Notes on the Old and New Testaments

2. Thou that art full of stirs. Of tumult; of commotion; of alaion. Or perhaps this whole description may meat that it was formerly a city distinguished

a tumultuous city, a <^joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with tlie sword, nor dead in battle. 3 All thy rulers are fled* to-

for the hum of business, or for pleasure — a busy, active, enterprising city. The Hebrew will bear this, but I prefer the former interpretation, as indicating mingled alarm and consternation, and at the same time a disposition to engage in riot and revelry. IT A joyous city. A city exulting; rejoicing; given to pleasure, and to riot. See the description of Nineveh in Zeph. ii. 15. It is remarkable that the prophet has blended these things together, and has spoken of the tumult, the alarm, and the rejoicing, in the same breath. This may be either because it was the general character of the city thus to be full of revelry, dissipation, and riot, and he designates it by that which usually and appro2)riately described it; or because it was, even then, notwithstanding the general consternation and alarm, given up to revelry, and the rather on account of the approaching danger. So he describes the city in vs. 12, 13. IT Thy slain are not slain with the sword.

The words thy slain here, ^i^d^r}., seem to be intended to be applied to the soldiers on whom the defence of the city rested; and to mean those who had not died an honourable death in the city in its defence, but who had fled in consternation, and who were either taken in their flight and made captive, or who were pursued and put to death. To be slain with the sword here is equivalent to being slain in an honourable engagement with the enemy. But here the prophet speaks of their consternation, their cowardice, and of their being partly trampled down in their hasty and ignominious flight by ach other; and partly of the fugitives cing overtaken by the enemy, and Rus put to death.

3. All thy rulers are fled together. The general idea in this verse is plain. It is designed to describe the consternation whicji would take place on the

gether, they are bound^ by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

approach of the invader, and especially the timidity and flight of those on whom the city relied for protection and defence. Hence, instead of entering calmly and firmly on the work of defence, no inconsiderarble part of the rulers of the city are represented as fleeing from the city, and refusing to remain to protect the capital. The word rendered thy rulers, '^'^S'^^p, denotes either the civil rulers of tlie city, or military leaders. It is most usually applied to the latter. Josh. x. 24, Judg. xi. 6, 11, Dan. xi. 18, and probably refers here to military commanders. IT They are bound by the archers. Heb. as in the margin, " of the bow." There has been a great variety in the interpretation of this passage. The LXX read it, " and the captives are bound with severity," CK'Xripiog SeScixivoi eiai. The Chaldee, " and the captives migrate from before the extending of the bow." Jarchi renders it, " who from the fear of arrows were bound so that they shut themselves up in the city." Houbigant and Lowih rendei it, ' they are fled from the bow," reading it ^"ip^ instead of the present Hebrew text 1"^^, but without the slightest authority. Vitringa renders it, " they were bound from treading, i. e. extending, or using the bow;" or " they were bound by those who tread, i. e. use the bow;" indicating that they were so bound that they could not use the bow in defence of the city. 1 think that the connection here requires that the word 1'1&5< shoild be used in the sense of being bound or influenced by fear — they were so intimidated, so much under the influence of terror, so entirely unmanned and disabled by alarm, that they could not use the bow j or this was caused by the bow, i. e. by the bowmen or archers who came tc attack the citv. It is true that ii«

4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will »vveep bitterly, ^labour not to comfort me; because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

Other instance occurs in which the word is used in precisely this sense, but instances in abundance occur where strung passion is represented as having a controlling or disabling influence over the mind and body; where it takes away the energy of the soul, and makes one timid, feeble, helpless, as if bound with cords, or made captive. The word ^^i< commonly means to bind with cords, or to fetter; to imprison, Gen. xlii. 24, Judg. xvi. 5, 2 Kings xvii. 4; to yoke, 1 Sam. vi. 7, 10; and then to hind with a vow, Num. xxx. 3. Hence it may mean to hind with fear or consternation. ^ Which have fled from far. That is, either they have fled far away; or they had fled from far in order to reach Jerusalem as a place of safety. Probably the latter is the sense.

4. Look away ft am me. Do not look upon me — an indication of deep grief, for sorrow seeks to be alone, and grief avoids publicity and exposure. IT / will weep bitterly. Heb. / will he hitter in weeping. Thus we speak of hitter sorrow, indicating excessive grief. See Note ch. xv. 5, comp. Micah i. 8, 9. Jer. xiii. 17, xiv. 17. Lam. i. 16, ii. 11. IT Labour not. The sense is, * My grief is so great that I cannot be comforted. There are no topics of consolation that can be presented. I must be alone, and allowed to indulge in deep and overwhelming sorrow at the calamities that arc coming upon my nation and people.' IT Because of the spoiling. The desolation; the ruin that is coming apcu them. ^ The daughter of my fieoplf: Jerusalem. See Note ch. i. 8, comp. Jer. iv. 11, vi. 14, viii. 19,21, 2'i. Lan}. ii. 11, iv. 3, 6, 10.

5. For it is a day of trouble and of Ireading down. When our enemies

5 For ii is a day of trouble and of treading down, and ol perplexity by the Lord God ol hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walks, and of crying to the mountains.

trample on every thing sacred and deat to us, and endanger all our best interests. See Ps. xliv. 6. Luke xxi. 24. IT And of perplexity. In which we know not what to do. We are embarrassed, and know not where to look foi relief. IT By the Lord God of hosts That is, he is the efficient cause of all this. It has come upon us under hia providence, and by his direction. Note ch. X. 5. IT In the valley of vision. In Jerusalem. Notever. 1. ^ Break" ing down the walls. There has been much variety in the interpretation of this place. The LXX render it, * In the valley of Zion they wander, from the least to the greatest, they wandei upon the mountains.' See a discussion of the various senses which the Hebrew phrase niay admit, in RosenmUller and Gesenius. Probably our common version has given the true sense, and the reference is to the fact that the walls of the city became thrown down, either in the siege or from some other cause. If this refers to the invasion of Sennacherib, though his army waj destroyed, and he was unable to take the city, yet there is no improbability in the supposition that he made some breaches in the walls. Indeed this i« implied in the account in 2 Chron. xxxii. 5. T And of crying to the mountains. Either for help, or more probably of such a loud lamentation that it reached the snrrounding hills, and was re-echoed back to the city. Or perhaps it may mean that the shoul or clamour of those engaged in build ing or defending the walls, reached tt the mountains Comp. Virj', ^Eniad iv. 668.•

RosenmUller renders it, * a cry — to the mountains!' That is, a cry among the people to escape to the hills, and to

6 And Elam-^ bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered* the shield.

geek refuge in the caves and fastnesses there. Comp. Judges vi. 2. Matth. xxiv. 16. Mark xiii. 14.

6. And Elam. The southern part of Persia, perhaps here used to denote Persia in general. See Note eh. xxi. 2. Elam, or Persia, was at this time subject to Assyria, and their forces were united doubtless in the invasion ofJudea. '^ Bare the quiver. A quiver is a case in which arrows are carried. This was usually hung upon the shoulders, and thus borne by the soldier when he entered into battle. By the expression here is meant that Elam was engaged in the siege, and was distinguished particularly for skill in shooting arrows. That the Elamites were thus distinguished for the use of the bow, is apparent from Ezek. xxxii. 24, and Jer. xlix. 35. IT With chariots of men and horsemen. Lowth proposes of the single letter ^ into ^. This mistake might have been easily made where the letters are so much alike, and it would suit the parallelism of the passage, but there is no authority of MSS. or versions for the change. The words " chariots of men — horsemen," I understand here, as in ch. xxi. 7, to mean a troop, or riding of men who were horsemen. Archers often rode in this manner. The Scythians usually fought on horseback with bows and arrows. IT Kir. Kir was a city of Media, where the river Kyrus or Cyrus flows. 2 Kings xvi. 9. Amos i. 5, ix. 7. This was evidently then connected with the Assyrian monarchy, and was engaged with it in the invasion of Judea. Perhaps the name Kir was given to a region or province lying on the river Cyrus* or Kyrus. This river vnites with the Araxes, and falls into that 'thy choicest valleys ahall be full of chariots, and the horse, men shall set themselves in array at'' the gate.

8 And he discovered tlie cov-

the Caspian Sea. V Uncovered the shield. See Note xjd. 5. Shields were protected during a march, or when not in use, by a covering of cloth. Among the Greeks, the name of thia covering was Ttayna. Shields were made either of metal or of skin, and the object in covering them was to preserve the metal untarnished, or to keep the shield from injury. To uncover the shield, therefore, was to prepare for battle. The Medes were subject to the Assyrians in the time ol Hezekiah (2 Kings xvi. 9, xvii. 6), and of course in the time of the invasion of Judea by Sennacherib.

7. Thy choicest valleys. Heb. * The choice of thy valleys;' meaning the most fertile and most valued lands in the vicinity of the city. The rich and fertile vales around Jerusalem would be occupied by the armies of the Assyrian monarch. What occurs in thia verse and the following verses to ver. 14, is a prophetic description of what is presented historically in Isa. xxxvi. and 2 Chron. xxxii. The coincidence is so exact, that it leaves no room to doubt that the invasion here described was that which took place under Sennacherib. IT Set themselves in array, Heb. * Placing shall place themselves;' i. e. they shall be drawn up for battle; they shall besiege the city, and guard it from all ingress or egress. Rabshakeh, sent by Sennacherib to besiege the city, took his station at the upper poo!, and was so near the city that he could converse with the people on the walla. Isa. xxxvi. 11-13.

8. And he discovered. Heb. He made naked, or bare, 'l*?!!. The expression " he discovered," mf ans simply that it icas uncovered, v/ithout designating the agent. IF The c-t}:eriiig of Judah. The word here used (T?^-^ taring of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the arijnour of the house*' of the forest.

9 Ye^ have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many; and ye ga-

denotes properly a covering, and is applied to the curtain or veil that was before the tabernacle, Ex. xxvi. 36, xxxix. 3S; and to the curtain that was before the gate of the court, Ex. xxxv. 17, xxxix. 40. The LXX understand it of the gatss oi 3\xdi^\v, " They revealed the gates (ras TTvAaj) of Judah." Many have understood it of the defences, ramparts, or fortifications of Judah, meaning that they were laid open to public view, i. e. were demolished. But the more probable meaning perliaps, is, that the invading army exposed Judah to every kind of reproach; stripped off every thing that was designed to be ornamental in the land; and thus, by the figure of exposing one to reproach and shame by stripping off all his clothes, exposed Judah in every part to reproach. Sennacherib actually came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them and dismantled them. 2 Kings xviii. 13. Isa, xxxvi. i. The land was thus laid bare, and unprotected. IT And thou didst look. Thou Judah; or the king of Judah. Thou didst cast thines eyes to ihat armory 4is the kst resort, and as the only jb;»3^,of jierence. IT To the armour. Of^WllKr, perhaps, the armory, the arsenal, ptt^.S. The LXX render it, " to the choice houses of the city." Comp. Neh. iii. 19. ^ Of the house of the forest. This was built within the city, and was called the house of the forest of Lebanon, probably from thi great quantity of cedar from Lebanon which was employed in building it. 1 Kings vii. 2-8. In this house, Solomon laid up large quantities of munitions of war (1 Kings x. 16, 17); and ihis vast storehouse was now the principal reliance of Hezekiah against the kivading forces of Sennacherib.

thered together the waters of tha lower pool:

10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down.to fortify the wall.

n Ye have seen also the breaches. You who are inhabitants of the city. That such breaches were actually made, see 2 Chron. xxxn. 5. IF Of the city of David. Of Jerusalem, so called because it was the royai residence of David. Zion was usually called the city of David, but the name was given also to the entire city. IT And ye gathered together, &c. That is, Hezekiah and the people of the city collected those waters. II Of the lower pool. Note ch. vii. 3. For a description of the upper and lower pool, see Notes on ch. vii. 3. The superfluous waters of the lower pool usually flowed into the valley of Hinnom, and thence into the valley of Jehoshaphat, mingling with the waters of the brook Kedron. It would seem from the passage here that those waters were not usually retained for the use of the city, though it was possible to retain them in case of a drought or a siege. At present the lower pool is without the walls, but Hezekiah appears to have extended a temporary wall around it so as to enclose it. See Note on ver. 11. This he did probably for two purposes; (1) to cut off the Assyrians from the supply of water; and (2) to retain all the water in the city to supply the inhabitants during the siege. See 2 Chron. xxxii. 4, where it is expressly declared that Hezekiah took this measure to distress the Assyrians.

10. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem. That is, you have taken an estimate of their number so as to ascertain how many can be spared to be pulled down to repair the walls; or you have made an estimate of the amount of materials for repairing tha walls which would be furnialried bf

11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

pulling down the houses in Jerusalem. IT To for>.iJg the wall. The houses in Jerusalem were built of stone, and therefore they would furnish appropriate materials for repairing the walls of the city. In 2 Chron. xxxii. 5, it is said that iiezekiah not only repaired the broken walls of the city on the approach of Sennacherib, but " raised up the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance." 11. Ye made also a ditch. That is, they made a reservoir to retain the water. The word ditch, however, will well describe the character of the Pool of Gihon on the west side of the city. See Notes on ch. vii. 3. If Between the two walls for the water of the old pool. Hezeldah built one of these walls himself 2 Chron. xxxii. 5, 30; comp. 2 Kings XXV. 5, and Jeremiah xxxix. 4. Between these tvv'o walls the water would be collected so as to be accessible to the inhabitants of the city incase of a siege. Before this, the water had flowed without the walls of the city, and in a time of siege the inhabitants would be cut off from it. and an enemy would be able easily to subdue them. To prevent this, Hezekiah appears to have performed two works, one of which v/as particularly adapted to the times of the siege, and the other was of permanent utility. (I) He made a wall on the west side of Gihon, so as to make the pool accessible to the inhabitants of the city — as described here by Isaiah; and (2) he " stopped the upper water-course of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." 2 Chron xxxii. 30. By this is not improbably meant that he constricted the pool which is now known as the " pool of Hezekiah." This reservoir lies within flie walls of the city, some distance

12 And in that day did tho Lord God of hosts call" to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness,*' and to girding wHh sackcloth:

northeastward of the Yafa Gate, and just west of the street that leads to the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Itfl sides run towards the cardinal points. Its breadth at the north end is 144 feet, its length on the east side about 240 feet. The depth is not great. The bottom is rock, and is levelled and covered with cement. The reservoir is now supplied with water during the rainy season by the small aqueduct or drain brought down from the Upper Pool, along the surface of the ground and under the wall at or near the Yafa Gate. Comp. Robinson's Bibli. Research, i. 487. This was deemed a work of great utility, and was one of the acts which particularly distinguished the reign of Hezekiah. It is not only mentioned in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, but the son of Sirach has also mentioned it in his encomium on Hezekiah: " Hezekiah fortified his city, and brought in water into the midst thereof; he digged the hard rock with iron, and made wells for water." Ecclus. xlviii. 17. ^ Dut ye have not looked. You have not relied on God. You have depended on your own resources; and on the defences which you have been making against the enemy. This probably described the general character of the people. Hezekiah, however, was a pious man, and doubtless really depended on the aid oi' God. IT The maker thereof. God; by whosa command and aid all these dofcncea are made, and who has given you ability and skill to make them, "il Long ago. God had made this fountain, and it had long been a supply to the city He had a claim, therefore, to their gratitude and respect.

12. And in that day. In the invasion of Sennacherib It might be rendered, * and the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, on such a day calls to weepings

13 And behold, joy an J gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking

intimating that in such a time it was a general truth that God required those who were thus afflicted to weep, and fest, and pray. IT Call to weeping.,That is, by his Providence; or, it was proper that at such a time they should weep. Affliction, oppression, and calamity are indications from God always that we ought to be humbled, and to prostrate ourselves before Him. ^ And to baldness. To plucking off the hair, or shaving the head — one of the emblems of grief among the ancients. Job 1. 2v0. Micah i. 16. IF And to girding with sackcloth. See Note ch iii. 24.

13. And behold, &c. Wiien they ought to give themselves to fasting and prayer, they gave themselves up to revelry and riot. IT Let us eat and drink. Saying, let us eat and drink. That is, it is inevitable that we must soon die. The army of the Assyrian is approaching, and the city cannot stand against him. It is in vain to make a defence, and in vain to call upon God. Since we must soon die, we may as v/ell enjoy life while it lasts. This is always the language of the epicure; and it seems to be the language of no small part of the world. Probably if the real feelings of the great mass of worldly men were expressed, they could not be better expressed than in this passage of Isaiah: * We must soon die at all events. We cannot avoid that, for it is the common lot of all. And since we have l^een sent into a dying world; since we had no agency in being placed here; since it is impossible to prevent this doom, we may as well enjoy life wnile it lasts, and give ourselves to pleasure, dissipation, and revelry. While we can, we will take our comfort, and when death comes we will submit to it, simply because wc cannot a\oid it.' Thus, while God calls men to repentance and seriousness; and while he would Rrge them, by the consideration that wine: let* us eat and drink, fof to-morrow we shall die.

this life is short, to prepare for a better; and while he designs that the nearness of death should lead them to think solemnly of it, they abuse all hia mercies, endeavour to thwart all hia arrangements, and live and die like the brutes. — This passage is quoted by Paul in his argument on the subject of the resurrection in 1 Cor. xv. 32. Sentiments remarkably similar to this occur in the writings of the Greek and Roman poets. Among the Egyptians the fact that life is short, was urged as one argument for promoting soberness and temperance, and in order to produce this effect, it was customary at their feasts to have introduced, at some part of the entertainment, a wooden image of Osiris in the form of a human mummy standing erect, or lying on a bier, and to show it to each of the guests, warning him of his mortality, and of the transitory nature of human pleasures. He was reminded that one day he would be like that; and was told that men ' ought to love one another, and to avoid those evils which tend to make them consider life too long, when in reality it is too short, and while enjoying the blessings of this life to bear in mind that life was precarious, and that death would soon close all their comforts.* See Wilkinson's Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, vol. ii. pp. 409-41J, With the Greeks and Romans, however, as well as the Jews in the time of Isaiah, the fact of the shortness of life was used to produce just the contrary effect — to prompt them to dissipation and licentiousness. The fact of the temporary pilgrimage of man served as an inducement to enjoy the pleasures of life while they lasted, since death was supposed to close the scene, and no prospect was held out of happiness in a future state. This senti* ment was expressed in their songs at their entertainments to urge thems<;lvei on to greater indulgence in wine and

14 Aiid it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be

In pleasure. Thus in Anacieon, Ode 4:

Ynep av^eyos narrvpui

HKE^aaai OeXo) fitpijivag.

••In decent robe behind him bound, Cupid shall serve the goblet round; For fast away our moments steal, Like the swift chariot's rolling wheel; The rapid course is quickly done, And soon the race of life is run. Then, then, alas! we droop, we die; And sunk in dissolution lie: Our frame no symmetry retains, Nought but a litile dust remains. Why o'er the tomb are odtjurs shed? Why poured libations to the dead? To me, far better, while I live. Rich wines and balmy fragrance give. Now, now, the rosy wreath prepare, And hither call the lovely fair. Vow, while I draw my vital breath, Ere yet I lead the dance of death, Fur joy my sorrows I'll resign, A.nd drown my cares in rosy wine."

Hue vina, et unguente, et nimium brevis Flores amoenos ferre jube rosae. Oum res, et aetas, et sororum Fila trium patiuntur atra.

And still more strikingly in Petronius, Satyric. c. 34, ad finem:

Heu, heu, nos miseros, quam totus homuncio nil

e»i! Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferat Orcus: Ergo vivamus, dum licet esse, bene.

The same sentiments prevailed among the Jews in the time of the author of the Book of Wisdom: — " Our life is short and tedious, and in the death of a man there is no remedy: neither was there any man known to aave returned from the grave. For we

purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.

are born at all adventure; and we shall be hereafter as though we nad never been, for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart; — Come or, therefore, let us enjoy the good thingg that are present; let us fill ourselves with costly wine and ointments, and let no flower of the spring pass by us; let us crown ourselves with rose buds before they be withered; let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness; let us leave tokens of oui joyfulness in every place." Ch. 11. 1-9. It was with reference to such sentiments as these, that Dr. Doddridge composed that beautiful epigram which Dr. Johnson pronounced the finest in the English language:

' Live while you live,' the sacred preacher cries, ' And give to God each moment as it flies;' ' Live while you live,' the Epicure would say, ' And seize the pleasures of the present day.' Lord, in my view, let both united be, I live to pleasure when I live to thee.

14. It was revealed in mine ears, surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die. That is, the sin is so aggravated that it shall never be expiated or pardoned. Few sins can be more aggravated than revelry and riot, thoughtlessness and mirth over the grave. Nothing can show a more decided disregard of God, and nothing a more grovelling and sensual disposition. And yet, it is the common sm of the world; and there can be nothing more melancholy than that a race hastening to the grave should give itself to riot and dissipation. One would think that the prospect of a speedy and certain death would deter men from sin. But the very reverse is true. The nearer they approach death, the more reckless and abandoned do they often become. The strength and power of depravity is thus shown in the fact that men can sin thus when near the grave, and with the most fearful warnings and assurances that they are soea to go down to eternal wo.

The remaimier of this chapter (vs. 15—25) is occupied with a predic/ion respecting Shebna, and the promotion of Eliakim in his place. From the prophecy itself it appears that Shebna was prefect of the palace (ver. 15), or that he was in the highest authority in the time of Hezekiah. That he was an unprincipled ruler is evident from the prophecy, and hence Isaiah was directed to predict his fall, and the elevation of another in his place. Whether this Shebna is the same that is mentioned in ch. xxivi. 3, is not known. The Shebna there mentioned is called a Scribe (ver 22), and that was after the fall of Shebna here mentioned, for it occurred after Eliakim had been placed over the palace. EliaJtim was then in ofSce and was sent on that embassy to Sennacherib. Chs. xxxvi. 2, 22 xxxvii. 2. The probability is, therefore, that this was some other man of the same name, unless it may have been that Shebna, after being degraded from the rank of prefect of the palace or prime minister, became a Scribe, or had an inferior office under Eliakim. The prophecy contains the following things: (1) A comtnand to Isaiah to go to Shebna and to reprove him for his self-confidence in his sin, vs. 15, 16; (2) a oeclaration that he should be carried captive to a foreign land, vs.,"', 18^ (3) a declaration that he should be deposed and succeeded by Eliakim. ver. 20; (4) a description o» the character and honours of Eliakim, and his qualifications for the office, vs. 21—24, and (5) a con. firmation of the whole prophecy, or a summing up the whole in a single declaration, ver. 25.

15 Thus saith the Lord God cf hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer.

15. Thus saith the Lord God of hosts. See Note ch. i. 9. IT Go, get thee. Heb. * Go, come to.' This was one of the instances in which the prophets were directed to go personally, and even at the hazard of their life, to those who were high in office, and to denounce on them the divine judgment for their sins. IT Unto this treasurer. ')?'S'l • The Vulgate renders this, ' to him who dwells in the tabernacle.' The LXX render it, elg Td Trac7TO(p6piov, denoting properly what is borne into a recess, cell, or chapel, and referring properly to a place where an idol was placed in a temple; and then any recess, or chamber, as a treasury, and referring here to the room which the treasurer of the temple occupied. The Hebrew word "j?^ means to dwell with any one; then to be an associate or friend, and hence the participle is applied to one intrusted with the care of any thing, a steward, a treasurer. Jerome explains this in his Commentary as meaning, * go to him who dwells in the tabernacle, which in Hebrew is called Sochcn.' He understands by this Bome room, or recess in the temple, where the treasurer or the prefect of the temple dwelt. Our translators have •xpressed probably the true sense by the which is over the house, and say,

16 What hast thou here, an(i whom hast thou here, that thou

word treasurer, IT Which is over the house. That is, either who is over the temple, or over the palace. I understand it of the latter. Shebna was not high priest, and the expression, " over the house," more properly denotes one who had the rule of the palace, or who was the principal minister of the king. See 1 Kings xviii. 3: " And Ahab called Obadiah which was the governor of his house." What was the offence or crime of Shebna, it is impossible to say. The Jewish commentators say that he was intending to betray the city to Sennacherib, but although this is possible it has no direct proof

16. What hast thou here? This verse contains a severe reproof of the pride and ostentation of Shebna, and of his expectation that he would be buried where he had built his own tomb. It also contains an implied declaration that he would not be permitted to lie there, but would be removed to a distant land to be buried in some lesa honourable manner. It is probable that Isaiah met him when he was at the sepulchre which he had made, and addressed this language to him there: ' What hast thou here? What right to expect that thou wilt be buried here, or why do you erect this splendid sepulchre, as if you were a holy man, and hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, *as he that hevveth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock /

God would allow you to lie here V Probably his sepulchre had been erected among the sepulchres of holy men, and perhaps in some part of the royal burying place in Jerusalem. V ^nd whom hast thou here? Who among the dead that are entombed here are connected with you, that you should deem yourself entitled to lie with them ] Jf this was the royal cemetery, these words might be designed to intimate that he had no connection with the royal family; and thus his building a tomb there v/as an evidence of vainglory, and of an attempt to occupy a place, even in death, to which he had no title. IT That thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here. Sepulchres were hewn or cut out of rocks. See Note ch. xiv. 9. It was usual also for princes and rich men to have their sepulchres or tombs constructed while they were themselves alive. See Matt, xxvii. 60. Shebna was doubtless a man of humble birth, none of whose ancestors or family had been honoured with a burial in the royal cemetery, and hence the prophet reproves his pride in expecting to repose with the royal dead. IT He that heweth him out a sepulchre on high. On some elevated place that it might be more conspicuous. Thus Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxxii. 33) was buried " in the chiefest of the sepulcnres of the sons of David." In Heb. the highest, ^h?;>y:i. liXX, ev di>a0dcret. Such sepulchres are still found in Persia. They consist of several tombs, each hewn in a high rock near the top, the front of the rock being adorned with figures in relievo, •' Sepulchres of this kind are remarkably exemplified in the very ancient tombs excavated in the cliffs of the mountain of sepulchres at Naksh-i- Roustan, a full description of which may be found in Sir Robert Ker Porter's I'ravela. They are excavated it 17*

17 Behold, the hoRD ^vvill carry thee away with a ^mijrhty captivity, and will surely covez

an almost perpendicular cliff of about three hundred feet high. There are two rows, of which the uppermost are the most ancient and interesting, presenting highly sculptured fronts about fifty-three feet broad, crowned by a representation of an act of Sabean worship. To the lowest of them, which, however, he describes as not less than sixty feet from the ground. Sir Robert could gain access only by being drawn up by means of a rope fastened around his waist, by some active natives who had contrived to clamber up to the ledge in front of the tomb. These ap pear to be royal sepulchres, and probably not later than the time of the kings of Persia mentioned in Scripture." Pict. Bible. Two objects were probably contemplated by such sepulchres. One was security from desecration. The other was ostentation — sepulchres thus excavated furnishing an opportunity for the display of architectural taste in front, and being conspicuous objects. Such sepulchres are found at Petra (see Notes on ch. xvi. 1), and it is probable that Shebna sought this kind of immortality. — Many a man who has done nothing to deserve celebrity by his noble deeds while living, seeks it by the magnificence of his tomb. 17. Behold, the Lord loill carry titer away. Of the historical fact here referred to we have no other information. To what place he was to be carried, we know not. It is probable, however, that it was to Assyria. IF With a mighty captivity. Heb. * of a man,'

"^55 ' ®^ perhaps, * O man ' If it meani * the captivity of a man,' the sense is, a strong, irresistible, mighty captivity, where the word man is emphatic, and means such as a mighty man woula make. Comp. Job xxxviii. 3: " Gird up now thy loins like a man." The margin reads this, he * who coveredt

18 He will surely violently turn and loss thee like a ball into a ^large country: there shalt ihou die, and there the chariots

thee with an excellent covering, and clothed thee gorgeously, shall surely turn and toss thee.* But the text conveys more nearly the idea of the Hebrew word, which denotes the action of casting away, or throwing from one as a man throws a stone. See the same use of the word '^^ in 1 Sam. xviii. 2, XX. 33. Jon. i. 5, 12, 16. Jer. xvii. 13, xxii. 26, 28. IT And will surely cover thee. Thy face, says Lowth; for this was the condition of mourners. The Chaldee is, * shall cover thee with confusion.' So Vitringa, who supposes that it means that although Shebna was endeavouring to rear a monument that should perpetuate his name and that of his family, God would cover them with ignominy, and reduce them to their primitive obscure and humble condition.

He will v.liirl thee round and round, and cast tliee away.

Thus it refers to the action of throwing a stone with a sling, when the sling is whirled round and round several times before the string is let go, in order to increase the velocity of the stone. The Idea is here, that God designed to cast him into a distant land, and that he would give such an impulse to him that he would be sent afar, so far that he would not be able to return again. T Like a ball. A stone, ball, or other projectile that is cast from a sling. Y Into a large country. Probably Assyria. When this was done we have no means of determining. IT And there the chariots of thy glory shali be the shame of thy lord's house. Lowth renders this, and there shall thy glorious chariots

Become the shoine of the house oi' thy lord.

of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

There shall thy splendid chariots perish, Thou disgrace of the house of thy lord.

The Chaldee renders it, " and there tho chariots of thy glory shall be converted into ignominy, because thou didst not preserve the glory of the house of thy lord." Probably the correct interpretation is that which regards the latter part of the verse, " the shame of thy lord's house," as an address to him as the shame or disgrace of Ahaz who had appointed him to that office, and of Hezekiah, who had continued him in it. The phrase " the chariots of thy glory," means splendid or magnificent chariots; and refers doubtless to the fact that in Jerusalem he had affected great pride and display, and had, like many weak minds, sought distinction by the splendour of his equipage. The idea here is, that the " chariot of his glory," i. e. the vehicle in which he would ride, would be in a distant land, not meaning that in that land he would ride in chariots as magnificent as those which he had in Jerusalem, but that he would be conveyed there, and probably be borne in an ignominious manner, instead of the splendid mode in which he was carried in Jerusalem. The Jews say that when he left Jerusalem to deliver it into the hands of the enemy, they asked him where his army was; and when he said that they had turned back, they said, " thou hast mocked us;'* and that thereupon they bored his heels, and tied him to the tails of horses, and that thus he died.

19. And from thy state. From thy office; thy place of trust and responsibility. IT Shall he pull thee down. That is, God shall do it. The prophet here uses the third person instead of the first. Such a change of person is very common in the writings of thd prophets. See Stuart's Heb. Gram, § 563-565. Ed. 6.

20 And It shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant J'Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah:

21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his

20. My servant Eliakim. A man who will be faithful to me; who will be trustworthj', and to whom the interests of the city may be safely confided; a man who will not seek to betray it into the hands of the enemy. Of Elialdm we know nothing more than what is stated here, and in ch. xxxvi. From that account it appears that he was prefect of the palace; that he was employed in a negotiation with the (eader of the army of the Assyrians; and that he was in all things faithful to the trust reposed in him. IT The son of Hilkiah. Kimchi supposes that this was the same as Azariah the son of Hilkiah, who might have had two names, and who was a ruler over the house of God in the time of Hezekiah. 1 Chron. vi. 13.

21. And I will clothe him with thy robe. He shall succeed thee in the office, and wear the garments which are appropriate to it. IT And strengthen him with thy girdle. That is, he shall wear the same girdle that thou didst. Note ch. iii. 24. In that girdle was usually the purse, and to it was attached the sword. Often, among the Orientals, the girdle was adorned with gold, and precious stones, and was regarded as the principal embellishment of the dress. IT And he shall he a father, &c. A counsellor; a guide; one who can be trusted in time of danger and difficulty. We use the word father in the same sense, when we ip».,/ik of the * father of his country.'

^2. And the key. A key is that by which a house is locked, or opened. To possess that is, therefore, to have free access to it, or control over it. Thus we give possession of a house by hand; and he shall be a father to the inhalitants of Jerusalem^ and to the house of Judah.

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon hia shoulder: "so he shall open, ^and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open,

giving the key into the hands of a pur* chaser, implying that it is his; that he has free access to it; that he can close it when he pleases, and that no other one, without his permission, has the right of access to it. IT Of the house of David. Of the house which David built for his royal residence; that is, of the palace. This house was on Mount Zion; and to have the key of that house was to have the chief authority at court, or to be prime minister. Note ver. 15. To be put in possession of that key, therefore, was the mark of office, or was a sign that he was intrusted with the chief a-ithority in the government. H Will I lay vpon his shoulder. See ch. ix. 6. This seems to have been designed as an emblem of office. But in what way it was done is unknown. Lowth supposes that the key was ot* considerable magnitude, and was made crooked, and that thus it would lie readily on the shoulder. He has observed also, that this was a well-known badge or emblem of office. Thus the priestess of Ceres is described as having a key on the shoulder (Callim. Ceres, ver. 45); and thus in jEschyl. Suppl. 299, a female high in office is described as having a key. But it is not known in what way the key was borne. It may have been borne on the shoulder, being so made as to be easily carried there; or it may hav e been attached to the shoulder by -a belt or strap, as a sword is; or it may have been a mere emblem or figure inwrought into the robe, and worn as a sign of ofiice; or the figure of a key may have been worn on the shoulder as an epaulette is now, as asign of office and authority. If the locks were made of wood, as we have

:23 And I will fasten him as a naiH in a sure place; and he

reason to suppose, then the key was probably large, and would answer well tor a sign of ofRce. " How much was I delighted when I first saw the people, especially the Moors, going along the streets with each his key on his shoulder. The handle is generally made of brass (though sometimes of silver), and is often nicely worked in a device of filigree. The way it is carried, is to have the corner of a kerchief tied to the ring; the key is then placed on the shoulder, and the kerchief hangs down in front. At other times they have a bunch of large keys, and then they have half on one side of the shoulder, and half on the other. For a man thus to march along with a large key on his shoulder, shows at once that he is a person of consequence. * Raman is in great favour with the Modeliar, for he now carries the key.' * Whose key have you got on your shoulder V * I shall carry my key on my own shoulder.' " Roberts. IT So he shall open, &c. This phrase means, that he should have the highest authority in the government, and is a promise of unlimited power. Our Saviour has made use of the same expression to denote the unlimited power conferred on his apostles in his church (Matt. xvi. 19); and has applied it also to himself in Rev. iii. 7. 23. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place. The word nail here no?) means properly a peg, pin, or spike; and is applied often to the pins or large spikes which were used to drive into the ground to fasten the cords of tents. It is also applied to the nails or spikes which are driven into walls, and on which are suspended the garments or the utensils of a family. In ancient times every house was furnished with a large number of these pegs, or nails. They were not driven into the walls after the house was made, but they were worked in v/hile the walls were going up The houses vere usually made of stone; ana strong shall be for a glorious throne

24 And they shall liang upon

iron hooks or spikes were worked intc the mortar while soft, and they an* swered the double purpose of nails to hang things on, and of cramp-irons, as they were so bent as to hold the walls together. These spikes are described by Sir John Chardin (Harmer's Observations, i. p. 191) as "large nails with square heads like dice, well made, the ends being so bent as to make them cramp-irons. They commonly," says he, " place them at the windows and doors, in order to hang upon them, when they like, veils and curtains." It was also the custom to suspend in houses, and especially temples, suits of armour, shields, helmets, swords, &c., that had been taken in T-ar as spoils of victory, or which had been used by illustrious ancestors, and these spikes were used for that purpose also. The word is here applied to a leader, or officer; and it means that he would be fixed and permanent in his plans and office; and that as a pin in the wall sustained the ornaments of the house safely, so all the glory of the house of David, all that was dear and valuable to the nation, might be reposed on him. Ver. 24. H And he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. A glorious seat; that is, all his family and kindred would be sustained, and honoured by him; or their honour and reputation might rest securely on him, and his deeds would diffuse a lustre and a glory over them all. Every virtuous, patriotic, benevolent, and pious son diffuses a lustre on all his kindred; and this is one of the incitements to virtuous and elevated deeds which Goa has presented in the government of the world.

24. And they shall hang upon him. This figure i« a continuation of that commenced in the previous vei^ '.; aiiA is derived from the custom of hanging clothes, or ornaments, on the spikes that were fixed in the walls; and perhaps more particularly from the custont

Ifiim all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of sniall quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels ^of flagons.

25 In that day, saith the Lord

of suspending shields, swords, suits of armour, &c., taken in battle, around the walls of a temple. A great portion of the wealth of the ancients consisted in gold and silver vessels, and in changes of raiment. These would be hung around a house in no inconsiderable degree for ostentation and parade. " Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold; and all the vessels of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver." 1 Kings x. 21. "The vessels in the house of the forest of Lebanon were two hundred targets and three hundred shields of beaten gold." 1 Kings X. 16, 17. That these were hung on spikes or pins around the house is apparent from Cant. iv. 4: " Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men." Eliakim is considered as a principal support like this, whereon would be suspended all the glory of his father's family, and all the honour of his house; that is, he would be the principal support of the whole civil and ecclesiastical polity. IT The offspring and the issue. All that proceeded from the family; all that were connected with it. Kimchi and Aben Ezra render it " sons and daughters." The LXX, " from the least to the greatest." The Chaldee, "sons and grandsons, youth and children." The idea is, that all the posterity, near and remote, would depend on him; and that his character would sustain and give dignity to them all. The word which is rendered issue (niSJaSH), according to Vitringa and RosenmQller, denotes those that were of humble condition; and the passage means that honour would be conferred even on these by the virrtues of Eliakim ^ From the of hosts, shall \he nail that is fas. tened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for th6 Lord hath spoken it.

vessels of cups. Literally, goblets, or bowls. niDaX. The idea probably ia simply that of vessels of small capacily, whatever was the material of which they were composed; and hence the reference here is to those of the family of Eliakim who were of humble rank, or who were poor. IT To all the vessels of flagons. Marg. " instruments of viols." Heb. tl^^33. This word is often applied to instruments of music, the nehel, viol (see it described in Notes ch. V. 12, xiv. 11); but it properly denotes a bottle made of skin for holding wine, and which, being made of the whole skin of a goat or sheep, indicated the vessels of large dimensions. Here it refers to the members of the family of Eliakim who were more wealthy and influential than those denoted by the small vessels. The glory of the whole family would depend on him. His virtues, wisdom, integrity, and valour in defending and saving the Hebrew commonwealth, would diflTuse honour over the whole family connection, and render the name illustrious.

25. In that day shall the nail. Not Eliakim, but Shebna. Eliakim was tt) be fastened, i. e. confirmed in office. But Shebna was to be removed. IT That is fastened in the sure place. Or, that was once fastened; or was supposed to be fastened — a phrase appropriate to an office which the incumbent supposed to be firm or secure. It here refers to Shebna. He was regarded as having a permanent hold on the office, and was making provisions for ending hia days in it. H Be removed. To a distant land (vs. 17, 18), or simply taken down. IT And he cut down, and fall As a spike, pin, or peg would be taken away from the wall of a house. ^ And the burden that was upon it. All thai it sustained — as the spikes iii the wall of a house sustained the cups of gold, <he raiment, or the armour that belonged to the family. Here it means,!tll that was dependent on Shebna — the honour of his family, his emoluments, his hope of future fame, or of an honoured burial. All these would fail, as a matter of course, when he was removed from his office. This is one instance of the usual mode of tlie divine administration. The errors of a man intrusted with office entail poverty, disgrace, and misery on all who are connected with him. Not only is his own name disgraced, but his sin diffuses itself, as it were, on all connected with him. It involves them in want, and shame, and tears; and the design is to deter those in office from sin, by the fact that their crimcB and errors will thus involve the innocent in calamity, and shed disgrace and wo on those whom they love.

This prophecy respects Tyre, and extends only to the end of this chapter. It ia made up c a suertssion of apostrophes directed either to Tyre itself, or to the nations with which it was accustomed K.O trade. The first part of the prophecy (vs. 1 — 13,) is occupied with the account of the j-udicial sen' fence which God had passed upon Tyre. This is not done in a direct and formal naanner, but by addresses to the various people with whom the Tyrians had commercial intercourse, and who would be particularly affected by its destruction. Thus (ver. 1) the prophet calls on the ships of Tarsh'sh to " howl " because their advantageous commerce with Tyre mu^t cease. This intelligence respect ing the calamities that had come upon Tyre, he says would be brought to them " from the land of Chittim " (ver. 1), that is, from the inlands and coasts of the Mediterranean. In ver. 2 the calamity is described as coming directly on the island on which Tyre was built. In the subsequent verses, the prophet describes the sources of the wealth of Tyre (ver. 3), and declares that her great luxury and splendour would be destroyed, vs. 5—1'^. In ver. 13, the prophet says that this v.ould be done by the " Chaldeans;" and this verse serves to fix the time of the fulfilment to Ihe siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. In this all commentators probably (except Grotius, who supposes that it refers to Alexander the Great) are agreed. Indeed it seems to be past all doubt, that the event."* here referred tc pertain to the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. In the remainder of the prophecy (ver. 14 to the end of the chapter), the prophet declares the time during which this calamity would continue. He ieclares that it would be only for seventy years (ver. U), and that after that, Tyre would be restored o her former splendour, magnificence, and successful commerce.vs. 16,17); and that then het veallh would be consecrated to the service of Jehovah, ver. 18.

The design of the prophecy is, therefore, to foretell the calamities that would come upon a rich, proud, and luxurious city; and thus to show that God was Governor and Ruler over the nations of the earth. Tyre became distinguished for pride, luxury, and consequent dissipation; and the destruction that was to come upon it was to be a demonstration that wicked nations and cities would ncur the displeasure of God, and would be destroyed.

Tyre, the subject of the prophecies particularly of Isaiah and Ezekiel, who both predicted its overthrow (Isa. xxiii. Ezek. xxvi. xxvii. xxviii. xxix.), was a celebrated city of Phojnicia, and is usually mentioned in connection with Sidon. Matt. xi. 21, 22. Luke x. 13, H. Matt. xv. 21. Mark iii. 8, vii. 24, 31. It was on the coast of the Mediterranean about 33° 20' north latitude, and was about twenty miles south of Sidon. It was one of the cities allotted to the tribe of Asher (Josh. xix. 29), but it is probable that the ancient inhabitants were never driven out by the Israelites. It seems to have been occupied by the Canaanites, and is always mentioned as inhabited by a distinct people from the Jev/s. 2 Sam. xxiv. 7. 1 Kings vii. 13, 14, ix. 12. Ezra iii. 7. Nch. xiii. 16. Ps. Ixxxiii. 7, Ixxxvii. 4. It was probably built by a colony from Sidon, since Isaiah (xxiii. 7) calls it the " daughter of Zidon," and it is said (ver. 2) to have been replenished by Sidon. That Sidon was the most ancient city there can be no doubt. Sidon was the eldest son of Canaan (Gen. x. 15), and the city of Sidon is mentioned by the patriarch Jacob (Gen. xlix. 13), and in the time of Joshua it is called " Great Sidon." Josh. xi. 8. Strabo affirms that after Sidon, Tyre was the most celebrated city of the Phcenicians. Justin. L. xviii. ch. 1, § 5, expressly declarestkat the Sidonians, being besieped by the king of Ascalon, went in ships and built Tyre. But though Tyre was the " daughter " of Sidon, yet it soon rivalled it in importance, and in commercial enterprise.

Among the ancient writers. Tyre is mentioned as Palie-Tyrus (naXarriip.9j), or ancient Tyre; and as Insular Tyre. The former was built on the coast, and was doubtless built first, though there is evidence that the latter was early used as a place for anchorage, or a harbour. In Old Tyre, ot Tyre on the coa.st, undoubtedly also the most magnificent edifices would be built, and tho principal business would there be at first transacted. Probably Insular Tyre was built either because it furnished a better harbour, or because, being inaccessible to an invading army, it was more secure Insular Tyre, as the name imports, was built on an island, or a roc<f, about three quarters of a mile from the coast, or from Old Tyre. Probably the passage from one to the other was formerly liy s iB^'y, or in boats on'v, until Alexunder the Great in his siege of the city built a mole from the ruiii< of the old city to the new. This mole or embankment, was not Jtsa than 200 feet in breadth, and constituted a permanent connection between Tyre and the main land. Insular Tyre was remarkab/y eafe from the danger of invasion. It commanded the sea, and of course had nothing: to dread from that quarter; ann the only mode in which it could become accessible to Alexander, was to buUd thi? gigantic causeway from the main land.

Tyre Was distinguished for its enterprise, its commercial importance, its luxury, and its maffnificence. Few, perhaps none, of the cities of antiquity, were more favourably situated for commerce. It was the natural sea-port of Palestine and Syria, and it was favourably situated for commerce with all the cities and states bordering on the Mediterranean, and indeed with all the known world. The luxuries" of the East passed through Tyre (see Ezek. xxvii. where there is an extended description of the various nations that trafficked with and enriched it), and the productions of distant climes from the West were introduced to the East through this seaport. It rose therefore to great opulence, and to consequent luxury and sin.

It was also a place of great strength. Old Tyre was defended by a wall, wh!ch was regarded as impregnable, and which is said to have resi-ited the attacks of Nebuchadnezzar for thirteen years. New, or Insular Tyre, was inaccessible, until Aiejcande constructed the immense mole by which he connected it with the main land, and as they had the command of the sea, the city was regarded a* unapproachable. Alexander coidd not have taken it had he not possessed resources, and patience, and power which perhaps no other ancient conqueror possessed; and had he not engaged in an ente/prise which perhaps all others would have regarded as impracticable and hopeless. Joseplius, indeed states, that.Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, ma<!e war against the Tyridns with a fleet of sixty ships, manned by 800 rowers. The Tyrians had but twelve ships, yet they obtained the victory, and dispersed the Assyrian fleet, taking 500 prisoners. Shalmaneser then besieged the city for five years, but was unable to lake it. This was in the time of Hezekwih, A. M. 3287, or about 717 before Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar took the city after a siege of thirteen years, during the time of the Jewish cap* tivity, about 573 years before Christ. This was m accordance with the prophecy in this chapter (see Note ver. 13), and according to the predictions also of Ezekiel. The desolation was entire. The city was destroyed, and the inhabitants driven into foreign lands. See Notes on vs. 7, 12. The city lay desolate for seventy years (see Note on vs. 15. 17), and Old Tyre was in ruins in the time of the invasion of Alexander the. Great. A new city had risen, however, on the island, called New Tyre, and this city was taken bv Alexander, after a siege of eight months. Near the shore the water is said to have been shallow, bu...^ar the new city it was three fathoms, or nineteen feet in depth. The city of Tyre was taken by Alexander 332 years before Christ, and 241 years after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, and consequently about 170 years after.it had been rebuilt. It was not, however, entirely destroyed by Alexander, and became an object of contention to his successors. It was successively invested by Antigonas and Ptolemy, and fell into the hands of the latter. In the apostolic age it seems to have regained somewhat of its ancient splendour. There were some Christians here. Acts xxi 3, 4. At present it belongs to Syria. It was often an object of contention during the crusades, and was distinguished as the first Archbishopric under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It graiually sunk into decay, lost its importance, and became a place of utter ruin. Volney noticed there in 1784, the choir of the ancient church, the remains of the walls of the city which can still be traced, and some columns of red granite, a species unknown in Syria. In iho time wt)en it was visited by Volney and Maundrell, it was a miserable village, where the inhabitants subsisted chiefly by fishing. Its exports consist only of a few sacks of corn and cotton, and the only merchant of which it could boast in the time when Volney was there, was a solitary Greek, who could hardly gain a livelihood. At present, Tyre, or, as it is called, Sur, is nothing more than a market-town, a small seaport, hardly deserving the name of a city. Its chief export is the tobacco raised on the neighbouring hills; with some cotton, and also charcoal and wood from the more distant mountains. The houses are for the most part mere hovels, very few being more than one story high, with flat roofs. The streets are narrow lanes, crooked, and filthy. Yet the many scattered palm-trees throw over the place an oriental charm; and the numerous Pride of India trees interspersed among the houses and gardens, with their beautiful foliage, give it a pleasing aspect. It has a population of less than three thousand souls. In 1837 an earthquake was felt here to a very considerable extent. A large part of the eastern wall was thrown down, and the soutViern wall was greatly shattered, and several houses were destroyed. See Robinson's Biblical Researches, vol. iii. p. 400. See Rob. Calmet; Edin. Ency.; Newton on the Prophecies, xi.; Keith on the Prophecies; and the Travels of Volney and Maundrell. On the ancient commercial importance of Tyre, also, and its present situation, and the cause of its decline, the reader may consult an article in the American Biblical Repository, for October, 1840.

1 The burden of Tyre. ''Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste so that there is no

1. The burden of Tyre. Note ch. xiii. 1. IT Howl, This is a highly poetic description of the destruction that was coming on Tyre. The ships of Tarshish traded there; and the prophet now addresses the ships, and calls upon them to lament because the commerce by which they had been enrichrd was to be destroyed, and they were

house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim^ it is revealed to them.

to be thrown out of employ. T Yf ships of Tarshish. See Note ch. ii. 16. The Tarshish here referred to, was doubtless a city or country in Spain (Taprncaoi, Tartessvs),and was the most celebrated emporium to v^hich the PhcEnicians traded. It is men* tioned by Diod. Sic. v. 35-38; Strab iii. 148; Pliny. His. Nat. iii. 3. Ac cording to Jcr. x. 9, it exported silver; according to Ezek. xxvii. 12, 25, it exported silver, iron, tin, and lead to the Tyrian market. In this chapter, vs. 1, 6, 10, it is represented as an important Phoenician or Tyrian colony. All the circumstances agree with the supposition that Tartessus in Spain is the place here referred to. The name Tartessus (TapTrjaadi) is derived from the Hebrew ^^ttJ'in by a change simply in the pronunciation. See Bochart (Geog. Sacra, lib. iii. c. 7), and J. D. Michaelis (Spicileg. Geog. Heb. p. i. pp. 82-103). ^ For it is laid waste. Tyre is laid waste; that is, in vision it was made to pass before the mind of the prophet as laid waste, or as it would be. Notes ch. i. 1. IT So that there is no house. It would be completely destroyed. This was the case with old Tyre after the conquest by Nebuchadnezzar, and it remained so. See the analysis of the chapter. IT No entering in. No harbour; no port; where ihe ships could remain, and with which they could continue to trade. Tyre was once better situated for commerce, and had greater natural advantages, than any port in the Mediterranean. Those advantages have, however, to a great extent passed away, and natural causes combine to confirm the truth of the divine predictions that it should cease to be a place of commerce. The merchandise of India, which was once conveyed overland through Babylon and Palmyra, and which found its natural outlet at Tyre, is now carried around the Cape of Good Hope, and will never again be restored to its old channel. Besides, Tyre itself, which once had so fine a harbour, has ceased to be a safe haven for large vessels. Robinson (George) says of its harbour in 1830, " It is a email circular basin, now quite filled up with sand and broken columns, leaving scarcely space enough for small boats to enter. The few fishing boats that belong tc the place are sheltered by Borae rocKs to the westward of the island " Travels in Syria and Palestine, vol i. p. 269. Shaw, who visited Tyre in 1738, says of the harbour, " I visited several creeks and inlets, il order to discover what provision there might have been formerly made for the security of their vessels. Yet, notwithstanding that Ty'*^ ^'^s the chief maritime power of this country, 1 could not discover the least token of either cothon or harbour that could have been of extraordinary capacity. The coasting ships, indeed, still find a tolerable good shelter from the northern winds, under the southern shore, but are obliged immediately to return when the winds change to the west or south; so that there must have been some better station than this for their security and reception. In the N. N. E. part likewise of the city, we see the traces of a safe and commodious basin, lying within the walls; but which, at the same time, is very small, scares forty yards in diameter. Yet even this port, small as it is at present, is, nothv/ithstanding, so choked up with sand and rubbish, that the boats of those poor fishermen who now and then visit this renowned emporium, can, with greai diflliculty, only be admitted." Travels, pp. 330, 331. Ed. fol. Oxf. 1738. Dr. Robinson says of the port of Tyre, " The inner port or basin on the north, was formerly enclosed by a wall, running from the north end of the island in a curve towards the main land. Various pieces and fragments of this wall yet remain, sufficient to mark its course; but the port itself is continually filling up more and more with sand, and now-a-days boats only can enter it. Indeed, our host informed us, that even within his own recollection, the water covered the open place before his own house, which at present is ten or twelve rods from the sea, and is surrounded with buildings; while older men remember, that vessels formerly anchored where the shore now is." Bibli. Research, iii. 397. IT From the land of Chittim. This means, probably, from the islands and coasts oi the Mediterranean. In regard to the meaning of the word Chittim, the following is the note of Gesenius on this verse: " Among the three diiferenl opinions of ancient and modern inter-

2 Be *still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the mer-

prcters, according to which they sought for the land of Chittim in Italy, Macedonia, and Cyprus, I decidedly prefer the latter, which is also the opinion of Josephus (Ant. i. 6, § 1). According to this, Chittim is the island Cyprus, so called from the Phoenician colony KiTiov. Citium, in the southern part of »he island, but still in such a sense, that this name Chittim was, at a later period, employed also in a wider sense, to designate other islands and countries adjacent to the coasts of the Mediterranean, as e. g. Macedonia, Dan. xi. 30. 1 Mac. i. 1, viii. 5. This is also mentioned by Josephus. That Kt'rtoj/ (Citium) was sometimes used for the whole island of Cyprus, and also in a wider sense for other islands, is expressly asserted by Epiphanius, who himself lived in Cyprus, as a wellknown fact (Adv. Haeres. xxx. 25); where he says, *it is manifest to all that the island of Cyprus is called K.iTtov (Citium), for the Cyprians, and Hhodians (^PoSiot) are called Kitians (K-iTioi). It could also be used of the Macedonians because they were descended from the Cyprians and Rhodians. That most of the cities of Cyprus were PhcEnician colonies is expressly affirmed by Diodorus (ii. p. 114, comp. Herod, vii. 90), and the proximity of the island to Phoenicia, together with its abundant supply of productions, especially such as were essential in ship-building, would lead us to expect nothing else. One of the few passages of the Bible which give a more definite hint in regard to Chittim is Ezek. xxvii. 6, which agrees very well with Cyprus: * Of the oaks of Bashan do they make them oars; thy ships' benches do they make of ivory, encased with cedar from the isles of Chittim.* The sense of this passage is, that the fleets coming from Tarshish (Tartessus) to Tyre, would, on their way, learn from the inhabitants of Cyprus the news of the downfall of

chants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the

Tyre." IT It is revealed to them. If we understand Chittim to denote the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean, it means that the navigators in the ships of Tarshish would learn the intelligence of the destruction of Tyre from those coasts or islands where they might stop on their way. Tyre was of so much commercial importance that the news of its fall would spread into all the islands of the Mediterranean.

2. Be still. This is the description of a city which is destroyed, where the din of commerce, and the sound of revelry is no longer heard. It is an address of the prophet to Tyre, indicating that it would be soon still, and destroyed. IT Ye inhabitants of the isle of Tyre. The word isle, ^i<, is sometimes used to denote a coasts or maritime region (See Note ch. xx. 6), but there seems no reason to doubt that here it means the island on which New Tyre was erected. This may have been occupied even before Old Tyre was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, though the main city was on the coast. H Thou whom the merchants of Zidon. Tyre was a colony from Sidon; and the merchants of Sidon would trade to Tyre as well as to Sidon. IT Have replenished. Heb. * Have filled,' i. e. with merchandise, and with wealth. Thus in Ezek. xxvii. 8, Tyre is represented as having derived its seamen from Sidon: " The inhabitants of Sidon and of Arvad were thy mariners." And in Ezek. xxvii. 9-23, Tyre is represented as having been filled with ship-builders, merchants, mariners, soldiers, &c., from Gebal, Persia, Lud, Phut, Tarshish, Javan, Tubal, Mesheck, Dedan, Syria, Damascus, Arabia, &,c.

3. And by great waters. That is, by the abundant waters, or the overflowing of the Nile. Tyre was the mart to which the sjperabundant productions of Egypt were borne. Sen

seed of SihoTf, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon; for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I

Ezek. xxvii. IT The seed of Sihor. There can be no doubt that by Sihor here is meant the river Nile in Egypt. See Jer. ii. 18. 1 Chron. xiii. 5. Josh, xiii. 3. The word ^HttJ, Shlhhor, is derived from "^HOi Shdhhdr, to be black (Job xxx. 30), and is given to the Nile from its colour w^hen it brings down the slime or mud by which Egypt is rendered so fertile. The Greeks gave to the river the name MfAaj, black, and the Latins call it Melo. Serv. ad Virg. Geor. iv. 291. It was called Siris by the Ethiopians; perhaps the same as Sihor. The upper branches of the Nile in Abyssinia all receive their names from the colour of the water, and are called the White River, the Blue River, &c. IT The harvest of the river. The productions caused by the overflowing of the river. Egypt was celebrated for producing grain, and Rome and Greece derived no small part of their supplies from that fertile country. It is also evident that the inhabitants of Palestine were early accustomed to go to Egypt in time of scarcity for supplies of grain. See Gen. xxxvii. 25, 28, and the history of Joseph, Gen. xli, xiii. xliii. That the Tyrians traded with Egypt is also well known. Herodotus (ii. 112) mentions one entire quarter of the city of Memphis that was inhabited by the Tyrians. IT Is her revenue. Her re- Bo irces are brought from thence, f She is a mart of nations. How true this was, see Ezek. xxvii. No place was more favourably situated for commerce; and she had engrossed the trade nearly of all the world.

4. Be thou ashamed, O Zidon. Tyre was a colony of Sidon. Sidon is here uddressed as the mother of Tyre, and ia called on to lament over her daughter that was destroyed. In ver. 12, Tyre travail not, nor bring forth chil. dren, neither do 1 nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

is called the ** daughter of Sidon;" and such appellations were commonly given to cities. See Note ch. i. 8. Sidon is here represented as ashamed, or grieved — as a mother is who is bereft of all her children. IT The sea hath spoken. New Tyre was on a rock at some distance from the land, and seemed to rise out of the sea, somewhat as Venice does. It is described here as a production of the sea, and the sea is represented as speaking by her, ^ Even the strength of the sea. The fortress, or strong place, Tl?^, of the sea. Tyre, on a rock, might be regarded as the strong place, or the defence of the Mediterranean. Thus Zechariah (ix. 3) says of it, " And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold " — "liSS^. IT Saying, I travail not. The expressions which follow are to be regarded as the language of Tyre — the founder of colonies and cities. The sense is, * My wealth and resources are gone. My commerce is annihilated. I cease to plant cities and colonies, and to nourish and foster them, as I once did, by my trade.* The idea of the whole verse is, that the city which had been the mistress of the commercial world, and distinguished for founding other cities and colonies, was about to lose her importance, and to cease to extend her colonies and her influence over other countries. Over this fact, Sidon, the mother and founder of Tyre herself, would be humbled and grieved that her daughter, so proud, so rich, and so magnificent, was brought so low.

5. As at the report concerning Egypt. According to our translation, this verse would seem to mean that the Sidonians and other nations had been pained cr grieved at the report of the calamities that had come upon Egypt, and tha<

ing Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants oi' the isle.

they wwuld be similarly affected at the report concerning Tyre. In accordance with this, some (as Jarchi) have understood it of the plagues of Egypt, and suppose that the prophet means to say, that as the nations were astonished at that, so they would be at the report of the calamities that would come upon Tyre. Others refer it to the calamities that would come upon Egypt referred to in ch. xix., and suppose that the prophet means to say, that as the nations would be amazed at the report of these calamities, so they would be at the report of the overthrow of Tyre. So Vitringa. But the sense of the Hebrew may be expressed thus: * As the report, or tidings of the destruction of Tyre shall reach Egypt, they shall be pained at the tidings respecting Tyre.' So Lowth, Noycs, RosenmQller, Grotius, Calvin. They would be grieved, either (1) because the destruction of Tyre would injure the commerce of Egypt; or (2) because the Egyptians might fear that the army of ^Nebuchadnezzar would come upon them, and that they would share the fate of Tyre. IT Sorely pained. The word here used (''^"H^) is commonly applied to the severe pain of parturition.

6. Pass ye over. That is, ye inhabitants of Tyre. This is an address to Tyre, in view of her approaching destruction; and is designed to signify that when the city was destroyed, its inhabitants would flee to its colonies, and seek refuge and safety there. As Tarshish was one of its principal colonies, and as the ships employed by Tyre would naturally sail to Tarshish, the inhabitants are represented as fleeing there on the attack of Nebuchadnezzar. That the inhabitants of Tyre did flee in this manner is expressly asserted by Jerome upon the authority •f Assyrian histories which are now

7 Is this youi joyous city^ whose antiquity u of ancient d nys? her own feet shall carry her ^afar off to sojourn.

lost. " We have read," says he, " in the histories of the Assyrians, that when the Tyrians were besieged, after they saw no hope of escaping, they went on board their ships, and fled \o Carthage, or to some islands of the Ionian and uEgean Sea." Jerome in loco. And again (on Ezek. xxix.) he says, " When the Tyrians saw that the works for carrying on the siege were perfected, and the foundations of the walls were shaken by the battering rams, whatever precious things in gold, silver, clothes, and various kinds of furniture the nobility had, they put them on board their ships, and carried to the islands. So that the city being taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of his labour." Diodorus (xvii. 41,) relates the same thing of the Tyrians during the siege of Alexander the Great, where he says that they took their wives and children to Carthage. IT Howl. Deep grief among the Orientals was usually expressed by a loud, long, and most dismal howl, or shriek. Note ch. xv. 2. IT Ye inhabitants of the isle. Of Tyre. The word isle, however, 7nay be taken as in ch. XX. 6 (see Note in that place), in the sense of coast or maritime country in general, and possibly may be intended to denote Old Tyre, or the coast of Phoenicia in general, though most naturally it applies to the city built on the island.

7. Is this your joyous city. Is this the city that was just now so full of happiness, of revelry, of business, of gayety, of rejoicing? See Note ch. xxii. 2. IT Whose antiquity is of ancient days. Strabo (Lib. xvi. P. 756) says, " After Sidon, Tyre, a splendid ar.il most ancient city, is to be compared in greatness, beauty, and antiquity, with Sidon." Curtius (Hist. Alexan. Lib. iv. c. iv.) says, " The city was taken, distinguished both by its antiquity, tvnd

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tvre, the crowning rity, whose merchants are nrinces, whose traffickers are Ihe honourable of the earth?

its great variety of fortune." Arrian (Lib. ii. cap. xvi.) says, that " the Temple of Hercules at Tyre was the most ancient of those which the memory of men have preserved." And Herodotus (ii. 44,) says, that in a conversation v/hich he had with the priest of that Temple, he informed him that it had then existed for 2300 years. Josephus indeed says (Ant. B. viii. ch. iii. § 1) that Tyre was built but 240 years before the temnle was built by Solomon — but this was j.fl'obably a mistake. Justin (xviii. 3) says that Tyre was founded in the year of the destruction of Troy. Its very high antiquity cannot be doubted. IT Her own feet shall carry her afar off. Grotius supposes that by feet here the " feet of ships" are intended, that is, their sails and oars. But the expression is designed evidently to stand in contrast with ver. 6, and to denote that a part of the inhabitants would go by land into captivity. Probably many of them were taken prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar; and perhaps many of them when the city was besieged found opportunity to escape and flee by land to a distant place of safety.

8. Who hath taken this counsel. To whom is this to be traced? Is this the work of man, or is it the plan of God? — questions which would naturally arise at the contemplation of the ruin of a city so ancient and so magnificent. The object of this question is to trace it all to God; and this perhaps indicates the scope of the prophecy — to show that God reigns, and does all his pleasure over cities and kingdoms. IT The crowning city. The distributer of crowns; or the city from which dependent towns, provinces, and kingdoms had arisen. Many colonies and cities had been founded by Tyre. Tartessus in Spain, Citium in Cyprus, Carthage in Afnca, and probably many

9 The Lord of hosts liath pur« posed it, to stain* the pride of all glory, and to bring^ into con. tempt all the honourable of the earth.

other places were Phoenician colonies and derived their origin from Tyre, and were still its tributaries and dependents. Comp. Ezek. xxvii. 33. IT Whose merchants are princes. Princes trade with thee; and thus acknowledge their dependence on thee. Or, thy merchants are splendid, gorgeous, and magnificent like princes. The former, however, is probably the meaning. IT Whose traffickers. H''3!?33, Canaanites. Aa the ancient inhabitants of Canaan were traffickers or merchants, the word came to denote merchants in general. See Job xli. 6. Hos. xii. 7. Zeph. i. 11. Ezek. xvii. 4. So the word Chaldean came to mean astrologers, because they were celebrated for astrology.

9. The Lord of hosts hath purposed it. Note ch. i. 9. It is not by human counsel that it has been done. Whoever is the instrument, yet the overthrow of wicked, proud, and vicious cities and nations is to be traced to the God who rules in the empires and kingdoms of the earth. See Notes ch. x. 5-7. IT To stain the pride of all glory. Marg. pollute. The Hebrew word ^^H means properly to bore, or pierce through; to open, make common (Lev. xix. 29); then to profane, defile, pollute, as e. g. the sanctuary (Lev. xix. 8. xxi. 9), the Sabbath (Ex. xxxi. 14), the name of God (Lev. xviii. 21, xix. 12). Here it meaiLS that the destruction of Tyre would show that God could easily level it all with the dust. The destruction of Tyre would show this in reference to all human glory, because (1) it was one of the most ancient cities; (2) it was one of the most magnificent; (3) it was one of the most strong, secure, and inaccessible; (4) it was the one of most commercial importance, most distinguished in the view of nations; and (5) its example would

10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.®

be the most striking and impressive.

God often selects the most distinguished and important cities and men to make them examples to others, and to show the ease with which he can bring all down to the earth, IT To bring into contempt, &c. To bring their plans and purposes into contempt, and to show how unimportant and how foolish are their schemes in the sight of a holy God.

This verse has been very variously un- crstood. Vitringa supposes that it means that all that held the city together laid waste, and that as a river flows on without obstruction, so the inhabitants would be scattered far and near. Every thing, says he, would be levelled, and the field would not be distinguishable from the city. Grotius thus renders it:

** Pass to some one of thy colonies; as a river flows from the fountain to the sea, so do you go to the ocean." Lowth understands it also as relating to the time of the destruction of Tyre, and to the escape which the inhabitants would

" Overflow thy land like a river, •' O daughter of Tarshish; the mound [that kept in thy waters] is no raore."

The LXX render it, « Cultivate ('Ejoya^ov) thy land, for the ships shall no more come from 'K.a^')(^n^6voi — Carthage." Probably the true meaning is that which refers it to the time of the siege, and to the fact that the inhabitants would seek other places when their defence was destroyed. That is, * Pass through thy territories, thy dependent cities, states, colonies, and seek a refuge there; or wander there like a flowing stream.' IT Like a river. Perhaps the allusion is to the Nile, as the word "^t^"] is usually given to the Nile; or it may be to any river that flows on with a mighty current when all obstructions are removed. The idea is, that as waters fiovo on when the barriers

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea; he shook the kingdom: the Lord hath given a

are removed, so the inhabitants of Tyre would pour forth from their city. The idea is not so much that of rapidity, aa it is they should go like a stream that has no dykes, barriers, or obstacles now to confine its flowing waters. IT O daughter of Tarshish. Tyre; so called either because it was in some degree sustained and supplied by the commerce of Tarshish; or because its inhabitants would become the inhabitants of Tarshish, and it is so called by anticipation. The Vulgate renders this, filia maris, daughter of the sea. Junius supposes that the prophet addresses those who were then in the city who were natives of Tarshish, and exhorts them to flee for safety to their own city. IT There is no more strength. Marg. girdle. The word ^V^ means properly a girdle (Job xii. 31). It is applied to that which hinds or secures the body; and may be appUed here perhaps to that which secured, or hound the city of Tyre; that is, its fortifications, its walls, its defences. They would all be levelled; and, nothing would secure the inhabitants, as they would flow forth as waters that are pent up do, when every barrier is removed.

II. He stretched out his hand. That is, Jehovah. See ver. 9. To stretch out the hand is indicative of punishment. (See Note ch. v. 25 ix. 12,) and means that God had resolved to inflict exemplary punishment on Tyre and its dependent colonies. IT Over the sea. That is, over the sea coast of Phoenicia; or over the cities that were built on the coast. This alluden to the fact that Nebuchadnezzar would lay siege to these cities, and would ravage the maritime coast of Phoenicia. It is not improbable also that, having taken Tyre, he would extend his conquests to Citium on the island of Cyprus, and destroy at many of the de«» pendent cities of Tyre as possible. IT The Lord hath given a command'

commandment^ against 'the merchant city^ to destroy the 'strong holds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt noP more rejoice, O thou op-

ment. The control here asserted over Nebuchadnezzar is similar to that which he asserted over the Assyrian Sennacherib. See Note ch. x. 5. IT Against the merchant city. Heb. * Against Canaan '— irsS-^X. The word " Canaan," may here be used as in verse 8, to denote a place given to merchandise or traffic, since this was the principal employment of the inhabitants of this region; but it is rather to be taken in its obvious and usual sense in the Scriptures, as denoting the land of Canaan, and as denoting that Nebuchadnezzar would be sent against that, and especially the maritime parts of it, to lay it waste. IT To destroy the strong holds thereof. That is, the strong holds of Canaan; as Tyre, Sidon, Accho, &c. Tyre, especially, was strongly fortified, and was able long to resist the arms of the Chaldeans. 12. And he said. God, said, ver. 9. IT Thou shalt no more rejoice. The sense is, that Tyre was soon to be de- Btroyed. It does not mean that it should never afterwards exult or rejoice, for the prophet says (ver. 17), that after its destruction it would be restored, and again be filled with exultation and joy. IT 0 thou oppressed virgin. Lowth renders this, " O thou deflowered virgin," expressing the sense of the word n^^'S1Zt2. IT O daughter of Zidon. Ver. 4. IT Pass over to Chittim. Note ver, 1. The idea is, that under the eiege, the inhabitants of Tyre would seek refuge in her colonies, and the cities that were dependent on her. ^ There also shalt thou have no rest. It is not improbable that Nebuchadnezzar would carry his arms to Cyprus •—on which the city of Citium was — where the Tyrians would take refuge firat. Megasthenes, who lived about 300 years before Christ, says of Nebuchadnezzar that he subdued a great

pressed virgin, daughter of Zidon; arise, pass over to ^Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold, the land of the Chal-

part of Africa and Spain, and that he carried his arms so far as the Pillars of Hercules. See Newton on the Prophecies, xi. § 11. But whether this refers to the oppressions which NebMchadnezzar would bring on them or no% it is certain that the colonies tha sprung from Phoenicia were exposed to constant wars after this. Carthage was a colony of Tyre, and it is well known that this city was engaged in hostility with the Romans until it was utterly destroyed. Indeed all the dependent colonies of ancieiit Tyre became interested and involved in the agitations and commotions which were connected with the conquests ef the Roman empire.

13. Behold the land of the Chaldeans. This is a very important verse, as it expresses the source whence these calamities were coming upon Tyre; and as it states some historical facts of great interest respecting the rise of Babylon. In the previous verses the prophet had foretold the certain destruction of Tyre, and had said that whoever was the agent, it was to be tiaced to the overruling providence of God. He here states distinctly that the agent in accomplishing all this would be the Chaldeans — a statement which fixes the time to the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, and proves that it does not refer to the conquest by Alexander the Great. A part of this verse should be read as a parenthesis, and its general sense has been well expressed by Lowth — who has followed Vitringa.

" Behold the land of the Chaldeans;

This people was of no account; —

(The Assyrian founded it for the irJabitants of the desert; '/•hey raised the watch-towers, tjicy set up thS the palaces thereof;) This people hath reduced her to a ruin."

IT Behold. Indicating that what b« was about to say was sometliing uii« usual, remarkable, and not to be eX'

deans: this people was not till the Assyrian founded it for them** that dwell in the v/ilderness: they set up the towers thereof;

pected in the ordinary course of events. That which was so remarkable was the fact that a people formerly so little known, would rise to such power as to be able to overturn the ancient and mighty city of Ty^e- ^ The land of the Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Chaldea, or Babylonia. The names Babylon and Chaldea are often interchanged as denoting the Bame kingdom and people. See ch. xlviii. 14, 20. Jer. 1. 1. li. 24. Ezek. xii. 13. The sense is, ' lo! the power of Chaldea shall be employed in your overthrow.* IF This people The people of Babylonia or Chaldea. IT Was not. Was not known; had ne government or power; was a rude, nomadic, barbarous, feeble, and illiterate people. The same phrase occurs in Deut. xxxii. 21, where it also means a people unknown, rude, barbarous, wandering. That this was formerly the character of the Chaldeans is apparent from Job i. 17, where they are described as a nomadic race, having no established place of abode, and living by plunder. IT Till the Assyrian. Babylon was probably founded by Nimrod (see Notes on ch. xiii), but it was long before it rose to splendour. Belus or Bel, the Assyrian, is said to have reigned at Babylon A. M. 2682, or 1322 B. C. in the time of Shamgar, judge of Israel. He was succeeded by Ninus and Semiramis, who gave the principal celebrity and splendour to the city and kingdom, and who may be said to have been its founders. They are probably referred to here. IT Founded it. Semiramis reclaimed it from the waste of waters; built dykes to confine the Euphrates in the proper channel; and made it the capital of (ne kingdom. This is the account given by Herodotus. Hist. B. i. '•'' She (Semiramis) built mounds worthy of admiration, where before the river was accustomed to spread like a sea and he brought it to ruin.

14 Howl, ye ships of Tar* shish: for your strength is laia waste.

through the whole plain." IT For them that dwell in the wilderness. Heb. t3'^'^:£p for the iziim. This word, from '^)k or f^^^ (a waste or desert), denotes properly the inhabitants of the desert or waste places, and is applied (1) to men, Ps. Ixxii. 9. Ixxis^. 14; and (2) to animals, Isa. xiii. 21, (Notes) xxxiv. 14. Here it denotes, I suppose, those who had been formerly inhabitants of the deserts around Babylon — the wandering, rude, uncultivated, and predatory people, such as the Chaldeans were (Job i. 17); and means that the Assyrian who founded Babylon collected this rude and predatory people, and made use of them in building the city. 'I'he same account Arrian gives respecting Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, who says, that " Philip found them wandering, and unsettled (n'Xav^rai kui uiropovi) feeding small flocks of sheep upon the mountains, that he gave them coats of mail instead of their shepherd's dress, and led them from the mountain to the plain, and gave them cities to dwell in, and established them with good and wholesome laws." Hist. A lex. Lib. vii. ^ They set up the towers thereof. That is, the towers in Babylon, not in Tyre. See Notes on ch. xiii. Herodotus expressly says that the Assyrians built th« towers aud temples of Babylon. B. 1. § 84. IT And he brought it to ruin. That is, the Babylonian or Chaldean brought Tyre to ruin; to wit, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of a people formerly unknown and rude, would be employed to destroy the ancient and magnificent city of Tyre.

15. Tyre shall be forgotten. Shali cease to be a place of importance in that day that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years^ shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

II it shall be unto Tyre as the song qf.

in commerce; shall be unheard of in rhose distant places to which ships formerly sailed. ^ Seventy years; according to the days of one king. " That is, of one kingdom. See Dan. vii. 17, viii. 20." Lowth. The word king may denote dynasty, or kingdom. The duration of the Babylonian monarchy was properly but seventy years. Nebuchadnezzar began his conquest in the first year of his reign, and from thence to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus was seventy years. And at that time the nations that had been conquered and subdued by the Babylonians would be restored to liberty. Tyre was indeed taken towards the middle of that period, and its subjugation referred to here was only for the remaining part of it. " All these nations," says Jeremiah (xxv. 11), "shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." Some of them were conquered sooner and some later; but the end of this period was the common time of deliverance to them all. So Lowth, Newton, Vitringa, Aben Ezra, Rosenmilller, and others understand this — That * the days of one king* may denote here kingdom, or dynasty, and be applied to the duration of the kingdom of Babylon, is apparent from two considerations, viz. (1.) The word " king " must be so understood in several places in the Scriptures. Dan. vii. 17: "These great beasts which are four, are four great kings which shall arise out of the earth," that is, dynasties, or succession of kings. Dan. viii. 20. So Rev. xvii. 12. (2.) The expression is peculiarly applicable to the Babylonian monarchy, because during the entire seventy years which that kingdom lasted, it was under the dominion of one family or dynasty. Nebuchadnezzar founded the Babylonian empire, or raised it to so geeat splendour that he was regarded as its found-

10 Take an harp, go about tlio city, tliou harlot that hast been forgotten: make sweet me. lody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

er, and was succeeded in the kingdom by his son Evil-Merodach, and his grandson Belshazzar, in whose reign the kingdom terminated. Comp. Jer. xxvii, 7: " And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son." The period of seventy years is several times mentioned as a period during which the nations that were subject to Babylon would be oppressed, and after that they should be set at liberty. See Jer. xxv. 11, 12, xxix. 10, comp. Jer. xlvi. 26. IT Shall Tyre sing as an harlot. Margin as the Hebrew, " It shall be unto Tyre as the song of an harlot." That is. Tyre shall be restored to its former state of prosperity and opulence; it shall be adorned with the rich productions of other climes, and shall be gay and joyful again. There are two ideas here; one that Tyre would be again prosperous, and the other that she would sustain substantially the same character as before- It was common to compare cities with females — whether virtuous or otherwise. See Note ch. i. 8. The same figure which is here used occurs in Rev. xvii. 3-19. Comp. Nah. iii. 4. Isa. xlvii. 1. Rev. xviii. 3,9.

16. Take an harp. This is a continuation of the figure commenced in the previous verse, a direct command to Tyre as an harlot, to go about the city with the usual expressions of rejoicing. Thus Donatus in Terent. Eunuch, iii. 2, 4, says:

" Fidicinam esse meretricxtm est;"

Nee meretrix tibicina, cujui

V Thou harlot that hast been forgotten. For seventy years thou hast lain imknown, desolate, ruined. IT Make svseci melody, &c. Still the prophet keeps up the idea of the harlot that had bec9

after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and "shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

forgotten, and that would now call her lovers again to her dwelling. The eense is, that Tyre would rise to her former splendour, and that the nations would be attracted by the proofs of returning prosperity to renew their commercial intercourse with her.

17. The Lord will visit Tyre. He will restore her to her former wealth and magnificence. TT And she shall turn to her hire. The word hire here denotes the wages, or reward that is given to an harlot; and the idea which was commenced in the previous verses ia here continued — of Tyre as an harlot — gay, splendid, licentious, and holding intercourse with strangers and foreigners. The gains of that commerce with other nations are here represented as her hire. IT And shall commit fornication, &c. Shall again be the mart of commerce (ver. 3); shall have intercourse with all the nations, and derive her support, splendour, luxury, from all. The idea is, that she would be restored to her former commercial importance, and perhaps also, the prophet intends to intimate that she would procure those gains by dishonest acts, and by fraudulent pretexts. After the destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar, it remained desolate until the close of the Babylonian monarchy. Then a new city was built on the island that soon rivalled the former in magnificence. That new city was besieged and taken by Alexander the Great on liis way to the conquests of the East.

18. And her merchandise. The prophecy here does not mean that this would take place immediately after her rebuilding, but that subsequent to the •eventy years of desolation this would occur. M Shall be holiness to the Lord.

18 And her merchandiiC and her hire shall be holiness'^ to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufiiciently, and for^ durable clothing.

This undoubtedly means, that at some future period after the rebuilding of Tyre, the true religion would prevail there, and her wealth would be devoted to his service. That the true religion prevailed at Tyre subsequently to its restoration and rebuilding there can be no doubt. The Christian religion was early established at Tyre. It was visited by the Saviour, Matth. xv. 21, and by Paul. Paul found several disciples of Christ there when on his way to Jerusalem. Acts xxi. 3-6. It suffered much, says Lowth, under the Diocletian persecution. Eusebius (Hist. Lib. x. cap. iv.) says that " when the church of God was founded in Tyre, and it> other places, much of its wealth was consecrated to God, and was brought as an offering to the church, and was presented for the support of the ministry agreeable to the commandments of the Lord." Jerome says, " We have seen churches built to the Lord in Tyre; we have beheld the wealth oi all, which was not treasured up nor hid, but which was given to those who dwelt before the Lord." It early became a Christian bishopric; and in the fourth century of the Christian era, Jerome speaks of Tyre as the most noble and beautiful city of Phenicia, and as still trading with all the world. Comm. in Ezek. xxvi. 7, xxvii 2. Reland enumerates the following list of bishops as having been present from Tyre at various councils; viz. Cassius. Paulinus, Zeno, Vitalis, Uranius, Zeno, Photius, and Eusebius. See Reland's Palest, pp. 1002-1011, in Ugolin, Tom. vi. Tyre continued Christian until it was taken by the Saracens in 639; but was recovered again by Christiana in 1124. In 12S0 it was conquered by the Mamelukes, and was taken by ihe Turks in 1516. It is now under the dominion of the Sultan as a part of Syria. TT It shall not be treasured, &c. It shall be regarded as consecrated to the Lord, and freely expended in his service. IT For them that dwell before the Lord. For the ministers of religion. The language is taken from the cuslDEK of the Jews, when the priests dwelt at Jerasalem. The neaping is, that the wealth of Tyre woulA be consecrated to the service and sup port of religion. IT For durable clothing. Wealth formerly consisted much in changes of raiment; and the idea here is, that the wealth of Tyre would be devoted to God, and that it would be furnished for the support of those who ministered at the altar.

The previoiw chnpters, from the xiiith to the xxiiid inclusive, i.avs been occupied mainly in ce< tcribing the destruction of nations that were hostile to the Jews, or great and distressing calamities that would come upon them. The prophet hud thus successively depicted the calamities that would come upon Babylon, Damascus, Moab, Nubia, Egypt, Diimah, and Tyre. In ch. xxii. he had, however, described the calamities which would come upon Judea and Jerusalem by the invasion of Sen> nacherib

In this chapter, the prophet returns to the calamities which would come upon the people of Go4 themselves. This chapter, and the three following to the end of the xxviith, seem to have been uttered about the same time, and perhaps may be regarded as constituting one vision, or prophecy. So Noyes, Lowth, and Rosenmaller, regard it. If these chapters be included in the prophecy, thei it consists (I) of a description of calamities in ch. xxiv.; (2) of a song of praise expressive of deliverance from those calamities any of the consequent spread of the true religion, m ch. xxv.; (3) of a eong of prai.«e suitable to celebrate the triumphs of the true religion in ch. xxvi.; and (4) of tho effect of this deliverance in purifying the Jews in ch. xxvii.