Notes on the Old and New Testaments

.shall be a terror unto Egypt: every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself,

-because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

18 In that day shall five citiea

interpretation is that which refers it to the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib. The Egyptians would know of that. Indeed the leading design of Sennacherib was to invade Egypt, ar d Judah and Jerusalem were to be destroyed only in the way to Egypt. And when the Egyptians heard of the great preparations of Sennacherib, and of his advance upon Judah, (see ch. x. 28-31), and knew that his design was to invade them, " the land of Judah " would be " a terror," because they apprehended that he would make a rapid descent upon them. Vitringa, however, supposes that the sense is, that the Egyptians in their calamities would remember the prophecies of Jeremiah and others, of which they had heard, respecting their punishment; that they would remember that the prophecies respecting Judah had been fulfilled, and that thus Judah would be a terror to them because those predictions had come out of Judah. I'his is plausible, and it may be the correct explanation. IT Which he hath determined against it. Either against Judah, or Egypt. The Hebrew will bear either. It may mean that they were alarmed at the counsel which had been formed by Jehovah against Judah, and which was apparently about to be executed by the invasion of Sennacherib, and that thus they feared an invasion themselves, or that they learned that a purpose of destruction was formed by Iehovah against themselves, and that Judah became thus an object of terror because the prophecies which were spoken lh«^re were certain of being fulfilled. The latter is the interpretation given by Vitringa, and perhaps is the most probable. 18. In that day. The word " day* is used in Scripture In a large signif].

in the land of Egypt speak 'the language^ of Canaan, and swear

cation as including the whole period under consideration, or the whole time that 19 embraced in the scope of a prophecy. In this chapter it is used in this sense; and evidently means that the event here foretold w^ould take place somewhere in the period that is embraced in the design of the prophecy. That is, the event recorded in this verse would occur in the series of events that the prophet saw respecting Egypt. See ch. iv. I. The sense is, that somewhere in the general time here designated (vs. 4-17), the event here described would take place. There would be an extensive fear of Jehovah, and an extensive embracing of the true religion, in the land of Egypt. IT Shall Jive cities. The number five here is evidently used to denote an indefinite number, in the same way as seven is often used in the Scriptures. See Lev. xxvi. 8. It means, that several cities in Egypt would use that language, one of which only is specified. If The language of Canaan. Marg. Lip of Canaan. So the Hebrew; but the word often means language. The language of Canaan evidently means the Hebrev) language; and it is called * the language of Canaan " either because it was spoken by the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan, or more probably because it was used by the Hebrews who occupied Canaan as the promised land; and then it will mean the language spoken in the land of Canaan. The phrase here used is employed probably to denote that they would be converted to the Jewish religion; or that the religion of the Jews would flourish there. A similar expression, to denote conversion to the true God, occurs in Zeph. iii. 9: " For there I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent." IT And swear to the Lord of hosts. That is, they shall devote themselves to him; or they shall oind themselves to his service by sol-

to the Lord of hosts: 'one shall be called, The city of destruciion.

emn covenant. Comp. Dei t. x, 20, Is. xlv. 20, where conversion to God, and a purpose to serve him, is expressed in the same manner by swear' ing to him, i. e. by solemnly devoting themselves to his service. IT One shall be called. The name of one of them shall be, &c. Why one particularly is designated is not known. ^fPhe city of destruction. There ha^ been a great variety of interpretation in regard to this expression. The margin renders it, " or Heres, or the sun.** The Vulgate, " the city of the sun;'* evidently meaning Helio£^is. The LXX, " The city AsedekT'd^c^iV. The Chaldee, " the city of the house of the sun (p''^fi. ^"^5) which is to be destroyed." The Syriac, " the city of Heres." The common reading of the Hebrew text is, O'^nn n*^^, '/r Heres. This reading is found in most MS.

editions and versions. The word ^*^y). hires commonly means destructionf though it may also mean deUvefahce; and Gesenius supposes the iiame v/aa to be given to it because it was to be a delivered city; i. e. it would be the city to which " the saviour," mentioned in ver. 20, would come, and which he would make his capital. Ikenius contends x\iQ.i^^siSiMO^^H^ejLA&^id.)x.en from the Archie, and that the name is the same as Leontopolis, the city of the lion, a city in Egypt. But besides other objections which may be made to this interpretation, the signification of lion is not given to the word in the Hebrew langu a ge.i|^The common reading is that which occurs in tfie"Teit — the city of Heres. But another reading Ginn is found in sixteen MSS. and has been copied in the Complutensian

Pqlyglott. This word» 0"lH Hheres properly means the sun, and the pnrase mearis the city of the sun; i. e. If^liopotisT^Dnlas, who was disaj)p6inted m^ffi'^iing the high-priesthood (B. G, 149'> on the death of his uncle Menei> laus, fled into Egypt and ingratiated himseli into the favour of Ptolemy Philometer and Cleopatra, and was advanced to the highest rank in the army and the court, and made use of his influence to obtain permission to build a temple in Egypt like that at Jerusalem, with a grant that he and his descendants should always have a right to OxTiciate in it as high-priests. In order to obtain this, he alleged that it would be for the interest of Egypt, by inducing many Jews to come and reside there, and that their going annually to Jerusalem to attend the great feasts would expose them to alienation from the Egyptians, to join the Syrian interest. See Prideaux's Connections, under the year 149 B. C. Josephus expressly tells us (Ant. B. xiii. ch. iii. § 1, 2, 3), that in order to obtain this favour, he urged that it had been oredicted by Isaiah six hundred years nefore, and that in consequence of this, Ptolemy granted him permission to build the temple, and that it was built at Leontopolis. It resembled that at Jerusalem, but was smaller and less splendid. It was within the Nomos or prefecture of Heliopolis, at the distance of twentyfour nnles from Memphis. Onias pretended that the very place was foretold oy Isaiah, and this would seem to suppose that the ancient reading was that of " the city of the sun." He urged this prediction in order to reconcile the •Tews to the idea of another temple besides that at Jerusalem, because a temple erected in Egypt would be an object of disapprobation to the Jews in Palestine. Perhaps for the same reason the translation of Isaiah in the Septuagint renders this, " the city of Asedek'* daeSeK, as if the original were ■^Jt^"? tzeddkd — the city of righteousnes3 — i. e. a city where righteousness dwells; or a city which was approved by God. But this is manifestly a corruption of the Hebrew text. It may be proper to remark that the change in the Hebrev/ between the word rendered destruction, ^'y^ h^res, and the word •* sun," C'ln hheris, is a change of a iingle letter where one might be easily mistaken for the other; the change of fl into n. This might have occurred by the error of a transcriber, though the circumstances would Ifed us to think it not improbable that i may have been made designedly, but by whom is unknown. It may have been originally as Onias pretended, and have been subsequently altered jy the Jews to counteract the authority which he urged for building a temple in Egypt; but there is no certain evidence of it. The evidence from MSS. is greatly in favour of the reading as in our translation

^*in heres, and this may be rendered either destruction, or more probably, accoi^ing to Gesenius, deliverance, so called from the deliverance that would be brought to it by the promised saviour. Ver. 20. It may be added, that there is no evidence that Isaiah meant to designate the city where Onias built the temple, but merely to predict that many cities in Egypt would be converted, one of which would be the one here designated. Onias took advantage of this, and made an artful use of it, but it was manifestly not the design of Isaiah. Which is the true reading of the passage it is impossible now to determine; nor is it important. I think the most probable interpretation is that which supposes that Isaiah meant to refer to a city saved from destruction, as mentioned in ver. 20, and that he did not design to designate any particular city by name. — The city of Heliopolis was situated on the Pelusian branch of the Nile, about five miles below the point of the ancient Delta. It was deserted in the time of Strabo. And this geographer mentions its mounds of ruin, but the houses were shown in which Eudoxus and Plato had studied. The place was celebrated for its learning and its temple dedicated to the sun. There are now no ruins of ancient buildings, unless the mounda can be regarded as such; the walls, however, can still be traced, and there is an entire obelisk still standing. This obelisk is of red granite, about seventy feet high, and from its great antiquity has excited much attention among tha

19 In that day shall there be an altar lo the Lord in the midst

learned. Jn the neighbouring villages there are many fragments which have been evidently transferred from this city. Dr. Robinson, who visited it, says, that " the site is about two hours; N. N. E. from Cairo. The way thither passes along the edge of the desert, which is continually making encroachments, so soon as there ceases to be a supply of water for the surface of the ground.— The site of Heliopolis is marked by low mounds, inclosing a space about three quarters of a mile in length, by half a mile in breadth, which was of the land of Egypt, and a pillar* at the border thereof to the Lord.

once occupied by houses, and partly by the celebrated temple of the sun. This area is now a ploughed field, a garden ot herbs; and the solitary obelisk which rises m the midst is the sole remnant oi the splendour of the place.— Near by It IS a very old sycamore, its trunk stragglmg and gnarled, under which legendary tradition relates that the holy family once rested." Bibli Research i. 36, 37. The annexed cut, from the Pictorial Bible, will give an Idea of the present appearance of Heliopolis.

^^- in thttt day shall there he an ^tmr, -An aliar is properly a place on Wbich sacrifices are offered. Accordng to the Mosaic law but one great altar was to be erecfed for sacrifiees. i^ut the word altar is often used in another sense to denote a place of memorial; or a place of worahip in

20 And it shall be for a sign^ and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt:

general. Josh. xxii. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. It is clear that Isaiah did not intend that this should be taken literally, or that there should be a rival temple and altar erected in Egypt, but his description is evidently taken in part from the account of the religion of the patriarchs who erected altars and pillars and monuments to mark the places of the worship of the true God. The parallelism here where pillars are mentioned, shows in what sense the word altar is \i used. It means that the worship of the t true God would be eetablished in Egypt, \ and that certain places should be set \ apart to his service. Altars were:' among the first places reared as connected with the worship of God. See Gen. viii. 20, xii. 7, xxxv. 1. Ex. xvii. 15. "iT To the Lord. To Jehovah — the true God. IF And a pillar. That is, a memorial to God. Thus Jacob set up the stone on which he had lain " for a pillar," and poured oil on it. Gen. xxviii. 18. Again (Gen. xxxv. 14), he set up a pillar to mark the place where God met him and talked with him. Comp. Gen. xxxi. 13. Lev. xxvi. 1. Deut. xvi. 22. The word "pillar," when thus used, denotes a stone, or column of wood erected as a monument or memorial; and especially a memorial of some manifestation of God or of his favour. Before temples were known, such pillars would naturally be erected; and the description here means simply that Jehovah would be worshipped in Egypt. IT At the border thereof. Not in one place merely, but in all parts of Egypt. It is not improbable that the name of Jehovah, or some rude designation of the nature of his worship, would be inscribed on such pillars. It is known that the Egyptians were accustomed to rear pillars, monuments, obelisks, &c. to commemorate great events, and that the names and deeds of illustrious persons were engraven on them; and the prophet here says, that fwch monuments should be reared to for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour,

Jehovah. In regard to the fulfilment of this prophecy, there can be no question. After the time of Alexander the Great large numbers of Jews were settled in Egypt. T^ev were favoured by the Ptolemies, and they became so numerous that it was deemed necessary that their Scriptures should be translated into Greek for their use, and accordingly the translation called the Septuagint was made. See the Intioduction, § 8,1, (1.)

20. And it shall be for a sign. The altar, and the pillar. This shows that the altar was not to be for sacrifice, but was a memorial, or designed to designate a place of worship. ^ They shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressors. That is, oppressed and borne down under the exactions of their rulers, they shall seek deliverance from the true God — one instance among many of the effect of affliction and oppression in leading men to embrace the true religion. IT And he shall send them a saviour. Who this saviour would be, has been a subject on which there has been a great difference of opinion. Grotius supposes that it would be the angel by which the army of Sennacherib would be destroyed. Geseniua thinks it was Psammetichus, who would deliver them from the tyranny of the eleven kings who were contending with each other, or that, since in ver. 4 he is called a * severe lord,' it is probable that the promise here is to be understood of a delivering or protecting angel. But it is evident that some person is here denoted who would be., sent subsequently to the national judg- V ^ ments which are here designated. Dr. *■ \ Gill supposes that by the saviour here j is meant the Messiah; but this inter- / pretation does not suit the connection, for it is evident that the event here predicted was to take place before the coming of Christ. Vitringa and Bishop Newton suppose with more probability that Alexander the Great is here re«

and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

21 And the Lord shall be

ferred to, who took possession of Egypt after his conquest in the East, and who might be called a saviour, inasmuch as he delivered them from the reign of the oppressive kings who had tyrannized there, and inasmuch as his reign and the reigns of those who succeeded him in Egypt, would be much more mild than that of the former kings of that country. That Alexander the Great was regarded by the Egyptians as a saviour or deliverer is apparent from history. Upon his coming to Egypt the people submitted to him cheerfully, out of hatred to the Persians, 80 that he became master of the country without any opposition. Diod. Sic. L. 17. c. 49; Arrian L. 3, c. 1; Quint. Curtius L. 4. c. 7, 8, as quoted by Newton. He treated them with much kindness; built the city of Alexandria, calling it after his own name, designing to make it the capital of his empire; and under him and the Ptolemies who succeeded him trade revived, commerce flourished, learning was patronized, and peace and plenty blessed the land. Among other things, Alexander transplanted many Jews into Alexandria, and granted them many privileges equal to the Macedonians themselves. Joseph. Jew. Warp, B. ii. ch. xviii. § 7. Against Apion, B. ii. § 4. " The arrival of Alexander," says Wilkinson, (Planners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, vol. i. 213, 214,) " was greeted with universal satisfaction. Their hatred of the Persians, and their frequent alliances with the Greeks, who had fought under the same banners against a common enemy, naturally taught the Egyptians to welcome the Macedonian army with the strongest demonstrations of friendship, and to consider their coming as a direct interposition of the gods; and so wise md considerate was the conduct of the early Ptolemies, that they almost ceased to regret the period when they were gov«nied by their native princes." I

known to Egypt, and the Egyp. tians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do** sacrifice and

Under the Ptolemies, large numbers of the Jews settled in Egypt. For their use, as has been remarked, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, and a temple was built by Onias under th« sixth Ptolemy. Philo represents the number of the Jews in Egypt in his time at not less than one million. They were settled in nearly all parts of Egypt; but particularly in Heliopolis or the city of the Sun, in Migdol, in Tahpanes, in Noph or Memphis, in Pathros or Thebais (Jer. xliv. 1) — perhaps the five cities referred to in ver.

21. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt. Shall be worshipped and honoured by the Jews who shall dwell there, and by those who shall be proselyted to their religion. IF And the Egyptians shall know the Lord. That many of the Egyptians would be converted to the Jewish religion there can be no doubt. This was the result in all countries where the Jews had a residence. Comp. Notes Acts ii. 9-11. ^ And shall do sacrifice. Shall offer sacrifices to Jehovah. They would ^ naturally go to Jerusalem as often as practicable, and unite with the Jews there in tiie customary rites of their religion. '^ And oblation. The word nn^ia mlnhhd — oblation — denotes any offering that is not a bloody sacrifice—* a thank-offering; an offering of incense, flour, grain, &c. See Notes ch. 1. 13. The sense is« that they should

oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.

22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt; he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them.

23 In that day shall there be

be true worshippers of God. IF They shall vow a vow, &c. They shall be sincere and true worshippers of God. The large numbers of the Jews that dwelt there; the fact that many of them doubtless were sincere; the circumstances recorded (Acts ii. 9-11), that Jews were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost; and the fact that the true religion was carried to Egypt, and the Christian religion established there, ail show how fully this prediction was fulfilled.

22. And the Lord shall smite Egypt. That is, in the manner described in the previous part of this prophecy (ver. 2- 10). And heal it. Or restore it— to more than its former splendour and prosperity — as described in the previous verses (vs. 18-20). He shall send it •a saviour; he shall open new sources of prosperity; and he shall cause the true religion to flourish there. These advantages would be more than a compensation for all the calamities that he would bring upon it. IT And they shall return, &.c. These calamities shall be the means of their conversion to Jehovah.

23. There shall be a highway. A communication; that is, there shall be an alliance between Egypt and Assyria as constituting parts of one empire, and as united in the service of the true God. The same figure of a highway is found in ch. xi. 16. See Note on that place. The truth was, that Alexander, by his conquests, subjected Assyria and Egypt, and they constituted parts of his empire, and were united «nder him. It was trus also that there

a 'highway out of Egypt to Assyria; and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assy. rians.

24 In that day shall Israel be be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in tho midst of the land.

were large numbers of Jews in both these countries, and that they were united in the service of the true God. They worshipped him in those countries; and they met at Jerusalem at the great feasts, and thus Judah, Assyria, and Egypt, were united in hia worship. IT And the Assyrian shall come into Egypt. There shall be free and uninterrupted intercourse between the two nations, as parts of the same empire. T And the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In the same armies; under the same leader. This was the case under Alexander the Great. Or the word serve may mean that they would serve God unitedly. So Lowth and Noyes render it.

24. In that day shall Israel be the third. That is, the three shall be united as one people. Instead of being rival, hostile, and contending kingdoms, they shall be united and friendly; and instead of having different and jarring religions, they shall all worship the same God. The prophecy rather refers to the spread of the true religion, and the worship of the true God, than to a political or civil alliance. IT Even a blessing. It shall be a source of blessing, because from Judea the true religion would extend into the other lands. IT In the midst of the land. That is, the united land — composed of the three nations now joined in alliance. Judea was situated in the midst of this united land, or occupied a central position between the two. If was also true that it occupied a central position in regard to the whole earth, and that from it, as a radiatinf

•25 Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed ie Egypt my people,' and Assyria

point, the true religion was. disseminated throughout all nations.

25. Whom the Lord of hosts shall hless. That ia, which united country he shall acknowledge as truly worshipping him, and On which he shall bestow his favours as his favoured people. IT Assyria the work of my hands. This is synonymous with the expression,,r my people.* It means that the ar- ' rangements by which the true religion would be established among them, ^were the work of God. Conversion to « God is every where in the Scriptures ' spoken of as his work, or creation. See Eph. ii. 10: "For we are his workmanship; created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Comp. 2 Cor. v. 17. Ps., c. 3. IT Israel mine inheritance. The the work** of my hands, and jii rael mine inheritance.

land and people which is peculiarly mj p\vn— 7a narne not unfrequently given to Israel. For a learned examination of the various hypotheses in regard ta the fulfilment of this prophecy, see Vitringa. He himself applies it to the times succeeding Alexander the Great. Alexander he regards as the " saviour" mentioned in ver. 20; and the establishment of the true religion referred to by the prophet as that which would take place under the Ptolemies. Vitringa has proved — what indeed is known to all who have the slightest knowledge of history — that there were large numbers of Jews under the Ptolemies in Egypt, and that multitudet became proselytes to the Jewish faith.

Tills prophecy occupies this single chapter. Its design and scopie it is not difficult to understand. The tinie when it was delivered is designated in ver. I, and was manifestly in the reign of Hezckiah. The Assyrian empire had extended its conquests over Syria, Damascus, and Ephraim or Samaria. 2 Kings xviii. 9—12. The king of Assyria had pent Tartan to take possession of Ashdod or Azof us, the maritime key of Palestine, and there was evident danger that the Assyrians would overtlirow the government of Judah, and secure also the conquest of Eg^pt. In these circumstances of danger, the main reliance of Judah was on the aid which they hoped to derive/rom Egypt and Ethiopia (ver. ii), as being alone able to repel the Assyrians. They relied rather on that aid than on God. To recall them from this, and to show them the vanity of such a dependence, and to lead them to rely on God, Isaiah was sent to them to be a sign; or to indicate by a symbolical action what would be the fate of the Egyptians on whom they were placing their reliance, ver. 4. By showing the Jews what would be the destiny of Egypt, he designed to witndraw them from resting on their assistance! and to turn them to God for protection and aid. -

I In the year" that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sar-

I. In the year thai Tartan came unto Ashdod. Tartan was one of the generals of Sennacherib. Ashdod, called by the Greeks Azotus, was a seaport on the Mediterranean between Askelon and Ekron, and not far from Gaza. Reland. Palaes. Lib. iii. It was gon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdc-d and took it; one of the five cities of the Philisttne8» assigned to the tribe of Judah, but never conquered by them. Josh. xiii. 8, XV. 46, 47. The temple of Dagon stood here; and hither the ark of Goi was brought after the fatal battle of Ebenezer. 1 Sam. V. 1, seq. It flui-

2 Al the same time spake the liOR J 'by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the sack-

tained many sieges, and was regarded as an important place in respect to Palestine, and also to Egypt. It was taken by Tartan, and remained in the possession of the Assyrians until it was Desieged by Psammetichus the Egyptian king, who took it after a siege of twenty-nine years. Herod, ii. 157. It was about thirty miles from Gaza. It is now a small village, and is called Esdud. It was besieged and taken by Tartan as preparatory to the conquest of Egypt; and if the king who is here called Sargon was Sennacherib, it is probable that it was taken before he threatened Jerusalem. IT Sargon the king of Assyria. Who this Sargon was, is not certainly known. Some have supposed that it was Sennacherib; others that it was Shalmaneser the father of Sennacherib, and others that it was Esar-Haddon the successor of Sennacherib. Michaelis. Rosenmilller and Gesenius suppose thai it was a king who reigned between Shalmaneser and Sennacherib. Tartan is known to have been a general of Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii. 17), and it is natural vO suppose that he is here intended. Jerome says that Sennacherib had seven names, and Kimchi says; that he had eight; and it is not improbable that Sargon was one of those names. Oriental princes often had several names; and hence the difficulty of identifying them. See Vitringa on this place.

2. B]) Isaiah. Marg. " By the hand ofisaiah." So the Hebrew. That is, by the instrumentality of Isaiah. He sent him to make known the fate of the Egyptians, and the folly of trusting in them on this occasion. ^ Go, and loose the sackcloth. For the meaning of the word sackcloth, see Note, ch. iii. 24. It was commonly worn as an emblem of mourning. But there is reason to believe that it was worn also by the prophets, and was regarded, ju some degree, as thoir appropriate

cloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

dress. It was made usually of the coarse hair of the goat, and was worn as a zone or girdle around the loins. That his was the dress of Elijah is apparent from 2 Kings i. 8: " He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather;" that is, he was clothed in a garment made of hair. The same was true of John the Baptist. Matth. iii. 4. That the prophets wore " a rough garment" is apparent also from Zech. xiii. 4: *' Neither shall they (the false prophets) wear a rough garment (Heb. a garment of hair) to deceive;" i. e. the false prophets shall not assume the dress of the true prophets for the purpose of deluding the people, or to make them think that they are true prophets. It is evident, therefore, that this hairy garment was regarded as a dress that appertained particularly to the prophets. It is well known, also, that the ancient Greek philosophers had a peculiar dress to distinguish them from the common people. Probably the custom of wearing hair cloth; among the monks of later ages took its i rise from this example of the prophets. ■ His removing this garment was designed i to be a sign or an emblem to show that ^the Egyptians should be stripped of all their possessions, and carried captive •to Assyria. IT Walking naked. That is, walking withrut this iiecuUar prophetic garment. It does not mean that he was in a state of entire nudity; for all that he was directed to do was to lay this garment— this emblem of his office — aside. The word naked, moreover, is used in the Scriptures, not to denote an absolute destitution of clothing, but that the outer garment was laid aside. See Note John xxi. 7. Thus it is said of Saul (1 Sam. xix. 24) that he "stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day;" i. e. he stripped off his royal robes, and was naked or unclothed in that respect

3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked

He removed his peculiar dress as a king, or military chieftain, and appeared in the ordinary dress. It cannot be supposed that the king of Israel would be seen literally wivhout raiment. So David is said to have danced naked before the ark, i. e. with his royal robes laid aside. — How long Isaiah viralked in this manner has been a matter of doubt. See Note on v. 3. The prophets were accustomed to use symbolical actions to denote the events which they foretold. See Note ch. viii. 18. Thus the children of Isaiah, and the names given to them, were significant of important events; ch. viii. 1, 2, 3, comp. Jeremiah xviii. 1-6, xliii. 8, 9; in both of which places he used emblematic actions to exhibit the events concerning which he prophesied in a striking manner. Thus also the prophets are expressly called " signs, and wonders." Zech. iii. 8. Ez. xii. 6.

3. Like as. That is, * as Isaiah has gone stripped of his peculiar garment as a prophet, so shall the Egyptians and Ethiopians be stripped of all that they value, and be carried captive into Assyria.' IT Hath walked — three years. A great deal of difficulty has been felt in the interpretation of this place, from the strong improbability that Isaiah should have gone in this manner for a space of time so long as our translation expresses. The LXX render this, " as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years, three years shall be for signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians." The phrase in the Hebrew, " three years," may either be taken in connection with the preceding part of the sentence, as in our translation, meaning that he actually walked so long; or it may be taken with that which follows, and.hen it will denote that he was a sign and wonder with reference to the captivity of the Egyptians and Ethiopians; and that by this symbolical action he, in some way, indicated that they would be carried away captive for that space

naked and barefoot three years for a sign and A^onder upoi.

of time; or ss Aben Ezra and Abar^ benel suppose, thai he signified that their captivity would commence after three years. Lowth supposes that it means that his walking was for three days, and that the Hebrew text has been corrupted. Vitringa also seems to suppose that this is possible, and that a day was a symbolical sign for a year. RosenmUller supposes that this prophetic action was continued during three years at intervals, so that the subject might be kept before the mind of the people. But the supposition that this means that the symbolic action of walking naked and barefoot continued for so long a time in any manner, is highly improbable. (1.) The Hebrew does not necessarily require it. It may mean simply that his actions were a sign and wonder with reference to a three-years' captivity of the Egyptians. (2.) It is in itself improbable that he should so long a time walk about Jerusalem expressly as a sign and wonder, when a much shorter period would have answered the purpose as well. (3.) Such a sign would have hardly met the circumstances of the case. Ashdod was taken. The Assyrian king was advancing. The Jews were in consternation and looking to Egypt for help; and amidst this agitation and alarm, there is the highest improbability that Isaiah would be required to remain a sign and wonder for the long space of three years, when decided action was needed, and when, unless prevented, the Jews would have formed a speedy alliance with the Egyptians. I suppose, therefore, that the entire sense of the phrase will be expressed by translating it, * my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot, a threeyear^ sign and wonder;' that io, a sign and indication that a three-years^ calamity would come upon Egypt and Ethiopia. Whether this means tha; the calamity would commence in three years from that time, or that it should continue three years, perhaps we caa*.

4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the 'Egyptians prisoners, ana the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the ^shame of Egypt.

5 And they shall be afraid

not determine. Grotius thinks that it means that it would occur after three years; that is, that the war between the Assyrians and Ethiopians would continue during that time only. In what manner Isaiah indicated this, is not certainly known. The conjecture of Lowth is not improbable, that it was by appearing three days naked and Darefoot, and that each day denoted a year. Or it may have been ttat he appeared in this manner for a short period — though but once — and declared that this was the design or purport of the action. IT Upon Egypt, &c. With reference to; or as a sign in regard to Egypt. It does not mean that he was in Egypt, but that his action had reference to Egypt. IT And Ethiopia.

Heb. m-D—Cush. See Note, ch. xi. ' 1. Whether this denotes the African Cush or Ethiopia, or whether it refers to the Cush in Arabia, cannot be determined. The latter is the more probable supposition, as it is scarcely probable that the Assyrian would extend his conquests south of Egypt so as to subdue the African Ethiopia. Probably his conquest embraced the Cush that was situated in the southern regions of Arabia.

4. So shall the king of Assyria. The emphasis here is on the word so. As Isaiah has walked naked, i. e. Stripped off his usual clothing, so shall the Egyptians and Ethiopians be led away stripped of all their possessions. IT The Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives. The Egyptians and Ethiopians, or Cushites, were often aoited in an alliance, and appear to and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and.>f Egypt their glory.

6 And the inhabitant of this 'isle shall say in that day, Behold, such* is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?

have been when this prophecy was delivered. Thus Nahum iii. 8:

was infinite. Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

IT To the shame of Egypt. It shall he a disgrace to them to be subdued, and to be carried captive in so humiliating a manner. It is remarked by Belzoni (" Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia"), that in the figures on the remains of their temples, prisoners are often represented as naked, or only in aprons, with dishevelled hair, and with their hands chained. He also remarks, that on a bas-relief on the recently discovered graves of the kings of Thebes, a multitude of Egyptian and Ethiopian prisoners are represented — showing that Egypt and Ethiopia were sometimes allied, alike in mutual defence and in bondage. Comp. Isa. xlvii. 2, and Nahum iii. v. 5. And they shall be afraid. The Jews, or the party or faction among the Jews that v/ere expecting aid from allied Ethiopia and Egypt. When they shall see them vanquished, they shall apprehend a similar danger to themselves; and they shall be ashamed that they ever confided in a people so little able to aid them, instead of trusting in the arm of God. IT Egypt their glory. Their boast, as if Egypt was able to save them. The word here rendered glory, f^'^^fi^, means properly orna' ment, praise, honour; and then it may mean the object of glory, or that in which men boast, or confide. That ia its sense here. Comp. Isa. x. 12, xiii 19. Zech. xii. 7.

6. And the inhabitant. The dwellers generally. V Of this isle. The word "^^ isle is used here in the sense of coast, or maritime country, and is evidently applied to Palestine, or the land of Canaan, which is a narrow coast lying on the Mediterranean. That the word is often used in this sense, and may be applied to a maritime country, see Notes ch. xiii. 22, zli. 1. The connection here requires us to understand it of Palestine. H Shall say, &c. Shall condemn their own folly ui trusting in Egy])t, and seeking deliverance there. IT And how shall we escape? They shall be alarmed for their own safety, for the very nation on which they had relied had beea made captive. And when the strongei had been subdued, how could the feeble and dependent escape a similai overthrow and captivity 1 AJl this was designed to show them the folly of trusting in the aid of another nation, and to lead them to put confidence in the God of their fathers.

The prophecy which commences IhLs chapter occupies the first ten verses. That it rel: les to Babylon is apparent from vs. 2 and 9. The object is to foretell the destruction of that city by tho Medes and Persians, and the design is the same as in the more extended and minute description of the same event in chs. xiii. xiv. "Whether it was delivered at the same, or at another time, cannot be determined from the prophecy. The purpose however of the prophecy is the same as there— to give consolation to the Jews who should be carried captive to that city; to assure them that Babylon would be destroyed, and that they would be delivered from their long and severe bondage. This is indicated in a brief and graphic manner in ver. 10.

This oracle or ode is one of singular beauty. It is distinguished for its brevity, energy, and force; for the variety-and the rapidity of the action, and for the vivid manner in which the events are made to pass before the mind. It is the language of strong excitement and of alarm; language that expresses rapid and important movements; and language appropriate to great vigour of conception and sublimity in description. In the oracle the prophet supposes himself in Babylon, and the events which are described are made to pass rapidly in vision (see Intro. § 7, 4) before him. He first sees (ver. 1) the dreadful storm coming at a distance (the hostile armies), approaching like a whirlwind and threatening destruction to every thing in its way. He then (ver. 2) hears God's direction to the invading armies; represents himself as made acquainted with the design of the vision and hears the command of God to Elam (Persia) a.nd Media to go up and commence the siege. Regarding himsell as among the e.viles in the midst of Babylon, he (vs. 3, 4) describes himself as deci ly affected ir view of this sudden invasion, and of the calamities that were coming upon Babylon. In ver. 5 he describes the state of the Babylonians They are represented first, as preparing the table, making ready for feasting tnd revelry, setting the watch on the watch-tower, and giving themselves up to dissipation; and sec>idiy, as suddenly alarmed and summoned to prepare for war. He then (vs. 6— 9) declares the way in which the princes of Babylon would be roused from their revelry. But it is described in a very remarkable manner. He does not narrate the events, but he represents himself as directed to appoint a watchman (ver. 6) to announce what be should see That watchman ver. 7) sees two chariots— representing two nations C/Oming rapidly onward to execute the orders of God- So rapid is their approacli, so terrible their march, that the watchman cries out (ver. 9) that Babylon is fallen, and will be inevitably destroyed. The prophecy is then closed (ver. 10) by an address t« the attiicted Jews whom God nad " threshed " or punished by sending them captive to Babylon, and with the declaration that this was intended by the Lord of hosts to be declared unto them. The whole design of the prophecy, fherefure, is to console them, and to repeat the assurance given is chs. xiii. xiv., t^at Babylon would be destroyed, and that they would be delivered from bondage.

1 The burden uf the desert of the sea. As v/hirlwinds '^in the

1. The burden. See Note ch. xiii. 1. ^ Of the desert. There have been almost as many interpretations »f this expression as there have been interpreters. That it means Babylon, or the country about Babylon, there can be no doubt; but the question why this phrase was applied, has given rise to a great diversity of opinions. The a wilderness, or to a comparatively barren and uncultivated country— a place for flocks and herds (Ps. Ixv. 13. Jer. ix. 9, &c.); to an actual waste,^ a sandy desert (Isa. xxxii. 15, xxxv. 1); and particularly to the deserts of Arabia, Gen. xiv. 6, xvi, 7, Deut. xi. 24. It may here be applied to Babylon cither historically, as having been once an unreclaimed desert; or by anticipa- Hon as descriptive of what it would be after it should be destroyed by Cyrus, or possibly both these ideas may have been combined. That it was once a desert before it was reclaimed by Semiramis is the testimony of all history; that it is nuio a vast waste is the united testimony of all travellers. There is every reason to think that a large part of the country about Babylon was formerly overflowed with water before it was reclaimed by dykes; and as it was naturally a waste, when the artificial i dykes and dams should be removed, it! would again be a desert. IT Of the; sea. fi^. There has been also much j diflTerence of opinion in regard to this | word. But there can be no doubt that it refers to the Euphrates, and to the extensive region of marsh that was covered by its waters. The name sea, D^, is not unfrequently given to a large river, to the Nile, and to the Euphrates. See Notech. xi. 15. Comp. ch. xix. 5. Herodotus i. 184, says, that " Semiramis confined the Euphrates within its channel by raising great dams against it; for before, it overflowed the whole country like a sea/' And Abydenus in Eusebius (Prepara. Evang. B. ix. p. 457) says, respecting the building of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, that " it is reported that all this was covered with water, and was called a sea — Xeyerat Si Trdfra fiev i^ waters were suflTered to remain, and again converted the whole country into a vast marsh. See Notes on ch. xiii., xiv. ^As whirlwinds. That is, the army comes with the rapidity of a whirlwind. In ch. viii. 8 (comp. Hab. i. 11) an army is compared to an overflowing and rapid river. IT In the south. Whirlwinds or tempests are often in the Scriptures represented as coming from the south. Zech. ix. 14. Job xxxvii. 9t

Out of the gout]) Cometh the whirlwind, And cold -out of the north.

The deserts of Arabia were situated to the south of Babylon, and the south winds are described as the winds of the desert. Those winds are reprejented as being so violent as to tear away the tents occupied by a caravan. Pietro della Vall^, Travels, iv. pp. 183, 191. In Job i. 19, the whirlwind is represented as coming "from the wilder-, ness;" that is, from the desert of Arabia. Comp. Jer. xiii. 24. Hos. xiii. 15. ^ So it Cometh from the desert. See ch. xiii. 4, and the Note on that place. God is there represented as collecting the army for the destruction of Babylon " on the mountains," and by mountains are probably denoted the same as is here denoted by the desert. The country of the Medes is doubtless intended, which, in the view of civilized and refined Babylon, was an uncultivated region, or a vast waste or wilderness. ^ From a terrible land. A country rough and uncultivated, abounding in forests or wastes.

2. A grievous vision. Margin as in Heb. hard. On the word visio7i see Note ch, i. 1. The sense here is, that the vision which the prophet saw was one that indicated great calamity. Vs. 3, 4. IT Is declared unto me. That is, is caused to pass before me, and its meaning is made known to me. If Thi treacherous dealer. '^^'^^IH. The perfidious, unfaithful people. This is the usual signification of the word; but the connection here does not seem to require the signification of treachery or perfidy, but of violence. The word has this meaning in Hab. ii. 5, and in Prov. xi. 3, 6. It refers here to the Medes; and to the fact that oppression and violence were now to be exercised towards Babylon. Lowih renders this:

but the authority for so rendering it is doubtful. He seems to suppose that it refers to Babylon. The Hebrew evidently means, that there is to be plundering and devastation, and that this is to be accomplished by a nation accustomed to it, and which is immediately specified; that is, the united kingdom of Media and Persia. The Chaldee -enders it, " They who bring violence, suffer violence; and the plunderers are plundered." Jarchi says, that the sense of the Hebrew text according to the Chaldee is, " Ah! thou who art violent! there comes another who will use thee with violence; and thou plunderer, another comes who will plunder thee, even the Medes and Persians, who will destroy and lay waste Babylon." But the Hebrew text will not bear this interpretation. The sense is, that desolation was about to be produced by a nation accustomed to it, and who would act towards Babylon in their true character. IT Go up. This is an address of God to Media and Persia. See Note ch. xiii. 17. TO Elam. This was the name of the country originally possessed by the Persians, and was so called from Elam a son of Shem. Gen. x. 22. It was east of the Euphrates, and comprehended p'-operly the mountainous countries of Knusislan and Louristan, called by the Greek writers Elymais. In this country was Susa or Shushan, mentioned in Dan.

3 Therefore *are my loins fill.

viii. 2. It is here put for Persia in general, and the call on Elam and Media to go up, was a call on the united kingdom of the Medes and Persians. IT Besiege. That is, besiege Babylon. IF O Media. See Note ch. xiii. 17. IT All the sighing thereof have I made to cease. This has been very differently interpreted by expositors. Some understand it (as RosenmUller, Jerome, and Lowth,) as de- j signed to be taken in an active sense; 1 that is, all the groaning caused by Babylon in her oppressions of others, and particularly of God's people, would cease. Others refer it to the army of the Medes and Persians, as if their sighing should be over; i. e. their fatigues and labours in the conquest of Babylon. Calvin supposes that it means that the Lord would be deaf to the sighs of Babylon; that is, he would disregard them and would bring upon them the threatened certain destruction. The probable meaning is that suggested by Jerome, that God would bring to an end all the sighs and groana which Babylon had caused in a world suffering under her oppressions. Comp. ch. xiv. 7, 8.

3. Therefore. In this verse, and the following, the prophet represents himself as in Babylon, and as a witness of the calamities which would come upon the city. He describes the sympathy which he feels in her sorrows, and represents himself as deeply affected by her calamities. A similar description occurred in the pain which the prophet represents himself as enduring on account of the calamities of Moab. See Note ch. xv. 5, xvi. 11. IF 3Iy loins. See Note ch. xvi. 11. IT fVith pain. The word here used, •^^^?n denotes properly the pains of parturition, and the whole figure is taken from that. The sense is, that the prophet was filled with the most acute sorrov/ and anguish, in view ed with pains; pangs have taken iiold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth; I was bowed down at the hearing ©/"ii; I was dismayed at the seeing of it, of the calamities which were coming on Babylon. That is, the sufferings of Babylon would be indescribably great and dreadful. See Nah, ii. 11. Ezek. zxx. 4, 9. ^ I was bowed down. Under the grief and sorrow produced by these calamities. ^ At the hearing oj it. The Hebrew may have this sense, and mean that these things were made to pass before the eye of the prophet, and that the sight oppressed him, and bowed him down. But more probably the 'S in the word '$J2iW2 is to be taken privatively, and means, * I was so bowed down or oppressed that I could not see, I was so dismayed that / could not hear;' that is, all his senses were taken away by the greatness of the calamity, and by his sympathetic sufferings. A similar construction occurs in Ps. Ixix. 23: " Let their eyes be darkened that they see not," 1^15^'^'? i. e. from seeing.

4. My heart panted. Margin, " My mind wandered." The Hebrew word rendered panted (f^^l^) means to wander about; to stagger; to be giddy; and is applied often to one that staggers by being intoxicated. Applied to the heart it means that it is disquieted or troubled. The Hebrew word heart here is to be taken in the sense of mind. IT The night of my pleasure. There can be no doubt that the prophet here refers to the night of revelry and riot in which Babylon was taken. The prophet calls it the night of his pleasure, because he represents himself as being in Babylon when it should be taken, and therefore uses such language as an inhabitant of Babylon would use. They would call it the night of their pleasure because it was set apart to feasting and revelry. IT Hath he turned into fear. God has made it a night of consterna-

5 Prepare the table, watch in the watch-tower, eat, drink: arise^ ye princes, and anoint the shield.

tion and alarm. The prophet here refers to the fact that Babylon would be taken by Cyrus during that night, and that consternation and alarm would suddenly pervade the affrighted and guilty city. See Dan. v.

5. Prepare the table. This verse ia one of the most striking and remarkable that occurs in this prophecy, or indeed in any part of Isaiah. It is language supposed to be spoken in Babylon. The first direction — perhaps supposed to be that of the king — is to prepare the table for the feast. Then follows a direction to set a watch — to make the city safe, so that they might revel without fear. Then a command to eat and drink: and then immediately a sudden order, as if alarmed at an unexpected attack, to arise and anoint the shield, and to prepare for a defence. The table here refers to a feast; — that impious feast mentioned in Dan. v. in the night in which Babylon was taken, and Belshazzar slam. Herodotus (i, 191), Xenophon (Cyrop. 7, 3), and Daniel (v.) all agree in the account that Babylon was taken in the night in which the king and his nobles were engaged in feasting and revelry. The words of Xenophon are, " But Cyrus, when he heard that there was to be such a feast in Babylon, in which all the Babyloni ans would drink and revel through the whole night, on that night, as soon as it began to grow dark, taking many men, opened the dams into the river;" that is, he opened the dykes which had been made by Semiramis and her successors to confine the waters of the Euphrates to one channel, and suffered the waters of the Euphrates again to flow over the country so that he could enter Babylon beneath its walls in the channel of the river. Xenophon has also given the addi ess of Cyrus to tbo

Boldiers. " Now," says he, " let us go against them. Many of them are asleep; many of them are intoxicated; and all of them are unfit for battle ^davvTaKTTi)." Herodotus says (B. i. 191): 'It was a day of festivity among them, and while the citizens were engaged in dance and merriment, Babylon was, for the first time, thus taken." Compare the account in Daniel, ch. V. IT Watch in the watch- tower. Place a gua d so that the ciij shall be secure. Babylon had on in walls many towers, placed at convenient distances (see Notes on ch. xiii.) in which guards were stationed to defend the city, and to give the alarm or any approach of an enemy. Xenophon has given a similar account of the tak ing of the city. " They having ar-ange*' their guards, drank until light." The annexed group of oriental watch-towera

Is introduced here for the purpose of ttliistrating a general subject often referred to in the Scriptures. IT Eat drink. Give yourselves to revelry

6 For thus hath the Loud said unto me, Go. set a watchman, let

during the night. See Dan. v. IT Arise, ye princes. This language indicates Eudden alarm. It is the language either of the prophet, or more probably of the ki^I^ -^f Babylon, alarmed at the sudden approach of the ^nemy, and calling upon liis nobles to arm themselves and make a defence. The army of Cyrus entered Babylon by two divisions— one on the north v.'here the water:^ of the Euphrates entered the city, and the oilier by the channel of the Euphrates on the south. Knowing that the city was given up to revelry on that night, they had agreed to imitate the sound of the revellers until they should assemble around the royal palace in the centre of the city. They did so. When the king heard the noise, supposing that it wa3 the sound of a drunken mob, he ordered the gates of the palace to be opened to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. When they were thus opened the army of Cyrus rushed in, und made an immediate attack on all v/ho v/ere within It is to this moment that we may suppose the prophet here refers, when the king, aroused and alarmed, would call on his nobles to arm themselves for battle. See Jahn's rlistory of the Hebrew Commonwealth, 0. 153, Ed. Andover, IB'28. IT Anoint the shield. That is, prepare for battle. Gesenius supposes that this means to rub over the shield with oil to make the. leather more supple and impenetrable. Comp. 2 Sam. i. 21. The Chaldee renders it, " Fit, and polish your arms." The LXX, " Prepare shields." Shields were instruments of defence prepared to ward off the spears and arrows of an tjnemy in battle. They were usually made of a rim of brass or wood,. and over this was drawn a covering of the skin of an ox or other animal in the manner of a drum-head with us. Occasionally the hide of a rhinoceros or an elephant was usaed. Burckhardt (^Travels in Nubia) says that the Nubians use the hide of the hippopotanms hi the making of shields. Bu: what- ever skin njight be used, it was necessary occasionally to rub it over with oil lest it should become hard and crack, or lest it should become so rigid; that an arrow or a sword would easily break through it. Jarchi says, that " shields were made of skin, and that they anointed them with the oil of olive." The sense is, ' Prepare your arms! Make ready for battle!'

6. Go, set a watchman. This waa said to Isaiah in the vision. Ke represents himself as in Babylon, and aa hearing God command him to set a watchman on the watch-tower who would announce what was to come to pass. All this is designed merely to bring the manner of the destruction of the city more vividly before the eye.

7. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen. This passage \9 very obscure from the ambiguity of the word -2/1 rekhebh, chariot. Geseniua contends that it should be rendered " cavahy," and that it refers to cavalry two abreast hastening to the destruction of the city. The word ^3'^, denotes properly a chariot, or wagon (Judges V. 2»); a collection of wagons (2 Chron. i. 14, viii. 6, ix. 25); and sometimes refers to the horses or men attached to a chariot. '* David houghed all the chariots" (2 Sam. viii. 4); that is, all the Worses belonging to them. " David killed of the Syrians seven hundred chariots" (2 Sam. x. 18); that is, all the men belonging to seven hundred chariots. According to the present Masoretio pointing, the word -2"^ doea not mean, perhaps, any thing else than a chariot strictly, but other forms of the word with the same letters denote riders xxii. 34. Jer. li 21. The verb 221 means to ride, and is usually applied to riding on the backs of horses or camels, and the sen.^e here is, thai th** watch

a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he he<irkened diligently with heed.

man saw a riding, or persons riding two abreast; that is, cavalry, or men borne on horses, and camels, and asses, and hastening to attack the city. IT With a couple of horsemen. The word couple, *I73S tzemedh, means properly a yoke or pair; and it means here that the cavalry was seen in pairs, i. e. two abreast. IT A chariot of asses. Or rather, as above, a riding on asses — an approach of men in this manner to battle. Asses were formerly used in war where horses could not be procured. Thus Strabo (xv. 2, § 14) says of the nhabitants of Caramania, " Many use asses for war in the want of horses." And Herodotus (iv. 129) says expressly that Darius Hystaspes employed asses in a battle with the Scythians. IT And a chariot of camels.,A riding on camels. Camels also were used in war, perhaps usually to carry the baggage. See Diod. ii. 54. iii. 44. Liv. xxxvii. 40. Strabo, xvi 3. They are used for all purposes of burden in the East, and particularly in Arabia.

frequently omitted. See Isa. Ixii. 5. Ps. xi. 1. That is, * I see them approach with the fierceness, rapidity, and lerror of a lion.' Comp. Rev. x. 3. IT My lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower. This is the speech of the watchman, and is addressed, not to Jehovah, but to him that appointed kJm. It is designed to show the diligence with which he had attended to the object for wkich he was appointed. He had been unceasing in his observation; and the result was, that now tt length h« saw the enemy approach time, and I am set in my wa^'d *whole nights;

9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, icilh a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon^ is fallen, is fallen; and '"all the graven images

like a lion, and it was certain thai Babylon now must fall. The language here used has a striking resemblance to the opening of the ' Agamem'-pn ' ol jEschylus; being the speech of the watchman, who had been very long upon his tower looking for the signal which should make known that Troy had fallen. It thus commences:

* For ever thus! 0 keep me not, ye gods, For ever thus, fixed in the lonely tower Of Atreus' palace, from whose height I gazp O'erwatched and weary, like a night-dog, still Fixed to my post; meanwhile the rolling year Moves on, and I my wakeful vigils keep By the cold star-light sheen oi spangled skies.' Sytnmons, quoted in the Pictorial Bible.

IT I am set in my ward. My place where one keeps watch. It does no mean that he was confined or impris oned, but that he had kept his watch station (n'n^.TTTa from "i^^j to watch, to keep, to attend to.) IT Whole nights. Marg. every night. It means that he had not left his post day or night.

^ri*?., may denote something else than a wagon or carriage, as a chariot drawn by men cannot be intended. The sense can be expressed,perhaps, by the word riding, * I see a ridixg of men approach;' that is, I see cavalry drawing near, or men riding and hastening to the battle. IT With a couple of horsemen. The word with is not in the Hebrew. The meaning is, * I see a riding of men, or cavalry; and they come in pairs, or two abreast.' A part of the sentence is to be supplied from ver. 7. He saw not only horsemen, but riders on asses and camels. IT And he answered. That is, the watckman answered. The word answer in th< Scriptures means often /nerely to com-

of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

10 O my threshing, and the ^corn of my floor: that which I

mcnce a discourse after an interval; to begin to speak. Job ill. 2. Acts v. 8. Dan. ii. 26. IT Babylon is fallen. That is, her ruin is certain. Such a mighty army is drawing near, and they approach so well prepared for battle, that the ruin of Babylon is inevitable. The repetition of this declaration that " Babylon is fallen," denotes emphasis and certainty. Comp. Ps. xcii. d:

The floods have lifted up, O Lord; The floods have lilted up their wavee.

A similar description is given of the fall of Babylon in Jer. 1. 32, li. 8; and John has copied this description in the account of the overthrow of the mystical Babylon, Rev. xviii. 1,2. Babylon was distinguished for its pride, arrogance, and haughtiness. It became, therefore, the emblem of all that is haughty, and as such is used by John in the Apocalypse; and as such it was a most striking emblem of the pride, arrogance, haughtiness, and oppression which have always been evinced by Papal Rome. H And all the graven images. Babylon was celebrated for its idolatry, and perhaps was the place where the worship of idols commenced. The principal god worshipped there was Belus, or Bel. See Note on ch. xlvi. 1. IT Are broken, &,c. That is, shall be destroyed; or, in spite of its idols, the whole city would be ruined.

10. O my threshing. The words to thresh, to tread down, &c., are often used in the Scriptures to denote punishments inflicted on the enemies of God. An expression like this occurs in Jer. li. 33, in describing the destruction of Babylon: " The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; it is time to thresh her." In regard to the mode of threshing among the Hebrews, and the pertinency of this image to the destruction of the enemies of God, see

have heard of the LvIrd of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared* unto you.

Note on Isa. xxviii. 27. Lowth, together with many others, refers this to Babylon, and regards it as an address of God to Babylon in the midst of her punishment: " O thou, the object on w^hich I shall exercise the severity of my discipline; that shall lie under my afflicting hand like corn spread out upon the floor to be threshed out and winnowed, to separate the chafl' from the wheat." But the expression can be applied with more propriety to the Jews; and may be regarded as the language of tenderness addressed by God through the prophet to his people when they should be oppressed and broken down in Babylon: * O thou, my people, who hast been afflicted and crushed; who hast been under my chastening hand, and reduced to these calamities on account of your sins;- hear what God has spoken respecting the destruction of Babylon, and your consequent certain deliverance.' Thu5 it is the language of consolation; ant* is designed, like the prophecies in chs xiii. xiv., to comfort the Jews, whei they should he in Babylon, with the certainty that they would be delivered. The language of tenderness in which the address is couched, as well as the connection, seems to demand this interpretation. II And the corn of my floor. Heb. " the son of my threshing-floor,*'— a Hebraism for grain that was on the floor to be threshed. The word son is often used in this peculiar manner among the Hebrews. See Note Matt. i. J. IT That which J have heard, &c. This shows the scope or design of the whole prophecy — to declare to the Jews the destruction that would come upon Babylon, and their own consequent deliverance. It waa important that they should be assured of that deliverance, and hence Isaiah repeats his predictions, and minutely states tte manner in which their rescttd would be accomplished.

This prophecy is vffry obscure. It comprises but two vnrses When it was delivere J, or on what occasioi, or whm was its ilesigii, it is not easy to determine lU brevity has contributed much to its obi^eurity; nor, amiilst the variety of intefpretatioi)s which have been proposed, is it possible to ascef*)uin wiip. entire certainty the true explanation. Perhaps no portion of the Scriptures, of equal length, has been subjactcd to a greater variety of exposition It is not the design of these Notes to go at length into a detail of opinions whioh havti been proposed, but to state aa accurately as possible the sense of the prophet. Those who wish to see at length the opinions which have been entertained on this propliecy, will find them detailed in Vitringa and others.

The prophecy relates evidently to Idumea. It stands in connection with that immediately preceding respecting Babylon, and it 13 probable that it was delivered at that time. It has the appearance of being a reply by the prophet to language of insult or taunting from the Idumeans, and to have been spoken v.'hen calamities were coming rapidly on the Jews. But it is not certain that thai was tht- time or the occasion. It is certain only that it is a prediction of calamity succeeding to pi-Ofsperity — perhaps prosperity coming to the atUicted Hebrews in Babylon, and of calamity to the taunting kiumeans, who hadexulted over their downfall and captivity, and who are represented aa sneeringly inquiring of the prophet what was the prospect in regard to the Jews. This is substantially the view given by Vitringa, Kosenmuller, and Gesenius.

According to this interpretation, the scene is laid in the time of the Babylonish captivity. The prophet is ropfesented as having been placed on a watch-tower long and anxiously looking for the issue. It is night; i. e. it is a time of calamity, darkness, and distress. In this state of darkness and obscurity, some one is represented as calling to the prophet from Idumea, and tauntingly inquiring, what of the night, or what the prospect was. He asks, whether there was any prospect of deliverance; or whether these calamities were to continue, and perhaps whether Idumea was also to be involved in them with the suffering Jews. To this the prophet answers, that the morning began to dawn— that there loas a prospect of deliverance. But he adds that calamity was also coming;—calamity probably to the nation that made the inquiry— to the land of Idumea— pcr/jcps calamity tha* should follow the deliverance of the Hebrew captives who would thus be enabled to inflict vengeance on Edom. and to overwhelm it in punishment. The morning dawns, says the watchman; but there is darkness still beyond. Light is coming— but there is night also: light for us— darkness for you. This interpretation is strengthened by a remarkable coincidence in an independent source, and which 1 have not seen noticed, iti the cxxxviith Psalm. The irritated and excited feelings of the captive Jews against Edom; their indignation at the course which Edom pursued when Jerusalem was destroyed; and their desire of vengeance, are all there strongly depicted, and accord witU this interpretation, which supposes the prophet to say that the glad morning of the deliverance of the Jei(79 would be succeeded by a dark night to the taunting Idumean. The feelings of the cap cured and exiled Jews were expressed in the following language in Babylon (Ps. cxxzvii. 7):

Remember, O JEHOVAH, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; Who said. Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation.

That is, we desire vengeance on Idumea, who joined with our enemies when Jerusalem was de- Btroyed; and when Jerusalem shall be again rebuilt we pray that they may be remembered, and that punishment may be infiicted on them for exulting over our calamities. The watchman adds that if the Idumean was disposed to inquire farther he could. The result could be easily ascertained It was clear, and the watchman would be disposed to give the information. But he adds, " return. Come;" — perhaps meaning, ' repent; then come and receive an answer;'— denoting that if the Idumeans toished a favouralue answer, they should repent of their treatment of the Jews in their calamities, and that;/ten a condition of safety and prosperity woubl be promi.^ed them.

As there is considerable variety in th« ancient versions of this prophecy, and as it is brief, they maybe presented to advantage at a single view. The Vulgate does not differ materially from the Hebrew. The following are some of the other vel-sionS:

The vision of Idumea. Unto me he called out of Seir, ' Guard the fortresses • - ^vXioaere tmiAi^f J f. I guard morning and night. If you inquire, inquire, and dwell with me. In the

T?ie burden of the cup of malediction ichich is coming upon Duma. He cries to me from Heaven, * O prophet, prophesy; O prophet, pro|)Jiesy to them of what IS to come.' The prophet said, ' There is a reward to the just, and revenge to the unju.ot. If you will be converted, be convered while you can be converted.

The burden of Duma. The nightly watchman, calls to me out of Seir. And the watchman said, ' The morning Cometh and also the night. If ye will inquire, inquire, and then at length come.

A prophecy respecting Edom and i<eir, the sons of Esau. Call me from Seir. ' Keep the towers. Guard thyself morning and evening. If you inquire, inquire.'

It is evident iiom this variety of translation that the ancient interpreters felt thaV the prophecy was enigmatica! and difficult. It is not easy in a prophecy so brief, and where there is scarcely any •lew to lead us to tlie historical facts, to give an interpretation that shall be entirely satisfactory ani unobjectionable. Perhaps the view given above m^y be as little liable to objection as any one a dis aumeious interpretations which have been proposed.

11 The burden of Dumah.'

11. The burden. See Note ch. xiii. This word burden naturally leads to the supposition that calamity in some form was contemplated in the prophecy. This is also indicated in the prophecy by the word night. IT Of Pumah. Dumah — •1^*'^ — is mentioned in Gen, the twelve sons of Ishmael. It is known that those sons settled in Arabia, and that the Arabians derive their origin from Ishmael. The name Dumah, therefore, properly denotes one of the ^ wandering tribes of the Ishmaelites. The LXX evidently read this as if it had been t31'n5<^ Edom or Idumea — 'iJot/iut'a. Jakut mentions two places in Arabia to which the name Dumah is given, Dumah Irak, and Dumah Felsen. The former of these, which Gesenius supposes is the place here intended, lies upon the borders of the Syrian desert, and is situated in a valley seven days' journey from Damascus, according to Abulfeda, in E. Long. 45^ and in N. Lat. 29° 30', and about three and a half days' journey from Medina. Niebuhr mentions Dumah as a station of the Wehabites.. See Gesenius' Comm. in loco. There can be little doubt that the place referred to is situated on the confines of the Arabian and Syrian deserts, and that it is the place called by;he Arabians i^uma the stony, or Syrian Duma. Rob. Calmet. It has a fortress, and is a place of strength. Jerome says," Duma is not the whole province of Idumea, but is a certain region which lies toward the south, and is twenty miles distant from a city of Palestine called Eleutheropolis, near which are the mountains of Seir." It is evident from the prophecy itself that Idumea is particularly referred to, for the prophet immediately adds, that the voice came to lum from Mount " Seir," which was the principal mountain of Idumea. Why the name Dumah is used to delignate that region has been a matter

He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night 1

on which critics have been divided. Vitringa supposes that it Ls by a play upon \he word Dumah, becau»j the word may be derived from tDO^ ddtttdm, to be silent, to be still; and that it is used to deno;e the filence, or the ni^'A If, which was about td come upon Idumea; that is, the calamity of which this was a prediction. Kocher supposes that the prophet used the word masia, and by derision for DpSf, as if Idumea was soon to be reduced to silence, or to destruction. Idumea, or the country of Edom, is frequently referred to by the prophets. See Jer. xlix. 7-10, 12-18. Ezek. xxxv. 1-4,7, 9, 14, 15. Joel iii. 19. Amos i. U. Obad. V. 2-18. m^l i. 3, 4. For a description of Idumea, and of the prophecies respecting it, see Notes on Isa. xxxiv. IT He calleth. One calleth j there is a voice heard by me from Seir. Lowth renders it, " a voice crieth unto me." But the sense is, that the prophet hears one crying, or calling (l^'Dp) to him from the distant mountain. "[f Unto me The prophet Isaiah. IT Out of Seir. The name Seir was given to a mountainous tract or region of country that, stretched along from the southern part of the Dead Sea to the eastern branch of the Red Sea, terminating near Ezion-Geber. Mount Hor formed a part of this range of mountains. Esau and his descendants possessed the mountains of Seir, and hence the whole region obtained the name of Edom, or Idumea. Mount Seir was anciently the residence of the Horites (Gen. xiv. 6), but Esau made war upon them and destroyed them! Comp. Deut. ii. 5, 12. Gen. xxxvi. 8^ 9. Here it is put for the country of Idumea, and the sense is, that the whole land, or the inhabitants of the land, are heard by the prophet in a taunting manner asking him what af the night. IT Watchman. Note ver. 6. The prophet Isaiah is here referred

Watchman, what of the night?

12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the

to, Comp. ch. Hi. 8, Ivi. 10. He is represented as being in the midst of the calamities that had come upon Judea, and as having his station in desolate Jemealem, and looking for the signs of returning day. The eye is turned towards the east — the source whence light comes, and whence the exiles w^ould return to their own land. Thus anxiously waiting for the indications of mercy to his desolate country, he hears this tainting voice from Idumea, asking him what was the prospect 1 What evidence there was of returning prosperity 1 IT What of the night? Comp. Hab. ii. 1. 'How stands the night ] What is the prospect 1 What have yott to announce respecting the night 1 How much of it is passed? And what is the prospect of the dawn V Night here is the emblem of calamity, affliction, oppression, as it often is in the Scriptures (comp. Job xxxv. 10, Micah iii. 6); and it refers here probably to the calamities which had come upon Judea. The inquiry is. How much of that calamity had passed? What was the prospect? How long was it to continue? How far was it to epread? The inquiry is repeated here to denote intensity or emphasis, manifesting the deep interest which the inquirer had in the result, or designed to give emphasis and point to the cutting taunt.

12. The watchman said. Or rather saith; indicating that this is the answer which the prophet returned to the inquiry from Idumea. IT The morning cometh. There are signs of approaching day. The morning here is an emblem of prosperity; as the light of the morning succeeds to the darkness of the night. This refers to the deliverance from the captivity of Babylon, and is to be supposed as having been spoken near the time when that captivity was at an end; — or nearly at iireak of day after the long night of tisir bondage. This declaration is to be understood as referring to a different people from those referred to in the expression which immediately follows, " and also the night." * The morning cometh — to the captive Jews; — and also the night — to some other peopleto wit, the Idumeans.* It might mean that the morning was to be succeeded by a time of darknete to the same people; but the connection seems to demand that we understand it of others. IT And also the night. A time of calamity and affliction. This is emphatic. It refers to the Idumeans. * The morning cometh to the captive Jews; — it shall be closely succeeded by a night — a time of calamity — to the taunting Idumeans.' — During the captivity of the Jews in Babylon the Idumeans invaded and took possession of the southern part of Judea. The prophet here refers to the fact, perhaps, that on the return of the Jews to their native land they would revenge this by expelling them, and by inflicting punishment on the land of Edom. For a full proof that calamities came upon the land of Idumea, see Keith on the Prophecies, Art. Idumea, and Notes on Isa. xxxiv. IT // ye will inquire, inquire. If you choose to ask any thing further in regard to this you can. The sense is probably this: ' You Idumeans have asked respecting the night in derision and reproach. An answer has been given somewhat agreeably to that inquiry. But if you seriously wish to know any thing further respecting the destiny of your land, you can ask me (Isaiah) or any other prophet, and it will be known. But ask it in seriousness and earnestness, and with a suitable regard for the prophetic character and for God. And especially if you wish a more favourable answer to your inquiries, it is to be obtained only by forsaking sin and turning to God, and then you may come with the hope of a brighter prospect for the future.' The design of thii

.8, therefore, (1) to reprove them for the manner in uhich they had asked the question; (2) to assure them that God was willing to direct humble and Bcrious inquirers; and (3) to show in what way a favourable answer could be obtained — to wit, by repentance. — And this is as true of sinners now as it was then. They often evince the reproachful and taunting spirit which the Idumeans did. They hear only a similar response; — that prosperity and happiness await the Christian, though now in darkness and affliction; and that calamity and destruction are before the guilty. They might have the same answer— an answer that God would bless them and save them, if they would inquire in a humble, serious, and docile manner. IT Return. Turn from your sins; come back to God, and show respect for him and his declarations. IT Come. Then come and you shall be accepted, and the watchman will also announce morning as about to dawn on you. — This seems to be the sense of this very dark and difficult prophecy. It is brief, enigmatical, and obscure. Yet it is beautiful; and if the sense above given be correct, it contains most weighty and important truth — alike* for the afflicted and persecuted friends, and the persecuting and taunting foes of God. With reference to the interpretation here proposed, which supposes, as will have been seen, (1) a state of excited feeling on the part of the Jews towards the Idumeans for the part which they took in the destruction of their city; (2) the prospect of speedy deliverance to the Jews in Babylon; and (3) a consequent desolation and vengeance on the Idumeans for ihe feelings whicn they had manifested 'in the destruction of Jerusalem, see the prophecy of Oba diah, vs. 10-21.

Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, Even destroy the wise men out of Edom, And understanding out of the mount of Eaau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be du

mayed, To the end that every one of the mount of Esa*

may be cut oft' by slaugliter. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shamn shall cover thee, And thou shall be cutoff for ever. In the day that thou stoedest on the othe side; In the day that the stranger carried away wapiive

his forces; And foreigners entered into his gates, and ceAt

lots upon Jerusalem; Even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldst not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; Neither shouldst thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; Neither should t thou have spoken proudly in

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen; As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; Thy reward shall return upon thine own head, &c.

In this prophecy these circumstances are all to be found: (1) The hostility of the Edomites against Jerusalem, and the part which they took in the destruction of the city, in vs. 10-14; (2) the fact of the deliverance of the Jews from captivity, in ver. 17; (3) the consequent vengeance upon the Idumeans, vs. 18-21. This remarkable coincidence in an independent prophecy is a strong circumstance to prove that the interpretation above proposed is correct, l^n regard to the general reasons for the interpretation here proposed, and the lessons which the prophecy is fitted to convey, I may be permitted to refer to my " Practical Sermons," pp. 325-341.

The remainder cf ihis chapter is occupied with a single prophecy jespecting Arabia. It was trolehly delivered about the time that the former was uttered— during the reign of Hezekiah, and before the invasion of Sennacherib. It had reference, I suppose, to Sennacherib; and was designed to ^>retell the fact that either in his march to attack Judea, or on his return from Egypt, he would pasi through Arabia, and perhaps oppress and overthrow some of their clans. At all events, it was to be fulfilled within a year after it was uttered (ver. 16), and refers to some foreign invasion that was to ftome upon their land Rosenmuller supposes that it relates to the same period as the prophecy ia Jer. xlix. 28, sc/., and refers to the time when Nebuchadnezzar sent Nebuzaradan t» overrun tha lands of the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Arabians, the Idumeana, and others w^a had revolted from him, and who had formed an alliance with Zedekiah

Tic sentiment ol the prophecy is sinnple— that within a year the coxni..ry of Arab a would be oveT^ tun by a foreign enemy. The form and manner of the prophecy is highly poetic anil l)eaulifui. Th« images are drawn from customs) and habits whicli pertain to the Anibians, arid which characterJM them to this day. In ver. 13, the prophecy opens wtth a dcctaration that the caravans that wpra accu-stonfied to pass peacefully through Arabia would be arrested by the apprehension of war. The» would seek a place of refuge in the forests and fastnesses of the land. Thither also the prophet seet the Arabians nocking, as if to exercise the rites of hospitality, and to minister to the waiit» of th« oppressed and weary travellers. But the reasons why Uiey are there, the prophet sees to be that tfit]/ are oppressed and driven 6u'i of their land by a foreign invader, and they also seek the same places of security and of refuge, vs. 14, 15. Alt this would be accomplished within a year (ver. 16); and the result would be, that the inhabitants of Arabia would be greatly diminished, ver. 17.

13 The burden upon Arabia. In the ibrciit in Arabia shall ye

13. The 5ur (fen. Note ch. iii. 1. T Upon Arabia, -"^^3 • This is an unusual form. The title of the prophecies is usually without, the 3, rendered upon. Lowth supposes this whole title to be of doubtful authority, chiefly because it is wanting in most MSS. of the LXX. The LXX connect it with the preceding prophecy respecting Dumah, and make this a continuance of that. The preposition 2, uijon, means here respecting, concerning, arid is used instead of''?, as in Zech. ix. 1. Arabia is a well known country of western Asia, lying south and south-east of Judea. It was divided into three parts, Arabia Deserta, on the east; Arabia Petrea, lying south of Judea; and Arabia Feli.x, lying still further south. What part of Arabia is here denoted it may not be easy to determine. It is probable that it was Arabia Petrea, because this lay between Judea and Egypt, and would be exposed to invasion by the Assyrians should they invade Egypt j and because this part of Arabia furnished, more than the others, such retreats and fastnesses as are mentioned in vs.

13—15. ^ In the forest, "l???. The word *i?^, forest, usually denotes a grove, a collection of trees. But it may mean here, any place of refuge from a pursuing foe; a region of thick underwood; an uncultivated, inaccessible place, where they would be concealed rom an invading enemy. The word rendered forest is commonly supposed to mean a forest in the sense in which that word is.low used by us, meaning iin extensive wood — a large tract of land covered with trees. It is doubt- lodge, O ye travelling companiea of Dedanim.

ful however whether the word is so used in the Bible. The Rev. Eli Smith stated to me that he had visited several of the places in Palestine to which the word *'?!! (forest, or grove) is given, and that he was satisfied that there never was a forest there in our use of the word. The same word — waar— the "^ not being used to begin a word in Arabic, but the 1 being used instead of it^ — occurs often in Arabic. It means, as used by the Arabs, a rough, stony, impassable place; a place where there are no roads; which is inaccessible; and which is ia safe retreat for robbers — and it is not improbable that the word is so used here. IT In Arabia. J^"^??. The LXX, the Vulgate, apd the Chal^ dee, understand this of the evening,

" In the evening." The word!^'^.^ with different points from those which the Masorites have used here, means even^ ing, but there is no necessity of departing from the translation in our English version. The sense would not be materially affected whichever rendering should be preferred. IT Shall ye lodge. Shall you pass the night. This is the usual signification of the word. But here it may be taken in a larger sense, as denoting that they would pitch their tents there, or that they would seek a refuge there. The sense I suppose to be this: * O ye travelling caravans of Dedan! Ye were accustomed to pass through Arabia, and to find a safe and hospitable entertainment there. But now, the Arabians shall be overrun by a foreign enemy; they shall be unable to show you hospitality, and to ensure your safety:n their tents, and for feaf

14 The inhabitants of the land ^of Tenria brought"* water to him

of the enemy still in the land you will be obliged to seek a lodging in the inaccessible thickets of the forests/ The passage is intended to denote the change that had taken place, and to show the insecurity iox caravans. ^ O ye travelling companies. Ye caravans. Hin'IK.

This word usually signifies ways, paths, cross-roads. But it is here used evidently to denote those who travelled in such ways or paths; that is, caravans of merchants. So it is used in Job vi. 19: " The caravans of Tema." It is well known that in th6 East it is usual for large companies to travel together, called caravans. Arabia Petrea was a great thoroughfare for such companies. ir Of Dedanim. Descendants of Dedan. There are two men of this name mentioned in the Old Testament — -the sonof Raamah the son of Cush, mentioned in Gen. x. 7; and the son of Jokshan, the son of Abraham by Kelurah, Gen. xxv. 3. The descendants of the latter settled in Arabia Petrea, and the descendants of the former near the Persian Gulf. It is not easy to determine which is here intended, though most probably those who dwelt near the Persian Gulf, because they are often mentioned as merchants. They dealt in ivory, ebony, &c., and traded much with Tyre (Ezek.xxvii. 21), and doubtless also with Egypt. They are here represented as passing through Arabia Petrea on their way to Egypt, and as compelled by the calamities in the country to find a refuge in its fastnesses and inaccessible places.

14. Of the land of Tema. Tema was one of the soiis of Ishmael (Gen. xxv. 15), and is supposed to have peopled the city of Thema in Arabia Deeerta. The word denotes here one of the tribes of Ishmael, or of the Arabians. Job speaks (vi. 19) of "the troops of Tenia," and Jeremiah (xxv. 23) connects Ttma and Dedan together. Je- Vome and Eusebius say that the village »f Themanr-Oa'/ia"— existed ia their that was thirsty, tritsy prevented with their bread nim that fled.

time. It was, according to Jerome, five, and according to Eusebius, fifteen miles from Petra, and was then occupied as a Roman garrison. Onomat. Urb. et Locor. Ptolemy speaks of a city called Themme {Qi^firj) in Arabia Deserta. This city lies, according to lyAnvilie. "n 57° E. longitude, and 27° N. latitude. According to Seetzen it la on the road usually pursued by caravans from Mecca to Damascus. Lowth renders it " the southern country," but without authority. The LXX render it Qainav, Thaiman. IT Brought water. Marg. " bring ye." This might be rendered in the imperative, but the connection seems rather to require that it be read as a declaration that they did so. To bring water to the thirsty was an act of hospitality, and especially in eastern countries, where water was so scarce, and where it was of so much consequence to the traveller in the burning sands and deserts. The idea is, that the inhabitants of the land would be oppressed and pursued by an enemy; and that the Arabians, referred to by the prophet (ver. 13), would be driven from their homes; and be dependent on others; that they would wander through the vast deserts, deprived of the necessaries of life; and that they would be dependent on the charity of the people of Tema for the supply of their wants. The following illustration of this passage has "been kindly furnished me by the Rev. Eli Smith, missionary to Syria., showing that Isaiah, in mentioning hoS' pitality as one of the virtues of the inhabitants of Tema, drew from the life. " Even in Hebrew prophecy hospitality is distinctly recognized as a trait in the Arab character. Isaiah says, ' the in habitants of Tema,* &c. Tema la known as an oasis in the h»*art of Arabia, between Syria and Mecca. And among the scraps of ante-Mohammedan poetry that have reached us, is one by Samaciel, a prince of thii same Tema. In cxtoUing the va:tu«t of his tribe he says.

15 For nhey fled ^from the «won:s, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

16 For thus hath the Lord

* No fire of ours was ever extinguished at night without a guest, and of our guests never did one disparage us.'

" In the passage quoted from Isaiah, it is to the thirsty and hungry in flight, that the inhabitants of Tema are represented as bringing water and bread, as if hastening to afford them protection. The extent to which this protection is sometimes carried, is finely illustrated by a traditionary anecdote in the life of Samaciel, the prince and poet of Tema just mentioned. In some feud among the tribes in his neighbourhood, a prince [Amru el-Keis] fled to Samaciel, left with him his treasures, and was conducted by him beyond the reach of his enemies. They assembled their forces and marched upon Tema. On their way Samaciel's son fell into their hands. Presenting the young man before his castle, they proposed to the father the dreadful alternative, of delivering up to them what his guest had left, or seeing his son massacred. Samaciel's sense of honour dictated the reply:

' He honoured me, and I'll honour him • * * Treachery is a chain to the neck vhat never wears out.' So he defended the rights of his guest, and his son was slain.' T They prevented. Our word prevent usually means at present, to hinder, to obstruct. But in the Scriptures, and in the old English sense of the word, it means to anticipate, to go before. That is the sense of the word

said unto me. Within a year, ac« cording to the years of an hireling,*^ and all the glory of Kedar* shall fail.

wants by bread; that is, they supplied them. This was an ancient and an honourable rite of hospitality. Thut Melchizedek (Gen. xiv. 17, 18) is said to have come out and met Abraham, when returning victorious from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, with bi'jad and wine. IF Him that fled. The inhabitant of the land of Arabia that fled before the invader, perhaps the inhabitants of Kedar (ver. 16), or of some other part of Arabia. It is not meant that the whole land of Arabia would be desolate, but that the invasion would come upon certain parts of it; and the inhabitants of other portions — as of Tema — would supply the wants of the fugitives.

15. For they fled. The inhabitants of one part of the land. H The griev' ousness of war. Heb. the weight C^?2i)j the heaviness, the oppression of war — • probably from the calamities that would result from the march of the Assyrian throngh their land, either on his way to Judea or to Egypt.

16. Within a year. What has been said before was figurative. Here the prophet speaks without a metaphor, and fixes the time when this should be accomplished. It is not usual for the prophets to designate the exact time of the fulfilment of their prophecies in this manner. IT According to the years of an hireling. Exactly; observing the precise time specified. Job vii. 1. See the phrase explained on ch. xvi. 14. IT All the glory. The beauty, pride, strength, wealth, &c. IT Of Kedar. Kedar was a son of Ishma"' (Gen. xxv. 15). He was the father ot the Kedareneans or Cedrai mentioned by Pliny» Nat. Hist. v. 11. They dwelt in the neighbourhood of the Nabatheans, in Arabia Deserta. These people livej in tents, and were a wandering tribe, and it is not possible to fix the preciaa

17 And the residue of the lumber of archers/ the mighty

place of their habitation. They resided, it is supposed, in the south part ot' Arabia Deserta, and the north part of Arabia Petrea. The name Kedar seems to be used sometimes to denote Arabia in general, or Arabia Deserta particularly. See Ps. cxx. 5. Cant, i, 5. Isa. xlii. 11, Ix. 7. Jer. ii. 10, xlix. 28. Ezek. xxvi. 21. IT Shall fail.

Shall be consumed, destroyed — »^^3 • 17. And the residue of the number. That is, those who shall be left in the invasion. Or perhaps it may be read, * there shall be a remnant of the number of bowmen; the mighty men of Kedar

men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.

shall be diminished.' IT Of archers. Hebrew, " of the bow;" that ia, of those who use bows in war. The bow was the common instrument in hum« ing and in war among the ancients. IF Shall he diminished. Heb. " shall be made small;" they shall be reduced to a very small number. We cannot indeed determine the precise historical event to which this refers, but the whole connection and circumstances seem to make it probable that it referred to the invasion by the Assyrian when he went up against Judah, oi when he was on his way to Egypt.

Thi<} chapter is made up of tioo prophecies; one comprising the first fourteen verses, and atj dT^-ssed to the city ef Jerusalem; and the other (vs. 15—25) relating to the fall of Shebna, the prefect of the palace, and to tlie pronriotion of Eliakim in his place. They may have been delivered nearly at the same time, but the subjects are distinct.

The first (vs. 1—14) relates to Jerusalem. It has reference to some period when the city was besieged, and when universal consternation spread among the people. The prophet represents himself as in the city, and as a witness of the alarm. He (l; describes (vs. 1—3) the consternation that prevailed in the city at the approach of the enemy. The inhabitants flee to the tops of the houses cither to observe the enemy or to make a defence, and the ci4y is filled with distress, mingled with the tumultuous mirth of a portion who regard defence as hopeless, and who give themselves up to revelry and gluttony because they apprehended that they must at all events soon die. The prophet then (2) describes (vs. 4—8) his own grief at the impending calamity, and especially at the state of things within the city. He portrays the dt^itress; describes tho^e who cause it, and the people engaged in it; and says that the valleys around the city are fiHed with chariots, and that the horsemen of the enemy have come to the very gate. He then (3) describes the preparations which are made in the city for defence, vs. »— 11. The inhabitants of the city had endeavoured to repf.ir the breaches of the walls; had even torn down their houses to furnish materials, and had endeavoured to secure the water with which the city was supplied from the enemy; but they had not looked to God as they should have done tor protection. The scope of the prophecy therefore is, to reprove them for not looking to God, and also for their revelry in the very midst of their calamities. The prophet then (4) describes the state ot morals within the city. vs. K — 14. It was a time when they should have humbled themselves, and looked to God. He called them to fasting and to grief: bu< they supposed that the city mtist be taken, and that they must die, and a large portion of the inhabitants, despairing of being able to make a successful defence, gave themselves up to riot and drunJtenness. To reprove this, was on(( design of the prophet; and perhaps also to teach the general les.son that men, in view of" the certainty of death, should not madiy and foolishly give themselves to sensual indulgence.

There has been a difference of opinion in regard to the event to which this prophecy refers. Most hsave supposed that it relates to tl e invasion by Sennacherib; others have supposed that it relates to the destruction of the city by Net)uchadnezzar. Vitringa and Lowth suppose that tlie prophet had toth events in view; the former in vs. 1 — ^5, and the latter in the remainder of the prophecy. But it is not probable that it has a two-fold reference. It has the appearance of referring to a single calamity; and this mode of interpretation should not be departed from without manifest necessity. Th« general aspect of the prophecv has reference, 1 think, to the invasion by Sennacherib. He came near the city; the city wa.s filled with alarm; and Hezekiah prepared himself to make as firm a stand against him as pos'sibl<», and put the city in the best possible state of defence. The description m vs. 9—11 agrees exactly with the account given of the defence which Hezekiah made against Sennacherib in 2 Chron. xx.vii. 2, seq.; and particularly in regard to the effort made to secure the fountains in the neighbourhood for the use of the city, and to prevent the Assyrians from obtaining it. la 2 Chrun. xxxii. 2, seg., we are told that Hezekiah took me isures to stop all the fountains of wattf without the city, and the brook " that ran through the midst of the land," in owlcr that t)ie Assy- 'ians under Sennacherib should not find water; and that he repaired the walls, and ouilt new towera cf defence in the city, and placed guards upon them. These circumstances of coincidence betweea the history and the prophecy, show conclusively that the reference is entirely to the invasion undo' Sennacherib. This occurred 710 years before Christ.

i. 1 The burden of the valley -pf vision. What aileth thee now,

1. The burden. Note ch. xiii. 1. If The valley. fi<''S. Septuagint,^apayyos, valley. Chaldee. "The burden of the prophecy respecting the "city which dwells (i. e. is built) in the valley, which the prophets have prophesied concerning it." There can be no doubt that Jerusalem is intended. See vs. 9, 10. It is not tisual to call it a valley, but it may be so called, either (1) because there were several valleys within the city and adjacent to it, as the vale between Mount Zion and Moriah; the vale between Mount Moriah and Mount Ophel; between these and Mount Bezetha; and the valley of.Tehoshaphat, without the walls of the city; or (2) more probably it was called a valley in reference to its being encompassed with hills, rising to a considerable elevation above the city. Thus Mount Olivet was on the east, and overlooked the city. Jerusalem is also called a valley, and a plain, in Jer. xxi. 13: " Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and tock of the plain, saith the Lord." Thus it is described in Reland's Pales-. "Jine: " The city was in the mountain '-region of Judea, in an elevated place, i.yet so that in respect to the mountains by which it was surrounded, it seemed to be situated in a humble place, because Mount Olivet, and other mountains surrounding it, were more elevated." So Phocas gays, "The holy city is placed in the midst of various valleys and hills, and this is wonderful ■^avua&T6t> — in it, that at the same; lime tke city seems to be €levated and depressed; for it is elevated in respect tb the region of Judea, and depressed in respect to the hills around it." Reland Palaest. Lib. iii. p. 802, in Ugolin'a Thesauf. vol. vi. It was common r/ith Isaiah and the other prophets to that thou art wholly gone up to the *house-tops?

2 Thou that art full of stirs,

designate Jerasalem and other places, not by their proper names, but by some appellation that would be descriptive. See ch. xxi. 1, xxix. 1. IT Of vision. Note ch. i. 1. The word here means that Jerusalem was eminently the place where God made known his will to the prophets, and manifested himself to his people by visions. IT What aileth thee now. What is the cause of the commotion and tumult that exists in the city? The prophet throws himself at once into the midst of the excitement; sees the agitation and tumult, and the preparations for defence which were made, and asks the cause of all this confusion. 11 That thou art wholly gone up to the house-tops. That all classes of the people had fled to the housetops, so much that it might be said that all the city had gone up. Houses in the East were built in a uniform manner in ancient times, and are so to this day. See a description of the mode of building in Notes on Matth. ix. 1, seq. The roofs were always flat, and were made either of earth that was trodden hard, or with large flat stones. This roof was surrounded with a balustrade (Deut. xxii. 8), and furnished a convenient place for walking, or even for eating and sleeping. Whenever, therefore, any thing was to be seen in the street, or at a distance; or when there was any cause of alarm, they would naturally resort to the roof of the house. • When there was a tower in the city, the inhabitants fled to that, and took refuge on its top. See Judges X. 50-53. The image here is, therefore, one of consternation and alarm, as if on the sudden approach of an enemy,