Notes on the Old and New Testaments

fion that the Messiah v/ould appear about the tiiiie when Jesus vsnM born. See Notes on Matt. ii.

(6.) It is a consequence of this view also, that many of the propheicies are obscure. It is not to be expected that the same degree of light should be found in the prophecies which we have now. And yet so far as the prophecy was made known, it might be clear enough; nor was there any danger or need of mistake. The facts themselves were perfectly plain and intelligible; but there was only a partial and imperfect development of the facts. The fact^ e. g. that the Messiah was to come; that he was to be born at Bethlehem; that he was to be a king; that he was to die; that his religion was to prevail among the nations; and that the GentiJes were to be brought to the knowledge of him, were all made known, and were as clear and plain as they are now. Much is known now, indeed, of the mode in which this was to be done which was not then; and the want of this knowledge served to make the prophecies appear obscure. We take the inibrmation which we now have, and go back to the times when the prophecies were uttered, and finding them obscure, we seem to infer that because all was not known, nothing was known. But we are to remember that all science at the beginning is elementary; and that knowledge on all subjects makes its advances by slow degrees. Many things in the prophecies were obscure, in the sense that there had been only a partial revelation; or that only a few facts were made known; or that the time was not marked with certainty; and yet the facts themselves may have been as clear as they are now, and the order of succession may have been also as certainly and clearly determined. The facts were revealed; the manner in which they were to occur may have been concealed.

It may be added here, in the words of Prof Stuart, "that many prophecies have respect to kingdoms, nations, and events, that for thousands of years have been buried in total darkness. In what manner they were fulfilled we know not; when, we know not. We do not even know enough of the geography of many places and regions that are named in them, to be able to trace the scene of such fulfilment. Customs, manners, and many other things alluded to by such prophecies, we have no present means of illustrating in an adequate manner. Of course, and of necessity, then, there must be more or less in all such prophecies, that is obscure to us." Bib. Repository vol. ii. p. 237.;; -

Probably no book o^ the Bible has occupied so much the attention of critics, of commentators, and of private Christians, as Isaiah. The beauty, grandeur, and power of his prophecies; their highly evangelical character; the fact that they are so frequently quoted in the New Testament; the number and minuteness of his predictions in regard lo cities and kingdoms; as well as the intrinsic difficulty of many por tions of his writings, all have contributed to this. Of the numerous works which may be consulted in reading, or in explaining Isaiah, tlici following are among the principal:

(1.) The Septuagint, so called from th 5 seventy interpreters wht are supposed d have been engaged in it. This is the most ancient and in some respects the most valuable of* all the versions of the Bible, and vi^as formerly esteemed so valuable as to be read in synagogues and in churches. Much uncertainty exists in regard to the real history of this version. According to the common Jewish legend re specting it, Ptolemy Philadelphus, who reigned king of Egypt frora 284 to 246 B. C, formed the wish, through the advice of his librarian, Demetrius Phalerius, to possess a Greek copy of the Jewish Scriptures, for the Alexandrian Library, and sent to Jerusalem for this object The Jews sent him a Hebrew manuscript, and seventy-two men ol teaming to translate it. They all laboured together, being shut up in the island of Pharos, where having agreed on the translation by mutual conference, they dictated it to Demetrius, who v/rote it down, and thus in the space of seventy-two days the whole was finished. This legend is given in an epistle said to have been written by Aristeas, to his, brother in Alexandria. Josephus also relates the story, Ant. xii. TI. 2 — 14. But it has every mark of fiction; and an examination ol the Septuagint itself will convince any one that it was not all made by the same persons, or at the same time. The most probable supposition is, that after the Jews had settled in great numbers in Egypt, and had in some measure forgotten the Hebrew Language, a Greek version became necessary for the public use in their temple there (Notes Isa. xix. 18), and in their synagogues. There is no improbability that this was done under the sanction of the Sanhedrim, or Council of LXXII. in Egypt, and that it thus received its name and authority. The translation was probably commenced about 250 years before Christ. The Pentateuch would be first translated, and the other books were probably translated at intervals between that time and the time of Christ. '* The Pentateuch is best translated, and exhibits a clear and flowing Greek style; the next in rank is the translation of Job and the Proverbs; the Psalms and the Prophets are translated worst of all; and indeed often without any sense. Indeed the real value of the Septuagint, as a version, stands in no sort of relation to its reputation." Calmet. " Isaiah has had the hard fate to meet a translation unworthy of him, there being hardly any book of the Old Testament that is so ill rendered in that version as Isaiah." Lowlh, The authority of this version, however, soon became so great as to supersede the use of the Hebrew among all the Jews who spoke Greek. It was read in the synagogues in Egypt and was gradually introduced into Palestine. It had the highest reverence among the Jews, and was used by them every where; and is the version that is most commonly quoted in the New Testament. From the Jews the reputation and authority of this version passed over to Christians, who employed it with the same degree of credence as the original. The tea:t of this version has suffered greatly, and great efforts have been made to restore it; and yet probably after all these efforts, and afier all the reputation which the version has enjoyed in former times, there has 80t been any where, or scarcely in any language, any version of tho

Scriptures that is more incorrect and defective than the Septuagint Probably there is no version from which, as a whole, a more correct idea would not be derived of the real meaning of the sacred Scriptures, and this is true in a special manner of Isaiah. It is valuable as the oldest version; as having been regarded with so much respect Jn former times; and as, notwithstanding its faults, and the imperfection of the text, throwing much light on various parts of the Old Testament. But as an authority for correcting the Hebrew text, it is of little or no value. The history of the Septuagint ma.y be seen in Hody, de Biblior. Textibus orig. Ox. 1705; Home's Intro, vol. ii. 163, seq.; Prideaux's Connexions; Walton's Proleg. c. ix. § 3 — 10; Isaac Vosb'ius de LXX. Inter. Hag. Com. 1661; and Brett, Diss, on the Septuagint, in Watson's Theo. Tracts, vol. iii. p. 18, seq.

(2.) The Latin Vulgate — the authorized version of the Papal com munion. When Christianity had extended itself to the West, where the Latin language was spoken, a version of the Scriptures into that language became necessary. In the time of Augustine there were several of these, but only one of them was adopted by the church. This was called common^ vulgata, because it was made from the com-.TQon Greek version, tj yoivri. In modern times this version is often called liala, or the Italic version. This version, in the Old Testament, was made literally from the Septuagint, and copied all its mistakes. To remedy the evils of this, and to give a correct translation of the Scriptures, Jerome undertook a translation directly from the Hebrew. He went to Palestine and enjoyed the oral instructions of a learnea Jew. Pie availed himself of all the labours of his predecessors, and furnished a translation which surpassed all that preceded his in usefulness. In the seventh century this version had supplanted ail the old ones. It was the first book ever printed. By the Council of Trent, it was declared to be " authentic " — and is the authorized, or standard Version of the Papists; and is regarded by them as of equal authority with the original Scriptures. This version is allowed generally to be a very faithful translation; and it undoubtedly gives a much more correct view of the original than the Septuagint.

(3.) The Syriac versions. Of these there are two, both of which are of Christian origin; having been made by Christians of the Syrian church who dwelt in Mesopotamia. The earliest, and most celebrated of these is the Peshito; i. e. the clear, or the literal. It is the authorized version of the Syrian church, and is supposed by them to have been made in the time of Solomon. It was probably made in the first century. It follows, in general, the Hebrew literally; and is very VALUABLE as an aid in ascertaining the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures. The other Syriac version was made from the Septuag:*nt about the year 616, for the use of the Monophysites. It is of value, therefore, only for the interpretation of the Septuagint. It is the former of these which is printed in the Polyglotts. Of the latter no portion haa been printed except Jeremiah and Ezekiel, 1787, and Daniel, 1788 Calmet.

(4.) The Arabic versions. The Scriptures have been at various limes transl'ited into Arabic. After the time of Mohammed, th** Ar»- bjc became the common language of many of the Jews, and of nu merous bodies of Christians in the East. Sometimes the translationa were made from the Hebrew, sometimes from the Septuagint, from the Peshito, or the Vulgate. The version of R. Saadias Gaon, director of the Jewish Academy at Babylon, was made in the tenth century. It comprised originally the Old Testament; but there have been printed only the Pentateuch, and Isaiah. The Pentateuch is found in the Polyglotts. Isaiah was published by Paulus in 1791. The Mauritanian version was made in the thirteenth century, by an Arabian Jew, and was pubhshed by Erpenius in 1629. The Arabic version in the Polyglotts was made by a Christian of Alexandria, and was made from the Septuagint. Robinson. Of course these are of h'ttle value in illustrating the Hebrew text. The chief and great value of the Arabic consists in the light which is thrown upon the meaning of Hebrew words, phrases, and customs, from the Arabic language, manners, and literature.

(5.) The Targums or Chaldee versions. All these are the works of Jews living in Palestine and Babylon, from a century before Clirist, to the eighth, or ninth century after. They bear the name Tar gum. i, e. translation. They comprise the Targum of Onkelos on the Pentateuch; of Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the historical books, and the prophets; of Jerusalem on the Pentateuch; and of smaller and separate Targums on the books of Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. That of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, which was made about the time of the Saviour and which includes Isaiah, is far inferior to that of Onkelos. It often wanders from the text in a wordy, allegorical explanation; admits many explanations which are arbitrary, and especially such as honour the Pharisees; and often gives a commentary instead of a translation. See Gesenius, Comm. Ober den Isa. Einl. § 11. It is valuable, as it often gives a literal translation of the Hebrew, and adheres to il closely, and as it gives a statement of what was the prevaihng interpretation of the sacred writings in the time when it was made. It may, therefore, be used in an argument with the modern Jews, to show that many of the passages which they refuse to refer to the Messiah were regarded by their fathers as having a relation to him.

The more modern versions of the Scriptures are evidently of little or no use in interpreting the Bible, and of no authority in attempting to furnish a correct text. On the general character of the versions above referred to, the reader may consult Home's Intro, vol. ii. 156, seq.; Gesenius, Einl. § 10 — 20.

II. Commentaries. The following are among the principal, which may be referred to in illustration of Isaiah:

(1.) Commentarius in Librum Prophetiarum Isaiae, Cura et Studio Campegii Vitringa, 2 vol. fol. 1714, 1720, 1724. This great work on Isaiah first appeared at Leuwarden in 1714. It has been several times reprinted. Vitringa was professor of theology at France ker, and died m 1722. In this great work, Vitringa surpassed all who went before him in the illustration of Isaiah; and none of the subsequent efibrta which have been made to explain this prophet have supersfjded this, or rendered it valueless. It is now indeed indispensable to a correcl understanding of this prophet. He is he fountain From which most subsequent writers on Isaiah have copiously drawn. His excellencies are, great learning; copious investigation; vast research; judicious exposition; an excellent spirit, and great acuteness. His faults — foi faults abound in his work — are (1.) Great difTuseness of style. (2.) A leaning to the allegorical mode of interpretation. (3.) A minutes, and anxious, and often fanciful effort to find something in history that accords with his view of each prediction. Often these parts of hia work are forced and fanciful; and though they evince great research and' historical knowledge, yet his application of many of the prophecies mast be regarded as wholly arbitrary and unsatisfactory. (4.) He did not seem to be fully acquainted with the poetic and figurative character of the prophetic style. Hence he is often forced to seek for fulfillment of particular expressions when a more complete ac^ quaintance with the character of that style would have led him to seek for no such minute fulfillment. Yet no one can regard himself as furnished for a correct and full examination of Isaiah, who is not in pos session of this elaborate work.

(2.) The collection of commentaries in the Critici Sacri, nine vols, fol. This great work contains a collection of the best commentaries which were known at the time in which it was made. Valuable critical notes will be found in the commentary of Drusius, and occasional remarks of great value in the brief commentary of Grotius. Grotius is the father of commentators; and especially on the New Testament, he has furnished more Tnatejials which have been worked up into the recent commentaries, than all other expositors united. He is especially valuable for the vast amount of classical learning which he has brought to illustrate the Scriptures. His main faults are, a want of spirituality, and a laxness of opinions; but no man who wishes to gain a large and liberal view of the sacred writings, will deem his library complete who has not the commentary of this great man. His notes, however, on Isaiah and the Old Testament generally, are very brief.:

(3.) The same work abridged and arranged by Pool, in 5 vols. fol. This work has often been reprinted, and is well known as Pool's Synopsis. It is a work of great labour. It consists in arranging in one continuous form the different expositions contained in the work last mentioned. With all the learning and labour expended on it, it is, like most other abridgments, a work which will make him who consults it regret that an abridgment had been attempted, and sigh for the original work. It is an arrangement of opinions without any reasons for those opinions as they existed in the minds of the original authors. To a man disposed to collect opinions merely, this work is invaluable; to a man who wishes to know on what opinions are based, and what ia their true value, it will be regarded generally as of comparatively little use. The original work — the Critici Sacri — is cf infinitely more value than this Synopsis by Pool.

(4.) The commentary of Calvin. This may be found in his works printed at Amsterdam in 1667. This commentary on Isaiah was originated in discourses which were delivered by him in his public minis- U-y, and which were committed to wr.tingby another hand, and after* wards revised oy himself. The critical knowledge di Calvin was nol great; nor does he enter minutely into criticisms, or philology. He aims at giving the sense of Isaiah, often somewhat in the form of a paraphrase. There is little criticism of words and phrases; little attempt to describe customs, or to illustrate the geography of theplacea referred to; and there is often in the writings of this great man a want of vivacity and of point. But he is judicious and sound. His practical remarks are useful; and his knowledge of the human heart, and his good s(^nse, enabled him to furnish a commentary that is highly valuable.

(5.) Rosenmiiller on Isaiah. This distinguished and very valuable worK was first published in 1793, in three parts, and afterwards in a completely revised edition in 1810, in three volumes. The merit of Rosenmiiller consists in his great learning; in his cautious and careful collection of all the materials which existed to throw light on the prophet; and in his clear and simple arrangement and statement. The basis of this work is indeed Vitringa; but Rosenmiiller is by no means confined to him. He has gathered from all sources what he regarded as necessary to an explanation of the prophet. He is judi cious in his criticisms; and not rash and reckless in attempting tc modify and amend the text. He does not resemble Grotius, who i? said to have " found Christ nowhere;" but he is almost always, particularly in the first part, an advocate for the Messianic interpretation There can be found nowhere a more valuable collection of materiah for an understanding of Isaiah than in Rosenmiiller.

(6.) Philologisch-Kritischer und Hisiorischer Commentar iiber den Isaiah, von W. Gesenius, 3 Th. Leipzig, 1821. " The commentary ol Gesenius has not rendered superfluous the work of Rosenmuller. Gesenius has certainly been more independent in ascertaining the meaning of words, and in this respect has rendered a great service to the prophet. His diligence has considerably increased the materials of exegesis by collecting a number of striking parallel passages, especially from Arabian and Syrian writers, which though not numerous, have been very accurately read. His historical illustrations, especially of the prophecies relating to foreign nations, are for the most part very valuable; and his acuteness has made new discoveries." Hengstenberg, The great value of Gesenius consists in his explanation of words and phrases; in his bringing to bear his vast learning in the Hebrew, and the cognate languages, to an explanation of the prophet; in his acuteness and skill in philological investigations; and in his use of illustrations of customs, geography, &c.j from modern travellers. A favourable specimen of his manner of exposition may be seen in his commentary on the prophecy respecting Moab, chs. xv. xvi. This i^ translated in the Biblical Repository for January, 1836. See also a translation of ch. xvii. 12 — 14. xviii. 1 — 7, in the Biblical Repository for July, 1836. Of this exposition. Prof. Stuart says, " I consider it the only successful effort which has been made, to unravel the very difficult passage of which it treats. I consider it a kind of chef cV mr^r9 among the philological efforts of this distinguished writer." Bib. Rep. July, lf^36, p. 220. For the general merits of Gesenius, see the articl*

(7.) Isaiah; a New Translation with a Preliminary Dissertation, and Notes, Critical, Philological, and Explanatory. By Robert Lowth, D. D., Lord Bishop of London. This very beautiful translation of Isaiah, was first published in London, in quarto, in 1778, and has been several times reprinted. A German translation was published by M. Koppe, with notes and additions, at Gottingen, 1799, 1781, in 4 vols. 8vo. It is the only work in English, with which I am acquainted, of any very great value on Isaiah; and it will doubless continue to hold its rank afcj a standard work in sacred literature. Of all the interpreters of l3aiah, Lowth has probably most clearly discerned the true nature of tie prophetic visions; has been enabled most clearly to apprehend and express the sense of the prophet; and has presented a translation which has been universally admired for its beauty. The faults of the work are, that his translation is often too paraphrastic; that he indulges in great caprice of criticism; that he often changes the Hebrew te>:t on very slight authority; and that there is a want of copiousness in the notes for the purpose of those who would obtain a full and accurate view of Isaiah. Lowth made good use of the aids which in his time might be derived from the researches of Oriental travellers. But since his time, this department of literature has been greatly enlarged, and important light has been thrown upon many passages which in his time were obscure.

(8.) A new translation of the Hebrew Prophets, arranged in chronological order. By George Noyes, Boston, 1833. This work professes to be simply a literal translation of the prophets, without an extended commentary. A very few notes are appended. The translation is executed with great skill and fidelity, and gives in general very correctly X\\q meaning of the original. The translator has availed himself of the labours of Gesenius, and of the other modern critics. For a further view of this work, see North American Review for January, 1838.

(10.) The Book of the Prophet Isaiah, in Hebrew and English. The Hebrew text metrically arranged, the translation altered from that of Bishop Lowth. By the Right Rev. Joseph Stock, D. D., Bishop of Killala, 1804, 4to. " There is a variety of notes, critical and explanatory, supplied partly by the translator, and partly by others Many of these are uncommonly valuable for their depth and acuteness, and tend to elucidate in a high degree, the subject matter of these prophecies." British Critic, vol. xxviii. p. 466.

(12.) Hierozoicon, Sive de animalibus Sacrse Scriptural. Auctore Samuele Bocharto. Folio, Lond. 1663. This great work has been eeveral times reprinted. It is a work of immense research and learn- *ng; aud is invaluable to all who desire to obtain a knowledge of th«

•uoiccts ci; xjv^ich it treats. Great use may be made of it in the interpretraVion of tile Scriptures; and its authority has often been u^ed in the fuilowing translation and notes. There is repeated mention of ardmai^ m Isaiah; and in no other work known to me can bo accurate ar.d valuable a description of those animals be found as in Bocnart.

(13.) Christology of the Old Testament and a Commentary on the Predictions of the Messiah, by the Prophets. By E. W. Hengstenberg, Doctor of Phil, and TheoL, Professor of the latter in the University of Berlin. Translated from the German by Reuel Keith, D. D. Alexandria, 1836. For a notice of Prof Hengstenberg, and the character of his writings, see Biblical Repository, vol. i. p. 21. The first vol. of this work was published in 1829. It is a very valuable accession to sacred literature, and should form a part of every theological library. It evinces great learning; accurate research; and is deeply imbued with the spirit of piety. Its fault on Isaiah is, that there are many parts of this prophet which should be regarded as predictions of the Messiah, which are not noticed, or so regarded in his work. His expositions of those parts which he has examined (Isa. ii. iv. vii. viii. 23. ix. 1 — 6. xi. xii. xl. seq.) are very valuable.

(14.) Oriental Travellers. In regard to these, the main design is not usually to demonstrate the truth of the predictions of the i..rophets, or to furnish formal expositions of the meaning of the passages oi Scripture. The illustration of the sacred writings which is to be derived from them, is mainly incidental, and often is as far as possible from the intention of the traveller himself The illustrations which are derived from these travels, relate particularly to manners, rites, customs, usages, modes of travelling, conversation, and laws; to the animals which are mentioned in the Bible; to houses, articles of dress and furniture; and more especially to the fulfilment of the prophecies. In this respect almost a new department pertaining to the truth of the Bible has been opened by the researches of modern travellers. Many of the older commentaries were exceedingly defective and unsatisfactory for the want of the information which can now be derived from such researches; and the principal advance which can be anticipated in the interpretation ©f the prophecies, is probably to be derived from this source. In this respect such researches are invaluable, and particularly in the exposition of Isaiah. Some of the most complete and irrefragable demcmstrations of the inspiration of the sacred writings are furnished by a simple comparison of the predictions with the descriptions of places mentioned by modern travellers. In this work, I have endeavoured to embody the results of these inquiries in the notes. As an illustration of the kind of aid to be expected from this quarter, I may refer to the notes on ch. xiii. xiv. respecting Babylon; ch. xv. xvi. respecting Moab; ch. xxiii. of Tyre; and ch. xxxiv. xxxv. of Edom Perhaps no part of the world has excited more the attention of travellers than those where the scenes of Scripture history and of prophecy are laid. Either for commercial purposes; or by a natural desire to visit those parts of the earth which have been the scenes of sacred events; or by the mere love of adventure, most of the places distinguished cither m history or m prophecy have been recently explored.

The Bites of Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre, Damascus, and Jerttoo/em nav% been examined; Lebanon, Egypt. Arabia, and Palestine in general have been visited; and even Moab and Arabia have been traversed. The ancient land of Idumea, long deemed inaccessible, now Arabi;!i Petraea, has been explored by Burckhardt, by Captains Irby and Mangles, by Laborde, and still more recently by our own countrymen, Mr. Stephens, and by Messrs. Smith and Robinson. The capital of that once celebrated kingdom has been discovered and examined after it had been unknown for ages, and a most striking fulfilment of the sacred predictions has thus been furnished. See Notes on chs. xvi. and xxxiv. Perhaps there is no department of sacred learning tha* promises so much to illustrate the Scriptures, as that of modern travels It is to be remembered (to use the words of Prof Bush), that as " tht Bible, in its structure, spirit, and costume, is essentially an Eastern book, it is obvious that the natural phenomena, and the moral condition of the East, should be made largely tributary to its elucidation. In order to appreciate fully the truth of its descriptions, and the accu racy, force and beauty of its various allusions, it is indispensable that the reader, as far as possible, separate himself from his ordinary associations, and put himself by a kind of mental transmutation into the very circumstances of the writers. He must set himself down in the midst of Oriental scenery — gaze upon the sun, sky, mountains an« rivers of Asia — go forth with the nomade tribes of the desert — follows their flocks — travel with their caravans — rest in their tents — lodge ir^ their khans — load and unload their camels — drink at their watering places — pause during the heat of the day under their palms — cultivate the fields with their own rude implements — gather in or glean affce. their harvests — beat out and ventilate the grain in their open threshing floors — dress in their costume— note their proverbial or idiomatic forma of speech, and listen to the strain of song or story with which they beguile their vacant hours." Pref to Illustrations of the Scriptures. To use the words of a late writer in the London Quarterly Review, '* we confess that we have felt more surprise, delight and conviction in examining the account which the travels of Burckhardt, Mangles, Irby, Leigh, and Laborde have so recently given of Judea, Edom, &c., than we have ever derived from any similar inquiry. It seems like a miracle in our own times. Twenty years ago, we read certain portions of the prophetic Scriptures with a belief that they were true, because other similar passages had, in the course of ages, been proved to be so, and we had an indistinct notion that all these (to us) obscure and indefinite denunciations had been — we knew not very well when or how — accomplished; but to have graphic descriptions, ground plans and elevations, showing the actual existence of all the heretofore vague and saadowy denunciations of God against Edom, does, we confess, excite our feelings, and exalt our confidence in prophecy to a height that no external evidence has hitherto done. Here we have, bursting upon our age of incredulity, by the labours of accidental, impartial, and sometimes incredulous witnesses, the certainty of existing facts, whict fulfil w'lat were hitherto considered the most vague and least intelligib^>e of ail the prophecies. The value of one such contemporaneoua proof is immense." '" It is," to use the language of the Biblical Repository (vol. ix. pp. 456, 457), '^sensible evidence, graven en the eternal rocks, and to endure till those rocks shall melt in the final catastrophe of earth. The exactness between the prediction and the fulfilment ii wonderful. The evidence for the truth of the prophecies is sometimes eaid to be cumulative; but here we have a new voiume a\ once opened 10 our view; a sudden influx of overpowering hght. It is a monu mental miracle, an attestation to the truth of God wrought ynto the very framework of the globe." Review of Laborde's Journey to Petra. I may be added, that the sources of information on these interesting sub jects are becoming very numerous, and already leave little to be de Hired. To see this, it is sufficient to mention the following:

Keppel's Narrative of a Journey from India to England,

Laborde's Journey to Petra, and the travels of Chandler, Pocoke, Shaw, Pitts, Niebuhr— the ^prince of travellers '—Porter, Seetzen; from all of whom valuable illustrations may be derived, and confirmations of the truths of the Scripture prophecies. Of all the works of this description, the most valuable for an accurate exposition of the Scriptures, in relation to the geography of the Holy Land, is the recent work of our own countrymen-—" Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai, and Arabia Petrsea," a journal of Travels in the year 1838, by E. Robinson and E. SirutJi. 3 vols. 8vo. 1841.

iliia chapter contains, I. the InBcription, or title to the whole book of Isaiah (rer. 1); ani, II An entile prophecy respecting the land of Judah. In regard to the title see the IMotes on ver. 1.

The remainder of the chapter (ver. 2—31) comprises a single prophecy, complete in itself, and evidently delivered on a single occasion. It has no immediate connexion with that which follows though it may have been delivered about the same period. When it was delivered is not known. We are informed (ch. vi. 1) that the vision of Jehovah, which Isaiah had in the temple, occurred during the last year of the reign of Uzziah. The only indication which we can have of the tim« when this prophecy was uttered, is to be derived from its location, and from the accordance of its contents with the state of things in Judea. It is evident that the author of the arrangement, whoever he was, regarded it as properly placed in the order of time before the account of the vision of Jehovah, i. e. as having been uttered before the death of Uzziah. Nor are the contents of such a nature as to render it improbable that the collector has followed the natural order in which the prophecies were delivered. On some accounts, indeed, it might better be regarded as spoken during the reign of Ahaz; but at any time of the Jewish history in which Isaiah lived, it is not an inappropriate description of the character of the Jewish people. There is one internal indication indeed that it was not delivered in the time of Ahaz. Ahaz had filled the land with the groves and altars of idolatry. See the Introduction, § 3. But this prophecy does not allude to idolatry, as the leading and characteristic sin. It is a description of a people who still kept up the/orm of the worship of Jehovah; of a people deeply depraved indeed, and suffering uuder the tokens of the Divine displeasure, but who were professedly the worshippers of the true God. It is descriptive of a time when the nation was distinguished for hypocrisy, rather than idolatry. It naturally falls, therefore, into the time of Uzziah, or Jotham— as it cannot be supposed that if delivered during the reign of Hezekiah, it would be so far misplaced as to constitute the introductory chapter to the whole series of prophecies. In regard to the time when it was uttered, and the tiTriA to which it refers, there have been very different opinions. Abarbanel, Grotius, and Rosenmiiller, suppose that it refers to the times of Uzziah; De Wette supposes that it relates to the reign oi Jotham; Piscator, Hensler, Arnold, regard it as relating to the reign of Ahaz; and Jarchi, Vitringa, and Eichhorn, refer it to the times of Hezekiah. In such a variety of opinion it is impossible to fix the time with any certainty. Nor is it very material. It was not an inappropriate description of the general character of the Jewish people; and there can be no doubt that there were times during the long prophetic life of Isaiah, when it would be found to accord fully with the condition of the nation. Unhappily, also, there are times in the church now, when it is fully descriptive of the character of the professed people of God, and it contains truths, and fearful denunciations, not lesi appropriate to them, than they were to the people who lived in the time of Isaiah.

The prophecy is highly objurgatory and severe in its character. It is made up of reproof, and of assurances that the evils which they were suffering were for their hypocrisy, and other sins It commences with a solemn and very sublime addreaa to heaven and earth to witness the deep depravity, and the pervading corruption of the land of Judah. It was such as was adapted to attract the attention, and to amaze all beings in heaven and on earth, vs. 2—4. The prophet then proceeds to state that tha existing calamities of the nation had been inflicted on account of their sins, and that for those sins the land was laid waste, vs. 5—9. Yet they kept up the appearance of religion. They were constant and regular, externally, in offering sacrifices. But their character was deeply hypocritical. The services of God were so false and hollow that he spurned and despised them. They were a weariness to him, and a burden, vs. 10—15. The prophet then calls on the sinful nation to turn from their sins, and to seek God, with the assurance that he was willing to readmit them to his favour; to pardon all their crimes, and to receive them as his own children, vs. 16—20. If they did not do it, he assures them that heavier judgments would come upon them than they had yet experienced, vs. 21—25; and that God would so deal with them as to effect a change in the nation, and to restore the happier and purer state of things existing in former days. The wicked would be punished, and Zion would ba tedeemed, vs. 26—31.

THE vision*" of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in