Notes on the Old and New Testaments

When the prophecy was uttered is wholly unknown. In regard to the events to which it relates, there has been a great diversity of opinion, and scarcely are any two interpreters agreed. Grotius regards it as relating to the carrying away of the ten tribes by Shalmaneaer. Hensler supposes that it refers to the invasion of Sennacherib. Vitringa supposes that it relates to the times of the Maccabees, and to the trials and calamities which came upon the Jews under the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes. Noyes regards it as descriptive of the destruction of the land by Nebuchadnezzar, and of the return of the Jews from exile. Calvin considers the account in these four chapters as a summing up, or recapitulation of what the prophet had said in the previous prophecies respecting Babylon, Moab, Egypt, &c.; and then of the pro.-iperity, and of the spread of the true religion which would succeed these general and far spread devastations. Subsequently to each of these predictions respecting calamity, the prophet had foretold prosperity and the advance of truth; and he supposes that this is a mere condensing, or summing up of what he had said more at length in the preceding chapters. Lowth supposes that it may have reference to all the great desolations of the country by Shalmaneser, by Nebuchadnezzar, and by the Romans, especially to that of the Romans, to which some parts of it, he says, seem to be peculiarly applicable. It is certain that the prophet employs general terma; and as he gives no certain indications of the time, or the circumstances under which it was delivered, it is exceedingly difficult to determine either. The general drift of the prophecy is, however, plain. It is a prediction of prosperity, and of the prevalence of true religion after a series of oppressive judgments should have come upon tiie land. It is designed, therefore, to be consoZfltory to the Jews under impending calamities, and to convey the assurance that though they would be oppressed, yet their sufferings would be succeeded by occasions of gratitude and joy. In this respect, it accords with the general strain of the prophecies of Isaiah, that the people of God would be protected; that their name and nation should not bo wholly obliterated; and that the darkest seasons of trial would be succeeded by deliverance and joy.

On the whole, it seems to me, that the prophecy relates to the calamities that would come upon the nation by the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar, and the carrying away to Babylon, and the subsequent deliverance from that oppressive bondage, and the joy consequent on that. — According to this interpretation, the xxivth chapter is occupied mainly with the description of the calamities that would come upon the land by the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar; the xxvth describes the deliverance from that oppressive Iwndage and the re-establishment of the true religion on Mount Zion, with a rapid jiance at the ultimate prevalence of religion under the Messiah suggested by the deliverance from the Babylonish bondage; the xxvith chapter is a sons,' expressive of joy at this signal deliverance— in language, in the main, so general that it is as applicable to the redemption under the Messiah aa to the deliverance from Babylon; and the xxviith chapter is descriptive of the effect of this captivity *rj subsequent deliverance in purifying Jacob (ch. xxvii. 6—9), and recovering the nation to right

The xxivth chapter is composed of three parts. The first (ver. 1—12), contains a description ox the calamities that would come upon tho whole land, amounting to f«.f-spread and wide desolation— irith a graphic descriptioa of the efiwcts of u on the inhabitants iver. 2), on the land (vs. 3— «), on th« wine, the amusementg, the song, &c. <vs. 7—1?). causing all gayetyntid prosperity to TotnetoaQ end. Secondly (vs. 13 —.7), a statement by the prophet that a few would 1*6 left in the and amidst the general desolation, and that they would be filled with joy that they had escaped. From theif retreats and refuges, their fastnesses and places of security, they would lift up the song of praisa that thoy had been preserved. Third (vs. 18—23), a further description of augmented judgment that would come upon the land—a more severe and lengthened calamity stretching over the country, agitating it like an earthquake. Yet there is even here (vs. 22, 23), an indication that there would be deliverance, and that the Lord of hosts would reign on Mount Zion— a deSv..iption which is extended through the next chapter, and which constitutes ihe scope and substance of that chapter. In tha division of the prophecy into chapters, that chapter should have been connected with this as a pari of the same prophecy, and a continuance of the same subject. Indeed, but for the leng^thof tha prophecy thesft four chapters should have been thrown into one, or if tlie prophecy had been broken up into chapters, important aids would have been rendered to a correct understanding of it had there been some injicatiun in the margin that they constituted one prophecy or vision.

1 BeholcJ, the Lord maketh the earth empty; and maketh it waste, and turneth^ it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with^ the *priest; as *with. the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the

1. Maketh the earth empty. That is, will depopulate it, or take away its inhabitants, and its wealth. The word earth here, Y*^.^, is used evidently not to denote the whole world, but the land to which the prophet particularly refers ■ — the land of Judah. It should have been translated the land. See Joel i. 2. It is possible, however, that the word here may be intended to include so much of the nations that surrounded Palestine as were allied with it, pr as were connected with it in the desolations under Nebuchadnezzar. IT And lurneth it upside down. Marg. " Perverteth the face thereof." That is, every thing is thrown into confusion; the civil and religious institutions are disorganized, and derangement every where prevails. IT And scattereth abroad, &,c. This was done in the invasion by the Chaldeans by the carrying away of the inhabitants into their long and painful captivity.

2. As with the people, so with the priest. This does not mean in moral character, but in destiny. It does not mean that the character of the priest would have any influence on th?Lt of Uie people, or that because the one

buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the bcrrower; as with the taker of usu - ry, so with the giver of usury to him.

3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

4 The earth mourneth, and fadeth away: the world lan-

was corrupt the other would be; bu; it means that all would be involved in the same calamity, and there would be no favoured class that would escape. The prophet, therefore, enumerates the various ranks of the people, and shows that all classes would be involved in the impending calamity. IT As with the taker of usury. He who loans his money at interest. It was contrary to the Mosaic law for one Israelite to take interest of another (Lev. xxv. 36, Deut. xxiii. 19, Neh. v. 7, 10); but it is not probable that this law was very carefully observed, and especially in the corrupt limes that preceded the Babylonian captivity.

3. The land. Heb. the earth, as in ver. 1. It is here rendered correctly " the land" as it should have been there- — ^meaning the land of Canaan. % And spoiled. Its valuable possessions shall become the prey of the invading foe. This is an emphatic repetition of the declaration in ver. 1 to show the absolute certainty of that which was threatened.

4. The earth mourneth. The word '''earth" here, as in ver. 1, means tha land of Judea, or that and so much of

guishetli and fadeth away; the haughty* people of the earth do languish.

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because* they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,

the adjacent countries as would be subject to the desolation described. The figure here is taken from flowers when they lose their beauty and languish; or when the plant that lacks moisture, or is cut down, loses its vigour and its vitality, and soon withers. Comp. Note ch. i. 30, ch. xxxiv. 4. Ps. i. 3. IT The world. hSFi—Ut- <^rally, the inhabitable world, but used here as synonymous with the " land," and denoting the kingdoms of Judea and Israel. Comp. Note ch. xiii. 11. IF The haughty people. Margin, as in the Hebrew, " height of the people." It denotes the great, the nobles, the princes of the land. The phrase is expressive of rank, not of their moral character.

5. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof. The statements in this verse are given as a reason why the curse had been pronounced against them, and why these calamities had come upon them, ver. 6, The first reason is, that the very earth had become polluted by their crimes. This phrase may denote that injustice and cruelty prevailed to such an extent that the very earth was stained with gore, and covered with blood under the guilty population. So the phrase is used in Num. xxxiii. 33, Ps. cvi. 38. — Or it may mean in general, that the wickedness of the people was great and was accumulating, and the very earth under them was polluted by sustaining such a population. But the former is probably the correct interpretation. V Changed the ordinance. Or the gtatute, pn. This word, from P|5H ro engrave, and then to make or institute a law or an ordinance, is usually ipplied to the positive statutes appoint-

broken the e\erlasting covenant. 6 Therefore -^hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,* and few men left.

ed by Moses. The word statute accurately expresses the idea. These they had changed by introducing new statutes, and had in fact, if not in form, repealed the laws of Moses, and introduced others. IT Broken the everlasting covenant. The word covenant here is evidently used, as it is often, in the sense of law. By the term * everlasting covenant,' Vitringa correctly supposes is denoted the laws of nature, the immutable laws of justice and right, which are engraven on the conscience, and which are inflexible and perpetual. 6. Therefore hath the curse devoured. Eaten it up; a figurative expression that is common in the Scriptures, denoting that the desolation is wide-spread and ruinous. IT Are burned, snn • Instead of this reading, Lowth proposes to read 'I^'IJI, are destroyed. The LXX read it,'" therefore the inhabitants of the land shall be poor." The Syriac, " the inhabitants of the land shall be slain." But there is no authority from the MSS. to change the text as proposed by Lowth. Nor is it necessary. The prophet does not mean that the inhabitants of ths land were consumed by fire. The expression is evidently figurative. He is speaking of the effect of wrath or the curse, and that effect is cften described in the Scriptures as burning, or consuming as a fire does. The sense is, that the inhabitants of the land are brought under the withering, burning, consuming effect of that wrath; and the same effects are pro* duced by it as are seen when a fire; runs over a field or a forest. Hence the word here used, ^'^'^ to burn, to be kindled, is often used in connection with wrath, to denote burning or racing

8 The mirth of ^tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

The sense is, that the inhabitants of the land were wasted away under the wrath of God so that few were left — as the trees of the forest are destroyed before a raging fire. IT And few men are left. This was literally true after the invasion of the land by the Chaldeans. 2 Kings xxiv. 14-16.

7. The new wine languislteth. The new wine, ^"1 "I "^ Pi tirosh, denotes properly must, or wine that was newly expressed from the grape, and that was not fermented, usually translated new wine, or sweet wine. The expression here is poetic. The wine languishes or mourns because there are none to drink it; it is represented as grieved because it does not perform its usual ofiice of exhilarating the heart, and the figure is thus an image of the desolation of the land. IT 27*6 vine languisheth. It is sickly and unfruitful, because there are none to cultivate it as formerly. The idea is, that all nature sympathizes in the general calamity. *^ All the merry-hearted. Probably the reference is mainly to those whc were once made happy at the plerleous feast, and at the splendid entertainments whe.''e wine abounded. They look now upon the wide-spread desolation of the land, and mourn.

9 They shall not drink wina with a sons;; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

tabrets. On the words tabret,?1W

9. Drink wine with a song. That is, accompanied with a song, as the usual mode was in their feasts. IT Strong drink. On the word *^?^? sec Note ch. v. 11. IT Shall be bitter, &c. They shall cease to find pleasure in it in consequence of the general calamities that have come upon the nation.

10. The city of confusion. That Jerusalem is here intended there can be no doubt. The name " city of confusion," is probably given to it by anticipation of what it would be; that is, as it appeared in prophetic vision (see Note ch. i. 1) to Isaiah. He gave to it a name that would describe its state when these calamities should have come upon it. The word rendered confusion, inpl tohu, does not denote disorder or anarchy, but is a word expressive of emptiness, vanity, destitution of form, waste. It occurs Gen. i. 2: " And the earth was without form." In Job xxvi 7, it is rendered " the empty place;" in 1 Sam. xii 21, Isa. xlv. 18, 19, in vain; and usually cmptinesSy vanity, confusion. See Isa. xxiv 10, xl. 17, xli. 29. In.Tob xii. 24, Ps. cvii. 40, it denotes a wilderness. Here it means that the city would be desolate, empty, and depopulated. *S Is broken down. Its walla and dwellings are in ruins. IT Ever^ house is shut up. That is. either because every man, fearful oi danger; would fasten his doors so that enemies could not enter; or more probablyj the entrance to every house would b« so obstructed by ruins as to render if impossible to enter a.

1 1 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 In '"the city is left desolation, and the gate'^ is smitten with destruction.

13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land amonc: the people, there shall be

11. There is a crying for wine in the streets. The inhabitants of the city, turned from their dwellings, would cry for wine to alleviate their distress, and to sustain them in their calamity. Comp. ch. xvi. 8-10. 'li All joy is darkened. Is gone, or has departed, like the joyful light at the setting of the Bun.

12. And the gate is smitten with destruction. The word rendered " de- Btniction" may denote "a crash," Gesenius. The idea is, that the gates of the city, once so secure, are now battered down and demolished, so that the enemy can enter freely. Thus far is a description of the calamities that would come upon the nation. The following verses show that, though the desolation would be general, a few of the inhabitants would be left, — a circumstance thrown in to mitigate the prospect of the impending ruin.

13. In the midst of the land. That is, in the midst of the land of Canaan. 11 There shall be as the shaking of an olive-tree. A few shall be left, as in gathering olives a few will remain on the highest and outermost boughs. See Notes on ch. xvii. 5, 6.

14. They shall lift up their voice. They who are left in the land; or who are not carried away to Babylon. To lift up the voice in the Scriptures may denote either grief or joy. Comp, Gen. xxi. 6. 1 Sam. xxiv. 16. Judges ii. 4. Ruth. i. 9, &c., where to lift up the voice is connected with weeping; and Ezek. xxi, 22, Ps, xciii. 3, Isa. xl. 29, xlii. 11, &c., where it is connected with exultation and joy. The latter is evi-

shaking of an olive-tree, and aa the gleaning-grapes when the vintage is done*

14 They ^shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

1.5 Wherefore* glorify ye the Lord in the ^fires, even the name

dently the idea here, that the few who would escape from captivity by fleeing to neighbouring countries, would lift up their voice with exultation that they had escaped. II They shall sing for the majesty of the Lord. They shall sing on account of the glory, or goodness of Jehovah, who had so mercifully kept and preserved them. IT They shall cry aloud from the sea. From the isles and coasts of the Mediterranean, whither they would have escaped; and where they would find a refuge No doubt many of the inhabitants adjacent to the sea, when they found the land invaded, would betake themselves to the neighbouring islands, and find safety there until the danger should be overpast. Lowth renders this,

'* The waters shal! resound with the exaltatioQ of Jehovah,"

where he supposes ^3"^^ should be rendered as if pointed ti^'Q waters, not as it is in the present Hebrew text, 13^'2 from the sea. The sense is not materially different; but there seems to be no good reason for departing from the usual interpretation.

15. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord. The prophet, in this verse, calls upon the people to join in the praise of Jehovah wherever they are scattered. In the previous verse he describes the scattered few who were left in the land, or who had escaped to the adjacent islands in the sea, as celebrating the praises of God where they v/ere. In this verse he calls on all to join in this wherever they were scat« tered. IT In the fires. Margin, vah of the Lord God of Israel. iii the leys. The LXX read, vi the islands, iv Tois vfiaois. The Chaldee, " Therefore, when light shall come to the justj they shall glorify the Lord." Lowth supposes that the word '3'^'lfi<3 should have been '2'^'?'^^, in tJie islands, or coasts. But the MSS. do not give authority for this reading; the only authority which Lowth refers to being that of the LXX. Other conjectures have been made by others, but all without any authority from MSS. The Hebrew word in the plural form does not occur elsewhere in the Scriptures. The proper signification of the word *Tli< or is light, and it is applied (a) to daylight, or daybreak, 1 Sam. xiv. 36, Neh. viii. 3; (6) to light from daybreak to mid-day. Job xxiv. 14; (c) the sun, Job xxxi. 26, xxxvii. 21; (d) light as the emblem of happiness; (e) light as the emblem of knowledge. It is also used to denote fire, Ezek. v. 2, Isa. xliv. 16, xlvii. 14. In the plural form it is applied, in connection with the word Tkummim to the gems, or images which were on the breastplate of the High Priest, and from which responses were obtained. Ex. xxviii. 30: •' And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urira (Q'^I.^Xfl) and the Thummim." Comp. Lev. viii. 8. Ezra ii. 63. Probably it was thus used to denote the splendour or beauty of the gems therft set, or perhaps the light «r instruction which was the result of consulting the oracle. The proper meaning of the word is, however, light, and it usiially and naturally suggests the idea of the morning light, the aurora; perhaps also the northern light, or the Aurora Borealis. It in no instance means caves, or valleys, Vitringa supposed it referred to caves, and that the address was to the Troglodytes, or those who had been driven from their homes, and compelled to take up their residence in cavea. The word probably refers either to the regions of

16 From the 'uttermost pari of the earth have we heard songs,

the morning light, the rising of the sun; or of the northern light, the Aurora Borealis — ^^and in either case, the reference is doubtless to those who would be carried away to Babylon, and who were called on there by the prophet to glorify God. * In those regions of light, where the morning dawns; or where the northern skies are illumi' nated at night, there glorify God.' See Note on ch. xiv. 13. The reasons for this opinion are, (1.) That such is the natural and proper sense of the word. It properly refers to light, and not to caves, to valleys, or to islands. (2.) The parallelism, the construction demands such an interpretation.— It would then be equivalent to calling on the scattered people to glorify God in the East, and in the West; in the regions of the rising sun and in the coasts of the sea; or wherever they were scattered. And the sense is, (1) that they should be encouraged to do this by the prospect of a return; (2) that it was their duty still to do this wherever they were; and (3) that the worship of the true God would be in fact continued and celebrated, though his people were scattered, and driven to distant lands. IT In the isle of the sea. The coasts and islands of the Mediterranean, ver. 14.

16. From the uttermost part of the earth. The word earth here seems to be taken in its usual sense, and to denote countries without the bounds of Palestine, and the phrase is equivalent to remote regions, or distant countries. See Note ch. xi. 12. The prophet here represents himself as hearing those songs from distant lands as a grand chorus, the sound of which came in upon and pervaded Palestine. Ths worship of God would be still continued, though the temple should be destroyed, the inhabitants of the land dispersed, and the land of Judea be a wide-spread desolation. Amidst th# general wreck and wo, it was »otn$

even glory to the righteous. But I said, *My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacher-

6 leanness to me, or, my secret to me.

consolation that the worship of Jehovah was celebrated any where. IT Have toe heard songs. Or, we do hear songs. The distant celebrations of the goodness of God break on the ear, and amidst the general calamity these songs of the scattered people of God comfort the heart. U Glory to the righteous. This is the burden and substance of those songs. Their general import and design is, to show that there shall be honour to the people of God. They are now afticted and scattered. Their temple is destroyed, their land waste, and ruin spreads over the graves of their fathers. Yet amidst these desolations, their confidence in God is unshaken; their reliance on him is firm. They still believe that there shall be honour and glory to the just, and that God will be their protector and avenger. These assurances served to sustain them in their afflictions, and to shed a mild and cheering influence on their saddened hearts. IT But I said. But I, the prophet, am constrained to say. This the prophet says respecting himself, viewing himself as left in the land of Canaan; or more probably he personifies, in this declaration, Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of the land that still remained there. The songs that came in from distant lands; the echoing praises from the exiles in the east and the west seeming to meet and mingle over Judea, only served to render the abounding desolation more manifest and distressing. Those distant praises recalled the solemn services of the temple, and the happiness of other times, and led each one of those remaining, who witnessed the desolations, to exclaim, * my leanness.' IT My leanness, my leanness. The language of Jerusalem, and the land of Judea. This language expresses calamity. The loss of flesh is emblematic of a condition of poverty, want, and ously;* yea, the treacherom dealers have dealt very treacher ously.

17 Fear,*" and the pit, and wretchedness — as sickness and affliction waste away the flesh, and take away the strength. Ps. cix. 24:

My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh fai.eth of fatness.

By reason of the voice of my groaning: My bones cleave to my flesh.

See, also. Lam. iii. 4. Job vi. 12, jdjC. 20. Leanness is also put to denote the displeasure of God in Ps. cvi. 15:

And he gave them their request; But sent Jeanness into their soul.

Comp. Isa. X. 16. IT The treacherous dealers. The foreign nations that disregard covenants and laws; that pursue their object by deceit, and stratagem, and fraud. Most conquests are made by what are called the stratagems of war; that is, by a course of perfidy and deception. There can be no doubt that the usual mode of conquest was pursued in regard to Jerusalem. This whole clause is exceedingly emphatic. The word implying treachery pi2) is repeated no less thanjfJre times in various forms in this single clause, and shows how strongly the idea had taken possession of the mind of the prophet. The passage furnishes one of the most remarkable examples of the paronomasia occurring in the

11^^ — Boghedim baghadu ubegehd hoghedhim baghadu. In fact, this figure abounds so much in this chapter that Gesenius contends that it is not the production of Isaiah, but a composition belonging to a later and less elegant period of Hebrew literature.

17. Fear, and the pit- This verse is an explanation of the cause of tha wretchedness referred to 'n the previous verse. The same expression ia found in Jer. xlviii. 43, in hus accoun% of the destruction that would coiz?4

the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit;

upon Moab, a description which Jeremiah probably copied from Isaiah. — There is also here in the original a paronomasia that cannot be retained 'm a translation — nST rinaj " ^HQ pdhhddh vdpdhhdih, vdpdhh — where the form pdhh occurs in each word. The sense is, that they were nowhere safe; that if they escaped one danger, they immediately fell into another. The expression is equivalent to that which occurs in the writings of the Latin classics: Incidit in Scyllam cupiens vitare Charybdin.

The same idea, that if a man should escape from one calamity he would fall into another, is expressed in another form in Amos v. 19:

As if a man did flee froUt a lion, and a bear m6t

him; Or went into a house, and leaned his hand on the wall. And a serpent bit him.

In the passage before us, there is an advance from one danger to another, or the subsequent one is more to be dreaded than the preceding. The figure is taken from the mode of taking wild beasts, where various nets, toils, or pitfalls were employed to secure them.

The word '^fear," "^H?, denotes any thing that was used to frighten or arouse the wild beasts in hunting, or to drive them into the pit-fall that was prepared for them. Among the Romans the name "fears," formidines, was given to lines or cords strung with feathers of all colours, which, when they fluttered in the air or were shaken, frightened the beasts into the pits, or the birds into the snares which were prepared to take them. Seneca de Ira B. it ch. xii. Virg. JEn. xii. 749. Geor. id. 372. It is possible that this tsiy be referred to here nnder the name 8f *-/e^r." The wcrd ''pit;' JnriB, 18*

and he ihat cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall bo taken in the snare: for the ^windows from on high are open, and the foundations^ of the earth do shake.

denotes the pit-fall; a hole dug in the ground, and covered over with bushes, leaves, &c., into which they might fall unawares. The word " snare," HB, denotes a net, or gin, and perhaps refers to a scries of nets enclosing at first a large space of ground, in which tiie wild beasts were, and then drawn by degrees into a narrow compass, so that they could not escape.

18. From the noise of the fear. A cry or shout was made in hunting, designed to arouse the game, and drive it to the pit-fall. The image means here that calamities would be multiplied in all the land, and that if the inhabitants endeavoured to avoid one danger they would fall into another. IT And he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit. A figure taken still from hunting. It was possible that some of the more strong and active of the wild beasts driven into the pit-fall would spring out, and attempt to escape, yet they might be secured by snares or gins purposely contrived for such an occurrence. So the prophet says, that though a few might escape the calamities that would at first threaten to overthrow them, yet they would have no security. They would immediately fall into others, and be destroyed. IT For the windows on high are open. This is evidently taken from the account of the delugo in Gen. vii. 11: "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the win dowa (or flood-gates, Margin) of heaven were opened." The word window* here, mJS'^X, is the same which occun in Genesis, and properly dentes a grate, a lattice, a window, and then any opening, as a sluice or flood-gate, an<t is applied to a tempest or a deluge, b«<

19 The earth* is utterly bro- Ken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved ex* ceedingly.

20 The earth shall reel^ to

cause when the rain descends it seems like opening sluices or flood-gates in the sky. The sense here is, that calamities had come upon the nation resembling the universal deluge. ^ And the foundations of the earth do shake. An image derived from an earthquake — a figure also denoting far-spreading calamities.

19. The earth is utterly broken down. The effect as it were of an earthquake where every thing is thrown into commotion and ruin IT The earth is moved exceedingly. Every thing in this verse is intense and emphatic. The verbs are in the strongest form of emphasis: " By breaking, the land is broken j" " by scattering, the land is scattered;" " by commotion, the land is moved." The repetition also of the expression in the same sense three times is a strong form of emphasis; and the whole passage is designed to denote the utter desolation and ruin that had come upon the land.

20. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard. This is descriptive of the agitation that occurs in an earthquake when every thing is shaken from its foundation, and when trees and towers are shaken by the mighty concussion. The same figure is used in ch. xxix. 9. See also the description of a tempest at sea, in Ps. cvii. S7:

" They reel to und fro, And stagger Mke a drunken man, And are at their wit's end."

T And fhall be removed like a cottage. Or rather shall move or vacillate (•Tl^.linn) like a cottage. The word cottage (•^31''^ from "I'l'' to pass the night, to lodge for a night) means properly a temporary shed or lodge for the f atchman of a garden or vineyard. See Note ch. i. 8. Sometimes these and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed*' like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy* upon it: and it shall fall, and not rise again.

cottages were erected in the form of a hut; and sometimes they were a species of hanging bed or couch, that was suspended from the limbs of trees. They were made either by interweaving the limbs of a tree, or by suspending them by cords from the branches of trees, or by extending a cord or cords from one tree to another and laying a couch or bed on the cords. They were thua made to afford a convenient place for observation, and also to aflford security from the access of wild beasts. Travellers in the East even now resort to such a temporary lodge for security. See Niebuhr's Description of Arabia. Those lodges were easily moved to and fro, and swung about by the wind— and this is the idea in the verse before us. The whole land was agitated as with an earthquake; it reeled like a drunkard; it moved, and was unsettled, as the hanging couch on the trees was driven to and fro by the wind. IT And the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it. Like a vast incumbent weight on a dwelling which it cannot sustain, and beneath which it is crushed. IT And it shall fall, and not rise again. This does not mean, as I apprehend, that the nation should never be restored to its former dignity and rank as a people — for the prophet immediately (ver. 23) speaks of such a restoration, and of the re-establishment of the Theocracy; but it must mean that IN those convulsions it would not rise. It would not be ajble to recover itself; it would certainly he prostrated. As we say of a drunkard, he may stumble often, and partially recover himself, yet he will certainly fall so as not then to be able to recover himself, so it would be with that agitated and convulsed land. They would make many efforts to recover themselves, and they would partially succeed, yet they

ill that day, that the Lord shall ^punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings* of the earth upon the earth.

would uhimately be completely prostrate in the dust.

21. In that day. In the time of the captivity at Babylon, IT Shall punish. Heb. as in the margin, shall visit upon. See Note ch. x. 12. IT The host of the high ones. There have been various interpretations of this expression. Jerome understands it of the host of heaven, and thinks it refers to the fact that in the day of judgment God will judge not only earthly things but celestial, and especially the sun and moon and stars, as having been the objects of idolatrous worship. See Deut. iv. 19. Dan. viii. 10, xi. 13. Comp. Ps. xviii. 17. Jer. xxv. 30, where the words " on high" are used to denote heaven. Aben Ezra supposes that by the phrase is meant angels, who preside over the governors and kings of the earth, in accordance with the ancient opinion that each kingdom was under the tutelage of guardian angels. To this RoeenmUller seems to assent, and to suppose that the beings thus referred to were evil spirits or demons to whom the kingdoms of the world were subject. Others, among whom is Grotius, have supposed that the reference is to the images of the sun, moon, and stars, which were erected in high places and worshipped by the Assyrians. But probably the reference is to those who occupied places of power and trust in the ecclesiastical arrangement of Judea, the High Priest and Priests, who exercised a vast dominion over the nation, and who, in many respects, were regarded as elevated even over the kings and princes of the land. The comparison of rulers v/ith the sun, moon, and »tars, is common in the Scriptures; and this comparison was supposed peculiarly to befit ecclesiastical rulers, tvho were regarded as in a particular

22 And they shall be gathered together^ as prisoners are gathered in ^the pit, and shall ba shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be ^visited.

2 toith the gatherings of prisonern.

manner the lights of the nation. IF Upon the earth. Beneath, or inferior to those who had places of the highest trust and honour. The ecclesiastical rulers are represented as occupying the superior rank; the princes and rulers in a civil sense as in a condition of less honour and responsibility. This waia probably the usual mode in which the ecclesiastical and civil offices were esti* mated in Judea.

22. IT And they shall be gathered together. That is, those who occupy posts of honour and influence in the ecclesiastical and civil polity of the land. IT As prisoners. Margin as ir the Hebrew, " with the gathering of prisoners." The reference is to thd custom of collecting captives taken in war, and chaining them together by the hands and feet and thrusting them in large companies into a prison. IT In the pit. Marg. " or dungeon." The sense is, that the rulers of the land should be made captive, and treated as prisoners of war. This was undoubtedly true in the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar. The people were assembled; were regarded as captives; and were conveyed together to a distant land. IT And shall be shut up in the prison. Probably this is not intended to be taken literally, but to denote that they would be as secure as if they were shut up in prison. Their prison-house would be Babylon, where they were inclosed as in a prison seventy years. 1^ And after many days. If this refers, as I have supposed, to the captivity at Babylon, then these " many days " refer to the period of seventy years. IT Shall they be visited. Marg. found wanting^

The word here used,'!?^^ j may be used either in a good or bad sense, either td visit for the purpose of reviewing, nuni" bering, or aiding; or to visit for thf

23 Then Ahe moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when ♦he Lord of hosts shall

purpose of punishing. It is probably, in the Scriptures, most frequently used in the latter sense. See Job xxxi. 14, XXXV. 15. Isa. xxvi. 14. 1 Sam. xv. 2. Ps. Ixxxix. 33. Jer, ix. 24. But it is often used in the sense of taking account of, reviewing, or mustering as a military host. See Num. i..44, iii. 39. 1 Kings XX. 15. Isa. xiii. 4. In this place it may be taken in either of these senses, as may be best supposed to suit the connection. To me it seems that the connection seems to require the idea of a visitation for the purpose of relief or of deliverance; and to refer to the fact that at the end of that time there would be a reviewing, a mustering, an enrolment of those who should have been carried away to their distant prison-house, to ascertain how many remained, and to marshal them for their return to the land of their fathers. See the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The word here used has sometimes the sense expressed in the margin, "found wanting" — (comp. Isa. xx.wiii. 10. 1 Sam. XX. 6, xxv. 15) — ^but such a sense does not suit the connection here. I regard the verse as an indication of future mercy and deliverance. They would be thrown into prison, and treated as captives of war; but after a long time they would be visited by the Great Deliverer of their nation, their covenant-keeping God, and reconducted to the land of their fathers.

23. Then the moon shall be confounded. The heavenly bodies are often employed in the sacred v/ritings to denote the princes and kings of the earth. These expressions are not to be pressed ad unguem as if the sun denoted one thing and the moon another; but they are general poetic expressions designed to represent rulers, princes, and magistrates of all kinds. Comp. Joel ii. 30,31. Ezek. xxxii. 7. IT Shall be confounded. Shall be covered with ■hame. Tha! is, shall appear to shine reign in mount Zion, and in Je. rusalem, and 'before his ancientSj gloriously.

5 or, there shall be glory he.fore his ancients.

with diminished beauty, as if it wer» ashamed in the superior glory tliat would shine around it. The sense is, that when the people should be returned to their land the theocracy would be restored, and the magnificence of the kings and other civil rulers woidd be dimmed in the superior splendour of the reign of God. Probably there is reference here to the time when Jehovah would reign in Jerusalem through, or by means of, the Messiah. IT In Mount Zion. Note ch. i. 8. This would take place subsequently to the captivity, and pre-eminently under the reign of thb Mes-siah. it And before his ancients. That is, before the elders of the people; in the presence of those intrusted with authority and rule. 11 Gloriously. He would reign gloriously when his laws should be respected and obeyed; when his character as King and Ruler should be developed; and when, under his sceptre, his kingdom should be augmented and extended. On this glad prospect the eye of the prophet was fixed; and this was the bright and splendid object in the "vision" that served to relieve the darkness that was coming upon the nation. Present calamities may be borne, with the hope that Jehovah will reign more gloriously hereafter; and when the effect of all shall be such as to exalt Jehovah in the view of the nations. It may be added that when Jehovah, by the Messiah,, shall reign over all the earth, all the glory of princes and monarchs shall be dimmed; the celebrity of their wisdom and power and plans shall be obscured in the superior splendour of the wisdom of God,:n reigning through his Son over the human race. Come that blessed day; and speedily let the glory of the moon be confounded, and th« sun be ashamed, and all inferior magnificence fade away before the splen dour of the Sun of Righteousness!

Por the genora. (]e!<ii.'n and scope of this chapter, see the Analysis to ch. xxiv. It is a sons c4

E raise to God for the anticipated deliverance of his people from the ijondage in Babylon. The desO" ition of Jerusalem and Judah had been described in ch. xxiv.; that chapter had closed with an inti* mation that JEHOVAH would again reign in glory on Mount Zion (ver. 23»: and in view of thii future deliverance the prophet breaks out into this beautiful song of praise. It was not unusual foj the prophets to express by anticipation such songs of praise as would be celebrated by the people in times of signal deliverance. See Notes on ch. xii. This song of praise is one of the most beautifu. that is to l;e found in the writings of Isaiah- The essential idea is, that which was hinted at in ch. xxiv. 23, that JEHOVAH would reign wiih a glory that would obscure the brightness of the sun and the moon on Mount Zion. Filled with the idea, the prophet fixes the eye on those future glories, and declares what shall occur under that reign. He sees JEHOVAH reigning there for a long series of years; and during that reign he sees (ver. 6) that he would provide a way by which the darkness might be removed from all nations (ver. 7); that he would orignate that plan by which death would be swallowed up in victory (ver. 8); and that there he would execute a plan by which all his enemies would be laid low, vs. 9—12. The hymn is designed, therefore, to celebrate the faithful iiess of God in fulfilling his ancient promises, and delivering his people from their long captivity by the destruction of Babylon (vs. 1—5); and the future glories that would shine forth under the reigo Lf JEHOVAH on Mount Zion, including the arrangements of redeeming mercy for the world.

1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will ■'exalt thee, I will praise thy name: for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels

1. O Lord, thou art my God. The prophet speaks, not in his own name, but in the name of the people that would be delivered from bondage. The sense is, that Jehovah had manifested himself as their covenant-keeping God; and that in view of his faithfulness in keeping his promises, they now had demonstration that he was their God. IT / will exalt thee. A form of expression often used to denote praise (Ps. cxviii. 28, cxlv. 1), meaning that the worshipper would exalt God in the view of his own mind, or would regard him as above all other beings and objects. IT For thou hast done wonderful things. On the meaning of the Heb. C^rl?, wonderful, see Note ch. jx. 6. in Thy counsels of old. Which were formed and revealed long since. The counsels referred to are those respecting the delivery of his people from bondage, which had been expressed even long before their captivity commenced, and which would be now completely and triumphantly fulfilled.? Are faithfulness. Have beer, brought to pass; do not fail. IT And H'uth, Heb. "iiaj^ — whence our word of old are faithfulness"^ and truth.

2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city

Amen. LXX. yivoiro^ Let it he. The word denotes that the purposes of God were firm, and wonld certainly be fulfilled.

2. For thou hast made. This is supposed to be uttered by the Jews who should return from Babylon, and therefore refers to what would have been seen by them. In their time it would have occurred that God had made of the city an heap. ^ Of a city. I suppose the whole scope of the passage requires us to understand this of Babylon. There has been, however, a great variety of interpretation of this passage. Grotius supposed that Samaria was intended. Calvin that the word is used collectively, and that various cities are intended. Piscator that Rome, the seat of Antichrist, was intended. Jerome says that the Jews generally understand it of Rome. Aben Ezra and Kimchi, however, understand it to refer to many cities which they say will be destroyed in the times of Gog and Magog. Nearly all these opinions may be seen subjected to an examination^ and shown to be unfounded, in Vitringar IT An heap. It is reduced to ruins. Se«^

a ruin:* a palace of strangers to he no city; it shall never be built.

3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify^ thee, the* city of the terrible nations shall fear

Notes on ch. xiii. xiv. The ruin of Babylon commenced when it was taken by Cyrus, and the Jews were set at liberty; it was hot completed until many centuries after. The form of the Hebrew here is/ thou hast placed /rom a city to a ruin;' that is, thou hast changed it from being a city to a pile of ruins. ^ Of a defenced city. A city fortified, and made strong against the approach of an enemy. How true this was of Babylon may be seen in the description prefixed to chapter xiii. IT A palace. This word properly signifies the residence of a prince or monarch. Jer. XXX. 18. Amos i. 4, 7, 10, 12. Here it is applied to Babylon on account of its splendour, as if it were a vast palace, the residence of princes; IT Of strangers. Foreigners; a term often given to the inhabitants of foreign lands, and especially to the Babylonians. See Note ch. i. 7. Comp, Ezek. xxviii. 7. Joel iii. 17. It means that this was by way of eminence the city of the foreigners; the capital of the whole Pagan world; the city where foreigners congregated and dwelt. IT It shall never be built. See Notes on ch. xiii. 19-22.

3. The strong people. The reference here is not probably to the Babylonians, but to the surrounding nations. The deliverance of the Jews, and the destruction of Babylon, would be such striking events that they would lead the surrounding nations to acknowledge that it was the hand of God. T The city of the terrible nations. The word " city " here is taken probably in a collective sense, to denote the cities or the strong places of the surrounding nations which would be brought thus to tremble before God. The destruction

4 For thou hasi been a stre«ngtfl to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

of a city so proud and wicked as Babylon would alarm them, and would leaid them to fear that they might share the same fate, especially as many of them had been associated in oppressing the now delivered people of ihe land of Judea.

4. For thou hast been a strength t9 the poor. Thou hast sustained and upheld them in their trials, and hast delivered them. God is often spoken of as the strength of his people. Isa* xxvi. 4: " In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Ps. xxvii. 1: " The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid V Ps. xxviii. 8, xxix. 11, xxxi. 26xlvi. 1. Isa.xlv. 24. — By the " poor" and the " needy" here undoubtedly are meant the captive Jews who had beeastripped of their wealth, and carried from their homes and confined in Babylon. T Arefuge. A place of safety; a retreat; a protection. God is often spoken of as such a refuge. Deut. xxxiii. 27: " The eternal God is thy refuge.*' 2 Sam. xxii. 3. Ps. ix. 9, xiv. 6, xlvi. 1, 7, 11, Ivii. 1, lix. 16. IT From the storm. This word — S'^'t — usually denotes a tempest of wind and rain. Here it is put for calamity and affliction. The figure is common in all languages. IT A shadow from the heat. See Note ch. iv. 6, xvi. 3. Comp. ch. xxxii. 2. IT When the blast of the terrible ones. Of the fierce, mighty, invading enemies When they sWeep down all before them as a furious tempest does. IT Is as 9 storm against the wall. For wall here, ^"^p? J Lowth proposes to read "^^p; from

*l'5I? to be cold or cool, and supposef that this means a winter's storm. In this interpretation also Vitringa and Cappellus coincide. But there is n«

5 Thou snalt bring doxv^ the noise of otrangers, as the heao rn a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible

need of supposing an error in the text. The idea is, probably, that of a fierce drivingstorm that would prostrate walls and bouses; meaning a violent tempest, and intending to describe in a striking manner the severity of the calamities that had come upon the nation.

5. Thou shall bring down the noise. The tumult; the sound which they make in entering into battle; or the note of triumph, and the sound of revelry. The phrase may refer either to their shout of exultation over their vanquished foes; or to the usual sound of revelry; or to the hum of business in a vast city. ^ Of strangers. Of foreigners. Note ver. 2. H As the heat in a dry place. The parallelism here requires that we should suppose the phrase " with the shadow of a cloud" to be supplied in this hemistich, as it is obscurely expressed in our translation by the word " even," and it would then read thus:

cloud], The noise of the strangers shalt thou humble; As the heat by the shadow of a cloud, The exultation of the formidable ones shalt thou

The idea thus is plain. Keat pours down intensely on the earth, and if unabated would wither up every green thing, and dry up every stream and fountain. But a cloud intervenes, and checks the burning rays of the sun. So the wrath of the "terrible ones," the anger of the Babylonians, raged against the Jews. But the mercy of God interposed. It was like the intervening of a cloud to shut out the burning rays of the sun. It stayed the fiiry of their wrath, and rendered them impotent to do injury^ just as the intense burning rays of the sun are completely checked \y an interposing cloud. IT The branch

6 And in this mountain*^ shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast* of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines** on the lees well refined.

unhappy translation. The word ^"^^l zdntir is indeed used to denote a branch, or bough, as derived from ^i^J to prune a vine; but it also has the sense of a song ',' — a song of praise, or a song of exultation, from a second signification of ""^J to sing; perhaps from the song with which the work of the vineyard was usually accompanied. See the verb used in this sense in Judges v. 3, Ps. ix. 12, XXX. 5, xlvii. 7; and the word which occurs here (zdmir) used in the sense of a song in Ps. cxix. 54, 2 Sam. xxiii. 1, Job xxxv. 10. Here it is undoubtedly used in the sense of a SOWS', meaning either a shout of victory or of revelry; and the idea of the prophet is, that this would be brought low by the destruction of Babylon, and by the return of the captive Jews to their own land.

6. And in this mountain. In Mount Zion; that is, in Jerusalem. The following verses undoubtedly refer to the times of the Messiah. Several of the expressions used here are quoted in the New Testament, showing that the reference is to the Messiah, and to the fact that his kingdom would commence in Jerusalem, and then extend to all people. IT Shall the Lord of hosts. See Note ch. i. 9. IT 3Iake unto all people. Provide for all people. lie shall adapt the provisions of salvati;)n not only to the Jews, but to men every where. This is one of the truths on which Isaiah loved to dwell, and which in fact constitutes one of the peculiarities of his prophecy. It is one of the chief glories of the gospel that it is uinx) ali PEOPLE. See Isa. Ivii. 7. Dan. v. 19, vii. 14. Comp. Luke ii. 10: "I bring you good tidings of great joy,wliicIi shall be unto ai l tEOPLE." If A ^east

7 And he will "destroy in this mountain the face of the covering^ cast over all people, and the

A feast, or entertainment, was usually observed, as it is now, on occasion of a great victory, or any other signal success. It is, therefore, emblematic of an occasion of joy. Here it is used in the two-fold sense of an occasion of joy, and of an abundance of provisions for the necessities of those who should be entertained. This feast was to be prepared on Mount Zion — in the provision which would be made in Jerusalem by the Messiah for the spiritual wants of the whole world. The arrangements for salvation are often represented under the image of an ample and rich entertainment. See Luke xiv. 16, (fcc. Rev. xix. 19. Matth. xiii. 11. IT Of fat things. Of rich delicacies. Fat things and marrow are often used as synonymous with a sumptuous entertainment, and are made emblematic of the abundant provisions of divine mercy. See Isa. Iv. 2. Ps. Ixiii. 5. xxxvi. 8: " I shall be satisfied with the fatness of thy house." IT A feast of wines on the lees. The word which is here used (d'^'?^'^) is derived from *1iaTa xo keep, preserve, retain, and is applied usually to the Ices or dregs of wine, because they retain the strength and colour of the v/ine which is left to etand on them. It is also in this place applied to wine which has been kept on the lees, and is therefore synonymous with old wine; or wine of a rich colour and flavour. This fact, that the colour aTid strength of wine are retained by its being suffered to remain without being poured from one vessel into another, is more fully expressed in Jer. xlviii. 11:

Comp. Zeph. i. 12. It is well known that wines, unless retained for a con- «iderable time on the lees, lose their flavour and strength, and are much less

8 He will* swallow up death

valuable. Comp. Notes on John ii. 10, 11. IT Of fat things full of marrow. Marrow is also an emblem of richness, or the delicacy of the entertainment. Ps. Ixiii. 5. IT Of wines on the lees well refined. The word rendered well refined (^Ti^lTa) is usually applied to the purifying of metals in a furnace Job xxviii. 1. 1 Chi-on. xxviii. 18. xxix. 4. When applied to wine, it denotes that which has been suffered to remain on the lees until it was entirely refined and purified by fermentation, and had become perfectly clear.

7. And he will destroy. Heb. He will swallow vp. That is, he will abolish, remove, or take away. IT In this mountain the face of the covering. In Mount Zion, or in Jerusalem. This would be done in Jerusalem, or on the mountains of which Jerusalem was a part, where the great transactions of the plan of redemption would be accomplished. The word " face " here is used as it is frequently among the Hebrews, where the face of a thing denotes its aspect, or appearance, and then the thing itself Thus " the face of God " is put for God himself; the " face of the earth " for the earth itself; and the " face of the vail '* means the vail itself, or the appearance of the vail. To cover the head or the face was a common mode of expressing grief. See 2 Sam. xv. 30, xix. 5. Est. vi. 12. It is probable that the expression here is taken from this custom^ and the vail over the nations here is to be understood as expressive of the ignorance, superstition, crime, and wretchedness that covered the earth.

8. He will swallow up. This image is probably taken from a whirlpoe or maelstrom in the ocean that absorb* all that comes near it. It is, therefore, equivalent to saying he will destroy or remove, ver. 7. In this place it nieana that he will abolish death; that is, ho will cause it to cease from its ravage*

in victory; and t.ie Lord God will wipe *away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall be taken away** from

and triumphs. This passage:s quoted by Paul in his argument respecting the resurrection of the dead, 1 Cor. xv. 54. He does not however quofe directly from the Hebrew, or from the LXX, but gives the substance of tlie passage. His quoting it is sufficient proof that it refers to the resurrection, and that its primary design is to set forth the achievements of the gospel — achievements that will be fully realized only when death shall cease its dominion, and when its reign shall be for ever at an end. IT Death. Vitringa supposes that by death here is meant the wars and calamities with which the nation had been visited, and which would cease under the Messiah. In this interpretation RosenmuUer concurs. It is possible that the word may have this meaning in some instances; and it is possible that the calamities of the Jews may have suggested this to the prophet, b'lt the primary sense of the word here, I think, is death in its proper signification, and the reference is to the triumphs of God through the Messiah in completely abolishing its reign, and introducing eternal life. This was designed doubtless to comfort the hearts ef the Jews by presenting in a single graphic description the gospel as adapted to overcome all evils, and even to remove the greatest calamity under which the race groans — deatu. IT In Victory. Heb. HJCab. Paul in 1 Cor. XV. 54, has translated this, tls vikosj unto victory. The word vTkos, victory, is often the translation of the word (see 2 Kings ii. 26, Job xxxvi. 7, Lam. 'ii. 18, Amos i. 2, viii. 7); though here the LXX have rendered it *' strong (or prevailing) death shall be swallowed up." The v/ord may be derived from the Chaldee verb n3t3 to conquer, surpass; and then may denote victory. It often, however, has the sense of permanenoy, duration, completeness.

off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

9 And it shall be said in that

eternity; and may mean for ever, and then entirely or completely. Thia sense is not materially different from that of Paul, " unto victory." Death shall be completely, permanently, destroyed; that is, a complete victory shall be gained over it. The Syriac unites the two ideas of victory and perpetuity. " Death shall be swallowed up in viC' tory for ever." This will take place under the reign of the Messiah, and shall be completed only in the morning of the resurrection, when the power of death over the people of God shall be completely and for ever subdued. IT IVHl wipe away tears from off all faces. This is quoted in Rev. xxi. 4, as applicable to the gospel. The sense is, that Jehovah would devise a plan that would be fitted to furnish perfect consolation to the afflicted; to comfort the brokenhearted; and that would in its final triumphs remove calamity and sorrow from men for ever. The fulness of this plan will be seen only in heaven. In anticipation of heaven, however, the gospel now does much to alleviate human woes, and to wipe away tears from the mourner's eyes. This passage is exquisitely beautiful. The poet Burns once said that he could never read it without being affected to tears. It may be added that nothing but the gospel will do this. No other religion can furnish such consolation; and no other religion is, therefore, adapted to man. IT And the rebuke of his people. The reproach; the contempt; the opposition to them. This refers to some future period when the Church shall be at peace, and when pure religion shall every where prevail. Hitherto the people of God have been scorned and persecuted, but the time will come whew persecution shall cease, the true religion shall every where prevail, the Church ■hall have rest, and its triumphs shaU spread every where on the earth. 9. And it shall be said in that da^

day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited* for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be g;lad and rejoice in his salvation. 10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and

By the people of God. This shall be the language of exultation and joy which they shall use. IT Lq, tJds is our God. This is the language of thpse who now see and hail their Deliverer. It implies that such deliverance, and such mercy could be bestowed only by God, and that the fact that such mercies had been bestowed was proof that he was their God. ^ We have waited for him. Amidst many trials, persecutions, and calamities, we have looked for the coming of our God to deliver us, and we will rejoice in the salvation that he brings. IT This is the Lord. This is Jehovah. It is Jehovah that has brought this deliverance. None but he could do it. The plan of redeeming mercy comes from him, and to him is to be traced all the benefits which it confers on man.

10. For in this mountain. In Mount 2ion. IT Shall the hand of the Lord rest. The hand in the Scriptures is often used as the symbol of protection and defence. By the expression that the hand of Jehovah should rest on Mount Zion, is meant probably that he would be its defender; his protection would hot be withdrawn, but would be permanent there. For an illustration of the phrase, see a similar use of the word hand as denoting protection, in Ezra vii. 6, 28, viii. 18, 22, 31, Neh. ii. 8. *S And Moab. For an account of Moab, see Notes on chs. xv. xvi. Moab here seems to be used in a general sense to denote the enemies of God, and the declaration that it would be trodden down seems designed to indicate that the foes of God and his people would all be destroyed. Comp. Notes on ch. zxxiv. IT Under him. The Chaldee renders this " in his own

Moab.shall be trodden* dowa under him, even as straAv* ia trodden down for the dunghill.. 11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he place." The phrase has the sense of <• in his place" in Ex. xvi. 29, 2 Sarp. ii. 23. Here it may mean that Moab^ or the enemies of God, would be trodden down and destroyed in their own land. IF As straw is trodden down for the dunghill. As straw is suffered to lie in the yard where cattle lie, to be trodden down by them for the purpose oi making manure. Lowth renders this,

The LXX render it in the same way. Lowth supposes that there has been an error in transcribing the Hebrew text, and that the former reading was h33^» instead of tlS^ia. But there is not the slightest evidence from the MSS. that any such mistake has occurred. Nor is it necessary to suppose it. The image is one that is not of unfrequent occurrence in the Scriptures to denote the complete and disgraceful prostration of an enemy. See Ps. Ixxxiii. 10. 2 Kings ix. 37. Jer. viii. 2, ix. 22, xvi. 4, xxv. 33.

11. And he shall spread forth his hands. The sense is, that Jehovah would stretch out his hands every where, prostrating his enemies, and the enemies of his people. Lowth, however, applies this to Moab, and supposes that it is designed to represent the action of one who is in danger of sinking, and who in swimming stretches out his hands to sustain himself. In order to this, he suppose-s that there should be a slight alteration c' a. single letter in the Hebrew. His main reasoii for suggesting this change is, that he cannot conceive how the act of the stretching out of the hands of a swim* mer can be any iilustration o' the ac«

12 And the fortress of the high

tion of God in extending his hands over Moab to destroy it. It must be admitted that the figure is one that is very unusual. Indeed it does not any where else occur. But it is the obvious ■neaning of the Hebrew text; it is so -mderstood in the Vulgate, the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the figure is one that is not unintelligible. It is that of a swimmer who extends his hands and arms as far as possible, and who by force removes all that is iri his way in passing through the water. So Jehovah would extend his hands over all Moab. He would not confine the desolation to any one place, but it would be complete and entire. He would subject all to himself, as easily as a swimmer makes his way through the waters. IT With the spoils of iheir hands. The word here rendered '* spoils," f^'i^'lij, Lowth renders " the sudden gripe."' The Chaldee renders it substantially in the same manner, " with the laying on of his hands," i. e. with all his might. Kimchi also un- fort of thy wmIIs shall he brinw down, lay low; and bring to tho ground, even to the dust.

derstands it of the gripe of the hands or the arms. The LXX render it " upon whatsoever he lays his hands/* i. e. God sliall humble the pride of Moab in respect to every thing on which he shall lay his hands. The word properly and usually signifies snares, ambushes, craft; and then, by a natural metonymy, the plunder or spoils which he had obtained by snares and ambushes— which seems to be tke sense here. It would all perish with Moab, and the land would thus bt completely subdued.

12. And the fortress, &c. Thy strong defences shall be destroyed. This is spoken of Moab (comp. Notes ch. XV. xvi.); and is designed to be emblematic of the enemies of the people of God. Comp. Notes on ch. xxxiv. The repetition of the expressions" bring down," " lay low," and " bring to the ground," is designed to make the sentence emphatic, and to indicate that i would certainly be accomplished.

Por th« funeral scope and design of this chapter see the remarks at the commencement of ch. Kxiv. and ch. xxv. It is a song of praise supposed to bo sung by the Jews on their return to their own land, and in the re-establishment of the government of God with the ordinances of worsl ip on Mount Zion. It was usual, as has been already remarked, to celebrate any great event with a stng of praise, and the prophet supposes that the recovered Jews would thus be disposed to celebrate The gootlniiss of JEHOVAH in again restoring them to their own land, and to the privileges of their own templepervice. There are some indications that this was designed to be sung with a chorus and with alternate responses, as many of the Psalms were. The ode opens ( ver. 1) with a view of Terusalem aa a strong city, in which they might find protection under the guardianship of God. Vhcn (ver. 2) there is a response, or a call that the gates of the strong city should be open to receive the returning nation. This is followed by a declaration of the safety of trusting in JEHOVAH, and i. call on all to confide in him, vs. 3—4, The rea.son of this is stated in vs. 5—7, tliat JEHOVAH humbled the proud, and guarded the ways of the jast. The confidence of the Jews in JEHOVAH is next descritied (vs. 8, 9; and thia is followed by a declaration (vs. 10, 11) that the wicked would not recognize the hand of <iod; and by an assertion t>.at all their deliverance (ver. i'2) had been wrought by God, This is succeeded bj an acknow'.edgment that they had submitted to other Lords than JEHOVAH; but that now they w( uld submit to him alonp, vs. 15, 14. The declaration succeeds that God had enlarged their nation (ver. 15); and this is followed by a description of their calamities, and their abortive efforts tosa^ t themselves (vs. 16—18). Many had died in their captivity, yet there is now the assurance (vei. 19) that they should live again, and a generai call on the people of God (ver. 20) to enter into their chambers, and hide themselves there until the indignation should be overpast, wit a th« assurance (ver. 21) that JFHOVAH would come forth to punish the oppressors for their inlQuity VVith this assurance the poem closes.

1 In that day shall this aong be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong* city; salvation will God apj)oint for walls* and bulwarks.

1. In that day shall this song be sung. By the people of God, on their restoration to their own land. IT We have a strong city. Jerusalem. This do«s not mean that it was then strongly fortified, but that God would guard it, and that thus it would be strong. Jerusalem was easily capable of being strongly fortified (Ps. xxv. 2); but the idea here is, that Jehovah would be a protector, and that this would constitute its strength. IT Salvation will God appoint for walls. That is, he will himself be the defender of his people in the place of walls and bulwarks. A similar expression occurs in ch. Ix. 18. See also Jer. iii. 23, and Zech. ii. 5. IT Bulwarks. This word means properly bastions, or ramparts. The original means properly a pomoeriuin, or antcmurai defence; a space without the wall of a city raised up like a small wall. The Syriac renders it, " Son of a wall," Bar shuro, meaning a small wall. It was usually a breastwork, or heap of earth thrown up around the city that constituted an additional defence, so that if they were driven from that fhey could retreat within the walls.

2. Open ye the gates. This is probably the language of a chorus responding to the sentiment in ver. 1. Tha captive people are returning; and this cry is made that the gates of the city may be thrown open, and that they may be permitted to enter without obstruction. Comp. Ps. cxviii. 19, xxiv. 7, 9. IT That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth. Who during their long captivity and intercourse with heathen nations have not apostatized from the true religion, but have adhered firmly to the worship of Jie true God. This was doubtless true

righteous nation which keepeth the 'truth may enter in.

3. Thou wilt keep him'' in perfect peace,^ whose ® mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

3. Thou wilt keep him. The fol<« lowing verses to ver. 11, contain morel and religious reflections, and seem designed to indicate the resignation evinced by the " righteous nation " during their long afflictions. Their own feelings they are here represented as uttering in the form of general truths to be soarces of consolation to others. IT In perfect peace. Heb. as in the margin, "peace, peace;" the repetition of the word denoting, as is usual in Hebrew, emphasis, and here evidently meaning undisturbed, perfect peace. That is, the mind that has confidence in God shall not be agitated by the trials to which it shall be subject; by persecution, poverty, sickness, want, or bereavement. The inhabitants of Judea had been borne to a far distant land. They had been subjected to reproaches and to scorn (Ps. cxxxvii.); had been stripped of their property and honour; and had been reduced to the condition of prisoners and captives. Yet their confidence in God had not been shaken. They still trusted in him; still believed that he could and would deliver them. Their mind was, therefore, kept in entire peace. So it was with the Redeemer when he was persecuted and maligned. 1 Pet. ii. 23. Comp. Luke xxiii. 46. And so it has been with tens of thousands of the confessors and martyrs, and of the persecuted and afflicted people of God, who have been enabled to commit their cause to him, and amidst the storms oi persecution, and even in the prison and at the stake, have been kept in perfect peace. IT Whose mind is stayed on thee. Various interpretations have been

4 Trust p ye in the Lord for ever:« for in the Lord JEHO- VAH is ^everlasting strength.

5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty

given of this passage, but our translation has probably hit upon the exact sense. The word which is rendered

"mind," '^^'^, is derived from "l^"^ ydtzdr to form, create, devise; and it properly denotes that which is formed or made. Is. xxix. 16. Heb. ii. 18. Ps. ciii. 14. Then it denotes any thing that is formed by the mind — its thoughts, imaginations, devices. Gen. viii. 21. Deut. xxxi. 21. Here it may mean the thoughts themselves, or the mind that forms the thoughts. Either interpretation suits the connection, and will make sense. The expression, " is stayed on thee," in the Hebrew does not exjjress the idea that the mind is stayed on God, though that is evidently implied. The Hebrew is simply, whose mind is stayed, suppi rted, Tjl^O; that is, evidently, supported by God. There is no other support but that; and the connection requires us to understand this of him.

4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever. The sense is, * Let your confidence in God on no occasion fail. Let no calamity, no adversity, no persecution, no poverty, no trial of any kind, prevent your reposing entire confidence in him.* This is spoken evidently in view of the fact stated in the previous verse, that the mind that is stayed on him shall have perfect p-jace. IT For in the Lord JEHOVAH. This is one of the four places where our translators have retained the original word JEHOVAH. Comp. Ex. vi. 3. Ps. Ixxxiii. 18. Notes on Isa. xii. 2. The original is niiT^ J^*3 BcJah Jehovah; the first word, t^^ Jah (comp. Ps. Ixviii. 4), being merely an abridged form of Jehovah. The same form occurs in ch. xii. 2. The union of these two forms seems designed to express, in city, he layeth k low; he la/eth it low, even to the ground; he hringeth it even to the dust.

6 The foot *= shall tread it downi even the feet of the poor, and tha steps of the needy.

the highest sense possible, the majesty, glory, and holiness of God; to excite the highest possible reverence where language fails of completely conveying the idea. IT Is everlasting strength. Heb. as in the margin, " the rock of ages;" a more poetic and beautiful expression than in our translation. The idea is, that God is firm and unchangeable like an eternal rock; and that in him we may find protection and defence for everlasting ages. See Deut. xxxii. 4, 15, 18, 30, 31. 1 Sam. ii. 2. Ps. xviii. 31.2 Sam. xxii. 32, 47 xxiii. 3. Ps. xix. 14, xxviii. 1, xlii. 9, Ixii. 2, 6, 7, &c., where God is called a rock.

5. The lofty city, he layeth it low. The city of Babylon. See Note ch. XXV. 12. Comp. Notes on chs. xiii., xiv.

6, The foot shall tread it down, the feet of the poor. That is, evidently, those who had been despised by them, and who had been overcome and oppressed by them. The obvious reference here is to the Jews who had been captives there. The idea is not necessarily that the " poor " referred to here would be among the conquerors, but that when the Babylonians should be overcome and their city destroyed, those who were then oppressed should be in circumstances of comparative prosperity. No doubt the Jews, who in subsequent times travelled to the site of Babylon for purposes of traffic, would trample indignantly on the remains of the city where their fathers were captives for seventy years, and would exult in the idea that their own once downtrodden city Jerusalerr was in a condition ot comparative prc^perity. That there were many Jews in Babylon after that city began to declino from its haughtiness and gracdeur, wi

— *7 The way" of the just w uprightness:* thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

8 Yea, in the way of thy ^judgments; O Lord, have we waited

learn expressly from both Philo and Josephus. Thus Philo (in Libro de Legatione ad Caium, p. 792) says, that "it is known that Babylon and many other satraps were possessed by the Jews, not only by rumour, but by px^perience." So Josephus (Ant. B. XV. c. ii.) says thzti there were in the tirne of Hyrcanus many Jews at Babylon.

7. The way of the just is uprightness. The Hebrew is literally ' The way to the just is iJprightness;' the word "way" probably refers to God's way, or his dealings with the righteous. The sentiment is, that his dealings with them are just; that though they are afflicted and oppressed, yet that his ways are right, and they will yet perceive it. This is language supposed to be used by the captive Jews after they had seen the proud city of Babylon taken, and after God had come forth to restore th«m to their own land. The word *' uprightness " in the original is in the plural number, but is often used in the sense of straightness (Prov. xxiii. 31. Cant. vii. 10); of sincerity, or uprightness (Cant. i. 4); or of righteousness as a judge. Ps. xcix. 4, ix. 9. Iviii. 2. IT Thou most upright. Evidently an address to God, as being most just, and as having now evinced his uprightness in the deliverance of his people. The same epithet is applied to him in Deut. xxxii. 4. Ps. xxv. 8, xcii. 16. IT Dost weigh the path of the just.. The word here used, D?3, may mean to weigh as in a balance (Ps. Iviii. 3); but it may also mean, and does usually, to make straight or smooth; to beat a path; to make level. Ps. Ixxviii. 50. Prov. iv. 26, v. 21. Here it probably means, that God had made the way smooth, or exactly level. He had removed all bbstacles, and had conducted his people in a plain and evelled way. See Note son ch. xl. 3, 4, for thee; the desiie*" of oMr soul is to thy name, and to the remem. brance of thee.

8. I ca, in the way of thy judgments. The word judgments often refers to the statutes, or laws of God. But it may also refer to the afflictions and trialj with which he visits or judges men; the punishments which they endure for their sins. In which sense the word is used here it is not easy to determine. Lowth understands it of the " laws " of Jehovah. So Kimchi, who says that the sense is, that during their captivity and trials, they had not remitted aHy thing of their love and piety toward? God. I am inclined to the belief that this is the true interpretation, because in the corresponding member of the parallelism they are represented as saying that the desire of their soul was to God, and to the remembrance of hinii implying that they sought by an observance of his laws to please him, and to secure his favour. IT The desire of our soul is to thy name. The word " name" is here used, as it is often, to denote God himself. They desired that he would come and deliver them; they earnestly wished that he would manifest himself to them as their friend. IT And to the remembrance of thee. The word " remembrance," ^5T, is often equivalent to name, appellation, or that by which any one is remembered, or known. Thus Ex. iii. 15:

Thb is my name for ever; And this is my memorial (^^^t) unto all ^enomtions.

that is, at ins toly memorial (Margin), or name. In the place befere us it seems to be used in the sense of name or appellation: that is, that by which God would be remembered or known.

thee in the night;*yoa, with my spirit wilhin me will I seek thee, early; for when *thy judgments ute in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteous-

' 10 Let ^favour b^ shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn riffhteousness: in ^the land of

ing him early, is meant that the desire to seek him was unremitted and constant. The prophet speaks of the pious Jews who were in captivity in Babylon; and says that it was the object of their unremitted anxiety to please God,

*"•• and to do his will. IT For when thy judgments are in the earth. This is given as a reason for what had just been said, that in their calamity they had sought God without ceasing. The reason is, that the punishments which hie inflicted were intended to lead men to learn righteousness. The sentiment is expressed in a general form, though there is no doubt that the immediate y, reference is to the calamities which the Jews had suffered in their removal to i5abylon as a punishment for their sins. f Learn righteousness. The design is

; to warn, to restrain, and to reform them. The immediate reference here was undoubtedly to the Jews, in whom this effect was seen in a remarkable manner in their captivity in Babylon.

■ But it is also true of other nations; and though the effect of calamity is not always to turn a people to God, or to make them permanently righteous, yet it restrains them, and leads them at least to an external reformation. It is also true in regard to nations as well as individuals, that they make a more decided advance in virtue and piety in days of affliction than in the time of great external prosperity. Comp. Deut. vi. 11, 12.

10. Let favour be showed to the wicked. This is designed as an illustration of the sentiment in the previous verse •^that judgrients were needful iii order that wicked men might be brought to

yea, the fire** of thine enemies shall devour them.

the ways of righteousness. The truth is general, that though wicked men are favoured with success in their enterprises, yet the effect will not be to lead them to the ways of virtue and religion. How often is this illustrated in the conduct of wicked men! How often do they show, whe^ rolling in wealth, or when surrounded with the comforts of the domestic circle, that they feel no need of the friendship of God, and that their heart has no response of gratitude to make for all his mercies! Hence the necessity, according to the language of the song before us, that God should take away their property, remove their friends, or destroy their health, in order that they may be brought to honour him. To do this, is benevolence in God; for whatever is needful to bring the sinner to the love of God and to the ways of virtue, is kindness to his soul. IT In the land of uprightness. Even when others are just and pious around him; when this is so much the general characteristic that it may be called 'the land of integrity,' yet he will pursue his way of iniquity though in it he may be solitary. Such is his love of sin, that neither the favour of God nor the general piety around him, neither the mercy of his Maker nor the influence of holy examples, will lead him in the way of piety and truth. IT Will not behold the majesty of the Lokd. Will not see that which makes the Lord glorious in his dealings with men, so as to love and adore him. He is blind, and sees no evidence of loveliness in the character of God.

12 Lord, thou wilt ordain peace' for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works'' in us.

13 O Lord our God, other^ lords beside thee have had dominion over us: bui^ by thee

up. This is an explanation of the sentiment expressed in the former verse. The Hfting up of the hand here refers, doubtless, to the manifestation of the majesty and goodness of the Lord. IT They will not see. They are Wind to all the exhibitions of power, mercy, and goodness. IT But they shall see. They shall yet be brought to recognize thy hand. They shall see thy favour towards thy children, and thy judgment on thy foes. The divine dealings will be such that they siiall be constrained to recognize nim, and to acknowledge his existence and perfections. IT And be ashamed. Be confounded because they did not sooner recognize the divine goodness. T For their envy at thy people. The word " their " is not in the Hebrew, and the sense is, that they shall see the vxeal of Jehovah in behalf of his people, and shall be ashamed that they did not sooner recognize his hand. The word rendered envy, ^^}P., may mean envy (Eccl. iv. 4, ix. 6), but it more properly and frequently means zeal, ardour. 2 Kings X. 16. Isa. ix. 6. ^ Yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. Or, rather, ' Yea, the fire in regard to thy enemies shall devour them.' The sense is, that when his people were delivered, his foes would be destroyed; his zeal for his people would also be connected with indignation against his foes. The deliverance of his people from Babylon, and the commencement uf the downfall of that city were simultaneous, and the cause was the same.

12. Thou will ordain peace. The word peace here seems to stand opposed to the evils of various kinds which they had experienced in the captivity at Babylon; and to refer not only to peace, but also to prosperity, and to the continued divine favour. II For thou hast

only will we make mention of thy name.

14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

wrought all our works in us. Or, rather, for us, 133. It is owing to thy hand that we are saved.

13. Other lords beside thee have had dominion. The allusion here is to the kings of Babylon who had subdued and oppressed them, and who in their long captivity had held them in subjection to their laws. IT But by thee only will we make mention of thy name. This may be better rendered, ' but only thee, thy name will we henceforward commemorate.' The words "by thee," and " thy name," are put in apposition, and denote the same thing. The word " make mention," "''^2&1?, means literally to cause to be remembered; to commemorate; to celebrate. The idea is, that during their long captivity they had been subject to the dominion of other lords than Jehovah; but now that they were restored to their own land they would acknowledge only Jehovah as their Lord, and would henceforward celebrate only his name.

14. They are dead. That is, the kings and tyrants to whom reference is made in ver. 13. The principal enemies of the Jews, who had oppressed them, were slain when Babylon was taken by Cyrus. See Notes chs. xiii. xiv. IT They shall not live. They shall not again live, and be permitted to harass and enslave us. IT They given to the shades or manes of the dead, from an idea that they were weak and powerless. See Notes ch. xiv. 9, 10. Comp. Ps. Ixxxviii. 11. Prov. ii. 18, ix. 18, xxi. 16. The sense here is, that they had died and gone to the land of shades, and were now unable any more to reach or injure the people oi God. IT Therefore. Or rather fer

15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst renaoved it far unio all the ends of the earth.

16 Lord, in trouble* have they visited thee, they poured out a 'prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

the word *j3^ being used evidently in the sense of because that, as in Gen. xxxviii. 26. Ps. xlii. 7, xlv. 3. Num. xi. 31, xiv. 13. The declaration that follows is given as the reason why they were dead, and incapable of again injuring or annoying them. IT Hast thou visited, &CC. See Note ch. xxiv, 22. The word visit here is used in the sense of to punish. IT And made all their memory to perish. Hast blotted out their name; hast caused their celebrity lo cease.

15. Thou hast increased the nation. That is, the Jewish nation. Note ch. IX 3. The nation was not only enlarged by its regular increase of population, but many converts attended them on their return from Babylon, and probably many came in from surrounding nations on the rebuilding of their capital. IT Thou hadst removed it far, Sec. Or, rather, thou hast extended far all the borders of the land. The word rendered "removed," P^"^ > means usually to put far away, and here it may mean to put far away the borders or boundaries of the nation; that is, to extend them far. The word " unto " is not in the original; and the phrase rendered " ends of the earth," may mean the borders, or boundaries of the land. The parallelism requires this construction, and it is indeed the obvious one, and has been adopted by Lowih and Noyes.

child, theit draweth near the tim<i of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord.

18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

help. This is the sense here. In their calamity they sighed, and called on God for help.

17. Like as a woman with child, &c. This verse is designed lo state their griefs and sorrows during the time of their oppression in Babylon. The comparison here used is one that is very frequent in the sacred writings to represent any great suffering. See Ps. xlviii. 6. Jer. vi. 24, xiii. 21, xxii. 23, xlix. 24, 1. 43. Micah iv. 9, 10.

18. We have been, &c. This refers lo sorrows and calamities which they had experienced in former times, when they had made great efforts for deliverance, and when those efforts had proved abortive. Perhaps it refers to the efforts of this kind which they had made during their painful captivity of seventy years. There is no direct proof, indeed, that during that time they attempted to revolt, or that they organized themselves for resistance to the Babylonish power; but there can be no doubt that they earnestly desired deliverance, and that their condition was one of extreme pain and anguish ^a condition that is strikingly represented here by the pains of childbirth. Nay, it is not improbable that during that long period there may have been abortive efforts made at deliverance, and that here they refer to those efforts as having accomplished nothing. ^ We have as it were brought forth wind. Our efforts have availed notliing. Michaelis, as quoted by Lowth, explaina this figure in the following manner: ** Rariorem morbum describi, empneu-

19 Thy dead men shail live, i ye-^ that dwell in dust; for thy

together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing,

matosin, aut ventosain moiam dictum; quo guae laborant diu et sibi, et peritis niedicis gravidae videntur, tandemque post omnes verae gravitatis molestias et Jabores ventum ex utero emittant; quern morbum passim describunt medici." Syntagma Comment, vol. ii. p. 165. Grotius thinks that the reference is to birds, quae edunt ova subventanea, and refers to Pliny x. 58. But the correct reference is, doubtless, that which is mentioned by Michaelis. H Neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. We had no power to subdue them; and notwithstanding all our exertions their dominion was unbroken. This refers to the Babylonians who had dominion over the captive Jews.

19. Thy dead men shall live. Very various interpretations have been given of this verse, which may be seen at length by comparing Vitringa, RosenmUUer, Gesenius, and Pool's Synopsis. In ver. 14, the chorus is represented as saying of the dead men and tyrants of Babylon that had oppressed the captive Jews, that they should not rise, and should no more oppress the people of vjrod. In contradistinction from this fate of their enemies, the choir is here introduced as addressing Jehovah (comp. ver. 16), and saying * thv dead shall live;' that is, thy people shall Jive again; shall be restored to vigour, and strength, and enjoyment. They had been dead; that is, civilly dead in Babylon; they were cut off from their privileges, torn away from their homes, made captives in a foreign land. Their king had been dethroned; their temple demolished; their princes, priests, and people made captive; their name blotted from the list of nations; and to all intents and purposes as a people they were deceased. This figure is one that is common, by which the loss of privileges and enjoyments, and especially of civil rights, is represented as i^ath. 6o we speak now of a man's

dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

being dead in law; dead to his country; spiritually dead; dead in sins. I do not understand this, therefore, a« referring primarily to the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead; but to the captives in Babylon who were civilly dead, and cut off by their oppressors from their rights and enjoyments as a nation. IF Shall live. Shall be restored to their country, and be reinstated in all their rights.tnd immunities as a people among the nations of the earth. This restoration shall be as striking as would be the resurrection of the dead from their graves. Though, therefore, this does not refer primarily to the resurrection of the dead, yet the illustration is drawn from that doctrine, and implies that that doctrine was one with which they were familiar. An image which is employed for the sake of illustration must be one that is familiar to the mind, and the reference here to this doctrine is a demonstration that the doctrine of the resurrection wa» well known. IT Together with my dead body shall they rise. The wordi " together with " are not in the original. The words rendered " my dead body," '^r'^^? > literally means ' my dead body,' and may be applied to a man, or to a beast. Lev. v. 2, vii.?4. It is also applied to the dead in general; to the deceased; to carcasses, or dead bodies. See Ps. Ixxix. 2. Jer. vii. 33, ix. 22, xvi. 18, xxvi. 23. Lev. xi. 11. Jer. xxxiv. 20. It may, therefore, be rendered my deceased, my dead; and will thus be parallel with the phrase " thy dead men," and is used with reference to the same species of resurrection. It is not the language of the prophet Isaiah, as if he referred to his own body when it should be dead, but it is the language of the choir that sings and speaks in the name of the Jewish people. That people is thu« introduced as saying my dead, that is our dead shall rise. Not only in th»

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thy-

Eiddress to Jehovah is this sentiment uttered when it is said " thy dead shall rise," but when the attention is turned to themselves as a people they say " our dead shall rise;" those that appertain to our nation shall rise from the dust, and oe restored to their own privileges and land. IT Awake and sing. In view of the cheering and consolatory fact just stated that the dead shall rise, the chorus calls on the people to awake and rejoice. This is an address made directly to the dejected and oppressed people, as if the choir were with them. IT Ye that dwell in dust. To sit in dust, or to dwell in the dust, is emblematic of a state of dejection, want, oppression, or poverty. Isa. xlvii. 1. Ps. xliv. 25, cxix. 25. Isa. xxv. 12, xxvi. 5. Here it is supposed to be addressed to the captives in Babylon, as oppressed, enslaved, dejected. The language is derived from the doctrine of the re- Btirrection of the body — and proves that that doctrine was understood and believed; — the sense is, that those who were thus dejected and humbled should be restored to their former elevated privileges. IT For thy dew. This is evidently an address to Jehovah. His dew is that which he sends down from heaven, and which is under his direction and control. Dew is the emblem of that which refreshes and vivifies. In countries where it rains but seldom, as it does in the East, the copious dews at night supply in some sense the want of rain. Thence dew is used in Scripture as an emblem of the graces and influences of the Spirit of God by which his people are cheered and comforted, as the parched earth and the withered herbs are refreshed by the copious dews at night. Thus in Hos. xiv. 5:

I will be as the dew unto Israel;

He Khali grow as the lily,

And cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

The prophet here speaks of the captivity in Babylon. Their state is represented as a stnte of death — illustrated self as it were for ment, until the overpast.

by the parched earth, and the decayed and withered herbs. But his grace and favour would visit them, and they would be revived. IT As the dew of herbs. As the dew that falls on herbs. This phrase has, however, been rendered very variously. The Vulgate renders it, " thy dew is as the dew of light." The LXX, " thy dew shall be healing, lajxa, unto them." The Chal - dee, " thy dew shall be the dew of light.'* But the most correct and consistent translation is undoubtedly that which renders the word miX herbs or vegetables. Comp. 2 Kings ix. 19. T And the earth shall cast out the dead. This is language which is derived from the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; and shows also that that doctrine was understood by the Hebrews in the time of Isaiah. The sense is, that as the earth shall cast forth its dead in the resurrection, so the people of God in Babylon should be restored to life, and to their former privileges in their own land,

20. Come, my people. This is an epilogue (RosenmUUer), in which the chc^r addresses the people and entreats the-Ti to be tranquil during that convulsion cv 'v.Hioh their oppressors would be puTii'^h^d^ and the way made for their del.'verrnce. The image is taken from;:eeking a sheltsr vs'hen a storm rages, until its fury is spent. The address is to the captive Jews ip Babylon. The tempest that would rage would be the wars and commotions by which Babylon was to be overthrown. While that storm raged, they were exhorted to be calm and serene. IT Enter thou into thy chambers. Into places of retirement, where the storm of indignation on your enemies shall not reach ojt affect you. IT Hide thyself as it were^ &c. Do not mingle in the scenes of battle, lest you should partake of the general calamity. H For a little mo" ment. Implying that the war would not rage long. Babylon was takeo in

21 For, behold, the Lord com.eth° out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth

a single night (see Notes on chs. xiii., xiv.), and the call here is for the people of God to be calm while this battle «hpuld rage in which the city should be taken. ^ Until the indignation, &.C. Not, as Lowth supposes, the indignation of God against his people, but the storm of his indignation against their enemies the Babylonians. That would be soon "overpast," the city would be taken, the storms of war would cease to rage, and then they would he delivered, and might safely return to their own land.

Hi. For, behold, the horn) cometh out of his place. That is, from heaven, whioh is the dwelling-place, or residence, of God. Micah i. 3. Ps. cxv. 3. Ezek. iii. 12. When God executes vengeance, he is represented as coming from his abode, his dwelling-place, his capitol — as a monarch goes forth to war to destroy his foes. IT To punish the inhabitants of the earth. The land of Chaldea, or of Babylon. IT The earth also shall disclose her blood. Blood, in the Scriptures, often denotes guilt. The sense here is, that the •and of Chaldea would reveal its guilt; that is, the punishment which God would inflict would be a revelation of the crimes of the nation. There is a resemblance here to the language which was used respecting the blood of Abel, Gen. iv. 10: " The voice of thy brother's blood (Heb. as here, bloods) crieth unto me from the ground." IT And shall

for tht ir iniquity: the earth alsa shall disclose her *blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

no more cover her slain. Shall no more be able to conceal its guilt in slaying the people of God. By these hopes, the Jews were to be comforted in their calamity; and no doubt this song was penned by Isaiah long before that captivity, in order that, in the midst of their protracted and severe trials, they might be consoled with the hope of deliverance, and might know what to do when the storms of war should rage around the place of their captivity, and when the proud city wag to fall. They were not to mingle in the strife; were to take no part with either their foes or their deliverers; but were to be calm, gentle, peaceful, and to remember that all this was to effect their deliverance. Comp. Ex. xiv. 13, ]4: " Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah; Jehovah shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." — There are times when the children of God should look calmly on the conflicts of the men of this world. They should mingle with neither party; for they should remember that Jehovah presides over these agitations, and that their ultimate end is to bring deliverance to his church, and to advance the interests of his kingdom on the earth. Then they should be mild, gentle, priayerful; and should look up to God to make all these agitations and strifes the means of advancing the interests of his kingdom.

For the general design of this chapter, see the analysis of ch. xxiv. Many different exiiositjoni have been ^iven of its design, and indeed almost every oommentatot haa had his own theory, and W3 differed from almost every other. Some of the dilTerent views which have been taken may b« eeeii in the Notes on ver. 1, and may be examined at length in Vitringa. I regard the most simpia and obvious interpretation as the correct one; and that is, that it is a continuation of the vision com* m«nced in eh. xxiv,, and reieriing to the same £r«at event— the captivity at Babyloi: and the deUvoP ince rrom that captivity. This 'subject has been pursued through the xxivth, tlie xxvth, and th« xxvith chapters In the xxvth and tae xxvith chapters the main design was to show the joy v/hict would be evinced on their rescue from that land. The main purpose of this is, to bhow the efiect of that captivity and deliverance in purifying the Jewa themselves, and in overcoming their propensity to idolatry, on account of which the captivity ha<l been suffered to take place. The design of the chapter is like that of many others in Isaiah, to comfort them when they should be oppressed during their long and painful exile. The general plan of the chapter is, (1) a stistement that their treat enemy, the Leviathan, should be destroyed (ver. 1); and (*:) a song, in alternate responses, respecting the people of God, under the image of a vineyard yielding rich wines (vs. 2—13). In thia 8ong JEHOVAH'S protection over the vineyard is shown (ver. 3); he declares that he is not actuated by fury iver. 4); his people are exhorted to trust in him (ver. 5); a full promise that the Jews shall yet flourish is given (ver. 6»; JEHOVAH says that his judgm<!nts are mild on them vs. 7, 8), and that the design is to purify his people (ver. 9); for their sfns they should be punished (vs. 10, 11) { yet that they should be restored lo their own land, and worship him in tl>e holy mount at Jerusalcaa (vs. 12, 13.)