Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
TItc Woe of IsraeVs Enemies. ISAIAH XVIII. Announcement to the Ethiopians.
CHAPTER XVIII. shall meet with the same fate as Israel, their ally. 4. glo»-y of Jacob— the kingdom of Ephraim and all that tliey rely on (Ilosea 12. 2; Micah 1. 5). fatness . . . lean— Isaiah announces the overtln-ow of Sennacherib's hosts, and desires the Etliiopian am))assadors, now in Jerusalem, to bring word of it to their own nation, and calls on the whole world to witness the event (f. 3). As ch. 17. 12-14 announced the presence of the foe, so cli. 18. foretells his overthrow. The heading in English Version, " God will destroy the Ethiopians," is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering "Woe," whereas the Hebrew does not express a threat, but is an appeal calling attention (ch. 55.
(JVotc, ch. 10. Ki.) 5. liarvestman, &c. — The inhabitants and wealth of Israel shall be swept away, and but few left bell ind, just as the husbandman gathers the corn and the frait, and leaves only a few gleaning ears and grapes (2 Kings 18. 9-U). ivitli Ills anii—he co Uecteth tlie standing
9irain with one arm, so that he can cut It with the sickle
In the otlier hand. Repliatm—a fertile plain at the southwest of Jerusalem toward Bethlehem and the country of the Philistines (2 Samuel 5. 18-22). 6. In It — i.e., in the land of Israel, iwo or tliree ... In the top—A few poor inhabitants shall be left in Israel, like the two or three
1; Zechariah 2. 6): "Ho." He is not speaking against but to the Ethiopians, calling on them to hear his prophetical announcement as to the destruction of their enemies. 1. shadowing with wings—rather, "land of the winged bark:" i. e., " barks with wing-like sails, answering to vessels of bulrushes" in v. 2; the word "rivers," in the parallelism, also favours it; so LXX. and Clialdee. [Ewald.] "Land of the clanging sound of wings," i.e., armies, as in ch. 8. 8; the rendering "bark," or "ship," Is rather dubious. [Maurer.] The armies referred to are those of Tirhakah, advancing to meet the Assyrians (ch. 37. 9). In English Version, "shadowing" means protecting—stretching out its wings to defend a feeble people, viz., the Hebrews. [Vitringa.] The Hebrew for "wings " is the same as for tlie idol Cneph, which was represented in templesculptures with wings (Psalms 91. 4). beyond—Meioe, the island between the "rivers" Nile and Astaboras Is meant, famed for its commerce, and perhaps the seat of the Ethiopian government, hence addressed here as representing the whole empire: remains of temples are still found, and the name of "Tirhakah " in the inscriptions. This Island-region was probably the chief part of Quee*} Candace's kingdom (Acts 8.27). For "beyond" otheia translate less lit., "which borderest on." Ethiopia lit., olive berries left on the topmost boughs, which it is not worth while taking the trouble to try to reach. 7. look to Ills Maker—instead of trusting in their fortresses—(v. 3
Micah 7. 7). 8. groves-A symbolical tree is often found in Assyrian inscriptions, representing the fiosts of heaven (.Saba), answering to Asteroth or Astarte, the queen of heaven, as B.ial or Bel is the king. Hence the expression, " image of the grove," Is explained (2 Kings 21. 7). Images
—lit., images to the s-un, i.e., to Baal, who answers to the sun, as Astarte to the hosts of heaven (2 Kings 23. 5; Job 31. 26).
9. forsaken toongh— rather, "the leavings of woods," what the axeman leaves when he cuts down the grove (cf. r. 6). wliicli tliey left because of— rather, "which (the enemies) shall leave for the children of Israel;" lit., "shall leave (In departing) from before the face of the children of Israel. [Maukeb.] But a few cities out of many shall be left to Israel, by the purpose of God, executed by the Assyrian. 10. forgotten . . . God of . . . salvation . . . TOck— (Deuteronomy 32. 15, 18.) plants—rather, nurserygrounds, pleasure-grounds. [Maurer.] set In— rather, " set them," the pleasure-grounds, strange eli-ps—cuttings of plants from far, and therefore valuable. 11. In the day
Ciisli. Horsley is probably right that the ultimate and . . . tUy plant— rather, "In the day of thy planting." [HORSLEY.] Shalt . . . make . . . grow—Maukek tramfullest reference of the prophecy is to the restoration of the Jews In the Holy Land through the instrumentality of Bome distant people skilled in navigation (r. 2; ch. 60. 9, 10; Psatm 45. 15; 68.31; Zephaniah 3.10): perhaps England. Phoenician voyagers coasting along would speak of all Western remote lands as "beyond" the Nile's mouths. " Cush," too, has a wide sense, being applied not only to Ethiopia, but Arabia Deserta and Felix, and along the Persian Gulf, as far as the Tigris (Genesis 2. 13). 2. ambassadors messengers sent to Jerusalem at the ti me that negotiations passed between Tirhakah and Hezekiah against the expected attack of Sennacherib (ch. 37. 9). by Uites, " Thou didst fence it," viz., the pleasure-ground. The parallel clause, "Make . . . flourish," favours English
Version. As soon a« thou plantest it grows. In the morning—i.e., immediately aflei-: so in Psalm 90. 14, the Hebrew, " in the morning," is translated early, but . . . shall be a heap— rather, "but (promising as was the prospect) the harvest is gone." [HonsLEY.] In . . . day ofgrief—rather, *' in the day of (expected) possession." [Maurer.] " In the day of inundalion." [Horsley.] of desperate sorrowrather, "And the sorrow shall be desperate or irremedi-. . . sea—on the Nile (ch. 19.5): as what follows proves, vessels of bulrushes—light canoes, formed of papyruS) daubed over with pitch: so tlie "ark" in which Moses was exposed (Exodus 2. 3). Go—Isaiah tells them to take back the tidings of what God is about to do (v. 4) against the common enemy of both Judah and Ethiopia, scattered and peeled—rather, strong and energetic. [Maurer. J The Hebrew for " strong " is lit., drawn out {Margin, Psalm able." In English Version heap and sorrow may be taken together by heiidiad, "The heap of the harvest shall be desperate sorrow." [Rosenmuller.] Chap. 17. 12-18. 7. Sudden Destruction of a Great Army in Judea {viz., that of the Assyrian Sennacherib), AND Announcement of the Event to the Ethiopian Ambassadors. The connection of this fragment with what precedes is : notwithstanding the calamities coming on Israel, the people of God shall not be utterly destroyed (ch. 6. 12, 13), the Assyrian spoilers shall perish (ch. 17. 13, 14). la. Woe . . . multitude — rather, "Ho (Hark)! a noise of," &c. The prophet in vision perceives the vast and mixed Assyrian hosts (Hebrew, " many
36.10; Ecclesiastes 2, 3). "Energetic," lit., sharp iahak' kuk 1. 8; Margin, the verb means to sharpen a sword, Ezeklel 21. 15, 16) ; also polished. As Herodotus (3. 20, 114) cha.. racterlzes the Ethiopians as "the tallest and fairest of men," G. V. Smith translates, "tall and comely:" lit.,.extended (ch. 45. 14, " men of stature ") and polished (the Ethiopians had smooth, glossy skins). In English Version the reference is to the Jews, scattered outcasts, and loade-J with indignity {lit., having their hair torn off. H0rsz,ey). terrible—the Ethiopians famed for warlike prowess. [R(>- SENMUiiLER.] The Jews who, because of God's plague; made others to fear the like (Deuteronomy 28. 37). Ratlier; "awfully remarkable." [Horsley.] God puts the " terror" of His people Into the surrounding nations at the peoples," see note, ch. 5. 26): on the hills of Judah (so " mountains," ti. 13): butatthe " rebuke" of God theyshall " flee as chaff." to the rushing . . . that make—rather, "the i-oariug . . . roareth" (cf. ch. 8. 7; Jeremiah 6. 23). 13. sluall . . . shall — rather, "God rebuketh (Psalm 9. 5) them, and they Jlee—are chased:" the event is set before the eyes as actually present, not future. chalT of . . . mountains—threshing-floors in the East are In the open air on elevated places, so as to catch the wind which separates the chaff from the wheat (Psalm 88. 13 ; Hosea 13. 3). rolling thing—any thing that rolls: stubble. 14. evening . . . before morning—fulfilled to the letter In the destruction " before morning" of the vast host that " at evening-tide" was such a terrorr (" trouble") to Judah ; on first (Exodus 23.27; Joshua 2.9); so it shall be again in the latter days (Zechariah 12. 2, 3). from . . . beginning hitherto—so English Version rightly. But Gf.se Nius, " to the terrible nation (of upper Eypt) and furtlier beyond" (to the Ethiopians properly so called), meted ont Hebrew, of line, line. The measuring line was used In destroying buildings (ch. 34. 11; 2 Kings 21. 13; Lamentations 2, 8). Hence, actively, it means here " a i>eopi<» 449 tlie phrase see Psalm 90. 6 ; 30. 5. he Is not viz., the enemj'. us—the Jews. A general declaration of the doom that aw lits the foes of God's people (ch. 54. 17).