Prophet again repeats the highly blasphemous words which the Assyrian (continued)
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH
life. Afterwards he boasts that he was cautious and wary, to use an ordinary phrase of our own, (J'ay este bien entendu et expert,) I was very skillful and clever. But there can be no doubt whatever that he bestows this honorable appellation on the tricks and dishonest cunning by which he had gained advantage over his neighbors. For what are the stratagems of kings and princes? To disturb the peace by indirect methods, to invent pretences for quarrels, to sow the seeds of discord, and, in a word, by their artifices to level all distinctions.
I have removed the boundaries of the nations. This means, "I have extended the boundaries of my dominion, and have added other countries to my territories, so as to remove their boundary and limit." Just as if we were to say that the King of France removed the boundaries of Brittany, Burgundy, Aquitaine, Provence, and other countries, when he united them to his own kingdom. He likewise adds, "that nothing was so secret or concealed as not to become his prey;" as if he had said that by his sagacity he drew the neighboring countries into his nets, fished their treasures, and brought into his possession all that lay concealed.
14. And my hand hath found as a nest. He adds, that it cost him no trouble to vanquish kings and amass their wealth; and he illustrates this by a comparison. As if one were to seek a nest and find one deserted by the birds, and consequently to take the eggs without difficulty; for if the parent birds were sitting on the eggs, having an instinctive desire to protect their nest, they would either fly at the robber, and attack him with their bill, or by loud and unpleasant noises endeavor to drive him away. But this tyrant boasts that there was no one who ventured so much as to open the mouth against him, and therefore that he had no difficulty in bringing all the kingdoms under his dominion. Accordingly, he lays claim to all these things, and attributes them to his wisdom, and makes no acknowledgment of the providence of God. These boastful pretensions the Prophet has purposely related as coming from the despot's own mouth, in order to show that they were so many bellows to kindle the judgment of God; for among men this haughtiness could not be endured, and how would not God restrain it?
15. Shall the axe boast? He now ridicules more strongly the mad effrontery of the Assyrians in imagining that he could create mountains of gold; for he tells us that the case is the same as if an axe or a hammer should despise the hand which sets them in motion, and should be proud of their activity, though it is manifest that they have no power of their own to move. But before explaining the subject more fully, I shall touch briefly on the words.
Like the rising up of a rod against him that raiseth it. 167 This second class of the verse is somewhat obscure. The matter is plain enough, but 167" ,( עףlo gnetz) `the no-wood;' that which is not wood like itself, but of a quite different and superior nature. The Hebrews have a peculiar way of joining the negative particle( לאlo) to a noun, to signify in a strong manner a total negation of the thing expressed by the noun. ``How hast thou given help( כח ללאlelo choach) to the no-strength? ``And saved the arm,( עז לאlo gnoz), of the no-power? ``How hast thou given counsel( חכמה ללאlelo chochmah) to the no-wisdom? ``That is, to the man totally deprived of strength, power, and wisdom. (Job 26:2, 3.) So here( עף לאlo gnetz) means him who is far from being an inert piece of wood, but is an animated and active being; not an instrument, but an agent.'' --- Lowth