24 ¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord about 713. GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a Or, but he rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

skall lift up kis staf for thee.

g Exod. 14.

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26 And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to h Judg. 7. 25. the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

ch. 9. 4.

Temure.

27 And it shall come to pass in + Heb. shall that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:

29 They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

received then its ultimate completion, and its fullest intent was then answered, when the bulk of the Jewish nation was rejected, after their rejection of their true Messiah, and given up to the just judgment of God, exhibited in the desolation which the Romans brought upon them; with the preservation of the chosen and holy few, who had embraced the Gospel of Christ. Vitringa.

24, 26. after the manner of Egypt.] As Sennacherib invested Jerusalem upon his return from his Egyptian expedition, and imitated Pharaoh and the Egyptians in threatening the people of God, so does God promise here to act over again the part He had formerly taken, and to overthrow Sennacherib in as signal a manner as He had done Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea. So both the attack and the deliverance are to be" in the way," or, "after the manner, of Egypt." Bp. Lowth.

The twenty-sixth verse may be thus paraphrased: The Assyrian is My rod to thee; but I will have a scourge for him, that shall plague him: as the Midianites were destroyed by Gideon at the rock of Oreb; (see Judg. vii. 25;) and as I plagued the Egyptians, whom I overthrew and destroyed at the Red sea. Bp. Hall.

27.-because of the anointing.] For the sake of God's chosen people, who are called "His anointed," Ps. cv. 15, and especially for the sake of Christ, or the Anointed emphatically so called, who was to descend from the tribe of Judah. Dr. Wells, W. Lowth. See note on chap. xlv. 1.

28. He is come to Aiath, &c.] Here follows a description of the march of Sennacherib's army, and of the terrour and confusion spreading through the several places in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, from Ai northward to Nob westward of it; expressed with great brevity, but finely diversified. Bp. Lowth.

32. As yet shall he remain at Nob] Hence probably

with promise of deliverance.

30+ Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

Before CHRIST about 713.

+ Heb. Cry

31 Madmenah is removed; the in- shrill with habitants of Gebim gather themselves thy voice. to flee.

32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall || by a mighty one. Or,

1

CHAP. XI.

The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse. 10 The victorious restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles.

AND there shall come forth a rod

mightily.

out of the stem of a Jesse, and a a Acts 13. 23. Branch shall grow out of his roots:

he might have a prospect of mount Zion; and thus literally shake his hand against it; and stand in a threatening posture, as just ready to assault it. Bp. Lowth, W. Lowth.

Chap. XI. The Prophet had described, in the last chapter, the destruction of the Assyrian army under the image of a mighty forest, consisting of flourishing trees growing thick together, and of a great height; of Lebanon itself, crowned with lofty cedars, but cut down, and laid level with the ground, by the ax, wielded by the hand of some powerful and illustrious agent: in opposition to this image he represents the great Person, who makes the subject of this chapter, as a slender twig, shooting out from the trunk of an old tree cut down, lopped to the very root, and decayed; which tender plant, so weak in appearance, should nevertheless become fruitful and prosper. This contrast shews a connection between this and the foregoing chapter. Here we have a remarkable instance of that method so common with the Prophets, and particularly with Isaiah, of taking occasion, from the mention of some great temporal deliverance, to launch out into the display of the spiritual deliverance of God's people by the Messiah. Thus in the latter part of Isaiah's prophecies, the subject of the great redemption, and of the glories of Messiah's kingdom, arises out of the restoration of Judah by the deliverance from the captivity of Babylon, and is all along connected and intermixed with it. Bp. Lowth.

Ver. 1. of Jesse,] By mentioning Jesse, who was not a king but a private person, Isaiah seems to hint at the obscure and weak condition in which Christ should appear; His birth too was fixed to be, not at Zion, which was the place and seat of government in Judah, but at Bethlehem, a town where the family of David lived while they were private persons. Dean Allix.

2 And the spirit of the LORD shall about 713. rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

+ Heb. scent, or, smell.

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4 But with righteousness shall he Or, argue. judge the poor, and || reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

b Job 4. 9. 2 Thes. 2. 8.

c Chap. 65. 25.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6 The wolf also shall dwell with

out of the root of Jesse.

Before CHRIST

the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and about 713. the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead

them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the || cock- || Or, adder's. atrice' den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10 ¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand

4.

·reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:] To afford protection to the poor and humble, is the constant character of Christ's kingdom; (chap. xxix. 19; lxi. 1; Ps. lxxii. 2, 12;) to them the blessings of the Gospel are peculiarly promised, Matt. v. 3; James ii. 5. W. Lowth.

•he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,] The "earth" here signifies the ungodly, called by St. John, chap. vii. 7; xvii. 9, the "world ;" who make the greatest part of it, and have the greatest share in it: the "rod of His mouth" signifies the "word of God," containing threats and judgments against sinners, which is said to be "sharper than any two edged sword," Heb. iv. 12; and as such is described, Rev. i. 16, as proceeding "out of the mouth of Christ." St. Paul, in the passage given in the margin, applies this particularly to the destruction of Antichrist. See also Rev. xix. 21. W. Lowth.

5. — righteousness shall be the girdle &c.] The meaning is, that a zeal for justice and truth shall make Him active and strong in executing the great work which He shall undertake. Bp. Lowth. See note on chap. v.

27.

6-8. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, &c.] The expressions here used are plainly designed to shew, in a figurative way, that there should be as great a

change wrought upon the world, as there would be, if the natures of the creatures here mentioned were so changed, as the figures represent them. Dr. T. Burnett. Men's former antipathies shall cease: and they who had used to be the most fierce and ravenous shall yield the gentle discipline of Christ, and put on the humble spirit of His followers. The persecutions of the heathen world were broken off, when the princes of the earth gave in their names to Christ, and laid those sceptres at his feet, which had been formerly held out with rage and virulence against Him: and if some parts of the Church have since been overrun by barbarous crews of Saracens and other infidels, and if the world be not yet brought to the peaceable temper here foretold, or the Church yet at unity with itself, we must remember that divisions and the temporary success of Christ's enemies have been foretold, as well as His final conquest and complete tranquillity, and, being confirmed by what we see accomplished, look the more steadfastly to the accomplishment of those prophecies which are still to be fulfilled. Dr. Berriman.

Profane writers describe the renewal of the golden age, as it is called, much in the same metaphorical language as is here used by the Prophet: wild beasts grow tame, serpents and poisonous herbs become harmless; all is peace and harmony, plenty and happiness: but the most elegant of the ancient poets fall very short of that beauty, and elegance, and variety of imagery, with which Isaiah has set forth the same ideas. Here the wolf and the leopard not only forbear to destroy the lamb and the kid, but even take their abode and lie down together with them. The calf, and the young lion, and the fatling, not only come together, but are led quietly in the same band, and that by a little child. The heifer and the she-bear not only feed together, but even lodge their young ones, for whom they used to be most jealously fearful, in the same place. All the serpent kind is so perfectly harmless, that the sucking infant, and the newly weaned child, puts his hand on the basilisk's den, and plays upon the hole of the aspick. The lion not only abstains from preying on the weaker animals, but becomes tame and domestick, and feeds on straw like the ox. These are all beautiful circumstances, not one of which has been touched upon by the ancient poets. Bp. Lowth.

a root of Jesse,] Christ is here called the "Root" of Jesse, as being the real ground or founda

The restoration of Israel,

Before CHRIST

d Rom. 15. 12.

+ Heb. glory.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from + Heb. wings. the four + corners of the earth.

13 The envy also of Ephraim shall

tion of all the favours bestowed upon the family, the ultimate end and aim to which they were referred: the "Branch growing out of the root," ver. 1, because actually descended from that royal line: which may explain the two-fold character He gives of Himself, Rev. xxii. 16. Dr. Berriman.

which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek:] This alludes to the Jewish custom of repairing to the temple at festivals; see Deut. xii. 5, and the note on chap. ii. 3. W. Lowth. It may be remarked here, that when the descent of the Messiah was limited to the tribe of Judah, it was still foretold that to Him should the "gathering of the people (or nations) be," Gen. xlix. 10; and now, where it is yet more precisely limited to the house of David, His kingdom is represented to be universal. Dr. Berriman.

— his rest shall be glorious.] This is most commonly understood of His Church, where, as between the cherubim heretofore, God has His resting-place. Bp. Wilson.

What remains of this chapter foretells those glorious times of the Church, which shall be ushered in by the restoration of the Jewish nation; when they shall embrace the Gospel, and return from the several dispersions where they are scattered. This remarkable scene of Providence is plainly foretold by most of the Prophets of the Old Testament, and by St. Paul, Rom. xi. 25, 26; 2 Cor. iii. 16. W. Lowth.

11.- the Lord shall set his hand again the second time &c.] These words imply, that this shall be as great a deliverance as that out of Egypt: compare Ps. Ixviii. 22; Mic. vii. 15. W. Lowth.

-from Pathros, &c.] Pathros is a country in Egypt, Jer. xliv. 1; Ezek. xxix. 14. Elam, Persia; Shinar, Babylon, Gen. xi. 2. W. Lowth.

Respecting Cush, see notes on chap. xviii. 1; Numb. xii. 1. Hamath, note on chap. x. 9. Elam, note on chap. xxi. 2.

islands of the sea.] By this expression are to be understood, in the Scripture style, not only islanders properly so called, but all who dwelt on the seacoast, primarily, perhaps, those on the shores of the Mediterranean; all distant nations, which may best appear from chap. xlix. 1; Jer. xxxi. 10; all to the west of Canaan. These last were the isles of the Gentiles, to be peopled by the posterity of Japhet, Gen. x. 5; under this title of islands they are mentioned in all passages, where the extension of the Gospel to the Gentiles is prophesied of, with a view, no doubt, to the flourishing

Before CHRIST about 713.

children of

14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of Heb. the the east together: they shall lay the east. their hand upon Edom and Moab; dom + and the children of Ammon shall shall be the obey them.

15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over + dryshod. 16 And there shall be an highway

and Moab

laying on of
their hand.
† Heb. the

children of tr

Ammon their obedience.

+ Heb. in shoes.

condition of Christianity in aftertimes in Europe. Vitringa.

The fact is notorious, that the Gospel, from the beginning to the present times, hath made the greatest progress in Europe, and in those parts of Asia which were first peopled by the posterity of Japhet. Among the uncivilized descendants of Ham, and the degenerate sons of Shem, it hath not been so generally spread, or hath not so deeply taken root. Bp. Horsley.

13. the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off:] The Hebrew might be rendered, the "enmity" of Judah: and what follows, "Judah shall not vex Ephraim," seems to require that it should. Abp. Secker.

14. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines &c.] The people mentioned in this verse were all of them borderers upon the territory of the Jews, and took all occasions of shewing their spite and ill-will against them: on which account, in the prophetick dialect they are often used in a general sense for the enemies of God's truth and people. Compare chap. xxv. 10; xxxiv. 5, 6; Joel iii. 19; Amos ix. 12. W. Lowth.

It is the style and genius of the prophetical books, to set whole countries, and kingdoms, and societies of men, to signify, not those places, and persons, and powers only, but others also who should be in afterages like them, in the same sins and circumstances. Dean Stanhope.

15.

the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea;] the word "tongue," when applied to the sea, signifies a bay, and is so translated, Josh. xv. 2, and xviii. 19. W. Lowth. Most interpreters apply the expression here to that bay of the Red Sea, over which the Israelites passed. Vitringa.

Perhaps "the tongue of the Egyptian sea" may mean that part of the land of Egypt which was enclosed among the mouths of the Nile; the Nile being understood to be the Egyptian sea. This has at times been described under the semblance of a pear, and an heart, and also a tongue; all these objects having some analogy in their shape. Bryant.

with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, &c.] This plainly alludes to the passage of the Red Sea, and refers to the particular circumstance mentioned Exod. xiv. 21. Bp. Lowth. Whether we understand the river here of the Nile, famous for its seven mouths, or the Euphrates, (see note on chap. vii. 20,) and suppose allusion made to Cyrus draining that river when he took Babylon, chap. xliv. 27; Jer. I. 38;

God threateneth

Before

CHRIST

6 Howl ye; for the day of the about 712. LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

[ Or, fall down.

7 Therefore shall all hands || be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:

8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed Heb. everyone at another; their faces shall be as + flames.

+ Heb. wonder.

man at his neighbour. + Heb. faces

of the flames.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give a Ezek. 32.7. their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the Mark 13.24, moon shall not cause her light to Luke 21. 25. shine.

Joel 2. 31. & 3.15.

Matt. 24. 29.

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

8-their faces shall be as flames.] Black and ghastly, like smoke and flames. See Joel ii. 6; Nahum ii. 10. Bp. Wilson, W. Lowth.

10. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light :] When the Hebrew poets represent the destruction and overthrow of kingdoms, the stars are obscure, the moon withdraws her light, the sun shines no more; the earth quakes, the heavens tremble; and all things seem tending to their original chaos. See Joel ii. 10; iii. 15, 16; Amos viii. 9; Matt. xxiv. 29. Bp. Lowth.

to destroy Babylon.

13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

Before CHRIST about 712.

16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; b Ps. 137. 9. their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

19 ¶ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when + Heb. as the God overthrew Sodom and Go- c Gen. 19. 24. morrah.

overthrowing.

Jer. 50. 40.

of Ophir.] See notes on 1 Kings ix. 28. 13. I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove &c.] The figurative language of the Prophets is taken from the analogy between the world natural, and an empire or kingdom considered as a world politick. The heavens and the things therein signify thrones and dignities, and those who enjoy them; the earth with the things thereon, the inferiour people. Great earthquakes, and the shaking of heaven and earth, are put for the shaking of kingdoms, so as to distract and overthrow them. Sir I. Newton.

11. And I will punish the world] The Prophet suddenly transfers the speech from himself to God, and sets forth, under a variety of the most striking images, the dreadful destruction of the inhabitants of Babylon which will follow, ver. 11-16; and the everlasting desolation, to which that great city is doomed, ver. 17-22. See chap. xxi. 10, and notes there. "The world" here signifies the Babylonish empire, as it does the Roman empire, or Judea, in Luke ii. 1; Acts xi. 28. Bp. Lowth.

12. I will make a man more precious than fine gold;] Such shall be the destruction of men fit to bear arms: see the like calamity described, chap. iv. 1. Or the words may import, that the Medes should spare no man's life, though he could purchase it with gold; see ver. 17.

W. Lowth.

VOL. II.

of riches: "Ye Medes, and others who now hear me, I well know that you have not accompanied me in this expedition with a view of acquiring wealth." Bp. Lowth.

18. Their bows also] The Persians were celebrated for their archery, chap. xxii. 6; Jerem. xlix. 35. (see note on chap. xxi. 2.) Profane writers mention the magnitude of their bows. Probably their neighbours and allies the Medes too dealt much in the same sort of arms. Bp. Lowth.

The Medes is a general name for both nations, and so used and applied by Greek historians, as well as sacred writers. Bp. Newton.

- Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency,] After Nineveh was destroyed, Babylon became the queen of the East. Semiramus is said by some, and Belus, who is probably the same as Nimrod, (see note on Gen. x. 9,) by others, to have

R