Commentary on Isaiah Volume 1 John Calvin (continued)
JOHN CALVIN
His burden is heavy. 575 That is, the Lord will bring with him dreadful calamities, which the ungodly will not be able to endure; for by "burdens" he means the punishments which are inflicted on the ungodly. He expresses the same thing by the words lips and tongue. But why did he speak of them rather than of the hands? It is, because ungodly men mock at all the threatenings which are uttered by the word of God, and treat as fabulous all that is declared by the prophets. To their own cost, therefore, they shall learn that the sound which proceedeth from the sacred name of God is not without meaning, and is not idle thunder intended merely to strike the ears, but shall at length know by experience what is the power of that word which they despised.
28. And his Spirit. 576 He proceeds with that threatening which he had begun to utter, namely, that the Church will indeed be chastised, but yet that the Assyrians shall utterly perish; for he says that they will be plunged into the deep by the "Spirit" of God, or rather, that the "Spirit" himself is like a deep torrent which shall swallow them up. Others translate,רוה577 (rūăch,) by "blowing," and think that the allusion is to a storm or violent wind.
And with a useless sieve. The next metaphor employed is that of a "sieve," which is very frequent in Scripture (Matthew 3:12.) He says that he will shake the Assyrians with a sieve, in order to thrash and scatter them; and therefore he calls it "the sieve of vanity," that is, a useless sieve, 578 intended not to preserve, but to destroy; for, in another sense, the Lord is wont to "sift" his own people also, so as to gather them like good grain into the barn.
And a bridle causing to err. 579 The third metaphor is that of a "bridle," by which the Lord continually restrains the pride and rebelliousness of wicked men, and, in a word, shews that he is their Judge. True, indeed, the Lord commonly restrains and subdues his own people by a "bridle," but it is in order to bring them to obedience; while, on the other hand, he restrains wicked men in such a manner as to cast them down headlong to destruction. This is what he means by the phrase "causing to err." As furious horses are driven about in all directions by their riders, and, the more they kick are more violently struck and beaten; so the ungodly, when they are kept back, rush eagerly in the opposite direction, as it is beautifully described by David. (Psalm 32:9.)
The object of these metaphors is to shew that we must not sport with 575"And the burden thereof (or, And the grievousness of flame) shall be heavy." — Eng. Ver. "And heavy the column of flame." — Stock. "And the burning is heavy: for so ought we to translate ,( משאהmăssāāh,) in the same sense as in Judges 20:40, and in other passages, from ,( נשאnāsā,) `to lift up,' because flame and smoke naturally ascend.'' --- Rosenmüller
576"And his breath." — Eng. Ver. 577"Grotius renders( רוחrūăch) anger, Luther and the English version breath; but there is no sufficient reason for excluding an allusion to the Holy Spirit as a personal agent.'' --- Alexander
578"The sieve of emptiness. A sieve full of holes, that suffers both corn and chaff to pass together to the ground. So shall Jehovah make no distinction among the enemies of Israel." — Stock
579"And a misleading bridle." — Alexander