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
thing i. e. He can take up the Isles as if they were but a very little thing and cast them whither he will and shake out tâ—e inhabitants thereof and then what will become of the inhabitants By the Isles understand after the Hebrew manner those Lands which lie neer to Seas or Rivers especially Mesapotamia Assyria Armenia which were under the Babylonians Yea by the Isles may be understood any Lands or any Countries as Cap. 20. vers 16. Cap. 41.1 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering i. e. And when we consider the greatness and power of our God all the trees of Lebanon would not be sufficient for wood nor all the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering if we should go about to offer him a burnt-offering answerable to him and worthy of him 17. Before him i. e. In respect of him They are counted to him i. e. They are counted or esteemed of him or they are accounted and esteemed in comparison of him And vanity i. e. They are counted vanity i. e. less then nought A question may here be asked Why the Prophet doth thus vilifie the Nations in the 15 16 and 17 Verses And how these Verses cohere with the former Ans The Prophet doth vilifie the Nations here in answer to another tacite Objection which a weak Jew might make For a weak Jew might say Suppose God had power and strength enough to come against the Babylonians and to deliver his people out of their hands and wisdom and discretion to manage that strength yet surely he hath not power and strength to come against all those Nations which will joyn with the Babylonians For the Babylonians have many Nations to joyn with them when they go forth to battel In answer to this Objection the Prophet saith here That the Lord is able to deal with all Nations though all Nations should joyn with the Babylonians For behold saith he the Nations are as a drop of a bucket c. 18. To whom then will ye liken God q. d. To which then of the Heathen gods will ye liken our God that ye should as meanly esteem of our God as of him The Prophet takes occasion here to speak against Idols and Idolatry For whereas the Jews which were to be carryed into captivity into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar were to live among Idolaters they were to be admonished of the Law of God which forbad Idols and of his Nature which was such as that it was not like silver or gold or the work of mans hand that they might not be drawn from God to serve Idols as the Babylonians did What likeness will ye compare to him q. d. Which of the Heathen gods will ye compare to him that ye should so highly esteem of any of the gods of the Heathen as ye do of him What likeness He calleth the gods of the Heathen Likenesses because they were but Idols the likenesses of something in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the Water under the Earth 19. The work-man melteth a graven image i. e. The work-man melteth Silver or Copper or Brass or some other baser mettal and casteth it into an Image which after he polisheth by engraving And the Goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold i. e. And the Goldsmith doth afterwards gild it over or overlay it with thin plates of gold And casteth silver chains These chains were either to put upon the neck of the Idol for ornament as some say or they were to fasten the Idol to some wall or post that it should not fall as others say 20. He that is so impoverished i. e. He that is so poor That he hath no oblation i. e. That he hath no mony to buy Brass or Copper or Silver or Gold to offer for an oblation to his God that an Image or Idol may be made thereof An Oblation is taken here for Silver or Gold or Brass or the like mettal And Oblation in general for such an oblation in special by a Synecdoche Then it is taken per Metonymiam efficientis for mony or means to purchase Silver or Gold or the the like mettal which he may offer to make an Image or Idol thereof Chooseth a tree that will not rot Pliny praiseth the Cypress and the Vine and the Juniper tree and the Mullerry tree for this purpose That shall not be moved Supple Because it is nailed or otherwise fastened to some wall or post So that the work of the cuning Work-man was first to make a graven Image out of the Tree then when he had made it to fasten it to some place or other Here is left to be understood some such words as these are And will you liken your God to one of these graven Images Or one of these graven Images to our God 21. Have ye not known c. i. e. Have ye not known that which I tell you in the next Verse viz. That God sitteth upon the circle of the Earth c. From the beginning Supple Of the World From the Foundations of the Earth i. e. From the time that the Foundations of the Earth were layd that is from the time that the World was first created The laying of the Foundations of the Earth are put by a Synecdoche membri for the Creation of the World of which he speaks Metaphorically as of a House which hath Foundations 22. It is he that sitteth upon the Circle of the Earth It is God which sitteth as a King and Governor upon the Circle of the Earth The Circle of the Earth By the Circle of the Earth may be meant the Earth its self which is of a round figure Or by the Circle of the Earth may be meant the Heavens which environ the Earth as the circumference of a Circle doth the center thereof Are as grashoppers i. e. Are as very little things in respect of him That stretcheth out the Heavens i. e. It is he that stretcheth out the Heavens c. 23. That bringeth the Princes to nothing i. e. It is he that bringeth the Princes and the great ones of the Earth to nothing By this he intimates how easily God can destroy the King of Babylon and his Nobles and his Princes The Judges of the Earth Whom he called Princes before he calleth Judges here for Princes are Judges in their Dominions As vanity i. e. Less then nought See Vers 17. 24. Yea they shall not be planted yea they shall not be sown yea their stock shall not take root in the Earth Those Princes and Judges which he spoke of in the former Verse were such as were already in honor and in a flourishing condition which notwithstanding he saith the Lord bringeth to nought Here he saith That the Lord cannot onely bring Princes and Judges which are in honor and in a flourishing condition to nought But if he so please he can blight those which never were in honor from the very womb that they shall
that is they shall not be restored to life again He persists in his Metaphor still He adds this that there may be no fear of these mens returning to life again to vex the Jews and oppress them or to meditate upon revenge against them Or else we may say that this is an Hebraism like to that I have chosen thee and not cast thee away Cap. 42.9 They are extinct they are quenched as tow i. e. They shall be extinguished and quenched as a candle is quenched which is put into the water He puts a present for a future tense By tow he meaneth the wiek of a candle which is made of tow per Metonymiam Materiae and by the wiek the whole candle per Synecdochen partis He likeneth the Caldeans to tow that is to a burning candle because of their rage and hot anger against the Jews their captives So doth he liken Rezin King of Syria and Pekah King of Israel to two fire-brands because of their rage against Judah cap. 7.4 yet nevertheless they shall be quenched 18. Remember ye not former things q. d. That ye may know how precious ye are in my sight and how great my love is to you ye shall not need to remember former things or to call to minde what I did for you heretofore when I brought you out of Egypt for behold c. 19. Behold I will do a new thing Supple By which ye shall know the greatness of my love to you Now it shall spring forth i. e. It shall come to pass very shortly He useth a Metaphor here from Plants springing out of the Earth Shall ye not know it q. d. It shall come to pass in your days that you may see it and know it This Interrogation hath the force of a strong Asseveration I will even make a way in the Wilderness and Rivers in the Desart c. This is the new thing he said he would do I will even make a way in the wilderness The wilderness here meant is the wilderness which lay between Babylon and the Land of Judah through which the Jews were to pass when they went out of the Land of their captivity into their own Land This wilderness was very rugged and stony and ill to go in wherefore the Lord saith here that he would make in this wilderness a plain and easie way for the Jews when they were to pass through it And Rivers in the Desart This Desart was a very dry and thirsty Land where there was heat and drought more then enough to procure thirst but no waters to quench it Therefore the Lord saith here that he would make Rivers in the Desart for his people to quench their thirst thereat as they passed through it What is here spoken some understand literally to wit That as God gave the Israelites water in the Wilderness which he brought out of a Rock and made run down like Rivers Exod. 17.6 Psal 78.17 when he brought them out of the Land of Egypt into the Land of Canaan So he would give the Jews waters in abundance and cause Rivers to flow in abundance in the Wilderness in which they were to pass from Babylon into Judea when he brought them out of Babylon thither But others think that all that is signified by these expressions is this viz. That the Lord would vouchsafe the Jews high favors in their return from Babylon home-ward by the removal of all lets and the supply of all necessaries and that the Prophet doth here allude onely to that which the Lord did for the Israelites when he brought them out of Egypt for he loveth to express like things by like See what we said Cap. 4. v. 5. 20. The beasts of the field shall honor me the Dragons and the Owls c. The beasts of the fiâ—ld and the Dragons and the Owls may be said to honor the Lord because when he gave Waters in the Wilderness and Rivers in the Desart to give drink to his people his câ—osen they living in the Wilderness and Desart did receive benefit by those Waters and Rivers and quenched their thirst thereat so that if they had reason they would praise God therefore Note that to honor God is an act onely of the intellectual or rational Creatures if we speak properly yet by an Hyperbolical kinde of Metaphor the Scripture doth often attribute those acts which are the acts of the intellectual or rational Creatures to Creatures voyd of reason and understanding yea to Creatures voyd of sense See Psal 69.34 96.12 98.8 c. My chosen i. e. Whom I have chosen to be a peculiar people to my self 21. This people have I formed for my self i. e. For I have created this people even the people of the Jews for my self that I might shew my power and my goodness in and for them and that they might sanctifie and praise me These words contain a reason of what he said in the nineteenth and twentyeth Verses q. d. This people have I formed for my self therefore I will make for them a way in the Wilderness and Rivers in the Desart I will provide for their welfare and they shall shew forth my praise They shall shew forth my praise q. d. Therefore I will do that for them for which they shall praise me 22. But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob i. e. But for all your sayings ye have not worshipped me O ye sons of Jacob He puts Jacob here for the Jews which were the sons of Jacob And when he saith They have not called upon me his meaning is That they have not worshiped him For to call upon God which is but part of Gods worship is put often for the whole worship of God by a Synecdoche Here he prevents an Objection which the Jews some of them at least might make For whereas the Lord told them what great things he would do for them in the former Verses they might object If it were true which he said why would he then pour out his fury upon them and give them over into the Babylonians hands to be made slaves and captives for his own wills sake not for any demerit of theirs For as for their part they truly worshiped him and served him To this the Lord answers That it is true that he gave them over into the hands of the Babylonians yet it was not for his wills sake but it was because they had sinned against him for though they say that they worshipped the Lord truly yet they did not worship him but they worshipped Baal and all the host of Heaven and for this he gave them into the hands of the Babylonians c. But thou hast been weary of me i. e. But for all your sayings ye have been weary of my service 23. Thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt-offerings As Lambs and Kids c. Exod. 12.5 q. d. Thou hast not offered thy Lambs and thy Kids to me for burnt-offerings but thou hast offered
generis For every one that maketh mention of a mans name doth not call him though every one which calleth him by name maketh mention of his name Note that Gods calling of him by name sheweth that he was in high favour with God and that he had a great office in his house See Cap. 45.3 Note that the Prophet doth very much magnifie himselfe for the favour which he had with God from this to verse 8. And this he doth first that by shewing the glory of the Type he might set forth the greater glory of the Antitype Secondly that the message which he is sent about might the more willingly and believingly be received and embraced 2. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp Sword The Lord made the Prophets mouth as a sharpe sword by putting his word into his mouth or because of his word which proceeded out of his mouth For the word of God is as a Sword Ephes 6.17 Yea sharper then any two edged Sword Heb. 4.12 The word oâ— God is likened to a Sword First because it pierceth the very heart Examples whereof yee have Act. 2.37 and 7.54 Secondly because it separateth between vertue and vice by teaching what is good and what is evill Thirdly because it cutteth off sinne by the threats which are therein contained against sinners and by the promises which are thereby made to those which forsake sinne Fourthly because it cuts off errour and heresy by teaching the truth In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me i. e. He will preserve me and keepe me safe from those that persecute me Supple that they shall not destroy me untill I have finished the whole work which I have to doe The Prophet alludeth to a man which when he would keep a thing safe while he hath it in his hand closeth his hand and so keepeth it which he doth as it were hide it therein By the shadow therefore of the hand he meaneth the hollow of the hand which being closed becommeth darke as a shadow He that can span the heavens with his hand Cap. 48.23 And measure the waters in the hollow thereof Cap. 40.22 He can hide the Prophet in his hand with ease Which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted said Stephen to the Jewes Act. 7.52 It is but needfull therefore that God should hide this his Prophet in the shadow of his hand to preserve him while he hath finished the worke about which he hath sent him And he made me a polished shaft i. e. And he made me as a polished Arrow whose feathers are trimmed that it may flye the better and whose head is scoured that it may pierce the deeper As the mouth of the Prophet was likened to a sharpe Sword a little before So is he himselfe here likened to a polished shaft or Arrow and that for the same reason to wit because of the word of God which was given him in charge which word as it was compared to a Sword before so it is here compared to an Arrow because as an Arrow pierceth the heart So doth the word of God And as an Arrow killeth and destroyeth So doth the word of God kill and destroy sinne and errour If there be any difference here between the meaning of the Sword and the Arrow it consisteth in this that the mouth of the Prophet is called a Sword because of the word which he had to speake to the Jewes who were neere to him for a Sword is a weapon that is used against those that are nigh at hand And he is called a Shaft or an Arrow because of the word which he had to speake to the Gentiles who were remote from him for a Shaft or an Arrow is a weapon which is used at a distance In his Quiver hath he hid me i. e. He will hide me from those which persecute me and keepe me safe from their fury This phrase is the same with that viz In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me But the Metaphor is taken here from an Arrow which men keep in a Quiver that it may not be broken nor the feathers thereof marred 3. O Israel i. e. O thou Son of Israel Metonymia efficientis The Lord called Isaiah Israel or the Son of Israel indeed because he was a true sonne of Israel indeed like unto Israel his Father in obedience In whom I will be glorified i. e. By whom I will be glorified In is put here for By. This denoteth the end why the Lord hid his servant Isaiah and preserved him But how did God intend to be glorified by Isaiah Ans The Lord intended by the Ministry of Isaiah to bring the Jewes againe to him by repentance which had gone away from him by their sin verse 5. And this bringing of them back to the Lord was for the glory of God For God glorified himselfe by delivering them out of Babylon upon their repentance which he would not have done if they had not repented Againe by the Ministry of Isaiah many Heathens were convinced of their Idolatry and turned to the Lord as the only true God and worshipped him onely and so glorified him 4. I have laboured in vaine q. d. Lord dost thou thinke to be glorified by my Ministry That is not likely for I have hitherto laboured in vaine and there is little turning to thee though I have laboured what I can Yet surely my judgement is with the Lord Yet surely and this is my comfort the Lord is my Judge who will Judge me not according to the event of my labour but according to the Labour which I have taken And my worke i. e. And the reward of my worke Metonymia efficientis With my God And if his reward was with God God would not keep it from him but would give him his reward in due time according to his worke 5. And now saith the Lord q.d. And even now after I have spent so much labour in vaine though the Jewes have not profited by my Ministery yet the Lord saith c. This sheweth that God accepteth the labour of the workeman though his labour be in vaine That formed me from the wombe to be his servant i. e. That called me from the wombe to be his servant c. See verse 1. There is a Metaphor in that word formed borrowed from a Potter To bring Jacob againe to him i. e. To bring the Jewes which were the children of Jacob to him againe by repentance which had gone away from him by their sinnes Though Israel be not gathered Supple To me by thy Ministery i. e. Though the Jewes the children of Israel repent not nor returne to me the Lord thorow thy Ministery c. They which turne to the Lord by repentance are gathered together and come to him for salvation as Chickens are gathered to the Hen and come to her for warmth Matth. 23.37 Hence not to be gathered is put here for not to turne by repentance Yet it may be that