Notes on the Old and New Testaments

%o entirely fall in with the leading characteristics and efforts of the times as an attempt to establish some just views of the right interpretation of the prophecies on this subject. Men v/ill put forth great and noble exertions when the object is clearly defined, and when rhey have some distinct view of what it is possible to attain. A right apprehension of what is to he on earth, will do much to form the plans and shape the efforts of those who seek the world's conversion. It will do much to suppress unauthorized hopes, to repress wild and visionary schemes, and to secure well-founded and judicious efforts to accomplish the object. A correct understanding of the prophecies, therefore, is necessary to direct those who are forming plans for the conversion of the world, and to uphold the hands and to encourage the hearts of those who are engaged in practically executing the work.

There is one advantage on this subject, in contemplating the entire prophecies in a book, above what would arise from selecting the portions which relate to the final triumph of the gospel, and forming a commentary on them exclusively.- As the predictions now stand in the prophets, they are intermingled with predictions respectang otJicr events which have been strikingly and clearly fulfilled. The mina is carried forward therefore amidst demonstrations; the certain conviction of the mind that the predictions respecting Babylon, Tyre, Moab, and Idumea have heen fulfilled, is carried to the contemplation of the predictions respecting things yet to come. The mind ranges amidst proofs of the divine origin of the book which is examined; and these proofs strengthen the faith in regard to the events which are yet to come. He performs some service for his generation, who contributes in any degree to unfold the meaning of the ancient predictions, and to show to the Christian Church what the world vet will be; and he who contributes in any manner so to blend the arguments for the past fulfillment of prophecy with the predictions of what is yet to be on earth, does not live entirely in vain. It is doubtless with this view that the predictions respecting the Messiah, and the final universal triumph of the gospel, are scattered along, and intermingled with predictions that relate to events that would be of more mimediate fulfillment. The student of the prophecies thus walks amidst the monuments of their truth which time has set up along his way; — not much unlike the traveller who is seeking a distant land amidst much that is obscure and uncertain; who encounters rapid streams and lofty crags and hills; whose paths leads through dense and entangled forests; but who yet finds every now and then monu- Ofients erected which show him that the road has been travelled, and which prove that the same path which others have trod will lead him to the place which he desires to reach. He who has attentively examined Isaiah, and compared the predictions respecting events

U'hicb are now passed, with their fulfillment, is not likely to be a man whose faith will be shaken in regard to the reality of the in. spiration of the Book of God, or to the final prevalence of religion all over the world. As an illustration of the influence of Isaiah in forming the opinions of Christians in regard to the character of the better days which are to bless the world, we may advert to the fact that the views of most Christians respecting the Millennium are probably derived from this prophet; and that even after the revelations of the New Testament, if we wish to obtain full and clear conceptions cf what the world is yet to be under the reign of the Prince of Peace, we instinctively turn to the glowing visions of the Son of Amoz. It has been one of the constant and earnest prayers of the author of these Notes, that his labours may contribute to the confirmation of the faith of Christians in respect to the final triumph of Christianity; and to the augmentation of their zeal in spreading the gospel around the world.

In the fulfillment of this design, as well as to exhibit the true meaning of the prophet, I have availed myself of all the helps within my reach, to show that the prophecies pertaining to events already passed have been minutely and strikingly fulfilled. In these portions of the book, my first aim has been to settle, as well as I could, the exact sense of the prophet by philological investigation, and then to adduce the testimony of modern travellers in regard to the jpreseni condition of the countries so described. Modern travellers have contributed much to the confirmation of the truth of the prophetic statements; and if these Notes have any value above what is found in the common expositions of Isaiah, it is probably in this respect. In illustration of this, reference may be made to the prophecies respect* ing Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Tyre, and Idumea, in the xiiith, xivth, xvth, xvith, xviith, xxxiiid, and xxxivth chapters.

In the preparation of these Notes I have availed myself of all the aids within my reach. The books from which I have derived most assistance are Walton's Polyglott; the Critici Sacri; Pool's Synopsis; Calmet's Dictionary; Vitringa; Rosenmuller; Calvin; Gesenius; Jerome; Bochart's Hierozoicon; Taylor's Heb. Con.; Lowth's and Noyes' Versions; Keith on the Prophecies; Newton on the Prophecies; Hengstenberg's Christology; and the writings of oriental travellers to which I have had access. I have also de* rived considerable aid from the Biblical Repository, and from Pi of. Bush's Scripture Illustrations.

This work is committed now to the Christian public with tha fervent prayer that it may do good. The public — for whose favour able regards thus far in life I have had abundant reason to be grateful— will receive kindly what is kindly meant. It is not right te deprecate criticism, for every man who makes a book subjects him*

Belf, of his own choice, to the free remarks of all whc may choose t(j notice his productions. His works, henceforward, whatever they may be, belong not to himself alone, but to the public at large; and no author has a right to complain if his style, his opinions, his arguments, his illustrations, are freely examined. For such examination he should be grateful, come from what quarter it may — if it help him to amend his style, to correct his errors, to suggest better illustrations, to remove obscurity, to advance sounder arguments, and in any way to make his works more worthy of the patronage of the public. He has a right to demand only that criticisms should be in the spirit of Christian love — that they should not be made^br the sake of criticism, and that they should not be carping or petulant. He has a right to ask that those who examine his positions should presume that he has bestowed labour and thought on them, and that labour and thought should be reciprocated in judging of them before they are condemned. He has a right to expect that assertion in regard to his opinions should not be deemed sufficient to supply the place of argument; and that the uttering of an opinion ex cathedra should not be allowed to take the place of a candid and prayerful investigation of the meaning of words, and phrases, and figures of speech; of a careful inquiry into whatever in archaeology, philology, geography, or travels, may throw light on the meaning of God's word. Argument should meet argument; thought conflict with thought; and truth should be elicited by manly, liberal, and candid discussion. The only object should be truth; and every author should be thankful to any man who will suggest to him what he had forgotten; communicate what to him was unknown; correct or refute what was erroneous; and thus make him more useful to his fellow-men.

It is not improper, however, as a matter of mere justice to myself, to suggest one other thing to those who may be disposed to examine this work. A man burdened with the cares and toils of a pastoral office, has not the advantages of preparing a work for the public which they have who are favoured with the entire command of their time, or whose professional duties require them to pursue a course of study that shall be in accordance with what they may choose to submit to the press. The pastors of the churches, for whose use more especially this work is intended, will know how to appreciate this remark; and they who know the toils of that office will not judge unkindly or severely of what is designed as a means of enlarging the sphere of usefulness in which a man is placed; or of contributing in any, the humblest degree, to illustrate the trt^th of the Bible, to confirm the churches in its inspiration, to unfold its beauties, and to aid m the exposition of truth. Lord Bacon has said, "I HOLD EVERY MAN TO BE A DEBTOR TO HIS PROFESSION;'* and they who appreciate the force of this remark will look with kindnesa^ on every effort to enlarge the sphere of the usefulness of those who are by their office expositors of the word God*

With these remarks, this work is committed to the world. The desires of my heart will be gratified if it is the means, in any degree, of confirming the faith of man in the inspiration of the divine oracles, and of hastening the triumphs of that day when " the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose," and when " the ransomed of Jehovah shall return and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads." Isa. XXXV. 1, 10.

Since the publication of the first edition of thL? work, I have twicn carefully revised it. In doing this, while the main features of the exposition have been retained, I have endeavoured to render it more worthy of the patronage of the Christian public. I have availed my. self of all the criticisms made on it which I have seen, and have adop ted all the suggestions which appeared to me to be well founded. My principal aim has been to condense the work as much as possible by removing redundant words, and by excluding whatever did not contribute to the elucidation of the Prophet. The work was originally published in three large octavo volumes. By using a different type; by the omission of the " New Translation ^' inserted in the former edition, and by the abridgments which have been made, I am now able to present it in a much narrower compass, and at a price which will make it much more easy to procure it. It may perhaps be of interest to some to know that in revising it, I have stricken out matter, besides the " New Translation," to the amount of about one hundred and twenty octavo pages, and have introduced new matter to the amount of about fifty pages. In a few places additions of considerable extent have been made. For the new matter I am under special obligations to the Biblical Researches of Dr. Robinson, and Mr. Smith, and to the work of Wilkinson on tht5 Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians. By the aid of the * Researches' I have been enabled to correct several places relating to the geography of Palestine, and to throw important light on several passages of the Prophet. I have, in fact, incorporated in the Notes all that I have found in that invaluable work which seemed to me to illustrate in any way the writings of Isaiah, and as nothing better can be hoped for on the Holy Land, this part of the work may be considered to be complete. — The favourable manner in which the first Edition was received made it obligatory on me to do all t)iat I could to make it more worthy of patronage, and again J commit it to the world, with the hope that it may contribute in some "ie* gree to the illustration of this sublime and beautiful portion *^ the inspired volume.

It is with unaflected diffidence that this work is offered to the patronage of the Christian public. It has been prepared amidst the toils and responsibilities of a most laborious pastoral charge, and at such intervals as could be secured without seeming to infringe on the direct and immediate duties demanded in my station. Those hours have been, with scarcely an exception, the early morning hours; and whatever may be the manner in which this book may be received by the public, whether it shall or shall not contribute in any degree to advance the knowledge of the truth, and the love of the Sacred Scriptures, its preparation, by requiring me to commence each day with the direct contemplation of an interesting portion of inspired truth, has for four years constituted one of the most delightful parts of my work. It is the production of many a laborious, but many a pleasant hour; and while I desire to render thanks to the Giver of life and health, that he has granted me strength to engage in these studies, I shall ever look back with gratitude to the deeply interesting moments in which I have been endeavouring to Qlustrate the "Visions of Isaiah."

When I commenced the work, I designed nothing farther than an mlargement of Lowth on Isaiah. It occurred to me that it might be useful to retain his Notes as a basis, with some additional illustrations. But this plan was soon abandoned; and no other use has been made of Lowth than that which is common with other writers. Valuable as are his Notes, and beautiful as is his version, yet it waa soon perceived, or thought to be perceived, that greater usefulness might be secured by enlarging the plan, and making a work entirely new. Very valuable helps have been furnished, since the time of Lowth, for the illustration of the Hebrew prophets; and it was deemed desirable to avail myself of them all, so far as it was in my power. Most of those helps will be found enumerated in the list of vt'-orks on Isaiah, at the close of the Introduction, § 8.

Some of the reasons which led to the wish to illustrate Isaiah, are the following: (1.) He is one of the most beautiful and sublime ^f thj9 sacred writers. (2.) In some respects his writings are among the most difficult portions of the Old Testament. (3.) His propho. cies are so closely connected with interesting historical events, and furnish so much opportunity of illustration from archaeology, oriental customs, and the investigations of modern travellers, that it is highly desirable that all the light should be thrown upon them which is possible from these sources. (4.) The fulfillment of prophecy is perhaps more clear, minute, and striking in Isaiah than in any other of the prophets; and a commentary, therefore, on his writings, compared with the present state of the countries to which his prophecies refer, as reported by modern travellers, and especially with the record of the life, and doctrines, and death of Christ, will constitute itself a demonstration of the divine origin of the Sacred Scriptures, and may be made one of the best antidotes against infidelity. It is impossible, it is believed, with an honest mind, to compare the predictions of Isaiah respecting Babylon, Moab, Tyre, and Idumea, with the Travels of Volney, Burckhardt, Seetzen, Sir R. K. Porter, Maundrell, Laborde, and Stephens, without the fullest conviction that he who uttered these predictions, two thousand and five hundred years since, was divinely inspired. It is impossible to believe that this could have been the result of political sagacity; it is equally impossible to believe that it could have been produced by chance or conjecture. And, in like manner, it is impossible to compare his full, minute, and glowing descriptions of the Messiah, with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ; to collate minutely and critically, for example, the prophecies in the ixth, the xith, the xxxvth, the Hid, the liiid chapters, with what actually occurred in the life, the sufferings, and the death of the Redeemer, without the fullest conviction that he was permit, ted to see, in distinct vision, events which were to take place in future times. No man can be a close student of Isaiah, and remain an infidel; no man can study his writings with prayer, who will not find his faith confirmed, his heart warmed, his mind elevated and purified, and his affections more firmly fixed on the beauty of the everlasting truth of God.

But the main reason which led to the selection of Isaiah as a subject of exposition was, his strongly evangelical character, and the fact, that he, more than any other prophet, has unfolded the future glories, and predicted the triumphs of the Church on earth. He has been usually styled "the fifth Evangelist;'' and it is certain that there was vouchsafed to him a clearer view of the universal spread of the gospel, and of the blessedness of the reign of the Messiah, than was granted to any other of the ancient prophets. It was this characteristic mainly which has prompted to this attempt to make his sentiments more widely known, and more clearly understood. In an age distinguished, more than any other since that of the apostles, for efforts for the conversion of the whole world to God, nothing will

The Jews early divided the books of the Old Testament into three parts — the Law^ the Prophets^ and the Hagiographa^ or holy writings. The Laxo comprised the five books of Moses; and the priority waa given to this division because it was the first composed, as well as on account of its containing their civil and ecclesiastical constitution, and their oldest historical records. The Prophets comprised the second and the largest division of the sacred writings of the Jev/s. This portion comprehended the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, which were called \\\e former prophets; and Isaiah Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the books from Hosea to Malachi, which were called the latter prophets. Daniel has been excluded from this portion by the later Jews, and assigned to the third division, because they regard him not as a prophet, but as an historical writer. Formerly his work was doubtless included in the second division. The third portion, the Hagiographa^ comprises the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah, and the two books of Chronicles. This division of the Old Testament is as old as the time of our Saviour, for he refers to it in Luke xxiv. 44. The Jews attribute the arrangement and division of the canonical books to Ezra. They say that he waa assisted in this by one hundred and twenty men who constituted '' a great Synagogue;" that Daniel, and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were of this number; and that Haggai and Zechariah, together with Simon the Just, also were connected with it. But this statement is known to be erroneous. From the time of Daniel to the time of Simon the Just, n^ot less than two hundred ^nd fifty years intervened (Alexander on the Canon, pp. 26, 27); and of course all these persons could not have been present. It is not, however improbable that Ezra may have been assisted by learned and pious men who aided him in the work. What Ezra did is indeed unknown. ft is the general opinion that he collected and arranged the books which now compose the Old Testament; that perhaps he wrote some of the historic-al books, or compiled them from fragments of history and documents that might have been in the public archives (comp. the Analysis of Isa. ch. xxxvi.); and that he gave a finish and arrangement to the whole. As Ezra was an inspired man, the arrangement of the sacred books, and the portions which he may have added, have thus the sanction of Divine authority. There is no evidence, however, that Ezra completed the canon of the Old Testament. Ma* hchi lived after hinij and in the first book of Ch'cnicles (ch. iii.) tbm genealogy of the sons of Zerubbabel is carried down to the time of Alexander the Great — about one hundred and thirty years subsequent to the time of Ezra. The probability is, therefore, that Ezra commenced the arrangement of the books, and that the canon of the Old Testament was completed by some other hand.

The *' prophets " were divided into the former and the latter. Among the latter, Isaiah has uniformly held the first place and rank. This has been assigned him not because he prophesied before all the others. He indeed preceded Ezekiel and Jeremiah, but Jonah, Axaou and Hosea were his contemporaries. The precedence has been given lo his prophecies over theirs, probably for two reasons; first, on account of their length, dignity, and comparative value; and secondly, because formerly the minor prophets were bound in one v lume, or written on one roll of parchment, and it was convenient to j ace them together^ and they all had a place, therefore, after Isaiah. At all times his prophecies have been regarded as the most important of any in the Old Testament; and by common consent they have been deemed worthy of the principal place among the Jewish writings.

§ 2. Life of Isaiah, and the Characteristics of his Writings

Of the time in which Isaiah lived, little more is known than he has himself told us. In the superscription to his book (ch. i. 1), we are. told that he was the son of Amoz, and that he discharged the prophetic office under the reign of the kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz ana Hezekiah. In regard to those times, and the character of the perioa in which they reigned, see Introduction § 3. It is evident also from the prophecies themselves, that he delivered them during the reign of these kings. In ch. vi. 1, it is expressly said that he had a vision of Jehovah in the year in which Uzziah died. Of course he musi have commenced his prophetic labours at least as early as during the last year of that king. If that chapter or vision was not designed a& an inauguration of the prophet, or an induction into the prophetic office (see Notes on the chapter), and if his prophecies were collected and arranged as they were delivered, then it will follow that the previous chapters (i. — v.) may have been delivered in the reign of Uzziali and perhaps some time before his death. There is no express mention made of his uttering any prophecies in the time of Jotham Hengstenberg and others suppose that the prophecies in ch. ii. — v were delivered during his reign. But of this there is no conclusive evidence. He might not have recorded any thing during his reign though he may, as a public preacher, have been engaged in the prophetic office in another mode. His writings themselves contain evidence that he was engaged in the prophetic office in the reign of Ahaz. See ch. vii. seq. That he was engaged in the prophetic office during tha reign of Hezekiah we learn from chs. xxxvi.— xxxix. We have an explicit statement that he was occupied in his prophetic work until the fifteenth year of Hezekiah, at the commencement of which the ambaseadors from Babylon came up to Jerusalem to congratulate him on his re^ covery riom his illness. Ch. xxxix.^Uzziaii died, accoiding to Calmet, 754 years before Christ. Isaiah must therefore have occupied the prophetic office at least from 754 years before Christ to 707 yeara bef»:)re Christ, or forty-seven years; that is, under Uzziah one year, nnder Jotham sixteen years, under Ahaz sixteen years, and under Hezekiah fourteen years. It is not known at what age he entered oij the j^rophetic office. It is probable that he lived much longer than to the fifteenth year of Hezekiah. In 2 Chron. xxxii. 32, it is said that "the rest of the acts of Hezekiah" were "written in the vision of Isaiah;" and this statement obviously implies that he survived hira, and wrote the acts of his reign up to his death. As Hezekiah Aved fourteen or fifteen years after this (Isa. xxxviii. 5, Comp. 2 Kings xviii. 2), this would make the period of his public ministry to extend to at least sixty-one or sixty-two years. If he survived Hezekiah, he probably lived some time during the reign of Manasseh. This supposition is confirmed, not indeed by any direct historical record in the Old Testament, but by all the traditional accounts which have been handed down to us. The testimony of the Jews, and of the early fathers, is uniform that he was put to death by Manasseh by being sawn asunder, j The main alleged offence was, that he had said that he had seen Jehovah, and that for this he ought to die, in accordance with the law of Moses (Ex. xxxiii. 20), " No man shall see me and live.'* If he lived to the time of Manasseh, and especially if he prophesied under him, it is probable the true reason why he was put to death was, that he was offensive to the monarch and his court.

The circumstances which render the supposition probable that he lived under Manasseh, and that he was put to death by him by being sawn asunder, are the following. (1.) The fact which has been stated above that he lived to complete tne record of the reign of Hezekiah and of course survived him-. (2.) The testimony of the Jewish writers There is, indeed, much that is fabulous in their writings, and even i connexion with the truths which they record, there is much that ia piicrile and false; but there is no reason to doubt the imiin facts which they relate. Josephus, indeed, does not expressly state that he was slain by Manasseh, but he gives an account of the reign of Manasseh which renders it probable that if Isaiah were then alive he would have been put to death. Thus he says (Ant. B. x. ch. iii. § 1) that " he barbarously slew all the righteous men that were among tne Hebrews; nor would he spare the prophets, for he every day slew some of thsm, till Jerusalem was overflown with blood." In the Tal- * mud the following record occurs: — " Manasseh put Isaiah to death. The Rabbi said, he condemned him, and put him to death; for he eaid to him, Moses, thy Lord said, no man shall see me and live (Ex. xxxiii. 20), but thou hast said, I sav/ the Lord upon a throne high and tifted up ^Isa. vi. 1). Moses, thy Lord said, who will make the Lord BO near that we can call to him; but thou hast said, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near (Iv. 6). Moses, thy Lord said, the number of thy days will I fulfill (Ex. xxii. 26); bu( ihou hast said, I will add to thy days fifteen years (xxxviii. 5)," etc. feee Gesenius Einlei. p. 12. The testimony of the Jews on this sub ject ^ uirirorrr. Michaelis (Preface to Isaiah) has referred to th« Ibllowing places in proof on this point. Tract. Talmud. Jabhamoth fol. 49; Sanhedrin^ fol. 103; Jalkut, part ii. fol. 38; Schalscheleth Hakkab. fol. 19. Raschi and Abarbanel in their commentaries give ihe same statement. (3.) The testimony of tiie early Christian writers is the same. Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew (p. 349), speaking of Isaiah, says, or TtQlovL C»^Aw fTtolcfare, " whom ye sawed asunder with a wooden saw." — Tertullian (de patientia, c. 14) says, His patientiae viribus secatur Esaias. — Lactantius (lib. iv. c. 2) says, EsaiS; quern ipsi Judaei serr^ consectum crudelissime necave— runto — Augustine (de Civit. Dei, lib. 18, c. 24) says^ " the prophet Isaial: IS reputed to have been slain by the impious King Manasseh." Jerome (on Isa. Ivii. 1) Bays, that the prophet prophesied in that passage of his own death, for " it is an undisputed tradition among us, that he was sawn asunder by Manasseh, with a wooden saw." These passages and others from the Jewish writers, and from the fathers, are to be found in Michaelis' Preface to Isaiah; in Gesenius' Introduction; and in Carpzov. Crit. Sacr. In a matter of simple fact, there seems to be no reason to call this testimony in question. It is to be remembered that Jerome was well acquainted with Hebrew, that he dwelt in Palestine, and no doubt has given the prevalent opinion about the death of Isaiah. (4.) The character of Manasseh was such as to make it probable that if Isaiah lived at all during his reign, he would seek his death. In 2 Kings xxi. 16, it is said of him that he "shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another." This account is in entire accordance with that of Josephus, quoted above. In the early part of his reign, it is recorded that he did evil, and especially that he reared the high places and the altars of idolatry which Hezekiah had destroyed, and endeavoured to restore again the abominations which had existed in the time of Ahab. 2 Kings xxi. 2, 3. It is scarcely credible that such a man as Isaiah would see all this done without some effort to prevent it; and it is certain that such an effort would excite the indignation of Manasseh. If' however, he cut off the righteous men of Jerusalem, as Josephus testifies, and as the author of the books of Kings v/ould iead us to believe, there is every probability that Isaiah would also fall a sacrifice to his indignation. It is not necessary in order to this to suppose that Isaiah appeared much in public; or that, being then an old man, he should take a prominent part in the transactions of that period. That we have no recorded prophecy of that time, as we have of the times of Uzziah, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, leaves it probable that Isaiah had withdrawn from the more public functions of the prophetic ofBce, and probably (see § iv. of this Introduction) had given himself to the calm and holy contemplation of future and better times under the Messiah. But still his sentiments would be known to the monarch; and his influence while he lived among the pecple may have been materially in the way of the designs of Manasseh, Manasseh, therefore, may have regarded it as necessary to remove him, and in the daughter of the good men and prophets of his time, there is every probability that Isaiah would be made a victim. (5.) It affords some confirmation of this statement that Paul (Heb. xi. 37) affirms of somfl of the ancient saints, that they were " sawn asunder." There is no* in the Old Testament any express mention of any one's being put to death in this manner; but it has been common with all expositors, from the earliest periods, to suppose that Paul had reference to Isaiah. The universal tradition on this subject among the Hebrews makes this morally certain. It is certain that Paul could not have made such an enumeration unless there was a well-established tradition of some one or more who had suffered in this manner; and all tradition concurs in assigning it to Isaiah. (6.) The character of the second part of the prophecies of Isaiah (chs. xl. — Ixvi.) accords with this supposition. They are mainly employed in depicting the glories of a future age; the blessedness of the times of the Messiah. They besjieak tho feelings of a holy man who was heart-broken with the existing state of things; and who had retired from active life, and sought consolalion in the contemplation of future blessings. No small part of those prophecies is employed in lamenting an existing state of idolatry (^ee particularly chs. xl. xli. Ivi. Ivii. Ixv.), and the prevalence of general irrdigion. Such a description does not accord with the reign of Hezekiah; and it is evidently the language of a man who was disheartened with prevailing abominations, and who, seeing Uttle hope of immediate reform, cast his mind forward into future times, and sought repose in the contemplation of happier days. How long he lived under Manas- Beh is unknown; and hence it is not possible to ascertain his age when he was put to death. We may reasonably suppose that he entered on his prophetic office as early as the age of twenty. From Jer. i. 6, we learn that an earlier call than this to the prophetic office sometimes occurred. On this supposition he would have been eighty-two years of age at the death of Hezekiah. There is no improbability, therefore, in the supposition that he might have lived ten or even fifteen years or more, under the long reign of Manasseh. The priest Jehoiada attained the great age of one hundred and thirty years. 2 Chron. xxiv. 15. Isaiah lived evidently a retired and a temperate life. It is the uniform tradition of the oriental Christians that he lived to the age of one hundred and twenty years. See Hengstenberg's Christol. vol. i. p. 278.

Where he lived is not certainly known; nor are many of the circumstances of his life known. His permanent residence, in the earlier part of his prophetic life, seems to have been at Jerusalem. Daring the reign of^ the ungodly Ahaz, he came forth boldly as the reprover of sin, and evidently spent a considerable part of his time near the court. Ch. vii. seq. His counsels and warnings were then derided and disregarded. Hezekiah was a pious prince, and admitted him as a counsellor, and was inclined to follow his advice. In his reign he wae treated with respect, and he had an important part in directing the public counsels during the agitating occurrences of that reign. If he lived in the time of Manasseh, he probably retired from publ:c life} his counsel was unsought, and if offered, was disregarded. It is evident that he did not entirely withdraw from his office as a reprovel (chs. Ivi. — Iviii.), but his main employment seems to have been to coa template the pure and splendid visions which relate to the happic\ times of the world, and which constitute the close of his pr3phecies, chs. xl. — Ixvi. I

Of the family of Isaiah little is known. The Jewish wrJters con- Btantly affirm that he was of noble extraction, and was clo&ely connected with the royal family. The name of his father was Amoz, of A7nolz-—yiT:i^; not the prophet Amos, as some have supposed. Cor his name in Hebrew is Di^5{, Amos. Amoz, or Amotz, the father of Isaiah, the Jews affirm to have been the brother of Amaziah the sea of Joash, king of Judah. 2 Kings xiv. 1. Thus D. Kimchi on Isa.L I, writes, " We are ignorant of his family, from what tribe he was, except that our doctors have handed it down by tradition that Amotz and Amaziah were brothers." And thus R. Solomon says, *' It is handed down to us from our ancestors that Amotz and Amaziah were brothers." The same is said also by R. Levi (in Megilla, c. i. fol. 10); and by Abarbanel Pref. fol. 1 (quoted by Michaelis, Pref. to Isai.). In this supposition there is nothing improbable; and the fact that he was admitted so freely to the counsels of Hezekiah, and that he went so boldly to Ahaz (ch. vii. 1, seq.), may seem to give some countenance to the idea that he was connected with the royal family. His-father was evidently well known. See ch. i. 1, and elsewhere where his name is introduced. Indeed it is not improbable that most of the prophets were descended from families that were highly respectable, as they generally mention the name of their father as a name that is well known. Comp. Ezek. i. 3. Jer. i. 1. Hos. i. 1. Joel i. 1. Jonah^ i. 1. Zeph. i. 1. Zech. i. 1. In the other prophets the name of the father is omitted, probably because he was obscure and unknown. It is morally certain that Isaiah was not connected with the Leviticai order, since if he had been, this would have been designated as in Jer. i. 1. Ezek. i. 3. The wife of Isaiah is called a prophetess (ch. viii. 3), and it is supposed by some that she had the spirit of prophecy j but the more probable opinion is, that the wives of the prophets were called prophetesses, as the wives of the priests were called priestesses. On the question whether he had more than one wife, see Notes on chs. vii. viii. Two sons of Isaiah are mentioned, both of whom had names fitted to awaken religious attention, and who were in some sense the pledges of the fulfilment of divine predictions. The name of the one was " Shear- Jashub " (ch. vii. 3), the meaning of which is, the remainder shall returii — designed undoubtedly to be a sign or pledge that the remnant of the Jews who should be carried away at any time would return; or that the whole nation would not be destroyed and become extinct. This was one of the axioms^ or fundamental points in ail the writings of this prophet; and whatever calamity or judgment he foretold, it was always terminated with the assurance that the nation should be still ultimately preserved, and greatly enlarged, and glorified. This idea he seems to have resolved to keep as much as possible before the minds of his countrymen, and to this end he gave his son a name that should be to them a pledge of his deep conviction of this truth. The name of the other is Maher-shalal- BASH-BAZ (ch viii. 1), haste to the spoil; haste to the prey —^ npme

Bigi/ificant of the fact that the AssjTian (ch. vii.) would soon ravage and subdue the land, or would extensively plunder the kingdom of Judea. Tradition says that the death of Isaiah occurred in Jerusalem near the fountain of Siloam. Just below this fountain, and opposite to the point where Mount Ophel terminates, is a large mulberrytree, with a terrace of stones surrounding its trunk, where it is said Isaiah was sawn asunder. Robinson's Bib. Research, i. 342. The tradition further is, that his body was buried here, whence it was removed to Paneas near the sources of the Jordan, and from thence to Constantinople in the year of our Lord 442.

Great respect was paid to Isaiah and his writings after his death. It is evident that Jeremiah imitated him (comp. Notes on chs. xv. xvi.); and there is abundant evidence that he was studied by the other prophets. The estimate in which he was held by the Lord Jesus, and by the writers of the New Testament, will be shown in ancther part of this Introduction. See § viii. Josephus (Ant. B. xi. ch.j. § 2) eays that Cyrus was moved by the reading of Isaiah to the acknowledgment of the God of Israel, and to the restoration of the Jews, and to the rebuilding of the temple. After stating (§1) the decree which Cyrus made in favour of the Jews, he adds, " This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet had said that God h^d spoken thus to him in a secret vision, ' My will is that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.' This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and ambition came upon him to fulfil what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem and the temple of their God." In this passage of Josephus there is an undoubted reference to Isa. xliv. 28: " That saith of Cyrus, He is my Shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem. Thou shalt be built; and to the temple. Thy foundation shall be laid." Comp. ch. xlv. 1 seq. On the genuineness of this passage of Josephus see Whiston's Note. It is 'ustly remarked (see Jahn's observation, quoted by Hengstenberg,!3hristol. i. 279) that this statement of Josephus furnishes the only explanation of the conduct of Cyrus towards the Jews. It is only a commentary on Ezra i. 2, where Cyrus says, " Jehovah the God of heaven and earth hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth 5 and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem which is in Judah." It is incredible that Cyrus should not have seen the prophecy (Isa. xliv. 28) respecting himself before he made this proclamation.

The writings of the fathers are full of the praise of Isaiah. Jerome Bays of him that he is not so much to be esteemed a prophet as an Evangelist. And he adds, " he has st, clearly explained the whole mystery of Christ and the church, that you will regard him not as pre.'licting future events; but as composing a history of the past." h\ bis EpisUe ad Paulinum he says, ^' Isaiah seems to me not to hav* composed a prophecy, but the gospel." And in his preface he saya •that m his discoarse he is so eloquent, and is a man of so noble and refined elocution, without any mixture of rusticity, that it is impossible to preserve or transfuse the beauty of his style in a translation." Comp. the Confess, of Angus, ix. 5; De Civita. Dei. lib. viii. c. 29. Moses Amyraldus said of Isaiah that he " seems to thunder and lighten; he seems to confound and mingle not Greece, as was formerly said of Pericles; not Judea, and the neighbouring regions, but heaven and earth and all the elements." See MichaeHs Pref to Isa. p. 8, 9, 10. Comp. Joseph. Ant. B. x. c. 3. Sirach ch. xlviii. 22.

" The style of Isaiah," says Hengstenberg, Christol. vol. i. p. 281, ^ is in general characterized by simplicity and sublimity; ir the use of imagery, he holds an intermediate place between the poverty of Jeremiah and the exuberance of Ezekiel. In other respects his style is suited to the subject, and changes with it. In his denunciations and threatenings he is earnest and vehement; in his consolations and instructions, on the contrary, he is mild and insinuating; in the strictly poetic passages, full of impetuosity and fire. He so lives in the events he describes, that the future becomes to him ja^ the past and the present."

It is now generally conceded that a considerable portion of I&aiah, like the other prophets, is poetry. For the establishment of this opinion, v/e are indebted mainly to Bishop Lowth. ^' It has," says he, (Prelim. Diss. to Isaiah,) "I think, been universally understood that thq prophecies of Isaiah were written in prose. The style, the thoughts, the images, the expressions, have been allowed to be poetical, and that in the highest degree; but that they were written inverse, in measure, in rhythm, or whatever it is that distinguishes as poetry the composition of those books of the Old Testament which are allowed to be poetical, such as Job, the Psalms, and the Proverbs, from the historical books, as mere prose, this has never been supposed, at least has not been at any time the prevailing feeling."

The main object of Lowth, in his Preliminary Dissertation, was to demonstrate that the prophecies of Isaiah have all the characteristics of Hebrew poetry; a position which he has abundantly established, and which is admitted now by all to be correct. Accordingly, in imitation of Lowth and of the best critics, the " New Translation " in this work is, for the most part, exhibited in the usual poetic form of the Hebrew parallelism. For a more extended view of the nature of Hebrew poetry, the reader may consult my Introduction to the Book of Job, pp. xxxix. — liv.

In all ages Isaiah has been regarded as the most sublime of all writers. He is simple, bold, rapid, elevated; he abounds in metaphor, and in rapid transitions; his writings are full of the sublimest figures of rhetoric, and the most beautiful ornaments of poetry. Grotius compares him to Demosthenes. " In his writings we meet with the purity of the Hebrew tongue, as in the orator with the delicacy of the Attio taste. Both are sublime and magnificent in their style; vehement in their emotions; copious in their figures; and very impetuous when Ihey describe things of an enormous nature, or that are grievous and odious. l£a;ah was sTiperior to Demosthenes in the honour oi »*Jua» trious birth." Comm. on 2 Kings xix. 2. It may be added /^lere, that although his writings are not so ancient as those of Moses cr as those of Homer and Hesiod, yet they are more ancient than ir '<st of the admired classic productions of Greece, and are far more a icient than any of the Latin classics. As an ancient writer he dei landa respect. And laying out of view altogether the idea of his in ^piration, and his religious character, he has a claim as a poet, an orator, a writer of eminent beauty and unrivalled sublimity, to the atttntion of those who are seeking eminence in literature. No reason can be given why in a course of mental training, Isaiah, and the language in which he wrote, should be neglected, while Hesiod and Homer, with the language in which they wrote, should be the objects of admiration and of diligent culture. In no book, perhaps, can the mere man)f taste be more gratified than in the study of Isaiah; by no wriun/s would the mind be more elevated in view of the beautiful and vhe sublime, or the heart be more refined by the contemplation of the pure. Few, very few of the Greek and Latin classic writers can be put into the hands of the young without endangering the purity of their morals; but Isaiah maybe studied in all the periods of youth, and manhood, and age, only to increase the virtue of the heart and the purity of the imagination, at the same time that he enriches and expands the understanding. And while no one v/ho has just views of the inestimable value of the Greek and Latin classics in most of the respects contemplated in education, would wish to see them banished from the schools, or displaced from seminaries of learning, yet the lover of ancient writings; of purity of thought and diction; of sv*"eet and captivating poetry; of the beautiful and sublime in vmting; of perhaps the oldest language of the world, and of the pure sentiments of revelation, may hope that the time will come when the Hebrew language shall be deemed worthy of culture in American schools and « olleges as well as the Latin and Greek; and that as a part of the training of American youth, Isaiah may be allowed to take a place at least as honourable as Virgil or Homer— as Cicero or Demosthenes. It is indeed a melancholy reflection which we are compelled to make on the seminaries of learning in our land — a Christian land— that the writings of the Hebrew prophets and poets have been compelled to give place to the poetry and the mythology of the Greeks; and that the books containing the only system of pure religion are required to defer to those which were written under the auspices of idolatry, and which often express sentiments, and inculcate feelings, which cannot be made to contribute to the purity of the heart, or be reconciled with the truth as revealed from heaven. As specimens of taste; as models of richness of thought, and beauty of diction; as well as for their being tlie vehicles in which the knowledge of the only true religion is con veyed to man, these writings have a claim on the attention of the young. Were the writings of Isaiah mere human compositions; had tliey come down to us as the writings of Demosthenes and Homei have done; and had they not been connected with religion^ we may ^e permitted to express the belief that the Jewish dissics^ with t\\9 classics of Greece £nd Rome, would have been allowed an honourable place in all the seminaries of learning, and in all the public and privaxc libraries of the land.

§ 3. The Times of Isaiah.

Isaiah, as we have seen, lived for the greater part of a century, and possibly even more than a century. It is probable also that for a period of more than seventy years he exercised the prophetic office. During that long period, important changes must have occurred; and a knowledge of some of the leading events of his time is necessary to understand his prophecies. Indeed a simple knowledge of historical facts v/ill often make portions of his prophecies clear which would be otherwise entirely unintelligible.

The kingdom of Israel, which during the reigns of David and Solomon had been so mighty and so magnificent, was divided into two separate kingdoms 990 years before Christ, or two hundred and forty years before Isaiah entered on his prophetic office. The glory of these kingdoms had departed; and they had been greatly weakened by contentions with each other, and by conflicts with surrounding nations. In a particular manner, the kingdom of Israel, or Samaria, or Ephraim, or the ten tribes, as it was indiscriminately called, had been governed by a succession of wicked princes; had become deeply imbued with idolatry, and had so far provoked God as to make itnecessary to remove them to a foreign land. It was during the time in which Isaiah discharged the duties of the prophetic office that that kingdom was utterly overturned, and the inhabitants transplanted to a distant country. In the year 736 before Christ, or not far from twenty years after Isaiah entered on his work, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria slew Rezin king of Damascus, the ally of Pekah the king of Samaria; and he entered the land of Israel, and took many cities and captives, chiefly in Gilead and Galilee, and carried many of the inhabitants to Assyria. 2 Kings xvi. 5 — 9. Amos i. 5. 2 Kings xv. 29. 1 Chron. v. 26. This was the first captivity of the kingdom of Israel. Shalmaneser succeeded Tiglath-Pileser as king of Assyria B.C. 724. In the year 721 B. C. he besieged Samaria, and after a siege of three years he took it. He carried beyond the Euphrates the inhabitants which Tiglath-Pileser had not removed, and placed them in cities there. 2 Kings xvii. 3 — 18. Hos. xiii. 16. 1 Chron. v. 26. This was the end of the kingdom of Israel, after it had subsisted two hundred and fifty-four years. Isaiah exercised the prophetic office during about thirty of the last years of the kingdom of Israel. But his residence was principally at Jerusalem; and not many of his predictions have reference to the kingdom of Israel. Most of his prophecies which have reference to the Jews relate to the kingdom of Judah, and to Jerusalem.

The kingdom of Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem, had greatly declined from the splendour and magnificence which had existed under David and Solomon. It had been greatly weakened by the revolt of the ten tribes, and by the wars in which it had been engaged with the kingdom of Samaria, as well as with surrounding nations. Though

Its kings were superior in virtue and piety to the kings of Israe., yet many of them had been unworthy to be the descendants of David, and their conduct had exposed them greatly to the divine displeasure.

When Isaiah entered on his prophetic office the throne was eccupied by Uzziah; or as he is elsev/here called Azariah. He succeeded his father Amaziah^. and was sixteen years old when he came to the throne, and reigned fifty-two years. He began his reign in the year 809 B. C. and of course his reign extended to the year 757 B. C. Hia general character was that of integrity and piety. He was a worshipper of the true God, yet he did not remove the groves and high places which had been established in the land for idolatrous worship. He greatly strengthened Jerusalem; was successful in his wars with the Philistines, with the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and extended his kingdom somewhat into surrounding regions. Near the close of his life he was guilty of an act of rashness and folly in claiming as a monarch the right of going into the temple of the Lord, and of burning incense on the altar. For this sin he became a leper and remained so till his death. 2 Kings xv. 2 Chron. xxvi. He was of course regarded as unclean, and was obliged to dwell by himself in a separate house. 2 Chron. xxvi. 21. During this period,*the affairs of the government were administered by his son Jotham. 2 Chron. xxvi. 21. It is probable that Isaiah exercised the prophetic office but for a short time, perhaps for a single year, during the reign of Uzziah. None of his prophecies can be certainly proved to relate to his reign except that contained in the sixth chapter. It is more natural, however, to suppose that those in the previous five chapters were delivered in his reign.

Uzziah, or Azariah, was succeeded by his son Jotham. He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. The general character of Jotham was like that of his father. He was upright; and he was not guilty of idolatry. Yet the high places were not removed; the groves still remained; and the state of the people was corrupt. 2 Kings xv. 32 — 36. 2 Chron. xxvii. 1 — 9 He carried forward the plan which his father had commenced of fortify ing the city (2 Chron. xxvi. 3), and of enlarging and beautifying hib kingdom. In a particular manner, he is said to have built a high gate to the house of the Lord, and to have fortified Ophel. 2 Chron. xxvi. 3. Ophel was a mountain or bUiff, which was situated between Mount Zion and Mount Moriah. From the base of this mountain or blufl flowed the waters of Siloam. This bluff was capable of being strongly fortified, and of contributing much to the defence of the city, and accordingly it became one of the strongest places in Jerusalem. Jotham also built cities, and castles, and towns in the mountains and forests of Judea (2 Chron. xxvi. 4), and it is evident that his great aim was to beautify and strengthen his kingdom. The principal wars in which he was engaged were with the Ammonites, whom he subdued, and laid tinder tribute. 2 Chron. xxvi. 5.

It was during the reign of Jotham that very important events occurred in the vast empire of the East. The ancient empire of the Asfiyrians which had governed Asia for more than thirteen hundred yeari was disfejolved on the death of Sardanapalus in the year 717 before

, Christ. Sardanapalus was distinguished for sloth and laxury. H« A Bunk into the lowest deptns of depravity; clothed himself as a woman spun amidst the companies of his concubines; painted his face and decked himself as a harlot. So debased was he, that his reign became intolerable. Pie became odious to his subjects and particularly to Arbaces the Mede, and to Belesis the Babylonian. Belesis was a captain, a priest, and an astrologer; and by the rules of his art, he took upoii him tc assure Arbaces that he should detlirone Sardanapalus, and become lord of all his dominions. Arbaces hearkened to him, and promised him the chief place over Babylon if his prediction proved true. Arbaces and Belesis promoted a revolt, and the defection spread among the Medes, Babylonians, Persians, and Arabians, who had been subject to the Assyrian empire. They mustered an army of not less than four hundred thousand men, but were at first defeated by Sardanapalus, and driven to the mountains^ but they again rallied and were again defeated with great slaughter, and put to flight towards the hills. Belesis, however, persisted in the opinion that the gods would give them the victory and a third battle was fought in which they were again defeated. Be^ lesis again encouraged his followers; and it was determined to endeavour to secure the aid of the Bactrians. Sardanapalus supposing victory vvas secure, and that there could be no more danger, had returned to his pleasures, and given himself and his army up to riot and dissipation. Belesis and Arbaces, v/ith the aid of the Bactrians, fell upon the army sunk in inglorious ease, and entirely vanquished it, and drew Sardanapalus without the walls of his capital. Here, closely besieged, he sent away his three sons and two daughters into Paphlagonia. In Nineveh he determined to defend himself, trusting to an ancient prophecy, " that Nineveh could never be taken till the river became her enemy;" and as he deemed this impossible, he regarded himself as secure. He maintained his position, and resisted the attacks of his enemies for two years, until the river, swelled by great rains, rose and overflowed a considerable part of it. Regarding his aflfairs as now desperate, he caused a vast pile of wood to be raised in a court of his palace, in which he placed his gold and silver and royal apparel, and within which he enclosed his eunuchs and concubines, and retired within his palace, and caused the pile to be set on fire, and was consumed himself with the rest. Universal History, Anc. Part, vol. iii. pp. 354—358. Edit. Lond. 1779.

From this kingdom, thus destroyed, arose the two kingdoms of Assyria, as mentioned in the Scriptures, and of Babylonia. Arbaces, who, according to Prideaux, is the same as Tiglath-Pileser (comp. However Universal History, vol. v. 359), obtained a large part of the empire. Belesis had Babylon, Chaldea, and Arabia. Belesis, according to Prideaux (Connex. book i. p. 114), was the same as Nabonas- Bar, or Baladan (see Note on ch. xxxix. 1); and was the king from whom was reckoned the famous era of Nabonassar commencing in the 747th year before thg Christian era. It is not improbable that there was some degree of dependence of the Babylonian portion of the em- Dire on the Assyrian; or that the king of Babylon was regarded as a viceroy to (he king of Assyria, as we know that among the colonista rfent by Shalmaiieser to people Samaria et^er the ten tribes were carried away, were some from Babylon, which is there mentioned in such a manner as to leave the impression that it was a province of Assyria. 2 Kings xvii. 24. The kingdom of Babylon, however, ultimately acquired the ascendency, and the Assyrian was merged into the Chaldean monarchy. This occurred about one hundred years after the reign of Nabonassar, or Baladan, and v/as effected by an alHance formed between Nabopolassar and Cyaxares the Median. See Rob. CaL Art. Babylonia. Comp. Note on ch. xxxix. 1. It should be observed, however, that the history of the Assyrian empire is one of the obscurest portions of the ancient history. See the article Assyria in Rob. Calmet.

There is not any decided evidence that Isaiah delivered any prophecies during the reign of Jotham. Most commentators have supposed that the prophecies inch. ii. — v. were deliveud during his reign; but there is no internal proof to demonstrate it. See the Analysis of these chapters.

Jotham was succeeded by Ahaz. He was the twelfth king of Judah. He came to the throne at the age of twenty years, and reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years, and of course died at the age of thirty-six. He ascended the throne, according to Calmet, 738 years before the Christian era. See 2 Kings xvi. 2. 2 Chron. xxviii. 5. The character of Ahaz was the reverse of that of his father; and, excepting Manaseeh his grandson, there was not probably a more impious prince that eat on the throne of Judah. Nor was there a reign that was on the whole more disastrous than his. A statement of his deeds of evil, and a brief record of the calamitous events of his reign, is given in 2 Chron. xxviii. and in 2 Kings xvi. He imitated the kings of Israel and Samaria in all manner of abominations and disorders. He early made images of Baalim. He burnt incense in the valley of Hinnom to idol g®ds, and burnt his children in the fire. He established idolatrous places of worship in every part of the land 5 and caused the worship of idols to be celebrated in the groves, and on all the hills in Judea. As a consequence of this idolatry, and as a punishment for his sins and the sins of the nation, his kingdom was invaded by the joint forces of the kings of Syria and of Samaria. A large number of captive Jews were carried to Damascus; and in one day Pekah the king of Samaria killed one hundred and twenty thousand, and took captive two hundred thousand more whom he purposed to carry captive to Samaria. This he would have done but for the remonstrance of the prophet Obed, who plead with him, and represented the impropriety of his carrying his brethren into bondage; and at his solicitation, and from the appreheneion of the wrath of God, the captives were returned to Jericho, and Bet at liberty. 2 Chron. xxviii. 15. It was at this juncture, and when Ahaz trembled with alarm at the prospect of the invasion of the kings of Syria and Samaria, that he resolved to call in the aid of the Assyrian, and thus to repel the apprehended invasion. Though he had been able to defeat the united armies of Syria and Samaria onc« (2 Kings xvi. 5), yet those armies again returned, and Ahaz in alarm ilelermiaed to seek the aid of Assyria. For tnis purpose he sent ines-

Bengera, with terms of most humble submission and entreaty, and witK the most costly presents that his kingdom could lurnishj to secure the alliance and aid of Tiglath-Pileser the king of Assyria. 2 Kings xvi. 7, 8. It was at this time, when Ahaz was so much alarmed, that Isaiah met him at the conduit of the upper pool in the highwa^ of the fuller's field (Isa. vii. 3, 4,), and assured him that he had no occasion to fear the united armies of Syria and Samaria; that Jerusalem was safe, and that God would be its protector. He assured him that tJie kingdoms of Syria and Samaria should not be enlarged by the ac- I ession and conquest of the kingdom of Judah (Isa. vii. 7 — 9); and advised Ahaz to ask a sign, or demonstration, from Jehovah that this should be fulfilled. Isa. vii. 10, 11. Ahaz indignantly, though with ihe appearance of religious scruple, said that he would not ask a sign, vii. 12. The secret reason, however, why he was not sohcitous to procure a sign from Jehovah was, that he had formed an alliance with the king of Assyria, and scorned the idea of recognizing his dependence on Jehovah. — Isaiah, therefore, proceeded (vii. 13 seq.) to assure him that Jehovah would himself give a sign, and would furnish a demonstration to him that the land would be soon forsaken of both the kinors which Ahaz dreaded. See Notes on ch. vii. Isaiah then proceeded to state the consequences of this alliance with the king of Assyria, and to assure him that the result would be, that, under pretence of aiding him, he would bring up his f<>rces on the land of Judah, and spread devastation and ruin, and that Jerusalem only would be spared. Isa. vii. 17 seq. and ch. viii. The prophecy respecting the speedy removal of the two kings of Syria and Samaria was accomplished. S^f ^()to?i np rh. vH. ]fi. At about the same time the kingdom of Judah was threatened with an invasion from the Edomites and l^hiiistine^. 2 Chron. xxviii. 17, 18. In this emergency Ahaz had recourse to his old ally the king of Assyria. 2 Chron. xxviii. 20, 21. To secure his friendship, he made him a present obtained from the temple, from his own house, and from the princes. 2 Chron. xxviii. 21. The king of Assyria professedly accepted the offer; marched against Rezin the king of Syria, took Damascus, and slew Rezin, agreeably to the prediction of Isaiah, ch. vii. 16. While Tiglath-Pileser was ot Damascus, Ahaz visited him, and being much charmed with an altar which he saw there, he sent a model of it to Urijah the priest to have one constructed like it in Jerusalem. 2 Kings xvi. 10. seq. This was done. Ahaz returned from Damascus; offered sacrifice on the new altar which he had had constructed, and gave himself up to every species of idolatry and abomination. 2 Kings xvi. 12 seq. He offered sacrifice to the gods of Damascus, on the pretence that they had defended Syria, and might be rendered propitious to defend his own kingdom (2 Chron. xxviii. 23); he broke up the vessels of the temple, shut up the doors, and erected altars to the heathen deities in every part ol Jerusalem. 2 Chron. xxviii. 24, 25. He thus finished hiff inglorious reign in the thirty-sixth year of his age, and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but not in the sepulchres of the kings on account of his grosa abominations. 2 Chron. xxviii. 27.

The prediction of Isaiah (chs. vii. viii.) that his calling in *h6 aiJ

'jf the king of Assyria would result in disaster to nis own land, and td all the land except Jerusalem (Note, eh. viii. 8), was not accom]jIished in the time of Ahaz, but was literally fulfilled in the calamities which occurred by the invasion of Sennacherib in the times of Hezekiah. See Notes on ch. viii. and chs. xxxvi. — xxxix.

It is not certainly known what prophecies were delivered by Isaiah in the time of Ahaz. It is certain that those contained in chapters vii. viii. and ix. were uttered during his lejj^n, and there is every probability that those contained in chs. x. xi. xii. were also. Perhaps some of the subsequent predictions also were uttered during his reign.

Ahaz was succeeded by his son Hezekiah, one of the most pious kings that ever sat on the throne of David. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years. 2 Chron. xxxix. 1. His character was the reverse of that of his father; and one of the first acts of his reign was to remove the evils introduced in the reign of Ahaz, and to restore again the pure worship of God. He began the work of reform by destroying the high places, cutting down the groves, and overturning the altars of idolatry. He destroyed the brazen serpent which Moses had made, and which had become an object of idolatrous worship. He ordered the doors of the temple to be rebuilt, and the temple itself was thoroughly cleansed and repaired 2 Kings xviii. 1—6. 2 Chron. xxix. 1 — 17. Ke restored the observance of the Passover, and it was celebrated with great pomp and joy (2 Chron. xxx. seq.), and he restored the regular worship in the temple as it was in the time of Solomon. 2 Chron. xxviii. 18. Successful in his efforts to reform the religion of his country, and in his wars with the Philistines (2 Kings xviii. 8), he resolved to cast off thg ^'n^lnHmin yoke of servitude to the king of Assyria. 2 Kings xviii. 7. He refusei therefore, to pay tiie tribute which nad been promised to hiir. and: which had been paid by his father Ahaz. As might have bee i expected, this resolution excited the indignation of the king of Assyria, and led to the resolution to compel submission. Sennacherib, therefore, invaded the land with a great army; spread desolation through DO small part of it; and was rapidly advancing towards Jerusalem. Hezekiah saw his error, and, alarmed, he sought to avoid the threatened blow. He, therefore, put the city in the best possible posture of defence. He fortified it; enclosed it with a second wall; erected towers; repaired the fortification Millo in the city of David; stopped all the fountains; and made darts and shields that the city might be defended.. 2 Chron. xxxii. 1 — 8. He endeavoured to prepare himself as well as possible to meet the mighty foe; and he did all that he could to inspire.confidence in God among the people. Notes on Isaiah xxii. 9 — 11. Yet as if not quite confident that he could be able to hold out during a siege, and to resist an army so mighty as that of Sennacherib, he sent embassadors to him, acknowledged his error, and sued for peace. Sennacherib proposed that he should send him three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold, and gave the implied assurance that if this were done his army should be withdrawn. 2 Kings xviii. 13, 14. Hezekiah readily agreed to send what was demanded; and to accomplish this he emptied the treasury, an^. stripped the temple of its oriia- ments. 2 Kings xviii. 15, 16. Snnnacherib then went down to Egypt (see Notes on chs. xxxvi. xxxvii.), and was repelled before Pelueium by the approach of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, who had come to the aid of the Egyptian monarch. On his return, Sennacherib sent messengers from Lachish, and a portion of his army to Jerusalem to demand ita surrender. Isa. xxxvi. 2. To this embassy no answer was returned by the messengers of Hezekiah (Isa. xxxvi. 21, 22); and the messengers of Sennacherib returned again to him to Libnah. Note on Isa. xxxvii. 8. At this period, Sennacherib was alarmed by the rumour that Tirhakah, whom he had so much reason to dread, was advancing against him (Isa. xxxvii. 9), and he again sent messengers to Hezekiah to induce him to surrender, intending evidently to anticipate the news that Tirhakah was coming, and to secure the conquest of Jerusalem without being compelled to sit down before it in a regular siege. This message like the former was unsuccessful. Hezekiah spread the case before Jehovah (ch. xxxvii. 15 — 20), and received the answer that Jerusalem was safe. Sennacherib advanced to attack the city; but in a single night 185,000 of his men were destroyed by an angel of the Lord, and he himself fled to his capital, where he was slain by his two sons. Ch. xxxvii. 36 — 38.

These events were among the most important in Jewish history. Isaiah lived during their occurrence; and a large portion of his prophecies from ch. xiv. to ch. xxxix. are occupied with allusions to and Btatements of these events. He gave himself to the work of preparing the nation for them; assuring them that they would come, but that Jerusalem should be safe. He seems to have laboured to inspire the mind of Hezekiah and the minds of the people with confidence in God, that when the danger should arrive, they might look to him entirely for defence. In this he was eminently successful; and Hezekiah and the nation put unwavering confidence in God. An accurate acquaintance with the causes, and the various events connected with the overthrow of Sennacherib, is indispensable to a clear understanding of Isaiah; and these causes and events I have endeavoured to present in Notes on the several chapters which refer to that remarkable invasion. Soon after this, Hezekiah became dangerously ill; and Isaiah announced to him that he must die. Isa. xxxviii. 1. Hezekiah prayed to God for the preservation of his life, and an assurance was given to him that he should live fifteen years longer. Isa. xxxviii. 5. In attestation of this, and as a demonstration of it, the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz was made to recede ten degrees. See Notes on ch. xxxviii. 8.

Hezekiah, after his signal success over his foe, and the entire deliverance of his kingdom from the long dreaded invasion, and his recovery from the dangerous illness, became eminently prosperous and successful. He was caressed and flattered by foreign princes; presents of great value were given him, and he encompassed himself with the usual splendour and magnificence of an oriental monarch. 2 Chron, xxxii. 23, 27, 28. As a consequence of this, his heart was lifted up with pride; he gloried in his wealth, and magnificence, and even bef aoie proud of the divine interposition in his favour. To show what was \q iiis heart, and to humble h'm, he was left to display ii;s treas-* ureo in an ostentatious manner to the embassadors of Merodach- Baladan king of Babylon (2 Chron. xxxii. 25, 31), and/or this received the assurance that all his treasures and his family should be carried in inglorious bondage to the land from whence the embassadors came. 2 Kings XX. 12 — 18. Notes on Isa. xxxix. The remnant of the life of Hezekiah was peace. Isa. xxxix. 8. He died at the age of fiftyfour years; and was buried in the most honoured of the tombs of the kings of Judah (2 Chron. xxxii. 33); and was deeply lamented by a weeping people at his death.

The reign of Hezekiah stretched through a considerable portion of the prophetic ministry of Isaiah. A large part of his prophecies are, therefore, presumed to have been uttered during this reign. It ia probable that to this period we are to attribute the entire series from ch. xiii. to ch. xxxix. inclusive. The most important of his prophecies, from ch. xl. to ch. Ixvi. I am disposed to assign to a subsequent period '—to the reign of Manasseh. The reasons for this may be seen, in jpart, in § 2 of this Introduction.

Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Manasseh. The reasons for thinking that any part of the life of Isaiah was passed under the reign of this wicked prince have been stated above. He was the fifteenth king of Judah, and was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty-five years. It was during his reign, and by him, as it is commonly supposed, that Isaiah was put to death. He forsook the path of Hezekiah and David; restored idolatry; worshipped the idols of Canaan; rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah had destroyed; set up altars to Baal, and planted groves to false gods. He raised altars to the whole host of heaven even in Jerusalem and in the courts of the temple; made his son pass through the fire to Moloch; was addicted to magic and divination; set up the idol of Astarte in the house of God, and caused the people to sin in a more aggravated form than had been done by the heathen who had formerly inhabited the land of Canaan. To all this he added cruelty in the highest degree, and " shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another." Probably most of the distinguished men of piety were cut off by him, and among them, it is supposed, was Isaiah. See 2 Kings xxi. 2 Chron. xxxiii.

So great were his crimes that God brought upon the land the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh from the hiding place where he sought a refuge amidst briers and thorns, and bound him, and carried him to Babylon (2 Chron. xxxii. 11), — another proof that Babylon was at this time a dependent province of the Assyrian monarchy. In Babylon, Manasseh repented of his sins and humbled himself, and he was again returned to his land and his throne. After his restoration he removed the worship of idols, and re-established the worship of Jehovah. He built a wall on the west side of Gihon, and extended it around to Mount Ophel, and put Jerusalem in a posture of defence. He broke down and removed the altars which he had erected in Jerusalem, and m the temple 5 and he removed all traces of idolatrous worship except ttie h/gh places, which he suffered still to remain. There is evidence of his reformation; and the latter part of his reign appears to have passed in comparative happiness and virtue.

It was only during the early part of his reign that Isjiiah lived, and there is in his prophecies no express mem'on made of Manasseh. li he lived during any part of it, it is evident that he withdrew enlirely, or nearly so, from the pubUc exercise of his prophetic functions, and retired to a comparatively private life. There is evidently between the close of the xxxixth chapter of his prophecy, and the period when the latter part of his prophecies commences (ch. xl.), an interval of considerable duration. It is not a violation of probability that Isaiah after the death of Hezekiah, being an old man, withdrew much from public life; that he saw and felt that there was little hope of producing reform during the impious career of Manasseh; and that, in the distress and anguish of his soul, he gave himself up to the contemplation of the happier times which should yet occur under the reign of the Messiah. It was during this period, I suppose, that he composed the latter part of his prophecies, from the xlth to the Ixvith chapter. The nation was full of wickedness. An impious prince was on the throne. Piety was banished, and the friends of Jehovah were bleeding in Jerusalem. The nation was given up to idolatry. The kingdom was approaching the period of its predicted fall and ruin. Isaiah saw the tendency of events; he saw how hopeless would be the attempt at reform. He saw that the captivity of Babylon was hastening on, and that the nation was preparing for that gloomy event. In this dark and disastrous period, he seems to have withdrawn himself from the contemplation of the joyless present, and to have given his mind to the contemplation of happier future scenes. An interval perhaps of some ten or fifteen years may be supposed to have elapsed between his last public labours in the time of Hezekiah, and the prophecies which compose the remainder of the book. During this interval he may have withdrawn from public view, and fixed his mind on the great events of future times. In his visions he sees the nation about to go into captivity. Yet he sees also that there would be a return from bondage, and he comforts the hearts of the pious with the assurance of such a return. He announces the name of the monarch by whom that deliverance would be accomplished, and gives assurance that the captive Jews should again return to their own land. But he is not satisfied with the announcement of this comparatively unimportant deliverance. With that he connects a far greater and more important deliverance, that from sin, under the Messiah. He fixes his eye, therefore, on the future glories of the kingdom of God; sees the long promised Messiah; de scribes his person, his work, his doctrine, and states in glowing language the effects of his coming on the happiness and destiny of mankind. As he advances in his prophetic descriptions, the deliverance from Babylon seems to die away and is forgotten; or it is lost in the contemplation of the event to which it had a resemblance — the coming of the Messiah — as the morning star is lost in the superior glory of the rising sun. He throws himself forward in his descriptions; places himself amidst these future scenes, and describes them as taking place uround him, and as events which he saw. He thinks and feels and acts as if i;i that period; his mind is full of the contemplation; and he pour^ out, in describing it, the most elevated language and the subfimest thoughts. It was in contemplations such as these, I isuppose, that he passed the close of his life; and in such visions of the glorioua future, that he sought a refuge from the gloom and despondency which must have filled a pious mind during the early part of the reign of thtj impious and blood-thirsty Manasseh.

Isaiah was cotemporary with the prophets Jonah, Hosea, and Micah. They, however, performed a less important public part, and were not favoured with visions of the future glory of the church, like his. In a single chapter, however, the same language is used by Isaiah and by Micah. See Isa. ii. 2 — 4. Comp. Micah iv. 1 — 4. In which prophet the language is original, it is impossible now to determine.

The period of the world in which Isaiah lived was in some respects a forming period. We have seen that it was during his life that the kingdom of Assyria, which had so long swayed a sceptre of entire dominion over the East, began to wane, and that its power was broken. The kingdom of Babylon, which ultimately became so vast and mighty, and which destroyed Assyria itself, was established during his hie on a basis that secured its future independence and grandeur. The kingdom of Macedon, whose rise was followed by so great events under the emperor Alexander, was founded about the time when Isaiah began his prophetic life (B. C. 814), by Caranus. Carthage had been founded about a half a century before (B. C. 869); and Rome was founded during his life, B. C. 753. Syracuse was buil tby Archias of Corinth, d^^ring his life, B. C. 769. It is of some importance in recollecting the events of ancient history to group them together, and some advantage may be derived to the student from connecting these events with the name and life of Isaiah.

The following tables, copied mainly from Jahn's Biblical Archaeology, will give a correct view of the principal chronological events in the time of Isaiah, and:nay be of use in the.?( rrect understandiog of hie pri}]>h8ci8S.

(1.) Five prophetic addresses directly to the Jews, including the Ephraimites, reprehending, denouncing, and accusing them, ch. i. — xii.

(2.) Eight addresses or prophetic discourses, in which the destiny of foreign nations is foretold, particularly the destiny of Babylon Philistia, Moab, Syria, Assyria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia and Tyre, ch. xiii. — xxiii.

(3.) Penal judgments against the Jews and their foes, with ample promises of the final preservation and future prosperity of the Jews, ch. xxiv. — xxxvi.

(4.) Four consolatory addresses, respecting the coming of the Messiah, and particularly describing the events which would be introductory to it; especially the liberation from the captivity at Baby- Ion, ch. xl. — xHx.

(5.) A description of the coming and work of the Messiah — ^hia person, his doctrines, his death, and the success of the gospel and its final triumph, cii. xlix. — Ixvi.

II. Historic The events recorded in ch. xxxvi. — xxxix.

The natural and obvious division of Isaiah is into two parts, the first of which closes with the xxxixth chapter, and the latter of which comprises the remainder of the book (xl. — Ixvi). In this division the latter portion is regarded as substantially a continuous prophecy, or an unbroken oracle or vision, relating to far distant events, and having little reference to existing things at the time when Isaiah lived, except the implied censures which are passed on the idolatry of the Jews in the time of Manasseh. The main drift and scope, however, is to portray events to come — the certain deliverance of the Jews from the bondage in Babylon, and the higher deliverance of the world under the Messiah, of which the former was the suggester and the emblem.

The former part (ch. i. — xxxix.) comprises a collection of independent prophecies and writings composed at various periods during the public ministry of the prophet, and designed to produce an immediate effect on the morals, the piety, the faith, and the welfare of the nation. The general drift is, that Jerusalem was secure; that the kingdom of God on earth could not be destroyed; that however much his people might be subjected to punishment for their sins, and however long and grievous might be their calamities, and however mighij their foes, yet that the kingdom of God could not be overturned, and nis promises set at nought. Hence in all the predictions of judgment and calamity; in all the reproofs for crime, idolatry, and sin; there ia usually found a saving clause^ — an assurance that the people of God would finally triumph, and be secure. And hence so large a portion of this division of the book is occupied with a prophetic statement o\ the entire and utter overthrow of the formidable states, nations, and cities with which they had been so often engaged in war, and which were so decidedly hostile to the Jews. The prophet, therefore, goea over in detail these cities and nations, and depicts successively the destruction of the Assyrians, of Babylon, Tyre, Moab, Damascus, Edom, &c., until he comes to the triumphant conclusion in ch. xxxv. that ALL the enemies of the people of God would be destroyed, and his kingdom be estabHshed on an imperishable basis under the Mes- Biah. See Notes on ch. xxxv. This is the scope of this part of the prophecy; and this is the reason why there is such fearful denunciation of surrounding nations. In the course of the predictions, however there are frequent reproofs of the Jews for their sins, and solemn warnings and assurances of judgment against them; but there is the uniform assurance that they should be delivered, as a people, from all bondage and calamity, and be restored to ultimate freedom and prosperity.

This part of the book comprises the prophecies which were uttered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. See § 3. For convenience it may be divided in the following manner:

First. Independent prophecies, relating to Judah and Israel, ch. I. — xii. These are seven in number.

Second. Independent prophecies, mainly relating to surrounding nations which had been regarded as hostile to the Jews, or which were their natural enemies, or which for their sins were to be cut ofl to make way for the introduction and permanent establishment of the kingdom of God, ch. xiii. — xxiii. These prophecies are fourteen ia number, and relate to the following kingdoms and people.

XIX. JerusaleMj when about to be iesieged by Sennacherib, ch, xxii. 1 — 14.

Third. Independent prophecies, iating mainly to the times of Hezekiah, and to the prospect of the' Ascyrian invasion under Sennacherib; with a statement of the ultimate safety of the people of God, and the overthrow of all their enemies, ch. xxiv. — xxxv. These prophecies are eight in number, and relate to the following events..

XXIV. The siege and deliverance of Jerusalem, ch. xxix.

XXV. An alliance with Egypt condemned, ch. xxx.

XXVI. Denunciation on account of the contemplated alliance with Egypt, ch. xxxi.

XXVII. The virtuous and yet unsuccessful reign of Hezekiah^ ch. xxxii.

XXVIII. The destruction of the Assyrian army, ch. xxxiii.

XXIX. The destruction of Edom, and of all the enemies of God. and the final triumph and security of the people, chs. xxxi v. xxxv.

Fourth. The historical portion (chs. xxxvi. — xxxix.), relating to the destruction of Sennacherib, and the sickness and recovery ol Hezekiah.

One great cause of the difficulty of understanding Isaiah arises from the manner in which the division into chapters has been made. This division is known to be of recent origin, and is of no authority whatever. It was first adopted by Cardinal Hugo in the 13th century, who wrote a celebrated commentary on the Scriptures. He divided the Latin Vulgate into ciiapters nearly the same as those which now exist in the English version. These chapters he divided into smaller sections by placing the letters A, B, C, &c., at equal distances from each other in the margin. The division into verses is of still later origin. It was made by Stephens on a journey from Lyons to Paris in 1551, and was first used in his edition of the New Testament. The Jewa formerly divided the books of the Old Testament into greater and smaller sections.

It is obvious that these divisions are of no authority; and it is aa obvious that they were most injudiciously made. A simple glance at Isaiah will show that prophecies have been divided in many instances which should have been retained in the same chapter; and that prophecies, and parts of prophecies, have been thrown into the same chapter which should have been kept distinct. It is not usually difficult ta mark the commencemenl and the close of the prophecies in Isaiah and an indication of such a natural division throws materkl light on the prophecy itself. The proper (divisions have Deen indicated above. That division has been made also in the translation in this work, and is shown by the figures which occur at the commencement of each prophetic portion. These divisions are also indicated by the word VISION occurring at the commencement of each such section; though neither that word, nor the word prophecy or oracle, expresses precisely the idea respecting the contents ol all these portions. As the word vision, howevef, occurs in the general title to the whole book (ch. i. 1), it was thought best to use that to mark the beginning of each section.

§ 5. The Historical Writings of Isaiah.

It is evident that Isaiah wrote more than we have in the book which bears his name. In 2 Chron. xxvi. 22, it is said, '' Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. write." But the only portion of the book of Isaiah which can with any certainty be referred to the time of Uzziah is chapter vi. And even if, as we may suppose, the five previous chapters are to be referred to his time, yet they contain no historical statement; no record of public events sufficient to constitute a history of " the acts of Uzziah, first and last." It is therefore morally certain that there were other writings of Isaiah which we have not in this collection of his prophecies.

Again, in 2 Chron. xxxii. 32, it is said, " Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz." In the book of Isaiah we have a record of some very important events connected with the life of Hezekiah. See chs. xxxvi. — xxxix. But there is no formal record of the events of the early part of his reign, or of his death. What is said relates to the invasion of Sennacherib (chs. xxxvi. xxxvii.); to the sickness and recovery of Hezekiah (ch. xxxviii.); and to the visit of the embassadors from Babylon, ch. xxxix. But this would scarcely deserve to be called a record, or history of his " acts," and his " goodness" (marg. kindnesses); that is, his doings or plans of beneficence io promote the happiness and piety of his people. It is not, however, on this passage so much that reliance is to be placed to prove that he wrote other documents, as on the passage quoted from 2 Kings.

In regard to these historical records which are not now found in the book of Isaiah, there can be but two opinions.

(1.) One is, that they are lost; that they formed a part of the record of his times which was then of value, and which was lost when more full and complete records were made in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Many such writings are mentioned which are now lost, or which are not found under the names of their authors. Thus we have accounts of the writings of Gad, and Iddo the Seer, and Nathan, and the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilomite, and the book of Jehu (1 Chron Mix. 29. 2 Chron. ix. 29. xx. 34. 1 Kings xvi. 1); all of which are noTi lost, unless they have come down to us under some oth* name. Not is there any improbability that some portions of the once inspired writings are lost. They may have been inspired to accomplish a certain object; and when that object was gained, they may have been lost or destroyed as not 'arther necessary, or as superseded by supeiior clearness of revelation. No man can tell why it should be regarded aa more improbable that divine communications which are written should be lost when they have accomplished their purpose, than it is that divine communications spoken should be lost. In the mere act of writing there is no peculiar sacredness that should make it necessary to pre* eerve it. And yet no one can doubt (comp. John xxi. 25) that a very large portion of what our blessed Lord spoke, who always spoke inspired truth, is now irrecoverably lost. It never was recorded; and there can be no impropriety in supposing that portions of truth that have been recorded have likewise perished. The whole Bible will be consumed in the conflagration of the last day — but truth will live. God has preserved, with remarkable care, as much truth as he saw was necessary to illuminate and edify his church to the end of time. There is, however, no indispensable necessity of supposing that in fact any part of the sacred record has been destroyed. For,

(2.) The records which were made by Isaiah, Iddo, Nathan, Ahijah, &c., may have been public documents that were laid up in the archives of the state, and that were subsequently incorporated into the historical books which we now have. It is probable that the history of each reign was recorded by a prophet, a scribe, or a historioffrapher. See Note, Isa. xxxvi. 3. From the following extract from the travels of Mr. Bruce, it is evident that such an officer is known in modern times as attached to a court. The extract will also be descriptive of the duties of such an officer, and perhaps may be regarded as descriptive of some of the functions discharged by the prophets. '' The king has near his person an officer who is meant to be his historiographer. He is also keeper of his seal; and is obliged to make a journal of the king^s actions^ good or had^ without comrmnt of his own upon them. This, when the king dies, or at least soon after, is delivered to the council, who read it over, and erase every thing false in it, whilst they supply every material fact that may have been omitted, whether purposely or not." Travels, vol. ii. p. 596. Such a record is also kept of all the sayings and purposes of the Emperor of China by an officer appointed for this purpose. It is carefully made, and sealed up during his life, and is not opened until he dies. This is regarded in that empire as an important public security that the Emperor will say or do nothing that he will be unwilling should be known by posterity. See Edin. Ency., Art. China. It would seem probable, therefore, that this is an oriental custom extensively prevalent. There is every reason to believe that a part of these royal biographies, or records of important events in each reign, were written by prophets. See the Analysis of Isa. xxxvi. These records would be deposited in the archives of state, and would be regarded as authentic documents, and placed under the custody of proper officers. When the cormected history of the nation came to be written; when the books of tha

" Kings " and the " Chronicles " were composed nothing wou.a b more natural than to take these documents or historical records, an«^ arrange and embody them as a part o^ the sacred history. They may have been incorporated entire into the narratives which we noW have; and the name of the writer simply referred to as the authority for the document, or to preserve the recollection of the original authorof each fragment or part of the history. This I regard as by far the most probable supposition; and if this be correct, then we have still Bubstantially the portions of history which were composed by Isaiah, Gad, &c., and they have been, with perhaps some sHght changes necessary to constitute a continuous narrative, or to supply some omissions, incorporated into the historical records which we now possess. These requisite changes may have been made by Ezra when the canon of the Old Testament was completed. The reasons for this opinion, may be seen more at length in the Analysis of chapter xxxvi.

§ 6. Quotations of Isaiah in the New Testament.

Isaiah refers more fully to the times of the Messiah than any other of the prophets. It is natural, therefore, to expect to find his writings often quoted or appealed to in the New Testament. The frequency of the reference, and the manner in which it is done, will show the estimate in which he was held by the Saviour, and by the apostles. It may also contribute in some degree to the explanation of some oi the passages quoted to have them convenient for reference, or for examination. The meaning of Isaiah may be often determined by the inspired statement of the event referred to in the New Testament; and the meaning of a New Testament writer likewise by a reference to the passage which he quotes. In regard to those quotations, also, it may be of use to bear in remembrance that a portion is made directly and literally from the Hebrew, and agrees also with the Septuagint version, or is in the words of the Septuagint; a portion agrees with the Hebrew in sense but not in words; a portion is made from the Septuagint translation even when the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew; and in some cases there is a bare allusion to a passage. It may be useful to furnish a classification of the entire passages which are quoted in the New Testament, under several heads, that they may be seen at one view, and may be compared at leisure. For this selection and arrangement, I am mainly indebted to Home. Intro, vol, li. p. 843, seq.

I. Quotations agreeing exactly with the Hebrew,

II. Quotations nearly agreeing with the Hebrew.

III. Quotations agreeing with the Hebrew in sense, btit rioitn words.

IV. Quotations which give the general sense^ but which abridge^ xjf

V. Quotations which are taken from several different places.

VI. Quotations differing from the Hebrew ^ but agreeing with the Sep^

VII. Quotations in which there is reason to suspect a different reading in the Hebrew or that the words were understood in a sense diffei&ni from that expressed in our Lexicons,

IX. Quotations made from the Septuagint.

Many of the passages above referred to are made also from the Septuagint, when that version agrees with the Hebrew. I refer here to a few passages which have not been noted before. The Apostles wrote in the Greek language, and for the use of those among whom the Septuagint was extensively used. Occasionally, however, they quoted directly from the Hebrew, that is, made a translation themselves, or quoted according to the general sense. All the quotations that are in accordance with the Septuagint, or that vary from it, may bd seen in Home's Introd. vol. ii. p. 387, 428.

"X. Quotations which differ from the Hebrew^ and the Septuagint^ and which were perhaps taken from some version or paraphrase^ or which were so rendered by the sacred writers themselves.

So numerous are these quotations, and so entirely do the writings of Isaiah harmonize with those of the New Testament, that it may be regarded almost as an indispensable part of the work of explaining the New Testament to explain Isaiah. They seem to be parts of the same work; and an exposition of the apostles and evangelists can hardly be deemed complete without the accompaniment of the evangelical prophet.

{ 7. The Character and Nature of Prophecy.