Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
The Peaceable Kingdom ISAIAH XI. of the Fro'inised Me«staK, shall decide His claim to the kingdom, previously usurped by Satan, and "the beast" to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the Gentile dispensation, as the first coming was to the Jews. Cf. a type, of the "rod" (Numbers 17. 2-10). 5. righteousness . . , girdle—(Revelation 1. 13; 19. 11.) The antitypical High Priest (Exodus 28. 4). The girdle secures flrnily the rest of the garments (1 Peter 1. 13). So "truth "gives firm consistency to the whole character (Ephesians .5. 14). In cli. 59.17, "righteousness" is His breastplate. 6. wolf. . . lamb—Eacli animal is coupled with that one which is its natural prey. A fit state of things under the " Pi ince of Peace " (ch. 6.5. 25 ; Ezekiel 34. 2.3 ; Hosea 2. 18). These may be figures for men of corresponding animal-like charaeters (Ezekiel 22. 27 ; 38. 13; Jeremiah 5. 8; 13. 2;J; Matthew 7. 15; Luke 10.3). Still a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Kden, destroyed the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians (2 Kings 19. 35). The " Mighty One" is Jehovali {v.
21; ch. 9. 6). CHAPTEE XI.
Ver. 1-10. From the local and temporary national deliverance tlie prophet passes by the law of suggestion in an easy transition to tlieendof allpropliecy—tlie everlasting deliverance under Messiali's reign, not merely His first coming, liuldiielly His second coming. The language and illustrations are still drawn from tlie temporary national subject, with which he begun, but tlie glories described pertain to Messiah's reign. Hezeltiaii cannot, as some think, be the subject; for he was already come, whereas the "stem of Jesse" was yet future ("shall come") (of. Jlicah 4. 11, &c. ; 5. 1, 2; Jeremiah 23. 5, 6; 3.X 15,
16; Romans 15. 12). 1. rod—When the proud "boughs" of" Lel)anon " (ch. 10. .33, 31, the Assyrians) are lopped, and the vast "forf.tU cut down" amidst all this rage a seemingly humble rod shall come out of Jesse (Messiah), who shall retrieve tiie injuries done by tlie Assyrian "rod" to Israel (ch. 10. 5, 6, 18, 10). ntem—lit., the stump of a tree cut close by the roofs : happily expressing the depressed state of the royal house of David, owing to the hostile storm is a more likely interpretation. Cf. Genesis 2. 19, 20, with Psalm 8. 6-8, whicli describes tlie restoration to man, in the person of " the Son of man," of the lost dominion over the animal kingdom of wiiich he had been designed to be the merciful vicegerent under God, for the good of liis animal subjects (Romans 8. 19-22). 7. tved—viz., together; taken from the second clause, straw—no longer and blood. 8. play lit., delight himself in sport, cockatrice —a fabulous serpent supposed to be hatclied from the egg of a cock. The Hebrew means a kind of adder, more venomous than the asp; Bochakt supposes the basilisk io he meant, which was thought to poison even with Its breath. 9. my holy mountain—Zion, t. e., Jerusalem. The seat of government and of Messiah's throne is put for the whole earth (Jeremiah 3. 17). sea-As the waters find tlieir way into every cavern of its dept>is, so Christianity siiall pervade every recess of the earth (Habakkuk 2. 14). As v. 1-5 describe the personal qualities of Messiah, and v. 6-9 the regenerating effects of His coming on creation, so v. 10-16 the results of it in the restoration of His people t/ie Jews, and the conversion through them of t?ie Gentiles. 10. root—rather, shoot from the root (cf. Note v. 1 ; cli. .53. 2; Revelation 5. 5; 22. 16). stand—permanently and prominently, as a banner lifted up to lie the rallying-point of an army or people (ch. 5. 26; John 12. .32). the peopl*^—people*, answering to " the Gentiles " in the parallel member, to ft
(ch. 10. 18, IS)), when Messiah should arise from it, to raise it to more tlian its pristine glory. Luke 2. 7 proves this (ch. .53. 2; Note ch. 8.6; cf. Job 11. 7,8). BrancU—Scion. He is nevertheless also the " root " (f. 10; Revelation 5. 5;
22. 16. " Root and offspring " combines both, Zeehariah 3.
8; 6. 12). 3. Sj.Jrit of file Lord—Jehovah. The Spirit liy which the projihets spake: for Messiah was to be n Prophet (ch.61. 1; Dcnterouomy 18. 15, 18). Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are specified, to imply that tlie perfection of tiieni was to be in Him. Cf. "tlie«ei,'e)i Spirits" (Revelation 1. 4), i.e., the Holy Ghost In HXn perfect fulness: seven being the sacred number. Tlie prophets had only a portion out of the "fulness" in the Son of God (John 1. 16; 3. 31; Colossians 1. 19). rest—permanently; not merely come upon liim (Numbers 11. 25, 26). wlselom—(1 Corinthians 1.30; Ephesians 1, 17 ; Colossians 2. .3.) understaiidlng—coupled with "wisdom," being its fruit. Discernment and discrimin.ation (Matthew 22.18; John 2.25). counsel . . . might'—the faculty of forming counsels, and that of executing them (eh. 28. 29). Counsellor (ch. 9. 6). knowle«lge —of the deep things of God (Matthew 11. 27). The knowledge of Him gives us true knowledge (Ephesians 1. 17). fear of tlie Lord—reverential, obedient fear. Tlie first step towards true " knowledge" (Job 28. 28; Psalm 111. 10). 3. maUe Itim of quick understanding lit., " guichscented in the fear of Jehovah :" endowed with a singular sagacity in discerning the genuine principle of religious fear of God, when it lies dormant in the yet unawakened sinner (Matthew 12. 20; Acts 10. ; 16. 14). [Horsi.ey.] But Matjrer, "He shall delight in the fear of God." The Hebrew means to delight in the odoursoi any thing (Exodus 30.
. . . seek—diligently (Job 8. .5). They shall give in their allegiance to the Divine King (ch. 2. 2; 60. 5; Zeehariah 2.
11). HoRSLEY translates, "Oi Him shall the Gentiles tnquire ; viz., in a religious sense, resort as to an oracle for consultation in difficulties (Zeehariah 14. 16). Cf. Romans 15.
12, whicli quotes this passage, "In Him shall the Gentiles trust." rest—resting-place (ch. 60. 13; Psalm 132. 8, 14 ; Ezekiel 43. 7). Tlie sanctuary in the temple of Jerusalem was "the resting-place of the ark and of Jehovah." So the glorious Church which is to be is described under the image of an oracle to which all nations shall resort, and which shall be filled with the visible glory of God. 11. set . . . hand—take in hand the work, the second time Therefore the coming restoration of the Jews is to be distinct from that after the Babylonish captivity, and yet to resemble it. The first restoration was literal, therefore so shall the .second be; the latter, however, it is implied here, shall be much more universal than the former
38; Amos5. 21); " svacW" i. e., delightin. after . . . sight according to mere external appearances (John 7. 24; 8. 15; James 2. 1 ; 1 Samuel 16. 7). Herein Messiah is represented a just Judge and Ruler (Deuteronomy 1. 16, 17). reprove decide', as the parallelism shows, after . . . ears—by mere plausible hearsays, l)ut by tlie true merits of each case (John 6. 61 ; Revelation 2. 2;3). 4. Judge—see that inioartial justice is done them, reprove—decide. But Lowth, "work conviction in." "Judge" may mean here " rule," as in Psalm 67.4. Cf. "meek . . . earth" with Matthew
(ch. 43. 5-7; 49. 12, 17, 18; Ezekiel 37. 21; Hosea 3. 5; Amos
9. 14, 15; Micah 4. 6, 7; Zephaniah 3. 19, 20; Zeehariah 10.
10; Jeremiah, 23. 8). Pathros—one of the three divisions of Egypt, Upper Egypt. Cash—either Ethiopia, south of Egypt, now Abyssinia, or the southern parts of Arabia, along the Red Sea. Elam—Persia, especially the southern part of it now called Susiana. Shlnar—Babylonian Mesopotamia, the plain between Euphrates and the Tigris: in it Babel was begun (Genesis 10. 1). In the Assyrian inscriptions Rawlinson distinguishes three periods: 1. The Chaldean; from 2300 b. c. to 1500, In which,. 5, and Revelation 11. 15. earth—its ungodly inhabitants, answering to "the wicked" in the parallel, and In antithesis to the "poor" and "meek," viz., in spirit, the humble pious (Matthew 5. 3). It Is at the same time implied that " the earth " will be extraordinarily wicked when He shall come to judge and reign. His reign shall therefore be ushered in with judgments on the apostates
' Luke 18. 8; Revelation 2. 27). rod of . . . inoutli—condemning sentences which proceed from His mouth against the wicked (Revelation 1. 16; 2. 16; 19. 15, falls Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14.), called in the cuneiform characters Kudur of Hur, or Ur of the Chaldees, and described as the conqueror of Syria. The seat of the first Chaldean empire was in the south, towards the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. 2. The Assyrian, dowa to 625 B. c. 3. The Babylonian, from 625 to 538 b. c, wnea 443 fPsalm 2. 9-12;
21). breath of . . . lips—his judicial decisions (ch. 30. 28
Job 15. 30 ; Revelation 19. 20 ; 20. 9-12). He as the Word of God (Revelation 19.13-15) comes to strike that blow which
Tht Calling of the Gentiles. ISAIAH XII, XIII Mustering of the Armies of God's WratK
Babylon was taken by the Persian Cyrus. Islands of . . . sea—the far western regions beyond the sea. [Jerome.] As to the "remnant" destined by God to survive the judsmeuts on the nation (cf. Jeremiah 46. 28). 13. In the
The idea ot salvation was peculiavly associated with tb9 feast of tabernacles (see v. 3). Henee the cry " Hosanna," " Save, we beseech thee," that accompanied Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on that day (llie fifteenth of th« seventh month) (Matthew 21. 9; cf. with Psalm 118. 25, 28); the earnest of the perfected "salvation" wliicli He shall bring to His people at His glorious second appearance at Jerusalem (Hebrews 9. 28). " He shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Cf. Revelation 21.3, "Tlie tabernacle of God is witli men." Cf. Luke 9.33, "tliree tabernacles: one tor thee," &c. (the transfiguration being a pledge of the future kingdom),(Psalm 118.15; Zechariah 14. 16). As the Jew was reminded by the feast of tabernacles of his wanderings in tents in the wilderness, so the Jew-Gentile Church to come shall call to mind, with thanksgiving, tlie various past ways wliereby God has at last brought tliem to the heavenly "city of habitation" (Psalm 107. 7). 3. draw water . . . salvation —an expressive image in a hot country. On the last day of the feast of tabernacles the Jews used to bring water in a golden pitcher from the fountain of Siloam, and pour it, mingled with wine, on the sacrifice on the altar, with great rejoicing. This is the allusion in Jesus' words on " the last day of the feast" (John 7. 2, 37-39). The pouring out of water indicated repentance (I Samuel 7. 6; cf., as to the Jews' repentance hereafter, Zechariah 12. 10). There shall be a latter outpouring of the Spirit like the former one on pentecost (Joel 2. 2S). wells—not mere streams, which may run dry, but ever-flowing fountains (John 4. 14; 7. 38), "Out of his belly (t. e., in and from himself) living ^va,ier" (ch. 42. 18; Psalm 84.6; Zechariah 13. 1; Revelation 7. 17). 4c. malte mention Hebrew, cause it to be remembered. 5. Sing, &c. — alluding to Exodus 15.21. 6. inltabitant of Zion Hebrew, inhabitress: so "daughter of Zion," i. e., Zion and its people, in the midst of thee —of Jerusalem literally (Jeremiah 3.17; Ezekiel 48.35; Zephaniah 3. 15, 17; Zechariah 2. 10).
first restoration Judah alone was restored, with perhaps some few of Israel (the ten tribes): in the future restoration both are expressly specified (Ezekiel 37. 16-19; Jeremiah 3. 18). To Israel are ascribed the " outcasts" (masculine) ; to Judah the " dispersed" (feminine), as the former have been longer and more utterly cast-aways (though not finally) than the latter (John 7. 52). The masculine and feminine conjoined express the universality of the restoration. 13. envy ... of Ephralm . . . Jiidali— which began as early as the time (Judges 8. 1; 12. 1, &c.) Joshua had sprung from, and resided among the Ephraimites (Numbers 13.9; Joshua 19.50;; the sanctuary was with them for a time(Joshua 18. 1). The Jeaioosj/ increased sub Bequently (2 Samuel 2. 8, <Sc. ; 19. 41 ; 20. 2; 3. 10) ; and even before David's time (1 Samuel 11.8 ; 15.4), they had appropriated to tliemselves the national name Israel. It ended In disruption (1 Kings 11. 26, &c. ; 12.; cf. 2 Kings 14.9; Psalm 78. 56-71). adversaries of Judah—rather, "the adversaries Jrom Judah :" those of Judah hostile to the Ephraimites. [Mauker.] The parallelism " the envy of Ephraim," viz., against Judah, requires this, as also what follows, rii2., " Judah shall not vex Ephraim" (Ezekiel 37.
15, 17, 19). 14r. With united forces they shall subdue their foes (Amos 9. 12). fly—as a bird of prey (Habakkuk 1. 8). npon the shoalders—this expresses an attack made unexpectedly on one from behind. The image is the more apt, as the Hebrew for shoulders in Numbers 34. 11 is used also of a maritime coast. They shall make a sudden victorious descent upon their borders south-west of Judea. them of the Bast Hebrew, children of the East, the Arabs, who, always hostile, are not to be reduced under regular government, but are only to be despoiled (Jeremiali 49. 28, 29). lay . . . hand upon—take possession of (Daniel 11.42). Bdoni—south of Judah, from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. Moab—east of Jordan and the Dead Sea. Ammon—east of Judea, north of Moab, between the Arnon and Jabbok. 15. There shall be a second exodus, destined to eclipse even the former one from Egypt in its wonders. So the prophecies elsewhere (Psalm 68. 22; Exodus 14. 22; Zechariah 10. 11). The same deliverance furnishes the imagery by which the return from Babylon is described (ch. 48. 20, 21). destroy lit., devote, or doom, i. e., dry up: for what God dooms, perishes (Psalm 106.9; Nahum 1. 4). tongue of the Egyptian Sea—the Bubas-
CHAPTER XIII.
Ver. 1-22. Chap. 13.-23. contain Prophecies as to PobEiGN Nations.—Chap. 13., 14., and 27., as to Babylon and Assyria. The predictions as to foreign nations are for the sake of the covenant people, to preserve them from despair, or reliance on human confederacies, and to strengthen their faith in God: also in order to extirpate narrowminded nationality: God is Jehovah to Israel, not for Israel's sake alone, but that He may be thereby Elohim to the :iations. These prophecies are in their right chronological place, in the beginning of Hezokiah's reign ; tlien tic branch of the Nile [Vitringa]; but as the iV(7e was not the obstruction to the exodus, it is rather tlie west tongue or Heroopolite fork of the Red Sea. with . . . mightywind—such as the "strong east wind" (Exodus first tlie nations of Western Asia, on the Tigris and Euphrates, assumed a most menacing aspect. 1. burden weighty or mournful propliecy. [Grotius.] Otherwise, simply, the prophetical declaration, from a Hebreiv root to put forthwith the voice anything, as in Numbers 23. 7. [Maurer.] of Babylon concerning 'BahyUm. 2.TJft. ..banner—(Ch . 5. 26 ; 11. 10.) tlie high mountain—ratlier, "abare
14. 21), by which God made a way for Israel through the Red Sea. The Hebrew for "mighty" means terrible. Maurer translates, " Witli the terror of His anger:" i. e., His terrible anger, in the seven streams—ratlier, "shall smite it (divide it by smiting) into seven {many) streams, so
(lit., bald, i. e., without trees) mountain :" from it the banner could be seen afar oft", so as to rally together the peoples against Babylon, unto tliem—unto the Medes (v. 17), the assailants of Bab.ylon. It is remarkable that Isaiah does not/ore<e?Zliere the Jews' captivity in Babylon, hwt presupposes that event, and throws himself beyond, predicting as to be easil,v crossed." [Lowth.] So Cyrus divided the river Gyndes which retarded his march against Babylon, Into 360 streams, so that even a woman could cross it (Hf.rodotus, 1. 189). " The river" Is the Euphrates, the obstruction to Israel's return " from Assyria" (v. 16), a type of all future impediments to the restoration of the Jews, dry shod Hebrew, in shoes. Even in sandals they should be able to pass over the once mighty river without being wet (Revelation 16. 12). 16. highway—clear of obstructions (ch. 19. 23 ; 3,5. 8). like as . . . Israel . . . Egypt— another event still more future, the overthrow of the city of Israel's oppressors. It was now 174 years before the event, shake . . . hand beckon with the hand—wave the hand to direct the nations to march agiiinst Babylon, nobles—Babylonian. Rjittier, in a bad sense, tyrants; as in ch. 14. 5, " rulers" in parallelism to " the wicked ;" and Job 21. a*. [Maurer.] 3. sanrtifled ones—the Median and Persian soldiers solemnly set apart by nie for the destruction of Babylon, not immrdly "sanctifled," but designated to fulfil God's holy purpose (Jeremiah 51. 27, 28;
CHAPTER XII.
Ver. 1-6. Thanksgiving-Hymn of the Restored and Converted Jews. Just as Miriam, after the deliverance.Joel 3. 0, 11; where the Hebrew for prepare war is sanettfy war), for mine anger—to execute It. rejoice in mjr liiglmesB—"Those who are, made to triumph for my honour." [HorsI/EY.] The heathen Medes could not be saiU of the Red Sea (ch. 11. 16), celebrated it witli an ode of praise (Exodus 15). 'Z. Lord Jehovali — ,/rt/i, Jehovah. The repetition of the name denotes emphasis, and the uncliaugeableness of God's character, strength . . . song to "rejoice in God's highness " Maurer translates, ">Iv. . salvation—derived from Exodus 15. 2Psalm 118. 14.