Commentary on Isaiah Volume 1 John Calvin (continued)
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH
17. Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
17. Ideo decalvabit Dominus verticem filiarum Sion, et Dominus pudenda earum nudabit.
18. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
18. In die illa auferet Dominus ornamentum crepitaculorum, et reticula, et lunulas,
19. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 19. Olfactoria, armillas, et mitras, 20. The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
20. Tiaras, crurum ornatus, vittas, bullas, et inaures, 21. The rings, and nose-jewels, 21. Annulos et monilia narium, 22. The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins,
22. Mutatorias vestes, palliola, pepla, et acus, 23. The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 23. Specula, et sindones, calyptras et theristra. 24. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well-set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
24. Et erit pro suavi aromate putredo, et pro cinctura laceratio, et pro cincinnus calvitium; pro balteo cinctura sacci, adustio pro venustate.
25. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 25. Viri tui in gladio cadent, et robur tuum in bello. 26. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she, being desolate, shall sit upon the ground
26. Moerebunt ac lugebunt portae ejus; et ipsa desolata humi jacebit.
1. For, behold. We stated, a little before, that this is the same subject which the Prophet began to treat towards the close of the former chapter; for he warns the Jews that their wealth, however great it may be, will be of no avail to prevent the wrath of God, which, when it has once been kindled, will burn up all their defenses. Hence it follows that they are chargeable with excessive madness, when, in order to drive away their alarm, they heap up their forces, strength, and warlike accoutrements, consultations, armor, abundant supply of provisions, and other resources.
The demonstrative particle( ,הנהhinneth,) "behold," is employed not only to denote certainty, but to express the shortness of time, as if Isaiah caused wicked men to be eye-witnesses of the event; for it frequently happens that
JOHN CALVIN
they who do not venture openly to ridicule the judgments of God pass them by, as if they did not at all relate to them, or were still at a great distance. "What is that to us?" say they; "Or, if they shall ever happen, why should we be miserable before the time? Will it not be time enough to think of those calamities when they actually befall us?" Since, therefore, wicked men, in order to set at naught the judgments of God, dig for themselves lurkingplaces of this description, on this account the Prophet presses them more closely and earnestly, that they may not imagine that the hand of God is distant, or vainly expect that it will be relaxed.
The Lord Jehovah of hosts will take away from Jerusalem. This is also the reason why he calls God the Lord and Jehovah of Hosts, that the majesty of God may terrify their drowsy and sluggish minds; for God has no need of titles, but our ignorance and stupidity must be aroused by perceiving his glory. First, the Prophet threatens that the Jews will have the whole produce of the harvest taken from them, so that they will perish through famine. Immediately afterwards he speaks in the same manner about military guards, and all that relates to the good order of the state. Hence we may infer that the Jews boasted of the prosperity which they at that time enjoyed, so as to entertain a foolish belief that they were protected against every danger. But Isaiah threatens that not only the whole country, but Jerusalem herself, which was the invincible fortress of the nation, will be exposed to God's chastisements; as if he had said, "The wrath of God will not only fall on every part of the body, but will pierce the very heart."
The power and the strength. 52 As to the words( ,ומשענה משעןmashgnen umashgnenah) which differ only in this respect, that one is in the masculine, and the other in the feminine genders, I have no doubt that the Prophet intended by this change to express more fully the certainty that supports of every kind would be broken; and therefore I have translated them the power and the strength 53 I do not agree with those interpreters who view it as referring to the persons of men, for it more appropriately denotes all supports, whatever may be their nature.
Still it is doubtful whether the Prophet limits it to food, or extends it to all other kinds of support, which he mentions immediately afterwards. But it is natural to suppose that by( ,משען ומשענהmashgnen umashgnenah) is included generally everything that is necessary to sustain the order of the city or of the people; and next that, for the sake of explanation, he enumerates some particulars. The first clause therefore means, "God will take away every
52"Heb, 'the support masculine and the support feminine,' that is, every kind of support, whether great or small, strong or weak. Al kenitz, wal kanitzan; the wild beast, male and female: proverbially applied both to fishing and hunting; that is, I seized the prey, great or little, good or bad. From hence, as Schultens observes, is explained Isaiah 3:1, literally, the male and female stay; that is, the strong and weak, the great and small." Chappelow, quoted by Lowth.
53Calvin has imitated the Hebrew phrase by the rendering vigorem et vim; employing two words, of which one is in the masculine and the other in the feminine gender, and both begin with the same letter, while each of them denotes strength. Our English version has imitated the alliteration by stay and the staff — Ed.