to the Land of Canaan And so doth Jeremy also use this phrase Jerem. 31.2 Him That is Israel his people as appeareth by the following sentence So didst thou lead thy people i. e. As a beast goeth down into the valley so I say didst thou lead thy people to their rest The Prophet maketh his Apostrophe here to God in the person of the people of the Jews and repeateth what he said in the words before To make thy self a glorious Name i. e. So that thou didst purchase to thy self great glory and renown by bringing thy people in the Land of Canaan as thou didst 15. Look down from Heaven q. d. Look down therefore from Heaven upon us thy people which are now in captivity as thou didst look upon our Fathers in the days of old Look down from Heaven Supple With the eyes of mercy Behold Supple Us thy people which are in captivity From the habitation of thy holiness i. e. From thy holy habitation A substantive of the Genitive case is put here for an Adjective Heaven is called Gods habitation or dwelling place because God doth there manifest himself in greater glory then in any part of the world