In the day of Jerusalem; who said
Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. Ps. cxxxvii. 7.
They seem to have resolved to take full vengeance for thefact that their nation hadbeenso long siibr jected by David and his successors; to have cut off such of the Jews as attempted to escape; to have endeavoured to level the whole city with the- gwnmd; to have rejoiced in the sHccess of the^ Babylonians, and to have imbrued their hands in the blood of those whom the Chaldeans had left— and were thus held to be guilty of the crime of fratricide by God. See particularly Obad. 10^12.18; Ezek. xxv. 12, 13, 14; xxxv. 3— 15,_ It was for t)us especially that they were denounced and threatened by the prophets with heavy judgment, and with the utterdestruction of the nation. Isa. xxxiv. 5. 10—17; Jer. xlix. 7— W), »2— 18: Ezefc. xxv. 12, 13, 14, 15, xxxv. 1—15; Joel iii. 19; Amos i. 11; Obad. vs. 2, 3, 8, 17, 18; Mai. i. 3, 4, This refusing to aid their brethren the Jews, and joining with the enemies <>f the people of God, arrd exulting- i» their success, was the great, crime in their history which was to call down the divine vengeance, and terfninate in their complete and utter rum.
But their exultation does notlor^g continue, and their cruelty to the Jews did not long remain nn punished. Five years after the taking of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar humbled all the states arouiia Judea, and particularly Idumea. Jer. xxv. IS — 2G. Mai. i. 3, 4.
During the Jewish exile, it would appear the Edomites pressed forward into the south of Palestine^- of which they took possession as far as to Hebron. Here they were subsequently attacked and subdued by John Hircanus, and compelled to adopt the laws and customs of the Jews. Themnae Idumea was transferred to. this part of the land of Judea which they occupied, and this is the Idumea which is mentioned by P*liny, Ptolemy. Strabo, and other ancient writers. Indeed the name Idumea was srnnetimes given by the Raman writers to the whole of Palestine, ftciand's Palestine. Idumea, incluuing the southern part of Judea, was henceforth governed by a succession of Jewish prefects. Oae of tijese, Antipater, an Idumean by birth, by the favour of Ccssar, was made procurator of all Judea. He was the father of Herod the Great, who became king of Judea including Idumea While ty*e Edomites had been extending tliemselves to the northwest, they had in turn been driven out from the southern portion of their own territory, and from their chief city itself, by tne Nabatheans. ai* Arabian tribe, the descendants of Nebaioth, the eldest son of Ishmael. Thi.*i< nomadic people had •pread themselves over the whole of desert Arabia, from the Euphrates to the borders of Palestine, »nd finally to the Elastic gulf of the Red Sea. They (hu>j grew up into the kingdom of Arabia Pctraea, occupyinf very nearly the same territory which was comprised within the limits of ancient Edtm. A king of thiiTcountry, Aretas, is mentioned as cotemporary with Antiochus Epiphanes, about U$ B. C. Fr«na.tius tixn« to the destnictioiv of Jerusalem, the sovereigns of Arabia Petiaea cixmn ipta itwiucnt oontict wiih the Jews and Romans both in war and peace.— The nominal iiiiiepen >^nce of this kingdom continued lor souie thirty years alter the destruction of Jerunalem. Under th« «e,^i of Trajan, about A. U. 105, it was overrun and conquered by Cornelius Palma, then governor of SjTifl; and formally annexed to the Roman empire. Dio Ca^s. Ixviii. 14. Amm. Marcell. xiv. 8— The kingaona of Edom was thus blotted out, and their name was Joit. In their own land they ceafcdd ta be a separate people, and misgled with the other descendants of Ishmael, in Judea they b»came, under John Hircaims, converts to the Jewish laith; received the rite of circumcision; ami were incorporated with the Jews. Very interesting remains oi cities and towns of Idumea, and particularly of Petra, have been recently discovered by the travellers Burckhardt, and Seetzen. See Universal Histoiy, vol. i. pp. 370—383: Biblical Repository, vol. iii. pp. 247—270; Go.=eniu.s's Introduction to hia Commen. on this chapter; the Travels of Burckhardt, Legh, Laborde, and Stephens; r^ith on the Evidences of Prophecy, pp. 133—163; and Robinson's Biblical Researches, vol. ii. p. 551, seq.
1 Come *near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth -^hear, and 'all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
2 For *the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he
1. Come near, ye nations, to hear. That is, to hear of the judgments which God was about to execute, and the great purposes wJiich he was about to accomplish. If the supposition be correct that this and the following chapter contain a summing up of all that the prophet had thus far uttered; a declaration that ALL the enemies of the people of God would be destroyed — the most violent and bitter of whom was Idumea; and that this was to be succeeded by the happy times of the Messiah, then we see a plain reason why all the nations are summoned to hear and attend. The events pertain to them all; the truths communicated are of universal interest. IT And all that is therein. Heb. as in the margin, •* fulness thereof;" that is, all the inhabitants of the earth. ^ All things that come forth of it. All that proceed from it; that is, all the inhabitants that the world has produced. The LXX render it, " the world and the people Co Xadi) who are therein."
2. For the indignation of the Lord. Jehovah is about to express his wrath against all the nations which are opposed to his people. IT He hath utterly destroyed them, m his purpose, or intention. The prophet represents this
3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 And ^all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heav-
3. Their slain also shall he cast out. They would lie unburied. The slaughter would be so extensive, and the desolation would be so entire, that there would not remain enough to bury the dead. Comp. Notes ch. xiv. 19. ^ And the mountains shall he melted with their blood. The expression here is evidently hyperbolical, and means that as mountains and hills are wasted away by descending showers and impetuous torrents, so the hills would be washed away by the vast quantity of blood that would be shed by the anger of Jehovah.
4. And all the host of heaven. On the word host (^t^) ^^^ Note ch. i. 9. The heavenly bodies often represent kings and princes. Comp. Note on ch. xxiv. 21. IT Shall be dissolved. 1p^5^ This figure Vitringa supposes to be taken from the vulgar prejudice by which the stars appear to be crystals, or gems, set in the azure vault of heaven, which may melt and flow down by the application of heat. The sense is, that the princes and nobles who had opposed God and his people would be destroyed, as if the sparkling stars, like gems, should melt in the heavens, and
ens shall be rolled together as a BcroU: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree.
flow down to the earth. T And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. The word scroll here (""B^ ^epher) means a roll, or a book. Books were made of parchment, leaves, &,c., and were rolled together instead of bemg bound as they are with us. The figure here is taken from what strikes the eye, that the heaven above us is an expanse (^"p.'^ Gen. i. 8. Ps. civ. 2,) which is spread out: and which might be rolled together, and thus pass away. It is possible that there may be a reference also to the fact, that in a storm, when the sky is filled with dark rolling clouds, the heavens seem to be rollp.d together, and to be passing away. The sense is, that there would be great destruction among those high in office and in power — a destruction that would be well represented by the rolling up of the firmament, and the destruction of the visible heavens and their host, and by leaving the world to ruin and to night. IT And all their host shall fall down. That is, their stars; either by being as it were melted, or by the fact that the expanse in which they are apparently located would be rolled up and removed, and there being no fixtures for them they would fall. The same image occurs in Rev. vi. 13. One somewhat similar occurs in Virgil, Georg. i. 365, seq. If As the leaf falleth off from the vine, &c. That is, in a storm, or when violently shaken. 5. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven. A sword is an instrument of vengeance, and is often so used in the Scriptures because it was often employed in capital punishments. See Note eh. xxvii. 1. This passage has given much perplexity to commenta-.ors, on account of the apparent want of meaning of the expression that the swojI would be bathed in heaven. Lowth reads it.
5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, ^and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
p Jer. 49. 7. For my sword is made bare in the heavens; following in this the Chaldee which reads ""^^nPl shall be revealed. But there is no authority from MSS. far this change in the Hebrew text. Th3 Vulgate renders it, Quoniam inebriatus est in cosh gladius mens; * my svord is intoxicated in heaven.' The LXX render it in the same way, 'EntdiaBn h fjayaipi uov iv tu> ovpavS> ', and the Syriac and Arabic in the same manner. The
Hebrew word "^^p « from f^)!'^, means properly to drink to the full; to be satisfied, or sated with drink; and then to be full or satiated with into.xicating liquor, to be drunk. It is applied to the sword, as satiated or made drunk with blood, in Jer. xlvi. 10.
And the sword shall devour, And it shall be satiate, and made dr«nk with then blood.
And thus in Deut. xxxii. 42, a similar figure is used respecting arrows, the instruments also of war and vengeance:
I will make mine arrows drunk with blood; And my sword shall devour flesh.
A similar figure is often used in Oriental writers, where the sword is represented as glutted, satiated, or made drunk with blood. See RosenmQller on Deut. xxxii. 42. Thus Bohaddinua in the life of Saladin, in describing a battle in which there was a great slaughter, says, " The swords drank of their blood until they were intoxicated." The idea here is, however, not that the sword of the Lord was made drunk with blood in heaven, but that it was intoxicated, or made furious with wrath; it was excited as an intoxicated man ia who is under ungovernable passions; it was in heaven that the wrath commenced, and the sword of divine justice rushed forth as if intoxicated, to destroy all before it. There are few figures, even in Isaiah, that are mcr«
6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood; it is made fat wit.i fatness, and with the blood of Iambs and goats, with the fat
bold than this. IF It ahall come down upon Idnmea. See the Analysis of the chapter for the situation of Iduraea, and for the causes why it was to be devoted to destruction. T Upon the people of my curse. The people devoted to destruction.
6. IT The sword of ike Lokd is filled with blood. The idea here is taken from the notion of sacrifice, and is, that God would devote to sacrifice, or to destruction, the inhabitants of Idumea. With reference to that, he says, that his sword, the instrument of slaughter, would be satiated with blood. It is made fat with fatness The allusion here is to the sacrifices which were made for sin, in which the blood and the fat were devoted to God as an offering. See Lev. vii. IT With the blood of lambs and goats. These were the animals which were usually ofiered in sacrifice to God among the Jews, and to speak of a sacrifice was the flame as to speak of the offering of rams, lambs, bullocks, &c. Yet it is evident that they deiiote here the people of Idumea, and that these terms are used to keep up the image of a sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice was always connected with that of slaughter, as the animals were ^aughtered before they were offered. So here, the idea i«, that there would be a great slaughter in Idumea; that it woitld be so far of the nature of a sacrifice that they Would be devoted to God and to his cause. It is not probable that any particular classes of people are denoted by the different animals here mentioned, as the animals here mentioned include all, or nearly ali those usually offered in sacrifice, the expressions denote simply that all classes of people in Idumea would be dievoted to the •laughter. Grotius, however, supposes that the following classe« are intended Hy the Miimaifl specified, t© wit> by the of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, **and a great slaughter in the lana of Idumea.
lambs, the people in general; jy the goats, the priests; by the rams, the opulent inhabitants. IT For the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah. Bozrah is here mentioned as one of the chief cities o^ Idumea.. t was a city of great antiquity, and was known among the Greeks and Romans by the name of BosTRA. It is generally mentioned in the Scriptures as a city of the Edomites (Isa, Ixiii. 1. Amos i. 12. Jer. xlix. 13, 22), but once it is mentioned as a city of Moab, Jer. xlviii. 24. It probably belonged at different periods to both nations, as in their wars the possession of cities often passed into different hands. Bozrah lay southeast of Edrei, one of the capitals of Bashan, and was thus not properly within the limits of the Edomites, but was north of the Ammonites, or in the region of Auranitis, or in what is now called the Houran * It is evident, therefore, that in the time of Isaiah the Edomites had extended their conquests to that region. According to Burckhardt, who visited the Houran, and who went to Bozrah, it is at this day one of the most important cities there. " It is situated," says he, " in the open plain, and is at present the last inhabited place in the southeast extremity of the Houran • it was formerly the capital of the Arabia Provincia, and is now^ including its ruins, the largest town in the Houran. It is of an oval shape, its greatest length being from east to west; its circumference is three quarters of an hour. It was anciently encompassed with a thick wall, which gave it the reputation of great strength. Many parts of this wall, especially on the west side,, remain; it was constructed of stones of moderate size, strongly cemented together. The south, and south-
7 And the * unicorns shall come down w'th them, and the bullocks with the bulls;; and
cast quarters are covered with ruiiis of private dwellings, the walls of many of which are still standing, but the roofs are fallen in. The style of building seems to have been similar to that observed in all the other ancient towns of the Houran. On the west side are springs of fresh water, of which I counted five beyond the precincts of the town, and six within the waJls; their waters unite with a rivulet whose source is on the northwest side, within the town, and which loses itself in the southern plain at several hours distance; it is called by the Arabs, El Djeheir. The principal ruins of Bozrah are the following: — A square building which within is circular, and has many arches and niches in the wall. The diameter of the rotunda is four paces; its roof has fallen in, but the walls are entire. It appears to have been a Greek church. — An oblong square building, called by the natives Deir Boheiry, or the Monastery of the priest Boheiry. — The gate of an ancient house communieating with the ruins of an edifice, the only remains of which is a large semicircular vault. — The great mosque of Bozrah, which is certainly coeval with the first era of Mohammedanism, and is commonly ascribed to Omar el Khattab. The walls of the mosque are covered with a fine coat of plaster, upon which are many Cufic inscriptions in bas-relief running all round the wall. The remains of a temple, situated on the side of a long street which runs across the whole town, and terminates at the western gate," <&c. Of these, and other magnificent ruins of temples, theatres, and palaces, all attesting its fcrmer importance, Burekhardt has given a copious description. Travels in Syria, pp. 226-235, ed. Lond. 4to., 1822.
their land shall be "soaked with blood, and their dust made fal with fatness.
evidently an animal well known in Palestine, since it is frequently men* tioned in the Old Testament. Num. xxiii. 22. Deut. xxxiii. 17. Job xxxix. 9, 10. Ps. xcii. 10, xxii. 21, xxix. 6, in all which places it is translated unicorn^ or unicorns. The derivation of the word is uncertain, and it has been regarded as doubtful what animal is intended. The corresponding Arabic word denotes the ortjx, a large and fierce species of the antelope. Gesenius, Schultens, De Wette, and Rosenmttller suppose that the buffalo is intended by the word. Bochart regards it as denoting the gazelle, or a species of the antelope. It can hardly, however, be regarded as so small an animal as the gazelle. The gazelle is common in the neighbourhood of Mount Sinai; and when Laborde passed through that region his companions killed four, " the father and mother and two little animals a fortnight old." He says of them; " These creatures, which are very lively in their movements, endeavoured to bite when they were caught; their hair is a brown yellow, which becomes pale and long as the animals grow old. In appearance they resemble the Guinea pig. Their legs are of the same height, but the form of their feet is. peculiar; instead of nails and claws, they have three toes in front and four b*jhind, and they walk, like rabbits, on the whole length of the foot. Tlie Arabs call it El Queber, and know no other name for it. It lives upon the scunty herbage with which the rain in the neighbourhood of springs supplies it. It cioes not burrow in the earth, its foet not being calculated for that purpose; but it conceals itself in the natural holes or clefti which it finds in th*? rocks." Journey through Arabia Petraea, pp. 106, 107. Lond. 8vo. 1836. Taylor (Heb. Con.) supposes it means the rhinoceros; a fierce animal that has a single horn on the nose, which is veiy strong, and
S For u is ihe day^ of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy*' of Zion.
9 And *^the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone,
which sometimes grows to the height of thirty-seven inches. The ancient versions certainly regarded the word as denoting an animal with a single horn. It denotes here, evidently, some strong, fierce, and wild animal that was horned (Ps. xxii. 21), but perhaps it is not possible to determine precisely what animal is meant. For a more full investigation in reference to the kind of animal denoted by the word reem, see Notes on Job xxxix. 9. Here it represents that portion of the people which was strong,warlike, and hitherto unvanquished, and who regarded themselves as invincible. IT Shall come down. Shall be subdued, humbled, destroyed. IT With them. With the lambs and goats mentioned in ver. 6. All classes of the people shall be subdued and subjected to the slaughter. IT And the bullocks with the bulls. The young bulls with the old. All shall come down together — the fierce and strong animals representing the fierce and strong people. IT And their land shall be soaked with blood. Marg. drunken; the same word which is rendered " bathed " in ver. 5. IT Their dust made fat. Their land manured and made rich with the slain. A battle field is usually distinguished afterwards for its fertility. The field of Waterloo has thus been celebrated, since the great battle there, for producing rank and luxuriant harvests.
8. For it is ihe day of the Lord's vengeance. A time when Jehovah will take vengeance, t The year of recomlienses for the controversy of Zion. The time when he will recompense, i. e. punish those who have had a conwoversy with Zion.
9. And the streams thereof. The and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the "smok^ thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever:
idea here is, that there would be as great and awful a destruction as if the streams every where should become pitch or resin, which would be set on fire, and which would fill the land with flame. This image is very striking, as we may see by supposing the rivers and streams in any land to flow not with water, but with heated pitch, turpentine, or tar, and that this was all suddenly kindled into a flame. It cannot be supposed that this is to be taken literally. The image is evidently taken from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.xix. 25-28), an image which is more fully used in reference to the same subject in Jer xlix. 17, 18. "And Edom shall be a desolation; — as in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it." IT And the dust thereof into brimstone. The ruin shall be as entire as if all the soil were turned into brimstone, which should be ignited and left burning.
10. It shall not be quenched night nor day. That is, the burning brimstone and pitch (ver. 9), the emblem ot perpetual and entire desolation, shall not be extinguished. ^ The smoke thereof shall go up for ever. Every river and rivulet is supposed to be heated pitch, and every particle of dust sulphur, and all on fire, sending up from an extended region dense columns of smoke to heaven. No idea of ruin could be more sublime; no idea of the vengeance of God more terrible. This image has been copied by John to describe the future woes of the wicked (Rev. xiv. 11), and of mystical Babylon (Rev. xviii. 9, 18, xix. 2, 3). V From feneration to generation it shall lie waste. Full confirmation of this may be seen in the travels of Seetzeri, of Burckhardt, of Volney, and Irby and Mangles, extracts of which have been collected and arranged by Keith (Evidences of Prophecy, pp. 135-168). Thus Volney says, " From the reports of the Arabs of Bakir, and the inhabitants of Gaza, who frequently go to Maan and Karak, on the road of the pilgrims, there are to the southeast of the lake Asphaltites (Dead ^qq), within three day's journey, upwards of thirty ruined towns absolutely deserted. Several of them have large edifices, with columns that may have belonged to the ancient temples, or at least to Greek churches. The Arabs sometimes make use of them to fold cattle in; but in general avoid them on account of the enormous scorpions with which they swarm." Volney's Travels, Vol. ii. pp. 344-346. It is remarkable that an infidel, as Volney was, should in this, as in numerous other instances, have given a minute confirmation of the ancient prophecies. Seetzen says ^vTravels p. 46,) that he was told, that, * at the distance of two days and a half from Hebron he would find con- Biderable ruins of the ancient city of Abde, and that for all the rest of the journey he would see no place of hrthitation; he would meet only with a few tribes of wandering Arabs." Burckhardt has given the following description of the eastern boundary of Edom, and of the adjoining part of Arabia Petrffia. " It might with truth be called Petraea, not only on account of its rocky mountains, but also of the elevated plain already described" (i. e. Shera, Seir, the territory of the Edomites, Travels, pp. 410, 435), " which is so much covered with stones, especially Sints, that it may with great propriety DC called a stony desert, although susceptible of culture; in many places it is grown over with wild herbs, and mast once have been thickly inhabited, for the traces of many towns and villages are met with on botn sides of the Hadj road between Maan and Akaba, as well as between Maan and the plains of Houran, in which direction also are many springs. At present all thii country is a desert, and Maan is the only inhabited place in if." Burckhardt's Travels, p. 436. Cf the remains of ancient cities still txposed t« view in different places throughout Idumea, Burckhardt describes the ruina of a large town of which nothing remains but broken walls and heaps of stones; the ruins of several villages in its vicinity (p. 418); the ruins of an ancient city, consisting of large heaps of hewn blocks of siliceous stone; and the extensive ruins of Arindela, an ancient town of Palestina Tertia. p. 441. " The following ruined places are situated in Djebal Shera (Mount Seir), to the south and southwest of Wady Mousa, — Kalaat Beni Madha, Djerba, Basta, Eyl, Ferdakh, Anyk, Bir el Beytar, Shemakh, and Syk." p. 444. Burckhardt also gives a most interesting description of the ruins of the ancient Petra which he discovered, the ancient capital of Edom, but which ia too long to be transcribed here. See his Travels, pp. 422-432. Cornp. Note on ch. xvi. 1. IT None shall pass through it for ever and ever. That is, it shall not be a country through which caravans shall pass; there shall be no roads, and it shall not be deemed safe to travel through it. It will be recollected that the original source of all their calamities, and the cause of all the judgments that came upon them, was the fact that they would not let the children of Israel pass peaceably through their land on their way to Canaan. See the Introduction to the chapter. As a punishment for this, God now says that their land shall not be passed through; it shall not be a thoroughfare; there shall be no travellers in it. — God usually directs his punishment of:.adividuals and of nations in the line of their offences, and thus his judgments become commorly a recojnpense in kind. Thus in 2 Sam. xxii. 26, 27, it is said:
11 But the ''cormorant %nd the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the Iroward thou wiit show thyself unsavory.
Ill accordance with this prediction that no one should pass through Edom, Volney says, " The country has not been visited by any traveller ^hnt it well nierits such an attention." Travels, vol. ii. 344. Thus Burckliardt says, after he had entered, on the northeast, the territories of the Edomites, that he ** was without protection in the midst of a desert where no traveller Jtad ever before been seen." Travels in Syria, p. 421. It was then, he adds, " that for the first time he had ever felt fear during his travels in the desert, and his route thither was the most dangerous he had ever travelled." p. 400. " Seetzen on a piece of paper pasted against the wall, notified his having penetrated the country in a airect line between the Dead Sea and Mount Sinai (through Idumea), a route never before accomplished." Burck. Syr. p. 553. Burckhardt had determined to attempt to pass the same way as being the shortest way to Jerusalem; but he was repeatedly told it was irnr possible; and the difficulty of the journey is illustrated in the Travels of Captains Irby and Mangles. They offered five hundred piastres to an Arab tribe if tliey would conduct them to Wady Mousa, but nothing would iaduce them to consent. " They said they would not go if we would give them five thousand piastres, observinsf that money was of no use to a man if ne lost his life." p. 349. So strikingly has this prediction been fulfilled.
11. Bat the cormorant. This and the following verses contain a description of the desolations of Edom in language remarkably similar to that employed in the account of the destruction of Babylon, ch. xiii. 20-22, xiv. 23. The word here translated cormorant^ (P^X^) uocurs in this place ftud in 2kjph. ii. 14, wnere il is render- dwell in it: and he shall stretcli out upon it the line* of confusioc and the stones of emptiness.
ed cormaranty and in Lev. xi. 18. Deut. xiv. 17. Ps. cii. G, where it is rendered pelican. Bochart supposes it is the ardea stcllarisy or bituurn, which frequents watery places in deserts, and makes a horrible noise. The pelican is a sea-fowl, and cannot be intended here. The cormorant, or waler-raven, is a large fowl of the pelican kind, v/hieh occupies the cliffs by the sea, feeds on fish, and which is extremely voracious, and which is the emblem of a glutton. It is not certain what fowl is intended here, but the word propeily denotes a water-fowl, and evidently refers to some bird that inhabits desolate places. IF And the bittern shall possess it. For a description of the bitlern, see Note ch. xiv. 23. IT The owl also and the raven. Well known birds that occupy deserts, and old ruiiia of houses or towns. The image here is that of desolation and ruin; and the sense is, that the land would be reduced to a waste that would not be inhabited by man, but would be given up to wUd animals. How well this agrees with Edom, may be seen in the Travels of Burckhardt, Seetzen, and others. In regard to the fact that the cormorant (f^^^i^ kddth) should be found there, it may be proper to introduce a remark of Burckhardt, who seems to have had no reference to this prophecy. ** The bird katta" says he, *' is met with in immense numbers. They fly in such large flocks that the boys often kill two or three of them at a time merely by throwing a sti<;k among them." So also in regard to the fact that the ©wl and the raven shall dwell there, the following statements are made by travellers. Captain Mangles relates that while he and hia fellow-travellers were examining the rains and fiontemplating the sublime scenery of Petra, " the screaming of the eagles, hawks, and owls, which were soaring above tlieir head» in eonsidei*
12 They shall call the nobles I in her palaces, nettk? and bramthereof to the kingdom, but none Mes in the fortresses thereof;
shall he there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
13 And thorns shall come up
able numbers, seemingly annoyed at any one approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity of the scene." So says Burckhardt: *• The fields of Tafyk (situated in the immediate vicinity of Edom) are frequented by an immense number of crows." ^ And he shall Mretck out upon it. This is an allusion to the fact that an architect uses a line, which is employed to lay out his work. See Note ch. xxviii. 17. t The line of confusion. A similar «xpr«ssicwi occurs in 2 Kings xxi. 13: "I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab;" i. e. I will apply the same measure and rule of destruction to Jerusalem that has been applied to Samaria. So Edom would be marked out for desolation. It was the work which God had laid out, and which lie intended to perform. IT And the stones of emptiness. Probably the plummet winch the architect commonly employed with his line. See Note ch. xxviii. 17. It is a fact, however, that Edom is at present an extended waste of stones and barren rocks. " We had before us an immense expanse of dreary country, entirely covered with black flints, with laere and there some hilly chain rising from the plain." Burekhardt's Travels in Syria, p. 445.
12. They shall call th€ nobles thereof to the kingdom. A more correct rendering of this would be, * As to the nobles, they shall call them, but there riiall be there no kingdom.' The idea U, that the kingdom would be desolate; there would be no people to rule. Or, ►here will be no nobles there who shall Bwrvive tht destruction, and wiio can undertake the government of the state. The idea is taken from a government or constitution where the monarch is r^ktsen hoia ik9 raiiks of t^ nobiUty.,
and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for 'owls.
Idumea was formerly governed, as we have seen (see the Introduction to the chapter), by dukes, or princes; and it is probable that when it became a monarchy it was a part of the constitution that the sovereign should be chosen from their ranks. The idea here is, thai none would be left who could be called to the throne; or if any were left, they would be unwilling to undertake the government of a country where all was disorder and confusion. IT And all her princes shall be nothing. Long since Idumea has ceased to be a kingdom, and there are neither nobles nor princes there, nor are there any remains of an organized and independent government.
13. And thorns, &c. See Note ch. v. 6. IT It shall be an habitation of dragons. On the meaning of the word dragonSy see Note ch. xiii. 22. IT Court for owls. A place of resort, a residence of owls. The word rendered i:owt (y%^) roeans a dwelling-place, a habitation, as well as an inclosure or court. The margin is, daughters of the owl, or ostriches. See Note ch. xiii. 21. — '* I would," says Stephens, when standing amidst the rains of Petra the capital of Idumea (see Note ch. xvi. 1), and with this passage of isaiah in hla cy«, ** I would that the skeptic could stand as I did, among the ruins of this city among the rocks, and there open the sacred book and read the words of the inspired penman, written when this desolate place w«»s one of the greatest cities in the world. I see the scoff arrested, his cheek pale, his lip quivering, and his heart quaking with fear, as the ancient city cries out to him in a voice loud and powerful as one risen from the d«ad; though he would not believe Moses and the prophets, he believes the hand-writing «f God himaeiU^ in ^
14 The ^vild beasts of the desert shall also meet with *the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the '^reech-ovvl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her
desolation and eternal ruin around him." Incidents of Travel in Egypt, &c., vcl. ii. p. 76.
14. The wild beasts of the desert. I'here is in the original here a paronornasid, which cannot be conveyed in a tidnslation. — The word rendered " wild beasts of the desert," (fi*^!^), is rendered by the LXX, SainSvia, demons. On the meaning of the word, see Note eh. xiii. 21. IF The wild beasts of the island. Marg. Ijim, Heb. 0''*X. See Note ch. xiii. 22. Probably the term denotes the jackal. Gesenius supposes it is so called from its howl, or nocturnal cry — from an Arabic word signifying to howl. ^ And the satyr. See Note ch. xiii. 21. IT Shall cry to his fellow. A most striking description of the desolation, when all that is heard among the ruins shall be the doleful cry of wild beasts. IT The screech-owl. Marg. night-monster.
The word f'-'^V^ (from ^"J^ night) properly denotes a night-spectre — a creature of Jewish superstition. The Rabbins describe it in the form of a female elegantly dressed that lay in wait for children by night — either to carry them off, or to murder them. The Greeks had a similar idea respecting the female eixTTovaa, and this idea corresponds to the Roman fables respecting the LamicB, and Striges, and to the Arabic notions of the Ghiiles, whom they described as female monsters that dwell in deserts, and tear men to pieces. See Gesenius >omm. in loco; and Bochart Hieroz. P. ii. p. 831. The margin in our version expresses the correct idea. All
shadow; there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
16 Seek -^ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one s"of these shall fail, none shall v/ant her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it }>ath gathered them.
this is decriptive of utter and perpetual desolation — of a land that should be full of old ruins, and inhabited by th« animals that usually make such ruins their abode.
15. There shall the great owl (Tifip). Gesenius supposes that this is the arrow-snake, so called from its darting^ or springing, in the manner of the rattle-snake— from an obsolete root to draw one's self together, to contract. Bochart in Hieroz. P. ii. lib. iii. c. xi. pp. 408-419, has examined the meaning of the word at length, and comes to the conclusion thai it means the serpent which the Greeks called aeontias, and the Latins jaculus: — the arrow-snake. The serpent is oviparous, and nourishes its young. The ancient versions, however, understand it in the same sense as the kippod in ver. lithe hedgehog or porcupine. IT Under her shadow. This might be done by the serpent that should coil up and cherish her young. V The vultures, &c. The black vulture, according to Bochart; according to Gesenius, the kite, or falcon — so called from its swift flight. Either of them will suit the connection. IT Also he gathered, every one with her mate. They shall make their nests there; that is, this shall bo their secure, undisturbed retreat.
16. Seek ye out. Look carefully at the prediction, and its fulfilment. This seems to be addressed to the inhabitants of that land, or to any who might doubt, or be disposed to examine. They were invited to compare the pred'.ction with the fulfilment, and see how liter* allv all would he fulfilled — an exami
17 And he hath cast the lot i they shall possess it for ever,
for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line:
nation which may be made now, and the prediction will be seen to have been accomplished with most surprising particularity and accuracy. IT The hook of the Lord. The book of Jehovah, which he has caused to be written, referring, perhaps, especially to what Isaiah has here recorded; including also what had been uttered by the other prophets in regard to Edom. The main reference is, however, doubtless, to what Isaiah has written; and the invitdtion is to compare his predictions with the certain and remarkable evidence of the fulfilment. " The prophet evidently contemplated the insertion of his prophecy among the sacred oooks of the Jews, from which those that followed him might judge of the correctness of the prophecy." Noyes. That a collection of the various prophetic books was made, constituting one book or volume, and regarded as the work of inspiration, is well known and is referred to during the captivity in Babylon by Daniel, ch. ix. 2. The direction to search that book accords with the comm.and of the Saviour, John V. 39; and the direction of Nicodemus, John vii. 32, to search the Scriptures. IT JSo one of these shall fail. Not one of these predictions, or these things which have been spoken. H None shall want her mate. That is, none of the things which I have spoken Bhall want a fulfilment as its companion. The language is here evidently taken (rem the pairing of animals, and denotes that all that is spoken shall be entirely fulfilled. Some have understood this as referring to the wild animals of which he had spoken, and as meaning that in desolate Idumea they ehould be appropriately paired, and ihould breed and increase in abundance. But tbe more natural interpretation is from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
to refer it to the predictions of the prophet, as meaning that no one thing which he had uttered should want a complete fulfilment. ^ For my mouth. The word " my " is not in the Hebrew The Hebrew phrase is 5<in "'S—'S, * For the mouth, he hath commanded.' The word fi^lfl stands for He, that is, Jehovah, and the phrase means the same as his mouth, that is, the mouth of God. The LXX render it, " for the Lord hath commanded them." Lowth renders it, " for the mouth of Jehovah," changing
5^*1"^ into •^"i'^^ in accordance with five MSS. and the translation of the LXX. IT And his Spirit. The Spirit of God; that is, Jehovah himself. IT Hath gathered them. Will collect, or assem ble; i. e. the wild beasts spoken of in the previous verses that shall occupy desolate Idumea. It shall be the agency of God that shall bring them up upon the land to occupy it for ever. 1 7. And he hath cast the lot for them He hath assigned to them the land of Edom to be occupied by them f»,s their portion. This language is taken from the fact t?iat countries were commonly apportioned, particularly amon/» conquerors, by the lot. In this way Judea was divided among the tribes of Israel, Num. xxvi. 55, 56. IT His hand hath divided it unto them hy line. He has marked out, as a surveyor does, the land of Edom as the dwelling-place of the beasts of the forest. A land was usually surveyed and divided into proper parts or portions before the lot was cast. Josh, xviii. 4, 5, 6. If They shall possess it. The wild beasts mentioned in the previous verses. The testimony of all travellers demonstrates that thus far this prediction has been strikingly fulfilled.
Thj« chapter U a contj nuation of the i)rophecy commenced in the previous chapter. See the Analysis of ch. xxxiv. for a general view of the design of the prophecy. The object of the whole is, to 8how thatall t^e enemies of the people of God, and particularly Edom, which had so peculiarly •nd grievously offended them, would be destroyed; and that the destruction of their foes would be Hollowed by times of security, prosperity, and joy.
That this chapter refers to the Messiarh is apparent from the slightest inspection of it. It so clearly describes the times of the gospel; so distinctly speaks of the very works which the Redeemer in fact penbrmed; and is so full, aiul rich, and beautiful, that it cannot he regarded as referring to any other period. It has in many respects a strong resemblance to the predictions in chs. xi. and xii., and is inccitestably among the most beautiful of the prophecies of Isaiah. 7 he chapter may be divided into the following portions;— i. The consolations which would follow the destruction of all theirenemies— as great a change as if the wilderness were to blossom like the rose, and the glory and bea-uty of Lebanon and f'armel were given to the desert, vs 1, 2. n. The exhortation addressed to those in office and authority to comfort the feeble, and strengthen the weak with the assurance that those blissful times would come, vs. 3, 4. ni. The description of the actual condition of the future period of happiness which is foretold, (a) The eyes of the blind would be opened, the deaf made to hear, and the lame man be cured, vs. 5, 6, 7. <S) It would be a time of holiness. The way of access to these blessings woitld be open and free to all— even to all nations, but it would be a way for the pure only, ver. ».
(c) It vi'ould be a time of safety. Ihere would be no enemy that could overcome ami subdue them, ver. 9.
(d) It would be a time of elevated joy— represented by the return to Zion from a long and paruful captivity, ver. lo. In the ftdncss of the blessings of the reign of the Messiah all their sorrow and sighing would dee away, ver. 10.
1 The wilderness, and the solitary place, shall be glad for
1. The wilderness and the solitary place This is evidently figurative language, such as is often employed by the prophets. The word rendered " salitary place," n^i?, denotes properly a dry place, a place without springs and streams of water; and as such piaces produce no verdure, and nothing to sustain life, the word conties to mean a desert. Such expressions are often used in the Scriptures to express tn&rul or spiritual desolation; and in this sense evidently the phrase is used here. It does not refer to the desolations of Judea, but to all places that might b«,properly called a moral wilderness, ©r a spiritual desert; and ihus aptly expresses the condition of the world that was to be benefited by the J^kssings foretold in this chapter. The parallel expi^essions ia cbs. xli. 17-19, xliv. 3, 4, show that this is the sense ia which the phrase is here used; and that Ihe meaning is, that every situation which might be appropriately called a moral wilderness — that is, the whole heathen world — would ultimately be them; and ^the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
made glad. The sense is, that as great and happy changes would take place in regard to those desolations as if the wilderness should become a vast field producing the lily and iJie rose; or as if (ver. 2) there should be imparted to such places the glory of Lebanon, and the beauty of Sharon and Carrael. IT Shall he glad for them. This is evidently a personfication, a beautiful poetic figure by which the wilderness is represented as expressing joy. The sense is, the desolate moral world would be filled with joy on account of the blessings which are here predicted. The phrase " for them," €X|>r€sscd in Heb. by the affix Q means, doubtless, on account of the blessings which are foretold in this prophecy. Lowth supposes, however, that the letter has been added to the word " shall be glad,** ^^"^, by mistake, because the following word begins with a ^. The reading of the present Hebrew text is followed by non« of the ancient versions i but it i« never •
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon Cshall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the
tlicless probably the correct reading, and there is no authority for changing it. The sense is expressed above by the phrase * shall rejoice on account of the things contained in this prophecy;' to wit, the destruction of all the foes of God, and the universal establishment of his kingdom. Those who wish to see a more critical examination of the words here used, may find it in RosenmUller and Gesenius. ^ And blossoyn as the rose. The word rendered rose (^^^rH) occurs only here and in Cant. ii. 1, where it is also rendered a rose. The LXX render it the lily {Kpivov). The Vulgate also renders it lilimn — the lily. The Syriac renders it also by a word which signifies the lily, or narcissus; or, according to the Syriac lexicographers, the meadow saffron, an autumnal flower springing from poisonous bulbous roots, and of a white and violet colour. The sense is not, however, affected materially whatever be the meaning of the word. Either the rose, the lily, or the saffron, would convey the idea of beauty compared with the solitude and desolation of the desert. The word rose with us — as being a flower better known — conveys a more striking image of beauty, and there is no impropriety in retaining it.
2. It shall blossom abundantly. Heb. * Blossoming it shall blossom;' a common mode of expression in Hebrew denoting certainty, abundance, fulness —similar to the expression (Gen. ii. 17), ' Dying thou shalt die,' i. e. thou fibalt surely die. The sense here is, it ihall blossom in abundance. IT And rejoice even with joy. Strong figurative language, denoting the greatness of the blessings; as great as if in the waste wilderness there should be heard the voice of joy and rejoicing. The
3 Strengthen *ye the \*eak hands, and confirm the feeWe knees.
LXX render this, * the deserts of Jor* dan also bloom and rejoice;' and Jerome applies this to the preaching of John in the wilderness adjacent to Jordan. The LXX evidently read "l'''^- instead of the Hebrew "JS"?^. Lowth has followed this, and rendered it, " the well-watered plain of Jordan shall rejoice," but without any authority from Heb. MSS. for the change. H The glory of Lebanon. The glory or ornament of Lebanon was its cedars See Note ch. x. 34. The sense here is, that the change would be as great u«der the blessings of the Messiah's reign as if there should be suddenly transferred to the waste wilderness the majesty and glory of Mount Lebanon. IT The excellency of Carmel. Carmel was emblematic of beauty, as Lebanon was of majesty, and as Sharon was of fertility. For a description of Carmel, see Note ch. xxix. 17; of Sharon, see Note ch. xxxiii. 9. The sense is clear. The blessings of the times of the Messiah would be as great, compared with what had existed before, as if the desert were made as lovely as Carmel, and as fertile as Sharon. The world, that in regard to comfort, intelligence; and piety, might be compared to a pathless desert, would be like the beauty of Carmel and the fertility of Sharon. IT They shall see the glory of the Lord. As manifested under the Messiah.
3. Strengthen ye. That is, you who are the religious teachers and guides of the people. This is an address made by the prophet in view of what he had said and was about to say of the promised blessings. The sense is, strengthen and sustain the feeble and the desponding by the promised blessings; by the assurances (ch. xxxiv.) that all the enemies of God and hii people will be destroyed; and that h«
4 Say to them that are of a "fearful heart, Be strong, fear *not; behold, your God will come with venr^eance, even God
will manifest himself as their protector, and send upon them the promised blessings. Or it may be regarded as addressed to the officers and ministers of religion when these blessings should have come; and as being an exhortation to them to make use of the influences, the promises, and the consolations which would attend the coming of the Messiah, to strengthen the feeble and confirm those who were faiaithearted. IT The weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. Strength resides mainly in the arms, and in the lower limbs, or the knees. If these are feeble the whole frame is feeble. Fear relaxes the strength of the arms, and the firmness of the knees; and the expressions * weak hands,' and * feeble knees,' become synonymous with saying, of a timid, fearful, and desponding frame of mind. Such were to be strengthened by the assurance of the favour of God, and by the consolations which would flow from the reign of the Messiah. The Jews, who looked abroad upon the desolations of their country, were to be comforted by the hope of future blessings; those who lived in those future times were to be consoled by the assurances of the favour of God through the Messiah. Comp. Notes ch. xl. 1.
4. Say to them. This is still an address to the ministers of religion, to make use of all the consolations which these truths and predictions furnish to confirm and strengthen the people of God. IT 0/ « fearful heart. Of a timid, pusillanimous heart; those who tremble before their enemies. The Hebrew is, as in the margin, ' of a hasty heart;' that is, of those who are disposed to flee before their enemies. See Note ch. xxx. 16. ^ Behold, your God will come with vengeance. That IB, in the manner described in the pre-
5 Then "the eyes of the blina shall he opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
vious chapter; and, generally, he will take vengeance on all the enemies of his people, and they shall be punished. The language in this chapter is, in part, derived from the captivity at Babylon (ver. 10), and the general idea is, that God would take vengeance on all their enemies, and would bring them complete and final deliverance. This does not mean that when the Messiah should come he would be disposed to take vengeance; nor do the words " your God " here refer to the Messiah; but it is meant that their God — Jehovah — would certainly come and destroy all their enemies, and prepare the way thus for the coming of the Prince of Peace. The general promise is, that however many enemies might attack them, or however much they might fear them, yet that Jehovah would be their protector, and would completely humble and prostrate all their foes. — The Hebrew will admit of a somewhat different translation, which I have given in accordance with that proposed by Lowth, The sense is not materially varied.
5, Then the eyes of the blind sJiall be opened. The images in this verse and the following are those of joy and exultation. They describe the tiraea of happiness when God would come to save them from their foes. This passage is so accurate a description of what the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, did, that it doubtless refers to the miracles which he would perform. In not a few instances did he in fact restore the blind to sight, giving thus the most unequivocal proof that he was the Messiah sent from God. Matt. ix. 27, xx 30. Mark viii. 23, x. 46. Luke vii. 21. It 'is a full confirmation of the opinion that this passage refers to Christ, that the Saviour himself appeals to the fact that he restored the blind to sight, as
6 Then sha'l the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters ''break DUt, and streams ia the desert.
demonstration that he was the Messiah, implying that it was predicted that this would be a part of his appropriate work. Matt. xi. 5,comp. Luke iv. 18. If And the ears of the deaf be unstopj)ed. Another demonstration of divine pov/er, and another proof that would be furnished that the Messiah was from God. The Lord Jesus often gave this demoEStration that he was invested with divine power. Matt. xi. 5. Mark vii. 32, 37, ix, 25.
6. Then shall the lame man leap. This was literally fulfilled after the coming of the Pvlessiah. Acts xiv. 10, iii. 8. It is an emblem of the general joy which the coming of the Messiah would impart, and is an instance of the blessings which it would convey. IT As an hart. The word here used denotes the stag, or male deer. In Arabic it denotes the wild, or mountain goat. The word sometimes refers to any species of deer or antelope, and this is referred to here from its quick and sprightly nature. IT And the tongue of the dumb sing. Shall be able to sing, and to praise God. On the restoration of the dumb to the benefits of language, see Matt. ix. 32,33. Luke xi. 14. Matt. xii. 22, XV. 30,31. Markix. 17. IT For in the wilderness shall waters break out. The joy shall be as great, and the blessings as numerous and refreshing, as if running fountains should suddenly break out in the desert, and the thirsty and weary traveller should be thus unexpectedly and fully supplied. The world, in regard to its real comforts without the gospel, may be not unaptly compared to a vast waste of pathles.«« sands and arid plains. Nothing will more strongly express the » blessings of the gospel than the idea of cool, refresliing, abundant fountains and streams bursting forth in such pathless
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs ^'of water: in the habitation of dragons where each lay, shall he ^grass, vv^ith reeds and rushes.
wastes. This is an image which would be very expressive to those who were accustomed to cross such deserts, and it is one which is frequently employ>ed by the sacred writers, and especially by Isaiah. See Isa. xliii. 19, 20, xlviii. 21, xlix. 10, 11, Iv. 1, Iviii. 11. « Lameness and dumbness are the uniform effects of long walking in a desert; the sand and gravel produce the former, fatigue the latter. In such cases some of us have walked hours together without uttering a sentence; and all v/alked as if crippled, from the sand and gravel getting into the shoes; but the sight of water, especially if unexpected, unloosed every tongue, and gave agility to every limb; men, oxen, goats, sheep, and dogs, ran with speed and expressions of joy to the refreshing element." — Campbell, Travels in Africa. The Chaldee Paraphrast understands this as referring entirely to the return from the captivity at Babylon. " Then shall they see the exiles of Israel assembled, ascend to their own land as the swift stags, so that they shall not be hindered."
7. And the parched ground shall become a pool. The idea is the same here as in the previous verse, that under the Messiah there would be blessings as great as if " the parched ground" should become a lake of pure and refreshing water. The words " parched ground," however, probably do not convey the sense which Isaiah intended. The image which he had in his eye ia much more beautiful than that which is denoted by the ** parched ground." Lowth translates it, " the glowing sand." The LXX, the dry place, avvSpos. The Hebrew word, *^'^*5 shdrdb, properly denotes the heat of the sun, Isa.,\lix. 10; and then th« phenomena which is produced by the refraction of the rays of the sun on the glowing sands of a desert, and which gives the appearance of a sea or lake of water. Thk phenomenon is witnessed in the deserts of Arabia and Egypt, and has been also seen occaeionally in the south of France and in Russia. We have no word in English lO express it. The French word by which it is commonly designated is mirage. It is caused by the refraction of the rays of the sun, an explanation of wbich may be found in the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, vol. xiv. pp. 753, 754, 755. It is often described by travellers, and is referred to in the Koran, ch. xxiv. 39:
The works of unbelievers are like the serab in a plain, Which the thirsty man takes to be water, until he comes to it, and hnds that it is nut.
Mr. Sale's Note on this place in the Koran is, " The Arabic word serab signifies that false appearance which in the eastern countries is often seen in sandy plains about noon, resembling a large lake of water in motion, and is occasioned by the reverberation of the sunbeams, * by the quivering undulating motion of that quick succession of vapors and exhalations which are extracted by the powerful influence of the sun.* Shaw's Travels, p. 378. It sometimes tempts thirsty travellers out of their way, but deceives them when they come near, either going forward (for it always appears at the same distance), or quite vanishes." Q. Curtius also has mentioned it, in the description of the march of Alexander the Great across the Oxus to Sogdiana. " The vapour of the summer sun inflamed the sands, which when they began to be inflamed all things seemed to burn. A dense cloud, produced by the unusual heat of the earth, covered the light, and the appearance of the plains was like a vast and deep sea." Curt. vii. 5. The Arabians often refer lo this in their writings, and draw images from it. " Like the serab of the plain, which the thirsty take to be water.'* " He runs for the spoil of the serab," — a proverb. " Deceitful as the appearance of water," — a proverb also.
"Be n.:t deceived by the glimmer of the serab," another proverb. This aj>> pearance has been often described by modern travellers. See Shaw's Travels, p. 375; Clarke's Travels, vol. ii. p. 295; Belzoni's Travels and Operations in Egypt and Nubia, p. 196. The same appearance has been observed in India, and in various parts of Africa. " During the French expedition to Egypt, the phenomena of unusual refractions were ofen seen. The uniformity of the extensive sandy plains of Lower Egypt is interrupted only by small eminences, on which the villages are situated in order to escape the inundations of the Nile. In the morning and the evening, as many have remarked, objects appear in their natural position; but when the surface of the sandy ground is heated by the sun, the land seems at a certain distance terminated by a general inundation. The villages which are beyond it appear like so many islands situated in the middle of a great lake; and under each village is an inverted image of it. As the observer approaches the limits of the apparent inundation, the imaginary lake which seemed to encircle the village withdraws itself, and the same illusion is reproduced by another village more remote." Edin. Encyc. vol. xiv. p. 754. " In the desert," says Prof Robinson, " we had frequent instances of the mirage presenting the appearance of lakes of water and islands; and as we began to descend towards Suez, it was difficult to distinguish between these appearances and the distant real waters of the Red Sea." Travels in Palestine and the adjacent regions, in 1838. Bib. Repos. April, 1839, p. 402. Major Skinner, in his recently published ' Journey Overland to India,' describes the appearance of the serab in that very desert, between Palestine and the Euphrates, which probably supplied the images which the prophet employs: " About noon the most perfect deception that can be conceived exhilarated our spirits, and promised an early resting-place. We had observed a slight mirage two or three times be*
8 And an highway shall be I there, and a way, and it shall be
fore, but this day it surpassed all I have ever fancied. Although aware that these appearances have often led people astray, I could not bring myself to believe that this was unreal. The Arabs were doubtful, and said that, as we had found water yesterday, it was not improbable that we should find Borae to-day. The seeming lake was broken in several parts by little islands of sand that gave strength to the delusion. The dromedaries of the Sheikhs at length reached its borders, and appeared to us to have commenced to ford as they advanced, and became more surrounded by the vapour. I thought they had got into deep water, and moved with greater caution. In passing over the sand banks their figures were reflected in the water. So convinced was Mr. Calmun of its reality, that he dismounted and walked towards the deepest part of it, which was on the right hand. He followed the deceitful lake for a long time, and to our sight was strolling on the bank, his shadow stretching to a great length beyond. There was not a breath of wind; it was a sultry day, and such an one as would have added dreadfully to our disappointment if we had been at any time without water." Southey has beautifully described this appearance and its effect on the traveller:
still the same burning sun! no cloud in heaven I The hot air quivers, and the sultry miat
The idea of the prophet, if he refers to this phenomenon, is exceedingly beautiful. It is that the mirage^ which has the appearance only of a sheet of water, and which often deceives the traveller, shall become a real lake; that there shall be hereafter no deception, no illusion; that man, like a traveller on pathless sands, weary and thirsty, shall no more be deceived by false appearances and unreal hopes. The hopes and promises which this world can furnish are as delusive as is the mirage to the exhausted and thirsty traveller. Man approaches them, and hke that delusive appearance they recede or vanish. If they are still seen, they are always at a distance, and he follows the false and deceptive vision till he comes to the end of life. But the promises of God through the Messiah, are like real lakes of water and running streams to the tha-sty tra^ veller. They never deceive, never recede, never vanish, never are unsatisfactory. Man may approach them, knowing that there is no illusion; he may satisfy his wants, and still the supply is unexhausted and inexhaustible. Others also may approach the same fountain of pure joy, with aa much freedom as travellers may approach the running stream in the desert. IT In the habitation of dragons. See Note ch. xiii. 22. The sense of this is, that the blessings which are promised shall be as great as if in such dry and desolate places there should be verdure and beauty. IF Where each lay. In every place which the wild beast had occupied. IT Shall be grass. Margin, a court for. The Hebrew word 'I'^Sn may mean either grass, or a court, or habitation. The latter ia undoubtedly the meaning of the word here, and thus it responds in the paral lelism to the *' habitation of dragons.
IT Reeds and rushes. These usuall/ grew by ponds and marshes. Thft image which the prophet had been employing was that of a desert of sand? and arid plains. He here says, that there would be verdure. In those pathless wastes there would spring up that which was nourished by water. The sense is, that those portions of the earth which are covered with moral desola tion, like the pathless wastes of the de« sert, shall put on the appearance of moral cultivation and verdure.
8. And an highway shall be there. See Note xi. 16. This is language which is derived from the return of the Jews from captivity. The idea is dial
called, The way of holiness; the unclean* shall not pass over it; *but it shall he for those: the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein,
there would be easy and uninterrupted access to their own land. The more remote, though main idea in the mind of the prophet seems to have been, that the way of access to the blessings of the Messiah's reign would be open and free to all, Comp. ch. xl. 3, 4. IT And a way. it is not easy to mark the difference between the word way^ 'T\T}. j and a high- way, 5*l?to^. Probably the latter refers more particularly to a raised way (from ^^O to cast up), and would be expressed by our word causeway or turnpike. It was such a way as was usually made for the march of armies by removing obstructions, filling valleys, &c. The word way, T\^!l., is a more general term, and denotes a path, or road of any kind. IT And it shall he called the way of holiness. The reason why it should be so called is stated. No impure person should travel it. The idea is, that all who should have access to the favour of God, or who should come into his kingdom, should be holy. IT The unclean shall not pass over it. There shall be no Idolater there; no one shall be admitted who is not a pure worshipper of Jehovah. Such is the design of the kingdom which is set up by the Messiah, and such the church of Christ hould be. See ch. xl.,3, 4, xlix. 11,.xii. 10. IT But it shall be for those. For those who are specified immediately; for the ransomed of the Lord. The margin is, " For he shall be with them." Lowth reads it,
And this, it seems to me, is the more probable sense of the passage, indicating that they should not go alone or unprotected. It would be a holy way, because then God would be with them;
9 No "lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there: but the redeemed shall walk there:
it would be safe, because he would attend and defend them. IT The wayfaring men. Heb. * He walking in the *vay.' According to the translation proposed above, this refers to God, the Redeemer, who will be with his people, walking in the way with them. IT Though fools. Heb. 'And fools.* That is, the simple, the unlearned, or those who are regarded as fools. It shall be a highway thrown up, so direct, and so unlike other paths, that there shall be no danger of mistaking it.—. The friends of God are often regarded as fools by the world. Many of them are of the humbler class of life, and are destitute of human learning, and of worldly wisdom. The sense here is, that the way of salvation shall be so plain, that no one, however ignorant and unlearned, need err in regard to it. In accordance with this, the Saviour said that the gospel was preached to the poor; and he himself always represented the way to life as such that the most simple and unlettered might find it.
9. No lion shall be there. Liona abounded in all the countries adjacent to Palestine. They are, therefore, often referred to by the sacred writers, as objects of dread and alarm. The leading idea in the language of Isaiah in this whole passage is that of a way constructed from Babylon to Judea, so straight and plain that the most simple of the people might find it and walk in it. But such a path would lie through desert sands. It would be in the region infested with lions and other wild beasts. The prophet, therefore, suggests that there should be no cause for such dread and alarm. The sense is, that in that kingdom to which he had main reference all would be safe. They who entered it shouid find security and do
10 And the ransomed *of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with sonjis.J' and everlastuig
fence as they travelled that road. And it is true. They who enter the path that leads to life, find there no cau^e of alarm. Their fears subside;.heir apprehensions of punishment on account of their sins die away; and they walk that path with security and confidence. There is nothing in that way to alarm them; and though there may be many foes — fitly represented by lions and wild beasts — lying about the way, yet no one is permitted to " go up thereon." This is a most beautiful image of the safety of the people of God, and of their freedom from all enemies that could annoy them. IT But the redeemed shall walk there. The language here referred at first doubtless to those who would be rescued from the captivity i<.\ Babylon; but the main reference is to those who would be redeemed by the blood of the atonement, or who are properly called " the redeemed of the Lord." That Isaiah was acquainted with the doctrine of redemption is apparent from his fiftythird chapter. There is not here, indeed, any express mention made of the means by which they would be redeemed, but the language is so general that it may refer either to the deliverance from the captivity at Babylon, or the future more important deliverance of his people from the bondage of sin by the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah. On the word rendered redeem, see Note ch. xliii. 1. The idea is, that the path here referred to is appropriately designed only for the redeemed of the Lord. It is not for the profane, the polluted, the hypocrite. It is not for those who live for this world, or for those who love pleasure more than they love God. The church should not be entered except by those who have evidence that they are redeemed. None should make a profession of religion who havo no evidence that they belong ko " the redeemed," and who are not
joy* upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sor. row* and sighing shall flee away
disposed to walk in the way of holiness But, /or all such it iB a highway on which they are to travel. It is made by levelling hills and elevating valleys; it is made across the sandy desert and through the wilderness of this world; It;s made through a world infested with the enemies of God and his people. It is made straight and plain so that none need err; it is defended from enemies so that all may be safe • it is rendered secure, because " He," theii Leader and Redeemer, shall go with them and guard that way.
10. And the ransamed of the Lord. The word here rendered ransomed, is different from the word rendered redeemed in ver. 9. This word is '^II^'^S from "T^S; though it is not easy, perhaps not possible, to designate the difference in the sense. Doubtless there was a shade of difference among the Hebrews, but what it was is not now known. See this word explained in the Note on ch. i. 27. The language here is all derived from the deliverance from Babylon, and the images employed by the prophet relate to that event. Still, there can be no doubt that he meant to describe the deliverance under the Messiah. IT Shall return, and come to Zion. This language also is that which expresses the return from Babylon. In a more general sense, and in the sense intended particularly by the prophet, it means, doubtless, that all who are the redeemed of God shall be gathered under his protection, and shall be saved. IT With songs. With rejoicing— as the ransomed captives would return from Babylon, and as all who are redeemed enter the church on earth, and will enter into heaven above. IT And everlasting joy upon their heads. This may he an expression denoting the fact that joy is manifest in the face and aspect. Gesenius. Thus we say thai joy lights up the countenance, and it is possible that the Hebrews expressed mis idea by applying it to the head. Thus the Hebrews say (Ps. cxxvi. £:
Or it may refer to the practice of o«o//j^- ing the head with oil and perfume in times of festivity and joy — in contrast with the custom of throwing ashes on the head in times of grief and calamity. KosenniUller. Or it may refer to a custom of wearing a wreath or chaplet of flowers in times of festivity, as is often done now, and as was commonly done among the ancients in triumphal processions. Vitringa. Whichever exposition be adopted, the idea is the same, that there would be great joy, and that that joy would be perpetual and unfading. This is Irue of all who return to Zion under the Messiah. Joy is one of the first emotions; joy at redemption, and at the pardon of sin; joy in view of the hopes of eternal life, and of the everlasting favour of God. But this joy is not short-lived and fading, like the garland of flowers on the head; it is constant, increasing, everlasting. H And sorrow and sigfting shall flee away. See Note on ch. xxv. 8.
This is a most beautiful close of the series or succession of prophecies which we have been thus far contemplating. The result of all is, that the redeemed of the Lord shall have joy and rejoicing; that all their enemies shall be subdued, and that they shall be rescued from all their foes. In the analysis of the prophecy contained in the thirtyfourth and thirty-fifth chapters, it was stated that this prophecy seemed to be a aummery of all that Isaiah had before Bttered, and was designed to show that
I all the enemies of the people of Gort j would be destroyed, and that they would be triumphantly delivered and saved. All these minor deliverance* were preparatory to and emblematic of the greater deliverance under the Messiah; and accordingly all his predictions look forward to, and terminate in that. In the portions of propnecy which we have been over, we have seen the people cf God represented as in danger from the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Eg/'ptians, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Babylonians; and n reference to them all the same result has been predicted, that they would be delivered from them, and that their enemies would be destroyed. This has been, in the chapters which we have passed over, successively foretold of Damascus, of Egypt, of Moab, of Ethiopia, of Babylon, of Edom, and of Sennacherib; and the prophet has reached the conclusion that ALL the enemies of God's people would ultimately be destroyed, and that they would be safe under the reign of the Messiah, to which all their deliverances were preparatory, and in which they all would terminate. Having pursued this course of the prophecy; having looked at ail these foes; having seen them in vision all destroyed; having seen the Prince of Peace come; having seen the wonders that he would perform; having seen all danger subside, and the preparation made for the eternal security and joy of all his people, the prophet closes this series of predictions with the beautiful statemeni now before us, * the redeemed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee awair/ possible that the Hebrews expresseJ mis idea by applying it to the head. Thus the Hebrews say (Ps. cxxvi. £:
Or it may refer to the practice of o«oz«fing the head with oil and perfume in times of festivity and joy — in contrast with the custom of throwing ashes on the head in times of grief and calamity. Rosenniuller. Or it may refer to a custom of wearing a wreath or chaplet of flowers in times of festivity, as is often done now, and as was commonly done among the ancients in triumphal processions. Vitringa. Whichever exposition be adopted, the idea is the same, that there would be great joy, and that that joy would be perpetual and unfading. This is Irue of all who return to Zion under the Messiah. Joy is one of the first emotions; joy at redemption, and at the pardon of sin; joy in view of the hopes of eternal life, and of the everlasting favour of God. But this joy is not short-lived and fading, like the garland of flowers on the head; it is constant, increasing, everlasting. H And sorrow and sighing shall ftee away. See Note on ch. xxv. 8.
This is a most beautiful close of the series or succession of prophecies which we have been thus far contemplating. The result of all is, that the redeemed of the Lord shall have joy and rejoicing; that all their enemies shall be subdued, and that they shall be rescued from all their foes. In the analysis of the prophecy contained in the thirtyfourth and thirty-fifth chapters, it was stated that this prophecy seemed to be a summery of all that Isaiah had before altered, and was designed to show that all the enemies of the people of God would be destroyed, and that they would be triumphantly delivered and saved. All these minor deliverance* were preparatory to and emblematic of the greater deliverance under the Messiah; and accordingly all his predictions look forward to, and terminate in that. In the portions of propnecy which we have been over, we have seen the people of God represented as in danger from the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Eg/ptians, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Babylonians; and:i reference to them all the same result has been predicted, that they would be delivered from them, and that their enemies would be destroyed. This has been, in the chapters which we have passed over, successively foretold of Damascus, of Egypt, of Moab, of Ethiopia, of Babylon, of Edom, and of Sennacherib; and the prophet has reached the conclusion that ALL the enemies of God's people would ultimately be destroyed, and that they would be safe under the reign of the Messiah, to which all their deliverances were preparatory, and in which they all would terminate. Having pursued this course of the prophecy; having looked at all these foes; having seen them in vision all destroyed; having seen the Prince of Peace come; having seen the wonders that he would perform; having seen all danger subside, and the preparation made for the eternal security and joy of all his people, the prophet closes this series of predictions with the beautiful statemeni